Dallas QB3 Trey Lance finds groove in Cowboys' victory in Las Vegas

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Dallas QB3 Trey Lance finds groove in Cowboys' victory in Las Vegas

2024-08-18 14:41 Last Updated At：14:50

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy wants quarterback Trey Lance to find a comfort zone and play within his capabilities.

Forget living up to being the No. 3 overall pick by San Francisco out of North Dakota State in 2021, the key is assuring McCarthy the Cowboys didn’t make a mistake in trading for him nearly one year ago.

The 24-year-old acquitted himself quite well Saturday in Dallas’ 27-12 exhibition victory over the Raiders.

After starting quarterback Dak Prescott’s backup, Cooper Rush, played the entire first quarter, Lance threw for 151 yards and completed 15 of 23 pass attempts, including his first touchdown as a Cowboy over the final three quarters.

“Definitely, felt more comfortable coming out,” said Lance, who finished with a 98.3 quarterback rating. “Would have liked to start a little bit faster in the third quarter, for sure. The whole entire third quarter, left some plays out there, for sure. But excited to watch the tape. Learned a lot again from it, and it was fun to compete with these guys.”

Last week in a 13-12 loss at the Los Angeles Rams, Lance completed 25 of 41 passes for 188 yards, no interceptions and led the Cowboys with 44 rushing yards. But he also finished with a 72.0 quarterback rating.

This week, he looked much more poised than he did at SoFi Stadium, where he led a handful of sustained drives that stalled in the red zone and ended with kicker Brandon Aubrey putting nine points on the board.

Saturday, with the glow of Las Vegas Boulevard peaking through Allegiant Stadium’s lanai doors, Lance found his groove right around the same time running backs Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman and got the running game churning.

By his third drive, and the Raiders leading 6-3, Lance looked like the guy McCarthy envisioned, as his poise under duress took over and seemingly allowed his instincts to take over as he led the Cowboys on a 14-play, 76-yard touchdown drive against six of Las Vegas’ defensive starters.

Out of a shotgun formation, Lance took two steps back and floated a pass with exceptional touch to rookie wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, who beat Raiders starting cornerback Jack Jones.

On their next drive, Lance showed off his dual-threat skills with a 20-yard scramble to set the Cowboys up for a 66-yard field goal by Aubrey as time expired in the second quarter.

Lance later turned in a 13-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Lance's overall play displayed the type of game management he was scouted for after winning two FCS championships with North Dakota State. The former 49er has appeared in just eight games during his career, with only four starts to his credit.

McCarthy said Lance took the step he was hoping his third-string quarterback would in the team's second straight road game.

“I felt that some of the things we were trying to do, (getting) certain individuals touches, (we) didn’t get him into a rhythm right away,” McCarthy said. “But you know, two 14-play drives, I mean, that’s incredible for preseason football. I think it just shows you his understanding and confidence.

“When you stand up here and you talk about your quarterback running the running the offense, the pace of operation, those are steps that every quarterback has to take. And I thought our tempo was really good tonight. We were getting into the huddle and he was commanding. He saw plenty of pressure. ... I thought we saw a good amount of pressure ... so really good experience for him tonight.”

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Man convicted of killing Chicago officer and wounding her partner is sentenced to life

2024-09-12 06:49 Last Updated At：06:50

CHICAGO (AP) — A judge sentenced a man convicted of killing a Chicago police officer, wounding her partner and firing at a third officer to life in prison Wednesday.

A jury found Emonte Morgan, 24, of Chicago, guilty in March of first-degree murder, attempted murder of a peace officer and possession/use of a firearm as a felon. Prosecutors say he fatally shot 29-year-old Officer Ella French, wounded her partner, Officer Carlos Yanez Jr., and shot at Officer Joshua Blas during a traffic stop in August 2021.

Cook County Circuit Judge Ursula Walowski sentenced him to a mandatory life sentence and added 57 years after listening to French and Yanez family members describe their grief, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“The memories, they sneak up on me sometimes and I am filled with grief and sadness,” French's mother, Elizabeth French, told the judge. “I don’t know that closure will ever be possible for me. … Someday my daughter and I will meet again. Until then I will miss Ella every day.”

Yanez's father, Carlos Yanez Sr., a retired Chicago police officer himself, swore at Morgan and said someone should have killed him long ago. As Yanez spoke, Morgan's mother yelled a profane insult about his son. Deputies quickly removed her from the courtroom as Yanez told Morgan he hopes he rots in jail.

Morgan's attorney, assistant public defender Kristine Neal, told the judge that Morgan isn't beyond redemption and can still be rehabilitated. Morgan said that the prosecution was unjust, that the traffic stop that precipitated the shooting wasn't lawful and that French died accidentally.

Morgan's attorneys argued at trial that body camera video of the shooting was unclear, making it hard to determine what happened during the traffic stop.

Morgan's brother, Eric Morgan, who was driving the vehicle, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, battery and obstruction of justice and was sentenced to seven years.

Another man, Jamel Danzy of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in December 2022 after pleading guilty to a federal firearms charge for buying the handgun used to kill French in an illegal straw purchase.