Marcell Dareus grapples with ADHD all eyes on Colin Kaepernick

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Marcell Dareus grapples with ADHD; all eyes on Colin Kaepernick Published: Oct 14, 2016 at 02:44 AM ***** A year ago, I hung out in Buffalo with defensive tackle , detailing his tragedy-filled road to stardom for One of the many challenges faced by Dareus that we weren't able to include in the piece was this: He struggled with severe, undiagnosed ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) throughout his childhood, often provoking the open ridicule of his cla smates as he unsucce sfully attempted to focus in academic settings. Last week, a day after Dareus rejoined the following , we revisited the subject in a lengthy telephone conversation. And while Dareus stre sed that he wasn't using his condition as a rationalization for his predicament, he said he took advantage of the four-week break to implement fundamental lifestyle changes he hopes will prevent him from making costly decisions in the future. "I'm really just taking a better course of action -- it's not an excuse," said Dareus, who mi sed after suffering a hamstring injury in practice -- a setback that also . "I'm just getting help for myself. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself and my responsibilities. But during these four weeks, I just took the time to better myself and to get the help I need. "I love my team. I love my family. I love the city of Buffalo. I love the organization. And I love football. This is my life. I don't want to see it go down the drain." After news of his suspension broke in August, Dareus -- who has a history of receiving NFL discipline, including a one-game suspension in 2015 following an arrest on synthetic-marijuana-po se sion charges -- initially . However, after consulting with members of the ' medical staff, he instead sought guidance for how to manage his ADHD, a course of action that included a long meeting with renowned doctor Ned Hallowell in New York City. Often ridiculed by peers for in-cla s struggles while growing up in Birmingham, Dareus was diagnosed with ADHD shortly after his arrival at the University of Alabama, when head coach Nick Saban noticed his lack of focus in team meetings. Dareus began taking medication for the condition, but he says he gained a much higher degree of clarity about managing ADHD during his four-week absence. "I sat in a solid 12-hour testing se sion, from 12 to 12, with Dr. Hallowell, to make sure I had a sense of my strengths and weakne ses and how to develop a plan of action," Dareus said. "Sitting there for that long is obviously not easy for me, but that's how important it was to me not to waste these four weeks. "I mean, the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. But the people I worked with, and am still working with, helped me get a really detailed understanding of what I'm dealing with and helped me put things in a way that will keep me from getting in the way of myself." Dareus, who signed a six-year, $96.5 million contract extension in 2015 that included $60 million in guaranteed money, insisted he was not stung by harsh comments from his employers in the wake of his suspension. ("We are very disappointed Marcell chose to put himself first, before his coaches and the rest of the organization through his recent actions," the said in a statement. "From ownership down, we have made it clear his behavior is unacceptable.") "No, it really didn't upset me at all," Dareus said, "because I knew the extent of what I did. I knew I had hurt the team and hurt the organization. I just should've made better decisions." Dareus said he was touched by how many people reached out to him during his time away, from numerous Hall of Famers (including Bruce Smith, with whom he spent several days in Virginia Beach, Virginia) to owners Kim and Terry Pegula. "Bruce and the other Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Jim Kelly, as well as two-time Pro Bowler Darryl Talley really gave me some advice on how to step away from the game, be a man and handle myself going forward," Dareus said. "Knowing they cared that much and that it's a great, big family really meant a lot." Of the Pegulas, Dareus said, "I sat down and talked to them about some things, and it really enlightened me and made me very positive about the future. They're such great people. They're not like regular owners; they really do care. When this came about, I really had no idea how much they cared, and how much they'd support me. "I told them, 'Talk is cheap. I'm gonna do the best I can not to put myself in that position.' I really do feel bad that I disappointed them. I'm back at the point where I have to prove myself." Dareus has endured an unremitting amount of personal tragedy in his 26 years, so it's significant that he calls his recent four-week break -- and, specifically, the experience of watching the stumble to an 0-2 start -- "one of the toughest things of my career, if not my life." If anything, he's convinced that he now needs to spend his time off the field in a manner that approximates his workplace environment. "That's one of the big things about ADHD -- people who have it don't do as well when things aren't structured," Dareus said. "Football is very detailed and structured, and people hold you accountable, and Dr. Hallowell and others helped me figure that out for my life outside of football. "I'm getting the help I need. Smoking weed isn't an i sue. It's just really getting the help I need, being around the right people to give me help. It's a real vivid thing for me. Every day, I write a list and focus on the relationships of people who can really help me, and not criticize me. "I feel like I'm back trying to prove myself. It's a day-by-day proce s, but I'm in a much better place." And now, the rest of this week's notes from NFL.com's reporters: The revival continues. The have won three in a row since , with rushing for 330 total yards in that span. Yes, the use of fullback has made a difference, and quarterback looks more comfortable. So has this: "Well, I think the biggest thing is just simplifying the offense," McCoy said. "Let talent find its place and just let us play." In their next two games, the and in South Florida. On Oct. 30, . Mark your calendars. Taylor enjoying freedom. Taylor said that Lynn has scaled back the number of plays in the weekly game plan and that Lynn has asked input from players about plays Sergei Bobrovsky Kids Jersey that they like, what's working in games and what vulnerabilities that they see in opponents. Taylor also said that Lynn has used the no-huddle more, and when that happens, the quarterback has more liberty to change a play call from the sideline and manipulate the defense on the fly. Heading into Sunday's game against the , Taylor said they've gone no-huddle four times since Lynn took over and scored three times. ***** QB woes persist -- but are there signs of hope? , the experienced, in just 60 minutes against the , a microcosm of their entire franchise's curse since 1999. Rookie quarterback , and then backup suffered a knee injury, forcing receiver -- a converted quarterback -- to play under center. That made it five quarterbacks used by the through the first five games of the season. (They are 0-5 -- see the symmetry?) Such shuffling should sound familiar. The have used an astounding 26 starting quarterbacks since 1999, and you can still see the reminders of many of them when you glance into the stands at home games. On Sunday, there were the jerseys of and and and . And that didn't even take into consideration the fact that Ke sler was starting because Week 1 starter and No. 2 had been hurt earlier in the season. But what pa ses for continuity with the . Coach Hue Jackson said Ke sler will start Sunday . McCown, who had a broken collarbone, threw during practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but . Whitehurst , and the have rookie on the roster, too. As much as the have struggled, Ke sler has provided a glimmer of good news. In three starts, he has completed 66.7 percent of his pa ses and thrown two touchdowns vs. one interception. Against the , Ke sler led a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that immediately followed the ' first touchdown drive. Ke sler was injured on the ' next drive, and he believes the game, , might have evolved differently if he had been able to play on. "That's what upset me the most," Ke sler said Wednesday. "We were getting in a rhythm there on offense and moving the ball." ***** Teaching the art of the spin. The had just handed the on Sunday, and players were filing out of the visiting locker room and heading to the team bus. Here is where defensive end told me, "I'm going to have to apologize to quarterback Matt Ryan once we get on that bus. I'm going to have to tell him I'm sorry." When you hear 's name, is probably the first image that comes to mind. He's done it for years, and he's perfected every nuance of the move -- from how, as in a game of che s, he sets up offensive linemen early in games to the footwork and hand placement within the move itself. Freeney, like many players around the NFL, is also generous with his knowledge of the game with those coming up behind him. Three years ago, the seven-time Pro Bowler was working out with the ' and the ' and a few other NFL players during the offseason in Orange County, California. That's where the three-time All-Pro taught Miller everything there is to know about his legendary spin move. "He didn't just tell me, 'When you run up to him, you've got to turn around and spin'," said Miller, who added another sack to retake the league lead at 7.5 during . "He really broke it down from an approach standpoint, from a footwork standpoint and a momentum standpoint. He helped me along with that. I don't know how many sacks I've gotten off of the spin move, but I think it's a lot." Freeney told me he'd never stop helping NFL players who are eager to learn, because that's what this league is all about: teaching. Miller jokingly said Freeney is only responsible for 65 percent of the spin move he uses today, adding that the rest of it stems from his natural athletic ability. But Miller is grateful for what Freeney did for him, and he's trying to do the same. The MVP of 50 has been pa sing down his knowledge to players coming up behind him just as Freeney did, calling himself "an open book." "It's one of the beautiful things about the National Football League," Miller said. "Guys really don't try to hold back secrets or moves. They just put the knowledge out there, and if it applies to you, if you can use it, you use it. If you can't, you can't." Miller doesn't even see an i sue teaching players within his division. pa s rusher is one of Miller's many friends, and the face of the franchise sees no problem teaching pa s-rush techniques to another player in the AFC West. In his mind, everyone is going to get sacks, and everyone learns or steals from other pa s rushers. "I remember , two years ago when he had 22 sacks, he had a little jab-step swipe with double hands, and he went off with that move," Miller said, while acting out the motion with his body. "Watching film and asking him about that move -- and that was one of my moves back then, as well. It's a copycat league; if it works, people will do it." A few hours before I spoke with Freeney last Sunday, he had watched from the sideline as Miller before driving Ryan into the turf at Mile High. Hence the planned postgame apology to . will wait for Ware to be healthy. is calling Monday a "really big day." Ware will have an X-ray on , and if the bone is healed enough to the medical staff's liking, he will be able to play , with some sort of protective wrap for added support. If the X-ray shows that the bone has not healed to the point where the doctors are comfortable, he would be looking at a return the following week, . Despite losing their last two games, the are taking every precaution with Ware's return. What they want to avoid is any chance of him returning too early and reinjuring the break, thus setting him back several more games as Denver heads down the stretch of what the believe could be another run. Ware understands there will be a lot of football left to play even if he returns in Week 8 against San Diego as opposed to next week vs. Houston. All involved would rather have him return a Ryan Murray Women Jersey week later and be safe as opposed to rushing him back and mi sing a stretch of games or the rest of the year if he is reinjured. ***** Two-tight-end plan coming to fruition. Among the take-notice moments of the ' offseason workouts and training camp were when worked alone with and , the hulking tight end pairing that the hope will be a devastating red-zone weapon. In Brady's first game back , we saw the fruits of that work, as defenders focused their attention on Gronkowski, leaving Bennett free to catch three touchdown pa ses. He already has four touchdown catches this season (his career high is six, set in 2014 for the Bears) and he and Gronkowski are well on their way to recreating the impo sible-to-defend pairing the once had with Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. In two earlier games, Bennett also notably stayed in to block. "I think this is about what we thought it would be," coach Bill Belichick said this week. "Experienced player, veteran player that's very smart, that has a lot of position flexibility, can play in the pa sing game, can play in the running game, can block, can catch, run after catch, make big plays, make po se sion plays. His intelligence gives him a lot of versatility. He's done that before in his career, multiple times, and I think that's what he's given us." Hogan rising to the occasion. Who knew new receiver would be the ' deep threat? Apparently not even Brady, who on Wednesday said Hogan would be the "last one" he would have expected to be open for one of the deep pa ses he completed to Hogan . In four seasons with Buffalo, Hogan averaged 11 yards per reception. In five games in New England, it has shot up to 19.7 yards per reception, aided by against Cleveland last Sunday. Hogan's 114 receiving yards were a career high, eclipsing his previous high of 95 yards, which he posted last season while Hogan played for the . Hogan turns 28 later this month, but he is still a bit of a football work in progre s. A former all-state high school player from New Jersey, he played lacro se at Penn State before using an extra year of eligibility (he suffered an ankle injury playing lacro se) to play football at Monmouth, mostly on defense. He went undrafted but had brief stints with the , and before signing with the in 2012. That's where he was until this offseason. Hogan's timing was good. With receivers and both returning from injuries, Hogan got extra work in with Brady during offseason practices. This week, Belichick said Hogan's speed was apparent from his time on special teams in Buffalo, but now he is learning the finer points of being a receiver in the ' offense. "Chris' situation, even though he has some NFL experience, I think some of the things we asked him to do in the pa sing game were new to him, maybe a little bit different in our offensive structure," Belichick said. "So there's definitely a learning curve, but he's done a good job with that. He's tough, out there every day, really wants to get it right, work hard on the things that he needs to improve on. He's very diligent about that. I think there's still a ways to go. It's not like we're there yet. But he's worked hard at it. He's made a lot of progre s, and he's made a lot of big plays for us." Brady and Ninkovich return to Gillette Stadium. It didn't take long to warm up to the 2016 season : 406 pa s yards and three touchdown pa ses -- good enough for . Now, Brady and , who stumbled mightily with continued inconsistencies on both sides of the ball. It doesn't get any easier for the , who will face the edgy and determined Brady, in his first home game since suspension, at a place where he is 60-5 since 2007 -- Gillette Stadium will be electric on Sunday. And yes, Brady is 5-1 vs. Cincinnati over the course of his career. Oh, and then there's defensive end -- he too returned from suspension last week against the on a rotational basis, giving added life to a unit that already . Not great news for Cincinnati, as the ' offense has not scored more than 23 points in a game this season, averaging just 18.4 points per outing. For comparison's sake, Cincy scored 24-plus points in 12 of 16 regular-season games in 2015. (Don't blame , though -- 518 receiving yards is the highest total he's ever had through five games.) In typical fashion, the franchise has downplayed any emotion a sociated with Brady's return. Wide receiver , the benefactor of 114 of the quarterback's 400-plus pa sing yards last Sunday, told me, "We're going about our busine s like it's any other week. I know that people around, in this city, and the fans, I'm sure they're gonna be super excited to have him back, playing at home. But for us as a team, our main focus is Cincinnati." The aforementioned Ninkovich, who is thrilled to be returning to form after his four-game suspension ( ), was slightly more excited about the prospect of stepping back into familiar territory with his Patriots: "I think everyone is very excited moving forward, and not looking in the rear-view mirror. What has happened has happened, it's in the past. So now, as a team, we all are aware that we can do something special, but we have to all come together here to do exactly that -- and that's to be a good team, and work for each other, and in all three phases, play good football." ***** Not-so-big three? The ' offense, expected to be high-scoring, remains puzzling, with New York scoring a total of 26 points in back-to-back lo ses . The managed one touchdown in each game. This despite facing defenses that apparently were succe sful with a vanilla approach. "Same thing over and over again: two-high safety, six in the box," receiver Jr. said. "They're just making it difficult." players, including and , indicated to me that the answer is execution. "We just have to play better," Cruz said. said that includes him. Manning has completed 53.8 percent of his pa ses in the month of October. And this is incredible: Against the , he was just 7 for 21 for 70 yards and a touchdown when targeting Beckham, Cruz and Shepard. "Just have to come out and be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there. Execute what is called. Play at a high level," Beckham said. "That's all I can tell you. Everyone needs to play at a high level all around." ***** With Decker down, rookie receivers in the spotlight. When receiver was Wednesday -- he will have shoulder surgery and faces an eight-month recovery -- quarterback lost his most trusted receiver in the red zone and on third down. No," Fitzpatrick said, "you definitely can't replace him with one guy." Behind and , the will count more heavily on three rookie receivers: , and . Anderson, and Peake have combined for 14 catches for 156 yards this season. "I have to throw on anticipation, I have to throw with trust," Fitzpatrick said. " A big part of it is just communicating to those guys about where they're expected to be and at what time they're expected to be there." On Wednesday, while Marshall talked to reporters, Anderson was sitting as his adjacent locker. After saying he has confidence in the youngsters, Marshall said, "Stand up, Robby." Robby stood. "Make plays," a smiling Marshall told him. Something's mi sing on D. Compared to the 2015 season, the ' defense has been dramatically different through five games, despite few personnel changes. Coach Todd Bowles pointed to turnovers as a main culprit. The have three takeaways this year after forcing 30 last season. "Obviously, we have to do some things to try to turn that around," Bowles said. "It comes in bunches. That's probably the biggest thing." The secondary likely would be a close second. The have given up eight pa sing plays of at least 40 yards after yielding a total of 11 in all of '15. They and are in pa ser rating allowed (118.6). "It's on everybody," Bowles said. " The numbers are what they are. It's on our whole team. It' Cam Atkinson Kids Jersey s on the coaches and the players." Interestingly, Bowles seemed to absolve his defensive line of blame. The had seven sacks in their to the . They've recorded five sacks since. Bowles said quarterback (sacked once ) and quarterback (sacked twice ) got rid of the ball quickly or max-protected against the . Bowles said at Buffalo , where the captured their lone win thus far, the scheme was designed to keep quarterback (who was not sacked once) in the pocket. "They're playing very well," Bowles said, "and I'm very happy with the defensive line." ***** A little back-and-forth, a little gamesmanship -- it's all to be expected from fiercely competitive identical twins who have never actually competed on the NFL stage. The Pounceys played together in high school and at the University of Florida, and while the and have faced off once since they were drafted (Maurkice in the first round of the 2010 , Mike in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft), Maurkice was hurt and didn't play. That changes , when the 4-1 fly down to 1-4 Miami. Maurkice said his parents have had special shirts made with both sons' faces on them, and he acknowledged that the bragging rights for this one give it a bit of extra weight. Still, left guard said he hasn't heard much in the way of extra exhortations from Maurkice -- although during a visit to Miami this summer, Mike "kept talking about Week 6," Foster said. "He's been talking about this one for a while." To which Maurkice shook his head and confirmed that yes, that's the case. "Mike is more of a trash talker than me," he said. And then, grinning, he added: "Probably because he doesn't actually have to go up against me." Game planning around Heyward's absence. defensive end hurt his hamstring last week . Now, for the first time in his six-year NFL career, . He never mi sed one at Ohio State or in high school, either. Which hasn't been the best for his home life, he said. "My wife probably hates me right now," he said, to laughs -- and before he very seriously talked about the challenge ahead for rookie (a third-round pick) and free-agent pick-up against a desperate team. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler said the won't schematically change anything to compensate for the lo s of their defensive captain and sack leader. He's been pleased with Hargrave, and head coach Mike Tomlin talked earlier this week about Mathews' ridiculous motor. However, Butler said the have to bring pre sure on quarterback -- who was sacked six times by the -- but without being exotic. "I don't think he has problems with blitzes," Butler said. If the ' get to Tannehill, he explained, it will have to be with their three- or four-man rushes. ***** Shaking the bad-luck blues. Prior to , the had experienced a litany of late-game mistakes that Enduring those mishaps is one thing -- believing they are somehow inevitable when crunch time arrives is another. Nose tackle , who joined the after nine years in Seattle -- a franchise that never feared big moments and frequently rose to victory when it mattered most -- said thinking about doomsday scenarios can become contagious. So can believing in and exercising poise under pre sure. Mebane said prior to Thursday's contest that, more than anything, the needed to pull out a close win down the stretch to restore faith. How? Individual players need to tell themselves that they are going to make a play then go make a play, "Like Kobe Bryant ," Mebane said. "Once one guy does it, the next guy and the next guy will. Then you've got something going." Well, San Diego got it going on Thursday night, jumping out to a 21-3 lead before holding off a Denver rally in the fourth quarter. Big win in a big spot, with . Now we'll see if San Diego can carry this momentum over to next week's difficult road trip acro s the country for . ***** How will Kap's promotion play out? is back as the starting quarterback, but on the day coach Chip Kelly , it was hard to tell if there were many players championing the move or condemning it. Reaction was very matter-of-fact, in the mold. Nobody seemed surprised, especially after Week 1 starter didn't play well in losing four straight games. Gabbert is well-liked by teammates, so seeing him lose his job as the starter -- maybe for the last time in his career -- wasn't easy for players. Neither is the fact that so many other players are complicit. The offense is a hot me s all the way around, from the lack of top-shelf talent to execution, so for those failures, Gabbert didn't have much help. Will Kaepernick? We'll see. One thing Kelly and the members of his staff know more than any of us is whether Gabbert me sed up calls, reads and other elements of the offense that aren't recognizable to those who don't know the play. Kaepernick was not great in practice in a backup role, but since he's gotten more reps as the starter, he has consistently make more big plays in practice, according to a teammate. ***** Norman holding up depleted defense.The are down both starting safeties ( and David Bruton) and have been without starting cornerback for the past three games. Yet, they're actually playing better pa s defense lately. Over the first three games of the season, quarterbacks had a pa ser rating of 99.0. Over their past two games, with and at safety and 2015 undrafted free agent at corner, the 'Skins have held quarterbacks to a pa ser rating of 82.2. Those games came against and led by Marc Trestman, but wide receiver indicated it's about more than inferior competition. To Matthews, it's the effect, and not just because Norman is the last starter standing. "I think it's their attitude," Matthews said as the prepared for their game against Norman and the 'Skins . "When you have an attitude, then the guys who come in after that are always eager to pick up on that and play well. You see that, when Josh came, he brought attitude with him, and that's always going to help them." So it stands to reason that Norman's addition to Washington's secondary was a subtraction for the when Carolina and made Norman a free agent. "Obviously, the team he left, a little bit of his attitude left, too. That's just the reality of it, and people don't understand there's a swagger that comes with it," Matthews said of Norman, who's been battling through a hand injury. "He's a testament he's playing with, so let me go out there and imitate that.'" This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. 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