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NFL

Patriots could be in trouble if Falcons' O-line starts spiking ball

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.

Schraeder and right guard Chris Chester haven’t missed a down. Center Alex Mack and left guard Andy Levitre have played 98 percent of the snaps, and Matthews has played 95 percent.

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.

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“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.

Soccer

Lewandowski: A move to Barca or Real not a 'step up'

Robert Lewandowski insists there is no bigger club than Bayern Munich, and calls its squad the “perfect” size to win multiple major trophies in one season.

Although the Polish striker recently extended his contract with the German giant until 2021, he was linked with a lucrative move to Real Madrid in May 2016.

To unsettle the nerves of Die Roten fans a little more, Lewandowski’s agent recently claimed he was offered a world-record-breaking salary of more than €40 million per season by an unnamed team in the Chinese Super League.

But it seems the natural-born finisher has heard just about enough from other people speculating about his future.

“Bayern is one of the best teams in the world – on a par with Real Madrid and Barcelona,” Lewandowski told Sport Bild, with translation from ESPN FC’s Mark Lovell. “A move to Barca or Real wouldn’t have been a step up for me.

“Furthermore, I’m very happy in Munich.”

Since joining Bayern from Borussia Dortmund back in the summer of 2014, Lewandowski has proven to be a goal-scoring machine. The 28-year-old helped Die Roten win two consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2015 and 2016, scoring 17 and 30 goals respectively.

He scored a brace for Bayern, including a last-minute strike, to break Freiburg’s heart and secure the 2-1 victory in his club’s first league game back from the winter break.

Lewandowski suggested Bayern’s squad size is a huge advantage when it comes to winning multiple trophies in one season.

“I believe having too big a squad is the wrong way of going about things,” the striker said. “When there’s too many players, you’re always thinking in the back of your mind if you make mistakes you’ll soon be on the bench. Also, it’s also hard to form a good team spirit.

“The number of players is exactly right. It ensures every player is motivated and gives their all in training. Everyone sees a chance of playing in the first XI.

“It’s not as if we have only 14 players. I think the squad size is perfect and can be our biggest trump card when battling for trophies.”

NFL

2017 Madden Bowl Day 3: Houston semifinals are set

The final day of the Madden Bowl at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida, in conjunction with Sunday’s Pro Bowl, kicked off Saturday with four participants earning a trip to Houston to play out the remaining semfinals and finals matches at the Super Bowl.

1 Related

The first quarterfinal matchup of the day saw the second-place finisher’s from Group A and B, Michael “Skimbo” Skimbo and Shay “Young Kiv” Kivlan, respectively, square off. A bevy of first-half interceptions saw Skimbo down at the half, 13-10, as Young Kiv seemed to have stifled his normally stout aerial attack. But thanks to a bit of good fortune, Skimbo would rally, using a variation of a few plays to throw Young Kiv’s defense out of sync. With the game tied at 20-20 and just under three minutes remaining, Skimbo took control of the game, connecting on a massive pass to Antonio Brown to set up what would amount to a game-winning field goal. He would clinch his trip to Houston moments later, picking off Young Kiv to earn a come-from-behind 23-20 win.

In a battle representing an NFC East rivalry, Chris “Dubby” McFarland from Philadelphia, squared off against Lavar “Mr. Hollywood” Gayle from New York to determine who would be the second person to advance to Houston. Dubby jumped ahead using excellent ball control to grind down the entire first quarter, scoring on a fourth-down quarterback sneak to get the lead. Terrific user defense by Dubby locked down what was a dynamic offense from Mr. Hollywood during the group stages, ending the first half up 10-3. From there, the game was never really in question, as Dubby relied on a combination of solid user defense and ball-control offense to tick down the rest of the clock, securing a surprising 20-13 victory.

In easily the most exciting matchup of the day, the explosive offenses of Eli “Trueboy” Clayton and Zach “Serious Moe” Lane took the field next. Despite a first half filled with uncharacteristic mistakes, Trueboy entered the second half trailing only 17-9. An immediate fourth-down stop to start the pivotal half gave Trueboy an opportunity to get even closer, scoring a touchdown off a nice high-point pass to Larry Fitzgerald. And after recovering a crucial fumble by Serious Moe’s Ricky Williams, Trueboy used a combination of Russell Wilson scrambles and pinpoint passes to score another touchdown, taking a 21-17 lead late in the fourth quarter.

It looked like all hope was lost for Serious Moe to record a comeback victory after he failed to pick up a fourth down attempt with a little over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but an interception with just under a minute remaining had him back in business. After a series of plays put Serious Moe in the red zone, the former Madden 2016 Championship quarterfinalist hit Deion Sanders up the seam with seven seconds left for the game-winning touchdown, capping off an incredible game by both competitors.

Day 3 rounded out with a matchup between Reggie “Boogz” Brown and Eric “Problem” Wright. Problem, relying on his typically stout defense and ball-control offense, earned a commanding 10-3 lead at halftime. But it would be Boogz who would answer back, taking advantage of Problem’s user coverage to find a soft spot in the seam and score a game-tying touchdown. Problem would respond, methodically moving the ball down the field using Williams to get within field goal range. Having worked down most of the clock, Problem would kick the go-ahead field goal, leaving Boogz with little time to mount a comeback. A subsequent incomplete pass on fourth down by Boogz would end the game, giving Problem a 13-10 win and a semifinal match in Houston.

Soccer

Enrique: Messi has 'evolved into the total footballer'

MARCELO DEL POZO / Reuters

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has praised Lionel Messi and his evolution beyond the classification as just a goal scorer.

Proof of his growth as a footballer was exhibited during last weekend’s victory over Eibar when the Argentine star deputised injured Andres Iniesta in a deep lying position compared to his usual post in attack.

His transition into a role where creativity is essential to success was an example of his versatility and ability to positively influence matches outside of his usual role in the heart of Barca’s attacking scheme.

“Messi’s evolution is there for everyone to see,” Enrique told reporters, according to Samuel Marsden of ESPNFC, ahead of Barcelona’s second-leg encounter Thursday with Real Sociedad.

“It’s a process to do with maturing as a person. There have been years when he was the only goalscorer and now he’s evolved into the total footballer, capable of everything in attack and defence.”

Enqrique added Messi’s knowledge of the game and play off the ball makes his job easier whenever players go down with injuries.

“As he’s so intelligent, he will be able to cover any potential physical weaknesses in the long-term,” he said.

“He’s the prototype of a strong player physically, but he doesn’t rely on that because he knows where the space is, how to play without the ball … and if you add his technical and physical quality to that, you have what we see every day: a unique player.”

With contract negotiations going “very well,” according to the club technical secretary Roberto Fernandez, Messi looks as though he’s destined to continue dazzling the Barca faithful at the Camp Nou beyond 2018 when his current contract expires.

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Soccer