Duke nabs top prospect in Rivers’ son
September 30, 2010
WINTER PARK, Fla. (AP)—The son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and oneof the nation’s most highly recruited players says he is heading to Duke.
Austin Rivers posted on his Twitter site Thursday: “World i have decided togo to duke! Let’s go blue devils ha’.” Rivers, who later made the announcementon ESPN, chose Duke over Kansas and North Carolina.
The 6-foot-4 guard of Winter Park, Fla., is considered a terrific athleteand prolific scorer. He verbally committed to Florida in 2008 but reopened hissearch after the Gators struggled to sustain the success that won themback-to-back national titles.
Rivers led Winter Park High School to the Class 6A championship last season.He also played for the world champion USA Basketball 18-under team.
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Dean Smith at Bobcats practice again
September 30, 2010
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP)—Dean Smith was a popular man on Thursday.
From his seat on the floor at midcourt, the former North Carolina coach tookturns watching the Charlotte Bobcats practice and chatting with numerous oldfriends as a special guest of coach Larry Brown.
It was the second straight day the 79-year-old Smith took in a training campworkout, one of the few times he’s been seen since his family announced in Julythat he has a “progressive neurocognitive disorder” that affects his memory.
“It’s great,” said Brown, who had dinner with Smith Wednesday night.“It’s great seeing him.”
Wearing a golf shirt, slacks, sneakers and with a Tar Heel blue jacketdraped over his leg, Smith sat next to his son, Scott. The Hall of Fame coachwas seen chatting with former rival coach Cliff Ellis, now at Coastal Carolina,and numerous other coaches and basketball officials watching the practice.
Smith didn’t speak to reporters.
“He looks good and we just went back about old times,” said Ellis, onceSmith’s rival when he coached at Clemson. “We talked a lot about golf becausewe’re both avid golfers. I told him, ‘You were one of the toughest that I’veever had to deal with as far as just teaching the game.’
“I let him know how much I really loved him and how much competing againsthim meant and still means to me.”
Ellis said Smith looked “very alert.” While he was moving slowly, he wassteady and smiled as he talked to players and coaches.
Smith won 879 games and two national titles at North Carolina before hisretirement in 1997. Brown was on Smith’s first team at the school in 1961-62 andthey have remained close.
Brown said that when Smith last attended Bobcats training camp in 2008, hetold Brown he wasn’t sure Charlotte could win the Atlantic Coast Conference.Since then the team has made numerous trades and former Smith player MichaelJordan became majority owner.
So does Smith think the Bobcats can win the ACC now?
“I’m not commenting on that,” Brown said, smiling.
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Mississippi State PG Bost banned 9 games
September 30, 2010
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP)—Mississippi State point guard Dee Bost has beensuspended nine games by the NCAA for mishandling his withdrawal from the NBAdraft.
The 6-foot-2 junior is academically ineligible for the fall semester. Hewill begin serving his suspension in December if he is academically cleared forthe spring.
Bost has started all 72 games at Mississippi State. He averaged 13 points agame last season.
In a statement released by the university, Bost thanked the NCAA for asecond chance. He says he wanted only to “test the waters” and then return toMississippi State.
The deadline for withdrawing from the draft was in May. Bost says he made amistake in how he dealt with the situation.
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Michigan State G Lucious out 2-6 weeks
September 29, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP)—Michigan State guard Korie Lucious is expected tobe out 2-6 weeks after having arthroscopic surgery for a small meniscus tear inhis left knee.
The school announced the operation Tuesday night. Coach Tom Izzo comparedthe injury to one former Spartan Goran Suton had to deal with during his seniorseason, and he says Suton was able to return quickly.
Lucious averaged 5.6 points last season. He made a game-winning, 3-pointerto lift the Spartans into the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. They ended upadvancing to the Final Four.
Lucious pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving earlier this month.
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NCAA: No further action in Bledsoe case
September 29, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The NCAA “plans no further action” regarding aninvestigation into the eligibility of former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe.
NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne said Tuesday in an e-mail the“initial-eligibility decision stands” after school district officials inBirmingham, Ala., decided to allow Bledsoe to keep a grade that helped make himeligible.
Superintendent Craig Witherspoon says a teacher claims Bledsoe completedmakeup work to justify a higher grade in an algebra course during the 2008-09school year. The mark was switched from a “C” to an “A.”
Witherspoon says an investigation found no documentation to justify theimprovement. But, he says, it didn’t prove the change was improper, either.
Bledsoe is now with the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Chiefs, Chargers headed to OT tied at 20
September 14, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Derrick Johnson is prepared to credit this rain-soakedSeptember victory to those brutally hot two-a-days in August.
“We’re a physical team throughout coaching camp and it paid off tonight,”said Kansas City’s veteran linebacker.
Although Jamaal Charles(notes) and Dexter McCluster(notes) were grabbing the headlines withlong touchdown plays for the Chiefs, Johnson was compiling a team-high 12tackles in Monday night’s 21-14 victory over San Diego.
Johnson’s jolting hit on Chargers rookie Ryan Mathews(notes) triggered a fumble whichled directly to 1 of Kansas City’s two offensive touchdowns of the game.
Not negative for an individual who struggled all last year to regain his starting job.
“That’s what I’m attempting to prove. Every single game, I’m attempting to play with achip on my shoulder,” he said. “That’s not a negative chip. That’s a chip thatkeeps me on my toes at all times.”
The Chargers, four-time defending AFC West champions, appeared prepared to movein for a tie right after Philip Rivers(notes) drove San Diego to a first-and-objective from the 4with a small more than 1 minute left.
On the final series, Rivers’ initial pass was incomplete, then Darren Sproles(notes)lost two yards on a stalled run. Yet another pass from Rivers sailed high. Then, with39 seconds left, Rivers missed on fourth down, clinching the Chiefs’ firstMonday night victory in a decade.
On that final game-saving defensive play, Glenn Dorsey(notes) said the plan was tomake Rivers throw from a spot he prefers to prevent.
“We wanted to get a push in the middle to force him to make a sporadicthrow outside the pocket where he is not comfy,” said the Chiefsdefensive end. “He did that. He began moving around and he wasn’t able to sethis feet. That’s the greatest thing, attempting to get pressure on him and holding uplike we had been doing all night lengthy.”
San Diego’s winning streak against the Chiefs ended at 5 games.
“They made some major plays in all 3 phases,” Chargers coach Norv Turnersaid. “They handled the atmosphere in terms of the weather conditions. Ithought they did a excellent job in handling that, particularly in the secondquarter.
“The disappointment for me comes clearly from our (kick) coverage teams.We think that should be a strength for us and something we perform hard at.”
Jamaal Charles had a 56-yard touchdown run following Rivers’ 3-yard TD pass toAntonio Gates(notes) put the Chargers on the board 1st. Then, rookie DexterMcCluster, a coaching camp sensation with quickness and flair, broke ateam-record by 1 yard with a 94-yard punt return for a 21-7 halftime lead.
“That’s the longest of my career at any level,” stated McCluster. “Whatbetter time than that—Monday night football in Arrowhead. You couldn’t ask fora much better time.”
Ryan Mathews, in his NFL debut, had 75 yards on 19 carries for the Chargers.
Rivers was 22 for 39 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Cassel(notes), with ahistory of playing poorly against the Chargers, was ten for 22 for 68 yards,including a 2-yard TD pass following a San Diego turnover.
The 9:15 p.m. kickoff was the most up-to-date in Arrowhead history.
“This was the longest day of my life,” joked Cassel.
Chiefs lead Chargers 13-3 at halftime
September 14, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Derrick Johnson is ready to credit this rain-soakedSeptember victory to those brutally hot two-a-days in August.
“We’re a physical team all through training camp and it paid off tonight,”said Kansas City’s veteran linebacker.
Even though Jamaal Charles(notes) and Dexter McCluster(notes) had been grabbing the headlines withlong touchdown plays for the Chiefs, Johnson was compiling a team-high 12tackles in Monday night’s 21-14 victory more than San Diego.
Johnson’s jolting hit on Chargers rookie Ryan Mathews(notes) caused a fumble whichled directly to 1 of Kansas City’s two offensive touchdowns of the game.
Not negative for somebody who struggled all last year to regain his beginning job.
“That’s what I’m attempting to prove. Each and every game, I’m attempting to play with achip on my shoulder,” he mentioned. “That’s not a negative chip. That’s a chip thatkeeps me on my toes at all times.”
The Chargers, 4-time defending AFC West champions, appeared ready to movein for a tie immediately after Philip Rivers(notes) drove San Diego to a first-and-objective from the 4with a small more than 1 minute left.
On the final series, Rivers’ initially pass was incomplete, then Darren Sproles(notes)lost two yards on a stalled run. One more pass from Rivers sailed high. Then, with39 seconds left, Rivers missed on fourth down, clinching the Chiefs’ firstMonday night victory in a decade.
On that final game-saving defensive play, Glenn Dorsey(notes) mentioned the plan was tomake Rivers throw from a spot he prefers to stay away from.
“We wanted to get a push in the middle to force him to make a sporadicthrow outside the pocket exactly where he is not comfy,” stated the Chiefsdefensive end. “He did that. He started moving about and he wasn’t able to sethis feet. That’s the biggest factor, attempting to get pressure on him and holding uplike we had been doing all night lengthy.”
San Diego’s winning streak against the Chiefs ended at five games.
“They produced some major plays in all three phases,” Chargers coach Norv Turnersaid. “They handled the environment in terms of the climate conditions. Ithought they did a excellent job in handling that, especially in the secondquarter.
“The disappointment for me comes naturally from our (kick) coverage teams.We feel that ought to be a strength for us and one thing we operate tough at.”
Jamaal Charles had a 56-yard touchdown run following Rivers’ three-yard TD pass toAntonio Gates(notes) put the Chargers on the board 1st. Then, rookie DexterMcCluster, a training camp sensation with quickness and flair, broke ateam-record by one yard with a 94-yard punt return for a 21-7 halftime lead.
“That’s the longest of my career at any level,” said McCluster. “Whatbetter time than that—Monday night football in Arrowhead. You couldn’t ask fora greater time.”
Ryan Mathews, in his NFL debut, had 75 yards on 19 carries for the Chargers.
Rivers was 22 for 39 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Cassel(notes), with ahistory of playing poorly against the Chargers, was 10 for 22 for 68 yards,which includes a 2-yard TD pass following a San Diego turnover.
The 9:15 p.m. kickoff was the newest in Arrowhead history.
“This was the longest day of my life,” joked Cassel.
Chiefs lead Chargers 10-0 after 1
September 14, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Derrick Johnson is ready to credit this rain-soakedSeptember victory to those brutally hot two-a-days in August.
“We’re a physical team throughout coaching camp and it paid off tonight,”said Kansas City’s veteran linebacker.
While Jamaal Charles(notes) and Dexter McCluster(notes) had been grabbing the headlines withlong touchdown plays for the Chiefs, Johnson was compiling a team-high 12tackles in Monday night’s 21-14 victory more than San Diego.
Johnson’s jolting hit on Chargers rookie Ryan Mathews(notes) brought on a fumble whichled directly to 1 of Kansas City’s two offensive touchdowns of the game.
Not negative for somebody who struggled all last year to regain his starting job.
“That’s what I’m attempting to prove. Just about every game, I’m trying to play with achip on my shoulder,” he mentioned. “That’s not a negative chip. That’s a chip thatkeeps me on my toes at all occasions.”
The Chargers, 4-time defending AFC West champions, appeared ready to movein for a tie immediately after Philip Rivers(notes) drove San Diego to a initial-and-goal from the 4with a small over 1 minute left.
On the final series, Rivers’ very first pass was incomplete, then Darren Sproles(notes)lost two yards on a stalled run. One more pass from Rivers sailed high. Then, with39 seconds left, Rivers missed on fourth down, clinching the Chiefs’ firstMonday night victory in a decade.
On that final game-saving defensive play, Glenn Dorsey(notes) said the plan was tomake Rivers throw from a spot he prefers to stay away from.
“We wanted to get a push in the middle to force him to make a sporadicthrow outside the pocket where he is not comfy,” stated the Chiefsdefensive end. “He did that. He began moving around and he wasn’t able to sethis feet. That’s the largest factor, trying to get pressure on him and holding uplike we had been undertaking all night long.”
San Diego’s winning streak against the Chiefs ended at five games.
“They created some massive plays in all 3 phases,” Chargers coach Norv Turnersaid. “They handled the environment in terms of the climate conditions. Ithought they did a excellent job in handling that, especially in the secondquarter.
“The disappointment for me comes certainly from our (kick) coverage teams.We feel that ought to be a strength for us and a thing we function challenging at.”
Jamaal Charles had a 56-yard touchdown run right after Rivers’ three-yard TD pass toAntonio Gates(notes) put the Chargers on the board initially. Then, rookie DexterMcCluster, a coaching camp sensation with quickness and flair, broke ateam-record by one yard with a 94-yard punt return for a 21-7 halftime lead.
“That’s the longest of my career at any level,” stated McCluster. “Whatbetter time than that—Monday night football in Arrowhead. You couldn’t ask fora greater time.”
Ryan Mathews, in his NFL debut, had 75 yards on 19 carries for the Chargers.
Rivers was 22 for 39 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Cassel(notes), with ahistory of playing poorly against the Chargers, was ten for 22 for 68 yards,including a 2-yard TD pass following a San Diego turnover.
The 9:15 p.m. kickoff was the latest in Arrowhead history.
“This was the longest day of my life,” joked Cassel.
Hot Packers face struggling Eagles
September 13, 2010
PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Michael Vick(notes) took off his baseball cap and dusted offthat old Superman cape.
Filling in for an injured Kevin Kolb(notes), Vick was dynamic. He couldn’t lead thePhiladelphia Eagles to a win against Green Bay, but his dazzling performance maycreate a quarterback controversy just one game into the post-Donovan McNabb(notes) era.
Aaron Rodgers(notes) threw a pair of touchdown passes, Mason Crosby(notes) kicked ateam-record 56-yard field goal and the Packers beat Philadelphia 27-20 onSunday.
The Eagles' Michael Vick, right, greets Aaron Rodgers after a loss to the Packers 27-20.(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The score was almost an afterthought because Kolb struggled and Vick was soimpressive in his first extended action during meaningful minutes in nearly fouryears. With Kolb sidelined by a concussion, Vick threw for 175 yards, ran for103 and resembled the guy who went to three Pro Bowls in six seasons withAtlanta.
“I thought Michael was phenomenal,” coach Andy Reid said. “He brought theteam back, he kept his poise.”
Still, Reid said it’s Kolb’s job when he’s healthy.
“I’m not looking to the future,” Reid said. “I’m trying to get (theoffense) fixed so that we can win some football games here.”
Vick’s last NFL start came on Dec. 31, 2006, in Philadelphia. He missed thenext two seasons while serving an 18-month sentence in federal prison for hisrole in a dogfighting operation. Vick signed a two-year contract with the Eagleslast summer, and saw limited action mostly in a variation of the wildcatformation.
He finally got his chance, and made the most of it.
“I feel like if I had been out there for four quarters, maybe we would’vehad a chance to win the game,” Vick said.
The Packers (1-0) were a popular preseason pick to reach the Super Bowl, andthey began their quest for a 13th NFL title with a tough win in a hostileenvironment.
“It was a gutty performance by our team,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Weare fortunate and pleased to win.”
After a slow start, the Packers got going late in the second quarter andscored on three straight possessions.
Ryan Grant(notes) ran 13, 8 and 18 yards to spark an 86-yard drive. Greg Jennings(notes)kept it going with a leaping, one-handed catch for a 16-yard gain onthird-and-9. Rodgers then tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Donald Driver(notes) to give thePackers a 10-3 lead.
Kolb was injured in the second quarter when he was tackled from behind byClay Matthews(notes). The team originally said he had a jaw injury and he returned fora series, completing two short passes.
Middle linebacker Stewart Bradley(notes) also came back in after he staggered offthe field following a collision with teammate Ernie Sims(notes) before he sat out thesecond half.
Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb, left, is sacked by Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews in the first half.(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“They were fine,” Reid said. “All the questions, they answered, and thethings they did with the doctors registered well.”
Reid said both players were pulled because they didn’t feel any better.
Vick scrambled 23 yards on the first play of the third quarter. One playlater, Vick connected with Eldra Buckley(notes) for 10 yards. But Buckley fumbled andCharles Woodson(notes) recovered at the Packers 38.
Rodgers drove Green Bay downfield, and John Kuhn(notes) ran in from the 3 to makeit 20-3.
It was vintage Vick on a 31-yard run to the Packers 2. He eluded a sack,then spun away and sprinted down the left sideline before getting tackled. Aftera penalty, LeSean McCoy(notes) ran in from the 12 to cut it to 20-10.
Rodgers connected with Jennings on a 32-yard TD pass to give the Packers a27-10 lead late in the third—but Vick brought the Eagles right back.
On third-and-goal from the 17, Vick fired a TD pass to Jeremy Maclin(notes) to cutit to 27-17.
Then the Eagles got a big play from rookie Nate Allen(notes), who intercepted apoorly thrown pass by Rodgers and returned it to midfield.
A 24-yard field goal by David Akers(notes) made it 27-20.
The Eagles had a chance in the final minutes, but Vick got stopped onfourth-and-1 at the Packers 42.
Philadelphia also lost Pro Bowl fullback Leonard Weaver(notes) to a torn kneeligament. He’ll miss the rest of the season. Center Jamaal Jackson(notes) left with atorn biceps, and likely will also be gone for the remainder of the year.
Rodgers made Packers fans forget about Brett Favre(notes) last year when he passedfor 4,434 yards and 30 TDs, made the Pro Bowl and led Green Bay to 11 wins.
He started slow, bounced a couple passes and threw an interception beforefinding his rhythm on Green Bay’s third possession. Rodgers finished with 188yards passing and threw two interceptions.
“I played terrible. It was as bad as I can play. I’ve got to be better,”Rodgers said. “I missed a lot of throws. The defense played good. We madeenough plays to win. I personally made too many dumb mistakes.”