Case Keenum gave Minnesota a brilliant performance in relief of Sam Bradford, passing for three touchdowns and a career-high 369 yards without a turnover to guide the Vikings to a 34-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Stefon Diggs had 173 yards receiving and caught two of Keenum’s throws for scores, one short and one long.
On Wednesday, the Bucs and Miami Dolphins announced the season opener scheduled for Sunday in Miami, will instead be played on November 19, the scheduled bye week for both teams. That means Tampa Bay will open the season against the Chicago Bears at Raymond James Stadium next Sunday.
The good news is the University of South Florida Bulls are 2-0 to start the 2017 season. The better news is they can play much better. Saturday’s 31-17 win at Raymond James Stadium over unheralded Stony Brook was not a thing of beauty, but early in the season a win is a win. Whether it was a matter of taking the Seawolves lightly, or the opponent came to play, or both, the 19th-ranked Bulls will need to engage upcoming opponents…
Jacques Patrick spent the past two years observing and learning from Dalvin Cook at Florida State. With Cook leaving for the NFL, Patrick is looking to put those lessons to good use. Patrick has shown during the first two weeks of preseason practices that he’s ready to take over as the Seminoles’ lead running back, despite two other highly-touted recruits pressing for playing time.
It has been one week since the NFL Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been credited with pulling off a “steal” in tight end O.J. Howard from Alabama. Having a solid first round pick is great, but does not measure a successful draft. On the other hand, a first round “bust” often defines a disaster. Let us assume Howard will be the NFL force the Bucs and other pundits project. How did Tampa Bay do in the later rounds? That…
Most of the Miami, Florida State and Florida players were chosen at or near their projections in the NFL Draft with two glaring exceptions. Yes, Dalvin Cook was thought to be a first-rounder, but the other state players drafted in the second or third round went as expected. The exceptions were Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley and Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya. Brantley was not taken until the first pick of the 6th round by the Cleveland Browns while Kaaya lasted…
After sitting out of the first round, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t want to wait any longer. Dalvin Cook was still available, the kind of dynamic running back Minnesota drafted 10 years ago and just recently let go. The Vikings traded up seven spots to the 41st overall pick Friday night and snagged Cook, the Florida State star whose stellar college career came with off-the-field questions. They sent one of their fourth-round selections to Cincinnati to move ahead in the second…
