Category: NFL

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Machado–if he stays–will get a big fat contract with Dodgers; Ravens Smith to be suspended four games for domestic abuse; Nats start the fire sale deals–Murphy and Adams: plus more

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On the Headline Sports with London:

#1 Will the Los Angeles Dodgers re-sign Manny Machado? Would it have an impact on the club and will other players start to ask for more dough if Machado ends up being the highest-priced player on the club?

#2 The Baltimore Ravens’ top cornerback Jimmy Smith has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s domestic abuse policy for making “threatening and emotionally abusive behaviors” according to a league statement towards his girlfriend. Marlon Humphrey, a 2017 first round draft pick, will start at corner with 10-year veteran Brandon Carr.

#3 The Washington Nationals, who moved into the .500 position 63-63 by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in a laugher on Tuesday night 10-4, after the club dealt Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs and Matt Adams was traded St Louis Cardinals.

#4 It’s quite the way that Indianapolis Colts’ play-by-play announcer Bob Lamey wanted to go out, but he was in the studio with an black employee at WTRH radio in Indianapolis–the flagship station of the Colts–and had used the N-word (not on the air). Lamey is a legend in the annals of Colts broadcasting calling games since 1984. The employee was talking with Lamey when Lamey used the word when he was retelling a story the employee was offended and later reported it to human resources Lamey retired last Sunday after team members spoke with him about using the word.

#5 The Oakland A’s continue to tear it up and this homestand is no different. They rolled over the first-place Houston Astros, taking two out of three, then they took the first two games of the three-game series against the Texas Rangers. With the win Tuesday night, the A’s moved into first place for the first time this season by a 1/2 game.

London Marq does the Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers’ running backs in pain even before third preseason game against Colts

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By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers will head to Indianapolis to face the Colts in their third preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday afternoon. When they get there, the 49ers will be without yet another running back.

That’s because Joe Williams, who spent his rookie season on the injured-reserve list, suffered a rib injury during Saturday’s game against the Houston Texans, and he has already been ruled out for Week 1 of the regular season.

The team is already without starter Jerick McKinnon, who suffered a calf strain during practice a week ago. However, he reportedly was doing individual conditioning work and is gearing towards returning to the lineup in time for Week 1 at Minnesota, when the 49ers face McKinnon’s former team in the Vikings.

He has already been ruled out for the rest of the preseason.

If that’s not enough, the team lost backup Matt Breida in their first preseason game, at home against the Dallas Cowboys. He has been ruled out for rest of the preseason with the separated shoulder he suffered in the second quarter against Dallas.

Just like McKinnon, however, Breida is expected to be back in the lineup when the 49ers open the regular season on Sept. 9.

If there is good news leading into Saturday’s exhibition, the team could see the first live action for cornerback Richard Sherman in a 49ers uniform. He has missed the team’s first two preseason games with a hamstring injury he suffered early on in training camp.

Meanwhile, linebacker Eli Harold can return at any point during the preseason, after he suffered a knee contusion in the preseason opener against the Cowboys. Another linebacker, Malcolm Smith, is currently nursing a hamstring injury and is looking to shake the injury bug that has seemed to have bitten him repeatedly since signing with the 49ers last offseason.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: 49ers GM Lynch says team is deeper and with game changers this season

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On the 49ers podcast with David:

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said he feels a lot better than last year saying the team is a lot deeper than last year and that their looking for game changers. Expectations are high for 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo going into the season. For game 3 in Indianapolis this Saturday, David takes a look what to expect in a game where the starters get more time on the field.

Denver Broncos’ general manager John Elway tipped the scales of the Colin Kapernick collusion case. Elway said that he offered the former 49ers quarterback Kaepernick a $7 million deal, but Kapernick–who was making $11 million on his last deal–declined. The NFL is looking into a gag order violation involving any discussions regarding bringing Kaepernick back in the NFL.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: This Week in 1980, Charlie O. Finley Sold the A’s for $12.7 Million

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By: Amaury Pi-González

On August 21, 1980, Athletics owner Charlie Finley announced at a news conference that he has sold his A’s to Walter A. Haas, Jr., the chairman of the board of the Levi Strauss clothing empire, Haas’s son Walter Jr., and son-in-law Roy Eisenhardt for $12.7 million.

In 1980, Finley agreed in principle to sell to businessman Marvin Davis, who was planning to move the A’s to Denver, but before that, Finley and Davis were to sign a contract, as the NFL’s Oakland Raiders announced they were moving to Los Angeles in 1982. The City of Oakland and Alameda County officials didn’t wanted to be held responsible for losing Oakland status as a big league city and refused to let the A’s out of their lease with the Coliseum. So the A’s were sold and stayed.

Although they have changed ownership a few times since, today’s A’s are in solid ground to continue playing in Oakland. These days, the last thing in mind for the A’s is to move out of Oakland, because soon they will be the only professional team left, after the Warriors move to San Francisco and the Raiders to Las Vegas. That is the good news. Plus, MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has said it all along, “the Bay Area is a two-team market.”

However, there is presently a group called Protect Oakland’s Shoreline Economy that is questioning the A’s proposed move to their favorite location of the Howard Terminal near Jack London Square. Here in the greater Bay Area, there is never a shortage of groups that oppose construction of sports facilities. and this one is the most recent. This is the second chapter of this novela. In December of last year, the A’s plans to build a 35,000 seat ballpark near Lake Merritt was stopped cold, when the community college refused to start negotiations about the proposed park.

All these recent concerns have been rather silenced by the A’s current play on the field, as they have been shocking the baseball world. They just took two out of three from the Mariners and two out of three from the Astros–two of their biggest rivals. This Monday, the Rangers open a three-game series at the Coliseum and then the A’s go on a six-game road-trip to Minnesota and Houston. They return the 30th of this month to say adios to August and welcome September with a four-game series against the M’s, three against the contending Yankees and the Rangers again. I do not believe the A’s bandwagon is close to capacity yet, as there are still a lot of folks who are not 100 percent certain they are going to see postseason play at the Coliseum. But I think they will.

By then, we will see how are the Atléticos de Oakland doing, with two very possible scenarios: 1) winning the division or 2) advancing as one of the two Wild Card teams.

Listen to the A’s games in Spanish on KIQI 1010am/990am, covering the Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton and the Valley, and on the SAP Channel on NBC Sports California.

49ers lose to the Texans 16-13 and SF’s defense looks unreliable

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By Jeremy Harness

In preseason games, the starters are only in the game for less than a quarter, so there’s really not much to draw from or to analyze, since these games are mostly played by guys who won’t be on the field much when it counts or won’t even make the team anyway.

So this will be mostly be about less than a quarter of action from Saturday’s game, which was won by the Houston Texans by a 16-13 score over the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium. This was the 49ers’ second glorified practice of season.

Jimmy Garoppolo was in for two drives, and he completed 10 of his 12 throws for 136 yards, a touchdown and was intercepted once. While he was in the game, the offense looked sharp and ready to go for the season to start, as Garoppolo was able to extend plays and find open receivers when the protection broke down.

The 49ers’ first drive culminated with Garoppolo finding Trent Taylor in the back of the end zone to give his team a 7-0 lead.

His second drive did not end so well, but they still moved the ball very well nonetheless. Once the 49ers again crossed into the Texans’ territory, Garoppolo was a little high in his pass over the middle to rookie Dante Pettis. As a result, the ball was tipped in the air, and the ball was scooped up by Johnson Bademosi.

So overall, not a bad showing by the 49ers’ starting offense at all. However, the defense still has some concerns attached to it. Just as Garoppolo carved up the Texans’ defense, Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson did the same to the 49ers’ defense.

Watson, who was missing his star wideout in DeAndre Hopkins on Saturday, still was able to gouge the 49ers’ starting unit, and he also ended his first drive with a touchdown. He went 5-for-8 for 73 yards and that score. That was his first–and only–drive of the game, and he then made way for Brandon Weeden.

Granted, the defense was without many of its key players, including cornerback Richard Sherman, defensive lineman Solomon Thomas and linebacker Malcolm Smith. But overall, it was just not a good look for a defense that was said to have improved over the past year.

As it stands right now, expect the 49ers to score some points, but also give up quite a bit of points at the same time.

The 49ers visit the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, August 25 at 1:30 pm PDT.

Raiders fall short in 19-15 loss to Rams

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By Jeremy Kahn

In their first game back at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since the end of the 1994 season, the Oakland Raiders return was spoiled by the current tenants, the Los Angeles Rams, on Saturday.

John Kelly ran for 56 yards and a touchdown, helping the Rams to a 19-15 victory on a balmy Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.

After trailing 16-0, the Raiders came all the back to get within one point, as Chris Warren ran for 110 yards and a touchdown in front of a partisan Raiders crowd at the stadium that they called home from 1982-1994.

Kelly got the Rams on the board in the second quarter, as he scored on a two-yard run to give the Rams a 7-0 lead.

That Kelly touchdown would be the only one that the Raiders defense would allow, as it became a field goal for the Rams, who are coming off a NFC West Division a season ago.

Greg Zuerlein gave the Rams their next six points, as he nailed a 42-yard field goal with 2:05 remaining in the half and then kicked a 28-yard field goal to send the Rams to the locker room with a 13-0 lead.

Sam Ficken stretched the lead up to 16-0, as he nailed a 31-yard field goal straight thru the uprights for the Rams.

On their next possession, the Raiders finally got on the board, as Warren scored on a three-yard run; however, the Raiders attempt at a two-point conversion was not successful.

Mike Nugent, who is trying to make the team as the teams’ kicker behind rookie Johnny Townsend cut the Rams lead down to seven, as he kicked a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

James Cowser made the defensive play of the game, as he intercepted a Brandon Allen pass at the Rams’ 36-yard line and returned it to the 21-yard line for a 15-yard return.

Just four plays later, the Raiders pulled within one point, as E.J. Manuel found former Stanford standout Griff Whalen for a 10-yard touchdown pass; however, the Warren rush on the two-point conversion came up short and the Rams maintained their one point lead.

Following the Whalen touchdown, Allen drove the Rams all the way down to the Raiders’ 14-yard line and the Rams were held to a 32-yard Ficken field goal.

With a chance to win the game, the Raiders began their final drive of the game, but the offense stalled, as the Raiders could only get to the Rams 47-yard line and then Manuel was sacked for a 10-yard loss and that would be the last time that the Raiders would get the ball.

Following the Townsend punt, the Rams ran the ball and were able to run out the clock and give the preseason tilt to the Rams.

Without the services of David Carr, Marshawn Lynch, Amari Cooper and many other would be regulars, the Raiders were led by Manuel, who went 10-for-16 for 89 yards and a touchdown. Connor Cook started the game for the Raiders, and went 6-for-12 for 49 yards, as he competes with Cook for the backup quarterback position to Carr when the season begins on September 10 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Warren took advantage of Lynch not playing, as he carried the ball 18 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Both rookie Paul Butler and Jalen Richard each caught three passes for 35 yards for the Raiders, who fall to 1-1 on the preseason.

NOTES: The Raiders and the Rams will see each other once again in just 23 days, as the two teams will face each other in the season opener on September 10 in Oakland in the second game of the Monday Night doubleheader.

UP NEXT: After the short trip to Los Angeles, the Raiders return home for their home preseason finale on Friday night, as they will face the Green Bay Packers at the Oakland Coliseum at 7:30 pm PDT.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Cook looks like a good backup quarterback; Who to look for among receiver and running backs

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On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon:

The Oakland Raiders quarterback Connor Cook got some looks during preseason game against the Detroit Lions last Friday at the Oakland Coliseum. Cook threw 11-for-19, 141 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Marshawn Lynch took a hand off from starting quarterback Derek Carr and ran for 60 yards–only to have it called back due to a holding penalty.

Running back to look for the Raiders, Chris Warren III, who carried for 86 yards, 13 carries, averaging 6.6 yards and DeAndre Washington, who had six carries, 38 yards and a 6.3 average against the Lions last Friday. Will these be the rushers to look for this season?

On receivers, Johnny Holton caught one pass and had 41 yards receiving and Paul Butler, who had 24 yards for one reception. What will Raiders head coach Jon Gruden expect out of his receivers this Saturday in Los Angeles?

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: After a physical scrimmage, 49ers and Texans ready to rumble in second preseason game for jobs

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On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

This week, it got physical between the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans during their scrimmages. The players were literally fighting for jobs as the two teams face each other this Saturday in Houston. 49ers quarterback CJ Beathard worked hard in camp this year and in his first preseason game in his bid to make second string quarterback. He threw 10-for-20 for 181 yards and one pick last Friday at Levi’s Stadium in the 49ers’ first preseason game.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had his watchful eye on a host of young players. For example. running back Joe Williams who 11 carries and 27 yards and Raheem Mostent, who had eight carries and 57 yards. Wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr had three catches for 54 yards and Richie James four catchers for 46 yards and a touchdown.

The 49ers play in South Texas this Saturday. Expect hot weather for this second preseason game as both teams are coming off physical scrimmages and trying to win a job.

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders get set for LA trip, take on Rams at Memorial Coliseum Saturday

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — For the first time in 24 years, the Raiders will play a game in Los Angeles when they face the Rams at the Memorial Coliseum Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. PT.

This is the second-straight season that the Rams and the Raiders link up in the preseason.

Los Angeles won 24-21 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum last August. Oakland will host the Rams in Week 1 as part of a double-header on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, but don’t expect both teams to reveal any true game plans Saturday.

It was December 24, 1994 that the then-Los Angeles Raiders lost a 19-9 game to the Kansas City Chiefs that would end the Raiders’ 12-year run in Southern California. Depending on who you talk to, the Raiders still hold a major footprint in the country’s second-largest media market next to New York.

Even with the Rams back in town after relocating from St. Louis, where they won the franchise’s only Super Bowl trophy, following a 20-year stint from 1995-2015, it’s as if the Raiders have never left as you can still see people wearing Raiders’ gear.

The Raiders did win a Super Bowl in Los Angeles following the 1983 season, the third trophy in franchise history.

That’s why I’m very interested to see how much of the 93,607-seat Memorial Coliseum will be Silver and Black Saturday afternoon as both teams will play their second preseason game.

The Raiders defeated the visiting Detroit Lions, 16-10, last Friday night at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Quarterback Derek Carr and the first-team offense started the game, playing just one drive before heading to the sideline. Carr completed just 2-of-4 passes for 11 yards in his night of work, but the first-team offense did show some potential of being a big-play offense this season, after seeing running back Marshawn Lynch dart down the Oakland sideline for a 60-yard touchdown run before the play was called back following a holding call on rookie left tackle Kolton Miller.

Expect Carr and the first-team offense to play more than one series, after Raiders head coach Jon Gruden broke training camp Thursday giving the players the day off.

Connor Cook, who took over for Carr, completed 11-of-19 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown while playing the remainder of the first half. Cook would lead the Raiders to a 13-7 halftime lead, looked good engineering the Raiders’ second-team offense.

Undrafted rookie running back Chris Warren III played extensively, recording 13 carries for 86 yards. Its just one preseason game, but Warren III is making a strong case to make the team with impressive showings in recent training camp practices according to reports from Napa.

Defensively, Oakland was without star defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who has been a training camp holdout as he seeks a new contract. Missing that game cost Mack $814,000. Mack won’t play Saturday, which will cost him another $814,000.

Oakland’s defense won’t nearly be as formidable without Mack, who has made three trips to the Pro Bowl, named All-Pro twice, and won Defensive Player of the Year in his first four seasons in the NFL.

Rookie defensive tackle P.J. Hall showed great activity when he stepped on the field, recording a sack and a batted pass on his first two plays in the NFL. Other rookies like defensive tackle Maurice Hurst and cornerback Nick Nelson will get more playing time Saturday.

New kicker Eddy Pineiro made a case to be Oakland’s permanent kicker, nailing all three of his field goals. The rookie made field goals from 21, 48, and 45 yards.

Fellow rookie in defensive end Arden Key is expected to play Saturday after missing the previous game with a “tweaked” ankle per reports. As a sophomore at LSU, Key would set a school-record by registering 12 sacks in 2016.

As a matter of fact, Oakland could have their entire rookie class available this Saturday for the first time since their rookie class of 2016, per Marcus Allen Krause of Silver and Black Pride.

Second-year cornerback Gareon Conley, who has been nursing a shin injury, is expected to make is preseason debut against the Rams.  It was revealed early in training camp that Conley had suffered vitamin D deficiency, which became a major talking point on the Raiders.

Last week, the Rams traveled to Baltimore to open up their preseason slate, before being toppled by the Ravens 33-7.

Backup quarterback Sean Mannion started for the Rams in place of starter Jared Goff, completed just 3-of-13 passes for 16 yards and one interception, as Los Angeles held out the majority of their starting offense. Third-year quarterback Brandon Allen fared better, connecting on 10-of-15 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Star running back Todd Gurley didn’t suit up for the Rams, but was on the sideline.

Los Angeles rewarded Gurley with a four-year $57 million extension with $45 million guaranteed in the offseason following a career-year in 2017 in which he rushed for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Gurley also finished with career-highs in receptions (64), receiving yards (788) and touchdowns (5) last season in route to being named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Los Angeles traded for former Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who is coming off his third-straight of a least 60 catches, 1,000 yards and six touchdowns, and gave the aforementioned Goff another weapon to throw to.

Los Angeles led the NFL in scoring, averaging 29.9 points per game in 2017, and were a top-10 offense orchestrated by the second-year Goff (who threw for a career-high 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 100.5 passer rating), designed by first-year head coach Sean McVay.

McVay, the NFL’s youngest head coach at age 31, is a Gruden disciple, cutting his teeth as a coaching assistant on Gruden’s staff with the Buccaneers in 2008. The former wide receiver at Miami of Ohio from 2004 to 2007 eventually would work his way to being the offensive coordinator at Washington under head coach Jay Gruden, the brother of Jon.

After leading the Rams to an 11-5 season, the NFC West title and the team’s first playoff appearance in 13 years, expectations are running high for McVay and Co. in Year 2.

Whenever the Rams come to terms with star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year (and former Defensive Rookie of the Year) on a new contract, Los Angeles will have one of the best defenses in the league heading into the season. The Rams added defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib via trades to bolster the defense around Donald.

Just like Mack, Donald is holding out of training camp looking for new long term deal. Donald didn’t make the trip to Baltimore last week, and he too was fined a game check.

Donald missed out on a $405,000 payday for skipping the game.

The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro is adamant that he’s not playing a game without a new deal after outplaying his rookie deal after the Rams selected him 13th overall in 2014.

So the similarities are there between the Rams and the Raiders:

  1. Head coaches that are offensively innovative and detailed, but don’t expect Gruden or McVay to reveal their hands prior to Week 1.
  2. Star defensive players that should get massive deals, but when will Mack and Donald sign?

Following Saturday’s game, the Raiders will host the Green Bay Packers at home next Friday, while Los Angeles will host the Houston Texas next Saturday.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Gruden just thrilled to be back after game one of preseason; Raiders pile on offensive 345 yards last Friday

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On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

Football returned to the Oakland Coliseum last Friday and with the return of head coach Jon Gruden and Tony takes a look at what that means to the players and the organization. Gruden–after nine years in the broadcast booth–said his return was awesome. He got to see some recognizable faces and some old friends.

Gruden pointed out after last Friday’s game against the Detroit Lions that the job is a big responsibility and was happy to help coach the Raiders to a 345-yard offensive evening against the Detroit Lions. Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch took a hand off from quarterback Derek Carr for a 60-yard carry. Though, it was called back for holding by Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller.

Raiders back up quarterback Connor Cook got some looks as he’s expected to step in for Carr if needed. Cook threw for 11-for-19, 141 yards against Detroit in his first preseason outing.

Tony does the Raiders podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com