HeadtoHeadFootball -

EDITOR PICKS

NFL

Tom Brady's passion comes through with talk of 'ambassador' of health

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was a guest of Peter King’s two-part podcast on TheMMQB.com this week. Brady detailed the Patriots’ thrilling comeback in Super Bowl LI while also touching on how he tries to live his life on a daily basis. In addition, Brady was a guest on PFT Live with Mike Florio.

There was a common thread that stood out in the interviews, and it was how passionate Brady sounded as he was asked about health/wellness and what he’s done to play at a high level into his late 30s.

“Hopefully I can be a real ambassador for change in this area,” Brady said on PFT Live. “Outside of playing football, the one thing I love to do is to prepare for it.”

Brady predicted that in 5-10 years, many players and teams will be doing something similar.

The essence of Brady’s approach is to focus on pliability, as he used the examples of a demolition derby and car crash to explain how he prepares his body to absorb those impacts, and thus recover quicker from them to be available for the team the next week.

Tom Brady’s passion for the game came through in recent interviews. “Outside of playing football, the one thing I love to do is to prepare for it,” he said. EPA/Larry W. Smith

King put the podcasts into words in two pieces on TheMMQB.com — recapping the comeback of Super Bowl LI, and then focusing more on bigger-picture topics — but for those who have the time, there is something different about hearing Brady talk about the topics (Part 1 and Part 2) rather than simply reading his words. It was similar to Brady’s weekly in-season interviews on sports radio WEEI’s “Kirk and Callahan Show” (and as expansive, if not more).

In addition to Brady’s passion and voice inflection when speaking about being an ambassador, a few things stood out to me:

  • Per King, the Friday before the Super Bowl, normally reliable center David Andrews snapped the ball over Brady’s head when practicing the direct-snap 2-point conversion play that RB James White scored on to help the Patriots close to 28-20.

  • When the possibility of Brady being the best quarterback of all time, and how he wants to be remembered, was discussed, he said on PFT Live, “None of those things have ever mattered to me. It’s hard for those things to even take up any space in my mind. They’ve never been of significance to me.”

  • Brady has watched the coaches’ copy of the Super Bowl, but not the TV broadcast.

  • Brady touched on how everything centers around the game for him. “Football, to me is more than just a sport. It has become my life,” he told King.

  • Brady spent five days at home before leaving for Montana, which was primarily to make sure his body responded well from a physical Super Bowl. “I have zero pain,” Brady told King.

  • Brady told King he hopes to play into his mid-40s, while acknowledging that “a lot of things need to go your way” in a physical sport like football for that to happen. As for what will happen when he gets to his mid-40s, Brady said, “If I’m still feeling like I’m feeling today, who knows?”

  • This is a sweet spot for Brady, who feels he’s hit the perfect mix between experience and health. “Doing it when you’ve had the mental experience to be able to play for as long as I’ve had, and my body still feels like I’m in my 20s; I have the answers to the test now,” he told King. “You can’t surprise me on defense. I’ve just seen it all. I’ve been able to process 261 games, I’ve played them all. … There was a time when quarterbacking was really hard for me because you didn’t know what to do. Now, finally, you get to a point where you really know what to do. I don’t want to stop now.”

  • As for his approach on handling criticism, Brady told King, “What I’ve learned from myself is I don’t want to give my power away to other people by letting my own emotions be subjected to what their thoughts or opinions are. So if someone calls me something, that’s their problem. It’s not my problem. I’m not going to give away my power. You can call me an a– and I’m going to smile at you probably. I’m not going to say ‘You’re an a–’ because that person is [then] controlling me with what their thoughts and actions are.”

NFL

Sources: Bama to name Pats' Daboll as new OC

NFL coaching veteran Brian Daboll will be named Alabama’s offense coordinator, sources told ESPN.com.

Daboll spent the last three seasons as the New England Patriots’ tight ends coach. He becomes Alabama’s fifth different offensive coordinator since the conclusion of the 2011 season when Jim McElwain left for the Colorado State head coaching job.

Daboll replaces Steve Sarkisian, whose only game as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator was the College Football Playoff National Championship loss to Clemson. Sarkisian, the former USC head coach, left earlier this month to be the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban had interviewed both Daboll and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey in the last few weeks. Alabama co-offensive coordinator Mike Locksley was also a candidate for the job after being promoted from an offensive analyst’s role.

Brian Daboll has spent 17 seasons in the NFL, the last four as the Patriots TE coach. He was a graduate assistant at Michigan State for two years when Nick Saban was the Spartans’ head coach. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Daboll, 41, has spent 17 seasons in the NFL, the last four with the Patriots. He was thought to be the heir apparent to Josh McDaniels as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.

Daboll has served two different stints in New England, all under Bill Belichick, and has been an offensive coordinator for three different teams in the NFL. He was the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2012 after spending the 2011 season as the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator. He spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator, and before that, was the New York Jets’ quarterbacks coach in 2007 and 2008.

Saban and Belichick have deep ties going all the way back to the early 1980s when Saban worked on the Navy staff alongside Belichick’s father, Steve. Also, Daboll was a graduate assistant at Michigan State for two years in 1998 and 1999 when Saban was the Spartans’ head coach.

At the top of Daboll’s to-do list will be grooming Alabama’s young quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts was the first true freshman to start at quarterback last season in Saban’s career. He was 13-1 as a starter and named the AP’s SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

But pushing him this spring will be freshman Tua Tagovailoa of Hawaii. The 6-1, 215-pound Tagovailoa was an early enrollee and ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback prospect in the country.

NFL

Revis turns himself in to police day after charges

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has turned himself in to police in Pittsburgh following a weekend altercation that led to him being charged with four felonies and a misdemeanor.

Revis did not answer questions from assembled media as he made his way into the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts building at about 7:20 p.m. ET Friday. He was accompanied by attorney Blaine Jones and family members.

Police on Thursday charged Revis with two felony counts of aggravated assault, one felony count each of robbery and conspiracy, and a misdemeanor count of terroristic threats.

The incident at question occurred at 2:43 a.m. ET Sunday on Pittsburgh’s popular South Side. Two men, ages 21 and 22, told police that Revis punched them amid a verbal altercation. Witnesses said the two men were unconscious for 10 minutes, according to police.

1 Related

Dallas Cousins, a 22-year-old from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, was walking on a street when he spotted someone who resembled Revis, police said. Cousins confronted Revis, who acknowledged his identity. At that point, Cousins began recording video on his cellphone and continued to follow the NFL star.

“At some point, Revis snatched the cellphone away and attempted to delete the video,” the police statement said.

Zacheriah Jarvis, a 21-year-old from Ross Township, Pennsylvania, who is Cousins’ roommate, helped retrieve the phone, police said. An argument ensued. An unidentified man came to help Revis. The other men told police they “were punched, then remember waking up to talk to police.”

A witness, Nathan Watt, told police that Revis approached him after Cousins and Jarvis were knocked out. Watt quoted Revis as saying, “I got more guys coming.” The complaint added that Revis “stepped within a foot of his face with an aggressive demeanor on his face, fists clenched, and stated, ‘Do you want to be next?'”

Watt said he didn’t know whether Revis or the man who helped him knock out Cousins and Jarvis, telling police, “I don’t know. It happened so fast.”

Officers viewed the cellphone video at the scene and confirmed the person in it was Revis. Police said the video “shows Revis walking away from the group and Cousins following him, describing what Revis is wearing. The video then shows Revis standing in front of the White Eagle Bar and stating, ‘Why are you following me?’ several times before the video stops.”

The men said they later took themselves to the hospital and that Cousins was diagnosed with an orbital floor fracture.

Revis and the unidentified male fled the area in a truck, Watt told police.

Three calls were placed to 911, including one from Cousins. A cab driver and a resident also called 911, both saying they saw two men unconscious in the street.

On Thursday, Revis’ attorney, Jones, said the four-time All-Pro was “physically assaulted while at the location by a group of at least five people” and was a “victim in all of this.”

One of the NFL’s most accomplished players, Revis is facing an uncertain future with the Jets. After a disappointing season — he called it the worst of his career — the 31-year-old could be a salary-cap casualty in the coming weeks; he’s due a $2 million roster bonus on March 11, plus another $13 million in base salary (including $6 million guaranteed).

Information from ESPN’s Rich Cimini was used in this report.

NFL

Sherman Smith: Seahawks missed Beast Mode, need to regain hunger
4:14 PM ET

  • Sheil KapadiaESPN Writer

    Close

    • Covered the Philadelphia Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine and Philly.com from 2008 to 2015.
    • Covered the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL for BaltimoreSun.com from 2006 to 2008.

Former Seattle Seahawks running backs coach Sherman Smith made it clear on Friday that he’s no longer with the team because Pete Carroll wanted to make a change.

“We went into the meeting, Pete just started talking about he thought it was time about making a change,” said Smith during an interview with Brock and Salk on 710 ESPN Seattle. “And it surprised me because I thought I would be the one more or less leading the conversation — either saying I hadn’t decided to retire yet or I’m going to coach another year. But I didn’t think it would be him saying, ‘I want to make a change.'”

Smith had worked with Carroll on the Seahawks’ coaching staff since 2010. Seattle will move forward with Chad Morton as the running backs coach.

Smith said he had been considering retirement, and Carroll offered him another job on the staff. But that wasn’t of interest to Smith.

The Seahawks’ running game lost some identity without Marshawn Lynch, according to deposed running backs coach Sherman Smith. William Perlman/The Star Ledger/ USA TODAY Sports

“I think Coach just wants more of that run-around type of energy that I can’t give,” Smith said. “Heck, I’m 62 years old. I don’t run around like I did when I was 32. So I think that was important to him, and that’s where he went. I may not like it, but that’s his decision and I’m fine with it.”

Smith spoke honestly on a number of topics, including why the run game struggled — finishing 23rd in efficiency — in 2016.

He said that although coaches Tom Cable, Pat Ruel and Brennan Carroll “did as great a job as possible” preparing the young offensive line every week, he believes the unit’s lack of experience contributed to the issues. Smith also mentioned the lack of continuity at the running back position due to injuries and Marshawn Lynch’s retirement.

“Marshawn defined our running game by his [physical] run style. Beast Mode,” Smith said. “Teams knew when they played us what they had to deal with in the backfield. Even considering the five guys up front or including the tight ends or fullbacks that were in front of them, they knew the main guy was Marshawn.

“So Marshawn brought that intimidation factor, brought that awareness factor that this is a guy that you have to contend with. … And we didn’t have that this year. Teams came in this year saying, ‘I’m glad we don’t have to deal with Marshawn.'”

Smith said he loves Thomas Rawls and believes Rawls can develop into a No. 1 back. However, Rawls has to “free his mind up.” Smith explained that Rawls put too much pressure on himself in 2016 and would get frustrated when he made mistakes.

When asked about what the Seahawks need to do to win another Super Bowl, Smith said the players need to regain their hunger. He acknowledged that could be difficult for a team that has won and possesses so many players who have been paid and achieved superstar status.

“As we talked about the team, I was just telling [Carroll] the team was not as hungry as we were four years ago,” Smith said. “When you have the type of success that we’ve had — you win a Super Bowl, you have a heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl, you’ve been to the playoffs five years in a row — you have this reputation. Guys aren’t as hungry. They were hungry, but maybe not as hungry as we were.

“I remember after we lost the Atlanta playoff game in 2012, when we came back on that airplane, I knew that there was an anger on that bus and on that plane that we didn’t win, and we knew that we were the best team. And so going into 2013, there was just no doubt in my mind that we were going to have a great year. Pete can only do so much. Players have got to have a hunger for it.”

Smith does not know what he’ll do next. However, he said the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots still irks him.

“The 2015 season was really hard for me because my mind would always go back to the Super Bowl,” Smith said. “When we’d go into the indoor practice facility, man, we should have two of those banners hanging up in here. And it was hard to overcome that for coaches as well as for players.”

Page 717 of 794« First...102030716717718719720730740...Last »

Soccer