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Final 4 NFL Teams All Have Offensive-Minded Head Coaches

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NFL

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Chris Foerster had been an NFL assistant for nearly two decades when he first met Kyle Shanahan, long before he became one of the league’s most accomplished play-callers.

Shanahan was in his third year as an NFL offensive coordinator when Foerster joined head coach Mike Shanahan’s staff in Washington as offensive line coach in 2010. He was immediately impressed by Shanahan’s knowledge, creativity, and teaching ability.

That has only grown over their four years together in Washington and the last four in San Francisco, where Foerster has worked as an assistant on Shanahan’s staff.

“I’ve been amazed since working with him, and I won’t stop,” Foerster said. “It’s just how he does it and his understanding of what he’s doing.”

NFL

Productive Offenses Without Elite Quarterback Play

Shanahan’s success in San Francisco overseeing productive offenses without elite quarterback play is one of the reasons why so many teams look for the next trendy, play-calling offensive coach to take over their teams every January.

All four conference championship game head coaches have an offensive background, with Andy Reid of Kansas City and Zac Taylor of Cincinnati calling plays like Shanahan, while Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni delegated that duty during his first season.

“Plays are just played,” said Shanahan. “It’s how you connect them, how you hide them, how you do things around them, and how you coach them.”

Shanahan and Reid are two of the best at it, and their coaching styles have had a big impact on modern offenses. Almost half of the NFL teams run offenses that were inspired by their ideas.

Shanahan’s offense is built around the running game, with his dedication leading to opportunities with play-action passes downfield.

NFL

The Niners Disguise Their Intentions

“He’s not just copying other people’s plays,” said 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. “He has that very creative mind, and he’s always putting his players in position to make plays. That is what distinguishes him from the other coordinators in the league.”

The Niners disguise their intentions with frequent motion and different formations, and Shanahan has designed a nearly position-less offense that allows him to move playmakers like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk all over the field to create mismatches.

“He pays attention to every detail,” said 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. “Every day, he’s the one installing the plays, which is pretty cool to have your head ball coach teach you what you’re running.”

Shanahan has updated his father’s offense when Denver went to the Super Bowl twice in the 1990s.

NFL

Big Plays In-Store This Season

He has amassed a comprehensive knowledge of his system, allowing him to adapt plays from his past to his current team.

According to Foerster, Shanahan also has the uncanny ability to see how a defense is playing the Niners during a game and pull out a play they didn’t even practice that week.

This has already resulted in several big plays this season.

“He’s just looking for that dagger,” Foerster explained. “Where is that play that I believe will put them over the top on this one?”

Reid takes a different approach, relying much more on the passing game in his career with an offense that peaked when Patrick Mahomes took over as quarterback in Kansas City.

Reid also enjoys using gadget plays, whether it’s a 1949 Rose Bowl nfl play he used against s in the Super Bowl three years ago or the “ring-around-the-Rosie” Snow Globe play against the Raiders in Week 18.

NFL

Not All Head Coaches Call The Plays

“You want to have fun, but you also want to score,” Reid explained. “It’s not fun not to be doing that.”

Since Mahomes took over in 2018, the Chiefs have averaged a league-best 30.1 points per game, 3.6 more than No. 2 Tampa Bay and a larger gap between the Buccaneers and the 16th-place team.

“With Coach Reid, he can get anyone (open),” tight end Travis Kelce nfl explained. “He can get my dad open if he was out there. So I’ve been extremely fortunate to be under his direction, programmed the way he is because I genuinely believe he does it correctly.”

Not all head coaches still alive in the playoffs call the plays, with Sirianni delegating those duties to coordinator Shane Steichen during his first year in Philadelphia in 2021.

Instead of constantly looking at his play sheet for the next play to call, Sirianni said this has allowed him to better manage the game and deal with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and special teams coordinator Michael Clay.

“My head coach’s job is to manage the game. “I understand that everyone does it a little differently, and what works best for us is that I do it this way,” he said. “We like the way things are going. We’re always trying to improve it, but I’ve got great coaches I can rely on, and Shane is doing an excellent job calling it.”

SOURCE – (AP)

 

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Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

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AUSTIN, Texas – Hendrick Motorsports has much to be excited about as it approaches its 40th anniversary celebration in two weeks.

William Bryon dominated on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas, earning his second NASCAR win. Alex Bowman finished in the top four for the third time in 2024 at COTA, while Kyle Larson won the Xfinity Series in a thrilling finale on Saturday.

That’s quite a leap ahead of the team’s planned festivities for race weekend at Martinsville Speedway, where Hendrick Motorsports won its first race with Geoff Bodine in 1984 while racing under the moniker All-Star Racing.

hendrick

Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

So far, the race has resulted in its party.

Byron is the only two-time winner in the season’s first six races. The first occurred in the Daytona 500, where Bowman and Hendrick finished 1-2 in NASCAR’s marquee event.

Byron’s victory at COTA was his 12th career win and first from the pole position.

“I mean, just seeing him qualify, he was so fluid. The same thing happened throughout the race. “Just seemed to put the car in all the right places,” Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon explained. “A lot of thanks to William for accomplishing such an excellent job. Takes the entire team, pit crew, and everyone. They’ve had a great start to the season. I can’t wait to see where they take it next.

The series will head to Richmond’s short track next week before returning to Martinsville on April 7.

“We’re going to shoot for the stars,” declared Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fogle.

Hendrick hopes to have a strong showing at Martinsville, where team vehicles will be painted in unique red schemes, owner Rick Hendrick will drive the pace car, and Bodine and Gordon will serve as grand marshals.

In the last four years, a Hendrick driver has won a race in Martinsville. The team has won the most Cup Series races at any track on the circuit, with 28 total.

“Obviously Martinsville is big for the 40th anniversary,” he remarked.

hendrick

Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

Bowman triumphed there in 2021 and generated huge results during a crucial season. He has not won since 2022, has had two seasons of injuries, and will miss the playoffs in 2023.

“I don’t want to say, ‘Yeah, we’re back here 100%,’ but these last few weeks have been a step in the right direction,” Mr. Bowman said.

“I’m personally working as hard as I’ve ever worked,” he said. This year, I’m all in on every aspect, whether it’s extra shifts in the (simulator), correlating the tires, spending more time with the team, or training in the gym.”

Larson’s Xfinity victory was a surprise despite starting from the pole position. He had to start from the back because his squad needed to replace a broken brake rotor, but he fought his way through and took the victory in overtime.

hendrick

Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

Larson was the first NASCAR driver to win the pole and the race while leading only one lap. His victory was Hendrick Motorsports’ first in the Xfinity Series since the team returned in 2022.

The only blight on Hendrick’s successful weekend was Larson’s 17th-place result in Sunday’s race, which took him out of the Cup Series lead. Larson now ranks fifth, slightly ahead of Bryon.

All four Hendrick drivers are in the top 11, but Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs are the new season championship leaders.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

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Los Angeles — Shohei Ohtani wants to talk to the media on Monday for the first time since allegations of illicit gambling and theft against the Los Angeles Dodgers player and his interpreter surfaced during the team’s trip to South Korea.

The Dodgers sacked their translator, Ippei Mizuhara, last week after the team opened the season with two games against the San Diego Padres in Seoul.

ohtani

Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

Manager Dave Roberts encouraged Ohtani to address the issue openly. He stated that the two-way superstar made the decision.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts explained. “I’m glad he’s going to speak up, share what he knows, and express his thoughts on the matter. I believe it will give us all a little more clarity.”

Mizuhara was let off the team after the Los Angeles Times and ESPN reported on his apparent ties to an illegal bookmaker and claimed from Ohtani’s attorneys that the Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

Major League Baseball has launched an investigation into the matter. The Internal Revenue Service has stated that Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, an accused unlicensed bookmaker in Orange County, California, are under criminal investigation.

Will Ireton, the team’s performance operations manager, has taken over the translating duties from Ohtani. He had previously done the same for then-Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda, who is Japanese.

Ohtani made a quick cameo in the Dodgers’ clubhouse before Sunday’s Freeway Series opening against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. The teams will play three exhibition games before the Dodgers meet St. Louis in their home opener on Thursday.

The crowd of 42,607 cheered Ohtani passionately each time he came to the plate in his first game as a Dodger in his hometown stadium. He went 0 for 2 as the designated hitter, walking once and striking out once before exiting.

He is also expected to play Monday in Los Angeles and Tuesday in Anaheim, where he was a two-time AL MVP before signing a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

Roberts stated that Ohtani has yet to address his teammates as a group.

ohtani

Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

“I think that he’s had one-off conversations with players,” Mr. Roberts added.

The manager claimed he checked in with Ohtani to see how he was doing.

“He’s kind of business as usual,” Roberts explained.

Ohtani has a double locker in the Dodgers’ clubhouse, between the shower room and fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is scheduled to make his second start of the season against St. Louis on Saturday.

On Sunday, additional security was deployed in the overcrowded clubhouse. In addition to the players and a slew of journalists, eight temporary lockers were built up at one end for minor leaguers brought in from Arizona for the Freeway Series.

Overhead televisions were tuned to men’s NCAA Tournament events, baseball, and horse racing, with former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca providing TV handicapping suggestions for the day’s races.

ohtani

Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

The MLB gambling policy is displayed in every clubhouse. Betting on baseball, legal or illegal, carries a one-year ban from the sport. The commissioner can impose penalties for illicit betting on other sports. Sports gambling is outlawed in California despite the fact that it is permitted in 38 other states and the District of Columbia.

“The mood in the room is get ready for baseball because I don’t hear a lot of conversations and speculation,” Roberts told reporters. “That’s why I think tomorrow is going to be good for everyone.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

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A British runner, Jasmin Paris, became the first woman to complete the famed Barkley Marathons on Friday.

According to Keith Dunn, who attends the race and publishes updates on X (previously known as Twitter), Paris completed the difficult course in 59 hours, 58 minutes, and 21 seconds, barely 99 seconds, before the 60-hour time restriction expired.

The 40-year-old veterinarian was photographed collapsing over the finish line as she finished the event.

berkley

British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

Paris was one of five finishers in the 2024 Barkley Marathons, with Ukrainian Ihor Very first, Americans John Kelly and Jared Campbell second and third, and Greig Hamilton of New Zealand fourth.

Verys, who finished at 58:44:59, said that Dunn added a sixth loop.

Campbell, who finished the Barkley Marathons for the fourth time in 59:30:32, claimed the new part was “brutal.” “You are a bad man.”

Paris made waves in 2019 when she won the 2019 Spine event. She became the first woman to win the 268-mile event and shaved 12 hours off the previous record.

The Barkley Marathons are notable for their arduous, near-impossible nature. Many consider it the world’s toughest and most punishing foot race.

berkley

British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

Every year, the renowned ultramarathon that racer Gary Cantrell created takes place at Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park. James Earl Ray’s 1977 jailbreak during which he assassinated Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as inspiration for the path.

Ray barely walked eight miles just over two days after escaping Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary before being apprehended, prompting Cantrell to speculate that he could travel 100 miles in the same amount of time.

The course is lengthy and indistinct, the inclines steep, and the terrain harsh, but only if you can manage the confusing admission system and earn a seat at the starting line.

The race consists of five circuits of about 20 miles each, for a total distance of 100 to 130 miles in brushy mountains with an elevation gain of roughly 63,000 feet. Athletes complete the race over three sleepless days and nights, with no aid stations, phones, or GPS to assist with navigation. Getting lost, as well as falling and being injured in the brush, is normal.

berkley

British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

The ultramarathon is marked with distinct unmanned checkpoints containing a paperback book. Athletes must rip out a page according to their bib number and have all the book pages in hand at the end of each loop to demonstrate that they reached each checkpoint.

Many need help to finish the races because of their difficulty, with no finishers between 2017 and 2023. It has a 99% dropout rate.

SOURCE – (CNN)

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