FOOTBALL TIMES MA

Page 1


Patrick Mahomes reveals he didn't know how to read defenses until 'halfway through last year' Kansas City Chiefs​ quarterback ​Patrick Mahomes​ is one of the best at his position in the game right now, and he's only getting better. The ​Super Bowl champion and league MVP has two years as a starter under his belt and it turns out, almost this whole time he has been setting records without knowing how to read the defenses he was facing. The guy who can sling it without looking and dodge pass rushers in a way that even leaves opposing fans sitting back in amazement went on ​HBO's The Shop​ (Warning: Language NSFW) and explained he didn't know how to read defenses until "halfway through last year." What is even more mind-blowing than what this 24-year-old has done in the short time he has been in the league so far, is that he's been doing it without really knowing what he was up against. He went on to describe his playing style, saying: "I understood coverages but how to be able to pick up little tendencies defenses do, stuff that Brady and them have done, they know it, and they just do it. I was just playing."


His "just playing" is throwing for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in one season -- becoming the only QB to do so other than ​Peyton Manning​ -- and nearly making it to a Super Bowl his first year as a starter. Impressive to say the least. Studying film and reading defenses are two areas where a lot of great quarterbacks get their edge over the others. For someone like Mahomes, who has physical gifts that far exceed some of the greats, adding this aspect could elevate him to a spot others could not reach. Bad news for the rest of the ​NFL​, his ability to read defenses will only get better with time. "This year I could actually recognize more and more stuff. The more experience and the more I learn then I'll be able to go out there and call plays and do all that different stuff because I've seen it," he said. "I still think there's a long way for me to go there." Mahomes said reading what was coming at him helped with calling plays, and when he got better at it he was able to make more effective calls. The young star is nowhere near done improving and says, "I think mentally I can get a lot better. Physically, I've done a lot of stuff, I always work on my fundamentals. But mentally, I can still take my game to a whole other level."


Unlike some other players in the league, Mahomes didn't start with an NFL dream when he was really young. No. 15 was a baseball player and only started playing quarterback, full-time his junior year of high school, just about six years ago. Safe to say he's picked it up rather quickly.

Â


NFL News: Three-Time Super Bowl Champion Close To Deal With WWE Everyone kind of thought it was coming, but this is huge for WWE.

JOE ROBBINS / GETTY IMAGES

NFL players moving on to do something else in their lives after their playing career is over isn’t unheard of, and that holds true for life in a ​WWE​ ring. Many former greats of the gridiron have gone on to have great wrestling careers, but some of the bigger names don’t make that jump anymore. That’s all about to change as former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is close to finalizing a deal to be a WWE superstar. Wrestling and football fans alike have known that Gronk is a huge fan of WWE and good friends with former 24/7 Champion Mojo Rawley. No-one can forget


back at ​WrestleMania 33​ where he jumped the barricade and took on Jinder Mahal to help Rawley win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. After the 2018 season and three Super Bowl rings, Gronkowski shockingly retired from the Patriots and the NFL. He went on to join Fox Sports as an analyst the for league and he was doing quite well at it, but apparently, he missed the hard hits and big-time action. On Tuesday night’s episode of ​WWE Backstage​ on FOX, Ryan Satin reported the huge news as part of ​“​The Satin Sheet​.” During the report, Satin confirmed that Gronkowski was close to finalizing a deal with WWE to become its newest superstar. Of course, the report from Satin states that this is all “rumored” as of this time, but if it’s on a WWE show, it isn’t so much a rumor. Sure, anything is possible to happen and Gronkowski may not end up coming to an agreement on terms of a deal with the promotion, but that appears unlikely. Despite him being close to a deal, it is not known how WWE would use the former Patriot if an agreement is met. He could become the next in-ring superstar or be a manager for Mojo or even join an announce team or possibly become an analyst on different panels. His actions back at ​WrestleMania 33​ prove that he’s not afraid to get involved in the action and his NFL career showed that as well. Fans are already buzzing on


social media about when Gronk could appear in WWE, and it could happen as soon as next week on ​Friday Night SmackDown​ in New Orleans. With ​WrestleMania 36​ a mere three weeks away, this is huge publicity for WWE right now and they want it. Rob Gronkowski will go down as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, and it was obvious this year that the New England Patriots missed him on the field. Now, he’s close to finalizing a deal with Vince McMahon’s company and “Gronk” could end up in a ring before anyone realizes it.

NFL, 2K partner to produce multiple new video games NEW YORK -- The National Football League (NFL) and 2K today announced a multi-year partnership encompassing multiple future video games. The partnership marks the return of football-themed games to 2K's stable of notable sports titles and original IP, as well as an expansion of video game properties for the NFL. Financial terms were not disclosed.


The games will be non-simulation football game experiences. While specific game titles, developers and release dates will be announced at a later date, 2K confirmed the projects are in early development and will launch starting in calendar year 2021, during Take-Two's fiscal year 2022. "The NFL is one of the most successful sports brands in the world, known for creating incredible entertainment for fans," said David Ismailer, President of 2K. "We're thrilled to be back in business with the NFL in a partnership that will span multiple video games centered on fun, approachable and social experiences. It's exciting to bring together 2K's expertise in creating award-winning sports games with the NFL's renowned status as a world-class entertainment and sports organization." A leading developer and publisher of global interactive entertainment based in Novato, Calif., 2K previously published the popular and critically-acclaimed NFL 2K franchise, which ran from 1999 to 2004, through the Company's 2K Sports label. Other 2K-published games include the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation series NBA 2K, as well as WWE 2K, The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR, BorderlandsTM, BioShock, Mafia, Sid Meier's Civilization and XCOM. "Expanding the NFL's presence in the world of gaming has become a focus for the League as we look to grow the next generation of our fanbase and reviving our partnership with 2K was a natural step in that effort," said Joe Ruggiero, Senior Vice President of Consumer Products at the NFL. "2K is a worldwide leader in sports video games, with a proven track record of creating best-in-class and award-winning games and we look forward to sharing more about the projects we are working on with them in the future." Today's NFL partnership announcement follows several recent growth updates from the publisher and its development studios."It's an exciting


time for 2K and our fans," said Ismailer. "We're growing our sports offerings and building on our core games with new IP, as well as continued support of award-winning franchises, all with the goal of giving our fans more amazing games and entertainment for years to come." For more information on 2K, visit 2K.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the company on Twitter and Instagram or subscribe on YouTube.

Report: NFL Players Not Allowed to Change CBA Votes, Franchise Tag Deadline Extended

NFL players who have voted on a proposed CBA will not be allowed to change their votes, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano and Cameron Wolfe. The league also agreed to extend the


franchise tag deadline to 11:59 a.m. on Monday, March 16.

NFL player representatives extended the deadline to consider and vote on the proposal to 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday. The previous deadline was 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday. The proposed CBA is detailed in 456 pages and has been discussed in union meetings.

Several players asked whether they could change their votes but were unsuccessful. Under the proposed CBA, the regular season would expand to 17 games and the players' portion of the league's revenue split would increase from 47% to 48.5%. Most rules could take effect for the upcoming season, but the 17th regular season game may not happen until 2021 at the earliest. The current CBA will expire after the 2020 season.

If the CBA is not approved, teams can use franchise and transition tags in 2020. The deadline for the franchise tags was changed so that teams would not have to use both tags and then rescind one, if the new CBA is passed.

NFL team owners have already approved the principal terms for a new 10-year CBA.

Several players have vocalized their opposition to the proposed deal including Aaron Rodgers, Richard Sherman​ and ​JJ Watt​.


Latest Top 20 Team Ranking in NFL


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.