Olympic hopefuls, NHL stars fill USA Hockey 44-player orientation camp roster
Kane, a 2010 and 2014 Olympian, wasn't a member of the 4 Nations Face-Off roster the Americans deployed in February, so this will likely be the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer's final shot to represent his native country on the big stage in Italy next February.
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Of the 44 players invited to the camp Aug. 26-27 in Plymouth, Mich., some other Olympic hopefuls who weren't part of the 4 Nations roster that lost to Canada in overtime of the championship include forwards Tage Thompson, Clayton Keller, Jason Robertson, Matthew Knies and Cole Caufield, defensemen Seth Jones, Ryan McDonagh, Brett Pesce, Alex Vlasic and Luke Hughes and goaltender Joey Daccord. In May, Thompson scored in overtime to give the United States its first gold medal since 1933 at the World Championships.
At the Olympics, rosters are expected to increase by one forward and one defenseman, with the United States expected to carry 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies. The men's tournament starts Feb. 11 with the gold medal awarded Feb. 22.
Like Canada's upcoming camp, there will be no formal on-ice sessions, but fitness facilities and ice will be available to the players who are also leaving their offseason training to prepare for the upcoming NHL season. The purpose of the orientation camp is for players to have meetings with coach Mike Sullivan and his staff and GM Bill Guerin and his staff, and to get educated about participation requirements in order to become eligible to be an Olympian.
Goaltenders: Joey Daccord, Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman.
Defensemen: Brock Faber, Adam Fox, Luke Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Noah Hanifin, Seth Jones, Jackson LaCombe, Charlie McAvoy, Brett Pesce, Neal Pionk, Jake Sanderson, Brady Skjei, Jaccob Slavin, Alex Vlasic, Zach Werenski.
Forwards: Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Logan Cooley, Kyle Connor, Jack Eichel, Conor Garland, Jake Guentzel, Jack Hughes, Patrick Kane, Clayton Keller, Matthew Knies, Chris Kreider, Dylan Larkin, Auston Matthews, J.T. Miller, Frank Nazar, Brock Nelson, Shane Pinto, Jason Robertson, Bryan Rust, Tage Thompson, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Vincent Trocheck, Alex Tuch.
(Photo of Patrick Kane from 2014 Olympics: Al Bello / Getty Images)
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New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
U.S. Open mixed doubles: Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori take singles stars to school
Of all the players participating in the U.S. Open mixed doubles jamboree, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori would have the easiest time walking the streets of New York City with barely anyone passing a glance, much less asking for a selfie or an autograph. That's not the regular experience for two defending champions. Advertisement But halfway through this fastest Grand Slam in the modern history of the sport, the only pure doubles team in this doubles competition is well on its way to schooling all-comers. No matter how high they are ranked, how wealthy or famous they might be, or how many titles they might have collected as singles players, Errani and Vavassori's opponents are so far running into a wall of expertise and experience. 'All the doubles guys was saying me, 'You are the only one playing for now, so play also for us a little bit,' Vavassori said in a news conference with a smile after making the semifinals. First, the Italians did away with Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, the No. 2 seeds in a doubles tournament that was supposed to be all about singles stars. That's why Rybakina and Fritz were seeded and Errani and Vavassori needed a wild card to get in. Fritz and Rybakina mostly played singles on a court with different lines, and promptly lost in straight sets, 4-2, 4-2. Then Andrey Rublev and Karolina Muchová showed up for their doubles lesson. They are excellent athletes who have played for big titles in singles. Muchová has some of the best touch and feel in the game, especially at the net. No matter. Errani and Vavassori shot through the first set in 17 minutes. They needed a tiebreak to get through the second, but when it was over they had won two matches in 98 minutes and had collected $200,000 for making the semifinals. That's as much as they won last year, when they won a tournament comprised of 32 actual doubles teams instead of 16 arranged alliances of stardom. Maybe they dodged a bullet when Daniele Collins and Christian Harrison knocked off Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend in the quarters Tuesday afternoon. Townsend is world No. 1 in doubles, and she and Shelton have played together plenty. They got to the semifinals of the mixed here in 2023. Advertisement But Harrison is a doubles specialist himself. He and Collins have known each other since childhood. They were the last-minute alternates when men's singles No. 1 Jannik Sinner pulled out because of an illness, ending his partnership with Kateřina Siniaková, perhaps the greatest active doubles player in the world, before it got started. Collins and Harrison made their way to the Referee's Office for 10:30 a.m. to sign in and got their shot just before the start of play Tuesday morning. They might just have some magic going. Collins showed up at the press conference with her five-year-old pup Quincy. Life is good. 'I think we first talked about this when we were like 15,' said Collins, who was hanging out at a friend's house Monday night when Harrison called to tell her that they were on the verge of getting into the $2.35 million event, with $1 million going to the winning team. Either way, there's going to be at least one doubles specialist in the final – either Harrison or the Errani / Vavassori duo. They will face the winner of whichever team emerges from the battle of the singles stars: Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula versus Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud under the lights in what should be a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium Wednesday night. There was always a chance this would happen when the higher minds of the U.S. Open decided to make mixed doubles at the year's final Grand Slam a pre-tournament spectacle almost all about singles stars. Vavassori and Errani's mastery of the doubles court shows why the tradeoffs may need adjusting for the future: Cutting out lots of Vavassori's and Errani's doubles comrades means cutting down the enticing matchups of singles vs. doubles. The payoffs were still apparent on the first day of the two-day competition. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was buzzing half an hour before any of the action got underway, with fans streaming across the fountain plaza in droves on what would otherwise have been a pretty sleepy day during the qualifying tournament and practice week. By early afternoon, Arthur Ashe Stadium, where tickets were required, was nearly packed. There were more than 5,000 fans in Louis Armstrong Stadium. Seats there were free. Advertisement 'How cool is that?' Collins said. They were making plenty of noise, too. And why wouldn't they? The schedule included some of the biggest names in the game: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, Venus Williams, Mirra Andreeva, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and even Świątek, fresh off the previous night's hard-fought win over Jasmine Paolini at the Cincinnati Open which took her back to No. 2 in the world in singles. Swiatek, took an ice-bath, showered, ate, did some media, hopped on a plane, landed past midnight, got to her hotel at 1:30 a.m. and fell asleep about an hour later. At 10 a.m., Ruud looked across the gym and saw his partner stretching on the floor. 'Wildly impressive,' Ruud said of his partner. 'Iga will have a good night's sleep tonight. She deserves that.' Indeed she does. Świątek, a six-time Grand Slam champion in singles and former French Open finalist in doubles, reminded the world just how versatile a player she can be. She put on a show at the net with her quick hands and touch, she won baseline battles with her male opponents, and she showed the understanding of doubles geometry that people who play singles exclusively just don't have. 'For me I think it's a reminder that tennis should be fun,' Świątek said of the experience. 'When we're just preparing for the singles, there's a lot of pressure and expectations on us.' There was Alcaraz floating from nowhere across the back of the court to find a ball that had long gone by his partner Raducanu, seemingly ending the point. Instead, Alcaraz floated the ball over the net post into the open court. There was Shelton, bombing that serve, hitting volleys with his knees on the pavement and sliding balls nearly parallel to the net to light up the crowd. Świątek rolled crosscourt forehands and backhands with anyone who dared to match her, and then decided to beat them. Andreeva and Djokovic got into a seriously high-octane crosscourt forehand fight. Advertisement This is what the U.S. Open wanted when they rolled out this format earlier in the year. They wanted big names and big crowds and big buzz, even if that meant a new-fangled scoring system to keep matches to about an hour and holding mixed doubles well before the start of the singles. Halfway through, it seems to be working. Arthur Ashe Stadium should be near its 24,000 capacity for the semifinals and finals Wednesday night, an unheard of crowd for a doubles competition. They figured it would go like that. But Errani and Vavassori, who know their way around the doubles court better than anyone else, are turning into the star pair on the court. Vavassori hounds the net with his teradactyl-like wingspan. Errani sneaks into the open space at the last minute, reading the next shot before it leaves her opponents' strings, a task made that much easier when the opponents don't generally play doubles. They are on a mission that they believe is bigger than themselves. 'It's important to show also that doubles players are great players,' Vavassori said after making the semifinals. 'I think our main goal in the future will be to change a little bit the narrative because singles players are amazing on singles, but doubles players are amazing in doubles. If doubles player play against singles, sometimes they play better because they are more organized.' Indeed, the rackets and the balls are the same, but in so many ways, doubles is a different sport than singles. It's all about anticipation, and tiny steps, and court coverage, and using the hands of a billiards master to find the seams in the defense. It is not at all unusual for a great doubles team to take apart two great singles players who come together for a shotgun wedding, as Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal did for the Paris Olympics last year. Alcaraz can hit through most players. Hitting through two guarding the same court is another matter, as Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek showed the Spaniards in the quarterfinals. Advertisement In the big picture it may not matter all that much. The goal was to take an underserved competition and turn it into a happening. That is undoubtedly underway, even if Draper used the dreaded phrase 'exhibition format' to describe the competition. Pegula gently told him that was a no-no. Even Vavassori, who along with Errani had criticized a format that cut out nearly all the players who make their living off doubles, was giving what sounded like one-and-a-half thumbs up. 'It's a great thing for doubles to be seen by more people,' he said. 'I have to give them credit. I also said it before, playing this format is great for doubles and mixed doubles to develop in the future. Like create a tournament with singles stars that are more seen on the tour is a great thing for doubles.' He knows his sport is in some trouble. No one markets the players, so no one knows the players. 'If you go to see a sport and you don't know the protagonist of a sport, it's impossible,' he said. Everyone knew the protagonists Tuesday, and they will know most of them Wednesday night. By the time it's over, Vavassori and Errani might not be so anonymous on the New York streets. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘No Colon, Still Rollin'': Cass Bargell, US scrum-half and ostomy advocate, sets sights on World Cup
A few years ago, Cass Bargell gave a Ted Talk at Harvard, the same university where she studied integrative biology and played scrum-half, helping the Crimson to a national 15s title and earning nominations for US player of the year. Onstage, visibly nervous, she clutched a rugby ball as if for emotional support. 'I dropped the ball,' she says, laughing. 'They edited it out.' Bargell didn't drop the ball with her talk, which offered a compelling account of her traumatic experience with ulcerative colitis and her extraordinary recovery. It all began in late 2020, with alarming symptoms. Bargell kept playing through quickening pain but eventually, in November 2021, underwent ileostomy surgery to remove her colon and create a stoma, an opening in her abdomen to allow waste to pass. Just a few months later Bargell was back playing rugby, the sport she found as a middle-schooler in Summit, Colorado, as aggressive as ever but now wearing an ostomy bag. The title of her Ted Talk sums up her determination and her emergence as an advocate for life after surgery: No Colon, Still Rollin'. She has told her remarkable tale many times, including to former NFL Man of the Year and fellow patient Rolf Benirschke, for The Phoenix, official magazine of the United Ostomy Associations of America. But now, at 25 and eight times capped, Bargell is about to step onto the biggest stage of all – the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in England, where the US kick-off against the hosts on Friday. Speaking to the Guardian, she said that though life with an ostomy had not 'gotten any easier … I think I've gotten a lot better at handling it. 'I think some things have actually gotten harder, in some ways. The longer I've had it, the more it feels like this daunting thing that's gonna go on for ever. And I think I have, like, those big emotional moments, but I'm a lot better at handling it day to day. I don't think about my bag and I know how to change it much faster now. I know how to handle my supplies.' Related: World Cup final to be most attended women's rugby match in history after ticket sellout Bargell's play gives no clues of her extra burden. In Washington in July against Fiji, as the Americans struggled to hold a narrowing lead, the 5ft 4in dynamo forced two crucial turnovers, stealing Fijiana ball at the ruck. Turning to the nearest reporter to ask 'Who's that flanker the Eagles brought on?', the Guardian was swiftly enlightened: not only was Bargell not a forward, but also, 'that's nothing: she plays with an ostomy bag.' Asked if that played on her mind during games, she said: 'No, I don't think about it. But I'm really lucky that I'm supported by my coaches too. 'When I'm playing and I get hit in the bag, I don't feel anything, I don't think anything. I just put the ball back strongly. But if we're in training and we're doing a drill … where we come up and hit each other and then backpedal, reload, come up at each other again, backpedal, reload, just like working on the constant up and back, as the attacker I was just getting hit straight in the bag over and over and over, and I was like, this never happens to me in a game, and I'm really uncomfortable. 'I wasn't hurt from it or anything. I just was like, that's wearing my bag down more than I need. And my coaches are like, perfect. 'No problem. You'll hold the pad next time.' So then everyone was in the line and I just had a [tackle] pad, and it was fine. 'So it's not like I love getting hit in the bag repetitively. It's just that when it happens, it's not a big deal. I also feel like my right fend has gotten much stronger since I got my ostomy. I don't like people getting that close, so when I can avoid it, I do.' She laughs again, and switches from hand-offs to helping hands, saluting the influence of Ilona Maher, the US center, Olympic sevens medalist and social media star who has fired global interest in the women's game. 'Ilona, the version you see on the internet is how she is,' Bargell says. 'She's, like, a fun, big personality. And also everything she says about there needs to be more stars [in women's rugby] and we need to lift more women up, she lives that and walks it with us. She's helped me so much with sharing my story, with all the social media stuff and everything she talks about in that world. 'On the field, she's fast and she's powerful and she's strong and she can pass, and she brings so much to our team. I love training with her. She's also a really strong organizer, which I don't think people can always see, but she does communicate a lot and helps us all.' Bargell, Maher and the rest of the Eagles may need all the help they can get on Friday: England are favorites to win the World Cup, having crushed rivals France in their final warm-up while the US lost to Canada, another title contender. Looking at that game, Bargell identified a failing familiar from the meeting with Fiji in DC: a strong start not maintained. 'The first half felt easy,' says Bargell, who will start on the bench behind Olivia Ortiz on Friday. 'It felt like that's what we practiced in training, and it was just about executing it. 'We've been working a lot on finding our energy right after half-time and being able to come out and start the second half the way we started the first half, because it really wasn't like we weren't surprising ourselves with what we were doing that first half. It was what we practiced. And so it's just about finding a way to keep that energy throughout the whole game.' 'We really rise' Bargell is one of many Eagles who this year played in Women's Elite Rugby, the semi-pro league which has just completed its first season, with Bargell turning out for the Boston Banshees while working as a data analyst for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She speaks favorably of WER as a step up from the amateur game, if not at the level of Premiership Women's Rugby, where senior Eagles including Ortiz play, where Maher shone for Bristol, and in which England's Red Roses ply their fearsome trade. 'I think an interesting part about our team is that we really rise,' Bargell says. 'We rise to the occasion. And so I know we'll rise [against England]. 'It's an incredible opportunity to be a part of that opening match at all, and I know everyone's really excited for it. We've honestly just been focused on building our own systems. It's not like these past three weeks were only focused on England.' True: Australia and Samoa also await, two wins most likely needed to make the quarter-finals. Australia offer the sterner test. In Perth in May, the Wallaroos downed the Eagles, 29-17. Bargell remains confident. 'We all believe we have a lot of threats, and like who we are as players,' she says. 'And so if we can bring our team together in that way, then we can compete.'
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Efton Chism III to trouble for Russell Wilson: NFL preseason storylines that actually matter
Most of the preseason is noise. Starters sit. Teams don't game plan. Coaches roll out bland schemes, evaluating their own roster rather than attacking the opposition. But there are always some threads that have a real, actual bearing on the regular season. Here are five storylines that look like they will matter in 2025. Jaxson Dart The Giants entered the year with a well reasoned quarterback plan. They would use 36-year-old Russell Wilson as a bridge starter until first-round pick Jaxson Dart was ready, probably somewhere around mid-season. Well, it appears that Dart is ready now. The rookie completed 14-of-16 passes for 137 yards with a passing touchdown and rushing score against the Jets in his second preseason game, building on a solid performance in his debut. Brian Daboll has done what good coaches should do: he has met Dart halfway. Rather than drowning his rookie in a complex system, Daboll has ported over big chunks of Dart's college playbook. It's Ole Miss concepts with pro gloss, designed to get Dart comfortable. The early returns have been promising. Dart does look comfortable in the pocket. He has been fine with the speed of the game. For a rookie starter, those are the first two boxes to check off. By making his offense as Dart-friendly as possible, Daboll has given the quarterback a platform to flash his arm talent. In his second outing, Dart didn't make as many 'wow' throws, but he showed a stronger grasp of the Giants' offense. Wilson, meanwhile, has been fine. Good in spurts. But he's the same old Russ we saw in Pittsburgh: capable of hitting beautiful strikes down the field, but limited in attacking the shorter and intermediate parts. With Dart in the lineup, the Giants can threaten every area of the field. He is a fearless deep-ball thrower and a genuine rushing threat, even if he's sometimes a danger to himself. The offense has also taken on a different rhythm with the rookie in the lineup. With Wilson under center, the Giants have looked mechanical and laborious. When Dart has taken over, the operation has been slicker, with Daboll ratcheting up the tempo. Running such a slim, up-tempo system won't be enough to navigate a full season, but it's enough of a starting point to chuck the rookie in until he can come to terms with a broader playbook. Daboll insists there is no competition. 'Russ is our starter. We're going to keep developing Jaxson,' Daboll said this week. That's understandable; Daboll wants to keep pressure off a first-year player and has a ready-made vet who could squeeze out a couple of wins until Dart can run a more sophisticated scheme. But Dart has shown enough in preseason that he should be chucked into the deep end for Week 1. The only reason to mess around with Wilson is to try to eke out a couple of wins so that the coaching staff and front office can keep their jobs. The Patriots' rookie class No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Yes, the Patriots have another shifty slot receiver. Efton Chism III has been a preseason darling. The undrafted rookie out of Eastern Washington is almost a meme of a New England slot: tough, undersized, a fidget spinner in and out of breaks, always open. With Josh McDaniels back running the offense, Chism is a lock to make the Patriots roster. And New England is sneakily deep at receiver: Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte bring a nice blend of veteran knowhow, toughness, and explosivity. Third-round pick Kyle Williams will be an immediate downfield threat, while Chism does damage underneath. It's a solid, varied collection of talent. Chism will probably make the team ahead of Ja'Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth round), two draftees from a year ago. Baker is a possible trade candidate, while the Patriots are expected to stash Polk on injured reserve after a nightmare first year in the league. The injection of weapons is good news for Drake Maye, who was forced to throw to the weakest crop of receivers in the league as a rookie. Related: I played in the NFL. Outrage over male cheerleaders is really about attempts to control masculinity It's not just the receiving corps, either. If we're handing out preseason MVP awards, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson would be near the top of the standings. Henderson was initially tabbed as a third-down specialist. He was a prolific receiver at Ohio State and the best pass-protecting running back in the rookie class. But Henderson has been given a full run with the offense in preseason, showing he can anchor the early-down run game, return kicks and add some juice to the passing attack. The Patriots needed their draft class to hit after last season's debacle, in which they ended the season 4-13. So far, so good this time around. Bills defense Buffalo spent the offseason fortifying their defensive line. But the preseason has exposed issues on the back end of the defense. The Bears roasted the Bills' backups in the second week of preseason, with three quarterbacks throwing for a combined 357 yards and two touchdowns. Being lit up by Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson is one thing; being shredded by Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed should set off a five-alarm fire. All over the league, teams look short at corner. The Eagles, Chiefs and other top contenders are scratching around for starters or backups in their secondary. But the Bills have three worries: who will start opposite Christian Benford at cornerback? What's the ideal safety tandem? Do they have enough depth? Sean McDermott is one of the league's best coaches when it comes to working with the secondary. He can find no-names and turn them into impactful starters. When McDermott starts grousing about a group, you know you're in trouble. And the coach has taken sporadic shots at his safety room throughout the preseason. That includes 2024 second-round pick Cole Bishop, who was slated to be a starter this season. 'Cole has missed quite a bit of time … It remains to be seen what he is truly able to do for us,' McDermott said after the Bears' trouncing. 'We're getting short on time.' There are concerns at cornerback, too. Rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston is dealing with an injury, pushing the returning Tre'Davious White into the starting lineup. Behind White, it's slim pickings. And at the safety spots, the Bills are relying on Bishop or Damar Hamlin to become consistent starters. For most teams, a secondary shortage would be a concern. For the Bills, it's borderline existential. Depth matters. The Bills played the fewest snaps in base defense last season (three linebackers) and led in their use of dime defense (six defensive backs). That's McDermott's vision for the defense. To hit those rates, the Bills need seven or eight reliable players in the secondary, given the potential for injuries and suspensions. Right now, they have one: Benford. Few teams are operating with as much urgency as Buffalo. Every year with Josh Allen in his prime is Super Bowl or bust. Last season, they were undone by a misfiring pass rush. They tried to address that in the offseason, but now look woefully short in the secondary. Isaac TeSlaa's breakout Lions general manager Brad Holmes has done it again. The Lions traded up to grab Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the third round of the draft, taking him 98 spots before the consensus big board – a reliable indicator of draft value. Holmes and the Lions do things their own way, routinely selecting players a round or two before the consensus board has them slotted. On many of those picks, Holmes has been proven correct. But there was a twinge of being high on his own supply in the most recent draft, giving up two future third-round picks to move up 32 spots to select TeSlaa. It's just preseason, but the early signals suggest Holmes was right again. It's hard not to get caught up in the TeSlaa hype. The long, rangy receiver is a splash play waiting to happen. There is almost a languid feel to how he cuts across the field. But when he explodes, he's gone. TeSlaa offers a big target to Jared Goff, and he can play above the rim, leaping and plucking balls out of the clouds. TeSlaa's traits have translated into preseason production. He has grabbed 8 of his 11 targets, scoring two touchdowns and averaging 13.1 yards a catch. In college, TeSlaa was not a go-to target. He is still raw and inconsistent. But the Lions don't need him to be a volume player. With Amon-Ra St Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, Detroit have plenty of dependable weapons. TeSlaa will add extra pop to an already explosive unit. At this point, it's almost unfair. Indy's quarterback competition Nothing can sap the energy out of a fanbase like a quarterback competition featuring Daniel Jones. The only thing less inspiring may be Jones winning one. Jones has been named the Colts' starter over Anthony Richardson despite a blah preseason showing. The Colts opened the preseason with a plan to give the two QBs an equal number of drives and reps to decide who would be the team's starter. The plan was for Richardson to take the bulk of snaps in the first week, with Jones getting the majority in the second week. That idea dissolved when Richardson went down with a hand injury on the first drive of the preseason and Jones entered the lineup. Shane Steichen reset in Week 2, flipping his approach and giving Richardson the game time he was intended to receive in the opening week. But it was telling that Jones, who took fewer snaps, still received more reps with the Colts' starting offense. Snap by snap, there was little to split the two. Richardson remains all upside and volatility, while Jones was steadier. Does anything scream Daniel Jones louder than an 11-play, 77-yard drive that ends in a field goal? Does anything say Anthony Richardson like producing the throw of the preseason (called back for a flag) after butchering a snap and blowing two pre-snap protection checks? It's funny, in a sense, that Jones is the quarterback painted as the stabilizing force. He finished with 42 interceptions and 50 fumbles in 69 starts with the Giants, producing one of the highest turnover rates in the league. Like Richardson, Jones is a volatile quarterback, albeit one in dink-and-dunk clothing. Picking between the two came down to trust. 'It's everything,' Steichen said about choosing a starter. 'It's the operation, the communication in the huddle, the checks, the consistency.' Richardson's inability to coordinate the game pre-snap and stick to the rhythm of the system continues to ding his progress – and his agent said on Tuesday that he is unsure of his client's long-term future with the team. For all the sizzle he can provide an offense, Richardson – who the Colts took with the No 4 overall pick just two years ago – still struggles with the basic mechanics of operating and processing a pro offense, and he has yet to prove he can stay healthy. There wasn't a right call for Steichen to make; both quarterbacks will probably see playing time this season. In a few drives with the Colts, Jones still looked like a liability, but the offense was more polished with him under center. For that alone, he's been given the first crack.
