Preseason opens on quiet note

Players stand for national anthem

There were no demonstrations by any players during the singing of the national anthem Thursday night at the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

All players and coaches for the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens stood as the NFL’s preseason began.

The NFL modified its national anthem protocol in May, prohibiting any sort of demonstrations for 2018, but allowing players to remain in the locker room during “The Star-Spangled Banner” if they chose to. Individual teams would be responsible for disciplining any demonstrators.

The players union filed a grievance about the policy change, and late last month, the new policy was put on hold while the NFL and NFLPA work out the issue.

Those demonstrations were begun by then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016 when he kneeled during the anthem to protest racial inequality and social injustice.

The kneeling and other displays of protest spread league-wide, particularly when President Trump suggested team owners fire players who didn’t stand for the anthem.

Thursday night, everyone on the sideline stood.

Titans

Tennessee will be working out veteran safety Eric Reid in their search for a potential replacement after losing Johnathan Cyprien for the season with a torn left ACL. Reid will work out Friday for the Titans. The Titans will become only the second NFL team to bring Reid in for a visit this year. Reid’s visit with the Cincinnati Bengals ended with the safety filing a claim this spring arguing he was unsigned as a result of collusion by NFL owners over his protests of police brutality and racial inequality by kneeling during the anthem. “I know we’re in the process of talking and trying to bring him in,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “[GM] Jon [Robinson] and I will continue to discuss that and see where it goes,” Vrabel said.

Cardinals

At the start of some practices, Arizona coach Steve Wilks calls out the name of one defensive player and one offensive player to go at it one-on-one in front of everyone else. Once it was left tackle D.J. Humphries against defensive end Chandler Jones. Another time defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche took on right guard Justin Pugh. “I like it a lot,” Humphries said. “It’s like old school, Pop Warner stuff.” A week into Wilks’ first training camp as an NFL head coach, an overriding theme has been tough, physical play, especially on the offensive line. “Really it comes back to my defensive background,” Wilks said before the team took the field Thursday for another practice in pads. “There’s nothing more demoralizing than having an offense just run the ball. Coming off the ball up front, being physical, it just really takes the air out of you.”

Browns

Starting right guard Kevin Zeitler will miss several weeks of training camp because of a calf injury. Zeitler, 28, did not practice Thursday, one day after being hurt and walking off the field with a trainer.

“Kevin is going to be OK, but he will be down for a little while,” coach Hue Jackson said. “It is unfortunate, but we will get him back. Hopefully.”