From Chargers camp, NFL insider Jarrett Bell details their joint practice with the Saints and discusses who got the better deal: Rivers or Brees. USA TODAY
The third weekend of the NFL’s preseason, widely considered the dress rehearsal stage for many teams — though quite a few continued to rest star players — is complete. Here’s what we learned:
1. It might be time to worry in Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle and Tennessee. Those clubs are winless, and no NFL team has ever finished 0-4 in preseason and gone on to win the Super Bowl since the league implemented the 16-game regular-season schedule in 1978.
2. Interesting (worthless?) stat of the day: San Francisco QB Jimmy Garoppolo is 7-0 as a starter in the regular season but just 4-4 in preseason.
3. Um, the Cowboys have depth issues.
4. There continues to be plenty of buzz around new Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. But Kansas City’s first-string offense played into the third quarter Saturday and only scored 10 points against the Bears, who rested most of their starters.
5. Steelers RB James Conner caught six passes Saturday after snaring zero in his rookie season. Further evidence Pittsburgh might be able to survive without no-show Le’Veon Bell?
6. Raiders RB Chris Warren, son of former Seahawks star RB Chris Warren, leads the NFL with 250 preseason rushing yards. The younger Warren wasn’t drafted but is making a case for a roster spot behind Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin.
7. Philadelphia’s first-team offense has zero points in 10 drives this preseason, though it’s been missing starters like LT Jason Peters, WR Alshon Jeffery … and QB Carson Wentz.
8. Eagles QB Nick Foles threw two INTs in one half Thursday. He threw three in six starts (including the playoffs) during last season’s Super Bowl run.
9. Second-year Browns DE Myles Garrett seems ready to emerge as a legit defensive player of the year candidate. His sack of Foles for a safety gave Cleveland’s defense two points. (The Browns offense managed just three.)
10. Bills rookie QB Josh Allen got his first preseason start Sunday. Buffalo didn’t score in his half of action, largely because Allen was running for his life behind suspect blocking. It seems like a disservice to start the highest-drafted passer (7th overall) in franchise history in Week 1 given Allen’s lack of big-game experience and a weak supporting cast that would likely force him to try and overcompensate.
11. Adam Humphries’ 109-yard “kick six” — the Bucs receiver brought a missed 62-yard field goal by Lions K Matt Prater all the way back — has been the play of the preseason so far. (But why wouldn’t Tampa Bay keep that play in their regular-season bag of tricks?)
12. The preseason’s best moment occurred Sunday, when Bills fans gave Bengals QB Andy Dalton a standing ovation eight months after he engineered an upset in Baltimore that vaulted Buffalo into the playoffs for the first time this century.
15. QB Josh McCown, who started 13 games for the Jets in 2017, threw one pass this preseason. He was going to have to get used to watching Sam Darnold sooner or later. (Rams QB Jared Goff hasn’t taken a snap this month … so, that tells you even more about preseason.)
16. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers didn’t play this week but threw pregame passes to former teammate Jordy Nelson in Oakland. Meanwhile, Raiders QB Derek Carr threw to Green Bay WR Davante Adams, a teammate of Carr’s at Fresno State.
17. Coach Mike McCarthy held out Rodgers and several other key starters because he didn’t want them playing on Oakland’s infield baseball dirt, according to former Packers WR (turned NFL Network analyst) James Jones.
18. Elsewhere, the Saints scored 36 points on the Chargers’ soccer field.
19. Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. still hasn’t played in a game since breaking his ankle last season.
20. Slide, Cam … it’s preseason. The Panthers QB wound up with a shiner after failing to “bring this plane in as smoothly as possible” while diving for a first down Friday.
21. Vikings RB Dalvin Cook rushed for 1 yard on two carries in his first game since suffering a torn ACL last October. Good to see the rust coming off.
22. Texans DE J.J. Watt recorded one tackle in his own return to the field after missing 24 games over the past two seasons. “I liked that I came off under my own power,” Watt said afterward when I asked about his performance.
23. On the other side of the ball, Houston’s Deshaun Watson was decleated by Rams DL Ndamukong Suh. Watson was OK, but the Texans’ O-line could be an issue in front of a young quarterback coming off an ACL tear.
25. Colts QB Andrew Luck had his best game of the preseason (8-for-10, 90 yards, TD), but questions remain about the quality of his supporting cast.
26. Assuming WR Marqise Lee’s knee injury was as bad as it looked, the Jaguars don’t have a player on their roster who caught more than 42 passes last season. Dez?
27. In more positive news, Jacksonville’s first-team defense has not allowed a preseason touchdown.
28. However Jags CB Jalen Ramsey did get a workout Saturday from Falcons QB (and 2016 league MVP) Matt Ryan, the same man Ramsey deemed overrated in a recent GQ article.
29. Bears WR Kevin White, who’s missed 43 of 48 possible regular-season games because of injuries after being drafted seventh overall in 2015, scored his first NFL TD on Saturday.
30. Bengals WR John Ross, the ninth overall pick in 2017, caught his first pro TD on Sunday after failing to register a reception in his rookie season.
31. Despite connecting on seven of 10 passes Saturday, Ravens rookie QB Lamar Jackson has a 47.2% completion rate. “We’ve seen it in practice where he’s done some really good things,” said Baltimore coach John Harbaugh. “We hadn’t really seen it in the game yet. He handled himself well.”
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A court in Myanmar has postponed the verdict against two Reuters journalists accused of illegally possessing official documents in a case that has drawn attention to the faltering state of press freedom in the troubled Southeast Asian nation.
The verdict in the case of Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone was expected to be handed down on Monday but was rescheduled for September 3.
The judge who announced the postponement said presiding Judge Ye Win could not attend because he had been ill since Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Rohingya demand justice a year after fleeing Myanmar
The two reporters have pleaded not guilty to violating Myanmar’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a penalty of up to 14 years in prison.
They were arrested in December and have been detained since then after being denied bail.
The reporters contend they were framed by police while reporting on Myanmar’s brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine that has drawn international condemnation.
“We will not be afraid for whatever decision or situations we are in,” Wa Lone said after the postponement was announced.
“It is because the truth is already on our side. We will not be frightened or scared because we didn’t do anything wrong.”
Reuters expressed disappointment that the verdict was not delivered as scheduled.
“Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have already spent more than eight months in prison based on allegations of a crime they did not commit,” the international news agency said in a statement.
“We look forward to receiving the verdict next week, when we very much hope that they will be acquitted and reunited with their families.”
Abuses against Rohingya
About 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh after the crackdown began last August, and Myanmar’s army has been accused by human rights groups and UN experts of committing massive human rights violations amounting to ethnic cleansing, and possibly genocide.
The two reporters had been investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya by soldiers, police and Buddhist civilians.
In a rare instance of security forces being punished for extrajudicial killings, Myanmar’s government later announced that seven soldiers had been sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labor for the killings.
The government has denied any widespread abuses but continues to restrict access in Rakhine.
It insists the crackdown was a justified response to coordinated attacks by Rohingya militants that killed a dozen security personnel.
Impact marks show where Alonso’s car made contact with Leclerc’s car
Fernando Alonso said F1’s ‘halo’ head protection may have saved Charles Leclerc in their huge crash in Belgium.
Alonso’s McLaren landed on top of Leclerc’s Sauber after being launched into the air by Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, who missed his braking point at the first corner at Spa.
Television replays show Alonso’s car being deflected by the halo, which had impact marks on it afterwards.
“I saw the replay and how good was the proof for the halo,” Alonso said.
“We didn’t need any proof but it is a good thing.”
The halo was a controversial introduction to F1 this season, with a significant minority of the drivers feeling it was not needed and many fans objecting to its appearance. There was also a feeling in some quarters that it was diluting F1’s ethos as an open-cockpit formula.
Where would he have landed without the halo? Alonso’s car descends towards Leclerc’s cockpit
Alonso, who was among the majority of drivers in favour of the halo’s introduction, added: “The positive side is we are all three OK, especially Charles. I flew over his car and the halo was a good thing to have today.”
Leclerc added: “If today it has been useful or not, I don’t know. I don’t know what would have happened without it but in some cases it is definitely helpful.”
Later, he posted an image of the accident on Twitter and wrote: “Never been a fan of the halo but I have to say that I was very happy to have it over my head today.”
Hulkenberg was handed a 10-place grid penalty at the next race in Italy this coming weekend, as well as three licence penalty points, bringing his total to four of the 12 permitted before a race ban.
FIA president Todt quickly reacted after the crashAs did the 2016 F1 championFormer Marussia driver Max Chilton agreedAs did former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who was seriously injured when hit by flying debris in 2009
Hulkenberg said he was “disappointed and frustrated” with himself for the incident.
He added: “I don’t want that for myself, for Fernando, for everyone. It is a shame and very bitter to take that and difficult to swallow and be out in lap one after the summer break.
“It caught me by surprise. I just misjudged my braking point a little bit and there was no real time to recover it.”
Alonso likened the incident to the one at the same race in 2012, when then Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was given a race ban for causing a similar incident, in which the Spaniard was also innocently involved.
Hulkenberg was to blame for the mistake
Speaking before Hulkenberg’s penalty was announced, Alonso said: “That time Romain had a race ban. This time, we’ll see. It is tough to understand how you can miss [your braking point] so much.
“It is not a couple of metres, you arrive at a speed that it is impossible to negotiate the corner. So, sad for that but happy that we are all fine.”
The stewards took into account the Grosjean incident but pointed out in their verdict that at the time the penalty point system had not been introduced.
FIA F1 director Charlie Whiting said: “I think it would be a little bit speculative [to say a serious injury had been avoided], but you can see it doesn’t take much imagination to think that the tyre marks could have actually been on Charles’ head.
“What is clear is the significant tyre marks on both the tyre and the halo. We take a lot of photographs, and our researchers will be contacting Sauber on Monday morning to make sure we understand, for example, when they take the halo off, to see if the fixings and the bolts that fix it are in good shape, and more importantly to see if it’s been distorted. It’s being held in by the bolts at present, but see if it springs into a different shape.
“Let’s hope we can try and learn whatever we can from that. Looks like it’s had a fairly hefty whack though.”
BALTIMORE — With a playoff berth in their grasp, the New York Yankees have tons of meaningful baseball ahead of them as August gives way to September, and beyond.
Nary a soul would have figured until recently, however, that six late-season games against the Boston Red Sox would be included in the relevance column, given the widely held assumption that the Yankees’ nemeses would run off with the American League East title.
In just eight days, however, things have changed considerably. And the Yankees can suddenly dare to dream that their ticket to October glory might not necessarily run through the wild-card game.
Thanks to a 15-5 stretch in August, paired with the Red Sox encountering not one, but two three-game losing streaks after avoiding such a skein for 127 games, the Yankees have regained some control of their destiny.
After finishing a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with a 5-3 victory Sunday night at Camden yards, they are just six games behind the Red Sox, the closest they’ve been to Boston since Aug. 1.
That was just before their nadir, a four-game sweep by Boston at Fenway Park that included demoralizing errors and soul-crushing walk-offs and an apparent coronation of the Red Sox.
Now? Well, the Yankees know the odds are still against them, down six with 32 to play.
They’re also starting to feel themselves a little bit.
“This team has the second-best record in baseball. We’re on pace for 100-something wins,” reliever Zach Britton said after retiring all five batters he faced. “This team is very capable of competing with Boston. If they hit a rough patch and we continue to play well, we can catch them.”
Indeed, the Yankees are on a 103-win pace, good enough to win almost any division in any season save for this AL East.
MORE BASEBALL:
On Aug. 18, they were 10 1/2 games out.
But the Red Sox finally suffered their first three-game losing streak spanning last Sunday-Tuesday. After winning a pair from the Cleveland Indians at Fenway, they were swept at Tampa Bay, while the Yankees were winning four, including a makeup game, against the 37-94 Orioles.
Suddenly, an object in their windshield looks a wee bit bigger, though manager Aaron Boone insists on keeping his hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel.
“We have no say on what they do 2,000 miles away,” Boone said before Sunday’s game. “It’s nice when they lose; I like that. But I’m so consumed with trying to make sure our ship’s going in the right direction, that we’re playing well.”
That, they are.
Sunday, starter Luis Severino earned his major league-best 17th win, striking out eight Orioles thanks to a fastball Boone termed “electric” and the “best he’s had. All night, it had that life.”
Severino’s biggest jam came in the third inning, when Baltimore loaded the bases and Severino fell behind Jones with two balls. Not to worry: He dialed it up to 99 mph, 98 and then 99 to end the frame with a soft fly to right field.
Meanwhile, third baseman Miguel Andujar remained among the hottest hitters in AL, driving in a pair of runs with three hits; he’s batting .357 since the All-Star break.
Luke Voit, an afterthought acquisition on July 29, slammed a two-run homer, his third of the series, as he eases toward supplanting Greg Bird as the regular first baseman.
Shortstop Didi Gregorius and catcher Gary Sanchez should be back by next week; slugger Aaron Judge and closer Aroldis Chapman’s return dates are less certain.
The Red Sox and Yankees face similar schedules: Each have three games remaining with the Orioles and dates with the Blue Jays. The Yankees will face out-of-division tests from the A’s and Mariners as the Red Sox contend with the Braves and Astros.
One key: Boston is done with the Rays, while the Yankees’ final trip to Boston will be preceded by four games at Tropicana Field, where they’re just 1-5 this season.
Hey, at least those dates are worth marking on the calendar.
“If we play well, we’re capable of ripping off a lot of wins,” says Boone, “and we’ll see where we end up.”
They already have. If they continue, a forgettable September will become one to remember.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Gabe Lacques on Twitter @GabeLacques.
During shooting, Chicago Pizza cook Braheem Johnson held 2 knives and told Jacksonville gunman: “If you come into this kitchen, you’ll get stabbed” Eric Rogers, Florida Today
Drini Gjoka tweeted his excitement for the Madden 19 video game tournament in downtown Jacksonville: “can’t wait to compete.”
About 15 hours later, @youngdrini tweeted something horrific: “The tourney just got shot up. I’m leavinng (sic) and never coming back.”
Three people were killed and several others wounded Sunday after a shooting rampage at the video game tourney at Chicago Pizza.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said the lone shooter, a white male named David Katz, was among the dead.
The sheriff’s office said there were “multiple fatalities,” and many other victims were taken to hospitals. According to media reports, several more were wounded at the GLHF Game Bar.
A live Twitch feed from the tournament was underway when the shooting took place, and the audio feed was interrupted by the sound of several gunshots.
Among the injured are several competitors and a Complexity pro Madden player.
Here are the victims of the Jacksonville mass shooting at Madden tournament.
FLORIDA TODAY will update this story as we get more information.
Multiple fatalities occurred in a shooting at a Madden 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. USA TODAY
Those killed at the shooting
Taylor Robertson, 27, of Ballard, West Virginia. The gaming community, as well as close friends, posted about Robertson on social media.
Eli Clayton, 22, of Woodland Hills, California.
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Taylor Poindexter, of Chicago, was at the gaming tournament at Jacksonville Landing with her boyfriend, Marquis Williams, during the shooting. She describes being injured in the rush to escape and crawling to safety. Eric Rogers, Florida Today
Injured at the shooting
• Taylor Poindexter of Chicago was at the gaming tournament at Jacksonville Landing with her boyfriend, Marquis Williams, during the shooting. She describes being injured in the rush to escape and crawling to safety.
They were seated in a nearby restaurant when the shooter began firing. The first shots caught them off guard, they said.
“We were talking, getting ready to order a pizza,” Williams said. “The first shot, everybody just turned around and looked. The second, third, fourth shots, everyone just took off and ran for the exits.”
As they joined the fray, Poindexter said they caught sight of the shooter.
“We saw him, had two hands on the gun, walking back, just popping rounds,” she said.
In the rush to escape, Williams clipped his leg against a chair or a pole and Poindexter was bowled by the crowd, injuring her ankle.
“We crawled out,” Poindexter said. “My boyfriend made it out before me. By the time I see him, I’m calling out to him. It was hard for me to walk.”
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Marquis William’s of Chicago was attending the gaming tournament with his girlfriend, Taylor Poindexter. He describes what happened as he and Poindexter were seated in a nearby restaurant when the shooter opened fire. Eric Rogers, Florida Today
Hobbling, they fought the crowed and barricaded themselves in the bathroom of a Cinco De Mayo restaurant, away from the shots, where they awaited police.
• A St. Lucie County School District teacher was injured, according to school district spokeswoman Kerry Padrick.
“St. Lucie Public Schools is aware that an employee attending the qualifying event for the Madden 19 Tournament in Jacksonville sustained a non-life-threatening injury at the event,” Padrick said in an emailed statement Sunday night. “We extend our thoughts and prayers to all of those impacted by this tragedy.”
A faculty announcement identified the man as Dalton Kent, a social studies teacher at Treasure Coast High School, according to a news report by WPBF.
Kent was shot in the shin during the gaming event, WPBF said, citing a faculty announcement.
“Other than that, we are thankful he is ok,” the faculty announcement said about Dalton, according to WPBF’s news report.
• Player Rod Breslau who goes by @slasher on Twitter, said one of the injured gamers was Larry Legend, an NBA 2K pro gamer or @oLarry2K.
Gov. Rick Scott visited with Larry Legend in the hospital.
According to @ImSteveyJ, the Jacksonville shooter was a competitor in the Madden tournament that lost, opened fire on multiple people after, and then killed himself. One person hit includes NBA 2K pro player @oLARRY2K. https://t.co/0eHARZV049
• Without naming the pro esports player who was injured in the Madden tournament, Jason Lake, founder and CEO of Complexity gaming company, tweeted: “To the press reaching out for comment: Please do not contact our player directly. He is understandably shaken and is not in a place to be speaking with you right now.”
To the press reaching out for comment:
Please do NOT contact our player directly. He is understandably shaken and is not in a place to be speaking with you right now.
Message me directly and I will share all the information we have at this time, thank you.
This article contains spoilers for the finale of HBO’s Sharp Objects.
By the time audiences got to the finale of Sharp Objects it was pretty clear that the central mystery of the show wasn’t exactly the point. Yes, the murders of Natalie Keene and Ann Nash were the reason Camille returned home to Wind Gap and incremental advancements in the case pushed the plot along, but the story was always more about Camille Preaker, her trauma, and the tragedies that have left physical and emotional scars on her entire person.
However, in a shocking twist that only unfurls in the last few moments of the series, Camille learns that the murders and her family’s painful legacy are in fact the same issue — both her mother and her sister are killers, with Adora killing Camille’s sister Marion and Amma being responsible for the murders of Natalie and Ann.
Adora’s murder was of course brought forth by her Munchausen by proxy disorder, which caused her to slowly poison her daughters in order to feel needed and otherwise reap the social and emotional rewards of being a constant caregiver.
In the finale, Camille finally experiences her mother’s deadly brand of caring when she allows herself to drink the “medicine” Adora gave to Amma and Marion, but is saved when her editor Frank Curry forces the Wind Gap police to search the Preaker mansion and rescue her.
From there, the case seems open and shut. After the police deduce that Adora poisoned her daughters, the police find bloodstained pliers like those used to remove Natalie and Ann’s teeth, in the house and arrest her for homicide. Adora goes to prison, Amma moves in with Camille in St. Louis…and everything seems as good at things get for Camille, who can finally begin to heal from her mother’s horrible nature.
Except technically, terrifyingly, not.
In a whiplash-inducing ending, Camille becomes suspicious when one of Amma’s new friends in St. Louis goes missing and takes a closer look at Amma’s dollhouse. There, in the replica of Adora’s famously ivory-floored bedroom, she sees dozens of human teeth laid into the dollhouse floor, proving that Amma was the real Wind Gap murderer.
The finale ends before explaining exactly why and how Amma killed her former friends, but her final line, “don’t tell Mama,” insinuates that Adora’s years of abuse may have damaged her grip on reality and perhaps even her ability to feel empathy.
It’s a shame that Sharp Objects ends before the audience has a chance to see what happens to Camille if not Amma in the aftermath of this revelation, especially since the book does go into what happens to both of them once Amma is outed as the murderer.
Still, as far as TV ending shots go, Sharp Objects‘s twist is a horrifying and appropriate cap on a miniseries that set out to prove the dangers that lie inside seemingly happy homes.
As news continues to come out of Jacksonville following Sunday’s deadly shooting at a Madden video game tournament, gamers are taking to the internet to share their thoughts about the senseless violence that left three dead, including the shooter, and 11 wounded.
“Crying and in so much pain. … ” wrote Eric “Problem” Wright, a popular Madden player and Twitch streamer, on Twitter referencing two of the players who were killed. “All over a videogame. Two of our brothers are gone man and its so disturbing. One of the most tragic days ive experienced. This community is like family. Broken.”
“We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Jacksonville today,” wrote the official Twitch Twitter account.
We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Jacksonville today. Twitch and all its staff send our deepest sympathies to the victims, their loved ones, and everyone in our community who’s grieving today.
“This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved,” tweeted EA Sports, makers of Madden 19.
We are aware of an incident at a sanctioned Madden Championship Series competition in Jacksonville. We are working with authorities to gather facts at this stage. This is a horrible situation, and our deepest sympathies go out to all involved.
Bungie, makers of the popular “Destiny” and “Halo” video game franchises, announced Sunday night that its social media accounts will be silent Monday out of respect for the victims. The company was previously planning to debut a new trailer for its hotly-anticipated forthcoming game, Destiny 2, on Monday.
Out of respect for the victims in Jacksonville, Florida, we will be observing a day of silence on all Bungie and Destiny channels.
“I don’t understand this world sometimes,” wrote Ronnie Singh, better known online as Ronnie2K, the popular digital marketing director for the NBA 2K franchise. “It’s video games. There is no bigger joy in the world and it has to be ruined. Prayers up to those in Jacksonville.”
I don’t understand this world sometimes. It’s video games. There is no bigger joy in the world and it has to be ruined. Prayers up to those in Jacksonville
Others took to the Internet to comment on how video games shouldn’t be blamed for the latest shooting, noting how the gamers embrace one another and the gaming community at these events.
“Gamers come to these events to celebrate their hobby. We come to celebrate each other,” wrote popular gamer and streamer Steven Williams, also known online as Boogie2988. “End. Of. Story.”
In the coming days many people will blame the events of Jacksonville on video games.
But thousands of massive gaming events happen each year. No shootings.
Gamers come to these events to celebrate their hobby.
In addition to sending prayers, the passionate community headed online to connect with one another and provide comfort.
“Our hearts are with the victims and all those impacted by today’s events in Jacksonville,” wrote the Team Envy, a popular esports team. “On a day mired by tragedy, we are reminded that the gaming community and the positive support it can give are more important than ever.”
Our hearts are with the victims and all those impacted by today’s events in Jacksonville. On a day mired by tragedy, we are reminded that the gaming community and the positive support it can give are more important than ever.
Matthew Patrick a streamer with more than 5.1 million followers on Twitter at his MatPatGT handle, took to the internet to remind people that the games are just, that, games.
“Remember, at the end of the day, games are entertainment. Your skill is NOT a reflection of your self worth. And at NO point should games EVER be used to justify violence.”
A shooting in Jacksonville. This time at a video game tournament. The shooter? A player who lost…
Remember, at the end of the day, games are entertainment. Your skill is NOT a reflection of your self worth. And at NO point should games EVER be used to justify violence.
In addition to commenting, other members of the community are taking action to try and help their fellow gamers and the families impacted by Sunday’s shooting. A GoFundMe campaign to help the victims has raised over $2,000 in roughly four hours, hoping to reach $100,000.
“This act of violence was done with the purposeful intent on dividing us all. We must be stronger than the adversity this will cause,” wrote fundraiser creator Samanthia McGlaughn.
“To those of The GLHF Game Bar, Chicago’s Pizza, and all those at The Jacksonville Landing: The owners, staff, gamers, other patrons and innocent bystanders, WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. Your community stands behind you in full support during this difficult time.”
David Katz, who is believed to be the suspect in the Jacksonville, Florida, video game tournament shooting, was 24 years old and from Baltimore.
He had come to Florida to participate in the Madden NFL 19 competition at the Jacksonville Landing entertainment complex, which was live streamed on Twitch, where the shooting can be heard. The competition was held in a gaming bar that shares space with a pizzeria. Viewers can watch the games online and see the players.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said authorities believe Katz carried out the attack using at least one handgun. Williams said the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot, adding authorities were still making final confirmation of his identity with the FBI assisting them in Baltimore. Two other people died and nine were injured.
Katz allegedly got upset about losing the game, according to some media reports.
The game’s maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz as a 2017 championship winner.
Katz was active in eSports, tournaments where video game players compete, and get seen on social media playing. He was believed to be known as “Bread” and won the February 2017 Buffalo Bills tournament of the Madden NFL football game.
Watford manager Javi Gracia says his side have achieved “something massive” after beating Crystal Palace to win their opening three games of the season for the first time in their top-flight history.
The Hornets maintained their perfect start in the Premier League to move behind Liverpool and level with Chelsea at the top of the table on goal difference.
Roberto Pereyra scored his third goal in as many games with an exquisite curling effort, before Jose Holebas added a seemingly unintentional second from outside the area in a resurgent second-half display.
“There is no secret. The most important thing is to work hard, and the players are being rewarded for all of their outstanding work from the pre-season,” said Gracia.
“Pereyra is scoring goals and he is an important player for us, but I would like to recognise the players that are not playing at the moment.”
Watford had been fortunate to be level at the interval, veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster pulling off two reflex saves to deny Christian Benteke and James McArthur early on.
Palace threatened in the opening exchanges despite their talisman Wilfried Zaha being the victim of a fierce tackle from Etienne Capoue, for which the Watford midfielder was fortunate to receive only a booking.
Zaha did pull a goal back for the visitors late on, beating his marker to drill the ball through Foster’s legs, but Watford withstood the fightback to claim all three points.
Holebas shines in the rain
Watford have won their opening three games of a top-flight campaign for the first time, and Holebas’ performance epitomised their impressive early season form.
Foster was crucial in keeping Palace at bay in the first half, but Holebas was equally influential, as well as supporting attacks at the other end.
When McArthur played a neat one-two with Benteke and ran into the hosts’ box, Holebas was on hand to slide in and nick the ball away as the Palace player was poised to shoot.
And the defender’s first Premier League goal since October 2016 ultimately proved the difference, if rather fortuitously, as he admitted to Sky Sports afterwards that it was an attempted cross that deceived Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and looped into the corner.
In Pereyra, Watford have a real talisman. The Argentine has been directly involved in seven of the club’s past 10 goals in the Premier League, scoring six and assisting another and it was a moment of brilliance to open the scoring as he curled the ball past a diving Wayne Hennessey from just inside the area.
Watford’s three wins have come against Brighton, Burnley and Crystal Palace, and clearly they will face tougher challenges, but with the work ethic and determination on show by Holebas and his team-mates today, Javi Gracia’s men have every prospect of a successful season.
Zaha on target despite special attention
Watford had clearly focused their efforts on stopping Zaha, but in the fourth minute Capoue crossed a line when he appeared to stamp on the Ivory Coast international’s Achilles. On another day the Frenchman might not have been on the pitch long enough to assist in Pereyra’s opening goal.
Palace didn’t deserve to lose – Hodgson
Zaha had a fairly quiet game after that incident, although he did burst into life to give the Eagles hope of a point in the final 15 minutes, his strike making him the club’s all-time highest goalscorer in the Premier League with 24.
Palace had two excellent opportunities to take an early lead, but Foster was in inspired form to deny the hosts.
Benteke should have done better in the 12th minute when he rose highest to meet Andros Townsend’s cross in the six-yard box, but the Belgian striker headed at Foster.
Minutes later, McArthur found himself one-on-one with the former England goalkeeper, but the midfielder’s effort was well saved.
The result at Vicarage Road follows defeat against Liverpool on Monday and Roy Hodgson will be concerned about his side’s goal threat, especially when Zaha is the subject of special attention from their opponents.
The 25-year-old has scored two of the club’s three goals so far this season and the former England boss needs an alternative goal threat.
Man of the match – Roberto Pereyra (Watford)
Roberto Pereyra handed Watford the lead to become the joint-top scorer in the league (3) and also had the highest number of shots (4) and shots on target (2)
‘We were unlucky he was not sent off’ – what they said
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson: “There’s no particular anger as such. We didn’t start the second half well and went a goal down. We were unlucky in that their second goal drifted over the keeper’s head helped by the wind. At 2-0 we were facing a mountain.
“If the game had gone on another five or 10 minutes we could have got another goal and a draw would not have been an unfair result. It is very frustrating when you are 2-1 down and you are in the ascendancy but you can’t get hold of the ball.”
On Capoue’s booking: “We’re not happy about the foul. I’ve only just seen it again on television. I’d have to say we were unlucky he was not sent off.”
On Watford targeting Zaha: “We have to get used to that. Players of his match-winning ability do get targeted. He was targeted by that foul but he got over that and his ending to the game was quite good.”
Watford boss Javi Gracia: “I’m very happy because it is always difficult to get a result in the Premier League. We have three wins and it is amazing. The players have been rewarded because they have worked very hard.
“It is only three steps but I’m very proud to be Watford coach.”
On Capoue’s challenge: “To be honest I didn’t see the action. It was a rainy day with many contacts. If you speak to me about Capoue, I didn’t see it.”
Watford end Palace’s run at Vicarage Road – match stats
Watford have won their opening three games of a top-flight league campaign for the first time in their history.
This was Crystal Palace’s first league defeat at Watford since February 2009 (2-0 in a Championship meeting), having been unbeaten in seven trips prior to today (W3 D4).
Watford’s current run of three consecutive wins in the Premier League is their second-longest winning streak in competition history, and just one short of their record of four games (in December 2015 under Quique Sanchez Flores).
Watford have lost only one of their nine home games in the Premier League under Javi Gracia (W6 D2), including wins in each of their most recent three.
Wilfried Zaha is now Crystal Palace’s top scorer in Premier League history (24), overtaking Chris Armstrong who netted 23 goals in the competition for the Eagles.
Roberto Pereyra has been directly involved in seven of Watford’s last 11 goals in the Premier League, scoring six and assisting another.
Nine of Roberto Pereyra’s 10 goals in the Premier League have been scored at Vicarage Road, including each of his last six in the competition.
Jose Holebas has been directly involved in three of Watford’s four Premier League goals at Vicarage Road this season (one goal and two assists).
What’s next?
Watford travel to Reading in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, 28 August (20:00 BST) before hosting Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday (16:00). Crystal Palace are at Swansea in the EFL Cup on Tuesday (19:30) before entertaining Southampton in the league on Saturday (15:00).
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