or roughing the passer agains

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There’s no questioning C.J. Prosise’s talent , only his ability to remain on the football field.

The third-year running back for the Seattle Seahawks has been plagued by injuries throughout his first two years in the NFL. From serious ailments like a fractured scapula, broken wrist bone and high-ankle sprains to more minor ones like groin, hamstring and hip strains, Prosise has been sidelined constantly.

With Chris Carson back from injury himself and Seattle using their first-round pick on San Diego State back Rashaad Penny, there is an urgency for Prosise to be able to stay healthy and contribute regularly this season.

Prosise spent the offseason trying to get physically ready to make the most of what could be a final opportunity with Seattle.

”I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life,” Prosise said. ”I feel like I can do anything on the field. I feel 100 percent and ready to go so I’m excited for this camp. We play a physical game and injuries happen and you can’t avoid it. This offseason was geared around getting my body prepared to take the punishment that my body needs to take and so my body is in that position to do that now. So I’m ready to play.”

Prosise buckled down with a personal trainer this offseason and was focused on putting himself in a position to withstand the types of injuries that had hampered him his first two seasons.

”That was a big change I made,” Prosise said. ”Before this I didn’t put as much work as I should have been putting in. Now, I’ve kind of figured out my regimen. And also just getting on the field every day and working with drills, specific running back drills and stuff. For the most part hitting the weight room really hard and getting my body toned up and ready for the season is really what’s helped the most.”

Prosise has played in just 11 games in his two years in Seattle. But the limited action was still enough to show the type of player he can be when he’s in peak form. As a rookie in his first career start, he gained 153 yards from scrimmage in a victory over a New England Patriots team that would go on to the win the Super Bowl. His ability to perform both as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield caused fits for the Patriots defense.

A week later , Prosise broke free for a 72-yard touchdown run against the Philadelphia Eagles. Then Prosise was sidelined when he broke his shoulder blade late in the first half and missed the rest of the season.

A pair of high-ankle sprains held him to just five games played a year ago as well.

Maybe it’s the same tease he’s provided in his first two camps with Seattle but Prosise is again drawing praise in the early stages of training camp.

”I’m so fired up for him,” head coach Pete Carroll said. ”He’s always been such a terrific potential guy and he has just not been able to stay healthy. He’s leaner and stronger. He just is more fit, which screams at how hard he worked and how important this is to him. Couldn’t send a better message.”

The old adage that your greatest ability is your availability couldn’t be more apt when it comes to Prosise. All of his potential will go unrealized if he’s not available on Sundays due to injuries. But as Seattle tries to right a rushing attack that managed just one rushing touchdown from the running back position all last season, having an athlete like Prosise at its disposal would be welcome.

NOTES: LB Joshua Perry, who announced his retirement from the NFL earlier this week due to concussions, told NBC’s ”Today Show” on Thursday that he believes the NFL is doing enough when it comes to concussions. ”I think the hardest part.is the research is a little bit fuzzy. I think that we do a great job in terms of the protocol that the NFL has. Coaches aren’t pressuring players to get back, I think players feel their own type of pressure to be there for their teammates.” Perry had a long post on social media earlier this week announcing he was stepping away after suffering a sixth concussion in the opening days of training camp. Perry was a fourth-round pick of the Chargers in 2016. He signed with Seattle in June.

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LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Limited playing experience in high school and college makes Sam Darnold appreciate every game, even if it’s just the preseason.

The third overall pick made his first exhibition start for the New York Jets on Thursday night and showed some of the growing pains of a rookie quarterback by throwing an interception , taking two sacks and having a couple of balls batted out of the air.

Darnold was 8 of 11 for 62 yards in the first half before giving way to Teddy Bridgewater in a game the Jets lost to the Washington Redskins 15-13 on a last-second field goal.

“Any game experience is huge ,” said Darnold, who felt he played well but wasn’t as sharp as his 13 of 18 for 96 yards preseason debut. “I feel like I’m going to continue to grow and get better every single day, and that’s what I’m most excited about is to see how much I’m going to be able to grow and get better.”

Darnold went in looking like the front-runner to win New York’s starting QB competition, and it’s still muddled after Bridgewater was 10 of 15 for 127 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Veteran Josh McCown didn’t play after starting the first preseason game because coach Todd Bowles already knows what he has in the 39-year-old.

“It’s already been cloudy,” Bowles said. “It’ll be a tough choice.”

Darnold showed flashes for the Jets (1-1), going 5 of 5 on his second drive but was sacked by Preston Smith to force a field goal on a night full of them. Bridgewater took some intentional risks to test the left knee he injured two years ago to the point Bowles joked he had a neighborhood he could send the former Vikings quarterback to if he wanted to get hit.

“Some of those plays, I could’ve thrown the ball away or run out of bounds, but I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could take a hit and it was fun,” Bridgewater said.

Redskins starter Alex Smith was 4 of 6 for 48 yards in one series , his only work so far in the preseason. Smith said he always wished he could play more but acknowledged “it’s a fine line.”

Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins made all five of his field-goal attempts, including a 40-yarder as time expired to win it for the Redskins (1-1).

INJURIES

Jets: CB Jeremy Clark left with a hamstring injury. … LT Kelvin Beachum (foot), RG Brian Winters (abdominal), RB Isaiah Crowell (concussion) and DL Steve McLendon (leg) did not play.

Redskins: RB Samaje Perine injured an ankle on his first carry, a 30-yard run , and did not return. Coach Jay Gruden said Perine twisted his ankle but expects him to be OK … RB Byron Marshall was evaluated for a lower-leg injury that Gruden said was fine after an MRI. … LT Trent Williams, RB Chris Thompson, WR Maurice Harris and Jamison Crowder, TE Jordan Reed, OT Ty Nsekhe and DL Matt Ioannidis and Phil Taylor were among those nursing or coming off injuries who didn’t dress.

REDSKINS RB COMPETITION

After second-round pick Derrius Guice’s season ended because of a torn ACL , Rob Kelley was up first to show he deserves to be Washington’s starter. Kelley had seven carries for 17 yards, Perine was impressive on his one run before being injured, Marshall had a kick-return fumble that was overturned on video review and Kapri Bibbs made six catches for 47 yards with only 6 yards on the ground.

“It will be a tough deal for us to figure all that out, but we will,” Gruden said.

UNDISCIPLINED JETS

Linebacker Jordan Jenkins was flagged on the game’s opening drive for roughing the passer against Smith when he drove the QB into the ground. Darron Lee was penalized for a horse-collar tackle on Redskins punt returner Danny Johnson. Then, there was rookie Frankie Luvu, who led with his helmet into Colt McCoy on a more egregious roughing-the-passer violation than what Jenkins had.

NATIONAL ANTHEM

All players appeared to stand for the national anthem. Jets players locked arms along the visiting sideline with no one remaining in the locker room.

NEXT UP

Jets: See what more Darnold can do in game action when they face the Giants on Aug. 24.

Redskins: Are expected to give Smith more snaps Aug. 24 when they host the Denver Broncos.

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