Cleveland Browns receiver Antonio Callaway pleaded not guilty Sept. 27 to misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license related to an August traffic stop, according to NFL Network and Ohio.com.
Callaway was stopped at 2:59 a.m. on Aug. 5 in suburban Cleveland. Police found a small amount of marijuana in the car and learned that Callaway was driving with a suspended license.
Callaway’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, said the marijuana was not Callaway’s.
“He’s emphatic that he did not possess marijuana,” Spellacy told Ohio.com.
Browns receiver Antonio Callaway is “emphatic that he did not possess marijuana,” his lawyer told Ohio.com. Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports
Callaway told police that his car had been shipped to him in Cleveland a few days before he was pulled over and that he was not aware that there was marijuana in the car.
Spellacy attributed the suspended license to a paperwork issue caused by Callaway’s move from Florida to Ohio.
The Browns stood behind Callaway after the incident. His next court appearance is not yet set.
This is not Callaway’s first off-field incident. He also had a positive drug test at the NFL scouting combine caused by a diluted sample. That put him in the NFL and NFL Players Association’s substance abuse program.
A rookie fourth-round pick, Callaway has 10 receptions for 155 yards and one touchdown.
Teams can designate two players to return from injured reserve during the season. The designation does not need to be made until the player returns to practice. Mitchell can return to practice in six weeks but has to miss a minimum of eight games.
To take his place on the roster, the team promoted Jeremiah McKinnon from the practice squad.
DENVER — The events of Nov. 15, 2015, at Denver’s Mile High Stadium felt at the time like temporary relief for the Kansas City Chiefs. They ended years of frustration by finally breaking through against their longtime tormentors and AFC West bullies, the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs ended a seven-game game losing streak against the Broncos that day with a 29-13 victory. For added measure, they intercepted Peyton Manning four times before he was pulled from the game in what would be the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s last game against the Chiefs.
The feeling of beating the Broncos looked to be fleeting. The Chiefs, despite the victory, watched as the Broncos eventually claimed a fifth straight AFC West championship and the franchise’s third Super Bowl victory.
But that day’s developments remain significant. They served as a turning point for the Chiefs and the AFC West as a whole.
The Chiefs haven’t lost to the Broncos since, their winning streak against Denver at five games heading into Monday night’s matchup between the teams. The two division titles since 2015 belong to the Chiefs, and as the only 3-0 team in the AFC West, a third straight championship already appears theirs to lose.
A few factors play into this, including Manning’s retirement after that 2015 season. The biggest reason is the plan Kansas City set in motion in 2013 when Andy Reid was hired as the Chiefs’ head coach.
Not long ago, Denver dominated the division, but now Andy Reid and the Chiefs have won 17 of 18 games against AFC West teams, including five in a row vs. the Broncos.
Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports
It took a couple of seasons for the team to see significant results, but eventually Kansas City has come to not only rule over the Broncos but also the other division rivals, the Chargers and Raiders. The Chiefs have won 17 of 18 games against AFC West teams by building an offense the others haven’t been able to keep pace with.
“He’s built a multidimensional team, particularly on offense, to where he has so many options that maybe he didn’t have when he first got there. His area of expertise being the offense, he’s built it into a juggernaut in terms of how they can play, and I think that’s what’s making the difference in Kansas City. It’s worked perfectly. They can play so many different styles. They have quick-strike ability. They have grind-it-out running ability. They have control-the-field ability. So he can just kind of do what he needs to do in order to win a game. They’re in a very good spot right now, at least on that side of the ball.”
The Chiefs haven’t yet translated all of this to great success outside the AFC West. They went 17-13 over the past three years in regular-season games against opponents from outside the division and 1-3 in the playoffs.
But they’ve done many good things in the AFC West and particularly against the Broncos. The Chiefs have at least 27 points in each of their five straight wins against Denver. They had 27 or more only once in the previous 10 games against the Broncos.
Reid shrugged off the Chiefs’ recent success against the Broncos and said he paid little attention to the reasons control of the division has flipped from Denver to Kansas City.
“When you’re in the mix, you don’t have time to evaluate all of that,” he said.
The Chiefs went out and got Mitchell Schwartz in 2016 to neutralize Von Miller, who had three sacks in his first game against the Chiefs and Schwartz, but none in the three games since. Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire
“You could feel it,” said Schwartz, who played for the Browns his first four NFL seasons. “A lot of it was because they were such a good team and they had been so successful. We knew we had to bring it against a tough defense.”
The Chiefs made the playoffs in two of the first three seasons after Reid’s arrival, in 2013 and 2015. But they were wild-card entrants each time.
They needed to be better in division games if they were going to win the AFC West. They were 10-8 against AFC West opponents in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
“The first order of business is to try to win your division, and to do that you will try to build your team with an eye towards [division rivals],” Riddick said. “[Reid] had an eye on what Denver had, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”
The Broncos in 2015 had a great defense that included the so-called “No Fly Zone” with Pro Bowl cornerbacks Chris Harris and Aqib Talib. The Broncos also had a premier pass-rusher in Von Miller, who, like other top AFC West pass-rushers Khalil Mack of Oakland and Melvin Ingram of the Chargers, frequently lined up on the left side.
To win against Denver’s secondary, the Chiefs overhauled their wide receiving group. Their top four wide receivers, including starters Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, have arrived since 2016. This year they replaced longtime quarterback Alex Smith with Patrick Mahomes, who has 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the first three games.
The Chiefs sought out receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins to counter defenses like Denver’s “No Fly Zone.” Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
To counter Miller, the Chiefs in 2016 made the wise and underrated move to sign a top right tackle, Schwartz. He has been everything the Chiefs hoped for in bolstering their protection.
“There’s no doubt that knowing what the AFC West was giving [Reid] in terms of matchup problems, he needed to make sure the right tackle situation was solidified,” Riddick said.
Miller had three sacks in his first game against the Chiefs and Schwartz but none in the three games since.
Said Reid of Schwartz vs. Miller: “It’s a fun matchup to watch. They get after each other.”
Monday night’s game feels like a last chance to keep the Chiefs from running away with another division title. A victory against the Broncos would give the Chiefs a lead of at least two games over each of the other AFC West teams. They would be 2-0 in division games, with two road wins.
That lead wouldn’t be insurmountable, but the Chiefs might be difficult to catch, something their rivals are getting used to.
“They’re still young,” Riddick said. “Look down their lineup. These are guys you can see playing for them for the next three, four, five years. Patrick’s not going anywhere. Kareem’s not going anywhere. Ty’s not going anywhere. Sammy was just signed to a big-time contract. Travis is not going anywhere. The offensive line, Demarcus Robinson, they’re not going anywhere. They’re built for the now and for the future, which is kind of scary from a competitor’s standpoint.
“They have the right plan in place. They have the right coach in place. They have the right coach-GM relationship in place. And they have the franchise quarterback with ridiculous weapons. Now they have to take care of the defensive side of the ball. But as long as there’s nothing unforeseeable that comes in and destroys the kind of chemistry and the kind of plan they have going, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be considered AFC West favorites every year for the next three or four years.”
The Chiefs can look back at their 2015 breakthrough against the Broncos as the moment when it all started. The Chiefs went to Denver with a 2-5 record, making a victory over the eventual Super Bowl champions look unlikely.
But their time had finally come, and beating the Broncos can’t be overlooked in explaining everything that has followed.
“For sure that game was big,” Riddick said. “Division games always mean more, emotionally and psychologically. So when you beat a team like that that’s had your number, yeah, it means a ton.”
Milan – Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said Monday Cristiano Ronaldo’s one-match Champions League suspension was a welcome break for the Portuguese star to recharge after playing all matches since his move to Turin.
Ronaldo will sit out Tuesday’s European game in Turin against Swiss club Young Boys after his controversial sending off after half an hour in Valencia. Juventus went on to win the match 2-0.
“Ronaldo has played every game so far and Saturday was his best ever since he was at Juve,” said Allegri of the 3-1 league win over Napoli in which Ronaldo set up all three goals for the champions.
“A little rest will do him good.
“I’m curious to see the team without Ronaldo, although I already saw that in Valencia.
“It’s good that he will be with us in Manchester but it’s important that he rests as well as he’s already played a lot of games for us.”
Juve play Jose Mourinho’s United at Old Trafford on October 23 before hosting the English club in Turin on November 7 in Group H.
Ronaldo, a five-time Champions League winner, first won the competition with United in 2008 before leaving for Real Madrid a year later.
Meanwhile, Allegri warned against over-confidence against the Swiss who lost their opener 3-0 to Manchester United.
“We have to play well tomorrow night and we must win otherwise we will un-do all the good work that we did in Spain.
“We have to be very respectful because Young Boys are a team in form.
“They are solid in defence and organised.”
Allegri confirmed that Paulo Dybala and Mario Manduzkic would start up front with Sami Khedira back in the squad.
“Khedira won’t play from the start, but he’ll be part of the squad,” Allegri confirmed.
“The plan was to take him to Udine, so if he could play half an hour tomorrow that would be positive.
“There are still two games before the end of this mini-cycle and I’d like to have everyone available.
“(Giorgio) Chiellini won’t play, (Joao) Cancelo needs to recover and (Andrea) Barzagli will play because the old man is always good,” he added of the 37-year-old defender who was alongside him in the press conference.
Young Boys coach Gerardo Seoane said the absence of Ronaldo would not made their task any easier.
“We’re sad that Ronaldo isn’t there. It would have been nice for us to face him on the pitch, but if Ronaldo doesn’t play then another champion will because Juventus have good alternatives in every area.
“It’s our first Champions League and we know there isn’t much room for mistakes.”
