Pirate Galaxy » impression. Maybe thats why for once Nor

PHILADELPHIA -- That chip Carson Wentz says he has on his shoulder has nothing to do with being snubbed by the Cleveland Browns.The rookie quarterback makes his first NFL start Sunday when the Eagles host the Browns, who traded the No. 2 pick to Philadelphia instead of staying put and selecting Wentz.My focus is on playing them, Wentz said Wednesday. I dont really want to address the past and everything. Im really ecstatic Im here.Browns coach Hue Jackson told Pro Football Talk Live on Tuesday: We didnt draft Carson Wentz because we didnt think it was the right fit for our team at this time.Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta told ESPN.com in July the team didnt draft a quarterback -- he didnt mention Wentz by name -- because it didnt consider any player in this draft to be good enough to be a top 20 quarterback in the NFL.Cleveland signed Robert Griffin III in free agency and accumulated several high draft picks by trading down. Thats sound strategy for a rebuilding team. RG3 will be the 25th different quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999. The list includes Eagles coach Doug Pederson.Everybody is going to have their opinion, Pederson said. That is just the way this business is, but we are very comfortable with Carson and the direction he is headed.Jackson, by the way, later praised Wentz in a conference call with Philadelphia reporters.I think Carson Wentz can be whatever he wants to be. I really do, Jackson said. I think hes going to be a good player.Wentz arrived at the teams practice facility at 5:15 a.m. along with backup quarterback Chase Daniel. They beat Pederson to the building -- he got there at 5:45. Practice started at 11:30.Wentz is spending more time cramming for his debut after being promoted from No. 3 quarterback to starter last Saturday when the Eagles traded Sam Bradford to Minnesota.Extra preparation is pretty normal, Wentz said. This is just the beginning of the new normal.Part of the reason some teams didnt value Wentz as highly as Philadelphia was the fact he played at a Division II school. Wentz made 23 starts at North Dakota State, leading the Bison to consecutive FCS championships.Coming from a smaller school, you kind of have a chip on your shoulder so to speak, he said. It doesnt matter where you come from, if you can play, you can play.Clevelands defense is wary of Wentz, even if he missed the last three preseason games with injured ribs.He didnt play at a D-I school, but they obviously see a lot in him, Browns cornerback Joe Haden said. We are definitely excited to go out there and try to mix it up. He is not really experienced and hasnt seen too many different defenses, so just going to try and disguise and go after it.---AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddiCheap Shoes Outlet Stores . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Authentic Shoes Wholesale .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. http://www.cheapshoes.us.org/ . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Cheap Fake Shoes Online . 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Doing the same with a player who is treating his clubs record book like a dry erase board is something else entirely.Now coming in and just watching him and what hes able to do, its just freakish, Norman said. When you look at a wide receiver in the NFL, you dont have to stop nowhere other than Antonio Brown. It starts and it ends with him.With an emphasis -- the Redskins hope -- on end.The offense that takes the field on Monday night wont exactly look like the one the Steelers envisioned heading into 2016. Running back LeVeon Bell will spend the first three weeks serving a suspension for violating the leagues substance abuse policy.Wide receiver Martavis Bryant is sitting out the entire season because of drug issues of his own. Tight end Ladarius Green -- signed to fill the void left by Heath Millers retirement -- is on the physically unable to perform list and its anybodys guess on when hell return.Their absence makes Brown that much more valuable while simultaneously making the Steelers that much more vulnerable if Washington finds a way to neutralize him.While the Redskins are keeping mum on whether Normans No. 24 will shadow Brown no matter where he lines up in offensive coordinator Todd Haleys imaginative scheme, Brown insists he doesnt care one way or the other.Asked Thursday if he expects Norman to follow him, Brown joked I think a lot of people follow me on Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram.It kind of comes with the territory these days when you grab an NFL-leading 375 catches over the past three years followed by a long run on Dancing With The Stars. As Brown likes to say, business is indeed booming.Yet for all that comes with Brown -- who received a $4 million pay bump for the Steelers last week and who donned a gold necklace with a diamond-encrusted silhouette of Brown doing his signature touchdown shimmy after practice -- the internal fire that made the former sixth-round pick into a superstar burns as bright as ever.The key for the Steelers is making sure Normans chatteer doesnt cause the flame to blossom into a full-on meltdown such as the one that earned Beckham an ejection last December after the New York Giants wide receiver constantly tussled with Norman, who was playing for Carolina.ddddddddddddHaley allows Brown is a highly emotional player who only has one speed whether its in practice or swimming the pool.Its one of the many things that makes Brown so effective. Yet quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also is wary of what can happen if Brown and Norman get to ummm, chatting.I think the big thing for both of them will just be if they both try to play mind games with each other, Roethlisberger said. Ill talk to my receiver and make sure he keeps a level head and just plays football.For all of Normans respectful praise, Brown is well aware things are liable to change when they line up across the line of scrimmage from each other.Its OK. Norman will hardly be the first cornerback who thinks the best way to rattle Brown is not by neutralizing his arms, but by getting between his ears.Thats what they do, thats their job, Brown.Few, however, can back it up as effectively as Norman, whose hands can move just as quickly as his mouth. Norman put together a career year in 2015 that eventually morphed into a $75 million deal with Washington.Keeping one of the NFLs best in check would make for an audacious first impression. Maybe thats why for once Norman isnt trying to make his words speak as loudly as his actions.I have nothing, but respect for that guy, Norman said.Brown is eager for the challenge even if he makes it a point to not pay attention who might be on the other side. Last Brown checked, the Steelers paid him to get open no matter what.Ill be watching everybody, I just know that theyre not going to put one guy on me, Brown said. I think everybody wants some of me. Well see what happens this weekend.Game notesWR Markus Wheaton (shoulder) and FB Rosie Nix (back) did not practice. RT Marcus Gilbert (elbow), DE Cam Heyward (ankle) and NTs Daniel McCullers (knee) and Javon Hargrave (quad) were full participants.---AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '