Page 27 - Florida Sentinel 8-28-15 Edition

Sports
Dalvin Cook Found Not Guilty In Battery Case; FSU Lifts Suspension
Steelers Sign QB Michael Vick To 1-Year Deal As Backup To Ben Roethlisberger
Bucs To Matchup Against Browns In Third Preseason Game Saturday
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shown a progression since their opening preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings.
In their second game against the Cincinnati Bengals, fans and Buccaneer coaches got a glimpse of the future when Jameis Winston performed like a seasoned veteran before tweaking his ankle during a tackle.
This Saturday at Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs will face off against the Cleveland Browns, who won’t be starting Johnny Manzeil.
Winston displayed his ac- curacy, command of the hud- dle, and quick decision making last week, and with the aid of a healthy running game, was able create a flow on offense.
Head Coach Lovie Smith
JAMEIS WINSTON
said there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done as im- provements are needed on the offensive line and in the defen- sive backfield.
Kickoff against the Browns willbeat7p.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed free-agent quarterback Michael Vick to a one-year deal, the team announced Tuesday.
Vick met with the Steelers in Pittsburgh earlier in the day, as the team was in the market for a backup to Ben Roethlisberger after Bruce Gradkowski dislocated a fin- ger during last week's presea- son game.
In a corresponding move, the Steelers placed Grad- kowski on the reserve/in- jured list. He is having surgery Tuesday.
Vick, 35, spent last season with the New York Jets behind Geno Smith, appearing in 10 games overall, starting three. He completed 64 of 121 passes for 604 yards, throwing three touchdowns and two intercep-
MICHAEL VICK
tions. He also rushed 26 times for 153 yards, and engineered an upset over the Steelers on Nov. 9 by throwing for two touchdowns in a 20-13 victory, his lone triumph during an otherwise forgettable season. The Jets made no move to re- tain him.
DALVIN COOK
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State running back Dalvin Cook was found not guilty Monday of misdemeanor battery, after a woman accused him of punching her in the face in June.
A Leon County jury acquitted Cook on the misdemeanor count, which he was charged with July 10. The 21-year-old woman alleged Cook, a 19- year-old Miami native, punched her in the face several times, fol- lowing a June argument outside of a bar with a handful of Florida State football players. She alleged Cook initially tried to pacify the situation before he grew angry and punched her at least three times.
Soon after the verdict, Florida State announced it has rein- stated Cook, who had been sus- pended indefinitely, pending the results of the trial. He was eligible to return when the Seminoles practice Tuesday.
Cook remained stoic throughout the trial, leaning back in his chair with only his eyes rallying between the attor- neys and witnesses.
The jury needed less than 30 minutes to announce its verdict. Cook turned to attorney Ricky Patel, who sat on his right, and promptly hugged his Miami- based representative.
Cook's mother raised her arms and screamed, "Hallelu- jah!" His father, laboring from a cast on his left foot and resting on crutches, pumped his arms in celebration.
During closing arguments, McCall repeatedly told the jury the evidence and testimony "just doesn't add up." Cook's attor- neys harped on inconsistencies in the statements made by the alleged victim and her friend to police and the 911 dispatcher on the night of June 23, when the incident was alleged to have happened.
Cook's attorneys also said the alleged victim's injuries were not consistent with those of someone who had been punched multiple times by a 215-pound football player. Mc- Call, using a visual aid, also ar- gued in his closing statement that the state attorney's office did not meet the burden of proof.
Quinton Flowers Is USF's Starting Quarterback
Quinton Flowers has been named USF’s starting quarter- back.
Bulls head coach Willie Taggart announced Monday that Flowers, a sophomore, had outlasted senior Steven Bench for the role. Flowers, who made one start as a true freshman in 2014, is one of five different starting quarter- backs Taggart has employed during his two seasons leading the program.
The Bulls have made the switch to a spread offense – one that suits Flowers’ dual- threat abilities.
Flowers appeared in five games for the Bulls in 2014 and won his lone start against SMU on Nov. 15 – a 14-13 USF victory. Overall in 2014, com- pleted just 8-of-20 passes for 111 yards and two intercep-
South Florida Bulls quar- terback Quinton Flowers (9) rolls out to pass.
tions and also added 73 yards on 13 rushing attempts.
Flowers beat out the more- experienced Bench, who transferred to USF from Penn State in 2013.
Coming off a 4-8 record in 2014, USF opens its 2015 sea- son at home against Florida A&M on Sept. 5.
Michael Bennett: QBs Get Inflated Deals, Overreact To Getting Hit
RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett is a fan of neither the inflated market for NFL quarterbacks nor the way some of them react to getting hit.
Bennett made both of those points clear -- with his distinc- tive flair -- during an inter- view.
First among Bennett's grievances was the Miami Dol- phins' Ryan Tannehill, who has a 23-25 record in three seasons and signed a six-year extension worth about $95 million in May.
"Quarterback is the only po- sition in the NFL where you could be mediocre and get paid. At every other position, you can't be mediocre," Ben- nett said.
Next up was the Philadel- phia Eagles' Sam Bradford, who has been at the center of a recent debate about quarter- backs getting hit after hand- offs. Bradford was hit low by Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs after a handoff during a preseason game on Saturday, drawing a roughing-the-passer penalty that the NFL later said wasn't warranted.
"There's some mediocre quarterbacks in the NFL that make a lot of money," Ben- nett said. "You take a guy like Sam Bradford -- he's never played really in the last three years, but he's made more money than most guys in the NFL."
Bennett then referenced the Bradford-Suggs play from Saturday's game and the
Michael Bennett gives Tom Brady credit for not complaining after he gets hit, saying he "holds his own like a man."
debate it has sparked.
"Then quarterbacks get pro-
tected more than any other player. I mean, he gets hit in his knees and he's about to cry," Bennett said, making a whimpering sound.
Bennett gave a tip of the cap to the quarterbacks who don't react that way.
"I respect Tom Brady be- cause when Tom Brady gets hit, he gets up and is like, 'Good job. Good hit.'
Bennett also credited Pey- ton Manning and Cam Newton for the toughness they show after being hit.
Bennett also talked about his own contract situation dur- ing the interview. He made it clear on several occasions over the offseason that he feels he's worth more than what he's making on the four-year, $28.5 million extension he signed before the 2014 season. Bennett said he considered holding out from training camp but decided to show up despite his dissatisfaction with his contract.
Cowboys CB Scandrick Tears ACL, MCL
OXNARD, Calif. -- Dallas Cowboys cornerback Or- lando Scandrick will miss the entire 2015 season after tearing both the anterior cru- ciate and medial collateral lig- aments in his right knee, Scandrick told reporters.
He will undergo surgery after an MRI exam revealed Scandrick had torn the two ligaments in practice at train- ing camp Tuesday, an injury that will leave the Cowboys with a gaping hole in their sec- ondary.
The 28-year old Scandrick said in another text to ESPN: "I'll be back, and I'll be better than ever."
Scandrick's knee buckled as he broke on a pass intended for rookie receiver Lucky Whitehead, whose momen- tum carried him into the cor-
ORLANDO SCANDRICK
nerback, who was already going to the ground. Scan- drick needed to be carted off the field.
"He said immediately, 'It's my ACL. I know it. It's gone,'" secondary coach Jerome Henderson said after prac- tice.
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