Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 5-3-2019

Sports
Bucs Given An A+ For Drafting Devin White
ESPN Not Adding Anyone
To 'Monday Night Football'
Booth, Booger McFarland
Gets Big Chance
For all the talk about who could replace Jason Witten on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast, the ulti- mate answer ended up being ... nobody.
There has been little talk about ESPN’s thought process on replacing Witten, who left the “MNF” booth to return to the Dallas Cowboys. Appar- ently ESPN is fine shifting Booger McFarland’s role and keeping everything else the same.
ESPN officially announced that Joe Tessitore will han- dle play-by-play again, Lisa Salters will handle sideline duties like last year, and Mc- Farland will round out the team as the lone analyst. The network apparently won’t be adding anyone else to the broadcast.
Booger McFarland Was A Revelation For ESPN
A funny thing happened during the 2018 “Monday Night Football” season. Wit- ten was brought in as the big name, ESPN’s attempt to replicate what CBS found with Witten’s old Cowboys teammate Tony Romo. But as the “MNF” season went on, McFarland was stealing the show.
McFarland, a former de- fensive tackle who spent eight
JASON WITTEN AND JOE TESSITORE; BOOGER MCFARLAND
NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indi- anapolis Colts, had been a part of ESPN’s college football coverage for years. He started at SEC Network and moved up to national coverage, mainly doing studio work. Then ESPN had the idea to have him provide sideline analysis during NFL games, from the so-called ‘Booger mobile” that rode alongside the field (and often got in fans’ way).
McFarland was engaging, funny and had strong, instant opinions. He stood out, espe- cially compared to Witten, who often blended in with the broadcast as he learned his way in a new field. McFar- land was a great surprise, de- spite being in an odd role detached from the Tessi- tore-Witten booth.
McFarland will have a more traditional spot on Monday nights in 2019. He earned it.
Tampa Bay’s draft was not a very popular one among the fan base.
The Devin White pick even came with some criti- cism. But not all reviews were bad.
SB Nation’s draft expert Dan Kadar gave each team their A+ move for the NFL Draft. And for theBucca- neers, the selection of White was the team’s most notable move.
There were many who felt
DEVIN WHITE White wasn’t even a Top 3
linebacker, but nearly all
draft analysts had White as their top draft prospect. Kadar was one, as you can see.
The organization has been speaking highly of White since the selection. While it’ll be some time before we see White in action, it’s a very intriguing thought of what this staff wants to do with him.
Not to mention, a new feel an attitude on the defensive side of the ball.
Russell Wilson And Ciara Start Production Company
RUSSELL WILSON AND CIARA
Russell Wilson and his Grammy-winning wife Ciara are set to expand their brand by launching a production company which will tell “in- spiring and aspiring narratives and human interest stories” through film, television and digital content.
The Seattle Seahawks quar- terback intends to show off his “innovative and creative” side via Why Not You Productions, telling The Hollywood Re- porter that “When people look at me, I hope they don’t just see a football player,” he previ- ously said.
Russell and Ciara released a joint statement about their new business venture: “While we work in different fields in our day-to-day, we are excited to come together to collaborate and create stories that we hope will touch people’s lives,” the power couple said. “We are both storytellers at heart and we want to be able to share sto- ries that uplift people and in- spire others to create positive change. That’s ultimately what we want this company to rep- resent.”
Is Trading For Bucs DT
Gerald McCoy Realistic
For The Browns?
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers have a Gerald McCoy problem.
John Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns might be the solution.
Tampa Bay is rumored to be looking to move on from the Pro Bowl defensive tackle, whose salary is too high in the face of slightly de- clining production. The Browns are still looking for depth and potential impact on the defensive line.
Seems logical Dorsey and the Browns would have an interest.
The benefits of acquiring McCoy are easy to see. He’s one of the best all-around 3- techniques in the league, ca- pable of embarrassing guards and centers with his speed and power in the pass rush. McCoy is a very good tackler and plays an assign- ment-savvy style.
Of course, there are draw- backs. Teams aren’t in the
GERALD MCCOY
habit of just giving away players one year removed from making six Pro Bowls in a row. McCoy is now 31 and hasn’t played a full 16 games since 2013. He’s due $13 mil- lion in salary in 2019, though none of that is guaranteed. That’s why he’s holding out and why the Bucs appear in- terested in moving him.
The Browns can’t really af- ford to pay him $13 million in 2019, but if part of the trade is an agreement to re- structure the deal, that makes it more palatable.
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