Head Coach Zac Taylor

Frustrating loss. Our guys gave us a chance in the second-half defense. They scored on the first three drives of the game, and we thought it was going to be tough. I dont care what the stats say; they buckled down, and they gave up two field goals in the remainder of the game. Thats what we needed from them. Thats the response we needed. Thats not the response from a team thats 0-5 at the time and giving up as many rushing yards that were given up. The response was to buckle down and step up and make some plays, and they did that. Brandon Wilsons kickoff return for touchdown was the spark that we needed. Then, on offense, we continued to search for that identity. It didnt really feel like we had any drives in the second half. I think we had two an 11-play drive and then a four-play drive, and then, all of a sudden, two-minute drill. So, it was a strange game in that respect. But, again, we had guys trying to get us back in it. There was no quit. Its frustrating, trust me. You can throw out every stat that you want. Were not scoring points. Were not scoring touchdowns. Our red zone efficiency is terrible. But, the bottom line is, were 0-6, and our team has more fight than anybody Ive been around. I just told them when we do find that win, its going to be the most rewarding win youve had in your entire life. Because the guys are still fighting. The leadership is starting to step up. We have a group. Its tough, and this one hurt probably the most it feels like. But we gave ourselves the chance at the end when it looked really bleak. Weve fought back now two weeks in a row. Again, we dont put ourselves in the position in the first half to win the game, and thats disappointing, but its going to come. And its going to be very rewarding when it does. And this is a group that Im very proud of.

On why the team is having so much trouble against the run?

Theres a lot of things that are tough right now, and well have to watch and figure out what that reason was. This was a unique offense we faced. They present a lot of challenges. Again, its a silly thing to say. After the first three drives, they gave up some plays, but, again, they buckled down and kept the points off the board, and thats what we needed from them. We lost at one point three starters in the secondary. We had three D-linemen inactive, and weve got a bunch of guys out there fighting like crazy against an offense thats really well put together and, at the end of the day, they gave us a chance to win.

On rotating a lot of guys

Thats everything. Lets find the most energy we can find. Lets find the healthiest guys we can find, and lets just find a way to get a stop. In the end there, they found some ways to make stops and give us a chance.

On their third-straight game without an offensive touchdown

I can point to everything. Our rushing efficiency has not been very good. Were still trying to find our identity there. That part has been frustrating. Our red zone efficiency we get a turnover there in the first half. We started to have momentum at the end of the second quarter. I think that was the fourth possession we had in the game. We felt like we were moving the ball, and the field position was starting to turn in our favor. We get some momentum there, and the ball gets tipped and intercepted. Then again, we get down there at the four. Tough call, and we throw the ball to [Alex] Erickson on the sideline. That looked like a tough one. I thought we should have had the ball on the one, and we didnt. So, we kicked the field goal. The second drive, the defense gets the stop. And, again, the offense [has an] 11-play drive no points. Its killing us. You get these drives that start to flip the field, but we need the points that come with that. Again, just a very frustrating loss.

On what the Ravens did to take away the Bengals ground game

They were just being physical up front. Thats what it was. I wouldnt say they were doing anything schematically.

On the challenge of facing Lamar Jackson

Very challenging. Thats the most frustrating thing for a defense. You have a play covered, and hes an elite athlete. Weve played a couple of good athletes. Hes one of the rarest Ive seen in person. Just one little crease, and hes got 30 yards on you.

On the three players hurt in the secondary

Will Jackson was out for a little bit. I couldnt tell, to be honest with you. I saw him coming off. I wasnt sure if it was injury-related or fatigue.

On relinquishing play-calling duties

I have not. We still feel like we have a good plan going into every game. We havent scored enough points. We feel like every game were going to score plenty of points and give ourselves a chance to win. We just havent gotten it done.

On how he evaluates himself as a play caller

Weve won zero games and have not scored enough points. And that 100 percent falls on me. But I do like the communication we have as a staff. The play calls come out of my mouth. We have great chemistry as a staff. We put a good plan together, and we are all on the same page when the calls come out regardless of whose call it.

On WR Tyler Boyd being taken out of the game

They usually do that with Marlon Humphrey. He usually covers who they think is going to be the best receiver. Hes certainly been our leading receiver these last couple of games. So, thats what they like to do. They put Marlon Humphrey on him and theyve still got eyes on him from everyone because hes a dangerous guy.

On not playing WR A.J. Green

Theres no reason for that.

On the mood in their locker room being 0-6

I told these guys, For an 0-6 team, you wouldnt know it. No one has quit. Theres not one person in this locker room who has quit on us. The mood is still pissed off that we havent found a way to get the win, but everyone still believes. I meant it when I told them, This is two weeks in a row now where most teams that havent won a game would shut it down and go ahead and take the 25-point loss and move on. Woe is me and point fingers. I havent seen it. I havent seen it from one guy. Theyve all responded the way you want them to. Its going to be very rewarding when this thing clicks. It just hasnt done it yet, but when it does, its going to be very rewarding for you guys in this locker room.

On the excitement with the game plan

The whole plan we get excited about. We go into the game thinking, Alright, this is the plan thats going to give us the chance to win. Again, when we get to 10-plus-play drives, we have to score points. We cant just get down to the 40 and have to punt it. Thats really what has killed us; the turnover. You can say the guy made a great play from the back side and tipped the ball. Thats a tough one to stomach. They made a play, and we didnt. Those are just the times when you get down there. And weve had this conversation all year. Its the red zone efficiency thats killed us.

On the Bengals running game

"Were trying every combination we can possibly imagine to try and get this run game off the ground. It is frustrating.

On doing some different things with RB [Giovani] Bernard

Were working on it. Its hard when you are running for a yard or two per carry. And you do want to stick with it because you have to. But, at the same time, we found some great matchups in the passing game that we liked, and it was giving us 10-yard chunks. So, that was the direction we were heading in the second half. I dont know what the final rush total was. Its not good, probably not a lot of carries. But we found out if we want to give ourselves a chance to win, it needed to be covering some ground through the air.

On, as a play caller, how tough it is falling behind

Its not necessarily the defense. Were not scoring on offense. If we could have matched them score for score and been in it, and be able to call our stuff. Ive said it many times standing at this podium, Weve got to be better in the first half. We have to put points on the board and take the pressure off the defense.

QB Andy Dalton

On if the Ravens defense took WR Tyler Boyd away in the first half

Yeah, they did. They had a plan for him. He got a bunch of double teams in this game. Thats how they were playing him.

On whats keeping the offense from getting off to a good start

We obviously got the return for a touchdown, and then we went three-and-out. We had a chance, but the ball got tipped at the line of scrimmage it was one of those things where we had a good play That stuff happens, unfortunately. Thats why we ended up going three-and-out on the first drive.

On why he spiked the ball after he scored the rushing touchdown

I scored a touchdown. Its not my first time spiking it when I scored a rushing touchdown.

On if teams are playing them differently without WR A.J. Green

Absolutely. [Because] hes not on the field.

On what they need to do to get off to a faster start on offense

Thats what were trying to figure out. For us, weve got to take a hard look at everything that were doing. Weve got to make plays. Weve got to have the right plan going in not saying that we dont - thats not what Im saying at all. We have to look and see where were struggling, what can we do better? Everybodys got to do that. It starts with me, and it starts with the execution.

On what the Ravens did to stop the rushing attack

They had all their guys in the box. They made it hard for us to run.

On if hes surprised with how the team is taking being 0-6

Im not surprised at all. Weve got great guys here, weve got guys that are sticking together. For us to get things turned around, it has to be that way. I think the culture that [Bengals head coach] Zac [Taylor] has set here everybody is buying into it and has bought into it. So thats why guys are sticking together.

On if hes talked to the coaching staff about picking up the tempo of the offense

Obviously, weve done some good things, and weve been able to pick up the pace Obviously when you get to the end of these games, weve been able to move the ball pretty well, so well take a look at it and see if we feel like thats an area we need to go, then well definitely do it. I like it. Whatever is going to put points on the board.

On his rapport with WR Auden Tate

He played really well. Audens a guy thats so big, youve just got to give him opportunities to make plays. You can see with a lot of the catches that he had, using his size and with the ability to track the ball, he was able to make the play.

S Shawn Williams

We are getting better. We came out at times, and at first, it was a little shaky. We had to figure out what they were doing, but when we did, we did a pretty good job of adjusting. One thing I feel like we could have focused on more was keeping Lamar [Jackson] in the pocket. He is a good athlete, a good quarterback. He makes that team run. In the second half, when we made our adjustment, we really played well. We held them to three [points]. They are in the NFL too, so they are going to get their yards, but at the end of the day, we did get stops on third down, and we held them to three when they did get in the scoring zone.

He is a really great athlete. He is special. He can hit the edge and run like no quarterback I have ever played, at least that I can remember at this moment. We just have to go back to the gameplan for when we face him again. We kind of know the recipe. We have to stop them on first and second down, get them in third down, third down and long, keep [Lamar Jackson] in the pocket and make him throw to beat us. When he steps outside the pocket, he is as good as anyone. And today, he also made throws outside the pocket. So, they kind of won that today.

On defending the entire run game, not just Lamar Jackson

We cannot just tee off and rush. You have to be disciplined in your rush lanes. [Lamar Jackson] does a good job of extending plays on third down and getting them the extra first down that they need.

S Brandon Wilson

On his kickoff return for touchdown

I had some great blocks. I read my keys and just went for the score. There were some good blocks up front. Clayton [Fejedelem] and the guys up front did a great job opening it up for me.

On if he thought his touchdown would provide a spark

It would provide a spark because it was the first play of the game.

On whether he anticipated a short kick for the opening kick

Yes, kind of close to the goal line, somewhere around that range. I really only had to make one cut because they blocked it up so well. I do not know if I was touched or not.

On defending the Ravens offense

We just wanted to keep him [Lamar Jackson] in the pocket. That is what we really had to do. You just have to keep your eyes on your keys and do your job. Yeah, do your job.

DE Carl Lawson

We have got a lot of things we need to fix. There are things we have to correct. At the end of the day, the only thing we can do is go back to the drawing board and keep fighting and do not quit.

On whether the defense played better as the game went on

We definitely did. We settled down and did what we were supposed to do and play how we needed to. We had to play a great player [Jackson] and we have got another chance to play him again. When that opportunity comes, we need to do better.

On the Ravens running game

Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram II; that combination is dangerous when you have a running quarterback and a Pro Bowl running back. We have to keep [Jackson] in the pocket. We would rather him throw than run because he is so dangerous running. We just have to keep working.

TE Tyler Eifert

We fought hard. We had a couple short drives and three-and-outs. We just didnt get many opportunities in the second half. We had one long drive that we didnt get points on and they had a couple long drives, so we just got to keep battling. I feel like at times, we look pretty dang good, and then others, not so much. So, we just need to find some consistency.

On what they can take away from this game moving forward

Not very much. We just need to make the corrections. Were professionals, well come back to work on Monday, and well have a good week of practice and get ready to play another game next Sunday.

WR Auden Tate

On his personal performance

I think I played fairly well. When my number was called, I just tried to make a play. I did that on some occasions. Andy [Dalton] just trusted me, so I appreciated that. I wish we would have just came out with the win.

On if the Ravens focus on WR Tyler Boyd opened the offense up more for him

Yeah. that was a big thing we talked about all week. We knew they would be keying in on TB [Tyler Boyd], so it would be on me and 'AE [Alex Erickson] to kind of step up.

If a couple plays turned, we could easily be 3-3 or 4-2. Its not like we just get blasted. We know we can do it. Were all grown men. Theres not any point in giving up, so you do your job.

LB Nick Vigil

We gave up a lot of rushing yards. We let No. 8 [Lamar Jackson] get loose a couple times, but I think we did pretty good in the red zone. We held them to six points in the second half and it gave ourselves a chance.

Hes a good player. Hes tough to contain. We didnt do a good enough job setting edges and that was a lot of their run game him getting outside.

Weve got to win a game. Thats the thing, weve got to put it all together, especially stopping the run. On defense, if we dont stop the run, we dont stand a chance.

LB Preston Brown

On QB Lamar Jacksons play

Its tough, they did a lot of empty stuff, so he [Lamar Jackson] got easy reads and if they werent there, he was going to take off. He does a good job of making people miss. He's one of the most elusive, best players. They did a good job utilizing him and having him with a lead blocker. He was cutting it back, throwing outside and running around. He was just having fun on us, and thats what you never want to have done.

On the teams rush defense

Its tough. You think you have stuff idled up, guys are going another way and sometimes you just miss tackles. Weve got to go to the drawing board and see how exactly people keep getting these runs. Every week you look up and theres a lot of rushing yards. Thats something you never want to see. I dont think its a scheme thing, coaches do a great job every week of preparing us. Weve just got to make plays. So, weve just got to find ways to beat our blocks, to beat our man and tackle the man with the ball.

On being from Cincinnati and playing for the Bengals

I grew up seeing 2-14 teams and its something I never wanted to be a part of. Now, I'm trying each and every week to get that first win. We know what the whole city wants, and weve got to get this win.

CB William Jackson III

We want to win. That's what we care about the most. The guys that are out there are the guys that want to win. We just go out there. We never quit. We believe were going to win. The whole time, it could be 40-0, and we still believe we could win the game. I just love playing with guys like that, play through injuries. It's always frustrating, were competitive and we always want to win. We're here to do a job, but well keep moving forward and get that first win.

Thats devastating. Hes one of the leaders in the locker room. He's a good guy. It's football, its what we signed up for. I'll be glad when we get him back.

Link:
Taylor: "Our Team Has More Fight Than Anybody Around" - Bengals.com

LONDON Call it an act of homage, authorial daring or simply a playwright having a bit of fun, but Laura Wades The Watsons is one of this years smartest plays so far, and also among the sweetest. Picking up where Jane Austen left her unfinished novel of the same name, Ms. Wade brings these Regency-era characters to the stage accompanied by her modern-day self.

The giddy result was first seen last year at the Chichester Festival Theater, in southeast England, and has since transferred to the Menier Chocolate Factory through Nov. 16. I wouldnt be at all surprised if this play, like Ms. Wades previous works Posh and the Olivier Award-winning Home, Im Darling, finds a longer life still, not least among playgoers who like a bit of spice in their period pieces.

Ms. Wades conceit, clever without ever turning arch, allows her an onstage surrogate in the form of the bristling, quick-witted Laura (a terrific Louise Ford). Entering the action in contemporary street clothes that stand out from the bonnets and breeches around her, Laura reflects upon the act of writing while attempting to finish what Austen started early in the 19th century. (To this day, scholars are unsure why this particular Austen narrative never made it to the final sentence; the book was first published posthumously in 1871.)

Laura, of course, is a playwright, not a novelist, an important distinction that she addresses head-on: I like it when they clap, she says of the appeal of live performance. At the same time, existing in the here and now gives Laura access to a discourse about writing that would have been alien to Austen and the gentry she brought to the page. We hear about characters emerging from the unconscious, a psychological term Mrs. Bennet wouldnt have known to employ, and theres a Brexit-era quip about having to respect the result that surely would have received blank stares from Austen and her contemporaries.

One obvious forerunner of Ms. Wades frolics here is Luigi Pirandellos genre-bending Six Characters in Search of an Author, the 1921 classic in which a dramatist and his characters come to an uneasy face-off. The Watsons builds upon the themes of its iconic predecessor in offering an assemblage of Austen characters the young Emma Watson (a piquant Grace Molony) chief among them who clamor for something to do and, in at least one instance, resist being fictionalized at all. The onstage Laura admits to being in conversation with Pirandello, but the primary connection made by The Watsons is to its audience, who at a recent matinee seemed to be all smiles as events went their merrily unexpected way.

The production is robustly directed by Samuel West, who also happens to be Ms. Wades partner and the father of their two daughters (who are referred to in passing). Almost as remarkable as the sustained sleight-of-hand of the writing is the fact that the play boasts a cast of 18, the sort of scale youd usually expect from a musical. Might a song-and-dance extravaganza be yet another method of bringing closure to Austens novel? Were Ms. Wade moved in that direction, very little would appear to be off limits. You have to feel pulled toward your desk, were told of the primal need to write, as expressed by a writer for whom anything increasingly seems possible.

The Watsons is one of a clutch of London plays this season that either engage with dramatic shape-shifting or put unpredictable women center stage. Less accomplished, though on paper no less intriguing, is Two Ladies, at the Bridge Theater through Oct. 26. Across 100 minutes without an intermission, the Irish playwright Nancy Harris imagines a meeting between the wives of two world leaders who are brought together to commiserate, and more, while their (unseen) husbands talk realpolitik in a room not far away as revolution stirs in the streets outside.

The obvious prototypes for Helen (a peppery Zo Wanamaker) and Sophia (Zrinka Cvitesic) are Brigitte Macron, the wife of President Emmanuel Macron of France, and Melania Trump, the first lady of the United States. At the same time, enough is different about Ms. Harriss characters to individuate them from their inspirations: Helen is English, not French, and was once a journalist (although she is much older than her husband, as is the case with the Macrons); the excellent Ms. Cvitesic, an Olivier Award winner for the musical Once, plays an aggrieved spouse who is from her native Croatia, not Slovenia, and who speaks in the play of the child she never had; the Trumps, of course, have a young son.

As it happens, Two Ladies needs as many real-life parallels as it can muster once the plot has derailed into absurdity and melodrama. Its easy to see the appeal of this material to Ms. Harris as an exercise in female empowerment and agency Sophia, in particular, becomes emboldened as the play progresses but theres no escaping the sense that Nicholas Hytners production is working with an attenuated script that feels a draft or two away from its full potential. Two Ladies feels like a pitch for a play, not the finished product.

Thats not the case across town at the Royal Court, the capitals leading address for new writing, which in recent weeks has passed a provocative baton between two generations of female writers. A History of Water in the Middle East, at the Courts intimate Theater Upstairs through Nov. 16, goes one better than The Watsons in placing its British-Egyptian writer, Sabrina Mahfouz, among its cast of four in what turns out to be less a play than an illustrated lecture with music, played live by the composer, Kareem Samara.

Ms. Mahfouz traverses locations, as well as epochs past and future, to chronicle the saga of Britains engagement in the Middle East alongside the authors personal account of her flirtation with a career as a spy. If the hourlong evening feels a tad slight, Stef ODriscolls production exists cleverly perched between a lecture and a concert, which in turn flavors the instruction with a hipster vibe.

And theres no one more momentous, albeit unaffectedly so, in her playwriting finesse than Caryl Churchill, age 81, whose quartet of new plays finished an acclaimed, too-brief run on the Court main stage on Oct. 12. Fusing a deep sense of foreboding alongside an abiding playfulness, the various one-acts Imp, especially confirmed a masterful ability to experiment with both subject matter and form that remains without peer. Ms. Churchills 1982 play, Top Girls, was revived at the National Theater this year, and in her ninth decade, shes still at the top.

The Watsons. Directed by Samuel West. Menier Chocolate Factory, through Nov. 16.

Two Ladies. Directed by Nicholas Hytner. Bridge Theater, through Oct. 26.

A History of Water in the Middle East. Directed by Stef ODriscoll. Royal Court Theater Upstairs, through Nov. 16.

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Female Playwrights Are on Form (for the Most Part) - The New York Times

Story Highlights

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans are more likely to approve of President Donald Trump's job performance than they are to approve of him as a person in the latest Gallup poll, with his ratings on these measures coming in at 40% and 34%, respectively. The largest gaps in Trump's job and personal approval ratings are among Republicans and weekly churchgoers -- both with double-digit gaps. Democrats' approval ratings on the two dimensions are essentially the same (5% job and 6% personal).

Approval of President Donald Trump's Job Performance vs. Ratings of Him as a Person

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? Apart from whether you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, what do you think of Trump as a person? Would you say you approve or disapprove of him?

Trump's latest ratings are from a Sept. 16-30 Gallup poll, which spanned an unfolding saga regarding the president's reported attempts to solicit help investigating a potential election rival from foreign leaders. These events have led to an impeachment inquiry from the U.S. House of Representatives but have not immediately had a significant impact on Americans' assessments of Trump's performance as president. His current 40% job approval rating is just slightly lower than Trump's previous 43% in the first half of September. Internal numbers in the latest poll suggest that his approval rating was steady at 40% in both the first week (before the whistleblower case exploded) and the second week of interviewing.

Gallup also updated a question occasionally used with other presidents between 1999 and 2003, which asks respondents for their views of the president personally, separate from their views of his job performance. The question was initiated during the presidency of Bill Clinton as he presided over a strong economy but, like Trump, was embroiled in scandal.

Among most groups, approval of Trump's performance is higher than approval of him as a person.

Trump's 34% personal approval rating is similar to scores Clinton received toward the end of his presidency but much lower than those given to President George W. Bush in his early years in the White House.

The six percentage-point gap between Trump's personal and job approval ratings nationally is narrower than Gallup recorded for Clinton and Bush during their presidencies. However, unlike Trump, Clinton was much more popular as a president than he was as a person while the opposite was true for Bush.

Approval of a President's Performance vs. Approval as a Person, 1999-2019

With less than a year and a half left in office, roughly one in three Americans approved of Clinton personally -- ranging from 29% to 36% from 1999 to 2000. But his job performance ratings were much higher, by between 21 and 32 percentage points. It's likely that Clinton's image had been dinged by his own actions -- which came to light in the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the subsequent investigations. But with a booming U.S. economy, many Americans were willing to set aside reservations they had about him personally.

Though Clinton's and Trump's personal ratings are similar, all political party groups made distinctions between Clinton's performance and him as a person at the time -- whereas Democrats currently make no such distinctions for Trump. Additionally, Trump's personal image among Republicans is currently much more positive than was the case for Clinton in the eyes of Democrats.

Bush, on the other hand, received greater personal approval ratings than he received for his job performance in his early years in office. Bush enjoyed majority job approval in nearly all polls from 2001 to 2003, but Americans were even more likely to approve of him as a person by between eight and 13 percentage points. Bush's personal approval ratings -- which were taken both pre- and post-9/11 -- more than doubled his disapprovals, ranging from 65% to 70% from 2001 to 2003.

Ratings of Trump as a person are similar to those of Clinton in the final 16 months of his presidency, during a period when Clinton's personal behavior was being heavily criticized by both parties. But there was much more daylight between the personal and job performance ratings of Clinton, who had recently endured an impeachment himself at the time, than is currently the case for Trump.

Clinton's and Bush's respective ratings illustrate that Americans view presidents' performance differently than they view them as people, but that distinction might be lessened in the highly polarized political environment Trump governs in. It is also possible that Democrats' views of Trump are specific to him, seeing him as a president for whom the line between his personal and work behavior may be more blurred.

Still, Trump's personal ratings are sharply lower than his performance ratings among two groups that are key to his base: Republicans and regular churchgoers -- with less than half of the latter group approving of Trump as a person. This could put pressure on Trump to keep these groups satisfied through presidential actions and policies rather than the personal expressions he is wont to make.

Explore President Trump's approval ratings and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.

View complete question responses and trends.

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Trump Job Approval Higher Than Approval of Him as a Person - Gallup

Microsoft's Surface Pro X uses the company's SQ1 processor, a variation of Qualcomm's 8cx chip for Windows laptops.

We knew we'd get a bunch of new laptops at Microsoft's Surface event on Tuesday. What we didn't know is we'd also get a new Microsoft processor, a Qualcomm-derived chip called the SQ1. That chip in the new Surface Pro X carries a message from Microsoft: It's time for laptops to get phone-like all-day battery life, but not if that means sacrificing processing power to get there.

Microsoft's Surface products, with their integrated hardware and software, serve a dual role. First, they're a serious business at Microsoft. Second, they also let the company show consumers and other computer makers Microsoft's view of the future of personal computing.

The SQ1 gives Microsoft a bit more control over that future while telling software makers they'd better get with the program, too.

And it could offer better competition to Apple, whose influential designs already are tightly integrated. iPhones and iPads use Apple's own A series of Arm-family processors, and its future MacBookis rumored to be embracing Arm chips, too.

Now playing: Watch this: First look at Surface Pro X, Pro 7, Laptop 3

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For Microsoft, steering its own chip designs is "crucial for maximizing user experience and battery life, as Apple has demonstrated over the last decade with custom iPhone chips," Forrester analyst Frank Gillett said.

Arm-based PCs haven't caught fire so far, even with good battery life and an ability to connect to mobile networks. They just can't match the performance of x86-family chips from Intel and AMD, and there are software compatibility problems since mainstream software for x86 chips won't run on Arm machines.

But Microsoft isn't afraid to raise performance expectations this time around.

The SQ1 gives the Surface Pro X "incredible power," said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president for Microsoft's modern life, search and devices group. "We've got amazing graphics power. We're going to do AI on the chip."

The companies didn't share many performance specifics, though. The graphics performance is twice that of the eighth-generation Intel Core processor from two years ago or of last year's Qualcomm 850 smartphone chip, Qualcomm said. And Microsoft preferred to focus on efficiency, not raw performance, when comparing the Surface Pro X to its Intel-powered Surface Pro 6.

"This product has three times more performance per watt than the Surface Pro 6," Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay said at the event. That older model Microsoft laptop uses an Intel eighth-generation Core processor.

Microsoft is hardly abandoning Intel, its business partner for decades. Indeed, two new Surface designs rely on Intel chips -- the Ice Lake chip for premium laptops this year, like the 13-inch Surface Laptop 3, and the Lakefield chip for next year's more exotic dual-screen Surface Neo that's something like a folding tablet. Microsoft also shared the love with perennial Intel rival AMD, picking its mobile Ryzen chip for the 15-inch Surface Laptop 3.

But figuring out how to bring Arm chips into the Microsoft fold -- and let mainstream PC users benefit from battery life that means they can just leave their charger at home -- is the bigger challenge.

Arm licenses its chip designs and lets others build compatible models of their own design, and a rich library of options can be added -- "intellectual property" in industry licensing terms. That flexibility has let many Arm licensees tailor chips for different products, prices, performance and power consumption levels.

Microsoft's SQ1 processor for the Surface Pro X laptop

Now it's Microsoft's turn to do the tailoring. "We brought our engineering and we brought our IP with the Qualcomm team to build basically a brand-new chip," Mehdi said.

The move is "really smart," said Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart. "It suggests unique capabilities and it allows Microsoft to avoid direct comparisons with other Qualcomm-based products," the Arm-based laptops available from companies like HP, Lenovo, Asus and Samsung.

The SQ1 is based on Qualcomm's mainstream offering for PCs, the Snapdragon 8cx, Qualcomm said, but it's not the same chip you'll see in 8cx-based laptops. For one thing, the graphics processing unit (GPU) is different.

"The GPU and its cores were optimized for Surface Pro X specifically to enhance the performance and user experience for graphics-rich applications," Qualcomm said. "Microsoft wanted a truly mobile experience, from long battery life to rich displays to LTE connectivity and of course to be 'instant on' like a smartphone."

Boosting graphics performance is a good idea, said Real World Tech analyst David Kanter.

"Qualcomm's GPU can run Windows, but it's weaker than Intel, AMD and Nvidia graphics," he said. That's especially the case when it comes to the critical Windows DirectX drivers, software that apps use to control the graphics hardware, he said.

The SQ1 includes dedicated hardware: the fourth-generation AI Engine also used in the flagship Snapdragon 855 processor, Qualcomm said. Accelerating AI software boosts software that uses brainlike processing for tasks like understanding human speech, recognizing who's in a photo or automatically editing video.

One of the big sticking points for Arm PCs has been software incompatibility. The Surface Pro X and the fact that Microsoft is willing to co-design a special chip for it could help Microsoft lure those developers, though.

Adobe demonstrates its Fresco drawing app on Microsoft's Surface Pro X. It'll bring other Creative Cloud apps to Arm-powered PCs.

One big holdout has been Adobe, maker of Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Illustrator and many other apps used by creative types. But Adobe shared Microsoft's stage to demonstrate its new Fresco drawing app on the Surface Pro X and commit to bringing more of its Creative Cloud software suite along, too.

"Surface is an important platform for Creative Cloud and will become even more important in the future," said Scott Belsky, Adobe's chief product officer for Creative Cloud. More than half of today's Surface customers are also Creative Cloud customers, he said, so Adobe decided to bring "much of" the software suite to Arm-based Surface machines, he said.

"We're working hard to bring other key parts of Creative Cloud to the Surface Pro X as soon as possible," Belsky said. Adobe declined to share details about which apps besides Fresco will arrive, though.

Software support is the ultimate key to the success of the Surface Pro X and other Arm-based laptops, Forrester's Gillett said. "It all comes down to whether developers -- and Microsoft's Windows team -- can make the experience sing without x86 processors."

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Here's why Microsoft wanted a custom chip for the Surface Pro X's brains - CNET

DOHA, Qatar Dalilah Muhammad had no idea whether she had even won when she crossed the finish line on Friday night at Khalifa International Stadium. She had to look at the scoreboard to learn the results, she said, and it was only then that she realized what she had accomplished.

Muhammad, 29, had not only won the womens 400-meter hurdles title at the track and field world championships she had broken her own world record, too.

It feels good to have it come together when it matters most, she said.

Muhammad held off Sydney McLaughlin, her young American challenger, in the final meters to win in 52.16 seconds, four hundredths of a second better than the world record she had set in July at the United States championships. McLaughlin, 20, was runner-up in 52.23, which was a personal best and the third-fastest time ever.

Shes amazing, McLaughlin said of Muhammad, who grew up in Queens. Shes been doing this a long time, and Im just constantly trying to learn from her.

It has been an eventful couple of months for Muhammad, the reigning Olympic champion. A few weeks after her record run in July, she was soundly defeated by McLaughlin in Zurich.

Muhammad returned to California, where she lives and trains, and acknowledged that she was struggling with her mental approach ahead of the world championships. The world record had been on her mind for so long, she said, and she was wondering what she could find to motivate herself moving forward.

If nothing else, Muhammad wanted to claim her first world title after finishing second in 2013 and 2017. And there was the looming threat posed by McLaughlin, who may have more pure speed and appears primed to be the future of the event.

On Friday, though, Muhammad showed that the future is not now, even as she continued to dismiss the suggestion that she and McLaughlin have a rivalry.

I dont focus on Sydney or anyone else in the field, Muhammad said. I just try to focus on me and the finish line.

Muhammad and McLaughlin were the clear class of the field. Rushell Clayton of Jamaica finished third in 53.74, over a second and a half behind McLaughlin.

Muhammad earned a $100,000 performance bonus for setting a world record, according to the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Original post:
Dalilah Muhammad Breaks Her Own World Record in the 400-Meter Hurdles - The New York Times

PASADENA, Calif. Taking a spin around Oregon State football with 10 takeaways following the Beavers 48-31 win over UCLA in the Rose Bowl:

1. Oregon States offense might be best in Oregon

We heard for months this offseason what Oregon had for an offense. A Heisman Trophy-candidate quarterback. One of the countrys top offensive lines. OK. But now that were five games into the season, which offense would you rather have: Oregon State or Oregon? Could be the Beavers. While well acknowledge the Ducks have faced better FBS defenses than OSU, the gap isnt that great. OSU has scored 36-28-45-28-48 points this season. Thats good offense. The Beavers dont turn it over they have the countrys fewest turnovers with one and have balance, No. 39 rushing offense, No. 40 passing offense. Jake Luton is every bit as effective at quarterback as Oregons Justin Herbert in 2019, perhaps better. Luton has 14 touchdowns, no picks. The Beavers offensive line can hold up with just about any in the Pac-12, as theyre giving just over one sack a game. OSU probably has the Pac-12s best set of running back in Artavis Pierce and Jermar Jefferson. And, as the cherry on top, heres what Oregon doesnt have: Isaiah Hodgins. Hes proving to be the best receiver in the Pac-12, and perhaps among the top five in the country.

Might be best in state? Truth is, its probably not close.

2. Has Chip Kelly lost it?

Not sure who is wearing the head coachs headset on UCLAs sideline, but it cant be Chip Kelly. That cant be the coach who once led Oregon to a level it had never been before, and unlikely will return. Kelly used to be a guy who was three steps ahead of everyone. Now? Nearly a year and a half into their current jobs, Oregon States Jonathan Smith has a better record (4-13) than Kelly (4-14). And its plays like these that are driving Kellys Bruins into the ground.

Trailing 7-0, UCLA faces fourth-and-1 at its 34. Kelly, ever the gambler, decides to go for it. No problem there. But the call? Sheesh. Rather than run a short yardage power play, running back Joshua Kelley lines up seven yards in the backfield and takes a deep handoff. Oregon State, one of the Pac-12s best teams at getting into the backfield, has plenty of time to run down Kelley and hes thrown for a five-yard loss. Its soon 14-0.

Later in the game, with UCLA mounting a mild rally, the Bruins kickoff from midfield following an Oregon State personal foul penalty. Perfect time to try something on the kickoff, with little risk, as the Beavers did in a similar situation in recovering an onside kick during the first quarter. Instead, the Bruins boot it into the end zone, and Oregon State quickly snuffs out any momentum UCLA may have had with a long touchdown drive.

3. This team is Jake Lutons

Just in case there was any question. And yes, there were questions, after the Beavers came up short in three-point losses to Hawaii and Stanford. Why have a sixth-year senior at quarterback if he cant give the Beavers some big senior moments when they need it most? Might as well turn to sophomore Tristan Gebbia and begin the future. Gebbias turn will have to wait, because whatever doubt anyone had in Luton was erased in the Rose Bowl. Luton was fantastic, rarely missing a throw during a school record-tying six touchdown (five pass, one run) performance. Luton made big plays, often took time to occasionally check out of a play, and when the Beavers needed a savvy presence down the stretch to close out the win, he was there to provide it. Luton has a chemistry with Hodgins that, barring injury, is going to lead to one of the greatest quarterback-receiver duos in Oregon State history.

4. Is Isaiah Hodgins the best receiver in the country?

Oregon State has had two Biletnikoff Award winners, given to best receiver in the country, in its history in Mike Hass (2005) and Brandin Cooks (2013). Hodgins might be the third. At least hes in the conversation following a 10-catch, 123-yard, three-touchdown performance against UCLA. Hodgins made several showstopping catches, including one for the Beavers first touchdown, and another on a sideline grab for a first down. Nationally, Hodgins ranks second in receiving yards per game (126.4) and receptions (8.6), fifth in receiving yards (632). Hes second among receivers in touchdowns with nine.

Be sure to watch the final seven games of Hodgins 2019 season, because it seems almost certain the OSU junior will be catching passes in the NFL in 2020.

5. Special teams return some special

A week after Stanford arguably beat Oregon State 31-28 because the Cardinal special teams were better, the Beavers special teams got back on track and made a difference. Punter Daniel Rodriguez had one of his best days at OSU. He had a career-tying 62-yard punt, and provided the drop kick that led to an onside kickoff recovery by the Beavers David Morris during the first quarter. UCLA came into the game with one of the countrys top punt return units, but did little against OSU. Yes, there was the missed extra point, which predictably led to some on social media to blast Jordan Choukair again, but thats for another day.

6. Kudos to Artavis Pierce for sticking around

Who could have blamed Artavis Pierce had he turned tail and found another program following Jermar Jeffersons freshman campaign in 2018? Pierce was Jefferson, until he sustained an elbow injury early in the 2018 season. By the time he returned, Jefferson had become a star and became the Beavers clear No. 1 option at running back. Pierce says he never considered transferring to another school, even though its a move that has become all too common and easy in college football these days. Pierce stuck it out, and it paid off. With Jefferson hobbled the past month with an ankle injury, Oregon States running game remains strong, as Pierce put up his second consecutive 100-yard performance with 119 yards against UCLA. Pierce also gives the Beavers an element of toughness, as he has no problem running between the tackles for his yardage.

7. Tim Tibesar hot seat talk has been put on ice

Oregon States defense had plenty to prove this season, following the forgettable 2018 campaign. At the forefront was defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar; perhaps it wasnt fair to judge him last year since he inherited a defense sorely lacking in quality Pac-12 level players, but thats part of the job. The heat from outside the program didnt lessen after the 2019 season opener, when Oklahoma State and running back Chuba Hubbard lit up the Beavers for 52 points. But five games into the season, theres no doubt the Beavers are improved in nearly every defensive facet. OSU is second in the Pac-12 in tackles for loss at 7.8 per game, have a breakout star in outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed, and theyre tackling better. While the Beavers continue to rank near the bottom half of FBS in many defensive categories, its not the gouge-my-eyes out performance of a year ago. With the Oregon States offense humming, its good enough to give the Beavers a chance on most Saturdays.

8. Field position helped Oregon State beat UCLA

Driving the length of the field for four quarters is tough way to win a football game. Thats one reason behind OSUs success Saturday night. UCLA never had a cheap opportunity, as the Bruins best starting position among their 11 drives was their 35. UCLA started seven drives at its 25, and twice began inside the 20. Meanwhile, the Beavers began two drives in UCLA territory, and the result was drives of five and one play for touchdowns.

9. Nothing but program building behind Jack Colletto redshirt move

Jack Colletto had planned to redshirt heading into the season, and that intent apparently didnt change when he didnt make the trip to UCLA. The junior linebacker/quarterback is shutting it down for 2019 barring significant injury --after playing in four games, the maximum allowed in order to preserve a redshirt. While the Beavers would love to have Colletto available for short-yardage quarterback situations, theyll now have a better version of Colletto for two full years. Colletto wants to learn the position of linebacker, a position he didnt play in high school. Hell also give Oregon State some quarterback depth next season as Luton leaves the program after the 2019 season.

10. What does this win mean?

Wont have to wait long to find out, as up next is Utah, perhaps the Pac-12s best team. The Beavers havent faced a defense like the Utes, who rank No. 14 nationally in total defense and fourth in run defense. Utah didnt play last week and come to Corvallis fresh after silencing Washington States offense in an easy win on Sept. 28. Now that Oregon State has beaten a UCLA, the next step is showing up for four quarters against a quality, top-20 opponent. That is an unknown for the Beavers, but whats certain is theyll have some confidence coming out of the Rose Bowl to give it a go.

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.

More here:
Is Oregon States offense the best in state? 10 takeaways from the Beavers 48-31 win over UCLA - OregonLive

After a loss it can be difficult to suss out the bright spots on a football team, especially one as jarring as the Dallas Cowboys Week 4 match-up with the New Orleans Saints. While the offense was stuck in mud all night long the defense held up its end of the bargain for the most part to keep them in the game. The player perhaps as responsible for that as any? Offseason trade acquisition and defensive end Robert Quinn.

Quinn notched two sacks on the night amid numerous pressures of Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater. He leads the team with three takedowns despite only appearing in two of four games on the year due to suspension. He also has four run stops on the season.

Not bad for a sixth-round pick and a contract that was negotiated down for $4 million in savings.

But Quinn is not satisfied.

Asked after the game about his play he replied, If I had a good individual effort and we lost as a team, then my performance wasnt good enough. At the end of the day, we lost as a team, thats all that really matters. I would give up all my stats for a W.

Three times in his career has Quinn hit double-digit sacks (something hes on pace to do again in his age-29 season), and every one of those years were squandered on bad St. Louis Rams teams. In fact, in his previous eight campaigns in the NFL, hes only made one playoff appearance, a wild-card exit in 2017 with the Rams in Los Angeles.

Hes treading unusual water, being on a team with the talent to wade into the postseason current, and his individual performance will be a big part of what this Dallas team is capable of. Being satisfied after a loss is the worst kind of look for a player, one that Quinn is unwilling to wear.

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Player of the Game: Quinn consummate teammate after strong personal performance - Cowboys Wire

It has long stood among the most daunting records in the book. When Marita Koch stopped the clock in the womens 400metres at 47.60sec, at a World Cup event in Canberra 34 years ago, all but one of her opponents had vanished from the TV picture. Jarmila Kratochvilova, the previous world record-holder from Czechoslovakia, was almost 3 seconds back down the track. That Koch produced such a time from an inside lane, and with less-than-textbook form, merely magnified the incredulity.

Kochs feat coincided with an era of rampant doping in her native East Germany, and her name later appeared in a letter in the Stasi files, protesting about a team-mate receiving a higher dose of Oral-Turinabol, the regimes go-to drug. But she never failed a drug test during her career and has insisted that she has a clear conscience.

Ever since that day, Kochs time has been a taunting throwback for her successors, a target that they can marvel at but not even dream of emulating. That is, until 21-year-old Salwa Eid Naser, born in Nigeria but now a naturalised Bahraini, streaked to a stunning 48.14sec here in Doha and blew the possibilities over one lap apart. The result, representing an improvement of almost a second on her personal best, was the most astonishing moment of these championships.

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Salwa Eid Naser's astonishing world 400m performance has blown apart the possibilities over one lap - The Telegraph

Walmart is testing new medical benefits starting in January that it says are designed to make it easier for more than 1 million of its employees with health insurance to find quality care.

A pilot program in Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando and Tampa, Fla., and Bentonville, Ark., where Walmart is based, will select physicians in each market who score high on quality of care.

The featured physicians will be identified by Nashville-based Embold Health, a firm that researches doctors' performance. The doctors will be selected from those accepting new patients who meet the standards for eight specialties: primary care, cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, obstetrics, oncology, orthopedics and pulmonology.

The prescreening is based on objective data vs. asking a friend for a referral or doing a search for a physician with an office nearby, said Adam Stavisky, senior vice president of U.S. benefits at Walmart.

"This matters," he said, "because physician care varies dramatically."

While the insurance industry has had networks of doctors in plans for some time, this is the first network based on quality of care, he said.

Physicians are evaluated on whether they follow the latest research, adhere to clinical guidelines and consistently deliver the best outcomes. Stavisky quoted research from National Academy of Medicine that said 30% of all health care spending is wasted in part due to unnecessary care.

Other pilot programs Walmart announced Tuesday include a personal health care assistant service in North and South Carolina that will be a source for all patient needs including billing questions, making appointments and understanding diagnoses. The program, through San Francisco-based Grand Rounds, is free to employees on Walmart's medical plans. It can also coordinate transportation and find day care options during appointments.

Walmart already has a telehealth program that allows employees to have a virtual visit with a physician, psychologist or psychiatrist for $4 per visit. A pilot program starting in January in Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin will allow employees to sign up with a personal online doctor and book appointments.

The largest U.S. private employer is also expanding a surgery program that sends employees to top hospitals it calls "centers for excellence." The hospitals specialize in treating certain illnesses, including cancer, transplants, heart disease, weight loss, hip and knee replacements, and spinal surgery.

Lisa Woods, Walmart's senior director of U.S. benefits strategy and design, has been adding hospitals to the program. "We started looking at our data in 2012 and saw a huge disparity in cost, treatment outcomes and protocols," she said.

The program started with the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota more than 20 years ago and has expanded to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, Northeast Baptist in San Antonio, Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and others. Employees don't have to travel for their care, but if they do, Walmart pays for 100% of the hospital bills and travel and lodging for the employee and a family member.

About 900 employees in Texas have used the center for excellence program since Walmart expanded it to the state in 2017. About half of them were treated for spine issues, Woods said in an interview earlier this year. Since then, about 250 employees have traveled to Texas hospitals for care from other states for hip and knee replacement and weight loss treatment.

The program also addresses the fact that Walmart has stores in rural markets that don't have hospitals that can accommodate many procedures.

Even if Walmart pays more for the initial surgery, Woods said, cost may not be the most important consideration. "If we get the right care initially, we see savings in the long term," she said.

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Walmart expands medical benefits with pilot program that picks doctors based on performance - The Dallas Morning News

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