KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Eric Berry insists he left the business side of professional football in the parking lot when the All-Pro safety walked through the doors of the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility.That stuff had consumed enough time the past six months.Everybody in this building knows how I am about business. I handle my business like a professional, Berry said, and aside from that Im going to give everything Ive got every snap.Regards to what happened in the offseason, thats the offseason.The Chiefs made Berry their franchise player after his stirring comeback from cancer, then began negotiations on a long-term deal. But the sides were never close to an agreement by the July 15 deadline, and Berry refused to sign his franchise tender until this past weekend.That meant he could skip training camp without being fined.It was a different situation. Ive never been a part of that, Berry said, but at the end of the day I know that my teammates and my coaches, that we are all in it together.Now with his name on a one-year, $10.806 million contract, Berry can redirect his attention toward getting ready for the regular season.He is not expected to play in the Chiefs preseason finale Thursday night against Green Bay, so his first game action since Kansas City was eliminated by New England in the playoffs will come Sept. 11 against San Diego.Not that the seventh-year pro needs much time to get up to speed.Berry played in every game last season, less than a year after he was diagnosed with cancer, and proved to be the emotional leader of the Kansas City defense. He made 55 tackles, had a pair of interceptions and was rewarded for his play with his fourth Pro Bowl appearance.We all like to think practice is important, but you have a really unique player, Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said. Hes very talented. Hes a guy that takes great pride in the way he conditions. So theres none of that youre going through.Hes always been a guy that was passionate, loved football and then to be in the position he was two years ago, Sutton said, I just think hes going to be excited to get back out there.The close-knit Chiefs sure sound excited to have him back.Alex Smith was one of the first players to see Berry when he walked through the door, the quarterback welcoming him with open arms. Berry also had a sit-down meeting with coach Andy Reid where they discussed just about everything but football.Berry said he watched the Chiefs first three preseason games and took down notes, and now the challenge is to put all of them into practice in less than two weeks.I had a lot of questions, just because some things tend to change in camp, he said. They cleared that up for me and just going through the walk-through this morning, seems like everything is ready to go.Thats welcome news to a Chiefs defense that has been uneven in the preseason.The Chiefs struggled against the run in games against the Seahawks and Rams, where Berrys ability to plug holes at the line of scrimmage would have come in handy. They fared better against the Bears over the weekend, an encouraging sign once Berry is back in the mix.We just have to hope that it works the way we think it can, Sutton said. There may be some bumps in the road, but Im pretty confident that he can do this. I think hell do a great job.Game notes CB Kenneth Acker spoke for the first time since joining the Chiefs in a weekend trade from San Francisco. I dont know much about the city, he said, but I know this is a pretty good team. I feel like I bring a lot. ... Special teams coach Dave Toub continued to praise WR Tyreek Hill, who should figure prominently in the return game. Hes getting closer, Toub said. He really does a good job when he hits the edge. You can see that he changes everybodys angles when he hits that corner. Its just a matter of time before we get him a really big one.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Carolina Hurricanes Pro Shop . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. https://www.cheaphurricanes.com/ .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Carolina Hurricanes Gear . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Carolina Hurricanes Shirts . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa goes from being one of the nations most experienced teams to being one of its youngest.That doesnt necessarily mean the Hawkeyes will take a major step back in 2016-17.Jarrod Uthoff, Mike Gesell, Anthony Clemmons and Adam Woodbury are gone after leading Iowa to three straight NCAA Tournaments -- something it hadnt accomplished in over two decades. What remains is a potential Big Ten player of the year in Peter Jok and an intriguing yet largely untested supporting cast.Jok, a senior shooting guard who averaged 16.1 points per game in 2015, should get as many shots as any player in the conference now that Uthoff is in the pros.Gesells starting point guard job will likely go to sophomore Christian Williams, who is 6-foot-5 with a long reach and a mandate to get stronger and learn the playbook.Senior Dale Jones, junior Dom Uhl, sophomore Ahmad Wagner and highly-touted freshman Tyler Cook will be counted on to replace Uthoff and Woodburys production in the frontcourt, and super-sub Nicholas Baer should play a bigger role after an offseason spent working on his strength and his conditioning.Weve got too many guys, and thats a good problem to have. A lot of times you get to this point and you look and say, `Ok, well, these three guys are definitely not playing. I dont have that with this team, seventh-year coach Fran McCaffery said. I dont have a mistake maker. I dont have a guy whos confused every day. I dont have a guy whos out of shape.Does McCaffery have enough guys to make it back to the NCAA Tournament? Not even he knows for certain heading into November. Here are some of keys to consider as Iowa undergoes its biggest roster overhaul in years:COOKS TIMEMcCaffery typically doessnt try to over-hype his freshmen.dddddddddddd But the 6-foot-9 Cook was ranked as the 38th-best player in the country by EPSN as a senior, and hell likely slide into a starting role as a power forward.I think hes an impact player, certainly on our team, in our league, and on a national level. I think hes that good, McCaffery said.DOMINANT DOM?Uhl is one of the more unique players in the Big Ten. At 6-foot-9 and just 220 pounds, Uhl is built like Uthoff and he shares many of his former teammates characteristics. Uhl can drive to the basket, block shots and hit open jumpers, though not at the level of Uthoff. But Uhl is still learning the game, and if he can continue to develop he might just turn out to be a capable sidekick for Jok, a traditional shooting guard.WILLIAMS AND WAGNERWilliams wont be a coach on the floor like Gesell was. But hes got more than a few inches on Gesell, and last season he displayed a rare ability to glide through traffic and get buckets over bigger defenders. Wagner, who at 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds, is built like a Kirk Ferentz-style tight end. He held his own when given a shot in 2015-16, and as a freshman rarely seemed rattled during any of McCafferys infamous sidelines rants. Look for Wagner to emerge as a leader this season.TOUGH SLEDDINGThe young Hawkeyes will be tested early . They host Seton Hall on Nov. 17, and play Virginia and either Providence or Memphis in a Thanksgiving tournament in Florida. Iowa then plays at Notre Dame, hosts Iowa State and faces Northern Iowa on a neutral floor in Des Moines.---Online: www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '
