playoffs. Twenty of the past 28 winners had a first-round bye. Only 12 teams have reached the Super Bowl as a Nos. 3-6 seed since the NFL instituted the current playoff format in 1990.“The great thing

Veteran safety Eric Weddle agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams on Friday Will Harris Jersey , returning to his native Southern California to join the defending NFC champions’ secondary.The Rams also released starting linebacker Mark Barron, continuing a shuffle of veteran personnel after going 13-3 in the regular season and reaching the Super Bowl last month.Weddle joins the Rams after a 12-year pro career with San Diego and Baltimore, where he spent the past three seasons. The six-time Pro Bowl selection was released Tuesday after starting all 16 games last year for the Ravens, who elected to get younger.The 34-year-old Weddle is a year older than Rams coach Sean McVay, but he could be exactly what Los Angeles’ secondary needs. He is nearly certain to take the starting job held by Lamarcus Joyner, who is expected to leave as a free agent.Joyner was a starter for the past two years, but Weddle is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best free safeties. The heavily bearded veteran didn’t have an interception last season for just the second time in his career http://www.lionscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-austin-bryant-jersey , but he made 68 tackles on the Ravens’ stellar defense and played an important leadership role in Baltimore, just as he did in San Diego.Weddle is also durable, starting all 16 games in nine of the last 11 seasons for the Chargers and Ravens.He adds even more experience to the Rams’ secondary alongside 33-year-old cornerback Aqib Talib and two-time Pro Bowl selection Marcus Peters. Talib is second among active players in career interceptions with 35, while Weddle is ninth with 29.Promising two-year pro John Johnson is the Rams’ other starting safety.Weddle grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, one of Los Angeles’ outer suburbs, before starring at Utah and joining the Chargers as a second-round pick.Barron started 12 regular-season games and all three playoff games for the Rams last season, making 74 combined tackles. The seven-year pro was the seventh overall pick by Tampa Bay in 2012 Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , and he joined the Rams in a trade during the 2014 season.Barron has been a starter for the past four seasons for the Rams. He was about to enter the fourth season of a five-year, $45 million deal.Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, edge rusher Dante Fowler and cornerback Sam Shields also are expected to hit unrestricted free agency this month. The Rams haven’t ruled out bringing back all three veterans. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles have an identity crisis.After winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history, coaches and players repeatedly stressed throughout the offseason and training camp this is a different team and a new year. They were no longer underdogs wearing dog masks. Winning titles was supposed to be their new norm.Players even went to coach Doug Pederson before the season and asked that a Super Bowl champions sign be removed from the locker room. They knew opponents would be giving their best effort and they embraced having a target on their backs so much it became a logo on a T-shirt players wore.But now after a 3-4 start, the Eagles are an afterthought in the NFC. The Rams are 7-0, the Saints are 5-1 and eight other teams also have better records. Pederson told the team in the locker room after blowing a 17-0 lead in a 21-17 loss to Carolina on Sunday that the pressure was off and everybody is counting them out again.Sounds like they’re trying to use underdog status as motivation again. So much for different team, new season.“I think part of it can be that http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-ben-banogu-jersey ,” Pederson said Monday when asked about turning to last year’s motivation tactics. “I think it’s an important part of kind of where we are, kind of the identity of the football team.“The other thing is, when you win games, we’re not talking about this stuff because winning cures everything, right? Well, we’re not winning, so everything is exposed. Now we’re going to sit here and scrutinize every little thing. … We were actually making these plays a year ago. You know what I’m saying? So now we’re going to sit here and scrutinize everything and point the finger and point the blame game Parris Campbell Jersey , and do all of that, when quite frankly, yeah, we can go back and use that as fuel, as emotion.“But it’s a different team, different year. We’re in this situation. We’ve kind of dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole.”The Eagles are right in the mix in the division behind the Redskins (4-2). The Cowboys are also 3-4. But winning the NFC East wasn’t the goal. They want to repeat as Super Bowl champions. It’s tough to do without a Nos. 1-2 seed in the playoffs. Twenty of the past 28 winners had a first-round bye. Only 12 teams have reached the Super Bowl as a Nos. 3-6 seed since the NFL instituted the current playoff format in 1990.“The great thing about where we are is we still control our division,” Pederson said. “A lot of things can happen. We got a break coming up after an important game this week http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/miles-boykin-jersey-cheap , got a break. Hopefully we get some guys healthy second half of the season. We’ll see where we’re at.”The Eagles meet another struggling team in London this week when they play the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4).“We’re going to find out what we’re made of now going forward,” quarterback Carson Wentz said. “We’re at make-or-break time, almost. It’s hard to say exactly what it’s going to take. Again, we know what we can do, we do it here and there some weeks, but we just have to put it all together.”