getting you.”Turner started 11 games last season a

NASHVILLE http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/dre_mont-jones-jersey , Tenn. (AP) — Peyton Manning, the former quarterback with a record five NFL MVPs among the string of awards and honors to his credit, calls his decision to attend the University of Tennessee one of the best he’s ever made.That makes being inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night along with a handful of fellow Volunteers and David Cutcliffe, his former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, even more memorable.“It’s very special,” Manning said. “I was proud to have played at the University of Tennessee for four years and you go into the NFL, you kind of carry your alma mater with you and have wonderful support from friends, teammates, coaches throughout my career. … So to be honored and have a chance to reflect on my time in college and all the relationships and memories, it’s been very special.”Manning was being inducted along with a group including Cutcliffe, now the head coach at Duke; Kara Lawson, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist who played for Pat Summitt and is now a TV analyst; Charles Davis, a four-year starter at safety and now a Fox game analyst; and Kippy Brown, a former Tennessee coach who also coached seven NFL teams.A Louisiana native, Manning also was inducted into that state’s sports hall of fame earlier this year. Manning not only chose to attend Tennessee rather than father Archie’s alma mater, Mississippi, but the quarterback endeared himself to Volunteers’ fans for deciding to return and play his senior season in Knoxville in 1997.Even after Manning left college, he continued his relationship with Cutcliffe, the man the quarterback turned to even during his career in the NFL where Manning was a 14-time Pro Bowl pick and the first starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.“I would go back and work out with him in the offseason, and he would stay on top of my mechanics and fundamentals and of course a great friend throughout that process as well, so very special … to be inducted in the same class as Coach Cut,” Manning said.Cutcliffe called Manning one of the special people in his life.“How lucky can you be to get to basically coach Peyton for 22 years?” Cutcliffe said. “That’s good enough there. I could’ve retired right then. It’s just been fun. … I think the thing that’s most rewarding is that Peyton is such a dedicated individual when it comes to his trade. If you’re going to work with him T.J. Hockenson Jersey , you better get better. And Peyton Manning made me better.”Another inductee didn’t play at Tennessee, but Patrick Willis got to try to tackle Manning in the NFL. The former San Francisco 49ers linebacker said he was grateful to be honored as part of what he called an amazing class. And yes, it’s easier when not trying to defend Manning on a field.“He’s a genius on the field and off the field,” Willis said. “Obviously, on the field, he’s a general and yeah it’s an honor to have played against him and to be going into the Hall of Fame with him.”Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk also was being honored Saturday night as the 2019 Tennessean of the Year, a big honor for someone who had fans questioning her commitment to Nashville and the state when she took charge of the team in March 2015. Strunk helped Nashville host the NFL draft in April, an event that drew a record 600,000 fans.Strunk said she hope she’s answered any questions about herself after what’s been a whirlwind the past four years. Posing for photos alongside Manning, whom her late father tried to sign in 2012, left her a little bit in awe.“I’m happy to be part of the group,” Strunk said. GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — From 2010 through 2016, former Packers general manager Ted Thompson signed two unrestricted free agents.On Thursday, the Packers announced the signing of four such players.Second-year GM Brian Gutekunst wasn’t shopping from the bargain bin, either, in trying to improve a team coming off its first back-to-back losing seasons in a quarter-century. Rather, Gutekunst dived headfirst into the initial wave of free agency by signing outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos, and offensive lineman Billy Turner. They each signed four-year contracts worth a combined $182 million, $57 million of which is guaranteed.Gutekunst, however Justice Hill Jersey , disagreed with the notion his aggressive foray into free agency was aimed at putting the Packers back among the NFL’s elite teams while quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains in his prime.“I don’t think so,” Gutekunst said. “I think, obviously, this is Green Bay, Wisconsin. We’re in a win-now mode all the time. I thought we needed to add to our defense significantly and I think these guys will. So, I don’t think it’s any different than it ever has been.”Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith replace the longtime starting tandem of Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, who are free agents. Matthews had 3 1-2 sacks last season while Perry had 1 1-2 sacks and was released earlier this week before being paid a $4.8 million roster bonus.Za’Darius Smith had a career-high 8 1-2 sacks last season for the Baltimore Ravens while Preston Smith had four sacks last season for the Washington Redskins. The new teammates met when Za’Darius Smith, a junior college player at the time, was on a recruiting trip to Mississippi State, where Preston Smith was an established star.“We really got cool when we actually went to the combine,” said Za’Darius Smith, who wound up playing at Kentucky. “He’s a Smith and I’m a Smith, so we were right behind each other (during drills). Got a chance to communicate, but one thing he did tell me, he was like, ‘Z, we’re going to do great things in this league.’ I kid you not. Now, we’re playing together.”Za’Darius Smith, who tied for 10th in the league with 25 quarterback hits, frequently moved from the edge to the inside on passing downs for the Ravens. He figures to be used in the same way by Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.“We are both versatile players,” said Preston Smith, who has 24 1-2 sacks in four seasons. “I see him play and he can rush inside and outside. I can do the same if needed. We both play fast and physical and violently. And I like his play style and I feel we will complement each other http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/ben-powers-jersey-cheap , and we’re going to do some great things here in Green Bay.”Amos comes from the archrival Chicago Bears. Last season, he had career highs of two interceptions, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles and 73 tackles. He’s gone from not being in the starting lineup to open the 2017 season to one of the NFL’s highest-paid safeties.“In NFL terms, that’s how you show who wants you,” Amos said. “People can say they want you and people can say they have enough or don’t have enough, but that’s the way they show you they want you, by getting you.”Turner started 11 games last season at Denver due to injuries. The Packers have a void at right guard, but neither Gutekunst nor Turner would say that will be his position. Gutekunst hopes Turner’s athleticism will be a good fit for new coach Matt LaFleur’s outside-zone running game.“I’m an offensive lineman, but I don’t think that I move like an offensive lineman,” Turner said. “I use my athleticism to my advantage, and it works well for me. Being able to move in space well and to run off the football and move guys around in the run game, I think, was part of the reason why Green Bay liked me, and it was part of the reason that I picked here.”None of the free-agent signings has earned postseason accolades. Gutekunst believes the arrow is pointing up. Turner is 27, the Smiths are 26 and Amos is 25. All four were drafted in 2015.“I do think that’s an important point, that we did want guys that we thought that their best football was ahead of them,” Gutekunst said. “I think all four of these guys probably had their best seasons last year and they were trending in the right direction.”