Tag: england

Tom Brady on Super Bowl LVII: “I felt Jalen [Hurts] played incredible… Patrick [Mahomes] played really clutch when he had to. And it was a very fitting end to a great season. They played really one of the great games all season. It was really fun to watch”

Tom Brady, the recently-retired seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, hopes Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers doesn’t join him in retirement any time soon, hailing the 39-year-old as “one of the greats”.

Rodgers is planning to embark on a four-day ‘darkness retreat’, this offseason, with the veteran quarterback telling The Pat McAfee Show that he hoped the excursion would help to provide clarity on his future, including retirement.

“It’s an opportunity to do a little self-reflection in some isolation and after that, I feel like I’ll be a lot closer to that final, final decision,” Rodgers said.

On the latest episode of his ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast, Brady said he hopes Rodgers decides to continue playing – be that in Green Bay or elsewhere.

“You know what, I hope he doesn’t retire,” Brady said. “I think the league needs good quarterbacks, and he’s one of the greats.

“If he retires, it’ll be a sad day for the league.”

As for Rodgers’ planned ‘darkness retreat’, Brady said: “Everyone has their different processes they go through. And you know what, I think we all need to get off our phone a little bit more. I think we all need to get away from the TV a little bit more.

“I think we all need a little more nature and a little more silence and a little more peace.

“And however he’s going about it, good for him. Everyone’s got their unique way to process the season. It’s very intense for all of us, and everyone gets to choose what they want to do.”

Rodgers is also currently subject to numerous trade rumours, with ESPN reporting on Sunday that the New York Jets have expressed an interest, and that the Packers are open to moving on from their 15-year starter.

Financial reasons are said to be the major reason behind a potential trade of Rodgers, with Green Bay projected to be $16m over next season’s salary cap. He is due $59.5m in guaranteed money in 2023 and $49.25m in 2024.

Rodgers told McAfee last month that he was “open to all honest and direct conversations” with the Packers. He added that a trade “wouldn’t offend me, and it wouldn’t make me feel like a victim”.

Rodgers was named the NFL’s MVP in both 2020 and 2021, but he endured one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022, completing 64.6 per cent of his passes for 3,695 yards and 26 touchdowns, while tossing 12 interceptions (his highest mark since 2010).

Brady disputes that narrative, however. “Certainly from the standpoint of him leaving the game the way that he’s playing, he broke his thumb this year and still played tremendous,” he said. “And you could see as he got healthy throughout the year how incredibly talented he is.

“I hope the good players keep playing. That’s what my hope is. That’s what I tried to do.

“And now you hope that the next generation does that and I hope they have the tools necessary to do that.”

Speaking of that next generation, Brady also offered his thoughts on Sunday’s epic Super Bowl LVII matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles which featured two of the best young quarterbacks in the game.

The 27-year-old Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for a second time as he defied an ankle injury to lead the Chiefs from behind to a 38-25 win. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, appearing in his first Super Bowl aged 24, also put in a stellar performance, throwing for over 300 yards and a touchdown, while adding 70 yards and three scores on the ground.

“I felt Jalen played incredible,” Brady said. “Patrick played really clutch when he had to. And it was a very fitting end to a great season.

“The two best teams throughout the course of the year were in the Super Bowl, and they played really one of the great games all season. So it was really fun to watch.”

He added: “I hope these other guys like Patrick can play a long time, and Jalen can play a long time. And Josh [Allen] and Joe Burrow, these tremendous players that bring so much.

“That’s why we watch – not because of the colour of the jerseys, because of the players in the jerseys.”

Lou Anarumo and his hokey cokey Cincinnati Bengals defense have become the talk of the town. A town with Joe Burrow in it.

To solve a problem like Josh Allen, to solve a problem like Patrick Mahomes, to solve a problem like the modern off-script angle-defiant elite quarterback is to do things the Lou Anarumo way.

His art of disguise has excelled to the extent head coach-needy NFL teams have neglected to acknowledge his cauldron of tricks enough to consider him during this year’s hiring cycle. An indictment, no doubt, on them and a flawed hiring process rather than his own credentials.

He has emerged as a remedy to a Mahomesified league in which the Kansas City Chiefs gamer has burdened young quarterbacks with soaring, unassailable expectations through his anything-goes arm talent. Anarumo vs Mahomes likely takes precedence over any Joe Burrow vs Mahomes or Joe Burrow vs Steve Spagnuolo showdown heading into Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.

Eli Apple dubbed him a mad scientist. He is both scientist and architect, receptive and reactive to the league’s college-driven spread movement and the trendy proclivity of pre-snap motion, RPO innovation and the position-less asterisk to on-paper personnel groupings. With today’s offensive sleight of hand comes Anarumo’s own espionage missions. And sometimes, just sometimes, he will merely knock on the front door to tell you what he’s doing, armed with the answer for any ensuing reply.

He gave Allen and the Bills offense headaches by nullifying their downfield knockout power in Cincinnati’s Divisional Round win. Mahomes is next in his sights as they resume their defining duel, in which Anarumo boasts the upper hand.

Where Josh Boyer’s blitz-heavy approach with the Miami Dolphins had dared Allen’s downfield aggression to beat them, Anarumo’s success was built on delaying the Bills quarterback and forcing him to temper his bombs away tendencies. Simulated pressure became seven and eight-man coverage looks, putting added stress on Allen’s progressions while, in a slightly different way to Boyer inviting shots over the top, daring him to take on dangerous traffic.

The Bengals defensive coordinator has joined in with the league’s shift towards the two-high safety shells inspired by Vic Fangio as a means of eradicating the explosive plays of 20+ yards. But it has been the way in which his unit rolls and rotates to two-high looks and handsomely-staffed zone shells that has been so effective in befuddling the league’s best and brightest under center. And, in contrast, the way he hides blitz packages in zone presentations.

Anarumo blitzed Allen just seven times on 47 drop backs (14.8 per cent) and yet managed to generate pressure on 26 of them by way of his shape-shifting. He turned heavily towards one of the staples of the Anarumo defense in the nickel fire zone pressures whereby at the snap the extra defensive back will rocket to the line of scrimmage from the second level while the weak side defensive end retreats into coverage to muddy the quarterback’s field read. There we have the ‘left foot in, right foot out’ hokey cokey of it all. It preserves the four-man rush while congesting the middle of the field as Allen looks for his hot routes.

A defensive back can hint at zone coverage by aligning with his backside pointing to the sideline, or point to man-on-man by shadowing the motioning receiver across the line of scrimmage or nod to the blitz by lining up in a sprint-start stance, but Anarumo does his utmost to veil intentions by having his creeper pressure man, often a Mike Hilton or Vonn Bell, unassumingly amble across the second level before exploding into life from a non-static start at the snap. Emphasis on the ‘creep’ in his creeper pressure.

A key trait to Anarumo’s fire zone pressures can also be the width it creates up front, the angle from which the defensive back darts helping limit the modern mobile quarterback’s ability to roll out of the pocket and freelance in pursuit of an off-platform throw. He will also pull one of Sam Hubbard or Trey Hendrickson off the edge and turn them into a spy, be it to purposely flush a quarterback out of the pocket and into their laps or to again contribute to blocking quite routes underneath. Hence the importance against an Allen or a Mahomes that are as dangerous as any passer in the league outside the pocket.

The pre-to-post snap transformations come with layers upon layers upon layers: Anarumo will simulate a corner blitz from one side while offering a single-high coverage presentation, before dropping said corner and the adjacent defensive end into the second level at the snap while sending the opposite side corner in pressure off the edge, filling the vacated half of the field by rolling his high safety across in an inverted Cover 2 and pulling linebacker Logan Wilson high while Germaine Pratt serves as the hook/curl floater. His own illusion of complexity.

At times he will complement zone coverage across the board by lining up one of his more physical defensive backs in press man coverage against the offense’s top weapon, a Travis Kelce for example, and ask his DB to win his physicality battle mid-route.

Anarumo will also occasionally put a defining onus on the athleticism and instincts of Wilson and Pratt as his two lone linebackers in extra DB packages by lining both up as A-gap muggers at the line of scrimmage before dragging them back at the snap to marshal any crossing routes designed for quick-release concepts.

He was the star of the show as the Bengals beat the Chiefs in last season’s AFC title game to reach the Super Bowl, Anarumo’s second half answer to Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Kelce being to pull seven or eight men into coverage and suffocate some of the most accomplished offensive spacing and route concepts in the league.

Trailing 21-10 at half-time, Anarumo came out and dropped eight or more defenders into coverage on 45.5 per cent of dropbacks across the second half and overtime period in a rise from just 23.8 per cent in the first half. In those instances Mahomes went three of eight passing for 13 yards and an interception while being sacked twice as the Chiefs offense stalled.

The Bengals had been beaten by two notable chunk plays in the first half, a 44-yard completion to Mecole Hardman and a 33-yard completion to Hill. On the first to Hardman Cincinnati had presented quarters coverage before rolling into a one-high safety in Jessie Bates III, who would be frozen centrally by Kelce’s seam route while Hardman beat Chidobe Awuzie one-on-one with his out-and-up. On the second to Hill the Bengals presented a one-high safety look in nickel with all other DBs lined up in press coverage other than Apple in soft coverage on the Chiefs pass-catcher, who would exploit the extra runway and beat his man with a double move on the deep over route.

Anarumo sought to switch things up with 13 seconds left in the half when he dialled up match quarters coverage with wide 5-tech and 9-tech rushers anchoring a four-man pressure in order to contain Mahomes in the pocket, with Wilson retreating into coverage to bracket Byron Pringle’s over route and Pratt spying the Chiefs quarterback to deny the escape on the weak side. Unfortunately for the Bengals Apple would bite on the in-and-out from Hill and ultimately draw a pass interference penalty after seeing Mahomes overcook his pass to the corner of the end zone.

On the opening drive of the second half Anarumo tackled a Chiefs second-and-six by dropping eight into coverage with Pratt as the hook/curl buffer in the middle of the field, where his presence proved key in delaying Mahomes as he targeted Hill, being shadowed by Hilton, on the deep over.

Then followed a familiar theme of Bell being deployed as the ‘robber’ out of Cover 2 (two-high) by dropping down into the hole last minute to disrupt dig and crossing routes underneath as another variation on Anarumo’s blend of zone and man.

Mahomes and the Chiefs were not dumb to the seven and eight man coverages – they just could not find a resolution to beating them, even with their alien quarterback’s preposterous skewed-angle freelancing expertise. Late in the third they turned to a condensed formation in a bid to toss the guessing game back to Anarumo, who responded by stacking the box in the face of a wide zone movement before rotating into Cover 2 and watching BJ Hill throw up his big arms to snag a bonus interception at the line of scrimmage.

There is a blockbuster feel to Anarumo’s defense as he favours blanketing every route and every receiver over supreme pressure up front, challenging a Mahomes to produce the best of Mahomes by dissecting the tightest of throwing lanes or spotting and punishing the rare blown assignment, and challenging a Kelce to produce the best of Kelce by way of the best head feint, hip swivel and hand usage on an out route in the league. Beat him, and he will holds his hands up and say ‘fair play’.

How he replicates or adapts previous game plans for Mahomes this weekend comes with added intrigue in the wake of the Chiefs man’s high-ankle sprain. Do you purposely flush him out of the pocket and put his uncertain mobility to the test?

The mad scientist is brewing his next cocktail of chaos, every bit of which is needed against the NFL’s best quarterback.

Over to you, Lou.

The NFL playoffs continue this weekend with Championship Sunday. Watch both games live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday night, with Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs kicking off at 11.30pm.

The NFL playoffs and continue on Sky Sports on Sunday with a triple-header of Super Wild Card Weekend action – starting with Dolphins @ Bills, followed by Giants @ Vikings and Ravens @ Bengals; watch live on Sky Sports NFL from 6pm, Sunday

Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns and ran in another as he starred on his first career playoff start, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 41-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks to start Super Wild Card Weekend on Saturday.

Story of the Game

The 49ers – the NFC’s No 2 seed and riding a 10-game winning streak into the playoffs – trailed by a point at half-time as a stubborn Seattle outfit led 17-16 at the break. But a stirring second half showing by San Francisco, in which they scored 22 points in the space of 12 minutes at one point, secured their passage through to the divisional round.

The 49ers will now host the Minnesota Vikings next weekend, should they beat the New York Giants in their wild card clash on Sunday. If the Giants win, it will instead be either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Dallas Cowboys who travel to San Francisco.

Purdy, who was taken with the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, completed 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards, the rookie QB overcoming some early jitters to put in a hugely accomplished display.

Christian McCaffrey rushed 15 times for 119 yards and had a touchdown grab to see San Francisco into an early 10-0 lead, while Deebo Samuel had six receptions for 133 yards and a blistering 74-yard catch and run for a score as the Niners streaked clear of the Seahawks in the second half.

Seattle QB Geno Smith was 25-of-35 passing for 253 yards with two touchdowns, both to DK Metcalf – one a 50-yard stunner to see the Seahawks into the lead for the first time. But he also had an interception late in the second half, while he lost a fumble in the third quarter which is the point at which the game turned.

Metcalf had 10 catches for 136 yards and those two TDs, while rookie running back Kenneth Walker also found the end zone, in the second quarter, as he earned 63 yards on 15 carries.

Trailing 17-16 to start the second half, the 49ers immediately drove 75 yards down the field in 13 plays, with Purdy scoring on a one-yard plunge. And they wouldn’t look back from there.

With the Seahawks driving deep into 49ers territory, Smith was sacked by Charles Omenihu for a seven-yard loss, with the ball squirting loose and being recovered by Nick Bosa at the 30-yard line.

San Francisco then stretched ahead by two scores off the back of the turnover as Purdy escaped the rush and threw a seven-yard TD to running back Elijah Mitchell, with a two-point conversion to George Kittle following.

Just over three minutes later, Samuel turned on the turbo jets to take his TD 74 yards all the way to the house and effectively end the game.

Robbie Gould, who kicked four field goals in the contest, fired one through the uprights from 31 yards after Smith was picked off immediately after Samuel’s score.

Seattle and Metcalf would at least find the end zone once more for a consolation TD with just under two minutes remaining but then the Niners ran out the rest of the clock to book their spot in the divisional round and knock out their great NFC West divisional rivals.

Stats leaders

Seahawks

• Passing: Geno Smith, 25/35, 253 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• Rushing: Kenneth Walker, 15 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
• Receiving: DK Metcalf, 10 catches, 136 yards, 2 TDs

49ers

• Passing: Brock Purdy, 18/30, 332 yards, 3 TDs
• Rushing: Christian McCaffrey, 15 carries, 119 yards (& 1 receiving TD)
• Receiving: Deebo Samuel, six catches, 133 yards, 1 TD

What they said… ‘Purdy looked like Frank Tarkenton’

49ers quarterback, Brock Purdy: “We came out and had some momentum and Seattle did a good job tracking back.

“It’s playoff football; everyone is going to play their best from here on out. When our offense and defense are doing their thing, we’re hard to beat.

“We’ve got a goal of winning the whole thing. We’re in a tournament, so anything can happen. I’ve got such a great team, O-line, receivers, defense, across the whole board. It’s not a one-man show, I’m very blessed.”

Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll: “We chased him all over the place and he [Purdy] looked like [former Minnesota Vikings QB] Fran Tarkenton out there.

“Down 10-0 on the road with the fans going nuts, we did a great job to bounce right back. We were in it right to the end of the third quarter.”

What’s next?

The NFL playoffs continue on Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL, with a Super Wild Card Weekend triple-header.

The Buffalo Bills first host the Miami Dolphins (kick-off, 6pm), before the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants do battle at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (kick-off, 9.30pm). The evening wraps up with the Baltimore Ravens’ visit to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football (kick-off, 1.15am).

The wild card round then concludes on Monday night as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host ‘America’s Team’, the Dallas Cowboys, live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am early on Tuesday morning.

Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season – featuring a host of NFL Network programming. Don’t forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports – on the go!

The Philadelphia Eagles, who are an NFL-best 13-1 this season, have had a league-high eight players selected for the Pro Bowl games in Las Vegas.

The NFL revealed the complete rosters on Wednesday, with Philadelphia having six players designated as starters.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receiver A.J. Brown, offensive linemen Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson and cornerback Darius Slay were chosen as starters, while outside linebacker Haason Reddick and running back Miles Sanders were also picked as reserves.

The Dallas Cowboys (10-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) are tied for the next-most selections with seven apiece, followed by the Baltimore Ravens (9-5) and San Francisco 49ers (10-4) with six picks each and the Minnesota Vikings (11-3) with five.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) and Chicago Bears (3-11) were the only teams to not earn a Pro Bowl selection.

Pro Bowl teams are determined by combining the votes of three groups: fans, players and coaches. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa received the most votes by fans, but it wasn’t enough to see him earn a spot on the AFC squad, with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals taking the three available spots.

Mahomes is the AFC’s starting quarterback. It is his fifth-straight Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 4,496 yards and 35 passing touchdowns through 14 games, while Hurts – 3,472 yards, 22 passing TDs – is the starter for the NFC in his first-ever appearance.

Last year’s Super Bowl participants, the defending champion Los Angeles Rams and the runner-up Bengals, combined for just four choices, with defensive lineman Aaron Donald being the Rams’ only selection.

It is the ninth-straight Pro Bowl nod for Donald, who has been limited to 11 appearances and just five sacks for the 4-10 Rams.

In September, the NFL scrapped its traditional Pro Bowl all-star football game in favour of several different, smaller events, headlined by a flag football game on February 5.

Peyton Manning and his Omaha Productions company will help shape programming and promote the event’s content throughout the week. Manning, a 14-time Pro Bowl pick during his Hall of Fame career, will provide his perspective and will also be a part of the coaching staff for the flag game.

The Pro Bowl debuted in January of 1951 in Los Angeles and stayed there for 21 seasons before the game moved to different cities from 1972-80. Hawaii hosted from 1980-2009, with the game since having several homes including Miami, Phoenix, Orlando and Las Vegas.

The quality of play in the Pro Bowl has often been criticised. Players, understandably concerned about getting hurt, have tended to treat it as an exhibition game more than a competitive contest. It is hoped a flag football game could increase competition while avoiding potential injuries resulting from tackling, blocking and hitting.

2023 Pro Bowl rosters

(* denotes starters)

AFC

Quarterbacks: *Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills; Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Tight ends: *Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs; Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Wide receivers: *Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins; *Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills; Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders; Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

Tackles: *Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans; Terron Armstead, Miami Dolphins; Orlando Brown Jr., Kansas City Chiefs

Guards: *Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns; *Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts; Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs

Centers: *Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs; Mitch Morse, Buffalo Bills

Running backs: *Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns; Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders; Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

Fullback: *Patrick Ricard, Baltimore Ravens

Defensive ends: *Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns; *Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders; Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals

Interior lineman: *Chris Jones, Kanas City Chiefs; *Quinnen Williams, New York Jets; Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans

Outside linebackers: *Matt Judon, New England Patriots; *Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

Inside/middle linebackers: *Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens; C.J. Mosley, New York Jets

Cornerbacks: *Sauce Gardner, New York Jets; *Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos; Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens; Xavien Howard, Miami Dolphins

Free safety: *Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers

Strong safeties: *Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers; Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills

Placekicker: Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

Long snapper: Morgan Cox, Tennessee Titans

Punter: Tommy Townsend, Kansas City Chiefs

Return specialist: Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens

Special teamer: Justin Hardee, New York Jets

NFC

Quarterbacks: *Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles; Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks; Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Tight ends: *George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers; T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Wide receivers: *Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings; *A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles; CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys; Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders

Tackles: *Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers; *Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles; Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Guards: *Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys; *Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles; Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons

Centers: *Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles; Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions

Running backs: *Saquon Barkley, New York Giants; Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys; Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

Fullback: *Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers

Defensive ends: *Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers; *Brian Burns, Carolina Panthers; DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys

Interior lineman: *Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; *Jonathan Allen, Washington Commanders; Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants

Outside linebackers: *Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys; *Za’Darius Smith, Minnesota Vikings; Haason Reddick, Philadelphia Eagles

Inside/middle linebackers: *Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers; Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints

Cornerbacks: *Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles; *Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys; Tariq Woolen, Seattle Seahawks; Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers

Free safety: *Quandre Diggs, Seattle Seahawks

Strong safeties: *Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals; Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers

Placekicker: Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks

Long snapper: Andrew DePaola, Minnesota Vikings

Punter: Tress Way, Washington Commanders

Return specialist: KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys

Special teamer: Jeremy Reaves, Washington Commanders