Colin Kaepernick called them his brothers.Dolphins teammates Kenny Stills and Albert W

ilson were the only two players to kneel during the national anthem on the NFL's opening Sunday Aaron Donald Jersey , and Kaepernick, who is no longer welcome on an NFL sideline, made sure to offer his thanks to them via social media ."My Brothers (Stills) and (Wilson) continue to show their unwavering strength by fighting for the oppressed," Kapernick said in his tweet. "They have not backed down, even when attacked and intimidated. ... Love is at the root of our resistance."It was Kaepernick, then with the 49ers, who sparked the anthem controversy by kneeling during the pregame ritual in 2016 — his way of protesting policy brutality and social injustice in America.Since opting out of his contract after that season, Kaepernick has been unable to land a job with an NFL team and is suing the league for collusion.But his voice is still being heard. Last week, Nike introduced an ad featuring the quarterback and his message: "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."On Sunday, Kaepernick's message got through to his friends in Miami."I know he has our back," Stills said. "Really, there has been a huge difference between when we first started protesting and now. A lot of people are reaching out and supporting us, so I really appreciate that. To everybody out there ... let's keep doing our best to make positive change and have these conversations and make our country a better place."While Stills and Wilson were kneeling during the anthem Darrell Henderson Los Angeles Rams Jerseys , teammate Robert Quinn raised his fist. Niners receiver Marquise Goodwin did the same at San Francisco's game at Minnesota. In Los Angeles, Chargers left tackle Russell Okung raised his fist. Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas and linebacker Brandon Marshall, and Seahawks linemen Duane Brown and Quinton Jefferson, retreated to their respective tunnels while the anthem played.At the peak of the anthem protests, as many as 200 players would partake. On most weeks last year, the Seahawks led the way with the most players doing something to make a statement. Though that number had fallen to 2 to start 2018, Brown wasn't worried."I made my decision. That was my decision," he said. "I wasn't paying attention to see what other teams or other players are doing."The NFL briefly had a policy in place in May regarding the anthem, but rescinded it after the players union filed a grievance, which sent the league to the negotiating table with the union. Those talks are ongoing. Brown said he hasn't heard any word from the union dissuading player protests during the anthem."I don't think that would be the best idea to try to get people to move on from it," he said. "The country hasn't moved on from it, so I'm not going to move on from it, either."Among those keeping the issue front and center is President Donald Trump, who sent a tweet of his own several hours before Kaepernick's Los Angeles Rams Jerseys 2019 , taking digs at the NFL, and linking low ratings for Thursday night's opener between Atlanta and Philadelphia (lowest for an opener since 2008) to players who refuse to stand for the anthem."If the players stood proudly for our Flag and Anthem, and it is all shown on broadcast, maybe ratings could come back? Otherwise worse!" he tweeted.CBS and Fox, which carried Sunday afternoon's games, have said they did not plan on televising the anthem.However, NBC did show the anthem on Thursday night (but not before Sunday night's Bears-Packers game), and no players kneeled or protested in other ways.That included Malcolm Jenkins of the Eagles, who raised his fist during the anthem last season but did not for the opener. During pregame warmups, he wore a shirt that read "Ca$h bail = poverty trap."Jenkins, a founder of the Players Coalition which was formed to tackle issues similar to those Kaepernick is concerned about, said he would like to move the focus away from the anthem."I think there's a huge need for us to turn the attention to not only the issues, but what players are actually doing in their communities to promote change," he said. "We're trying to move past the rhetoric of what's right or what's wrong in terms of the anthem Darrell Henderson Jersey Cheap , and really focus on the systematic issues that are plaguing our communities." THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Ndamukong Suh earned multiple All-Pro honors, Pro Bowl selections and tens of millions of dollars during his first eight NFL seasons.The imposing defensive lineman had never won a playoff game, let alone a Super Bowl. When he was free to choose his next team after the Dolphins released him last March, Suh decided he would try to fill that gap in his resume.After speaking at length with the New Orleans Saints and other suitors, he decided to join the Los Angeles Rams . They hadn’t won a playoff game since the 2004 season, but they appeared to be on the verge of something big after going 11-5 last season.“I felt this team had some of the right pieces, and I would be a good addition to it,” Suh said. “A lot of conversations that we had with the coaching staff and the front office on my visit were (about) playing well in the season and being prepared for the postseason.”Nearly 10 months later, the payoff has arrived for Suh’s leap of faith to Los Angeles.After the Rams went 13-3 for the best regular-season record of Suh’s career, he had likely his best game for his new team last weekend when Los Angeles beat the Dallas Cowboys 30-22 in the divisional round. The Rams head into the NFC championship game at the Superdome on Sunday with a shot at the 32-year-old Suh’s first trip to his sport’s biggest stage.“It would mean a lot,” Suh said. “I’ve been in this league for nine years. (This is) my first NFC championship (game), and that would be my first Super Bowl. I get chills thinking about it, so I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it.”Suh’s thoughts are echoed across the Rams’ locker room Darrell Henderson Jersey Womens , which is filled with accomplished NFL players who have never accomplished much in the postseason.Many key players remain from the team that went 4-12 in 2016 during the franchise’s 13th straight non-winning season, from Jared Goff and Todd Gurley to Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers.Several of the veterans that Los Angeles has added in the past two years also lacked playoff credentials — including 37-year-old Andrew Whitworth, the dominant left tackle who finally got his first postseason win last weekend.“Honestly, we feel like we’ve been through it,” Whitworth said. “There’s really not much adversity we haven’t seen all year long. I think we kind of feel like we were born for this moment and this opportunity.”Indeed, the Rams likely don’t have the collective playoff experience of their fellow conference finalists, but they have a firm bond forged during a season of upheaval.They had to stick together in November when the suburban area around their training complex was rocked by the double impact of a mass shooting at a bar and two wildfires that forced several players and coaches to leave their homes as a precaution. The Rams also had to adjust to a schedule change when their game against the Chiefs in Mexico City was moved back to Los Angeles on six days’ notice.None of it has shaken the team led by coach Sean McVay, who became the youngest coach in NFL history to win a playoff game last weekend.McVay acknowledges no concern about his inexperience on the sport’s highest levels when compared to the likes of New Orleans’ Sean Payton, who has a Super Bowl ring.That’s because McVay has assistant coaches with experience in conference championships and Super Bowls — particularly defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who has done and seen everything the NFL can offer.While a conference title game in the deafening Superdome is a new experience for most Rams, Brandin Cooks is an exception on several fronts. The veteran receiver won’t even be surprised by the Superdome din.Cooks played three years with the Saints — albeit without making the playoffs — before moving to the Patriots last season. He played in the first quarter of the Super Bowl before incurring a concussion that kept him out of the rest of New England’s loss to Philadelphia.Cooks was traded to the Rams, but he agreed to a five-year contract extension before he had even suited up in a horned helmet. He says he hasn’t regretted his decision, although he didn’t dare to imagine he would have a chance to play in two straight Super Bowls for different teams.“When I got here, I knew we had something special Darrell Henderson white jersey ,” Cooks said. “But (I knew I shouldn’t) get ahead of myself. Take it one game at a time, just build throughout the weeks, and if we have the opportunity, then we’re blessed. Don’t think about it too much, is what I should say.”NOTES: WR Robert Woods also got his first career playoff win last week. The six-year veteran admits that last years’ experience in the Rams’ postseason loss to Atlanta helped them. “Just learning from that experience, our win last week was about situational football. Just executing, and protecting the ball.” … For the second straight day, the Rams had no players on their injury report. Although they’ve lost key receiver Cooper Kupp for the season, the Rams have been otherwise remarkably healthy this season. … The torrential rains that have hit Los Angeles over the past three days abated by midday Thursday, allowing the Rams to practice on their normal outdoor fields. The team erected an enormous temporary tent on the parking lot next to their training complex if they needed it, but so far it hasn’t been necessary to go indoors.