and-black fans to back their team.After turning out impressively in Carson on New Year’s Eve for a Chargers home game, the Raiders’ LA fans showed up in force for this downtown homecoming, filling the Coliseum parking lots and the cavernous stadium.They were vocal during pregame warmups, even booing t

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brian Dawkins is tackling mental health issues the same aggressive way he took on anyone who dared cross the middle during his Hall of Fame career as a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos.Since revealing he suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts early in his playing career Jordan Scarlett Jersey , Dawkins has been on a mission to spread awareness. He recently spoke at the Stay in the Game Forum to identify ways sports can be leveraged to have a positive impact on mental wellness. The event was organized by groups including Beyond Sport and the major professional sports leagues, including MLB, NFL, NBA and the NHL.“We’re trying to bring awareness to something that affects 44 million people,” Dawkins told The Associated Press. “One in five adults have a mental health condition or are going through some things. I like to talk about my cerebral wellness instead of mental health. I believe we need to begin to change the narrative when we begin to speak about our cerebral wellness. I think there’s so much negativity surrounding mental health that it’s gonna be hard to take that stigma completely off, so I believe that individuals in every walk of life, you need to take control of it, take ownership of it, you change the way that you feel comfortable for yourself to talk about yourself.”The topic hits home for Dawkins, who shortly before his Hall of Fame induction ceremony last year publicly shared the personal issues he faced. A ferocious player nicknamed “Weapon X” and revered in Philadelphia for his physical style of play and his emotional connection with fans, Dawkins talked openly about the pressure he felt as a rookie second-round pick playing for a playoff contender in 1996. That, combined with being a newlywed and a new parent, was too much for him at times. It led Dawkins to drink alcohol excessively and spiraled into a depression that made him feel like ending his life was the only way out.“I know what it feels like, my version of depression Greedy Williams Jersey ,” Dawkins said. “The things I went through, the dark place that I went through, the times that I didn’t want to come out of my house. I did not want to leave the home. I put on a mask every day to go to work and I was pretending to be something that I was not, not in a good way, not in a positive reinforcement way of positive thinking. I was pretending to be something and covering a whole lot of pain in my life.“So to be able to now get on out on a national scale… we’re having these conversations on how sports can be a positive conduit to help others begin to talk about their feelings, talk about the things that are going on in their lives so they can be better versions of themselves so they won’t find themselves in those dark pits.”In May, the NFL mandated that all 32 teams must retain by the start of training camp a behavioral health team clinician focused on supporting players’ emotional and mental health and well-being. Dawkins didn’t have that option 23 years ago. His wife, Connie, and Eagles defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas persuaded Dawkins to seek help. He began to see a psychiatrist and was prescribed medication for depression. But it was a renewed commitment to his faith that helped him control his issues.“That is my No. 1 pillar,” Dawkins said. “That’s just the pinnacle of me, my faith, my belief in the Lord. So everything else trickles down from that concrete rock. Everything else may move. My emotions may go up and down. People around me disappoint me. But that’s something that will never disappoint me.”Dawkins says he begins each day with prayer, scripture reading and meditation. It gives him the mindset that he will “dominate” that day.“I recognize that when I lead with my spirit, when I allow my spiritual man to be the leader of me http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/justice-hill-jersey-authentic , my actions will then follow,” he said. “I’ll be a more loving individual. I’ll be a kinder individual. I’ll be a more patient individual. I’ll see opportunities that others see as bad things, I will see them as things that can actually increase me and bless me down the road. Count it all joy when you go through tests of all kinds. So when I began to view things from that perspective, even when I fall, that’s an opportunity for me to get stronger every time so there’s no area in my life that I can’t get stronger. When I’m winning, I’m getting stronger. And even when I’m losing, I’m getting stronger because I can find something in there that can strengthen me for the next time. That’s why my faith is concrete. It’s the absolute strongest part of this walk.”As a cerebral wellness advocate, Dawkins is looking forward to effecting change through the Brian Dawkins Impact Foundation, which is in the planning phases of its first community initiative in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.“It’s designed to help disadvantaged young people, families and communities while promoting spiritual mental and physical wellness,” Dawkins said. The Raiders were back. The Rams were better.Rookie John Kelly rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown, and the Los Angeles Rams welcomed the Raiders back to the Coliseum with a 19-15 preseason victory over Oakland on Saturday.Chris Warren rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders in their return to the venerable stadium that was their home for 13 seasons during their largely successful tenure in Los Angeles. Their still-passionate Southern California fan base turned out in force, filling the 95-year-old arena with black jerseys and loud cheers.There was more excitement in the stands than on the field for long stretches of a preseason game that was even more meaningless than the usual August affair.Both teams rested nearly all of their presumptive starters and used no significant parts of their playbook Ben Powers Jersey , thanks in part to a weird NFL scheduling decision that forced these teams to play an exhibition 23 days before they meet in their regular-season opener in Oakland.Although both coaches revealed as little about their teams as possible, Sean McVay still got his first chance to face Jon Gruden, who employed McVay as a 22-year-old assistant wide receivers coach on his final staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008. McVay frequently cites Gruden and his brother, Jay, as major influences on his coaching style and mentality.The Rams’ backups dominated the Raiders’ reserves in the first half, taking a 13-0 lead while holding Oakland to 58 yards and one first down. Oakland trailed 16-0 before mounting a rally, but the Raiders failed on their second 2-point conversion attempt of the day following Griff Whalen‘s 10-yard TD catch with 9:52 to play.Sam Ficken hit his second field goal for the Rams with 5:46 left, and Marcus Martin stopped the Raiders’ ensuing drive with a third-down sack of Manuel.Rams backup Sean Mannion rebounded from a rocky preseason debut last week in Baltimore, going 10 of 16 for 84 yards while completing passes to eight receivers. Third-stringer Brandon Allen wasn’t as sharp, going 6 for 11 and throwing a terrible interception in the fourth quarter to put Oakland in position for its second TD.The Raiders’ offense didn’t record its second first down of the day until late in the third quarter, but Warren capped the 75-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run. The undrafted free-agent running back from Texas had 86 yards in his preseason debut against Detroit.E.J. Manuel went 10 for 16 for 89 yards and a touchdown, but also fumbled for the second straight week.The Raiders’ backup offensive line struggled to keep the Rams’ pressure off Manuel and Connor Cook, who went 6 for 12.HOMECOMING DAYAl Davis moved the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982, and their home crowds at the Coliseum quickly developed a reputation for rowdiness and occasional violence. But the Raiders also won the hearts of a generation of Los Angeles football fans with their swagger and success http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/iman-marshall-jersey-authentic , including a Super Bowl title in their second season in town. The Rams spent the 1980s in Anaheim, further opening the way for the Raiders to become Generation X’s favorite team in LA.Both franchises moved after the 1994 season, and the Rams returned home two years ago. The Raiders missed out on the chance to return to LA when the Chargers made their move last year, but the Raiders will be only about 260 miles from Los Angeles when they move to Las Vegas in 2020, making it even easier for LA’s silver-and-black fans to back their team.After turning out impressively in Carson on New Year’s Eve for a Chargers home game, the Raiders’ LA fans showed up in force for this downtown homecoming, filling the Coliseum parking lots and the cavernous stadium.They were vocal during pregame warmups, even booing the Rams’ cheerleaders — but the Rams’ own sizable fan base wasn’t overwhelmed, however. There were relatively few clashes in the stands, with both fan bases likely sensing the unimportance of this particular reunion.MO’S MOMENTRaiders rookie Maurice Hurst got his first NFL sack early in the second half, dropping Brandon Allen. The Michigan All-American dropped to the fifth round of last spring’s draft amid concerns about a heart condition.INJURIESRaiders: CB Gareon Conley played after being slowed by injuries this month.Rams: RB Justin Davis didn’t play because of a hamstring injury, depriving the USC product of a chance to compete for the backup job.ANTHEM UPDATEThere were no apparent protests during the national anthem.UP NEXTRaiders: Host the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 24.Rams: Host the Houston Texans on Aug. 25.