Associated Press
LAKE FOREST, Ill. ó This one looked like a potential breather for the Chicago Bears when the NFL released the schedule.
Now? Maybe not.
The way Cam Newton is playing, Chicago could be in for a tough time against the Carolina Panthers today.
The No. 1 draft pick is off to a record start, and the Bears are staggering after back-to-back losses to New Orleans and defending champion Green Bay.
“There’s a lot of football left,” quarterback Jay Cutler said. “There’s a lot of things that can happen. I don’t think we need to start panicking quite yet.”
Even so, he realizes the Bears (1-2) are in a hole, with the Packers and Detroit tied for the NFC North lead at 3-0. A loss to Carolina (1-2) would be a big blow for a team trying to build on a run to the division title and conference championship game a year ago, and things aren’t looking good after a dominant win over Atlanta in the opener.
Now, they are about to face Newton, and all he’s done so far is add his name to the record book.
He threw for 422 yards at Arizona, the most ever by a debuting rookie. That tied Matthew Stafford’s single-game rookie record, and he topped that with 432 against Green Bay. Last week, Newton finished with 158 in a win over Jacksonville but hit former Bear Greg Olsen with the go-ahead touchdown late in the game, and he comes into this one trailing only Tom Brady and Brees with 1,012 yards.
“I think success comes if you continue to yearn to be good, or to strive for your common goal,” Newton said. “Do you want to be average, do you want to be good or do you want to be great? I think that’s what separates the Tom Bradys from the other quarterbacks in this league.”
KOBE
ROME ó The president of Virtus Bologna is optimistic Kobe Bryant will sign with the Italian club during the NBA lockout despite scheduling problems posed by other teams.
Claudio Sabatini told The Associated Press on Friday that Bryant’s agent Rob Pelinka agreed to an arrangement for 35 to 40 days worth more than $3 million ó for about 10 games.
NEW YORK ó NBA owners and players failed to reach a new labor deal after about seven hours of talks Saturday, focused mostly on the league’s salary cap.
The sides will meet again Monday, though time is getting short to save the start of the regular season ó scheduled to begin on Nov. 1 ó and neither side sounds optimistic.
GOLF
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ó Lexi Thompson proved she was good enough to play on the LPGA Tour as a 16-year-old when she beat a strong field by five shots two weeks ago. She was granted membership based on more than birdies and bogeys.
LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan approved Thompson’s petition to become the LPGA Tour’s youngest member effective in January, impressed with how the Florida teen handled herself in all aspects of tour life.
CARY ó John Huston shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday for a share of the second-round lead with Nick Price and Kenny Perry in the Champions Tour’s SAS Championship.
Huston, the Dick’s Sporting Good Open winner this year, played the last 10 holes in 6 under. Price and Perry had 69s to match Huston at 9 under.
LAS VEGAS ó Nick Watney shot a 7-under 64 on Saturday for a share of the third-round lead with Kevin Na in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
NFL
n NEW YORK ó Terrelle Pryor’s five-game suspension was upheld by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
NEW YORK ó The NFL reminded teams of the rule prohibiting defensive players from mimicking the offense’s signal-calling cadence after Dallas accused the Washington Redskins of causing the Cowboys to bungle several snaps.The league reiterated that it was unsportsmanlike conduct for defenders to use “acts or words” that were “designed to disconcert an offensive team at the snap.”
New Dallas center Phil Costa misfired on four snaps in Monday night’s win, and afterward the Cowboys accused Washington of mimicking Tony Romo’s cadence, which the Redskins denied.