Hall of Fame honered for its wellness program

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is being honored by the National Minority Quality Forum with its Booker T. Washington Award in a ceremony on Monday.

The Booker T. Washington Award recognizes an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of wellness in emerging populations.

Hall of Fame programming related to promoting physical, mental and emotional health includes its “Strong Youth Strong Communities” outreach. That initiative connects Hall of Fame members with youth across the country in a partnership with national health care provider Centene Corp.

Recently, dozens of Hall of Famers issued inspirational and hope-filled messages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Strong Youth Strong Community programs are part of the hall’s #Huddleupamerica initiative, which is designed to bring people together of all races, religions and ethnicities,” notes David Baker, the Hall of Fame’s president/ceo. “Now is the time for all of America to ‘huddle up’ to help each other and love each other.

“Booker T. Washington and this award in his name represent the spirit and hope that if we can huddle up and learn to trust each other, then there is no limit to what we can accomplish together.” MORE POSITIVE TESTS FOR TITANS >> The positive test results keep coming for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL’S first outbreak of COVID-19. The Titans have had positive test results stream in daily for five days straight and it could put the Titans’ next home game against Buffalo on Oct. 11 at risk with the NFL forced into even more rearranging of the schedule.

On Saturday, the Titans added defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons to the reserve/covid-19 list. Two staff members also tested positive for COVID-19, raising the team’s total to 18 since Sept. 24.

Other than playing home games in Maryland, there are few similarities between the Washington Football Team and the Baltimore Ravens.

Washington is rebuilding after finishing last in the NFC last season. Baltimore was the top seed in the AFC before losing its playoff opener.

But when these regional rivals meet today, each will be looking for a bounceback performance after a loss that included a disappointing quarterback performance.

Lamar Jackson was outplayed by the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in a Monday night showdown, resulting in Baltimore’s first regularseason defeat in a calendar year. Jackson managed 97 passing yards on 28 attempts, a career low of 3.5 yards per attempt.

Dwayne Haskins, meanwhile, threw three interceptions and lost a fumble as Washington lost at Cleveland, falling to 1-2.

The solution might be easier to come by for Baltimore and Jackson, last year’s MVP. So far in the Jackson era, the team is 0-6 when trailing in any game by 10 points or more, a deficit that developed quickly against Kansas City.

“We just can’t get in those situations — being behind,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to try to score each and every drive like we should be. And if we’re down, just try to execute the plays and try to move forward and put some points on the board and make the comeback.”

Running back Mark Ingram defended Jackson, saying that it’s “not on one person” but the entire offense to forge a comeback.

“We have to execute our assignments better,” Ingram said. “We have to get open. We have to catch passes. We have to protect the quarterback. We have to protect the football. We have to possess the football.”

Haskins, Washington’s up-and-down second-year starter, has done what his MVP counterpart has not. He helped rally Washington from a 17-0 deficit in Week 1 to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, the offense been inconsistent in losses to Arizona and Cleveland.

Offensive coordinator Scott Turner is looking for Haskins to avoid forcing the ball into coverage. Haskins said he must play better across the board.

“Definitely there wasn’t anything that I said, ‘Man, I need to do this.’ I just want to be better at everything,” Haskins said. “I’m still young. I can’t just sit here and act like I arrived, or I made it. I mean, I made it, but there’s a long way to go.”

GAIL BURTON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, right, last season’s NFL Most Valuable Player, was limited to 97 yards passing and sacked four times in Monday night’s loss to the Chiefs. opener against Baltimore, then beat up on Cincinnati and Washington. That means the Browns lost to a good opponent and defeated two tail-enders. Which of those the Cowboys might be is undetermined. They were handed their only victory by hapless Atlanta, and the two road losses were at the Rams and Seahawks. Again, quality opposition. New Browns coach Kevin Stefanski seems to have had more effect on his club than Cowboys new man Mike Mccarthy has so far in Big D. OK, OK. Everyone in America seems to know that Russell Wilson is the best NFL quarterback to not receive an MVP vote in his career. His numbers so far are very Mvp-like, of course. Wilson is the first player to have at least four touchdown passes in each of his first three games in a season. He leads the league with 14, the most after three games in NFL history. Wilson has 24 games with a passer rating of at least 130, the most in the league since 2012. And now he faces a porous Miami secondary. The Dolphins are allowing 8.8yards per pass, worst in the NFL. Each team comes off unexpected results. The Panthers went out to LA and beat the Chargers handily. The Cardinals, one of the league’s most impressive starters in 2020, fell to the previously winless Lions. The Panthers have won four straight games against the Cardinals and 11 of the past 14. Coincidentally, new Panthers coach Matt Rhule and Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury met twice as college coaches. Rhule’s Baylor Bears and Kingbury’s Texas Tech Red Raiders split the matchups.