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A22 sports
Monday 20 august 2018

Titans, Eagles lead NFL with most lowering-head penalties

By TERESA M. WALKER six NFL teams that have
AP Pro Football Writer played two preseason
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — games have not been
The NFL tapped Titans flagged even once for low-
coach Mike Vrabel to ering the head to initiate
narrate a video detailing contact. Indianapolis, who
the new rule on lowering plays Baltimore on Monday
the head to initiate con- night, was not flagged in its
tact, hoping the man who preseason opener. Behind
played 14 years as a line- the Titans and Eagles, five
backer in the league could teams have been penal-
more easily explain how ized under the rule three
players should adapt. times apiece: Arizona, At-
Now Vrabel’s own Titans lanta, Carolina, the Rams
(0-2) find themselves tied and San Francisco.
with defending champion Chicago has three such
Philadelphia for the most penalties through three ex-
lowering-the-head penal- hibitions. The Titans have
ties through two preseason been penalized 25 times
games with five apiece. for 258 yards through two
Tennessee was flagged games. Asked if officials
three times for the new rule might be a bit overzeal-
in an opening loss in Green ous enforcing the rule dur-
Bay , and the Titans add- ing the preseason before
ed two more in Saturday hopefully scaling back in
night’s 30-14 loss to Tampa the regular season, Vrabel
Bay . Getting it right matters In this July 27, 2018, file photo, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel answers questions said he wasn’t really sure.
because any player initiat- during a news conference after a practice at NFL football training camp in Nashville, Tenn. “I try to do my job. They ask
ing contact with his helmet Associated Press me to provide a video, a
could be ejected after an Kenny Vaccaro drew one to do a better job avoid- The coach said he already voiceover video , on what
in-game video review de- penalty for running across ing contact with the crown showed his team an eight- I thought was the right way
cided in New York. the field to tackle Bucs of his helmet while trying minute video from the NFL to play outside linebacker
So far this preseason, blame wide receiver Mike Evans to break up the pass. The of penalties in the first week or inside linebacker taking
either the player making at the end of a 38-yard coach wasn’t sure if Wil- of the preseason. these blocks on, tackling. I
contact, the speed of the reception on the sideline. liams made contact, but “We’ll keep doing that and thought I tried to go through
game or everyone still get- Wide receiver Nick Williams noted the receiver’s head we’ll keep coaching it and and provide examples of
ting used to the new rule. was flagged late in the third was in the linear position we’ll keep stressing it, and what was good and what
“Pretty much all those are quarter while on punt cov- the NFL is trying to eliminate hopefully it doesn’t, one, was probably needed to
going to fall into one of erage, costing the Titans 15 from the game. The Titans lead to injuries, or two, cost be fixed and changed in
those categories,” Vrabel yards. will turn those plays into the us yards,” Vrabel said. some of the style of play,”
said Sunday. Titans safety Vrabel said Vaccaro has league for an explanation. Even though the rule is new, Vrabel said.q

Cincinnati streak of nine straight wins,
including the title at Mon-
Continued from Page 18 Cincinnati, playing his best treal a week earlier. She’d
at the end.Federer’s serve never beaten a top-ranked
Djokovic is the first to claim had been untouchable all player, but wore down Ha-
all nine ATP Masters 1000 week — held for 46 con- lep at the end of her two
events since the series start- secutive games. Djokovic draining weeks. During the
ed in 1990. It had become broke that streak to go week in Cincinnati, Halep
his personal quest after he up 4-3 in the opening set, had one match suspend-
lost in the finals five times — prompting Federer to mut- ed overnight by rain and
three against Federer. ter angrily. Djokovic served wound up playing twice
Djokovic leads their all- out the set, and then trad- in one day to reach the
time series 24-22, doing ed breaks with Federer ear- semifinals. She controlled
much better in the biggest ly in the second set. the first set on Sunday and
matches. He’s 3-1 against Federer’s game was off — had a chance to close it
Federer in Grand Slam fi- 28 unforced errors — and Kiki Bertens, of the Netherlands, holds the Rookwood Cup after out, leading 6-5 in the tie-
nals and 12-6 overall in Djokovic took full advan- defeating Simona Halep, of Romania, during the finals at the breaker. When that slipped
championship matches, in- tage. He broke him again Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Aug. 19, away, she never recov-
cluding wins at Wimbledon to go up 4-3 and served it 2018, in Mason, Ohio. ered, playing her worst in
and the U.S. Open in 2015. out. Associated Press the final set — 13 unforced
Djokovic completed a long In the women’s bracket, Bertens served a 109 mph One point away from an- errors that gave Bertens a
comeback from elbow sur- top-ranked Simona Halep ace , flipped her racket other loss, she had pulled chance to pull away.
gery by winning his fourth let a match point slip away away, fell to her knees and off her biggest win, one that “I had a match (point), so
Wimbledon title last month, during the second-set tie- raised both arms. Moments left her as stunned as ev- I was there,” Halep said. “I
then set out to get his hard- breaker, and Kiki Bertens later, she covered her face eryone else. “I cannot find didn’t take my chance. In
court game in order for the rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2 for a joyous cry, wiping the words for this moment,” she the third set , I was emp-
U.S. Open. He got better as victory in her first hard-court tears away with her sweat- said. The Dutch clay-court ty and I couldn’t fight
the rainy week went on in final. soaked blue wristband. specialist ended Halep’s anymore.”q