Los Angeles Times - 23.08.2019

New England Patriots

safety Patrick Chunghas

been indicted in New Hamp-

shire on a charge of cocaine

possession, according to

court paperwork released

Thursday.

A Belknap County grand

jury indicted Chung, 32, on

Aug. 8.

Police in Meredith, N.H.,

went to Chung’s residence

June 25 “on a call for service”

and obtained evidence lead-

ing to the felony drug charge,

Belknap County Attorney

Andrew Livernoissaid in a

statement.

Livernois declined to pro-

vide additional details on

the case.

Chung’s arraignment is

scheduled for Wednesday.

“We are aware of the re-

ports regarding Patrick

Chung,” the Patriots

tweeted. “We will not be com-

menting while his judicial

proceedings take place.”

BASEBALL

Angels won’t

budge on name

As the Angels prepare to

negotiate a potential new

lease with the city of Ana-

heim, the team would like to

make one thing perfectly

clear: The team name will re-

main the Los Angeles An-

gels.

In 2005, two years after he

bought the team then

known as the Anaheim An-

gels, owner Arte Moreno

changed the name.

The city of Anaheim sued

and lost, and the Angels say

any proposal to reinstate the

Anaheim name would be a

nonstarter.

The issue arose during a

community forum Wednes-

day night, when Anaheim

City Councilman Jose

Moreno, who is not related

to the Angels owner, said he

wanted any new deal to

mandate the team call itself

by the Anaheim name.

—Bill Shaikin

Amid criticism from Ma-

jor League Baseball, the

Houston Astros defended

their decision to deny a

newspaper reporter access

to the clubhouse until after

pitcher Justin Verlander

finished his postgame ses-

sion with the media.

MLB said Wednesday

night’s incident violated its

media guidelines and the

Detroit Free Press said bar-

ring its reporter, Anthony

Fenech, was “intolerable.”

Verlander, who played for

Detroit for 13 seasons, had

just lost 2-1 to the Tigers at

Houston. The Astros

opened their clubhouse at

9:35 p.m. As the rest of the re-

porters were allowed to en-

ter, Fenech was stopped by

three Astros security offi-

cials.

Fenech contacted MLB

and was allowed in at 9:41

p.m., after Verlander had

concluded his media ses-

sion. Fenech approached

Verlander, who said: “I’m not

answering your questions.”

Verlander addressed the

situation on Twitter on

Thursday, accusing Fenech

of unspecified “unethical be-

havior in the past.”

Tampa Bay Rays All-

Star second baseman Bran-

don Lowesuffered a quad-

riceps injury during a reha-

bilitation assignment and

likely will sit out the rest of

the season. ... MLB said its

players won’t be allowed to

participate in the Venezue-

lan winter league because

of recent economic sanc-

tions by the United States

against the South American

country.

ETC.

Trial in Wright’s

murder delayed

The trial of a man

charged with first-degree

murder in the killing of for-

mer Clippers player Loren-

zen Wrighthas been delayed

because of unspecified new

information.

Billy Ray Turner’strial

had been scheduled to start

Sept. 16 in Memphis, Tenn.

The nature of the infor-

mation wasn’t discussed in a

livestream of a hearing.

—Nathan Fenno

Xander Schauffeleshot

asix-under-par 64 for the

best opening round at East

Lake Golf Course in Atlanta,

but it was worth only a share

of the lead in a Tour Champi-

onship where 30 players

were given a head start

based on their position in

the FedEx Cup.

Justin Thomas, who

started at 10 under and a

two-shot lead as the No. 1

seed in the FedEx Cup, fin-

ished with a 70. He is tied for

the lead along with Brooks

Koepka, who shot a 67.

Annie Parkshot a seven-

under 65 to take a one-stroke

over Brooke Hendersonand

Anne-Catherine Tanguay

in the first round of the CP

Women’s Open at Aurora,

Canada.

Former U.S. Open tennis

winners Serena Williams

and Maria Sharapovawill

meet in the first round of this

year’s tournament, which

starts Monday in New York.

Williams, who is seeking a

record-tying 24th Grand

Slam event singles title, is

19-2 against Sharapova in

WTA matchups.

The men’s draw has No. 3

seed Roger Federerin the

top half, meaning he could

play top-ranked Novak

Djokovicin the semifinals.

Federer and No. 2 seed

Rafael Nadal have never

played each other in New

York but could this year if

they reach the final.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.plans

to drive in the Xfinity event

at Darlington (S.C.) Race-

way on Aug. 31despite a re-

cent plane crash.

Earnhardt, his family

and two pilots escaped a

burning plane that veered

off a runway last week in

Tennessee.

President Trump pre-

sented 91-year-old Bob

Cousywith the Presidential

Medal of Freedom.

The Hall of Famer played

for the Boston Celtics from

1950 to 1963, winning six

league championships. He

was the NBA’s most valu-

able player in 1957 and a 13-

time All-Star.

Luke Laufenberg, son of

former Dallas Cowboys

quarterback Babe Laufen-

berg and a tight end at

Texas El Paso, died after a

nearly two-year battle with

cancer. He was 21.

PATRIOTS SAFETY Patrick Chung is scheduled to

be arraigned next week in New Hampshire.

Gregory PayanAssociated Press

THE DAY IN SPORTS

Chung is indicted

on cocaine charge

staff and wire reports

L ATIMES.COM/SPORTS FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019D3

Thursday’s

results

NFL EXHIBITIONS

8 New York Giants 25,

Cincinnati 23

8 Baltimore 26,

Philadelphia 15

(halted in fourth quarter

because of lightning)

8 New England 10,

Carolina 3

8 Washington 19,

Atlanta 7

8 Miami 22, Jacksonville 7

8 Oakland 22,

Green Bay 21

He had an accomplished
career at Notre Dameas a
defender and now plays line-
backer in the NFL.
And this is a guy who at
one time used defense as a
chance to rest.
Playing high school foot-
ball in Indiana, Drue Tran-
quillstarred as a wildcat
quarterback, running back
and receiver, scoring 33
touchdowns as a senior. In
one game, he had 245 yards
rushing.
After all that running
around on offense, Tranquill
attempted to sneak in a few
deep breaths from his line-
backer position when the
Fort Wayne Carroll Char-
gers switched to defense.
“Defense was where I
tried to take a play off or
two,” he said. “I was pretty
good on offense. Partly, I was
just bigger than a lot of my
competition. I loved offense.
There’s nothing like scoring
a touchdown. It’s unreal.”
Now with the Chargers,
Tranquill said one of his
“bucket list” goals is to revis-
it the end zone. During his
time at Notre Dame, he in-
tercepted three passes and
recovered five fumbles but
was never close to scoring.
“I had some turnovers
there,” Tranquill said. “I ob-
viously have to work on my
YAC.”
That would be “yards af-
ter catch,” something Tran-
quill, in his actual job, is
more interested in prevent-
ing.
A fourth-round pick in
April, the rookie wrapped up
an impressive training camp
Thursday in Costa Mesa.
Tranquill intercepted a pass
in the Chargers’ first pre-
season game and has shown
promise on special teams.
“He has been a beast,”
said defensive lineman
Isaac Rochell, who also
played with Tranquill in col-
lege. “I have nothing but
great things to say about
him. He’s made plays. Just
watch the film and you’ll
know what type of player he
is.”
Since the day he was

drafted, the Chargers have

praised Tranquill’s instincts

and football savvy. A safety

early in college, his abilities

in pass coverage have stood

out.

The Chargers selected

small-school, longer-term

projects just before (offen-

sive tackle Trey Pipkins)

and just after (quarterback

Easton Stick) Tranquill. In

between, they added the

player they expect to con-

tribute immediately.

“He lines up, takes care of

the defense, runs the de-

fense and then you don’t see

many mental errors from

him,” defensive coordinator

Gus Bradleysaid. “I think

he’s got a really good football

IQ.”

Tranquill said he believes

his instincts come from a

general understanding of

football and a passion to ex-

cel at it.

Moving from safety to

linebacker in college also

forced him to expand his

knowledge of what the

Fighting Irish were trying to

do defensively on each snap.

Physically gifted at 6 feet 2

and 228 pounds, Tranquill

also has an intellectual side

to him. He earned a degree in

mechanical engineering

more than a year ago.

“He showed back in

OTAs and minicamp that he

was really mature for a rook-

ie,” coach Anthony Lynn

said. “I like the way he’s

learned our system and the

way that he can go into the

game and, as a young man,

help guys around him.”

Because of a torn knee

ligament, Tranquill spent

five years at Notre Dame,

where he was a two-time

captain. Last week, he

turned 24 — fellow Chargers

rookie Thomas Costigan is

21 — and he’s the oldest of

five children in his family.

Tranquill also has been

married for more than a

year. In May, he and his wife,

Jackie, had their first child.

All of this, he said, has

matured him and fed into his

natural inclination to want

to lead.

Then, there’s this:

“Leadership’s always

been something that’s cool

to me. I just think life’s all

about people. I’ve got a mes-

sage to share. You’ve got a

message to share. If we can

communicate effectively

and help one another ...

that’s always been an inter-

est to me.”

The Chargers have plenty

of veterans — Philip Rivers,

Thomas Davisand Bran-

don Mebane, just to start —

to guide them this season. In

Tranquill, they have a young

leader, one with a bit of an

old-school style to his game.

“I like to think of him as

being your backyard football

player,” Rochell said. “He’s

your guy who’s just always

talking ball. He loves the

game. That shows up when

we’re playing. He’s got great

instincts because he loves it

so much.”

James has surgery

Safety Derwin James

underwent surgery for a

stress fracture in his right

foot.

The All-Pro will start the

season on the injured re-

serve list and is expected to

be sidelined from three to

four months.

Hayward to play

Cornerback Casey Hay-

ward will make his first, and

only, appearance of the pre-

season Saturday when the

Chargers play host to Seat-

tle. The impetus to play

came from Hayward, Lynn

saying that the veteran ap-

proached him with the re-

quest.

“Casey’s going to play a

couple snaps,” Lynn said.

“That’s what he felt like he

needed. So that’s what I

want to give him.”

The rest of the veterans

who haven’t appeared this

preseason, including Rivers,

won’t play.

Etc.

Receiver Dontrelle In-

mansigned and practiced

with the Chargers. He’s ex-

pected to be on the opening-

day 53-man roster. ... Rookie

safety Nasir Adderley

(hamstring) practiced for

the first time in weeks. Lynn

said he definitely wants to

get the second-round pick

into the Chargers’ final pre-

season game, next week at

San Francisco.

CHARGERS REPORT

Rookie linebacker Tranquill

is making his presence felt

By Jeff Miller

DRUE TRANQUILLhas “a really good football IQ,”

Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley says.

Rick ScuteriAssociated Press

tion in the final two minutes
of the NFC championship
game against the New Orle-
ans Saints enabled the Rams
to keep alive a drive that pro-
duced a tying field goal, and
an eventual overtime victory
that sent them to the Super
Bowl.
“You could see no mo-
ment is too big for him,”
coach Sean McVay said
Thursday.
With Kupp appearing to
have made a full recovery
from knee surgery, Reynolds
acknowledges that his op-
portunities might not be as
abundant this season.
Cooks, 25, is coming off
his fourth consecutive 1,000-
yard receiving performance
in five NFL seasons. Last
season, his first with the
Rams, he caught 80 passes
for 1,204 yards and five
touchdowns.
Woods, 27, is eager to
build on the best season of
his six-year career. He
caught a team-best 86
passes for 1,219 yards and
scoredseven touchdowns.
Kupp, 26, caught 40
passes for 566 yards and six
touchdowns before he suf-
fered a torn anterior cruciate
ligament in his left knee
against the Seattle Sea-
hawks in the 10th game.
Kupp was held out of many
full-team drills during off-
season workouts, but looked
strong and confident during
joint practices with the
Chargers and Oakland
Raiders.
McVay said the Rams
look at Reynolds as “a start-
ing player” despite the fact
that he will come off the
bench. Reynolds’ impor-
tance was evident in McVay’s
decision to keep him side-
lined — as well as all starters
on offense — during pre-
season games.
“You definitely feel the
love, and the expectation
and belief in me from our
coaches and our players,”
Reynolds said. “But ulti-
mately, it keeps you wanting
to stay there, so you work
just as hard.”
Cooks, Woods and Kupp
established a standard that
Reynolds has adopted and

lived up to, quarterback Jar-

ed Goff said. And Reynolds

took “a huge step” in his de-

velopment during offseason

workouts.

“I have just as much faith

and trust in him as I do the

other three,” Goff said, “so

he’s a fourth starter.”

At 6 feet 3, Reynolds is the

Rams’ tallest wide receiver.

He has a “suddenness” that,

combined with his length,

makes him tough to defend,

safety John Johnson said.

“He’s got a long, decep-

tive speed to him that people

don’t really see,” Johnson

said.

“He doesn’t look like he’s

running very fast, but he’ll

pull away from you.”

The next step in his devel-

opment, Reynolds said, will

be achieved by extending

plays for more yards after

catches.

Experience gained last

season, familiarity in the

Rams’ system and increased

knowledge of defenses will

aid him as more “priority”

plays are called for him.

“I think I proved that I’m

able to compete in this

league and make plays and

help my team win,” Reynolds

said. “That kind of opens

things up for me.”

Etc.

The Rams held a 60-play

scrimmage during the por-

tion of practice that was

closed to reporters, McVay

said. The scrimmage was for

starters, who are not partici-

pating in preseason games.

Running back Todd Gurley

did not participate, McVay

said. “It was part of the for-

mat that we had set out and

that was kind of the plan go-

ing into” the Thursday work-

out,he said. ... The Rams

play the Denver Broncos on

Saturday at the Coliseum.

They conclude the pre-

season Thursday night at

the Houston Texans.

Rams see Reynolds as fourth starter

[R ams, from D1]

REYNOLDS, shown catching a pass in the Super Bowl against the Patriots, be-

came a key member of the Rams receiving corps when Cooper Kupp got hurt.

Wally SkalijLos Angeles Times

Making the most of an opportunity

On a Rams roster loaded with talented receivers, Josh Reynolds

got a chance to show what he could do after second-year player

Cooper Kupp suffered a knee injury on Nov. 11:

REYNOLDS’ SEASON G GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD

Before Kupp’s injury 10 2 7 98 14.0 2

After Kupp’s injury 6 6 22 304 13.8 3