Daytona 500. He will skip the exhibition race that kicks off Speed

NEW ORLEANS -- After turning down every interview request during the week, Seattle tight end Jimmy Graham figured to do his talking on the field in his return to the Superdome.He didnt make much noise there, either. Graham caught three passes for 34 yards in the Seahawks 25-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He then ignored a series of questions while walking more than half of the length of the field -- wearing headphones -- on his way out of the Superdome.He wants to win and he didnt win, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson said. Thats his only thing, and were all that way. Were all looking forward to watching the film to see where we can get better.The Seahawks obtained Graham, a three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2013 with the Saints, in a trade in March 2015. Aside from a 15-yard third-down reception that set up a field goal in the fourth quarter, he had little impact in his first game against the Saints.His three receptions were his fewest since Week 2. His 34 yards were his lowest total since Week 1. Wilson tried to connect with him in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter but threw high on a day when Seattle managed only one offensive touchdown.Defending Graham was a big part, but he wasnt the whole game plan, Saints linebacker Craig Robertson said. We did a good job of staying consistent with what we do as a defense instead of just focusing on one player.Graham, who caught 16 touchdowns with the Saints in 2013, has one touchdown grab this year and three in his 19 games since joining Seattle. He missed the final five regular- season games and the playoffs last season with a torn patella tendon.There are times when you have a linebacker on him and times you have a safety on him, Saints coach Sean Payton said. But listen, Ill be honest; it was good to see him running around healthy.The Seahawks gave up All-Pro center Max Unger (2012) plus a first-round draft pick to obtain Graham. Due in part to an inconsistent, injury-affected offensive line, Seattle ranked 22nd in total offense before struggling again on Sunday.They certainly werent blaming Graham.Hes just focused on doing his job at the highest level, Wilson said. Hes a great teammate. Obviously he had a great career here (New Orleans), but hes looking forward to building on what hes been doing. I love the guy to death. Hes arguably the best tight end in the National Football League.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Clearance Nike NFL Jerseys .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. http://www.salejerseysnfl.com/ . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. Stitched NFL Jerseys . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It took less than four laps for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to feel back at home in his race car. His test this week at Darlington Raceway was the final hurdle for NASCARs most popular driver to earn clearance to compete next season.The test ended months of speculation -- should Earnhardt retire? Was the risk of suffering yet another concussion too great? -- and a detailed medical plan helped get him back on the track when many thought he should just step away for good.When you get something taken away from you, you certainly realize what its worth, Earnhardt said Friday. Im feeling recharged and energized about coming back ready to race. Ive got a lot left in the tank.And he wants to make something perfectly clear: Earnhardt would not be climbing back into the No. 88 Chevrolet if his doctors had not assured him that hes healthy and his past concussion history hasnt put him at a heightened risk of permanent injury.I have a personal responsibility to myself. My health is number one. I am not going to take any unnecessary risks with my health, he said. I wouldnt be coming back to the seat and being excited to drive if there was any additional risk, other than the typical risk that every driver faces. I feel confident in what my doctors are telling me ... in me being able to withstand the normal wear and tear and getting into that unfortunate accident from time to time.Earnhardts lengthy history with concussions flared again this year after a crash at Michigan in June. He missed the final 18 races of the season and spent that time in intensive therapy meant to first help him control vision, balance and nausea. That lengthy process completed, his doctors focused on getting him ready to drive a car again, and it happened Wednesday at the South Carolina track considered one of the most demanding in NASCAR.He admitted to a sleepless night before the test, and an anxiousness to get inside his beloved Chevrolet the moment his feet touched the ground at Darlington. With neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty on site, the Hendrick Motorsports team eased into the session.Earnhardt started with 15-lap runs, then climbed from the car to be assessed by Petty. As the day went on, his visioon and balance were not only checking out fine, but improving after every run.dddddddddddd Soon he was up to 30 laps at a time, he felt up to speed -- and he felt ready to race.Felt like an old shoe by the end of the day, he said. I felt really, really confident that by the end of the day, I was 100 percent ready to get back in the car.His clearance came as a boost to Hendrick Motorsports, which is already riding high after Jimmie Johnsons record-tying seventh championship. Hendrick made it through the second half of the season with a combination lineup of Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman, and he insisted the sponsors who pay millions of dollars for Earnhardt to be in the car were concerned only with the driver getting healthy.Although Earnhardt will test again before the season begins at Phoenix -- and hes got a wedding to his longtime girlfriend on Dec. 31 -- he wont actually race until the events leading into Februarys season-opening Daytona 500. He will skip the exhibition race that kicks off Speedweeks at Daytona, not as a health precaution, he said, but because Bowman earned the right to race the car by winning the pole at Phoenix in November.Its owed to Alex, Earnhardt said.Earnhardt has worked closely the last few years with Dr. Micky Collins from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program. Its been Collins who first got Earnhardt healthy, then helped him get back into competitive condition.Collins has deemed Earnhardt healthy and ready to go, but Earnhardt will continue to work on many of the exercises hes received from the doctor for the sake of strengthening himself.This is from my doctors mouth -- I had to work really hard to be a human being again, to be normal again. The distance between just being myself and just being a race car driver, that was going to be another handful of exercises, he said. His advice was if I wanted to continue the exercises, it would only continue to strengthen the system. Hell, maybe this is something I could have been doing all along.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org ' ' '