Rodgers and Jets’ starters could play a few series vs. Giants

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers might see more than just a few snaps in his New York Jets pre-season debut against the Giants on Saturday night.

The four-time NFL MVP will play in an exhibition game for the first time since 2018, when he was with the Green Bay Packers. It will be a final tuneup for Rodgers and the Jets’ starters before the regular-season opener at home on Sept. 11 against the Buffalo Bills.

Rodgers, acquired from the Packers in April, has said he’d be open to playing some snaps in the pre-season with the Jets. Coach Robert Saleh would like to see Rodgers and the starters on offence play in more than just one drive.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Saleh said. “I don’t want to just throw him out there for a series and get him out. Would like to see those guys go through transition, get to the sideline, have some adjustments, get back to the field, play with those adjustments. So you’d like to see that transition happen a few times.”

Saleh said he and Rodgers had conversations before deciding the 39-year-old quarterback would play.

“Ultimately, he’ll have his thoughts, too, but for us as an organization, he’s new,” Saleh said. “I know he’s been in the league a very long time, but I just didn’t want Sept. 11 to be the first time he stepped into MetLife Stadium. The Giants and Jets game, whether it’s pre-season or the regular season, there’s going to be good turnouts and there’s going to be a lot of anticipation and excitement in the building.

“Just didn’t want the first time he goes out with his new team, new colours, new teammates, new stadium — didn’t want Sept. 11 to be the first time.”

Rodgers has remained on the sideline during the Jets’ first three pre-season games while Zach Wilson has started, including New York’s 13-6 loss to Tampa Bay last Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.

The decision to play Rodgers before the regular season has caused anxiety for some Jets fans, not wanting to see their quarterback get injured — especially with many having Super Bowl aspirations.

“You can’t coach scared, you can’t play scared,” Saleh said. “You can slip out of your car and have something happen to you. We’ll be — knock on wood — fine. You see the great ones out there. Kansas City’s playing their guys, Buffalo’s playing their guys — it’s not uncommon.

“You can always play the hindsight game or the fearful game, but what’s in the best interest for our team is to go out there and play some football together and prepare us the best way we can for Sept. 11.”

BECTON’S ALL RIGHT

Saleh said Mekhi Becton would start at right tackle against the Giants after he played 25 snaps there against the Buccaneers and performed well in his NFL debut at the position.

Becton, who has missed almost all of the past two seasons with knee injuries, has been a left tackle to start his career but Duane Brown is the expected starter there. After the Jets used a few players on the right side during training camp, Becton — healthy again, slimmer after dropping 30 pounds and confident in his surgically repaired knee — practised last week there and played with the backups.

“He did a really nice job in the game,” Saleh said. “He took over half the snaps, he looks like he’s in much better shape, obviously, so we’re giving him a run at right tackle. We’ll see how he does.”

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James Harden fined $100K for public comments about status with 76ers

NEW YORK — The NBA has fined Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden $100,000 for public comments he made about his status with the team.

Harden made public comments on Aug. 14 and Aug. 17, saying he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless he were traded to another team. The league talked to Harden as part of its investigation and confirmed that his comments referenced Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not grant his trade request.

Harden picked up his player option for next season in June, but the 76ers have not found a deal, prompting Harden’s anger. Among other things, he called 76ers president Daryl Morey a liar at a promotional event in China.

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said at the event. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

In an interview with Houston television station KHOU afterward, the 76ers guard said that his relationship with the team is beyond repair and is instead focusing his off-season on things he can control.

Harden opted into his player option for $35.6 million at the beginning of the off-season. According to reports, Harden opted in so that he could be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

“The league’s investigation, which included an interview of Harden, confirmed that these comments referenced Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded,” said Tuesday’s NBA statement. 

Harden has been one of the league’s top players for the past decade, having won three scoring titles and the 2018 league MVP award. He led the league in assists last season. But he hasn’t won an NBA title, and with him turning 34 this week, time is running out.

The league was also investigating whether or not Harden was planning to hold out for the 2023-24 season — which would be a violation of the collective bargaining agreement — or is planning to bring up past contract discussions that would have constituted salary cap circumvention.

–with files from Sportsnet staff

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Panthers confident Bryce Young is getting enough pre-season reps

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich isn’t concerned over Bryce Young’s limited playing time in the preseason impacting his readiness for the upcoming regular season.

The No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft has only attempted 12 passes through two exhibition games with very limited success, completing seven for 56 yards with no touchdowns. Young has led five drives with three of them resulting in three-and-outs. The Panthers have scored just three points with the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner under center.

“Yes, I feel he will be ready,” Reich said Monday. “He’s very accomplished mentally and maturity-wise.”

Reich said he’s relying on Young’s extensive workload in practice to help him prepare for the team’s Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, which Young will start.

“He’s gotten a lot of work and reps,” Reich said. “That’s why we made the decision back in the spring to announce him as the starter and put our team in a position to say ‘hey, this is who we are going to be moving forward.’ We are practicing at a high level that I think is preparing us for the season.”

Young also said he feels he’ll be ready for the regular season, although he still has things he wants to improve on over the next couple of weeks including his timing and footwork.

“The competitor in myself, and I think all of us, you want to keep playing,” Young said of the preseason. “But there is a reason for everything and we all trust in the coaches.”

The Panthers aren’t alone in limiting the reps of their rookie quarterback.

Reich’s former team, the Indianapolis Colts, didn’t even play Anthony Richardson in this past weekend’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears just four days after selecting him as the Week 1 starter.

Reich said the Panthers only played Young two series on Friday night in part because they were facing a New York Giants defence that has a reputation for being a blitz-heavy team.

Carolina’s offensive line has largely struggled to protect Young in the preseason, so Reich didn’t want to chance an injury.

“When you go up against that scheme that we faced last week it can be a blitz fest,” Reich said. “And you’re like, ‘how much of it is worth it?’” Reich said. “It was great to prepare for it, and go through the mental exercise of getting ready for all of these blitzes, but then it’s risk-reward on how much you play.”

Reich reiterated that Young will play in the final preseason game Friday night against the Detroit Lions, although he wouldn’t say how much.

“We’d like to get a little rhythm going and accomplish certain things, so we will play it by ear,” Reich said.

It’s been somewhat difficult to evaluate Young’s performance through two games because of Carolina’s struggles to protect him. The rookie was hit three times on seven drop-back passes in the team’s first preseason game against the New York Jets.

Young said he’s confident the offense will get the wrinkles ironed out.

Reich said overall he’s pleased with how the rookie QB has progressed and the poise he displayed in the pocket against the Giants while leading a 15-play, 62-yard drive that resulted in a field goal.

“I thought his reads were pretty sharp,” Reich said. “There was one play where he was pretty off, but that was it. Other than that I thought he looked crisp in the pocket, decisive and was really seeing things well. Other than that one play I thought his eyes were in the right place.”

ROSTER MOVE

The Panthers waived defensive tackle Marquan McCall, who had been listed as the team’s starting defensive tackle in the unofficial depth chart. McCall was an undrafted rookie in 2022 who played 16 games last season for the Panthers. Reich said it came down to McCall not being the right fit for the team’s 3-4 defensive scheme.

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Free-agent forward Alex Chiasson signs PTO with Boston Bruins

Free-agent forward Alex Chiasson could add an eighth team to his NHL résumé this fall, after signing a professional tryout agreement with the Boston Bruins on Monday.

The 32-year-old, Montreal-born Chiasson split his time between the Detroit Red Wings and Grand Rapids of the AHL last season, but previously spent time in Vancouver, Edmonton, Washington, Calgary, Ottawa and Dallas. The Stars drafted him in the second round, 38th overall, in 2009.

The 6-foot-4, 208-pound forward has 233 points in 651 career NHL games and won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018. 

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Jurrien Timber replacement confirms final transfer decision as Arsenal ponder £25.7m ultimatum

Mikel Arteta is ‘open’ to further additions to his Arsenal squad before the summer transfer window slams shut at the end of the month

Arsenal have been dealt a major blow to their hopes of replacing Jurrien Timber with Benjamin Pavard. The 22-year-old defender, who recently joined the Gunners from Ajax, has suffered a devastating knee injury which is expected to keep him out of action for a while.

Towards the end of the first-half of Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest, Timber went down clutching his right knee. After receiving treatment, he returned to the field for the second-half but he was quickly replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu

Following several scans and further assessments, the north London outfit later revealed that Timber suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. In an official statement, Arsenal confirmed that the Netherlands international would undergo surgery and, as a result, be ‘out of action for a period of time’.

With Timber expected to miss a large chunk of the season, Mikel Arteta entered the market for a like-minded replacement. So, according to the Metro, the Gunners considered a move for Pavard from Bayern Munich.

The report stated that the Red Devils are also interested in the 27-year-old, but they’re struggling to fund a bid after failing to sell Harry Maguire. Ironically, United have been in the market for a versatile defender ever since Arsenal beat them to the signature of Timber.

Pavard sees his contract at the Allianz Arena expire at the end of next season, making him available for a cut-price fee (€30million (£25.7m)). However, despite the France international’s increasingly uncertain future, Bayern has decided that he will stay, according to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.

The Bundesliga champions’ decision follows comments made by Thomas Tuchel, who insisted that Pavard has a future at the club. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the former Chelsea boss said: “Benji hasn’t communicated to me that he really wants to leave. As of now, there hasn’t been an offer. He’s our player and gets full support. Until that changes, we’re fully counting on him.”

With Pavard set to stay at Bayern, Arsenal have just over a week to find a replacement for Timber. Speaking to the press on Thursday also, Arteta revealed how the Gunners will deal with the Dutchman’s absence.

“We did not plan for this injury so we have to assess now what the options, the best way to get the best out of the players that we have,” said the Spaniard. “Because, as I said, my biggest challenge now is to get the best out of the players that we have.

“I cannot control anything that is not here and we are open and we have to be open to reacting if something happens. Not only with injuries but in the market as well and that is what we are doing.

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Noah Lyles wins gold in 100m at world championships

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Noah Lyles captured the 100-metre world championship Sunday, finishing in 9.83 seconds for a victory that reshuffled the deck for next year’s Olympics and cements him as the world’s No. 1 sprinter.

It was a victory that maybe only he saw coming. The 200-metre specialist, who will defend his title in that event later this week, barely qualified for the shorter race after battling with COVID in the leadup to U.S. nationals last month.

More recently, he posted on social media that he could run 9.65 seconds, a thought that defending champion Fred Kerley scoffed at, saying if Lyles did that, he’d run faster.

But Kerley didn’t make it out of the semifinal round and Lyles’ closest competition in the final were Letsile Tebogo, a 20-year-old from Botswana, who finished in 9.873, .001 ahead of Britain’s Zharnel Hughes.

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