COSTA MESA, Calif. — Colin Kaepernick is on the Los Angeles Chargers’ workout list, but that doesn’t mean he will be coming in anytime soon or at all.
Anthony Lynn said Wednesday that Kaepernick fits the style of quarterback Los Angeles is looking for, but the third-year head coach hasn’t spoken to him. Lynn was also quick to point out that he first wants to see how the three quarterbacks he has on the roster perform — something he hasn’t been able to do during the off-season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It would be something I think any team would have to explore with a talent of that calibre that is available under these circumstances,” Lynn said. “I know he has a high IQ at the position. It comes down to physical shape and his ability to do what he does. You can figure out real quick where he is in his career after an intense workout.
“Teams need to see if those three years (out of the league) helped him or hurt him. That is three years of not getting hit. It would really be nice to see him back in the league. I’m very confident and happy with the three quarterbacks that I have but you can never have too many people waiting on the runway.”
LA will have a new quarterback under centre for its scheduled Sept. 13 opener at Cincinnati after not re-signing Philip Rivers. The 17-year veteran signed with Indianapolis after making 235 consecutive regular season and playoff starts in powder blue.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that he is encouraging teams to sign Kaepernick, who has been out of the league the past three seasons. The 32-year old quarterback last played in 2016, when he was with the San Francisco 49ers and began to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said last week that he received a call from another team about Kaepernick. Carroll and the Seahawks brought Kaepernick in for a workout in 2017 and had another planned in 2018 but it was cancelled. Lynn said the Chargers were not the team that inquired.
Tyrod Taylor goes into training camp at the top of the depth chart. Los Angeles also drafted Oregon’s Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick and have second-year player Easton Stick. Lynn said he has been happy with the virtual off-season sessions, but that the lack of field work makes it harder to gauge the position.
Taylor is familiar with Lynn’s scheme. Lynn was the offensive co-ordinator for most of the 2016 season in Buffalo, where Taylor was his quarterback.
“Thank goodness I have some time on task with Tyrod Taylor because he understands the offence. I feel very comfortable with that,” Lynn said. “We’re going to have to be very efficient when we get back together.”
As with other teams, the Chargers’ workout list is also longer compared to previous seasons because everyone is preparing for as many contingencies as possible due to the pandemic. No one can accurately predict how many positive tests there are going to be in a week leading up to a game.
“You never know what position is going to go down, so we just need a backup plan,” he said. “Let’s say we don’t have a vaccine and on Saturday three of my wide receivers test positive. Where am I going to get those players? Am I going to have to just go to someone off the streets and bring in new guys to play tomorrow? That’s going to be hard. That’s going to happen, probably. If you have a surplus of players that you can reach out to, that’s just going to help the situation.”
The Chargers will wrap up their virtual off-season program Friday.
Lynn, who is one of only three black head coaches in the NFL, said there have been good discussions with his players about the protests that have occurred since the death of George Floyd. One of the discussions included bringing in a local judge to discuss sentencing.
While Lynn is discouraging his players from attending protests out of coronavirus concerns, he said he did go to one a couple of weeks ago in Huntington Beach that was mostly peaceful but tense at times.
He said the focus for players as far as advocating for change should include something beyond just protesting.
“Colin Kaepernick took a knee to bring awareness to the situation. I don’t think you can bring any more awareness to the situation right now.,” he said. “Now is not the time to take a knee, it’s time to do something,”
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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
