CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- While Kelvin Benjamin is returning to the Carolina Panthers offense, he may not play as much as he did as a rookie.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday he wants to limit the 6-foot-5, 245-pound wide receivers snaps to 30-35 per game this season.Thats a dramatic reduction from 2014 when Benjamin averaged 57.8 snaps per game as a rookie and played 83.8 percent of the offensive plays. Benjamin finished with a franchise rookie record 1,008 yards on 73 receptions and nine touchdowns.He missed all of last season with a torn ACL.Rivera said Benjamins injury and the development of other players in the passing game are contributing factors to reducing his playing time. Benjamin is still rounding into football shape and Rivera doesnt want to push him too hard.The Panthers open the season Thursday night against the Denver Broncos in a rematch of last years Super Bowl.Rivera did leave some room for flexibility in Benjamins playing time, although it was clear he doesnt want him playing anywhere near 57 snaps per game.If he plays more (than 35 snaps) then great -- that means his conditioning is where it needs to be, Rivera said. The biggest thing with Kelvin is he has to get back in football shape. His conditioning has been good and he has done the extra stuff he has needed to. But its a different thing when you are playing a game and people are pushing and pulling and tugging at you while youre running six or seven routes in a row.Rivera said with the emergence of wide receivers like Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn Jr. and Philly Brown, along with the steady influence of Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, hed like to see quarterback Cam Newton spread the ball around more as he did last season.We have so many weapons out there in terms of the other receivers, Rivera said. Obviously if he plays that much, somebody else isnt playing. With the guys that we have and the different personalities and abilities that they have I think its a good idea to mix it up and keep everybody close to the same numbers.Rivera said hed like all of his receivers to play between 25-35 snaps.Benjamin said he feels like he can handle more than 35 snaps per game, but hell do whatever the coaches ask of him.I think they did a good job with bringing me back slowly, Benjamin said Tuesday. Like they say its not a sprint, its a marathon. I like how Im feeling right now. I feel like I could play more. Well see. It may be more than 35 snaps.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Discount Vapormax . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Brand Shoes Factory Outlet . JOHNS, N. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-force-1-china.html . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Cheap Jordan Shoes Paypal Accepted . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Nike Air Max 720 Wholesale . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. LeBron James has been ahead of the curve on contract management for most of his career, and a provision he helped position himself for in the new collective bargaining agreement means his latest forward-looking maneuver could be worth almost $100 million.The new deal, which still must be ratified by the owners and players union, alters the over-36 rule to the over-38 rule. Previously, teams could not sign players to four- or five-year contracts if the player turned 36 before Oct. 1 of one of the years of the deal. By moving the rule back two years, James is in position to sign a five-year contract in 2018 when he is 33 years old, sources told ESPN.James health, the overall player market and other factors make it impossible to know what he might sign for in 2018, but projections show he could sign for up to $210 million if he stays with the Cleveland Cavaliers and signs for five years at the maximum number. Before the rule change, he would have been able to sign for only three years and an estimated $90 million to $100 million less at age 33.James said Friday that the rule change wasnt about his earning power.Im too much of a present guy to worry about what can happen in the future. If Im blessed and able and the game continues to bless me, then well cross that path when we get there, he said. But theres guys in our league now that are 34, 35, 36 that have an opportunity to sign a longer-deal contract, so I think its great for our league.The rule change also could benefit Chris Paul, who would be eligible to sign a five-year contract with the LA Clippers for up to $210 million this summer. Paul would have been able to sign for four years under the currrent rules.dddddddddddd It could be worth up to $50 million more to him, depending on how the deal gets put together.Paul is the president of the players union, and James is the vice president.James took his time weighing contract options over the summer and didnt come to terms until August, when he signed a three-year, $100 million deal. He has an opt out after two years, giving him the option to return to the market at age 33.The primary points of the CBA were being negotiated by the players union and the league over the summer.James also shrewdly took one-year deals with the Cavs in 2014 and 2015, allowing him to become just the third player in history to make more than $30 million in a season. James is the highest-paid player in the NBA this season at $30.9 million.In 2006, James set a trend when he turned down a five-year offer and instead took a three-year extension from the Cavs, allowing him to become a free agent in 2010.The change also favors other older stars who are headed to free agency in their mid-30s, such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, who can be a free agent next summer after building an opt-out clause into his deal with the Chicago Bulls.Anthony is also a union vice president.The new CBA also included many provisions that raised salaries of lower-paid players. Minimum salaries, rookie salaries and the midlevel and biannual exceptions all were increased by 45 percent across the board.Retiree benefits were also vastly increased, doubling pensions for players who start taking the benefit after age 50. ' ' '
