Perhaps Ozzie Newsome will be filled with emotion and just a bit of sadness in the weeks ahead as he prepares for his final NFL draft as general manager of the Baltimore Ravens.

For now http://www.officialoilers.com/authentic-adidas-connor-mcdavid-jersey , however, he won’t allow his mind to be cluttered with thoughts other than landing the very best players the college game has to offer.

”It’s all about the preparation and it’s all about who is the player that we’re going to take with that first-round pick – if we pick in the first round,” Newsome said Wednesday.

Newsome – the only GM the Ravens have ever had – will step down after the upcoming season. He’s been overseeing the draft since 1996, and now he’s got one more chance to garner some talent for a team that has won two Super Bowls under his watch.

It’s the end of an era, one that started when Art Modell brought his Cleveland Browns to Baltimore and put Newsome in charge of building a winner.

”I really haven’t thought about that. I’ve been more just preparing for this draft,” Newsome insisted. ”What’s going to occur a year from now is not in my thought process. It’s just making this the best draft that we can this year. That’s what’s been my focus.”

Newsome spoke while sitting at a table with his successor-in-waiting, assistant GM Eric DeCosta, head coach John Harbaugh and director of college scouting Joe Hortiz.

Behind the foursome was a montage of many of Newsome’s greatest picks, including Hall of Famers Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis as well as Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Joe Flacco.

Recently, though, there have been a few misfires – most notably receiver Breshad Perriman at No. 26 in 2015, tight end Maxx Williams at No. 55 that same season and safety Matt Elam at No. 32 in 2013.

That’s one big reason why the Ravens haven’t made the playoffs over three straight seasons, and why Newsome doesn’t have time for nostalgia as he nears the April 26-28 draft armed with the 16th overall pick.

”When we were having success Marlon Mack Jersey , we were getting all the credit,” Newsome said. ”When we’re not having success, we take all the blame. It falls right on me.”

The 62-year-old Newsome will stay on board after this season as an adviser, according to owner Steve Bisciotti.

DeCosta, 46, has been waiting to take over for years now. He spurned several offers from other teams along the way, and Bisciotti finally decided that it was time to make the switch.

DeCosta, like Newsome, has no time to think about the ramifications of the transition.

”That’s still in the future. Honestly, the best thing I can do is take care of today and this process, this draft, for the future,” DeCosta said. ”We’re really focused on this. We’ve got an opportunity here to really fix our team, which we need to do.

”This draft has a lot of significance http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/quincy-wilson-jersey , not because it’s Ozzie’s last draft, but because it’s the draft that we have right now. We’ve got a great opportunity. We don’t want to blow it.”

As a player, Newsome was a Hall of Fame tight end with the Browns. Since 1996, he’s gotten a thrill out of choosing from the best college talent in the world.

”From the very first draft, I had the same anticipation, and the same butterflies, that I did when I walked out the tunnel to play my first NFL game,” Newsome said. ”All the work is done, and then you have this moment where you have to pull the trigger, you have to perform.”

Next year, it will be DeCosta’s turn – with help from his mentor.

”Over the last 22 years, probably the most rewarding thing has been working with Ozzie, and I don’t see that changing,” DeCosta said. ”We’re a family. We want to win. I’ve got probably the best GM in the history of football – at least one of the top five – and I hope he always stays.”

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FOXBOROUGH Womens Melvin Gordon Jersey , Mass. (AP) Julian Edelman has made peace with the fact he won’t be playing football for the first four weeks of the regular season.

It won’t stop the veteran Patriots receiver from preparing like he will be on the field.

Edelman made several rounds of apologies to his team and fans following the four-game suspension handed down by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancers. Now he says he plans to use what’s left of training camp to make sure his surgically repaired knee will be ready when he is able to return. The 32-year-old receiver missed the entire 2017 season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.

Working his way back has been a slow process that’s just beginning to pick up.

”It’s been a grind,” Edelman said Friday. ”You’re compounding day after day after day after day. … You’re always trying to go out and get better and I have to do a lot better. I feel like I got to get my legs under me a lot more.”

Edelman will miss a home game against Houston, trips to Jacksonville and Detroit, plus a home game against Miami.

He will be eligible to return to the active roster Oct. 1, enabling him to make his 2018 debut Oct. 4 against Indianapolis.

Part of the urgency for Edelman is fueled by changes the receiving corps has undergone since the end of last season. It will certainly have a fresh look to it when the season opens thanks to Edelman’s suspension, the free agency departure of stalwart Danny Amendola and trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams.

That is compounded even more with the uncertainty surrounding the status of Malcolm Mitchell, who has yet to participate in a full practice after spending last season on injured reserve (knee).

It’s left openings for someone to earn playing time, and the list of candidates is long.

Among those in camp looking to make the roster are Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson and Braxton Berrios. Free agent Eric Decker signed with the team Friday following the release of Jordan Matthews earlier in the week.

Edelman said he is encouraged by the work so far from the group. He was particularly high on Patterson, a trade acquisition from Oakland.

”He’s a great guy to be around,” Edelman said. ”He works hard, he’s very athletic Mike Singletary Jersey , and he definitely helps push the unit, so I’m happy we got him. He’s going to contribute in a whole different other way. He’s very versatile, and just from his track record I’m glad we have him.”

Coach Bill Belichick also has been complimentary of the work Patterson has put in during camp.

”He has skills in offense and the kicking game in a number of different areas, return skills, coverage skills, blocking skills, catching skills,” Belichick said. ”He’s got some experience, so he’s able to utilize that. He understands his skill set and how it matches up against different types of players.”

NOTES: Friday marked Tom Brady’s 41st birthday and the team gave him a celebration on par with the one for his 40th.

There was a balloon figure version of Brady and a giant No. 12 cake. There were also birthday cards set up outside the practice field entrance for fans to sign. Fans serenaded the 19-year veteran with a rendition of ”Happy Birthday” after he took the field.

His teammates also got in on the act. Baltimore Ravens Jerseys