after only two games
Minnesota Vikings Jerseys 2019 , the Bengals gave Randy Bullock a two-year contract extension for his perfect start.He's made every field goal and extra-point attempt, helping the Bengals remain unbeaten.The seventh-year kicker has settled into the job after beating out fifth-round draft pick Jake Elliott last year, prompting the Bengals (2-0) to offer the contract extension through 2020. He signed it on Tuesday.Bullock is one of 11 kickers in the NFL who have yet to miss."Randy has come in here, grown in his role and has developed a trust through the building," coach Marvin Lewis said. "He's morphed his body and feels confident about things. He's been consistent, and he's just got to keep working at it. Now is not the time to relax."Bullock arrived in Cincinnati in 2016 after Mike Nugent was released . He filled in while Chris Boswell was hurt in Pittsburgh, and the Bengals claimed him off waivers for the final three games. They drafted Elliott and staged a competition for the job in training camp last year. Bullock won, and Elliott wound up with the Super Bowl champion Eagles.Bullock went 18 of 20 in field-goal attempts and made 31 of 33 extra-point tries last season, earning the Bengals' trust. He spent the offseason lowering his body fat and strengthening his core muscles."I feel like a new person," he said Thursday after practice. "I feel a lot stronger."Heading into a game on Sunday at Carolina (1-1) , Bullock is 4 for 4 on field goals and 8 for 8 on extra points.Kickers are part of a closely knit group. They compete for jobs, stay in touch during the season, work out together in the offseason on occasion, and offer congratulations or support, depending upon how the last game has gone. Bullock got congratulatory messages from other kickers when he signed his extension."A lot of guys have reached out to me in the last couple of days," Bullock said. "Even Jake Elliott reached out to me
Garrett Bradbury Jersey Cheap , so that was cool. I've stayed in touch with him a little bit."He's been on the other side as well. He started his career with Houston from 2012-15, and also has kicked with the Jets, Giants, Steelers and Bengals.Bullock keeps up with how other kickers fare each week. He saw clips of Minnesota's Daniel Carlson missing three field goals in a 29-29 tie with Green Bay on Sunday, and Cleveland's Zane Gonzalez missing a pair of field goals and extra points during a 21-18 loss at New Orleans . Both kickers lost their jobs."It's tough to watch anybody struggle, whether they're a rookie or a second-year guy or somebody older," Bullock said. "Unfortunately that's the growing pains. You're not going to make every kick, even though you go out with the mentality that you will."You can see the look on their face when they miss. Every day your job's on the line to perform at a high level. Everybody knows that. Nobody knows that better than the person who's just missed."TRA CARSON RETURNS: Running back Tra Carson cleared waivers and reverted to the Bengals' injured reserve list on Thursday, a day after the team waived him with an injured hamstring. Carson was hurt in practice on Monday.GIO BETTER: Running back Giovani Bernard had a full practice on Thursday, a day after he was limited by a sore knee. Bernard is the Bengals' only veteran running back with experience in their system heading into Sunday's game. Starter Joe Mixon is out for a few weeks following knee surgery, and Carson 鈥?No. 3 on the depth chart 鈥?got hurt as well.Linebacker Preston Brown and defensive end Michael Johnson went through limited practices. Brown sat out last Thursday's 34-23 win over Baltimore with a sprained ankle. Johnson went out early with a strained knee. Center Billy Price (sprained foot) also got hurt in the game and is sidelined several weeks. EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Two years away from free agency, Adam Thielen was among the best bargains in the NFL.Facing a tight salary cap situation, the Minnesota Vikings could have waited to reward Thielen, their two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who was tied for fourth in the league with 113 receptions last season.Waiting, and creating potential tension with team cornerstones
Garrett Bradbury Jersey Womens , hasn’t been their approach. So the Vikings and Thielen agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension last week.“It shows what type of organization this is,” Thielen said this week as players began their first round of organized offseason workouts. “They’re not here to lowball people. They’re not here to take advantage of people. They want to reward the people that helped this football team win games and, ultimately, they want to win games. That’s probably one of the biggest reasons that I want to be here for a long time, because I want to win games. I guess it just shows what this organization is about and how they treat their players.”Thielen, the famously undrafted player from Division II Minnesota State who had the third-most receptions in franchise history last year, signed for an annual average of $16 million on his new deal that is the sixth highest among NFL wide receivers. He can earn as much as $73 million with incentives over the life of the contract covering the 2021-24 seasons.This was the latest move by Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman to maintain the foundation — mostly drafted-and-developed players — of a roster with a recharged Super Bowl aspiration. Thielen’s extension followed those given to wide receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Eric Kendricks in the past year.The Vikings have thus created an environment, particularly on defense, built on remarkable continuity in a league that’s constantly turning over. The front office hasn’t shied away from extensions a year or more before free agency, and the players have shown a willingness to stay and forgo the chance to test an open market.“I feel like we just love playing with each other,” Kendricks said. “We know what kind of group we have. We have each other’s backs. I take a lot of trips with these guys in the offseason, and we just enjoy being together, working together. We know what we’re all chasing. I feel like it says a lot about what we’ve got.”Linebacker Anthony Barr was an outlier among recent high draft picks, in 2014
Garrett Bradbury white jersey , by the Vikings who hit free agency without an extension. He even agreed to join the New York Jets before reconsidering and staying where his heart was for a little less money.“I sent him a text like, ‘Hey, it’s going to be weird not playing with you,’ and he was like, ‘Just wait a second,'” said Kendricks, who has been a teammate of Barr’s since college at UCLA. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I see.’ Everything kind of played out how it did. Couldn’t be happier.”Barr’s decision even struck the typically stoic Harrison Smith. Speaking to reporters this week, the Pro Bowl safety choked up and acknowledged being surprised by the emotion he felt.“He’s one of my best friends,” said Smith, another high draft pick, in 2012, who never hit free agency. “Honestly, I wanted him to go get as much money as he could make. Pro sports, it’s how things happen. I obviously wanted him here
Garrett Bradbury Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , as well. So, I wasn’t going to be upset one way or the other. It’s an emotional game, and you make friendships, and you make plays together, and you’re pumped for the guy next to you. It’s why I play.”The feeling is mutual around the team’s facility.Tight end Kyle Rudolph said this week he’d be willing to restructure his contract to help the team’s salary cap situation and thus avoid being released. Defensive end Everson Griffen, the longest-tenured member of the team as a 2010 draft pick, already did that last month. Taking a pay cut was not his preference, of course, but the support he received from the team while taking a leave for mental health issues sure made it easier to stay.“They took care of me and they treated me like family,” Griffen said. “I’ve been here for 10 years. I’ve played good football for them, and I felt like they handled the situation that I was in perfectly. They took me under their wing. They made sure I had everything lined up, and it was a good thing. I just want to repay that. It’s always bigger than football.”