LDN - Sports

National Football League roundup

[February 02, 2017] Feb 1 (The Sports Xchange) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell doubled down on Deflategate and reaffirmed his commitment to "Thursday Night Football" in his State of the League address at the George Young Convention Center on Wednesday afternoon.

Goodell was peppered by multiple questions regarding Deflategate, relocation and ratings. With New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft seated in the first row five seats from the aisle and 15 yards from Goodell, the commissioner stood by his decision to suspend quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the 2016 season based on findings that revealed a violation of rules and besmirching the integrity of the game.

- -

From the very start of his tenure in Atlanta, Falcons coach Dan Quinn strove to connect with his players, to cultivate a bond that would benefit his growth as a first-year head coach and the players he was charged to steward.

And while he didn't reach those goals immediately he stayed the course. Before he earned the right to run his own team, Quinn collected lessons learned from his previous bosses. He shaped his philosophy based on those experiences and came to understand that staying true to a set ideology would fuel his individual success.

Whether it is music during practice or "bumper sticker" slogans that foster togetherness, Quinn adhered to what he believed integral to his team's wellbeing.

"The biggest connection that you try to make with a player is get to know them so you understand the clearest way you can help that player develop or how far they can go," Quinn said. "Sometimes a player might not know how far they can go or the vision of how good they can be. That's one of the things I love so much about coaching is explaining to this player what you can be. That's always been our job as coaches is take every player on our roster as far as we can."

- -

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who underwent three surgeries in the last year, said he is through the rehab process and has been cleared for football activities.

[to top of second column]

Watt, speaking to the media covering the Super Bowl in Houston, said he feels "great" after spending much of the season recovering from back surgery.

- -

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who was forced out of the AFC Championship Game because of a groin injury, plans to get another opinion on the injury to determine whether he needs surgery.

Bell, making the rounds of Super Bowl media interviews, told NFL Network he is still in the process of determining whether he will need offseason surgery.

"I'm kind of in the process of seeing a couple of doctors, seeing if I have to get surgery or not," Bell said. "I'm hoping for the best, but I understand it's a tough game. If I don't get surgery, I go into the rehab process, work hard, get back to how I was last year, or actually, better. I'm going to take it from there."

- -

The New York Jets hired Stump Mitchell to be their new running backs coach.

Mitchell, who played nine seasons for the Cardinals, coached the last four seasons in Arizona. Mitchell will be reunited with Jets head coach Todd Bowles. They were assistants for two seasons (2013-2014) in Arizona on Bruce Arians' staff. (Editing by Frank Pingue)

Back to top