Steelers WR coach Darryl Drake dead
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Darryl Drake, who spent more than 30 years molding some of the best players at the position at both the collegiate and professional levels, has died. He was 62.
The team said Drake, who joined the staff in 2018, died early Sunday morning.
“Darryl had such an impact on the players he coached and everyone he worked with throughout his entire career,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a released statement. “He was a passionate coach and had a tremendous spirit toward life, his family, his faith and the game of football.”
Drake played collegiately at Western Kentucky. The Louisville native spent one season in the Canadian Football League and participated in a pair of NFL training camps before returning to his alma mater to pursue a master’s degree. He went into coaching as a graduate assistant for the Hilltoppers in 1983, the beginning of a career that included stops in the college ranks at Baylor, Georgia and Texas.
Drake reached the NFL as a receivers coach in 2004 with the Chicago Bears. He moved on to the same position with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013 before joining Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s staff in 2018. Drake’s pupils through the years include longtime Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald, six-time Pro Bowl pick Brandon Marshall and four-time All-Pro first-teamer Antonio Brown, who played for Drake last season before being traded to the Oakland Raiders this year.
“Darryl was a close friend and had a tremendous impact on my coaching career,” Tomlin said in a release. “He was an amazing husband, father and grandfather, and it is difficult to put into words the grief our entire team is going through right now. Darryl loved the game of football and every player he ever coached. We will use our faith to guide us and help his family throughout the difficult time.”
Pittsburgh cancelled practices at Saint Vincent College for both Sunday and today after announcing Drake’s death.
Titans rookie Brown returns
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown has returned to practice after hurting his left leg on the opening day of training camp.
Brown was the second player on the field for practice Sunday and wore a helmet for the first time since July 26, when he slipped while running a route during an individual period. He warmed up with the team on Sunday, then went to a side field where he worked with coach Mike Vrabel and fellow receiver Corey Davis; both receivers then went inside.
Vrabel said the Titans work hard to return players to practice at the right time, walking the line between too cautious and too aggressive. The coach added that the team hopes Brown, a second-round draft pick out of Ole Miss, can follow up by doing more than he did Sunday.
Running back Derrick Henry also worked on a side field with trainers for the first time since he also left the opening practice of camp early with an injured left calf.
Ravens, Vikings make a deal
EAGAN, Minn. — Looking for solutions for their chronic problems with kicking, the Minnesota Vikings traded for Kaare Vedvik from the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Vedvik has kicked and punted for Baltimore, which was set at the position with standouts Justin Tucker and Sam Koch. The Ravens announced the trade via Twitter with an undisclosed draft pick as the compensation in the deal for Baltimore.
The Ravens had hoped to trade Vedvik because of their consistency at each of the specialist positions, and the former Marshall University kicker and punter demonstrated his ability in Baltimore’s first preseason game Thursday, going 4-for-4 on field goals, including one from 55 yards. The Norway native converted two extrapoint attempts and punted twice for a 55.5yard average.
Cardinals executive arrested
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals executive Ron Minegar has been arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Chandler police said Minegar was stopped around 11:30 p.m. Saturday for speeding, failure to drive within one lane of traffic and driving within the bicycle lane. They said further investigation resulted in the DUI arrest and he was cited and released.
In a statement Sunday, the Cardinals called Minegar’s decision to drive after drinking alcohol “inexcusable” and added “we fully recognize the seriousness of these actions and they will have serious consequences.”
Minegar, 60, is the Cardinals’ executive vice president and chief operating officer. He has been with the team since 2000.
In July 2018, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim pleaded guilty to extreme DUI after being arrested by Chandler police on July 4. He was suspended five weeks and fined $200,000 by the team before returning to his job.