Sports
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams opens NFL career with victory and support from Lincoln Riley
Star black quarterbacks are not any longer the exception, they’re the rule. Throughout the football season, this series will explore the importance and influence of black quarterbacks from the grassroots level to the NFL.
CHICAGO – USC coach Lincoln Riley once more took time through the first week of the NFL season to observe the primary game of a rookie quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in college and was drafted first overall.
Riley, who has mentored three quarterbacks who’ve won the honors, enjoys rooting for his guys.
On Sunday afternoon, Riley watched his newest protégé begin a brand new journey, watching quarterback Caleb Williams lead the Chicago Bears to 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.
Williams, Chicago’s first-round select of USC in April’s NFL draft, didn’t have an ideal debut statistically. In fact, he accomplished just 14 passes on 29 attempts for 93 yards passing — a median of a paltry 3.2 yards per attempt — and no touchdowns. Williams, a productive college runner, had just 15 rushing yards.
“Obviously, we didn’t play the way we wanted to (offensively). We want to be the most efficient team, and so do I. We didn’t play the way I wanted to,” Williams said. “I missed a couple of passes that I don’t normally miss. … I have to be better. I’ll be better.”
Above all, though, point guards are judged on the success of their group. Despite Williams’ rough opening performance, his teammates lifted him up, rallying from a 17-point deficit within the second quarter.
Chicago returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and an interception for a touchdown. The Bears combined for 3 turnovers within the fourth quarter because the Titans faltered, allowing the Bears to go away the sector satisfied despite struggles on offense as Williams tried to search out his way.
“I don’t care about the stats. I feel great (about the win),” Williams said. “The stats aren’t where I want them to be. I want to go out there and play my best. I didn’t do that today. We’re going to be better.”
No matter what additional challenges Williams will face as a rookie – and there will probably be more – he is not going to quit, Riley said.
“With all the attention and everything that’s on him, being the first pick, and being in the city of Chicago, you want someone who’s not going to be afraid of that,” Riley told Andscape. “He definitely won’t do that.”
With Williams on the helm, Riley is confident the Bears can have many great days ahead. And few know Williams higher than the person who coached him for all three of his college seasons.
While Riley was coaching at Oklahoma, he convinced Williams, a former standout at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., to sign with the Sooners. After Riley unexpectedly left Oklahoma to take the identical position at USC in 2022, Williams soon joined the Trojans.
Under Riley’s tutelage, Williams won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. The Bears entered the 2024 NFL Draft with Williams as the highest pick. Now, Williams continues to meet his dream of becoming an NFL superstar and a Super Bowl champion.
Riley is admittedly biased. He has established that, he is definite Williams is headed where he desires to be. How quickly Williams gets there, Riley said, will rely on how quickly he adapts to the trials of playing a very powerful position in top-level football.
“He definitely made progress (from his freshman to his third season), he worked hard and it showed,” said Riley, who leads the nation’s Thirteenth-ranked team.
“And he’d be the primary to let you know that he’s just going to need to proceed to grow, especially as he adjusts to the NFL, and he continues to grow as a player and face different challenges. I mean, teams played him somewhat in a different way last yr than they did the primary few years. You know that is going to proceed to occur. People are all the time going to attempt to evolve the best way they attack.
“They’re not going to just sit there and let you beat them up, game by game, and not try new things. You better be ready to adapt. That’s going to be part of his development. But it’s not going to be a surprise to him. He definitely sees it. And he’s still a student of the game. He’s studying the game and learning. He knows that’s going to be a big part of it. He knows that’s definitely going to be a critical factor in his success. He knows he’s got to continue to be able to move the ball and win games.”
Among college coaches, Riley is unrivaled in his ability to provide star quarterbacks in American football.
While at Oklahoma, he mentored Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, who each won Heisman Trophies and were the highest picks of their draft classes. Additionally, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a Heisman Trophy finalist while playing for Oklahoma after transferring from Alabama.
In the NFL, Mayfield finished second in AP Rookie of the Year voting. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the primary time last season. AP voters selected Murray because the offensive rookie of the yr, and he’s a two-time Pro Bowl player. Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance and finished second in AP Rookie of the Year voting.
At first glance, Williams has loads in common with the opposite members of Riley’s quarterback club. But upon closer inspection, Williams is entering the NFL a bit in a different way than his predecessors, who were conductors in Riley’s system.
“One thing is he just played a lot less football than the other guys,” Riley said. “Those guys were older at the tip of their (college) careers. All those guys could have played full highschool careers. Caleb missed his senior yr due to COVID.
“These guys were a little further along. They’ve just seen more, experienced a little more, played a little more. And when you play the ball a little more, you see more from a talent perspective. But he’s right up there with any of them in terms of his ability. He’s a really special talent.”
While he’s not one to make specific predictions about how Williams will fare within the league, Riley is confident the Bears will proceed to get one of the best out of Williams every day.
“He keeps asking himself what can I do better to be better next time. Then he puts in the work to be better,” Riley said. “If they (Bears) can put the right players around him and really get him settled, he’ll start to improve.”
And Riley would love to search out some TV time to observe it.
Sports
Kevin Durant reaches third milestone of NBA season in 6 games
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns added one other milestone to his basketball legacy during Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the second quarter, Durant became just the sixteenth player in league history to make 10,000 field goals.
According to , the 17-year NBA veteran and LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leader in points, are the one energetic players to hit this number.
Certified bucket lifter.
KD becomes only the sixteenth player on the team @NBA history to achieve 10,000 field goals – join LeBron James because the only energetic player to achieve this milestone 👏 pic.twitter.com/SLQIqeOlJ4
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 3, 2024
“I have achieved several milestones since I got here… I have to thank the people who have helped me since I was a kid, taught me the game, my teammates… I think about them often… grateful to have such great people in my life who have helped push me and lift my spirits when I needed it,” Durant told reporters after the Suns’ 103-97 victory.
The season is barely six games into the season, but Durant has already reached three different milestones. In addition to the latter, he became the eighth player in NBA history to attain 29,000 profession points. Additionally, Durant is currently the oldest player in NBA history to begin a season with 4 straight 25-point games.
The former Golden State Warriors player took part in Sunday’s game averaging 26.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds per game, in addition to at least one assist and 1.8 blocks. He shot 53.4% from the sphere and 46.2% from three-point shots.
The Suns are 5-1 and have a four-game winning streak. Their next game is November 4 at home against the struggling Philadelphia 76ers.
Sports
Robert Griffin III couldn’t be happier for Jayden Daniels in Washington: ‘He brought the city to life’
Star Black quarterbacks aren’t any longer the exception – they’re the rule. Throughout the football season, the series will explore the importance and impact of Black quarterbacks, from the grassroots level to the NFL.
The buzz in Washington grew stronger each week as a talented young quarterback revitalized a team that had been stagnant. He led the team’s unlikely rise to the top of the NFC East standings and, in the process, inspired something that many Washington supporters had lost: hope.
Of course, the starting quarterback of the Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels is a rising star. But long before Daniels took the nation’s capital by storm along with his signature moves and late game heroismRobert Griffin III was the talk of the town.
Like Daniels, Griffin was a Heisman Trophy winner who was chosen second overall in the NFL draft by the Washington franchise. In some ways, Griffin’s rookie season was much more magical than Daniels’ current thrill ride. With Griffin at the helm, Washington won the NFC East title in 2012-13 – the franchise’s first title in 13 seasons. He had a strong passing arm, a sprinter’s speed and a megawatt smile that endeared him to fans. In Washington, the next big thing was RG3.
However, after suffering a severe knee injury in his debut season, Griffin never repeated the success he achieved in his first yr in Washington. Today, Griffin, 34, enjoys watching Daniels from afar while reveling in Washington’s exciting recent path.
During a lengthy phone interview with Andscape on Wednesday, Griffin looked back and forward, expressing his happiness for the club and its fans.
“As far as Washington heading into the season, there is just not an analyst in the world that thinks (the Commanders) will be 6-2 without delay. Not one, right? Not based on the schedule, not based on the lineup or anything. I’ve heard some people say that one guy modified the whole lot. And whenever you say that… you have got no idea what you are talking about. In DC it is often about multiple guy. In 2012, there have been 3-6 of us at the end of the week. Then we began a seven-game streak (winning streak). We finished 10-6, won the league and made the playoffs. Everyone else knows the remainder of this story.
“But it isn’t nearly Jayden Daniels in Washington without delay. He is the one who revived the city and took it over. I’ll say this and I even have said this before: “When you win in DC, there isn’t any higher city to be in. And whenever you win in DC, the quarterback is more essential than the president of the United States.’ That’s what Jayden Daniels achieved. … But it isn’t nearly Jayden Daniels. This is Josh Harris, the recent owner. This is Adam Peters, the recent CEO. This is the recent head coach, Dan Quinn. This is the recent offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury. It’s about bringing in a vet like (tight end) Zach Ertz. It’s about bringing in a vet like (running back) Austin Ekeler.
“It’s about (running back) Brian Robinson. It’s about (wide receiver) Terry McLaurin. They have done so many things to get the fresh smell of Febreze from the top of the organization down. Peters has done an incredible job of putting his team along with guys who understand how to win. … Daniels was the most explosive passer and most explosive runner in all of school football last yr. The statistics back it up and that is why he won the Heisman Trophy. He was absolutely amazing. But whenever you take a look at his stats (NFL), he ranks (tied) twenty second in the league in passing touchdowns with seven. He is in the top five in yards per attempt (fifth, 8.4 yards per attempt). In terms of meters, he ranks twelfth in the league.
“But the way you’re feeling when he’s on the field, you’d think he led the league in touchdown passes, he led the league in passing yards and all that. That’s because Washington wins and doesn’t ask the world about Jayden Daniels. So after they need the world from Him, like during the Hail Mary, He delivers. This is an attractive recipe for success. As he grows and develops, he doesn’t try to do an excessive amount of. He doesn’t try to put the team on his back. It’s just natural for him. And that is what makes it so exciting. I’m very joyful for him.
I have already got an old head, which is sort of crazy. I do not think it’s right for old heads to take a look at the younger generation and never want them to succeed. Today you hear analysts all the time taking the approach: “Well, I was this and that.” I used to be an expert bowler. I used to be an expert. I used to be a Hall of Famer. Let me inform you why these guys stink. I do not think that is the right approach. I believe the approach is that you just take a look at the younger generation and speak about what makes them great. You tell them a story about who they’re so people can really get to know them. And in the event that they screw up, you tell them why they made a mistake and the way they’ll improve. For me, that is how you progress things forward.
“With Jayden, I approached it this way. I am honored to have the opportunity to connect with him and his family and be a mentor when he needs it. Jayden Daniels is top notch in terms of how he thinks and how intellectual and smart he is. You can see it in his game. It doesn’t force many things. He has a natural ability to carry out important actions at the right moment. So yes, I’m really happy for him. And I’m even more happy for the city.”
Sports
The NBA is investigating Joel Embiid’s altercation with a journalist
The NBA is investigating whether Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid allegedly pushed Marcus Hayes, a columnist for ” “, into the locker room after a game on November 2. Embiid reportedly felt offended that his son and late brother were used against him within the column Hayes wrote.
According to , Keith Pompney with a report that Embiid attacked a reporter within the locker room. After initial confusion over whether Embiid punched the reporter, ESPN insider Shams Charania confirmed it was a shove, not a punch.
Kyle Neubeck, who later wrote his own column on Embiid’s humanity, evident in his response to the reporter Embiid shoved, said on the postgame show that the reporter was Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“The moment Joel realized he (Hayes) was there, a verbal exchange occurred. Of course, we cannot repeat lots of the words that were said on this program. The basic rule was: “You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player.” Never put my dead brother’s name in your mouth. Don’t speak about my family. Leave them out of this. “You want to talk to me like a man and talk to me about basketball, that’s one thing, but if you ever talk about my family again, we’re going to have serious problems,” Neubeck said.
Hayes’ article was partly a response to the 76ers being fined $100,000 for making misleading public statements about Embiid’s health after he claimed he was struggling with a left knee injury.
The starting of Hayes’ column sounds quite harsh, and plenty of people expressed solidarity with Embiid on social media.
“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son Arthur as a major turning point in his basketball profession. He often says he desires to be great, leaving a legacy for a boy named after his younger brother, who tragically died in a automobile accident when Embiid was in the primary 12 months of his 76er profession,” Hayes began his column.
Hayes continued, “Well, to be good at your job, you first have to point out up for it. Embiid was great at the exact opposite. Now in its eleventh season, it commonly finds itself in poor condition. Apparently, this poor condition delayed his debut this season.
Hayes later had that first paragraph removed, admitting he understood why people objected to it in a post on his Twitter account.
Embiid clearly didn’t accept the apology from Hayes, who continued to publish columns critical of Embiid after he mentioned Embiid’s son, who was named after Embiid’s brother, Arthur, who died in a automobile accident in Cameroon in 2014.
In his comments to reporters on Nov. 1, Embiid mentioned that he had played through injury or injury several times, and was particularly vocal in attacking Hayes.
“If your body doesn’t respond well and if it tells you one thing – I did it. As far as I do know, I broke my face twice, I got here back earlier with the danger of losing my sight, my fingers were broken, but I got here back anyway. So I’m not going to take a seat here and think that folks are saying, “He doesn’t want to play.” I’ve done way an excessive amount of for this city at the danger of individuals saying so. I believe it’s bullshit,” Embiid said.
Embiid continued: “Like this guy, he is not here, Marcus, whatever his name is, I’ve done way an excessive amount of for this f***ing city to be treated like this. Far an excessive amount of has been done. I wish I might be as lucky as others, but that doesn’t suggest I’m not trying and doing every part in my power to be there soon.
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