But it’s coming and when it does, the Texans No. 1 overall NFL draft pick has one person in his sights—Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. It’s a good litmus test. Luck is an elite talent and getting the best of him would do wonders for Clowney’s ego and reputation early in his professional football career.

He acknowledged as much while doing a video on the Texans’ website—a video during which he described himself not as a defensive end but as an outside linebacker who wants “to be the best Jadeveon Clowney I can be on and off the field.”

“My goal for my rookie season is to try to better myself as a player,” Clowney said. “And my goal in the NFL is to sack Andrew Luck. He’s in my division, playing him two times a year, he’s a dangerous quarterback, he makes good decisions with the ball, so I just want to get after him and sack him one time.”

Luck, if you’re counting at home, was sacked 32 times last season. Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill was taken down a league-high 59 times. So, it’s not as if Clowney doesn’t have a chance to get after Luck. There will certainly be opportunities, and the Texans defense will be the better for it.  

GORDON DRIVING HAIRSTON’S CAR WHEN ARRESTED

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was driving a car owned by former North Carolina basketball player PJ Hairston when Gordon was arrested around 3 a.m. Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina and charged with driving while intoxicated, Raleigh sports radio station WRAL-AM reports.

The vehicle, a 2014 Cadillac Escalade, was registered to Samuel Peterson Hairston Jr., PJ’s full name. In addition, Gordon was bailed out by convicted felon Hayden “Fats” Thomas, who contributed to Hairston losing his eligibility at UNC by providing him with multiple rental cars.

Gordon got hit with DWI after being pulled over early Saturday morning for speeding. His blood-alcohol content was .09. The arrest will greatly hamper Gordon’s chances of playing at all during 2014 after he was already facing a season-long suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. The league should deliver its decision on Gordon before training camp.

As for Hairston, he went from NBA developmental league player to the No. 26 overall pick in the NBA draft. He was traded from the Heat to the Bobcats.

BROWN’S 1964 RING BEING AUCTIONED

Jim Brown’s NFL championship ring is up for auction. According to the auction house taking bids on it, the Hall of Fame running back is not the one who put it up.

The ring, the only one Brown won in his nine-year career—when his Browns beat Baltimore 27-0 in the 1964 championship game—appeared Monday on Lelands.com, which has a long history of auctioning off valuable sports memorabilia. In fact, in its ad, it compares Brown’s ring to Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring, which it sold to Charlie Sheen more than 20 years ago.

The ring is described as “beautiful, nearly unworn condition.” By early Monday evening, bidding had reached $33,275. The auction ends July 25.

Reportedly, Sheen’s purchase of the Babe Ruth ring took place under shady circumstances. Brown’s ring is not up for auction under the same cloud - but, according to the description on the site, it did not arrive directly from the star.

“The ring was obtained directly from a Brown immediate family member and sold by Lelands.com in 1998. During that original auction preview, Jim Brown himself inspected the ring and acknowledged its authenticity,’’ Lelands.com’s description says. Later, the description adds, “The provenance and chain of title is well-documented: Jim Brown to family member to Lelands to Cleveland Sport Collection auction buyer back to Lelands.com and now to you.''

The description did not say who specifically in Brown’s family provided the ring to Lelands, or why.

HERNANDEZ TRANSFERRING JAILS

Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez can transfer to a jail closer to Boston for easier access to his lawyers while he awaits trial on a murder charge, a judge ruled Monday.

Hernandez was in court for the hearing, which addressed mostly procedural issues. He smiled and mouthed messages to his family before the hearing began. His mother and brother were among those in court, as were family members of Odin Lloyd, the 27-year-old Boston semi-professional football player Hernandez is accused of killing in June 2013.

Hernandez is also charged in Boston in the 2012 killings of two men. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

Prosecutors did not object to moving Hernandez from the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth, which is about an hour and 20 minutes’ drive south of Boston. They called baseless defense lawyers’ claims that the former tight end’s privacy and due process rights were violated by the jail administrator. Judge Susan Garsh ordered the move without addressing his complaints about the administrator.

It’s not clear when Hernandez will be moved or where he will be going. Garsh did not specify a jail when she approved the request, other than saying it should be closer to Boston, such as in Suffolk County. She said if the Lloyd case goes to trial, she would have him moved back to Bristol County.

Garsh said she was concerned that a tentative trial date of Oct. 6 was not realistic given the amount of evidence and additional motions she anticipates will be filed.

One of Hernandez’s lawyers, James Sultan, told her he anticipated that it was possible they would file for a change of venue.

“We’re not prepared to do that now,” he said. “That may well be coming.”

When asked outside court for his thoughts on a possible venue change, District Attorney Sam Sutter would say only that it would be debated, and it did not sound as if that was something the judge was considering. Garsh asked both sides to get back to her with their thoughts on whether Oct. 6 is a realistic trial date. She set the next hearing for Aug. 11.

‘NFL SUNDAY TICKET’ FANTASY ZONE

If you don’t have season tickets to your favorite NFL home team, the next best (or just better?) thing would be “NFL Sunday Ticket”. Now the DirecTV exclusive bonanza of live Sunday game action and “Red Zone Channel” madness is joined by a third option for home couch-preferring viewers: “Fantasy Zone.”

According to USA Today, the new channel will focus solely on the fantasy football aspect of the fast and furious field follies. Co-hosted by former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones and Rotoworld/NBC Sports’ Kay Adams, the show, unlike “Red Zone”, will feature a live studio audience, frequent celebrity appearances and two obvious essentials: an on-set kitchen and in-house chef.

Remember when the fantasy-obsessed could just lock themselves in a room and watch a solo Andrew Siciliano on “Red Zone” to get their live-scoring fix from 1-8 p.m. ET? It just went to a whole new level. Now you can watch Drew Brees rack up the points for you while also learning how to make crawfish etouffee for game day.

Unless you have 13 screens available to you on your average NFL Sunday, you can’t watch everything at once on “NFL Sunday Ticket.” It’s gone from the premier sports television package to its own mini-network. The league and DirecTV just keep on winning.

JUDGE APPROVES CONCUSSION SETTLEMENT

A federal judge on Monday granted preliminary approval to a landmark deal that would compensate thousands of former NFL players for concussion-related claims.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody in Philadelphia came about two weeks after the NFL agreed to remove a $675 million cap on damages. Brody had previously questioned whether that would be enough money to pay all claims.

“A class action settlement that offers prompt relief is superior to the likely alternative — years of expensive, difficult, and uncertain litigation, with no assurance of recovery, while retired players’ physical and mental conditions continue to deteriorate,” Brody wrote.

More than 4,500 former players have filed suit, some accusing the league of fraud for its handling of concussions. They include former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffers from dementia.

The settlement is designed to last at least 65 years and cover retirees who develop Lou Gehrig’s disease and other neurological problems.

“This is an extraordinary settlement for retired NFL players and their families — from those who suffer with neuro-cognitive illnesses today, to those who are currently healthy but fear they may develop symptoms decades into the future,” plaintiffs’ attorneys Sol Weiss and Christopher Seeger said in a statement.

Contributors: Rana L. Cash, David Steele, Vinnie Iyer, The Associated Press