ENGLEWOOD http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dexter-lawrence-jersey , Colo. — Twenty four hours later, he didn’t hesitate to select Missouri’s Drew Lock, the QB so many mock drafts had him selecting with the 10th overall pick.Instead, Elway got his man at No. 42.“We’re very fortunate. We didn’t think he would fall nearly this far,” Elway said. “Right now, we’ve got a starting quarterback in Joe Flacco, so he’ll be an understudy .”Elway entered Day 2 with two second-round selections but after taking Kansas State offensive lineman Dalton Risner, who grew up in Colorado, at 41, Elway scrambled to get back-to-back picks, trading No. 52 to Cincinnati along with fourth- and sixth-rounders Saturday to move up 10 spots.While Risner could start at right guard right away for Denver, there’s no pressure to throw Lock into the lineup, especially because he’s not the pressure-packed first-rounder he was expected to be.Burned by bad QB decisions since Peyton Manning’s retirement three years ago, most notably first-round bust Paxton Lynch, Elway acquired Flacco from the Ravens this winter and doubled down this month by declaring the 34-year-old veteran was still in his prime.Sliding into the second round http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/zach-allen-jersey , however, brings more motivation into the mix for Lock, who watched Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins go in the first round.“It certainly does,” Lock said. “I know the kind of player I am. I know the kind of player I’m going to be. This adds a little chip to the shoulder bigger than the one that’s already on there.”Lock was among the two dozen prospects invited to the draft in Nashville, and about an hour after Elway drafted him, he was brought out onto the stage to get the traditional hug and handshake with the commissioner that he’d expected 24 hours earlier.Before Day 2 got going, first-round pick Iowa tight end Noah Fant arrived in Denver to pose for pictures and talk about how thrilled he was to join a team intent on upgrading a deficient offense under new head coach Vic Fangio and his staff.The Broncos selected Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones with the 71st overall pick in the third round, the first defender selected on Fangio’s watch.Jones has the first step and ability to get through the gaps defensive line coaches love. The big question is if his 2018 production — 13 tackles for loss were more than 2016 and 2017 combined — is a sign of things to come. He also needs to develop some counter moves.SUPER DUPERSo far, Fant has said he’s “super excited and super stoked” to be a Bronco, “super hyped” about playing with Flacco and “super excited” that he’s in Denver. Taking a call from Elway was a “super special moment” that made him “super emotional and super happy.” And knowing Flacco likes to target his tight ends makes him “super, super — I can’t express how happy I am about that.”Meeting last year’s first-round pick Bradley Chubb upon his arrival at team headquarters was “super cool,” and he reiterated he was “super happy” to get selected by Denver and his family was “super happy,” too.Fant added that “having a Super Bowl quarterback like Joe Flacco is going to be a lot of fun.” THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams realize they’re heading into one of the NFL’s most intimidating environments when they visit the top-seeded New Orleans Saints in the deafening Superdome for the NFC championship game.Leave it to Aqib Talib, their voluble veteran cornerback Cullen Gillaspia Jersey , to remind his teammates about the upside of the New Orleans fans’ famed investment in the game.“As a defense, man, we like playing in it,” Talib said. “It’s going to be quiet (when the Saints have the ball). We can talk. We can communicate good, so as a defense, we enjoy it.”That’s exactly the type of vocal, clever leadership the Rams desired when they acquired Talib last spring to bolster a defense lacking in big-game experience. They’ll need every bit of Talib’s expertise and skill when they attempt to slow Drew Brees, Michael Thomas and a New Orleans (14-3) offense that already carved up the Rams (14-3) once this season.The Rams have one significant reason to think the rematch will be better: Talib was out with an ankle injury two months ago when the Rams gave up 346 yards passing to Brees during their first loss of the season, 45-35 at the Superdome.Talib is healthy and eager to make a difference Sunday, although he deflects any attempt to put the spotlight on him.“Everybody is preparing for this game different,” Talib said. “This is a huge game, so everybody is having real sharp meetings, and we’re all going to bring something a little different to the table.”The Rams acquired Talib and Marcus Peters to be the shutdown cornerbacks needed in the schemes of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who also coached Talib with the Broncos. Los Angeles even gave up linebacker Alec Ogletree, their leading tackler for most of his career Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , to create the cap space necessary to get Talib in a trade.While many of his teammates got their first career playoff victory last week against Dallas, Talib has seen it all before — from big playoff games in New England to a Super Bowl championship run with Denver. The 32-year-old cover specialist was named a captain by his teammates before he had even played his first game with the Rams, although he downplays his own leadership role.“I just be myself, you know,” Talib said. “I just communicate with guys, ask questions in the meeting room, and I don’t know. Maybe if I was on the outside looking in, I would see it.”Los Angeles’ defense has experienced a clear upswing in performance since the Rams’ epic 54-51 victory over Kansas City in late November. The Rams’ defense forced five turnovers by the Chiefs, but also gave up 546 yards.That was the eighth game missed by Talib due to a high ankle sprain. He returned for the next outing after their bye week in early December — and not coincidentally, the Rams have held four of their last six opponents under 23 points.“It changes things,” Phillips said. “Since Aqib has been back, we haven’t given up a lot of big plays in the passing game. He helps with communication, he helps with his talent, and we don’t have to change people around to cover up for a guy that hadn’t been playing. It gives us a versatility that we didn’t have when he wasn’t in there.”Phillips typically doesn’t like to assign one cornerback to a single receiver, preferring versatility and flexibility. The Rams also have a strong third cornerback http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/ben-banogu-jersey , Nickell Robey-Coleman, who typically handles receivers lining up in the slot, as Thomas sometimes does.But it seems highly likely the Rams would consider matching up Talib with Thomas as much as possible. After all, Thomas posted 211 yards receiving against his hometown team in November largely against Peters .Talib understandably wouldn’t give away the Rams’ potential strategy for the NFC title game, and neither would Phillips. But Phillips made it clear how much he relies on the veteran to act as an extension of himself on the field.“He’s pretty proactive about everything,” Phillips said. “He’s a big personality, so you can’t help but be drawn to him. I tell him he always takes the other side. Whatever side you take, well, he’s going to argue the other side. You know, that’s him. He gets going, he gets excitable about a lot of things, and he’s a lot of fun to be around. And he made me drippin’ in the Super Bowl, so that was nice.”
