Tag: Pregame

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes going through pregame warm-ups

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is looking pretty spry during warm-ups ahead of the AFC Championship Game vs. the #Bengals.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has begun his pregame warm-up routine ahead of the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mahomes is dealing with a high ankle sprain suffered during the AFC divisional round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and he is expected to play on Sunday night. That said, even Mahomes didn’t exactly know how he’d respond to the injury until he got down on the field for the game. He was one of the first out on the field per usual and now he’s begun getting warmed up.

ESPN’s Adam Teicher was down on the field and captured some video of Mahomes doing some high knees to get himself loose ahead of the game.

Our friend Austin of It’s Always Sunny in Chiefs Kingdom podcast, also captured some video of Mahomes rolling out and throwing.

Mahomes doesn’t appear to be hindered in any way by the ankle, based on the early video evidence. Ultimately, how it responds once the bullets are live and the game is being played will be the biggest determining factor in the team’s success.

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Notre Dame-Boston College: Pregame buzz on Twitter

The pregame buzz ahead of Notre Dame-Boston College on this gameday.

For the final time in 2022, Notre Dame will play at home as Boston College comes-a-calling.  The Fighting Irish are a sizeable favorite but take on an opponent that has created its fair share of celebrations at Notre Dame Stadium over the years.  Fortunately for the Irish, none have taken place since 2007.

Senior day is always a weird roller coaster of emotions, too.  In recent years we’ve seen plenty of slow starts by Notre Dame before they ultimately rolled to victories.  Last year against Georgia Tech was an exception, but Syracuse in 2020, Boston College in 2019, and 2017 against Navy were all struggle fests for the majority of the first half, if not for longer.

Frigid conditions are upon us in South Bend as we’re a few hours from kickoff.  Here is how some of those on social media are settling in as they get ready for Notre Dame-Boston College this afternoon.

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers Saints pregame speech before kickoff vs. Ravens

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers Saints pregame speech before kickoff vs. Ravens

There’s no doubting the role Demario Davis plays as a leader for the New Orleans Saints. The veteran linebacker took the torch from Drew Brees in delivering a weekly pregame speech to his huddled teammates, and he made the most of the opportunity to address his team before Monday night’s prime-time game with the Baltimore Ravens.

“Play as one,” Davis boomed to the Saints, emphasizing what’s been a key issue for them on the year so far. For the first few months, we weren’t seeing that typical rally to the football that defined excellent defensive play from New Orleans in recent years. The defenders were too slow to mob together and stop gains short as a group, putting too many individuals in tough position in the open field.

They improved on that last week against the Las Vegas Raiders after taking some extra time during the mini-bye after a Thursday night game to reflect and regroup, and the early returns against Baltimore were encouraging. The Saints defense forced a punt out of the first Ravens possession. Let’s see if they can keep it up.

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Texans are set to play Eagles in challenging Thursday night matchup

The Houston #Texans are set to face a challenging opponent in Week 9 against the undefeated Philadelphia #Eagles on Thursday Night Football

In the last two weeks, the Houston Texans have faced running backs Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders) and Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans), both of whom are in the top five for NFL rushers. On Thursday night, they face another top-ten running back in Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders.

The Eagles will be looking to extend their record to 8-0 as they are the only undefeated team left in the NFL.

If facing Sanders wasn’t a big enough issue for the Lovie Smith-coached defense, add in quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is lethal in and out of the pocket. The Houston native will be playing in front of his version of a hometown crowd, having graduated from Channelview High School.

“I would say he’s an outstanding passer,” said coach Smith about Hurts, who has thrown ten touchdowns on the season. “Outstanding thrower on what we’re seeing from him, running game to back that up. I’m talking about the athlete at the quarterback position brings another dimension of them taking off and running the football. A part of why they’re one of the best rushing teams is based on what they do running the ball at the quarterback position too.”

Texans’ rookie defensive tackle Thomas Booker is also well aware that the former runner-up in the 2019 Heisman Trophy voting can cause chaos if you don’t play fundamental defensive football against him.

“Disruptions and keeping your rush lanes are huge,” Booker said. He is a guy that can escape really well and understands when the pocket is collapsing, and find an escape route really quickly. So, if you can take that away from him, our guys in the secondary will be able to get him off of his first read.”

With such a potent offense as the undefeated Eagles have, making Hurts come off of his first read, which is usually wide receiver A.J. Brown, who Philadelphia traded for in the offseason. His second read is 2020 Heisman Trophy winner wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

“I’ve played A.J. (Brown) before,” said Texans defensive back Steven Nelson. “He’s always an explosive athlete, competitor. He has that dog mentality in him. Tough run after the catch guy as well. It’s definitely going to be a challenge.”

Houston will need to get some offensive momentum to keep the Eagles’ defense off the field, but that is easier said than done, especially without the services of wide receivers Nico Collins (groin) and Brandin Cooks (wrist).

Notre Dame-Clemson: Wild weather expected

Who does this forecast favor?

“Nothin’ lasts foreverAnd we both know hearts can changeAnd it’s hard to hold a candleIn the cold November rain”

I’d don’t think Axl Rose was thinking of Notre Dame football when he wrote “November Rain” for Guns N’ Roses in the early 90s but perhaps he could have been.  Seeing as it’s about loving something that doesn’t love you back, a large number of Notre Dame fans have certainly been able to relate at least in part over the years.

But I digress.

Cold November rain appears headed right at South Bend Saturday and could certainly be a factor as Notre Dame welcomes No. 5 Clemson (No. 4 in CFP rankings) to town.  Cold November rain, unpleasantly steady winds, and gusts over 40 miles per hour are expected.

Will they come in the early part of the day and miss the game or will they be present at kickoff is the question.  Here is what The Weather Channel had for South Bend‘s forecast as of 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday:

You would imagine that those conditions would favor Notre Dame as the passing attack of the Irish isn’t as strong as Clemson’s.  Although, it could be a literal hurricane and Notre Dame would be comfortable throwing 31 times.

Oh, wait, that play-caller is gone.

We’ll keep an eye on this as gameday nears.  If you’re headed to South Bend this weekend though sure you pack a few ponchos.  In the meantime, check out the impact the weather may have on these two teams specifically that John Kennedy came up with.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Nick on Twitter: @NickShepkowski

Related:

5 keys to a Notre Dame upset of Clemson

ESPN FPI boosts Notre Dame’s chances of upsetting Clemson

Confidences and Concerns for Notre Dame entering Clemson showdown

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WATCH: Demario Davis leads the Saints pregame huddle before Week 3 kickoff

WATCH: Demario Davis leads the Saints pregame huddle before Week 3 kickoff

No one can say the New Orleans saints lack for veteran leadership. Not with All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis leading them each week. The team’s defensive captain has taken over Drew Brees’ long-running tradition of delivering a pregame speech, gathering his teammates around to hype them up before kickoff each week.

They’ll need it. Facing a 1-1 start and a tough road game against an always-pesky divisional opponent, it’ll take everything Davis and the other leaders on the team have to keep everyone focused and energized in a high-pressure scenario. Let’s see if they can come away with a win at Bank of America Stadium.

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Social media reactions leading up to Florida’s football’s season opener

Florida and Utah are set to square off for the 2022 season opener, and social media is abuzz. Check out the talk on Billy Napier’s first Gator Walk and more.

The early slate of college football games didn’t disappoint — well, Texas A&M got stuck in a three-hour lightning delay so that’s not entirely true — but the big game in the Sunshine State on Saturday is Florida versus No. 7 Utah at 7 p.m. EDT.

Gators Wire already went over the early reactions on social media to Florida’s matchup, and now it’s time to look at the moments leading up to the big game. Fans started to gather around 4 p.m. to see the first Gator Walk of the Billy Napier. Mother Nature tried to dampen things with some light rain, but the crowd stayed put and greeted the new head coach and the team as they entered the stadium.

Eventually, the fans followed and took their seats for the first game of the season. It’s been a long time, but the Gators are back and hope to kick off the Billy Napier era with an upset win.

Social media reactions morning before Florida’s football’s season opener

Watch: Cameron Jordan leads the Saints pregame huddle

Cameron Jordan stepped in for Demario Davis and Kwon Alexander to lead the Saints pregame huddle before kickoff with Miami:

The pregame speech has become an important ritual for the New Orleans Saints over the years, with Drew Brees’ weekly speeches giving way to Demario Davis’ passionate deliveries. But neither of them were available on Monday night against the Miami Dolphins. Davis’ usual partner in the huddle, Kwon Alexander, was unavailable too. So naturally speculation swirled on social media as to who would step into the role.

It ended up being Cameron Jordan. Regularly voted a team captain, Jordan has been known for leading by example rather than by his words — he’s funny and charismatic but isn’t really a rah-rah “rally the troops” kind of guy. So it was surprising to see him address his teammates in the Caesars Superdome end zone, which we’ve embedded above.

Let’s hope his message resonates. The Saints need all hands on deck to handle the Dolphins after losing dozens of players to the COVID-19 reserve list. If they’re going to come away with a win, it’ll be because Jordan and those around him made some game-changing plays.

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Calvin Ridley explains his interesting pregame meal routine

Is this what you expect a star wide receiver to eat before every game?

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Being a wide receiver in the NFL is one of the most physically demanding jobs there are in professional sports. Constant running at full speed, taking hits and blocking defensive backs are just some of the responsibilities of a wide receiver.

Therefore, one would assume they treat their bodies right and only fuel it with the healthiest of foods.

Well, former Alabama wide receiver and current star for the Atlanta Falcons, Calvin Ridley, opens up about what he eats before every game.

In an interview with the Player’s Tribune, Ridley and the Falcons assistant equipment manager, Kenny Osuwah, the star wide receiver claims he eats an order of lemon pepper wings (flats only), french fries and macaroni and cheese from a car wash near the stadium.

Ridley claims that the order gained popularity among the team and is now a regular order pregame for multiple players.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

What Rutgers HC Steve Pikiell said about Wisconsin before the game

After a burn-the-tape loss to Michigan on Tuesday, the Wisconsin Badgers are back in action tonight against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

After a burn-the-tape loss to Michigan on Tuesday, the Wisconsin Badgers are back in action tonight against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

That’s the beauty, and sometimes the biggest challenge, of Big Ten basketball, as teams get the chance to bounce back and make a statement just days after tough losses.

Related: Former Badger F Sam Dekker reacts to Wisconsin landing three-star PF Markus Ilver

While that applies to Wisconsin tonight, it also applies to a Rutgers team that has lost its last three games and four of its last five.

Rutgers HC Steve Pikiell talked about tonight’s matchup with the Badgers, starting off by recognizing that the Wisconsin team we all saw on Tuesday probably won’t what his team sees tonight.

“Because I’ve watched so much Wisconsin tape I know how good Wisconsin is” Pikiell said. “And it was a very impressive, obviously, win by Michigan…Wisconsin is really good and I think sometimes you have days like that. My respect for the Wisconsin program is off the charts. But Michigan certainly played great on both ends of the floor. That’s life in the Big Ten.”

He continued to touch on the specific challenges his team will face tonight, starting with the Badgers’ ability to shoot the basketball.

“Every team in our league brings a different problem. Some teams can really shoot like Iowa,” Pikiell said. “But I think we’ve done a pretty good job, even the last game they made some very difficult shots. I go through every game tape and I grade the shot attempts and how contested they are. You have to give the other team some credit when they make tough shots. So you do the best you can.”

What followed, as anybody who’s turned on 30 seconds of a Wisconsin basketball game this year would know, were comments on the age of the Badger team.

“This team’s average age is 24 years old. This is an old, experienced team. They’re the Big Ten champs from last year,” Pikiell said. “They shoot the ball, they make free throws, they got great shooters and they surround them with some good post players. So they pose us many problems and guarding the three has been a problem. They shoot 42 percent, so they’ve made 3s against all the teams in our league…So you have to do an added emphasis and you have to make sure your guys understand they’re closing out to five men.”

The Rutgers coach finished his discussion about Wisconsin with a note on their free-throw shooting, though did so with a pretty significant name slip-up.

The Badgers and Scarlet Knights are set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. CST tonight and the game will be available on FOX Sports 1