DeVonta Smith spices up practice | Sports Daily Newsletter
He clashed with an old foe during the workout with the Browns.
The joint practices between the Eagles and the Browns took an interesting turn Thursday when second-year receiver DeVonta Smith engaged in some trash talking with Cleveland safety Richard LeCounte. The two players have a history that dates back to a scuffle at practice for the 2017 Army All-American Game. Their feud continued in college when Smith was at Alabama and LeCounte was at Georgia.
In their last college meeting, Smith torched Georgia with 11 catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Back on the practice field, Smith made sure LeCounte remembered who was most recent victor. Touché.
Ultimately, Smith got last laugh, concluding practice with more strong reps throughout full-team periods. Josh Tolentino has the story from Berea, Ohio.
— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns and recap the two joint practices leading into the game. Watch Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday.
The loudest highlight of the Eagles-Browns practice came when Birds guard Landon Dickerson pancaked Browns linebacker Jacob Phillips, drawing hoots from the visitors. Jeff McLane describes the scene in his practice observations.
Marcus Epps and Anthony Harris appear to be locked in as the Eagles’ starting safeties, but the race to become the next man up lacks a front-runner.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson reached a settlement with the NFL following accusations of sexual misconduct. He will serve an 11-game suspension and pay a $5 million fine.
Next: The Eagles will play another preseason game in Cleveland at 1 p.m. Sunday (NBC10).
The Phillies are 4-11 against the Mets and have dropped five consecutive series against them. They get their last chance in the regular season to show New York a thing or two when the teams open a four-game series tonight at Citizens Bank Park.
With center fielder Brandon Marsh heading to the injured list, the Phillies brought in a temporary replacement, claiming Bradley Zimmer off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Next: Aaron Nola (8-9, 3.07 ERA) will start for the Phillies against the Mets’ Chris Bassitt (10-7, 3.27) at 7:05 p.m. tonight(NBCSP).
Phillies great Chase Utley moved earlier this month to England with his family to work as MLB’s ambassador to the United Kingdom in advance of next season’s Cardinals-Cubs series there.
Utley won’t have to sell the game at all to Dave Shaw, who is a diehard Phillies fan in Southampton, England. Shaw has made several trips to Citizens Bank Park, and it all started with Utley. Matt Breen tells the story.
The 76ers’ 2022 offseason hasn’t been quite as laborious as last summer, when Ben Simmons asked for a trade before being shipped to the Brooklyn Nets months later. But it still has been a slow crawl for several reasons, including James Harden’s decision to take a pay cut and allow the team salary-cap space to pick up P.J. Tucker and Danuel House.
In that process, a number of story lines have developed including the potential for a Kevin Durant trade, the progress of Joel Embiid’s health, and a looming tampering punishment. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell takes you deep into each subject and more.
Union captain Alejandro Bedoya was there in 2020 when the team won the Supporters’ Shield, so he knows it’s a prize that matters. He also knows the pain of being unable to play because of COVID-19 protocols from when the Union faced off against NYCFC in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. The team was only one game away from the MLS Cup final, and a depleted squad couldn’t make it happen.
However, the Union face now a crucial question of what to prioritize most in the remaining regular-season games before the MLS playoffs. Should manager Jim Curtin borrow a strategy from the NBA and try “load management” of certain key players, or throw caution to the wind and chase after LAFC, which has nearly a 10-point advantage in the Shield race? Nothing is promised in the playoffs, but the odds for success are better if all the players arrive to that point healthy and ready to go.
Next: The Union visit D.C. United at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (PHL17).
Worth a look
World beaters: Three Flyers prospects have been making their mark at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton.
Big Ten bonanza: The Big Ten’s $7 billion media rights deal will put the conference’s top football games on three major networks each week, creating an NFL-style television schedule on Saturdays.
Impressive freshman: Penn State running back Nick Singleton has been a workout fanatic for years. He’s putting that strength to good use at Nittany Lions camp.
College commitment: Al Amadou, a power forward from Springside Chestnut Hill, has chosen Marquette.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Matt Breen, Josh Tolentino, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Gustav Elvin, Gina Mizell, Sam Cohn, Isabella DiAmore, Andrea Canales, and the Associated Press.