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How a punter changed the course of NFL history
12 Sep 1999: Tom Tupa #7 of the New York Jets passes the ball during the game against the New England Patriots at the Giant Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Patriots defeated the Jets 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport
By Noah Frank
WASHINGTON — With nine of the 12 available playoff spots already locked down, along with seven of the eight division titles, there are very few important NFL games being played this weekend. In fact, the only game that will affect both a playoff spot and a potential division champion is Carolina vs. Atlanta, with the Panthers having already made the playoffs.
But just because there aren't many meaningful games doesn't mean there can't be some fun ones. In that vein, it's worth taking a look back and appreciating one of the craziest games in modern NFL history, the aftermath of which's far-reaching effects are still being felt.
You may remember Tom Tupa (he finished his career with one season in Washington in 2004). A punter with an alliterative name that rolled off the tongue, he was also a college quarterback his senior season at Ohio State, and even a starting quarterback in the NFL, going 4-9 over 13 starts with the Cardinals between 1989-91. Perhaps that's why when he was the Cleveland Browns' punter and Bill Belichick was head coach, he was used to score the first two-point conversion in NFL history. Tupa's fake from the holder position was actually used three times in that 1994 season, earning the nickname Two Point Tupa.
Fast-forward to 1999. Tupa is now playing for the New York Jets, under Bill Parcells, with Belichick as his offensive coordinator. In the opening quarter of the first game of the season against the New England Patriots, franchise quarterback Vinny Testaverde goes down in a heap, his Achilles ruptured.
Parcells had a decision to make. An obscure NFL rule did not allow him to activate his bench quarterback, Rick Mirer, until the fourth quarter, without losing his emergency quarterback (and punter), Tupa. Parcells rolled the dice on putting Tupa under center — the gamble worked.
Tupa wasn't perfect, taking a number of sacks, including one which led to a fumble and a New England touchdown. But he was otherwise pretty spectacular.
Tupa entered the fourth quarter 6-for-11 for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He came in with his team down 10-7, but Parcells pulled him in favor of Mirer for the fourth quarter, with the Jets within five points. The Jets took the lead with a pick-six with under 10 minutes to play, but Mirer threw the game away — literally. He completed just four of his 11 passes, gaining just 28 yards and throwing a pair of interceptions, including the one that led to the game-winning field goal by none other than Adam Vinatieri.
The Jets missed the playoffs by a single game, with the opener against the Patriots a glaring missed opportunity. Had they made it, Parcells may never have retired, as he did at the end of the '99 season, opening the door for his assistant, Belichick, to become the next head coach of the Jets. But the Patriots fired their head coach — Pete Carroll — as well. That led to Belichick joining the Patriots and, after a successful stint at USC, Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks.
The rest is not just history, but the dominant history of the league for nearly two decades, with New England drafting Tom Brady the next summer and winning five Super Bowls during his tenure. The fourth win came over the defending champion Seahawks, coached by Carroll, on the final play.
What might the last 18 years of the NFL have looked like if Parcells had let Tupa finish that game? We'll never know. But it goes to show how even the most simple, insignificant-seeming choices can have ripple effects still felt across the league years later. Who knows — maybe something wild will happen this Sunday, the true impact of which won't be felt for years to come. If we're lucky enough to get anything like a Tom Tupa Game, hopefully whoever our unlikely hero is gets a chance to finish the job.
WATCH: That Time a Punter Played QB for the Jets and Threw 2 TD's | NFL Highlights
WATCH: Throwback Thursday: Two Point Tupa
Posted by NC Sports on Friday, December 29, 2017
How Mike Gundy found his offensive coordinator on the internet
Under coordinator Mike Yurcich, Oklahoma State leads the nation in passing and ranks third in scoring and second in total offense. Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
Mike Gundy is issuing a challenge to his college coaching colleagues.
It doesn't involve mullet growing, shirt removal or rattlesnake hunting. Other coaches can't compete with Gundy in those noble pursuits.
This challenge is directed at coaches pursuing new coordinators. The early signing date marks the start of the second wave of the coaching carousel, filled with coordinator hires.
Gundy's challenge boils down to this: Would any Power 5 coach conduct a coordinator search that begins on the internet, includes several phone calls to a football office where no one answers and ends in a Pennsylvania hotel lobby with a young Division II coach making $52,500 a year?
"No chance," Gundy told ESPN.com. "I don't care what people think. They can go fly a kite for all I care. Nah, most people aren't going to be strong enough in their own skin to say there's a guy at Division II wherever that's the best coach for a major Power 5 conference school that had been in the top five in offense year after year after year."
Gundy's pursuit and hiring of Mike Yurcich in 2013 to coordinate Oklahoma State's offense should at least make other coaches think before they target big-name assistants in the coming weeks. Oklahoma State leads the nation in passing and ranks third in scoring and second in total offense under Yurcich, a 2016 Broyles Award finalist.
The Cowboys have had top-10 passing offenses in each of the past three seasons and produced four of the top-10 offenses in team history during his five-year tenure. Since the unknown coach from college football's Siberia came to Stillwater, Oklahoma State has averaged 474.1 yards and 38.1 points per game. The offense needs 204 yards and 327 passing yards against Virginia Tech in the Camping World Bowl on Thursday (5:15 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN App) to set team single-season records in both categories.
"Pretty humbling experience," Yurcich said. "It's very unique. It doesn't happen, and I've got to try to capitalize on the opportunity given."
When Gundy began searching for an offensive coordinator after the 2012 season, he sought two qualities: talent and anonymity. He was tired of losing assistants.
Todd Monken had left for the Southern Miss head-coaching job after two record-setting seasons with Oklahoma State. Monken followed Dana Holgorsen, who spent the 2010 season as the Pokes' OC before taking the West Virginia job. Since becoming Oklahoma State's coach, Gundy had only one offensive coordinator last longer than two years -- Larry Fedora logged three seasons before becoming head coach at Southern Miss.
"I said, 'Forget this. I'm going to go find somebody that nobody will want for a while,'" Gundy said. "And I got lucky, and it worked out great for us, and it solved and/or ended the issue I was concerned about."
Gundy went online and looked up offenses that excelled both with rushing and passing numbers. He then narrowed the search to no-huddle, tempo-based offenses similar to Oklahoma State's. Next, he found coordinators who also coached quarterbacks. The last step, the trickiest, was identifying lesser-known coaches who might stick around even after successful seasons.
Starting at the FBS level, Gundy worked his way to Shippensburg University, a Division II program in south central Pennsylvania. Under Yurcich, Shippensburg had led Division II in offense (529.2 yards per game) and ranked second in scoring (46.9 PPG) in 2012, a year after shattering team records for scoring and yards.
Gundy had numbers but no video, and tracking down the person who handled Shippensburg's film wasn't easy. "He was a fireman and teaching class," Gundy recalled. Oklahoma State eventually got three games sent its way as part of a film exchange, and Gundy liked what he saw.
The next challenge: Finding Yurcich.
"You called the office and nobody answered," Gundy said. "It essentially was recordings, and I kept trying. Finally somebody answered, I don't know who it was, maybe somebody who worked there and walked by and grabbed the phone, and they said, 'He's gone recruiting,' or something. And I said, 'Well, how do I run him down?'"
Gundy finally connected with the Raiders' offensive coordinator and arranged a meeting at a hotel near where he would be recruiting. On a cold, snowy day early in 2013, the two men met and talked ball for three hours. Gundy did some vetting, talking with Shippensburg coach Mark Maciejewski, but knew he had his man.
"That doesn't happen every day," Maciejewski said. "It was a unique situation and very fortunate for him. At first, it was like, 'Wow, that's amazing.' But then, as time goes on, you sit back and you see there's a reason [Gundy] wanted him."
The next day, Gundy called.
"Mike, here's the deal," he told Yurcich. "I'm going to offer you the job, and I have a three-year contract that pays $400,000 a year."
Silence. Three seconds, four, five, six ... Gundy worried that Yurcich had been caught in a snowstorm.
"Are you there?" he asked.
"Yessir."
"Well, do you need to talk to your wife?"
"I don't need to talk to anybody."
In hindsight, Gundy admits he didn't appreciate what that moment meant to a coach making $52,500 a year who had played Division II ball, started coaching at the NAIA level and had spent just two years in the FBS, as a graduate assistant at Indiana. Gundy was offering the standard contract for an Oklahoma State offensive coordinator.
But Yurcich wasn't the standard candidate.
"I wasn't going to pay him less because he was from Shippensburg," Gundy said, pronouncing the school Shippings Burg. "But I didn't even think about, when I said it, he's probably saying in his mind, 'Holy s---, are you kidding me?' Compared to what he had."
Oklahoma State announced Yurcich's hiring about a month before spring practice. The reaction, not surprisingly, was one of surprise. Gundy took heat. He received text messages from Oklahoma State power brokers asking if the hire was a joke, to which he replied: No, it's not a joke. He's the best coach. The doubting continued in Yurcich's second season as an offense plagued by quarterback injuries, a shuffling line and disciplinary issues finished seventh in the Big 12 in yards and points. Gundy heard how he needed to fire Yurcich, or he'd soon be pink-slipped.
Three years later, Oklahoma State's offense is surging under the leadership of a coach who, according to wide receiver Jalen McCleskey, teaches the game with creativity, patience and enthusiasm.
"Mike came in and Mike was like the movie 'Hoosiers,'" Gundy said. "He was the small school that made it to the state finals and had a chance to win. We've never talked about this, but I think he felt the pressure of being 'Hickory,' in that, 'I'm a Division II guy, and I went from making $50,000 a year to $400,000 a year, and I'm trying to do it for all the little guys who never got this shot.'"
Yurcich occasionally tells Oklahoma State's players about his unique path to becoming their coach, reinforcing the message: Take nothing for granted.
"There always is that sense of urgency," Yurcich said. "It's that fear of losing, man, and getting outcoached or out-schemed. I always try to do right by [Gundy]. I feel like I owe him a whole bunch of gratitude. I just try to always work my ass off for him. It's never changed for me."
Gundy knows he won't be able to keep Yurcich much longer. Yurcich has been in the mix for recent head-coaching vacancies at Tulane and Kent State, as well as a coordinator spot at Auburn last year.
"Mike's going to be a head coach," Gundy said. "It's just a matter of time."
When Yurcich leaves, Gundy plans to search the lower divisions again. He believes some of the best football coaches work at high schools or small colleges. They either don't want the lifestyle challenges of working in the FBS, or they haven't had the chance to move up.
If he can find another Yurcich, both capable and loyal, he won't hesitate to hire him.
After Oklahoma State's success, will other coaches accept the Mike Gundy Coordinator-Finding Challenge? Gundy doesn't think so.
"Let me build a scenario for you," Gundy said. "It's the AD that hires everybody's favorite as the next head coach, because then, if the guy doesn't make it, he can say, 'Well, everybody wanted him. He was the logical choice, right?' You're not going to see very many coaches that have a gut feeling on a guy and hire a guy at Shippensburg, and have the fans or the administration patronizing you because you hired some guy that everybody thought you lost your mind.
"Most coaches aren't going to be like that."
Posted by NC Sports on Thursday, December 28, 2017
Labels: mike yurcich, NC Sports Coaches in the News
Reiff named SD Sports Celebrity of the Year
Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Riley Reiff (71) watches during warmups prior to a game against the Green Bay Packers Oct. 15 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (Matt Gade / Republic)
By Daily Republic Sports Today
Former Parkston High School standout Riley Reiff, who in his first season in Minnesota has helped the Vikings to a 12-3 record and the NFC North Division title, headlines a group of five Mitchell-area winners selected by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association.
Reiff was selected as the sports Celebrity of the Year for South Dakota by the SDSWA, who have annually presented honors since 1954. Categories include athlete, coach and team in prep and collegiate categories, and "independent" team and athletes.
After five seasons playing for the Detroit Lions, the pride of Parkston moved closer to home and signed with the Minnesota Vikings on March 9. Reiff, 29, inked a five-year deal and moved back to the left tackle position for the Vikings, where he played the first four years of his career.
"I'll come in here and do whatever the coaches ask," said Reiff, when he signed. "I love playing in the Black and Blue Division (NFC North). I think it fits me.''
Reiff's signing with the Vikings ironically occurred in the same week Mount Vernon native and longtime local favorite Chad Greenway retired after 11 seasons with Minnesota.
Posted by NC Sports on Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Labels: NC Sports Athletes in the News, riley reiff
Redskins' Trent Williams, Ryan Kerrigan and Brandon Scherff named to Pro Bowl
By Kimberley A. Martin
The Washington Redskins may not be playoff-bound, but two of their star players have earned trips to the Pro Bowl.
The NFL announced Tuesday that left tackle Trent Williams and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan were named starters for the NFC team for the annual all-star showcase in Orlando, while guard Brandon Scherff was named as a reserve. Cornerback Josh Norman and linebacker Zach Brown are alternates.
Last season, Williams, Kerrigan and Scherff were selected along with tight end Jordan Reed. It was the team's highest total since five Redskins were selected in 2015.
Washington has had at least one Pro Bowl player on its roster during the past 24 seasons.
This marks the sixth Pro Bowl nod for Williams, who has earned the recognition every year since 2012. Williams is tied with Len Hauss and Chris Samuels for the fifth-most total selections in team history and is the seventh player in franchise history to earn at least six career Pro Bowl honors.
For much of the season, the 29-year-old offensive lineman has been hampered by a knee injury that will require surgery. Williams was inactive for the Redskins' 20-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday — the fourth game he's missed this season.
After the win, however, Gruden said he wasn't yet ready to place his starting left tackle on injured reserve.
"If there is a 1 percent chance that Trent can play, I will leave him up," he said. "… If he's going to have surgery or something like that, then we'll put him down. But if there's a chance, then I will keep him up."
Even so, with only two games remaining — and a coveted Pro Bowl selection now secured — the organization could decide to finally place Williams on injured reserve so he can undergo surgery sooner than later. But the veteran offensive lineman has maintained all along that his goal is to finish out the season with his teammates.
"I still think there's some merit to me finishing out this season, regardless if we're in playoff contention or not," Williams said last month. "There's still some outstanding opponents that I would like to go up against, like [Broncos pass rusher] Von Miller. …
"I always like going up against good opponents, because you get a measuring stick of who you are. … That's my mind frame. I'm trying to make the best out of any situation."
Although the defense (ranked 20th overall) has been inconsistent during the Redskins' 6-8 season, Kerrigan remains a steady force. The linebacker, who was selected for the second straight year and third time is his career, leads the team with nine sacks.
Kerrigan is the first Redskins linebacker to earn back-to-back Pro Bowl honors since London Fletcher (2009-12).
Scherff, the fifth overall pick in 2015, is the first Redskins' interior lineman to earn multiple Pro Bowl selections since Hall of Fame guard Russ Grimm's streak of four consecutive Pro Bowl honors (1983-86).
Brown, the Redskins' leading tackler (127), was named to the Pro Bowl last season after having a career year for the Buffalo Bills, finishing with 149 tackles (second most in the NFL), four sacks, four passes defensed and two fumbles forced. Though his numbers are down from a year ago, Brown (2½ sacks, two passes defensed) has played through Achilles' tendon, toe, ankle and hip injuries in 13 games with the Redskins. The speedy linebacker missed his first game of the season Sunday.
Norman was an alternate last year, as well. His only Pro Bowl selection came in 2015.
Labels: brandon scherff, NC Sports Athletes in the News
Ryan Longwell, Mark Tauscher to be inducted into Packers Hall of Fame
48th induction banquet to be held in July
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. announced today that it will induct former Packers players Ryan Longwell and Mark Tauscher at the 48th Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, to be held Saturday, July 21, 2018, in the Lambeau Field Atrium.
Placekicker Ryan Longwell entered the NFL in 1997 as a free agent, first signing with the San Francisco 49ers and coming to Green Bay off waivers later that year. Longwell's 1,054 career points during his nine seasons (1997-2005) with the Packers stood as the team's all-time scoring mark until 2015. He connected on 226 field goals and 376 extra points during his Packers career, leading the club in scoring in nine consecutive seasons. His 964 points from 1997-2004 were the most in the NFL over that span, and he holds Packers records for most consecutive games scoring, with 144 games from 1997-2005, and most consecutive PATs made, with 156 (2001-05). Following his tenure with the Packers, he spent time with the Vikings and Seahawks before choosing to retire with the Packers in 2013, at which time he ranked No. 13 on the NFL's all-time scoring list, with 1,687 career points.
Offensive tackle Mark Tauscher, selected in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft, played in 134 games with 132 starts during his 11-year Packers career (2000-10). A Wisconsin native and University of Wisconsin alumnus, Tauscher made an immediate impact in his rookie year, taking over the right tackle position in Week 2. He started each game the rest of the season and was named to the Football News all-rookie team. Tauscher formed a longtime, reliable tackle tandem with fellow 2000 draftee and now-Packers Hall of Famer Chad Clifton, setting the standard for a consistent offensive line. Among Tauscher's most significant contributions were helping pave the way for club records in rushing (2,558 yards) and average per carry (5.0) in 2003, and a franchise record for fewest sacks allowed (14) in 2004.
Information about tickets for the banquet, which begins with a cash bar at 4:30 p.m., with dinner and program to follow at 7:00 p.m., is still being finalized and will be released in the near future at www.packershalloffame.com.
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. Golf Classic is set for Monday, July 9, 2018, at The Bull in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Please contact Holly Borga at 920/965-6986 or at hollyb@packershalloffame.com for more information.
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. is a nonprofit corporation independent of the Green Bay Packers that guides the Hall as a historic national sports venue and educational resource to the Green Bay community and the state of Wisconsin. The Hall raises funds through its annual induction banquet, Golf Classic and other events to preserve the history of the Green Bay Packers and expand its archives. Historic memorabilia donated by individuals to the Hall may qualify as tax-deductible gifts.
Originally established in 1967 as a temporary display in the concourse of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, the Packers Hall of Fame moved into its own facility in 1976 near Lambeau Field. In 2003, it was relocated to the lower level of the Lambeau Field Atrium, and it was closed in November 2013 for renovations. The Packers Hall of Fame reopened in August of 2015, and is now located on the main floor of the Atrium across from 1919 Kitchen & Tap. Groups interested in booking tours and those seeking additional information may visit the Hall online at packers.com/lambeau-field/hall-of-fame/visit.html.
Posted by NC Sports on Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Rex Burkhead sits with Rob Gronkowski atop Patriots' 2017 touchdown ranks
Rex Burkhead gathered his seventh TD of the season on Monday night in Miami.
By Oliver Thomas
Rex Burkhead and Rob Gronkowski have, at minimum, one thing in common.
Through Week 14 of the 2017 season, they share the New England Patriots' lead in total touchdowns.
Gronkowski's been there many spikes before, seeing how the four-time All-Pro set the franchise record in October and became the fastest tight end to amass 70 TD grabs in September. Burkhead, though, really hasn't been since his days at Nebraska.
The 27-year-old running back reached the end zone four times over the course of his 42-game tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals, and never more than twice in a season. But despite missing a month worth of football this campaign due to a ribs injury – starting with Sept. 24 against the Houston Texans and ending with Oct. 15 against the New York Jets – Burkhead has crossed the plane for six on seven occasions.
PATRIOTS' TOTAL TD RANKS
• Seven: Rex Burkhead, Rob Gronkowski
• Five: Dion Lewis, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan
• Four: Mike Gillislee
• Three: James White
• Two: Danny Amendola
• One: Dwayne Allen
In only nine games.
Burkhead posted consecutive multi-touchdown performances versus the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills before getting there once more in the second quarter of Monday night's 27-20 loss to Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. And with the three-yard plunge out of jumbo personnel, he now has four of New England's 11 rushing touchdowns after having three in his Bengals career.
He also has three of New England's 27 receiving touchdowns after having one during his stay in Cincinnati.
TOUCHDOWNS BY YEAR
• 2017: seven in nine games
• 2016: two in 16 games
• 2015: one in 16 games
• 2014: one in nine games
• 2013: none in one game
Drafted No. 190 overall in 2013, Burkhead handled the ball just 16 times through his first two seasons with the Bengals. And while he became an every-game active in both 2015 and 2016, it was special teams first on a depth chart reserved for Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. In relative terms, it still is for Burkhead, who signed a one-year, $3.15 million contract with the Patriots on March 14.
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound multipurpose back has played a higher percentage of snaps in the kicking game – 25 percent – than on offense – 19 percent – this year. In addition, he's blocked a punt, returned a kickoff 17 yards and registered four tackles.
So, the fact Burkhead is averaging a TD every dozen offensive touches says something. The fact he's made five trips to the end zone in New England's last three games certainly does, too.
Burkhead has gathered 252 rushing yards on 60 carries. He's tacked on a career-best 249 receiving yards on 29 catches. And, at least for now, he can say he's right there with Gronkowski, who served his one-game suspension in defeat Monday.
We'll see whether one can take the lead outright next Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Not long ago, though, it would've been hard to foresee Burkhead even having the chance to.
Labels: NC Sports Athletes in the News, rex burkhead
Al Johnson named ECU Head Football Coach
ADA - East Central University Director of Athletics Dr. Jeff Williams has announced the hiring of Al Johnson as the 19th head coach for the Tiger football program history and just the fourth in the NCAA era, since 1997.
"I am excited to present Al Johnson to Tiger Nation as our next head football coach," said Williams. "Al has been uniquely prepared for this opportunity and he made an immediate and unforgettable impression that never faded. I anticipate that will be the same for our players, campus, community and alumni. He brings an infectious passion for leading and developing student-athletes, which becomes evident to everyone he meets."
"I am very excited and honored to be the next East Central University Head Football Coach," Johnson stated. "I want to thank ECU President Dr. Pierson, Director of Athletics Dr. Williams, and the entire search committee for this amazing opportunity."
Tiger fans will have to wait until 2018 to meet the newest addition to the ECU Athletics staff, as Johnson still has to complete his current duties as the assistant offensive line coach at the University of Wisconsin. The Badgers will be competing in the Orange Bowl, Dec. 30 against Miami at 7 p.m.
"Al Johnson brings a unique mix of professional experience and different levels of coaching," ECU President Dr. Katricia Pierson commented. "He brings a great deal of enthusiasm and knowledge of football that will help lead the Tigers to success both on and off the field by believing his players should be equally committed to academics and athletics."
Johnson has had a wide variety of experience as both a player and coach, working at NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III, in high school and operating his own camp. He has also seen great experience as a player on the field, playing for Wisconsin for four seasons and spending seven years as a member of the National Football League.
He started his NFL career by being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round in 2003. The offensive lineman spent three season at center for the Cowboys and helped build them back to a playoff caliber team, making two playoff appearances.
While in Dallas, Johnson met his wife, Brandy, and gained ties to Oklahoma through friends. The pair decided right after having to move, when he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2007, that they would love to return to the state to raise their family.
"I want to make sure the ECU faculty and staff, alumni, fans and supporters know that I am committed to building ECU into one of the premier NCAA Division II programs in the country," added Johnson. "My family and I are looking forward to making Ada, Okla., our home and immersing ourselves into the community."
Johnson spent the 2007 season with the Cardinals as a starting center before being injured in 2008. After recovering, he signed with the Miami Dolphins for the remainder of the 2008 season and made a playoff appearance. He ended his professional career in 2009 with the New England Patriots.
Johnson earned his time in the NFL after being a standout at Wisconsin from 1998 to 2002. The three-time All-Big Ten selection was a Rimington Award finalist in 2000 and 2001, which is presented to the premier centers in the FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA division. The Badgers also earned two consecutive Rose Bowl championships (1999-00) during his tenure.
After his time in the NFL, Johnson started his coaching career in 2013 as a co-owner and lead offensive coach of the Al Johnson Line Camp and as the offensive coordinator at Southern Door High School. The camp was designed to develop youth and high school linemen through mentoring and overall character building and served over 1,000 kids in three years.
At Southern Door High School, he helped the team double their total offensive yards, coached five all-conference players and laid the foundation for three-straight conference championships.
Johnson then moved on to the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisc. In two seasons he helped the team to a 10-1 record, coached nine all-conference offensive players and the conference lineman of the year.
Johnson then returned to his alma mater in 2016 as an assistant coach and helped to develop the offensive line into one of the best in the nation. In 2016 the Badgers claimed the Big Ten West and Cotton Bowl championships. He has coached three All-Big Ten selections and all-American and first round NFL pick Ryan Ramczyk.
This season Wisconsin, ranked No. 6 in the nation, currently has a 12-1 overall record and finished with a 9-0 mark in the Big Ten, with the only loss coming in the Big Ten Football Championship Game. The Badgers will have one more chance to play in 2017, at they will participate in the 2017 Capital One Orange Bowl (Dec. 30), in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Johnson earned a bachelor's degree from Southern New Hampshire University in Sports Management in 2014 and is working on his master's degree at Wisconsin in Education and Leadership.
Johnson married his wife Brandy while with the Cowboys and has four children; Skylar Burleson (18), Makayla (9), Cyrus (7), and Chloe (6).
"I want to thank the members of the search committee who served our university diligently throughout the search process," Williams stated. "The rich heritage of ECU and Tiger Football made our position attractive to many highly qualified football coaches and provided an extremely talented pool of applicants. The process confirmed that Al Johnson was the complete package we were seeking in our next head football coach."
Johnson will officially start Jan. 3, 2018 and the ECU Athletic Department will announce dates and times for meet and greet events at a later date.
"I can't wait for the Tiger Family to meet Al, Brandy and their wonderful family as they join us in moving ECU toward future success," added Williams.
Labels: al johnson, NC Sports Coaches in the News
Mike Vrabel focused on Texans, not other jobs
By Aaron Wilson
Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel has grown accustomed to finding his name linked to head-coaching vacancies.
The former New England Patriots All-Pro outside linebacker is highly regarded in NFL circles.
Vrabel was linked to the Los Angeles Rams' job that went to Sean McVay last year. He turned down the San Francsico 49ers' defensive coordinator opening two years ago before later being promoted from linebackers coach to running the Texans' defense.
While Vrabel has plenty of ambition to be a head coach in the future, that's not his focus as he's trying to hold together the Texans' 20th-ranked defense that's playing without an injured J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus.
"Obviously, I would entertain it, but right now we're clearly focused on San Francisco, like everybody here," Vrabel said. "I think that all those things that get taken care of in the offseason really are something that you can't concentrate on right now or anybody can. I think we have to play and we have to coach and we have to prepare and we have to practice.
"I think when you get into coaching I think that everybody aspires to lead at the highest level, and clearly being a head coach in the National Football League is the opportunity to do that."
Vrabel has ascended quickly in the coaching ranks. First, he was a position coach at Ohio State. Then, he coached the Texans linebackers. Now, he's in charge of an entire defense.
"When I started coaching, I didn't think I would be in the NFL," Vrabel said. "When I started coaching I didn't think I'd be at Ohio State. Didn't think I would be coordinating. So, you never really know. You try to do as good a job as you can in the role that you have and then you go from there."
Texans Pro Bowl pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney said he believes Vrabel is head-coaching material.
"He's a smart guy," Clowney said. "He's the same guy every day. High-energy guy. He brings the best out of his players and he's a good coach."
Labels: mike vrabel, NC Sports Coaches in the News
Marco Rubio endorses Anthony Gonzalez in Ohio congressional race
Anthony Gonzalez, who is running for Ohio's 16th Congressional District, is seen in a 2006 file photo. (Kiichiro Sato, Associated Press)
By Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Anthony Gonzalez has landed an endorsement from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the race for Ohio's 16th Congressional District, in the latest sign that his candidacy is gaining support from the broader Republican establishment.
Rubio's endorsement follows a phone conversation between the two about a month ago, according to aides. In a statement, Rubio said Gonzalez "is exactly the type of young, public-spirited conservative we need more of in Washington."
In his own statement, Gonzalez, a former Ohio State University football star and ex-NFL player, said: "As a fellow Cuban American, I have been a long-time follower of Marco's career in the Senate and I have always appreciated his work to empower the middle class, strengthen our military and champion a pro-growth economy."
Even though he is a first-time candidate, Gonzalez, 33, has taken a tried-and-tested approach to campaigning for the 16th District by seeking political endorsements and building a donor network. The seat currently is represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, who is running for governor instead of re-election.
Gonzalez has gotten support major donors within the 16th District, including the influential Timken family, and from U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, whose district is directly west of the 16th. Last month, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the political arm of U.S. House Republicans, recognized Gonzalez for his fundraising and campaigning efforts.
Gonzalez's approach contrasts with that of major Republican candidate for the 16th District, 28-year-old Stark County State Rep. Christina Hagan. Hagan's campaign has modeled itself after the insurgent approach President Donald Trump took in his successful run for the White House last year, focusing on building a social media presence, making media appearances, emphasizing socially conservative and nationalist positions, and soliciting support from pro-Trump figures.
On Monday, the Hagan campaign announced she will hold a "campaign rally"/ fundraiser in Stark County on Dec. 15 in Louisville. The event will feature two pro-Trump figures who have endorsed her -- Sebastian Gorka, the former Trump national security aide and the Rev. Darrell Scott, a Cleveland Heights pastor who is close with Trump and his allies. It also promises a "surprise special guest." The eventwill be hosted by members of the Sarchione family, who own auto dealerships in the area, and requires a $100 minimum donation.
Rubio's endorsement of Gonzalez is among the first of a string of national U.S. House endorsements that Rubio plans to make, an aide said. Rubio, who lost the presidential nomination to Trump last year, also has endorsed Republican Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel in his run for the U.S. Senate. Mandel endorsed Rubio in the primary last year.
Other candidates for the 16th District seat include Republican Kit Seryak, an Army veteran and Democrats Jennifer Herold, an occupational therapist from Strongsville and Aaron Godfrey, a physicist from North Olmsted.
Labels: anthony gonzalez, NC Sports Athletes in the News
Reporter asks about punt protection, Belichick answers, and answers, and answers
By Michael David Smith
There's a common misperception about Patriots coach Bill Belichick that when reporters ask him a question, he just grumbles non-answers. That's not the case.
Yes, that's the case if Belichick dislikes a question. If it's about a player's injury, forget it. If it's a question that answering might give an opposing team some insight into the Patriots' game plan, Belichick is tight-lipped. If it's clearly designed to produce a sound bite, Belichick will give an answer that demonstrates his disdain for sound bites.
But if Belichick gets asked an Xs and Os football question from a reporter who seems genuinely interested in learning, then you'd better sit back and get comfortable, because Professor Belichick's Football 101 lecture is about to begin.
That happened on Friday, when a reporter asked about the loss of Nate Ebner, who suffered a season-ending injury last week. Ebner acted as the protector on the Patriots' punt team, and the reporter wanted to know how hard it would be to replace him.
Belichick proceeded to give an answer that, according to the team's official transcript, lasted nearly 700 words.
"Yeah, that's one of the toughest spots to play," Belichick said. "It doesn't come up every play. I'm not saying it's – it's kind of like playing quarterback, but you play quarterback for, call it 60 plays a game, 70 plays a game. You only punt five to 10 times, let's call it – somewhere in there. But, there's a lot of different variables. You know, if it's eight-on-eight, then it's getting the right eight-on-eight. Now, if you split your gunners out and a guy comes in from the outside, now they have nine-on-eight, and that creates some problems. You also want to try to be able to maximize your coverage, so let's say there's only six guys rushing and you have eight blockers, right – seven plus the personal protector. If you can block those six with six and then have two free guys going to the ball, particularly if it's the two guys that are your best coverage players or two of your best coverage players, there's some strategy there, too. So, identifying the rush, identifying the return – sometimes you can tell what the return is based on the way they align – or if there's a double team on the gunner or not a double team on the gunner, a lot of times the wind plays into that. Sometimes the situation plays into it. Teams that like field returns are bound to return in certain situations, or middle returns in certain situations, like plus-50, things like that. So, there are a lot of variables there, but a good personal protector takes all those into consideration, just like a quarterback does, and A, protect the punter, B, he's the last line of defense. So, a lot of times, even if your protection is not right on the front, if that guy gets the right guy and does the right thing, you still could possibly save a blocked punt by just him doing the right thing, even though somebody else has made a mistake in the front of it. So, that decision making is a key part of it there, and the whole cadence and communication between the snapper, the punter and the gunners if we directional punt – if we're trying to punt the ball one way or the other, making sure that everybody knows where that is and if it changes, which sometimes it does based on the look that they give you. So, there's a lot of different things that go in there. It's not an easy job at all if you want to do it right and get the most out of it. So, we've had a number of guys do that – Pat's [Chung] done it for us, Jordan's [Richards] done it for us, obviously Nate did a great job of it. Those guys all meet together and work together, just like the quarterbacks do. They all learn the same things so that they all understand what the options are, and what's a good option against one team might be a bad option against another team. It frequently is. We wouldn't always necessarily do it by the book. It would depend on what the look was and who the people are on the other side of the ball, who we're facing. So, the plus-50 punting game where they leave their defense on the field and don't put a punt return team out there, that creates a whole other set of problems that you have to deal with on the punt team. The size and the type of player that's rushing is a lot different than, a lot of times, the player that's on the punt return team and the rushers they would use would be different. So, that creates another element of it, too. A lot goes into that position. It's a tough position to play, as I said. I'm not trying to say it's like playing quarterback. You don't do it 70 times a game, but the times you do it, it could be a team like Buffalo that gives you some different looks, Miami that gives you a lot of different looks. It's challenging."
Got all that?
Posted by NC Sports on Monday, December 04, 2017
Labels: nate ebner, NC Sports Athletes in the News
Rex Burkhead's emergence with Patriots was predictable: 'Don't let this guy get in the hands of New England'
New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead, right, catches a touchdown pass at the goal line in front of Miami Dolphins linebacker Chase Allen (59) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
By Kevin Duffy
FOXBOROUGH -- Marquis Flowers had spent three seasons with Rex Burkhead in Cincinnati, running with him on all special teams units, chasing after him when the Bengals second-string offense earned practice reps.
Few men in the NFL -- players, coaches, or front office staffers -- were in a better position to offer an evaluation of Burkhead heading into free agency this past spring.
And here was Flowers' evaluation.
"Don't let this guy get in the hands of a team like New England," Flowers remembers thinking. "I was back there (in Cincinnati) saying it. This dude get into the hands of New England, that's the only team that I thought -- that I knew -- it was going to be trouble."
"So when he went there, the league didn't know yet, but we knew," Flowers said. "I think everyone in Cincinnati knew what was going to happen this year."
Burkhead isn't a Pro Bowler, and he isn't even technically a starter. But he is one of the more unique players to swing by Foxborough in quite some time.
A sampling of what Burkhead has done since returning from a ribs injury that kept him sidelined from Weeks 3-6...
He burst out of a three-point stance on a punt versus Denver, maintained his balance as rookie safety Jamal Carter jabbed the side of his helmet, accelerated past personal protector Justin Simmons, and practically blocked Riley Dixon's punt with his chest.
In the same game, while isolated out wide against Denver safety Darian Stewart, Burkhead made an immediate cut to gain inside leverage, pushed his route up upfield, then broke into a slant for an easy 14-yard touchdown from Tom Brady.
He shook free of Chargers safety Adrian Phillips on a deliberate -- but effective -- spin move, picking up 14 yards on one of his seven receptions in Week 8. He plunged forward for a short-yardage touchdown against the Dolphins, and on another goal line opportunity motioned out of the backfield and made quick work of heavy-footed Miami linebacker Chase Allen for a 1-yard touchdown catch.
Burkhead has caught 21 of 26 targets, matched his touchdown total (4) from his first four seasons in the NFL, blocked for Dion Lewis on the kick return unit, and carved out roles in short-yardage and third-down situations.
"You know how they say jack of all trades, master of none?" said former NFL running back Roy Helu, who played alongside Burkhead at Nebraska. "Honestly, he's mastered certain skills and he can do it all."
There are two obvious question: How did Burkhead accumulate all these unrelated skills? And why now?
Why does he come to the Patriots and excel when he hardly saw the field for the Bengals?
Burkhead doesn't have any earth-shattering answers for the first question. Like most NFL players, he was a star player growing up. He'd only see action on the special teams units if asked to return a punt or kickoff. Not until he arrived in Cincinnati did he put his hand in the dirt and charge a punt, or stand on the front line of the kickoff return team. Burkhead, a sixth-round pick in 2013, said the Bengals coaches were upfront with him: "To find a position on this team," they told him, "you're going to find a role in the special teams phase."
"Him on special teams, it was a problem," said Flowers, who was reunited with Burkhead in a late August trade to the Pats. "Everyone has to work on stuff, but he was one of those guys who could just run down guys and tackle, definitely a good tackler."
Burkhead's natural receiving ability was already developed by the time the Bengals drafted him 190th overall in 2013. Those skills, he said, were refined in his hometown of Plano, Texas, one of America's most famous football cities. While he also played basketball and baseball growing up, Burkhead frequently competed in 7-on-7s during the football offseason.
"You can't run the ball then," Burkhead said, "so it was mostly pass-catching."
Burkhead's father, Rick, was his coach in pee-wee football. Decades earlier, Rick Burkhead had been a fullback at Eastern Kentucky and, briefly, he competed for jobs in training camp with the 1992 Dolphins and 1993 Eagles. He stressed the importance of becoming an all-purpose back. Burkhead's older brother, Ryan, was a standout defensive end at Plano Senior high school. At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Ryan went on to play college ball at Harvard.
"He got the size, height, the brains, he still has his hair, it's just like 'man...'" joked Rex, 5-foot-10 and balding.
Ryan's presence helped Burkhead develop his physicality, a rare trait among pass-catching running backs and one of the unique aspects of his game. After all, how many third-down specialists also play the role of goal line back?
Burkhead's footwork, his uncommon polish in the passing game, is the product of two factors, according to Helu.
He describes it like this: Once, when the team was arriving for 6 a.m. conditioning, Nebraska tight end Niles Paul declared to Helu, "Dude, you need to start taking football seriously!"
"Look at this guy!," Paul said, referring to Burkhead.
Unbeknownst to Helu, Burkhead had shown up at 5 a.m. for an hour of jump rope before official conditioning commenced.
This was Burkhead's sophomore year. As a freshman, he caught Helu's eye immediately when the Huskers broke into receiver drills.
"You either have it or you don't," Helu said, "and when you don't have it you do your best to try to become moderate at tracking a ball and catch it at different angles. But with Rex, he had it."
Watching Burkhead run routes that first day of spring practice, Helu thought, "Who is this white kid who just got on the team?"
"He was really skilled and really agile at the time," Helu recalled, "and what you see (now) is what you've always had."
So here's the more complicated question: What happened in Cincinnati?
Prior to Weeks 16 and 17 a season ago, Burkhead had never carried the ball more than nine times in a NFL game. Prior to Week 13, he had never carried more than five times. He was decidedly a non-factor for the Bengals offense, destined to leave in free agency when his rookie deal expired.
"Listen, this is the NFL and sometimes it happens that way," explained Flowers. "There's no reason why he shouldn't have been playing."
Helu, who spent five seasons in the league with the Redskins and Raiders, often wondered about Burkhead's status in Cincinnati. While with Oakland in 2015, he asked a teammate who previously had played for the Bengals, "What's going on with Rex?"
"The guy straight outright told me, and I'm paraphrasing here, 'You know how coaches are, they have their favorites,'" Helu recalled.
Not until Gio Bernard tore his ACL and Jeremy Hill suffered a late-season knee injury did Burkhead see an extended opportunity. In the final two games of the season, he racked up 45 touches for 211 yards, flashing power and balance between the tackles and impressive precision as a receiver.
"There was enough for us to go on," Belichick said, "enough to evaluate."
In the spring, after Burkhead had inked a one-year deal with the Pats, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis predicted a bright future for the running back. Perhaps as a preemptive attempt to assuage concerns that the Bengals had erred in letting him go, Lewis pointed toward Burkhead's injury history.
"Even in preseason opportunities and so forth where he'd go into the games and it would be Rex's ballgame to carry the ball in the first and second quarter and he wasn't able to suit up," Lewis told The Globe. "That's one of the things he's battled over the years is being 100 percent completely healthy."
He's not wrong. Burkhead logged only 15 preseason carries from 2014-16. His strong finish to the 2016 season boosted his stock in free agency, and the Bengals seemed intent on tapping into a loaded running backs class in the draft (they drafted Joe Mixon in the second round). So they let Burkhead walk. While Burkhead's success in New England was almost too predictable, it's not the result of a truly egregious personnel decision by Cincinnati.
What qualifies as egregious: The Browns kept three lumbering running backs -- Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell, and Terrance West -- over Dion Lewis in 2014 (Everything he's doing now, he was doing in Cleveland," West said in 2015. "Same exact stuff.") A year ago, the Lions traded Kyle Van Noy, who was starting at the time, and a seventh-round pick to New England for a sixth-round pick. It made little sense at the time, and makes even less today.
The Burkhead acquisition is not in the same category, but it still is widely viewed as a steal for New England.
"It happens all the time," Helu said. "Remember, there are a lot of guys that are good enough that are on the bench right now."
Somehow, the Patriots keep finding them.
Burkhead and Abdullah to Honor Team Jack
By Brent Apperson
Week 13 of the NFL kicks off the "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign. During the games this week, participating players wear cleats designed around a cause that is important to them. For the second year in a row, Rex Burkhead, now a New England Patriot, will be wearing cleats to show his support for the Team Jack Foundation and to bring national awareness to pediatric brain cancer.
On Rex's left foot is Jack's picture from 6-years ago. This 6-year-old boy and his favorite University of Nebraska running back spent a day together in the Fall of 2011. They ate lunch, toured the football facility, and even raced on the field. As a 6-year-old little boy, Jack always looked up to Rex, and as seen on the cleats, Jack will still be "looking up" to him this Sunday.
On Rex's right foot, is a picture of now 12-year-old Jack today. After six years, Rex still wears the red "Team Jack Pray" bracelet that Jack gave him the first time they met, as he plays for the New England Patriots. Today, Rex sits on the Board of Directors of the Team Jack Foundation and plans an annual Team Jack Trifecta event in his hometown of Plano, TX raising money and awareness for pediatric brain cancer. Last year, the inaugural Tri-fecta raised over $40,000 for the Foundation.
The cleats were designed by Joe V Designs in Ludlow, Massachusetts. The design inspiration came from the video of little Jack, running the 69-yard touchdown in the 2013 Husker spring game.
"My team and I hope that the cleats bring much needed awareness for the disease. It was all about giving back and we could not be happier to be part of it," said Joe Ventura.
The cleats were officially "unboxed" on Monday, November 27, but Jack was able to see the cleats before anyone else. Joe and his team sent the cleats to Jack to autograph as a surprise for Rex.
"I thought they were awesome!" says Jack Hoffman.
Burkhead's cleats will be featured on the NFL auction site (www.nflauction.nfl.com) where all proceeds will benefit the Team Jack Foundation.
In addition, long-time Team Jack supporter and former Husker, Detroit Lion's Ameer Abdullah will also be representing Team Jack for the "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign. Abdullah released the design of his cleats on Instagram Tuesday. From Ameer Abdullah's Instagram:
"Honored to represent the @teamjackfoundation this weekend for #mycausemycleats Pediatric Brain Cancer is the number 1 child killing cancer in America. I stand with many others in the fight against this disease. This weekend is for my little guardian angel DJ, I live each day with the same smile I was so blessed to see grace your face. #RIPDJ #WROH"
Donovan James Miles Jr., "DJ" was a few months shy of 2 years old when he came to a Huskers practice during the 2012 season with his grandfather, Steve Reddick. D.J. and formed an unforgettable bond with Abdullah. When meeting Abdullah, DJ had already undergone surgery and chemotherapy. DJ's prognosis was not good, and he passed from brain cancer in September 2014. But, Abdullah continues to honor DJ's memory year after year. In addition, he continues to support the Team Jack Foundation and their mission to fight a cure and better treatments for the disease.
Tune in on Sunday as the New England Patriots take on the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions take on the Baltimore Ravens in week 13 of the NFL to see Burkhead and Abdullah sport their customized Team Jack Foundation cleats and bring national awareness to pediatric brain cancer.
Posted by NC Sports on Thursday, November 30, 2017
Labels: NC Sports Athletes in the News, NC Sports Clients Give Back, rex burkhead
Nobody expected Riley Reiff to be this big an upgrade
We knew he'd be better, but to this extent?
By Christopher Gates
It's our weekly theme post day with the rest of our SB Nation football brethren, and this week's theme is something that we didn't expect from our favorite team. While there are a lot of things that have been surprising about this team in 2017, I think there's one particular player that stands out in that regard.
Going into the 2017 offseason, everyone knew that the Minnesota Vikings needed to do something. . .anything. . .to fix the offensive line. While there were some big names available in free agency, such as Andrew Whitworth and Ricky Wagner, Rick Spielman and company set their sights on former Detroit Lions' offensive tackle Riley Reiff, signing him to a huge five-year contract.
And the crowd went mild.
Reiff wasn't a "big" name. Heck, in his last year in Detroit he didn't even play left tackle. He had been displaced to the right side by rookie Taylor Decker, and the Lions thought it was in their best interests to turn him loose. The Vikings signed him, and announced that he would be their starting left tackle. After a season where the combination of Matt Kalil, T.J. Clemmings, and Jake Long offered just slightly more resistance to opposing defenders than wet tissue paper, I think that people expected Reiff to be an upgrade at the left tackle spot. But I'm relatively certain that nobody expect the upgrade to be this huge.
We are through eleven games of the 2017 regular season, and Reiff has still not been credited as having given up a quarterback sack. The entire offensive line, for the season, has allowed twelve, but Reiff's protection of Case Keenum's blindside has been a huge part of why this offensive line is performing at a level far beyond what we could have expected after last season's debacle.
Reiff has also made his presence felt in the run game, too, bolstering a rushing attack that was the worst in the NFL in 2016. Even with the absence of star rookie Dalvin Cook, the Vikings' run offense hasn't missed a beat, and the performance of Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon thus far can be attributed to Reiff and the rest of the offensive line.
Reiff is clearly one of the leaders on this team, and he's even more clearly the leader of this offensive line. As I said earlier, I know that most of us were expecting Reiff to be an improvement over what the team had at left tackle last season, if only because it would have been damn near impossible not to be. But I think I can quite safely say that he has exceeded everyone's expectations, and is as much of a reason as anyone else for this team currently being at 9-2 and fighting for home field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Phil Dawson takes NFC special teams player of the week
By Josh Alper
The Cardinals wouldn't have had a chance to win last Sunday's game against the Jaguars in regulation if not for a curious coaching decision by Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, but they still needed someone to make good on that opportunity.
Enter kicker Phil Dawson. After a couple of completions by Blaine Gabbert, Dawson trotted on the field for a 57-yard field goal try on the final play of the fourth quarter.
Dawson knocked it home, giving the Cardinals a 27-24 win and giving himself a new career-long field goal. It was Dawson's fourth field goal of the day and that performance was enough for the league to name him the NFC's special teams player of the week.
Dawson has now won weekly special teams honors with three different teams over the course of a career that began as a member of the rebooted Browns in 1999.
Posted by NC Sports on Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Labels: NC Sports Athletes in the News, phil dawson
Patriots Journal: Replacing Ebner won't be easy
By Rich Garven
FOXBORO — When it comes to special teams, the Patriots have few peers in the NFL this season — which is the norm under the guidance of coach Bill Belichick.
Dion Lewis ranks third in the league in kick returns, Danny Amendola is 11th in punt returns, and the punt and kickoff coverage units check in fifth and sixth, respectively. Stephen Gostkowski has kicked three field goals of 50-plus yards and Cassius Marsh and Lawrence Guy both blocked field goals.
But the Patriots absorbed a big blow when Nate Ebner suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday's win over the Miami Dolphins, a game in which fellow core special-teamer Trevor Reilly left with a concussion.
Ebner was a second-team All-Pro selection last season after leading the league in special-teams tackles. He currently leads the team with eight tackles despite missing nearly three full games.
"Well, of course we'll miss Nate but, again, that's an unfortunate part of the game," Belichick said on Tuesday in a conference call. "We have other players that have worked hard that will get an opportunity, and I'm sure that they'll go out there and do their best to make the most of their opportunity and provide a high quality of play for us. That's what a full team is about, how everybody depends on each other and how we need everybody."
And, don't forget, special-teams captain Matthew Slater has missed six games with a nagging hamstring injury.
Still, the Patriots have outstanding depth in the third phase of the game with the likes of Marquis Flowers, Johnson Bademosi, Jacob Hollister, Rex Burkhead, Brandon Bolden, Brandon King and Jordan Richards. And you can add linebacker Nicholas Grigsby, who was signed on Tuesday, to the list.
"Nate's been an absolute stalwart on special teams for a long time," said James Devlin, who plays special teams in addition to fullback. "But we'll have guys fill in and we're all going to have to pick up our game collectively and make up for that. It's a shame to see him go down, but that's the game of football, so we'll make the adjustments we need to and move on."
Special Teams Players of the Week
The Award Section:
Phil Dawson, kicker, Arizona. His 57-yard field goal with 11 seconds left beat Jacksonville 27-24, and from the look of the kick, it could have been a 65-yarder.
Great day all around for Dawson, who hit 34-, 42- and 48-yard field goals as well in the upset win.
Posted by NC Sports on Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Patriots show off late-season form with dismantling of Dolphins
By Mike Jones
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Not even a full minute had gone by, and the New England Patriots found themselves facing fourth-and-8 from deep in their own territory.
It didn't look like it to anyone else, but Patriots coach Bill Belichick saw that play from the 27 with 14:12 left in the first quarter as a crucial point of the game.
He called for a fake punt. Upback Nate Ebner took the direct snap, ran around the right end and gained 14 yards and the first down. Four plays later, the Patriots found the end zone on the first of five touchdowns in a 35-17 victory over the visiting Miami Dolphins.
"I thought it was big," Belichick explained. "We took the ball to start the game, got a three-and-out but instead of giving the ball back, we were able to convert on fourth down ... ended up scoring on that drive. It's always good to play from in front and get ahead, so it was big."
The Patriots very well still could have trounced the Dolphins to improve to 9-2 on the season while extending their win streak to seven games. But the play indeed sparked New England offensively and energized Belichick's players.
The very next play after the fake punt, running back Dion Lewis picked up 13 yards on a run up the middle. The play after that, Tom Brady threw a 39-yard play-action pass to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, and two plays after that, running back Rex Burkhead scored from 2 yards out – one of two on the day – to give New England a 7-0 lead.
The Patriots found the end zone again seven minutes later when Brady connected with tight end Rob Gronkowski for the first of two touchdown receptions on the day. Indeed, the Patriots were rolling, and the Dolphins had no answer.
New England went a perfect five-for-five in the red zone. The offense generated 417 yards – including 196 on the ground as Lewis led the way with 112 yards on 15 carries. Brady notched four touchdown passes. The defense recorded three takeaways, and limited Miami to just 10 offensive points.
"We're steady growing," cornerback Malcolm Butler said. "It's like this every time. New pieces start fitting in. We start the season slow, finish fast. We start peaking after Thanksgiving. This is how it always is for us. This is all I know."
Butler and a number of his teammates described Sunday's victory as one of their most complete performances of the season.
It wasn't perfect.
Miami got its first touchdown when early in the second quarter, center Ted Karras sent a shotgun snap back to Brady when the quarterback wasn't looking, and Dolphins safety Reshad Jones scooped the ball up at the 14 and trotted in for the score. And Brady threw an interception later in the second quarter while forcing a throw to Danny Amendola.
But the Patriots proved resilient. A nine-play, 78-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Burkhead followed the Dolphins' defensive score. And although Miami took the interception and threatened to score after moving the ball to the 15-yard line, New England's defense cleaned up the mess. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore picked off Matt Moore's pass to deny the visitors with 16 seconds left in the first half.
"There was some kind of crazy plays there, like the fumble that kind of let them back in the game," Brady said, "but I'm glad we kind of showed some mental toughness and kept grinding and made some plays when we needed to. Defense made a bunch of plays all day, so that's what we're going to need."
Indeed, New England's defense gave the Dolphins fits all game. A forced fumble and interception, plus seven sacks (six in the second half) and a 1-for-3 showing in the red zone, gave the Patriots reasons to smile.
It marked the seventh straight game in which New England's defense has held an opponent to 17 points or fewer, a feat only four other teams have managed in the last decade. And for a unit that early in the year looked like the Achilles' heel of this team, such a streak proves encouraging.
"Like I said, we're steady growing," Butler said. "We just know we need to stop people from scoring points to win. We're just really big on the red area. That's how we start off OTAs, training camp we start working on the red area. It changes the game – four-point plays down there."
Meanwhile, Lewis and his offensive linemen drew similar encouragement from their contributions. Everyone knows that this is Brady's offense. But the running backs and linemen relish the opportunity to pound the rock early and often.
The 196 rushing yards represented a season high, and the 112 rushing yards gave Lewis the first 100-yard game of his six-year career.
Belichick and his players talked about a need to eliminate some of the lapses in execution that slowed their production. But as a whole, the Patriots say they're rounding into form at just the right time. Sunday began the first of a three-game divisional run. Road games at Buffalo and Miami follow the next two weeks, followed by a road clash with the Steelers, a rematch with the Bills and the season finale against the Jets.
"With five games to play, it's a good place to be, and we just have to keep showing up and put the work in," Brady said.
Cardinals derail Jaguars on Dawson's 57-yard FG
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Phil Dawson kicked a career-long 57-yard field goal with one second remaining in regulation to lift the Arizona Cardinals to a 27-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Dawson made all four of his field-goal attempts on the afternoon, also connecting from 34, 42 and 48 yards.
"He might be old, but he's still got it," Cardinals guard Alex Boone said of Dawson, the 42-year-old veteran. "Phil's always going to respond. He's Phil Dawson. He like owns the league. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, he's been around for 30 years, I mean look at the guy."
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Cardinals (5-6) and ended a four-game winning streak for the Jaguars (7-4).
"Like I told the team, I give credit to Arizona," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said. "I knew that they would be ready to go, being on a three-game home stretch. I told the team the truth. It starts with me. I've got to do a better job of preparing the team, getting them ready."
The Cardinals had a 13-point lead following Dawson's third field goal with 11:29 remaining in the third quarter. But things started to get wild after that and momentum began swinging back and forth.
First, it went to the Jaguars, who drove 75 yards on seven plays, capped by a 1-yard bootleg run by quarterback Blake Bortles for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 16-10. Jacksonville's defense, the best in the league in scoring defense, sacks and forcing turnovers, then rose to the occasion.
Linebacker Paul Posluszny knocked the ball out of Blaine Gabbert's hands while the quarterback was under pressure and ex-Cardinals lineman Calais Campbell picked it up and returned the fumble 10 yards for a touchdown with 12:10 remaining to give the Jaguars their first lead at 17-16.
Gabbert, though, found some redemption in going deep down the field on Arizona's ensuing possession and finding Jaron Brown open for a 52-yard touchdown pass. The Cardinals went for the two-point conversion and Gabbert hit Larry Fitzgerald to make it 24-17.
The Jaguars tied it up thanks in part to a 68-yard kickoff return by Corey Grant. Four plays later, Bortles ran for another touchdown, picking up a perfect block from receiver Keelan Cole and scoring from 17 yards out to tie the score at 24.
Bortles led Jacksonville in rushing with 62 yards on six carries.
Dawson's winning kick came after a critical 12-yard pass from Gabbert to running back D.J. Foster, who was pushed out of bounds and gave his kicker a chance to nail the winner.
"It was a great snap, hold and kick," Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said, adding of Dawson, who had missed a total of six field goals entering Sunday's game, "He's very resilient. He's a pro. He's been through snappers, holders, a lot of things that affect kickers. But he's been resilient and I thought he kicked off great, too."
Gabbert, making his second start for Arizona, completed 23 of 38 passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was only sacked once.
"They did a nice job of getting rid of the ball quickly," Marrone said. "He made some scrambles for first downs and was moving around in the pocket. We've got to get that little extra, but they did a nice job. You have to give them credit."
Bortles was 19 of 33 for 160 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
"I think everybody understands that obviously you're upset and frustrated with the loss," Bortles said. "We're just not playing the way we want to play. But I think everybody understands where we're at, the work we put in to get here, and the opportunity is still in our control."
After a slow start and getting virtually shut down by opposing defenses in his last two games, Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson finished with 79 yards on 20 carries.
With a handful of runs in the third quarter, Peterson passed Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (12,243 career yards) for 13th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list and also eclipsed Edgerrin James (12,246) for 12th place. With 12,275 career yards, he is now just five yards shy of surpassing Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (12,279) for 11th all-time.
"It's always an honor because these are the guys who paved the way for me and gave me something to shoot after and guys I grew up watching and inspired me," Peterson said. "So just to be in this position that I'm in and to continue to climb that ladder, it's a blessing."
Chandler Jones had two sacks for Arizona, giving him 13 on the year. He had five tackles for loss overall.
The Cardinals led 13-3 at halftime thanks to Gabbert's touchdown pass to tight end Ricky Seals-Jones and field goals of 34 and 42 yards by Dawson.
Arizona scored on its opening possession as Gabbert completed four of his first five passes, including a 26-yard hook-up with Seals-Jones on third down, before having to settle for Dawson's 34-yarder.
Neither team could get much going offensively, and with the Jaguars driving into Cardinals' territory early in the second quarter, running back Chris Ivory fumbled. Linebacker Josh Bynes forced it, linebacker Karlos Dansby recovered and five plays later, Dawson kicked his second field goal of the half for a 6-0 lead.
After another tough defensive stand by Arizona, the Jaguars were forced to punt on their ensuing possession and four plays later, Gabbert hit Seals-Jones over the middle for a 29-yard catch and run for the score and a 13-3 lead. It was the third touchdown catch for Seals-Jones, an undrafted rookie free agent, in the past two weeks.
The Cardinals lost starting inside linebacker Deone Bucannon in the first quarter to a right ankle injury. Bucannon missed the final three games of last season and the first three games of this season due to a severe ankle injury that required offseason surgery.
Posted by NC Sports on Monday, November 27, 2017
Rex Burkhead enjoying his elevated role with the Patriots
Patriots running back #34 Rex Burkhead gains yards on a run in the 4th quarter. [The Providence Journal/Bob Breidenbach]
By Mark Daniels
FOXBORO — Rex Burkhead spent the bulk of his time in Cincinnati as a special teams player. In his fourth season, last year, he earned more opportunities as a backup running back, but the bulk of his playing time didn't come until the second half of the season.
What a difference a year makes.
After playing a career-high 238 offensive snaps a year ago, Burkhead entered Sunday with 113 through six games with the Patriots. There's no question he'll surpass last year's mark if he stays healthy. Sunday's performance against Miami showed how valuable Burkhead is to the Patriots offense.
"It's huge," Burkhead said of the opportunities he's received with the Pats. "Just trying to find whatever role I can to help the team out. Help get wins. That's the ultimate goal."
Burkhead scored two touchdowns on Sunday to go along with 50 rushing yards (the second best mark of his career) and two receptions. The first score came on the first series as the back plowed into the end zone for a 2-yard score at 11:39 of the first.
In the second quarter, Burkhead was rewarded after setting up a first-and-goal following his 22-yard run. At 8:29 of the second, Tom Brady threw him a 2-yard touchdown pass. The back's ability to help both in pass and rush situations has created a nice complement with Dion Lewis, who ran for 112 yards on Sunday.
"It's not being selfish about carries or whatever role you may want individually," Burkhead said. "It's just about what helps the team out and what helps us moving forward going down the line."
Riley Reiff has been a bulwark at left tackle for Vikings
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) The changes made to the offense in Minnesota for this season have helped propel the Vikings toward the top of the NFL, from a reimagined scheme to the running back replacements to a revamped line.
There's been no better enhancement than Riley Reiff. The hefty contract the Vikings gave him in free agency has been well worth the salary cap space for a left tackle who has started all 10 games and has yet to allow a sack.
"Riley's just a good, hard-working, lead-by-example guy, everything you want from an offensive lineman," right guard Joe Berger said.
"That's what Riley's got for us. He kind of leads the room that way, and we kind of all follow that leadership. I think we've got a good room that just kind of plays together well."
Reiff took over as Detroit's left tackle midway through his rookie year in 2012, when he was drafted in the first round out of Iowa. He kept that spot until last season, when the arrival of rookie Taylor Decker, another first-round draft pick, triggered a move to right tackle.
The Lions let his contract expire, and the Vikings, so desperate to upgrade their most problematic position in 2016, gave him a five-year deal in free agency worth as much as $58.75 million.
Reiff will play his first game at Ford Field on Thursday as a visiting player, when the Vikings take on the Lions in a pivotal NFC North game.
"I've got a lot of good friends up there. It's a tough place to play. I'm excited to go up there," said Reiff, who's the softest-spoken member of an offensive line that's as low-key and spotlight-averse as can be.
Reiff was hardly Detroit's trash, solidifying a critical position for one of the league's most potent passing attacks, but he sure has been Minnesota's treasure.
"We're going up there trying to win a game. That's about it," said Reiff, dismissing any questioning from reporters about a desire to take it to a team that no longer wanted him. "We've got a short week and a lot to prepare for."
The Vikings (8-2) have already faced the Lions (6-4) this season. The 14-7 defeat at home on Oct. 1 was Minnesota's last loss, actually, thanks to three lost fumbles and a ferocious performance by Detroit's defense that featured two sacks by Anthony Zettel.
Pressure such as that on the quarterback last season was the primary reason why the Vikings collapsed following a 5-0 start. They used five different left tackles, with season-ending injuries sidelining Matt Kalil and Jake Long and opposing pass rushers overwhelming T.J. Clemmings. Jeremiah Sirles and Rashod Hill also saw time there.
Reiff's presence as the bulwark protector of Case Keenum's blind side has set the tone for this vast improvement by the group, with rookie center Pat Elflein also manning a key role and the 13-year veteran Berger playing as well as ever.
Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has engineered a shift toward more zone blocking than man-to-man assignments, and an overall increase in athleticism for this unit has helped fuel a resurgence by the running game as well.
"The offensive line, thank goodness it's been the strength of our football team this year," coach Mike Zimmer said. "I just like their toughness and their mentality and their grit and the way they go about their business."
The protection of Keenum, who dodged a couple of likely sacks with his own awareness and mobility, helped the Vikings fend off one of the best players in the NFL in Aaron Donald and a dangerous Los Angeles defense on the way to a 24-7 victory on Sunday over the Rams.
The Vikings have the league's best sacks-per-pass-attempt rate at 2.91 percent, with only 10 allowed in 344 opportunities. Since Keenum replaced the hobbled Sam Bradford late in the first half at Chicago on Oct. 9, he has only been sacked once in 5+ games.
"Case does a good job of getting rid of the ball, and he's pretty squirrely, squirmy," Reiff said, adding: "Receivers are getting open, running backs and tight ends are blocking. It's a group effort."
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text:
By 2030, Will Broadcasting As We Know It Disappear?
Adrian Pennington
By 2030 a handful of global digital platform companies will control every aspect of media from production to customer with national broadcasters all but extinct. This dystopian scenario is one of four possible outcomes for the TV and video industry predicted by Deloitte.
The consultant identified four trends likely to shape any mid-term future for the industry. They are not eye-opening until you view the extrapolation Deloitte makes from it.
Digitalization is fundamentally changing production processes and the distribution of content. IP and 5G are enabling more mobile consumption of content. These are being joined by new AI recommendation and analytics to address consumers in a targeted way.
VOD gains ground, but linear TV continues to assert its role in live content such as sports and major events.
TV and video advertising adapts to new formats and relies more and more on the personalization of advertising content.
Market regulation in the media industry will be more moderate than it is today. In particular in the area of online and mobile services, this will reduce the regulatory pressure on all market participants, especially on traditional media companies.
So where does this leave us in nine years' time? Here are the four pictures painted by Deloitte.
Universal Supermarket
Cr: Deloitte
By 2030, broadcasting as we know it today has disappeared. Broadcasters have been through a painful process of change and evolved into pure creators of largely national or specialized content, without any stakes in distribution or customer relationship. They are now a supplier of their own channels and streams to a few global digital platform companies' universal supermarket.
Deloitte surmises that the financial capabilities of the global digital platform companies allowed them to acquire exclusive sports rights and produce global blockbuster content, displacing smaller players such as broadcasters and content creators. Since advertising has also shifted to the digital platforms, broadcasters are dependent on revenue shares and cut off from direct paid content and commercial venues. However, consumer demand for relevant content such as news or local(ized) formats has saved the broadcaster from extinction.
In the Universal Supermarket scenario, regulators did not take significant steps to monitor and control the digital platform companies' market strength. Content brands should seek more international licensing and leverage. To secure additional revenue streams, broadcasters and content producers must extend their business models beyond the TV and video market into other fields, such as merchandising.
Content Endgame
In this future scenario, large global content owners are the winners. They've integrated vertically along the entire value chain and started to withdraw and withhold content from digital platform companies and distribute via their own channels, bypassing the platforms and establishing direct customer relationships.
Smaller producers have been pushed out of the market. The variety of content has decreased, but the quality of global productions has reached new dimensions. Big content owners with strong program brands and global reach target a global audience with costly blockbusters and benefit strongly from economies of scale.
"This forces digital platform companies into becoming pure distribution channels, focused purely on technical delivery. Their business model has changed fundamentally, since consumers are no longer paying for a specific platform, but directly for their preferred content."
To win here, larger content producers need to invest more strongly in international content production directly or via subsidiaries to keep pace with their big global counterparts, Deloitte urges. They must also strengthen customer relationships and advertising marketing. Smaller broadcasters and content producers need to position themselves as "inimitable national partners for global players through unique, local, and strongly branded content."
Revenge of the Broadcasters
In what must be the least likely outcome, national broadcasters have successfully accomplished their digital transformation, established direct customer relationships and excel at delivering on-demand content. They've also developed excellent digital capabilities and entered new services such as targeted advertising and recommendation functions. Furthermore, the high relevance of content for a national audience puts broadcasters in a superior market position, supported by regulatory measures such as content quotas.
National broadcasters and global digital platform companies coexist in the market. While national broadcasters focus on local quality content, digital platform companies supply global productions and blockbusters.
All this is predicted on strong media regulation at a national level, strict national and European regulatory regimes to counter the threat of globally dominant streamers and widely accepted measurement systems.
Lost in Diversity
This scenario depicts a diverse ecosystem with no dominant players but still a decent return for broadcasters. Everyone does everything in this scenario: Global digital platform companies have established direct customer relationships. Telcos, broadcasters, and content producers have also successfully created their own digital platforms. Digital platform companies contribute global formats such as high profile series. To provide relevant local content they also forge alliances with local producers.
Network operators act as super-aggregators. They provide access to content and structure the market from the customer's perspective by offering guidance across platforms. National broadcasters capitalize on the consumers' huge appetite for local news, sports, movies, and series. Broadcasters who started their digital transformation at an early stage are using their own platforms for content distribution. Others have established partnerships with platform providers, with the general trend towards co-productions between broadcasters and global digital platform companies.
All in all, national broadcasters remain independent and maintain their livelihood by various revenue streams. In this vivid and dynamic market, advertising agencies continue to have a high relevance. They systematically allocate ad budgets and provide guidance within the complex TV and video ecosystem.
"In a world in which everyone does everything, only a strong focusing strategy and appropriate investments secure the future market existence of broadcasters and content producers," Deloitte advises.
READ MORE: Future scenarios for the TV and video industry by 2030 (Deloitte)
Research / Data Science, Analytics, Data Visualizations
Television Programming

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


December - That wonderful month filled with snow and cold weather (for alot of us anyway), holiday stress, family and friends, celebrations and of course, great food. Spend some time with us this festive season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, something else or nothing at all, you're sure to find something fun and interesting in this month's issue. It's time for madness in the malls, holiday baking and of course holiday eating and for family and loved ones to come together in peace and love. From the staff of SSBBW Magazine, whatever you celebrate, we wish you a happy and safe holiday.
Don't forget our Annual Holiday Recipe Exchange. Check out all of the yummy recipes!
Everything you wanted to know about Chestnuts and more in the Health/Fitness section. "Strategies to overcome holiday hang-ups" in our Health at Every Size section.
Finding the appropriate attire for that special holiday party in our Fashion/Beauty section. Holiday Television, Movies and important links in our Arts/Entertainment section.
An introduction to some fat positive blogs in our Literature section. "Evening Nibbles and other Danger Zones" in our Health/Fitness section.


Early experiences with science can help children develop the problem-solving skills they need for life. What Parents Talk About When They Talk About Learning: A National Survey About Young Children and Science, a new report from EDC and SRI International, provides a window into parents' perceptions of early science learning at home—and presents some opportunities for improvement. Help us tell parents, educators, and media producers about the importance of early science learning by downloading the images below to share.


text:
The 2016 SWAC women's soccer tournament is the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Southwestern Athletic Conference to be held from November 3 to 6, 2016. The seven-match tournament will be held at the Prairie View A&M Soccer Stadium in Prairie View, Texas. The eight team single-elimination tournament will consist of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Howard Lady Bison are the defending tournament champions after defeating the Alabama State Hornets in the championship match.

Bracket

Schedule

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

References
2016 SWAC Women's Soccer Championship

Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament
2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference women's soccer season

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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