Resilient Jason Pierre-Paul excited to be back in Super Bowl with BucsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Nine years and a pair of career-threatening injuries later, Jason Pierre-Paul is back in the Super Bowl and ready to wreak havoc. The relentless pass rusher helped the 2011 New York Giants beat Tom Brady in the NFL title game. This time, he’s trying to help the...
Ex-Pitt star LeSean McCoy: Role changes, goal doesn’t with BucsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — He says his nickname — a household handle in Philly for years — is passe. “Nah, I’m way different,” said Bucs tailback LeSean McCoy, once known as “Shady” to legions. “It started when I was a baby. My mom said I was always shady, so I just...
Star-studded Chiefs rely heavily on late-round gems, tooVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was an easy decision for Daniel Sorensen to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. They were really the only ones who wanted him. Sorensen had just finished a standout career at BYU, but his game film and measurables went largely...
Shaquil Barrett aims to follow Von Miller’s footsteps
With some fresh but familiar advice from his mentor, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett aims to wreck Patrick Mahomes’ prospects for another Super Bowl parade the same way Von Miller destroyed Cam Newton’s party plans five years ago. Barrett recalls Miller gathering his fellow Denver Broncos pass rushers at...
Former Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell doesn’t mind taking backseat for Chiefs’ Super Bowl run
Three years after last suiting up for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Le’Veon Bell continues to text and call some of his former teammates. Antonio Brown is not one of them. “We haven’t kept in contact like that,” Bell said Tuesday. They’ll be close — at least from a physical standpoint —...
Black coordinators make Super Bowl history with Buccaneers
TAMPA, Fla. — Diversity matters to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the first team to reach the Super Bowl with a trio of Black assistant coaches serving as coordinators. Byron Leftwich calls plays for a potent offense led by Tom Brady, Todd Bowles orchestrates a stingy defense that’s helped the team...
Gronk, Kelce revolutionized tight end spot in different ways
Gronk’s still got it. That silly, fun-loving personality that helped launch Rob Gronkowski into all-time fan favorite status in New England arrived at Super Bowl media day in vintage form. No, there weren’t any LOL-worthy dances or outrageous moments to send social media buzzing. But the 31-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
Virus may reduce total Super Bowl bets, but online to surge
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Here’s one more thing the coronavirus pandemic has ruined for at least some people: betting on the Super Bowl. The American Gaming Association, the gambling industry’s national trade group, released a report Tuesday predicting that the number of people planning to make a bet on the...
Column: One number looms large in Super Bowl of numbers
The Super Bowl is always defined by numbers, this one perhaps more than others because there’s one number — positive tests for covid-19 this week — that no one wants to see. Still, this Super Bowl like no other remains a Super Bowl much like any other. That means the...
Chiefs’ Robinson, Kilgore land on covid-19 list as close contactsVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs placed a pair of backups, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore, on the covid-19 list as close contacts Monday as they begin final preparations for the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay. Chiefs coach Andy said he was told of the...
Tom Brady on playing past 45: ‘I would definitely consider that’
Tom Brady keeps raising the bar about how long he could keep playing quarterback in the NFL. As the 43-year-old Brady prepares for his record 10th Super Bowl and first since joining Tampa Bay this past offseason, he said he’s already considering surpassing his previous goal and playing beyond age...
Packers planning for long-term future that includes Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur say they expect Aaron Rodgers to remain their team’s starting quarterback in 2021 and beyond. Gutekunst and LaFleur made those comments Monday during season-ending Zoom sessions with reporters. After the Packers’ 31-26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in...
Tampa Bay makes best of Super Bowl week amid sour economy
TAMPA, Fla. — There have been four previous Super Bowls in Tampa, some amid war and economic distress, but none have faced the challenges this year’s event encounters because of the coronavirus pandemic and its fallout. Tickets for Sunday’s game are limited to about a third of the capacity of...
Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes prepare for 5th matchup after splitting 1st 4Video
There was a regular-season shootout and a playoff masterpiece the first season Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady met on a football field. Brady came out ahead in those two meetings, but Mahomes has gotten the edge the past two times they met. Now as they are set to meet on...
Styles differ, success similar for Bucs’ Bruce Arians, Chiefs’ Andy ReidVideo
From the moment he turns a news conference over to reporters with his signature “time’s yours” phrase, Andy Reid always sticks by his players. The man affectionately known as Big Red never has been a coach who publicly criticizes his guys, even when they play poorly. That hasn’t happened often...
Source: Lions trade Matt Stafford to Rams for Goff, draft picks
LOS ANGELES — The Detroit Lions are trading quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff, two future first-round picks and a third-round pick, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday night...
Super distancing: CBS keeps season protocols for big gameVideo
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo were inseparable when CBS broadcast the Super Bowl two years ago. Next week, they won’t see each other until they are in the broadcast booth a couple of hours before kickoff. “For me, this is going to be very much like what we did during...
Chiefs following patchwork O-line into Super Bowl vs. BucsVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs were supposed to have a talented lineup of millionaires, each a seasoned veteran of the rough-and-tumble NFL, protecting their half-billion dollar quarterback as they defended their Super Bowl title this season. Instead, they’ll have a motley cast of late-round draft picks, journeymen...
Defense could be decisive in Super Bowl of dynamic offenses
Suggesting that defense could decide this Super Bowl might seem like heresy. With Patrick Mahomes and the explosive Kansas City offense on one side, Tom Brady and Tampa Bay’s resourceful attack on the other, expecting either D to be dominant or dangerous or definitive appears like folly. Read on, though....
NFL’s revenue dip in pandemic significant, but not crippling
New York Giants co-owner John Mara could have been speaking for all in the tight-lipped world of NFL finances by saying his club’s pandemic-induced losses in revenue have been substantial but not crippling. The biggest positive in this season of covid-19 might not be measurable: the value of finishing on...
NFL hopefuls who opted out look to shake off rust at Senior BowlVideo
MOBILE, Ala. — Former Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman hasn’t played in a game in about 400 days since first switching schools and then opting out of the 2020 season. Newman hardly is alone among the players trying to shake off the rust after long layoffs leading up to Saturday’s...
Chiefs trying for first Super Bowl repeat win in 16 yearsVideo
Do it again? Not in the NFL, at least not lately. On Feb. 7, the Kansas City Chiefs will be the latest franchise to attempt winning successive Super Bowls when they take on the Buccaneers. In Tampa, of all places. Against Tom Brady, of all people. It’s an achievement simply...
Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy misses out on head coach job againVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill was thrilled to hear his first wide receivers coach, David Culley, was going to be an NFL head coach. He was baffled by the fact his current offensive coordinator once again will not. After interviewing for six openings, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy ultimately...
Tom Brady’s parents survived covid-19, will attend Super BowlVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady said his parents are doing well after recovering from covid-19 early this season and will be among family in the stands to root for him and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in next week’s Super Bowl. “They’re doing great, so I think that’s the best part...
Chiefs, Bucs ride (mostly) covid-clear season to Super Bowl
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs had a pretty good idea what kind of covid-19 protocols they would have to wade through in defense of their Super Bowl championship the moment they finally gathered for in-person training camp. One of their own helped to devise them. It was...
