Patriots rehire former Giants coach Joe Judge as assistant
FOXBOROUGH, Mas. — The Patriots are bringing back Joe Judge as an offensive assistant less than a month after he was fired as head coach of the Giants. Judge, who served as an assistant in New England for eight seasons, rejoins coach Bill Belichick’s coaching staff after going 10-23 over...
Bengals’ RB Joe Mixon quietly produces best year of his careerVideo
CINCINNATI — Joe Mixon’s foot injury in 2020 was one of many unfortunate events in another train wreck of a season for the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati had shown promise early that year, but suddenly its premier running back, coming off two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, was done after six games. Injuries...
Police: Saints’ Alvin Kamara, 3 others attacked man at Vegas clubVideo
LAS VEGAS — New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is accused of punching and badly injuring a man in an attack also involving at least three men who were with Kamara last weekend at a Las Vegas Strip nightclub, according to a police arrest report. The alleged victim told...
Rams determined to turn Aaron Donald into a Super Bowl champVideo
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald has won just about every award available to a defensive lineman during his spectacular eight-year career with the Los Angeles Rams. As the Penn Hills graduate and former Pitt star points out, the only trophy he lacks has Vince Lombardi’s name on it. “This is...
As Tyler Boyd’s position coach at Pitt, Bobby Engram shared stories of the Super Bowl stage
Amid the chaos of a week where he was named offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, Bobby Engram managed to find time to talk about one of his proteges making it to the Super Bowl stage. As Pitt’s wide receivers coach, Engram recruited Tyler Boyd out of Clairton High School and was...
Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey finally in Super Bowl after 6 years, 2 teamsVideo
Six seasons and two teams into an often-turbulent NFL career, Jalen Ramsey finally is on the stage where he starts every season expecting to play. The Super Bowl. Ramsey said it feels good. Really good. “It means a lot to be in this position with this team and with these...
AP: Saints pick Dennis Allen to replace Sean Payton as coachVideo
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints have promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to head coach, two people familiar with the decision said Monday. The people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Saints have not announced their chosen replacement for Sean Payton, who resigned nearly...
Analysis: Bengals provide hope, blueprint for lowly teams
The Cincinnati Bengals were downright dreadful at this time two years ago. They were the worst team in the NFL, coming off a 2-14 season with a first-year head coach and facing the franchise-shaping decision of who to take with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Things worked...
AP source: Texans expected to hire Lovie Smith as new head coach
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans are expected to hire Lovie Smith as their head coach, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Monday because the team had not announced that Smith would be hired. The same...
Saints’ Alvin Kamara arrested on battery charge in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was arrested on a battery charge Sunday in Las Vegas after being accused of injuring someone at a nightclub on the eve of the Pro Bowl. After playing and making four catches for 23 yards for the NFC in the...
Super Bowl/Olympics Sunday about to become routine for NBCVideo
Super Sunday has morphed into Super Gold Sunday for NBC. Next Sunday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals will mark the first time a Super Bowl and Winter Olympics are taking place at the same time. CBS was scheduled to have this year’s game, but in 2019...
Bengals returner Trent Taylor among several feeling lucky this Super BowlVideo
Trent Taylor missed the Super Bowl in Miami with San Francisco because of a foot injury that cost him the entire 2019 season. The wide receiver has a rare second chance with Cincinnati two years later. And yes, it means so much. “It’s a huge deal for me personally because...
Dolphins hire 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as head coachVideo
The Miami Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as their head coach Sunday, making him the first minority candidate to get hired so far this offseason. McDaniel, who is biracial, replaces Brian Flores, who was fired despite posting winning records in the final two of his three...
Justin Herbert leads AFC to win in Pro Bowl’s returnVideo
LAS VEGAS — Justin Herbert hit Mark Andrews with two touchdown passes, leading the AFC to a 41-35 victory over the NFC on Sunday in the return of the Pro Bowl. New England rookie Mac Jones passed for 112 yards, threw a touchdown pass and did a memorable rendition of...
From WPIAL to Pitt to Super Bowl, Tyler Boyd, Aaron Donald chasing dream to win a ring
Tyler Boyd was one of a handful of Cincinnati Bengals players standing on the stage at Arrowhead Stadium as they celebrated their first AFC championship in three decades after an epic comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs. Then the audio went out on the loudspeakers, and Boyd couldn’t hear a...
Taylor, McVay reunited as opposing head coaches on Super Bowl stage
Zac Taylor’s path to a head coaching gig was cleared the moment he joined Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams five years ago. Well, maybe it wasn’t actually until the two sat down together in the team cafeteria. “I think the joke is if you had a cup...
NFL to bolster inclusion policies, probe tanking allegations
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told teams Saturday that the league will look to bolster policies meant to encourage hiring of minorities, particularly as head coaches, and he pledged an investigation into tanking allegations raised by Brian Flores in his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. “We will reevaluate and examine all...
Ravens still trying to reach new deal with Lamar JacksonVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens are working under quarterback Lamar Jackson’s timeline when it comes to a potential contract extension. Jackson’s contract status was at the forefront of a news conference held by Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta. The 2019 NFL MVP is playing under a fifth-year option that...
Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson on record playoff runVideo
Joe Burrow knew Evan McPherson must be a special kicker if the Cincinnati Bengals were willing to spend a fifth-round pick on a position usually filled by undrafted players and journeymen. But the Bengals targeted McPherson and made him the only kicker taken in the 2021 draft, a decision that...
Mark Madden: Brian Flores’ case has merit, but proving guilt will be challenging
The Brian Flores lawsuit against the NFL has many sidebars, some of which Flores should have stifled at least temporarily. Flores says he was offered $100k per loss by Miami ownership by way of getting a better draft pick. I don’t buy it. Tanking isn’t done once the game starts....
Congress questions independence of NFL’s Washington probe
An investigation into sexual harassment of women employed by Washington’s NFL franchise was not as independent as the team and the league claimed, members of Congress said Friday. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform released documents that showed the league and the team, now known as the Commanders, agreed...
Rams’ Matthew Stafford hopes to follow in Clayton Kershaw’s footsteps
LOS ANGELES — Matthew Stafford got a call this week from a childhood friend who knows a little something about waiting a long time to win his first championship. Clayton Kershaw is hoping to be at SoFi Stadium next Sunday when Stafford leads the Los Angeles Rams (15-5) in search...
Jaguars name Doug Pederson as next coach
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Doug Pederson as their head coach Thursday night, ending a wild and winding search that ended up where it started more than a month ago. Pederson, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to their lone Super Bowl title, was Jacksonville’s first candidate interviewed when...
Browns owner: Hue Jackson ‘never accepted’ blame for losing
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam denied paying former coach Hue Jackson for losing games and said his one-time employee is only good at “pointing fingers” and needs to accept some blame for his dreadful NFL record. Earlier this week, Jackson intimated in a series of posts on Twitter...
Apparent beating of 49ers fan outside SoFi Stadium was kept secret for days, raising questions as Super Bowl nearsVideo
LOS ANGELES — Officials faced mounting questions Thursday about why they didn’t inform the public about the apparent beating of a San Francisco 49ers fan outside SoFi Stadium on Sunday and whether more security measures are needed before the Super Bowl. It took three days and an inquiry from The...
