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2C – Daily News – Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Singletary calm and ready to move forward SANTA CLARA (AP) — Calm and completely positive, Mike Singletary showed no out- ward signs he is disappointed to be 0-2. Of course he’s upset about it. This is hardly where his San Francisco 49ers expect- ed to be at this early stage. Yet after taking the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints to the final sec- onds in a 25-22 loss Monday night, in his eyes there were plenty of signs of progress. Even if the Niners committed four turnovers and beat themselves. ‘‘I just think this team is a young team. They’re learning some very valuable things early on in the season,’’ Singletary said Tuesday. ‘‘I believe they will capitalize and pick up and it will serve us well going for- ward.’’ Singletary listed all the posi- tives: quarterback Alex Smith and the offensive line were the best since he’s been here, the coordinators on both sides of the ball ran a good game, run- ning back Frank Gore starred like his old self, the effort level was there. This was a far cry from the defensive, emotional coach who SPOKE Continued from page 1C former Broncos running back Cory Boyd, who was McKinley’s best friend and college team- mate, was one of the two women who were taking care of McKinley’s tod- dler son when they dis- covered McKinley had shot himself. She told The Associat- ed Press she didn’t know who told the investigators that McKinley had men- tioned suicide — ‘‘That wasn’t from us,’’ she said — but added that she wouldn’t be surprised if nobody would have taken such a threat seriously. ‘‘If it had been said to me, I probably would have been like, ’Yeah, whatever, Kenny.’ It would have completely gone over my head,’’ she said. ‘‘That’s not the type of thing he would say and if he did say it, that’s not the type of thing that you would take seriously coming from him. ‘‘Because of his per- sonality, because of who he is, nobody would have ever believed he would have done it.’’ Boyd, who lives in Denver, said she flew to Columbia, S.C., on Tues- day to take McKinley’s son, Keon, who is almost 2, back to the boy’s moth- er, Shayla Lites. Boyd said she had picked up McKinley and his son at the Denver air- port Sunday night and nothing seemed amiss. last week claimed there could be a ‘‘rat’’ within the organiza- tion giving inaccurate informa- tion to the media in one Yahoo! report that Singletary quickly shot down. Singletary also was probably the most combative he’s been since taking over as head coach during a television interview last week that made its rounds afterward. During that session, he said, ‘‘We will stop Drew Brees.’’ Singletary said he’s not about to change his approach or who he is — his players say they thrive on his intensity and emotion — but he will choose his words and actions more carefully from now on. ‘‘In terms of reining myself in, there was one interview that took place last week that was a little bit off the chart. Should I have reined myself in? Proba- bly so,’’ he said. ‘‘One thing that I’ve learned about this job, I have to be who I am. I’m not a politician. I’m not a tap dancer. I say things that I feel. ... The biggest thing that I’ve learned is it’s important to look at how you’re wired, and you’ve got to go with that — until the day I ‘‘He was just excited about having his son here. He showed no signs of depression, no signs of awkwardness. He was 100 percent himself,’’ Boyd said. ‘‘He was 100 percent Kenny, laughing and joking, playing. And he was absolutely nor- mal, he was fine.’’ She did say, however, that she could tell over the last month that McKinley was having a hard time with not being able to play football or be around his teammates every day. But she said it wasn’t like he was strug- gling to the point anyone feared he would harm himself. She said neither she nor her friend who was helping take care of the boy knew McKinley had a gun. ‘‘We had no idea,’’ she said. ‘‘Nobody knew.’’ McKinley’s teammates and coaches said Tuesday that they didn’t see any hint the gregarious 23- year-old wide receiver was suicidal. Neither did the players at his alma mater, South Carolina, when he visited them ear- lier this month. ‘‘I actually saw Kenny a week and a half ago. He was over here picking up some stuff out of his locker,’’ Broncos line- backer Wesley Woodyard said. ‘‘He was always a guy that used to love to joke with me and I would joke back and forth with him. But he had a big smile on his face. He just walked out of the build- ing. ‘‘And that’s the last thing we remember, that huge smile. Like coach said, he always showed every tooth in his mouth, just smiling and being happy.’’ This is the third time in four years the Broncos have had to deal with the death of a teammate under stunning circum- stances. Cornerback Dar- rent Williams, 24, was slain in a drive-by shoot- ing on New Year’s Day 2007, and three months later running back Damien Nash, 24, col- lapsed and died after a charity basketball game in St. Louis. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said in a tear- ful news conference Tuesday that nobody with the Broncos sensed any warning signs from McKinley about his state of mind. ‘‘We’ve all seen him recently. He’s been the same person every time we see him. Liked junk food and chips and things like that,’’ McDaniels said. ‘‘He was in the cafe- teria, or in the training room, when we were see- ing him the last so many weeks here. Nothing that would alarm us to any- thing like this.’’ Woodyard said McKinley was his usual joking and jovial self in recent weeks even as he was recovering from his second knee operation this year. ‘‘Every memory that we have of Kenny is a die. I have to continue to learn wisdom in certain instances and learn what to stand for and what not to get upset about. Last week was tremendous for me, matter of fact it was tremendous for our staff.’’ Offensive Gore’s big game was a high- light for the offense. He ran for 112 yards, his franchise-best 21st career 100-yard rushing game, and also caught a 12- yard TD pass from Smith. So, did Raye improve in coordinator Jimmy Raye took heat for play- calling problems in a season- opening 31-6 loss at Seattle in which there was trouble getting the play into Smith’s ear before his headset cut out at the 15- second mark on the clock. It was more efficient against the Saints and Singletary said things were much better. After Gore ran for a 7-yard touch- down with 1:19 to play Monday night, Smith hit Vernon Davis for a two-point conversion that tied the game. The 49ers outgained the Saints 417-287, ultimately los- ing when Garrett Hartley’s deflected 37-yard field goal fluttered over the cross bar after time expired. ‘‘We whupped their behind up and down the field. They can’t stand up with us,’’ Gore said. ‘‘And we beat ourselves for the second week in a row. We’ve got to change that.’’ Week 2 after taking the blame for the problems against the Seahawks? ‘‘I thought he was good. I thought he did an outstanding job,’’ Singletary said. Smith pointed to a handful of plays, ‘‘self-inflicted,’’ that cost the 49ers in their latest loss. This is the team that was the popular pick to win the NFC West but now faces an early hole. The Niners are 0-2 for the first time since dropping their first four games in 2004. San Francisco began 3-1 last season with hopes of reaching the playoffs but then lost four straight and five of six. The Niners wound up 8-8 and out of the postseason for the seventh straight year. They now have a quick turn- around and travel to Kansas City to face the unbeaten Chiefs (2-0) on Sunday. San Francisco hopes to build off the near-miss against the New Orleans. joke and a big smile,’’ Woodyard said. Woodyard said despite what it might look like to fans, NFL players have lots of pressures in their lives even though they’re living the dream. ‘‘Well, you know, foot- ball’s a stressful job,’’ he said, adding that players have to reach out for help. ‘‘It’s the same thing with people in everyday life, you’ve got to talk to somebody in your life, so just to help you work out those problems.’’ McKinley was a fifth- round draft choice out of South Carolina in 2009. He remains South Caroli- na’s all-time leading receiver with 207 catches for 2,781 yards. He returned to the school earlier this month, watch- ing the Gamecocks beat Georgia 17-6 and visiting with his college coach, Steve Spurrier. None of his old friends in Columbia, S.C., sensed anything was wrong. ‘‘No, all of our players said the same thing. When he was here, he was happy, smiling, the usual Kenny,’’ Spurrier said. People who are deal- ing with depression or suicidal thoughts aren’t always outwardly despondent, said Dr. Michael Allen, director of research at the Univer- sity of Colorado Denver Depression Center. He said suicidal individuals don’t always reach out for help, even to those closest to them. Scoreboard MLB American League At A Glance All Times EDT By The Associated Press East Division WL Pct GB New York 92 59 .609 — Tampa Bay 89 61 .5932 1/2 Boston 83 68 .550 9 Toronto 76 74 .50715 1/2 Baltimore 61 90 .404 31 Central Division WL Pct GB Minnesota 91 60 .603 — Chicago 79 71 .52711 1/2 Detroit 76 75 .503 15 Kansas City 62 88 .41328 1/2 Cleveland 62 89 .411 29 West Division Texas WL Pct GB 83 66 .557 — Oakland 75 74 .503 8 Los Angeles74 76 .4939 1/2 Seattle 57 93 .38026 1/2 ——— Monday’s Games Detroit 7, Kansas City 5 N.Y.Yankees 8, Tampa Bay 6 Baltimore 4, Boston 2 Minnesota 9, Cleveland 3 Oakland 3, Chicago White Sox 0 L.A. Angels 7, Texas 4 Tuesday’s Games Kansas City 9, Detroit 6 N.Y.Yankees 8, Tampa Bay 3 Toronto 5, Seattle 3 Baltimore 9, Boston 1 Minnesota 6, Cleveland 4 Chicago White Sox at Oakland, late Texas at L.A. Angels, late Wednesday’s Games Cleveland (C.Carrasco 1-0) at Minnesota (Blackburn 9-10), 1:10 p.m. Chicago White Sox (E.Jackson 3-2) at Oakland (Bre.Anderson 6-6), 3:35 p.m. Kansas City (Davies 8-10) at Detroit (Scherzer 11-10), 7:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (W.Davis 12-9) at N.Y. Yan- kees (A.J.Burnett 10-13), 7:05 p.m. Seattle (Pauley 2-8) at Toronto (Drabek 0- 1), 7:07 p.m. Baltimore (Millwood 3-15) at Boston (Lackey 12-11), 7:10 p.m. Texas (C.Wilson 14-7) at L.A. Angels (Haren 3-4), 10:05 p.m. Thursday’s Games Seattle at Toronto, 12:37 p.m. Kansas City at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y.Yankees, 7:05 p.m. Texas at Oakland, 10:05 p.m. National League At A Glance All Times EDT By The Associated Press East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia91 61 .599 — Atlanta 86 66 .566 5 Florida 75 75 .500 15 New York 74 77 .49016 1/2 Washington 63 88 .41727 1/2 Central Division WL Pct GB Cincinnati 86 66 .566 — St. Louis 77 73 .513 8 Houston 73 78 .48312 1/2 Milwaukee 69 81 .460 16 Chicago 68 82 .453 17 Pittsburgh 52 98 .347 33 West Division WL Pct GB San Francisco 85 66 .563 — San Diego 83 66 .557 1 Colorado 82 67 .550 2 Los Angeles73 77 .48711 1/2 Arizona 59 91 .39325 1/2 ——— Monday’s Games Florida 4, St. Louis 0 Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 1 Houston 8, Washington 2 Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 2 Tuesday’s Games Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 3 Washington 8, Houston 4 Pittsburgh 5, St. Louis 2 Florida 5, N.Y. Mets 2 San Francisco 1, Chicago Cubs 0 Cincinnati 4, Milwaukee 3 Colorado at Arizona, late San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, late Wednesday’s Games Atlanta (Hanson 10-11) at Philadelphia (Oswalt 13-13), 7:05 p.m. Houston (W.Rodriguez 11-12) at Wash- ington (Marquis 2-9), 7:05 p.m. St. Louis (Lohse 4-7) at Pittsburgh (Mor- ton 1-11), 7:05 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Niese 9-9) at Florida (Sanabia 4-3), 7:10 p.m. San Francisco (J.Sanchez 11-8) at Chicago Cubs (R.Wells 7-13), 8:05 p.m. Cincinnati (Cueto 12-5) at Milwaukee (Ra.Wolf 12-11), 8:10 p.m. Colorado (Jimenez 19-6) at Arizona (R.Lopez 6-14), 9:40 p.m. San Diego (Stauffer 4-4) at L.A. Dodgers (Lilly 8-11), 10:10 p.m. Thursday’s Games St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 12:35 p.m. Houston at Washington, 4:35 p.m. San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m. Florida at Milwaukee, 8:10 p.m. Colorado at Arizona, 9:40 p.m. San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. TODAY’S MAJOR LEAGUE LEADERS By The Associated Press AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING—JHamilton, Texas, .361; Mauer, Minnesota, .331; MiCabrera, Detroit, .326; ABeltre, Boston, .325; Cano, New York, .322; Butler, Kansas City, .320; Konerko, Chicago, .316. RUNS—Teixeira, New York, 106; MiCabr- era, Detroit, 104; Jeter, New York, 103; JBautista, Toronto, 101; Crawford, Tampa Bay, 101; Cano, New York, 99; AJackson, Detroit, 98. RBI—MiCabrera, Detroit, 120; JBautista, Toronto, 114; ARodriguez, New York, 112; Guerrero, Texas, 107; Konerko, Chicago, 105; DelmYoung, Minnesota, 105; Cano, New York, 104. HITS—ISuzuki, Seattle, 197; Cano, New York, 188; JHamilton, Texas, 183; ABeltre, Boston, 181; Butler, Kansas City, 176; MYoung, Texas, 175; MiCabrera, Detroit, 172. DOUBLES—ABeltre, Boston, 45; MiCabr- era, Detroit, 45; Longoria, Tampa Bay, 45; Markakis, Baltimore, 43; Mauer, Minneso- ta, 42; DelmYoung, Minnesota, 42; Butler, Kansas City, 41;VWells, Toronto, 41. TRIPLES—Crawford, Tampa Bay, 13; AJackson, Detroit, 10; Span, Minnesota, 10; Pennington, Oakland, 8; Gardner, New York, 6; Granderson, New York, 6; Maier, Kansas City, 6; Podsednik, Kansas City, 6. HOME RUNS—JBautista, Toronto, 49; Konerko, Chicago, 37; MiCabrera, Detroit, 35; JHamilton, Texas, 31; DOrtiz, Boston, 30; Teixeira, New York, 30; ABeltre, Boston, 28; Cano, New York, 28; VWells, Toronto, 28. STOLEN BASES—Pierre, Chicago, 58; RDavis, Oakland, 45; Crawford, Tampa Bay, 44; Gardner, New York, 42; ISuzuki, Seattle, 41; Figgins, Seattle, 40; BUpton, Tampa Bay, 40. PITCHING—Sabathia, New York, 20-6; Lester, Boston, 18-8; Price, Tampa Bay, 17-6; Verlander, Detroit, 17-8; PHughes, New York, 17-8; Pavano, Minnesota, 17- 11; CBuchholz, Boston, 16-7; Cahill, Oak- land, 16-7; ESantana, Los Angeles, 16-9. STRIKEOUTS—FHernandez, Seattle, 222; JerWeaver, Los Angeles, 220; Lester, Boston, 212; Verlander, Detroit, 198; Liri- ano, Minnesota, 191; Sabathia, New York, 183; JShields, Tampa Bay, 180. SAVES—RSoriano, Tampa Bay, 43; Soria, Kansas City, 40; Papelbon, Boston, 36; NFeliz, Texas, 36; Gregg, Toronto, 34; MaRivera, New York, 32; Aardsma, Seat- tle, 31. NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING—CGonzalez, Colorado, .340; Tulowitzki, Colorado, .325; Votto, Cincin- nati, .323; Holliday, St. Louis, .313; Prado, Atlanta, .307; Pujols, St. Louis, .307; Zim- merman, Washington, .307. RUNS—CGonzalez, Colorado, 105; Pujols, St. Louis, 105;Weeks, Milwaukee, 101; Werth, Philadelphia, 101; Votto, Cincinnati, 100; Prado, Atlanta, 99; Braun, Milwaukee, 96. RBI—Pujols, St. Louis, 109; CGonzalez, Colorado, 107; Votto, Cincinnati, 106; Howard, Philadelphia, 104; Holliday, St. Louis, 99; AdGonzalez, San Diego, 97; ADunn, Washington, 96; Uggla, Florida, 96. HITS—CGonzalez, Colorado, 185; Braun, Milwaukee, 178; Prado, Atlanta, 178; Hol- liday, St. Louis, 175; Pujols, St. Louis, 171; Votto, Cincinnati, 170; AdGonzalez, San Diego, 168. DOUBLES—Werth, Philadelphia, 44; Hol- liday, St. Louis, 43; ATorres, San Francis- co, 43; Braun, Milwaukee, 41; Loney, Los Angeles, 40; Prado, Atlanta, 39; Byrd, Chicago, 38. TRIPLES—Fowler, Colorado, 12; SDrew, Arizona, 10; Victorino, Philadelphia, 10; AEscobar, Milwaukee, 9; JosReyes, New York, 9; CGonzalez, Colorado, 8; Morgan, Washington, 7; Pagan, New York, 7; ATor- res, San Francisco, 7; Venable, San Diego, 7. HOME RUNS—Pujols, St. Louis, 39; ADunn, Washington, 35;Votto, Cincinnati, 35; CGonzalez, Colorado, 32; Mar- Reynolds, Arizona, 32; Uggla, Florida, 31; Fielder, Milwaukee, 30; Howard, Philadel- phia, 30. STOLEN BASES—Bourn, Houston, 52; Pagan, New York, 35; Victorino, Philadel- phia, 34; Morgan, Washington, 33; HRamirez, Florida, 32; AMcCutchen, Pittsburgh, 31; JosReyes, New York, 30. PITCHING—Halladay, Philadelphia, 20- 10; Jimenez, Colorado, 19-6;Wainwright, St. Louis, 19-11; THudson, Atlanta, 16-8; Arroyo, Cincinnati, 16-10; CCarpenter, St. Louis, 15-8; Pelfrey, New York, 15-9. STRIKEOUTS—Halladay, Philadelphia, 213; Lincecum, San Francisco, 211; Hamels, Philadelphia, 207; Wainwright, St. Louis, 206; Kershaw, Los Angeles, 203; Jimenez, Colorado, 192; Dempster, Chicago, 190. SAVES—BrWilson, San Francisco, 44; HBell, San Diego, 42; FCordero, Cincin- nati, 38; Wagner, Atlanta, 35; Marmol, Chicago, 33; LNunez, Florida, 29; Capps, Washington, 26. NFL NFC Individual Leaders By The Associated Press Week 2 Quarterbacks AttComYdsTD Int Cutler, CHI 64 44 649 5 1 Vick, PHL 58 37 459 3 0 Brees, NOR74 55 491 3 0 Freeman, TAM 52 29 360 4 1 Rodgers, GBY 60 38 443 4 2 McNabb, WAS 70 43 597 1 0 M. Ryan, ATL7648 477 3 1 E. Manning, NYG 54 33 424 54 Romo, DAL 98 65 656 2 2 Hasselbeck, SEA5838 403 3 4 Rushers AttYdsAvg LG TD A. Peterson, MIN47232 4.94 23 1 Hightower, ARI 24 169 7.04 80t 2 Bradshaw, NYG37 165 4.46 39 1 S. Jackson, STL41 156 3.80 23 0 L. McCoy, PHL 23 155 6.74 46t 4 Gore, SNF 37 1504.05 20 1 Vick, PHL 18 1407.78 31 0 Snelling, ATL261335.12 30 2 Ca. Williams, TAM 49 126 2.57 200 P. Thomas, NOR37117 3.16 11 1 Receivers NoYdsAvg LG TD Austin, DAL 20 28814.4 30 1 R. White, ATL201899.5 24 1 Sa. Moss, WAS 16 166 10.4 17 0 Best, DET 14 17012.1 75t 1 Gore, SNF 13 101 7.8 23 1 Forte, CHI 12 18815.7 89t 3 Ve.Davis, SNF 12 151 12.6 41 0 M. Clayton, STL12 143 11.9 39 2 P. Thomas, NOR11 72 6.5 15 0 Shiancoe, MIN 10 162 16.2 33 1 Punters NoYdsLG Avg Donn. Jones, STL 13 644 63 49.5 Rocca, PHL 12 590 63 49.2 N. Harris, DET 12 547 66 45.6 Morstead, NOR 11 496 58 45.1 J. Ryan, SEA7 314 56 44.9 Dodge, NYG8 357 62 44.6 Kluwe, MIN 9 398 50 44.2 Bidwell, WAS10439 52 43.9 Be. Graham, ARI11482 62 43.8 A. Lee, SNF 9 390 54 43.3 Punt Returners NoYdsAvg LG TD D. Bryant, DAL 4 77 19.3 62t 1 Weems, ATL 3 37 12.3 17 0 Munnerlyn, CAR5 46 9.2 28 0 R. Bush, NOR 6 50 8.3 43 0 Tra. Williams, GBY 4 32 8.0 100 Spurlock, TAM 6 45 7.5 23 0 Logan, DET 5 37 7.4 17 0 P. Adams, SNF 4 29 7.3 16 0 Amendola, STL 4 28 7.0 17 0 Komar, ARI 5 31 6.2 9 0 Kickoff Returners NoYdsAvg LG TD J. Nelson, GBY 7 217 31.0 51 0 Dev. Thomas, WAS 5 142 28.4 420 Gilyard, STL 6 15225.3 34 0 Roby, NOR 6 15125.2 35 0 J. Norwood, ATL 4 97 24.3 34 0 Owusu-Ansah, DAL 6 144 24.0 400 L.Washington, SEA 3 71 23.7 410 Spurlock, TAM 3 68 22.7 30 0 D. Manning, CHI5 113 22.6 30 0 Logan, DET 8 17722.1 32 0 Scoring Touchdowns TDRushRecRet Pts Best, DET 5 4 1 0 30 L. McCoy, PHL 4 4 0 0 24 H. Nicks, NYG 4 0 4 0 24 Forte, CHI 3 0 3 0 18 Snelling, ATL3 2 1 0 18 M. Clayton, STL 2 0 2 0 12 Driver, GBY 2 0 2 0 12 Gore, SNF 2 1 1 0 12 Hasselbeck, SEA2 2 0 0 12 Hightower, ARI 2 2 0 0 12 Kicking PATFG LG Pts M. Bryant, ATL 5- 5 5- 6 4920 Crosby, GBY7- 7 4- 4 56 19 Gano, WAS 4- 4 4- 6 49 16 Gould, CHI 4- 4 4- 4 40 16 Akers, PHL 7- 7 2- 2 45 13 Barth, TAM 4- 4 3- 3 49 13 Hartley, NOR4- 4 3- 5 46 13 Kasay, CAR 2- 2 3- 3 52 11 Jo. Brown, STL 3- 3 2- 4 469 Buehler, DAL3- 3 2- 4 48 9 ‘‘Last week was over,’’ receiv- er Michael Crabtree said. ‘‘We had a real good game and we played our hearts out out there and we came up a little short.’’ Singletary started his Tues- day address by crediting the fans. The sellout crowd at Can- dlestick Park booed the home team early in the game, but peo- ple stayed in their seats when San Francisco rallied late. ‘‘I think the guys took a big step last night,’’ Singletary said. ‘‘It’s one thing as a coach you continue to talk about things you talked about in training camp, you talked about after the first game, before the first game. But I think at some point in time the players get it. You can talk to them and say things but there has to be some point in time they get it, and they take it, and they understand it. I think last night that transpired.’’ When Singletary speaks, his players tend to pay attention. The coach called a team meet- ing once back at team headquar- ters following the Seattle loss. ‘‘We’ve just got to listen to our leader, just do what he says and do everything he tells us,’’ Gore said. ‘‘Warning signs depend on the run up,’’ Allen said, adding that suicidal people who have been depressed and think- ing about killing them- selves for weeks may sometimes reach out, or have trouble keeping a happy face to cover up their feelings. ‘‘For many people in the mild to moderate range you wouldn’t know they’re depressed. They’re able to put up a good front of joviality,’’ Allen said. Allen, who wasn’t addressing McKinley’s death specifically, said reaching out can be diffi- cult for those in the mili- tary or on sports teams: ‘‘In any group of men where toughness is val- ued, talking about any- thing that may be viewed as weakness goes against the grain,’’ Allen said. The Broncos gathered Tuesday morning on their normal day off and met with grief counselors to help them deal with the death of their friend, who was on injured reserve after hurting his left knee in August. ‘‘We prayed for his family and him,’’ McDaniels said. The players decided to leave McKinley’s locker in place for the remainder of the season as a shrine to their teammate. There will also be a moment of silence Sunday before their game against Indi- anapolis and players will wear white decals with No. 11 in navy on their helmets. ‘‘We’ve got to play with him on our shoul- ders and in our hearts,’’ Woodyard said. News of his suicide touched players across the NFL. ‘‘Kenny was such a good guy, such a fun guy to be around,’’ said Min- nesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice, a college teammate of McKinley. ‘‘He was a happy guy who had a great sense of humor and he’s going to be missed by so many people. He was funny and always kept people around him upbeat. I’m shocked he’s gone.’’ McKinley played in eight games as a rookie in 2009 with seven kick returns for 158 yards before going on injured reserve with a left knee injury on Dec. 29. He recovered and participat- ed in the team’s offseason workouts but got hurt again during the first week of training camp and was placed on IR on Aug. 5. McDaniels said McKinley took the news well when he went on IR again, ending his season. ‘‘It was really a deci- sion that we made togeth- er,’’ McDaniels said. ‘‘... He was working hard with his rehab.’’ McKinley’s agent, Andrew Bondarowicz, said family and friends are at a loss to explain the death of a young man ‘‘who had such a love for life.’’