Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-15 Edition

Sports
Bucs To Face Third NFC East Opponent
For the third straight week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be facing a team from the NFC East when they host the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday at Ray- mond James Stadium.
With the players disgusted over the close games they’ve lost the past two weeks, defense lineman Gerald McCoy has stepped up, vowing to do more to help his team win.
To put a little more punch on defense the Bucs released cor- nerback Tim Jennings, and reactivated offensive lineman Demar Dotson.
Most observers agree that the Bucs are a lot better than their 3-5 record, and quarterback Jameis Winston has turned out to be a real team leader al- though he’s a rookie.
Head coach Lovie Smith is under pressure from the media because of the team’s perform- ance over the past two weeks, but those inside of professional football know that when the head coach prepares his players for a game, he expects them to carry out the game plan.
The Bucs have reshuffled their offensive line in search of consistency, and have made moves in the defensive back- field with hopes of putting more pressure on the elite wide re- ceivers in the league.
The Cowboys will come to Tampa without the services of their leading tackler, Sean Lee, who suffered his second concussion in five weeks last Sunday in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kickoff will be at 1 p. m.
Winston Has NFL's 2nd-Longest INT-Free Streak
Jameis Winston continued to protect the football on Sun- day against a New York Giants defense which led the NFL in interceptions heading into the game.
Kansas City’s Alex Smith is the only quarterback besides Winston to go without throw- ing an interception since Week 4. Smith currently has the league’s longest streak without an interception, spanning back to Week 3. Winston’s streak of four games, or five weeks, is the second-longest.
San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick and Buffalo’s Tyrod Taylor have also been interception-free since Week 4, but neither have started all of their team’s games during that time. Kaepernick was benched this past weekend while Taylor missed time with
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Jameis Winston hasn't thrown an interception since Week 4. Just one other NFL quarterback has gone longer without throwing a pick.
an injury.
Winston has another streak
running as well. He’s thrown for at least 175 yards in each of his eight games this season
Buccaneer Head Coach Lovie Smith Must Be Retained
LOVIE SMITH STERLING MOORE Buccaneers Head Coach .....looking good at cornerback.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer (An Analysis)
Before the 2015 season even started, sportswriters, broad- cast journalists, and some who know nothing about profes- sional football had their say about Tampa Bay Buccaneer head coach Lovie Smith.
After finishing last season 2- 14, observers laid down the gauntlet that if the team stum- bled for a second season, Smith might as well start packing his bags.
Before we start making plans for Smith to leave town, let’s take a look at a few fac- tors.
First, people seem to forget that it was Smith who not only turned the Chicago Bears program around, but took them to a Super Bowl.
Second, if you’ve seen the way the Bucs have performed this season, there’s no way you can blame their lack of success on the head coach.
This past Sunday, numerous dropped passes, fumbles, penalties, and the failure to generate any consistency proved to be the team’s undo- ing. There are no coaches in the NFL who could have done any better with what Smith has had to work with.
Starting wide receiver Vince Jackson is out, the offensive line continues to be a work in progress, and on defense, the defensive backfield is a mess, causing the team to part ways with Tim Jennings.
A shining light at that posi- tion has been Sterling Moore, a 5th year player from Southern Methodist.
If you let the sportswriters from some of the area’s print media, analysts from ESPN, and some arm chair quarter- backs have their way, the Bucs would be changing head coaches after each loss. That’s not the way the NFL works.
I always find it amazing how fans and sportswriters can have bottomless patience with head coaches who are
long past their effectiveness, but so little patience with a man in only his second year with a very young team.
I believe given the time and draft picks, Smith will build a championship team that will shut the mouths of all doubters.
The problem with that sce- nario is the Glazers have not shown patience with past head coaches once the team starts losing games, so if the Bucs don’t start picking things up for the rest of the season, you can bet the Glazers will take the advice of all of the out- siders, and Smith will be out of a job.
As fans, I think we need to show ultimate support for Smith, and fight back at the establishment that is seeking to run him out of town.
The NFL has long been known for recycling head coaches who have had losing records everywhere they’ve gone. Look at coaches Rex Ryans, Ken Whisenhut (recently fired), and a few oth- ers, and you’ll see that those owners don’t care what suc- cess they’ve had. They are looking at the drawing power their names have in getting fans to come to the games.
I want to believe the fans in Tampa are behind Smith, and will show that support this Sunday when the Dallas Cow- boys come to town. The Cow- boys will be the third straight NFC East team the Bucs will play this season, and although they haven’t beaten one yet, it’s not because of Lovie Smith. That was evident after Sunday’s game where the play- ers just unraveled and forgot the important things, like maintaining composure, and catching the ball before you start trying to make a move.
This is just the halfway point for the team, so let’s shoe diehard support and help them finish strong. Not for the sake of Lovie Smith, but for the sake of the fans and the players who are eager for suc- cess.
NFL Suspends Joseph Randle For Violating Conduct Policy
IRVING, Texas -- Running back Joseph Randle has been suspended four games by the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy, one week after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFL announced the sus- pension Tuesday. It starts im- mediately, even though he is not on an active roster.
Randle was already away from the team to deal with an unspecified personal issue when he was released by the Cowboys last Tuesday.
The NFL had investigated Randle's arrest last year in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas. He was arrested for unlawful possession of mari- juana after police received a call about domestic violence with a weapon after an inci- dent with Randle and the
Joseph Randle's suspension will take place immediately, even though the running back is not on an active roster.
mother of his son.
According to the police re-
port, she said Randle broke a car window in an argument and threatened her with a gun with their son nearby. In April, the charges were dropped, but although he was legally in the clear, Randle faced sanctions from the NFL.
Heat Deal Mario Chalmers To Grizzlies
MARIO CHALMERS
The Miami Heat announced Tuesday that they have traded veteran guard Mario Chalmers to the Memphis Grizzlies.
In a four-player swap, the Heat sent Chalmers and for- ward James Ennis to the Grizzlies for guard Beno Udrih and forward Jarnell Stokes.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015