dart for a 32-yard gain that put the Patriots in Arizona territory

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Ryan Kalil isnt waiting until he retires from the NFL to get a jumpstart on his next career.The Panthers five-time Pro Bowl center has teamed with Blake Griffin of the NBAs Clippers to form the Los Angeles-based production company Mortal Media, and will be co-producing a sequel to the 1991 Disney film The Rocketeer soon.If thats not enough, Kalil also co-authored a book with two former teammates this offseason entitled The Rookie Handbook: How to Survive the First Season in the NFL that will hit the shelves next month.I try to be somewhat cultured, joked Kalil, widely known in the Carolina locker room for his wit and sense of humor.We play football for a living, but we try not to let it define who we are, Kalil added. Everybody has their passion they pursue in the offseason, which I think is fine as long, as Cam (Newton) says, you dont forget your day job.Hes become pretty good at his day job.Entering his 10th NFL season, the 31-year-old Kalil is one of the games best centers, earning All-Pro honors in 2013 and 2015. He was rewarded with a two-year, $16.7 million contract extension this offseason through the 2018 season. Kalil said the contract could be his last.Im not a 15-year NFL guy, he said.Perhaps thats because Kalil has plenty of options waiting for him beyond the gridiron.He grew up in Anaheim, California, and made Claymation films as a child. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California, where he established contacts within the movie industry.Before being drafted in 2007, Kalil co-starred in a football training spoof for the NFL Network that featured actor Will Farrell as the Trojans strength and conditioning coach.And when rapper Snoop Dogg greeted Kalil with a hug at the Super Bowl in February, few teammates were surprised.Hes a Cali guy, Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert said. He knows everyone.Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said he went to visit Kalil and his family this offseason in California and said he was impressed with his teammates company.This isnt something hes doing in his basement, Olsen said. Its a major operation and they are dealing with the major players in the Hollywood world. Its a passion of his and he gets that whole (entertainment) world.Kalil said film is something hes been passionate about for a long time.Hes done something production-related for the past several offseasons before deciding to open a company with Griffin, a friend who shares similar interests.We started going around town and finding projects we were excited about, Kalil said. The Rocketeer was one that weve been huge fans of, and we knew Disney was trying to figure out what to do with it. So we found some talented writers, and they figured out a really exciting take to the story. We took it to Disney and they liked it.Production is still in the early stages and no release date has been set.When he wasnt coming up with movie ideas, Kalil sat down this offseason with former Panthers offensive line teammates Jordan Gross and Geoff Hangartner to write a book.Together, theyve seen a variety of rookies come and go over the years and decided to put together an admittedly sarcastic handbook on things to do -- and not to do -- when entering the league.Kalil joked that while the book may not appeal to a big audience -- Not all the guys like to read on my team or in my profession in general, Kalil joked -- he said it was a fun project.Given our sense of humor, theres a sarcastic tone, but theres useful information in there, Kalil said.He said the book started out as a joke, a 10-page rookie handbook specifically for an offensive line meeting room. They later decided to make it a book.It was fun to sit down and reminisce with the guys, Kalil said.Panthers coach Ron Rivera called Kalil a special player whos going to be successful in anything he does in life.Hes got a tremendous imagination and hes very artistic, Rivera said. Guys like that are special, and its great to have a guy like that because hes a great example for the rest of the players.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Minnesota Twins Jerseys . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Rod Carew Twins Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. https://www.cheaptwins.com/152t-paul-molitor-jersey-twins.html . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Nick Gordon Twins Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Stitched Twins Jerseys . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Patriots came into the regular season expecting their biggest test during Tom Bradys four-game suspension to be in their opener at Arizona.That task was complicated by the absence of tight end Rob Gronkowski, as well as two more missing pieces on an offensive line that had already went through an offseason makeover.But after leaving the desert Sunday with a narrow victory that featured lots of late-game poise by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, New England is feeling confident heading into a much-less-daunting schedule over the next three weeks, beginning with a Miami Dolphins team that hasnt won in Foxborough since 2008.The confidence is also high for a franchise that continues to have lots of regular-season success in the rare times Brady hasnt been the starting quarterback.The Patriots are 11-5 in regular-season games without him since he went down with a torn ACL in the season opener in 2008. Matt Cassel played the rest of that season, going 10-5. After Sundays performance, the prospect of Garoppolo giving New England a 4-0 start seems more possible.Team captain Matt Slater said preparation played a big role in the Patriots adjusting with key players sidelined Sunday.That `next man up motto has been real big around here in my time here, Slater said. Ive seen it time and time again. And obviously, Ive seen it with a couple of quarterbacks in my time here.Much of the Patriots offensive success Sunday night came in part because of their command on third down, when they converted on 10 of their 16 opportunities for the game.Garoppolo was certainly a big part of it. He displayed calmness in the pocket throughout, and used both his arm and feet to extend drives.He had five throws that went for 10 yards or more on third down, and also scrambled for 10 yards on another.ddddddddddddHis biggest throw of the night came in the fourth quarter after the Cardinals had taken a 21-20 lead. The Patriots found themselves facing in a third-and-15 right off the bat on their ensuing possession.Garoppolo dropped back and initially couldnt find an open receiver. He spun in the pocket and gave receiver Danny Amendola enough time to find a crease on the left side of the Cardinals zone.Garoppolo stepped up and delivered a dart for a 32-yard gain that put the Patriots in Arizona territory. The drive ended in Stephen Gostkowskis 32-yard field goal for the winning points.I would say, going back to the preparation, the coaches did a great job giving us the game plan going into it on third down, breaking it down for us, simplifying it, Garoppolo said. It makes it a lot easier on us when you have good coaches like that.He also had his pick of targets to throw to. Without Gronkowski, held out because of a sore hamstring, Garoppolo spread his 24 completions to six receivers. Seven if you count a ball tipped at the line that he caught himself and was able to turn into a 3-yard gain.Its probably why Belichick scoffed at the idea that the offense was at all watered down for Garoppolo in his first regular-season start.I think Jim does a good job in the pocket. Hes got good vision, Belichick said. He saw a couple of good opportunities to run. Then he saw a couple of other opportunities to slide in the pocket and extend the play. ... He doesnt hang on to the ball. He gets it out of there on time. But if things are covered, hes made good decisions.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '