OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Eric Kendricks is serving many different roles in his first training camp with the Dallas Cowboys.
He is a starting inside linebacker, the defensive play-caller, and a veteran presence helping teach new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s system.
Following a one-year stint with the Los Angeles Chargers, Kendricks is enjoying the reunion with Zimmer, his head coach for eight of nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
“Obviously I’m familiar with the defense,” Kendricks said. “I’m in the middle of things, very comfortable. There’s always a lot to learn. We have different pieces, different components that I’m used to as well, so we have a lot of new stuff being implemented, which I’m excited about. And it forces me to learn as well.”
The chance to play for Zimmer again led Kendricks to sign with Dallas as a free agent after he had initially agreed to join the San Francisco 49ers.
Kendricks became an on-field embodiment of Zimmer’s ferocious defense in Minnesota, which peaked in 2017 with the NFL’s stingiest unit in both points and yards while Kendricks was selected as an All-Pro in 2019.
“I feel like Zim is very detailed, and you know what he's expecting from you,” Kendricks said. “And it’s about coming out and delivering that. Having a high expectation is never a bad thing.”
Kendricks, 32, hasn’t had to be the Zimmer translator in the first few days of training camp. He views himself as just another resource to help his new teammates understand and execute the defense.
However, the Cowboys clearly hold Kendricks in higher esteem. Linebacker Micah Parsons said the Vikings were the team he used when playing the “Madden” video game franchise growing up because of the disruptive defensive tandem of Kendricks and Anthony Barr.
“Not that he’s not in his prime, but when him and AB were young savages, it was always great to see what they did and what they accomplished,” Parsons said.
“So I look up to him. And then seeing how intense he is every day, it’s great to have that veteran leadership. … And it goes back to how much we missed (linebacker) Leighton (Vander Esch) last year.”
Not having Vander Esch for 12 games last season because of a neck injury that forced him to retire in March contributed to a decline in Dallas’ run defense. While the Cowboys were in the middle of the pack statistically, allowing 4.16 yards per carry, they struggled in key games and situations.
The Cowboys allowed at least 170 yards rushing in three of their five regular-season losses, including 222 yards in a shocking Week 3 defeat at the Arizona Cardinals. In an NFC wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers, they allowed 143 yards on the ground.
“That’s been a place that we’ve just struggled with in the past couple of years, so putting a big emphasis on that this year,” defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa said.
With eight straight seasons making at least 100 tackles, Kendricks is expected to help strengthen that part of the defense. He had 117 tackles, including 79 solo stops, in his single season for the Chargers.
As valuable as his on-field contributions could be, Kendricks might be more important as a leader and mentor.
“I want to win,” Kendricks said. “I want to play good defense, first and foremost, and that’s what’s fun about it. I get the opportunity to get that chance.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Eric Kendricks answers questions during NFL football training camp on NFL Back Together Weekend, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jannik Sinner started slowly at the U.S. Open, dropping the first set he played after being exonerated in a doping case no one knew about until shortly before play began at Flushing Meadows.
If that episode initially hung over him during the tournament, Sinner was able to put it aside while on court. Was he ever. The No. 1-ranked Sinner beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 with his typical relentless baseline game to win the men’s championship at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, less than three weeks after word emerged of the Italian's two positive tests for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid.
“It was, and it’s still, a little bit in my mind,” Sinner said. “It’s not that it’s gone, but when I’m on court, I try to focus (on) the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way. ... It was not easy, that’s for sure, but ... I tried to stay focused, which I guess I’ve done a great job, mentally staying there every point I play."
This 2-hour, 15-minute victory gave him a second Grand Slam trophy — the other was at the Australian Open in January — and prevented No. 12 Fritz from ending the major title drought for American men that has lasted 21 years.
Andy Roddick’s triumph at Flushing Meadows in 2003 was the last Slam title for a man from the United States. The last before Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, to even contest a final at one of the four biggest tournaments in tennis also was Roddick, who lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
“I know we’ve been waiting for a champion for a long time," Fritz said, “so I’m sorry I couldn’t get it done this time.”
Still, this tournament was a success in many ways for U.S. tennis, with two women and two men from the country all in the semifinals for the first time at a major since the 2003 U.S. Open. Jessica Pegula reached the women’s final before losing to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
Sinner improved to 55-5 with a tour-high six titles in 2024. That includes a 35-2 mark on hard courts, the surface used at both the Australian Open and U.S. Open. He's the first man since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam trophies in the same season.
This was the first year since 2002 in which no member of the Big Three — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or the retired Federer — won at least one major. Instead, Sinner, who is 23, and Carlos Alcaraz, 21, split the four Slam titles.
“Nice to see new champions,” Sinner said. “Nice to see new rivalries.”
The world found out on Aug. 20 that he tested positive twice in an eight-day span during March for a substance sold in an over-the-counter product in Italy, but he was cleared because his use was ruled unintentional — his defense was that the steroid entered his system via a massage from a team member he later fired.
While some players wondered whether Sinner was accorded special treatment, most believed he wasn't trying to dope. And the U.S. Open's fans never gave him a hard time.
“You can understand why people are upset about it. In anti-doping, it sounds so ridiculous," said Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which wasn't involved in the case. "But the science is such that, if the facts are actually proven out, it is actually plausible.”
Sinner, who dedicated this win to an aunt that is in poor health, said the months before his case was resolved were not easy.
“It was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments. Also how I behaved or how I walked on the court in certain tournaments before ... was not the same as I used to be,” he said, “so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong. But during this tournament, slowly I re-started to feel a little bit more how I am as a person.”
As expected, Fritz enjoyed a home-court advantage on a cool afternoon under a nearly cloudless sky. In a celebrity-filled crowd that included Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, some spectators occasionally engaged in chants of “U-S-A!” between games or rose whenever Fritz picked up what felt like a crucial point.
The loudest they got was at 3-all in the third set, when Fritz smacked an overhead winner, punched the air and screamed, “Let’s go!” People all around rose, applauding and shouting. After Fritz deposited a volley winner to earn a break point, he celebrated in the same fashion, and thousands in the seats went wild. Sinner then double-faulted, putting Fritz in front 4-3.
“If he wins that third,” said Fritz's coach, Michael Russell, “it’s a whole new game.”
But when Fritz tried to serve out the set at 5-4, Sinner pulled even. He used a drop shot to lure Fritz forward, then hit a passing shot that drew a netted volley. Fritz bounced his racket off the court. Sinner loped to the towel box, not even smiling.
Ten minutes later, it was over, thanks to Sinner's closing four-game run. He raised his arms, threw his head back and closed his eyes.
Sinner's playing style is less spectacular than solid, less magical than metronomic. Either way, it was masterful, as he used his long limbs and squeaking, sliding sneakers to get to everything before aiming high-speed shot after shot right near lines.
“Sometimes, he makes you go for a little more than you want to,” Russell said, “because he gets so many balls back.”
Sinner — the second Italian to win a singles title at the U.S. Open, joining 2015 women’s champion Flavia Pennetta — finished with just 21 unforced errors, 13 fewer than Fritz.
A poor first set hurt Fritz. He put 36% of first serves in, delivered only two aces and wound up with more than twice as many unforced errors (12) as winners (five).
The stats would improve, but Fritz never figured out a way to consistently put Sinner in trouble. Few can these days.
“That’s just kind of how it goes,” Fritz said, “when you’re playing ... the best player in the world right now.”
AP National Writer Eddie Pells in Denver and AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, to win the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, kisses the championship trophy after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates with members of his team after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, holds the finalist trophy after losing to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, holds up the championship trophy after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts after being defeated by Jannik Sinner, of Italy, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, in New York. 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, holds the championship trophy as Taylor Fritz, of the United States, looks on after sinner won the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts in the third set against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, to win the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, left, of Italy, greets Taylor Fritz, of the United States, after winning the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, in New York. 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, to win the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts in the third set against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts in the second set against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after scoring a point against Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, in New York. 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, returns a shot to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after scoring a point against Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, in New York. 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, cheer as they watch play between Jannik Sinner, of Italy, and Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after winning a game against Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, in New York. 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts in the third set against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns a shot to Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, returns a shot to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns a shot to Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Jack Draper, of Great Britain, during the men's singles semifinal of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts after defeating Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, during the men's singles semifinal of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
