Tag: speech

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ 2022 NFL MVP acceptance speech

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes delivered his MVP acceptance speech via pre-recorded message, but it should get you plenty fired up ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is officially your 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player. At just 27 years old, he’s earned his second career NFL MVP honor.

Mahomes is getting ready for Super Bowl LVII and didn’t accept the award in person despite being in Arizona where the NFL Honors ceremony was held. He instead shared a pre-recorded message accepting the award, thanking God, family, friends, coaches and teammates.

“First, I want to thank God for giving me this platform and putting so many amazing people around me to help support this dream I’ve had since I was a little kid,” Mahomes said. “Without him, none of this would be possible.

“To my wife Brittany, my baby girl Sterling and my son Bronze, this crazy life that we are living means nothing without y’all. Keeping me balanced and making me appreciate every single day. No matter how I feel coming home, y’all bring me joy and make me appreciate the time I get to spend with y’all. Thank you for always being there for me through my good times and my bad. Love y’all.

“To my family, my mom and my dad, my brother and sister, thank you for supporting me every day and telling me since I was a little kid to follow my dreams.

“To the Chiefs organization, Clark Hunt, Brett Veach, Andy Reid, the staff and most importantly my teammates. I would never be standing here today without y’all giving every day everything that we have together to go for the ultimate goal — the Super Bowl. Let’s continue to go for that dream this weekend.”

Mahomes also tweeted this clip out after the MVP win was announced.

Super Bowl LVII can’t get here soon enough.

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WATCH: Dennis Allen awards game balls to the Saints equipment staff

WATCH: Dennis Allen awarded game balls to the Saints equipment staff after an all-in effort vs. Browns

Here’s a shoutout to some of the New Orleans Saints’ unsung heroes. Head coach Dennis Allen addressed the team after their win against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, announcing that he was awarding the equipment staff with game balls for their efforts in preparing them for a rare cold-weather game.

Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan reports that head equipment manager John Baumgartner and his staff were responsible for supplying the team with hundreds of hand warmers, thermal undersuits, and specialized heated vests for coaches on the sidelines, among other cold-weather gear. Scrambling to acquire all of that and have everything ready in time for an early kickoff on a short week is impressive, and it helped the Saints stay focused and execute in Cleveland. Good on them.

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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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Alvin Kamara delivered passionate postgame speech after Saints’ loss to Cardinals

Alvin Kamara delivered passionate postgame speech after Saints’ loss to Cardinals

Alvin Kamara was named a team captain for the first time this year, which goes to show how important he is as a leader for the New Orleans Saints — even if he is known as more of a “lead by actions, not by words” type. Maybe to such an extent that self-titled body language experts on social media have put his sideline behavior under the microscope at times.

If the Saints are going to claw their way out of this 2-5 hole they’ve dug for themselves, it’ll mean leaders like Kamara are doing their jobs. Kamara addressed the locker room after Thursday night’s hard-to-watch loss, which longtime teammates like Tre’Quan Smith had never seen before.

Smith detailed the exchange with ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, saying that Kamara told them “We’ve got to find our spot. This losing mentality, that’s not Saints football. We’re not used to it. We’ve got to really police ourselves, hold our own selves accountable, hold our teammates accountable”

That’s true: the Saints won 49 of the first 64 games they played since Kamara joined them back in 2017, but they’ve lost their way in recent years with just 11 wins during their last 24 games. “They don’t like the feeling in their throat right now,” Smith told Terrell.

What’s unclear is just how the team is being held accountable. Saints coach Dennis Allen was asked about accountability in his postgame press conference, answering “I think our team knows that they’re held accountable. I don’t think there’s any question that they’re held accountable.”

And that’s a problem. Allen is throwing out words without taking action. He hasn’t moved responsibilities on the coaching staff. The same coaches are calling plays and exercising drills in practice that haven’t had any effect. Except for injuries, the starting lineup is the same as it was to open the season. Allen watched Andy Dalton throw three interceptions, two of them returned for interceptions in the first half’s closing minutes, and urged his quarterback to nonsensically “keep doing what he’s doing.” If there’s any sense of accountability for New Orleans, it isn’t coming down from the top.

So someone has to step up, and in this case it was Kamara. Time will tell if his words were enough to spur the Saints into action. With the season approaching its midpoint, you have to hope it’s enough for a rally and second-half surge from New Orleans.

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Dennis Allen had the worst halftime advice after Andy Dalton’s 3-interception meltdown

Dennis Allen had the worst halftime advice after Andy Dalton’s 3-interception meltdown against the Cardinals:

Things looked to be going well for the New Orleans Saints before halftime on Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals. They were tied up 14-14 on the road, with a couple of minutes until the half and several timeouts to work with. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton was under center ready to lead the two-minute offense with (as Amazon broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit weirdly insisted throughout the game) his calming presence.

Then Dalton threw a pass to wide receiver Marquez Callaway, which slipped through his hands and was interceped. The Cardinals defense returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. That’s painful, but not impossible to overcome. Reset and reload and try again — and then Dalton threw another pick-six, this one traveling back 56 yards for another defensive touchdown. It took 102 seconds of game time for the Saints to fall behind by multiple scores, their defense never even hitting the field.

It was his third interception in a first-half meltdown. Amazon sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung caught up with Saints head coach Dennis Allen as led his team out of the tunnel after halftime, and asked what advice he shared with his quarterback after a horrendous series. And he said maybe the worst possible thing he could have thought of in the moment.

“Nothing, just keep doing what’s he doing, you know?” Allen responded after watching his quarterback throw three interceptions in a single half of football. He thought for a moment, then added to his message: “Compete. Come out here and fight and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Okay, the coach speak at the end isn’t that bad. But what on Earth compelled him to double down (triple down? quadruple down?) on seeing such bad football? Why say that? At best it suggests he’s not getting caught up with the negative plays, choosing to trust the process and let his players play. At worst it says he’s really not concerned about it and dodging accountability in a big spot. It’s a terrible look either way.

But it’s not like the Saints have better options. Dalton is starting in place of the injured Jameis Winston, who also threw three interceptions the last time he conducted New Orleans’ offense. Neither of them are good options, and we know Taysom Hill isn’t going to hold down the full-time quarterback job, either. The Saints are in a really difficult spot, and Allen’s lackadaisical approach to times of crisis like this is beginning to define his tenure as head coach. Hopefully he’ll think of something better to say next time.

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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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WATCH: Dennis Allen’s first postgame locker room speech as Saints head coach

WATCH: Dennis Allen’s first postgame locker room speech as Saints head coach

This is really cool to see. The New Orleans Saints shared video from their locker room after defeating the Atlanta Falcons in a record-setting fourth-quarter comeback, putting a lens on Dennis Allen’s first postgame speech to his team.

“I couldn’t be more proud of you guys for the way you fought and battled and competed, all the way to the very end,” Allen said, before pivoting to what’s next: a tough film study session on Monday. The Saints were only able to overcome a 26-10 deficit because they fell into it in the first place. They made a lot of mistakes and committed some self-inflected damage. There’s plenty to learn from and clean up as the season begins in earnest.

But Demario Davis stopped Allen before he stepped away to hand him a game ball in recognition of his first win as their full-time head coach. It was a great moment, and Allen used it to hammer home one of his core messages.

“It’s a big team, and a little ‘me’,” Allen responded, to drive that point home. “Everybody’s getting one.” The team gathered tight for one last cheer and then broke the huddle so they could clean up and gather their gear. They had a flight back to New Orleans to catch.

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Jerome Bettis addresses Notre Dame football team

The wheels on the Bus go round and round…

Jerome Bettis, a senior at the University of Notre Dame went back to finish school after leaving college originally following his junior year to pursue a career that didn’t require a college diploma.

Bettis is back on campus these days to earn his degree and turned 50 earlier this month.

Bettis, who originally enrolled at Notre Dame in 1990 was a top 10 draft pick of the Rams before being traded to the Steelers and eventually dashing his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Bettis spoke to the Notre Dame football team this week as he seemed to try and motivate them to become more of a unit.  See part of his speech below.

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

WATCH: Listen to DeVonta Smith’s Heisman speech one year later

One year later, Smitty’s speech still carries weight.

Former Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith has been lightening up the NFL in his rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles; but today, fans are reminiscing on Smith’s college days. One year ago today, Smith was named the 2020 Heisman Trophy recipient.

Smith won the award over the three other finalists, all of whom were quarterbacks.

While with the Crimson Tide, and even while preparing for the NFL draft, Smith was often criticized for his size. However, his stature never really seemed to limit him.

In his Heisman speech, Smith thanks his family, his coaches and those that have assisted in his journey, but he also sent a message to any young kids who feel doubted because of their size.

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

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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