Bewerbungen » Mike.”Phil Cofer missed Florida State’s gam

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Jets signed former Lions linebacker Brandon Copeland and re-signed defensive lineman Xavier Cooper on Monday.Copeland missed last season after tearing a pectoral muscle during the preseason. He had 30 tackles and one forced fumble in 32 games the previous two seasons with the Lions.The 26-year-old Copeland is expected to serve as a backup on defense and be a key part of the Jets’ special teams unit.“Too many different levels of excitement to put into words White Travis Fulgham Jersey ,” Copeland told the Jets’ website. “Coming off of injured reserve, having to sit every Sunday, Monday and Thursday and watching other people play, I’m first and foremost excited to get back to the game that I love.”He signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Penn in 2013 and spent time later that season on Tennessee’s practice squad. After signing with Orlando of the Arena Football League in 2015, Copeland impressed Detroit after participating in the NFL Veterans Combine. His grandfather, Roy Hilton, played for the Baltimore Colts against the Jets in the Super Bowl in 1969.“He played defensive end against Joe Namath and all those guys Danny Amendola Jersey ,” Copeland said. “I know he’s going to be very proud of his grandson and now my job is to continue to make him proud.”Cooper was not tendered as a restricted free agent, but was brought back to serve as a rotational defensive lineman. He had 16 tackles and one sack in eight games, and his play increased when Muhammad Wilkerson was benched at the end of last season.Cooper was a third-round pick by Cleveland out of Washington State in 2015. He has also spent time with San Francisco, and has 56 career tackles and three sacks. DETROIT (AP) — Mike Cofer, a Pro Bowl linebacker who played a decade with the Detroit Lions and is second on the team’s career list in sacks, has died. He was 58.The Lions said Cofer died Thursday. Cofer’s son Phil plays basketball for Florida State. The school said he found out about his father’s death after the Seminoles‘ victory over Vermont in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Chuck Walsh, a Florida State spokesman Trey Flowers Jersey , said Mike Cofer had been dealing with a long illness.Cofer played 123 games with the Lions from 1983-92. He’s the only linebacker in team history to reach eight sacks in a season. He did it four times.“Mike was the definition of the perfect football player,” former Lions quarterback Eric Hipple said in a statement. “His attitude matched his ability and he gave 100 percent in everything he did. The same goes for his care and attention for fellow players, fans and people in general. He brought smiles and joy to those he interacted with and was not only a great player, but also a wonderful man.”A Knoxville, Tennessee, native, Cofer played at Tennessee. He was drafted by the Lions in the third round in 1983 Damon Harrison Jersey , and he was a member of the team that went to the NFC title game at the end of the 1991 season. He received Pro Bowl honors during the 1988 season.He finished his career with 62 ½ sacks.“I was truly blessed to have had the chance to coach Mike,” former Lions coach Wayne Fontes said. “He had such tremendous character. When you heard people talking about a player who always gave 100 percent, it was Mike.”Phil Cofer missed Florida State’s game Thursday with an injured right foot. Coach Leonard Hamilton said he will remain with the team for a second-round game Saturday against Murray State.Hamilton called Mike Cofer “one of the most competitive human beings that has ever played in the NFL.”“He is a guy who had to endure an unbelievably challenging debilitating disease that mentally and emotionally was draining in itself, but the physical toll it took on his body is beyond anything that you possibly could explain,” he said. “And he never complained. He always faced it every day with the heart of a lion, with tremendous amount of courage, and he passed that same mental and emotional aspect over to his son Ricky Jean Francois Jersey , Phil.”“He always challenged Phil, and he always encouraged him to play with the heart of a lion, and without making any excuses for anything at all. And Phil’s attitude has been as good as anyone that I’ve ever coached in my whole coaching career.”Cofer is survived by his wife, Reba, and sons Michael and Phil.