Tag: reaction

Packers teammates react on Twitter to Aaron Rodgers returning to Green Bay

No one is happier that Aaron Rodgers is returning to Green Bay than his Packers teammates.

No one is getting more joy out of Aaron Rodgers returning to the Green Bay Packers than his teammates, who now know the four-time NFL MVP is coming back to lead the Packers for another season and possibly many more.

With Rodgers back in the fold, the Packers must once again be considered one of the Super Bowl favorites in the NFC – despite three-straight failures in the postseason following 13-win regular seasons since 2019.

The Packers’ championship window is back open, and Rodgers’ teammates sure are happy about it. And don’t think for a second they haven’t seen some of the contract numbers being floated around for No. 12.

Here’s a sampling of the reactions from teammates on Twitter:

Suspended Falcons WR Calvin Ridley responds: ‘I don’t have a gambling problem’

Falcons WR Calvin Ridley responded on Twitter after he was suspended for at least a year for gambling on NFL games.

Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley responded on Twitter after the NFL suspended him for at least a year for gambling on games.

From his verified Twitter account, Ridley said he doesn’t have a “gambling problem” and claims he only bet $1,500 total during a five-day stretch in November.

“I couldn’t even watch football at that point,” Ridley wrote.

Ridley, who played only five games for the Falcons in 2021, won’t be eligible for reinstatement to the NFL until February of 2023.

“Just gone be more healthy when I come back,” Ridley added.

The screenshots of the tweets are below:

According to the NFL, there was “no evidence” of Ridley using inside information on any games, and no one related to the Falcons is believed to have known of Ridley’s behavior.

The team said it was made aware of Ridley’s gambling in February. The Falcons cooperated fully with the investigation.

Ridley stepped away from the game in October of last year for mental health reasons.

The Falcons’ 2018 first-round pick caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns during the 2020 season.

Ridley has three days to appeal the suspension.

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Saints fans get payback on Eli Apple after he allows Super Bowl-losing TD pass

Much like Matthew Stafford throwing his game-winning TD pass, Saints fans on Twitter took aim at Eli Apple during his fourth-quarter Super Bowl collapse:

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Much like Matthew Stafford throwing his game-winning touchdown pass, New Orleans Saints fans on Twitter took aim at Eli Apple during his fourth-quarter collapse in Super Bowl LVI. The Cincinnati Bengals starting cornerback put a target on his back weeks ago, going on a bizarre rant ripping everything from Saints fans to New Orleans cuisine just minutes after his team knocked advanced to the next round of the playoffs.

So his name began trending on Twitter immediately after Apple yielded the final score to Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, which meant his team lost by a final tally of 23-20. Sure, other factors played a part in Cincinnati’s loss. Their offensive line got Joe Burrow killed, with the young franchise quarterback taking sacks on almost every series during the second half. Bengals coach Zac Taylor put too much pressure on that offensive line by going into shotgun on almost every single short yardage situation. And a couple of favorable officiating calls also helped bail Los Angeles out of some jams.

But when the chips were down and the Bengals just needed one stop to get home with a Lombardi Trophy, it was Apple in coverage against Cooper Kupp that proved to be the game-deciding mismatch. And fans — and even some players around the league, including his ex-teammates Michael Thomas and C.J. Gardner-Johnson — were quick to remind him of that on social media:

Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask has interesting response to Saints promoting Dennis Allen

Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask resigned midway through Dennis Allen’s first run as a head coach, and she had an interesting response to news of him being promoted in New Orleans:

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There aren’t many executives who lasted longer with one team than Amy Trask. The former Raiders chief executive officer was promoted to the job after working in Al Davis’ front office for ten years, and she held the title for the next 16 years — resigning on May 11, 2013, midway through Dennis Allen’s run as head coach of the black and silver.

Now an analyst for CBS Sports, Trask shared her take on news of Allen being named Sean Payton’s successor with the New Orleans Saints. And it’s a bit of an eyebrow-raiser.

“Let me be very, very clear and straightforward about this: people learn on the job. They grow up on the job. They evolve, they learn from mistakes, they can get better,” Trask said during a Tuesday interview. “I hope for the sake of the Saints organization and Saints fans that Dennis learned and grew and grew up as well. I was not surprised by the hire, but I was surprised — is that a saying, like ‘funny, but not funny?'”

Trask took care not to spill the beans on any specific experience or incident with Allen, but it’s clear that there isn’t much fondness there. Hired as the Raiders’ coach in 2012, following just one year as a defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos, Allen was overwhelmed in the role and ended his run with an 8-28 record. He was fired after an 0-4 start to the 2014 season.

Now nearly a decade older and significantly wiser, Allen has had plenty of time to look back on his mistakes with the Raiders and mull over choices he would have made differently. He’s worked as Sean Payton’s right hand man for the last few years and has seen firsthand how a future Hall of Fame head coach has conducted himself. As Trask said herself, hopefully he learned a lot. But it’s still curious that news of Allen’s big promotion drew such a lukewarm reaction.

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Drew Brees shares emotional response to Sean Payton stepping away from coaching

Drew Brees shares emotional response to Sean Payton stepping away from coaching

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It’s tough to think of anyone with a closer relationship to outgoing New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton than his longtime quarterback Drew Brees. The pair arrived together in 2006 and assembled strong resumes for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they both ended up stepping away from the team within a year of each other.

Brees responded to news of Payton’s retirement on his official Instagram account, writing an emotional message reflecting on their time together in New Orleans and how Payton helped him play his best football. But maybe the most telling line came at the end, when Brees thanked Payton for taking a chance on him after a couple of other teams gave up following a career-threatening injury.

“Spent every day of my Saints career trying to prove him right,” Brees finished. With so many awards and accolades and wins over his rivals to his credit, it’s fair to say Brees made good on that ambition. Now he and Payton can catch up on the golf course.

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Packers players react to Nathaniel Hackett leaving to be Broncos head coach

Packers players took to Twitter to wish Nathaniel Hackett warm wishes as he moves to be the head coach of the Broncos.

Several members of the Green Bay Packers took to social media to say farewell and pass along warm wishes to Nathaniel Hackett, who is leaving Green Bay to become the new head coach of the Denver Broncos

Hackett, who became a beloved character in Green Bay, was the Packers offensive coordinator for three seasons under Matt LaFleur. His positive energy and extensive football knowledge were felt throughout the offense.

Here’s a collection of social media responses from Packers players regarding Hackett’s departure to Denver:

Alvin Kamara says he’s ‘not 100% committed’ to his dinner plans after Sean Payton report

Alvin Kamara says he’s ‘not 100% committed’ to his dinner plans after Sean Payton report

Let’s count Alvin Kamara in the camp not sweating Sean Payton’s commitment to working with the New Orleans Saints this year. After a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Payton had not verbally, 100% committed to returning to New Orleans for the 2022 season, Kamara issued his own statement making light of the whole situation on Twitter.

“I’m not 100% committed to putting ketchup on my fries tonight,” Kamara wrote, advising fans to turn to WDSU’s Fletcher Mackel for details on his dinner plans later that evening.

Maybe there’s more smoke to this fire than the reactions of Kamara and Saints owner Gayle Benson would suggest, but it sure doesn’t sound like either of them are worried Payton might be about to ride off into the sunset. Obviously it’s a developing situation, so be sure to watch this space for movement in the days ahead.

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Tom Brady embodies poor sportsmanship, trash talks Saints sideline after late interception

Tom Brady embodies poor sportsmanship, trash talks Saints sideline after late interception

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It’s easy to root against Tom Brady. Few NFL players have cultivated a more insufferable persona over the last 20 years, consistently pointing to the chip on his shoulder despite racking up a series of Super Bowl wins, lucrative endorsement deals, and glossy documentary features on ESPN. So it’s particularly satisfying to see Brady frustrated in a loss, which has happened often in recent years when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their bandwagon full of fans have left games disappointed after being stomped by the New Orleans Saints.

After throwing an interception to Saints defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson late in the game, Brady jogged to the Saints sideline and shouted at defensive coordinator/interim head coach Dennis Allen. In a video clip from the NBC broadcast widely shared on social media, Brady pretty clearly appeared to say, “Go [expletive] yourself,” as Allen clapped at his approach.

Maybe more experienced lip-readers came away with a different message. When asked about what he said in the encounter postgame, Brady wilted and replied, “Nothing. Just football.”

Entertaining as it may be, it’s really sad that Brady handles adversity this poorly. He’s been to the mountaintop more often than anyone else in the NFL, winning more championships and breaking more records than all of his peers. And he still isn’t satisfied with his success or able to take a setback on the chin. In meltdowns like this or his temper tantrum on the Tampa Bay sideline, lashing out and trashing team equipment, he looks more like a toddler than a 44-year-old multimillionaire. It’s a terrible example from someone with his platform and with so many young fans watching.

And let’s not act like there isn’t a double standard here. Many other players have been penalized and fined for taunting on lesser offenses than this. If the NFL is going to have stupid taunting penalties the least they could do is be consistent in calling them. What more does Brady need to do to be held accountable?

Whatever the case, the Saints left Tampa Bay with a lot to be happy about. They frustrated Brady and his vaunted offense at every turn and now they’ve swept him twice in two years — something that never happened during his decades in the AFC East. Maybe Brady can learn to lose more gracefully in more matchups with New Orleans.

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Sean Payton, Drew Brees react to Saints’ first win without them

Sean Payton, Drew Brees react to Saints’ first win without them

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Nobody knew what would happen in the New Orleans Saints’ prime-time game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team has won games this year without Drew Brees under center at quarterback, and they had won before without Sean Payton working the sidelines as head coach — but this was the first time since the 2005 regular season finale that neither of the Saints’ organizational pillars were at the controls.

And New Orleans won anyway. With Payton watching from home and Brees observing at the NBC Sports studio, they throttled Tom Brady’s Buccaneers for four hours Sunday night and handed the so-called greatest of all time the worst defeat he’s ever been dealt. It was the first time in Brady’s career that he had ever been shut out at home in a 9-0 loss.

So of course Payton and Brees were ecstatic. The Saints coach (away from the team after testing positive for COVID-19) celebrated on Twitter, while Brees offered a callback to his earlier ribbing against all the experts picking Tampa Bay to beat New Orleans last year — something he moved to rectify in the “Football Night in America” pregame show, going against the grain to pick the Saints while everyone else on the panel liked the Buccaneers. See for yourself:

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Michael Thomas reacts to Jaguars firing his old college coach Urban Meyer

Michael Thomas reacts to Jaguars firing his old college coach Urban Meyer

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended the Urban Meyer era near midnight on Wednesday, announcing their decision to fire the first-year head coach after a tumultuous series of on-field and off-field incidents illustrated just how badly Meyer was out of his depth in the NFL.

His list of offenses runs long — take your pick between his terrible win-loss record, dubiously qualified hires on his coaching staff, illegal practices in offseason workouts, shenanigans at his bar with a woman who was not his wife during a game week, behind-the-scenes belittling of his assistants, and the latest accusation that he kicked a player during warmups, it was past time for him to go.

But not everyone is celebrating his departure. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has long respected Meyer as one of the greatest coaches he ever worked with at Ohio State, and still credits Meyer for much of the success he’s found after turning pro. Thomas responded to the news of Meyer’s dismissal on Twitter, writing:

It’s clear Thomas isn’t happy to see his mentor’s downfall so widely celebrated, and he’s entitled to his own take. But it’s also apparent that he may have had a wildly different experience under Meyer’s tutelage, or else responded better to the brand of coaching Meyer tried and failed to import to the NFL.

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