Miami Dolphins LT Patrick Paul: 'I don't feel any pressure' protecting Tua Tagovailoa
At the top of the list of players in charge of making that happen: Patrick Paul.
It's a lot of pressure on a second-year left tackle — unless you ask Patrick Paul.
'No, I don't feel any pressure,' he said.
All it could take is one edge rusher blowing past Paul for the Dolphins' season to go up in flames, yet Paul doesn't feel the heat?
'I've always been this confident,' he said. 'It just comes from my parenting. My dad is a very confident man and that's a guy I look up to, so I learned from him and I know what I can do.'
Tua Tagovailoa knows he must make smart decisions
Paul, who arrived as Miami's second-round pick last year, does not protect Tagovailoa's blind side, as you'd expect for most any other NFL quarterback. Since Tagovailoa throws left-handed, his blind side is protected by right tackle Austin Jackson. But because many of the league's top pass rushers line up on the defense's right side, that puts the onus on Paul as well as Tagovailoa himself.
"Is this the right thing to do in the heat of the moment where I've got to make a split decision on should I go for the first down, should I not, should I do this on fourth down, should I not?" Tagovailoa said. "And then given the circumstances, right — is it to go to the playoffs, is it to win a must-win game. You've got to throw all of those in there. But I think the most important thing is I've got to be more selfless instead of being selfish and I'm thinking this is what the guys want from me."
Paul has the advantage of recently retired Terron Armstead serving as his mentor last year. Even with Armstead on the team, Paul appeared in all 17 games, starting two at left tackle and one on the right side.
As if that weren't enough of a learning experience, he said he spent the offseason studying tape of 'probably every single tackle for all of the 31 other teams.'
That's before he even stepped onto the training camp practice field, where every day he faces the trio of Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Chop Robinson. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is looking forward to turning all three loose on quarterbacks at the same time. There's no reason to think it's a just smokescreen to throw off offensive coordinators.
Paul knows, since he has to go against them daily.
'Oh, shoot,' he said. 'We're getting after it every single day and it's going to be fun.'
Paul has the size for the job. At 6-feet-7 and 326 pounds, he stands out even among fellow offensive linemen, who aren't exactly petite. So imagine what it's like when he's out in public.
'A lot of it is curiosity,' he said. 'They're like, 'Oh, what does he do for a living?' They'll just look at you and see you're big. Most people don't say anything, but if they do, they'll just ask if you play any sports.'
He does, matter of fact. Happily.
'I love this game and I love everything that it brings,' Paul said. 'That has always been my dream. So every day I come in and I'm excited. It's like Groundhog Day.'
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Patrick Paul ready to protect Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
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New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
Aaron Donald was one of the NFL's toughest players. A stalker left him living in fear
Retired Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald received a brief email in March from the Los Angeles-based head of people and culture for a healthcare technology startup. 'Hi Hubby!' Janelle Anwar wrote. 'Please save. Love you!' She attached a copy of her annual performance review, which was filled with glowing comments from the company's chief executive officer. Advertisement What appeared to be a routine email from a significant other was part of something much darker. Donald is not Anwar's husband. The two have never even met. For years, she has sent him increasingly unsettling emails, chats and voice memos in addition to repeated phone calls, according to court records. She tracked down his brother, sending him numerous emails, and attempted to have packages and balloons delivered to Donald's children. She traveled to Pittsburgh for his football camp, where she claimed to have encountered his daughter. Even though Donald is married, Anwar filed two baseless divorce petitions, seeking millions of dollars. Two weeks before the emailed performance review, Anwar sent a series of Google Chat messages that Donald took as threats against his 3-year-old son: 'So make sure you pay for (him) to live … Cause that's what it will be … You will have to pay for his life now and everyone will get a cut …' Donald wrote in a declaration filed with an application for a restraining order in April: 'I am fearful for my safety and the safety of my wife and children, and the safety of my brother.' Though most stalking victims are women, the issue remains deeply problematic for all athletes. Donald is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant defenders in NFL history, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound lineman known for his strength and toughness. In 10 seasons, he missed only nine regular-season games. But five years of intensifying harassment from Anwar left Donald exasperated, uncertain and afraid. His ordeal provides an unusually detailed look inside the pervasive and prolonged toll that can come from being targeted by a fixated stranger. 'One of the things that a lot of stalking survivors talk about, famous or otherwise, is the constant state of worry they had about what the person may or may not do, where they may or may not show up,' said Carlos Cuevas, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University. 'The unpredictability is a big concern and … the content of what they're saying. Some of it might be just more uncomfortable and some of it can be straight-up scary.' During his playing days and into retirement, Donald has been active on social media, posting about vacations, birthday celebrations, playing basketball with his wife. While experts say social media can lead fixated strangers to believe they're connected to celebrities in a way they're not, it's unclear what role it played for Anwar. In a court filing, she said she had a 'virtual connection' with Donald, and acknowledged following him on social media since 2023. Advertisement Donald wrote in a court filing that threatening and harassing emails and calls from Anwar began in 2020. He blocked the addresses and phone numbers, but the messages continued, as Anwar used at least nine email addresses. Experts say public figure stalkers have often experienced some kind of significant setback like the death of a loved one or loss of a job to go along with a psychiatric disorder. They can fixate on a public figure through something as innocuous as the person signing an autograph or wearing a certain outfit to which a would-be stalker attaches a specific, personal meaning. 'The underlying mental health issues or personality issues have to be there already. Well-adjusted people don't do this, obviously,' retired FBI profiler Eugene Rugala said of strangers stalking public figures. 'They can have a true belief that they're in some kind of relationship and they want to walk into the sunset with the individual. That, to me, is the ultimate endgame.' Anwar joined a digital health company as vice president of people operations in 2021. The 48-year-old's biography touted her 'professional brand values of accountability, communication, engagement, and process …' She joined her most recent company, a healthcare technology startup, in November 2023. Former colleagues didn't recall her mentioning Donald in workplace conversations. That fall, Anwar wrote in a court filing, she attended several football games. Her pursuit of Donald expanded, too. A delivery from a local florist for Donald's daughter arrived at the family's former home the day before the Rams played the Seattle Seahawks in November 2023. Nine blue, gold and pink balloons, three confetti balloons and a large mylar dolphin. The invoice instructed the driver to 'Ask for Aaron Donald at gate.' The same day, a stack of Amazon packages for the daughter and one of Donald's sons were delivered. More packages for the daughter and son appeared a week later. Advertisement All of it came from Anwar. A month later, Anwar smiled and clasped her hands in her lap as she sat in the front row of her company's staff picture. She looked like just another employee. Two weeks before Donald announced his retirement from the Rams in March 2024, another package from Anwar arrived at his former home. The following month, he received $5 from her on Zelle with a brief message: 'I love you.' A series of unusual posts appeared a few weeks later on a Twitter account with the same 'Red Barry' pseudonym Anwar used in several court filings and emails. The phrasing, details and themes in posts mirrored her messages. 'I love Aaron Donald.' 'I accidentally married Aaron Donald.' 'Aaron and I married confidentially in May of 2024.' Posts from the account, which has been deleted, mentioned the Los Angeles County community where Donald and his family moved in 2022, made baseless allegations about crimes involving celebrities, accused a high-profile figure of paying $1 million for a copy of her marriage certificate and claimed the author was 'telepathic and psychic.' One study found that 52 percent of celebrity stalkers it examined wanted a relationship — affectional or sexual — with the victim. Significant mental disorders were a problem for a majority of the subjects, too. 'They will start talking about their relationship with the person and, on the surface, you think, 'Well, they obviously do know this person,'' said J. Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist who consults on public figure stalking cases and works with law enforcement. 'And then it typically gets more and more bizarre and you realize … you are now within their delusion and they're communicating to you this psychotic belief.' While court documents don't offer an underlying motivation for Anwar's alleged behavior, they show increasingly direct approaches to Donald. In June 2024, Anwar traveled to Pittsburgh for his youth football camp, according to a court filing. She wrote that she watched him in front of the stadium 'where he briskly passed by her to acknowledge her presence with a smile and non-verbal greeting …' and she crossed paths with his daughter at a snack bar. Advertisement The 'Red Barry' Twitter posts about being married to Donald continued — 'you are well aware I am Aaron's legal wife' — among mentions of Donald's real wife, witchcraft and a reality television star. Then Anwar filed for divorce. In a November petition in L.A. County Superior Court, she claimed to have married Donald on May 25, 2024 — in reality, he was celebrating his birthday with his wife and family in Pittsburgh that day — and they now had 'irreconcilable differences.' She wanted a lump-sum payment of $3.8 million within 60 days of the divorce being finalized. Her handwritten name appeared five times in the document: 'Janelle Anwar aka Red Barry.' Up to this point, Anwar hadn't been accused of violence. But the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department cited her for misdemeanor battery on Jan. 17. The department refused to provide details about what happened and denied two public records requests. Anwar didn't respond to questions from The Athletic about the incident. A month and a half later, the messages peppering Donald grew more frequent and worrisome. They included Anwar's pledge on Google Chat that he would have to pay for the life of his young son. Experts say that victims, regardless of stature, can be reluctant to go to law enforcement for a variety of reasons, including fear that it might escalate the stalker's behavior. A report to Congress by the attorney general in 2022 found that less than a third of stalking victims involved authorities. 'Stalking is challenging to police effectively as it is a pattern-based, rather than an incident-based crime,' the report said. 'Responding to stalking cases often necessitates specialized knowledge and is a significant investigative effort.' Three days after the alarming messages about Donald's young son, Anwar filed another divorce petition against the former player. She again used the 'Red Barry' pseudonym and sought $6.5 million. The petition was mailed to the NFL — care of Commissioner Roger Goodell — in a certified letter without a return address. Advertisement Donald received another flurry of Google Chat messages from Anwar the same day: 'You're done … FBI report coming … I will start reporting all of your bodies … And I will use my real name … And I will state I am your wife currently … Today is my day bitch.' He was copied on an email Anwar sent to a disc jockey on March 18. The disc jockey had no connection to either of them. Donald's current address was in the subject line. She knew where he lived. Six hours later, Donald got the email with Anwar's annual performance review. Donald received another email from Anwar the same night. His L.A.-based attorney called her the next day. 'Ms. Anwar informed me that she had known my client for some time and had gotten married to Petitioner online,' Peter Lauzon wrote in a declaration. 'Ms. Anwar spoke in a very erratic and confused manner and claimed that Petitioner's current wife and Petitioner were not married. Ms. Anwar further stated that Petitioner's children have gone missing and that Petitioner should 'be careful' and 'to watch out.'' The following evening, Anwar attempted to send a DoorDash delivery to Donald's current home, but security at the gated community refused it. Donald's application for a restraining order in April didn't appear to give Anwar pause. Her responsive declaration filed a few days later sought to subpoena 50 NFL players — the suggested queries included whether they knew of her as a 'Spiritual Guru' — in addition to DNA testing for the Donald children. She wanted a handwriting expert to examine Donald's signature on the application. She suggested Rams players broke into her southwest L.A. home as a prank and left a sock belonging to coach Sean McVay — she wanted it tested for DNA, too. A judge granted a five-year restraining order against Anwar in May. She didn't attend the hearing. But two days later, she emailed Donald's legal team. The email claimed that 'the marriage/divorce is not a sham,' mentioned a psychic reading she purportedly conducted and positioned herself as a victim. She wrote that she was 'perfectly OK with the restraining order …' Advertisement The order requires her to stay 100 yards from Donald, his wife, his four children and brother, as well as their homes, schools, vehicles and workplaces. It also prohibits her from contacting them directly or indirectly. Cuevas laments how much of the burden of protection falls on stalking victims. They have to get a restraining order. They have to make it permanent. They have to hope the stalker respects it — or, if the order is violated, that it will provide grounds for law enforcement to get involved and arrest the perpetrator. 'That's a lot to go through as a victim just to have some sense of protection and safety,' he said. Donald and his attorney didn't respond to requests for comment. But Donald's words linger from the restraining order declaration: '(Anwar) is delusional and I fear that (Anwar's) delusions will lead to her attempting to harm me, my wife, my children, and my brother' and 'My wife … has also expressed fear for the safety of our entire family due to (Anwar's) actions.' Anwar, who has not been criminally charged in connection with the case, pleaded no contest to the battery charge in Las Vegas. The conditions include eight hours of impulse control counseling. According to her LinkedIn page, her employment at the healthcare startup ended in July. Anwar mentioned Donald several times in emails to The Athletic in June and July: 'Seems like I have a problem with men bragging about being married to me and or some sort of intimate/personal relationship …' She listed several men, including McVay and Donald. She wrote that she 'decided to take action' with Donald and the ensuing situation is 'quite amusing to me, hilarious to be frank …' The correspondence included bizarre claims about celebrities such as Dave East, Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner. She wrote: 'You can tell people I am delusional. I don't care. … I won't win the media battle, not elite enough.' Advertisement On Saturday, Anwar sent an email to Donald's attorney claiming that an anonymous source informed her that Donald and a former teammate had recently entered her backyard and that her 'instinct is to appeal the restraining order.' (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
‘Unguardable' with ‘freaky lateral quickness': Hunter Renfrow returns to where he broke out
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dabo Swinney referred to him as 'craftsman' when it comes to running routes. Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen used the word 'unguardable.' But before Hunter Renfrow was a Houdini on the route tree, he was a by-the-books rookie receiver who seldom strayed too far from the play's design. That approach helped Renfrow thrive at Clemson, where he went from a walk-on to the most prolific receiver in College Football Playoff history. Advertisement But then-Raiders coach Jon Gruden wanted more from Renfrow, whose breakthrough came via a 65-yard touchdown catch at Houston midway through his rookie year. With the Panthers headed to Houston for a joint practice and preseason game this week, Renfrow hopes he's on the verge of another pivot point — a spot on the Panthers' 53-man roster after spending all of 2024 out of the NFL dealing with a health issue. As he prepared to play in Houston for just the second time, Renfrow reflected on how his career began to take off after the 2019 game against the Texans. 'I think I was overthinking everything. Whenever the coaches write a play a certain way, Gruden would always say, 'Make the play come to life.' I wasn't doing that. I was kind of just doing what was in the playbook,' Renfrow said in a phone interview last week. 'And if it said run 10 yards and run in, that's what I was doing. That's what I'd always been coached to do. But in the NFL everybody can do that, and people are a lot more athletic than I am. So kinda had to put my own little spin on it. That was right when I started to do it a little unorthodox but it was somewhat working for me.' Hunter Renfrow breaks a tackle and runs 65 yards for his first career TD! @Raiders @renfrowhunter #OAKvsHOU 📺: CBS📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports appWatch free on mobile: — NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2019 According to Thielen, Renfrow's skill set is hard to describe and almost defies physics. While receivers are taught at a young age to keep their feet underneath them so they don't slip when making cuts, that somehow doesn't apply to the 5-10, 185-pound Renfrow. 'When he's changing direction, his strides are far away from his body,' Thielen said. 'So you've got to have some serious body control and center of gravity stability to do that.' Advertisement But after being drafted in the fifth round after the Tigers' second national championship in three years, Renfrow was playing tentatively as a rookie. Through the Raiders' first six games, Renfrow caught 14 passes for 115 yards. Then came Week 8 at Houston, where Renfrow took a third-down pass from Derek Carr, eluded safety Jahleel Addae and sprinted in for his first career touchdown. According to Next Gen Stats, the play had an expected 6 yards after the catch. Renfrow picked up 57 yards after the reception; the 65-yard pickup remains the longest of his career. 'That was my first touchdown. It's the only time I've ever played there, my rookie year. I was kind of struggling, so it was good to get things off the ground,' he said. 'Finally got a pass on third down. It was like a little, 5-yard in-breaking route and slipped a tackle and ran like 60 yards,' Renfrow added. 'It gave me some confidence and I think it gave the coaches some confidence in me as well. It was kind of a turning point for me.' Renfrow finished with four catches (on four targets) for 88 yards against the Texans, who won 27-24 when Deshaun Watson — Renfrow's college teammate — threw a game-winning touchdown after getting kicked in the face by a pass rusher. But the big play sparked Renfrow, who pulled down 35 passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns over the final seven games, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in the last two. Renfrow rode the strong finish to another 600-yard receiving season in 2020 before putting together a monster '21 — 103 receptions for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns, capped by a Pro Bowl berth. Renfrow started feeling poorly right around the Pro Bowl, with physical activity often bringing on nausea. It would take a while for doctors to diagnose him with ulcerative colitis. By then he'd lost 35 pounds and seen his production dip dramatically after he'd signed a two-year, $32 million extension in 2022. Advertisement Renfrow spent last year working at his uncle's equipment relocation and storage business in South Carolina and wondering if his playing days were done. But after getting his condition under control through diet and medication, Renfrow had his agent reach out to the Raiders and Panthers in March for tryouts. And on the Panthers' first day in pads last month, there was Renfrow shaking defensive backs with quick-twitch moves while Swinney looked on from the sideline. But going from 0 to 60 after a year away from the game left Renfrow with a pulled hamstring, and trainers shut him down for two weeks. Had it been the regular season, Renfrow said he wouldn't have missed any games. 'I think they're just trying to be cautious,' he said. 'With taking last year off, trying to just be smart with the load being put on my body. Get re-calloused back up.' When healthy, Renfrow brings a different element to a deep receiving group — even if it's not the easiest thing to explain. 'I don't think there's really a way to describe it,' Thielen said with a laugh. 'You've just gotta see it.' Renfrow usually lines up in the slot, where he uses an array of cuts and fakes and jukes to change directions and separate from defensive backs. Renfrow isn't often asked to go deep, although offensive coordinator Brad Idzik said he has a way of making defenders think he's going long. 'He's got some freaky lateral quickness. And then when he opens up, he's like big strides — a powerful first four steps, which simulates, 'I'm going full-tilt vertical,'' Idzik said. 'He simulates that every single time and then he eats up whatever leverage you give him.' Bryce to Renfrow against Moehrig. — Joe Person (@josephperson) August 11, 2025 Thielen, who's beginning his 12th season, said the 29-year-old Renfrow has a unique way of getting open. 'He trusts it. And it's pretty much unguardable,' Thielen said. 'You see it in one-on-ones. You see it in team reps. Not a lot of times is the ball coming his way and (there's) not a lot of separation. That's a credit to him and his route craft, his ability to get open day in and day out. It's not easy to do in this league.' Advertisement Renfrow has return experience, but otherwise doesn't bring much to the Panthers' special teams, often a roster-spot separator at some positions. But it's those qualities that Thielen and Idzik talked about that give Renfrow a good shot to make the 53 in what would be a great comeback story. 'You can only control what you can control. What makes sense to me and what I've always thought from a receiver's standpoint and being a teammate standpoint, I judge myself off am I being a good teammate and am I helping the team win?' Renfrow said. 'If I can say yes to those two things, and I feel good about it and where things are headed, feel like we're getting better, then I take it day by day. And if I can't, then there's no point in playing.' After his health scare and subsequent year off, Renfrow is trying to be less nervous about football and appreciate the little things. That could mean returning this week to the Houston Topgolf facility where he and some friends hit balls before his big game six years ago. 'I think I'm a guy that's really anxious before games. I just want to do well. I want my teammates to count on me. But then sometimes you have paralysis by analysis,' he said. 'So coming back, I want to do more of that. I want to enjoy life. I mean, I really enjoy life. But like I want to get out there and if we're in a new city, get out and see a place and enjoy being in a new city. Appreciate the journey a little more than I probably did my first five years.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Fox News
18 minutes ago
- Fox News
Drew Brees talks Saints expectations, Bo Nix's sophomore season with Sean Payton, and revival of NFL preseason
The New Orleans Saints' post-Drew Brees era has been disappointing. Brees retired after the 2020 season, ending his illustrious career with four consecutive playoff appearances. Since his final game, however, the Saints haven't played any bonus football. They are trying to right the ship after Derek Carr's four-year contract ended in injuries and a retirement. They drafted Tyler Shough in the second round, and he's battling it out with Spencer Rattler for the starting job. But despite question marks at the most important position in football that was filled by Brees for over a decade, the veteran signal caller actually has confidence in what seems to be everyone's least favorite team in the NFL. "You're just limited on experience, is all it is. But I think you got a bunch of young, hungry guys that are willing to work, willing to learn, and obviously have a great coach in Kellen Moore and a great system," Brees told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "Kellen Moore's proven, I think, over the last few years to be an incredible innovator offensively and build offenses around his quarterbacks. Coaching Dak [Prescott] down in Dallas, coaching Jalen Hurts last year to a Super Bowl championship. So, I mean, he's got quite the track record now, too. So I think all that to be said, you know, I think everyone is excited within the Saints' locker room, just about what they can create offensively. Obviously, you try to get these QBs up to speed, see who's going to be the starter. "Still a ton of experience and depth on defense. Probably one of the best offensive lines in football when you really look at it. Man for man, you drafted first round tackles here at the last, what, three years? So, they're building a team the right way. They're building it in the trenches, you know, with the O and D lines. And I think they got a bunch of skill guys, too. [Chris] Olave and [Rasheed] Shaheed can blow the top off. [Alvin] Kamara is one of the most dynamic backs in the league. So, you know, start looking around at all the pieces they have, and it's like, they could definitely cause some problems for people." Brees' former head coach in Sean Payton has the ability to make an up-and-coming phenom into a superstar in Bo Nix with the Denver Broncos. Nix was arguably the second-best rookie quarterback last year behind Jayden Daniels, despite being the last of the six first-round quarterbacks. "Look, I'm excited for both of them, because I know they both like working with each other… Any time you're going into your second year, I think as an NFL quarterback, last year probably feels like a blur in a lot of ways just because, man, it's a long season. You're adjusting to a new offense, new speed of the game, just new mode of operation. And so I think for Bo, it'll be a much higher level of comfort this year. I think there's high expectations for the Broncos this year, as there should be. A lot of great pieces," Brees said. Payton helped Brees make his career in New Orleans, and Brees has paid his dues back to the community with his Brees Dream Foundation. To continue the philanthropic work, he has partnered with Jimmy John's where fans can order the "Brees No. 9," an Italian Nightclub sandwich with "a specialty to it." "So it's ham, salami, capicola, lettuce, tomato, onions. It's got salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, and then this little basil oregano mix, but then you go no cheese, and you add the Jimmy peppers. So that's kind of a secret to the Brees No. 9," Brees said of the tasty sub that bears his name. Proceeds from sandwich orders through the end of August will go to the Jimmy John's Foundation, which will benefit the quarterback's foundation and Boys and Girls Clubs across the country. "I've been a fan of Jimmy John's, back to my freshman year of college at Purdue University, back in 1997. I started off as a customer before I ever became a franchisee, but there's really an authentic story to tell there. It was a big part of my college years," he added. "It's really full circle because for my kids, it's a tradition that we're getting Jimmy John's after the games together. One of my sons gets a No. 9, except he gets a No. 9, double meat, add bacon. Or he gets to the gargantuan, which is like, basically two foot-longs on one big old piece of French bread with, you know, everything on it. So I got some growing boys in my family." It'll be quite a treat for players in the preseason — in fact, some starters might need a "Brees No. 9" now more than ever, as they're getting back into some early preseason action. The trend strayed away in recent years after "a couple of these big injuries to starters," Brees said, but he's happy to see that the "standard" from his playing days is coming back. "It was like, 'Hey, let's just get healthy for the first game.' At the same time, there's that balance between being healthy and being prepared, right? And for me, the preparation came with full-speed reps," Brees said. "Full-speed reps, you see a lot more joint practices to get guys ready now. Preseason, obviously, everybody takes the approach they want to take. But I think it's all a matter of where you feel like your team is in regards to are they prepared both mentally, physically for the season."
