Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 8-6-19

Sports
David Griffin Tries To Clarify
Lamar Jackson Has Made ‘Huge Strides’ In Training Camp
LAMAR JACKSON
The Baltimore Ravens are probably going to go as far as Lamar Jackson can take them this season, and the sec- ond-year quarterback appears to be headed in the right di- rection with the regular sea- son a month away.
Jackson struggled with ac- curacy and throwing the ball down the field as a rookie last year, and he has admitted he needs to get better at making plays with his arm rather than just his legs. Ravens fans should feel good about the fact that Jeff Zrebiec of The Ath- letic listed Jackson among his five players who have im- pressed at training camp thus far, noting that the former Louisville star “looks like a different quarterback” than he did in minicamp back in June.
“It would be easy not to in- clude him, because he seems to be the story of every prac- tice,” Zrebiec wrote. “How- ever, he’s made huge strides since the start of camp.”
Jackson was openly criti- cal of himself for some of the passing struggles he had ear- lier in the offseason, so per- haps he has worked through some of those issues. New of- fensive coordinator Greg Roman has made it clear he is not concerned about Jack- son’s style, but NFL quarter- backs have to be able to pass the ball effectively. Jackson averaged just 7.1 yards per at- tempt last season and com- pleted 58.2 percent of his throws. If those numbers im- prove and he can stay healthy, he should have a much easier time keeping defenses on their heels.
Report: Tom Brady, Patriots Close To Finalizing
Comments About LeBron’s
Former Cleveland Cava- liers general manager David Griffin made headlines this week for some remarks that made it seem like he was questioning LeBron James’ hunger to win titles, but the executive says important con- text was lacking in the way his thoughts were presented.
In a feature for Sports Il- lustrated that was published this week, Griffin said there “wasn’t a lot else for (Le- Bron)” in Cleveland after he fulfilled his promise of deliv- ering the city its first NBA title. Griffin tried to explain what he meant in an appear- ance on ESPN’s “The Jump” Friday afternoon.
“My belief at that time was there’s no way anyone can be born in Akron, Ohio, deliver the first championship in 52 years to Cleveland, Ohio, and be the same human being. It’s not possible,” Griffin said. “My fear at that time was that he wouldn’t have that same animal-like desire to win. What we’ve seen, obviously, is he’s gone to multiple Finals since, so it was an unfounded fear that I had at the time.”
Griffin emphasized that
DAVID GRIFFIN
the beliefs he shared with SI were ones he had previously, but some will say he is just trying to save face since the remarks got so much atten- tion. After all, he did say Le- Bron isn’t “the same animal anymore about winning.” It sounded like Griffin was speaking in the present tense, unless he was misquoted.
ESPN reported on Friday that Griffin reached out to LeBron to express that con- text was missing in the SI ar- ticle, and LeBron’s camp encouraged him to clear up his stance on the record.
Tom Brady has never played under the final year of a contract in the nearly two decades he has been with the New England Patriots, and that theme will continue this season.
ESPN’s Field Yates re- ports that Brady and the Pa- triots are close to finalizing an agreement on a contract ex- tension.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media added that the con- tract is a short-term deal, which was to be expected.
Brady turned 42 over the weekend, but we don’t need to explain all the ways he is different from your average 42-year-old NFL player, of which there have barely been any. He led the Patriots to yet another championship last season, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t play at a high level for another two or
TOM BRADY
three years. Plus, he’s due to count $27 million against the salary cap in 2019, so the Pa- triots will almost certainly lower that number with his new deal.
Brady recently tried to be clever when asked questions about his contract situation, but there was never really a doubt that he and the team would work something out before Week 1.
Desire To Win
Contract Extension
Report: Lakers-Clippers,
Yankee Fans Taunt David
Additional details about the NBA's 2019-20 schedule con- tinue to trickle out, with the season reportedly set to start on Oct. 22.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on Saturday, games planned for NBA opening night include the first Los Angeles Lakers- Los Angeles Clippers show- down and the defending champion Toronto Raptors taking on Zion Williamson in his first regular-season ap- pearance with the New Or- leans Pelicans.
It's apparent the NBA is using the battle of Los Angeles as one of its key storylines to build this season's schedule.
ESPN's Adrian Woj- narowski reported Friday the Clippers and Lakers will be one of this year's Christmas Day games.
If the NBA is going to spot- light a rivalry in 2019-20, it makes sense to choose one that features LeBron James and Anthony Davis squar- ing off with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Williamson's NBA debut will also be one of the most- hyped games of the season.
Price With ‘Who’s Your
New York Yankees fans broke out an oldie but a goodie during Sunday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
After former Tampa Bay Rays ace and Red Sox star David Price threw behind Didi Gregorius in the first inning of the game, the “Bleacher Creatures” taunted the southpaw with a “who’s your daddy?” chant.
The Bleacher Creatures are a group of fans who sit in the seats beyond the right field fence. They are hardcore supporters known for being tough on opposing players, and sometimes even Yankees players. They continued the chant in the third inning when the Yankees rallied for multiple runs off Price.
The “who’s your daddy” chant dates back to Pedro
DAVID PRICE
Martinez’s rivalry with the Yankees. In 2004, the former Red Sox pitcher was hit hard by the Yankees and said he had to call them his “daddy” for dominating him. That led Yankees fans to taunt Pedro with a “who’s your daddy” chant.
ANTHONY DAVIS AND LEBRON JAMES
The No. 1 overall pick in June's draft has sky-high ex- pectations and is taking over for Davis as the face of the Pelicans.
The Raptors will start a sea- son as NBA champions for the first time ever, though Leonard's departure has seemingly left them having to prove themselves all over again. Taking on an exciting, young New Orleans team will allow them a chance to make an early statement.
If Oct. 22 is the start date for the 2019-20 NBA season, it will be six days later than opening night last year. One potential reason for pushing the start back is the FIBA World Cup, which runs from Aug. 31 through Sept. 15.
Daddy?’ Chant
Pelicans-Raptors Headline
2019-20 NBA Opening Night
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