Josep Maria Bartomeu and others behind the scenes at Barcelona are entering a period of “internal reflection” after their proposed badge redesign was roundly met with anger from the club’s supporters.
The planned crest tweak has been ditched after club members expressed disappointment at an AGM over “FCB” being removed and other slight changes made to the current badge.
This is the proposed update to the Barça crest, subject to member approval ?? pic.twitter.com/csIHvX2ZyS
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 27, 2018
“There were doubts about whether the AGM was the right place to decide the matter,” club president Bartomeu told Catalunya Radio on Monday, as reported by ESPN’s Sam Marsden. “Some people thought it should have gone to a referendum. (In the end) we got rid of the issue, it was democratic.
“It was as simple as removing something because the members did not accept it. Now we will have some internal reflection over the badge.”
It was slated to be the first change to the Barcelona crest since 2002 – and the 10th overall – to help the club “adapt to modern times.” Following the response to this design, Barcelona have vowed to never ditch “FCB” from future drafts.
Kansas City, Mo. — The Bengals’ defense reached a new low on Sunday night.
The unit put on its worst performance of the season with a national audience watching, allowing 551 yards in an 45-10 loss to the Chiefs. But the final score didn’t quite show just how bad it was. Then again, losing by 35 says a lot.
“Everybody in the whole world saw you get your butt kicked, and that’s the way it is. You’ve got to take it and move on to the next game,” said Bengals linebacker Preston Brown.
Players missed tackles all night, allowed Chiefs players to get wide open for scores, and essentially looked like they were a step behind the other team all night. Even linebacker Vontaze Burfict, arguably one of the Bengals’ best defensive players, looked completely inept when matched up against the speedy of the Chiefs’ offense. Burfict had only two tackles before leaving in the third quarter with a hip injury.
The Chiefs rolled over the Bengals, piling up 551 total yards. William Purnell/Icon Sportswire
“… It falls on everybody. We gotta do a better job of preparing ’em. They’ve gotta go out and they’ve gotta understand and make the corrections, adjustments, execution…you know that was gonna be a big part of it — communication, being alert, and making the adjustments … throughout the football game — not only during the series, but within.,” said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. “And we did a poor job of that. And we’ve gotta understand that. We have opportunities to make plays … by missed tackles and so forth. We got balls that are tipped in the air, and we don’t come down with them; we’ve got the quarterback trapped, we don’t get him on the ground. So we’ve got a lot of things we’ve gotta do better.”
The Bengals have a problem, and it’s not going to go away. While they might be able to pull out wins when their defense is generating turnovers, they don’t match up well against any type of speed or quick-packed offense. On nights like Sunday, when the Bengals’ offense also isn’t clicking, the issue becomes even more obvious.
For whatever reason, the Bengals’ defense has not gotten going under new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, and it’s hard to say what percentage falls on the players vs. the scheme. There’s not exactly a solution waiting in the wings either.
The Bengals’ defensive line has failed to get any pressure the last two games, and both their linebacker and cornerback depth are razor thin outside of the starting players.
That’s not to mention the head-scratching aborted punt that resulted in a quick Chiefs’ touchdown, which Lewis said was due to a “miscommunication,” or the decision to punt with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter when the Bengals down 45-10. At that point, it seemed clear the Bengals had thrown in the towel.
The Bengals need to change their mindset, whether it’s a more aggressive scheme or a different approach. If there’s no savior on the roster, then it’s on the coaching staff to re-assess what has gone wrong with the team in the last two weeks and figure out how to cater to the strengths of the players they have.
The Bengals couldn’t stop the Steelers in the final minute of last week’s loss, and they couldn’t stop the Chiefs at any point on Sunday. Unless they go back to forcing timely turnovers, it’s almost a given that the defense will cost them more games. The Bengals certainly have talent at key spots, and that’s why these performances are so puzzling.
If the Bengals want to be considered a legitimate playoff contender this year, they certainly have a long way to go before proving they’re in the conversation. So far, they haven’t proven anything yet.
The Usain Bolt saga shows no sign of slowing down and continues to be shrouded in uncertainty.
Days after the 32-year-old former Olympic champion rejected the chance to sign a first professional soccer deal with Maltese champions Valletta FC, it appears Central Coast Mariners may have made their move.
Bolt’s agent, Ricky Simms, has claimed the Australian outfit, with whom the Jamaican scored his first goals for a pro team this month, has offered the superstar a deal.
“In response to the media stories, yes, Usain has been offered a contract (by Mariners),” Simms said, as reported by the Associated Press. “I do not want to make any further comment at this stage.”
That’s great, then. Another contract for Bolt to peruse. Except, perhaps not.
Mariners head coach Mike Mulvey has stated that if a deal has indeed been offered to Bolt, he knows nothing about it. Mulvey even went as far as to suggest an attacking line including on-loan Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack may not need bolstering by a man for whom a career in football has been little more than an afterthought.
“You have a look at our front line today and you wonder whether he could get into any of those positions, wouldn’t you?” Mulvey said. “I do appreciate how important this story is for the rest of the world.
“You’re just talking about speculation, I don’t know anything about what you’re talking about and that’s the honest truth.”
Bolt did not play in Mariners’ 1-1 draw with Brisbane Roar on Sunday. The club, when asked for an official stance on the former sprinter’s future, told BBC Sport it would not comment on media speculation.
DENVER — Brittany Bowlen, one of Pat Bowlen’s seven children, said Saturday night she’s hoping to one day succeed her father as principal owner of the Denver Broncos.
It was the first public declaration of her intention and it came at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s annual fashion show, where she is co-chair.
The franchise has been run by a trust since Pat Bowlen stepped away several years ago to battle Alzheimer’s.
“Right now, the Denver Broncos have an owner. It’s my father. Unfortunately, he can’t be involved in the day-to-day of the team,” Brittany Bowlen said. “I do have ambitions and goals to one day becoming the controlling owner of the Denver Broncos. And I’ll keep working toward those goals. I’m not there yet, but I really believe I can get there.”
Brittany Bowlen, 28, received her master’s degree in business administration from Duke in May after graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in finance, then working for two years at NFL headquarters and a year with the Broncos as a business analyst.
Terms of the trust require five years’ experience with the league or team. Bowlen, who began a job with McKinsey & Company at the global consulting firm’s downtown Denver branch, said she doesn’t have a timetable to rejoin the Broncos for more front-office experience.
“I think it’s really important that I get experience outside of the football industry,” Bowlen said. “And I think that working at McKinsey & Company is going to give me that experience.”
Asked for an update on her father’s health, Bowlen said, “My father is doing OK. Alzheimer’s is a very hard disease. He is the most stoic Alzheimer’s patient. It’s truly inspirational to see how he carries himself with the disease.”
She said since getting her master’s degree, “it’s been really awesome to spend more time with him.”
Brittany Bowlen’s mother, Annabel Bowlen, recently announced her own Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Pat Bowlen, who has been nominated as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, bought the team in 1984. He transferred control of the team to the Pat Bowlen Trust in 2014.
The trust is run by team president Joe Ellis, Broncos general counsel Rich Slivka and attorney Mary Kelly.
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