Author: pgant
Week 6: Lions-Buccaneers flexed
The Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers game will be played at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 15 on FOX, the NFL announced on Monday.
The game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m.
The final Week 6 schedule (all times ET):
Thursday, October 12, 2023 |
||
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs |
8:15p |
Prime Video |
Sunday, October 15, 2023 |
||
Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans (Tottenham) |
9:30a |
NFLN |
Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons |
1:00p |
CBS |
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears |
1:00p |
FOX |
Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals |
1:00p |
CBS |
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns |
1:00p |
FOX |
New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans |
1:00p |
FOX |
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars |
1:00p |
CBS |
Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins |
1:00p |
CBS |
New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders |
4:05p |
CBS |
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams |
4:25p |
FOX |
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets |
4:25p |
FOX |
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
4:25p |
FOX |
New York Giants at Buffalo Bills |
8:20p |
NBC |
Monday, October 16, 2023 |
||
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers |
8:15p |
ESPN/ABC |
Week 6 byes: Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Cavs give update on Rubio, announce training camp roster
In August, Cleveland Cavaliers backup point guard Ricky Rubio announced that he was stepping away from basketball to focus on his mental health.
The 32-year-old was expected to play for the Spanish National team in the FIBA World Cup this summer, but he stepped away from basketball.
At the time, there was no timetable for his return.
On Monday, the Cavaliers updated Rubio’s status, and at this point, it appears he will continue to be out for the foreseeable future.
“Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio publicly stated in August that he was stepping away from basketball to focus on his mental health,” the statement from the Cavs said. “We remain fully supportive of Ricky and his efforts which for now are best continued away from the team and have excused his absence from camp. We remain in regular communication and consultation with Ricky and will continue to assist him in any way possible. Out of respect for his privacy we will not have any further comment or be able to answer any questions. The Cavaliers organization wishes Ricky and his family well.”
Last season, the 12-year veteran, who returned in January from a torn ACL after signing with the Cavs last offseason, averaged 5.2 points on 34% shooting and 3.4 assists per contest.
Training Camp Roster:
|
# |
NAME |
POS |
HT |
WT |
DOB |
PRIOR TO PROS/HOME COUNTRY |
YR |
|
31 |
Jarrett Allen |
C |
6-11 |
248 |
4/21/98 |
Texas ’17 / USA |
7th |
|
21 |
Emoni Bates* |
F |
6-9 |
190 |
1/28/04 |
Eastern Michigan ’23 / USA |
R |
|
00 |
Sharife Cooper** |
G |
6-1 |
180 |
6/11/01 |
Auburn ‘21/ USA |
2nd |
|
10 |
Darius Garland |
G |
6-1 |
186 |
1/26/00 |
Vanderbilt ’19 / USA |
5th |
|
2 |
Ty Jerome |
G |
6-5 |
200 |
7/8/97 |
Virginia ’19 / USA |
5th |
|
30 |
Damian Jones |
C |
6-11 |
245 |
6/30/95 |
Vanderbilt ’16 / USA |
8th |
|
3 |
Caris LeVert |
G |
6-6 |
205 |
8/25/94 |
Michigan ’16 / USA |
8th |
|
5 |
Sam Merrill |
G |
6-4 |
205 |
5/15/96 |
Utah State ’20 / USA |
4th |
|
45 |
Donovan Mitchell |
G |
6-3 |
215 |
9/7/96 |
Louisville ’17 / USA |
7th |
|
4 |
Evan Mobley |
F/C |
7-0 |
215 |
6/18/01 |
USC ’21 / USA |
3rd |
|
15 |
Isaiah Mobley* |
F |
6-10 |
240 |
9/24/99 |
USC ’22 / USA |
2nd |
|
8 |
Pete Nance** |
F |
6-11 |
230 |
2/19/00 |
UNC ‘23/ USA |
R |
|
20 |
Georges Niang |
F |
6-7 |
235 |
6/17/93 |
Iowa State’16 / USA |
8th |
|
35 |
Isaac Okoro |
G/F |
6-5 |
225 |
1/26/01 |
Auburn ’20 / USA |
4th |
|
9 |
Craig Porter Jr.* |
G |
6-2 |
185 |
2/26/00 |
Wichita State ’23 / USA |
R |
|
24 |
Justin Powell** |
G |
6-6 |
197 |
5/9/01 |
Washington State ‘23/ USA |
R |
|
13 |
Ricky Rubio |
G |
6-3 |
190 |
10/21/90 |
FC Barcelona ’11 / Spain |
13th |
|
19 |
Zhaire Smith** |
G |
6-3 |
199 |
6/4/99 |
Texas Tech ‘18/ USA |
3rd |
|
1 |
Max Strus |
G/F |
6-5 |
215 |
3/28/96 |
DePaul ’19 / USA |
5th |
|
12 |
Tristan Thompson |
F/C |
6-9 |
250 |
3/13/91 |
Texas ‘11/ Canada |
13th |
Saleh on Wilson: ‘If he plays like that, we’re going to win a lot of football games’
After Patrick Mahomes’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Noah Gray, the Kansas City Chiefs(3-1) led the New York Jets(1-2) 17-0 in the first quarter.
At that point, it appeared that the Chiefs would rout the Jets. However, the Jets got a safety after Jawaan Taylor was called for a facemask penalty in the end zone. On Kansas City’s next possession, Mahomes would get picked off by Ashtyn Davis, which led to a Zach Wilson one-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah, and New York went into halftime trailing 20-12.
In the third quarter, Wilson got hot and led the Jets on a seven-play, 75-yard drive, which ended with a Wilson five-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson; after converting on a two-point conversion, the game was tied at 20.
However, the Chiefs(3-1) would get a field goal to take a 23-20 lead in the fourth, Wilson would have a costly fumble, and Sauce Gardner was called for a questionable holding call, which wiped out an interception; the Chiefs ran out the clock and defeated the Jets 23-20 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.
With Aaron Rodgers and Taylor Swift in the house, Wilson may have had the best game of his career; he completed 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh believes if Wilson plays like this every week, the Jets will have a lot of success.
“I thought he was really good,” Saleh said. “He gave us a chance to win the game. Brought us back. If he plays like that, we’re going to win a lot of football games.”
Wilson couldn’t get over his fumble in the fourth quarter despite his solid performance.
“It’s on me,” he said. “Critical situation, I can’t have a play like that. I cannot drop the ball. This team is sacrificing a lot. Guys are making plays. Defense was making plays. O-line was protecting. Receivers were making plays. To be driving right there, to drop a snap, I cannot do that. I lost us that game and I cannot do that. I was making it clear to those guys that I need to be better. I need to be better on the little things, the details. It can’t happen.”
The Jets went toe-to-toe with the world champions and almost got the job done, which gives Wilson confidence that this team can compete with the top teams in the NFL.
“I think we can be really good,” Wilson said. “I think we just need to keep growing together, building off of this and trusting in one another, and we can see where it takes us.”
Saleh is right. If Wilson can continue to play at this level, the Jets can compete with the top teams in the NFL. For now, they are 1-3, and while this was a good effort, it does not mean a thing if it doesn’t end in wins.
Sirianni on Hurts: ‘I thought he played clutch’
For the fourth straight week, the Philadelphia Eagles did not play a complete game, but they got a win for the fourth consecutive week; however, it took an extra quarter to get it done.
Jake Elliott converted a 54-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 34-31 victory over the Commanders(2-2) to move to 4-0 on Sunday.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had his best game of the season. He completed 25-of-37 (67.6%) attempts for a season-high 319 yards, two touchdowns, and a 112.3 passer rating; he recorded six completions of 20-plus yards in today’s win, including 59-yard and 28-yard touchdowns to A.J. Brown in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Hurts was happy he had no turnovers, but the team had four field goals; Hurts wanted to score more touchdowns.
“Growing, every time I step on the field, that is my goal,” he said. “I want to get better every opportunity that I have. It’s always good to protect the ball, but we have to finish in the red zone. If we finish in the red zone today it’s a totally different game. We had multiple opportunities to do that, but that pressure builds a ton of character. When you put yourself in those positions, it’s about how you respond. That will pay dividends for us in the future.”
In the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 24, Hurts connected with Brown on a 28-yard touchdown pass, which put the Eagles up 31-24. In OT, on Philly’s first possession, Hurts led the Eagles on the game-winning drive, which ended with an Elliott field goal.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was impressed by Hurts in the fourth quarter and OT.
“I thought he played clutch,” Sirianni said. “Just clutch. I think that’s the best way to say it. Whether it was the overtime drive, whether it was the drive where we scored with about a minute plus left. We didn’t have a lot of possessions in the first half, and we needed that end-of-half drive to get going. Clutch. I think that is the best way to say it.”
According to Sirianni, this was Hurts best game of the season.
“I think it was his best game this year,” he said. I have to watch it and see everything. But I thought it was his best game this year. I thought he was clutch. And sometimes in quarterback stats and all these different things you can override anything that’s going on with a quarterback when they make plays when the play’s needed, right?”
Defensively, the Eagles struggled on Sunday. Washington moved the ball effectively down the field for most of the game. Philly will have to clean that part up going forward. Offensively, things are starting to pick up, and that unit will continue to improve.
Notes:
A.J. Brown hauled in 9 passes for 175 yards (19.4 avg.) and 2 TDs, including a season-long, 59-yard TD reception that made it a 21-17 score during the third quarter. His 175 yards marked the 2nd-most of his career (181 yards on 12/18/22 vs. Chicago).
Brown is the first Eagle to produce 175+ receiving yards and 2 TDs in a game since Jeremy Maclin on 10/26/14 at Arizona (187 yards, 2 TDs). He is the first to do so at home since Kevin Curtis on 9/23/07 vs. Detroit (221 yards, 3 TDs).
Nicholas Morrow finished the game with a career-high-tying 11 tackles (10 solo), a career-high 3.0 sacks, 3 TFLs, 3 QB hits and 1 FF. Morrow is the first Eagle to record 10+ tackles, 3.0+ sacks and 1+ FF in a game.
Jason Kelce started his 143rd consecutive regular-season game, which marks the 2nd-longest active streak among all NFL players, trailing only Atlanta’s Jake Matthews (146). Kelce’s streak is the longest by an NFL center since Casey Wiegmannfrom 2001-11 (175). It is the 2nd-longest in team history, behind Jon Runyan (144, 2000-08).
Canelo: ‘I’m a strong fighter all the time, against all the fighters’
Coming into his fight with Canelo Alvarez, 154-pound undisputed champion Jermell Charlo dared to be great. He was willing to move up 14 pounds to battle the undisputed super middleweight champion.
However, it was clear right away that Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) was too big, too strong, and too skillful for Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs). as he defeated him by unanimous decision on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
One judge had it 119-109, and two judges scored the fight 118-109, all for Alvarez.
The Mexican native was walking Charlo down for most of the fights, using a nice jab and vicious body shots throughout.
Photos from Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
In the seventh round, the pressure became too much for the undisputed champion at 154 pounds, as Canelo’s pressure forced Charlo to take a knee.
Again, Alvarez was too strong for Charlo, and according to the 168-pound undisputed champion, he’s strong against any fighter.
“I’m a strong fighter all the time, against all the fighters,” Canelo said. “I’m a strong man. Nobody can beat this Canelo.”
After the fight, Charlo said he wasn’t himself but didn’t make any excuses.
“I don’t make excuses for myself, so it is what it is,” Charlo said. “Truthfully, I could feel the difference in the weight. I picked up 14 pounds. I am undisputed in my weight division. You fall short sometimes, but you just have to keep on pushing… thought I got mine off. I’m the little Charlo, and I represent that.”
Canelo dominated the CompuBox stats, owning a 134 to 71 advantage in total punches landed, including an impressive 42 body shots; going to the body was a part of Canelo’s game plan.
“We worked on attacking the body,” said Canelo. “We know he’s a great fighter. He knows how to move in the ring. We worked on attacking the body for three months. For three months in the mountains without my family, without everything.”
Canelo was sharp on Saturday night and expects to return against anybody next May.
“I still love boxing,” he said. “I love boxing so much. Boxing is my life. Boxing made me the person I am today. That’s why I love boxing so much. And I love boxing so much because of my fans, too…Cinco de Mayo I’ll face whoever. I don’t care.”
Hopefully, Charlo, who called out Terence Crawford, goes back down to 154, and hopefully, Canelo will fight the winner of the reported fight between David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade.
Ramos on loss to Lubin: ‘I learned not to let it go to the judges’
In the co-main event of Canelo-Charlo on Saturday night, 154-pound contender Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) took home a controversial unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Jesus Ramos Jr. (20-1, 16 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Lubin won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.
“We went in there to feel him out and box him and beat him to the punch with counters because of his strength,” Lubin said. “It was working all night. I was sticking and moving. It was ‘Boxing 101’.”
Ramos, who outlanded Lubin 145 to 92, thought he did enough to get the win.
“I felt like I did a little more than him, but that’s alright,” said Ramos. “Congratulations to Erickson Lubin. He was sharp. He had a good game plan. Congratulations to him; it’s back to the drawing board. We’ll come back.”
Having previously lost a pair of fights to Jermell Charlo and Sebastian Fundora, Lubin put himself back into contention for another world title fight with the win on Saturday. The 27-year-old’s success came mainly off the back foot as he frequently allowed Ramos to come to him and walked him into counter shots.
Photo: Ryan Hafey/PBC
“My jab was landing all night,” said Lubin. “He had all his success when I was on the ropes. My coach was telling me to stay off the ropes, so I was trying my best to do that. He didn’t show it too much, but I buzzed him a few times.”
Ramos coasted in the final rounds of the fight; he did not keep his foot on the gas, and it cost him, which he said he’ll learn from moving forward.
“It is what it is. I’ll take this loss, come back and learn from it,” he said. “I learned not to let it go to the judges. Maybe I don’t put it on cruise control next time—a little more pressure. I’ll learn from this. It was a good experience.”
Lubin, who threw more punches than Ramos(532 to 499), wants a title shot.
“This shows that I’m no gatekeeper,” said Lubin. “I’m one of the top dogs in the division. I need a title shot. If those belts present themselves at 154 pounds, I’d like to fight for those belts.”
Ramos had this fight and gave it up in the later rounds. He’ll be kicking himself after this loss.
Spurs waive Reggie Bullock
The San Antonio Spurs waived forward Reggie Bullock, the team announced on Saturday.
According to Shams Charania, Bullock, who was scheduled to make $10.4 million this season, was bought out by the Spurs.
Bullock, 32, was acquired on July 12, along with a 2030 first-round pick swap, from Dallas in exchange for three future second-round picks as part of a three-team trade with the Mavericks and Boston Celtics.
Last season with the Mavericks, the 10-year veteran appeared in a career-high 78 games (55 starts), averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 38.0% from three, including 43.6% from long range over his final 37 games. Bullock has played in 512 total career games (294 starts) with the Clippers, Suns, Pistons, Lakers, Knicks, and Mavericks, with career averages of 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds in 23.7 minutes per game.
In addition to his on-court efforts, Bullock was named the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion.
Bullock can shoot the basketball and is expected to sign with a contending team.
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk is on!
It is the blockbuster news bulletin that sports fans across the globe have been waiting to hear. WBC and Lineal heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury will take on WBO/WBA/IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk in an epic showdown to crown the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
The biggest fight in world boxing will take place at the Kingdom Arena as part of this Riyadh Season and will be presented to fans around the world by The General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia.
Additional details, including the official fight date, will be announced in due course.
“Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are the two greatest heavyweights of their generation, and I can’t wait to see what happens when they step into the ring in Riyadh. They are special talents worthy of competing for the greatest prize in sports,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “I would like to thank His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and everyone involved in helping make this legendary night a reality.”
Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) has reigned as the division’s lineal champion since dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. Following a well-documented hiatus due to personal troubles, “The Gypsy King” authored a comeback story for the ages. Following a controversial draw against Deontay WIlder in December 2018, Fury snatched Wilder’s WBC world title via seventh-round TKO in their February 2020 rematch. Their trilogy concluded with the 2021 Fight of the Year, as Fury overcame a pair of knockdowns to ice Wilder in the 11th round. He stayed busy in 2022 with stoppage victories over Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora and is getting set to fight MMA superstar Francis Ngannou on October 28 in Riyadh.
Ukraine’s Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, moved up to the heavyweight ranks following a dominant run to the undisputed cruiserweight title. In September 2021, he upset Anthony Joshua to become the unified heavyweight world champion and then defeated Joshua by split decision in their rematch nearly one year later. Usyk returned in August to stop Daniel Dubois in nine rounds and now hopes to join Evander Holyfield as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion to repeat the deed at heavyweight.
Fury-Ngannou undercard announced
Unbeaten British heavyweight standouts Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye will meet in a high-stakes clash Saturday, Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 12-round battle of emerging stars will serve as the chief support contest to the historic showdown between WBC & lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson Fury and lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou.
The premier combat sports event of the year, which marks the opening of Riyadh Season – the world’s biggest entertainment event – features a night of action delivered by boxing’s marquee division, the heavyweights.
Former WBO world champion Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs), from Auckland, New Zealand, goes up against Canada’s Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs), and bone-crunching puncher Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs), also residing in Canada, takes on Croatian veteran Agron Smakici (19-2, 17 KOs). Both fights are scheduled for 10 rounds.
And, in a special six-round special attraction, 18-year-old heavyweight phenomenon Moses Itauma (5-0, 3 KOs) will face an opponent to be named.
This unprecedented heavyweight spectacular is promoted by Queensberry, Top Rank and GIMIK Fight Promotions, along with Eye Of The Tiger, promoter of Kean and Makhmudov.
Fury-Ngannou and the heavyweight undercard will be available on pay-per-view in the United States.
Ipswich’s Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) became English champion in 2021 with a first-round stoppage of Nick Webb before capturing British honors with a third-round TKO of Nathan Gorman last November. He is coming off a fourth-round TKO over Michael Coffie in April.
Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs), from London, is the current WBO European champion, having won his maiden professional title by defeating the previously unbeaten Dmytro Bezus at York Hall in February and subsequently stopping Emir Ahmatovic in June.
The Adeleye-Wardley rivalry hit new heights at the Fury-Ngannou press conference in London earlier this month, as the fighters and their camps brawled on the red carpet. The melee left Wardley with cuts above his left eye and under his chin.
“I’ve got a clean bill of health,” Wardley said. “Nothing has changed. I am still feeling strong, moving hard, and hitting new numbers.
“I don’t know how to quantify how my desire to win by knockout has increased after what happened but, yes, substantially. Massively, because I am a professional person and I like to act like a professional, but if you want to go early, then that’s fine, and I am ready to go at any minute.
“When those situations occur, all it does is fuel the fire more. All you have done is made it worse for yourself. You’ve made me train harder, you’ve made me work for it more, you’ve made me want it more.”
Adeleye said, “I’m really looking forward to competing on the global stage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Everywhere I go, people are talking about this fight. I intend to put on a show and display why I’m the best young heavyweight out there.”
Parker captured the WBO crown in 2016 with a points triumph over future champion Andy Ruiz Jr. in Auckland. He made two title defenses before an unsuccessful unification fight against Anthony Joshua in 2018. He won the WBO Intercontinental championship in May 2021 with a decision victory over Derek Chisora, making a successful defense against the Chisora seven months later.
Parker lost a bid for the WBO Interim world title against Joe Joyce last September, but he has enjoyed a successful 2023 with wins over Jack Massey and Faiga Opelu. Kean won the WBC International Silver championship in 2019 with a defeat of former world champion Siarhei Liakhovich, making a successful defense against Daniel Martz the following year. He has won eight straight via the short route, most recently notching a seventh-round stoppage over Eric Molina in March.
Parker said, “I’m looking forward to being back in Saudi Arabia. It was great the last time I was there to support another fighter and boxing event. This time I’m going to take care of business in my own fight against a tough challenge in Simon Kean. It is fantastic to be on this card and to be part of this major event. My preparations are on point. There is not long to go now.”
Kean said, “This is the moment all fighters dream of their whole career. This is what I’ve been working for and asking for. It’s time to deliver.”
Makhmudov won the WBC Continental Americas strap in 2019, becoming the first man to stop Jonnie Rice. He went on to win the NABF and NABO belts with a slew of wins over notable opponents, including Pavel Sour, Erkan Teper and Mariusz Wach. Makhmudov had a triumphant United States debut in July, obliterating Raphael Akpejiori in two rounds. Smakici challenged for the vacant European title in his last fight, but he suffered a loss to the undefeated Agit Kabayel. The Croatian’s only other setback came against then-unbeaten Zhan Kossobutskiy in 2019.
Makhmudov said, “Saudi Arabia is a very special place for me. It’s always been my goal to fight there, so I’m grateful to have this opportunity. I’m looking forward to putting on a great show.”