Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their season opener over the Carolina Panthers, and the New York Giants lost their opener against the Dallas Cowboys, the defending Super Bowl champions are still favored to beat the Bucs this Sunday at Metlife Stadium.

The last time these two teams met was on September 27, 2009, with the Giants recording a 24-0 road win.

The Giants will be looking across the field at several of their former coaches who are now on the Buccaneer staff. Among them are offensive coordinator, Mike Sullivan, and defensive coordinator, Bill Sheridan.

Also, former Giants offensive tackle, Jamon Meredith, is now a Buccaneer.

The Giants are expected to use a few tricks to throw off their former coaches, but they do admit it puts them at a disadvantage.

Kickoff will be at 1 p. m., and the game will be televised.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Six-time Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson has been formally charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic battery.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office filed the charge Wednesday. Johnson faces up to a year in county jail.

Johnson was arrested last month after his wife accused him of head-butting her during an argument in front of their home. He was later freed on $2,500 bond.

The confrontation came barely a month after Johnson married Evelyn Lozada, who is on the reality TV show “Basketball Wives.” The 34-year-old Johnson had been battling for a spot on the Miami Dolphins after a disappointing season with the New England Patriots in 2011.

The Dolphins released Johnson a day after his arrest.

Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning and to file a written plea of not guilty.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard basketball co-captain Kyle Casey plans to withdraw from school amid a cheating scandal that also may involve other athletes, according to several reports.

Sports Illustrated and the Harvard Crimson reported Tuesday that Casey, a senior, would take a leave of absence from school in an attempt to preserve a year of eligibility once the issue is resolved.

Co-captain Brandyn Curry also has been implicated in the scandal and is weighing his options, his father said. Curry also is expected to withdraw from classes.

The school is looking into whether at least 125 undergraduates in what has been reported to be an Introduction to Congress class of about 280 students cheated by working together on a take-home final exam in the spring.

The New York Jets announced Monday that Darrelle Revis has a ”mild concussion,” and his status for the team’s game at Pittsburgh on Sunday was uncertain.

”He seems to be feeling good,” coach Rex Ryan said, adding that the team will always err on the side of caution with head injuries. A player can’t practice or play until he is cleared by the team doctor and the team’s independent neurological consultant.

DALLAS — There was no secret about the Dallas Mavericks’ plans going into free agency and their heavy pursuit of Deron Williams.

Things obviously turned out much differently.

More than two months after All-Star guard Williams opted to stay with the Nets for their move to Brooklyn rather than come home to play, the Mavericks formally introduced the five veteran players they were able to add instead.

Dallas got Elton Brand (pictured) on a waiver claim from Philadelphia, signed free agents Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo, and acquired Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones in a trade from Indiana. All those moves were made in July.

Philadelphia used its one-time amnesty provision in the new CBA to let Brand go, and the Mavs won the waiver claim. The 33-year-old two-time All-Star who will make $18.1 million the final season of a five-year contract that will be paid mostly by the 76ers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback, Josh Freeman (pictured) and Carolina Panther quarterback, Cam Newton, will join Russell Wilson (Seattle), Michael Vick (Philadelphia), and Robert Griffin, III (Washington) as a small group of African American quarterbacks who will be starting for their teams as the NFL regular season kicks off.

On Sunday at 4:25 p. m., the Bucs will host the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium.

Last season, the Panthers humbled the Bucs twice, winning in week 13, 38-19, then coming back in week 16 with a 48-16 rout of the Bucs.

The Buccaneer team that will be taking the field Sunday isn’t the same one that faced the Panthers last year.

The Bucs will have a new head coach, Greg Schiano, a new starting running back, Doug Martin, a new safety, Mark Barron, and revamped offensive and defensive lines.
Odds makers have picked the Panthers to win, but there are some factors that need to be pointed out.

When the Panthers faced the Bucs last season in their first game, Freeman was a no show. Also this season, the Panther will have to adjust to the new players the Bucs will have on defense, as well as newly acquired wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

Five days ago, it was reported that the Bucs needed to sell 9,000 tickets before 4:25 p.m. Thursday to avoid a blackout.

Only Manchester United valued at $2.24 billion, is more valuable than the Cowboys, and their owners, the Glazer family, also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are now worth $1.033 billion, ranking them 18th in the NFL.

New television contracts, the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed last year, and higher premium seating revenue contributed to the increases, according to Forbes Magazine.

MIAMI — Quarterback David Garrard has been released by the Miami Dolphins, leaving Matt Moore as the veteran backup to rookie starter Ryan Tannehill.

Garrard signed in March and climbed atop the depth chart in training camp before he was sidelined by a left knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery Aug. 11. In his absence, Tannehill claimed the starting job for Sunday’s opener at Houston.

CLEVELAND — Joe Haden’s case remains mysterious and unresolved.

The Browns cornerback, and one of Cleveland’s best players, is awaiting word from the NFL on a possible four-game suspension for failing a drug test. On Tuesday, Browns president Mike Holmgren revealed in a local radio interview that Haden has already had his appeal hearing with the league.

Holmgren’s comments were the first confirming Haden’s suspension, which was first reported last month. Haden reportedly failed a test for taking Adderall, which is on the league’s banned substance list.