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COSTA MESA Dalton Risner Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Most rookies hit the figurative wall late in the season as the rigors of a full first year in the NFL catch up quickly. Derwin James, though, still feels like he did at midseason.James will need to be at his best as the Los Angeles Chargers meet the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild-card playoff game. Sunday’s matchup comes two weeks after the Ravens posted a 22-10 victory.“I don’t feel like it affects me because in high school and college I was active the whole year doing different sports, so I feel like my body is acclimated to it,” James said. “There have been some games where I have felt sore, but off the field I got the right treatment.”James, who was the 17th overall pick in last April’s NFL draft, has made an immediate impact across the league. He led the team in tackles (105), becoming the first rookie in franchise history to have 100 or more stops. He also joined the Rams’ Corey Littleton as the only players in the league with 100-plus tackles, three or more sacks (3.5) and three or more interceptions.According to Pro Football Focus, James graded out as the fifth-best safety during the regular season, including second in pass coverage. What James has done to date has even surprised defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who had his share of talented young defensive backs when he was at Seattle.“What he’s brought to the table for us just as a skillset and the flexibility it offers us Drew Lock Jersey , I mean, I can’t say enough about it,” Bradley said. “People talked about his energy, his fear and his love for the game, but I’d be lying if I said I thought it was to this level.”Bradley has deployed James in a variety of roles depending on the opponent. There have been some weeks where he has played mostly in the box to support the run defense and others where his coverage skills have been used to play the middle third of the field. One consistent thing week in and week out has been James being used as an extra pass rusher.“I knew what type of player I was. I knew what I wanted to do when I came here,” James said. “I feel like I’ve done those things here.”James’ run-stopping and pass-rushing skills will be needed against the Ravens, who come into the game ranked second in the league in rushing. Since Lamar Jackson became the starting quarterback, Baltimore is averaging 229.6 yards on the ground over the final seven games.James is the 13th-best safety against the run, according to Pro Football Focus, and eighth in pass rushing.“When he blitzes, he gets to the quarterback,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He also can disrupt the run game. He’s a dominant player.”With both teams likely not changing their strategy from two weeks ago, James likes the fact the Ravens are focused on the run.“That should put a chip on your shoulder there alone http://www.cardinalscheapstore.com/zach-allen-jersey-cheap ,” he said. “They’re going to run it right at us. We know that. We gotta stop ’em.”This will be the fourth time that James has faced Jackson. The first two times were in college when James was at Florida State and Jackson was at Louisville. James said the biggest difference now is the players around Jackson.“I feel like he has better blockers around him, which allows him to be more patient in the pocket and find receivers. He’s doing good,” James said. “This is Round Two, though, this year. This is the one the really counts.” COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP)Anthony Lynn left Texas Tech in 1992 for a life in the NFL, he was only six class hours shy of earning his degree.Although he won two Super Bowl rings as a running back before beginning a coaching career that eventually put him in charge of the Los Angeles Chargers last season, Lynn never forgot about missing his college graduation.On Saturday, the Chargers’ 49-year-old head coach will take that long-delayed walk to get his diploma when he receives his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies at UNLV.”Football has always been my No. 1 priority, and sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad,” the Chargers’ head coach said Friday after running a workout with their rookies and undrafted free agents. ”But I chose football over education. I thought, at some point Andy Isabella Jersey , `No more excuses. Just go back and get it done.”’While he led the Chargers to a 9-7 record last season, Lynn was also hitting the books. He spent the past 18 months completing his coursework while simultaneously navigating his first head coaching job.Lynn didn’t say much about his studies to his Chargers assistants or players, but he strategized like any good coach to manage his workload. With the help of a counselor, Lynn used a five-week down period in last summer’s schedule to line up his daily educational goals and deadlines for the following year.”It requires you to be a master planner,” Lynn said with a grin.He recently completed his 30-page capstone research project about the challenges and pitfalls facing athletes as they make the transition into post-competitive life. After starting out with the goal of learning more about the mental health of athletes with head injuries, Lynn eventually took 30 hours of online classes in subjects such as sociology, public health and psychology.”Mental health is broader than what I thought,” Lynn said. ”Things like identity crisis. Things like boredom with athletes post-career, and how that can lead to other sicknesses that are sometimes fatal. So that’s probably the biggest thing I learned.”The seeds of Lynn’s return were planted in 2014 while he was on Rex Ryan’s staff with the New York Jets. Dave Szott, Lynn’s good friend and a former Jets lineman who became a coach and executive with the club, finished his degree 15 years after leaving Penn State with the encouragement of his own wife, Andrea.”I remember she looked at me and said, `Coach Jamel Dean Jersey , you should do the same,”’ Lynn recalled. ”`There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do that, no excuses.’ And that just gave me a little push and inspired me to go back, or at least investigate it.”Lynn put it off for a couple of years while he moved with Ryan to Buffalo and attempted to land his own head coaching job. He eventually connected with an educational firm that has expertise in such endeavors, and he committed to his studies in earnest in 2017.”I said, `You know what? It’s now or never,”’ Lynn recalled with a smile. ”And then I become a head coach.”But with the Chargers’ encouragement, Lynn decided to continue his educational pursuits. He did most of his coursework remotely, but also went to UNLV recently for face-to-face discussions with his professors.Lynn also was motivated by his highly educated children. His daughter, Danielle, is receiving her master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Texas next week. His son, D’Anton, a former Penn State defensive back D.K. Metcalf Jersey , will miss the graduation ceremony at UNLV because he’ll be at work with the Houston Texans in his new job as an assistant coach.”They were happy,” Lynn said. ”I’m not the butt of the jokes anymore when I go to one of their graduations. They would always say stuff like, `That’s why you didn’t graduate.’ I’d talk about how hard I work. `That’s why you didn’t graduate.”’Lynn wasn’t planning to participate in UNLV’s graduation ceremony until he realized what it could mean to other athletes, coaches and professionals facing similar educational challenges. His mother and daughter will be in attendance in Las Vegas along with Chargers owner Dean Spanos and his wife, Susie.”I decided to walk, because if it could inspire one person, then it’s worth it,” Lynn said. ”Dave Szott inspired me. Maybe if I inspire one, then it’s worth it.”—