Page 18 - Aruba Today

A18
SPORTSFriday 8 January 2016
Buccaneers fire coach Lovie Smith after 2 losing seasons Chargers, Raiders,
FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer
TAMPA, Florida (AP) — The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
tripled their victory total
from the previous year,
and new quarterback Ja-
meis Winston had a strong
rookie season. Still, it wasn’t
enough to save coach
Lovie Smith’s job.
Smith was fired this week
after going 6-10 this sea-
son and 8-24 overall in two
years running a team that
has missed the NFL playoffs
eight consecutive years.
The late-night announce-
ment came as a surprise
because Smith’s job was
not considered to be in
danger after the Bucs im-
proved from two wins last
season and briefly con-
tended for a wild-card
playoff berth with Winston,
the No. 1 overall pick in the
draft, starting every game.
“This decision was difficult
on a variety of levels,” Buc-
caneers co-chairman Joel
Glazer said in a statement.
“I am disappointed that
we were not more success-
ful these past few seasons,
but we are committed to
doing what is necessary to
give our fans the winning
team they deserve. “
General manager Jason Li-
cht will oversee the search
for a new coach.
Smith led the Chicago
Bears to the NFC title in
2006 before losing to India-
napolis in the Super Bowl.
He was 84-66 in nine sea-
sons with Chicago.
The Bucs showed some im-
provement this season with
Oklahoma State DE Ogbah declares for draft said the team needed a
CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer
Oklahoma State defensive
end Emmanuel Ogbah an-
nounced via Twitter this
week that he has declared
early for the NFL draft.
The AP’s Big 12 Defensive
Player of the Year led the
conference in sacks and
tackles for loss and set a
school record with 19 quar-
terback hurries while help-
ing the Cowboys reach the
Sugar Bowl. The 6-foot-4,
Winston joining Andrew
Luck and Cam Newton
as the only players since
the 1970 NFL/AFL merger
to throw for 4,000 yards as
rookies.
But they lost five of their
last six games, including
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith walks off the stage after his end of the season
news conference Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers finished with a 6-10 re-
cord. The Buccaneers tripled their victory total from the previous year, and new quarterback
Jameis Winston had a strong rookie season. Still, it wasn’t enough to save coach Lovie Smith’s job.
the final four to finish last in They were also 26th in scor- going forward with (Win-
the NFC South for the fifth
straight season.
“You’d like to have a quick
fix, but that just wasn’t part
of the process,” Smith said
earlier this week. “When
you get to 6-6 in a season, it
makes you think that may-
be you’re a little bit further
along and we can get it
done.
But in the end, we weren’t
275-pound junior finished
his career with 28 sacks. In
his best game this season,
he scored a touchdown,
forced two fumbles, recov-
ered a fumble and had a
sack, a tackle for loss and
a quarterback hurry in an
overtime win at West Vir-
ginia.
Ogbah thanked Oklahoma
State’s coaching staff in his
announcement.
“I am very humbled to be
in the position I’m in today
quite there.”
For the first time, the Bucs erated his belief that the
ranked in the top 10 in the
NFL in total offense and de- direction.
fense, but they struggled
to get the ball into the end finished product yet, but
zone, ranking 20th in total
points scored.
ing defense, allowing 24 or
more points 10 times.
The Bucs gained over 500
yards twice and averaged
a team-record 375.9 yards
per game.
Martin finished second to
Adrian Peterson for the NFL
rushing title, and Mike Ev-
ans had another big year
with 74 receptions for 1,206 had an overall winning re-
yards, but only three TDs.
and none of it would have
been possible without your
guidance and leadership,”
he said.
Oklahoma State coach
Mike Gundy said during the
season he expects Ogbah
to excel on the next level.
“Someday, whenever that
may be, this year or next
year, somebody’s going
to get a big-time player,”
Gundy said. “They’re going
to be glad they have him
on the roster.”
Rams file for Los
Nevertheless, Smith reit-
Angeles relocation
team is headed in the right
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The
“Our football team isn’t a San Diego Chargers, Oak-
land Raiders and St. Louis
I think it’s safe to say that Rams filed this week for re-
we’re in pretty good shape location to the Los Angeles
area, boosting the pros-
pect of the NFL returning to
the nation’s second-larg-
est market after a 21-year
absence.
The Chargers want to part-
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) ner with the AFC West rival
Raiders on a stadium in
Carson.
ston) leading us, on and off The Chargers ownership
the field,” he said. have had the right to leave
But the Bucs will move San Diego since 2008, but
ahead without Smith, the the long, contentious ef-
team’s third coach since forts to replace aging
Jon Gruden was fired after Qualcomm Stadium only
the 2008 season. sparked a proposed L.A.
Gruden led Tampa Bay shift after Rams owner Stan
to its only Super Bowl win; Kroenke announced plans
none of his successors have to build a stadium in Ingle-
wood.
cord in Tampa.q The NFL confirmed it re-
ceived the applications
to move for the 2016 sea-
son. They will be reviewed
ahead of a meeting next
week when all team own-
ers are expected to vote
on whether to allow any of
the teams to move. A team
wanting to move needs 24
of 32 votes.
Los Angeles has been
without the NFL since af-
ter the 1994 season, when
the Raiders moved back
to Oakland and the Rams
moved to St. Louis. The
Rams had been in the L.A.
area since 1946.
The Chargers and St. Lou-
is’ City Hall have been at
odds since 2000, when
team owner Alex Spanos
new stadium. That was just
The decision wasn’t much three years after the stadi-
of a surprise — Ogbah um was expanded.
participated in the Senior In a video posted on the
Day ceremony before the team’s web site, Dean
home finale against Okla- Spanos blamed “the inabil-
homa. The Nigerian-born ity of the city at the politi-
star said he is on track to cal level to get any kind of
earn his degree in May. public funding or any kind
“Oklahoma State will al- of vote to help subsidize a
ways be my home and I stadium.”
promise to represent our The team did not negoti-
university with respect, ate finances, but it has said
class, character and dig- in the past that it expects
nity,” he said.q a public contribution of at
least 60 percent.
Under the city and coun-
ty’s proposal, public fund-
ing would be capped
at 32 percent, with the
team being responsible for
overruns.q