Shaquem Griffin had walked away from his cellphone
Authentic Arden
Key Jersey , on his way to use the restroom, when it buzzed. His
twin brother, Shaquill, recognized the 425 area code that flashed on the screen
and started charging after his brother.
"I think I was more scared of him tackling me in the bathroom and not knowing
what was happening than anything," Shaquem said.
What already was the feel-good story of the NFL draft got an even better
storybook ending on Saturday when the Central Florida star linebacker whose left
hand was amputated when he was child was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the
fifth round.
The phone call from Seattle general manager John Schneider set off a wild
celebration within the Griffin family , which had gathered at a hotel in the
Dallas area after Shaquem spent the first two days at the draft in Arlington,
Texas, waiting for a phone call that never came. It was the Seahawks �the team
that showed the most interest in Griffin from the start �who gave Shaquem the
chance at his professional aspirations and with it a chance to be reunited with
his brother.
Shaquill, who was a third-round pick by the Seahawks in 2017, became a
starter in his rookie season. The brothers played together throughout their
youth and at UCF before Shaquill entered the NFL a year earlier.
"I couldn't ask for anything (else) in the world than the opportunity to be
back with him," Shaquem said.
Added Shaquill: "I was going to be happy no matter what team that gave him
the opportunity. At the end of the day that's all I wanted for him: for a team
to give him a shot and give him an opportunity and take a chance on someone that
is great."
For Seattle coach Pete Carroll what stuck out as the interview the Seahawks
conducted with Griffin at the scouting combine.
"He was just so expressive and so open to tell his story and tell what this
opportunity meant to him in a way that moved us all," Carroll said. "Just like
those of you that have watched him he's an extraordinary young man. He has a lot
of messaging that he's going to stand strong with and we're all going to grow
from I think. And aside from that he's a really good football player."
Griffin was the player everyone was hoping would get a shot in the NFL after
being a star at UCF despite playing with just one hand. He was the American
Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in 2016 and the MVP of UCF's
Peach Bowl victory against Auburn last season when the Knights went 13-0.
A groundswell of support got him an invitation to the scouting combine in
Indianapolis Lamar Jackson
Jersey Ravens , where he stunned onlookers by bench-pressing 225
pounds a staggering 20 times with a prosthetic left hand and then covered the
40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds. The performance at the combine turned Shaquem into
a star, but it didn't guarantee a team would give him a shot.
"It's just so much. I'm extremely blessed," Shaquem said. "It definitely was
a tough three days. A lot of anxiety these few days, but I am ready to get up
there and go to work and start something great."
Shaquem's position in the NFL is still to be determined. He was a force as an
outside linebacker rushing off the edge at UCF, but at 6-foot and 227 pounds
with blazing speed, he could transition to being the bigger safety Carroll likes
to have on his defense. Carroll said the intent is to start Griffin at weakside
linebacker and let him use his speed in different areas on the field.
Griffin's college coach Scott Frost tweeted "About time," after the pick was
made. Seattle general manager John Schneider said there was no extra pressure
felt to draft Shaquem with his brother already on the roster.
"I think the thing that stood out to me was somebody told me they had sat
down with (Shaquem) for five minutes and they gained the same inspiration from
him as they did the first time they were able to sit down with John Wooden,"
Schneider said.
Griffin was waiting patiently in the green room through the first two days of
the draft. He chose to spend the last day with his family at a nearby hotel
watching. He sat through the entire fourth round without getting a call, but
three picks into the fifth round the Seahawks called.
"It was up and down. The excitement, it's crazy because you're around so many
great guys in that setting and you're in the green room and you're moving around
and seeing how the anxiety is building up. Sometimes the pressure like that can
break you and it is a lot of pressure," Shaquem said. "But I knew how it was
going to go. I knew I wasn't going to be a first-round pick or anything like
that. It was me making sure I was enjoying the moment that I was here in
Dallas."
The Denver Broncos are singing the praises of rookie outside
linebacker Bradley Chubb even if carrying a tune isn¡¯t necessarily his
specialty.
The No. 5 overall pick recently paired with fellow rookie Courtland Sutton to
perform a duet in front of the team.
¡±I messed up the lyrics a little bit,¡± Chubb said.
No big deal. They didn¡¯t bring him in for his voice http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jessie-bates -iii-jersey ,
just his voracious intensity. In that respect, he¡¯s hitting all the right
notes.
Chubb believes this group of pass rushers can create quite a bit of ¡±chaos¡±
this season. The defense even has a scheme dubbed ¡±NASCAR¡± to take advantage of
the speed and power of Chubb, Von Miller, Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett. Simply
put: It gets all of them on the field at the same time to wreak havoc.
¡±Now that will be dangerous,¡± Ray said. ¡±You can¡¯t block any of us
one-on-one. It would be too tough, especially if you have all four of us in the
game. We have the guys to get a lot of sacks this year.¡±
Chubb was a surprise pick by the Broncos mainly because he wasn¡¯t predicted
to fall to them. Miller even posted his reaction on Instagram ¨C complete with a
scream.
So far, the 6-foot-4, 275-pound Chubb has been just as advertised through
training camp.
¡±What we saw in college we¡¯ve seen some out here,¡± coach Vance Joseph said.
¡±Watching him play versus NFL tackles and tight ends, it hasn¡¯t been a setback
for him. He¡¯s a strong guy. He can set an edge. He can rush the passer.¡±
The pressure to produce out of the gate doesn¡¯t faze Chubb in part because he
has Miller & Co. next to him. The 22-year-old is all ears these days in
meetings and on the field. He¡¯s taking in every piece of advice offered to him
to get up to speed.
¡±I just need to keep coming out and working,¡± said Chubb, who had 26
sacks Authentic
Cam Fowler Jersey , 203 tackles and eight forced fumbles while at
North Carolina State. ¡±Having a lot of rushers and a lot of good players who can
get to the quarterback out there on the same field and at the same time, I feel
like it¡¯s going to be chaos.
¡±That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to do, cause chaos.¡±
Chubb¡¯s versatility allows defensive coordinator Joe Woods to get even more
imaginative with his schemes. Woods plans to use Chubb at outside linebacker,
defensive end and even drop him into coverage.
¡±It¡¯s definitely a luxury,¡± Woods said.
About his singing: Turns out Sutton and Chubb elected to do a number together
for their teammates. Sutton presented several songs and Chubb didn¡¯t know any of
them. Finally, they found common ground with ¡±Can You Stand the Rain,¡± a ballad
by New Edition . It went rather smooth, outside of a few lapses on lyrics.
¡±We got a little standing ovation,¡± Sutton said.
Now on to the next rookie ritual: The funky haircut . The veterans get to
have a little fun with the razor and trim the hair of the rookies. Or, if a
rookie would rather, the eyebrow is always an option.
¡±I¡¯m not looking forward to it,¡± Chubb said.
What he is looking forward to is rushing QBs.
¡±We¡¯re all coming out here with the same mindset Authentic
Adam Boqvist Jersey ,¡± Chubb said. ¡±We all want to be great and
we¡¯re pushing each other to be great. When we¡¯re all going, it¡¯s going to be
pretty special.¡±
NOTES: TE Jeff Heuerman and DB Su¡¯a Cravens were held out of practice
Wednesday with knee ailments. ¡ TE Jake Butt didn¡¯t participate in all the reps
as he makes his way back from a knee injury. ¡±We¡¯re just trying to be smart,¡±
Joseph said¡. The Broncos have a day off from training camp Thursday. ¡±We want
those guys to stay off their feet and rest,¡± Joseph said. ¡±It¡¯s not an off-day
to go out and have a good time. We¡¯re in training camp still.¡± ¡ Asked about the
ups and downs of backup QB Paxton Lynch¡¯s career, offensive coordinator Bill
Musgrave said: ¡±He¡¯s young. What did they have, eight plays at Memphis?¡± ¡ Ray
is wrapping up his sore left wrist in thick tape for practice. He can¡¯t put a
percentage on how well it¡¯s feeling. ¡±I got to go out there and do my best to
figure things out,¡± Ray said. ¡±Just play with the cards that I have.¡±
¡ª
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