Thursday, August 25, 2016
Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. The Cleveland Browns quarterback reiterated Wednesday that while he’s getting increasingly more comfortable running his new team’s offense, the transition is far from complete. “It’s just about being consistent every day,” the fifth-year pro said after the Browns shared practice fields with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a second day. “I don’t praise myself. Without the guys around me, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do,” the quarterback added. “Football is a beautiful game because it takes 11 guys, and when all 11 are on the same page, it’s a beautiful thing.” Griffin is hardly expected to be a one-man show in Cleveland. He’s excited about the talent the Browns are assembling around him, including receivers Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman, who could wind up on the field together in a game for the first time in Friday night’s exhibition against the Bucs. Gordon (quadriceps) and Coleman (hamstring) sat out the first two preseason games, but have returned to practice. Griffin was asked whether he ever feels like he has an “embarrassment of riches” to work with considering the Browns also have productive targets such as tight end Gary Barnidge and running back Duke Johnson to throw to in coach Hue Jackson’s offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The NFL flexed its muscles again when it mandated James Harrison meet with its investigators about performance-enhancing drugs under its timetable and not his. Harrison and the NFLPA asked for a meeting on Aug. 30, and the league scheduled the date for Thursday morning instead. At this point, after a drama-filled eight months of back-and-forth between the union and the league over “credible evidence,” Harrison simply wants to get the interview done. “I’m not anxious,” Harrison said. “It’s just a stupid thing I have to do to continue to doing what I want to do, trying to get where we want to be, and that’s holding the Lombardi.” Harrison has maintained his innocence after his name was mentioned in a report about PED use in the NFL. The source for the Al Jazeera America report quickly recanted his story after the story was published. Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, who was the player most prominently mentioned in the report, was interviewed by the NFL and cleared of any wrongdoing. Harrison expects the same to happen to him. “They’re going to clear me,” he said. “They cleared him. I’m going to be cleared. They’re going to give me the same thing: flash, across the bulletin board, NFL, Instagram, Twitter, all that. James Harrison cleared.”
Washington Redskins: The Redskins acquired center Bryan Stork from the New England Patriots on Wednesday for an undisclosed draft pick. Stork appeared in 21 games the past two seasons, but started just six in 2015 after spending time on the physically unable to perform list with concussion and neck issues. The 25-year-old started the Super Bowl for New England two seasons ago. Stork, a fourth-round pick, 105th overall, in the 2014 draft, went into training camp in competition for the starting center job with the Patriots, but suffered his fourth concussion in four years. The trade opens the door for second-year player David Andrews, who replaced Stork for 10 games last season. “It’s tough,” Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said earlier in the day in Foxborough, Massachusetts. “It’s that time of year. There’s a lot of movement between teams and players and everything. It’s tough to see one of your guys go like that, but that’s the business I guess.” In Stork, the Redskins get valuable depth at the center position.
Associated Press