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GREEN BAY, Wis. - Ted Thompson is happy to have Julius Peppers in the fold. But the Packers general manager insisted Thursday that landing the eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end from the rival Chicago Bears wont have an effect on what Green Bay does with its nine selections in next weeks NFL draft. In his first public comments since Peppers surprising signing on March 15, Thompson said he believes the 34-year-old lineman has plenty left in the tank and that he expects him to have an impact on the Packers up-and-down defence. "Theres no evidence of any decline in his play, in our opinion," Thompson said Thursday. "He still has the same athletic traits that he had coming out (of college). Hes had a remarkable history in the NFL in terms of durability. Were looking forward to it. I think he is, too." The 6-foot-7, 287-pound Peppers certainly has been durable, playing in 186 of a possible 192 games. Hes also been productive, registering the second-most sacks (118.5) in the NFL and forcing the fifth-most fumbles (39) since he entered the league. He leads all NFL defensive linemen with nine interceptions over that span. But playing 855 snaps for the Bears last season, Peppers managed only 7.5 sacks, the third-lowest total of his 12-year NFL career. The Packers envision him as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker in their 3-4 defence, and their hope is that by playing him fewer snaps, they will not only increase his production but give opposing offences another pass-rushing threat to worry about opposite four-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Clay Matthews. Matthews, who missed six games last season with a twice-broken thumb, is expected to be fully healthy for training camp. "When I view him as a football player, hes an individual youd like to create targeting problems," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Peppers in March. "He has the ability to play from the two-point stance, has the ability to play on the move." In 10 career games against the Packers with Carolina and Chicago, Peppers has recorded 9.5 sacks, his fourth-highest total against a specific opponent. The Packers finished tied for eighth in the 32-team NFL last season in sacks with 44 despite Matthews absence. Their hope is that Peppers, who reported for the first day of the off-season program last week, will have an impact on more than just that one category. Last season, the Packers finished tied for 24th in scoring defence (26.8 points per game), 25th in yards allowed (372.3), 25th in rushing yards allowed (125.0), 24th in passing yards allowed (247.3) and tied for 20th in takeaways (22). "Its fun to see Julius. Hes a specimen. He looks great," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said last week. "Itll be fun to get him really into the fold and get him feeling like hes part of the team, encouraging him to be a leader for us. I think he brings a lot to the table -- on the field and in the locker room. Im just excited about not having to run away from him anymore." As hopeful as the Packers are of Peppers contributions, Thompson insisted that he wont approach the No. 21 overall pick - or any of his other picks - differently with Peppers on board. "We talked about this before. I might sound like a broken record, but we feel that the draft is a long-term investment," said Thompson, whose teams most immediate needs appear to be at safety, linebacker, tight end, offensive line and cornerback. "We dont get too carried away with what our perceived needs are at the moment. We think thats good business. If you can marry those things up thats fine but if you stretch to try to fill quote unquote need somewhere then you end up messing up a couple of spots, so we try to stick to the best player available." Josh Allen Jersey . After losing a shutout bid in the dying seconds of Sundays win over the Colorado Avalanche, Luongo would not be denied against the punchless Oilers and is now just one back of Patrick Roy for 14th on the all-time list. Bruce Smith Youth Jersey . The Canadian defensive tackle suffered the injury on Monday and had tests done on Tuesday. He was a potential starter on the defensive line but head coach Mike OShea said he wasnt even thinking about the ratio when he got the news. http://www.authenticbillsfanaticfootball...s-bills-jersey/. In a series of tweets, it is explained by the Department of Player Safety that Niederreiter makes full body contact with Burrows and although there is head contact, he does not "pick" the head in the course of making the hit. Andre Roberts Bills Jersey . Signs of a turnaround have emerged in this series at Minnesota. Brian Roberts had three doubles and a triple for the first four-extra-base-hit game of his 14-year career, and the Yankees used their bullpen to preserve a 6-5 win over the Twins on Friday. Tremaine Edmunds Jersey . Gorges is believed to have suffered the injury while blocking a shot with a hand during Montreals win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Canadiens added to their defensive depth this week by acquiring veteran Mike Weaver from the Florida Panthers. TAMPA, Fla. -- Josh McCown is excited to have another opportunity to prove hes a No. 1 quarterback. The 34-year-old has been a backup for most of his career and will enter his 12th NFL season as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after signing a two-year, $10 million contract in free agency. The move reunites him with new Bucs coach Lovie Smith, who is overhauling a team that finished 4-12 in 2013, missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season. "I understand why people would say this is kind of surprising," McCown, whos joining his eighth team since entering the league as a third-round draft pick in 2002, said Thursday. "But in my familys world, this is kind of par for the course to have something relatively unusual happen," he added. "I really feel like I played my best ball last year and look forward to building on that." McCown, who turns 35 in July, started five games as a replacement for injured Chicago starter Jay Cutler last season, going 3-2 and finishing with 13 touchdown passes and one interception. Because he hasnt played a lot over a decade that includes stops with the Bears, Cardinals, Lions, Raiders, Dolphins, 49ers and Panthers, the Bucs are counting on his body being a lot fresher than most quarterbacks his age. McCown played under Smith for two of the three seasons the quarterback spent in Chicago. Both are confident what hes learned as a long-time backup will be beneficial in settling into a role ahead of second-year pro Mike Glennon, who started 13 games for Tampa Bay as a rookie. "Josh is exactly what youre looking for in a leader to get that 4-12 taste out of our mouths," Smith said. McCown was joined at a news conference by new starting left tackle Anthony Collins, who agreed Thursday to a fivee-year, $30 million contract.dddddddddddd The 28-year-old Collins replaces Donald Penn, who was released. Hes the sixth player to join the Bucs through free agency as Smith and new general manager Jason Licht reshape the roster. The team welcomed defensive end Michael Johnson, cornerback Alterraun Verner, defensive tackle Clinton McDonald and tight end Brandon Myers on Wednesday. "We talked a lot about defence (Wednesday), but (the NFLs) about scoring points," Smith said. "The game is more about offence these days. We feel like weve made strides." McCown started 13 games for the Cardinals in 2004, going 6-7 while throwing 11 TD passes and 10 interceptions. He was 2-7 in nine starts with the Raiders in 2007. Overall, hes 16-22 in 38 career starts. "The good thing is that Ive gone through an off-season as a starter when I was in Arizona, so I understand what comes with all those things," McCown said. Glennon was 4-9, taking over Tampa Bays offence after Josh Freeman struggled and subsequently was released. The third-round draft pick threw for 19 touchdowns and just nine interceptions as a rookie, but also was sacked 40 times while failing to demonstrate he was the teams clear-cut quarterback of the future. The signing of Collins, a part-time starter the past six seasons with Cincinnati, upgrades a porous offensive line that needs to do a better job protecting the quarterback. Like McCown, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle is savoring the chance to show he can flourish as a full-time starter. "Im very ready," said Collins, who will step in for Penn, a 2011 Pro Bo