Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 9-13-16 Online Edition

Sports
Dez Bryant Can't Catch A Break In End Zone
DEZ BRYANT
Football season doesn't begin until Dez Bryant has a highlight reel catch taken away by the bad people.
In a related story, football season has begun.
With under seven minutes to play in the second quarter of the Cowboys' season opener against the Giants, Bryant went high in the back of the end zone to bring down a Dak Prescott pass for a 24-yard score.
Officials ruled it a touch- down on the field, but the league's review command center in New York had a dif- fering opinion. The touch- down was taken off Bryant's ledger -- fairly in this case, it should be stated -- and the Cowboys had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Dan Bailey.
Sage Steele Earns New Major Spot On ESPN
SAGE STEELE
Sage Steele is one of the most visibly prominent fe- male sports commentators in the game right now! Now, she’s getting an expanded duty at ESPN.
She’s been on ESPN for nearly a decade, and is cur- rently the host of NBA Count- down. She’ll continue being the host of NBA Countdown, but now she has another gig to add to her plate! She’ll be lead host of SportsCenter on the Road!
This role will see Steele anchoring on the road at the biggest events in sports, in- cluding the Super Bowl, NBA Finals the Final Four, the Masters and many, many more! This is a part of Steele’s newly-minted, multi-year contract extension with the network.
Describing Steele as one of the sports newtork’s “most recognizable and talented personalities,” ESPN says her new role will begin in Octo- ber.
Robert Griffin, III Says He Suffered A Sprained Shoulder In Browns Debut
Jameis Winston in the locker room celebrating his team’s season opening win.
Robert Griffin, III's
Browns debut didn't go all too well. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes (12 of 26), failed to reach the end zone, threw a pick, and endured three sacks. He also suffered an injury to his non- throwing shoulder.
Speaking with reporters after the Browns' 29-10 loss to the Eagles, RG3 revealed the extent of his banged-up shoulder. According to the quarterback himself, it's a sprained shoulder.
"The play happened and you just got to move on from it," Griffin said, per ESPN. "You know, sprained shoul- der. Just gotta monitor it
ROBERT GRIFFIN, III
and see how it goes."
“The play" that "hap-
pened" wasn't pretty. With just under four minutes re- maining in the game, Grif- fin left the pocket and headed toward the sideline. That's where he collided with Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills.
It didn’t come easy, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the only NFC South team to open the season with a win.
The Bucs beat their NFC South foes, the Atlanta Fal- cons, 31-24, thanks in part to quarterback Jameis Winston’s four touchdown passes.
Winston’s night didn’t start off as expected with him completing one of his first four passes, and on the seventh pass, he threw an interception. But he made up for it in the second and third quarters with touch- down drives of 75 or more yards.
On the receiving end of touchdown passes from Winston were tight end Brandon Myers, running back Charles Sims, tight end Austin Seferian-
Jenkins, and wide receiver Mike Evans.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan led a furious comeback that fell short in the fourth quarter.
Winston finished the night with 23 completions on 33 attempts for 281 yards, and running back Doug Martin carried the ball 18 times for 62 yards, as well as picking up 34 yards on five receptions.
With the Falcons driving for a tying score in the fourth quarter, defensive end Gerald McCoy ended the comeback when he bat- ted down a pass attempt from Ryan.
The Bucs will be hitting the road again, this time traveling to Arizona to face the Cardinals in a 4 p.m. game that will be televised on Fox.
Momentum Building For Ray Rice To Possibly Return This Season
There's a growing sense inside the league that former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who last played in a game Dec. 29, 2013, might get a chance to play in the NFL again this season, according to a league source.
After Week 1, NFL player contracts no longer are guar- anteed for the season. The chances of Rice finding work will increase as more run- ning backs are injured in the opening weeks.
In the past, teams such as the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills have considered signing Rice.
Rice, 29, has remained in NFL-ready shape, consis-
RAY RICE
tently working out. The NFL has been impressed by how Rice has handled his foot- ball exile and has considered adding him to the league of- fice as a spokesman, accord- ing to a league source. But the source said the NFL isn't sure it will get the chance to hire him because of interest among teams.
After Anger Subsides Over
NFL, Players' Union To
Loss, Cowboys Like What They
Investigate How Panthers
Saw In Rookie QB Dak Prescott
Handled Cam Newton In Opener
The obscene self-assess- ment and locker room hissing with disappointment by the Dallas Cowboys after Sun- day’s 20-19, home-opening loss to the New York Giants, quickly subsided.
And as the night wore on, the flip side of all of the frus- tration emerged. The Cow- boys’ lament at 0-1 is different than last season’s familiar deflations. Unlike many of last year’s losses, this was a game Dallas believes it should have won – not could have won. This is a locker room that is very familiar with the difference.
Last season, the quarter- back situation was so screwed up for Dallas that the team stopped anticipating wins and started hoping for them. But these Cowboys are expec- tant again. And a large part of it is coming from the play of rookie quarterback Dak
Rookie QB Dak Prescott, was a star in college at Ole Miss just like his opponent, Giant QB Eli Manning.
Prescott.
Praised by commentators
for his poise and ability to read defenses the whole game, Prescott’s numbers weren’t staggering: 25 for 45 for 227 yards with zero touchdowns and a 69.4 quar- terback rating. But wideouts Cole Beasley and Dez Bryant both dropped touch- down passes that would have framed Sunday in a com- pletely different light.
The NFL and its players union are launching separate probes into the Carolina Panthers’ compliance with concussion protocol after star quarterback Cam New- ton took a blow to the head late in Thursday night’s kick- off game against the Denver Broncos.
Under a new policy jointly announced in July, Panthers could face disci- pline from NFL commis- sioner Roger Goodell if it’s found the medical team didn’t follow the protocol. Each side will review its find- ings and recommend a disci- plinary response. If they can’t agree, a third-party ar- bitrator will conduct a review and issue a report.
The NFL noted in a state- ment Sunday morning that “initiation of this process does not mean that we have seen any evidence that the
CAM NEWTON
Protocol was applied im- properly, but simply reflects our obligation to ensure the health and safety of our play- ers.” The investigation gives both sides the ability to re- view documents and video and formally interview all in- volved parties, including the ATC spotters and unaffili- ated neurotrauma consultant on hand when Newton took a helmet to the chin from Broncos safety Darian Stewart in the final minute of Thursday’s game.
Jameis Winston's 4 TD Passes Push Bucs Past Falcons 31-24 In Opener
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