strong. I also never had any understanding of how good a bronz

The NFLs franchise-player deadline gave us some fun on Friday, including a surprise last-second deal between the New York Jets and Muhammad Wilkerson. But it still wasnt the big-money frenzy that it was a year ago.Last year, on the day of the deadline, the?Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos?did long-term deals?with Justin Houston, Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas. The only franchise player who didnt get a long-term deal in 2015 was the?New York Giants Jason Pierre-Paul, who as you surely recall was dealing with extenuating circumstances.This year? Von Miller got his record deal from the?Broncos, kicker?Justin Tucker did a deal with the?Baltimore Ravens?and the Jets?surprised everybody with Wilkerson. Not bad, but that still means?Washington Redskins?quarterback Kirk Cousins,?Chiefs safety Eric Berry,?Los Angeles Rams?cornerback Trumaine Johnson?and?Chicago Bears?receiver Alshon Jeffery?cant negotiate long-term deals again until after the season. Each is tied to his team for one year on a franchise-player price.Thats a win for the teams -- and for the franchise-tag rule itself. Washington gets a year to see if Cousins is the real deal before deciding whether to commit long term to him. Chicago and Kansas City get a year to see if Jeffery and Berry can stay healthy.The difference between last year and this year lies mainly in the caliber of the players, of course. Houston, Bryant and Thomas were all established as high-level performers at key positions. Their teams were sure they wanted to commit long term to them. Of this years crop, Miller and Wilkerson are the only ones on the list of seven whose one-year franchise numbers are clearly less than their market value. If Olivier Vernon is making $17 million, its crazy for Miller to be making $14.13 million.And likewise, Wilkerson performance dictates hes worth J.J. Watt money at the 3-4 DE position. Wilkerson is an established performer and the only member of the 2011 draft class who had yet to hit free agency or sign a long-term deal with the team that drafted him. What made his situation a challenge was that the Jets kept drafting first-round defensive linemen after they picked him and didnt necessarily feel they had to commit big money to him long term to stay strong there. In the end, he got it done, but it was never a sure thing.But these other guys? On the $10.81 million franchise tag, Berry is the highest-paid safety in the NFL by a wide margin over Minnesotas Harrison Smith ($10.25 million). Johnsons $13.95 million tag makes him the fifth-highest-paid cornerback. Jeffery, at $14.6 million, is the second-highest-paid wide receiver. Cousins $19.95 million is a 3,000 percent raise from his 2015 salary.?Because the salary cap keeps going up -- a $32.27 million rise in the past three years -- teams are comfortable carrying these steep cap numbers in the short term while they weigh whether to give out deals with even higher guarantees.Now, agents and top-level players hate the franchise tag because it restricts earnings at the top of the market. But the vast majority of NFL players will never have to worry about the tag, and thats why the union isnt driven to try to abolish it.The fact is, the franchise tag affects so few overall players, its hard to get the majority to rule for that few guys who are affected, said former?Indianapolis Colts?center and union executive committee?member Jeff Saturday, whos now an ESPN analyst. They dont want to hold out or take a season off or whatever it would require to enact a change that would affect so few.So the tag is here to stay, and it will continue to work as a means for teams to delay decisions on long-term commitments to some of their best players. The Von Millers of the world will get their deals, as they should. The Trumaine Johnsons have to show more before they get theirs, which is fair.?But what we have in 2016 is a situation in which the franchise tag is an easy out for teams, because they can afford it and it doesnt upset every player the way it used to. The franchise numbers are tied in part to the rising cap, which is why many of the players affected dont mind. If youre Alshon Jeffery, why would you even want to negotiate a long-term deal now, after missing so many games last year? Making close to $15 million while working to prove youre healthy and worthy of a long-term deal doesnt sound like a bad consolation prize.In the end, this years franchise-tag process was a win for the Bears, Rams, Chiefs and Redskins, who didnt find themselves forced into deals about which they werent sure. This years crop of franchise players didnt make out the way last years did, mainly because outside of Miller and Wilkerson, they didnt come to the table with the same kind of juice. Wholesale Nike Air Max . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Nike Air Max Sale . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. https://www.fakeairmaxwholesale.com/ . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Fake Nike Air Max Free Shipping . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Nike Air Max From China .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Before they took the court and won bronze, they gathered in the locker room one final time. Each player on the U.S. womens volleyball took a turn to speak.Jordan Larson told her teammates she loved them and would fight for every one of them.Alisha Glass made sure they all knew there was nowhere shed rather be now than right here in Rio.Captain Christa Dietzen? She didnt need an Olympic medal. She already understood what this tight-knit team was all about, and she also knew it sure would be nice to wear one home as she heads into retirement and prepares to start a family. They thanked one another for the time and effort over four hard years.Beach star Kerri Walsh Jennings sent a note of her own: Go get a bronze. Just as Walsh Jennings and April Ross did.Im just really proud to be a part of this program, Larson said. Its come a long way. Im just really happy because there are a lot of good people who deserve this. A lot of people just gave their hearts and soul to this.Player-turned-coach Karch Kiraly, the only person to win Olympic volleyball gold as a beach and indoor player, addressed each woman. He spoke of his admiration and acknowledged those players back home who didnt make the cut.Just by stepping on the court Saturday, Foluke Akinradewo showed how this squad stuck together. She returned from an injury to her left leg that forced her out early in the semifinal loss to Serbia. The star middle blocker took charge as the top-ranked Americans bounced back two days later to beat the Netherlands 25-23, 25-27, 25-22, 25-19 on Saturday.After Kim Hills ace on match point, the U.S. women fell into an embrace. Kiraly hugged his coaches and brought the women into a huddle for one last cheer.In a way, selfishly, I wanted a gold medal to almost prove the way this culture is, or the way the culture has grown and the foundation that weve built, almost to prove it right -- that the way we did it was right, Dietzen said. A medals not going to prove that. A medal doesnt define this team. It will never define this team.Reeserve setter Courtney Thompson, the Americans motivator, joined Dietzen in announcing immediately after the match that her volleyball days are done.dddddddddddd Then they joked about meeting for a crack-of-dawn spin class later in the week.I have a whole new respect for everyone that wins a bronze medal, Thompson said. Its not easy, 48 hours later.This group leaves the Olympics again without the big prize. The last three Games went this way: Beijing 2008, silver; London 2012, silver; Rio de Janeiro 2016, bronze.Our team dealt with some real pain and heartache, heartbreak, a couple of days ago, said Kiraly, who thanked Walsh Jennings for her gesture. Im incredibly proud of how within hours they were preparing, carrying that heartbreak, but preparing to be good and to finish strong. I also never had any understanding of how good a bronze medal could feel, and it feels incredible right now. Were so happy to finish this tournament on this note.The Netherlands shined, playing in its first Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games. The Dutch pushed the U.S. to five sets in pool play on Aug. 8 and put womens volleyball on the map at home with a gutsy, never-give-up style.Now, the Americans are left to try again in Tokyo 2020 for the programs first gold, with certain new leaders emerging to guide that run: Hill, Kelsey Robinson, Kayla Banwarth.Thompson and Carli Lloyd wrapped themselves together with an American flag. Banwarth lifted the Stars and Stripes above her head.These women plan to build on this even if it wasnt the result they planned for all along. Still, it was far better than departing South America empty-handed.Theres been a lot of tears the past couple days, Hill said. And not just tears of sadness before this match, tears of gratitude and just joy at this experience these past four years, in this tournament and being with this group of people, this special group. Its been such an amazing ride. ' ' '