In this Oct. 28, 2015, file photo, NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt arrives at the 9th Annual California Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the California Museum, in Sacramento, Calif. Holt will moderate the first scheduled presidential debate on Sept. 26, 2016 with ABC"s Martha Raddatz, CNN"s Anderson Cooper and Fox News Channel"s Chris Wallace lined up for others. (Jose Luis Villegas/The Sacramento Bee via AP, Pool, File) (Jose Luis Villegas)
NEW YORK (AP) NBC News chief anchor Lester Holt will moderate the first scheduled presidential debate on Sept. 26, with ABC"s Martha Raddatz, CNN"s Anderson Cooper and Fox News Channel"s Chris Wallace lined up for others.
The Commission on Presidential Debates also said Friday that CBS News" Elaine Quijano will moderate the vice presidential debate between Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine on Oct 4..
The first and third debates between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will be question-and-answer sessions on six separate topics chosen by the moderators and revealed a week in advance. Wallace will moderate the third debate. Raddatz and Cooper will team up for the second session, a town hall-style meeting with half of the questions to be posed by audience members.
Each of the debates is scheduled for 90 minutes, with a 9 p.m. EDT start time. The other presidential debates will take place on Oct. 9 and 19.
Voters will get a different look: all of the presidential debate moderators will be general election rookies, although Raddatz did the 2012 vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan. It will be the first time that the general election campaign"s much-anticipated first debate won"t be moderated by the now-retired Jim Lehrer of PBS since 1984.
The leadoff position is a coup for Holt, who took over as NBC "Nightly News" anchor last year for Brian Williams and kept the broadcast on top of the ratings.
The commission avoided potential political problems by not selecting Fox"s Megyn Kelly, whose tough questioning angered Trump in the first GOP candidates" debate last summer, and ABC"s George Stephanopoulos, who was a White House aide of Clinton"s husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Quijano is the freshest face. She"s an anchor and leads political coverage at CBSN, CBS" 24-hour streaming service, and anchors CBS" Sunday evening newscast.
The NFL suspended New England Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich on Friday for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL"s policy on performance enhancing substances.
It is the latest blow to the Patriots, who will also be without quarterback Tom Brady the first four games as he serves a league-imposed suspension for his role in the Deflategate case.
Like Brady, Ninkovich will not be eligible to return to the Patriots" active roster until Oct. 3 following the team"s game against the Buffalo Bills.
The 32-year-old has not played this preseason after suffering a reported triceps injury during a joint training camp practice with the Saints on Aug. 9. He had returned to practice recently, but had only participated in light conditioning.
Ninkovich was a defensive captain in 2015 and had 52 tackles and 6 1/2 sacks.
More than his production, he has been New England"s ironman on defense, playing in 102 consecutive regular-season games. That is behind only Green Bay"s Julius Peppers and Indianapolis" Kendall Langford, who have both played in 128 straight games.
Taylor arrested on suspicion of DUI
The Florida Highway Patrol says ex-NFL player Lawrence Taylor has been arrested in Palm Beach County on suspicion of driving under the influence, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky toldthe newspaper that Taylor was arrested after a crash on Florida"s Turnpike. Wysocky saidmore details will be released Saturday.
WPTV reports that Taylor, 57, was driving south on the turnpike from Beeline Highway at about 5:20 p.m. when he became involved in a crash. The TV station says that Taylor switched lanes and hit a motor home and sideswiped a patrol vehicle.
Taylor was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail, WPTV reports. Taylor, a retired linebacker, played 13 seasons with the New York Giants, helping the team win Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991.
ChiefsCharles is still questionable for opener
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles remains iffy for the season opener against the San Diego Chargers.Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said on a conference call with reporters Friday that Charles might need some more time to get himself back, though Reid did not rule him out of next weekend"s game.
Charles tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 5 last season. He has been working out for several weeks, though he did not participate in any of the Chiefs" preseason games.
Reid was more optimistic about safety Eric Berry and linebacker Tamba Hali.Berry did not report to training camp until last weekend after refusing to sign his franchise tender, while Hali is returning from surgery in February on his ailing knee.
Etc.
The right shoulder of New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty escaped serious injury after he was sacked in Thursdays preseason game.An MRI exam on the second-year quarterback, who now has to wait to see if he survives final roster cuts, revealed no structural damage.Houston Texans Coach Bill O"Brien says that injured star J.J. Watt is feeling much better and that it looks decent for him to play in the season opener against Chicago on Sept. 11.Watt missed the entire preseason on the physically unable to perform list after having back surgery in July. Last year"s NFL Defensive Player of the Year has started every game in his five-year career. ...
Matt Bryant appears set for his eighth season as the Atlanta Falcons kicker after Shayne Graham was cut.After missing two preseason games with muscle tightness in his leg, Bryant returned to kick a 27-yard field goal and two extra points in Atlanta"s 17-15 preseason win over Jacksonville on Thursday night.Graham missed a 32-yard field goal Thursday night. Cleveland signed defensive lineman Stephen Paea, a 2011 second-round pick released earlier this week by the Washington Redskins. The 6-foot-1, 310-pound Paea gives the Browns some depth and versatility up front. The ArizonaCardinals acquired cornerback Marcus Cooper from the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed draft choice. The Indianapolis Colts put cornerback D"Joun Smith on the waived-injured list. The Cincinnati Bengals released veteran safety Jimmy Wilson, who played with the Chargers last season.
NFL Kickoff 2016 - Carolina Panthers vs Denver Broncos Photo Trevor Siemian was named the Denver Broncos starting quarterback on Monday, beating out Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch. Credit David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Trevor Siemian is Peyton Mannings successor.
Denver Broncos Coach Gary Kubiak told the team Monday that Siemian would be the starting quarterback in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 8. Siemian will be the first quarterback with zero passing attempts to take over a defending Super Bowl champion in Week 1.
Kubiak informed Siemian, Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch of his decision before telling their teammates at their morning meeting.
Siemian, a seventh-round selection out of Northwestern last year, has just one N.F.L. snap on his rsum, a kneel-down when he was the No. 3 quarterback last year behind Manning and his longtime backup Brock Osweiler. Manning retired a month after Denvers 24-10 win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, and Osweiler left for Houston 48 hours later.
General Manager John Elway quickly acquired Sanchez from the Eagles and drafted Lynch in the first round. The Broncos are expected to cut Sanchez.
JETS HARRIS UNCERTAIN FOR OPENER Jets Coach Todd Bowles said it was too early to know whether linebacker David Harris (shoulder) would be available for the Sept. 11 season opener against Cincinnati. Harris sustained a bad bruise, Bowles said, on the final defensive snap before halftime in the Jets preseason game against the Giants.
Harris, who did not practice Monday, has not missed a game since 2008. BEN SHPIGEL
CHARGERS TOP PICK REACHES ACCORD Defensive end Joey Bosa, San Diegos top pick, ended his monthlong holdout when he signed a four-year contract.
The team announced the signing five days after the two sides went public in their spat over payment of Bosas $17 million signing bonus and whether the contract would have offset language. Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick out of Ohio State, was the last rookie to sign. The deal came a day after San Diegos defense played poorly in a 23-10 exhibition loss at Minnesota.
BASEBALLPorcello Wins His 18th for the Red Sox
Rick Porcello became the majors first 18-game winner and the first Red Sox pitcher in 70 years to open a season 13-0 in Fenway Park, going seven solid innings in Bostons 9-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Porcello (18-3) allowed three runs and six hits, striking out seven.
Mookie Betts hit his 30th homer, a solo shot, and drove in two runs for the Red Sox.
BLUE JAYS TOP ORIOLES Josh Donaldson hit his fourth homer in two days and Jose Bautista also went deep in support of Marco Estrada, leading the Toronto Blue Jays over the Orioles, 5-1.
Toronto leads Boston by two games and third-place Baltimore by four games in the American League East.
OLYMPICSPolice Seize Sports Offices in Kuwait
The authorities in Kuwait ordered the police to seize the states Olympic committee offices and the soccer association in the latest round of a sporting power struggle.
The action on Sunday heightened a standoff that has led to Kuwaits being suspended by the International Olympic Committee and by FIFA, soccers governing body, since October. Kuwait did not take part in this years Rio Olympics and will not contest the qualifiers for soccers 2018 World Cup.
The move came after the governments sports commission ousted Sheikh Talal Fahad Al-Sabah as head of the Kuwait Football Association and the national Olympic committee. (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)
REBUILDING THE CLEVELAND BROWNS! MADDEN 17 CONNECTED FRANCHISE
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Cleveland Browns notebook as they face the Chicago Bears in the final preseason game on Thursday at FirstEnergy Stadium:
1. It"s really hard to develop any grand themes from the final preseason game. For the Browns, the good news is Robert Griffin III didn"t get hurt. He didn"t look bad. I have been guardedly optimistic about Griffin for much of the preseason. Nothing in this game changes that opinion.
2. Rookies Carl Nassib and Emmanuel Ogbah are defensive linemen with speed. That"s why there is reason for optimism about these selections. Nassib batted down a pass. The stat sheet said it was only his second of the preseason, but I swear he has more than that. Ogbah was credited with his second sack of the preseason. I thought Nassib also had a hand in that.
3. The main point is Ogbah (a second-round pick) and Nassib (a third-round pick) look like NFL players and have not been overmatched in the preseason.
4. One of the reasons -- not the main one -- the Browns cut Paul Kruger is Joe Schobert. The Browns have been impressed by the rookie from Wisconsin. He has had some nice moments on special teams and you do notice him when he"s playing outside linebacker.
5. Outside linebacker Nate Orchard didn"t start. Not a good sign, given Kruger was cut. The Browns were playing Ogbah and Schobert more. Cam Johnson also saw some action at outside linebacker.
6. The Browns threw a 12-yard pass to Isaiah Crowell. It was the kind of short pass that required a nice touch, and Griffin delivered it just right. Jackson wants to get the backs involved in the passing game. Crowell caught only 28 passes on his first two seasons. Jackson believes he can be a weapon catching b***s out of the backfield.
7. Last season, most of the passes to running backs went to Duke Johnson (61 catches). Jackson has some plays where Johnson lines up as a wide receiver. Once the regular season opens, it will be fun to see how Jackson works his backs into the offense. Josh McCown threw four passes to running back Terrell Watson. The Browns are using some screen passes, and that should help against blitzes. In the first half, running backs caught six passes. Fullback Malcolm Johnson caught a 3-yard pass.
8. Corey Coleman caught his first pass. The Browns first-rounder missed the first two preseason games with a hamstring injury. He has looked rusty, dropping a perfect pass on a crossing route. Coleman was targeted four times and had one catch for 10 yards.
9. It"s been a disappointing preseason for Coleman. The rookie from Baylor has been hampered by the hamstring injury and since coming back, it"s been rocky. He looked very good in the spring minicamps.
10. The Browns anticipate Coleman playing a key role. That means they have to really get him ready in practice.
11. The Browns only threw one pass to Terrelle Pryor. It still appears he will be a starting receiver. I believe Jackson has some plays ready to put the ball in Pryor"s hands once the games count.
12. Josh Gordon caught three passes for 29 yards. He was mauled on a long pass, but no interference was called. Gordon looks sharp as he heads into his four-game suspension. Now, the Browns have to work to keep him that way as he sits out. He can be in the practice facility, but is not allowed to practice. He can take part in individual workouts.
13. Former Browns QB Brian Hoyer was 12-of-16 for 112 yards. He is secure as the Bears backup quarterback.
14. Two really bad things in the first half. Patrick Murray missed a 31-yard field goal ... wide right. No rush. No problems with the snap. Nothing but a lousy kick. The Browns defense was flagged for having 12 men on the field. On the next play, they had only 10 as the Bears scored on a 1-yard touchdown.
15. I thought rookie quarterback Cody Kessler looked a bit overwhelmed in the third quarter.
TENNESSEE FOOTBALL HYPE VIDEO 2016-2017 PLAYOFFS IN SIGHT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Whats the saying? Its (almost) football time in Tennessee.
The Volunteers kickoff their 2016 season on Thursday evening against Appalachian State, so Tennessee beat writer Jesse Simonton held another Facebook Live chat, answering a number of recruiting and team-related questions.
On the docket? 5-star cornerback Lamont Wade, who will unofficially visit UT for the App State game, 3-star wide receiver commit Princeton Fant and his recent injury, coach Larry Scotts impact recruiting South Florida and more. Jesse also discussed a litany of team inquiries, including Tennessees passing game, score predictions for Thursday and UTs schedule strength.
Check it out.
Live chat: Tennessee beat writer @JesseReSimonton discusses all things Vols. recruiting. Oh, Im sure Thursdays game will get brought up, too. Tune in now.
Posted by Tennessee Volunteers Insiders on Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Jesse Simonton covers Tennessee football and recruiting for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and SECCountry.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. This is the season Tennessee has been pointing to for years.
Tennessee"s revival started with the arrival of consecutive top-five recruiting classes in 2014 and 2015 that restocked the Volunteers" talent base. Tennessee ended a string of four straight losing seasons in 2014 and finished last season with a six-game winning streak and a Top 25 ranking.
The next step is to compete for a Southeastern Conference title and playoff berth. SEC media have picked Tennessee to win its first Eastern Division title since 2007.
"We want expectations high," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. "That"s why you come to the University of Tennessee. That"s why you coach here. To me, it"s a compliment of your program, no more, no less. Now it"s what you do with it."
The Vols believe they can meet those expectations if they do a better job of protecting leads. Tennessee led in each of its four losses last season and was ahead by at least 13 points in three of them.
Kim Klement | USA TODAY Sports Images
Tennessee returns all but five starters from last years squad, which bodes well for Butch Jones squad.
Only five starters from last season"s 45-6 Outback Bowl blowout of Northwestern aren"t back this year. Depth and experience could help Tennessee produce better in close games this season.
"You"ve just got to go into those situations with confidence, knowing that you"re going to make a play, knowing your teammates got your back," linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. "That"s what we started getting toward the end of last year. We played with a lot more confidence at the end of those games."
MORE: Battle of Bristol trophy unveiled for Tennessee-VT winner
Perhaps the biggest challenge is to avoid getting consumed by the preseason hype.
"Honestly, all of that"s just outside noise," defensive end Corey Vereen said. "All we"re focused on is bringing it to work every single day."
Here are some things to watch this year:
RUNNING WILD: Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara and quarterback Joshua Dobbs return after combining to rush for 2,657 yards and 30 touchdowns last season. Hurd enters his junior season with 2,187 career yards rushing. He"s well within reach of the school record held by Travis Henry, who rushed for 3,078 yards from 1997-2000.
SPECIAL-TEAMS SKILLS: Tennessee had the nation"s leading kickoff returner (Evan Berry) and punt returner (Cam Sutton) last season. Both are back this year. Tennessee scored a combined six touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns last season. Tennessee also returns its kicker (Aaron Medley) and punter (Trevor Daniel) from a year ago.
NEW COORDINATOR: Bob Shoop takes over as defensive coordinator after previously filling the same role at Vanderbilt and Penn State. Shoop, a Yale alum and former Columbia head coach, said he wants to establish an "in-your-face defense that"s built on relentless pursuit and never-ending pressure." Vereen noted that Shoop is "not real high on the swag-meter" but added that the new coordinator has made a major impact with his philosophy that "how we"re going to be as a defense is going to look better than whatever you have drawn up on paper."
PASSING CONCERNS:Tennessee must upgrade a passing game that struggled with consistency. Dobbs completed 59.6 percent of his passes last season, down from 63.3 in 2014. Tennessee doesn"t return anyone who had more than 405 yards receiving last season.
FRONTLOADED SCHEDULE: Tennessee hosts Florida, visits Georgia and Texas A&M and hosts defending national champion Alabama on four consecutive weekends between Sept. 24 and Oct. 15. But the schedule gets much easier from there. Tennessee"s final five opponents (South Carolina, Tennessee Tech, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt) had losing records last season.
This article was written bySteve Megargee from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL || ""It"s My Time"" || Pump-Up 2016-2017 |HD
The saying goes that every journey starts with a single step. For the Gamecocks, the 2016 journey begins tonight in Nashville as they take on Vanderbilt at 8pm ET. The GABA staff got together and gave their picks on how this campaign - the first under new head coach Will Muschamp - will shake out. Feel free to post your response (or shame us endlessly) in the comments!
RKLawson: For me, South Carolinas season hinges on the first two games: both on the road and in the SEC. If the Gamecocks can find a way to win both, then theyll be well on their way to a seven or eight win season. A split should put them on track for a six or seven win season with a bowl game at the end. Lose both and it could be another long year.
I have the Gamecocks finishing at 7-5, 4-4 in the SEC. Need to take care of business at home against East Carolina, UMass, and Western Carolina. Find a way to take two of three against Vandy, Mississippi State, and Kentucky on the road. Follow that up with an upset win at home over Texas A&M, Georgia, or Tennessee. Win at home against Missouri and put up a strong fight at Clemson to finish the year. Obviously anything can happen, but a six or seven win season should be the benchmark. Even though it isn"t fantastic, it"s certainly better than 3-9 with a loss to the Citadel.
Sydney Hunte: The narrative seems to suggest that this team will underperform miserably and be mired in a rebuild. While this is light years from the program that went 33-6 in three years from 2011-2013, I think that they are a little farther along than people think. From the beginning, Ive held to the fact that six wins and a bowl game is a legitimate expectation for this team, and Im sticking by that prediction - UMass and Western Carolina are games they (should) win, while Vandy is another Im marking them down for. Ill go ahead and say that theyll beat ECU, Mizzou, and either Kentucky or Mississippi State, but not both. Im tempted to throw in either Georgia or Florida in an upset special.
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Wise: As much as the general media tries to boil down our season to the quarterback battle, I think that the way the defense plays ultimately determines our season. Hopefully the young skill-position players step up offensively, and none of our quarterbacks are truly a BAD option. Defensively, they have talent, as six of our starters were former four-stars. If this group can play to their talent level and the coaching staff can make up for two to three years of limited development, this could be a potentially surprising unit. Our schedule is tough, but having Georgia come into w***y B is a major plus. Realistically, six wins would be a pretty solid expectation, but if this defense can jell and the offense grow up quickly, we could be staring eight wins in the face. I know that may sound crazy to some of the more reality-based fans out there, but this team HAS TALENT. Can the coaching staff make that talent show in just one offseason? Ill get back to you in December.
Richard Avant: Ive got the Gamecocks going 7-5 on the year, after a fantastic 4-0 start to the season. Each week I believe the Gamecocks will get better and the young talent (with a few veterans) can play together at a higher level than in 2015. I dont believe that after a certain number of games, we will know what kind of team weve got. Its going to be a yearly progression and growth for everyone, but there is enough talent here right now to play at a bowl eligible level. On top of that, Brandon McIlwain and Jake Bentley, I believe will be the only two quarterbacks at one point in the season taking snaps for the Gamecock, while being led by a solid Muschamp/Robinson-built defense that will be a top seven defense in the SEC this season.
Daniel Sweeney: Im not buying the national narrative of this team not having talent and it likely taking years for Muschamp to get things back to 2011-2013 level. Recruiting has been Top 25 consistently throughout the Spurrier era - to me, player development due to poor coaching over the last two years is the culprit more than anything. Curious to see what underutilized talent can do under a revitalized, exciting coaching staff? Check out Auburns turnaround from 3-9 in 2012 to 12-2 in 2013 when Gus Malzahn took over for Gene Chizik.
Now, am I expecting a national title run? No, my garnet glasses arent that tinted. However, Im thinking we go 8-4, with losses to UGA, Missouri, Florida and Clemson. Im calling for an upset at home vs. Tennessee and a trademark head-scratching loss at home vs. Mizzou (though, not too head-scratching as the Tigers are on a 2-0 run against the Gamecocks). Oh, and we win the bowl to end the season 9-4.
Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
SMcDowell12: Unlike some of my optimistic colleagues, I am not so sure this team is destined to win eight or nine games. I do think last years team underperformed and, with a competent coaching staff, likely could have hit six or seven wins. But this is a team that lost its leading tackler to injury and its leading receiver to the NFL Draft. While Coach Muschamp and his staff have come in and, so far, done a remarkable job, I am not sure this team has the talent to finish in the upper half of the SEC East.
So what are some realistic goals for this season? Well, I think going 6-6 or 7-5 is certainly attainable and should be the primary goal for this team. Also I think we steal at least one from either Georgia, Tennessee or Texas A&M. A better (read: competent) defensive scheme plus renewed energy should be able to drive us to victory over one of these teams. I dont expect us to be blown out in any games this year, and I certainly dont think we lose to any lower tiered teams.. Pulling one or two upsets, playing with energy and some spirit and getting to bowl game would mark 2016 as a success in my book. Expect the Gamecocks to be a six win team with a bowl appearance in the 2016 campaign.
Cockaboose: Will we have another craptastic season like 2015? No. I dont think so. The team had an identity crisis last year due to the coaching staff. Heres the good news: I predict that we are 5-0 to start the season. The bad news: we lose to UGA, Tennessee, Florida and that other in-state school.
Last year the defense was a mess, but that was last year. We have talent. Fundamental things can be fixed. Coach Boom is defensive minded and has been focused on fixing the problems. Plus, I predict the defensive line will be a lot better compared to last season. Well get into rhythm on offense - I predict AJ Turner and Rico Dowdle (when he returns) will give us the lift we need for the running game. Perry Orth is the starter for the Vandy game, but I see Brandon McIlwain taking over at some point this year. Finally. I predict we win eight games this year. Yep. Im nuts. Eight wins. Ive got faith. Mark it down.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
DC3: If the offseason has taught us anything, it"s that not having football in our lives stinks. You know what else stinks? Probably our football team. A much maligned defensive secondary unit will benefit greatly from a new and improved coaching/conditioning staff, but the talent is not much changed from the previous year, and that was before Shameik Blackshear got shot and Skai Moore had season-ending surgery. On the offensive side of the ball, were playing musical chairs with the o-line, running backs, wideouts, and quarterbacks, but otherwise everything is set. The whole we don"t know what we"ve got till we know what we"ve got approach is a bold move, Cotton, so well see how it pays off.
With regard to the upcoming season. Carolina is in a pretty decent position, schedule-wise. The road conference games are just about all you can ask for, but if past experience is an accurate predictor of future success, were gonna probably screw up the easy ones and play great against teams we have no business beating. What will absolutely change this year is that the Gamecocks will be capable of scoring some points that don"t come in threes. There"s some crazy talent at the skill positions, but most of it has never played a down of college football, so don"t be surprised if it takes a couple of weeks (if not more) to acclimate these kids to a completely foreign environment. The tempo helps that process, because there"s no time to think, but the tempo requires your conditioning and coaching to be completely in line.
The upside, at the end of the day, outweighs the sketchy patches.
Prediction: 6-6, and a bowl win to put the Gamecocks over .500.
