Calvin Ridley set a Falcons rookie record with three
touchdown receptions among a bunch of big plays — in a bittersweet afternoon for
the young wide receiver.After barely factoring in Atlanta’s first two
games
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Williams Jersey , he was targeted a team-high eight times, caught a
team-best seven passes and registered a game-high 146 yards. It wasn’t enough,
though, because Drew Brees‘s half-yard sneak pushed the New Orleans Saints to a
43-37 overtime victory Sunday.That left the first-round draft choice less happy
to talk about his scoring plays of 18, 75 and 9 yards.“I’d really rather have
the win, but it means a lot,” Ridley said after lighting up the Saints. “It
feels pretty good.”Ridley didn’t have a catch in Atlanta’s opening game, an
18-12 loss at Phildelphia on Sept. 6.He had four receptions in a 31-24 win over
the Panthers a week ago.On Sunday, he was busy from the jump.He lined up in the
backfield on Atlanta’s first offensive snap and later in the game as well, and
also ran three reverses. Two were wiped out by penalties, leaving him with a
carry for 9 yards.All of his catches counted and the Saints struggled to figure
out a way to slow him, especially in the first half when he had five receptions
for 129 yards and two scores.On the first, he beat embattled New Orleans
cornerback P.J. Williams to catch an 18-yard touchdown in the right corner of
the end zone. Ridley beat Williams for an 11-yard catch to start the Falcons’
next possession. Shortly before
halftime
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Scharping Jersey , he blew past Williams on a 75-yard scoring play.After
hauling in the long pass from Matt Ryan, he easily outran Saints safety Marcus
Williams to the end zone.Ridley said he wasn’t necessarily looking to be matched
up on Williams, and that play was nothing special.“I just came in ready for
anybody. I was prepared. I was ready to help the team win,” he explained. “(It
was) just a go ball, run deep. … I’m just getting comfortable,
confident.”Atlanta star wide receiver Julio Jones, who has had a
franchise-record 40 games with 100 or more receiving yards, didn’t seem
surprised that Ridley riddled the Saints for his first. They both played at
Alabama.“I knew it all along,” Jones said after catching five passes for 96
yards. “He’s a great player. Let him make plays. He made some great plays for us
today.”Ridley’s best play might have come early in the third quarter, when Ryan
scrambled left on second-and-goal from the New Orleans 9-yard line.By that time,
the Saints had subbed cornerback Ken Crawley for Williams, who had decent
coverage on Ridley in the end zone. When the play broke down,
though
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Crawley was caught looking at Ryan, and the rookie receiver broke behind left
behind the cornerback and the quarterback found him for a score.With 12 minutes
left in the third quarter, Atlanta led 21-16.“I thought Calvin played really
well,” Ryan said after completing 26 of 35 passes for 374 yards and a
career-high five touchdown passes. “He stepped up when he had the opportunity
to. It was clear from the start it was two guys to account for Julio. That
leaves Calvin singled up in 1-on-1 coverage. … Today was special.”But, even
greater for Ridley if the Falcons pulled out a win.“We knew it was going to be a
high-scoring game coming in,” Ridley said. “We’ve just got to be better next
time.”___ KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have made a habit of
inciting controversy during the NFL draft in the Andy Reid era by acquiring
players that have a history of off-the-field issues.This year, they didn’t even
wait until the draft.The Chiefs swung a blockbuster trade with the Seattle
Seahawks on Tuesday to acquire pass rusher Frank Clark for a package of picks, a
person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The two sides then
reached an agreement on a $105.5 million, five-year contract that was contingent
on Clark passing a physical, which was expected to be completed Wednesday.The
person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal, which sent
the Chiefs’ first-round pick this year and a second-rounder next year to
Seattle, had not become official.That didn’t stop
fans
Cullen
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of life in Kansas City from debating the merits of bringing in yet another
player with baggage.The team took a chance on cornerback Marcus Peters, who was
traded away after getting into trouble with coaches. It drafted running back
Kareem Hunt, then quickly cut him when he kicked a woman in a hotel hallway. And
it picked wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was dealing with his own domestic
violence case that centered on the 3-year-old child he shares with his
fiance.While Clark has stayed out of trouble during four years in the NFL, he
was kicked off the team at Michigan when he was charged with first-degree
domestic violence and assault following an incident with his then-girlfriend.
The charges were later reduced to fourth-degree persistent disorderly conduct
and Clark completed a domestic violence course and paid court costs and
fines.One organization that called the trade “disconcerting” was the Rose Brooks
Center, which has been providing a safe haven for victims of domestic violence
for 40 years.“Organizations and other systems have a community responsibility to
hold offenders accountable, just as Rose Brooks Center does, in order to end the
epidemic of domestic violence,” the center said in a statement. “When we do not
hold offenders accountable, it sends a message of acceptance not only to the
offender, but to the victim, reducing the likelihood that a victim will come
forward.”The Chiefs have not commented on the trade because it has yet to become
official, though the team did tweet video from the locker room of a No. 55
jersey with Clark’s name on it.His arrival continues a trend of the Chiefs
giving players with off-the-field history a second
chance
Tytus
Howard Jersey , with mixed results.Peters, who was kicked off his team at
Washington for fighting with his coach, quickly became one of the league’ best
cornerbacks. But increasingly erratic conduct reached a tipping point when
Peters got into an altercation with then-defensive coordinator Bob Sutton
following a game.Peters ultimately was shipped to the Rams last offseason for
second- and fourth-round draft picks.In 2016, the Chiefs used a fifth-round pick
on Hill, who was kicked off the team at Oklahoma State after punching his
pregnant girlfriend and transferred to tiny West Alabama. His elite speed and
game-breaking ability made him one of the league’s biggest stars on the field,
but off the field many fans were dismayed at the pick — some even gave up season
tickets or swore off the team altogether.Hill completed a series of steps to
have the original domestic violence charges expunged, and he had stayed out of
trouble until last month when police were called to his home twice in a span of
nine days to investigate a report of child abuse and battery of a juvenile. On
Wednesday, the Johnson County district attorney declined to press charges in the
case because he could not determine whether it was Hill or his fiance, Crystal
Espinal, that injured the child.“We believe a crime has occurred ,” district
attorney Steve Howe said. “We’ve asked the police to do quite a bit of follow-up
work. They’ve completed their investigation and we’re at an impasse at this
point and any further investigation would be unwarranted.”The Chiefs have
declined to discuss Hill even as they began offseason workouts, and coach Andy
Reid merely said “he is here” when asked about his talented wide receiver last
week.General manager Brett Veach also declined to discuss the case.“I think it’s
going to work itself out here,” he
said
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said, there’s nothing I’d probably be in a position to say right now on
that.”The Chiefs have been quick in addressing domestic violence in at least one
case.After choosing Hunt despite a history of issues in college, and watching
him lead the league in rushing as a rookie, they wasted no time in cutting him
once video surfaced of an incident in an Ohio hotel hallway. Hunt was seen
pushing and kicking a woman while she was on the ground.“Our scouting staff does
a really good job of vetting players and part of that analysis is their
character,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said at the time. “Obviously, it’s very
hard to learn everything about somebody. Sometimes you have somebody who in
college didn’t have any incidents, then they get to the pro level and with the
fame and fortune that comes with the position, they do something you don’t
expect. We’re certainly going to try to get better, but I don’t think you can
ever be perfect.”It’s unclear what kind of due diligence the Chiefs did when it
came to Clark, though two people familiar with his signing said the background
work done was extensive.What they heard was enough to make the Chiefs
comfortable not only with bringing him aboard, but also making Clark one of the
highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL.
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