too good to harbor resentment against New Orleans coach Sean Payton. Early in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s three-point win over the Saints two weeks ago, Freeman was stopped for no gain near the New Orleans sideline, and a frustrated Payton taunted him with a choking gesture. But Freeman, who has b

FLOWERY BRANCH Dwayne Haskins Jersey , Ga. (AP)Devonta Freeman says he feels too good to harbor resentment against New Orleans coach Sean Payton. Early in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s three-point win over the Saints two weeks ago, Freeman was stopped for no gain near the New Orleans sideline, and a frustrated Payton taunted him with a choking gesture. But Freeman, who has battled concussions this season, says that’s all in the past as he and the Falcons (9-5) prepare to visit the Saints (10-4) in an NFC South showdown. ”I’m just excited to be out there having fun and getting to compete and battle with my brothers every day,” Freeman said. ”It’s a great feeling to be back out there. There’s no reason to mess up a good thing.” Freeman knows there’s too much riding on this game to get caught up in distractions. The Falcons can earn a playoff spot for the second straight year with a victory, and they can win consecutive division titles for the first time in their 52-year history by beating the Saints and then Carolina in regular-season finale Dec. 31. With so much at stake, Freeman isn’t concerned with trying to one-up Payton in Sunday’s rematch. ”At the end of the day, it’s all fun, it’s all love,” Freeman said Wednesday. ”We all understand each other because we go through the same things, so I don’t take it as disrespect at all.” Payton offered an apology during a conference call with Atlanta reporters. ”Listen, the mistake I made that night was letting my emotions get the best of me,” Payton said. ”It’s the same thing that we talk about with our players all of the time. It wasn’t good, and I felt like as that game went on, it even affected me in calling plays. I’ve got to better that way.” Freeman just wants to have a clear head. He’s had two stints in the concussion protocol since signing a five-year contract extension with $22 million guaranteed in August. He missed three preseason games and came back strong before getting knocked out early in a win last month over Dallas. Since getting cleared to return after a two-week absence, Freeman has looked like his vintage self the last three games, running 58 times for a 5-yard average and catching six passes for a 12.5 average. ”I think I mix it up pretty well,” he said. ”I can do it all. It all depends on the situation, down and distance, determining what kind of runner I’ll be on that play, that game, that quarter. It’s all about adjusting, and I just try to adjust as the game goes.” When he’s in sync with Atlanta’s zone blocking schemes, Freeman creates matchup problems with his running style. His 5-foot-8 D.K. Metcalf Jersey , 206-pound frame makes him tough to read behind big offensive linemen, and his ability to change direction in space makes him tough to tackle. Defenders don’t have enough time to get proper leverage in their technique, and even if they do bring him down, Freeman is adept at twisting and diving for extra yards. ”Just when you think he’s going to change, he’ll go right through and finish on the run,” coach Dan Quinn said. ”That kind of really embodies the toughness that he displays. He’s really on top of his game right now.” He’s actually been on top of his game since the start of 2015, ranking first in the NFL with 29 rushing touchdowns, fourth with 2,941 yards rushing and sixth in yards from scrimmage with 4,193. The Falcons drafted Freeman in the fourth round out of Florida State three years ago, but he didn’t become a feature back until his second season. ”I’m a big fan of his style of play,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. ”He’s special. The mix of elusiveness, his ability to cut and make guys miss, but also his ability to finish runs with power, to be able to run people over, run between the tackles, bounce it outside, catch the ball out of the backfield and pass-protect for us. He’s a complete football player. We’re really lucky to have him.” Freeman hopes to have all of skills at full capacity on Sunday. And if he’s running near the Saints’ sideline and comes close to Payton, Freeman might even flash him a quick smile. ”Like I said two weeks ago, it was a competitors’ moment,” he said. ”I talk trash. He talks trash. Players talk trash. Coaches talk trash. This is what we’re in it for, to compete.” — EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Two years away from free agency, Adam Thielen was among the best bargains in the NFL.Facing a tight salary cap situation, the Minnesota Vikings could have waited to reward Thielen http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-cody-barton-jersey , their two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who was tied for fourth in the league with 113 receptions last season.Waiting, and creating potential tension with team cornerstones, hasn’t been their approach. So the Vikings and Thielen agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension last week.“It shows what type of organization this is,” Thielen said this week as players began their first round of organized offseason workouts. “They’re not here to lowball people. They’re not here to take advantage of people. They want to reward the people that helped this football team win games and, ultimately, they want to win games. That’s probably one of the biggest reasons that I want to be here for a long time, because I want to win games. I guess it just shows what this organization is about and how they treat their players.”Thielen, the famously undrafted player from Division II Minnesota State who had the third-most receptions in franchise history last year, signed for an annual average of $16 million on his new deal that is the sixth highest among NFL wide receivers. He can earn as much as $73 million with incentives over the life of the contract covering the 2021-24 seasons.This was the latest move by Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman to maintain the foundation — mostly drafted-and-developed players — of a roster with a recharged Super Bowl aspiration. Thielen’s extension followed those given to wide receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Eric Kendricks in the past year.The Vikings have thus created an environment, particularly on defense, built on remarkable continuity in a league that’s constantly turning over. The front office hasn’t shied away from extensions a year or more before free agency, and the players have shown a willingness to stay and forgo the chance to test an open market.“I feel like we just love playing with each other,” Kendricks said. “We know what kind of group we have. We have each other’s backs. I take a lot of trips with these guys in the offseason, and we just enjoy being together, working together. We know what we’re all chasing. I feel like it says a lot about what we’ve got.”Linebacker Anthony Barr was an outlier among recent high draft picks, in 2014, by the Vikings who hit free agency without an extension. He even agreed to join the New York Jets before reconsidering and staying where his heart was for a little less money.“I sent him a text like, ‘Hey, it’s going to be weird not playing with you,’ and he was like, ‘Just wait a second,'” said Kendricks, who has been a teammate of Barr’s since college at UCLA. “I’m like Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey , ‘Oh, I see.’ Everything kind of played out how it did. Couldn’t be happier.”Barr’s decision even struck the typically stoic Harrison Smith. Speaking to reporters this week, the Pro Bowl safety choked up and acknowledged being surprised by the emotion he felt.“He’s one of my best friends,” said Smith, another high draft pick, in 2012, who never hit free agency. “Honestly, I wanted him to go get as much money as he could make. Pro sports, it’s how things happen. I obviously wanted him here, as well. So, I wasn’t going to be upset one way or the other. It’s an emotional game, and you make friendships, and you make plays together, and you’re pumped for the guy next to you. It’s why I play.”The feeling is mutual around the team’s facility.Tight end Kyle Rudolph said this week he’d be willing to restructure his contract to help the team’s salary cap situation and thus avoid being released. Defensive end Everson Griffen, the longest-tenured member of the team as a 2010 draft pick, already did that last month. Taking a pay cut was not his preference, of course, but the support he received from the team while taking a leave for mental health issues sure made it easier to stay.“They took care of me and they treated me like family,” Griffen said. “I’ve been here for 10 years. I’ve played good football for them, and I felt like they handled the situation that I was in perfectly. They took me under their wing. They made sure I had everything lined up, and it was a good thing. I just want to repay that. It’s always bigger than football.”