Die Saalfelds » Azeez Al-Shaair views his NFL future differently from most

Indianapolis this week for the scouting combine.He’s not driven by fame or fortune http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/christian-miller-jersey , fancy cars or the latest high-priced gadget, and he certainly isn’t interested in comparing material possessions.What the promising, young linebacker really wants is an opportunity to help his family and those who, like him, have learned life’s toughest lessons the hard way.“We all like the feel-good story when times are good, but I remember eating lunch as a (high school) freshman in the stairwell by myself in dirty clothes always getting made fun of. That’s what I remember,” Al-Shaair said at the NFL’s annual scouting combine. “I want to help those types of people, the people nobody cares about.”Today, he’s one of 300-plus players trying to turn one good week into a multimillion-dollar career.But the former Florida Atlantic star understands a pro career isn’t just a lottery ticket; it’s a chance to make a difference, to help his family regain its footing after spending the last 6½ years in search of a new home.The journey began in August 2012 when fire burned Al-Shaair’s house to the ground. The high school sophomore helped his seven siblings escape as everything else went up in smoke.Al-Shaair and his family spent the next four months living with another relative until the cramped quarters led them to move into an extended-stay hotel.Life was hard, money was tight and Al-Shaair wanted to keep his living arrangements a secret. One visit from Florida Atlantic coach Charlie Partridge helped Al-Shaair see the world through a different set of eyes.“He was the first person, college coach, that I ever told what I was going through,” Al-Shaair said. “I remember meeting him at a Boys & Girls Club because he couldn’t do an in-home visit because I didn’t have a house. It was embarrassing for me. But that was what made me end up going there. That connection we have, I still text him every now and then Jordan Scarlett Jersey , just to see how he’s doing and tell him, ‘Love you, coach.’ If it wasn’t for that guy giving me a shot, God knows where I would have ended up.”Back then, Al-Shaair was a 175-pound linebacker full of potential, and it didn’t take long for Partridge to see his investment start paying dividends.Al-Shaair earned Conference USA all-freshman honors in 2015 and finished 24th in tackles in the Football Bowl Subdivision as a sophomore.Off the field, the college experience was a full-time challenge. As Al-Shaair began to open up about the fire and lack of a home, he tried to balance classwork with the parental responsibilities of his two younger brothers after becoming their legal guardian, and the Owls fired Partridge following the 2016 season.“It’s tough. It’s hard as hell. It’s not easy at all,” he said. “Anybody that says you get a free education, ain’t nothing in life free. You’re going to have to put in work for it. I commend anybody who can go to college and play sports and go to class. You’ve got people who have 4.0 GPAs and they’re in college with a sport, that’s amazing. It’s hard to do that. People don’t understand, you’ve got to turn down a lot of other stuff to stay (focused).”Somehow, Al-Shaair did.He led Conference USA in tackles as a junior and could have left early for the NFL draft. Under the circumstances, nobody would have blamed him.But instead Greedy Williams Jersey , Al-Shaair went back to school, back to work and back to his family, only to endure one more hardship — a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which ended his senior season after six games. Al-Shaair had surgery in November and is still rehabbing.While the injury prevented him from doing any workouts in Indianapolis other than the bench press, Al-Shaair measured in at 6-foot-1, 234 pounds and still had the opportunity to tell teams how his message about the value of life could benefit any locker room.“We get so tied into the fact of ‘I know I should be better than this dude’ or ‘He got that car, I just bought a brand-new car, but now I’ve got to have the next nicest car,'” he said. “I constantly battle with that. Even to this day, as a competitor, I want to be the best and it’s tough balancing the competitive nature and that sense of being ungrateful. If you break it down, you see so many things in life people deal with other than football. You’ve got guys that can’t walk, or can’t use their (limbs), whatever the case may be, there are so many different people going through a million things and you’re not the only one. You’ve got to be humble and grateful for what you’ve got.” LAKE FOREST http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/justice-hill-jersey-authentic , Ill. (AP) — General manager Ryan Pace understands the idea that the Chicago Bears need to draft a running back.He’s just not necessarily buying it.Pace doesn’t see too many big holes on the roster with the draft starting Thursday after Chicago made a worst-to-first jump last season. The Bears don’t pick until the third round — at No. 87 — so it could be quiet for them in the early going.“I kind of know what the narrative is out there, but we feel fortunate with our roster right now,” Pace said Tuesday.“This press conference feels a little different in that there’s no pressing, huge needs. We can honestly select the best players. That’s a great spot to be in.”The Bears traded their first-round selection to Oakland in the blockbuster deal for Khalil Mack just before the start of last season. And they sent their second-rounder to New England when they traded up in last year’s draft to get receiver Anthony Miller.Pace has no regrets about those deals, particularly the trade for Mack. And when Oakland picks in Chicago’s place at No. 24?“When our pick comes up, Khalil Mack highlights will come on instantly (in the draft room), so that’s the first thing that will happen,” Pace said in jest.“But it’s still going to be a professional draft room. It’s fascinating to watch it unfold. There’ll be a lot of friends around the league. We’ll see how it all goes down.”The Bears are in a far better position than they were a year ago, after winning the NFC North at 12-4 in coach Matt Nagy’s first season. Chicago ended a run of four straight last-place finishes and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.The Bears are loaded with a defense that ranked among the NFL’s best last season and are counting on an offense led by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to make a jump in its second season in Nagy’s system. But they’re also short on trade assets, with just five picks in this year’s draft and no obvious candidates to be dealt on the roster.The Bears already traded one when they sent Jordan Howard to Philadelphia last month, opening up a spot at running back.“I think there’s probably always a story line with every draft,” Pace said. “I understand why it’s that way, but I don’t feel like we go into this draft saying, ‘Man, we have to take this position or we’re in trouble.’ We’re in good shape.”Howard struggled to fit in a system that favors pass-catching running backs and wound up with career lows in yards rushing (935) and attempts (250) in his third season.Even so Ben Powers Jersey , he had more combined carries than Tarik Cohen, Mike Davis, Taquan Mizzell Sr. and Ryan Nall — the running backs currently on Chicago’s roster.But Pace insisted the Bears “feel good” about who they have.He can envision Davis playing a bigger role after carrying 112 times for 514 yards with Seattle last season. He sees two-time Pro Bowl kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson chipping in as a receiver and ball carrier after signing a two-year deal. And he dismisses the idea that the Bears could have gotten more for Howard than a conditional sixth-round pick next year.“I think there’s always a narrative out there, ‘Oh, you could get this,'” Pace said. “This is the reality. You know what I mean? We work those channels all the time. We’re doing them right now. That’s the reality of what it is. We feel good about it. We feel good moving forward. Again, we feel really good about that room and we wish Jordan the best.”The other big issue for the Bears is at kicker.Chicago released Cody Parkey in the wake of a double-doink miss off the upright and crossbar in the closing seconds of the wild-card loss to Philadelphia at Soldier Field and a “Today” show appearance a few days later that did not sit well with the team’s hierarchy.The three kickers on the roster — Redford Jones, Chris Blewitt and Elliott Fry — don’t have NFL experience. But Pace is certainly open to the idea of drafting another one.“It just depends on where you have the kicker graded,” he said. “If he’s graded at that value and we get to that place in the draft and that (name) is sticking up there that high, I think you have to explore it.”