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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Ryan Fitzpatrick had a tough time just blending in with the crowd this summer during his contract stalemate with the New York Jets.Of course, that mountain man look with his bushy beard and puffed-up pompadour certainly didnt help him stay incognito.Whether it was at the airport, restaurants, public bathrooms or on the golf course, Fitzpatrick heard from fans who wanted to know if hed ever re-sign with the Jets, why he wouldnt accept their initial offer and whether hed retire.Everywhere I went, the Jets quarterback said Saturday, that was the topic of conversation.That included when he was in the New Jersey area. And vacationing in Hayward, Wisconsin. His hometown of Gilbert, Arizona, too. And even Lake Tahoe, California.I mean, everybody had some opinion, Fitzpatrick said. It was because you guys kept putting me on ESPN.Fitzpatrick agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with the Jets on Wednesday and signed the contract minutes before the teams first training camp practice Thursday. That finally ended a staredown that dragged on since March and had the Jets uncertain who would be under center for them this season.As training camp drew closer, Jets fans let Fitzpatrick know how they felt -- and what he should do.It was a little bit of both, Fitzpatrick said. Some of them were trying to feel it out and buddy me up to get the answer or, `Whats really going on with the situation? They wanted my agents number. Some of them were telling me that I needed to sign. Stop being so greedy.It was just like everything in the book was thrown at me.Fitzpatrick added that for the most part, the fans were mostly respectful about the situation.One reporter suggested that maybe shaving his beard could have made him a little more inconspicuous.Yeah, I could have, Fitzpatrick said. I dont know if it would have helped or not.It all worked out -- eventually. And, Jets fans cheered Fitzpatrick when he jogged onto the practice field Saturday before heavy thunderstorms forced the players indoors and sent the soaked crowd home early.Three practices in, Fitzpatrick appears to have quickly shed the rust of the offseason. He looked sharp Friday and Saturday, connecting with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker throughout. Just like old times, when he set the franchise record last season with 31 touchdown tosses.Somewhere through the first practice, I started feeling a lot better, Fitzpatrick said. Seeing things a lot better and the ball coming out of my hand better.Coach Todd Bowles had the Jets in full pads for the first time in camp and the team worked on red-zone situations throughout. Fitzpatrick acknowledged that he was a bit slow on some throws and not as crisp as hed like.I think it was apparent there that Ive got a long way to go, he said. But I felt good the first few days. My arm feels good and the rapport with the guys is still there. Weve just got to continue to have that upward trend.After Fitzpatrick took over last summer for the injured Geno Smith, who had his jaw broken by a punch from a teammate in the locker room, he quickly got up to speed in Chan Gaileys offense and thrived. The Jets offense ranked 10th overall in the NFL last year, and they were 11th with 24.2 points per game.Marshall set the team records with 109 receptions and 1,502 yards receiving.He is a freak of nature, Fitzpatrick said. He makes my job easy.Meanwhile, Decker established the franchise mark with 10 red-zone touchdown catches. Marshall and Decker, with Fitzpatrick throwing the ball to them, broke the NFL mark for the most games with teammates catching at least one touchdown pass in the same game at 10 games.Well always be a work in progress, Fitzpatrick said. Were always kind of working to get exactly on the same page with timing and depth and all of that stuff.With Fitzpatrick back and the addition of running back Matt Forte, New Yorks offense is expected to be very productive again this season.Weve got to get better, Fitzpatrick said. We did some things that were OK last year, but theres a lot of things that we can improve on. Weve just got to become a smarter football team.Game notes Both CB Darrelle Revis (wrist) and RB Matt Forte (hamstring) remained out of team drills. Theres no timetable on when they might fully practice. ... Bowles said hes a quote guy when it comes to choosing material to motivate his team. Einstein, Socrates, some ex-football coaches that have played over the years that youve stumbled across, Bowles said. Some from baseball quotes and some from basketball. You just look and you learn and you see what applies to what you can fit and use it for.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Khalil Mack Jerseys Bears . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. Chicago Bears Jersey Cheap . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.chicagobearsshoponline.com/trey-burton-bears-jersey.html . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Mitchell Trubisky Jersey Orange . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Mike Ditka Bears Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Andy Murray goes into this weeks ATP Masters 1000 in Paris with an excellent chance to leave the City of Light on Sunday with the No. 1 ranking wrenched from the hands of the man who scant months ago seemed to have it under long-term lease, Novak Djokovic.So why are Murray and Djokovic so seemingly blasé about this new, electric development?Murray, whos been playing like a father already worried about how hes going to afford college tuition, keeps reminding everyone that earning that No. 1 ranking remains on his to-do list for 2017 -- not 2016. He repeated the mantra to the media when he arrived in Paris the other day:My goal wasnt to finish No. 1 at the end of this year, Murray said. There [was] a lot stronger chance of doing it in the early part of next year, which is what I [had] targeted -- rather than this week.Its like liquidating a bunch of skyrocketing stock shares because you didnt really plan on getting rich right now; you were thinking three, four years from now.Murray does make a valid point when he notes that acquiring the ranking isnt entirely in his own hands. Djokovic could conceivably lose to Murray in the Paris final, and also at least once in London, yet still hold onto No. 1.Its not in my control, Murray said. Even if I win all of my matches this week, I still might not get there. Its in Novaks hands.Its a sharp reminder of how deceptive the rankings system used by the ATP and WTA tours is, as well as an October surprise as great as anything this credulity-straining political season has kicked up.Both Murray and Djokovic won their Paris Masters openers on Wednesday. The top-ranked Serb beat Gilles Muller?6-3, 6-4, while Murray held off Fernando Verdasco?6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5.?Murrays reluctance to fire his hopes up under these circumstances is sane and realistic. Yet, Djokovic must be looking like a bigger, juicier target with every passing day. Its partly because he seems increasingly preoccupied with quasi-spiritual, personal development issues than practical, tennis-related ones.Djokovic arrived in Paris in this time of undeniable crisis without the two coaches who are generally considered the architects of his long and successful run at the top, Marian Vajda and Boris Becker. Instead, he is accompanied by doubles partner Nenad Zimonjic, a physiotherapist and trainer, and a guru-like spiritual adviser, Pepe Imaz.The latter is a Spanish former journeyman player who once ranked No. 167 and won a round once at the French Open. Imaz espouses a home-baked, new age-type philosophy long on meditation and platitudes about peace, lovee, harmony and deep hugging.dddddddddddd According to The Daily Mail, Imaz struck up a relationship with Novak after helping Djokovics younger brother, Marko, recover from depression following his failure to make it as an ATP pro.Just days after Wimbledon, Djokovic appeared in a lengthy video shot at a Spanish resort with which his new adviser is affiliated, presumably to spread the gospel according to Imaz. At the time, Murray was in Belgrade, lending support to the ultimately victorious British Davis Cup team battling Serbia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b66eDl9MIBgIn the video, Djokovic is seated on the dais along with Imaz, Marko Djokovic and another Imaz protégé, WTA pro Daniela Hantuchova. At one point, Novak Djokovic makes a fairly long speech about meditation:We switch off the exterior light, and we go inside to try to calm our minds, calm our energies. Why are we trying to do that? Because essentially we all are looking for love, happiness and harmony. And to find the love, happiness and harmony, we need to be able to look inward and to establish this connection with a divine light.And so on.After beating Muller, Djokovic was asked about his working relationship with Imaz.?I dont know where you heard that hes a guru, first of all, Djokovic said. Hes been in tennis for all his life. Im just glad that he came this week, together with my brother, to be with me and work with me. ... ?Im not going to go into details, because there is no sense. I know certain media is trying to find a story here in calling him guru. Im not going to give any room for speculations anymore. Hes been there, and hes part of the coaching team and thats all.Well, the divine light was on the blink the last time Djokovic hit the court. His meltdown in the Shanghai semifinals was epic, and its the last image he left us with. Djokovic claims he has evolved as a person since his third-round loss. But hes undoubtedly devolved as a tennis player. Perhaps his quest for harmony and inner peace is just Djokovics way of preparing himself for a soft landing on that inevitable day when he loses the No. 1 ranking, as all top players do. Maybe he can harmonize himself right into accepting a No. 2 or 4 or 8 ranking with a blissful smile on his face.Murray might continue to insist that his big day isnt at hand and may not be until at least next year. But hes been connecting with a light of his own, and while it may not be divine, it sure looks green. ' ' '