South Florida Local News

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 24, the 268th day of 2024. There are 98 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 24, 2017, more than 200 NFL players kneeled or sat during the national anthem after President Donald Trump criticized the players’ protests in a speech and a series of tweets.

Also on this date:

In 1789, President George Washington signed a Judiciary Act establishing America’s federal court system and creating the post of attorney general.

In 1869, thousands of businessmen were ruined in a Wall Street panic known as “Black Friday” after financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Devil’s Tower as the first U.S. national monument.

In 1957, the Los Angeles-bound Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0.

In 1960, the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Virginia.

In 1963, the U.S. Senate ratified a treaty with Britain and the Soviet Union limiting nuclear testing.

In 1968, the TV news magazine “60 Minutes” premiered on CBS.

In 1969, the trial of the Chicago Eight, later the Chicago Seven, began. (Five were later convicted of crossing state lines to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic convention, but the convictions were ultimately overturned.)

In 1988, Jackie Joyner-Kersey won gold and set a world record in the women’s heptathlon at the Summer Olympics in Seoul.

In 2013, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest Pakistan, killing at least 376 people.

In 2015, a stampede and crush of Muslim pilgrims occurred in the holy city of Mina, Saudi Arabia. While the official Saudi death toll stood at 769, The Associated Press estimated that more than 2,400 people were killed.

In 2022, Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Football Hall of Famer Joe Greene is 78.
• Actor Gordon Clapp is 76.
• Actor Harriet Walter is 74.
• Filmmaker Brad Bird is 67.
• Actor Kevin Sorbo is 66.
• Actor-screenwriter Nia Vardalos is 62.
• Celebrity chef Robert Irvine is 59.
• TV personality Ross Matthews is 45.
• Olympic gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm (hahm) is 42.
• Actor Spencer Treat Clark is 37.
• Actor Grey Damon is 37.
• Actor Ben Platt is 31.
• Actor Joe Locke is 21.

MIAMI — Instead of remaining at 14 players under standard contract for training camp, a total that had been expected due to the team’s position hard against the highly punitive second apron of the NBA luxury tax, the Miami Heat have reached agreement with forward Nassir Little on such a deal, the South Florida Sun Sentinel has confirmed.

Ineligible for a two-way contract due to his five seasons of NBA tenure, the agreement with the No. 25 pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of North Carolina is believed to be a non-guaranteed one-year contract for the veteran minimum.

While a seasonlong agreement with Little would put the Heat above the second apron of the luxury tax, the prorated daily rate of such a contract initially would keep the Heat below that apron even if they open the season with the league-maximum of 15 players on standard deals.

The 14 other players under standard contract to the Heat all are fully guaranteed for the season: Bam Adebayo, Thomas Bryant, Alec Burks, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Pelle Larsson, Kevin Love, Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier, and Kel’el Ware.

When factoring in Little, two-way contract holders Josh Christopher, Keshad Johnson and Dru Smith, as well as camp tryout prospects Isaiah Stevens and Jacob Pullin, it puts the Heat at 20 players under contract for training camp, one below the NBA offseason maximum.

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The Heat open training camp next Tuesday at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, after Monday’s media day at Kaseya Center.

After playing his first four NBA seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Little spent last season with the Phoenix Suns, after he was acquired Sept. 27, 2023 in the three-team blockbuster trade that sent Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks. Little then was waived last month by the Suns in a cap-saving move, while still completing the four-year, $28 million extension he signed with Portland in October 2022.

A native of Pensacola, Little, 24, played his scholastic ball in Orlando.

Little is an athletic wing with solid two-point ability, but who has struggled with his shooting from distance.

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

SMITHTON, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump sat in a large barn in rural Pennsylvania on Monday, asking questions of farmers and offering jokes, but, in a rarity for his campaign events, mostly listening.

The bombastic former president was unusually restrained at an event about China’s influence on the U.S. economy, a roundtable during which farmers and manufacturers expressed concerns about losing their way of life. Behind Trump were large green tractors and a sign declaring “Protect our food from China.”

The event in Smithton, Pennsylvania, gave Trump a chance to drive his economic message against Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing that imposing tariffs and boosting energy production will lower costs. He highlighted Harris’ reversal of a previous vow to ban fracking, a method of producing natural gas key to Pennsylvania’s economy.

And he noted the tractors behind him were manufactured by John Deere, which announced in June it was moving skid steer and track loader manufacturing to Mexico and working to acquire land there for a new factory. Trump threatened the firm with a 200% tariff should he win back the presidency and it opted to export manufacturing to Mexico.

“If they want to build in the United States, there’s no tariff,” he added.

Trump opened the event with some of his usual themes. He declared that in 2020, “We had an election that didn’t exactly work out too good. And it was a disgrace.”

But he then did something unusual: He let others do most of the talking.

When one farmer said recent decades had seen scores of family farms shut down, Trump asked what that meant for overall production. The response was that, thanks to larger farms now operating, total production is actually up but “we are losing the small family farms.”

“I know that, yes,” Trump responded somberly. Later, he said, “I am not too worried about the people around this table” supporting him on Election Day, while jokingly adding, “But you never know.”

In response to another participant’s concerns about energy production, Trump said he didn’t know that farmers were so energy-dependent. Another farmer talked about Chinese-subsidized businesses, prompting Trump to respond, “That’s why we need tariffs.”

After the same farmer finished her comments by praising him profusely, he intoned, “Amen. I agree.”

Trump has embraced tariffs as he tries to appeal to working-class voters who oppose free-trade deals and the outsourcing of factories and jobs, and the event wasn’t all about showing a more personable side.

Later the former president took questions from reporters and got more customarily combative when asked whether he was concerned that tariffs on manufacturers like John Deere would increase costs for farmers. He said of Harris, “She is not going to be good for Pennsylvania.”

Later Monday, Trump is holding a rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where he is hoping conservative, white working-class voters help him pull ahead of Harris. Stopping at a neighborhood market prior to the rally, Trump again displayed a softer side, buying a bag of popcorn and quipping to staff that if elected, he may send for more from the Oval Office. He also gave a woman paying for groceries a $100 bill, declaring that the total “just went down a hundred bucks.”

Harris herself is visiting Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

Attending a New York fundraiser on Monday, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, told a group of about 30 donors focused on climate change that Trump’s energy catchphrase of “drill baby, drill” is “not a solution to things, and the public knows that it’s a cheap, easy thing.”

Walz, speaking at a midtown Manhattan hotel to an audience that included former presidential candidate Tom Steyer and Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, called climate change an “existential threat” but also “an incredible opportunity to grow our economy.” He specifically cited farmers who use their land to generate wind energy in addition to growing crops.

In response to Trump’s farming event, Harris campaign spokesman Joseph Costello said that “despite all his lies and pandering, Donald Trump used the White House to give handouts to wealthy corporations and foreign companies.”

Costello said in a statement that those came “at the expense of family farmers, drive farm bankruptcies to record levels, and sacrifice small American farmers as pawns in his failed trade war with China.”

Trump’s event in Smithton was hosted by the Protecting America Initiative, led by Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence, and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin. Grenell said, “China is getting into our farmlands, and we have to be able to see China very clearly.”

At the end of 2022, China held nearly 250,000 acres of U.S. land, which is slightly less than 1% of foreign-held acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By comparison, Canada was the largest foreign owner of U.S. land, accounting for 32%, or 14.2 million acres.

Still, the National Agricultural Law Center estimates that 24 states ban or limit foreigners without residency and foreign businesses or governments from owning private farmland. The issue emerged after a Chinese billionaire bought more than 130,000 acres near a U.S. Air Force base in Texas and another Chinese company sought to build a corn plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

Rex Murphy, from a nearby rural community who raises cattle and grows corn and hay, said farmers support Trump in this area, and said he wanted fewer taxes and “more freedom.”

“I want him to do everything for the economy,” said Murphy, 48. “If he just becomes president, and he does what he does, he will do more.”

__

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Didi Tang in Washington and Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.

By FADI TAWIL and MOHAMMAD ZAATARI, Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of families from southern Lebanon packed cars and minivans with suitcases, mattresses, blankets and carpets and jammed the highway heading north toward Beirut on Monday to flee the deadliest Israeli bombardment since 2006.

Some 100,000 people living near the border had already been displaced since October, when the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces began exchanging near-daily fire against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. As the fighting intensifies, the number of evacuees is expected to rise.

In Beirut and beyond, schools were quickly repurposed to receive the newly displaced as volunteers scrambled to gather water, medicine and mattresses.

In the coastal city of Sidon, people seeking shelter streamed into schools that had no mattresses to sleep on yet. Many waited on sidewalks outside.

Ramzieh Dawi had arrived with her husband and daughter after hastily evacuating the village of Yarine, carrying just a few essential items as airstrikes boomed nearby.

“These are the only things I brought,” she said, gesturing at the three tote bags she carried.

Fatima Chehab, who came with her three daughters from the area of Nabatieh, said her family had been displaced twice in quick succession.

“We first fled to stay with my brother in a nearby area, and then they bombed three places next to his house,” she said.

Some people waited for hours in gridlocked traffic to get to what they hoped would be safety.

The Israeli military warned residents in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of a widening air campaign against what it said were Hezbollah weapons sites. More than 490 people were killed in Lebanon on Monday, officials said, and more than 1,240 people were wounded — a staggering toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.

That attack was widely blamed on Israel, which has not confirmed or denied responsibility.

Israeli officials have said they are ramping up pressure against Hezbollah in an attempt to force it to stop firing rockets into northern Israel so that tens of thousands of displaced Israelis can return home. Hezbollah has said it will only stop when there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

At a public high school in the capital’s Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood, a few dozen men, women and children were milling around as volunteers registered them.

Yahya Abu Ali, who fled with his family from the village of Doueir in Lebanon’s Nabatieh district, struck a defiant tone.

“Don’t think that an airplane or a missile will defeat us, or that a wounded person or a martyr on the ground will weaken us,” he said. “On the contrary, it gives us strength, determination, and resilience.”

But Abu Ali also admitted that he was worried about his four siblings and their families who remained behind in southern Lebanon.

“God willing, I hope they will make it out,” he said.

Minar al-Natour, a volunteer at the school, said the team on the ground was still in “early stages” of preparations to host the larger numbers expected to arrive.

“We’re securing medicine, water, and of course all the essential supplies,” she said.

In Beirut’s Aisha Bakkar neighborhood — where some residents had received messages instructing them to evacuate — shop owner Mazen al-Hakeem said most had not heeded the call.

“There is no fear but there is anticipation,” he said. “People are filling their tanks with fuel, storing food and groceries. They are taking their precautions.”

Imran Riza, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, said in a statement the international body had allocated $24 million in emergency funding for people affected by the fighting.

With its economy in shambles and Beirut still recovering from a massive port explosion in 2020, Lebanon is “grappling with multiple crises, which have overwhelmed the country’s capacity to cope,” Riza said.

“As the escalation of hostilities in south Lebanon drags on longer than we had hoped, it has led to further displacement and deepened the already critical needs,” Riza said.

——-

Associated Press journalists Abby Sewell, Ali Sharafeddine and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Ahmad Mantash in Sidon, Lebanon, contributed to this report.

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Attention, Kmart shoppers, the end is near!

The erstwhile retail giant renowned for its Blue Light Specials — featuring a flashing blue orb affixed to a pole enticing shoppers to a flash sale — is shuttering its last full-scale store in mainland United States.

The store, located in swank Bridgehampton, New York, on Long Island, is slated to close Oct. 20, according to Denise Rivera, an employee who answered the phone at the store late Monday. The manager wasn’t available, she said.

That will leave only a small Kmart store in Miami. It has a handful of stores in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Transformco, the company that bought the assets of Sears and Kmart out of the bankruptcy of Sears Holdings in 2019, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

In its heyday, there were more than 2,000 Kmarts in the U.S.

Struggling to compete with Walmart’s low prices and Target’s trendier offerings, Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2002 — becoming the largest U.S. retailer to take that step — and announced it would close more than 250 stores.

A few years later, hedge fund executive Edward Lampert combined Sears and Kmart and pledged to return them to their former greatness. But the 2008 recession and the rising dominance of Amazon contributed in derailing that mission. Sears filed for Chapter 11 in 2018 and now has just a handful of stores left in the U.S., where it once had thousands.

Name: Jason Pizzo

Campaign website: pizzo.vote

Date, place of birth: May 20, 1976

Education: NYU (BA), Columbia University (MS), University of Miami (JD)

Occupation: attorney & real estate investor

Work history past 15 years. List in reverse chronological order.
Partner in Real Estate Development projects (in NJ/PA) 2003-present
Associate at Stearns Weaver Miller 2015-2016
ASA at Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office 2011-2015
Law Student 2007-2010
Graduate Student 2006-2007

Why are you running for this office and what specifically makes you a better candidate than your opponent(s)? 
I am running for re-election to continue advocating for sound policy, challenging that which is infirm and detrimental, and to secure state resources for our district. My caucus members have elected me to serve as the Florida Senate Minority Leader to lead that charge, the Broward Legislative Delegation voted to have me serve as Chair, and we were most recently awarded the Florida League of Cities’ highest honor, Defender of Home Rule, for the second time. I cannot speak to the suitability of my opponent, other than the limited information available demonstrates a gross disregard for election integrity (e.g. he has not filed one campaign/expenditure report, no evidence of having satisfied outstanding fines), changed party affiliations, published a video characterizing “media as the biggest problem in America,” and that “America is the most uneducated country in the world,” and thinks Democrats are both too supportive of Israel, and that we only support homosexuality.

What are the three most important issues facing your legislative district?
⦁ Housing Affordability (property insurance, costs attendant to condo reform, rental/purchase values).
⦁ Infrastructure & Resiliency (roads, sanitary sewer, stormwater drainage, septic tanks, facilities).
⦁ Public Safety (statewide violent crime and fraud downward trends are not representative or realized in our immediate and neighboring districts.

Do you support or oppose Amendment 4, the abortion rights amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot, and why?
I support Amendment 4 and have expressed that support through donating time and personal resources, to see this ballot initiative pass. The Republican majority voted to reduce the autonomy of women’s reproductive rights not once (to 15 weeks), but again (to 6 weeks), in a display of gluttonous overreach and cruel insensitivity. Just today, I’ve been engaged in pushing back against a state agency, AHCA, for overstepping their authority to engage in voter coercion and influence.

Gov. Ron DeSantis this year vetoed all state appropriations for arts and cultural programs, estimated at $32 million, to more than 600 organizations. Do you agree or disagree with this veto and why?
The cultural goal of this executive appears to be a systematic decimation of diversity and multi-culturalism, beginning in grade school and continuing into the community and workplace. The “Free State of Florida” is most certainly stifling free and artistic expression, not only at the expense of enhancing and complementing (empirically proven) the development of young minds, but with the aim to create a dangerously dull and homogenous social curriculum.

In the 2024 session, the Legislature passed a major change to the ethics law (SB 7014) requiring complainants to have personal knowledge of the facts of a case. Would you have voted for or against this law and why?
I was one of only four state senators who voted against the bill, as the law will have a chilling effect on those who fear retaliation and retribution for submitting good faith complaints. This continues a pattern we last saw when even complaints to local code enforcement officers can no longer be made anonymously.

In the 2024 case, the Legislature passed a law (HB 1365) that prohibits homeless people from sleeping in public spaces. Would you have voted for or against this law and why?
I lead the argument against this bill in the Senate’s Community Affairs Committee, and again on the Senate floor, exposing that this language was sourced from the Cicero Institute, as a cruel and expensive social experiment which would be levied against cities in my own district, but not in the bill sponsor’s district — see tinyurl.com/JPSB1365.

The Legislature in recent years has added many new exemptions to the public records law to keep information secret, such as state university presidential searches and the governor’s travel. Do you support or oppose these exemptions and why?
I oppose, and stated my position quite passionately in Senate questions and debate — see tinyurl.com/JPSB1616.

What additional measures do you support to address Florida’s property insurance crisis?
I have recently presented two proposals to the Office of Insurance Regulation, one involves self-insurance/risk pools for condos, and the other is wind-driven rain mitigation measures (that I drafted into a prior bill), which is the leading cost/property damage component of policies. I also successfully had the flood insurance requirement repealed for multi-story residential properties. Additionally, we need to focus on reducing the required top end limits of appraised value, strengthen financial solvency requirements for admitted carriers, and reorganize the structure and mission of Citizens.

Describe in specific detail one demographic, economic or social factor about your legislative district that sets it apart from all the others.
Our district is likely the most culturally, economically, and naturally diverse (and sensitive) in the state, where we also see the population swell considerably in high seasons. The greatest aggregate combination of economic, social and environmental challenges are found in SD37. Representing this district requires as much forethought, as it does situational awareness of current needs.

Have you been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime, had an adjudication withheld or had a matter sealed or expunged? If yes, please explain.
No.

Have you been a plaintiff or defendant in a civil action, including bankruptcy or foreclosure or had a restraining order issued against you? If so, please explain.
I have never been a party to any bankruptcy or foreclosure action, but I have been in a plaintiff in a personal injury suit, a land development project, reconciled one action related to the sale of a company, and another related to a home I rented.

Voters in Palm Beach County should return a dedicated Democrat to one state House district, while voters in another can vote for pragmatism in the race to replace Rep. Rick Roth, a term-limited Republican.

District 90

This district is mostly east of Military Trail from Hypoluxo Road in the north to the Delray Beach-Boca Raton border in the south, including Delray, Boynton Beach and smaller communities such as Ocean Ridge, Golf and Briny Breezes. Democrats dominate the district, with roughly 42,000 Democrats to 30,000 Republicans registered here in August.

That alone makes Rep. Joe Casello, D-Boynton Beach, a better fit for the district, as he seeks a final two-year term after recovering from a stroke he suffered last year. A retired firefighter from Massachusetts, his pro-union, working-class roots keep him in touch with the people of his district.

In his questionnaire, Casello, 72, cited property insurance, affordable housing and assessments on condo owners to pay for overdue post-Surfside inspection as top issues. In an online interview, Casello said he worked to put millions of dollars on the governor’s desk to help the county, though much of if was line-item vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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Casello’s challenger, Bill Reicherter, said that as a Republican, he’d have a better chance of getting money for the district. But in such a blue district, Reicherter, 55, needs to appeal to Democrats to win, and he promised to be a representative who won’t toe the GOP line.

That’s easier said than done. Mavericks who repeatedly buck party leadership can quickly become pariahs in their party caucuses. Besides, Reicherter is not as moderate as he claims.

In our interview, referring to his past campaign for state Senate against Democrat Tina Polsky, Reicherter said he was leading in an overwhelmingly Democratic district until mail ballots came in late at night. “Our race didn’t get called till 11 o’clock at night,” he said. “Every other race was called early.”

Asked if he meant that voter fraud was to blame, he said with a smirk: “No. Good you picked up on that, though.”

On social media, it’s a different story. Reicherter retweeted a post on X calling mail-in ballot drop boxes “ballot-stuffing boxes.” He also retweeted a post with the familiar Trumpian smear that former President Obama was born in Kenya.

It’s not hard to see why Reicherter is not in sync with House District 90. He lives in Parkland, in Broward, and would have to move into the district if he won. That is legal under Florida law, but it’s carpetbagging. Casello has deep roots in the district — and he’s literally a regular Joe.

District 94

This heavily agricultural district includes western Palm Beach County from Martin to Broward, including parts of Palm Beach Gardens and the Glades towns of Pahokee, Belle Glade and South Bay.

Departing Rep. Rick Roth never had strong competition, yet the district is one of the closest in the state in party registration. In August, there were about 41,000 Republicans, 39,000 Democrats and 30,000 unaffiliated voters. The district voted for Joe Biden in 2020 by 0.1%, according to political consultant Matt Isbell.

Democrat Rachelle Litt, 68, a former Palm Beach Gardens mayor, faces a well-financed first-time candidate, Republican Meg Weinberger, who neither returned our questionnaire nor participated in our online interview — and it’s not hard to see why.

Weinberger’s literature refers to her as “MAGA Meg,” a hardcore Trump supporter. But campaign finance records show her donating to Democrats, including $1,000 to Andrew Gillum in the 2018 race for governor and $5,000 to a PAC of former County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay in 2021. It wasn’t until this year that Weinberger began prolifically writing checks to Republican state legislators as she made her bid for the state House, though she donated to Donald Trump in 2020.

Had Weinberger agreed to an interview, perhaps she could have explained all this. On paper, she appears to be trying to pull the wool over the eyes of gullible Trump supporters. The last thing Tallahassee needs is another transactional politician.

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Fortunately, voters have an excellent alternative in Litt, a hospital pharmacist, whose strong medical background and years of political experience in the district, including grassroots lobbying for her city in Tallahassee, will allow her to hit the ground running.

Citing her workforce housing efforts in Palm Beach Gardens, Litt said, “we did it through working with our developers, the planners and the construction industry, without legislation.”

Hundreds of workforce housing units are now coming to the city because Litt and her fellow commissioners could work with multiple stakeholders to get it done as they planned a new downtown center focused on mobility.

That’s the sort of bipartisan leadership a candidate that has painted herself into a MAGA corner would be incapable of carrying out. The choice here is between a pragmatic policymaker and a two-faced MAGA mouthpiece. It’s one of the easiest choices on the Palm Beach ballot.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. To contact us, email us at letters@sun-sentinel.com.

Today is Monday, Sept. 23, the 267th day of 2024. There are 99 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 23, 2018, capping a comeback from four back surgeries, Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship in Atlanta, the 80th victory of his PGA Tour career and his first in more than five years.

Also on this date:

In 1780, British spy John Andre was captured along with papers revealing Benedict Arnold’s plot to surrender West Point to the British.

In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis, more than two years after setting out for the Pacific Northwest.

In 1955, a jury in Sumner, Mississippi, acquitted two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, of killing Black teenager Emmett Till. (The two later admitted to the crime in an interview with Look magazine.)

In 1957, nine Black students who entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a white mob outside.

In 1952, Sen. Richard M. Nixon, R-Calif., salvaged his vice presidential nomination by appearing on television from Los Angeles to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising in what became known as the “Checkers” speech for its reference to his family’s cocker spaniel.

In 2002, Gov. Gray Davis signed a law making California the first state to offer workers paid family leave.

In 2022, Roger Federer played his final professional match after an illustrious career that included 20 Grand Slam titles.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Singer Julio Iglesias is 81.
• Actor/singer Mary Kay Place is 77.
• Rock star Bruce Springsteen is 75.
• Director/playwright George C. Wolfe is 70.
• Actor Rosalind Chao is 67.
• Actor Jason Alexander is 65.
• Actor Chi McBride is 63.
• Singer Ani (AH’-nee) DiFranco is 54.
• Producer-rapper Jermaine Dupri is 52.
• Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is 51.
• Actor Anthony Mackie is 46.
• Actor Skylar Astin is 37.
• Tennis player Juan Martín del Potro is 36.

There’s bad. There’s ugly. And there’s Seattle 24, Dolphins 3 on Sunday.

The team knew it needed help with its starting quarterback out. But help never materialized until Seattle had built the kind of early, double-digit lead every opponent has this season.

Here are 10 thoughts on the game:

1. The prime problem Sunday wasn’t Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion. It was the mega-drop in talent to Skylar Thompson. He was effectively given this start last winter when the Dolphins didn’t sign a better backup.  Sure, he beat out Mike White. But there were growing questions in preseason. Still, nothing was done. Thompson looked lost before he got injured Sunday. He completed 13-of-19 passes for 107 yards, was sacked five times and got three points when the defense gave his offense the ball at the Seattle 6-yard line. Not good enough, obviously. Green Bay, Minnesota and Pittsburgh are all undefeated after playing back-ups in at least two games. The question is what GM Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel thought would happen back in February and March when they made this decision.

2. Let’s look at the next three games that suddenly don’t look like as soft as they once did:

* Sept. 30. Tennessee at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night. Selling an 0-3 team and a 1-2 team isn’t what Monday Night Football expected. Then again who cares what a network expected? Green Bay just whipped Tennessee, 30-14, on the road with back-up Malik Willis.  So let’s not go too far off the deep-end saying how back-up quarterbacks spell trouble in the short term. Tennessee, while winless, is the team that sunk the Dolphins season with a fourth-quarter comeback last year. Sending the Dolphins to 1-3 would put them on the brink this year.

* Oct. 6. At New England. It’s Tom Brady Day for the Patriots, and if ever there was a chance to sink the Patriots’ celebration this is it. New England isn’t Brady’s New England. Not even close. They’re 1-2 and looked like dogmeat in a 24-3 loss to the New York Jets.

* Oct. 20. At Indianapolis. After a bye week, this would look like another win against a Colts team that got its first win Sunday against Chicago.

Related Articles

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• Miami Dolphins | Instant Analysis: Seattle Seahawks 24, Miami Dolphins 3

3. Play of the game: Geno Smith to D.K. Metcalf for a 71-yard touchdown late in the quarter that made it 17-3. Game over. Dolphins safety reacted to Metcalf’s cut with the result being the Seattle receiver ran into open field. This is the kind of big play the Dolphins have won with the last couple of years right down to taking advantage of the defensive coverage.

“They were playing low quarters on one side, playing halves on the other side,” Smith said. “We got the safety in the position we wanted him, and he really dug down on the in route. … Just knowing the coverage, the safety in the quarters coverage is going to be more aggressive to any in-cuts or underneath routes. You try to take advantage of that. D.K. read that perfect, the protection was great, we got the play off.”

4. What’s happened to aggressive Mike McDaniel? He kicked a chippie, third-down field goal with eight seconds left in the half against Buffalo rather than have Tagovailoa run one more play into the end zone. In Sunday’s opening drive, facing third-and-1 at the Seattle 39, he opted for a 57-yard field goal that missed. Small sample size. But McDaniel led the league in fourth-down attempts (and conversions) last season. Of course, their short-yardage plays might back his decisions as on Sunday …

5. Look at two possessions that might not make Grier chuckle about questions of his offensive line:

* The offense was handed the ball first-and-goal at the 6 after a Kader Kohou interception in the first quarter. Result: A 2-yard run by De’Von Achane up the middle was negated by a Julian Hill false start. Facing first-and-goal at he 11 now, Thompson threw for passes of 1 and 6 yards before an incompletion. Sanders kicked a 23-yard field goal.

* They had first down at the Seattle 3 early in the fourth quarter. Two Achane runs up the middle netted a yard. Durham Smythe then couldn’t get a catchable pass and Tim Boyle threw incomplete on fourth down. Seattle ball.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Perkins and Furones on Skylar Thompson’s injury, Miami’s loss to Seahawks in Seattle | VIDEO

6. Quote of the day: “The quarterback is the extension of the offense and the offense is an extension of me. I don’t know that I’ve ever won a game with three points. … We’ve got to figure it out fast.” — McDaniel.

7. The Dolphins had 11 penalties, including four on successive plays from scrimmage at one point. Now, Seattle had 11 penalties, too, suggesting either these refs were flag happy or these teams are undisciplined. Or both. But here’s a question: Dolphins tight end Julian Hill had four penalties and kept playing in the game? He had a couple catches afterward so you can see why. But is there a line a player can cross in making mistakes before he’s pull from the game?

8. Yes, the defense played well over the final three quarters in limiting Seattle’s offense and setting up the offense in some cases. But let’s not get carried away here. They gave up 17 points in the first quarter. This was a game where the defense was asked to carry more of a load due to the quarterback situation. Instead, it put the game in a double-digit hole.

9. Seattle held Tyreek Hill to three catches and 40 yards and Jaylen Waddle to four catches for 26 yards. But let’s be clear: It wasn’t just a Sunday thing or Thompson thing. Last week, Waddle had four catches for 41 yards and Hill had three catches for 24 yards. Each had some big plays in the opener against Jacksonville, but the offense still only had 20 points. Have defenses caught up to this offense? It’s McDaniel’s chess move now.

10. Quick hits:

* The Dolphins were 1 of 15 on third and fourth downs.

* Condolences to the family of Mercury Morris, who died at 77 and was one of the big personalities I got to know in writing a book (Sill Perfect) about the team and then through the years in my good dealings with him.

* Any complaints about over-officiating only go so far. The Dolphins led the league in false starts and illegal formations coming into the game.

* The Dolphins first play was a well-designed pass in the flat to an open Achane that went for 22 yards and looked like a good confidence-builder for Thompson. It was their longest play from scrimmage of the day.

* Some good news: Zack Seiler balled out — getting a sack and an interception.

 Next week. Tennessee on Monday night, as mentioned. It’s worth mentioning again considering the difference between how a 1-3 and 2-2 start will feel like for this team in the easy part of its schedule.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Billy Napier didn’t sound like a coach who’s days at Florida are numbered.

Napier was ready to get to work during the bye week as the Gators prepare for an Oct. 5 visit from UCF (3-0).

A 45-28 win Saturday at Mississippi State was a start, but much ground remains to make up.

“It’s good to win a game like that and go into the open date,” Napier said. “I told him in the locker room, Look, we’re going to rest and recover, but when you show up Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week, we’re working.

“We have work to do to improve, and we’ve got to put all of our heads together to try to get it shored up.”

Many wondered whether Napier, now 13-16 at UF,  would get a chance to coach beyond his team’s first open date, even if the Gators won in Starkville. A Sunday ouster, however, did not unfold.

Florida head coach Billy Napier motions to the field judge Phillip Davenport during the Gators win at Mississippi State Sept. 21 in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

But while Florida (2-2, 1-1 SEC) snapped a seven-game losing streak to FBS foes, the win came against a program at the start of a rebuild under a first-time head coach. Napier’s offense had 503 yards against the Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1) behind a two-quarterback system and revived run game, yet at the expense of the SEC’s second-worst defense.

The league’s last-ranked D belongs to Florida, an often-discombobulated unit allowing an average of 499 in three games against power conference competition. Mississippi State finished with 240 each passing and running as Jeff Lebby’s up-tempo attack caught the Gators flat footed.

“We got to get it fixed,” Napier said.

Florida defense might be too broken and missing too many pieces.

Veteran coach Ron Roberts came on board in January after two seasons near the bottom of the SEC — 12th in 2022 and 11th in 2023 — under two different coordinators, Patrick Toney and his successor Austin Armstrong. With Roberts at the helm, the Gators sit 16th in the expanded SEC.

In the search for answers, the offensive-minded Napier reportedly pitched in on the other side of the ball last week. At Mississippi State, Roberts moved up to the coaches booth at Mississippi State to get a better vantage point, but the view changed little.

Mississippi State tight end Cameron Ball (10) attempts to break a tackle against Florida defensive back Trikweze Bridges (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Veteran safety Trikweze Bridges, a sixth-year player who transferred from Oregon, said Roberts also simplified the scheme, yet communication issues continued when the Gators tried to line up prior to the snap.

“That’s kinda what it was today versus the tempo — just lining up to them,” he said.

Costly penalties are among Napier’s other concerns.

UF averages just 48 yards in penalties against FBS competition, third fewest in the SEC. Entering Saturday, the Gators gift-wrapped four touchdowns with defensive penalties during its two FBS games.

A questionable personal foul call on tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. erased an electrifying 65-yard touchdown by sophomore receiver Aidan Mizell.

Florida head coach Billy Napier reacts to a play from the sidelines during the Gators win at Mississippi State Sept. 21 in Starkville. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

“They’ve got a hard job to do, much like we have a hard job to do,” Napier said of the officials. “Those are tough judgment calls.”

A pair of pass interference calls in the span of four plays by on nickel back Sharif Denson, including on 4th-and-3, gave Mississippi State 1st-and-goal but the Bulldogs fumbled three plays later following a poor pitch during an option play.

“Big, big momentum play,” Napier said. “Really great to see our defense kind of stand up there.”

It was a rare sight at Mississippi State. Napier hopes signs of hope await during the bye week.

“We have to develop practice plans that reflect the areas where we need to improve,” he said. “That’ll be the challenge on all three parts of our team. We got to really take a good look at where our issues are at, at the self scout, and then getting ready for a Power Five opponent coming to the Swamp.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

In this Dolphins Deep Dive video, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins and David Furones discuss quarterback Skylar Thompson, who was playing after starter Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion in Week 2, getting injured in Miami’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. They also give updates on all the injuries the Dolphins suffered Sunday.

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If only it was only the quarterback situation.

If only it was only about injured Tua Tagovailoa’s backup, Skylar Thompson, being hurt in the third quarter.

If only the Miami Dolphins’ 24-3 loss at the Seattle Seahawks only had to be explained by third-string quarterback Tim Boyle being called on to save the day in the third quarter.

But the day was unsavable long before that. Maybe it was in trouble since February when this organization decided to bet the season on Thompson’s seventh-round pedigree, if it came to that.

Or maybe all quarterback problems this team now faces provide cover for some other problems. The defense, so strong by Sunday’s end, gave up 17 points on three of Seattle’s first four drives.

That was the third time in three games the Dolphins have fallen behind by double figures in the first half, too. So, you see, it wasn’t just a Sunday problem or a quarterback problem.

Its looks bigger than that. It’s an organizational problem that’s got to get solved quick. Look at a snapshot of what happened after the Dolphins got the ball at the Seattle 48 in the second quarter with the day still alive.

They got four penalties on four consecutive times they lined up: False start by Liam Eichenberg; illegal formation by Austin Jackson; illegal formation by Julian Hill; and unnecessary roughness by Duke Riley.

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Sure, the refs thought everyone came to see them, considering each team had 11 penalties on it. But four consecutive penalties? And Hill had a four-penalty game — and remained a part of the day (even having two late catches).

That last penalty by Riley negated a punt that had Seattle pinned at its 6-yard line. Seattle started instead at its 42.

Do you see how the day went? How they stacked problems on top of the quarterback problem?

One more question: Is general manager Chris Grier still chuckling about the media wondering about the offensive line like he was last month?

You’d like to lean on a good line with quarterbacks going down, especially with Seattle missing defensive linemen and linebackers. You don’t have to look at the rushing yards 18 times for 65 yards to judge how that went.

You shouldn’t look at Thompson being sacked five times, considering he was the cause of a lot of that. You don’t even have to know left tackle Terron Armstead left in the second quarter with an eye injury after leaving the previous week with a shoulder injury after not practicing all summer due to concern over injury. It was revealed after the game that Armstead is in the concussion protocol.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Perkins and Furones on Skylar Thompson’s injury, Miami’s loss to Seahawks in Seattle | VIDEO

Just look at what happened when the Dolphins had first down at the Seattle 3 early in the fourth quarter. Score here and there’s still a chance.

First down: De’Von Achane, not exactly a power back, lost a yard up the middle. Second down: Achane up the middle to the 2-yard line.

But after a couple tries, McDaniel didn’t trust going to the run on third down. Just like, on fourth-and-1 at Seattle’s 39 on their first possession, the previously fourth-down gambler of a coach opted for a 57-yard field goal attempt that missed.

This time, on third down from the 2-yard line, tight end Durham Smythe couldn’t bring in a catchable ball. Boyle threw incomplete on fourth down. And that was all Sunday wrote.

There’s a line old football people use: “Bad lines don’t travel.” But, again, it wasn’t just a line story or a quarterback story.  This offense rallied to score 20 points in the opener and had 10 in the second game that had Tagovailoa through three quarters.

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were the engines of this offense last season. But they haven’t looked like that other than a few big plays in the Jacksonville opener.

That didn’t change Sunday. If Buffalo squeezed them in the second game, Seattle squeezed harder squeezed Sunday. Hill had three catches for 40 yards on Sunday, Waddle four for 26.

So Seattle’s defense said anyone but those two can beat us. Just like Buffalo did. Just like a lot of teams did at the end of last season.

Here’s the scary part: Seattle might be 3-0, but isn’t a team that looks 3-0. This is a game the Dolphins should have been in no matter who their quarterback is if they’re as good as they’ve been saying.

Instead they didn’t last the first quarter.

Instead this season has the feel of being on the ropes after a Sunday that left you sleepless in Seattle.

Instead, as much as the quarterback situation is a problem, the larger problem is it’s not just the quarterback situation.

SEATTLE — Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson made his first start since the 2022 playoffs on Sunday. But Thompson, who left the game with 9:35 left in the third quarter after being shoved to the ground, fared worse during Sunday’s 24-3 loss at Seattle than he did in that wild-card round loss at Buffalo.

Few fared well Sunday for the Dolphins. Not coach Mike McDaniel. Not wide receiver Tyreek Hill. No one.

Beyond that, penalties are an issue again (they were an issue in 2022).

The Dolphins (1-2) could use some good fortune very quickly, or this season’s playoff hopes will take a big downturn.

Here are some more takeaways from Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks: 

Skylar struggles, but so does OL

Quarterback Skylar Thompson didn’t have a good day before leaving the game with 9:35 left in the third quarter after a hit by linebacker Dre’Mont Jones.

A few plays earlier, Thompson went down due to a big hit but seemed OK on the sideline after some apparent initial discomfort.

But his offensive line didn’t do much to help him. And for that matter, neither did his other offensive teammates.

Thompson finished 13 of 19 for 107 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, five sacks and an 82.6 passer rating.

He didn’t seem to have much pocket presence.

But he also didn’t have much time to throw as the five sacks would attest. The Dolphins’ offensive line also had a rough day Sunday. More on that later.

Quarterback Tim Boyle replaced Thompson and at this point newly-acquired Tyler “Snoop” Huntley is the backup quarterback. — Chris Perkins

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Dolphins have trailed much of season

Seattle took a 3-0 lead on a 56-yard field goal by kicker Jason Myers in the first quarter. That meant the Dolphins have allowed their opponent to score first in all three games.

It also extended the time the Dolphins have trailed this season. Miami has technically not held a lead. Their only lead vs. Jacksonville was as time expired on kicker Jason Sanders’ 52-yard game-winning field goal.

McDaniel falls to below .500 for first time in his career

Coach Mike McDaniel is below .500 for the first time in his career with the Dolphins’ loss at Seattle and their 1-2 season record.

The closest McDaniel came previously was in 2022 when the Dolphins were 8-8 after their five-game losing streak. They defeated the New York Jets to finish 9-8 and make the playoffs. 

McDaniel is now 21-16 (.568) and 21-18 including playoffs (.538).

Offensive line finishes without Armstead

Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead, who battled shoulder and knee injuries during the past week, left the game late in the second quarter with an eye injury and didn’t return. It was revealed after the game that Armstead is in the concussion protocol. 

Veteran Kendall Lamm replaced Armstead.

But the offensive line is often leaky without Armstead and Sunday was no exception.

Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall ended with 2.0 sacks. Jones and fellow linebackers Boye Mafe and Tyrel Dodson each had one sack as did nose tackle Jarran Reed.

The Dolphins allowed six sacks.

The offensive’s pass protection skills, which were minimized because quarterback Tua Tagovailoa got rid of the ball so quickly, become more of a factor with quarterbacks such as Thompson and Boyle, who don’t get rid of the ball as quickly as Tagovailoa.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Perkins and Furones on Skylar Thompson’s injury, Miami’s loss to Seahawks in Seattle | VIDEO

Tyreek targets way, way down

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill (three receptions, 40 yards) had only five targets in the game, and three targets through the first half.

Miami ended the half with 16 pass attempts and right running attempts. It ended the game with 32 passes and 18 rushes.

Hill, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (five targets, four receptions, 26 yards) and running back De’Von Achane (five targets, three receptions, 28 yards) each had three targets in the first half.

Achane also had five first-half carries.

Penalties continue to mount

The Dolphins, who entered Sunday’s game with 16 penalties (tied for seventh in the league) for 153 yards (tied for fifth), ended with 11 penalties for 85 yards.

Tight end Julian Hill had two holding penalties and an illegal motion.

The Dolphins ended the first half with seven penalties for 50 yards.

Seattle didn’t fare any better. The Seahawks ended with 11 penalties for 92 yards.

DK Metcalf takes a toll on Dolphins defense

Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, who ended with four receptions for 104 yards and one touchdown, had two receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

For much of the game All Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey was on Metcalf. 

But on Metcalf’s 71-yard touchdown Ramsey appeared to think he had safety help. He released Metcalf after a double move. Safety Jevon Holland appeared to bite, and then he was too late to catch Metcalf.

There was also a 22-yard reception that Metcalf had vs. cornerback Kendall Fuller down the sideline. Fuller, by the way, left the game with a concussion in the first half. He was replaced by cornerback Kader Kohou.

Injuries continue to mount

You know about the Dolphins’ injuries to Thompson (chest), Armstead (eye) and Fuller (concussion). But rookie cornerback Storm Duck (shoulder) also left the game.

Duck was replaced by Siran Neal, the special teams ace. Neal played the boundary in the nickel, same as Duck, and Kohou stayed as the slot.

Additionally, linebacker David Long Jr. sustained a hamstring injury.

Veteran running back Raheem Mostert (chest) missed his second consecutive game.

There’s no word on the long-term outlook for Thompson, Armstead, Fuller or Long. Duck re-entered the game.

Dolphins’ offense needs more muscle

Twice the Dolphins offense was inside the Seahawks’ 6-yard line and came away without a touchdown.

The Dolphins don’t have a big, hard-running running back so they used the 188-pound Achane for much of their inside running.

They also tried to throw to tight end Durham Smtyhe but it was just out of his reach and he couldn’t come down with the ball.

The Dolphins had the ball at the Seattle 6 after a Kohou interception in the first quarter. But they settled for a 23-yard field goal by kicker Jason Sanders and a 10-3 deficit.

In the fourth quarter the Dolphins got to Seattle’s 2-yard line but couldn’t punch it in.

Miami’s offense seems to need more muscle for short-yardage situations.

Road woes continue

The Dolphins fell to 7-11 (.389) on the road in the regular season under McDaniel and 7-13 (.350) on the road including playoffs.

As a reminder, four of the Dolphins’ next six games are on the road.

The opponent is almost irrelevant.

The Dolphins struggle away from Hard Rock Stadium. Period.

Dolphins’ pass rush looked like their 2023 record-setters

After a basically silent game against the Bills, the Dolphins, whose pass rush set a franchise mark with 56 sacks last year, entered the Seahawks game with only three sacks and four quarterback hits. Against Geno Smith and company, they doubled their season sack total and also saw two near-sacks turned into huge batted-ball interceptions. Calais Campbell had a sack and one of those tip balls and Zach Sieler had a sack and an interception after Campbell’s bat. The front four gave the Dolphins a chance in this game. — Steve Svekis

The Dolphins are 4 for 4 in a category they want no part of

When DK Metcalf caught his first quarter-ending touchdown and the Seahawks tacked on the extra point to make it 17-3, it meant that Miami has trailed by at least 14 points in each of the three games this season. The Dolphins trailed the Jacksonville Jaguars 14-0 in the season opener before rallying to win, and then lost to the Buffalo Bills by 21. When including the 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in January in the playoffs, that makes it four consecutive such games. The last time the Dolphins trailed by at least 14 points in four consecutive games was from Games 1-4 of the Tank for Tua decimated-roster season of 2019.

The scourge of tackles for loss allowed continues

The Dolphins, who allowed a decimating 19 tackles for loss in their first two games, allowed five by halftime in Seattle and nine for the game, making it at least nine TFLs in each contest. The 28 TFLs for the season put Miami on pace for an inconceivable 158.

More road rash for the Dolphins

Since Oct. 1, 2022, the Dolphins have almost inconceivably gone 0-11 on the road against teams who had a record of .500 or better at the time.

Julian Hill has had a flag-strewn start to the season

The reserve tight end has had at least one penalty per game, and has a total of five in fewer than 100 snaps participated in on offense. Ouch.

Yards not the only aspect of the passing game that has fallen off a cliff

Much has been made of the two-deep safety looks having been responsible for a precipitous drop in pass yardage (from 2023’s 218.9 passing yards per game to this season’s 192.7 going into Sunday). The league, heading into Sunday’s action, was on an early pace for only 41 illegal contact flags this season. Last year, there were 90 illegal contact automatic first downs. The Dolphins came into the game in Seattle with no such penalties called against them or to their benefit.

On deck: Tennessee Titans, Monday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., Hard Rock Stadium

If the Dolphins aren’t breathing fire for this opponent, whose 28-27 win at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 14 last year derailed their chances to win the AFC East and host a playoff game for the first time in 15 years, then nothing will. … Quarterback Will Levis has been a crucial turnover machine, throwing a game-losing pick-six in Chicago in the opener, putting the ball on the ground at the Jets’ 6 on an attempted lateral while leading New York 7-0 in a game they lost 24-17, and then threw an crucial interception for a touchdown against the Packers that made the score 17-7 during Sunday’s 30-14 loss in Nashville.

SEATTLE — Down to their second quarterback and then their third, the Miami Dolphins never quite stood a chance in one of the NFL’s most hostile road environments Sunday afternoon once they fell behind early.

Already replacing starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, backup Skylar Thompson exited Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks early in the second half with a rib injury, bringing the team to No. 3 quarterback Tim Boyle by the end of the 24-3 defeat at Lumen Field.

Miami (1-2) is under .500 in a season for the first time in coach Mike McDaniel’s three years at the helm. Sunday’s result in Seattle marks another loss against a winning team as the Seahawks improved to 3-0.

“It’s going to take a better effort from everyone, starting with myself.” McDaniel said after the game. “Consistency has to be found from the nucleus. The guys who truly know the offense need to really be on it. We have to just keep chopping wood and get better fast.

“I have never won a game scoring 3 points, so I think, collectively, starting with me, that has to be better, and we have to get it figured out fast. … Every single season, there’s teams that find a way to win football games when their starter or even their backup is out. That’s what we’re signed up for this year in the present situation.”

Where do Dolphins players take it from here?

Ramsey, using very few words in a three-question podium press conference at Lumen Field, replied: “Up a notch.”

“There’s a lot of ball left,” said Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler, who had an interception and a sack. “Everything’s in front of us. It’s only Week 3.”

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Thompson took a big third-down sack early in the third quarter from Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson. He was slow to get up and barely moved his right shoulder as he jogged back to the sideline, while also reaching for his chest/rib area.

Even after that hit, though, Thompson did not go into the injury tent and went back in for an ensuing drive, but on that series, he was pushed down and contacted on the right shoulder as he threw a pass to the flat.

Thompson was down for several minutes as trainers tended to him. Once he was up and walking on his own power, Thompson was escorted straight to Miami’s visiting locker room. He was ruled out for what was first deemed a chest ailment deep into the third quarter. McDaniel later clarified the quarterback hurt his ribs.

Boyle entered for Thompson as the Dolphins’ backup after he was signed to the active roster from the practice squad Saturday. Miami had Tyler Huntley on the active roster but inactive pregame and available only as an emergency third quarterback.

Thompson was 13 of 19 for 107 yards at the time of his departure, as Miami struggled to get any offense going in Seattle.

Boyle got the offense moving slightly — some once the outcome was settled — and finished 7 of 13 for 79 yards passing.

“We’re down a couple of scores but you got to go out and prove what you got,” Boyle said of his mentality going in. “It tells a lot about your character as a person and as a competitor.”

Dolphins star wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were held to three receptions for 40 yards and four catches for 26 yards, respectively. McDaniel credited the Seahawks defense for schematically taking Hill out of the game, but noted Miami has to improve and finding ways to get him the ball. Running back De’Von Achane had 30 yards rushing and 28 receiving.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Perkins and Furones on Skylar Thompson’s injury, Miami’s loss to Seahawks in Seattle | VIDEO

Miami, like Seattle, had 11 penalties. The Dolphins’ went for 85 yards and the Seahawks’ 92. Miami was 1 for 12 on third downs Sunday. McDaniel attributed his team’s penalties to how it handled the loud road environment in Seattle.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, a Miramar High product, was 26 of 34 for 289 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions that were off of deflections. Smith’s touchdown went 71 yards to DK Metcalf, who had four catches for 104 yards.

Seattle burst out to a 10-0 lead when running back Zach Charbonnet, who scored twice Sunday, plunged for a 4-yard rush up the middle that followed a remarkable grab by the physically imposing Metcalf, elevating to get the ball over cornerback Kendall Fuller along the right sideline.

Even when the Dolphins were gifted field position at the Seattle 5-yard line from a Kader Kohou interception, they couldn’t punch it in. Jason Sanders kicked the short field goal after the Miami offense went nowhere.

On the following play from scrimmage, the Seahawks made the Dolphins further pay. Metcalf got open deep over the top of the Miami secondary, with safety Jevon Holland the nearest defender in the Cover-2 look. Metcalf hauled in the 71-yard touchdown reception from Smith.

The Miami defense kept the team in the game through the second and third quarters, getting off the field on third downs. Late in the third period, Sieler had an interception off a tipped ball by Calais Campbell to create a takeaway.

Boyle drove the Dolphins 50 yards to the Seahawks 2-yard line, but the drive concluded when the third-string quarterback threw incomplete to Achane at the pylon after Achane fell from apparent contact with a defender.

Charbonnet, who finished with 91 rushing yards on 18 carries, and the Seattle run game put together a long drive to put Miami away deep into the fourth. He scored his second touchdown from 10 yards out.

The Dolphins had a peculiar end to the first half. Around midfield, instead of throwing to the end zone for a Hail Mary, threw to the middle of the field to tight end Jonnu Smith. It drew a defensive penalty, though, for an untimed down, but even then, Thompson did not throw the end zone and was lit up on a hit from behind. Seattle finished with six sacks.

McDaniel said after the game he wanted to put Seattle in a position to defend, which could possibly draw a pass interference to bring the team within field goal range. He alluded to the same strategy working last year in the road win at the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Seahawks’ opening series resulted in a 56-yard field goal from kicker Jason Myers. Defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand recorded a sack, coming up the middle to take down Smith after beating right guard Anthony Bradford with an inside rip move.

After Seattle converted its long field, Miami did not, with Jason Sanders missing a 57-yarder wide left. The Dolphins picked up 22 yards, from Thompson to Achane, on the opening offensive play, but they failed on a third-and-1, giving the ball to running back Jeff Wilson Jr. for no gain before sending out the kicker on fourth-and-1. The Dolphins did not get what could’ve been a horse-collar penalty called on a 9-yard first-down rush by Jaylen Wright a few plays earlier.

McDaniel said he kicked the field goal because he liked how Sanders was connecting with the ball before the game.

Sieler, Campbell and Hand had sacks for the Dolphins in Seattle.

Braxton Berrios turned in a 44-yard punt return in the first half that didn’t result in points.

“It’s early,” Campbell said. “It’s not the end of the world, but it still sucks.”

Tagovailoa is still out on injured reserve while he works through concussion protocol. The IR designation sidelines him at least the next three games after Sunday’s game against the Seahawks. He was on the sideline after traveling with the team to Seattle.

The Dolphins, after the long travel of more than 3,000 miles back to South Florida, have an extra day before their Week 4 game, facing the Tennessee Titans back at Hard Rock Stadium for a Monday night game on Sept. 30.

Quick thoughts from South Florida Sun Sentinel staffers on the Miami Dolphins’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Sunday:

Chris Perkins, Dolphins Columnist

This was a total disaster. Injuries. Penalties. Bad execution. The Dolphins need to find something they can rely on. Defense. Special teams. A run game. Something. Anything. Or else it’s going to be a miserable existence for the next few weeks.

David Furones, Dolphins Writer

The Dolphins can’t seem to stay healthy. They didn’t have much of a chance in Seattle with Skylar Thompson, but now he’s down, as are several others as this roster is constantly getting hurt.

Steve Svekis, Assistant Sports Editor

The only aspect of the Dolphins’ operation that noticeably showed up in Seattle was their pass rush, with three sacks and a major pressure by Emmanuel Ogbah to create an interception at the Seahawks’ 6 and a batted ball by Calais Campbell that created a Zach Sieler interception. Otherwise, what an atrocious showing. They are fortunate to have two NFL cupcakes (Titans and Patriots) coming up in Weeks 4 and 5. If Miami isn’t 3-2 at the bye week, look out below.

Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports Editor

Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson looked very much like rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson, and then he was injured as the Dolphins appeared overwhelmed by the Seahawks and their surroundings. The next two games against the Titans and Patriots, beatable opponents, see their importance ratcheted up.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Perkins and Furones on Skylar Thompson’s injury, Miami’s loss to Seahawks in Seattle | VIDEO

MIAMI — When elections officials in Palm Beach County emailed ballots last week to military and overseas voters, they failed to notice a typographical error: The name of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Democratic nominee for vice president, was misspelled as “Tom Walz.”

The office was made aware of the error less than 18 hours after the ballots went out, Wendy Sartory Link, the county’s elections supervisor, said Sunday.

“The error was isolated to 257 electronic ballots,” she said in an email, adding that the misspelling had been “immediately corrected.” The affected voters were emailed a recommendation to download the updated ballot, she said.

The New York Times learned of the error from a concerned voter overseas who sent the newspaper a screenshot of her misspelled ballot. The voter said she had contacted Link’s office but not yet received a response.

Link — a Democrat whose reelection bid is on the ballot — said her office had sent an “accurate ballot file” to its vendor. The vendor then made a “manual typed change” to the ballot and “incorrectly typed ‘Tom’ instead of ‘Tim.’”

“The elections office was never notified of the manual change,” she said.

She said that the error would not affect the counting of the votes. “The error in no way affects the proper tabulation of any of the electronic ballots and every vote will count as the voter intended,” Link said. “This error does not affect any other military and overseas ballots or domestic ballots.”

During the 2000 presidential election recount, Palm Beach County became notorious for its “butterfly ballot,” which listed candidates on both sides of the ballot, with voters required to punch a corresponding hole in the middle. But the order of candidates listed did not align with the holes to punch.

After the election, many voters said — and data showed — that they had intended to vote for then-Vice President Al Gore, the Democrat, but had instead voted for Pat Buchanan, the Reform Party candidate.

Florida determined the outcome of the 2000 election, with George W. Bush beating Gore by fewer than 600 votes.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

A Pompano Beach man is in jail on a murder charge after allegedly using his Ford F-250 truck to run over the 29-year-old mother of his child on Saturday night, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. near an apartment complex at 130 SW Eighth St. in Pompano Beach, where BSO deputies and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responding to a call discovered two victims who had been struck and dragged by a vehicle. They were identified as Pompano Beach residents Brenda Hernandez Amaya, 29, and Omar Munguia-Henrique, 32.

A preliminary investigation by detectives with BSO’s Homicide and Crime Scene Units found that a verbal dispute occurred between Hernandez Amaya and Edwin Amaya, 32, of Pompano Beach, over their shared child.

Detectives said that during the argument Amaya got into his truck and intentionally struck Hernandez Amaya before barreling into several parked cars with Munguia-Henrique hanging onto the vehicle. Amaya then fled on foot, the BSO report stated.

Paramedics transported the victims to Broward Health North where Hernandez Amaya was pronounced dead. Munguia-Henrique was treated for injuries that were not life threatening.

BSO deputies soon located Amaya and arrested him in the 700 block of South Dixie Highway. Amaya was transported to the Broward County Main Jail and faces one count of premeditated murder.

At election time, we expect deep-pocket donors to buy TV ads that aren’t true. Here’s a fact check on those lying ads about Amendment 4, to ban government interference with abortion in Florida. Amendment 4 would simply restore Florida law to where it was before July 2022.

Clinics will still be strictly regulated by the state. A parent will still need to sign the form for a minor.

“Viability” means that, with good medical care, a pregnancy can survive outside the mother’s body. Every pregnancy is different, so a doctor and medical team must make this determination (the average is 24 weeks).

Elective abortion after viability has never been legal in Florida. Amendment 4 will not change this. After viability, if there’s a pregnancy-related emergency or illness, doctors will always try to save the mother and the infant. When this is not possible, doctors must save the mother.

High-risk obstetricians, who are most qualified to save the mother and infant, are becoming afraid to practice in Florida and other states with abortion bans. They may leave. Medical students cannot receive full ob-gyn training here, and recently certified ob-gyns are reluctant to move here.

A vote for Amendment 4 is a vote to keep pregnancy decisions within the family where they belong. It is also a vote of support for the professionals who give good prenatal, birthing and postpartum care.

H. Joan Waitkevicz, M.D., West Palm Beach

Standing with Haitians

Gov. Ron DeSantis has again failed his constituents.

Although Florida has the largest population of Haitians of any state, DeSantis is too cowardly to criticize Donald Trump’s demonizing of the Haitian people. Many Republicans have rebuked Trump’s vile statements, but our governor trembles at the thought of criticizing Trump.

Whenever DeSantis is afraid of being asked a tough question, he runs and hides behind a softball interview at Fox.

Not only should Haitians be ashamed of him, but all Floridians should. They should also stand in solidarity with our Haitian neighbors.

Martin Kleinbart, Aventura

Lying about Ohio

Admitting they were wrong isn’t anything the Trump campaign does, so the city of Springfield, Ohio, is embroiled in bomb threats, school closures and other disruptions built on the lie that Haitians were stealing people’s cats and dogs and eating them.

JD Vance knew they were false when he spread the story, according to The Wall Street Journal. So he has taken to the familiar strategy of deflection, blaming the media for not fact-checking the people of Springfield. “That is bullying on an industrial scale, and the media should be ashamed,” he said.

No, what’s bullying on an industrial scale is intentionally spreading a falsehood that endangers the Haitian community.

Vance is trafficking in racism. He claims the media is being unprofessional. JD is not being presidential, and neither is Donald Trump, who continues to spread these lies.

Richard Beardsley, Boca Raton

They can’t make the sale

The basic rule of any sale is not to turn off your customer before your product gets a positive thought.

Why would Republicans get involved in abortion? (Too controversial.) Why pursue the idea of immigrants eating dogs and cats?

These two issues show they don’t know how to make a sale. Sell your positive ideas to the country. If you can’t understand this concept, how can you run the country? This leads me to believe that Republicans can’t make the sale.

Stanley Greenbaum, Delray Beach

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STARKVILLE, Miss. — Florida’s 45-28 win against Mississippi State validated the Gators’ new two-quarterback system, ended a seven-game losing streak against FBS foes and continued to raise concerns about a struggling defense. A bye week offers a breather and chance for UF (2-2, 1-1 SEC) to take inventory before an Oct. 5 visit from UCF.

Montrell Johnson Jr. might not be the Gators’ best RB

The veteran leader had 90 yards from scrimmage, including a team-high 68 of UF’s 226 yards rushing. But he needed 15 carries, had a fumble and was at times overshadowed.

Sophomore Treyaun Webb ran harder (41 yards, 8 carries) and is a better blocker while true freshman Jadan Baugh’s explosiveness (53 yards, 4 carries) continues to impress. Former junior-college transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson showed superior speed on a 10-yard touchdown run, along with soft hands on 2 catches for 27 yards.

A four-year starter for Billy Napier, Johnson is unlikely to lose his No. 1 spot. For the Gators to be their best, he will have to share the ball more.

Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (1) tries to avoid the tackle from Mississippi State linebacker Branden Jennings (44) during the Gators’ 45-28 win Sept. 21 in Starkville. (AP Photo/James Pugh) Edge rusher Jack Pyburn’s remarkable comeback continued

Pyburn is showing no ill effects from a torn ACL suffered during a Nov. 5 loss to Arkansas. At Mississippi State, he might have been the Gators’  most active defender, finishing with 6 tackles, including 1 for loss, and helping disrupt a fourth-down option play at the goal line that led to a fumble.

A junior from Jacksonville, Pyburn stepped in for Justus Boone, another Gator recovering from ACL surgery he underwent three months prior to Pyburn.

Florida wide receiver Aidan Mizell (11) tries to break a tackle from Mississippi State safety Hunter Washington (21) during the Gators’ 45-28 win at Mississippi State Sept. 21 in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/James Pugh) Orlando’s Aidan Mizell nearly had monster day

Mizell replaced injured star Tre Wilson (knee) and showed his big-play potential. He finished with a team-high 5 catches for 36 yards but could have had much more.

Officials erased an electrifying 65-yard touchdown, featuring Mizell cutting across the field and outracing several players, with a questionable personal foul call on Johnson for blindsiding a Mississippi State defender facing him head on and in pursuit.

Earlier, officials failed to blow a whistle as Mizell’s knee barely grazed the ground following a 1-yard catch on 3rd-and-3. The 6-foot-1 ½, 186-pound sophomore with sprinter’s speed gained his balance to complete a 68-yard touchdown that was reversed to a short gain.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Today is Sunday, Sept. 22, the 266th day of 2024. There are 100 days left in the year. Autumn begins at 8:43 a.m. EDT.

Today in history:

On Sept. 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all enslaved people in Confederate states should be freed as of Jan. 1, 1863, if the states did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union.

Also on this date:

In 1776, during the Revolutionary War, Capt. Nathan Hale, 21, was hanged as a spy by the British in New York.

In 1957, Haitian women were allowed to vote for the first time, 153 years after Haiti became an independent country; François Duvalier was elected president.

In 1975, Sara Jane Moore fired two shots in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate President Gerald R. Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, missing Ford by inches.

In 1980, the Persian Gulf conflict between Iran and Iraq erupted into a full-scale war that would continue for nearly eight years.

In 1985, rock and country music artists participated in “Farm Aid,” a concert staged in Champaign, Illinois, to help the nation’s farmers.

In 1993, 47 people were killed when an Amtrak passenger train fell off a bridge and crashed into Big Bayou Canot near Mobile, Alabama.

In 2014, the United States and five Arab nations launched airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, sending waves of planes and Tomahawk cruise missiles against an array of targets.

In 2017, as the scale of the damage from Hurricane Maria started to become clearer, Puerto Rican officials said they could not contact more than half of the communities in the U.S. territory, where all power had been knocked out to the island’s 3.4 million people.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Singer-choreographer-actor Toni Basil is 81.
• Musician King Sunny Adé (ah-DAY’) is 78.
• Football Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael is 75.
• Rock singer David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) is 73.
• Actor Shari Belafonte is 70.
• Singer Debby Boone is 68.
• Country singer June Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 68.
• Singer Nick Cave is 67.
• Singer Andrea Bocelli (an-DRAY’-ah boh-CHEL’-ee) is 66.
• Singer-musician Joan Jett is 66.
• Actor Scott Baio is 64.
• Actor Bonnie Hunt is 63.
• Actor Mireille Enos is 49.
• Soccer player Thiago Silva is 40.
• Actor Tatiana Maslany is 39.
• Actor Tom Felton is 37.
• Actor Teyonah Parris is 37.
• Olympic gold medal skateboarder Coco Yoshizawa is 15.