Browns QB Watson is ready to play, not talk
As Deshaun Watson walked toward his locker, staying behind the sizable media contingent awaiting his first interview in three months, Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah spotted his teammate.
“There he goes right now if you want to flip the camera on him,” Koramoah said.
Watson chose to stay to the side and quiet.
He's ready to play, not talk. Cleveland's new starting quarterback didn't address the media Wednesday before practicing for the first time since being reinstated by the NFL from his 11-game suspension for alleged sexual misconduct.
Watson, accused of harassment and assault by more than two dozen women during massage therapy sessions while he played for Houston, is set to make his debut Sunday for the Browns against the Texans, who drafted him in 2017, lost his confidence and eventually traded him to Cleveland in March.
Bills take on Patriots
The most recent time the Bills faced the Patriots, they left little doubt about their status as the pacesetter in the AFC East.
Buffalo walked off the field with a 47-17 win in the wildcard round of the playoffs this past January, demoralizing a New England team that was celebrating being back in the postseason after a one-year absence.
The Bills (8-3) will look to add to their recent run of success in a rivalry once dominated by the Patriots (65) during their latest trip to New England. Buffalo enters tonight's matchup at New England the winners of three of the past four regular-season meetings and is in second place in the AFC's only division in which all four teams are above .500.
Hadl dies at 82
Longtime NFL quarterback John Hadl, who starred for his hometown Kansas Jayhawks before embarking on a professional career that included six Pro Bowl appearances and an All-Pro nod, died Wednesday. He was 82.
The university, where Hadl returned after his playing days as a coach and fundraiser, announced his death in a statement, citing his family. No cause was given.
Coach Brandon Staley actually went there Wednesday. In the midst of a detailed explanation of all the things great and small that safety Derwin James Jr. does for the Chargers, including the various roles and positions he plays, Staley actually compared him to NBA superstar LeBron James.
To be clear, Staley wasn't comparing Derwin James to LeBron James when it comes to championships won or records set or spots reserved in the Hall of Fame someday. Staley wasn't comparing heights and weights or skills on the football field to skills on the basketball court.
No, what Staley was saying was that Derwin James' remarkable versatility on the field compares to LeBron James' remarkable versatility on the court.
“He's like that LeBron James-type player where he can just do everything,” Staley said of the Chargers' James. “The thing that makes LeBron unique is he plays all five positions and he plays them all at a premium level. He can do everything at the highest level you could ask anyone to do. Point guard. (Shooting) guard. Scoring. Threepointers.