INSIDER
Mercury Morris, part of Dolphins' two Super Bowl wins and their perfect season, dies at 77
Read full article: Mercury Morris, part of Dolphins' two Super Bowl wins and their perfect season, dies at 77Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who starred for the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins as part of a star-studded backfield and helped the team win two Super Bowl titles, has died.
Falcons owner Blank says Bill Belichick never asked for player personnel control in interviews
Read full article: Falcons owner Blank says Bill Belichick never asked for player personnel control in interviewsSpeaking for the first time about the coach search that led to the hiring of Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank says former New England coach Bill Belichick made no demands for control of player personnel in Atlanta, as was widely speculated.
Bill Belichick is out in New England, so what's next for the 6-time Super Bowl champion?
Read full article: Bill Belichick is out in New England, so what's next for the 6-time Super Bowl champion?Now that Bill Belichick is out as coach of the New England Patriots after 24 seasons, the question turns to where will the six-time Super Bowl champion go next.
Bill Belichick deflects questions about future, repeating 'I'm getting ready for Kansas City'
Read full article: Bill Belichick deflects questions about future, repeating 'I'm getting ready for Kansas City'New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick declined to discuss his future amid reports that owner Robert Kraft had already decided to fire the six-time Super Bowl champion after the season.
Mac Jones' late TD pass lifts Patriots over Bills 29-25; Bill Belichick is 3rd coach with 300 wins
Read full article: Mac Jones' late TD pass lifts Patriots over Bills 29-25; Bill Belichick is 3rd coach with 300 winsMac Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining to lift the New England Patriots to a 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Belichick passes Halas, Patriots beat Jets 22-17
Read full article: Belichick passes Halas, Patriots beat Jets 22-17Bill Belichick passed George Halas for second place on the NFL’s career coaching victories list and the New England Patriots continued their mastery of the New York Jets by beating them for the 13th straight time, 22-17.
Fields, Bears score 23 straight points, beat Pats 33-14
Read full article: Fields, Bears score 23 straight points, beat Pats 33-14Justin Fields threw for 179 yards and a touchdown and ran for 82 yards and another score, and the Bears defense forced returning Patriots starter Mac Jones back to the bench to give Chicago a 33-14 victory over New England.
Winning ways: Are the Chiefs suddenly the NFL's new dynasty?
Read full article: Winning ways: Are the Chiefs suddenly the NFL's new dynasty?The Chiefs have won a record six straight AFC West titles and will be hosting their record fourth straight AFC title game when Cincinnati visits Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots blow past Jaguars 50-10, earn playoff berth
Read full article: Patriots blow past Jaguars 50-10, earn playoff berthRookie quarterback Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes and Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for two scores apiece to put the New England Patriots in the playoffs with their 50-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Chiefs' Reid deflects attention as he approaches NFL history
Read full article: Chiefs' Reid deflects attention as he approaches NFL historyGood luck getting Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid to ruminate on the fact that he’s nearing NFL history, just one win away from becoming the first to reach 100 with two different franchises.
Howard Schnellenberger, 87, Miami, Louisville coach, dies
Read full article: Howard Schnellenberger, 87, Miami, Louisville coach, dies(AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)MIAMI – Howard Schnellenberger was a pipe smoker with a push-broom mustache and gruff baritone, and he paired his grandiloquent manner with grandiose visions for football at Miami, Louisville and Florida Atlantic that caused snickers. He revived the sport at Miami and Louisville and started the program at Florida Atlantic during a coaching career that spanned a half century. His legacy includes on-campus stadiums at Louisville and Florida Atlantic. He then founded the program at Florida Atlantic and retired as coach after 11 seasons highlighted by back-to-back bowl victories. AdAt Miami, Schnellenberger took over in 1979 amid debate about whether the moribund program should fold.
From Kobe to Maradona, a year of staggering losses in sports
Read full article: From Kobe to Maradona, a year of staggering losses in sportsNot long after came a seismic jolt, the helicopter crash of Kobe Bryant in the fog-shrouded California hills that reverberated across sports and across continents. Deep into the year, a bookend to Bryant, Diego Maradona died from a heart attack in Argentina weeks after brain surgery, the waves of grief rippling across soccer. The losses, of course, came against a backdrop of a pandemic, its number of fatalities rolled out daily on TV screens. Niekro won 318 games and pitched until he was 48, his knuckleball dancing and mystifying batters across the decades. Kurt Thomas in 1978 became the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world title but lost an Olympic shot in 1980 because of the boycott.
Sports in 2020: Disruptions aplenty, only constant was loss
Read full article: Sports in 2020: Disruptions aplenty, only constant was lossFILE - In this Aug. 6, 2020, file photo, the Olympic rings for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 pass by on a barge by tugboats off the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo. Tokyo Olympic officials said Thursday, Dec. 24, they have reached a basic agreement with all 68 domestic sponsors to extend their contracts into next year to support the postponed Games. Facing increasingly long odds, some mega-events — the Olympics, March Madness, the Boston Marathon and Wimbledon — pushed the starting line into 2021. … Continue to push (against) everything that’s the opposite of love.”If only for a moment, the pandemic receded into the background. “If we can continue to do that, all of us,” James concluded, “America would be a much better place.”
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2020
Read full article: Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2020The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.
Jake Scott, former Miami safety, Super Bowl MVP, dies at 75
Read full article: Jake Scott, former Miami safety, Super Bowl MVP, dies at 75Scott, the star safety who was the most valuable player in the Super Bowl that completed the Dolphins 1972 perfect season, died Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, in Atlanta. Scott played in three consecutive Super Bowls, won back-to-back championship rings and made the Pro Bowl five years in a row with Miami. At Georgia, Scott was an All-American and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1968. Shula suspended Scott and then traded him to the Redskins for safety Bryant Salter, who lasted only one season. He grew up in Athens, Georgia, and was recruited as a receiver by Dooley, who then moved Scott to safety.
Dolphins' Tagovailoa is a playful, willing backup -- for now
Read full article: Dolphins' Tagovailoa is a playful, willing backup -- for nowMIAMI Tua Tagovailoa was easy to identify Thursday even though he wore teammate Ryan Fitzpatrick's jersey and a mask to his first media session of training camp. Tagovailoa is happy to keep a low profile befitting his rookie status, even though he's widely hailed as the Miami Dolphins' future franchise quarterback. A former star at Alabama, Tagovailoa knows how to deal with the pressure of great expectations. But Tagovailoa will be difficult to overlook because he's full of potential and personality. As far as how I feel right now, everything is going well.That's what the Dolphins want to hear.