Sports
CJ Stroud, Caleb Williams – the clash of the present and the future at quarterback
Star black quarterbacks aren’t 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 – The regular-season debut of Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is now behind him, which is sweet news for each Williams and the Bears.
There’s no denying that Williams — the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in April — struggled in Sunday’s 24-17 season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field. He rushed his throws. He missed open receivers. He made poor decisions attempting to extend plays.
Yes. Not good.
But one start in a profession doesn’t make a profession. Williams gets a second probability to make a greater impression on Sunday when the Houston Texans host the Bears at NRG Stadium.
For any highly regarded rookie, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud is an amazing role model.
Stroud, chosen second overall in the 2023 draft, is widely considered the fastest-rising quarterback in the game. After leading the Texans to the AFC South title and a wild-card playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns last season, Stroud was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The alternative was obvious.
Now the Texans, who opened the season with a 29-27 road win over the Indianapolis Colts, are considered to have one of the league’s strongest rosters. Stroud is at the top of his game, and the Bears are hoping Williams can show improvement in his first road test against a top-tier team.
While Bears coach Matt Eberflus acknowledges Williams needs to enhance, he is just not concerned that Williams will lack the grit to bounce back from a poor first game.
“I don’t think there was any concern. He was calm, composed and collected the whole time. He was never frustrated,” Eberflus said after the Bears rallied from a 17-point second-quarter deficit.
“We always talk to him about the reaction you have, just hanging in there because sometimes it can be tough on both sides. You just have to hang in there. You have to have that faith … faith in the guy next to you, faith in your teammates. It’s not just about one guy.”
But in the future, quarterbacks play a disproportionately large role in a team’s performance, which is why the Bears used the first pick in the draft to pick the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC.
Justin Casterline/Getty Images
It can be unwise for the Bears to feel guilty after only one game. But Williams, well, has plenty of room to grow.
Williams accomplished just 14 passes on 29 attempts for 93 yards — a median of a paltry 3.2 yards per attempt — and no touchdowns. On a positive note for Williams, he didn’t throw a single interception.
Williams, clearly disenchanted together with his performance after the match, nonetheless believes he’s near regaining his form.
“It’s the little things that always lead to the big things, make those moments and things like that that much bigger, make those games that much closer,” Williams said. “Just the little things.”
In the Texans’ victory over the Colts, Stroud excelled in ways big and small.
The former Ohio State star accomplished 24 of 32 passes for 234 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. With 11 wins over his last 18 games, Houston has matched its record from the previous three regular seasons combined, spread over 50 games.
In an effort to bolster the receiving corps to maximise the talents of their star quarterback, the Texans acquired All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills in April. Diggs caught each of Stroud’s touchdown passes against the Colts.
In his rookie season, Stroud showed a poise that went beyond his experience. While the Texans were impressed by his talent, they were much more pleased with Stroud’s determination to guide and set a positive example since joining the franchise. To say the Texans feel they made an amazing alternative in choosing Stroud can be an enormous understatement.
Before the draft, renowned quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery expressed confidence that the team that drafted Stroud can be very blissful. Judging by the Texans’ response to Stroud, Avery has a crystal ball.
“CJ is just so diligent in his work ethic,” Avery, who has known Stroud since the quarterback was 17, told Andscape.
“There are only a few individuals who work as hard as C.J., and you would really see that when he was 17. When he got here in (to the quarterback camp where Avery was an instructor), no person really looked at him as someone who thought, ‘Oh, man, this guy is going to be super-special.’ He got here right into a situation where we (the camp coaches) were all like, ‘He could be OK.’ And then he totally dominated.
“And every quarterback was there. Guys you see playing in the league now. At Ohio State, C.J. did the same thing. He just kept attacking. Now that he’s in the NFL, he just kept doing it. When someone prepares as hard as C.J. does, is as diligent in his work ethic, you see the fruits of that work.”
For the Texans, Stroud’s work has helped drive much of their recent success, and the Bears are counting on Williams to do the same.
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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