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.
Tianjin Quanjian owner Shu Yuhui rues the rule change in the Chinese Super League that has further restricted the usage of foreign players, dashing hopes of signing Diego Costa.
The latest reports suggest Costa will likely leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window following controversy over an apparent spat with the club’s medical staff amid interest from China. However, from March, the number of foreign players a Super League team is allowed to field at one time will be reduced, meaning a move there – or to Tianjin, at least – is off the table.
Shu’s apparent efforts to sign Paris Saint-Germain’s in-form forward Edinson Cavani, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, AS Monaco’s Radamel Falcao, and Benfica’s Raul Jimenez have also fallen by the wayside.
“Our club had a massive investment plan for the new season but it was tightened up by the new rules,” Shu told Tianjin Sports Channel, with translation from ESPN FC’s Michael Church.
“I made an appointment with (agent Jorge) Mendes and he came to my hometown to visit me. At that time, we were interested in signing Costa.”
The new rule, imposed by the Chinese Football Association to curb “irrational investment,” follows in the wake of Oscar’s £60-million switch from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG and various other deals that have tempted leading internationals from Europe to Asia for vast sums.
At Tianjin Quanjian, a newly promoted outfit managed by World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro, signing Costa or another overseas player would’ve necessitated difficult juggling of personnel between Brazilians Jadson and Geuvanio, Belgian Axel Witsel, and South Korean defender Kyung-Won Kwon.
(Courtesy: @MailSport)
“We need an out-and-out striker so we made a bid for Benzema. We also made an attempt for Falcao,” Shu said. “As a matter of fact, the club had even prepared the contracts for Falcao and Raul Jimenez, but the new rules forced us to give up on them.”
For some deals, the opportunity to complete a transfer would’ve come not before the league’s kickoff in March, but when European divisions conclude their campaigns in the summer.
“PSG told us Cavani would only be allowed to leave in June, even though the player himself was willing to join us,” Shu explained. “The same can be said for Costa because Chelsea will also only let him leave in June.”
He added, in quotes picked up by Sky Sports’ Patrick Surlis: “We couldn’t afford to wait half a season. We continue to wait and suffer, but at the end of the day, we’ll get someone.”
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.
Berlin – Spanish World Cup winner and double European champion Xabi Alonso is set to retire at the end of the season when his Bayern Munich contract expires, a report in Germany said.
Leader Bayern kicks off the second half of the Bundesliga season at Freiburg on Friday in its bid for a fifth straight German league title with the 35-year-old Alonso poised to end his playing career in June.
It would mean the German giant could lose significant experience for next season with club captain and ex-Germany skipper Philipp Lahm also reportedly considering retiring in June to take over as Bayern’s team manager.
According to Sport Bild, Alonso has already told club bosses he does not want to sign a contract extension.
Having joined Bayern for the 2014-15 season, Alonso is bidding to finish with a third straight German league title with Munich currently three points clear in the table.
Alonso has won 16 titles for clubs and country, including the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European championships with Spain, making 114 international appearances.
He retired from international duty in August 2014.
He has won the Champions league twice with two different clubs.
He started out at Real Sociedad and joined Liverpool in 2004 after being named Spanish player of the year in 2003.
He was part of the Liverpool side which famously won the 2005 Champions League title in a penalty shootout, coming back from 3-0 down against AC Milan in Istanbul.
After five years and 143 English Premier League appearances with Liverpool, Alonso joined Real Madrid in 2009.
He again won the Champions League in 2014 when current Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti steered Real to a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid before Alonso transferred to Germany for the 2014-15 season.
