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Sports
Bucs-Jags Becomes Lowest
Dirk Koetter: Nick Folk’s Performance “Not Quite” What We’re Looking For
NICK FOLK
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut Roberto Aguayo after last Friday’s preseason opener, but coach Dirk Koetter didn’t get a respite from questions about miscues in the kicking game after beating the Jaguars 12-8 on Thursday.
Nick Folk had an extra point blocked and missed a 47- yard field goal during the game, leaving Koetter to joke about having two reporters compete for the job when he spoke to the media after the game.
“Nope, not quite what we were looking for,” Koetter said.
Folk did make two field goals, but the Bucs will proba- bly need to see something bet- ter from the veteran to keep them from taking a long look at Zach Hocker, who signed after Aguayo was booted, or combing through options out- side the organization for a more consistent performance at kicker.
Roberto Aguayo Starts On Wrong Foot With Bears, Missing 49-Yard FG
ROBERTO AGUAYO
Roberto Aguayo’s stay in Chicago might prove shorter than he had hoped. The kicker started on the wrong foot with his new team, missing a 49- yarder at Arizona on Saturday night.
The Buccaneers cut Aguayo on Aug. 12, admitting they made a mistake in trading up in the second round in 2016 to take the former Florida State kicker. He missed an extra point and a 47-yard field goal in the Bucs’ preseason opener, leading to his release.
The Bears claimed Aguayo off waivers to compete with Connor Barth. So far, so bad for Aguayo.
Steelers RB Le'Veon
Bell Expected To Miss
Week 3 Of Preseason
Le'Veon Bell is ex- pected to stay away from the Pittsburgh Steelers for Week 3 of the preseason, a source tells ESPN.
The source would be sur- prised, however, if Bell isn't back with the Steelers shortly after that, citing his love for football.
Bell can always re- arrange his plans, but cur- rently he's slated to remain training on his own for at least the next few days.
The two sides tried to hash out a long-term deal before the July 17 deadline expired for players with franchise tags to sign exten- sions. Instead, Bell skipped
Le'Veon Bell has aver- aged nearly 130 yards from scrimmage per game over his first four seasons.
training camp and hasn't signed his $12.1 million franchise tender. He has been in South Florida for most of August.
Rated ESPN Preseason
Game Since 2005
JAMEIS WINSTON
While it’s too early to start wringing hands and/or gnashing teeth about TV rat-
ings for 2017, ESPN’s debut broadcast did not fare well. At
all.
Thursday’s farewell game
between the Buccaneers and the Jaguars generated a 1.6 rating. Based on numbers from Sports Media Watch, that’s the lowest rating for a preseason game since 2005.
Twelve years ago, a tape- delayed showing of a Falcons- Colts game produced a 1.5 rating.
Buccaneers Add A Pair Of Cornerbacks
The Buccaneers tweaked their roster this weekend with the addition of a pair of cornerbacks to the roster.
They signed Vernon Harris on Saturday and fol- lowed that up by signing Mariel Cooper on Sunday. They also signed tackle Austin Albrecht in another roster move.
Harris signed with the Chiefs last year after playing at Dartmouth and spent the year on injured reserve. Cooper played at The Citadel before signing with the Redskins, who cut him ahead of the start of the 2016 season. Albrecht went un-
Anquan Boldin On
VERNON HARRIS AND MARIEL COOPER
drafted out of Utah State this year.
Cornerback Maurice Fleming, tackle Cole Gardner and running back Quayvon Hickswere waived to make room for the new additions.
Football has always been a priority for Anquan Boldin. But after 14 seasons, more than 200 games and nearly 14,000 yards receiving, the veteran wide receiver now feels a higher calling, which is why he left the Buffalo Bills on Sunday after only two weeks with the team and plans to retire.
"Football has afforded me a platform throughout my ca- reer to have a greater impact on my humanitarian work, and at this time, I feel drawn to make the larger fight for human rights a priority," Boldin said in a statement. "My life's purpose is bigger than football."
Boldin has spent parts of the past two years on Capitol Hill fighting for criminal jus- tice reform. His cousin, Corey Jones, was shot to death by a plain-clothed po- lice officer in 2015 after Jones' van broke down on the side of a South Florida highway.
Since then, Boldin has sought to give a voice not only to his family but also to all of those who feel that their cries for justice and change are falling on deaf ears.
"No. 1, you want to hear that they hear you," Boldin told reporters in 2016 before a trip to Capitol Hill. "You want to make sure they un- derstand the things that we, as an African-American com- munity, are going through. I
ANQUAN BOLDIN
don't think our community feels that way right now, es- pecially when it comes to law enforcement and the way we're being policed.
"Our neighborhoods are feeling hurt. No. 2, you want to see changes in policy, in terms of how we train our po- lice officers. And lastly, you want to see accountability -- that justice will be served for all -- to make sure that the re- lationship between the African-American commu- nity and police can be better. There's work to be done on both sides because there's a huge mistrust there. I want to help close that gap."
Boldin and his wife, Dionne, who have two young sons, have always been heavily involved in commu- nity work in their hometown of Pahokee, Florida. The cou- ple has touched thousands of families by providing educa- tional and life opportunities, and in 2014, they established an endowment that has sup- ported 15 four-year college scholarships.
Retirement: 'My Life's Purpose
Is Bigger Than Football'
Bucs Claim Marquis Lucas Off Waivers From Falcons
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers claimed first-year of- fensive tackle Marquis Lucas off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons as the team continues to churn the roster at that position.
Tampa Bay waived rookie tackle Austin Albrecht, who signed Saturday. Rookie tackle Cole Gardner was waived Saturday with an in- jury designation.
The Bucs are without line- men Demar Dotson and Kevin Pamphile, who are rehabbing minor injuries.
Lucas, 24, played at West Virginia, entering he league as an undrafted free agent with the Bills in 2016. Buffalo released him in the final roster cutdown, and he later joined the Vikings prac-
MARQUIS LUCAS
tice squad.
The Vikings re-signed
Lucas after the season but waived him in May. He joined the Falcons in June, and Atlanta waived him Sat- urday.
Lucas played both tackle positions for the Moun- taineers, starting 30 games in his career.
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