Tag: family

Lions downgrade Alex Anzalone, former Saints LB won’t play in Week 13

Alex Anzalone will miss Sunday’s matchup against his old team due to injury, but the former Saints linebacker found an important silver lining:

The Detroit Lions have officially ruled out linebacker Alex Anzalone for this week’s game versus the New Orleans Saints, downgrading his status from doubtful on Saturday.

This was Anzalone’s first opportunity to play against his former team. Not only will he not play, he won’t travel to New Orleans either. There’s a silver lining for him: Anzalone and his wife Lindsey announced the birth of their daughter on Friday through his official Instagram account, so the young family will have a weekend to themselves.

Anzalone isn’t the only former Saints player sidelined for this game due to an injury. C.J. Gardner-Johnson will also miss this game with a torn pectoral. He suffered this injury early in the season, and it’s unsure if he’ll return by year’s end. It’s the second time an injury has taken Gardner Johnson out of a matchup with the Saints in as many years. The Lions-Saints reunion now starts and stops with the coaching staff.

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Pat Surtain’s dad reacts to son’s big performance on ‘Monday Night Football’

“If you put him in man he’s ELITE, If you put him in ZONE he’s ELITE. THE REALEST!! YA HEARD.”

Patrick Surtain Sr. seems more pleased with his son’s situation now than he was a few months ago.

During the Denver Broncos’ 70-20 blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins in September, the elder Surtain tweeted, “Toiling in the soil!! SMH 2 you deserve better.”

Seven weeks later, Surtain gushed with praise after his son helped the Broncos defeat the Buffalo Bills 24-22 on Monday Night Football.

“If you put him in man he’s ELITE, If you put him in ZONE he’s ELITE. THE REALEST!! YA HEARD,” Surtain tweeted on Monday night.

The Broncos received trade calls from seven teams inquiring about Pat Surtain II ahead of the NFL trade deadline last month, and three teams made offers. Denver had no interest in trading the star cornerback.

“PS2” has played 1,533 consecutive snaps for the Broncos, 620 more snaps than the next-closest defender in the NFL.

Only 23 years old, Surtain is already considered one of the best — if not the best — cornerback in the NFL, and any parent would be proud of that.

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Peyton Hillis says surviving near drowning was ‘100% a miracle’

Despite his heroic actions, Peyton Hillis did not dub himself a hero after saving his son and niece from drowning. “I call myself a dad.”

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Former NFL running back Peyton Hillis made national headlines in January after he was hospitalized with lung and kidney complications after saving his son and niece from drowning in Pensacola, Florida.

About two-and-a-half weeks after the accident, Hillis was discharged from Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.

Last week, in an interview with Michael Strahan of “Good Morning America,” Hillis said it is “100% a miracle that somebody didn’t die.”

The running back recounted the scary decision to swim past his son in order to save his niece first because she was in more immediate danger.

“I think the scariest point … was when I’m swimming to my son and I have to pass by him because my niece is in more danger,” Hillis said. “I knew that I had to pass him up to get to Camille first. Because, you know, if I didn’t then there’s no way she would’ve made it.”

After swimming back, Hillis prayed that his son would make it.

“‘Lord, please,'” Hillis said he prayed. ” ‘Like, I really don’t care about my life. I don’t. But if we can get him out of here that’s the only thing I’m going to care about.’ ”

Hillis said he is still recovering and doesn’t think his lungs will ever be fully recovered. He also said the mental recovery has also been tough.

Despite his heroic actions, Hillis did not dub himself a hero.

“I call myself a dad,” he said.

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WATCH: Bryan Bresee and his family get the call that the Saints are picking him

WATCH: Bryan Bresee and his family get the call that the Saints are picking him in the 2023 draft

Now this is really cool. Bryan Bresee was sitting at home with his family when the New Orleans Saints called to inform him that he was their pick at No. 29 overall in the 2023 NFL draft — meaning the former Clemson Tigers standout was finally turning pro.

It’s an emotional scene. Surrounded by his parents, Bresee shared a big embrace and needed some time to collect himself. He’s had to overcome a number of hurdles and challenges to get here, including a season-ending ACL tear in 2021, hospitalization with a kidney infection last year, and the tragic loss of his younger sister — Bresee and his family were wearing wearing “Ella Strong” shirts commemorating her life for what’s become a very special occasion for them.

Good luck, Bresee. He’s got big shoes to fill in New Orleans after the Saints lost four defensive linemen (Marcus Davenport, David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, and Kentavius Street) in free agency this spring. But for now, this is a moment bigger than football.

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Emily and Taysom Hill announce arrival of their second child, who carries his father’s name

Emily and Taysom Hill announced the birth of their second child, who carries his father’s name. The Who Dat Nation added another member just in time for the 2023 draft:

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Congratulations are in order for Emily and Taysom Hill, who shared some big personal news this week following the birth of their second child. The New Orleans Saints standout introduced Bennett Taysom Hill to the world on social media and expressed a lot of gratitude to his wife.

Hill earned well-wishes from teammates past and present on Instagram including Jameis Winston and Ian Book, as well as the hundreds of fans who follow him closely. The couple’s first child, Beau Nixon Hill (named for his wife’s family), will be turning three years old in the fall.

It’s a timely arrival for the Who Dat Nation, just in time for the 2023 NFL draft. We’re wishing the best to the Hills as their young family continues to grow.

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Saints QB Derek Carr and his family draw cheers at Pelicans-Thunder game

Saints QB Derek Carr and his family drew cheers from the home crowd in New Orleans at Saturday night’s Pelicans-Thunder game, via @DillySanders:

Newly-signed New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr took his family to the New Orleans Pelicans game on Saturday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Smoothie King Center. They were able to sit courtside, and were welcomed by the home-crowd fans with an uproar of applause.

Carr and his sons Dallas, Deker and Deakon along with daughter Brooklyn and wife Heather have been given the superstar treatment by the Saints and Pelicans organizations for his first day in the city.

The Pelicans would go on to lose the game to the Thunder by a score of 110-96, giving him a realistic outlook on the current state of the team. Maybe he can make another trip when Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram return.

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NFLPA player poll shows room for improvement for Broncos

The Broncos’ new ownership group can likely address many of the team’s poorly-graded areas in the NFLPA’s report card.

Last week, the NFL Players Association released the results from a 2022 poll that asked more than 1,300 players for their anonymous perspectives on their teams and facilities.

The Denver Broncos came in ranked No. 20 out of 32 teams. Players gave a strong grade to the strength coaches (A-), good grades for team travel (B+), the weight room (B+) and training staff (B), but poor grades for the treatment of families (D+) food service/nutrition (D) and the locker room size (D+).

The team’s low family grade was a result of Denver being one of 14 NFL teams that do not have a family room. The club’s low nutrition grade can be attributed to the Broncos being one of just two teams who don’t provide vitamins, according to the NFLPA.

The good news for the low grades is that those areas can be addressed by the club’s new ownership group, and players seem to have confidence in new ownership, per the NFLPA: “The survey results show that 100% of player respondents believe that the new ownership group is willing to invest in upgrading the facilities. One example is the club’s decision to replace the playing surface at the end of last season, despite it being the last home game of the year.”

Denver has pushed back on some of the findings of the poll through a story published by KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. That story noted that the Broncos have a family room at the team’s stadium — but it made no mention of a family room at the training facility where players spend most of the season.

Overall, the team’s grade isn’t bad compared to some clubs (just ask the Jacksonville Jaguars). There is room for improvement, though, and Denver’s new ownership group will likely take steps to address the poorly-graded areas of the team’s operations.

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Ravens HC John Harbaugh on Todd Monken’s hire as OC: ‘It started with a call’

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had some help from a family member when looking for the team’s newest offensive coordinator

The Baltimore Ravens officially introduced new offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Tuesday in an introductory press conference. Monken won out during an interview process that spanned 14 candidates and 21 total interviews, as the team cast a wide net.

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh elaborated on the process by which the team settled on Monken to be their next offensive coordinator during an opening statement at the press conference. Harbaugh made it clear that an inside connection helped put the hire in motion.

“It started with a call that I got from my sister, Joani Crean, and [former University of Georgia head basketball coach] Tom Crean. When Tom was at Georgia the last couple years, Joani and Tom got to know Todd and his wife, Terri, and they got to be friends and spent a lot of time together. Joani just tells me, ‘You’ve got to talk to Todd Monken. He’s amazing, his wife’s amazing. He’s a great coach; we’ve seen what he’s done here at Georgia.’ I got on the phone with Tom [and] Tom reiterated that – how much he respected Todd. That really got me thinking in that direction…So, we reached out and had a chance to talk to Todd, I think on the phone first and then the Zoom meeting, just talking ball really. [We were] talking background – we’re both kind of from the Midwest originally, so we know a lot of the same people, and I had known Todd from afar. I had watched him coach; we’ve coached against each other. Then just talking ball, and [it was clear] how really great, how extensive his knowledge is, how broad his knowledge is, how adaptable he is, how versatile he is in terms of what he’s able to do with his X’s and O’s and his scheme stuff.”

While Monken certainly must have blown Harbaugh and the Ravens’ front office away throughout in his interviews, this anecdote from Baltimore’s head coach should give fans some insight into the process that took place to make this move possible. Time will tell if this hire will prove to pay dividends in the way some experts are predicting with Monken at the helm of the Ravens’ offense in 2023, but if it does, Baltimore will have Harbaugh’s sister to thank for nudging the team in his direction.

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Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce talk about seeing mother on-field after Super Bowl LVII

#Eagles C Jason Kelce and #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce talked about their experience seeing their mother on the field after Super Bowl LVII. | from @TheJohnDillon

In an emotional segment on their latest “New Heights Show” podcast, Jason and Travis Kelce talked about the experience of seeing their mother on the field after the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVII. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when the brothers described what it meant for them to see Donna Kelce on the field after the game.

“The moment I saw mom is when I got really emotional,” the elder Kelce said, holding back tears, “because… man, it was so awesome. You know, she was on top of the world for a week.”

“She was the heavyweight champ, man,” Travis added. “She was on top of it and she shined the whole time, man. That was the coolest part. Mom, you absolutely killed it, dad, you’ve been killing it.”

For Jason Kelce, even though his Philadelphia Eagles lost the Super Bowl, he said he was crying tears of joy because of his mother.

“It was just so cool, man to see, you know to see her get to celebrate in that with us,” Jason reiterated. “It was an awesome moment. I’m just so happy for her, and so happy that, you know, she got her moment, dad got his. So, yeah, I was the only [one], ironically, to lose the Super Bowl. And you [were] crying after the game, and they’re not tears of sadness, you know, they’re tears of joy.”

Clearly, the Kelce Bowl experience was an emotional one for both the center and tight end, and it won’t soon be forgotten, even as both brothers enter the twilight of their NFL careers. While a Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory is a welcome sight for any Kansas City fan, the only shame of the situation is that both of the Kelce brothers couldn’t win together.

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Ex-Broncos RB Peyton Hillis discharged from hospital after swimming accident

Great news for Peyton Hillis — he was recently discharged from the hospital after recovering from a swimming accident in Florida.

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There’s great news on the Peyton Hillis front this week.

The former NFL running back was recently discharged from a Florida hospital, according to his girlfriend, Angela Cole.

“God is so good! 🙏🏻❤️” Cole wrote on her Instagram page on Saturday. “Peyton has been discharged from the hospital. The amount of love and gratitude I have for the incredible team that took care of Peyton is indescribable. This picture does not have anywhere near the amount of people who took such great care of him.”

Hillis was taken to Baptist Hospital after a swimming accident near the Portofino Island Resort in Pensacola on Jan. 5. The former running back suffered lung and kidney injuries “while saving a family member from drowning,” according to a report from KNWA FOX24.

Hillis, 37, had a seven-year career in the NFL, totaling 3,882 yards from scrimmage and scoring 26 touchdowns in 81 games. He spent time with the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants before retiring in 2015 due to concussion and injury concerns.

Hillis’ family, friends and fans will be relieved to know that this story has a happy ending. Hillis is a hero, and he’s now healthy and recovered from the accident.

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