Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 9-17-19

Sports
Bruce Arians Had To Say Good Things About Todd Bowles
Drew Brees ‘Concerned’ Thumb Injury Is Significant
DREW BREES
There is no official injury news on Drew Brees yet, but the New Orleans Saints star quarterback has concerns about his status moving for- ward.
Brees hurt his right thumb on the Saints’ second drive against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday when his hand was met with Aaron Donald’s. He was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater on the following drive and did not return to the game.
After his Saints lost 27-9, Brees told reporters that he will see a hand specialist in Los Angeles. The veteran QB also said he was “concerned” that the injury might be significant.
Roethlisberger’s Elbow Injury Is Not New
BEN ROETHLISBERGER
Pittsburgh Steelers quarter- back Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury apparently had some foreshadowing during practice this past week.
Roethlisberger went down in the first half of Sun- day’s game against the Seattle Seahawks with an injury to his throwing elbow. He did not re- turn for the second half of the 28-26 loss, and there was little word on his status going for- ward immediately after the game.
It turns out that this was not out of the blue. One Steelers player said that Roethlis- berger had spent the week battling elbow inflammation.
NFL Fines 49ers' Kwon Alexander For Hit On Sliding Jameis Winston
KWON ALEXANDER AND JAMEIS WINSTON
TODD BOWLES AND BRUCE ARIANS
San Francisco 49ers line- backer Kwon Alexander received his third round of discipline from the NFL on Saturday for his helmet-to- helmet hit on Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston last week.
Alexander, who already received a 15-yard penalty for the personal foul and an ejec- tion from the 49ers’ season opener, was fined $28,075 for unnecessary roughness for his hit on a sliding Winston
in the first quarter of Week 1. Alexander played his first four NFL seasons with the Buccaneers before signing a four-year, $54 million con- tract with the 49ers on the first day of free agency in March. Following the 49ers’ 31-17 victory, coach Kyle Shanahan presented Alexander with a game ball. Alexander played only 20 snaps in the game and had three tackles against his for-
mer team.
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers are 1-1 after their win Thursday night over the divi- sion rival Carolina Panthers.
And, while head coach Bruce Arians may not have been pleased by the perform- ance of his tight end O.J. Howard, or rather lack thereof, he came away thrilled by the defensive ef- fort his team put forth in their 20-14 win.
After finishing 27th over- all in the league last year in defense, the Bucs have turned things around already through the first two weeks of the season, and you can thank new defensive coordi- nator Todd Bowles for that.
The former New York Jets head coach and defen- sive coordinator of the Ari- zona Cardinals brings with him a wealth of experience, and Arians, himself, had this to say about being on the headset with his DC and good friend.
There’s no denying the Arians-Bowles partnership has yielded tremendous re- sults in the past. Bucs fans are hopeful the pair can help return Tampa Bay to the postseason like they did for the Cards in Arizona.
So far, this defense looks up to the challenge. Hope- fully, the offense can follow suit.
Patriots Have
Antonio Brown Avoid
Media After Debut
The New England Patriots are experts at avoiding media circuses and knew how to handle Antonio Brown after his debut with the team on Sunday.
Brown played and caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 43-0 win over the Miami Dol- phins. The wide receiver did not speak with the media dur- ing the week and was seem- ingly shuttled out of the locker room after Sunday’s game so he would not be al- lowed to talk. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin says Brown was out of the locker room, his locker was cleared out, and his name plate taken down before reporters were allowed in.
Brown being allowed by the NFL to play in the game
ANTONIO BROWN
despite facing sexual assault allegations from his former trainer Britney Taylor was a big surprise as is. The league, Patriots, and Brown’s legal team probably all believe it’s best to have him not make any public state- ments or take questions in the meantime.
Expect some Brown news early in the week considering Taylor plans to speak with the league on Monday.
PAGE 12 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019