Thomas, Revis, Freeney headline 1st time Hall candidates
Six-time All-Pro offensive lineman Joe Thomas, shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis and speedy pass rusher Dwight Freeney headline the list of nine first-year eligible players picked among the 129 nominees for the 2023 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
LEADING OFF: Balkovec up; Scherzer, Freeman, Correa debut
Rachel Balkovec is set to become the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of a major league team Friday when her Class-A Tampa Tarpons in the New York Yankeesโ organization face the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League.
Hall of Fame class has something for everybody
From bone-rattling tacklers Troy Polamalu, Steve Atwater and Cliff Harris to hard-charging runner Edgerrin James to the pass-catching brilliance of Isaac Bruce and Harold Carmichael, the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020 has something for everyone.
MacKinnon records hat trick, Avs beat Blues 6-3 in Game 2
Nathan MacKinnon finished his first career playoff hat trick with an empty-net goal to help the Colorado Avalanche pull away late for a 6-3 win over St. Louis in Game 2 after the Blues avoided a pregame virus scare that nearly sidelined several players.
Denver Broncos exercise Von Miller's 2021 option
FILE - Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller takes up his position during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisc., in this Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, file photo. The Denver Broncos have exercised star linebacker Von Miller's 2021 option. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)ENGLEWOOD, Colo. โ The Denver Broncos have exercised star linebacker Von Miller's 2021 option. The Broncos tweeted without comment an image of Miller celebrating the team's Super Bowl triumph five years ago. 2 overall pick behind Cam Newton, whom he dominated in Super Bowl 50 to help Denver beat Carolina 24-10 in Peyton Manning's farewell game.
Bucs' Arians scoffs at rumors, says he's returning 'for 2'
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)TAMPA, Fla. โ Seconds after linebacker Devin White intercepted a pass in the end zone, Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians started doling out hugs. Arians unplugged his headset, slipped on a Super Bowl championship hat and braced for the traditional Gatorade shower. Together, Arians and the 43-year-old Brady helped Tampa Bay win its first championship in 18 years and cemented their spot in the franchise history books. He took a year off and worked in television before returning to the NFL with Tampa Bay โ joining a young team he saw as full of potential. His biggest coup was landing Brady, who engineered yet another masterpiece and won his seventh Super Bowl after six titles with the Patriots.
Tom Brady brings Patriots' championship pedigree to Tampa
Gronkowski came out of retirement and signed with the Buccaneers after Brady bolted the Patriots last spring for a two-year, $50 million contract in Tampa after dominating the AFC for two decades. Brown caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Brady that put the Buccaneers ahead 21-6 at halftime after TD grabs of 8 and 17 yards by Gronkowski. In leading Tampa Bay to its first title in 18 seasons, Brady became the first player to win seven NFL championships. AdAt 43, Brady became the oldest player ever to play in a Super Bowl. It wasn't all free agents and trade acquisitions who brought Tampa its second NFL title.
Tom Brady wins Super Bowl No. 7, Buccaneers beat Chiefs 31-9
The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 to win the Super Bowl. With help from old friend Rob Gronkowski and a ferocious defense, Brady and the Buccaneers are Super Bowl champions. The GOAT earned his fifth Super Bowl MVP award and extended his Super Bowl titlesโ record in his 10th appearance, nine with New England. Stunningly, it was easier than any of his previous Super Bowl victories, which came by an average margin of five points. They won three road games as a wild card to reach the Super Bowl, and joined the NHL's Lightning as a 2020 season champion.
Manning and Lynch join together for a 3rd career highlight
Manning was selected Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2021. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)NFL greats elsewhere, Peyton Manning and John Lynch shared a second career in Denver. Close friends Manning and Lynch, who joke about drinking Mai Tai cocktails together at Pro Bowls in Hawaii and then charging them to hotel rooms of other players, are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2021. This is the ultimate that one player could ever achieve after their playing days are over.โLike Pearson, Flores and Lynch, Faneca had a lengthy wait. During the pandemic, Baker instead traveled to the houses of the four modern-day players and Flores, and he surprised Manning at the Broncos' stadium.
Game changers: Manning, Woodson, Megatron headed to Hall
Charles Woodson beat out Peyton Manning for a prestigious college award. On Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, they likely will share an even more impressive football honor: entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Not three years later, Manning threw 55 touchdown passes โ that record still stands as the most in a season โ and started in the Super Bowl for the Broncos. But he guided the Broncos to a win in Super Bowl 50 โ then left the field forever. He finished his career with 65 interceptions and 13 defensive touchdowns, tied for the career record with Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper.
The Latest: Peyton Manning gets Hall call
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Jared Allen and Calvin Johnson are first-year eligible players to make the list of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fames class of 2021. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)TAMPA, Fla. โ The Latest on the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class announced Saturday during the NFL Honors TV show (All times EST):___10:49 p.m.Peyton Manning is heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an all-but-preordained honor for a quarterback who helped redefine offense in the 21st century. Manning spent his first 14 years in Indianapolis, where he won his first Super Bowl. ___10:08 p.m.Alan Faneca, the sturdy guard who spent years opening holes open for Jerome Bettis and protecting Ben Roethlisberger, is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ___9:33 p.m.Calvin Johnson, the receiver better known as โMegatron,โ has been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Brady, improved defense keys to Bucs winning Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady during NFL football practice, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55. (Kyle Zedaker/Tampa Bay Buccaneers via AP)TAMPA, Fla. โ Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wonโt be denied. The 43-year-old six-time Super Bowl champion may no longer be the best quarterback in the NFL, however, heโs shown in his first season with the Bucs that heโs still good enough to lead a team to the NFL title game. You want to make some moves that hopefully get your team into the Super Bowl.
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson top Hall of Fame candidates
More than two decades ago Charles Woodson beat out Peyton Manning for a prestigious college award. On Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, they likely will share an even more impressive football honor: entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)More than two decades ago, Charles Woodson beat out Peyton Manning for a prestigious college award. On Saturday, they likely will share an even more impressive football honor: entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When everybody is seeing it through the same eyes, it is a great way to play a football game.
Tom Brady has denied 27 QBs in unparalleled playoff success
Brady is shooting for his seventh ring when he leads the Buccaneers (14-5) against the reigning champion Chiefs (16-2) in Super Bowl 55 on Sunday. Brady's postseason record includes a 33-11 mark, 14 conference championship appearances and 10 trips to the Super Bowl. If the Bucs dethrone the champs, Mahomes would become the sixth quarterback Brady has beaten multiple times in the playoffs. Although heโs not showing his age, 43, Brady will be the oldest to play in a Super Bowl, displacing Colts kicker Matt Stover, who was 42 in Super Bowl 44. Unlike Warner, he wasn't going to get ahead of himself and talk about anything but the Super Bowl title in front of him.
QB whisperers Christensen, Moore see different side to Brady
Tom Moore worked with Manning, Terry Bradshaw and many others before the 82-year-old assistant got a chance to coach Brady. Christensen and Moore were on the opposite sideline against Brady during the Colts-Patriots rivalry. Both have a different view of the six-time Super Bowl champion after getting to know him during his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Joking aside, Brady appreciates the wisdom from Christensen and Moore. He loves throwing them and heโs an extremely elite, deep-ball thrower.โChristensen has one Super Bowl ring and Moore has three.
Old (Brady), young (Mahomes), different Super Bowl 55 awaits
(AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)For Tom Brady, another trip to the Super Bowl โ but this time, in a Tampa Bay uniform. โWhoever would've thought a home Super Bowl for us? It gave New England its third straight trip to the Super Bowl, and Brady's last of nine as a member of the Patriots. He's leading the Buccaneers to only their second Super Bowl; the Bucs won on their first trip, back in 2002. But nobody would mistake Johnson for Brady, who could join Peyton Manning as the only other quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two franchises.
All eyes on QBs as Packers host Bucs for NFC championship
The Packers defeated the Rams 32-18 to advance to the NFC championship game. When Rodgersโ Green Bay Packers (14-3) host Bradyโs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-5) in the NFC championship game Sunday, it will be just the fourth time theyโve squared off as starting quarterbacks, and first in the playoffs. โIโm excited about the opportunity to play against him one more time.โThe Bucs trounced the Packers 38-10 in Tampa on Oct. 18. A win at Lambeau Field clinches their first Super Bowl berth since their 2002 championship season. โWe play the Packers in the NFC championship game.
Colts QB Rivers, 39, retires from NFL after 17 seasons
โEvery year, Jan. 20 is a special and emotional day,โ Rivers said in a statement posted on the teamโs website. โIt is St. Sebastianโs Feast day, the day I played in the AFC championship without an ACL, and now the day that after 17 seasons, Iโm announcing my retirement from the National Football League. I am grateful to the Chargers for 16 seasons, and the Colts for the 17th season.โRivers was one of a kind. In the 2006 season opener, Rivers made his starting debut โ and then the next 251 in a row including the playoffs. โMy son never did throw a big ball like I did at that age and he throws it the exact same way,โ Rivers said.
3 title game quarterbacks have similar draft history
The Packers then made Rodgers the starter in 2008 and have made the playoffs 10 times since then with one Super Bowl title. TOM TERRIFIC: Tom Brady can join some illustrious company with a win this week for another Super Bowl appearance. Brady will appear in his staggering 14th conference title game in 19 seasons as a starter when Tampa Bay visits Green Bay on Sunday. MIGHTY MATT: Packers coach Matt LaFleur is back in the NFC title game for the second time in two seasons as an NFL coach. All those coaches reached at least one Super Bowl in those years with the exception of Ryan, who lost to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
Harbaugh, Ravens happily travel road to success in playoffs
Home-field advantage in the playoffs is overrated for Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has found that the road to success in the postseason usually involves packing his bags and getting the heck out of Baltimore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, FIle)Home-field advantage in the playoffs is overrated for Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has found that the road to success in the postseason usually involves packing his bags and getting the heck out of Baltimore. In fact, Harbaugh has a better road record in the playoffs (8-5) than at home (2-2). For Harbaugh and the Ravens, there's nothing like a good old road trip in January. Asked to explain his ascent to the top of the list of road wins for an NFL coach, Harbaugh came up empty.
Mahomes leads champion Chiefs to 14-2 mark in stacked AFC
While the Chiefs get another weekโs rest, the six other AFC playoff teams get going this weekend. For just the second time since the 1970 league merger, every team in the AFC playoffs has at least 11 wins. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 54, 31-20 over the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2, 2020, at Miami. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 43, 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Feb. 1, 2009, at Tampa, Florida. Their pass rush is nearly nonexistent with 19 sacks, the fewest by a playoff team since Denver had 19 in 1979.
Tom Brady excited, ready to lead Buccaneers into playoffs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass during an NFL football practice Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)TAMPA, Fla. โ New team, same ole Tom Brady. Brady led New England to the Super Bowl nine times in 20 seasons, appearing in 41 playoff games and winning 30 โ both records. โWhen he first signed I said, โOK, weโll be a 40 (touchdown) and 10 (interception) team,โโ Arians said. โItโs a never-ending thing with him, the perfectionist, to get everything right in practice,โ Arians added.
No surprise: Peyton Manning a Hall of Fame finalist
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)Peyton Manning, no surprise, is among 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2021. The star quarterback, owner of a record five NFL Most Valuable Player awards and two Super Bowl titles, was the first finalist revealed by the hall on Tuesday night. In 18 pro seasons and 265 starts out of 266 games played since being the top overall draft choice by Indianapolis in 1998, he had 14 seasons with 4,000-plus yards passing. Joining Manning as a finalist was one of the players he threw to, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, a finalist for the second time. Voting on the entrants to the hall will be conducted later this month, with the inductees announced during Super Bowl week.