LACK OF MACK: When Gruden gave up his TV gig

ENGLEWOOD Courtland Sutton Jersey White , Colo. (AP) — No, Phillip Lindsay never once thought he’d become the first undrafted offensive player to make the Pro Bowl. He’s been too busy making tacklers miss and general managers regret passing him over in the NFL draft just because he stands 5-foot-8.“I’m an undrafted free agent. To be able to have 100 yards in a game was great. To get a touchdown, to be able to play at (Mile High Stadium), that’s the stuff right there that I dreamt about,” the Denver Broncos‘ rookie running back said Wednesday. “The Pro Bowl is something that you think like five years down the line, three years down the line.”After waiting seven rounds and never hearing his name called or his phone buzz on draft weekend, Lindsay signed with his hometown Broncos and when he survived cuts after training camp, he sought Hall of Famer Terrell Davis’ blessing to wear his old No. 30 jersey .Yet, Lindsay said he’s been so focused on his next opponent that he didn’t even ponder the possibility of making the Pro Bowl when a couple of Cleveland Browns players told him after their game Saturday night that “our whole linebacker room voted for you for the Pro Bowl.”Excluding special teams players, the only other undrafted rookie to make the Pro Bowl was Dallas Cowboys defensive back Everson Walls in 1981.“That tells you what he’s done,” coach Vance Joseph said. “His first day with us, he was the sixth halfback on the depth chart. The sixth! Obviously, being a rookie free agent. Didn’t go to the combine. Wasn’t drafted. … He came in here just trying to make our football team.”Lindsay started out as a special teams stud and didn’t even start in the backfield until midway through the season.“Now, he’s in the Pro Bowl, so that speaks to his work ethic, his heart and his talent,” Joseph said. “So, it’s amazing what he’s accomplished in such a short time.”Although Lindsay said, “Nobody knew about me when I got here, other than I was little,” teammate Bradley Roby said the veterans sure took notice of him right away.“Very impressive. I know this, when he first got here, OTAs Joe Flacco Jersey , you kind of feel the rookies out, see how they move. And I always felt that his movement was good,” Roby said. “I was like, ‘This guy’s fast, he’s quick, accelerates.’ I was thinking like if he can run with the pads on, he’s going to be nice.“And he’s done nothing but prove that he’s worth. He should have been drafted, obviously. He’s a gem.”The wild-haired rookie cracked up his teammates during team introductions by saying, “I’m Phillip Lindsay, I’m from Colorado. And I went to Colorado.”Short and sweet.Just like his stride.The first player from the Broncos Futures Football middle school program to sign an NFL contract, Lindsay grew up in Aurora not far from the Broncos headquarters, and starred at Denver South High School and the University of Colorado, where his wild hair and relentless rushing style earned him the nickname “Tasmanian Devil.”Lindsay, who is nine rushing yards shy of 1,000 and whose 5.5-yard average is second in the league, said he’s eager to go to the Pro Bowl with teammate Von Miller, the game’s reigning MVP, and he’s also eager to finally meet Saquon Barkley, the running back from Penn State whom the Giants drafted second overall.Barkley is the only rookie running back who has more yards (1,155) than he does (991), although both have nine touchdown runs.“It’s going to be fun to be able to finally talk to Saquon,” Lindsay said. “We always heard about each other, but we never got to see each other. So Bradley Chubb Jersey White , it will be cool to hang out with each other.”Lindsay had hoped to meet Barkley at the NFL combine last spring but he never received an invitation to the league’s annual gathering of top draft hopefuls, a snub that’s driven him all season along with going undrafted two months later.Lindsay said he hopes his remarkable rise will inspire kids everywhere who are overlooked underdogs.“You’ve got to keep pushing, you just never know. You’ve got to keep the faith no matter what,” Lindsay said. “Everybody can take anything from you, but they can’t take your faith. That’s what you’ve got to rely on. You’ve got to go for your dreams.” It’s like old times in the AFC West.Jon Gruden glowering on the sideline. Philip Rivers surrounded by co-stars. An air-it-out quarterback in Kansas City. Von Miller sauntering around Denver again thanks to the arrival of a new pass rush partner in Bradley Chubb.Widely regarded as the best defender in the draft, Chubb, the No. 5 pick overall, teams with Miller, Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett to form a fearsome front ready to rankle the likes of Rivers, Patrick Mahomes II and Derek Carr, and reclaim the division crown they used to own when Peyton Manning was around.The Broncos have a bona fide QB again themselves with the free agent signing of Case Keenum, who’s out to prove his breakout 2017 season in Minnesota was no fluke.He’ll have to navigate a new division that features some of the league’s best pass-rushing duos ready to wreck game plans and quarterbacks alike.The Chargers feature Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram as bookends to an ever-improving defense. The Chiefs have Dee Ford and Justin Houston to cover warts on their defense. Oakland has Bruce Irvin and — maybe — Khalil Mack, who wants a long-term contract.Here’s a quick tour around the AFC West:RECHARGED CHARGERS : The Chargers ranked third in the league last year in yielding 17 points a game, but their run defense was their soft underbelly and kept them from an even bigger bounce-back season (9-7) in coach Anthony Lynn’s first year.Enter versatile rookie safety Derwin James, who was selected at No. 17 overall in the first round of the NFL draft out of Florida State. James played in the box effectively as a strong safety for the Seminoles, and he’s learning to play deep as a free safety. He’s also getting chances to rush the passer from multiple spots in the formation, adding more experiences to his skill set.The addition of James and a year of familiarity in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s system have the Chargers expecting big things in 2018.“It’s looking like we are going to have a great defense,” Bosa said.And that would take pressure off Rivers in the Chargers’ quest for their first division title since 2009.RESUSCITATED SANDERS : Emmanuel Sanders proclaimed Denver as “wide receiver heaven” upon his arrival in 2014, and with Manning, Sanders indeed found paradise, setting career highs with 101 catches for 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns his first season in the Rocky Mountains.Nirvana gave way to wide receiver purgatory after Manning’s retirement, however.Sanders caught just 47 passes for 555 yards and two touchdowns last year when he was stifled by a nagging ankle injury and the Broncos’ QB turnstile that churned through Trevor Siemian Womens Bradley Chubb Jersey , Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch.Energized by a return to health and Keenum’s arrival, Sanders is ready for a comeback, sporting a rookie’s enthusiasm to go with his veteran moxie while building chemistry with his new quarterback.“I’m just loving football these days,” Sanders said.MAHOMES’ MOMENT: After trading away ball-protecting Alex Smith to Washington, Andy Reid is turning over the reins to Mahomes, the athletic Texas Tech QB who’s a perfect fit for the Chiefs’ steady diet of misdirection and multi-option reads.Eric Bieniemy takes over as offensive coordinator following Matt Nagy’s hiring as Bears head coach, and he’ll have plenty of firepower at his disposal with reigning rushing champ Kareem Hunt, speedy Tyreek Hill, star tight end Travis Kelce and new wide receiver Sammy Watkins.Mahomes gave the NFL a tantalizing glimpse of what he could do in the preseason when he ducked through a collapsing pocket and threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Hill, who burned three Falcons D-backs to catch the pass in stride.“I underthrew it, to be honest,” Mahomes said with a wry smile.The Chiefs might need to pile up the points to compensate for a depleted defense that was atrocious in the preseason after cutting loose veterans Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali and trading Marcus Peters to the Rams. to return to the sideline for the first time in a decade, he quickly jettisoned punter Marquette King in a surprising move. King wasted no time in signing with Denver, fueled in part by the revenge factor.King said he never had a chance to speak with Gruden before getting jettisoned in Oakland.“I just saw him on car commercials and stuff,” King said. “I get to see him two times a year.”Gruden didn’t just give the silent treatment to King but also to his star pass rusher as Mack held out for a long-term contract.Mack skipped the Raiders‘ offseason program, all of training camp and the entire exhibition season. Whether he reports before the start of the regular season remains to be seen.“I don’t want to put any timetable on it,” Gruden said. “This has obviously been a long a process that has been grueling for both parties and fans and me personally. We’re just hoping we can get him in here.”PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders.___AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow and Sports Writers Dave Skretta and Greg Beacham contributed.___