THOUSAND OAKS http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-isaiah-johnson-jersey , Calif. (AP) — Marcus Peters stood at a podium Wednesday and spoke about his respect for Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints. He insisted his feisty comments about the coach two months ago had been misinterpreted and blown out of proportion by controversy-hungry fans and media.And then his coach popped up in the back of the room.“Let me get some of that soup!” Sean McVay yelled.One way or another, gumbo will be served at the NFC championship game.As the Saints and the Los Angeles Rams began their preparation for Sunday’s showdown, Peters and Payton downplayed the importance of what occurred during and after the teams’ first meeting at the Superdome this season. The cornerback and the coach expressed a warm mutual regard and no hard feelings from November.“We’re trying to play a game,” Peters said Wednesday. “We ain’t trying to talk about no gumbo. We can talk about all that stuff afterward.”Still, here’s the backstory on the Creole kerfuffle, for those with an appetite:New Orleans beat the Rams 45-35, with Drew Brees shredding Los Angeles’ secondary for 346 yards and four TDs while handing the Rams their first loss of the season. In particular, receiver Michael Thomas appeared to dominate his matchup with Peters, who acknowledges he had a poor game.Afterward, Payton acknowledged the Saints had targeted Peters because they liked the matchup with Thomas — a bold statement to make about a former Pro Bowl cornerback. That drew the attention of Peters, who responded sharply back home in the Rams’ locker room.“Tell Sean Payton, keep talking that (stuff),” Peters said at the time. “We’re going to see him soon. You feel me? Yeah. ‘Cause I like what he was saying on the sideline, too. Tell him he can keep talking that (stuff), and I hope he sees me soon. You feel me? Then we’re going to have a good little, nice little bowl of gumbo together.”Peters is a personable athlete and an aggressive competitor. He is also an interesting character who isn’t afraid to let people know it — and that’s something of a rarity in the frequently buttoned-up, corporate world of professional football.Peters says his comments weren’t meant “to be disrespectful or anything like that. I was (ticked) off. I didn’t have the game that I wanted to have.”Before McVay made light of the situation with his shout, he put it in perspective.“I think it was all in good fun Devin Bush Jersey ,” McVay said. “I think there’s a competitiveness that exists. There’s a lot of dialogue that goes back and forth when you have relationships or you have history with people. I think Marcus was having fun with it, and I know that he has a whole lot of respect for Coach Payton and the Saints.”Payton also was asked about the interplay repeatedly Wednesday, but the veteran coach only repeated his respect for the Rams and their volatile cornerback.“I’m a huge Marcus Peters fan,” Payton said. “A lot of it was friendly banter, but he’s a tremendous player, a real talented player with dangerous ball skills. He’s someone that you have to know where he’s at all times.”Peters repeatedly refused to indulge in trash talk or any additions to a budding rivalry Wednesday, and he explained exactly why.“I see y’all trying to make it to be something that it’s not,” Peters told reporters. “All respect to Sean Payton and what he does. Like you say, before, during the game, things happen, but I just love the fact that he’s a competitor.”In fact, Peters and Payton might be kindred spirits of a sort.Payton is well known as an enthusiastic presence on the sideline, where he screams at players on both teams, berates the officials and sometimes even gestures at the opposing coaches. Over the years, he has made a choke sign at Devonta Freeman, mocked the Minnesota Vikings fans’ signature clap and had animated postgame interactions with fellow coaches including Dirk Koetter, who got slapped on the chest rather aggressively.The gumbo date might not happen http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/diontae-johnson-jersey-authentic , but what occurred in the teams’ first meeting should have reverberations into the playoff rematch, where fellow star cornerback Aqib Talib will be back alongside Peters after missing the first meeting with an injury.Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore thinks Peters should be much more concerned about Thomas than Payton — and Peters undoubtedly agrees.“He still has to guard Mike at the end of the day,” Lattimore said. “You can do all the talking you want, but you still have to go out there and guard him. The last time, (Thomas) went for 211 (yards). You still have to go out there and get the job done, no matter how much you talk. That’s no dis to him or nothing like that. That’s just with anybody. I like Marcus Peters’ game, but you still have to go out there and play. That’s why I don’t really talk too much.” FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Julio Jones left his helmet inside and wore a floppy hat to the opening day of the Atlanta Falcons‘ three-day minicamp.As he prepares for his ninth season, Jones was in player-coach mode on Tuesday as he made mental notes to pass on to younger teammates.For the Falcons, the biggest news was the wide receiver reported, one year after he missed the mandatory minicamp.Last year he had the approval of coach Dan Quinn to work on his own. Jones has continued to set his own workout pace this offseason. He missed the voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) while making sure he is healthy for training camp.Jones, 30, called his schedule the “same thing” as last offseason.“I’m just taking it slow,” he said. “A little maintenance work. Just taking it slow for me. Not really trying to jump in and get in the swing of things right now. I’m a veteran. I’ve been doing it for a while.”Jones said he knows how “to get better and be where I need to be when the season comes around.”The difference from 2018 is Jones can be a better leader when he is in minicamp, if only as an observer.“He is the type of player who enjoys the mentor side of it and he takes that responsibility seriously to help the group and others, not just the wide receiver group,” Quinn said.Jones’ leadership role was an appropriate topic on the day his mentor, former Falcons wide receiver Roddy White Justin Layne Jersey , was announced as the 11th player to be inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor. The ceremony has been planned for the Dec. 8 game against Carolina.White, who retired after the 2015 season, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection in his 11 years with the team and a first-team All-Pro in 2010. White’s franchise records for TD catches and yards receiving are being challenged by Jones.“Roddy mentored me,” Jones said. “… He didn’t shy away from helping me out. You’ve got to understand we want to win. You can’t win by hiding things from younger guys.”Despite frequent problems with injuries that force him to miss practice, Jones has not missed a game the past two seasons. He was in top form in 2018 , when he had 113 catches and led the NFL with 1,677 yards receiving. He had eight touchdown catches.Jones has had at least 1,400 yards in five straight seasons. He was a first-team All-Pro pick in 2015 and 2016 and is a six-time Pro Bowl selection.Falcons owner Arthur Blank has said he wants Jones to play his entire career in Atlanta. There are ongoing talks about a new deal for Jones, who has two years remaining on his five-year, $71.5 million contract. His 2019 base salary under his current deal is $9.6 million, far below contracts given to other top wide receivers.NOTES: DT Grady Jarrett, OLB Vic Beasley Jr. and LB Deion Jones also did not participate in OTAs. Each reported Tuesday. Jarrett has signed his $15.209 million franchise tag and he wouldn’t comment on chances he will remain in Atlanta after the 2019 season. The Falcons have until July 15 to sign Jarrett to a long-term deal. … Quinn said that all players still recovering from injuries or, like Jones, held out on Tuesday as a precaution, are expected to be ready for training camp.