Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-18

Sports
Bucs Lose Again, Koetter Mum On Possible QB Change
Julio Jones Passes
Ryan Fitzpatrick has been down this road far more times than the veteran quar- terback cares to remember.
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers lost for the third straight time Sunday, failing to score a touchdown in a 16-3 loss to the Washington Redskins de- spite gaining 501 yards total offense and only punting once.
Fitzpatrick topped 400 yards passing for the fourth time this season, yet he may be headed back to the bench after the team’s sixth loss in seven games following a 2-0 start.
That means Jameis Win- ston, benched after throwing four interceptions in a loss at Cincinnati three weeks ago, may be on the verge of getting another chance.
“We’ll talk about all per- sonnel issues (Monday),” said coach Dirk Koetter, who also may consider changing kickers after Chandler Catanzaro missed two more field goals Sunday, one of them a 30-yarder.
One change Koetter’s al-
team to stick together and eventually pull out of the tail- spin.
“Unfortunately for me, I’ve been in this situation 13 straight years in terms of a team that isn’t quite playing up to their potential and hav- ing some struggles,” said Fitz- patrick, who’s been with seven teams during a 14-year career.
“The only way I know how togetoutofitistojustkeep coming to work every day being a professional,” Fitz- patrick added.
Moving the ball wasn’t a problem Sunday. The Bucs outgained the Redskins 501 yards to 286 and got inside the Washington 20 five times.
An interception and two fumbles foiled scoring oppor- tunities. A fourth turnover led to the last three field goals Dustin Hopkins kicked for the Redskins.
Fitzpatrick, 2-4 as a starter this season, shrugged off a question about whether he played well enough to re- tain the starting job.
Fastest To 10,000
DIRK KOETTER
ready made is resuming his role as offensive play caller.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken handled the responsibility for the first eight games, and the Bucs have the NFL’s No. 1 passing attack and rank second in total offense.
So, why switch up before Sunday’s game?
“Just my own reasons,” Koetter said.
The Bucs (3-6) have missed the playoffs 10 consec- utive seasons, the second- longest drought in the NFL behind the Cleveland Browns, who haven’t earned a berth since 2002.
Fitzpatrick expects the
Julio Jones brings a rarely seen combination of size, speed and athleticism to NFL fields with each week.
He passed another one of his fellow rare breeds in the record books Sunday. With his 30-yard reception in the sec- ond quarter against the Cleve- land Browns, Jones became the fastest to reach 10,000 re- ceiving yards in a career, doing so in 104 games. Jones sur- passed former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, who held the previous mark at 115 games.
Jones has benefited from being part of an offense that has long been quarterbacked by Matt Ryan in what has be- come a symbiotic relationship that has produced plenty of yards, points and highlights since 2011. Jones was the leading weapon in a record- setting 2016 Falcons offense, racking up 1,409 yards and six touchdown grabs in 14 games. His four catches for 87 yards paced the Falcons' offense in Super Bowl LI, most memo- rably with an incredible toe- tapping grab made along the
JULIO JONES
sideline in a game Atlanta eventually lost. Selected sixth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2011 NFL Draft, Jones has lived up to every expecta- tion set for him when he ar- rived from the University of Alabama.
The big-bodied Jones has terrorized opposing defenses with his aforementioned ath- leticism and premier hands, making highlight-reel grabs and serving as the focal point of every opposing defense's game plan when the Falcons come up on the schedule.
Atlanta traded five picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 6 to select Jones. As evidenced by his latest accom- plishment, Jones has proven that decision to be worth every penny.
USF Loses Again At Cincinnati 35-23
LeVeon Bell Likely To Miss Season And Lose $15M
Calvin Johnson As
The once 7-0 South Florida Bulls are now 7-3 and elimi- nated from contention for the AAC East title after they lost 35-23 to the Cincinnati Bearcats inside Nippert Sta- dium on Saturday night.
USF was without starting quarterback Blake Barnett due to a shoulder injury and redshirt sophomore Chris Oladokun earned his first ca- reer start in his place.
Things started well for USF offensively after the de- fense forced the Bearcats to punt on their opening posses- sion. On second down, Oladokun threw a deep pass to senior Ryeshene Bron- son who hauled in the pass one-handed and off the back of a UC defender for a 72-yard touchdown. Kicker Coby Weiss’s PAT attempt was blocked.
The Bearcats scored later in the first quarter after a short punt by Trent Schnei- der combined with a face- mask penalty gave UC the ball at the USF 9. Three plays later, Bearcats’ QB Desmond Rid-
der found Khalil Lewis from eight yards out to give UC a 7-6 lead.
Weiss tacked on a 37-yard field goal to give USF a 9-7 lead heading into the second quarter. Ridder then found running back Michael War- ren II wide open in the left flat for a 13-yard score just minutes into the quarter to give UC a 14-9 lead.
Redshirt junior quarter- back Brett Kean entered the game for the Bulls and orches- trated a six play, 75 yard touchdown drive capped off with a 38-yard diving catch by tight end Mitchell Wilcox,
who returned from an ankle injury that sidelined him last week versus Tulane.
USF took a 16-14 lead into halftime with the defense holding their own against one of the best teams in the con- ference. The defense allowed just 4.2 yards per play in the opening half.
Then the second half started and all of the problems that have plagued the Bulls during the first nine games came roaring back. Missed tackles, missed assignments, and poor coverage led to a 21- point third quarter for Cincin- nati.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell is unlikely to report to the team by Tues- day's deadline, which would make him ineligible to play the rest of this season, league sources told reporters. He would lose about $15 million.
Even as the Steelers brace to lose their marquee running back for the entire season, Bell's camp continues to maintain its cone of silence and repeatedly has declined to address with reporters his plans for the coming week.
Ten months ago, Bell said he "definitely would consider" sitting out the 2018 season or retiring if the Steelers used the franchise tag on him for a sec- ond consecutive season. The Steelers did use the tag, and there are no indications that Bell will report by the dead- line. As the team and its fans await Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, by which Bell must report or be ineligible to play in 2018, it is worth remembering what the Pro Bowl back said in January.
By sitting out this season, the 26-year-old Bell ostensibly
LE’VEON BELL
has been trying to preserve his value and body, allowing James Conner (771 yards on 164 carries with 10 touch- downs) to get the work in the Steelers' backfield. Conner, who averages 4.7 yards per carry, is on pace for close to 300 carries, similar to what Bell had last season. It is wear and tear that Bell seemingly did not want to absorb as he gets ready to become a free agent.
The running back has re- portedly skipped every chance he has had to report, including during Pittsburgh's recent bye week, when he could have col- lected $855,000 just for being on the roster.
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