Josh McCown motivated by people saying Browns should tank

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The Cleveland Browns were expected to have a bad season before they lost their starting quarterback. Now that Robert Griffin III has been placed on IR, there has been some talk that the Browns should tank to make sure they get the top overall pick in next year’s draft.

Josh McCown is having none of that.

McCown, who has once again been thrust into a starting role in Cleveland, told PFT Live on Monday that it motivates him even more when people say the Browns should tank.

“For us to just sit back and say, ‘Yeah, this is the year that we’re gonna tank’ and all that, for a player that’s not our mindset at all and that’s not our expectation, and it fires me up when people say that,” he said. “It fires me up and makes this task even greater. We embrace the opportunity to go out there and maybe do something that people don’t think we can do.”

While even the team has to know there is virtually no chance of making the playoffs, McCown insists the veterans won’t allow the younger guys to think ahead to 2017.

“For me and the other veterans on this team, a Hall of Famer like Joe Thomas, that can’t and won’t be the mindset,” McCown said. “Our mindset is to compete and play to win football games. The rest of that is down the road, but our mindset is to compete.”

Griffin suffered a broken shoulder after taking a big hit in Week 1 (video here), and he may not play again this season despite being placed on short-term IR. McCown actually played pretty well in his eight starts last season and posted a passer rating of 93.3. If he can do that again, he just might keep the Browns from being the worst team in the NFL.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
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#Browns, #Josh, #McCown, #Motivated, #People, #Saying, #Should, #Tank - #Football

Stephen Curry motivated by re-watching Game 7, laughs at Warriors being villains

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Stephen Curry is ready and motivated for next season thanks to a viewing of Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Curry told Darren Rovell of ESPN that he’d only recently watched the game back for the first time.

“I was a little mad at myself and getting back into the grind of working out for next season,” Curry said Saturday, while on an Under Armour-sponsored tour of Asia. “I think it was a good motivator to get back into the gym and keep working.

“I wasn’t 100 percent, but who cares? I was playing. I was out there trying to help my team win and that’s all that really matters. I’ve taken advantage of the summer to get right and I still have a little bit of work to go.”

Curry is amused by the narrative of the Warriors being villains.

“I kind of laugh at that,” Curry said. “Obviously how the Finals ended [and] what happened, that’s sports. That’s what you love about it. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Obviously it stinks to not win, but playing for a championship for two years in a row has been an amazing, amazing journey and I don’t think it’s over.

“All that narrative around our team, how people view us, doesn’t really matter to us. We are who we are and we’re championship contenders going forward.”

He’s not worried about pressure, though, feeling that last season was as pressure-filled as it could get.

“I honestly don’t think there could be any more pressure than we had last year,” Curry said. “Coming off a championship, winning 73 games and being expected to win another [title], obviously it didn’t happen. It’s going to be a different vibe because it’s a different team and different dynamics with different players with KD joining us. … We have probably six or seven new guys.”

The cautions have been made that Golden State will need some time to adjust. However, they’re going to be really talented and really motivated after last season’s NBA Finals, which is probably a bad combination for the rest of the league.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Mauldin Motivated by Naysayers

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By Glenn Naughton

 

Just two games in to the exhibition season, Todd Bowles’ defense has looked nothing like the Jets and their fans expect as the 2016 season approaches.  In two games, the Jets have surrendered 741 yards of total offense, 197 of which has come on the ground.

Second-year linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin has whiffed on some tackles in the backfield that have led to big runs, apparently leading some to call his play in to question early on, and it appears Mauldin is listening and took to his official twitter account to respond.

Say what you want! I"ll prove you wrong! I"ve been doubted before, I"ve taken advantage of it. I"m an over comer. #StrongWilled

— Lorenzo Mauldin IV (@LozoIV) August 21, 2016

A pass-rush specialist last season, Mauldin added ten pounds of muscle this off-season to better prepare himself to be an every-down linebacker in the Jets’ attacking defensive scheme.

Two pre-season games is hardly enough to pass judgement on a player, especially with the lack of tackling allowed in practice under the current CBA, but Mauldin clearly feels as if he’s under the microscope already.

Mauldin’s personal story is easily one of the single-greatest examples in perseverance under less than ideal circumstances in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean every hiccup won’t be over-analyzed by Jets scribes along the way.

JetNation.com
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#Mauldin, #Motivated, #Naysayers - #Football

Ray Allen motivated by extending 3-point record over Steph Curry?

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Ray Allen is looking to make an NBA comeback after two seasons off, and the 41-year-old has made it clear he would only return for a chance to win a third championship. But is Allen also motivated by his most impressive personal feat?

With 2,973 three-pointers converted in his career, Allen is the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point shooting. Stephen Curry, who, having made 1,593 three-pointers in his career, is more than halfway to breaking Allen’s record after just seven NBA seasons. Allen has played 18.

According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, Allen wants to hold onto his record. In an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich Show” Tuesday, Washburn speculated that distancing himself from Curry is one of the driving forces behind Allen’s desire to play another season.

“Ray wants to play again. I’m sure about that,” Washburn said, as transcribed by Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk. “I don’t think he particularly enjoys watching Stephen Curry rain threes and challenge his record and be called the best shooter in the world. I think that bothers him. I know Ray wants to extend his all-time three-point record.”

If Curry can remain healthy and his skills don’t decline dramatically, he should surpass Allen in about six more seasons. If Allen returns for another NBA season (presumably in a limited role), he might be able to add another season to that.

While Curry is likely to break Allen’s record at some point, we can’t assume he’ll be the same Steph Curry at age 34. Any three-pointers Allen hits at this point are basically a bonus, though it seems like that is not his top priority based on the teams he is hoping to join.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#3Point, #Allen, #Curry, #Extending, #Motivated, #Over, #Record, #Steph - #Basketball