Joe Brady embraces high expectations as he succeeds Sean McDermott as Bills coach
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Joe Brady did not dismiss the past while looking ahead to leading the Buffalo Bills into the future as their head coach. Before outlining his vision to bring the same attacking element to defense as he introduced to Buffalo’s Josh Allen-led offense as its coordinator for...
Drake Maye says he had a normal practice, even while listed as limited with a shoulder issue
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye wasn’t shocked by the attention paid to the shoulder issue that landed him on the Patriots’ injury report less than two weeks before the Super Bowl. “No, I wouldn’t say I was surprised,” Maye said Thursday. “It’s the right shoulder of a starting quarterback on...
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta on new coach Jesse Minter: ‘He just blew us away’
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As much as Jesse Minter seemed like an obvious fit for the Baltimore Ravens, he still had to show he was ready for their coveted coaching vacancy. Then he showed up for an in-person visit. “He just blew us away,” general manager Eric DeCosta said. “As...
How are the inductees selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Bill Belichick’s reported snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame after winning a record six Super Bowl titles as a head coach has placed new scrutiny on the process of picking pro football Hall of Famers. While the specific reasons that Belichick didn’t get into the Hall in his...
Patriots’ Robert Kraft: Bill Belichick unequivocally deserves to be 1st-ballot Hall of Famer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Count New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft among those shocked that Bill Belichick reportedly will not be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In a statement to the Associated Press on Wednesday, Kraft said he believes Belichick’s accomplishments...
NFL’s turf guru preps Levi’s Stadium field for Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Nick Pappas’ process for preparing the Super Bowl field got underway long before the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots started getting ready for the season. The NFL’s turf guru picked the sod farm that began growing the field for the game about 16 months ago...
Browns hire former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as head coach
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns hired one of their former coordinators to be the team’s head coach. However, it is not the one some people expected. The Browns hired Todd Monken on Wednesday as the franchise’s 19th full-time head coach, wrapping up a three-week search. He replaces Kevin Stefanski, who...
Joe Starkey: Which Hall of Fame is a bigger joke — baseball or football?
STARK RAVING Just when it didn’t seem possible any Hall of Fame could be a bigger farce than baseball’s, the Pro Football Hall of Fame stepped up and said, “Hold my Belichick.” Bill Belichick reportedly won’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Oh well, at least Shedeur Sanders made...
Bill Belichick snubbed by Pro Football Hall of Fame in first year of eligibility, report says
Six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick didn’t get voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, according to a report from ESPN. Citing four unidentified sources, ESPN reported Tuesday that Belichick didn’t receive the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person panel of...
Tough coaching helped Patriots’ Drake Maye flourish in 2nd season
Drake Maye got the tough coaching he wanted and thrived. The 23-year-old is one victory away from being the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. He is grateful to have coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in New England. The Patriots went from 4-13...
Bills promote offensive coordinator Joe Brady to take over as head coach
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills stayed in-house by promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady as their new head coach on Tuesday, in a move that provides continuity to a Josh Allen-led perennial winner that has accomplished everything short of reaching a Super Bowl. The team announced Brady agreed to...
TV Talk: Lady Gaga channels Mister Rogers in Super Bowl adVideo
Pop music star Lady Gaga covers the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” theme song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, in a commercial for Redfin / Rocket that will air during Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. It will be first Super Bowl ad for Redfin, an online real estate brokerage recently purchased...
Sam Darnold beats fellow 2018 draft QBs Jackson, Allen to Super Bowl
Sam Darnold will be starting in the Super Bowl before Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and the rest of the NFL’s Class of 2018 quarterbacks. It took Darnold five teams and eight seasons to get here. Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to a 14-3 record, a division title, the No. 1...
Sean Payton has second thoughts about passing up easy field goal in Broncos’ AFC title game loss
DENVER — Sean Payton conceded he will have second thoughts about his decision to pass up an easy field goal, as well as the play he called instead. The Denver Broncos and their fans now have the entire offseason to argue over which part of that critical fourth-and-1 play was...
Rams’ Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford lament missed opportunities as they fall short of Super Bowl
SEATTLE — Sean McVay had zero interest in discussing whether Matthew Stafford, his soon-to-be 38-year-old quarterback, will be back for the Los Angeles Rams next year. McVay had a bit more to say about how his team came up short against the Seattle Seahawks yet again on Sunday, losing 31-27...
Super Bowl 60 is set and it’s a rematch from 11 years ago: Patriots vs. Seahawks
Drake Maye vs. Sam Darnold. Two stingy defenses. A second-year head coach vs. a veteran coach in his second act. Super Bowl 60 is set, and it’s a rematch: The New England Patriots vs. the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots will seek their NFL-record seventh Super Bowl victory when they face...
Sam Darnold, Seahawks advance to Super Bowl with thrilling win over Rams in NFC title game
SEATTLE — Sam Darnold threw for three touchdowns, the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense came up with a critical fourth-down stop and Seattle advanced to the Super Bowl, beating the Los Angeles Rams, 31-27, in an electrifying NFC Championship game Sunday. Led by second-year coach Mike Macdonald and Darnold — an...
Patriots punch ticket to 12th Super Bowl with gritty 10-7 win over Broncos in snowy Denver
DENVER — Drake Maye handled the sloppy, snowy conditions better than the home team and he scored New England’s only touchdown on a 6-yard keeper, propelling the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl with a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game Sunday. Maye threw for...
Seahawks, Rams meet for 3rd time this season, this time with Super Bowl berth on line
RENTON, Wash. — To some extent, Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams was anticipating the NFC championship game would shake out this way, with Seattle facing the division rival Los Angeles Rams for a third time this season. Williams, a key contributor on the league’s top-ranked scoring defense, has seen firsthand...
Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham steps in to face ex-team, Patriots, in AFC Championship
DENVER — If any opponent is familiar with Denver Broncos fill-in quarterback Jarrett Stidham, it’s the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 2019 to serve as Tom Brady’s backup. When Josh McDaniels took the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coaching job, he traded for Stidham, who backed up Derek Carr...
Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker arrested on gun possession charge at LaGuardia Airport
NEW YORK — Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker has been arrested after police say he presented a firearm for inspection without proper credentials at LaGuardia Airport. Port Authority police said Walker was arrested Friday morning after they responded to a request for a firearms check at LaGuardia’s Terminal...
After applying pressure all season, Broncos produce turnovers in playoffs
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Finally, all that pressure paid off for pass rusher Nik Bonitto and the Denver defense. Finally, the Broncos produced what’s been missing much of the season — takeaways. It’s been a long time coming for a defense that’s been one of the best in the NFL. The...
Defensive coordinators are 3 of first 5 NFL coaching hires
Jesse Minter, Robert Saleh and Jeff Hafley earned their head coaching opportunities on the defensive side of the ball. Three of the five new hires this coaching cycle are former defensive coordinators. There are five openings still remaining and a few more defensive coaches could get a job, including Sean...
Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski gets 2nd interview for Browns’ head coach opening
CLEVELAND — Grant Udinski completed his second interview with the Cleveland Browns for their head coaching vacancy Friday. The 30-year old Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator had his first interview with the team Jan. 17. Udinski just completed his first season with the Jaguars. Even though coach Liam Coen called the...
Former 49ers quarterback John Brodie, an NFL MVP and a prolific passer, dies at 90
John Brodie, who won an MVP award and was one of the NFL’s most prolific passers during a 17-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, has died. He was 90. The 49ers said Brodie’s family said he died Friday. Brodie had a stroke on Oct. 24, 2000. “The 49ers family...
