As the whole world watches, Chapecoense continues to pick up the pieces and rebuild.
On Saturday, exactly 54 days after a plane crash killed most of Chapecoense’s squad, the Verdao played its first fixture since the tragedy, drawing Palmeiras 2-2 in a friendly at Arena Conda.
Of the 26 players named to Chapecoense’s squad, 22 were new faces, while the four others were footballers from last year’s squad who fortunately didn’t board LaMia Flight 2933. To fill the spots in the Verdao’s first team, footballers were brought in from other clubs and promoted from the youth team.
Before the friendly kicked off, the three players to survive the plane crash took the pitch and, in an emotional scene, lifted the Copa Sudamericana trophy. It was en route to the first leg of the final in Medellin, Colombia that the tragedy unfolded, and Atletico Nacional requested to CONMEBOL that Chapecoense be crowned champion of the tournament. South American football’s governing body obliged.
Neto is miraculously walking without crutches, Alan Ruschel required spine surgery, and Jackson Follman had part of his right leg amputated. The plane crash claimed the lives of 71 people, including 19 members of Chapecoense’s squad and 20 journalists joining the club for what was set to be the biggest match in its 43-year history.
Once the friendly got underway, Palmeiras, joined by a substantial number of travelling supporters, opened the scoring in the 11th minute. However, three minutes later, Chapecoense equalised, as Grolli scored the Verdao’s first goal since the plane crash, giving the club and its fans something to celebrate for the first time since Nov. 28.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLL DA CHAAAAAAAAAPEEEEEE!! GROLLI!!!!
— Chapecoense (@ChapecoenseReal) January 21, 2017
In the second half, it took Chapecoense all of 58 seconds to go ahead. Amaral, who coincidentally joined the Verdao on loan from Palmeiras, got his head to a cross and put another smile on the faces of supporters at Arena Conda.
Palmeiras produced an equaliser before the final whistle, but the most notable occurrence from the second half came in 71st minute, when the friendly was stopped so both teams and supporters could honour the 71 victims of the plane crash.
Chapecoense’s first competitive fixture is scheduled for Thursday, when the Verdao will take on Joinville in Santa Catarina, Brazil’s state championship.
After a four-week search, the New York Jets are poised to hire Saints receivers coach John Morton as their new offensive coordinator, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Morton will replace Chan Gailey, who held the job for two years before announcing his retirement two days after the 2016 season ended.
Morton, 47, will be the Jets’ fifth coordinator in the past seven years, and the second under coach Todd Bowles. Morton and former Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey were the only known candidates.
Previously, Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville interviewed for the job, but he decided to remain in Denver.
John Morton is credited with developing young Saints receivers Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas, who formed the most prolific receiving trio in the league with a combined 242 catches and 3,205 yards in 2016. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Jets finished 26th in total offense and 30th in scoring this season.
Morton has no coordinator experience at the NFL level, but has spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach with the Raiders, 49ers and Saints.
His biggest coaching influences are Saints coach Sean Payton and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who was the 49ers’ head coach while Morton worked as the receivers coach from 2011 to 2014.
Morton returned for a second stint with the Saints in 2015 and was credited with developing young receivers Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas.
Thomas, a second-round pick, finished with 92 catches, the second-most of any rookie receiver, behind only Anquan Boldin’s 101 in 2003 and just ahead of Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) and Eddie Royal (2008) with 91 each.
Thomas’ 1,137 yards ranked sixth among rookies in NFL history, and his nine touchdowns tied for 15th, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Thomas, Cooks and Snead formed the most prolific receiving trio in the league in 2016, combining for 242 catches and 3,205 yards.
Bowles still has two vacancies on his offensive staff, at quarterbacks and running backs coaches.
Inspired by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Yaya Toure is eager to continue playing top-flight football for a few more years.
Evidence of this was Toure’s reported unwillingness to join the Chinese Super League after allegedly rejecting an offer earlier this month to relocate and earn £430,000 per week.
Instead of following the path so many footballers have taken of late, the Manchester City midfielder hopes to continue making an impact in Europe’s top leagues before considering a future elsewhere.
“I’m still looking young, right?” he jokingly said in an interview with Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News. “I want to play in Europe, especially in England. I want to continue doing that for a few years yet.
“I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there.”
Toure’s remarks would have been unimaginable to City supporters just two months ago, when his trophy-laden career at the club appeared to be on the verge of ending on a sour note after failing to convince manager Pep Guardiola he was worthy of a place on the team.
Despite a public spat between his agent and Guardiola, Toure was finally included in his first match in November. He has since gone on to play a prominent role at City – including a spot in the starting XI during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham – after scoring three goals in 11 Premier League appearances.
Now, the Ivorian is hoping to emulate the success Ibrahimovic – who is one back in the Premier League scoring race with 14 goals – is having down the road with city rivals Manchester United.
“Look at my friend Ibrahimovic. He’s 35 and he’s going to play for maybe … three more years?” Toure said. “He’s got the same mentality as me, he’s a big player, a champion who loves football. It’s football first.
“Anything after that is a bonus, you can be lucky to go and play for big clubs and still earn a lot of money. But those who go to China … I don’t think like that.”
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Ryan Schraeder didn’t hesitate when asked which member of the Atlanta Falcons offensive line has the best touchdown spike.
“Well, me, of course,” the right tackle said.
Schraeder is particularly proud of a spike during an October win at Green Bay. He put so much of his 6-foot-7, 300-pound frame into spiking the ball and it went so high that he’s not sure it has come down.
A few days later, Schraeder posted pictures of the moment around the team’s practice facility to remind those who may have missed it how good it was.
“I don’t blame him for feeling that way,” left tackle Jake Matthews said. “He’s had a few good ones. But if you go back and check the tape, I think mine went a little higher.
“Honestly, I’d say I’m the best.”
You don’t often hear offensive linemen debating about spiking the football. You don’t often hear about offensive linemen spiking the football. That honor typically goes to the player who scored the touchdown.
That changed in Atlanta in 2015 when running back Devonta Freeman showed his appreciation for the O-line after a Week 4 touchdown against the Houston Texans by letting then-center Mike Person celebrate with a spike.
It’s rare to see offensive linemen such as Alex Mack spike the football, but the Falcons’ unit has earned it with its continuity this season. Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
This year, the spikes have become such a big deal that linemen unofficially rate who’s best.
But spikes aren’t the biggest deal on an offensive line that has helped Atlanta reach Super Bowl LI. What’s bigger? They’re the only group of linemen in the NFL to start every game this season.
Not just that, but the unit that should be dubbed the “Falcons Five” has barely missed a snap.
Mack, easily the most significant addition to the Falcons’ line last offseason, is being held out of practice this week with a sore ankle. But the four-time Pro Bowl selection is expected to return next week so the line can keep its streak intact against the AFC champion New England Patriots.
That’s important because continuity up front is a big reason the Falcons have the NFL’s top-scoring offense and are headed to the Super Bowl in Houston.
“It’s not just the quarterback,” Matthews said with a laugh.
But quarterback Matt Ryan has benefited. He’s thrown a career-best 38 touchdown passes and had a career-low seven interceptions to make himself the front-runner for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
He’s benefited in the same way reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers did a year ago when only two of his five linemen missed a total of four starts. With a line decimated by injuries this season, Newton statistically had the worst season of his career.
“It’s huge,” backup Falcons quarterback Matt Schaub said of the continuity on the line. “It’s everything. That group is where it all starts, whether it’s the run game, the pass game, the protections, making all those calls. When you can have that continuity, it goes a long way.”
Before this season, Levitre, 30, hadn’t been part of a line at any level in which no starter missed a game. But it’s not as rare as you might think.
Over the past 15 seasons, 31 teams have started the same five offensive linemen in all 16 games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Those who did typically were successful. Their average win total was 10, and only two of 31 finished under .500.
Atlanta is the fourth of those teams to make the Super Bowl. The 2007 New York Giants beat New England, the 2008 Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 2012 San Francisco 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
“Having five guys stay healthy all year and start every game together is something that really goes to show how close we are and how tight-knit of a group we are,” Schraeder said.
The bond goes beyond the field. These guys hang out away from the meeting room and practice. During their playoff bye week, they had a team-building bowling outing.
They typically go to the nearby district of Buckhead for dinner at least once a week. There’s competition in that just as there is in spiking.
For that title, Schraeder concedes to Levitre.
“We can all put some food away, but he’s something special,” Schraeder said.
Told of his distinction, Levitre said: “I guess I can throw down every once in a while.”
He just doesn’t throw down spikes very well. He had never tried one until earlier this year.
“If you look, I had to get my grip right a couple of times before I spiked it,” Levitre said.
When it comes to throwing down spikes, Schraeder concedes nothing, although he admittedly wasn’t so proud of his muffed attempt against the Panthers.
“Somebody hit my arm,” he explained. “I don’t think too many people saw it, though.”
It wasn’t the worst spike of the year, though. That honor, Matthews said, goes to Chester.
“Chris one time tried to do a little stupid dance, and it slipped out of his hand when he tried to spike it,” Matthews said. “That would have to be the worst.
“We don’t have an official tally, but we do like to give each other a hard time.”
More importantly, the continuity up front allows the Falcons to give opponents a hard time.
