Tag: tweet

Luke Fickell addresses concerns of notable Badgers alumni after loss to USC

Luke Fickell addresses concerns of notable Badgers alumni after loss to USC

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Monday in advance of the Badgers’ Week 6 matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers.

One topic of discussion looked back to the team’s 38-21 loss to No. 11 USC, and specifically to the group of notable Badgers alumni expressing their displeasure with the current state of the program.

Related: ESPN updates Wisconsin football win chances for remaining 2024 games after Week 5 loss to USC

A significant example of that is Jack Cichy (Badgers linebacker from 2013-2017), who took to social media on Sunday to give his thoughts on the current state of affairs. His opinion on the program’s changing identity appears to be shared by many former players, several of whom are now publicly stating those opinions.

Program legend Braelon Allen’s cryptic tweet about his experience with the Badgers in 2023 only added to that discussion.

Fickell said the discussion from former players doesn’t bother him as long as it doesn’t bother those currently on the team.

“I don’t pay attention to a lot of things,” Fickell said. “Unfortunately, when you have children now that are of the age, if there is something out there they let you know. I have to do a better job of making sure they understand that, ‘no, I don’t want to hear those things.’ But it’s a part of the game. It’s all things that we have to be able to deal with. It doesn’t bother me. I only worry if it bothers our guys within our program on our team.”

Fickell continued his thought, noting that passion from former players is part of what makes the program great.

“If people didn’t have passion for what it is that we’re doing, we wouldn’t have sold-out crowds. We wouldn’t have an environment that we create here and competitive advantage when guys come into our home. Because of the passion, whether it’s the fans, or former players have. That’s what makes programs great. You have got to be able to handle the ups and the downs. You have got to be able to handle the positives and the negatives, whether you’re a coach or you’re a player.”

Wisconsin picking up a decisive win over Purdue would certainly quell criticisms about the state of the program. A run to bowl eligibility against a gauntlet rest-of-season schedule would do so as well.

The dynamic of the ‘new school’ against program alumni and the ‘old school’ appears it will only continue, however. The decision to hire Luke Fickell pushed away the Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard era, one that many of these former players were a part of. That context matters when noticing who exactly is voicing these concerns.

Winning tends to cure all in this sport. Fickell and the 2024 Badgers need to do so on Saturday against a poor Purdue team. If not, criticisms from program alumni will only continue.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia reacts to his bizarre avatar on ‘Madden 25’

#Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia was underwhelmed by his avatar in Madden 25, which doesn’t look like him in the slightest.

Most players in the NFL probably look forward to seeing their digital likeness appear in yearly releases of the video game Madden Football, but Kansas City Chiefs rookie Kingsley Suamataia was hit with a surprise upon seeing a screenshot of himself in the game’s newest release.

It appears that Suamataia is a player whose image hasn’t yet been rendered in the digital world, so the rookie tackle looks like a generic avatar that bears no resemblance to him in real life.

Kingsley Suamataia reacted to the image of himself in the video game on Twitter with just three emojis, perhaps the only reaction necessary.

His image on the virtual field may not match real life. Still, Kingsley Suamataia impressed on the actual field versus the Jacksonville Jaguars in his first preseason appearance in the NFL and is expected to make his second outing tomorrow when the Chiefs face the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium.

See how you can catch tomorrow’s game live.

Expert breaks down Chiefs league-leading EPA with Patrick Mahomes

With Patrick Mahomes under center, the #Chiefs have dominated NFL in expected points added per play.

Patrick Mahomes is entering his eighth year in the NFL and has been an unquestionably strong performer for the Kansas City Chiefs, putting up league-topping stats as the team’s starting quarterback while leading the franchise to three Super Bowl victories.

Under Mahomes’ leadership, the Chiefs have dominated the NFL and a look at their expected points added (EPA) per play numbers confirms it, they have led the entire league almost every season Mahomes has started for Kansas City, including 2018, the year he first took over under center.

Watch Hayley Lewis break the stats down in this Chiefs News Daily video posted on Twitter by KC Sports Network:

Although the Chiefs’ EPA dipped sharply in 2023 as Patrick Mahomes struggled somewhat to keep the offense performing at its peak, the team still blazed through their competition match after match to get to the Super Bowl and secure the third championship in February.

The Chiefs’ new-look offense will defend their champion status, entering their 2024 campaign hungry for continued success in the NFL. Watch the team’s journey continue Saturday when they face the Detroit Lions.

Chiefs Chris Jones volunteers $1.5m to cover stolen chicken wings

When a Cook County school employee was convicted of a $1.5m chicken wing theft, #Chiefs DT Chris Jones offered to pay for the missing poultry

Charity is commonly seen in NFL players looking to impact their community and the world overall using funds and notoriety earned from their pro-level gameplay.

This is perhaps a more interesting example of generosity, however, because Kansas City Chiefs tackle Chris Jones has volunteered to cover the $1.5 million in chicken wings that were stolen from Harvey School District 152 in Illinois by then-employee Vera Lidell.

Jones posted this tweet, revealing that he appears to be serious about ensuring that the elder school district worker who diverted food she ordered for the school to her home is forgiven for the scheme where she was able to make off with 11,000 cases of chicken wings between 2020 and 2022.

Lidell has already been convicted of the theft and was sentenced to a 9-year prison term, so it will be interesting to see how this arrangement could potentially lead to her release if Jones does put up the $1.5 million sum to cover the missing chicken wings.

LOOK: Tanner Mordecai hype video accidentally tweeted by…Cincinnati football?

Our Twitter Controversy Of The Week:

We have our first Twitter (or X, if that’s required) controversy of the year. I’m sure some of us out there have been accidentally logged into the wrong account and tried to share a lukewarm college football take before realizing the mistake.

In many cases, that doesn’t matter in the slightest. But yesterday it happened on a scale for Cincinnati Football’s 135,500 followers to see.

Wisconsin has done its “Wired” series throughout the offseason under new head coach Luke Fickell. The program has shared videos of coaches, assistants and players in action as the hype for the season builds. The video has always come from the Wisconsin Football account and shared in a very professional way.

It looks like whoever manages Wisconsin football’s social media activity also used to be logged into Cincinnati’s account during Fickell’s previous job. Whoever it was tweeted Tanner Mordecai’s “Wired” video from the wrong account:

In the grand scheme of things to be tweeted from the wrong account, this isn’t close to the most penal. It’s clear what happened, and everybody on Twitter got a chance to make jokes about new Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield, about Fickell’s old stop and more. In the world of online controversies, file this one into the “pretty fun” category.

All I know is we need the season to start. I can’t write about any more Twitter activity.

Justin Reid bullish on Chiefs’ defensive potential in 2023

Veteran safety Justin Reid posted a tweet on Tuesday that could portend good things for the #Chiefs’ defense in 2023.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid posted an interesting tweet on Tuesday while the team took a short break from practice entering their second week of training camp.

“Defense has a real chance to be really special this year.” He wrote on the popular social media site. “Gotta keep earning it every day.”

While a single tweet is hardly a cause for the outlook of the Chiefs’ defense to change drastically, Reid’s bullish note is a good sign that Kansas City’s roster is starting to gel during their practices in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Reid, for his part, is one of the most senior members of the Chiefs’ secondary and has seen his share of camps over the course of his NFL career, which is entering its sixth year. This tweet, humble as it is, could portend big things to come as Kansas City looks to defend its Super Bowl LVII title in 2023.

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Saints’ Alontae Taylor turns the Falcons’ schedule release joke back on them

The Falcons thought they got a good jab in on the Saints in their 2023 schedule announcement, but Alontae Taylor turned it back around on them:

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The Atlanta Falcons thought they got a good jab in on the New Orleans Saints in their 2023 schedule announcement, but second-year cornerback Alontae Taylor turned it back around on them. The Falcons shared a video from their official Twitter account in which every opposing team on their schedule was represented by a sneaker — and their pick for the Saints was a pair of black G-Nikes, better known outside New Orleans as Air Force Ones.

Why that choice? In some online communities, Know Your Meme says, “the shoes are associated with shady characters and criminals.” Complex’s Angel Diaz explored the topic thoroughly, and the thought is backed up at Urban Dictionary, where one description reads the shoes are typical of, “A person that is likely untrustworthy, careless or to cause harm; a threat or danger.”

So, yeah, it’s meant to be dismissive and even derogatory of the Saints. Only it didn’t quite land that way. Many Saints fans embraced the gritty reputation that comes with such a reference — and it’s one that Taylor is eager to claim, tweeting that “Black forces, they know how we comin,” with an emoji representing a black-clad ninja assassin.

There’s good reason that the Saints-Falcons rivalry is considered the best feud in the NFL. This small chapter is just another part of the ongoing story between these two teams.

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Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey urges patience after Baltimore’s slow start to free agency

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey took to Twitter to preach patience after the team’s slow free agency start

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t been very active over the course of 2023 free agency so far, re-signing a few of their contributors while also losing a few a well. There is still plenty of time to make moves, but the ongoing situation with quarterback Lamar Jackson makes things difficult for the organization to fully gauge their standing.

While Ravens fans may be discontent with the team’s failure to make any splash moves in the first two days of free agency, cornerback Marlon Humphrey took to Twitter to voice his opinion on the matter on Wednesday. He preached patience, saying that Baltimore is a comeback team.

“The Ravens are a comeback team just be patient!” Humphrey wrote.

Nobody knows the Ravens’ underdog culture better than Humphrey, who has grown into a starring role in Baltimore’s secondary after joining the team in 2017 as a first-round draft pick. The circumstances surrounding their inactivity shouldn’t go without mention either, as the Ravens are understandably preoccupied with potentially securing Jackson’s services on a long-term deal before adding talent at other positions.

Fans shouldn’t rule out that the Ravens could make up for lost time as the free agency period wears on. Many of the most recognizable names are off the board, but as teams adjust their rosters to compensate for new arrivals, Baltimore may have their eyes on players who haven’t yet become available.

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Chiefs DT Chris Jones: ‘I’m a Chief for life. I will not play for another franchise.’

It sounds like it’s #Chiefs or bust for DT Chris Jones.

As Kansas City Chiefs fans await news on several players ahead of the upcoming free agency period, one of the team’s star defenders has weighed in on his long-term future with the team.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones let off a routine, “I’m grateful” tweet on Sunday morning. It was met with responses from fans, who tend to read into cryptic tweets from players this time of the year. Asked whether he’d have an extension announcement in the future, Jones had an intriguing response that has generated quite a bit of buzz.

“I’m a Chief for life,” Jones wrote. “I will not play for another franchise.”

It’s not terribly surprising that Jones feels this way about staying with the Chiefs. He’s spoken highly of his time in Kansas City and he’s now won two Super Bowl titles with this team. The former 2016 NFL draft pick out of Mississippi State has become a vital part of the franchise over the course of his 7-year NFL career.

Many believe a Jones extension has been on the horizon as he’s in the final year of his four-year deal worth $85 million that he signed back in July 2020. An extension would make plenty of sense if only to lower Jones’ $28.2 million salary cap hit in 2023. It’d also make sense as a way to reward one of the team’s defensive leaders and ensure that he remains a “Chief for life” as he says.

This tweet seems to suggest that Jones expects an extension soon as well. His representation did meet with the team at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, so it wouldn’t be too shocking to see a deal materialize in the coming days.

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Deon Bush had poor timing with introductory tweet to Chiefs Kingdom

New #Chiefs S Deon Bush’s intro tweet went awry amidst the Tyreek Hill trade.

In case you missed it earlier this morning, the Kansas City Chiefs signed former Chicago Bears safety Deon Bush on a one-year deal.

Around 10:30 a.m., Bush sent out an introductory tweet looking to get to know the fans in Chiefs Kingdom. Typically, the situation would receive a warm welcome, but this tweet had particularly bad timing and you all know exactly why.

Little did Bush realize, word had already got out that the Chiefs were set to trade star WR Tyreek Hill. Moments after Bush sent his tweet, word would come out that Kansas City was sending Hill to the Miami Dolphins in trade.

Instead of sending his tweet, forgetting about it and coming back to a warm greeting. He was hit with some very lively comments from Chiefs fans who were just learning that one of the team’s best players was being traded away.

Bush’s response to all of the comments was priceless:

Perhaps he’ll get a chance at a re-do later on when things have settled down.

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