Tag: Pat McAfee

$800,000 kick on ‘College GameDay’ splits uprights

Pressure is one chance to make a kick for $800,000

ESPN’s “College GameDay” does a segment where a student tries to kick a 33-yard field goal for big bucks. On Saturday the money was beaucoup bucks.

Pat McAfee upped the prize to $800,000, half to Hurricane Relief. A quarter to the person who was chosen and the $200,000 to the person she chose to kick for her.

That is a lot of pressure on the kicker. However, the former soccer player drilled the kick and made one with the kind of pressure NFL kickers see in each game.

This stat shows how good Jesse Minter’s defense has been

Jesse Minter has the Chargers’ defense playing at an elite level.

Jesse Minter has the Chargers’ defense playing at an elite level.

Since the start of the season, no team has scored over 20 points on the Bolts. This is the fourth time since 1990 that a defense has limited its opponents to that mark, per NFL Media’s Peter Schrager.

Los Angeles ranks No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 13.1 points per game.

Minter’s coaching has the defensive unit firing on all cylinders.

In the trenches, they’ve been stout against the run and the pass rush is finally starting to come alive. The linebackers are rallying to the football. The coverage has been tight, and the scheme has confused opposing quarterbacks.

Minter is just in the first season as the team’s defensive coordinator, but it might be his only stint in this role.

“We’ve gotta enjoy Jesse Minter while we have him because I think he’s gonna be a Head Coach next year,” Jim Harbaugh said in his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Bill Belichick, Pat McAfee chime in on Bo Nix and Broncos’ stingy defense

“This is a good, solid defense,” Bill Belichick said of the Broncos’ squad.

The sports world was set buzzing following the Denver Broncos‘ 28-14 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, including former NFL punter Pat McAfee and ex-coach Bill Belichick.

“Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos seemingly got it going. Do you believe in Sean Payton and what he’s got going in Denver?” McAfee asked Belichick on Monday’s edition of the Pat McAfee Show. 

“Well yeah,” said the usually muted Belichick. “One of the best things they’re doing in Denver is their defense. They’re really good on defense and I think that (defensive coordinator Vance) Joseph has done a great job there. They have a nice pressure scheme, their front’s playing very well, they got Surtain back, and if they don’t turn the ball over, they’re going to be in every game.”

The Broncos limited the Panthers to 284 yards of total offense, which was as many yards as Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix had passing alone. The Broncos’ stingy defense also hasn’t allowed more than 25 points since the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

“This is a good, solid defense; they play pretty well they communicate well and they don’t give up a lot of points,” said Belichick.

Belichick also gave love to the Broncos’ rookie signal caller. “As (Bo) Nix is getting a little bit more confident and a little more consistency and familiarity with Coach Payton’s system, they’re doing a good job,” said Belichick. “As I said at the beginning of the year, they won’t be enough to catch the (Kansas City) Chiefs this year, but it certainly looks like they’re gaining in the division.”

You can watch their breakdown of the game below — the Broncos’ segment begins at 1:47:40.

The Broncos look to build on their 5-3 record with a big game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

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Pat McAfee has harsh words for Seahawks’ 12th Man

Pat McAfee has harsh words for Seahawks’ 12th Man

The Seattle Seahawks have long had a reputation of enjoying some of the most fierce, rabid and loud fans in the NFL. The 12th Man has grown to help define modern day home field advantage. But lately, their reputation is under assault…. and quite frankly, with good reason.

Against Buffalo, the 12th Man allowed the Bills Mafia to invade Lumen Field. Their presence was so raucous it even caused quarterback Geno Smith to say the environment at home sounded like the Seahawks were playing in a road game.

Disappointed Seattle fans weren’t the only ones to notice how bad it looked, as ESPN’s Pat McAfee didn’t mince words on his show discussing the Buffalo takeover.

I hate to admit it, but I don’t see where McAfee is necessarily wrong. At least, as far as being shocked at how the 12’s voice is being silenced to a degree. Additionally, co-host AJ Hawk’s comments on opposing teams stressing about preparing for games in Seattle are starting to feel like a memory from an increasingly distant time.

After the game I wrote about how opposing fans taking over Lumen Field is becoming an increasingly noticeable and concerning trend. Seattle sports fans, as a whole, are among the most loyal and longsuffering in the country. Their passion is unrivaled. Or, at least it has been historically.

I am not sure what the solution is to this issue right now, but if it continues for much longer, the reputation of the 12th Man may take some permanent damage.

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A College GameDay fan wrecked his knee warming up for Pat McAfee’s $100k field goal challenge

Real talk, ESPN should pay for that guy’s medical bills.

In case you haven’t been watching ESPN’s College GameDay – its flagship college football pregame show – over the past two years, Pat McAfee is trying to do his part to inform fans how difficult kicking a field goal is. Each week, McAfee – who kicked and punted for West Virginia and the Indianapolis Colts – pulls a fan out of the crowd and puts up some of his own cash. If the fan makes the kick, they get to keep the cash.

It has created some memorable moments on the show, like last season when a fan drilled one of ESPN’s cameras at Duke. A few weeks ago, a Cal student won $100,000 while kicking a field goal in slip-on shoes.

On Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, this experiment went horribly sideways, when the fan picked to kick apparently tore his ACL, according to McAfee.

And so, GameDay had to find a second kicker.

“Jeram, the first kicker, Jake, tore his ACL warming up behind the stage. You’re the second pick. If you make this kick, both you and Jake will make $100,000. So, this is not just for you, it’s for a knee that was blown out earlier.”

Jeram had the distance. But the accuracy? Not so much.

Better luck next week, GameDay kickers. And a speedy recovery to the dude who tore up his knee.

Ex-NFL GM believes Giants have wrong approach for success

Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, a long-time New York Giants critic, is taking shots at their roster-building process again.

This week, New York Giants co-owner John Mara committed to general manager Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll despite their second 2-5 start in as many years.

The regime Mara is hanging his hat on is 17-23-1 since taking over the club in 2022. They began by winning six of their first seven games that year and eked into the playoffs, but since that streak, their record is 11-22-1.

Most new general managers and coaches concentrate on beating the teams they need to beat to win their division. In the Giants’ case that would be the NFC East rivals: Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington.

Since Schoen and Daboll took over the Giants are 0-5 against Dallas, 1-5 (including playoffs) versus Philly, and 3-1-1 against Washington but lost their first game versus them this season with Jayden Daniels under center and Dan Quinn as the head coach.

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi pointed out on the Pat McAfee Show this week that the Giants — Mara, Schoen, and Daboll — aren’t preparing themselves for success, which begins by winning games within the division.

“You win the division, obviously, and you get in the dance and have a home playoff game,” said McAfee. “And anything can happen from there.”

Referring to the footage aired by HBO’s Hard Knocks, Lombardi and McAfee were both shocked at how the Giants brass made their plans to build their roster for the season.

“They never said one time in the entire Hard Knocks, ‘How do we beat Philly? How do we beat Dallas?'” Lombardi said.

When they decided to trade for Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive end Brian Burns, which was highlighted in the docuseries, Lombardi pointed out that the group never discussed Burns’ performance against their NFC rivals.

“That’s the stuff we (general managers) talk about and it wasn’t there,” he said. “It looks like people were doing their fantasy draft … and that’s offensive to me.”

The numbers don’t lie. In the NFL results are what counts. No one cares how smart you are or think you are. If you don’t win, you’re out.

Daboll and Schoen are safe for now but one wonders if they can’t even match last year’s win total of six this year, will Mara still feel the same?

“I think you focus on what you can control, and I’ve said this numerous times, we have a very good communication process, a good relationship,” said Daboll. “Again, nobody’s happy about the results or the record, but the communication and the process and the people, I believe in them.”

It’s sink or swim time for this latest version of the Giants front office.

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J.J. Watt makes his case for Jayden Daniels as MVP

JJ Watt makes his case for Jayden Daniels.

Legendary former NFL defensive end J.J. Watt has seen enough. He believes Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is a legit MVP candidate.

“People don’t want to give a rookie MVP,” Watt said this week on the “Pat McAfee Show.”

“I think they think the Rookie of the Year award, that’s his recognition, his MVP, no matter how good he plays. You kind of have to prove it over time to earn an MVP award, which I 100% and completely disagree with. Who knows how this is going to play out over the course of the rest of the year? We’re only seven weeks in. But if he continues to play at a rate that nobody in the history of the league has ever done, and he continues to elevate this team to where they go on and possibly win this division, possibly win some playoff games. I mean, that would be the definition of a most valuable player. He was drafted, he came in, and he turned an entire organization around in one year. That’s the most valuable player.”

Watt provided more information for his argument.

Watt makes some compelling arguments. The MVP isn’t meant to be awarded to the player with the best stats but the player who is most valuable to their team. Yes, there is a long way to go, but through seven weeks, what player has transformed a franchise like Daniels has done with the Commanders?

Yes, he’s had plenty of help, but Washington is a legit playoff contender because of Daniels. Without Daniels? Not so much.

Daniels injured his rib in last Sunday’s win over the Panthers and did not return. His mother later said he was fine, but head coach Dan Quinn said Daniels was “week to week” and he was “hopeful” he could play on Sunday vs. the Chicago Bears.

Pat McAfee gives his take on Sean Payton’s win over Saints

“Congrats to the Broncos, 4-1 in their last five,” Pat McAfee said after the team’s win in New Orleans.

Former NFL punter and current sports pundit Pat McAfee recently gave his take on Sean Payton’s win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.

“Congrats to the Broncos, 4-1 in their last five,” said McAfee on Friday’s airing of the Pat McAfee Show. “There was some touching moments with Sean Payton returning to New Orleans. They showed him walking on the field five hours earlier from the game; then he said he was going to take an Uber and then kind of get a feel for it, get a sense for it, go back into the locker room. Then when he led the team out, he thought there might be some emotions. I’ll tell you what, he walked out there at one pace: We’re not changing gears at all. He had a little sass too. You could tell he was kind of taking it in, feeling the moment.”

Payton made a triumphant return to the Crescent City, bringing the Broncos in and beating the Saints 33-10. After the game, Payton expressed a bit of emotion in the locker room.

You can view the entire Pat McAfee Show segment about Denver’s win over New Orleans below.

Denver looks to continue to build off this momentum in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.

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Bills GM Brandon Beane: ‘We have been all in, all along’

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane joined the Pat McAfee show Wednesday to answer some questions in light of the recent trade for wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Beane made one thing loud and clear. The Bills were never thinking about a rebuild. The trade for Cooper was evidence that the Bills are still very much all in to win the whole thing.

“We are still all in… If Cleveland wasn’t ready to do this we were going to continue to monitor it,” Beane said. “We still got a few weeks before the deadline. If we feel there is something else that we need or we feel there is something else that can get us over the top… we have been all in all along.”

When the Bills didn’t bring back a handful of marquee players this offseason, there were murmurs that it was a “reload” or “rebuild” year for the team. Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Stefon Diggs, Mitch Morse, Gabe Davis, Micah Hyde… there were a lot of familiar names and trusted leaders who exited the team. But, Beane had a plan all along. It wasn’t a rebuild, it was a transition.

“I know we have lost some names this offseason… some guys who have been captains… this was what I said was an offseason of transition,” Beane said. “The mindset here, as long as Josh Allen is our quarterback, we’re going to try to win this thing and we’re going to do what we can every single year.”

So, sitting at 4-2 with a lead in the AFC East, the team added a legit number-one receiver and has left the door open to upgrade the team further before the trade deadline. These are reassuring words from Beane if you are a Bills fan.

Take a look at the full response from Beane on the Pat McAfee Show:

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Insider gives update on Davante Adams trade: Bad news for Steelers

Insider Adam Schefter confirmed the Raiders asking price for Davante Adams, and the team is unwilling to budge. Will he stay in Las Vegas?

Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday morning, insider Adam Schefter reported some troubling news for fans of the black and gold hoping their team can acquire 31-year-old All-Pro receiver Davante Adams.

While it was speculated that the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, two of the favorites to land the wide receiver, were backing off the aggressiveness of their pursuit of Adams, Schefter reported that remaining in Las Vegas is looking more like the realistic possibility as time goes on.

Schefter confirmed the Raiders’ required asking price for their player but added a new layer of drama—the team does not want to take on any of Adams’ salary and will not budge on these two areas of the trade. It was also reported that the All-Pro receiver is a major fan of current Raiders QB Aiden O’Connell, and many within the Raiders organization could welcome him back.

 

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers attempt to meet the Raiders’ demands? Or will the ‘Steel City’ look elsewhere for the receiver position? Stay with us at SteelersWire as this situation continues to unfold.

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