NFL: Patrick Mahomes throws two TDs as Chiefs improve to 4-0

LOS ANGELES -- Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes as the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cam Newton-less New England Patriots 26-10 on Monday in a game postponed by positive Covid-19 tests.

The game was pushed from Sunday after both teams reported positive tests for the coronavirus, including New England's quarterback Newton.

Mahomes passed for 236 yards, completing 19 of 29 attempts and spearheading the Chiefs to two touchdowns in the final 16 minutes. Kansas City is the first team in league history to start the season 4-0 four straight years.

"You've seen it this season. You've seen it last season. Even if you hold us down, we can go out there and make plays when they count," said Mahomes. "When your number is called you have to make plays, and I thought enough guys made plays that we were able to get out of there with a win."

Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman caught touchdown passes for the Chiefs, both on easy six-yard short passes from Mahomes in front of 12,700 fans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Chiefs safety Tyran Mathieu helped seal the victory with a 25-yard interception and return with 8:48 left in the fourth quarter.

So far, Newton is the only Patriot to have tested positive for the virus. Organizers moved the game from Sunday to Monday so more tests could be conducted. Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta'amu also tested positive.

New England's travel plans on Monday were altered to allow the players to travel in two aircraft. One carried the 20 players who have had contact with Newton, who was placed on the Covid-19 list on Saturday.

- Rodgers on song -

Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer replaced Newton but failed to get a touchdown despite getting into scoring territory twice. 

Hoyer was replaced in the third quarter by third-stringer Jarrett Stidham, who engineered a touchdown drive on his first possession. But Stidham also threw two interceptions.

The Patriots dropped to 2-2 on the season and are now two games back of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. 

Damien Harris came off injured reserve to gain 100 yards on 17 carries. Harris had missed the first three games due to a hand injury.

The Patriots were missing running back Sony Michel who is out with a quad injury.

In the later game, Aaron Rodgers and Robert Tonyan connected on three touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers routed the Atlanta Falcons 30-16.

Rodgers completed 27 of 33 passes and finished with four touchdowns for the Packers, who improved to 4-0 on the season. Tonyan caught a career-high three touchdowns and six passes for 98 yards.

"He is a very consistent guy," Rodgers said of Tonyan. "Every year he is getting better. He's a really good player."

Jamaal Williams caught eight passes for 95 yards and Aaron Jones gained 111 yards, including 71 rushing. 

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan completed 28 of 39 passes for 285 yards for the Falcons, who dropped to 0-4. 

Falcon's Todd Gurley rushed for 57 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while receiver Julio Jones caught four passes in the first half to become the franchise's all-time receptions leader with 812. He surpassed Roddy White, who had 808 from 2005-15. 

Rodgers passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns to help the Packers take a commanding 20-3 halftime lead.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Gronkowski to come out of retirement, reunite with Brady

Rob Gronkowski has decided to come out of retirement and will reunite with longtime teammate Tom Brady after the New England Patriots agreed to trade the tight end to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to a report on Tuesday.

Gronkowski, who still has one year remaining on his contract with New England, was a formidable offensive weapon and one of Brady's most reliable targets at the Patriots where he was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams.

A report on the NFL website sourcing NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, said the Patriots agreed to trade Gronkowski and a seventh-round draft pick to the Buccaneers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft that begins on Thursday.

According to Rapoport, Gronkowski has taken a physical and the player's agent told him: "Rob has agreed to play for Tampa this season. He will honor his current contract at this time."

Both the Patriots and Buccaneers have not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.

Gronkowski announced his retirement in March 2019, ending one of the NFL's most dominant and colorful careers after nine seasons. The 30-year-old Gronkowski recently made his debut with World Wrestling Entertainment.

Gronkowski, who spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the Patriots, caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in 115 games. He added 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 postseason contests.

Brady, who won a record six Super Bowl championships with the Patriots, signed with the Buccaneers as a free agent last month and will look to turn around a team that finished 7-9 last year and have not made the playoffs since the 2007 season. 

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto Editing by Toby Davis)

-reuters-

NFL: Tom Brady admits concussions, vows not to be forced from NFL

Tom Brady admitted Wednesday he has suffered concussions during 20 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots but says that won't stop him from chasing a seventh Super Bowl crown.

The 42-year-old quarterback, who signed a two-year contract last month with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said on "The Howard Stern Show" on Sirius XM radio he has sustained major head injuries but rejected the notion he needs to quit playing because of it.

"I've definitely had concussions, yeah," Brady admitted.

"I could sit here and stop playing football so I could worry about what's going to happen or worry about this or that instead of saying, 'Why don't I live my life the way that I want to and enjoy it?'

"For me, it's doing what I love to do. You don't tell a musician to stop singing at age 42. You don't tell a great painter to stop painting at 42."

But those artists generally don't suffer severe head injuries in their creative outlets.

"If you want to stop, stop, go ahead," Brady said. "But for me, because I feel like I can still play, doesn't mean I should just stop playing because that's what everyone tells me I should do."

The NFL has tightened rules to protect players who might have head injuries, but Brady has notably not been diagnosed with concussions, although his wife -- supermodel Gisele Bundchen -- said in May 2017 he had suffered concussions.

"He has concussions pretty much every, I mean, we don't talk about, but he does have concussions," she said. "I don't really think it's a healthy thing for anybody to go through."

An NFL statement said all reports from unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants and certified athletic trainer spotters at 2016 Patriots games showed "there are no records that indicate that Mr. Brady suffered a head injury or concussion, or exhibited or complained of concussion symptoms."

Brady told Stern that while he didn't make a "final, final decision" until March 16, he was fairly certain the 2019 season would be his last with the Patriots even though he wanted to continue his career.

"I would say I probably knew before the start of last season that it was my last year," Brady said. "I knew that our time was coming to an end."

Brady said he realized "it was just time" to find another club.

"I don't know what to say other than that," Brady said. "I accomplished everything I could in two decades with an incredible organization... no one can ever take those experiences or Super Bowl championships away from us."

No Belichick resentment

Brady said he had no resentment toward Patriots coach Bill Belichick at not keeping him after winning an NFL record six titles under his guidance.

"I think he has a lot of loyalty," Brady said. "So many wrong assumptions were made about our relationship or about how he felt about me. I know genuinely how he feels about me.

"What his responsibility as coach is to get the best player for the team, not only in the short term but in the long term as well. So what I could control is trying to be the best I could be in both of those situations.

"I got into uncharted territory as an athlete because I started to break the mold of what so many other athletes had experienced, so I got to the point where I was an older athlete and he's starting to plan for the future, which is what his responsibility is.

"I don't fault him for that. That's what he should be doing."

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Brady to wear No. 12 with Bucs; Godwin switches to 14

The TB12 brand will live on in Tampa, Fla.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Tuesday that quarterback Tom Brady will wear No. 12 with his new team, just as he did for 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.


Wide receiver Chris Godwin had worn No. 12 since 2017, when the Buccaneers selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He's switching to No. 14.

Wearing No. 12, Brady won six Super Bowl championships in New England.

The Buccaneers' website said Godwin and Brady spoke on the phone after Brady signed his two-year deal with the Bucs on March 20, and Godwin told team reporter Casey Phillips he'd give up the number to the NFL legend.

"Obviously, if he doesn't want it or isn't making a big deal about it, I'm definitely going to keep it," Godwin said. "But we'll see how that goes. I think just out of respect for what he's done, what he's accomplished, just kind of the career he's built for himself...you've got to kind of lean into that respect, you know?"

Godwin's agent, Tory Dandy, told The Athletic there was no compensation from Brady for the jersey number.

"Gave it to him out of respect," Dandy said.

Godwin has fared well while wearing the No. 12 jersey, recording 179 receptions for 2,700 yards and 17 touchdowns during his three NFL seasons and also while excelling in college at Penn State. The 24-year-old was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019.

Other players to wear 12 in Buccaneers history include quarterbacks Doug Williams, Trent Dilfer and the McCown brothers -- Luke and Josh.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Superstar QB Brady focused on future with Buccaneers

MIAMI -- Tom Brady, who has landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 20 seasons and six Super Bowl titles with New England, says he's looking forward, not back, and is eager to get up to speed with his new team.

The task is complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, with NFL team training and other activities on hold and team facilities shut down.

Even Brady's introductory press conference, usually a chance for a team to show off such a prized acquisition, had to be conducted by conference call on Tuesday.

But Brady said he's still eager to get going, and is not expecting any special considerations as he sets about learning the system of coach Bruce Arians and eventually settling in with "really talented" teammates including wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate and running back Ronald Jones.

"I said the other day, no one cares what you've done in the past," Brady said. "They don't care what you did last year, five years ago or 10 years ago.

"And I think, hopefully, the knowledge I've had with my experience playing quarterback will allow me to transition quickly.

"There's a lot of things I've got to get up to speed on. Obviously learning different terminology, that's a unique challenge that I haven't faced, but it's one that I'm looking forward to also.

"It's a new program that I'm a part of, and they have their way of doing things, and they're committed to winning. I've got to come in and do my part, and that's why I'm here."

Brady shed little light on the events that preceded his departure as a free agent from New England, where his relationship with coach Bill Belichick had reportedly come under strain in recent seasons even as he remained close to the Patriots' billionaire owner Robert Kraft.

"I leave there with just great admiration for the people and the organization," Brady said. "It's a world-class, first-class organization in every way.

"There is no one who is a bigger fan of the Patriots than me," Brady said. "I have nothing but total respect and love. I'm so grateful to Mr. Kraft, the organization and coach Belichick and all the coaches."

But after signing a contract with the Bucs worth a reported $50 million over two years, he said he was ready to embrace a new challenge.

"This is an exciting moment for me in my life," Brady said. "This is something obviously that's very unique to me, it's something that hasn't happened in 20 years. So I'm kind of taking it day by day. The expectation for me is to come in and do what I feel is right for the organization, that's to be a great team player."

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Kraft says thank you to Brady in full-page Tampa ad

LOS ANGELES -- Tom Brady, who left the New England Patriots to sign a two-year NFL deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, received a public thank you Sunday from Patriots team owner Robert Kraft.

Kraft thanked Brady in a full-page advertisement in the Tampa Bay Times newspsper on Sunday, two days after the 42-year-old quarterback signed with the Bucs.

Under the headline "THANK YOU TOM", the Kraft family described Brady as "the GOAT (greatest of all time) and forever a part of our family" and told Buccaneers fans to "take care of him. You got a great one."

"For 20 amazing years, you gave us everything you had," the advertisement said. "When you arrived as a sixth-round pick -- and the best selection this franchise has ever made -- no one imagined all you'd accomplish or how much you'd soon mean to an entire region."

Brady left New England having won an NFL record half-dozen Super Bowl titles and 41 playoff games since 2001.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Dolphins stun Patriots as Chiefs win for bye, Eagles advance

The Miami Dolphins stunned the New England Patriots, 27-24, on Sunday, allowing the Kansas City Chiefs to seize an NFL first-round playoff bye with a 31-21 triumph over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The heavily favored Patriots' loss on their home field at Gillette Stadium, coupled with the Chiefs' win, means Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champions will play in the wild card round for the first time since 2009 -- when they were thumped at home by the Baltimore Ravens.

“We didn't play the way we're capable of playing and it ended up costing us," New England's superstar quarterback Brady said. "Just too many bad mistakes.

The Pats will host the Tennessee Titans in the wild card round.

With plenty at stake on the final day of the regular season, Raheem Mostert ran for two touchdowns and Dre Greenlaw made a game-saving defensive tackle as the San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 26-21 win over Seattle.

The 49ers (13-3) will get a bye in next weekend's wild-card round while the Seahawks (11-5) get the No. 5 seed and will play at No. 4 seed the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the final game of wild-card weekend.

The Titans secured the last American Football Conference berth with a 35-14 win over the Houston Texans.

That result extinguished the faint hopes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders.

Green Bay locked up a National Football Conference first-round bye in dramatic fashion in Detroit, where Mason Crosby kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Packers to a 23-20 victory over the lowly Lions.

With quarterback Aaron Rodgers struggling, the Packers trailed by two touchdowns in the second quarter, and didn't take the lead until Crosby came through.

The Eagles locked up the final NFC berth, clinching the NFC East division title with a 34-17 victory over the New York Giants.

That result rendered the Dallas Cowboys' 47-16 victory over the Washington Redskins meaningless.

'Hail to the Dolphins'

The Patriots' road to a title repeat was suddenly looking a lot tougher after their shock loss to the 5-11 Dolphins.

"It was a great chance for us to not play next week, and we didn't take advantage of it," Brady said after the Pats fell to No. 3 in the AFC behind the Baltimore Ravens and the Chiefs. "We just didn't play good enough."

New England have never won the Super Bowl without benefit of a first-round bye.

They looked set to escape with a victory when James White pulled down a screen pass and ran for a 13-yard touchdown that put New England up for the first time with 3:53 remaining.

But the Dolphins marched 75 yards in three minutes and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick found tight end Mike Gesicki for the winning TD with 24 seconds left.

Brady struggled much of the day, completing 16-of-29 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns.

Brady's first TD pass of the day moved him past Peyton Manning into second on the NFL's all-time touchdown pass list headed by Drew Brees.

But his pass intercepted by former teammate Eric Rowe in the second quarter was returned for a touchdown that gave the Dolphins a 10-3 lead.

"It was just a bad throw," the 42-year-old Brady said, insisting that he had no physical problems on the day.

New England's top-ranked defense allowed a season-high in yards to a Dolphins offense led by Fitzpatrick -- who threw for 320 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a TD.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs didn't waste the opportunity provided by the Pats' defeat, locking in the AFC second seed and a bye with a gritty win over the Chargers.

Los Angeles led 14-10 after an early third-quarter touchdown, but Chiefs rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman returned the ensuing kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown to ignite a Kansas City rally.

Running back Damien Williams added an 84-yard TD run for the Chiefs.

"All in all a great game," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, drawing a laugh when he added: "Hail to the Dolphins."

In Seattle, Marshawn Lynch came out of retirement and scored a touchdown for the injury-riddled Seahawks but the former star running back was used mainly as a decoy in the backfield so quarterback Russell Wilson could run the ball. 

Lynch carried the ball 12 times for just 34 yards in his first NFL game in 14 months. Seattle would've won the NFC West title with a victory. Lynch averaged 2.8 yards a carry.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Patriots, Chiefs stay unbeaten with road victories

NEW YORK -- Reigning Super Bowl champion New England and the Kansas City Chiefs managed narrow road triumphs in battles between NFL unbeatens on Sunday to remain perfect through four games this season.

Tom Brady threw for only 150 yards but New England intercepted four passes, two by J.C. Jackson, and Matthew Slater returned a blocked punt 11 yards for a touchdown in a 16-10 Patriots victory at Buffalo.

"To go on the road and beat a team that's 3-0 is pretty good," Brady said. "We can certainly play better than we did. We've got to get in the red area (at or inside the opponent's 20-yard line). We missed some opportunities there. We'll go out and try and do a better job next week."

Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs 79 yards in 13 plays and Darrel Williams made his second 1-yard touchdown run of the fourth quarter with 20 seconds remaining to give Kansas City a 34-30 triumph at Detroit.

Mahomes completed 24-of-42 passes for 315 yards but went without a touchdown pass for only the fourth time in his career while Detroit's Matthew Stafford completed 21-of-34 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns in a losing cause.

"They found a way to take away some of the stuff we like to do," Mahomes said. "They hadn't lost a game for a reason."

The Chiefs and Patriots became the first NFL teams to reach 4-0 while the Bills fell to 3-1 and Detroit slid to 2-1-1.

Bills coach Sean McDermott was upset over the brutal helmet-to-helmet hit delivered by New England's Jonathan Jones on Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen that knocked the signal caller out of the game in the fouth quarter and into the NFL's concussion protocol.

"There's no room in football for a play like the hit on Josh Allen," McDermott said.

A penalty against Jones was offset by another on the Bills, but Buffalo defender Micah Hyde said his unit would have gotten a harsher fate had one of them delivered such a hit to 42-year-old Brady, winner of a record six Super Bowl crowns.

"One of us did that to 12, we wouldn't have been in the game anymore," Hyde said.

Buffalo running back Frank Gore, in his 15th NFL season, became the fourth player in league history to rush for 15,000 career yards, cracking the barrier on a 41-yard run.

Only record-holder Emmitt Smith (18,355 yards), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269) have carried for more yards and Gore is on track to pass Sanders later this year.

Gore, who ran 17 times for 109 yards in the loss to stand on 15,021 yards, has played for San Francisco, Miami and Indianapolis as well as the Bills.

Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald moved past Tony Gonzalez for second on the NFL's all-time receptions list with his 1,326th career catch in a 27-10 home loss to Seattle. Fitzgerald, 36, trails only Jerry Rice's all-time record of 1,549 catches.

The Seahawks, who had a 27-yard interception return touchdown from Jadeveon Clowney, improved to 3-1, as did the Chicago Bears, who had three Eddie Pineiro field goals in a 16-6 home win over Minnesota.

Also falling from the unbeaten ranks were the Los Angeles Rams, who lost to visiting Tampa Bay 55-40.

Jameis Winston completed 28-of-41 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns for the Buccaneers in the victory while the Rams' Jared Goff hit 45-of-68 throws for 517 yards and two touchdowns with three costly interceptions in the loss.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Brown trains with Patriots as league mulls rape probe

LOS ANGELES -- Antonio Brown practiced with his New England Patriots team-mates for the first time on Wednesday as the NFL prepared an investigation into the rape allegations surrounding the star receiver.

Brown, who was formally signed by the Patriots on Monday after his tumultuous exit from the Oakland Raiders, faces a new legal nightmare after being accused of rape in a lawsuit filed in federal court.

Lawyers for the 31-year-old NFL star, who has denied the allegations, have vowed to countersue his accuser, describing the lawsuit as an extortion attempt.

The Patriots issued a statement on Tuesday saying the NFL had informed them they planned to investigate the allegations made by Brown's former trainer Britney Taylor.

Taylor, who has known Brown since the two were in college together, alleges she was sexually assaulted in three separate incidents in 2017 and 2018. Attorneys for Brown said sexual interactions between the player and Taylor were consensual.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick declined to elaborate on Brown's situation as he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.

"On Antonio's situation, both Antonio and his representatives have made statements, so I'm not going to expand on any of those," Belichick said.

"They are what they are. We've looked into the situation. We're taking it very seriously, all the way through the organization. I'm sure there are questions, but I'm not entering into a discussion about that today."

Brown's agent Drew Rosenhaus meanwhile told ESPN that the receiver and his advisers had been "anticipating the possibility" of a lawsuit from Taylor.

However he would not confirm if the Patriots were aware of the threat of litigation before they signed Brown.

"What I want to emphasize to everybody is, please allow the situation to play itself out," Rosenhaus said.

"Antonio will cooperate. He will cooperate with the Patriots, with the NFL, with any investigation, with the NFLPA; and in time, Antonio will be cleared."

The Patriots said late Tuesday that the NFL had planned to open an investigation.

- PR headache -

"The league informed us that they will be investigating," the Super Bowl champions said. "We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place."

The case has handed the NFL a public relations headache less than one week into its centenary season, which is being billed as a season-long celebration of America's most watched sport.

The NFL could move to neutralize the case by placing Brown on its commissioner's exempt list.

This effectively places Brown on paid leave while league investigators look into the case.

Although Brown is not facing any criminal charges in relation to Taylor's allegations, he could ultimately be found to be in breach of the NFL's personal conduct policy, which would leave him risking a suspension or a fine.

The case is just the latest chapter of a chaotic year for Brown, who engineered a move from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oakland Raiders in March.

His spell in Oakland proved disastrous, culminating in a practice field bust-up with general manager Mike Mayock last Wednesday after he was fined for missing a practice and a walkthrough.

He was fired by the Raiders on Saturday, and quickly picked up by the Patriots on a one-year deal later the same day.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Brady, Pats close on extension -- report

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are nearing a contract extension that would tie the quarterback to the franchise beyond his upcoming 20th NFL season, according to multiple reports Sunday.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the deal is for a two-year extension that will increase his salary from $15 million this year to $23 million. Full terms were not available.

The New England Patriots quarterback just celebrated his 42nd birthday on Saturday and is about one month away from beginning defense of his sixth Super Bowl title.

Brady addressed the question of a possible extension with reporters on Wednesday. Without a deal, he would be an unrestricted free agent after the season ends.

"Have I earned it?" Brady asked rhetorically to media huddling around him on the field. "I don't know. That's up for talk show debate. What do you guys think? Should we take a poll? Talk for Mr. Kraft. No, like I said, we got a great relationship so we'll see how it goes."

"None of us are really promised anything. I am trying to do the best I can do today and let those things work themselves out," Brady said.

Having played in nine Super Bowls and won six, there's not much debate over Brady's value even as concerns about Father Time become more prevalent.

Despite his age, Brady played all 16 games and threw for 4,355 yards last season, completing 65.8 percent of his passes to go with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Brady ranks fourth all-time in passing yards with 70,514, though he'll almost certainly pass Brett Favre (71,838) and Peyton Manning (71,940) this season. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, 40, has 74,437 career yards and will only add to his total this season.

Brady said he focused this offseason on getting physically stronger to endure hits in the pocket without losing fluidity in his throwing motion.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Patriots' tight end Gronkowski announces NFL retirement

LOS ANGELES -- New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski, a three-time Super Bowl champion, announced his retirement from the National Football League in an Instagram post on Sunday.

Gronkowski brings down the curtain on a nine-year career after helping the Patriots to a third title in five seasons in a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams last month.

"I will be retiring from the game of football today," Gronkowski said in a post that called the decision "the biggest of my life so far".

He thanked Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick for the opportunity they gave him "when drafting my silliness in 2010".

His effervescence and irreverence endeared "Gronk" to fans, but the towering tight end was a formidable offensive weapon on the field and a favorite target of superstar quarterback Tom Brady.

Gronkowski, who has sufferd a laundry list of injuries in his career and was shaken by a concussion in a playoff win in January of 2018, said after the Patriots' loss to Philadelphia in February of 2018 that he would consider his future.

But he returned for a ninth NFL campaign that yielded another championship ring.

"Thank you for everyone accepting who I am and the dedication I have put into my work to be the best player I could be," he wrote. "But now its time to move forward.

"Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next."

- 'One of a kind' -

With the catching skills of a wide receiver and the physical size and power of an offensive lineman, Gronkowski was difficult to handle in either role the tight end spot required, befuddling rival defenders and putting him among the greatest to ever play the position.

Gronkowski, who turns 30 in May, is also a four-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection who caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in 115 regular-season games from 2010-18.

He had 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 post-season games.

But Gronkowski became beloved as a character as much as for his skills, saying that partying helped him relax and thus inspire harder work in training.

His touchdown celebration spiking of the football became classics, many featuring a brief dance.

When the Patriots played in London and he scored at Wembley Stadium, Gronkowski imitated a Queen's Guard -- what he called a "little nutcracker dude" -- in his touchdown celebration.

- 'One of a kind' -

"Gronk is a one of a kind person," Brady said. "He's one of the most positive people I've ever been around and he loves to have fun."

That's how he wound up on the cover of ESPN magazine's 2012 body issue wearing almost nothing and again posing for the magazine in 2014 with kittens.

And it's what had him on the ice before an NHL Boston Bruins game spiking a hockey puck a few days after the Patriots won the 2015 Super Bowl.

Three months later, Gronkowski celebrated his 25th birthday with a party at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Weeks later, he was Twerking on the Celebrity Family Feud television show.

"Gronk" removed his shirt and flexed his muscles during the Patriots' 2017 Super Bowl celebration parade in Boston and two months later he bodyslammed a pro wrestler during a Wrestlemania match in Florida.

Not even the White House was safe from being Gronked, the NFL star interrupting a news briefing during his April 2017 White House tour.

Sponsors delighted in his lively manner, making him a popular pitchman for doughnuts, cell phones, cereal, credit cards and video games.

Gronkowski, the great-grandson of a 1924 US Olympic cyclist who held five world records, was nagged by injury throughout his career. 

Torn right knee ligaments ended his 2013 campaign after seven games. In 2016, he suffered hamstring injuries, a bruised lung and a herniated disc that required surgery.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Thousands join Patriots for Super Bowl victory parade

NEW YORK -- Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Boston on Tuesday for a Super Bowl victory parade to celebrate the New England Patriots capturing their sixth NFL championship.

The Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 on Sunday in Super Bowl 53 at Atlanta to win their third NFL crown in five seasons and sixth in 18 campaigns.

Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and Julian Edelman, the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, held the championship trophy high into the air from the back of a truck.

Other teammates rode in the city's famous "duck boats" -- vehicles that can handle streets or water -- and waved at cheering spectators in unusually warm weather of 61 degrees (16 Celsius) under partly cloudy skies.

Red, white and blue confetti fell along the parade route as screaming fans, many wearing jerseys of their beloved Patriots and some waiting six hours for a prime viewing spot, greeted players along the route from the Hynes Convention Center to City Hall.

Sports championship parades are getting to be common for Boston teams in the 21st Century, with a 12th overall championship for area clubs.

In addition to six for the Patriots, Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox enjoyed one last October 31 after capturing the World Series for the fourth time in 15 seasons.

The Boston Bruins won the 2011 National Hockey League crown and the Boston Celtics claimed the NBA title in 2008.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Super Bowl champion Patriots return home to hero's welcome

The New England Patriots returned home to a hero's welcome on Monday, a day after beating the Los Angeles Rams in a defensive slugfest to win their sixth Super Bowl title.

The Patriots' plane, with a now-out-of-date tail that has five Vince Lombardi Trophy images on it, landed in Warwick, Rhode Island, before the team drove 40 minutes to their stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Julian Edelman were not present as both were at Disney World in Florida.

Yet that did not dampen the mood among the more than 1,000 fans on hand to celebrate the latest chapter of a Patriots dynasty that began 17 years ago.

Chants of "We're still here!" -- a rallying cry the team adopted during its postseason run -- filled the air outside the stadium as members of the team exited buses that sported "Go Patriots" in bold red letters on the sides.

The sight of the players, head coach Bill Belichick, the architect behind each of the Patriots' Super Bowl wins, and the sterling silver Vince Lombardi Trophy delighted those who had waited hours for their arrival.

The celebration extended one that began late on Sunday in Atlanta where the Patriots collected a record-tying sixth Super Bowl championship in their 11th appearance in the National Football League's championship game.

Despite early season struggles that once again raised doubts about whether their dynasty was coming to an end, the Patriots silenced their critics with a 13-3 win over the Rams that was the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever played.

The celebration is far from over as the Patriots Super Bowl victory parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) on Tuesday. More than 1 million people attended the team's last Super Bowl victory parade in 2017. 

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto Editing by Toby Davis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Patriots receiver Edelman named Super Bowl MVP

ATLANTA - Patriots' wide receiver Julian Edelman won the Super Bowl MVP trophy on Sunday in Atlanta after his key plays helped lift New England to a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL's championship game.

In a game where both offenses struggled to find the end zone, Edelman made the most of his opportunities, catching 10 of the 12 passes thrown his way for 141 yards while rushing once for eight yards.

The speedy and undersized 32-year-old, nicknamed 'The Squirrel', was quarterback Tom Brady's most reliable target, providing an offensive spark en route to his third Super Bowl championship with the team.

Edelman, who was selected 232nd in the seventh round of the 2009 draft when few saw the value he could bring to a team, put the credit for his success on his team mates.

"It just matters that we won, man," he said after the win.

"It was a crazy year. We’ve got a resilient bunch of guys. It was unreal man."

He said the heavily Patriots-leaning crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium also boosted the team as well.

"It was like a home game here. We love you guys. It was awesome," he said. 

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Frank Pingue/Amlan Chakraborty)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Patriots owner Robert Kraft turned mediocre team into juggernaut

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has overseen one of the greatest franchise revivals in sports history by transforming a football doormat into a juggernaut that will seek a record-tying sixth Super Bowl title on Sunday.

Kraft purchased the National Football League's Patriots in 1994 for a then-record $172 million with one lofty goal in mind for a team that had averaged fewer than seven wins per season prior to his arrival.

"My objective in buying the Patriots is to help bring a championship to New England," Kraft said when he took ownership of the team in January 1994.

The Patriots, who will face the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday's championship game, have since built one of the NFL's longest and most successful dynasties by capturing 18 division titles, 10 conference championships and five Super Bowl crowns.

Helping make Kraft's tenure with the team that much sweeter has been Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who are the most successful quarterback-coach duo in NFL history and have helped contribute to the Patriots' culture of cultivating winners.

One of the most successful regimes in modern pro sports developed after Kraft rejected then owner James B. Orthwein's $75 million buyout offer to get out of the stadium lease, which was held by Kraft, so he could relocate the franchise.

Kraft, who grew up in Boston and was a Patriots season-ticket holder for 23 years before buying the team, instead made a gutsy decision to pay what was then a princely sum for a franchise mired in mediocrity.

For Kraft, who made his fortune buying out and building up his father-in-law's product-packaging business, the decision has more than paid off as the Patriots are a model franchise and the NFL's second-most valuable team with a value of $3.8 billion.

Kraft's influence in the football world has grown steadily since he purchased the Patriots, to the point that the 77-year-old American is now widely considered one of the NFL's most powerful and influential owners.

He is credited with playing an integral role in ending a 136-day lockout of players that threatened to derail the 2011 season by being a voice of reason that helped hardline owners and players find a middle ground in negotiations.

Those discussions, which largely centered around how to divvy up the NFL's annual revenue pie, came as Kraft's wife Myra was struggling with cancer. She died five days before the lockout ended.

"There were times along the road where I know Robert was instrumental in keeping the process constructive and moving forward," NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said at the time.

Smith also said that by taking time away from his wife to participate in negotiations Kraft "impressed upon everyone, in a sober way, what our responsibilities were."

Kraft, long considered an ally of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, also publicly blasted the league for its handling of the so-called Deflategate scandal over under-inflated balls that the Patriots used in a 2015 conference championship game.

Among the sanctions that Kraft called "unprecedented, unjust and unreasonable" were a four-game suspension for Brady and a $1 million fine for the franchise.

But the Patriots have since moved on and if they can capture a third Super Bowl title in five years they will move into a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for all-time record with six. (Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Ken Ferris)

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NFL: Rams ace taunts Brady over age ahead of Super Bowl

ATLANTA -- Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman has risked the wrath of Tom Brady after claiming age had finally caught up with the New England Patriots quarterback.

Brady, 41, will overtake Peyton Manning as the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl on Sunday if he guides the Patriots to victory over the Rams in Atlanta.

Brady has looked in superb form during the playoffs, leading the Patriots to a lopsided win over the Los Angeles Chargers before a thrilling overtime victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game.

Robey-Coleman, whose unpunished pass interference in the Rams win over New Orleans sparked uproar, is adamant that Brady is on the wane.

"Age has definitely taken a toll," Robey-Coleman told Bleacher Report. "For him to still be doing it, that's a great compliment for him. But I think that he's definitely not the same quarterback he was." 

Robey-Coleman said he had pinpointed Brady's throwing as a possible area of decline.

"He still can sling it, but he's not slinging it as much," he said. 

"Whatever he was doing -- because of his age and all that -- he's not doing as much of that anymore."

Robey-Coleman's words are likely to be motivational manna from heaven for Brady and the Patriots, who have been eager to cast themselves as underdogs despite another successful season, which has ended with a ninth Super Bowl appearance since the 2001-2002 campaign.

At a send-off rally for the Patriots at their Gillette Stadium home on Sunday, Brady pumped up nearly 35,000 fans with chants of "We're still here!".

Brady, who in the past has spoken of his desire to play until 45, meanwhile told ESPN that he had no plans to retire after Sunday's showpiece.

"I feel like I'm asked that a lot and I feel like I repeat the same answer, but no one wants to believe me," said the five-time Super Bowl champion, stating there was "zero" chance he would quit.

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NFL: Patriots beat Chiefs to join Rams in Super Bowl

New England and 41-year-old quarterback Tom Brady will be going to their third consecutive Super Bowl after they beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 37-31, in overtime on Sunday, with the Los Angeles Rams standing between the Patriots and a sixth NFL title.

The Rams secured their berth in the Super Bowl after a controversial 26-23 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in the National Football Conference title game.

The teams will meet in the Super Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia on February 3.

American Football Conference champions New England beat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, in overtime in the 2017 Super Bowl and lost, 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles a year ago.

Their 11 Super Bowl appearances are the most ever.

The Rams have played in three previous Super Bowls, beating the Tennessee Titans, 23-16, in Atlanta in 2000 when they were based in St Louis. They last appeared in the title game in 2002 when they lost to the Patriots, 20-17.

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Tom Brady: 'End coming, sooner rather than later'

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he intends to play football "as long as I'm still loving it," but added he sees his retirement getting closer, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired Sunday.

"I think about it more now than I used to," Brady said. "I think I'm seeing that there's definitely an end coming, sooner rather than later."

After Winfrey asked if that would mean age 43 or age 45, Brady, who turns 41 in August, said, "As long as I'm still loving it."

"As long as I'm loving the training and preparation and willing to make the commitment," he continued. "But it's also -- I think what I've alluded to a lot in the ["Tom vs. Time"] docuseries was there's other things happening in my life too.

"I do have kids that I love, and I don't want to be a dad that's not there driving my kids to their games. I think my kids have brought a great perspective in my life, because kids just want the attention. You better be there and be available to them, or else they're going to look back on their life and go, 'Dad didn't really care that much.'"

Brady has an 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter with his wife, Gisele Bundchen, as well as a 10-year-old son with actress Bridget Moynihan.

Among other topics covered in the interview was Brady's relationship with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, which has been the subject of reports over the last six months suggesting there is friction between the two.

When asked if there is "something going on" between he and Belichick, Brady replied, "Umm, no."

"I mean, I love him," he continued. "I love that he's an incredible coach, mentor for me. And he's pushed me in a lot of ways. Like everything, we don't agree on absolutely everything. But that's relationships."

One of the points of tension, according to reports, has been Brady's alternative approach to maintaining his health, including his preference to work out with personal trainer Alex Guerrero.

Brady -- along with tight end Rob Gronkowski, who also has trained extensively with Guerrero in recent years -- was absent for the entirety of the Patriots' offseason program except for mandatory minicamp earlier this week.

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who is appealing a four-game performance-enhancing drug suspension, also trains with Guererro.

Brady was asked if he trains separately from the rest of the team.

"No, I wouldn't say that, but I probably do some of my own techniques differently from the rest of the team," Brady said. "The team, I would say, like most teams are very systematic in their approach. And what I learned, I guess, is different from some of the things that are systematic but that work for me.

"It's nothing that I don't talk about with my coach and owner. 'This is what I want to do; this is what I need to be the best player I can be and hopefully you can support that.'"

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Patriots star Gronkowski burgled on Super Bowl weekend: police

BOSTON - Super Bowl weekend brought a one-two of bad news for New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, whose home was burgled following the team's upset loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, police said on Tuesday.

"Mr. Gronkowski was the victim of a residential burglary last night," Foxborough Police Chief William Baker told reporters. "Whether you're Rob Gronkowski or Bill Baker, being the victim of a crime like that is unpleasant."

The Boston Globe reported that multiple safes, and possibly guns, had been stolen from Gronkowski's home, citing a recording of a police dispatcher. Baker declined to comment on what had been stolen from the home.

A Patriots spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Like many of his teammates, Gronkowski has a home in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the suburb about 25 miles (40 km) south of Boston that is home to Gillette Stadium, where the team pratices and plays.

The 28-year-old athlete now in his eighth NFL season is one of the better known faces on the Patriots, cheered on by fans both for his catches as well as off-season antics that have included serving as the celebrity host of a Caribbean cruise following the team's 2016 Super Bowl victory.

"It's kind of a tough combination to have suffered this unfortunate loss and then to get home and be a victim of this kind of crime, which as I say has a really profound effect on everybody when your personal space is breached like that," Baker said.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Andrew Hay)

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Super Bowl scores fewest TV viewers since 2009

One of the most exciting Super Bowls in league history actually saw a television ratings drop.

Despite two of the nation's major media markets being represented and a thriller that wasn't decided until a Hail Mary heave at the final whistle, Nielsen revealed on Monday that average television viewership fell seven percent for the Philadelphia Eagles' 41-33 heart-stopping win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Sunday's average viewership of 103.4 million that watched the Eagles win their first Super Bowl in franchise history on NBC did rank as the 10th-highest viewed program in U.S. history.

But those viewer figures actually made it the least-watched Super Bowl since 2009.

The Patriots' historic comeback over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI a year ago -- rallying from down 28-3 late in the third quarter for a 34-28 overtime victory -- carried a average televised audience of 111.3 million on FOX.

Sunday's Eagles-Patriots NFL title game peaked at 112.3 million between 10 and 10:15 p.m. EST in the final minutes of the second-highest scoring Super Bowl.

On the flip side from the drop in TV numbers, Nielsen also reports that Sunday's game in Minneapolis marked the largest digital audience ever, averaging 2.02 million viewers per minute.

source: news.abs-cbn.com