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.”
Quinn Harris/Getty Images
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.”
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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.
NFL Hall of Fame receiver and podcast host Terrell Owens has signed with a talent agency to further strengthen his claims within the entertainment game.
According to , Owens was signed by SMAC Entertainment, headed by host and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and his business partner Constance Schwartz-Morini.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz has also joined SMAC Entertainment.
“We are excited to add TO and Jordan to the SMAC family. They are both at the top of their game and set the standard in their industry,” Schwartz-Morini said in a written statement. “TO and Jordan have already brought an infectious energy to our team, and we are excited to help them realize their vision for careers in media, business and branding.”
A five-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Owens played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. In 2018, he was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A member of the 2000 NFL All-Decade Team, Owens finished his profession with 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards, 14.8 yards per catch and 153 touchdowns, rating third all-time in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Since retiring from skilled soccer in 2012, Owens has already made several moves. He has appeared in several movies and tv shows, including “,” and in addition had his own reality show, “, on VH1.
He currently co-hosts the podcast with former NFL player and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe.
SMAC Entertainment is home to stars similar to rapper and actor Common, Wiz Khalifa, Strahan, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and current NFL players similar to Stefon Diggs and DK Metcalf.
Sports
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker brings an NBA championship desire with his Olympic experience
The gold medal went to the USA Basketball team. Mission completed on the 2024 Paris Games. U.S. men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr just answered his final query during his final news conference on Aug. 10 after his team defeated France within the gold medal game.
However, before leaving the stage of the press conference in Paris, Kerr stopped to deliver an unsolicited message to media around the globe.
“Devin Booker is an amazing basketball player. Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just desired to say that,” Kerr said.
The “underrated MVP” compliment meant so much to the Phoenix Suns guard.
“It meant everything. No one really asked him,” Booker recently told Andscape. “That was probably something that was weighing on his mind throughout the entire process. A 12 months ago I said what I desired to do for this team and what we desired to do for the country.
“It was a lot larger than all of us. Survival was something we’d discuss for the remainder of our lives.
The USA Basketball team was centered around NBA star icons LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. There has also been some discussion amongst media and fans in regards to the lack of playing time for Jayson Tatum and, to a lesser extent, Tyrese Haliburton. Lost within the shuffle was the all-around, unselfish play of sharpshooter Booker wearing the armband.
Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images
Booker was fourth in scoring for the U.S., averaging 11.7 points, 3.3 assists and a couple of.2 three-pointers made early in all six Olympics, and likewise had the perfect plus/minus (plus-130) for an American. Kerr was impressed with Booker’s deal with a difficult defense, regardless that he is thought for his offense, ball movement and the way he has adjusted to not being one in every of the highest options on offense.
“I just understood what was at stake,” Booker said. “I’m proud to be from this country. I’m happy with playing basketball. Even though it wasn’t invented in America, we dominated for a very long time. Obviously the world is incredibly talented and the sport is growing, however it was just one other message to allow them to know who we’re.
Booker said he also learned in regards to the preparations from his all-star team, watching the preparations on and off the court. The 28-year-old added that he gained lifelong friendships.
“It’s cool to see that everyone has their own issues,” Booker said. “In my 10 years in the NBA, I’ve learned that you have to choose what you can use for yourself. But the level of detail, the attention to detail, the intensity – it’s all consistent across the board.”
As for Durant, Booker said the bond between the 2 Sun stars “is close and grows stronger every day.” They live about five minutes from one another within the Phoenix area and commonly spend time at home and on the road. Most recently, Booker had to steer the Suns without Durant, who was sidelined with an injury.
The amazing Durant averaged 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and three.4 assists, which were tops for the Suns. However, the 14-time NBA All-Star has been sidelined since November 8 with a left calf strain. Suns players Bradley Beal (calf) and Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) were also sidelined. The Suns are 1-5 without Durant, which incorporates 4 straight losses.
Booker and Suns sans Durant’s next rivals shall be the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET). Over the last six games, Booker is averaging 24.1 points, shooting 43.2% from the sphere and making 16 of 43 three-pointers. Suns guard Tyus Jones said there was numerous pressure on Booker offensively due to the injury.
“We’re asking a lot of Book,” Jones said after Monday’s 109-99 loss to the visiting Orlando Magic. “It’s numerous pressure for him. We are very focused on it. They are physical with him, holding him and grabbing him, throwing two or three bodies at him all night long. So he’s got so much on his plate and we just need to proceed to seek out ways to get him open within the moments we will and proceed to assist him when other players are taking shots and making plays.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Booker currently has two Olympic gold medals, 4 NBA All-Star appearances and one NBA Finals appearance. The only thing missing from the Suns’ second-leading all-time scorer is an NBA championship. Since the Suns joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1968, they’ve yet to win a title.
After experiencing the joys of winning a gold medal, Booker as an NBA champion wants the gold Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy much more.
“Most of the guys that were there did it,” Booker said of his Olympic teammates who were NBA champions. “They were champions. This is standard for them. Anything lower than that, they need nothing to do with it. It’s contagious…
“That’s all I want. That’s all I want.”
After months of introducing the players and coaches who will participate in its inaugural season, the brand new Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s basketball league announced its team rosters and coaching assignments on Wednesday.
Founded by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Unrivaled consists of six teams of six players each. The league was created to offer WNBA players with a substitute for playing overseas in the course of the offseason.
Although initially announced as having 30 players, the league has since expanded to 36, which Collier attributed “above financial forecasts”. The league has announced 34 players publicly up to now.
The inaugural season of Unrivaled will begin on January 17, 2025, with all games going down in Miami. Here are the official teams for the inaugural season, as well season schedule.
Vinyl Basketball Club:
– Coach: Teresa Weatherspoon
Rose Basketball Club:
– Coach: Nola Henry
Mgła basketball club:
– Coach: Phil Handy
Lunar Owls Basketball Club:
– TBD: wild card
– Coach: DJ Sackmann
Phantom Basketball Club:
– TBD: wild card
– Coach: Adam Harrington
Laces Basketball Club:
– Coach: Andrew Wade
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