SPORTS
Friday, September 1, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3B
NFL
Russell Wilson makes Seahawks leaders in NFC West
Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — One
look at the quarterback situations in
the NFC West tells you just about
everything you need to know about
the hierarchy in the division.
While Arizona, Los Angeles
and San Francisco all face major
questions at the position, the Seattle
Seahawks have Russell Wilson.
Even though they still have a
suspect offensive line and questions
in the running game, the combi-
nation of Wilson and a fearsome
defense makes Seattle the favorites
for a fourth division title in the past
five years.
Wilson has had to shoulder a
bigger load of the offense of late,
no longer able to take a back seat to
Marshawn Lynch and the running
game. He threw for a career-high
4,219 yards last season — more
than 1,000 yards above what he did
as a rookie — despite being pres-
sure on more than one-third of his
dropbacks, according to Football
Outsiders. Only Buffalo’s Tyrod
Taylor faced more pressure among
regular starters last season.
The biggest challenger to Seattle
will be the Cardinals, who hope to
bounce back from a 7-8-1 season
and get back into playoff conten-
tion. Arizona hopes 37-year-old
Carson Palmer can turn back the
clock and help the Cardinals make
a last run in a closing window of
opportunity.
Palmer threw 11 fewer touch-
down passes last season than he did
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File
Russell Wilson has had to shoulder a bigger load of the offense of
late, no longer able to take a back seat to Marshawn Lynch and the
running game. He threw for a career-high 4,219 yards last season.
in a career year in 2015, and had five
more interceptions. He improved
late in the season after being given
Wednesdays off from practice to
keep his aging arm fresh, and that
move could pay dividends again.
While Palmer has proven capable
of leading a team to success, the
situations in Los Angeles and San
Francisco are more precarious.
The early returns on Jared Goff
weren’t good as the No. 1 overall
pick last year couldn’t even beat
out Case Keenum for the starting
job, He then showed why he began
his career as a backup when Goff
finally got his chance late in the
season. The Rams hired an offen-
sive mastermind as coach and hope
Sean McVay’s presence will help
Goff develop into a legitimate NFL
passer .
The 49ers also hired a top offen-
sive coordinator to run the show,
Kyle Shanahan. He reunited with
Brian Hoyer , who played in Cleve-
land when Shanahan was offensive
coordinator, but few believe the
journeyman is more than a bridge
to the arrival of a franchise quar-
terback, possibly as soon as next
offseason.
Some things to know about the
NFC West:
POROUS
PROTECTION:
The offensive line was a major
problem last season for Seattle and
could be again after starting left
tackle George Fant went down with
a season-ending knee injury in the
preseason.
Eddie Lacy was brought in to
boost the running game , but must
prove he can stay in shape, or a
healthy Thomas Rawls could take
his carries.
The defense should be back
at its elite level with safety Earl
Thomas healthy after missing the
final six games with a broken leg,
and Richard Sherman healed from
a nagging knee injury. Linebacker
Bobby Wagner is among the NFL’s
best.
FLYING HIGH: After drop-
ping from 13-3 in 2015 to a losing
record last season, the Cardinals
believe they still have the talent to
contend in the division.
Much of the offense will center
on standout running back David
Johnson, who has the lofty goal of
1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards
receiving. But as always everything
depends on Palmer’s production
and the ability of a redesigned
offensive line to protect him.
On defense, hybrid safety Tyrann
Matthieu, beset by injuries most of
his career, looked like his old Honey
Badger self in the preseason and
forms a formidable duo in the back
end of the defense with shutdown
cornerback Patrick Peterson.
GOFF’S GAME: In seven
starts as a rookie last season, Goff
ranked last among all QBs with at
least 200 passes in rating (63.3) and
yards per attempt (5.3).
The offense looks more
advanced this season and the addi-
tion of receiver Sammy Watkins
and a bigger season from running
back Todd Gurley should ease the
pressure on Goff.
The Rams have another issue
hanging over them. Standout
defensive tackle Aaron Donald is
holding out, dealing a major blow
to a defense that was supposed to
be a strength under new coordinator
Wade Phillips.
SEARCHING
FOR
STABILITY: The 49ers hope to
finally be off the coaching carousel
after one-year tenures by Jim
Tomsula and Chip Kelly followed
Jim Harbaugh’s firing in 2014.
Shanahan and GM John Lynch
were handed six-year contracts to
rebuild a once-proud franchise that
won just two games last year, when
the most notable aspect of the team
was Colin Kaepernick’s anthem
protest.
The two overhauled most of the
roster, including replacing Kaeper-
nick with Hoyer, and are trying to
build around a strong front seven led
by recent first-round picks DeForest
Buckner, Arik Armstead, Solomon
Thomas and Reuben Foster , along
with aging star NaVorro Bowman.
PREDICTED ORDER OF
FINISH: Seahawks, Cardinals,
Rams, 49ers.
MLB
Golf
Boston has a tough act to
Angels, Astros make late
follow in FedEx Cup playoffs splash in trade market
By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press
NORTON, Mass. —
Dustin Johnson and Jordan
Spieth shook hands on the
18th green, and then traded
text messages later in the
night after providing high
drama and plenty of star
power in the opening FedEx
Cup event.
Spieth said he texted him:
“Man, congrats. That was a
good battle. Let’s do it again
next week.”
Johnson’s reply: “Abso-
lutely. I had a good time.
That was my turn.”
For the opening act of this
lucrative FedEx Cup series
that leads to a $10 million
prize, the PGA Tour couldn’t
have asked for much more.
Johnson is the No. 1 player
in the world. Judging by
the slight spike in television
ratings, Spieth is becoming
among the most popular.
The Dell Technologies
Championship has a tough
act to follow.
The second playoff
event starts Friday on the
TPC Boston because of
the traditional Labor Day
finish. Johnson, Spieth and
Justin Thomas will be in the
same group for the opening
two rounds because of their
standing in the FedEx Cup.
And it just so happens they
are the three leading candi-
dates for PGA Tour player of
the year.
There remains a long road
ahead before the deciding of
a FedEx Cup champion and
player of the year.
The TPC Boston also
might
pay
immediate
dividends, though it has
little to do with a big cash
prize. This is the final week
for 10 players to make the
Presidents Cup team before
U.S. captain Steve Stricker
and International captain
Nick Price get two wild-card
selections.
Kevin Chappell is at No.
11 in the U.S. standings and
23 points — the equivalent
of 56th place — behind
Charley Hoffman. Chappell
would love to be on the team,
though his obsession is more
on his golf than wondering if
he’ll make the team.
If anyone is feeling pres-
sure, it’s Phil Mickelson. He
has never missed a Presi-
dents Cup or Ryder Cup
dating to 1994. Lefty would
need a runner-up finish to
qualify for the team, and he
might need to simply show
some good scores to give
Stricker a reason to pick
him.
Bubba Watson would
have to win to be on the
team, but he has other goals.
At No. 72 in the FedEx Cup,
he has to finish among the
top 70 after this week to
advance to the third playoff
event outside Chicago in
two weeks.
Watson, Mickelson and
Hoffman are the only three
players who have made it
through to the third playoff
event every year since the
FedEx Cup began in 2007.
So there’s a big tourna-
ment offering $8.75 million
in prize money. There is a
race to make the Presidents
Cup team. And for some
players, there is simply the
goal of not having their
season ending earlier than
they want.
That’s a lot on the plate,
and Thomas knows the
feeling.
He missed out on the
Tour Championship by one
putt in 2015. A year ago,
Thomas was still in the hunt
for a Ryder Cup captain’s
pick. He missed the cut.
“It’s hard, it really is,”
Thomas said. “The Ryder
Cup definitely last year, it’s
so hard to get out of the back
of your mind. I was playing
without thinking about it that
much, but before the week
starts, it always creeps in the
back of your head. ‘Well, if
I play well here, something
may happen.’ You always
have that ‘if’ scenario. I
think that makes it tough.”
The view is much better
this year.
Thomas is a four-time tour
winner and PGA champion.
He is No. 3 in the FedEx
Cup and practically assured
of being among the top five
seeds at the Tour Champion-
ship, the ideal spot because
those five players only have
to win at East Lake to claim
the $10 million prize. He
already clinched a spot in the
Presidents Cup.
“At the end of the day,
you just have to focus on
what you’re doing,” he said.
Rory McIlroy is the
defending champion after
making up a six-shot deficit
in the final round last year
to win. His only pressure
is winning, because he has
never gone a year without
winning somewhere in the
world since 2008. He is No.
43 in the FedEx Cup and
would like to have a few
good weeks to get back to
East Lake.
Johnson’s playoff victory
over Spieth in the Northern
Trust was his first since
March, and now he’s looking
for more.
All four?
No one has ever won
more than two playoff
events in a year.
“You can’t win them all if
you don’t win the first one,
right?” Johnson said. “Yeah,
it’s definitely possible. Is it
going to happen? I have no
idea. I’d love to say, ‘Yeah,
I’m going to win all four.’
But the odds are not in my
favor.”
Associated Press
HOUSTON — The
Houston
Astros
have
acquired Justin Verlander
in a trade with the Detroit
Tigers.
The right-hander joins
the American League West
leaders and a rotation that
includes Dallas Keuchel
and Lance McCullers.
Astros owner Jim Crane
says: "He adds a boost to our
rotation. He's been pitching
well. We think he'll give us
some leadership. He's been
in the playoffs before and
adds a dimension we didn't
have."
The
34-year-old
Verlander, who won the
Cy Young Award in 2011,
is 10-8 with a 3.82 ERA
this season. The Tigers will
receive three minor league
prospects.
Crane hopes Verlander
is a piece that can help the
Astros in the postseason. He
says: "We hope it positions
us to get into the playoffs,
get by the first round, get
into the second round and
get to the world series and
win it. That's what we've
been working at and that's
what we'll continue to work
at and we want to win."
ANGELS ACQUIRE
UPTON, PHILLIPS
ANAHEIM, Calif. —
The Los Angeles Angels
acquired slugging outfielder
Justin Upton from the
Detroit Tigers and infielder
Brandon Phillips from
the Atlanta Braves on
Thursday, upgrading their
lineup for the playoff race.
With a new second
baseman and a new left
fielder, Los Angeles has
addressed its two most
problematic
positions
heading into the final month
of the season. The Angels
Verlander
Upton
(69-65) are 1 1/2 games
out of a playoff spot despite
several major injuries to
their pitching staff and one
of the AL’s least prolific
lineups. Los Angeles trails
Minnesota (70-63) in the
race for the league’s second
wild card spot, and the
Yankees (71-62) are just 2
1/2 games ahead.
The 30-year-old Upton
is having a strong season
for the struggling Tigers,
batting .279 with 28 homers
and 94 RBIs.
He represents an imme-
diate upgrade in left field for
the Angels (69-65), who are
still fighting for a playoff
spot despite several major
injuries to their pitching
staff and one of the AL’s
least potent lineups.
“What I’m excited about
is being back into playoff
contention and trying to
help the Angels get to where
they want to go,” Upton
said in a phone interview.
“I think I can be a piece that
helps that.”
The four-time All-Star
signed a six-year, $132.75
million deal to join Detroit
before last season. Detroit
agreed to pay the Angels
$747,951 to cover a portion
of the $3,747,951 remaining
in Upton’s $22,125,000
salary this year.
His deal includes four
more seasons at the same
salary, but he can opt out
after the World Series and
Phillips
become a free agent.
The Angels sent minor-
league pitcher Grayson
Long to Detroit, which also
gets cash considerations or
a player to be named. Long
was among the Angels’
better
prospects
after
posting a 2.52 ERA in 23
Double-A starts this season.
The 36-year-old Phillips
was in his first season with
Atlanta, which acquired
him in the offseason after
11 productive years in
Cincinnati. He has been
solid for the Braves, batting
.291 with 11 homers and 52
RBIs.
Although he has played
third base in August, Phil-
lips is likely to play largely
at second base for the
Angels, who are struggling
at the position. The three-
time All-Star is a four-time
Gold Glove winner joining
a solid defensive team.
"The dream is to get a
(World Series) ring, and
that's what I have a chance
of really doing right now,"
Phillips said. "I hope that I
can help the team out."
The Braves also sent
cash considerations to the
Angels, and they received
minor-league
catcher
Tony Sanchez from Los
Angeles. Cincinnati already
is paying $13 million of
Phillips' $14 million salary
for this season, making the
deal very low-risk for the
Angels.
Tennis
Federer edges Youzhny in 5 sets at US Open; Nadal needs 4
By HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press
NEW YORK — A bad
back prevented Roger
Federer from getting ready
for the U.S. Open the way
he prefers to prepare for a
Grand Slam tournament.
And it’s showed so far.
Federer blamed a lack
of proper practice after
making an uncharacteristic
68 unforced errors and
being forced to go five sets
again before coming back
to edge a cramping Mikhail
Youzhny 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4,
4-6, 6-2 on Thursday in
Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It is the first time the
36-year-old Federer has
played five-setters in both
the first and second rounds
at a major tournament.
“I knew I was going to
maybe struggle early on.
Maybe I struggled more
than I would have liked to.
But I’m still in the draw,
which gives me a chance.
I still believe I’m going
to pick up my game and
become just more consistent
because I’m not playing
all that bad,” Federer said.
“It’s just that I’m going a
bit up and down in waves
throughout the match.”
Given
that
Federer
entered the day with a
16-0 career record against
Youzhny and a 16-0 mark
in the U.S. Open’s second
round, one might have
thought that their match
would be a mismatch.
Think again.
“He’s also a real man
who plays tennis,” Youzhny
noted. “He’s not a god.”
Well, OK, that’s true.
But remember: Federer
did not drop a single set en
route to his record eighth
Wimbledon championship
in July. And that he is 37-3
with five titles, including
two at majors to raise his
record total to 19.
Second on that list, with
15, is No. 1-seeded Rafael
Nadal, who trailed by a set
and a break before figuring
things out and beating
121st-ranked Taro Daniel of
Japan 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in
Ashe at night. That followed
20th-seeded
American
CoCo Vandeweghe’s 7-6
(6), 6-2 victory over Ons
Jabeur of Tunisia under the
lights.
What already was a
wide-open women’s bracket
became more so when
2004 U.S. Open champion
Svetlana Kuznetsova was
upset by 116th-ranked
Kurumi Nara of Japan 6-3,
3-6, 6-3. The No. 8-seeded
Kuznetsova’s exit means
five of the top eight women
are already gone.
Two other seeded women
lost to Americans in the
afternoon: Shelby Rogers
edged No. 25 Daria Gavri-
lova 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (5) in a
tournament-record 3 hours,
33 minutes, and Jennifer
Brady eliminated No. 23
Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-1.
A couple of seeded
men departed, too: No. 7
Grigor Dimitrov and No. 15
Tomas Berdych, the 2010
Wimbledon runner-up.
The No. 3-seeded Federer
won five consecutive U.S.
Open championships from
2004-08 and also was the
runner-up twice, including
two years ago. But he missed
last year’s tournament while
taking off the second half
of the season to let his back
and surgically repaired left
knee fully heal.
That back, an off-and-on
issue for years, flared
up again while Federer
was losing in the final of
the Montreal Masters in
August. He didn’t get to
fully work on returns or
serves, in particular, as the
U.S. Open approached.
That lack of training and
the resulting lack of timing
— rather than pain from
his back — is what Federer
said caused him problems
Tuesday night in the first
round against 19-year-old
American Frances Tiafoe
and again against Youzhny,
a former top-10 player who
reached the 2006 and 2010
U.S. Open semifinals but is
now ranked 101st.
“I’m pretty confident
that I’m only going to get
better from here. That’s a
good thing,” Federer said.
“Because I’ve played a lot,
I definitely found some
rhythm now.”