Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 9-28-18

Sports
Coach Tony Dungy
Jameis Winston: 'Most
Bears vs. Bucs Sunday At
1 P. M. On FOX
JAMEIS WINSTON
The Bears defense is on a whole different level than the Pittsburgh Steelers, however, and the Buccaneers’ passing at- tack will find the swarming pass rush and playmaking sec- ondary a bit more challenging than their first three oppo- nents.
Chicago opened the week as two-point favorites to win the game, which when factoring the three points usually tilted toward the home team, sug- gests oddsmakers think the Bears will lose. But after Tampa Bay’s Week 3 loss, the line has shifted by a point and Chicago now has a three-point edge.
Rams Put Aqib Talib On IR; CB Has To Miss At Least 8 Weeks If He Returns
AQIB TALIB
The Los Angeles Rams placed cornerback Aqib Talib on injured reserve Wednesday.
Talib will undergo ankle surgery Thursday after he suf- fered a high-ankle sprain in a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
"It's unfortunate," Rams coach Sean McVay said about Talib's injury earlier this week.
McVay was unable to pro- vide a specific timeline for Talib's return, but the 11th- year pro will be sidelined for at least eight weeks on injured re- serve.
Cornerback Marcus Pe- ters is questionable to play Thursday after he suffered a calf strain against the Chargers. McVay said Peters would be a game-time decision.
The Rams acquired Talib in March from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fifth- round pick. He is scheduled to earn $19M before his contract expires after next season.
Important Thing Is The
Inducted Into Bucs’
Success We Are Having;
Ring Of Honor
Happy To Be Back'
ing how he left the Bucs.
He was fired in 2001, right before they won the Super Bowl with Jon Gruden at the helm. Even though he had the best winning percentage in franchise history, they still decided to let him go. Maybe they gave him the honor in recognition of his roster building prior to that Super
Bowl win.
Either way, the Bucs’ loss
was the Colts gain. He led the Colts to their only Super Bowl victory since they moved to Indianapolis. He was able to beat the Bears in a rain- soaked victory in Florida, winning 29-16. This was one of the many things that led him to be inducted into the Colts’ ring of honor back in 2010.
Dungy was a great coach but is an even better man. He helped the Colts become a better team and a closer team. Any accolade that he gets is well deserved.
On his first day back at practice following a three- game suspension, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarter- back Jameis Winston was asked how he'd handle pos- sibly being the second-string quarterback behind Ryan Fitzpatrick.
"The most important thing is the success we are having," said Winston. "I'm just happy to be back, man. I'm happy that I can be a part of that. I'm not watch- ing from a distance. I can be here with my teammates."
Coach Dirk Koetter hasn't officially named a starter for Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, but a shortened week, along with the Bucs' 2-1 start with Fitz- patrick, have led some to believe that they'll continue to go with the 35-year-old signal-caller for at least an- other week. Fitzpatrick will probably start Sunday against the Bears and star defensive player Khalid Mack.
Koetter said Tuesday that he isn't divulging who his starter will be, even after meeting with both Winston and Fitzpatrick and in- forming them of the team's plan.
JAMEIS WINSTON
"I'm here to assist the best way I possibly can. My passion for this team, my love for this team goes be- yond whether I'm out there throwing the football for this team or not," Winston said.
Winston actually told general manager Jason Licht before his departure that he believed Fitz- patrick would excel. And he has, becoming the first quar- terback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in three consecutive games.
"This is what I expected," Winston said. "Obviously, it's a tough situation to say, but it's a win-win situation, baby. [We're] here balling hard. [We're] winning. The community is behind us. I'm happy, everyone is happy, you guys are happy. As long as we [are] happy, [we're] good."
TONY DUNGY
Tony Dungy is a great
coach. He is the first African American coach to win the Super Bowl when he did it with the Colts back in Febru- ary of 2007 against the Bears. He is also a hall of famer. Monday night, he got another accolade to add to his list.
Dungy was inducted into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor at halftime of their game Monday night. Dungy coached there from 1996-2001. He deserves the honor, but the move did strike me as a little bit odd consider-
James Harrison Suggests
Bucs Safety Chris Conte
Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison suggested that running back Le'Veon Bell should return to the team this season but feign injuries to protect his health.
Harrison said Tuesday on Fox Sports 1 that, if he were in Bell's shoes, he would re- port to the Steelers as late as possible — in mid-November — and practice regularly. But he would fake injuries to avoid playing in games.
"For me, I'd give you everything in practice. You would see, the cameras would see that I am fine, I'm healthy," Harrison said on Fox Sports 1. "But come Sat- urday, something ain't right. I can't play on Sunday. Because ifIgoouthereandImess something up, I'm losing a lot of money."
"If I'm Le'Veon, I'm com- ing back November 13th, and I'd give you everything in practice ... but come Saturday. Something ain't right. I can't play on Sunday."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Chris Conte, who was subjected to a brutal stiff-arm by Steelers tight end Vance McDonald on Monday Night Football, played in the game with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
Conte "gutted it out and honestly shouldn't have played," the source said. The Bucs placed him on injured reserve Monday, clearing a spot for quarterback Jameis Winston to return from his three-game suspension. Conte will be replaced by rookie safety Jordan Whitehead.
There is a possibility that Conte can return later this season. The source said he'd be sidelined for the next six
Vance McDonald's beau- tiful stiff arm may have ended Chris Conte's season.
weeks.
Conte suffered the injury
against the Philadelphia Ea- gles in Week 2; he left the game and did not return. Conte had been limited all week in practice, wearing a brace.
JAMES HARRISON AND LE’VEON BELL
Bell has yet to play for the Steelers this season after re- fusing to sign as a franchise player for $14.5 million over the offseason.
According to the league's collective bargaining agree- ment, he has until Nov. 13 to sign his franchise tender or he will not be permitted to play the rest of the season. Failing to sign the tender would also allow the Steelers to tag Bell again next year at the rate he would have made in 2018 rather than at the heftier price of a third consecutive fran- chise tag.
Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell
Return, Then Feign
Injuries To Avoid Games
Was Playing With Torn
PCL When Run Over
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2018