Sports
Patriots have one hope to keep from falling hopelessly behind Bills and Dolphins
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The Buffalo Payments don’t worry the New England Patriots. And why ought to they? The final two occasions the groups performed, the Payments scored a mixed 80 factors, didn’t punt, watched their quarterback throw eight landing passes with out an interception and simply dispatched the group that when dominated the AFC East.
The Miami Dolphins don’t worry the New England Patriots. They’ve received 4 of the final 5 towards New England, together with a sweep final season. And so they simply traded former No. 1 receiver DeVante Parker to the Patriots and even threw in a fifth-round draft decide this yr in order that New England could be extra prone to take Parker’s wage.
All this so they may get again a third-round decide in 2023.
So what the Dolphins have been principally saying on this commerce was, “Take our participant and a decide this yr, and we nonetheless assume we’re higher off than you. We will wait a full yr to get a return on this commerce.”
And there’s an opportunity each the Payments and Dolphins have miscalculated. (Yeah, unlikely each have.)
However this offseason suggests each have certainly stayed forward of or moved previous the Patriots and are extra of a menace to one another than the Pats are to both of them.
This offseason when the cost for each group has been to get higher as a result of their neighbor is attempting, the Payments added dynamic go rusher Von Miller and have addressed their inside line of defense.
The Dolphins have restructured their offensive line and added weapons at working again and receiver, together with buying and selling for Tyreek Hill.
The Patriots? They’ve misplaced beginning offensive lineman Ted Karras to Cincinnati; misplaced J.C. Jackson, one of many NFL’s best cornerbacks the previous three years, to the Los Angeles Chargers; misplaced offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left to change into head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders; and customarily have carried out nothing to enhance their group velocity, which was clearly missing the ultimate quarter of the 2021 season.
Sure, it’s been a curious offseason for the Patriots.
And if you happen to ask membership proprietor Robert Kraft, the previous three years haven’t precisely been stellar both — at the least not in his thoughts.
“After my household, there’s nothing extra necessary to me than the New England Patriots and profitable soccer video games,” Kraft mentioned final week on the NFL annual assembly. “I’m a Patriot fan — huge time — first, and greater than something, it bothers me that we haven’t been capable of win a playoff recreation within the final three years. We had a interval of 20 years that have been unbelievable. Now we have to discover a strategy to maintain it, maintain it going.”
Was there a zinger aimed toward Invoice Belichick in there?
Kraft, nonetheless, will not be suggesting the longer term is misplaced.
“I’m blissful that we had a fantastic, I feel we had a fantastic draft final yr,” Kraft mentioned. “And it made up for what occurred the earlier 4 years or so. I stay up for hopefully having a fantastic draft this yr. That’s the one approach you’ll be able to construct your group long run and constantly so that you’ve got probability of profitable is having a very good draft.”
Sure, there was undoubtedly a zinger directed at his coach and normal supervisor in there.
Every thing Kraft is saying is true, by the best way. A number of drafts earlier than final season have been problematic, and clearly Belichick is answerable for these.
And the Patriots, which missed the playoffs in 2020, have been certainly bounced rapidly in ’19 and ’21 with no win.
So what’s New England’s reply for all this?
“Waiting for this yr,” Belichick mentioned. “Attempting to place the very best group on the sphere we are able to in 2022.”
Belichick doesn’t appear too involved in regards to the Payments pulling additional forward and the Dolphins pulling even or maybe forward.
“We’ll discover out subsequent yr,” he mentioned. “I feel a number of the gamers we have now on the roster hopefully will take a step up. However we’ll see. We’ll have new gamers, there might be new gamers right here. We’ll see what occurs with them.”
Let’s be trustworthy:
The one approach the Patriots enhance on final yr’s 10-7 file is that if quarterback Mac Jones is certainly as particular as that group believes.
If Jones makes the gargantuan leap many quarterbacks make from their rookie yr to the second yr, then the Patriots have an opportunity to maintain tempo with the enhancements being made in Buffalo and Miami.
And the Patriots are absolutely offered Jones may be capable of just do that.
“I are available in there typically on the weekend or early,” Kraft mentioned. “He’s there understanding or watching movie, simply doing issues I wouldn’t consider somebody of his background would have that sort of dedication, given his previous.
“And the blokes within the locker room actually like him. All the blokes. I really consider he has somewhat extra edge than we’ve seen, however he’s been respectful of coming in as a rookie. So I’m very excessive on him. I feel we actually, the workers did a fantastic job of drafting him, and we’re fortunate to have him for our future.”
Jones, by the best way, can not simply enhance from being a very good rookie to an excellent veteran. Josh Allen of the Payments is elite. So are a handful of different quarterbacks within the convention.
So Jones must be that good, or the Patriots will wrestle to interrupt that three-year playoff victory drought. Kraft, nonetheless, stays optimistic.
“What’s gone on within the AFC,” he mentioned, “it seems to be like there’s a better variety of high quarterbacks, however we actually have to fret about our scenario. Care for our enterprise. Now we have an opportunity.
“With out a good coach and a very good quarterback, irrespective of how good the opposite gamers are, I don’t assume you’ll be able to win constantly. I consider we have now each – an excellent coach and a very good, younger prospect at quarterback … This might be a very good yr.”
Sports
John Cena announces retirement from WWE
Sixteen-time world champion wrestler John Cena announced his retirement Saturday at WWE’s Money in the Bank at ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto, which Cena said was the “perfect” place to make the announcement.
In recent years, Cena has shown off a towel that said “Never give up.”
This time, it said, “The last time is now,” a reference to his entrance song, “The Time Is Now.”
Cena also wore a shirt that said “The Last Time Is Now Tour” and “John Cena Farewell.”
Cena said he would compete at next year’s Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania, which will be his final events. Chants of “Thank you Cena” roared through the crowd afterward.
“Thank you for letting me play in the house you built for so many years,” Cena told the crowd.
Now a Hollywood superstar, Cena made his WWE debut in 2002 and quickly became a fan favorite. His first dominant shtick was as a trash-talking rapper when he was nicknamed the “Doctor of Thuganomics.”
Two of his most famous matches were at back-to-back WrestleMania events in 2011 and 2012, both of which came against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Cena lost the first but won the second.
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Cena has been a part-timer the last five years. His most recent return, before Saturday, came on night two of WrestleMania XL when Cody Rhodes dethroned Roman Reigns as the undisputed WWE champion.
He won his first of 16 world championships at WrestleMania XXI in 2005 at the age of 28.
Outside the ring and film, he is known for having granted the most wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting close to 700.
Because of his in-ring success and popularity that was unmatched throughout the 2010s, he’s widely regarded as one of the greatest WWE performers of all time and is often placed on hypothetical WWE “Mount Rushmore” lists.
Cena has headlined WrestleMania five times, and since next year’s in Las Vegas will be his farewell, it’s fair to assume he will headline a sixth.
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Sports
Angel City's struggles follow them into Olympic break with loss to Gotham FC
First-half goals from Rose Lavelle and Delanie Sheehan lifted NJ/NY Gotham FC to a 2-1 win over Angel City in front of an announced crowd of 16,542 at BMO Stadium on Saturday.
Claire Emslie scored Angel City’s only goal on a penalty kick in the 69th minute. It was the team’s first goal in three games and 254 minutes.
The crowd was the smallest of the season and the second-smallest in Angel City history. The team came into the weekend leading the league in average home attendance at 19,865.
With the loss, the team’s third straight, Angel City (4-9-3) skidded into the NWSL’s seven-week Olympic break having won only once in nine games dating to early May, falling to 11th in the league standings, three points out of the eighth and final playoff berth.
Lavelle, who was dangerous for most of the 60 minutes she played, tested Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haracic twice — once with each foot — in the third minute before scoring for Gotham (9-3-4) 13 minutes later.
The play started with a long pass ricocheting off Angel City’s Rocky Rodríguez. Sheehan controlled the loose ball and sent it back the other way, starting a five-pass sequence that ended with Crystal Dunn feeding Lavelle in the middle box. From there she had an easy finish for her fifth goal of the season.
Sheehan, a Hermann Trophy semifinalist at UCLA, doubled the lead just before halftime, scoring into an empty goal after Ella Stevens drew Haracic to the top of the six-yard box, then sent a low, left-footed pass to a wide-open Sheehan for her first of the season.
That was one of seven shots on target for Gotham in a first half the reigning NWSL champions dominated.
Angel City, which didn’t put its first shot on goal until the opening seconds of the second half, played much better after the intermission with Emslie giving the team late life with her team-leading sixth goal of the season after Gisele Thompson was taken down in the box by Gotham’s Mandy Freeman.
Thompson left the game after drawing the foul.
Haracic finished with seven saves, matching her season high.
Sports
NBA player ejected from Olympics tuneup after placing hands around fellow pro's neck
There’s still some time until the start of the Olympics, but tensions are already running high.
France and Germany faced each other at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, for an international friendly that apparently became anything but.
With just over two minutes left in the second quarter and the French leading the Germans, 41-23, Dennis Schröder, who also plays for the Brooklyn Nets, drove toward the basket and was fouled by Evan Fournier, a free agent who played for the Knicks and Pistons last season.
Schröder took exception to the foul and quickly approached Fournier with some words. Fournier, though, almost immediately fought back by placing his hands around Schröder’s throat.
The two were separated quickly, and Fournier was ejected for his actions.
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Both teams are in Group B for the Olympics along with Japan and the soon-to-be-named winner of an Olympic qualifying tournament. They will face each other Aug. 2.
Germany also has Franz and Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic and the LA Clippers’ Daniel Theis. Franz just signed a $229 million deal with the Magic. France is loaded with reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
Olympic basketball begins July 27, and the men’s gold medal game is scheduled for Aug. 10.
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