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officialsbaseball  
#1 Posted : Thursday, September 20, 2018 11:12:58 AM(UTC)
officialsbaseball

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Matt Ryan once again worked without his favorite target Wednesday on the second day of the Atlanta Falcons' "mandatory" mini-camp Brandon Carr Jersey , yet the quarterback said he's not worried about wide receiver Julio Jones being absent and plans to work out with him soon.

Jones appears to be seeking a contract adjustment to bump his pay grade up into the neighborhood of the NFL's top receivers. Multiple wideouts have received new contracts, leaving him ranked No. 7 at the position with a salary cap charge this season of $12.9 million.

Ryan wasn't in the mood to talk shop after practice.

"I understand that there's a business side to this sport, too, and I don't like to get involved in other people's business and I don't like speaking about my business," he said. "It's not my place to get into . . .

"He's such a incredible player, such a talented player, and he's been working hard. He's in great shape, so I think he'll pick those new things up really quickly."

The question is when?

After logging 88 receptions last season for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns, Jones, 29, was tabbed for his fifth Pro Bowl in seven seasons, including four consecutive.

He has three years left, however, on the five-year K.J. Wright Jersey , $71.256 million extension he signed in 2015, and NFL teams rarely amend contracts with so much time left.

Ryan, by contrast, recently signed a five-year, $150 million extension ahead of what would have been the final season of his previous deal.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn have said that the team has been in contact with Jones and his agent, Jimmy Sexton.

Appeasing Jones would be tricky for reasons that go beyond giving him more money. Team officials have to be mindful of allocations.

The Falcons are about $9 million under the NFL's projected $177 million salary cap with more than $107 million of that committed to offensive players, according to Sportrac.

That 64 percent is the third-highest offensive ratio in the league. Eight of the team's 10 highest cap charges are offensive, including wide receiver Mohamed Sanu ($7.525 million).

A little more than $61 million is committed to defensive players. That 36.4 percent ranks 31st in the 32-team NFL, and the team has several talented, young defenders whose contracts are coming up.

The contracts of starting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, safety Ricardo Allen and nickel back Bryan Poole run only through this season, and so do those of left tackle Jake Matthews, guard Andy Levitre and running back Tevin Coleman.

Linebackers Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell and edge rusher Vic Beasley are up next season.

Ryan's cap hit of $17.7 million this season will rise to $22.8 million next season and $31.8 million in 2020, when Jones' current contract calls for cap charges of $14.9 million and $11.426 million.

Together, the two make up more than 16 percent of the Falcons' cap charges now D.J. Fluker Jersey , and to give Julio more money might lower his charge in 2018, but the numbers would likely rise in the future.

Ryan's looking forward to working with Jones between the Falcons' minicamp, which ends Thursday, and the start of training camp in late July.

"We'll have a group of guys, probably about 12 of us, that are going to get together and he'll certainly be a part of that ... " Ryan said. "As far as drama or anything, (Jones) is one of the best teammates you could ever be around."



A look at the NBA playoff picture, with four days remaining in the regular season:



EAST UPDATE

The bracket was unchanged Saturday.

Milwaukee beat New York, improving to 43-37 on the season – tying Miami for the sixth-best record. But the Heat remain holders of the No. 6 seed, since they have the tiebreaker over the currently seventh-seeded Bucks.

Toronto now has the second-best record in the NBA. The Raptors are now a half-game ahead of Golden State.



WEST UPDATE

The race is wild now: Six teams playing for five playoff spots, all to be decided over the next four days, and with all of those teams on either 45 or 46 wins.

There were no clinchers on Saturday, and – just like in the East – the potential first-round bracket was unchanged. San Antonio and Utah both could have wrapped up their postseason berths, but didn’t get the help they needed from other teams. The Spurs pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Portland, and Oklahoma City snapped Houston’s 20-game home winning streak.

The Thunder Sony Michel Jersey , Pelicans and Spurs can all win their way into the postseason on Monday. Oklahoma City visits Miami, New Orleans visits the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio hosts Sacramento.

Meanwhile, for the first time in seven years, the Clippers are not heading to the playoffs.

Doc Rivers’ team was eliminated, the final blow being a 134-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets. This will be the 13th time in franchise history the Clippers finish with a winning record, and in each of those years but one – until now – that’s been good enough for a postseason berth.

Denver, right now, is the odd team out. The Nuggets are ninth, but play their last two games against Portland and Minnesota, so they can still win their way into the postseason.



SUNDAY’S GAMES

– Dallas at Philadelphia: If the 76ers win, they move closer to securing the No. 3 seed in the East.

– Indiana at Charlotte: Pacers would be assured of the No. 5 spot in the East with a loss; a win keeps their slim hopes of moving up alive.

– Atlanta at Boston: Celtics will be No. 2 in the East, so there’s really nothing to play for in this one.

– Orlando at Toronto: The East’s No. 1 seed, Toronto still has a shot at the NBA’s second-best record.

– Utah at L.A. Lakers: Jazz can clinch a playoff spot, and Quin Snyder has to be a coach of the year candidate.

– Golden State at Phoenix: The Warriors aren’t at their best, but a loss to the tanktastic Suns would be really bad.

– Detroit at Memphis has no playoff implication.



CURRENT BRACKET

First-round matchups if the season ended Saturday …

East: 1-Toronto vs. 8-Washington Davon House Jersey , 2-Boston vs. 7-Milwaukee, 3-Philadelphia vs. 6-Miami, 4-Cleveland vs. 5-Indiana.

West: 1-Houston vs. 8-Minnesota, 2-Golden State vs. 7-Oklahoma City, 3-Portland vs. 6-San Antonio, 4-Utah vs. 5-New Orleans.



NOTE OF THE DAY

A year ago, only one Western Conference playoff spot was decided in the final seven days. This year, five will be decided in the final four days.



QUOTE OF THE DAY

”I just believe in protecting the league.” – Doc Rivers, after the Clippers were eliminated, on why he expects to play his regulars against playoff-contending New Orleans on Monday.

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