Quarterback Sam Bradford was well aware of David

GLENDALE Trysten Hill Jersey , Ariz. — Johnson even before signing with the Cardinals in the offseason.Bradford was on the opposite sideline when Johnson rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns while trouncing Bradford’s Eagles in 2015.A training camp with Johnson has only amplified Bradford’s appreciation.“When I first got here, I think everyone tried to explain just how special he was and what he was able to do in the run game and the pass game, all the ways that he could be used,” Bradford said. “I’ve heard that before about some players, but then you actually see it and you see how smooth he is running routes. He looks like a receiver when he is split out wide. You just don’t see that from a guy that is as talented at running the ball as he is. I’m excited to play with David. I think he is extremely versatile, and hopefully we find a way to use him a lot.”New coach Steve Wilks and new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy are expected to do exactly that, although it might not be evident in the Cardinals’ preseason opener against San Diego on Saturday.Neither Bradford nor Johnson is likely to see much time, more to give the coaches time to evaluate the rest of the squad than to protect Bradford (knee) and Johnson (wrist) from contact.Rookie Chase Edmonds, a fourth-round pick out of Fordham, is listed as No. 2 on the depth chart, and veteran D.J. Foster provides a run/pass threat in a running back corps that also includes T.J. Logan and Sherman Badie.Johnson, who was second in the NFL with 2,118 yards in total offense in 2016, was injured in the 2017 season opener against Detroit and hasn’t played since. He understands the preseason plan.“Even though I was hurt last year, I know how the NFL works,” Johnson said. “I’ve played long enough to know the speed of NFL games and I know what I am supposed to do.”Johnson’s focus in training camp, which he opted to attend after sitting out the mandatory offseason workouts in June because of a contract dispute, is to get in sync with McCoy’s playbook.The new offense is more oriented to the short pass, while former coach Bruce Arians believed in the home run ball.“It’s been great,” Johnson said. “Mike McCoy really knows how to bring out everyone’s strengths. He knows how to structure the offense to where it brings out what everyone is good at. I feel like it is going to be a great offense.”Johnson’s emphasis now is on learning the nuances of the new running game http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-connor-mcgovern-jersey , although it is safe to assume his pass-catching ability will be utilized as it was in 2016, when he had 1,239 rushing yards on 293 carries and 879 receiving yards on 80 receptions.While Johnson will be the feature back, the Cardinals will use other packages that could involve Edmonds, Foster and others depending on the opponent’s defensive schemes, Wilks said.“All those guys are being very competitive,” Wilks said. “There are going to be some tough decisions. That’s what you want as a coach. We want those guys to make us make those tough decisions with the things they are doing.”NOTES: The Cardinals placed center A.Q. Shipley on injured reserve Tuesday, three days after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a team scrimmage. Mason Cole, a third-round draft choice from Michigan, is listed as the starting center, but coach Wilks said, “I’m not going to try to put all the pressure on him. It’s going to be by committee. Those guys have to do a great job communicating, starting with the guards and out to the tackles and making sure they put us in the right position from a (pass) protection standpoint.” CLEVELAND (AP) — During a meeting this week with his defense, Browns interim coach Gregg Williams used star end Myles Garrett as a model.And a warning.A 6-foot-4, 270-pound mass of chiseled muscle, power and speed, Garrett cuts an imposing figure. He’s a physical specimen, the kind of athlete that stands out even in a room full of elite humans.Oh, and he happens to be about the same size as Carolina quarterback Cam Newton.“I said that he is bigger than Myles,” Williams said. “People said Tony Pollard Jersey , ‘What?’ I said, ‘There it is. There is your quarterback right here— Myles Garrett. That is the kind of framework that you guys are looking at here.’ We have our work cut out for us.”One week after failing to contain Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns (4-7-1) now have to deal with Newton and the Carolina Panthers (6-6), who have lost four straight games and need a win Sunday to improve their playoff hopes.Williams has a history with Newton, who has been slowed by a sore right shoulder and has been limited in practice over the past few weeks. When Williams was with New Orleans, he had to plan for Newton twice a year and still seems to have scars from his encounters with the 6-foot-5, 245-pound dual threat.“He has grown and taken very good steps year by year by year,” Williams said. “(Panther offensive coordinator) Norv (Turner) has done a really good job with the things that they are doing with him. It is back-to-back games with that kind of a quarterback, but more powerful in the pocket. When you are taking a look at getting him down in the pocket, now that is a grown man. It is not a small quarterback.”Newton is coming off a poor performance in last week’s loss at Tampa Bay. He threw four interceptions and was replaced on the game’s final play by backup Taylor Heinicke, who came in to attempt a Hail Mary that wasn’t answered.Earlier this week, Newton said he’d be ready to face the Browns and try to get the Panthers back on track. Carolina trails Minnesota by one-half game for the NFC’s second-wild card spot and can’t afford another loss.With the holiday season approaching, Newton said ending the Panthers’ slide would be wonderful.“Is Santa listening? I hope he comes early,” said Newton, who needs just 1 passing yard to reach 3,000 for the eighth straight year. “I feel like we are so close. Every week I try to think of certain things that can get me over the hump. There is no denying and faking that you see other teams thriving and you know that we can do the same thing.“All you need is one (win) to catch fire.”BAKER BOUNCES BACKBrowns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield is looking to put together a complete game after a half-good performance last Sunday.Mayfield’s three interceptions in the first half led to the Texans opening a 23-0 lead. He recovered nicely by passing for 351 yards after halftime, and he knows he must be more inconsistent.And while Mayfield accepted blame for the miscues, offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens said it wasn’t just the QB’s fault.“When interceptions happen, sometimes it is bad decisions by the quarterback, sometimes it is pressure happening more than it should Noah Fant Jersey , sometimes it is guys not being in the right spot, sometimes it is a bad play call, and sometimes it is a combination of everything,” he said. “That is sort of what happened the other day. This did not all fall on Baker.”DEFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTWith Carolina’s defense underperforming, Panthers coach Ron Rivera has taken play-calling duties away from coordinator Eric Washington. The Panthers have forced just one takeaway in the last four games and have struggled on third down and in the red zone.Rivera was Chicago’s defensive coordinator for three years.Safety Eric Reid doesn’t expect much to change philosophically, but Rivera may call more blitzes.“I don’t know if a ton of stuff will be different, but he has a different way of going about things,” Reid said. “He explains why we are doing things and why he likes making a call in a certain situation, the philosophy behind it and how to execute it.”REPLACING OLSENGreg Olsen’s right foot gave out again last week, and the Panthers will be without the three-time Pro Bowl tight end for the remainder of the season. Olsen, who broke the foot twice in the last two years, ruptured his plantar fascia.Rookie Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz replace Olsen. Thomas is considered more of the receiving threat. He was pressed into duty earlier this season with Olsen out, but struggled at times with the intricacies of the offense, including route running. Still, the Panthers love his potential.McCAFFREY’S RUNTireless running back Christian McCaffrey has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Panthers recently. He has more catches (53) than any player in the NFL since Week 6 and has already tied last year’s mark with 80 receptions.Over the last five weeks, McCaffrey has run for 440 yards and four touchdowns and caught 36 passes for 363 yards and four TDs. He needs 137 yards rushing and 337 receiving to become only the third running back to surpass 1,000 yards in both categories. The others are Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk.