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.
HOUSTON — As the Atlanta Falcons arrived in Houston for Super Bowl LI, the biggest NFL news of the day had little to do with their matchup against the New England Patriots.
It had everything to do with a key component of the Falcons’ success.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan moved yet another step closer to becoming the head coach in San Francisco as the 49ers announced former NFL safety and Fox analyst John Lynch as the new general manager. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Lynch, with no front-office experience, called Shanahan, volunteered for the job, and now has a six-year contract to show for it. Lynch played for Shanahan’s father, Mike, in Denver.
The younger Shanahan is set for a six-year deal, too — and plenty of power — as soon as the Super Bowl concludes. He went through a second interview with the 49ers this past weekend.
Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is focused on finding a way to beat the Patriots, not on where he’ll be coaching next season. Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
Throughout the process, Shanahan and Falcons coach Dan Quinn have insisted Shanahan’s head-coaching developments would not be a distraction to the team’s playoff goals. Such has been the case through the first two postseason games, as Shanahan’s offense put up 36 and 44 points, respectively, in a divisional playoff win over Seattle and an NFC Championship Game victory over Green Bay.
There will be plenty of talk this week regarding Shanahan’s imminent departure and his potential replacements, so the topic of it being a distraction is sure to resurface. Plus, Shanahan himself shouldered a heavier burden when he spoke about the challenge that awaits Sunday against the New England Patriots, who boasted the league’s top scoring defense in allowing just 15.6 points per game. The Falcons had the league’s highest-scoring offense at 33.8 points per contest.
“It’s the best defense that we’ve seen in the NFL this year,” Shanahan said last week. “The numbers show it. And watch the film and you see exactly why their numbers are the way they are. They are extremely tough to score against. That’s why they’re No. 1 in the NFL. I believe only one game this year someone scored 30 points [against them].
“They have very good players all around, players that are interchangeable that can be pass-rushers, that can be linebackers, that can be corners, that can be safeties. And they have an extremely good scheme. So, it’s by far the biggest challenge we’ve had this year.”
The Falcons have shown the ability to score on anyone, hitting the 40-point mark six times, including the playoffs. Shanahan’s playcalling helped paved the way for an MVP season for quarterback Matt Ryan. And Ryan’s establishing an NFL first by completing touchdown passes to 13 different receivers proved how difficult Shanahan’s offense is to defend.
Now it’s up to Shanahan to come up with a masterful way to move the ball down the field against the Patriots. He has kept his focus on that up to this point.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jaws are still being picked up off the floor in the Bay Area on Monday morning after the San Francisco 49ers’ stunning, out-of-left-field decision to hire former NFL safety John Lynch as general manager on Sunday evening.
As soon as the initial shock of a 2-14 team hiring a general manager with zero experience evaluating and acquiring talent subsides, there’s plenty left to unpack, much of which will focus on just how unqualified Lynch is for the job compared with the other nine candidates the team interviewed throughout a process that started nearly a month ago.
Hiring Lynch out of the Fox booth sent shock waves through the league, immediately drawing comparisons to the failed experiment the Detroit Lions conducted with Matt Millen, the most recent example of a broadcaster turned team-builder. Millen was in charge of the Lions from 2001 to 2007, with Detroit compiling a 31-81 record before he lost his power and, eventually, his job in the 2008 season.
That doesn’t mean Lynch isn’t capable of stepping in and getting the job done. Lynch was a winning, successful player in his career and he understands what it takes to succeed at the league’s highest level. Former players such as John Elway in Denver and Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore have gone on to successful careers as executives, though it’s worth noting that both had experience in talent evaluation (Elway in the Arena League, Newsome through the Ravens organization) before they became the chief decision-maker.
The 49ers are hiring Hall of Fame candidate and Fox analyst John Lynch to be their new general manager. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
But while the likes of Elway and Newsome gained their experience in other positions, the Niners are asking Lynch to learn on the job. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that the team gave Lynch a six-year deal, which is unprecedented, especially for a first-time general manager. While that could be a sign that the Niners simply couldn’t land any of their other candidates and hired Lynch because he was the one willing to say yes, it’s also an indication the team is finally willing to be patient with a new regime.
“We need to make sure that the head coach and the general manager know each other, have a good understanding for each other,” York said on Jan. 1. “It doesn’t mean that they had to have worked together in the past but they have to have a good respect for each other and a good understanding and know that they have similar visions and philosophies on building a football team.”
With Shanahan apparently signing off on Lynch — Lynch played for Shanahan’s father, Mike, in Denver — there’s little doubt he will wield the ultimate personnel hammer, assuming he does indeed become the next head coach. But Shanahan has never been a head coach either, meaning the Niners are pinning their hopes of a full-on rebuild on two people who have never overseen such a project.
So while the Niners seem to be set on their two biggest hires in Shanahan and Lynch, the people who surround the pair will be just as, if not more important in helping to shape the future of the organization.
This is a roster that didn’t have a single Pro Bowler in 2016, has little in the way of clear-cut building blocks and could soon have zero quarterbacks under contract for 2017. Although the 49ers are going to have more than $80 million in salary-cap space and the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, there were no miracle workers for either job who figured to come in and offer an immediate turnaround.
By burning through three coaches in as many seasons, York created a situation in which he had to try to convince top candidates to fill the openings, instead of having the ability to pick from the best options available. It’s a point driven home by the fact that the Niners didn’t hire any of the nine executives they interviewed despite spending all but one week of the past month with the only general manager job available, and by the length of contracts they intend to give Lynch and Shanahan.
Only time will tell if the Niners’ big gamble will pay off. Fortunately for Lynch and Shanahan, time is something they’ll have plenty of to lead a once-proud franchise in a new direction.
