Sam Shields thought hard about quitting football during his darkest http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-bo-scarbrough-jersey , saddest days at home in South Florida over the past two years.

As a former undrafted free agent who became a Pro Bowl cornerback and a Super Bowl champion with Green Bay, Shields knows all about overcoming tremendous odds. Four recorded concussions and the ensuing months of agonizing headaches were a daunting obstacle to be surmounted 鈥?and moreover, he wasn't even sure if he should.

With the support of his friends and family, Shields eventually decided he couldn't just stop. He had to play again, and he's taking a shot with the Los Angeles Rams.

"I have a tough mind," Shields said after stepping off the practice field at UC Irvine in full pads. "I'm not going to lie. I guess that's just a gift that I have, and that's an important thing on your body. I've been through a lot. I took time off, and now I'm here and I'm doing a hell of a job."

Shields wore pads Sunday for the first time since Sept. 11, 2016, when he suffered the final concussion that kept him out of football for nearly two full seasons. He is already drawing attention during the first few days of camp with the defending NFC West champion Rams, who added him to a well-stocked defensive secondary last March while allowing him to recapture his career.

Shields is 30 years old now, but his body is completely healthy, and he says his mind is clear. In fact, his biggest physical obstacles these days are the braces on the back of his teeth, slightly altering his speech.

He realizes the odds he's facing, and he isn't naive about the potentially catastrophic damage from another major head injury. Shields still wants to be part of a team again after seven seasons with the Packers Danny Shelton Jersey Patriots , who cut him in February 2017.

"I had a year and a half to think about it, to be with my family," Shields said. "So I definitely had enough time to think about it, and I think I made the right choice."

Shields' teammates and coaches with the Rams are already impressed by the former University of Miami receiver who transitioned to defense as a senior and then carved out an NFL career on the strength of his speed and will.

The Rams also know how perilous Shields' health could be.

"He's doing a great job," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "I think people forget what a productive player Sam has been in this league. Elite man-to-man skills, unbelievable lateral agility and just short-space quickness. He's a great guy. ... Really happy for him. We're hoping he's able to stay healthy."

Shields had become an elite defensive back during his career in Green Bay. He had 18 interceptions with the Packers across 80 games, including 62 starts.

He made two tackles while the Packers won the Super Bowl in February 2011 to cap his rookie season. Several months after earning a $39 million contract from the Packers in 2014, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

But he missed four games in 2015 due to concussions, and he suffered that fourth concussion in the 2016 season opener against Jacksonville. He hasn't played football since.

Shields was beset by headaches in the months after his most recent concussion, enduring blinding pain and light sensitivity. He traveled around the country for help, eventually spending six months getting treatment at UCLA.

When the headaches dissipated, his desire to play came flooding back.

"I felt better just out of nowhere," he said. "It was crazy, and I started, just like, 'Let's go work out.' And I worked out. Felt fine that morning. I kept going out there Youth Will Hernandez Jersey , and that's when I knew I was finally all right."

Shields said his biggest current challenge is getting his body back in football shape, and getting rid of "soreness in different spots that I haven't moved in a while." The Rams haven't done any major hitting yet, but their first preseason game is Aug. 9 at Baltimore.

Ever since he joined the Rams, Shields has repeatedly said he isn't fooling himself about what could happen. He wants another shot anyway.

"It's a blessing," Shields said. "Two, almost 2 1/2 years out, I mean, it's hard mentally for anybody to be able to come back, put these pads on. But I'm just happy to be here with my brothers. That's the most important part."

The Los Angeles Rams haven’t been to the playoffs in 13 years. Their roster has only six players with NFL postseason experience, and they’re led by the youngest head coach ever to earn a playoff berth.

They’ve also got Wade Phillips, who has done, seen and counter-schemed just about everything that can be accomplished on a football field during 40 NFL seasons with 10 teams.

”He’s a guy that you love having on your side when you’re going into any situation,” said Sean McVay, the Rams’ 31-year-old head coach.

The Rams’ 70-year-old defensive coordinator in the NFL postseason for the 20th time after putting together yet another solid defense in his first season with a new team. Phillips has been a head coach, a defensive mastermind and a steady mentor to generations of football talent during an all-encompassing career, and he shows zero signs of slowing down.

”As long as you have a passion and you can contribute Terrelle Pryor Sr. Color Rush Jersey , and that’s what you like doing. I’m lucky to be where I am,” Phillips said recently. ”I enjoy what I’m doing. I love what I’m doing. I love working with the players that I have. Those things in life – if that’s what your work is, it’s pretty gratifying.”

When the Rams (11-5) face the Atlanta Falcons (10-6) on Saturday night at the Coliseum, Phillips will be going after his second championship in three seasons after winning his first Super Bowl with Denver just two years ago. That title was a long-awaited reward for decades of hard work, but Phillips is visibly energized by the chance to contend for another ring with the NFC’s No. 3 seed.

For the eighth straight time since 1989, Phillips has accepted a new job and immediately taken a team to the playoffs in his first season. Phillips knows experience is important, but the veteran coach thinks these Rams already have it.

”If you’re playing for the division against Seattle or playing to get in the playoffs against Tennessee, those are playoff-type atmospheres,” Phillips said. ”I don’t see a whole lot of difference, except the Super Bowl is the one that stands out from all the other playoff games, as opposed to the big games you play during the year.”

It’s tough for Phillips to face any opponent these days with which he has no connection, and the Falcons are no exception: He became Atlanta’s defensive coordinator for a 2002 playoff run, and he served as their interim head coach in 2003 for the fired Dan Reeves.

McVay and Phillips seemed to be an odd-couple pairing when they first teamed up last January, but they’ve reveled in their differences. Scarcely a day went by during the Rams’ playoff push when McVay didn’t publicly express his gratitude for being able to rely on the experiences and strategies accumulated by Phillips.

”Age doesn’t make any difference with me,” Phillips said. ”I had some opportunities, but his seemed like the best.”

Phillips knew he could work with McVay based on the young coach’s relationship with Phillips’ son Authentic Kevin Long Jersey , Wes, who served as McVay’s tight ends coach for the previous three seasons while McVay ran the Washington Redskins’ offense.

The Rams already had a solid defense last season under coordinator Gregg Williams. But because of the Rams offense’s utter ineptitude, that defense wore down and struggled, particularly late in their 4-12 campaign.

While McVay transformed the offense, Phillips got the most out of a team that allowed 20.6 points per game this season, down from 24.6 last year.

Phillips changed the Rams’ scheme from a 4-3 front to a 3-4, but that strategy includes many lineups with five players hitting the line and four-man rushes. While the Rams’ average rankings in pass defense and run defense haven’t changed drastically since last season, Phillips’ defense has produced a whopping 48 sacks – fourth in the NFL and 17 more than last season.

Phillips is quick to direct much of that credit to Aaron Donald, the Rams’ line-destroying defensive tackle and one of the game’s best players. Phillips has campaigned for Donald to get league MVP consideration.

When asked about his biggest surprise this season, Phillips quipped: ”Aaron Donald. I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was better than everybody.”

NOTES: Pro Bowl kick returned Pharoh Cooper missed his second straight day of practice with a shoulder injury, but McVay remains confident he will play this weekend. … LB Mark Barron was limited again with his Achilles’ tendon injury, but also is expected to play.

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