Dean Pees
Dean Pees' Super Bowl title-winning NFL career has come to an end. The Titans defensive coordinator announced his retirement Monday. Tennessee Titans✔@TitansCongratulations to Dean Pees on an outstanding career. "It is for real," Pees said of his retirement. "If I wanted to continue coaching it would be here. We've got a great staff, really enjoyed the guys, great working for [head coach] Mike [Vrabel], I love our players. I'm done coaching." Pees was already beginning his retirement when Vrabel was hired as Titans head coach in 2018. That didn't last long. Vrabel said Monday his second phone call placed after he was hired was to Pees to get him to come to Tennessee to coordinate the Titans' defense. "It wasn't a hard sell when he got me out of retirement because of who Mike is," Pees said of Vrabel's pitch to him in 2018. "How he was as a player, I knew how the success he'd have as a coach. It was my honor to be able to work for him for the last two years." Tennessee finished as the No. 3 defense in terms of opposing points scored in 2018 and 12th in 2019, recording 40 takeaways combined between the two seasons under Pees. The unit's five takeaways logged in Tennessee's first two playoff games this season helped propel the Titans to an unlikely run to the AFC Championship Game before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pees' NFL career spanned 16 seasons with three teams: the New England Patriots (2004-2009), Baltimore Ravens (2010-2017) and Titans. During that stretch, Pees won two Super Bowls: XXXIX with New England and XLVII with Baltimore. Prior to making the jump to the pros, Pees spent 25 seasons coaching in a variety of roles in the college ranks at Findlay, Miami (Ohio), Navy, Toledo, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Kent State, where he served as head coach from 1998-2003. It was after he was fired from Kent State that he made the leap to New England, kicking off his NFL run. The 70-year-old Pees spent 47 years coaching football at all levels, working on staffs led by venerated coaches Nick Saban, Lou Holtz, Bill Belichick and John Harbaugh. He closed his career Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. Crennel Firing The Houston Texans will transition to a new defensive leader in 2020. Defensive line coach Anthony Weaver is expected to become the Texans defensive coordinator, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday morning, per sources informed of the situation. Weaver's elevation to DC comes as the Texans are moving on from longtime assistant Romeo Crennel. Pelissero and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Crennel isn't expected to return as defensive coordinator. The Texans will have more meetings this week to determine what role, if any, Crennel will have with the team moving forward. With his contract expiring, Crennel could return as a senior assistant or retire. The 72-year-old has been the Texans defensive coordinator since 2014 after head coaching stints in Cleveland and Kansas City. His time in Houston has been marked by some stellar game plans -- particularly against the New England Patriots -- but far too much inconsistency, including the inability to adjust on the fly in the postseason loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The promotion of the 39-year-old Weaver keeps a familiar face in a key role in Houston. Weaver, a former second-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens out of Notre Dame in 2002, played the final three years of his seven-year pro career in Houston. After two years as a college assistant in 2010 and 2011, Weaver made the jump to the pros as an assistant D-line coach with the New York Jets in 2012. In 2013, Weaver dropped the assistant tag as he jumped to Buffalo Bills, where he spent one season before manning the Cleveland Browns' D-line from 2014-2015. Weaver has been the Texans defensive line coach since 2016. Weaver will command a full defense for the first time in his career in 2020. The Texans defensive front keyed the unit this year despite the trade of Jadeveon Clowney and an injury to J.J Watt that wiped out most of the campaign. We'll see if Weaver's skill for milking the most out of his D-line talent can extend to the rest of the group. The Texans sorely need to upgrade the defense this offseason if they are to become more than playoff fodder for more complete teams.
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Sunday's games pull in the smallest average audience in more than a decade.The NFL's conference championship games were sacked in the ratings Sunday, falling double digits vs. a year ago to their smallest collective audience since 2009. The presence of some smaller-market teams and, particularly in Fox's primetime broadcast, a less-than-thrilling game may have all contributed to the declines. The slip on Sunday puts the 2020 playoffs slightly behind last year's average viewership, despite the first two rounds being up over 2019. CBS' broadcast of the AFC Championship, a 35-24 win by the Kansas City Chiefs over the Tennessee Titans, averaged 41.11 million viewers, the smallest for the game since 2009. The network had the afternoon window this year, and its coverage was down about 7 percent from 44.08 million for Fox's afternoon telecast of the NFC title game last year. In primetime, Fox Sports drew 43.58 million viewers for the San Francisco 49ers' 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers — a game that was even less close than the final score indicates, as the Niners led 27-0 at halftime and 34-7 at the start of the fourth quarter. Fox Sports' audience figure also includes a simulcast on Fox Deportes and streaming, so the Fox network-only number will be somewhat smaller. The Fox-only figure is likely to be on par with 2018's primetime NFC title game, in which 42.3 million people watched the Philadelphia Eagles blow out the Minnesota Vikings. It's down by at least 19 percent vs. CBS' primetime AFC Championship broadcast a year ago. Together the two games averaged 42.35 million viewers, down about 14 percent from last year's average of just under 49 million. The last time championship Sunday drew a smaller audience was in 2009, when the two games averaged about 39.5 million viewers. The 10 games of the 2020 playoffs averaged 33.88 million viewers, down less than 1 percent from 34.13 million for the 2019 playoffs. Both the wild-card and divisional rounds improved year over year. Regular-season viewership improved by 5 percent. The NFL is really competing only with itself in terms of Nielsen ratings. Sunday's games were the two most-watched programs since last year's Super Bowl, and both were more than 11.5 million viewers clear of the biggest entertainment program since then (last year's Oscars at 29.56 million). Say what you want about the Patriots and Cowboys, people watch when their games are on. SUNDAY, JAN. 19
Kansas City Chiefs vs Tennessee Titans 3:05 p.m. ET (CBS) | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.) There are no right answers to the questions that Patrick Mahomes creates. On two of Travis Kelce's touchdowns last week, the Texans had the perfect play call: six defenders trying to stop two receivers and Mahomes, who finds ways to beat the math. Derrick Henry currently resides in a similarly elevated plane of existence.His 66-yard soul-stealing scamper against the Ravens came on a play where a 260-pound behemoth Matthew Judon, untouched, had a free shot on Henry. He bounced off him like one of those pour souls in a Henry high school mix tape. The Chiefs were weak against the run all year, even when Chris Jones was in the lineup, so the expectation will be that Henry rushes over 30 times again. Don't be so certain. Tennessee's defense couldn't get off the field the first time these two teams met in November, and Titans coach Mike Vrabel is unlikely to play to his defense like in the team's first two playoff matchups because no one plays to their defense against Kansas City. Ryan Tannehill didn't luck into averaging a league-best 9.6 yards per attempt on the season, and Tennessee's play-action game could use Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen's aggressiveness against them like the Titans did to Earl Thomas in Baltimore. Tennessee, not unlike the 2018 Patriots, can shapeshift depending on the opponent. And just like in last year's AFC Championship Game, the only route to win in Arrowhead will be via a shootout. The Titans have the weapons capable of winning such a game -- just look at their 35-32 victory over the Chiefs in Week 10 -- but it's a hard path to travel because K.C. has so many ways to beat you. Mecole Hardman, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Damien Williams stretch the field horizontally as much as vertically. They are a track team that could go 50 yards on any play. It usually takes a drop or penalty to stop a Chiefs drive, especially against a team like the Titans that doesn't have much of a pass rush. Vrabel may play it safe on defense like he did in the first meeting -- force the Chiefs to move the ball down the field slowly and hope that Andy Reid botches game management late in the fourth quarter like he did in Nashville. The problem with that plan is what happens in the first three quarters. Andy Reid is the most influential offensive mind of the last two decades with the greatest collection of talent he's ever coached, including the quarterback with the most ridiculous skill set in NFL history. The Titans' mid-level defense played more snaps last week than any defense played in an NFL game all year. It's the Chiefs' time. San Francisco 49ers vs Green Bay Packers 6:40 p.m. ET (FOX) | Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.) There are a lot of reasons to believe that the 49ers' blowout victory over the Packers in Week 12 will not be instructive on Sunday, but let's start with the most obvious one: Every game in this league of small margins is dramatically different and unpredictable. To borrow a favorite Mike McCarthy phrase, these Packers are nobody's underdog. Aaron Rodgers played at a locked-in, accurate level last week that should concern 49ers Faithful. He showed a willingness to take shots when they were available and use his legs when necessary. He gives the Packers a decisive edge at quarterback if he plays that well again. And it's worth noting the talent gap between these two teams isn't that large. While the Packers are stepping way up in class a week after facing the Seahawks' defense, so is Nick Bosa against Pro Bowl tackle David Bakhtiari. Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who had a terrific rebound season, will be back for this game. Davante Adams lining up against anyone other than Richard Sherman is a mismatch. I'd take Aaron Jones over any of the 49ers' running backs. Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark is Pro Football Focus' No. 2 interior lineman since Week 9, trailing only Aaron Donald. Za'Darius Smith is No. 1 among all edge rushers over that span. This isn't some plucky band of upstarts. The edge for the 49ers in this week (and most weeks), however, doesn't just come from their loaded roster. I trust Kyle Shanahan to make Packers inside linebacker Blake Martinez look lost in coverage and the running game. I expect San Francisco to target cornerbacks Kevin King and Tramon Williams. I expect George Kittle to be the best player on the field and Fred Warner to lead the best-tackling team in the NFL because that's what they've done for the last four months. The Packers can compete if Rodgers plays near his best and they can win if their pass rush forces Jimmy Garoppolo to play too fast, but the odds still aren't in Green Bay's favor. While the Packers have proven comfortable in close games, the 49ers have overcome more adversity from injuries and brutal losses all season to get here. They are battle tested, talented and smart. The best Super Bowl matchup on the board remains Chiefs-49ers and that's the matchup we'll get, even if the Levi's Stadium crowd has to sweat this one out. This is Jim Costa. He co-hosts a local afternoon sports show on Grand Rapids ESPN Radio 96.1 FM. He firmly believes, based on the stats in this image, that Aaron Rodgers, not Tom Brady, deserves to be called the greatest QB who ever lived. Now, you guys know my position on GOAT arguments, that it's not just cherry-picked stats alone that make a GOAT, but rather the big picture, the overall story of their careers...that is, you have to look at stats, awards, career accomplishments, titles, all of it...and only then, can you truly judge whether a player is truly great or not. But what do you guys think? Looking at those stats, should we start to reconsider who exactly the NFL's GOAT QB is? CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, fighting back tears in a video posted on social media, announced on Tuesday night his plans to retire from the NFL at the age of 28.
Carolina Panthers✔@Panthers“In my heart, I know it’s the right thing to do.” "There's only one way to play this game since I was a little kid -- play fast, play physical and play strong,'' Kuechly said. "And at this point I don't know if I am able to do that anymore. That's the part that is the most difficult . . . '' Kuechly paused to gather his emotions. "I still want to play, but I don't think it's the right decision,'' he continued. "I thought about it for a long time. Now is an opportunity to step away with what's going on here.'' Kuechly didn't explain exactly why he can't play fast, physical and strong at this point in his career. What is known is that from 2015 to '17 the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year missed seven games because of concussions. He wore an experimental device named the "Q Collar'' around his neck the past three seasons that the inventor claimed reduced the risk of concussions. He wasn't officially ruled out for a concussion since being carted off the field in tears during a Thursday night game in 2017. He did miss time during training camp for an undisclosed injury that he insisted later wasn't a concussion. Kuechly said his final farewell from his favorite place besides the field, the linebackers room at Bank of America Stadium where he watched countless hours of film to be one of the best linebackers in the NFL. "I think now is the right chance for me to move on," Kuechly said. "It makes me sad because I love playing this game, I've played it since I was a kid. It's my favorite thing in the world to do. The memories I have from this place and this organization and being on the field with these guys - they'll never go away.'' Former Carolina coach Ron Rivera, who selected Kuechly out of Boston College with the ninth pick of the 2012 draft, expressed to ESPN.com via text it was good Kuechly gets to "go out on his own terms.'' "One of the really good, young men to play the game and I am proud to be able to say I got to coach him,'' wrote Rivera, now the head coach of the Washington Redskins. Rivera was fired with four games left in the regular season and Baylor coach Matt Rhule recently was hired to replace him. Kuechly said his decision had nothing to do with the coaching change. Owner David Tepper talked about the "tremendous impact'' Kuechly has had on the organization. "In my two seasons with Luke, I quickly recognized how special of a person he is,'' Tepper said in a statement. "The respect he gives and garners from others as well as the positive impact he has on his peers is second to none. "It's obviously going to be very difficult for all of us because we know that no player can replace what he's been for this organization for the last eight years. His presence can't be replicated." Tight end Greg Olsen was one of many teammates who expressed how they felt about Kuechly on Twitter. Greg Olsen✔@gregolsen88Words can’t describe who Luke Kuechly is as a person, friend, and teammate. We have shared countless memories together both on the field and away from it. I feel honored to be his friend and I’ll always appreciate the impact he has had on my life. Love you buddy Kuechly recently pulled out of the Pro Bowl, his seventh in eight NFL seasons. Nicknamed a "tackling machine'' at Boston College, he finished his NFL career with 1,092 tackles, the most by any player since 2012. But what made Kuechly one of the best all-around linebackers in the league was his versatility. His 18 interceptions are the most by a linebacker in the league since 2012 and the third-most in franchise history. His 75 tackles for loss are tied for fifth among linebackers during that span. Two plays he'll be remembered were interceptions returned for touchdowns in the playoffs against Seattle and Arizona en route to Super Bowl 50. Whenever he made a tackle, fans in the stands shouted, "Luuuuu-ke.'' "While I wish we could have him for many more years, he has done everything the right way and we respect the decision that he's made,'' Tepper said. "Luke is a once-in-a-generation player and someone we want every member of this organization to emulate.'' The Cleveland Browns have hired their next head coach.
Former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski is the Browns’ new head coach, according to multiple reports. The Browns couldn’t officially hire Stefanski until the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs, and less than 24 hours after Saturday’s loss to the 49ers, the hiring was made. That hiring may get renewed scrutiny, given the performance of the Vikings’ offense in that loss in San Francisco, and especially given the fourth quarter play calling, when the Vikings continued to attempt to establish the run even when they were facing a 17-point deficit. But the Browns’ interest in Stefanski goes far beyond one game. In fact, Paul DePodesta, the Browns’ longtime analytics strategist, reportedly wanted Stefanski last year, when the Browns hired Freddie Kitchens instead. The Browns still need to hire a G.M., and they will want someone whose philosophy aligns with those of Stefanski and DePodesta. With the Browns’ vacancy filled, the coach hiring season is over, and all 32 NFL teams have a head coach.
There are 8 teams left, who wins this weekend? www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/28438441/xfl-rule-changes-focus-faster-pace-more-excitement
The XFL's official rulebook includes more than two dozen changes to the conventional approach of pro football, according to league officials who are rolling out the specifics this week. Most of the tweaks, such as a running game clock and a three-tiered extra point, are focused on accelerating the pace of games and elevating interest in traditionally tedious plays. "What we did is listen to fans," XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said. "And what they told us is that they love this game, but they would like it at a little more of a faster pace and with a little more excitement. They thought there is too much idle time. We tried to listen to what they didn't want, also. They didn't want gimmicks or things that were inauthentic. They also didn't want to be complicit when it comes to player safety. So what we wanted to do is take a great game and make it a little better." The XFL's eight teams opened training camp this week and will kick off their 10-week regular season Feb. 8. Most of the on-the-field product will look familiar to fans, but a two-year project to innovate some aspects of the game led to a number of significant changes. They include:
This is just a thread to post new and breaking NFL news that doesn't necessarily need it's own topic.
It shouldn't really come as a shock to anyone, but Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa has decided to enter the NFL draft. While his injury will raise some eyebrows, we have to keep in mind, Tua isn't an option QB, he is very much a pocket QB. He doesn't rely on his legs the way a QB like Lamar Jackson does. If Tua can demonstrate through private workouts and the NFL Combine, that his leg has recovered, he will likely be one of the first 3-4 QBs taken.
Is Tua making the right decision to enter the NFL draft, or should he reconsider finishing up his career at Alabama, to possibly win a National Championship and get another year of experience? |
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