PROFILES » John Urschel is loving life after the NFL.

It’s been nearly two years since the offensive guard retired after just three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. The 6-foot-3 http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-iman-marshall-jersey , 300-pound Canadian left millions of dollars on the table to pursue his two loves — mathematics and time with his 16-month-old daughter, Joanna.“My mindset really changed over my time in the NFL,” Urschel told The Canadian Press by phone recently. “I’d become more passionate about math and started my Ph.D at MIT and every semester I had to leave it got tougher and tougher.“I’d also become a father and having a little one sort of changes your perspective. The most important things in my life are doing math at a really high level and raising my daughter being able to do both for a really long time.”That wasn’t always the case. Urschel said that in high school and at Penn State, football was a top priority, although a pro career necessarily wasn’t.The NFL was “a very late thing,” he said. “Very early on, what I dreamed of was being an offensive lineman in the Big Ten.“Let me tell you, playing at Penn State, starting at Penn State and getting all Big Ten honors my last two years there, that was like a dream come true for me. My years at Penn State where my happiest playing football in my life and really shaped me as a person.”The NFL came calling in 2014 when Baltimore selected Urschel in the fifth round, No. 175 overall. Urschel appeared in 40 games with the Ravens, starting 13.He suffered a concussion during practice in 2015 shortly after being accepted at MIT. He resumed playing but said leaving the game healthy was a big reason why he retired early.“You play in the league for a long time and you can’t walk when you’re 50,” he said. “I’m looking at some of these mathematicians, these 60- Trace McSorley Jersey , 70-year-old guys walking around, they’re sharp, they’re teaching math.“I don’t want to be some guy when I’m 50 who can’t walk around a classroom or my shoulder is so bad I can’t do a lecture and write something on the chalkboard. Yes, everyone focuses on the head, but for me it’s really about the whole body.”Two years later, Urschel couldn’t be happier.“I’m loving my life right now,” he told the CP. “I’m finishing my Ph.D in math at MIT, I’ve got one more year left and my daughter is running around and talking a lot.“I’m trying to teach her how to count but she’s a little resistant. She knows all the names of the pieces on a chess board, 20 different animals but for some reason counting she’s not feeling it yet. So, yeah, everything is good over here. I’m very happy I retired exactly where I did.”Urschel grew up in Buffalo, New York, with his mother, a lawyer. Urschel’s parents separated when he was 3. His father is a thoracic surgeon who also played linebacker at the University of Alberta.Since retiring Urschel also co-authored his memoir Ed Oliver Jersey , “Mind and Matter,” with his wife, Louisa Thomas, a journalist.“I wanted to write a book detailing my journey and experiences with mathematics,” he said. “I wanted to share my love of math and also perhaps train certain peoples’ thinking about math and show them some of the beauty, elegance and importance of mathematics.“Penguin Books loved the idea but really convinced me that just doing a memoir about mathematics would really be doing myself and the audience a disservice. So that’s how the book in its final form came to be, sort of a true memoir of my life from childhood until I retired from the NFL. I must say, they were absolutely right.”Urschel called the process of putting pen to paper, “amazing.”“Louisa was really the driving force who really helped with the narrative and talking about the finer points of my life and football,” he said. “But for me, detailing mathematics, my experiences with mathematics and trying to explain that to a broad audience, that’s my bread and butter.”Once he has his doctorate, Urschel has a definite career path.“Academia http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-cody-ford-jersey ,” he said. “I love research, I love going into the office and trying to solve really hard, open problems, I love learning new things.“I’ve also found I really love teaching and inspiring young people with mathematics. I’m really looking forward to being a professor. When you can help someone learn and understand something, that’s such an amazing feeling.”Urschel doesn’t really miss football but that’s not necessarily a slight on the game.“I’m not really the type of person to miss something, it’s not in my nature,” he said. “I’m a very forward-looking person.“I’m just so happy with all the things I’m doing right now that I don’t really look back and say, ‘Man, I miss this, I miss that.’ If I had it all over to do again, I don’t think I’d change a thing. … I’m very pleased with the major decisions in my life.” JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Leonard Fournette’s season-long struggles proved costly for his position coach.The Jacksonville Jaguars fired running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley and three more assistants Monday night, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity and said offensive line coach Pat Flaherty, secondary coach Perry Fewell and defensive line coach Marion Hobby also were let go one day after the season finale.Wheatley’s dismissal was the least surprising. It came one day after Fournette and T.J. Yeldon were sharply criticized for being disengaged from coaches and teammates during the 20-3 loss at Houston.Coughlin ripped both players for being “disrespectful” and “selfish.” He said “their behavior was unbecoming of a professional football player.”Fournette has missed 11 games in two seasons Devin Singletary Jersey , including two because of suspensions, and has shown little interest in being a good professional. Yeldon, a pending free agent, barely played down the stretch. Jacksonville also traded a fifth-round pick for Carlos Hyde, who ran for 189 yards in eight games.All four assistants had been with the team for two seasons.Wheatley’s position group was among the least production in 2018. Fournette was one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments, finishing with 439 yards rushing and five touchdowns while missing eight games.Flaherty’s line was ravaged by injuries, but he also got little out of free-agent guard Andrew Norwell. Fewell’s secondary wasn’t nearly as productive as it was in 2017 and saw veteran safety Barry Church waived late in the season. Hobby’s unit underperformed at several positions, and first-round draft pick Taven Bryan made marginal gains in his rookie year.Coach Doug Marrone also fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in late November, meaning he now has five job openings heading into the new year.Marrone said earlier Monday that he didn’t want to make any staff changes based on emotion, adding that he would make sure “it’s for the right reasons and not just a reaction.”