Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 7-21-17

Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could Be Super Bowl Contenders
JAMEIS WINSTON
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Has Spoken To Ezekiel Elliott About Incident
Star quarterback Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the top up-and-coming teams in the NFL heading into the 2017 season, according to a sports source.
They have rebuilt their roster with loads of talent on both sides of the football and are ready to break out and prove that they are capable of being playoff contenders this season.
Head coach Dirk Koet- ter could not have come up with a better way for the Buc- caneers to build their roster than they have.
Looking ahead at the 2017 season, there are plenty of reasons for the Buccaneers’ fan base to be excited. It has been awhile since this team has been viewed as a serious contender in the NFC. Now, they may be just a couple years away from being viewed as one of the favorites to win the conference.
At this point in time, it ap- pears that the Dallas Cow- boys, Green Bay Packers, and Atlanta Falcons are the top three teams in the NFC. There are a handful of other teams that could make a run at the top seeds in the conference as well. Tampa Bay finished the 2016 season with a 9-7 record and appear to be better on paper this season than they were last.
All of that being said, here are five reasons to support the statement that the Bucca- neers are not only a playoff contender this season but also a Super Bowl contender:
Jameis Winston Will Take Another Step In Development
Tampa Bay had a tough decision in the draft a few years back between Jameis Winston and Marcus Mar- iota. After watching Win- ston throw for 4,090 yards
and 28 touchdowns last sea- son, it is apparent that they made the right choice for their system. Winston will take another step in his devel- opment this season and will end up being one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league.
Improved Receiving Corps
The improved receiving corps must be talked about. Mike Evans was one of the best receivers in football last season, and he will have both DeSean Jackson and O. J. Howard joining him this season. That trio is dynamic, to say the least, and will likely help make Tampa’s aerial at- tack one of the most lethal in the NFL.
Defensive Improvement
Last season, the Bucca- neers were not among the best defenses in the league even with the talent that they had on that side of the foot- ball. Tampa finished the sea- son ranked No. 22 against the pass and the run, which placed them under the league average. Despite the disap- pointing numbers from 2016, the Buccaneers have a lot of young talent on the defensive side of the football that will help improve their defense in 2017.
Other Small Reasons
Finishing up the reasons outside of the “big three” that have already been mentioned, the Buccaneers have a few more things on their side. Coaching may not be a hyped- up aspect of football, but Koetter and company are one of the most underrated staffs in the league. Tampa Bay will never be hurting when it comes to the coaching side of the game.
Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he has spoken with Ezekiel Elliott since the running back's involve- ment in an incident at a bar Sunday, but he declined to go into the specifics of their conversation.
Dallas police are investi- gating an assault that left a man with a nose injury, but nobody was arrested and El- liott was not listed as a sus- pect on the initial police report. Jones said he has some detail on what tran- spired but has "more to get."
Jones said he has not spoken with the NFL about
Lions Defensive End Suspended For Third Time
ARMONTY BRYANT
Detroit Lions defensive end Armonty Bryant was sus- pended four games for violat- ing the NFL's substance abuse policy, the third time he has been suspended since the start of last season.
Bryant, then with the Cleveland Browns, was sus- pended for the first four games of last season for violating the NFL's policy against perform- ance-enhancing drugs. The Browns released him when his suspension ended. The Lions claimed him on waivers in Oc- tober.
He was suspended three games in November, also for violating the substance abuse policy.
In this most recent suspen- sion, the NFL said Bryant will be eligible to return to the Lions' active roster on Monday, Oct. 2, and is eligible to partic- ipate in all of the teams presea- son practices and games.
Bryant, 27, became a free agent after the season and re- signed with the Lions in March on a one-year, $855,000 con- tract with $40,000 guaranteed.
JERRY JONES AND EZEKIEL ELLIOT
the recent incident. He also did not know the status of the league's investigation into a domestic violence ac- cusation against Elliott in Columbus, Ohio, last July that could lead to a potential
suspension.
Elliott's camp is bracing
for a short suspension. Dur- ing last season and earlier this offseason, Jones ex- pressed confidence that El- liott would not be penalized by the league, but he struck a different tone Tuesday.
"I don't want to speculate about any decisions from the league or any potential injury or lack of having a player available," Jones said. "Availability is a key. Ability is a key. But availability is a key, and we really do plan, personnel-wise, we plan for a player not being available. That's just part of our DNA."
Kyrie Irving Doesn’t Know
What To Make Of Cavaliers'
Offseason Or LeBron James'
Uncertain Future
Earlier this week, a USA Today report indicated that LeBron James has been frustrated with the way things have gone for the Cav- aliers so far this summer.
While a bunch of teams around the league have im- proved through free agency, the Cavaliers have been sur- prisingly quiet when it has come to trying to improve their team.
And when you couple that with the fact that Le- Bron is going to be a free agent next summer and could conceivably leave Cleveland to finish off his ca- reer elsewhere, it has left a lot of NBA fans confused as to which direction the Cava- liers are going to go moving forward.
Cavaliers star Kyrie Irv- ing sounds like he’s just as confused as everyone else. On Tuesday night, Irving attended Sports Illustrated’s Fashionable 50 event in Los Angeles, and while he was walking the red carpet, SI asked Irving about the Cav- aliers’ offseason and Le- Bron’s uncertain future with the team. And Irving acknowledged that it’s a strange time for the Cava- liers right now.
"We’re in a peculiar place," Irving said. "The best thing we can do is han- dle things with class and professionalism. Obviously,
KYRIE IRVING
we have a great owner that’s willing to spend a little money on guys that he be- lieves in. At this point, we just see what happens throughout the summer."
It’s worth noting that, while LeBron’s impending free agency has been a big source of discussion this summer, Irving could also be a free agent after the 2018-19 NBA season. And that means that his days with the Cavaliers could also be numbered, especially if LeBron skips town next summer and the Cavaliers don’t have a clear plan in place for the future.
The good news for Cava- liers fans is that, despite the "peculiar" summer they’ve had thus far, they’re still going to have a great chance to make yet another run to the NBA Finals next season.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017