p pick and you need to perform. All that pressure on a player is

CINCINNATI -- Trae Waynes gets a chance to show how far hes come in the year since the Minnesota Vikings made him their top pick.Veteran cornerback Terence Newman didnt make the trip to Ohio this week as the Vikings held two days of joint practices with one of his former clubs, the Cincinnati Bengals. Hell miss the preseason opener on Friday night because of an undisclosed injury, giving Waynes an opportunity.Waynes succumbed to hot and humid conditions on Wednesday, the first day of joint practices, but returned on Thursday and is expected to start the preseason game. He started only one game last season but led the Vikings in special teams tackles in an understudy role to Newman and Xavier Rhodes.We wish (Newman) could be here, but Im just going to try to take advantage of this opportunity, he said. Ill keep learning and progressing.Waynes is one of four former first-round picks playing for the Vikings, along with Newman (Dallas 2003), Rhodes (2013) and safety Harrison Smith (2012). Although he got sick on Wednesday, he returned a day later and covered A.J. Green.It was frustrating that I had to miss practice, but it was the smart thing to do at the time, Waynes said. Its a chance to get better going up a great receiver like (Green). It is only going to make you better because the competition level is so high with that.Waynes made his first career interception last January in the Vikings 10-9 NFC Wild Card playoff game loss to Seattle. The interception and 24-yard return in the third quarter set up a 43-yard field goal by Blair Walsh, a kick that gave Minnesota a 6-0 lead. That game was played in minus-25 wind chill conditions at TCF Bank Stadium.The conditions in Cincinnati the last two days for the joint practices have been the complete opposite. Temperatures have been in the upper 80s with humidity levels that have pushed the heat index toward triple digits.It was nice and hot out here, both days, so that was good, coach Mike Zimmer. I thought it was a very productive two days.Zimmer wasnt willing to divulge much about how much his starters would play, but quarterback Teddy Bridgewater isnt expected to see much time on the field after getting the bulk of the snaps against the Bengals in the practices.As is the case for most preseason games, Friday night will be more about backups than the starters.This game doesnt wait on anybody, said quarterback Shaun Hill, a 15-year veteran who is No. 2 on the depth chart behind Bridgewater. There are a lot of people on every NFL roster that have a lot to prove every single week in order to make a team. Thats the approach that you have to take. I know a lot of people just talk about the starters and how theyre in and out, but for the majority of the roster its a battle for four weeks to get on a team.Game notesBesides Newman, nine other players did not make the trip to Cincinnati. Wide receiver Jarius Wright (injury), cornerback Melvin White, cornerback Marcus Sherels, running back Jhurrell Pressley, linebacker Edmond Robinson (injury), linebacker Eric Kendricks (injury), linebacker Brandon Watts (injury), defensive tackle Sharif Floyd (injury) and defensive tackle Scott Crichton (injury) didnt travel for the practices. White, Sherels and Pressley were dealing with personal issues, Zimmer said, but it is possible they could be back with the team in time for Fridays game. ... Right tackle Andre Smith, who left Cincinnati as a free agent and signed with the Vikings, spent several minutes after practice catching up with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. Theres no hard feelings, Smith said. I feel like I had a good opportunity in Minnesota.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic UK . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. 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Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter.Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told reporters Monday that he is concerned about wide receiver Nelson Agholor and hinted that he might reduce his role in order to get him in a better state of mind.Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward, Pederson said. That way you can begin to clear your head.In a move that could be related, the Eagles signed receiver Paul Turner off their practice squad and released cornerback Aaron Grymes.Agholor made some revealing comments about his mental state following a pair of costly miscues in Sundays 25-15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.The Eagles appeared to take the lead on a 57-yard catch-and-run by tight end Zach Ertz midway through the second quarter. On the opposite side of the play, however, Agholor was whistled for an illegal formation penalty for lining up off the line of scrimmage, negating the score.On the ensuing series, Agholor dropped a perfect pass from quarterback Carson Wentz deep over the middle, stalling another drive. The Seahawks built their lead to nine over that span and clamped down on a banged-up Eagles offense the rest of the way.Ive got to get out of my own head, said Agholor. Pressing so much and worried about so much. ... Im thinking too much and so worried, and its such a selfish thing that I need to stop. I need to give my energy to my teammates and this organization and not myself, and feeling so pressured to make every single thing. Just have fun.I did it to myself. I started getting in my own head and just trying so hard to think about being perfect, and when miscues were there and they were exposed, I just let it eat at me.Agholor talked about the need to stop the mental battle he is going through.After hearing those comments, Pederson said that he is conncerned about Agholors well-being as a person.dddddddddddd He plans on having a sit-down with the 23-year-old and will not make a decision about whether to pull back on his playing time until they have that conversation.Agholor entered the game ranked 120th in receiving yards (264) and with a drop rate of 6.5 percent, which ranks 125th in the NFL, per ESPN Stats & Information research. He now has four drops on the season.Well, again, its all speculation, obviously, but I think sometimes as athletes, you put so much pressure on yourself to perform, Pederson said. Then when it maybe doesnt quite work out in your favor, [the] outside influences, i.e., the media and fans, put more pressure on you to perform [because] youre a top pick and you need to perform. All that pressure on a player is not good. So in Nelsons case, sometimes like I mentioned, sometimes maybe you have to take a step back and maybe you have to see it differently and view it differently. These are all conversations that he and I will have this week. And again, the wellbeing of the player and the person [is more important] to me than [his performance] as an athlete and receiver.Pederson said its not a matter of effort.Ive seen him trying to just do things a little out of character for him, and thats obviously a sign that maybe things are not going well for him, he said. As athletes, youve got to let the game sort of come to you, and I feel like hes maybe pressing just a little bit and trying to do things -- and hes doing everything right. Listen, hes working hard. Hes getting work after practice and doing everything right. Were just going to continue to work. ' ' '