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Browns head coach Todd Monken praises Sanders’ ‘elite playmaking ability’ ahead of QB competition

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Browns head coach Todd Monken praises Sanders’ ‘elite playmaking ability’ ahead of QB competition

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One of Todd Monken’s main priorities as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns is figuring out who will be his starting quarterback for Week 1. 

Monken has three options to look at this season — Deshaun Watson, who wasn’t available all last season due to injury; Dillon Gabriel, the team’s third-round pick in 2025; and Shedeur Sanders, the Browns’ starter at the end of last season. 

Monken hopes one of these quarterbacks can set themselves apart over time. But all eyes will be on Sanders, who started the final seven games of the 2025 season for the Browns, to emerge as the starter for Monken. 

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Todd Monken talks with the media after being introduced as head coach of the Cleveland Browns during a press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus Feb. 3, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

During the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Monken was asked about his quarterbacks, specifically whether he sees Sanders as the team’s starter. 

“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability,” Monken said, according to the New York Post. “That’s in him. You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? What first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go? I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”

Sanders went 3-4 over those seven starts, while Gabriel was 1-5 after taking over for Joe Flacco, who was traded to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals after an injury to starter Joe Burrow. 

It’s worth noting the Baltimore Ravens, with Monken as offensive coordinator under former head coach John Harbaugh, wanted to draft Sanders to back up Lamar Jackson, the team’s two-time MVP quarterback. However, Sanders made it known he wished to go somewhere in the draft where he had a chance of being the team’s starter. 

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Todd Monken speaks to the media after being introduced as head coach of the Cleveland Browns during a press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus Feb. 3, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Sanders was never going to jump Jackson on the depth chart in 2025 and beyond, so the Browns eventually took him in the fifth round after a shocking fall down the draft board last April. 

Watson is in the final year of what has been a disastrous $250 million, fully guaranteed contract for the former Houston Texans ace signal-caller. While playing in three Pro Bowls during his time in Houston, Watson has played just 17 games during his time in Cleveland, which included suspensions on top of his injuries. 

Yet, Monken believes a player who has shown elite talent on the field, no matter when it was, deserves a shot. 

“I think you are always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of them again,” Monken explained. “I think that’s how you should look at every player. I’m going to let it play out.”

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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns stands for the national anthem before a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium Aug. 8, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)

In his 17 games with the Browns, Watson is 9-10, which includes a 1-6 mark in 2024 before an Achilles injury ended his season. 

Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his seven starts for Cleveland last season. He was eventually named a Pro Bowl replacement.

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Florida judge rules prosecutors can access Tiger Woods’ prescription drug history after DUI arrest: report

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Florida judge rules prosecutors can access Tiger Woods’ prescription drug history after DUI arrest: report

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A Florida judge reportedly ruled that prosecutors will have access to Tiger Woods’ recent prescription drug history.

An April court filing showed that a subpoena was to be issued for Woods’ prescription drug records following his DUI arrest in March, but his attorneys fought it. But according to the TC Palm, the records will be released to prosecutors only and not made available to the public.

Tiger Woods was handcuffed after a sobriety test. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)

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Woods was arrested for driving under the influence after taking field sobriety tests following a two-vehicle crash in which his Range Rover turned onto its driver’s side.

The aforementioned court filing showed that a subpoena will be issued to “seek copies of any and all prescription medication on file” for Woods from Jan. 1 through March 27, the date of his car crash and arrest.

Woods’ attorney, Douglas Duncan, wrote in a motion that the subpoena goes against Woods’ constitutional rights to privacy, requesting Tuesday’s hearing to determine whether prosecutors should be allowed to obtain the records.

Woods told law enforcement that “I take a few” prescription medications amid seven back surgeries and “over 20 operations” on his leg. In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.

Tiger Woods went through several exercises before getting handcuffed. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)

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He also mentioned that his ankle was fused, and he walks with a limp due to the injuries. Due to the nature of his injuries, authorities made him do a field sobriety test while sitting down. He blew “triple-zeroes,” authorities said, but “lethargic” movements warranted exercises anyway.

Woods participated in four exercises before a deputy placed him in handcuffs. The deputy stated she believed Woods was under an “unknown substance.”

Deputies found two white pills on Woods, which were later identified as hydrocodone, an opioid used to treat pain.

Woods has pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge but announced several days after the wreck he would “seek treatment.” At the scene of the crash, he said he was “hoping to” play in the Masters, but his treatment put his eventual return to the course on hold.

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Tiger Woods sits in the back of a cop car after getting arrested on March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)

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Woods was granted permission on April 1 to travel out of the country “to enter into comprehensive inpatient treatment.”

Woods was charged with driving under the influence, property damage, refusal to submit to testing and careless driving. He pleaded not guilty and waived his arraignment, demanding a trial with a jury.

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Prep talk: Villa Park pitching duo will be tough to stop in Division 2 baseball playoffs

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Prep talk: Villa Park pitching duo will be tough to stop in Division 2 baseball playoffs

There are lots of coaches in the Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs glad to see that Villa Park is in the Division 2 playoffs because of the Spartans’ strong pitching.

Villa Park, the No. 1 seed in Division 2, has a terrific one-two starting duo in junior Logan Hoppie (10-1, 1.28 ERA) and senior Jack McGuire (6-2, 1.62 ERA).

McGuire is 6 feet 5 and has 82 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings. He had a 16-strikeout performance this season. Hoppie has a two-hit shutout of Crestview League champion Cypress on his resume.

Villa Park finished the regular season at 19-8-1 under veteran coach Burt Call and in second place in league. If the Spartans can get some hitting help, the pitchers will handle the rest. Villa Park opens the playoffs on Thursday at home against Elsinore.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Craig Morton, quarterback who led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, dead at 83

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Craig Morton, quarterback who led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, dead at 83

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Former Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton, who was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame, died on Saturday. He was 83.

Morton was critical in helping the Broncos reach their first-ever playoff appearance, ultimately getting them to Super Bowl XII during the 1977 campaign.

After going 12-2 during the season, and getting wins in the playoffs over the Pittsburgh Steelers and then-Oakland Raiders, Morton was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Year.

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Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton stands on the sidelines with both hands on his hips. (GETTY)

“Craig Morton is unbelievable,” fellow Ring of Famer Haven Moses said after the Broncos won the AFC Championship in 1978, per the New York Times. “To me, he’s the most valuable player in the National Football League.”

Morton also won Sporting News Player of the Year, the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year and the NFL UPI MVP in 1977.

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“We are saddened to learn of the passing of #BroncosROF quarterback Craig Morton, who died on Saturday at the age of 83,” the Broncos posted on social media.

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Morton also led the Broncos to two different division titles and three playoff berths during his six seasons with the franchise. He finished his career in Denver with 11,895 passing yards, which marked the most in franchise history at the time.

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Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)

Morton also led the Broncos with pass attempts (1,594) and completions (907). But Morton’s time with the Broncos was the latter half of his NFL career.

He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, the fifth overall pick out of Cal. Morton spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Cowboys, where he threw for 10,279 yards with 80 touchdowns and 73 interceptions. He went 32-14-1 in his time with Dallas.

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Then, during the 1974 season, Morton was moved to the New York Giants, a division rival of the Cowboys. He went 1-6 in his first seven starts that year and wouldn’t find much success in New York across three seasons.

Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)

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For his career, Morton threw for 27,908 yards with 183 touchdowns. He owned an 81-62-1 record across 207 games.

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