— Ziggy Ansah is back from the PUP list — and has little to say about his contract situation.
The Lions removed the defensive end from the active/physically unable to perform list Monday
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“I’m just excited that I get to play here again in Detroit for this year. The future will just take care of itself,” Ansah said. “Right now, I’m just focused on this year.”
The Lions have not said what injury caused Ansah to go on the PUP list. He hasn’t played a full 16 games since the 2015 season.
Ansah played in 14 games last season and finished with 12 sacks, including three each against the Giants, Bengals and Packers. Detroit drafted him in the first round in 2013.
The Lions begin joint workouts in California on Tuesday with the Oakland Raiders. Ansah said it will be up to the coaches how much he does this week.
Detroit plays its preseason opener at Oakland on Friday.
“Real good opportunity for us to go out and just see somebody else. Different scheme, different players, different strengths and weaknesses from that standpoint,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said. “Getting a good evaluation of our guys, and also as you go through the course of the preseason, the preseason games are good and you’re trying to evaluate the talent and the ability.”
Patricia is entering his first season as Detroit’s coach, but Ansah didn’t sound too concerned about changes in the defensive system.
“Every coach has his system. As a player, you’ve just got to be able to adapt
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Ansah has 44 sacks through five seasons. He had a career-high 14 1/2 in 2015 before slipping to only two sacks the following season. He then rebounded with a dozen sacks in 2017.
Detroit drafted Ansah No. 5 overall in 2013 out of BYU. It remains to be seen how much longer he’ll be with the Lions, and he wouldn’t say how close the sides were to reaching a long-term deal.
“This is, like, over with. I’m just happy to be here. That’s what’s most important,” he said.
Miami Dolphins 14th-year veteran John Denney first saw his future career path in eighth grade, when he bent over and looked between his legs.
His coach was putting together a place-kicking team at practice, and Denney volunteered to try out as a long snapper.
"Whoever was interested lined up and started snapping the ball at a tire hanging from the uprights," Denney said. "Beginner's luck, I hit the chain holding the tire and it knocked the tire off the chain. At that age, that got everybody in a frenzy."
Those cheers might still be the loudest Denney ever received for doing his job. All long snappers toil in anonymity 鈥?unless they make a mistake, and Denney doesn't. That's why he has been with the Dolphins since 2005, four years longer than any other active player.
At 39 he's among the oldest players in the NFL.
"It has been a ride
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Is the hardest part of the job the drudgery of training camp in steamy South Florida?
"For everybody else, yeah," Denney said with a chuckle. "My position is different."
That's for sure. Long snappers spend much of practice off to the side with the place-kickers and punters, often watching and chatting. It's not bad duty for $1 million a year, which is Denney's salary this season.
But as with any specialist, there's pressure. Denney is expected to be nearly 100 percent accurate, and has been. When asked to tabulate the misfires, Dolphins special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi paused to search his memory.
"In my nine seasons with him, I think we had confusion once on a field goal," Rizzi said Tuesday. "Brandon Fields (the holder) wasn't looking, and John hit him in the face mask.
"To have to sit here and think about it is a credit to him."
And while the 6-foot-5
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"The guy is in unbelievable physical condition," coach Adam Gase said. "He's the ultimate pro."
Denney doesn't look his age, but he'll turn 40 in December.
"Wow. I didn't know he was going to be 40," said running back Frank Gore, who's a mere 35. "He does work hard, though. During the offseason he works very, very hard."
That includes snapping drills. Sometimes Denney recruits his 11- and 13-year-old sons to help, and hikes in the backyard.
Like everything else, practice makes perfect.
"If I give you a ball right now and you look between your legs and everything is upside down, it's not natural
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Denney played linebacker and offensive line in high school in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was a three-year starter at defensive end for Brigham Young. All the while he groomed his skills as a long snapper, which is how he made the Dolphins' roster after going undrafted.
He played in every game as a rookie, and each year since he has played in all 16 games 鈥?208 in total. That's by far a team record for consecutive games, and tied for third among active NFL players.
The streak will likely grow, although Denney has nominal competition in training camp from undrafted rookie Lucas Gravelle. It's one of the few times the team has brought in another long snapper to compete with Denney, but he said he always feels like he's fighting for his job.
"Regardless of whether there is another body in camp, they have a list on a board somewhere with the next five best long snappers available," he said. "It's not like you're ever in the clear."
That accurately describes life in the NFL. As usual, Denney is right on target.
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