The initial plan was a day off but Coach Claude Noel

NASHVILLE -- Safety Michael Griffin has been on the Tennessee defence longer than anyone else, and the Titans made sure Tuesday he will stick around as they rebuild the unit with his leadership. Air Max 97 Schuhe Damen. The Titans announced the five-year extension Tuesday shortly after the end of their first session of a three-day minicamp, a deal eased in part by the man quietly taking part in the off-season program despite being tagged as the teams franchise player back in March. "He is a big part of what were trying to do moving forward," general manager Ruston Webster said. "We really want to keep a core of our players together. I think thats important in building a team, and Michael has the talent and the character we look for in our players. Hes handled himself like a true pro through this whole franchise tag thing, and I couldnt be happier to sign him to a new deal and have him be a Titan for a long time." A two-time Pro Bowl safety, Griffin did not balk at being tagged, with $6.2 million in guaranteed money if he played the season under that contract. He wound up with reportedly $15 million in guaranteed money in a deal worth up to $36 million. Griffin said he handled the tag his way, telling his agent, Ben Dogra, he wanted to take part in the off-season program from the start and asked if he could sign something to protect himself in case of injury to be with his teammates. "That was all that was important," Griffin said. "It was just to be here and working out with the team. I had a great time this off-season. Two more days, then we all break. I cant wait for training camp to get back around these guys. Just to be around them this is my job. This is like my family. I just enjoy being around them." Griffins agent credited the safety and the Titans with being willing to work together. "Its not always easy to work through a franchise tag," Dogra said. Griffin was a first-round draft pick in 2007 out of Texas, and his 17 interceptions rank fourth among safeties over the past five years -- tops among safeties in his class. He has played in all 80 games with 73 starts since being drafted 19th overall. He ranked third with 96 tackles last season with Pro Bowl selections in 2008 and 2010. Last August, the Titans were trying to talk with Cortland Finnegans agent about an extension only to see the feisty cornerback bolt camp briefly upset at negotiations. Talks died down, and Finnegan wound up signing his big deal in St. Louis. With Finnegan gone along with the departure of safety Chris Hope, Griffin is the most tenured player on the defence with Tennessee. The Titans brought back Jordan Babineaux at the other safety spot for a second straight year, a veteran going into his ninth NFL season. Linebacker Will Witherspoon is a 10-year NFL veteran with the past two in Tennessee. Webster said they like Griffins size at 6-foot and 203 pounds along with his athletic ability and ball skills. "Hes tough. He can play in the box. He can play deep, and he can intercept the ball and make plays," Webster said. "And I think we can help him more. The more rush we get, the more balls are going to be up there for him to get, and were going to get better not only on the back end with him being long term, but also up front. I like the way our defence is heading." Griffin believes he can improve too, especially after spending the off-season learning the tweaks in the defence by co-ordinator Jerry Gray that the NFL lockout last year prevented. He also wants to be more consistent. "Make the plays I know Im capable of, making plays I made in the past," Griffin said. "Not trying to do too much, just do my job and stay focused. I think thats the most thing I can do for this team. Play my game, be consistent and let the game come to me." Notes: Chris Johnson was excused from Tuesdays session. Coach Mike Munchak said Johnson will be back Wednesday and noted the team asked the running back to attend four days each week in the off-season program only to see him around five days. ... RG Leroy Harris rejoined the first-team offensive line Tuesday, ahead of a schedule that had him not taking part until training camp coming off shoulder surgery. ... WR Lavelle Hawkins also practiced despite an ankle that had him limited last week. But Munchak said rookie WR Kendall Wright, who landed hard on a shoulder last week, will not practice in the minicamp as protection. Air Max 95 Schuhe Herren. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Lee posted eight assists in 20 games for the Lightning last season after being acquired fron the Ottawa Senators on February 20 in exchange for Matt Gilroy. Nike Air Max 90 Herren Weiß. The initial plan was a day off but Coach Claude Noel wanted to give the players who wanted to skate the opportunity to do so. In all, 14 skaters and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec were on the ice. http://www.maxairde.eu/. -- Clark Haggans joined the San Francisco 49ers at practice Tuesday pledging to hit the ground running with a team that fits the rugged style he has established throughout a 13-year NFL career. Air Max 90 Herren Weiß. Ricky Rubio, Chase Budinger and Brandon Roy were all out with injuries and the rest of the Minnesota Timberwolves couldnt buy a bucket for most of the game. Nike Air Max 2013 Schuhe Herren Weiß.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have re-signed backup running back Tashard Choice, and tight end Dorin Dickerson has accepted the teams tendered contract offer. WIMBLEDON, England -- As Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer step back on the grass at Wimbledon, each has reason to believe hell be hoisting the trophy overhead in two weeks time. None of the other 125 men in the field can honestly say the same. Indeed, its tough to imagine anyone outside that trio winning this years championship at the All England Club, where play begins on Monday. "Theyve, you know, been pretty selfish about Grand Slam titles for a little bit," said 2003 U.S. Open champion and three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick. Either Nadal or Djokovic has won each of the past nine major tournaments, and they have met in the last four finals. "Its up to somebody ... to break that mould," said Federer, owner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles. "I hope I can do that." Add him to the equation, and those three men have combined to win 28 of the past 29 majors, a seven-year run of dominance that began with Nadals victory at the 2005 French Open. (The lone exception was the 2009 U.S. Open, where Federer lost in the final to Juan Martin del Potro.) The top-seeded Djokovic is the defending champion at Wimbledon -- and while its the only grass-court title on his resume, its a rather significant one. "I mean, this is what Im born for," he said after beating Nadal in four sets in the 2011 final. "You know, I want to be a tennis champion. I want to win more Grand Slams. I will definitely not stop here." He moved to No. 1 in the ATP rankings the next day and has remained there, while compiling a 27-match Grand Slam winning streak that included titles at the U.S. Open in September and Australian Open in January, before ending with a loss to Nadal in the rain-interrupted, two-day French Open final two weeks ago. Nadal once was thought to be a clay-court expert but has shown that he can adapt to, and excel on, other surfaces, joining Federer among the seven men who completed a career Grand Slam. At Wimbledon, the Spaniard reached the final in each of the last five times he entered the tournament, winning twice and finishing runner-up to Djokovic or Federer. And Federer? All hes done is win six championships plus make one final at the All England Club in a seven-year span from 2003-09. "I would just like to get another Wimbledon crown. It would be amazing to get No. 7," said Federer, who lost in the quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych in 2010, and to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2011. Hes gone about 2 1/2 years without winning a Grand Slam tittle, his longest drought since he won his first nine years ago. Nike Air Max 2013 Schuhe "The hunger is obviously big," said Federer, approaching his 31st birthday on Aug. 8. While players such as Berdych or Tsonga or Roddick or del Potro have shown they can compete with the best on their best days -- and No. 4 Andy Murray, a three-time major finalist, gets plenty of home-crowd support because he represents Britain -- the expectation is that Djokovic, Nadal or Federer will extend their hard-to-believe rule at Grand Slam tournaments. Murray dismisses questions about being burdened by all the attention he gets in these two weeks -- and all the hopes the locals have. "Doesnt add any extra pressure. I think in all sports, playing at home is viewed as being a huge advantage, whereas for some reason when it comes to Wimbledon, everyone thinks its a bad thing," he said. "I havent really found it that way. When Ive played here, Ive enjoyed the challenge, Ive enjoyed playing in front of a passionate crowd, and its helped me." For some perspective, consider whats been going on in golf: When Webb Simpson won the U.S. Open last weekend, he was the ninth consecutive first-time major champion in that sport; he also was the 15th man to win one of the past 15 majors. That sort of parity does exist in tennis, too, but only in the womens game, where six players divided up the most recent six Grand Slam titles, capped by Maria Sharapovas triumph at the French Open. That return to the top -- and to No. 1 in the WTA rankings -- makes her a popular pick to do well at Wimbledon, too. She did, after all, make her breakthrough at the grass-court tournament by winning it at age 17 in 2004. There also are cases to be made for four-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, who is sure to be intent on making up for a first-round loss at Roland Garros; defending champion Petra Kvitova; recent No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, a semifinalist a year ago; 2007 runner-up Marion Bartoli; former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, probably the best player without a Grand Slam title; and even Venus Williams, who might be slowed by an autoimmune disease but still knows how to get the most out of her big serve and powerful groundstrokes at a tournament shes won five times. Its much easier to come up with a lengthy list of contenders for the womens title than it is for the mens. Why has tennis top trio won major after major? "Because they are too good," Tsonga said. "Thats it. Theyre just too good." ' ' '

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