Off Topic » New coach Pat Shurmur wants the New York Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dawson-knox-jersey , N.J. (AP) to do the right thing when the national anthem is played before NFL games this season, and that could be a problem.Under rules enacted by the league last week, players can stay in the locker room during ”The Star-Spangled Banner,” but must stand if they are on the field. Teams will be fined for violations.That puts Shurmur and the Giants in a difficult position.While there were only a few players kneeling during the anthem at the end of last season, two are currently on the Giants’ roster. Star defensive end Olivier Vernon got down on one knee during every game last season. Safety Michael Thomas, signed in March as a free agent after five seasons in Miami, has gone down on a knee during the anthem much of the past two seasons to support the movement started by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016.Shurmur said the Giants are going to let things settle before talking about the new rule as a team.”I know certainly for me, it’s very easy,” Shurmur said Tuesday after a practice at an organized team activity. ”I’m going to face the flag and take my cap off and listen to the anthem and be thankful that my family and I live in the greatest country in the world, and be able to kind of reflect on and be thankful for all the sacrifice that a lot of people have gone to, to help protect and secure our freedom.”Vernon did not respond to several requests to appear for an interview after practice.Thomas said he wanted to discuss the new rule with fellow players and Giants co-owner John Mara before commenting.”I am not committing to anything right now,” Thomas said. ”Just talking with my brothers and continuing to fight for our communities. Right now, we are not trying to jump the gun and step into anything.”Thomas would not say whether the Giants talked to him about the national anthem before signing him.The 28-year-old Thomas reiterated his protests have nothing to do with disrespecting the flag or servicemen.”A lot of people try and make this about something else than what it is,” he said. ”For me and my brothers, we know in our hearts why we are doing it and why we are taking this stance. We are not going to let it get distorted even if we have to find different methods and different ways to find a way to get our message across, then we are going to do that.”I am not going to get emotionally hijacked about it right now, not going to make comments,” Thomas added. ”Just keep doing what we have to do.”Thomas played in 13 games last season with two starts. He will be given a chance to challenge Darian Thompson for the safety spot opposite Landon Collins, but he also is expected to be a force on special teams.”It is very clear what they are thinking on special teams,” Thomas said. ”I am excited to be a part of that. I don’t think having that low standard on special teams is going to be acceptable here.”NOTES: DT Damon Harrison took part in practice for the first time in OTAs. … Collins Brian Burns Jersey , who had recent surgery on his right forearm, had a limited role in the practice. He wore a red non-contact jersey. … Neither WR Odell Beckham Jr., nor CB Janoris Jenkins was at the practice, which is voluntary. Both told Shurmur they would not be there. … Shurmur said Ereck Flowers is adjusting well to playing right tackle. He was moved there from left tackle after Nate Solder was signed as a free agent.— ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Now that the Great QB Grab of 2018 is over, what’s ahead for the five first-round quarterbacks selected might be more daunting than getting selected on opening night of the draft.When NFL teams get desperate at the position, they tend to reach. Or mortgage portions of their future. Or sometimes simple blow it.Of course, in many other instances, they nail it, from top overall selections Eli Manning, Cam Newton and Andrew Luck to wise lower picks on the first night such as Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan and, yes, Aaron Rodgers.It really is a crapshoot.“Everybody’s draft board is set up differently, and when I recite to you all the best available player in this draft for the Cleveland Browns organization, this was the best available player,” general manager John Dorsey said of taking Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma to begin proceedings. “What he brings to this organization, I couldn’t be more excited to have him. Those other guys are really good quarterbacks, too, but I just felt that this was the best fit for this organization moving forward.”As the New York Jets felt with Southern California’s Sam Darnold; the Buffalo Bills with Wyoming’s Josh Allen http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-greg-little-jersey , for whom they traded up five spots with Tampa Bay to get; the Arizona Cardinals with Josh Rosen of UCLA, also by using a trade, with Oakland; and the Baltimore Ravens, who concluded Round 1 with — you guessed it — a deal with Philadelphia so they could grab 2016 Heisman recipient Lamar Jackson of Louisville.Five QBs, the most since the 1999 draft and second to the epic 1983 first round that produced three Hall of Famer quarterbacks (John Elway, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino) of the six QBs selected.On Thursday, as the five teams with new signal callers looked ahead, all they saw and spoke about was sunshine and success.“We feel he has a very, very bright future,” Jets GM Mike Maccagnan said of Darnold, “and really when you put the whole thing together with quarterbacks, you analyze them from an ability standpoint, you analyze them from a character standpoint, and then you see what you think they can grow into, and we felt very good about Sam from that standpoint.”So what are the challenges ahead for these five potential franchise quarterbacks?BROWNSHistory certainly plays a role here. Since re-entering the NFL in 1999, the Browns haven’t had anything more than stopgap QBs. That’s almost two decades of searching, with the last two seasons’ record of 1-31 as abysmal as it gets.Enter Mayfield, who eventually should beat out newly acquired veteran Tyrod Taylor, if not immediately.Dorsey adeptly evaluated the pros about Mayfield:“It is a combination of things. I talk about hand size; he has 9 6-8th (inch) hands. … That is good for the elements in November and December. He has feet to extend the play. He has really good accuracy. He has a quick release. He has a strong arm. His efficiency in the red zone offense is uncanny.“You know what else separates him? He is hungry. He wants to be a really good football player Will Grier Jersey , and he is going to be a really good football player.”Mayfield also is short for the position at just over 6-foot. He has to adjust to the pro-style offense of coach Hue Jackson. He must show he can take the kind of hits college players couldn’t deliver but the pros do regularly.And while teammates adore him for his leadership skills, there’s also a cockiness and borderline rebelliousness that can take a player (and team) in several directions, not all of them positive.JETSSize is no issue with Darnold. Nor are arm strength or competitiveness.Like Mayfield, he can sit behind a veteran, Josh McCown, who is a good teacher, though that won’t be for too long, either.What must be cured is Darnold’s penchant for turnovers and sloppy plays.“Obviously, we don’t want turnovers on any level,” coach Todd Bowles said, “but we think his upside and his ability far outweighs the turnovers. And sometimes just trying to do too much, sometimes trying to make the wrong reads and things he can learn from. Getting to know him, we think those things can be corrected, and I know just talking with him personally those things can be corrected.”BILLSAllen might have a higher ceiling than any of the QBs taken Thursday. He’s tall and solid and won’t be bothered by fall and winter weather in Western New York. He’s smart, had a sensational offseason to boost his draft stock, and throws a terrific deep ball among the many spirals he unleashes.Allen also comes from the Mountain West, not the highest level of college conferences, and his career completion percentage is a mere 56.2.“We just think his makeup is going to help him work on his flaws,” GM Brandon Beane says. “We like a lot of his strengths. And that’ll be part of our job here is to accentuate his strengths and work on his fundamentals and the things that his so-called weaknesses are.”Buffalo has veteran AJ McCarron, an infrequent starter with Cincinnati before the Bills brought him aboard this year.CARDINALSAll three of Arizona’s 2017 quarterbacks were gone http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-christian-miller-jersey , most notably the retired Carson Palmer. Although the Cardinals signed Sam Bradford in free agency, it’s conceivable Rosen will win the starting job. Indeed, many NFL personnel people rated him the most ready QB for the pros.Rosen certainly has an edge, which cuts two ways. His competitiveness and desire to outdo anyone and everyone can be a major plus. It also can backfire and lead to impatience and bad decisions.He’s also had some injury issues, including a concussion.“To make a difference, you’ve got to be different,” new coach Steve Wilks said. “I love his personality. He’s wired the right way.”RAVENSIn some ways, this is as intriguing as any first-round selection.Baltimore’s starter, Joe Flacco, is diametrically opposite in style to Jackson. Where Flacco is anchored to the pocket, Jackson is a dynamo outside of it. Where Flacco is lead-footed, Jackson is a flash. Jackson’s creativity with the ball works best in a different type offense than Flacco’s strong-armed, tradition manner.Like Mayfield, Darnold and possibly Allen, Jackson has the luxury of sitting behind a solid vet — and a Super Bowl winner, don’t forget — and learning the NFL game. His biggest challenge, a huge one, is adapting to a totally different scheme from the one he ran in college.“Joe Flacco is our quarterback. That’s the thing that you got to remember,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Lamar is going to have a chance to develop.”