Chicago Sports

High school football scores: Week 9

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Wednesday, October 19

RED NORTH-CENTRAL

Senn 30, Steinmetz 6

NONCONFERENCE

Washington 40, Gage Park 0

Thursday, October 20

RED CENTRAL

Rowe-Clark vs. Pritzker at Lane, 7:15

RED NORTH-CENTRAL

Lake View vs. Von Steuben at Winnemac, 3:45

RED SOUTH-CENTRAL

Dunbar at Perspectives, 7

RED SOUTHEAST

South Shore vs. Corliss at Gately, 7:15

RED WEST

Kennedy vs. Little Village at Stagg, 3:45

Raby vs. Bulls Prep at Lane, 4:15

DUPAGE VALLEY

Naperville North at Naperville Central, 7

Neuqua Valley at Metea Valley, 7

Waubonsie Valley at DeKalb, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN BLUE

Hillcrest at Oak Forest, 6

Lemont at TF South, 6

TF North at Tinley Park, 6

SOUTH SUBURBAN RED

Evergreen Park at Argo, 6

Reavis at Richards, 7

Shepard at Eisenhower, 7

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Hinsdale South at Addison Trail, 6

Morton at Willowbrook, 7:30

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

York at Oak Park-River Forest, 6

NONCONFERENCE

Oak Lawn at Bremen, 6

Solorio vs. Bowen at Eckersall, 3:45

Young vs. Hubbard at Gately, 4:15

Friday, October 21

RED CENTRAL

UIC Prep at Speer, 7:15

RED NORTH-CENTRAL

Schurz vs. Sullivan at Winnemac, 3:45

RED SOUTHEAST

Goode vs. Dyett at Eckersall, 3:45

RED WEST

North Lawndale vs. Payton at Lane, 4:15

CCL-ESCC BLUE

Marist at Brother Rice, 7

CCL-ESCC GREEN

Nazareth vs. Benet at Benedictine, 7

Notre Dame at St. Rita, 7:30

CCL-ESCC ORANGE

Montini at Joliet Catholic, 7:30

St. Laurence at Providence, 7:30

CCL-ESCC PURPLE

Carmel at Marian Catholic, 7:30

CCL-ESCC WHITE

Marmion at De La Salle, 7

St. Ignatius vs. Fenwick at Triton, 7:30

CENTRAL SUBURBAN NORTH

Deerfield at Niles North, 7

Highland Park at Maine West, 6:30

Maine East at Vernon Hills, 6

CENTRAL SUBURBAN SOUTH

Evanston at Glenbrook South, 7

Glenbrook North at Niles West, 7

New Trier at Maine South, 7

DUKANE

Geneva at Lake Park, 7:30

St. Charles East at Wheaton North, 7

St. Charles North at Batavia, 7

Wheaton-Warrenville South at Glenbard North, 7

FOX VALLEY

Burlington Central at McHenry, 7

Crystal Lake Central at Prairie Ridge, 7

Crystal Lake South at Huntley, 7

Dundee-Crown at Jacobs, 7

Hampshire at Cary-Grove, 7

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Coal City at Streator, 7

Herscher at Reed-Custer, 7

Lisle at Peotone, 7

Manteno at Wilmington, 7

KISHWAUKEE BLUE

Harvard at Johnsburg, 7

Plano at Marengo, 7

Richmond-Burton at Rochelle, 7

KISHWAUKEE WHITE

LaSalle-Peru at Kaneland, 7

Morris at Sycamore, 7

Woodstock at Ottawa, 7

MID-SUBURBAN EAST

Buffalo Grove at Hersey, 7

Elk Grove at Wheeling, 7

Prospect at Rolling Meadows, 7

MID-SUBURBAN WEST

Barrington at Fremd, 7:30

Hoffman Estates at Palatine, 7:30

Schaumburg at Conant, 7:30

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Forest at Mundelein, 7

Lake Zurich at Waukegan, 7

Libertyville at Stevenson, 7

Zion-Benton at Warren, 7

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Antioch at Round Lake, 7

Grant at North Chicago, 7

Grayslake Central at Lakes, 7

Wauconda at Grayslake North, 7

SOUTHLAND

Kankakee at Crete-Monee, 6

Thornwood at Thornridge, 5

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE EAST

Joliet Central at Plainfield Central, 6:30

Joliet West at Plainfield South, 7

Romeoville at Plainfield East, 7

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE WEST

Minooka at West Aurora, 7

Oswego East at Plainfield North, 7

Yorkville at Oswego, 7

UPSTATE EIGHT

Elgin at Glenbard South, 7

Fenton at East Aurora, 7

Glenbard East at Bartlett, 7

South Elgin at Streamwood, 7:30

West Chicago at Larkin, 7

VERMILION VALLEY NORTH

Clifton Central at Momence, 7

Dwight at Seneca, 7

NONCONFERENCE

Aurora Christian at Wheaton Academy, 7:30

Back of the Yards vs. Fenger at Stagg, 3:45

Chicago Christian at Ridgewood, 7:15

Clark vs. Curie at Hope Academy, 4:30

Collins vs. Englewood STEM at Gately, 4:15

DePaul Prep at Marian Central, 7:30

Homewood-Flossmoor at Lincoln-Way West, 7:30

Lincoln-Way East at Bradley-Bourbonnais, 7

Lockport at Andrew, 7

Ottawa Marquette at Sherrard, 7

Phillips vs. Kenwood at Lane, 7:15

Riverside-Brookfield at Bishop McNamara, 7:15

Sandburg at Lincoln-Way Central, 7:30

St. Edward at Elmwood Park, 6

St. Francis at IC Catholic, 7:15

Stagg at Bolingbrook, 7

Taft vs. Morgan Park at Gately, 7:15

Walther Christian at Christ the King, 7:30

Westmont at Aurora Central, 7

Woodstock North at Hope Academy, 7:30

Saturday, October 22

RED CENTRAL

Catalyst-Maria vs. Rauner at Lane, 1

RED NORTH-CENTRAL

Amundsen vs. Mather at Winnemac, 1

RED SOUTH-CENTRAL

Chicago Richards vs. Ag. Science at Gately, 10 a.m.

UP-Bronzeville vs. Hyde Park at Eckersall, 1

RED WEST

Lincoln Park vs. Crane at Winnemac, 10 a.m.

BLUE CENTRAL

Butler vs. Noble Academy at Lane, 10 a.m.

Longwood vs. Muchin at Hales, 10 a.m.

CCL-ESCC BLUE

Mount Carmel at Loyola, 1:30

CCL-ESCC PURPLE

St. Viator vs. St. Patrick at Triton, 1

SOUTHLAND

Bloom at Thornton, noon

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Leyden at Downers Grove South, 1

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

Downers Grove North at Lyons, noon

Glenbard West at Hinsdale Central, noon

NONCONFERENCE

Chicago Military at Chicago Academy, 1

Kelly vs. Tilden at Eckersall, 10 a.m.

Lane vs. Simeon at Gately, 1

Lindblom vs. Johnson at Stagg, 10 a.m.

Marine at Orr, 1

Marshall vs. Prosser at Orr, 10 a.m.

Proviso East at Proviso West, 1

Rich Township vs. Leo at St. Rita, 1

Westinghouse at Brooks, 1

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Blackhawks searching for ‘proper, objective way’ to decide number retirements after Marian Hossa

The Blackhawks have a jersey retirement conundrum.

Their 2010-to-2015 Stanley Cup dynasty era featured many talented, impactful players, only some of whom can realistically have their numbers raised into the United Center rafters for good.

It’s a situation that’s impossible to complain about but will also be impossible to solve in a way that pleases everyone.

“I don’t know if there is a perfect answer,” Hawks CEO Danny Wirtz told the Sun-Times on Wednesday.”We’re going to have to find a way to build the right group that can make that decision, with input from a diverse set of people that have perspectives on this.”

There are three obvious choices in Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. It’s essentially guaranteed that Nos. 88, 19 and 2 will never be worn again by future Hawks. Those three stars formed the center of the core of all three championship teams and also lasted the longest with the franchise.

One can make a valid argument that Kane is both the best American-born NHL player and the best Blackhawks player of all time. Toews is one of the best centers of his generation and has set the standard for what it takes to be a captain in the modern-day NHL. Keith is one of the best defensemen of his generation and was arguably the Hawks’ best playoff performer throughout the dynasty.

But Marian Hossa’s selection as the first player from the modern dynasty era to have his number retired complicates the situation.

Hossa was a fantastic two-way forward, was part of all three Cup wins and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year, but he nonetheless played only 543 of his 1,309 career (regular season) games and scored only 415 of his 1,134 career points with the Hawks.

When Hossa’s No. 81 jersey rises before the Hawks-Penguins game on Nov. 20 — the Hawks’ first such ceremony since retiring Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson’s shared No. 3 jersey in 2008 — it’ll open the number-retirement door for a quite a few other Hawks.

Brent Seabrook (No. 7), Patrick Sharp (No. 10) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (No. 4) were also important players and leaders on all three Cup-winning teams. Sharp tallied more points for the Hawks (532) than Hossa did. Seabrook’s 1,114 games played for the Hawks rank third in franchise history, behind only Keith and Stan Mikita.

Corey Crawford (No. 50) won only two Cups but was a crucial part of both, and he ranks third in franchise history in goaltender wins. Legendary pre-dynasty stars Steve Larmer (No. 28), Chris Chelios (No. 7, shared with Seabrook) and Doug Wilson (No. 24) also have plenty of backers among the fan base.

So where will the organization draw the line? How will drawing the line even work?

“Hossa was a very organic process, a natural thing upon his retirement,” Wirtz said. “As we go forward, we need to put some structure around this. … We’re working right now on fleshing that out so we have the proper, objective way to honor everyone.

“The good problem we have is we have 100 years of history and incredible players to celebrate and honor. There’s only so much room in the rafters, there are only so many statues you can build, so you have to build out ways in which we can honor [players] and let our fans participate in that.”

Meanwhile, as far as Hossa himself, the Hawks remain in talks with the now-43-year-old Slovak about a potential role in the organization, which he had teased during his last appearance in Chicago in April.

Hossa has a “high level of interest on the business side in addition to potentially what he can offer on the hockey side,” Hawks business president Jaime Faulkner said, and the two parties are having “frequent communication about it.”

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DE Robert Quinn ‘happy as I can be’ with Bears ahead of trade deadline

Defensive end Robert Quinn is one of the most unique personalities in the Bears’ locker room, and he usually has a different view on his situation than everyone else does.

So while it seems logical that the Bears would try to trade him ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline, and it seems logical that Quinn would want to move to a contender, he has said all along that he values consistency and wants to stay.

That’s contrary to a Washington Post report this week about the Bears shopping him, which included a line that he has wanted out ever since they began their rebuild.

“People like stories,” Quinn told the Sun-Times on Thursday. “I’m not walking into this building thinking about being somewhere else. I don’t want to walk in being a fake, acting like I want to be here but really I don’t. I’m here and I’m as happy as I can be.”

Quinn, now in his 12th season, has repeatedly mentioned how much he didn’t like being traded by the Rams to the Dolphins in 2018, then sent to the Cowboys the next year, then being told by the Cowboys they weren’t interested in bringing him back in 2020.

When the possibility of the Bears trading him came up in the offseason, Quinn said he expected to remain with the team and added, “You get tired of moving.”

He struggled with his transition to the Bears after signing a five-year, $70 million deal that year, but eventually got comfortable and flourished. Quinn set the franchise record with 18.5 sacks last season, and since then has made clear his preference is to maintain stability.

“I’ve got a wife and kids, so that’s a part of it, and I know this locker room pretty well,” Quinn said. “I’m a pretty quiet guy, so it takes a little while for me to kinda show my personality.

“But all I can control is myself. Anything that happens after that is coming from upstairs and out of my control.”

That’s the hard reality for Quinn: The Bears are highly unlikely to factor in his wishes as they explore trade possibilities.

General manager Ryan Poles said before the season opener that he was “a huge fan” of Quinn as a player and mentor for younger players and that he valued those contributions more than a future draft pick. However, at 32, Quinn probably doesn’t fit Poles’ long-term plan for the roster.

Unfortunately for the Bears, they might’ve missed their most advantageous window to deal him. Coming off 18.5 sacks, the market was almost certainly higher for Quinn in the offseason than it is now as he has just one sack in the first six games. The Bears would also have to eat some of his contract, which runs through 2024.

But if Poles can find an enticing deal, there’s a chance Quinn is looking at his final gameswith the Bears on Monday against the Patriots and next week against the Cowboys.

“If I put that in my mind, I’m kinda removing myself from this locker room,” he said. “I push it aside.”

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BREAKING: Chicago Bears Week 7 injury report has a shocking revelation Thursday

The Chicago Bears Week 7 injury report is a unique one

The Chicago Bears had quite a few players fighting the typical NFL bumps and bruises on the team’s injury report in Week 6. Last Wednesday, the Bears’ final practice before their Thursday night loss to the Washington Commanders, the team placed three players on the injury report. Wide receiver N’Keal Harry and defensive backs Dane Cruikshank and Jaylon Johnson were on the list projected to be full participants. The Chicago Bears Week 7 injury report tells a different story.

Harry was inactive for the Bears against the Commanders. General manager Ryan Poles said Harry wasn’t ready for the game against the Commanders. It appears the recently traded Harry should be progressing well enough to play his former team on Monday Night Football.

According to the injury report released Thursday in a statement by the Bears, Harry’s name is no longer on the list. In fact, there isn’t a player on Chicago Bears Week 7 injury report.

The report was a surprise to some Bears beat reporters.

No one is on today’s Bears injury report. Not sure the last time I’ve seen that.

The Bears need all the help they can get. Having a healthy 53-man roster before their game in Week 7 is a good sign as the Bears try to defend “Papa Bear” Halas’ record on a Primetime telecast.

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Cubs left fielder Ian Happ named 2022 Gold Glove finalist

In Ian Happ’s first All-Star season, he’s up for another award: Gold Glove.

Rawlings announced Thursday that Happ is a finalist, along with fellow National League left fielders David Peralt and Christian Yelich. Happ was the only Gold Glove finalist at any position for the Cubs this season.The winners will be revealed on Nov. 1 during a special-edition “Baseball Tonight” broadcast on ESPN.

“It’d be really cool,” Happ said last month when asked about the possibility of earning a Gold Glove. “… That’s one of those honors that I thought about a lot as a kid — when I was playing shortstop, not as much as a left fielder. But it’d be really cool.”

Happ attributes much of his success in left field this year to the consistency of playing there every day. He came up as a utility player and even last year moved back and forth between center field and left field.

This year, he led NL left fielders in defensive runs saved (13), according to FanGraphs. His highlight reel includes sliding plays in the gap and against the left field wall, which hugs the foul line at Wrigley field.

Cubs manager David Ross has been campaigning for Happ to be in the Gold Glove conversation for over a month.

“A lot of character plays, too, for him,” Ross said in early September. “Just continues to stay in compete mode. The way he’s playing the game right now, there’s a lot of leadership qualities and how he’s setting the example day in and day out, an everyday player.”

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Bears podcast: Here come Bill Belichick and the Patriots

What changes will the Bears make? Do they have a prayer Monday night against the Patriots and GOAT head coach Bill Belichick? And has Justin Fields hit a new low? Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser and Mark Potash break it down.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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College Football: Best Bets for the top 12pm Games on October 22nd

The college football slate on Saturday is amazing so here are the best games to bet during 12pm prime time and why.

This Saturday poses to be another great weekend of college football. Here are the breakdowns of each game and what the best bets are.

Iowa vs. Ohio State

This technically shouldn’t be a primetime game at this point but FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff can’t really flex games as much as ESPN can so they’re stuck with this matchup. Not many better matchups besides Minnesota Penn State but at this point in the season OSU has to keep rolling and Iowa is getting sad. Iowa used to be fun when they could stop any team in college football and possibly win by putting up 17 points but now their offense is truly repulsive.

Spencer Petras was never the answer after watching him last year and it’s a tough look they haven’t tried to recruit just a bit better. Obviously Iowa isn’t a QB’s dreamland but with NIL lets try and make something happen Iowa. 30 point spread for two Big 10 teams you’re thinking no shot they cover that. Well OSU has hung 30 point differential wins twice against formidable opponents in Wisconsin and Michigan State.

The Bet: At home, earlier kickoff, Iowa can’t score I would have to go with -30 for OSU.

Syracuse vs. Clemson

I’m going to be that guy. The guy that falls for Cuse. Maybe I like Cuse after their 6-0 start with Garret Shrader and Sean Tucker with his legendary tweets @seantucker2020. Or maybe is it that I really do not like Clemson and I think if they win this game it may be the easiest Power 5 conference championship in the history of college football championships. This being in part because divisions are dumb and it decreases the value of conferences and I could go on forever about divisions but they’re bad.

The trust Clemson fans and major analysts have in Uiagalelei for Clemson is frightening. I keep hearing he’s back but was he ever here? He played like a beast at Notre Dame two years ago and since then what’s he done? He cake walks through ACC defenses whether he’s genuinely just throwing the ball up in the air with zero regard like against Wake Forest or whether he runs QB power all night against FSU with zero resistance.

I’m curious would the Cincinnati team last year beat the Clemson team this year? I think so. If you think so too then we are looking at a Power 5 team that’s about to make the playoffs in Clemson that would lose to a Group of 5 team that people were against having in the playoff last year in Cincy.

The Bet: I see plenty of running the ball on both sides and I see Syracuse hanging around +13.5.

Cincinnati vs. SMU

Can’t say I have been interested in watching both of these teams but I have nonetheless because I love college football unconditionally. Cincy is not as bad as I thought they were going to be when they played Arkansas week 1. Genuinely they should have won but Ben Bryant was poor for Cincy that day. They’ve obviously been playing better even though competition has been sparse.

To be fair SMU hasn’t looked good lately. Tanner Mordecai is trying. I mean he’s really trying I give him credit but the team around him is crumbling. They have lost a bunch of key players as they want to enter the transfer portal so essentially a chunk of key players just quit on SMU. They barely beat Navy last week after three straight losses prior.

The Bet: Home field won’t help SMU here I see Cincy covering -3.5 in Dallas.

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Once a target for protests, Chicago’s new $128 million fire and police academy now sparks pride, excitement

It was once a target of nationwide protests and what critics, including Chance the Rapper, called a symbol of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s misplaced spending priorities.

Now, as the expanded and more costly campus nears completion, it is source of excitement and possibility for a West Garfield Park community no longer forgotten.

With a $128 million price tag — up nearly 35% from the original cost — Chicago’s new police and fire training academy will have a mock neighborhood and just about everything first-responders need to train.

With Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt appearing at Thursday’s budget hearing, Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) used the opportunity to do a little indirect bragging about the project (“a beautiful place,” she called it) that she fought so hard to bring to 4400 block of West Chicago Avenue in her impoverished West Side ward.

“I want to know now from you, what are your plans once you come into the new fire academy that’s being built in my ward?” Mitts said.

Nance-Holt said it was “very exciting” to think about the types of training that can be offered at the state-of-the-art facility.

“It’ll be a soft launch for a lot of us. They’re still going through a lot of training. Getting to know the building,” Nance-Holt said.

There will be opportunities for firefighters to train with each other and also with other first responders, she added. That includes special operations teams and CTA training, she said.

There’s also “a model city” with shells of buildings, and an ambulance, which is very exciting, too, so they can have real-life experience being on an ambulance,” she said.

“Our recruits get trained there. We’re looking at promotional training there. We’re looking at executive development training for our staff as well. And even maybe … how we can help people prepare for future promotions maybe even there. And being there by the [new] Boys & Girls Club is actually a benefit, too, because now, we can interact with those young people…and try to give them some insight into what we do and maybe considering doing what firefighters and paramedics do every day.”

Copy here:

Last summer, the City Council agreed to lease 20,000 square feet of land on the 34-acre-campus to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago at $1 a year for up to 75 years.

That paved the way for an $8 million, 18,000 square foot youth development center with an open-air plaza between the club and the new police and fire training academy.

At the time, Mitts called it a “history-making moment” for a West Side that desperately needs youth programming to provide a constructive alternative for young people.

“When I first came in, the first thing I asked for was a youth center for our children. It took me 21 years,” Mitts said that day.

Without mentioning the #NoCopAcademy movement by name, Mitts noted Thursday that there were those who asked, “Why have a Boys & Girls Club next to a public safety academy.”

“Why not, I say? They can’t be what they can’t see,” Mitts said.

She told Nance-Holt: “I am so glad to hear you echo that same sentiment. We have to look for the positive. We can’t look for the negative.”

The value of having a the club next to the academy became evident later in Thursday’s hearing, when Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) hammered Nance-Holt about the continued shortage of minorities in CFD — despite repeated outreach.

“We have all been out there trying to recruit. [But] I’ve found a lot of our youth don’t want to do this job,” the commissioner told Taylor.

“I need to take you with me in my car when I go talk to young people in high schools and they look at me and go, `I don’t want to do that. I ain’t doin’ that. Are you crazy? I ain’t going in a fire?’ “

A $33 million “mock neighborhood” is responsible for the revised cost over and above the $95 million original estimate.

The “tactical scenario village” is almost like a movie set. It includes a pretend city block complete with a six-story burn tower and a car crash rescue area to simulate emergency rescues.

“The areas where they do the training on the upper floors — if you had a fire, a true-scenario, once they destroy, how long are you looking for the re-build so that you can keep it going?” Mitts said.

District Chief of Special Operations Jamar Sullivan said the burn tower is constructed with “very resilient material that can actually withstand repeated use.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot was president of the Police Board in March 2018 when criticized the proposed location for the facility.

“Putting this edifice to policing in this high-crime, impoverished neighborhood where relations between the police and the community are fraught, without a clear plan for community engagement, is a mistake,” Lightfoot said then.

“The allocation of any funds for a police academy is viewed by many as further affirmation that needs of the people will never be prioritized over those of the police.”

A month after taking office, Lightfoot dramatically changed her tune.

In June 2019, after she toured the police academy and watched recruits apprehend mock suspects in a dark hallway, Lightfoot came away convinced a new academy is essential.

“This is gonna be a significant investment on the West Side that desperately needs investment, but if we’re gonna make that kind of investment, I want to get it right. I want it to be the best-in-class training facility for first-responders anywhere in the country. That’s what we ought to aspire to,” she said on that day.

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Bears QB Justin Fields: ‘I’ve got to get better at everything’

Bears quarterback Justin Fields ranks near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every passing category this season, and while that’s not entirely his fault, he knows he hasn’t played well.

Coming off a 12-7 loss to the Commanders that dropped the Bears to 2-4, Fields said his evaluation with Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff was that he has plenty of work to do.

“I’ve always got to get better at everything,” Fields said. “I haven’t reached my full potential in any aspect of the game, of quarterback play. So just continue to get better.”

When pressed for his self-assessment, he reiterated that it’s imperative that he improve.

“I can play better, and I’m always going to be like that,” Fields said. “I’m a perfectionist, but it’s hard to be perfect. Like I said, I can get better at everything regarding quarterback play.”

Through six games, Fields has completed 54.8% of his passes, averaged 144.8 yards per game and has a 72.7 passer rating — all down from his rookie season. He has thrown four touchdown passes and five interceptions. He has also averaged 47 yards rushing per game and 5.2 per carry.

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Cleveland Cavs might be down starter for Bulls home opener

A Cleveland Cavs starter was injured Wednesday

The Chicago Bulls need to win all the games they can until the team gets their complete starting lineup back on the court. Lonzo Ball’s return is still probably months away. Zach Lavine was ruled out with an injury for the Bulls’ opening game Wednesday. Fortunately for the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan had a Michael Jordan-esque performance that allowed the team to beat the Miami Heat on the road. The Bulls might have gotten another much-needed break on Wednesday after a Cleveland Cavs starter went down.

According to multiple reports, Cavs point guard Darius Garland sustained an eyelid laceration against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday. According to Chris Fedor with Cleveland.com, the Cavs didn’t look the same after Garland suffered the injury when he was smacked across the face by Gary Trent Jr. of the Raptors. It’s unclear when Garland can return.

“With Garland in the locker room for the final 28 minutes Wednesday night, Mitchell had to shoulder more of the offensive burden. Bickerstaff even used veteran backup point guard Raul Neto for two separate second-half stretches, trying to steal minutes so Mitchell could rest. It didn’t go well. The Cavs were outscored by eight points with Mitchell off the court in the second half, highlighting why Bickerstaff was committed to staggering his star guards and always having one on the court. With Garland out, that is no longer possible. Mitchell can’t play 48 minutes. Someone else will need to step up.

There’s no clarity yet on how much time Garland will miss. But everyone who saw him after the game, said his eye looked like it was in bad shape. So, the Cavs will wait and see how he recovers.

The Bulls need to take advantage of the Cleveland Cavs’ injury

The Bulls play back-to-back nights Friday and Saturday. They will play on the road against the Washington Wizards on Friday; then, they will have their home opener against the Cavs on Saturday. The Bulls need to take advantage of a shorthanded Cavs team to notch another win without Ball. A healthier Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams helped the Bulls Wednesday overcome a Heat team that made it to last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Second-year guard Ayo Dosunmu looked sharp as well.

According to Rob Schaefer with NBC Sports, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan expects Lavine to play in some of the team’s hectic schedule to start the season. (The Bulls play seven games in 11 days.) But they want to ensure Lavine is healthy enough to play in the games he does compete in.

With Lavine needing to be eased into the regular season and Ball out, the Bulls will need to get all the wins they can for a run at the playoffs this year. If the Cleveland Cavs are down a starter in the home opener, this Bulls squad has enough talent on the roster to add another number to that win column.

 

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