Cassius Winston found peace on the court after brother’s tragic death

On a difficult night, and finding a way forward.

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Cassius Winston played basketball Sunday night, scoring 17 points and dishing out 11 assists, a day after finding out that his younger brother Zachary had stepped in front of an Amtrak train and died.

It was a typical early season basketball game — Michigan State easily beat an outmatched Binghamton — suddenly imbued with emotion. Winston and his head coach, Tom Izzo, fought back tears during a moment of silence. Big Ten Network’s cameras captured Cassius and his youngest brother, Khy (a teammate of Zachary’s at Division III Albion), embracing courtside before the game.

I’m not here to tell you that basketball helped heal a hurting soul last night. Or even that Cassius Winston and his family were buoyed by the love and support of the Michigan State team and fans. I can’t fathom what they’re going through or how they’re feeling. A 19-year old apparently choosing to end his own life leaves behind questions that will forever be unanswered. It stirs pain that none of us could come close to comprehending. Thinking about that level of grief absolutely crushes me.

Yet I certainly saw the way that the game helped Cassius, probably the best point guard in college basketball, find his way. If only for a few moments. Going through the routines, hearing the thud of basketballs and the screech of fresh Nikes cutting on hardwood … I’m guessing that brought him about as close to his brother as he could get.

Steve Kerr played basketball after his father, Malcolm, was assassinated by a terrorist in Lebanon. I spoke to some of his teammates about the night they were awakened by the news, and they all recalled how chaotic it felt. Kerr was a freshman at Arizona then, sitting in his dorm room, with players and coaches coming and going. It was, in fact, eerily calm in so many ways — except that nobody felt normal about anything. Until they got on the court again.

When I got word earlier this year that my father had died, after a life wracked by alcoholism and mental illness, I was throwing ground balls to a line of rambunctious 5- and 6-year olds on a small field tucked behind an elementary school. They mostly played in the dirt, or chased each other, as I exhorted them to get their gloves down. To step and throw. To get to the back of the line and cheer on your teammate.

A call came to my phone and I stepped away to hear the news. I couldn’t think of what to do next, so I returned to what I’d been doing. My father and I weren’t particularly close but he would, when I inevitably begged on most afternoons, have a catch. He would tell me to get my glove all the way down, to point my toe where I wanted the ball to go, to calm down and not rush. Those words filled my head, and I did my best to share them.

That was peace. Fleeting, but meaningful. I hope Winston can find it, too, in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Sunday’s big winner: Lamar Jackson

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Y’all saw that run, right? And his final stat line: 15-of-17 for 223 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 rating. Turns out the the guy who should’ve switched to wide receiver can really throw. Turns out a QB can be athletic and fun and also good at passing — if a coaching staff will just let him be. Turns out the people who were so quick to doubt Jackson were doing so because they were in fact the people upholding the old stereotypes of what makes a good QB in the first place.

The Ravens have the Texans and Rams to get through before hosting San Francisco on Dec. 1, but it’s hard not to look ahead to that game. The Niners defense, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA, is in a stratosphere along with the Patriots far above the rest of the league (New England is at -33.9, San Fran is at -31.4 and the Broncos, Rams and Steelers are next at …. -8.8.) Should be fun.

Quick hits: Do the Dak! … Enough Don Cherry … Denny Hamlin gets another shot … A Michael Jordan gambling and drinking story

— Mark Ingram thinks President Donald Trump is to blame for Alabama losing to LSU. Sure, why not.

—Andrew Joseph took a look at a field goal block that irked Chiefs fans. Man, it must be so hard to be an official and make these calls in real time.

—Dak Prescott can dance. To anything. Seriously. Play any song and he will be in rhythm to it. Go ahead. Try.

—LSU recruits are savage … and I love them for it.

—Don Cherry’s racist blabbering has gone on long enough. The hockey commentators’ bigoted comments toward immigrants were abhorrent.

—On Friday, Michelle Martinelli brought you an insightful look at Denny Hamlin’s quest to shed the title of Best Current NASCAR Driver Without A Series Championship. On Sunday he won a race to become one of four drivers with a shot at winning it all next weekend.

—Penny Hardaway doesn’t need college basketball … which is why he might be the biggest threat to college basketball. Memphis’ decision to defy the NCAA and go to court could change everything.

—Yes, Antonio Brown is still around. Yes, he’s still saying things. No, it’s not going well for him.

—Michael Jordan. Gambling story. As told by Jeremy Roenick. Click.

(The incomparable Andy Nesbitt will be back tomorrow. Follow me on Twitter at @chriskorman.)

Giants’ John Mara angrily stormed out of MetLife Stadium following loss to Jets

A visibly furious John Mara stormed out of MetLife Stadium following the New York Giants’ loss to the Jets on Sunday.

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New York Giants co-owner John Mara is a man of patience — too patient at times — but one way to test that is losing to the New York Jets, which is exactly what head coach Pat Shurmur & Co. did on Sunday afternoon.

Following a 34-27 defeat at the hands of their in-city rivals, which marks a legitimate low point for the franchise, Mara was approached by the beat pool.

That interaction went about as well as could be expected.

Rather than fielding questions, a clearly furious Mara didn’t bat an eye, storming by the media and angrily exiting the stadium without saying so much as a single word.

It’s not unusual for Mara to avoid the media after a game — whether it’s a win or a loss — but occasionally he’ll provide a one-liner out to acknowledge their presence. That was not at all the case on Sunday as he was likely attempting to avoid saying something he’d regret.

Mara’s frustration with the team’s losing has boiled over in recent years, resulting in a series of uncharacteristic instances highlighted by the in-season firing of Ben McAdoo and a little chair throwing here and there. However, that frustration has to be at an all-time high at this point.

The Giants are mired in a six-game losing streak, are headed for another top 5 pick in the NFL Draft and have become a legitimate laughingstock. The pressure is now on the owner to step up, step in and find a way to right this ship.

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The Bengals have to fire someone, right?

The theme of accountability is losing its luster.

There isn’t a Marvin Lewis to fall back on this time.

Remember 2018? The Cincinnati Bengals fired Teryl Austin on November 12, 2018. His defense had just coughed up 500-plus yards in a 51-14 loss to New Orleans.

Fast forward almost exactly a year, Lou Anarumo’s defense just gave up 379 yards in a 49-13 loss. Baltimore needed 23:49 of clock to do it. A late field goal stopped it from finishing as the worst loss in Bengals franchise history. Sunday marked the team’s 11th straight loss, tied for a team record, and it’s one step closer to matching the franchise’s worst-ever start of 0-10 — captained by one Dave Shula.

But there isn’t a Marvin Lewis this time. When the Bengals fired Austin, Lewis stepped in and helped the defense improve. The team fought.

No such fall back plan exists. The Bengals had problems getting a qualified defensive coordinator in the door in the first place. But one could easily make the argument Anarumo should be fired for his performance. Not only is he failing to establish scheme and adapt to opponents, but his units have also coughed up at least 460 yards in four its last five games.

If the team wanted to pull a stunner and can Zac Taylor, doing so would largely be unfeasible. Who takes over? Anarumo is having a rough time and Brian Callahan on the offensive side is inexperienced and helping craft these miserable gameplans. Does special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, in his 17th year with the team, jump to interim head coach? What does that accomplish?

And yet, it is brutal to listen to the coaches wax poetic about accountability when this is the product on the field. Were the front office to step in and fire someone it would make plenty of sense.

That probably doesn’t happen. And the Bengals backed themselves into a no-win situation. They hired Taylor knowing he needed to develop as a coach and gave him control of his staff. There’s no easy out here, if they make a move at all. But the longer something doesn’t change, the more potential irreparable harm the team does with its fans.

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The Detroit Lions should sit Matthew Stafford for his own good

The Detroit Lions should shutdown quarterback Matthew Stafford for the season, for his own good — and the teams.

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You could forgive Matthew Stafford for not knowing quite what to do with himself. After all, for the past 136 games, each and every time the Detroit Lions took the field on Sunday (or Monday, or Thursday, or even the occasional Saturday), he was there, commanding the huddle, trying to lead his team to victory.

So it had to be a bit weird when Stafford returned from the opening coin toss and put on not a helmet, but an earpiece. Standing awkwardly on the sideline, you could sense a discomfort that had nothing to do with the fractured bones in his back that sidelined him for the first time in nearly nine years.

Unfortunately for Stafford, he needs to get used to that uncomfortable feeling for a while. Because, if the Lions are smart, Stafford will not see the field again in 2019.

For the second consecutive season, Stafford has broken small bones in his back. And even if the injury is not quite the same one that he played through last season – and even though NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Stafford could be back on the field as soon as next week – the Lions need to think long and hard before they put him under center again.

There is no question that the goal of coach Matt Patricia has to be to win every game. Not just for his future, but because — the Miami Dolphins tank-a-thon aside — winning is always better than losing.

But there’s a bigger picture to think about. Something more important than beating Dallas next Sunday or Washington the one after that.

Stafford is the unquestioned most important player on the Lions. He’s the most important athlete in Detroit. Period. And he’s going to stay that way for a long time.

Before Stafford’s injury, he was on pace for the best and most efficient season of his career. If the Lions hope to compete for a Super Bowl in the next decade, riding Stafford’s arm is the only way it’s going to happen.

Which is why the Lions can’t sacrifice the future for one or two more wins in a season that is going nowhere. After the Lions’ 20-13 loss to Chicago, they sit at a woeful 3-5-1. To make the playoffs, they would have to win their remaining seven games, and honestly, even that would likely not be enough in a stacked NFC.

The Lions have a duty to the future of the franchise (both in the literal and figurative sense of the word) to look past this Sunday and to 2020 and beyond.

Backs are tricky — just ask Tony Romo, who is leading CBS’s broadcast team instead of the Dallas Cowboys right now because of a series of back injuries. And even if doctors say that it’s just a pain management issue, or that Stafford can’t make things worse by playing, the Lions need to be as cautious as possible.

Had this been Stafford’s first back injury, and if the Lions still had a heartbeat’s chance of making the playoffs, then, sure, maybe you consider throwing him back out there. But this is Stafford’s second back injury this season, and the second straight year he’s literally broken his back trying to carry this team to respectability.

For as disappointing as the 2019 season has been, and as hard as it is to see right now, the Lions are not that far away from being an honest-to-gosh competitor in the NFC. The team will have a decent amount of cap space again, what looks to be another potential top-10 draft pick, and with a few tweaks to the coaching staff (looking at you Paul Pasqualoni), it isn’t hard to see how the bounces could go the Lions’ way in 2020.

But none of that will happen if Stafford isn’t completely healthy and if the team has to hold its breath every time he takes a hard hit because they never let his back completely heal.

That’s why the Lions should shut Stafford down for his own good — and the team’s.

And who knows, maybe after a couple of weeks, Stafford won’t look so awkward on the sideline anymore.

Giants-Jets Week 10: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 10 game against the New York Jets. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell to 2-8 on the season with their sixth consecutive loss on Sunday, this one coming in embarrassing fashion as they fell, 34-27, to the hapless New York Jets.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that contributed to yet another in a long line of losses for New York’s most pathetic team.

Offensive snaps: 72
Defensive snaps: 65
Special teams snaps: 33

With tight end Evan Engram out, Kadem Smith stepped in and saw a substantial amount of offensive snaps. Additionally, as the result of poor snap on a PAT, several plays were given a single offensive snap which looks admittedly strange on the chart.

Defensively, it’s nice to see Corey Ballentine receiving a good amount of snaps — he’s still going to have some hiccups, but there’s talent there. Hopefully the Giants continue to allow him to grow.

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Pep Guardiola screaming “TWICE!’ to the heavens is soccer’s newest, best meme

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola screaming ‘twice’ to the heavens during loss to Liverpool is perfect reaction.

Manchester City lost to Liverpool 3-1 on Sunday. It was a statement win from Liverpool, who now sit eight points clear of second place and look to all like they’re actually going to go ahead and win the league this year.

City, on the other hand, are currently in fourth. They have just 17 points off 12 matches played, the fewest points City manager Pep Guardiola has had at this point in a season in his coaching career.

Guardiola isn’t handling this all super well. The loss to Liverpool began as a soccer match for Guardiola, and ended as a one-man Greek tragedy with him roving the sidelines, screaming to the gods to spare him any more indignities.

Actually, he screamed “twice.” The clip came from after what he perceived as a second missed handball call from the officials, so he ran over to the sideline official and screamed “twice!” while holding two fingers up. Then he screamed “twice” again.

Then, to make sure that the gods themselves heard him, he tilted his head to the sky and screamed “twice!” It was haunting. It was beautiful. It led to an outrageous amount of jokes on the internet.

Twice. TWICE. TWIIIIICE!!!!!!

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The morning after a Chiefs Week 10 loss

Grab your morning cup of coffee as we recap and react to the Chiefs’ Week 10 loss to the Titans.

Grab a cup of coffee and join us as we start off dissecting the fourth loss of the season on Monday.

Every morning following a Kansas City Chiefs win or loss, a few of our writers here at Chiefs Wire will provide their post-game thoughts and quips. It’ll let you know how we’re all feeling about the Chiefs after covering them on gameday. Gather around and be sure to share your thoughts on the Chiefs with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Charles Goldman

Twitter: @goldmctNFL

This has to be one of the most frustrating Chiefs’ teams in recent memory. One week the defense is playing solid mistake-free football, the next week the special teams are the saviors of the game, another week the offense looks unstoppable. For whatever reason, they can’t seem to have all three of these things happen at the same time. It’s a full-on failure to play complementary football and it’s sapping the life out of this team and the fanbase.

I don’t know if Kansas City got caught looking ahead to the showdown in Mexico City for Week 11, but they fumbled away a golden opportunity against the Titans. They let a winnable game slip out of their grasp and now it leaves little room for error down the stretch. The Raiders are closing in on them and they still must travel to Foxboro and play the Patriots.

Look at the strength of win and strength of schedule for the Chiefs and you can tell this is still a really good football team. They just need to get out of their own way and rally together to find some consistent success throughout all phases.

Mitch Carney

Twitter: @MitchMitchcar11

The Chiefs just can’t get a break. Patrick Mahomes returns and has a fantastic game throwing three touchdowns for over 400 yards, but due to bad special teams performance and some poor run defense, he just wasn’t able to get the job done. It’s crazy to think that he did everything right including getting the Chiefs into field goal range to tie the game, but a blocked kick would end it.

I still believe that the Chiefs are a good team and have a good chance to win the Super Bowl, but they need to fix the sloppy play. I personally can’t wait until the bye week, so that the Chiefs can finally get everyone healthy and just prepare for the final stretch before the playoffs.

Max Ramsey

Twitter: @The_Wild_Chief

Patrick Mahomes came back from his injury this week, but unfortunately so did the early season issues that plagued the Chiefs. The defense was burned on the run on several occasions, but the biggest issue with the team in this game was the special team’s units. You can bring up the offense being unable to finish drives, you can bring up the explosive plays allowed by the defense, but the special teams for the Chiefs had some sloppy returns and two late botched field goal attempts late.

It’s going to be tough to come away from this game with any positives, but clearly, the concerns people had about Mahomes coming back early were proved to be unnecessary as Mahomes did some work on the field in this game. This was a game they should have won, however, and it will be hard for the team to get over this week. All we can do is hope that they move on and fix the issues in time for the Chargers game.

Nicolas Roesch
Twitter: @Nicolas_Roesch

This was pretty much the definition of an inexcusable loss. I’ve been consistent in saying that the Chiefs just need to get healthy to get back to being a Super Bowl contender, but I’m less sure of that now. I would have expected the Chiefs to win this game with Matt Moore at quarterback.

To squander this game away despite having Patrick Mahomes back, who looked very healthy, throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns, is embarrassing. The team is openly admitting its effort isn’t what it should be. The Chiefs are playing horrible special teams despite supposedly having a great ST coordinator. Oh, and then a head coach who consistently retraces his mistakes since the first year on the job.

The Chiefs will bounce back from this. I believe they’ll win the AFC West and perhaps win a playoff game. What reason do we have, however, to believe that this season is going to end any differently than every other season under Andy Reid? Blowing double-digit leads and losing close games due to sloppy, undisciplined football is getting really old.

Vinciane Ngomsi

Twitter: @VincianeNgomsi

Well, that was a disappointing performance by the Chiefs. After dominating nearly the entire game, they absolutely collapsed in the final minutes and now add another loss on the season. I wish I could say it’s quite shocking, but it’s reminiscent of the Chiefs of seasons past. With all due respect to Andy Reid, he’s got to be much better at clock management. Calling a timeout before a two-point conversion to essentially hand the Tennessee Titans a win is perhaps the most creative avenue he has used to bottle a game.

At this point, it’s unclear where the Chiefs go from here. Not sure if it’s a roster concern or a managerial issue, but this isn’t the kind of team ready to battle New England in a few weeks. This isn’t even a team that could win a Wild Card game in the playoffs.

With so many healthy components, it confuses me how they don’t all mesh together. It’s even more frustrating because Kansas City was supposed to build off of last year, but it seems like they’re just regressing further and further.

Danilo Di Julio

Twitter: @ThunderDan88

In what should have been a hard-fought well-earned road victory for the Kansas City Chiefs, this writer found himself having to take some time as he walked away from Nissan Stadium to breathe and reflect. Why? Because our beloved Chiefs found a way to waste a 446 yard 3 touchdown effort by the reigning MVP. They snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Two major missed calls greatly affected the outcome of this game. First, on a long Derrick Henry touchdown run, Charvarius Ward was held for about 15 yards rushing down the field or very likely would have tripped up the large back. A holding call on that play changes things quite a bit. Then, near the end of the game, the Chiefs defense allowed Tannehill to drive the Titans down the field and score quickly, adding a two-point conversion to take a three-point lead. Within a few plays, Mahomes had KC in field-goal range but a Titans player jumped offsides and blocked the kick. There was a flag, people came out on the field. Ultimately, the officials explained nothing and they announced, Titans Win over the PA.

The fatal error by the Chiefs was calling a pass on third-and-2 in the red zone. You have to run the ball and get the first down. Some offensive linemen were knicked up but hey, next man up. If you get the first down there you can continue to bleed the clock and get out of the stadium with the win. It’s not rocket science, it’s football. And sometimes, I think the offensive geniuses of the league overthink things.

Studs and duds from Browns’ 19-16 victory over Bills

Studs and duds from the Browns’ 19-16 victory over the Bills

The Cleveland Browns finally won a home game and despite the low offensive output, they even beat the spread. Much of the postgame discussion will be surrounding the poor play-calling in the red zone and even more specifically the goal line, but the Browns actually beat Buffalo in a fairly solid fashion. Cleveland won the time of possession and total yards battle. With that said, a few players really stood out, with some in a more positive light than others.

Stud: Jarvis Landry

Landry is one of the most polarizing Cleveland players, with a huge portion of the fan base screaming about how below average he is, but he plays hard and not just as a receiver. He has also proved to be an extremely valuable blocker, which was evident on Demetrius Harris’ fourth-and-1 conversion as Landry’s block secured the first down. Landry also finished as the leading receiver on the day with nine receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Dud: Chris Hubbard

With all of the discussion surrounding Greg Robinson on the other side, Hubbard is the worst starting offensive lineman. His best play was a false start penalty that forced Freddie Kitchens to kick the field goal instead of going for it. That’s right, Hubbard’s best play was his penalty. It is one thing to get beaten or physically dominated, but Hubbard has plays where he fails to even place a hand on a defender.

Stud: Nick Chubb

Chubb is the centerpiece of this offense and breaks tackles at a stunning rate. Everyone knew what the game plan for Cleveland was going to be and it didn’t matter as Chubb still hammered out 116 rushing yards on 20 carries. Chubb failed to reach pay dirt, but it was not for a lack of trying. The plan appears to be to utilize Hunt in more of the receiving role, which should allow him to be fresher throughout the game.

Dud: Morgan Burnett

Burnett was the team leader in tackles with seven and had a statistically pleasant day, but the aging defensive back got worked over. He tallied almost all of his tackles by chasing down receivers who had beaten him. Burnett was the target on nearly every big play allowed through the air.

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‘Disgusting’ and ’embarrassing’ loss featured plenty of bad history for Bengals

The Bengals were historically bad Sunday…even for them.

The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t just lose Sunday.

With a 49-13 knee-slapper of a performance against the Baltimore Ravens, the Bengals inched closer to the 2020 draft’s top pick while looking like a legitimate 0-16 contender.

Defensive end Carlos Dunlap called it “disgusting” and “embarrassing,” according to Fox 19’s Joe Danneman, which is only really beginning to scratch the surface of the disaster.

Keep in mind this all happened after a bye week. The Bengals held the ball for more than 36 minutes but scored 13 points. Baltimore technically didn’t need to take the field offensively thanks to two Ryan Finley turnovers that gave the Ravens 14 points — which would’ve won the game.

Remember that loss 51-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints last year? This slots comfortably behind it by a single point as the second-worst loss in team history. A field goal with 2:29 left stopped it from becoming the worst.

This was also the team’s 11th straight loss, which ties a team record.

Also consider the following from Jay Morrison of The Athletic:

And this miserable Bengals defense let up a historic day for the opposition, too:

At this point, words don’t do the situation justice. It shouldn’t have gotten to this point at all, and the options for improvement seem minimal.

Which is to say, the Bengals won’t run into a player like Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson every week, but wins are going to be hard to come by regardless given the lack of improvement out of the bye.

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5 takeaways from Chiefs’ Week 10 loss vs. Titans

Five things we learned in the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Tennessee Titans.

The Kansas Chiefs have now lost four of their last six games with the latest loss coming at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. Patrick Mahomes made his return, but there were too many mistakes made in all three phases of the game, resulting in a 35-32 loss.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Mahomes is fine

It’s unfortunate that Mahomes didn’t get a win considering how well he performed in his return from a dislocated kneecap. He had a great game statistically, throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns to no interceptions while completing 72% of his passes. The best thing is that his knee didn’t appear to slow him down. Mahomes was able to move around and escape the pocket and buy time like he usually does. He reported no pain or concerns after the game either, which is a good sign.

Although Mahomes moved around well, he did look a little rusty at times throughout the game. He almost threw an interception on his first drive and missed his mark a couple of times on throws that we typically expect him to make. He did miss a few weeks, so it’s not exactly shocking that he looked off at times. Overall he looked really good and he’s only going to get better as he continues to get back into his groove.

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