Tag: quote

Chiefs DL Chris Jones reveals bizarre superstitions ahead of Super Bowl LIX

#Chiefs DL Chris Jones told the media about some of his bizarre superstitions related to his cleats and gloves ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

The Kansas City Chiefs have achieved a level of success rarely seen in the modern NFL and will face a final test in their attempt to complete a championship three-peat when they face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on February 9.

Though the Chiefs are a well-oiled football-game-winning machine, one of Kansas City’s players seemed certain that his rather bizarre equipment choices were helping the team win.

In a press conference that was held this week ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones told the media about some of the superstitions he has when it comes to his cleats, gloves, and gameday attire.

Though his gloves may smell “like a dead animal,” Jones’ outstanding production helped buoy Kansas City keep its Super Bowl aspirations throughout the regular season and playoffs.

Don’t expect Jones to change his ways heading into the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX matchup against the Eagles.

Andy Reid on ex-Chiefs QB Alex Smith’s impact: ‘Something that you can’t buy’

See what Andy Reid said about former #Chiefs QB Alex Smith during his comments to the media ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

The Kansas City Chiefs are just days away from their matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and as the hype surrounding the Big Game builds, veteran head coach Andy Reid is taking time to reflect on his many championships.

In a press conference this week, Reid brought up the contributions of veteran quarterback Alex Smith, who was under center for the Chiefs from 2013 until 2018, when Patrick Mahomes took over as Kansas City’s signal-caller.

Take a look at Reid’s comments about Smith and Mahomes in this video, which was posted to the Chiefs’ official Twitter account on Tuesday:

Mahomes joined the Chiefs as a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft and learned behind Smith as a rookie. Though Smith never managed to win a Super Bowl in his career, his one-year role as Mahomes’ mentor is believed to have played a part in the two-time MVP’s quick rise to dominance.

Stay tuned to see if Smith appears in the coverage of Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIX matchup against the Eagles this week.

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard: ‘We feel we should be 7-1 in [Big Ten play], we’re not’

Agree with Greg Gard?

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers are in a comfortable position: Approaching the top of the Big Ten standings after entering the year with tempered expectations.

That reality feels like a near-annual occurrence in this iteration of the Gard era with the program.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball after UCLA loss

Wisconsin’s preseason outlook, remember, was a 12th-place finish in the new 18-team Big Ten. The Badgers have already proven that outlook wrong with a 15-4 (5-3 Big Ten) start to the season and a No. 18 ranking in the current AP Poll. Predictive metrics back that up — Wisconsin ranks No. 22 in KenPom and No. 26 in the ESPN BPI.

The team was even at 15-3 (5-2 Big Ten) before a recent two-point road loss at UCLA ended its seven-game win streak. In Gard’s words, that narrow loss shows the night-in, night-out challenge presented by the new conference landscape.

“You see every night in this league, it’s very competitive,” Gard told the media on Friday. “You’re going to have some really good times, and you can’t get enamored with those, and you’re going to take one on the chin here or there and you can’t get overwhelmed with that.”

Two of the times Wisconsin ‘took it on the chin’ in conference play came by a combined margin of five points (85-83 to UCLA and 67-64 to Michigan. Wisconsin had chances at game-tying baskets in the final seconds of each matchup. John Blackwell failed to convert against the Bruins, while Max Klesmit missed multiple final-minute three-pointers against the Wolverines.

Gard reinforced his confidence in his team’s form, especially given the nature of those two defeats.

“I thought they were in a good spot [against UCLA],” Gard continued. “They’re upset. They know we didn’t play up to our ability, specifically defensively. And I think, quite frankly, we feel we should be 7-1 right now in the league. We’re not. So we’ve got to make sure, as we see, every opponent is a new challenge…But I like how they’ve always responded. They responded really well through that stretch in December that we had.”

The next response must begin on Sunday afternoon against former Badger Connor Essegian and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska enters at 12-7 (2-6 Big Ten), riding a five-game losing streak in conference play.

Wisconsin is just 2 1/2 games behind first-place Michigan State (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) in the conference standings entering the weekend. The Badgers are two bounces of the basketball away from that total sitting at just 1/2, as Gard mentioned.

Tip off from the Kohl Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, noon CT. Wisconsin enters as the prohibitive favorite to add to its growing conference win total.

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Chiefs OC Matt Nagy says second-year lineman has ‘done a good job’

During his comments to the media on Sunday, #Chiefs OC Matt Nagy told reporters about the progress made by second-year OL Wanya Morris.

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering their Week 17 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the wind at their backs, and need just one more win to clinch the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.

However, the Chiefs’ inability to keep quarterback Patrick Mahomes safe in the pocket looms large over Kansas City’s aspirations of completing a Super Bowl three-peat.

However, during comments to the media on Sunday, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy made it clear that one player, second-year left tackle Wanya Morris, was making progress toward earning his starting role back.

“He’s (Wanya Morris) done a good job with that,” Nagy said of Morris’ development. “It’s important that these guys – as they go through the ebb-and-flows of the season and game-by-game is (that) they stay locked in (and) they stay focused. I think most importantly, more than anything, is that they understand that we always are supporting them and we need to be coaching them and still be tough on them but also have that ‘one play away’ mentality and you saw that yesterday.

“Wanya’s done that this whole time and he came in and played well. He just needs to keep growing and he will – he’s young and I think we all just need to keep that in perspective. I like where he’s at right now and we’ve just got to continue to stay true to what he’s doing well and continue to teach him what he’s not doing great, and we can keep working at that.”

Stay tuned to see if Morris returns to the Chiefs’ starting lineup when Kansas City squares off against the Steelers on Christmas Day.

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo on facing Steelers QB Russell Wilson: ‘We have to be on point’

Kansas City #Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo isn’t taking the challenge of facing Pittsburgh #Steelers QB Russell Wilson lightly.

The Kansas City Chiefs are red hot entering their Week 17 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers after defeating the Houston Texans on Saturday, December 21.

However, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isn’t taking the challenge of facing off against Pittsburgh lightly.

Spagnuolo seemed especially concerned with the threat posed by Steelers signal-caller Russell Wilson during his comments to the media on Monday.

“Listen, first of all, that quarterback (Steelers QB Russell Wilson). We know what he’s been all about, he’s all about making big plays,” the veteran coordinator explained. “He loves to chuck the ball deep. He’s got guys and he’s got a lot of confidence in them to go up and get it. We have to be on point back there.

“I mean, we’ve been playing the ball pretty well on the back end in the last couple of games. That needs to continue in this game. When we get these 50/50 jump balls against the Pittsburgh Steelers, we have to try to win more than we lose on there. That’ll be – that’ll make a big difference in the game.”

Expect Spagnuolo to get creative this week as he looks to stymie Wilson and the Steelers and clinch the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed on Christmas Day.

Saints GM comments on firing head coach Dennis Allen

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis shared a statement on the firing of head coach Dennis Allen Monday morning:

The New Orleans Saints firing of head coach Dennis Allen Monday morning was a long time coming and had been on the “to-do” list for far too long. However, now it is over thankfully, and the Saints will move on to interim head coach Darren Rizzi until the offseason, when they can make the decision on whether they wish to keep him full-time or move on to a new candidate.

After the firing of Allen, general manager Mickey Loomis had a few comments regarding the move and Allen’s time in New Orleans. This came in the form of a news release posted by the Saints shortly after Allen’s firing in the early morning. Loomis was quoted as saying:

“DA is an excellent football coach. This season, we have had an avalanche of injuries. It took its toll. DA has never offered excuses, he fought each day for this organization and this team and that is what makes today disappointing. Dennis has been an integral part of this organization’s success for the better part of twenty years. He will be missed.”

Loomis clearly appreciated Allen for his tenure with the Saints, which we have seen time and time again in how he had regarded the former head coach. However, it was time to move on and ultimately Loomis and Gayle Benson had to make the final call.

Derek Carr responds to comments made by Michael Thomas

Derek Carr responds to mid-game comments made by former Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas

The New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Carolina Panthers was ugly no doubt, but losing Chris Olave to another concussion was also a horrible moment in this 2-7 season. Michael Thomas aired his grievances with Derek Carr after the play happened, and Carr ended up responding to these criticisms postgame. Firstly, Carr said, “I have love for Mike…and when he does that, I don’t really care for that. I’ve had so many teammates over the years and he’s the one dude I haven’t got along with.”

He then followed that up with the following statement regarding Thomas placing the guilt on him for the injury, “Anytime that happens I feel sick to my stomach.”

Ultimately the concern goes out to Olave and his health first and foremost no matter what else is going on outside that. The positive update of him coming back to the stadium and flying back with the team is a good start no doubt. The drama between Thomas and Carr ultimately has continued for a bit now, and continued to get worse today after Olave’s injury.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert on Chiefs’ rabid pass rush: ‘I thought we were prepared’

#Chargers QB Justin Herbert told reporters about the challenge of facing the #Chiefs’ rabid pass rush after Los Angeles’ Week 4 loss to K.C.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense has been on fire to start the 2024 regular season, and it seems that the defending champions somehow caught the Los Angeles Chargers off guard in Week 4.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert addressed the media after Los Angeles’ loss to Kansas City and praised the Chiefs’ pass rush that was orchestrated by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

“It’s tough,” Herbert told reporters. “Like we said during the week, they do a good job of getting after the passer. We expected that. We knew that and I thought we were prepared for it. I’ve got do a better job of getting the ball out, quicker, with answers. I thought the offensive line did a great job stepping up and blocking and doing everything they needed to do. It’s definitely on us to be better at that.”

Herbert was sacked by star defensive lineman Chris Jones twice on Sunday and was held to just 179 passing yards.

Tyrann Mathieu discusses why he’s excited to come to work every day

Tyrann Mathieu discussed why he’s excited to come to work every day, and the commitment he’s seen from his teammates in the Saints locker room:

https://twitter.com/SaintsFilmRoom/status/1836764411798700492

Tune into this one. New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu recently joined the Richard Sherman Podcast to discuss many different talking points throughout his career in football.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation including last week’s Saints and Dallas Cowboys matchup, his time with the Kansas City Chiefs and LSU, what’s left for Mathieu to accomplish, and his current perspective on the Saints and how things feel in the locker room. One of the most intriguing takeaways from this interview was his viewpoint on the energy surrounding this team.

When asked about the Saints and the excitement building around them, Mathieu had quite a bit to say: “It’s a beautiful thing when your team is excited to come to work every day, I don’t think every NFL team has that, maybe some fans don’t understand what I’m talking about, but ya that matters. You can see the energy, the whole energy is different.”

Between the Saints dropping 40-plus points on their first two opponents and head coach Dennis Allen quoting superstar rapper Kendrick Lamar after wins, the vibes couldn’t be much more different from what we’ve seen in recent years. There’s a real surge of enthusiasm in what the Saints are working on, and Mathieu sees it at the facility every day.

“We took a lot of pride in this offseason, we had a lot of dudes show up for voluntary things, and that’s a big deal in 2024, this whole world is offering you free distractions, so it’s like, for guys to show up in 2024, that’s kind of a big deal,” Mathieu said. “You can just see a lot of guys, they’re committed. They recommitted. That’s fun to see, especially as a team captain, because I don’t necessarily have to give and ‘rah-rah’ speeches, because those don’t always work. But it’s been fun man, coming to work every day.”

This is especially heartening to hear from a long-time veteran who has been to a Super Bowl and won one, because he knows what winning culture looks like, and to have him see that level of energy and commitment from this roster to the vision of the New Orleans Saints, that’s special.

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Dennis Allen explains why he quoted Kendrick Lamar in his postgame speech

Dennis Allen used a perfectly-timed Kendrick Lamar quote after the Saints’ victory over the Cowboys. We can thank his son for that:

https://twitter.com/jeff_nowak/status/1836493511979602315?s=46&t=_U0UBmCWxF2s5xLnGQ2rFQ

Dennis Allen was feeling good after the New Orleans Saints dominant performance over Dallas Cowboys. So good that he quoted Kendrick Lamar’s hit single “Not Like Us.” When addressing the team after the game, Allen told his players “sometimes you gotta just pop out and show ’em.”

Allen added his own flair to the quote, and the team exploded. Willie Gay can be seen jumping into the frame as Allen walks off.

The song is the biggest hit of the year, so it’s no surprise Allen has heard it. The surprise was that he quoted it after the game.

We have Allen’s son to thank for this clip. Allen explained the moment by crediting his son for exposing him to the rapper’s work: “I wouldn’t say (Kendrick Lamar is) on my playlist, but my son was with me out at training camp and so we heard that song plenty of times.”

Allen heard the song so many times that he found the perfect moment to use the quote. The Saints game versus the Cowboys was a moment for the Saints to pop out and show ’em. That’s exactly what they did with another 40 point performance. Allen gets an A-plus for the reference and timing. Maybe he’ll be able to grab a photo with Lamar when the 17-time Grammy winner visits New Orleans to perform at Super Bowl LIX.

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