ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Back before the turn of the century, when Andy Reid began his first head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles, soul-draining two-a-day practices still were the way in the NFL.

Safe to say Reid availed himself to all the opportunity implied.

Other than the anomaly of emphasizing teaching his system the first few days of...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich.— The decision to pack up his things and head to Arizona for the winter wasn’t all that difficult for Giovanni Manu last January.

But it wasn’t just the warm weather that was inviting for the native Tongan, coming at the end of a grueling rookie season in the NFL. No, it was the invitation itself. Because it came from ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Giants haven’t been nasty enough. Nastiness starts on the line of scrimmage.

It’s different from toughness. Toughness is a prerequisite for these gladiators to play this violent sport.

Nastiness is more than that. It’s an attitude. It’s relentless aggressiveness for its own sake.

It’s taking a lost 1-on-1 battle, a ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles reconvened Wednesday for a training camp that began what should be an inexorable march back to the Super Bowl. They are not identical to the team that was, for four months, clearly the best in the NFL — no team is identical year-to-year, but they are, again, clearly the best team in the NFL. In fact, despite ...Read more

DENVER — For a garbage-time artist, Nik Bonitto sure is becoming a serious paint in the grass.

Since 2023, the Broncos’ 25-year-old edge rusher has averaged a sack every 57.3 snaps. That’s a better clip, if you’re curious, than TJ Watt (61.3), Myles Garrett (58.5) and Danielle Hunter (60.4).

Watt just landed an extension from ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has a favorite phrase to describe the development of young NFL quarterbacks and the reasons behind their success or failure.

"Organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations."

The Vikings did not fail J.J. McCarthy this offseason. They set him up for ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Chargers practiced in San Diego on Tuesday for the first time since their relocation.

On the nostalgia meter, this was a zero.

Actually, this was a Jim Otto. A double zero.

The Chargers were in San Diego for 56 years. Now they’re in Los Angeles. The San Diego vibe has left the building.

The football team from L.A. seemed ...Read more

MIAMI — Sobriety is a journey, not a destination. It requires ongoing effort and commitment, and it doesn’t just center on not drinking or not using drugs.

It’s about making a conscious and sustained effort to live a life free from substance use, and addressing the emotional and psychological factors that lead to addiction and destructive...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tyreek Hill said who he wants to be this season. It was something to hear. He stood in a white T-shirt, sweating from a Tuesday morning workout, and went down a to-do checklist for himself on the edge of the Miami Dolphins training camp.

“Just being present, every day on time,’’ he said. “Doing things extra, ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Richard Tillman, youngest brother of the late San Jose-raised NFL star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, used “insta-logs” and lighter fluid bought from a grocery store to make his car into an incendiary device and set fire to a San Jose post office over the weekend, according to criminal charges filed Tuesday.

According to ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders have agreed to terms with veteran safety Jamal Adams on a contract, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Tuesday.

Adams, 29, is a three-time Pro Bowler who previously played for coach Pete Carroll in Seattle. He appeared in five games last season, three with the Titans and two with the Lions.

Adams, who ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy’s mind raced back to Seattle’s Lumen Field on Thanksgiving night, 2023. The San Francisco 49ers faced third-and-7 in a 7-3 game. What unfolded next from Jauan Jennings illustrates how he earned Purdy’s trust.

This one play also explains why Purdy called it “extremely important” that Jennings ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It's become a near-annual tradition.

The Rams report to training camp with quarterback Matthew Stafford's status somewhat uncertain.

Stafford, entering his 17th season, will be held out of workouts this week because of back soreness, coach Sean McVay announced Tuesday at Loyola Marymount. McVay added that Stafford would be ...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Alex Anzalone saga has reached new levels of weird.

And that's according to the man himself.

Anzalone, a four-time captain and starting linebacker for the Detroit Lions, showed up to practice on Tuesday for the first time since the end of last season and spoke about his desire to "retire a Lion." He's entering the ...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The evolution of a championship team varies, by time and by tests. The simplest pattern — get good, stay good, get great, stay great, get there, get the trophy — rarely unfolds as planned.

Coaches leave. Injuries hit. Players retire. It crests, it drops and inevitably hits an inflection point. In some ways, the Lions ...Read more

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Five days before traveling an hour north for training camp, the Chiefs provided Trey Smith a four-year contract that reset the NFL’s right guard market and makes him the highest-paid player at the position.

Five hours before training camp, the Chiefs provided George Karlaftis a four-year contract extension that hovers, oh,...Read more

PITTSBURGH — There have been many discussions about the Steelers' offseason, but very few have centered on the offensive and defensive lines.

I think that is a mistake because the best argument for the Steelers to have another winning season and perhaps make a run at the AFC North title is that they will likely win a lot of games up front on ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — It seems, in so many ways and for some very specific reasons, so long ago now. And it was a long time ago, almost 20 years, that Terrell Owens transformed the Eagles’ 2005 training camp at Lehigh University into a spectacle of strangeness unlike anything in Philadelphia’s often-weird sports history.

The contract dispute. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The brother of late NFL star and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman is being held in custody in connection with a vehicle driven into a Northern California post office.

The San Jose Police Department said in an email to The Los Angeles Times on Monday that 44-year-old resident Richard Tillman was booked on charges of arson after he ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A man being held in custody in connection with a vehicle driven into a Northern California post office on Sunday morning is reportedly the brother of late NFL star and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman.

“Shortly after 3 a.m. yesterday, the San Jose Fire and Police Departments responded to reports of a vehicle on fire in the box ...Read more