data-mm-id=”_uw7v8s6vr”>Just three years after winning the NFC Championship, an Atlanta Falcons team with nine-digit wide receiver Julio Jones and former MVP Matt Ryan started the 2019 season with a 1-7 record, their worst start in 17 years. When a team with so much talent falls apart in such a short time, the blame has to start at the top, and the top is head coach Dan Quinn.At first, the question of whether Quinn would lose his job at the end of the season seemed less like an "if" rather than a "when". From out of nowhere, the Falcons stormed back to win four of their next six, including road wins over two of the league's top teams (New Orleans and San Francisco), making the first half of the season seem even more like a bizarre aberration.Falcons fans may look upon the situation with concealed horror, as their recent success may actually have saved Quinn's job. According to Ian Rapoport, the Falcons are "undecided" on his fate.As we keep an eye on coaches on the hot seat, this year — maybe as much as any — owners are watching how teams close it out on the field: The #Falcons (undecided), the #Jaguars (likely back, pending the finish), the #Browns (leaning back, barring a brutal end) are in focus.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2019In fact, the Falcons' win streak puts Quinn's coaching into perspective and further illustrates why the team must let him go as quickly as possible to preserve their dimming chances of winning a Super Bowl before their window shuts.This Atlanta Falcons season has been characterized by the frantic reshuffling of assistant coach positions and play-calling responsibilities, especially on the defensive side of the ball – where Quinn is (supposedly) a specialist. The Falcons' 25th overall ranking in points allowed speaks to this; with so many different leaders in such a short time, there's no room for players to get settled in the current system.Defenders of Quinn (all six or so that are left) may point out that the Falcons would not have made it to Super Bowl LII were it not for Quinn's leadership. While that may be true, even that slight accomplishment has a stain on it. After all, with a different coach, the Falcons may well have won Super Bowl LII. 28-3 isn't disappearing. The Falcons players should shoulder their share of the blame for one of sports history's worst choke-jobs, but Quinn did not put them in the best position to hold on to their 25-point advantage. Quinn, along with then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, seemed determined to call the most inappropriate plays imaginable for the situation, including a pass play, which led to a strip-sack with the Falcons leading by 16 in the fourth.Sure, the Falcons are playing some good football now. But will they play good football in 2020 under the same regime? Falcons fans may not be patient enough to find out.
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data-mm-id=”_52611nz8n”>For all the changes and loosening of ties in the world of on-air fashion, it is still quite rare to see a sports media member showcasing their tattoos while doing a studio show, simulcast, or live hit. Even in the year 2020, with so much changing, visible ink stands out, especially on exposed arms. The list is growing but it is still a select club. I reached out to several personalities whose artwork caught my eye during their shows to ask them about something that can be at times both intensely personal and what they want to speak about the most. They told me behind-the-scenes stories of their decisions to take the plunge — and in many cases continuing to take it over and over again. They opened up about the meaning behind their pieces, the oft-meandering rela…
data-mm-id=”_94qd35lxk”>Throughout his time as NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver has built a nearly-infallible reputation both within the league and in public perception. According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, that persona will be put to the test over the coming weeks. Appearing on Golic and Wingo, Wojnarowski discussed some of the tougher decisions Silver faces in the coming weeks as the NBA tries to figure out how/if it can resume its season following the coronavirus shutdown. Silver was praised for his decisive decision to shut the league down after Rudy Gobert tested positive (the NBA was the first major professional sports league in the US to halt play), but he could ruffle some feathers when he announces how the league will resume, so saith Woj. “He’s going to start ma…
data-mm-id=”_93erm0g31″>Major League Baseball's players are set to report to training camps this week, but the business of the league didn't stop during the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday, Pittsburgh Pirates righty Edgar Santana and three minor leaguers were suspended 80 games for performance-enhancing drug use. Pittsburgh #Pirates pitcher Edgar Santana now is out for the season after receiving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Boldenone.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 28, 2020Santana was expected to be on the Pirates's roster this season, but now he'll miss all 60 games this season and 20 in 2021. He tested positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid. Santana last pitched in the major leagues in 2018, and was out all of the 2019 MLB season…
data-mm-id=”_ioctthnsd”>Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn willingly gave possession of the football back to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs instead of attempting a fourth-and-one on his own 34 yard-line in overtime on Sunday. On paper, it was a difficult decision, with the win probability extremely similar no matter the choice made. In reality, it was objectively insane to punt to the scariest quarterback alive and things predictably backfired. Harrison Butker, who may be our hunkiest kicker, ended up booting a 58-yarder to seal a Kansas City victory and ensure the Chargers and first-time starter Justin Herbert never saw the football again. Lynn explained his puzzling decision this way:”“I considered going for it,” Lynn said, via the Los Angeles Times. “It was a …
data-mm-id=”_6kz8uxin2″>Here is a video that perfectly captures America in 2020. Failure, pain, Jeff Bezos making money. It has it all. And it has a message, about getting back up, no matter how bad things look on replay. We could all learn something from this guy.??? I would've called my job and said I'm done for the day. pic.twitter.com/uhJI4dj48d— Mike (@ogmike) October 25, 2020So to recap, an Amazon driver slips and hurts himself. After bending his legs in ways that Odell Beckham Jr. would commiserate with, he lays down on the customer's porch in pain while he determines that he isn't seriously injured. He then gathers himself, decides he's not at the right door anyway and proceeds to slip on the same spot and falls on his back with someone now watching.I…
data-mm-id=”_quepc7lfu”>Indiana's search for a new men's basketball coach has continued this week with few leaks, only baseless reports. As focus on the NCAA Tournament takes a breather during a few off-days, it's natural that speculation around the Hoosiers would pick back up. ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla stepped into the void and offered his two cents. While appearing on Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre, Fraschilla said he believed Indiana should offer $5 million to Baylor head coach Scott Drew and get a deal done. He thinks it would be a home run hire, though he also said Loyola-Chicago's Porter Moser would be great at Indiana. The full episode of the podcast is below and Fraschilla's entire interview with McIntyre is excellent, as the tw…
data-mm-id=”_vep2xjcec”>Tom Brady retired from football and decided to take a gap year before diving into a lucrative broadcasting career, but don't worry, he's going to find a way to make ends meet. Brady appears to be expanding his brand rapidly in 2023. Today it was announced that his name would be on a car at Le Mans. BRADY™ will provide the official @Hertz Team @JotaSport kit, as well as travel & leisure apparel highlighting signature BRADY™ quality, durability and comfort. Hertz Team JOTA will debut at the 1000 miles of Sebring, the first round of the 2023 @FIAWEC in Florida on 03.17. https://t.co/12g4RT6DTZ pic.twitter.com/9cGxxoII94— BRADY (@bradybrand) March 1, 2023If you aren't going to be driving in a 24-hour endurance sports car race anytime soon, y…
data-mm-id=”_f62dcj30e”>The MLB season is very, very long and the last month of the year can feel even longer when a team is out of contention. Fans everywhere feel this way and it is obvious that broadcasters do, too. They're human just like the rest of us and get a bit bored when work is slow. Counter-intuitively, this often leads to some of the more entertaining conversations you'll hear all season in the booth. Which brings us to last night's utterly meaningless contest between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals. A battle between the bottom two teams of the NFC East. Not the most thrilling affair. With the score tied in the top of the eighth, the SNY production team was goofing off a little and zoomed in on a bat that had taken up residence on the net behind …
data-mm-id=”_qbw8hv6q5″>NBC relived a classic before the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders played on Sunday Night Football. The program's intro featured actress Jennifer Edwards, who played the title role in the 1968 film Heidi. She reminded the world of the famous "Heidi Game" between the two teams and promised it wouldn't happen again. In November of 1968, the Jets and Raiders were two of the AFL's best teams and faced off in what was destined to be a classic. The back and forth contest lived up to its billing but, unfortunately, NBC turned away from its coverage to start its presentation of Heidi on time. East Coast markets missed the Raiders' comeback, as they scored two touchdowns in the final minute to win 43-32. Almost exactly 55 years later, here…
data-mm-id=”_8ltzptdtz”>The Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams gave us one of the NFL's best games of the week, a 37-31 tense overtime thriller that ended in spectacular fashion. But was that ending tainted by a missed call on Tylan Wallace's 76-yard walk-off punt return touchdown? The Rams are likely to argue so. Here's the play:Tylan Wallace takes it all the way for a walk-off punt return TD! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VWBqUd82VN— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023A great, thrilling way to end a game. But there are actually two questionable missed calls on this punt return. The first came at the 25-yard line, where Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis attempted to block Rams defensive back Shaun Jolly. As the play rolls there is a shove, but it appears to more be c…