HOUSTON — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says demonstrations during Super Bowl week won’t prevent fans from having a good time.
Turner said Monday that demonstrations like the one Sunday outside Super Bowl headquarters with protesters opposing President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions from some majority-Muslim countries are “about people exercising their constitutional right to voice their opinion.”
Calling Houston “the most diverse city in the country,” Turner noted, “We can do that and have good football at the same time.”
Turner stressed that security would not be an issue and that the city has worked for four years preparing to host the game for the first time since 2004.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Cornerback Josh Norman wore a wrestling mask and got into a heated debate with Hall-of-Fame-player-turned-television-analyst Deion Sanders about a regular-season incident with New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham.
Quarterback Cam Newton turned a towel into a bandanna. And when asked if he was the LeBron James of the NFL, Newton said, “Why can’t LeBron be the Cam Newton of power forwards?”
He also defended a comment made the previous week about his success as an African-American quarterback because it “may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing they can compare me to.”
This was the NFC champion Carolina Panthers at Super Bowl 50 media night a year ago.
Don’t expect the same type of colorful comments from New England and Atlanta at Super Bowl LI’s media night on Monday, particularly from the Falcons.
Second-year Atlanta coach Dan Quinn tried last week to get ahead of the media circus his players will face in Houston by simulating some of the crazy questions they may get.
As he reminded them, “the media can only jam you up if you allow it too.”
“We want to make sure our responsibility is to each other, and that’s one of the fun parts of our team,” Quinn said on Wednesday.
In other words, he wanted no bulletin board material and no quotes that will take the focus off the team’s preparation for the game.
Judging by the comments players made at the practice facility, Quinn’s message came in loud and clear. You couldn’t have found a more polite — or boring — group.
“You don’t want to be that guy [who] gives bullets and bulletin board material,” Atlanta defensive end Tyson Jackson said. “You’ve got to understand the question that’s asked, and if there’s anything you don’t feel comfortable answering, you can pass.”
“You just want to keep it as even-keeled as possible.”
Jackson doesn’t think the Falcons intentionally were boring last week as much as they were careful. He still believes players can show their personality without saying outrageous things or dealing with outrageous topics.
“Everybody will have their own way to approach the media,” Jackson said. “But looking back at past Super Bowls, there are some insane questions being asked out there. You’ve got to be prepared.”
Jackson admitted it was fun coming up with questions to anticipate, although there were none he wanted to share.
“The questions that have been asked in previous Super Bowls you are [thinking], ‘Wow! Why would they ask that? It has nothing to do with the Super Bowl,'” he said. “I’m pretty sure all 63 guys in the locker room are prepared for what’s out there for us. I know I trust them.
“The Super Bowl is a media circus, so you’ve just got to get ready for it.”
New Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard intends to keep Chuck Pagano in 2017 before re-evaluating the coach for the 2018 season, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
While Colts owner Jim Irsay announced Jan. 21 that Pagano would return next season, there was some belief that Ballard would choose to dismiss Pagano and hire his own coach. Instead, the new general manager appears content to give Pagano one more season to prove himself.
Ballard’s hiring was announced Sunday. The former Kansas City Chiefs director of football operations is replacing Ryan Grigson, who was fired after the Colts had consecutive 8-8 seasons and missed the playoffs.
“Chris has a solid reputation throughout the National Football League as a heavyweight executive and our extensive discussions with him confirmed that reputation,” Irsay said in a statement released by the team Sunday. “He’s a savvy, organized, and thorough talent evaluator, but beyond that, he’s a terrific person our community will be proud of.”
Irsay had announced his decision to retain Pagano on the same day he fired Grigson.
The Colts will have more than $50 million in salary-cap space during free agency to build around quarterback Andrew Luck and talented skill position players such as receivers T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. Ballard will look to improve a defense that finished 30th overall this season and tied for 19th in sacks with just 33.
A news conference to introduce Ballard is set for 4:15 p.m. ET Monday.
Information from ESPN staff writer Mike Wells contributed to this report.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be starting his 34th playoff game in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, which will extend own NFL record.
As one would expect based on his 24-9 record in the postseason, there are no shortage of standout performances he has turned in.
So which ones stand out most?
A top-10 list like this sparks debate, with some putting added emphasis on one area (e.g., level of competition), while others focus more on a final stat line or responding to the pressure of the highest stakes.
Tom Brady’s 4-yard touchdown was a signature moment in the win over the Ravens in the 2014 AFC divisional playoff game. Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports
With that as the springboard, here’s our “Brady 10.”
10. Jan. 7, 2007 : Wild-card round — Patriots 37, Jets 16 — This was one of the more underrated playoff performances of Brady’s career when considering it came with a receiving corps led by Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell. Furthermore, it came on the heels of a 17-14 regular-season loss to the Eric Mangini-coached Jets. Mangini knew the Patriots’ system intimately from his time as an assistant, but Brady was effective against Mangini’s plan in going 22-of-34 for 212 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It marked the 10th straight playoff game in which he had a passing touchdown.
9. Jan. 13, 2013: Divisional round — Patriots 41, Texans 28 — Finishing 25-of-40 for 344 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, Brady helped New England roll over the Texans for the second time in a span of a month. This was Brady’s 23rd career postseason game, which broke Tedy Bruschi’s franchise record (22), as Wes Welker (eight catches, 131 yards) was his go-to target.
8. Jan. 14, 2012: Divisional round — Patriots 45, Broncos 10 — It was Brady vs. Tim Tebow, Part II, as the teams had met just one month earlier in Denver. Brady threw a career-high six touchdown passes while finishing 26-of-34 for 363 yards and a passer rating of 137.6. Tight end Rob Gronkowski (10 catches, 145 yards, three TDs) was his top target.
7. Jan. 12, 2008: Divisional round — Patriots 31, Jaguars 20 — The Jaguars sat in zone coverage for most of the game while rushing four defenders and Brady responded with his most efficient playoff game ever, going 26-of-28 for 262 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 141.4, an all-time playoff high for him, as he pretty much made it look easy.
6. Feb. 6, 2005: Super Bowl XXXIX — Patriots 24, Eagles 21 — Brady finished 23-of-33 for 236 yards, with two touchdowns (one to linebacker-turned-tight-end Mike Vrabel) as the Patriots’ defense ultimately held off the Eagles when it counted. Brady’s favorite target was receiver Deion Branch, who had 11 receptions for 133 yards to earn MVP honors.
5. Feb. 3, 2002: Super Bowl XXXVI — Patriots 20, Rams 17 — From a bottom-line stats perspective, this game is closer to the bottom of the list (16-of-27 for 145 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT), but it gets a bump from a clutch standpoint. While John Madden was telling the TV audience the Patriots should take a knee and play for overtime, Brady — then in his second NFL season and first as a starter — helped lead the Patriots to the winning field goal at the final gun.
4. Feb. 1, 2015: Super Bowl XLIX — Patriots 28, Seahawks 24 — It took Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception to seal the victory, but Brady was remarkable in the fourth quarter to help the Patriots storm back from a 10-point deficit. He finished 37-of-50 for 328 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions, to earn MVP honors, and then gave the truck he won as MVP to Butler.
3. Jan. 10, 2015: Divisional round — Patriots 35, Ravens 31 — Brady was 33-of-50 for 367 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception, to lead a furious second-half comeback from 14 points down aided by an unusual tactic in which the Patriots declared eligible receivers ineligible. Brady added a 4-yard touchdown run that he capped off with an emphatic spike, and then his fire transferred over to the postgame interview room when he countered criticism from Ravens coach John Harbaugh by telling him to study the rulebook.
2. Jan. 22, 2017: Divisional round — Patriots 36, Steelers 17 — Brady’s most recent performance ranks among his best, as he was 32-of-42 for 384 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Brady masterfully manipulated the Steelers’ defense before the snap and his accuracy was pinpoint on almost every throw, with Chris Hogan (9 catches, 180 yards, 2 TDs) and Julian Edelman (8 catches, 118 yards, 1 TD) his top targets.
1. Feb. 1, 2004: Super Bowl XXXVIII — Patriots 32, Panthers 29 — A scoreless game until just over three minutes left in the second quarter turned into a shootout the rest of the way, with Brady finishing 32-of-48 for 354 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Similar to his first Super Bowl, it required a game-winning drive in the final minute, with this one aided by a Carolina kickoff that went out of bounds and helped the Patriots start the drive on their 40.
