Arrowheadlines: Terry Bradshaw is bullish on Patrick Mahomes

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Terry Bradshaw is bullish on Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Star

Bradshaw expects big things from Mahomes in 2021.

“Well, listen, losing a Super Bowl only inspires you,” Bradshaw said. “The great players, the competitive players, which he is, they come back more committed, more determined than ever. And I expect that to happen, that’s a really good football team. It’s not like they’re missing many pieces of the puzzle. ...

“They did bring in some tackles so offensively they’re going to be better than ever. Defensively, they’re already pretty solid. They needed lineman, Kansas City because you saw what Tampa Bay did to (Mahomes) in the Super Bowl, him running all over the place. But that’ll be competitive for sure and he’ll be determined more than ever to get ‘em back.”

The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen | Touchdown Wire

3. Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs intend to use Jones on the edge more in 2021, though I ranked him as the best 3-tech disruptor in the NFL last season. That has something to do with the acquisition of former Seahawks tackle Jarran Reed, who I ranked as the NFL’s best from the 4i alignment — on the inside shoulder of the tackle. Wherever Kansas City has Jones playing this season, there’s little question that he’ll be a royal pain for whoever’s blocking him — the same guy I thought should have been the MVP of Super Bowl LIV had eight sacks, 23 quarterback hits, 39 quarterback hurries, and 24 stops in 2020.

The evolution of NFL special teams — and their rankings | SI Talk of Fame

I’ve tracked special-teams coaches over the years – more than 100 of them since I started the rankings 36 years ago. Some coached as few as one season, others as many as three decades. There have been 71 who have coached special teams for at least five NFL seasons.

So I put together a list of those coaches who fared the best – their average finish in my rankings. Only seven have an average finish in the Top 10. The list below includes the coach, his number of seasons as a special-teams coach, his average finish, the number of times his units finished first in my rankings and, if he’s still active, his team in parenthesis:

Coach, Seasons, Average, Crowns

1. *-Dave Toub, 17, 6.3, 2 (Kansas City)
2. Joe Judge, 5, 6.6, 0
3. *-Darren Rizzi, 11, 8.5, 1 (New Orleans)
4. Pete Rodriguez, 19, 9.2, 2
5. Jerry Rosburg, 18, 9.7, 1
6. Frank Gansz, 12, 9.9, 1
7. Scott O’Brien, 23, 10.0, 3
8. *-Dave Fipp, 8, 10.5, 2 (Detroit)
9. Larry Pasquale, 16, 10.8, 1
*-John Fassel, 13, 10.8, 1 (Dallas)

Chargers’ Austin Ekeler confident Justin Herbert can compete with Patrick Mahomes | 247Sports

In an appearance on the NFL Network, Ekeler was asked about what he’s seen from Herbert following his brilliant rookie season. The Los Angeles running back can already tell that Herbert is more comfortable with one season of experience under his belt. In fact, Ekeler believes that if Herbert continues his development, he will help the Chargers go toe-to-toe with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

“I think he’s come in knowing what to expect now as opposed to last year when he kind of just got thrown into the starting role,” Ekeler said. “He’s a super bright kid. Has a good head on his shoulders. Wants to work with the boys and get everyone better, starting with himself, which is great because that’s what we’re going to need from that position, especially when we’ve got Mahomes in the division. We’re going to need someone who can help us compete. I’m excited about what he’s got going on.”

Kansas City Chiefs, VFL Trey Smith gives shoes to Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee | WATE

Former Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith is leaving big shoes to fill after being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. He is also leaving a big donation of shoes for 60 kids participating in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee mentorship program.

Smith, the 226th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and UnitedHealthcare teamed up to distribute the sneakers and socks Tuesday at Victor Ashe Park. Each little tried on shoes and were able to meet with the All-SEC player and University of Tennessee Torchbearer Award winner.

GEHA, Chiefs Come Together to Support Folds of Honor | BusinessWire

GEHA (pronounced G.E.H.A.) and the Kansas City Chiefs today announced they are teaming up to support Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational scholarships to the families of U.S. military personnel wounded or killed while serving their country.

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney, a former F-16 pilot who served three tours in Iraq, founded Folds of Honor in 2007 when he realized the devastating realities families face when a loved one in uniform is fallen or disabled. Since then, the organization has awarded more than 29,000 scholarships totaling over $145 million in educational impact across all 50 states as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Italy, Germany, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. The program includes private financial tuition and tutoring for children in grades K-12, as well as higher education assistance for spouses and dependents.

Around the NFL

Which franchise could win first Super Bowl in 2021 NFL season? Bills, Browns Titans top list | NFL.com

The Bills fell one win short of Super Bowl Sunday last season, and there are legit reasons to believe they’ll be better in the coming campaign.

First of all, it was a major win for Sean McDermott’s team to keep both coordinators, Brian Daboll and Leslie Frazier. These two interviewed for head-coaching jobs earlier this offseason, but they’re back for another year with the Bills. Huge for continuity’s sake. Daboll has a tremendous rapport with Buffalo’s most important player, Josh Allen. The 25-year-old quarterback has improved each year in the NFL, throwing himself squarely into last season’s MVP/Offensive Player of the Year discussions, with a 37:10 touchdown-to-interception ratio and eight more rushing scores. The guy’s become a star, combining a rocket arm with top-tier athleticism. Brandon Beane’s done a spectacular job surrounding him with receiving talent, too. Stefon Diggs, of course, leads the pack, having just led the NFL in catches (127) and receiving yards (1,535) in his first year with the Bills. Wait until the guy gets to feed off Bills Mafia, who are champing at the bit to cheer on their reigning AFC East champions with Highmark Stadium returning to full capacity. Folding tables, beware!

Vikings rookie DL Jaylen Twyman expected to make full recovery after being shot four times | NFL.com

Minnesota Vikings rookie defensive lineman Jaylen Twyman is expected to make a full recovery after being shot four times on Monday while visiting a family member in Washington D.C.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the news after speaking with Twyman’s agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Rosenhaus detailed the extent of his client’s injuries, telling Rapoport that “they are all flesh wounds, superficial wounds. I spoke to him, I spoke to his family, they’re all at the hospital. He’s expected to make a full recovery.”

Added Rosenhaus, “He walked himself into the hospital. He was an innocent bystander in a car — wrong place, wrong time. They did X rays, there are no broken bones, no ligament damage. I spoke to his father, he’s going to be OK. And I informed the Vikings of everything that is going on and how he is.”

49ers’ George Kittle explains why Tim Tebow wasn’t invited to Tight End University | 49ers Webzone

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and retired tight end Greg Olsen are kicking off Tight End University this week in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s a gathering of some of the best tight ends in the league for a week of training, information sharing, and all-around improvement.

No, Tim Tebow will not be there. The former quarterback who converted to tight end and is working to be a part of the Jacksonville Jaguars roster was not invited.

Kittle and Olsen joined the Pardon My Take podcast, and the 49ers tight end explained why Tebow was excluded from the week-long event.

“So, nothing against Tim Tebow, but I found it hard to invite — I wish nothing but the best for Tim Tebow, and I hope he has a fantastic season playing tight end — but it’s hard for me not to invite a backup tight end on, let’s say the New York Giants, as opposed to inviting a guy who just started playing the tight end position because we do have limited spots,” Kittle shared.

Las Vegas Raiders DE Carl Nassib has top-selling NFL jersey at Fanatics in day since announcement | ESPN

In the 24 hours since Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end’s jersey has been the top-selling item across the league, according to Fanatics.

Nassib, 28, made the announcement Monday in a video posted to Instagram from his house in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In the video, Nassib says, “I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life, I’ve got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for. I’m a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I’m really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important.”

Fanatics, the NFL’s official e-commerce partner, said Nassib has been the top-selling NFL player Monday and Tuesday across the company’s network of online stores.

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

One Chiefs player selected in new NFL under-25 all-star team

Even outside of Kansas City, Sneed — who was selected in the fourth round (138th overall) — is widely seen as one of the steals of the 2020 NFL Draft. So his appearance on this particular all-star team isn’t that surprising. And in the coming season — in which the Chiefs are expected to move Sneed from slot cornerback to outside cornerback at least some of the time — he will have a greater challenge than he faced in 2020.

Still... he should be up for it. Shook failed to mention the most impressive thing about his rookie season: he accumulated those statistics in just nine games.

A tweet to make you think

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