Mitglieder » Julius Thomas retires from the NFL After being

Former Dolphins Bob Griese Jersey , Jaguars tight end released by the Miami Dolphins back in March, Julius Thomas is officially hanging up his cleats.Thomas, 30, is closing out his seven-year NFL career, one that started as a fourth-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos back in 2011. While in Denver, Thomas emerged as one of the league’s most dangerous tight ends, especially in the red zone. During the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he accumulated a whopping 24 touchdowns, over 1,200 receiving yards, and 108 receptions while catching passes from Peyton Manning under then-offensive coordinator Adam Gase.Thomas turned that production into a five-year, $46 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars Minkah Fitzpatrick Jersey , where injuries and poor quarterback play from Blake Bortles brought his numbers down to a sputtering low. After the 2016 season, the Jaguars top brass decided they’d overpaid for Thomas long enough and traded him to the Dolphins for a seventh-round draft pick.In Miami, the former Pro Bowler signed a new two-year contract. Both Thomas and Dolphins fans were hoping that being reunited with now-head coach Adam Gase would be enough to rekindle that spark that led Thomas to being a star in Denver. Unfortunately a combination of nagging injuries and horrendous quarterbacking from Jay Cutler proved to be insufficient fuel, and Thomas failed to become a useful weapon in Miami’s offense. The veteran looked slow on the field and was simply outmatched by more athletic defenders. Only on the hook for $1 million in guarantees, the team cut him loose this offseason.Thomas released a statement through The Players’ Tribune discussing his reasons for walking away from the game he’s played over the past seven years. “The ability to assist with the latest research being done on brain trauma and the pursuit to better understand CTE. To study it not just from the perspective of a psychologist or a clinician, but also as a person who has played for several years at the highest level, is something that excites me,” he wrote. “It fills me with a sense of purpose. It’s a way to help while growing intellectually that I had been searching for. I know I have so much to learn, but that’s what I’m most looking forward to.”Thomas is hoping that by making an impact, he can cement his legacy beyond football. “I believe helping others is what I’m supposed to be doing at this point in my life. Hopefully I can help by encouraging more of my peers to connect with who they are outside of the game. If ultimately that’s what I’m remembered for, I’d be very thankful.” Derek Carr took a big step from his first game under coach Jon Gruden to game No. 2.Instead of throwing the ball too often to the opposing team, Carr completed passes at a record-setting pace in last week's loss at Denver that gave the Oakland Raiders hope that the offense under Gruden is progressing in a way that should pay dividends soon.Carr completed 29 of 32 passes against the Broncos after throwing three interceptions in a season-opening loss to the Rams. He became the first player in NFL history to complete at least 90 percent of passes on 30 or more attempts Kenny Stills Jersey , even though the Raiders (0-2) lost 20-19.While many of those throws may have been short and come out quickly, Gruden is happy with the production."Throwing the ball on time and accurate is a big part of winning football," he said Wednesday. "We hope to get some big chunk plays. We're making an attempt to do that. I think you'll see some more of that hopefully as the year unfolds."Through two games under Gruden, Carr's average pass is traveling only 5.3 yards down field, according to NextGen stats from the NFL. That's the second-lowest mark in the league and comes in part because he is getting rid of the ball faster than every starter other than Ryan Tannehill and Drew Brees.Carr said he's not avoiding deep passes by design and pointed to the eight play-action attempts called against Denver that could have led to big plays."You do have shot plays, but sometimes you have to check them down and get 6 yards," he said. "Third-and-4 is a lot better than third-and-10 with a missed shot. The coverages change, the pressures change, the schemes change, the personnel changes."While the propensity to get rid of the ball quickly may make it harder to get big plays it does come with the benefit of avoiding the bad ones.Carr has been sacked just twice all season despite facing fierce pass rushes against the Rams and Denver and having a rookie at left tackle in Kolton Miller and right tackle Donald Penn playing a new position after spending his entire career on the left side.Gruden said his new tackles have fared well but Carr gets some of the credit too for his ability to change plays and protections at the line of scrimmage."The great quarterbacks protect themselves as much as some of the protection protects them," Gruden said. "They don't hold the ball a significant amount of time. They have a feel for pressure. They avoid the catastrophic plays. He has a good feel for pressure and when to let it go and when to hold onto it."The Raiders have started strong the first two weeks, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive against the Rams and a field goal last week in Denver. But Oakland has been held to four field goals and one touchdown in its other 19 drives.That's why Carr sees plenty of room for improvement despite throwing just three incompletions last week.As pleased as Gruden was with the progress from game 1 to 2 that was helped by a breakout game from Amari Cooper Reshad Jones Jersey , who caught all 10 of his targets for 116 yards, there is still plenty to work on."As soon as I come into the building he says, 'Good job, but let's talk about the three you messed up,'" Carr said. "Let's talk about those. That's how it will always be. He always pushes me."Carr is enjoying the process of learning the offense with Gruden after spending his first four years with defensive-minded head coaches.Carr said he's getting better each week anticipating Gruden's play calls before they happen, which puts him in better position to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage when needed."I'm thinking the same way he is," Carr said. "That has a lot to do with the way he trains the quarterback, he wants us to think the same way he does. If he calls a play, I know why he wants it and if they give us a different look I know what play he wants me to go to."