Page 27 - Florida Sentinel 10-14-16 Online Edition

Sports
Buc Head Coach Takes Issue With Jon Gruden’s Comment On MNF About Jameis Winston
Ron Rivera 'Not Going To Worry' About Cam Newton Riding Scooter
49ers Bench Blaine Gabbert, Will Start Colin Kaepernick At QB
Buc coach Dirk
and qb Jameis Winston.
Jon Gruden usually says positive, vanilla, non-con- troversial things while ana- lyzing the game on Monday Night Football. But, on Monday night, Gruden said after the Buccaneers dialed up a running play on third and nine in the fourth quar- ter at Carolina that coach Dirk Koetter lacks confi- dence in quarterback Jameis Winston.
Koetter took strong issue with the assessment.
“That wasn’t a lack of con- fidence,” Koetter said.
“Again, when analysts say stuff like that, that’s like — when Jon was coaching and someone said that about him, you know what he’d be standing up here saying? ‘That guy doesn’t know what I’m thinking or anything about my team.’ He gets paid to talk on TV. I get paid to coach the Bucs.
CAM NEWTON
Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera laughed when asked about superstar Cam Newton riding a Segway-like scooter in downtown Char- lotte on Monday without a helmet, while the quarterback was still in the concussion pro- tocol.
"I'm not going to worry about that," Rivera said Tuesday. "The bottom line is he's an adult. We'll go from there."
Dr. Gillian Hotz, the di- rector of the University of Miami concussion protocol at UHealth Sports Medicine, said Newton probably should have considered "alternate transportation" while in the protocol.
Greg Hardy To Pursue MMA Career
Several promotions have reportedly showed interest in Greg Hardy, although he has little experience in mixed martial arts.
Controversial free-agent de- fensive end Greg Hardy is putting his NFL career on hold to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, he told MMAFighting.com.
"I'm very focused and ex- cited to start my MMA career," Hardy said in a statement to the website. "I'm going to do this the right way, I can assure you of that."
Hardy has been training for several months, and sev- eral promotions have already showed interest even though he does not have an extensive background in MMA, accord- ing to the report.
After five weeks of watch- ing quarterback Blaine Gabbert struggle, San Fran- cisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly is making a change.
Kelly on Tuesday named Colin Kaepernick his starting quarterback for Sun- day's game against Buffalo, a decision that comes following weeks of speculation.
"Just to announce, we're going to make a move at quarterback and we're going to start Colin this week and give him an opportunity to run with the ones," Kelly said. "I believe you've got to do it at the beginning of the week just because of how reps are distributed."
COLIN KAEPERNICK
"I think I've always been confident," Kaepernick said. "It's something that I'm ready to step on that field, I'm ready to play. It's been about a year since live game action. So, I'm itching to get out there."
Koetter
JON GRUDEN
“Those guys can say what- ever they want. It had no re- flection at all on my confidence in Jameis Win- ston. There can be no per- son on this planet, other than his parents, that’s more confident in Jameis Winston than me.”
Gruden’s comments may carry extra weight to some because he lives in Tampa, he coached the team, and he had access to the organization for several days in advance of Monday night’s game, giving him an opportunity to develop opin- ions and perspectives that are more informed than most people in the business of expressing football-re- lated opinions.
Koetter insists Gruden isn’t properly informed, and it’s important for Koetter to make the case that he’s con- fident in Winston.
With Back Healed, Jerry Jones Says Conditioning Is Next For Tony Romo
The MRI on Dallas Cow- boys quarterback Tony Romo's back showed that his compression fracture has healed to the point where the quarterback "has no more concern about this injury that has sidelined him this year," general manager Jerry Jones said.
While speaking on the radio on Tuesday morning, Jones, however, would not say when Romo would re- turn to game action. The tar- geted dates have been Oct. 30 against the Philadelphia Ea- gles and Nov. 6 against the Cleveland Browns.
Also on Tuesday, Jones said "we won't take any chances there," regarding wide receiver Dez Bryant's recovery from a tibial plateau
TONY ROMO
fracture near his right knee. Jones said Bryant had some "sensitivity" after run- ning last week and that Thursday and Friday will be critical in determining whether he will play against the Green Bay Packers.
Jones said doctors have told him that Romo's verte- bra should be "as strong or stronger than what it was be- fore the injury."
NFL’s Bennett Brothers Go In On
Commissioner, Coach And Bears
Organization In Interview
The Bennett Brothers did not hold anything back in their interviews on ESPN's E:60.
Martellus Bennett, tight end for the Patriots, and Michael Bennett, defensive end for the Seahawks, were both interviewed for the show, and in a promo re- leased it's clear they aren't- mincing words.
The brothers spoke can- didly about Jay Cutler, but they also went in on Jason Witten, Roger Goodell, and the entire Chicago Bears organization. Labeled the "brofile," as ESPN is calling it, aired Wednesday.
Martellus Bennett a for- mer TE with the Bears ques- tioned Jay Cutler's leadership, and blamed ex- teammates for not winning
Brothers, Martellus and Michael Bennett were inter- viewed on ESPN show E:60 that aired Wednesday.
more games in an ESPN E:60 profile of Bennett and his brother Michael.
The Bears failed to reach the playoffs in any of Martel- lus Bennett's three years on the team, finishing with a combined 19-29 mark. Chicago traded Bennett and a sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots.
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