Latest news with #Galashiels
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
The Scotsman who helped the Eagles perfect the tush push: ‘Nobody else is doing what I do'
'Nobody else in the world is doing what I do,' Richie Gray tells The Athletic from his office in Galashiels, a small town in the Scottish Borders, about an hour south of the country's capital, Edinburgh. Gray is the Scotsman who helped innovate a football play the Philadelphia Eagles have made so effective that NFL owners were two votes away from banning it last month. No doubt teams across the league are likely wishing the Eagles had never hired the 55-year-old in the summer of 2023. Advertisement Thanks to the tush push/Brotherly Shove, a modern twist on the quarterback sneak, the Eagles are almost unstoppable in short-yardage situations. Even acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said so. At Super Bowl LIX against the back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles were perched on the goal line in the first quarter. It was little surprise when they opted for their most reliable, will-breaking play. Their star-studded offensive line moved as one in a low phalanx and quarterback Jalen Hurts followed into the endzone, assisted by two pushers on each side of the buttocks. The rest, as they say, is history, a triumphant denouement to the season. But how did a former rugby union player from a Scottish town with a population of around 12,000 help create the NFL's most successful play? Gray has become the go-to guy for everything contact and collision, he says, providing methodology, analysis, and equipment. He largely worked in the shadows until the Kelce brothers' New Heights podcast a few years ago. In a September 2023 episode, Philadelphia's serial All-Pro center Jason Kelce put on a 'very good Scottish accent,' according to Gray, to impersonate the 'Scottish guy' who had discussed how to stop the tush push with Jeff Stoutland, the revered Eagles offensive line coach and run game coordinator. As the only Scot with a rugby background coaching in the NFL, people quickly connected the dots, and calls came in from his friends across the league to find out details. However, the specifics of his input remain an industry secret. 'I was back at the Eagles about six months after that. I went back and had a good catch-up with him (Kelce). I'm glad I did, because he's now retired and he's a great guy. A real football man, a great sense of humor, and just a good person to be around,' Gray says. Advertisement Gray played rugby union for his hometown club Gala Rugby and Caledonia Reds, the now defunct professional Scottish regional team, before embarking on a coaching career across the U.S., France, Fiji, and more. Alongside 10 days out of the month being the skills and contact collision specialist for rugby union club Toulon, who finished third in France's Top 14, Gray is at the beck and call of NFL teams. He has written the handbook on tackling methodology for USA Football, the national governing body, and was brought in at the Eagles to work with the defensive coaches. This came about after receiving a phone call from an Eagles defensive assistant coach, Tyler Scudder, as Gray knew the team's director of sports performance at the time, Ted Rath, from Rath's previous job at the Miami Dolphins. Stoutland reserved him a couple of days before arriving to look at the tush push, to advise how he would break it up and improve the play. 'I've spent the last 20 years working on how to move bodies: angles, force, height, weight, you name it,' Gray says. 'So on watching it we kind of ripped the whole play to bits and built it back up again, and out of that conversation, I'm sure there were two or three things the group took and added to the play. 'The play is over three levels, firstly, the offensive line. You've got some phenomenal O-line athletes at the Eagles, one of the heaviest in the league, some huge humans. You've then got Jalen Hurts, who is pound-for-pound one of the strongest quarterbacks in the league, so the play is completely made for his body type.' Hurts squatted 600 pounds (272 kilograms) while in college at Alabama. 'Then you've got two players in behind him who actually don't add that much at all in the push. It's called the push, but if you watch it, there's actually not a lot of pushing involved in it. It's thought of as a pushing play, but a lot of the time, those two back pushers never get to Hurts. The job's done before then. I always class it as organised mass.' Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni first ran the quarterback sneak while offensive coordinator at the Indianapolis Colts in week 10 of the 2020 season. He introduced it at the Eagles in 2021, devoting hours of practice to perfecting it, which is where Gray came in. The Eagles ran their quarterback 122 times in 1-yard-to-go situations since 2022, scoring 30 touchdowns and gaining an additional 75 first downs on those plays, according to TruMedia. SharpFootballAnalysis says Philadelphia have been successful 90 percent of the time in quarterback sneak and tush push situations with one-yard to go since 2022. Advertisement 'It's kind of like a cheapo play,' Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu said last month on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. In trying to stop the tush push, Luvu was penalized three consecutive times for encroachment after jumping over the line before the snap during January's NFC title game. After the Green Bay Packers submitted a revised rule change proposal in May calling for offensive players to be prohibited from 'pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him,' the NFL's competition and health and safety committees recommended banning the play, but NFL owners voted for it to remain. Needing 24 votes (75 percent) for the ban to be enforced, the proposal received 22 votes from the 32 owners. Kelce, who was crucial to the play before retiring after the 2023 season, spoke to the owners before voting began. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had addressed assembled owners for more than 30 minutes, while Sirianni said banning the play would be 'unfair.' Gray is familiar with rule change processes, having been invited to speak to all owners and head coaches about the hip drop tackle, which was banned in March 2024 with research showing it to cause lower-body injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles. Banning the tush push was not something Gray agreed with, however. 'You got to see why do they want this play to be removed,' Gray says. 'It is because one team is incredibly good at it and the other teams are not, so it's giving them a competitive advantage. If you ban it for that reason, then you are pretty much banning innovation.' Despite the health and safety committee recommending to ban it there has been little data to show that there have been injuries on the play. 'I think it's because it's more a surge than it is somebody running from 25 meters into a brick wall and there's a lot of technique involved so in some ways it was a surprise they wanted to try and ban it,' says Gray. The 10 teams to vote against a ban included the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, and New York Jets. 'There will be some defensive coordinators that will be desperately keen to try and break this. Other teams may think it's impossible to break,' Gray adds. His association with the tush push, and with Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, the Australian former rugby league player, has had the move mislabeled, in Gray's opinion, as a rugby play. 'It's an incredibly technical play. It's funny, I was at the Health and Safety summit in Orlando last month, and a lot of football people there were saying it's just a mass of bodies smashing each other, and I said, 'Guys, seriously? Have you looked at this play?' Advertisement 'You have got to be powerful, power's always going to help, but if your technique is not aligned with your power, it will be stopped.' Despite American football having its origins in rugby, Gray sees few similarities between the sports, other than the ball being roughly the same size, both including attack and defense, and tackling a ball carrier to the ground. In rugby union, there are 15 players on each side and a game is 80 minutes. NFL games are 11-a-side and last 60 minutes. The set pieces also differ. A scrum in rugby, which is used to re-start a game after a minor penalty, is pre-bound so all eight forwards from each team bind before adding force only once the referee has restarted play. A rugby maul — when teammates bind to the ball carrier and push forward on their feet — becomes very tightly bound. In a tush push, players have different individual roles and responsibilities. In the NFL, players cannot interlock their hands and arms while blocking. 'American football is a five-second explosion, whereas rugby union, you could play for 40 seconds, 60 seconds, 120, and still be going through phase after phase. So rugby players would struggle to adapt to football and vice versa,' Gray explains. Gray's first gig in the NFL was with the Dolphins in 2016. He was taught what he describes as the the game 'everybody loves but no one understands (outside of the U.S.)' by great minds like Vance Joseph, now Denver Broncos defensive coordinator, Matt Burke, currently defensive coordinator at the Houston Texans, and Ken O'Keefe, who most recently served as University of Iowa's quarterbacks coach from 2017 to 2021. Gray has developed a league-wide reputation through his equipment and coaching. His Global Sports Innovation (GSI) Performance equipment, consisting of 52 products that are training aids for collision sports, is stocked across rugby and by 23 NFL franchises, distributed in the U.S., Canada, and South America through Riddell, the NFL's helmet supplier. Advertisement As we talk, he mentions an upcoming job with the New York Giants. Much has changed since he was at the Eagles, who he occasionally revisits, in 2023. The addition of running back Saquon Barkley — and his subsequently historic 2024 season — proved the missing piece as Philadelphia muscled their way to their second Super Bowl in seven years. And despite the attempt to ban it, the tush push has taken on a life of its own. 'There's a huge amount of decoys off the back of it. So it's become like a play within a play. Everybody's so focused on what's going to happen here, and then all of a sudden somebody runs around the back,' says Gray. 'The snap count can be a real problem, too, because defenders try to beat the count by diving over the top.' Gray watched the Eagles' convincing 40-22 win over the Chiefs from the comfort of his own home. He slept easily knowing his contribution had made a telling impact throughout the season. 'I'm sure I was working early the next morning, so I couldn't stay up right through the night,' he recalls. 'And ironically, I stayed up because I think they scored a touchdown off the shove. It was the first touchdown they scored. So literally, I watched that (up until half-time), and I thought, right, that'll do me. I'm off to my bed.' (Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Photos via Getty Images)
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Heriot-Watt student turns meat netting into prize-winning outfit
Forget Paris and Milan - an aspiring Scottish designer's prize-winning dress is going on show in the offices of food packaging Lai turned a roll of meat netting into a three-piece outfit featuring Pictish third-year student at Heriot-Watt University's school of textiles and design in Galashiels was the pick of the judges in the competition sponsored by East Kilbride company, Scobie & well as featuring in part of their stand at a recent German trade fair, Verna's designs will have a permanent home at their headquarters. She said: "The piece has been to Germany and I'm told is now coming back to Scotland to have a home in the entrance to the company's East Kilbride offices - this is moment of pride for me."Scobie & Junor approached the school of textiles and design last year to commission an outfit made from meat known as 'butcher's netting', the product is commonly made from a warp-knitted synthetic material and often incorporates natural rubber to enhance is used to maintain the shape of roasts or other cuts of meat such as pork loin, turkey breast, or roast beef, while they cook. Verna was one of six students who took up the challenge to create fashionwear from the used about 60m (200ft) of the netting to create the blue three-piece outfit of a tank-top, cape and skirt - all featuring Pictish Galashiels-based student added: "The fabric was unconventional as you only ever see it in the supermarket."Scobie & Junor wanted to create something different for the trade show in Germany."My outfit has a lot of Scottish cultural inspiration - and I think this impressed them." The Picts ruled the northern parts of Scotland up to about the 9th unique symbolism remains a focus of academic Moorhouse from Scobie & Junor said: "Seeing our meat netting transformed into a striking fashion piece has been both inspiring and thought-provoking."It's a testament to the creativity of the next generation of designers and a reminder that innovation often comes from the most unexpected places."
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Family sells Galashiels Pavilion cinema after more than 30 years
A historic cinema in the Borders has been sold after being run by the same family for more than 30 Pavilion Cinema in Galashiels first opened its doors in 1920 and has been operated by the Poole family since Andrew Poole confirmed the business had been sold to leading independent national operator Merlin said that after more than three decades in charge his family felt the time was right to "pass the baton on". "During our tenure at the Pavilion, my family and I have enjoyed tremendous support from over three million amazingly loyal customers and we can't thank them enough for their custom, through the good times and the bad times," he said."But we leave the Pavilion cinema in very safe hands. "Merlin has 19 other cinemas across the UK - including two other Scottish sites in Ayr and Thurso."He said that they had invested significantly in the cinema over their time in charge and the deal would ensure it continued to operate for some time to come. "We've survived the Covid crisis, the cost of living crisis, a couple of writers' strikes and the recent actors' strike," he said."And the cinema is still here. This deal ensures the cinema's future for many years to come."He added that the "greatest asset" was the site's staff."Without their unwavering support, hard work and dedication we wouldn't have a business to hand over to Merlin," he said."So, I would like to thank all of them, past and present, for their time over the past 31 years."I'm delighted to say that all our employees will be transferred to Merlin with their employment continuing with them when the handover completes in mid-June." Geoff Greaves, managing director of Merlin Cinemas, said it looked forward to continuing the Poole family's "fantastic work"."This much-loved venue has a rich history and a loyal audience, and we are excited to build on that legacy," he said."The cinema will remain open during the period of Merlin taking over and we look forward to a smooth transition."The site on the town's Market Street opened in 1920 as a dance hall, theatre and Poole family took over in 1993, converted it to four screens in 1995 and became fully digital in Cinemas started 35 years ago with a single-screen site in Penzance but has since expanded to operate 19 sites across the UK.
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire player forced to cash out after facing tricky history question with no lifelines - but would YOU have survived it?
A Who Wants To Be A Millionaire player was forced to cash out after facing a tricky history question with no lifelines. Sunday's instalment of the ITV quiz show saw Jeremy Clarkson welcome June Walker, from Galashiels, as she attempted to win some cash. June worked her way through the questions up until the £125,000 point where she found herself stuck and had ran out of lifelines. The question read: 'Which of these was a plot to assassinate Elizabeth I? A: Rye House Plot, B: Bye Plot, C: Babington Plot, D: Despard Plot.' June deliberated: 'The only one that's really sticking out is Babington, because I'm sure there was someone Babington involved in the plot.' She weighed up the pros and cons of taking the risk, and added: 'I stand to gain more than I lose but it's a lot of money to lose when we need to rebuild the business.' 'Babington shouting at me but maybe I'm just a tight Scot,' June said. In the end, she decided to take the money and reasoned: 'I'd rather kick myself by taking the money and finding out I had been right, than kick myself for not taking the money and finding out I was wrong.' June went on: 'I don't know well enough, take the money final answer.' The former Top Gear host supported June's decision and commented: 'Okay, can't say I blame you. It does mean you are leaving here with a whopping £64,000.' It comes after Amy, from Stroud, also attempted to win some cash but suffered a similarly eye-watering loss after getting stuck on a question. The tourism officer eventually set a safety net at £32,000 and worked her way through to the £125,000 question. It read: 'Which of these species of trees lives the longest? A: Yew, B: Oak, C: Sweet chestnut, D: Beech.' 'I kill a lot of my plants so trees are not my strong suit,' Amy commented. 'I know an Oak tree is very old, but I don't know if that's just old tales and hearing that, and it's a very English tree to grow.' She added: 'I don't know a Sweet chestnut and I've seen a Yew tree and a Beech tree, but they've never told me how old they are.' Amy considered 'taking a chance' at the question but Jeremy interjected: 'Let me just explain the current situation, if you did take a chance and got it right, that would be great, you'd win £125,000.' He added: 'If you get it wrong, you lose £32,000 but you still go home with £32,000.' After some thought, Amy said: 'I think I might as well go for it, no point in not doing it, right?' 'I'm going to go for Oak, final answer,' Amy said. Jeremy called her 'unbelievably brave' but revealed she had answered incorrectly. The correct answer was in fact Yew. 'Oh I am sorry Amy, but I just love your attitude and you are leaving her with £32,000 which is pretty good,' Jeremy said.
The Sun
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who Wants to be a Millionaire player with no lifelines forced to take money after history question – did you know it?
A WHO Wants to be a Millionaire player with no lifelines walked away after a difficult history question - but do you know it? Jeremy Clarkson welcomed June Walker, from Galashiels, to the hot seat in Sunday night's episode. 4 4 4 After getting through the first few rounds, she seemed stuck on a tricky history question. With a possible £125,000 up for grabs, there was a lot riding on answering correctly. The question asked: "Which of these was a plot to assassinate Elizabeth I?" A) Rye House Plot, B) Bye Plot, C) Babington Plot and D) Despard Plot." Having used all her lifelines earlier in the show, she was therefore completely on her own. June had an inkling about one option but ultimately decided to play safe. She told Jeremy: "I don't know it well enough. No. Take the money, final answer." As a result, she walked away having won an incredible £64,000. It's not the first time contestants have been forced to walk away on the ITV show. A past episode saw Matthew Trantor, a GP from Birmingham, hope to win big. Matthew made his way up the ladder to £64,000, set his safety net and then looked at the £125,000 question. Watch as Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant walks away from tough £125k question He was asked: "Which of these words coined by famous children's authors appeared first in print?" Former Top Gear host Jeremy then offered up "Snozzcumber, Heffalump, Chortled and Quaffle," as options. However, it was clear that Matthew wasn't feeling too confident. He said: "Literature isn't my strong point and children's literature is even lower. Who has won the jackpot on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has offered hundreds of hopeful contestants the chance to become millionaires, but there has only been a handful of lucky winners. There have only been five real winners so far on the show as Charles Ingram, who was the third winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2001, had his claim to the prize thrown out because of cheating allegations. The official winners are... Judith Keppel In 2000, garden designer Judith Keppel made quiz show history as she became the first ever winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Judith is also the only woman ever to have won the million-pound prize. David Edwards Former physics teacher David became the second contestant to win the top prize in April 2001. Following his success, Edwards went on to compete in both series of Are You an Egghead? in 2008 and 2009. Robert Brydges Oxford-educated banker Robert became the third Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? champion when he won the quiz show several moths after David in 2001. Robert has stayed out of the limelight since his win. Pat Gibson World champion Irish quiz player Pat won the show in 2004. Amazingly Pat had TWO of his lifelines still available for his final question, something no other winner has managed. Ingram Wilcox Ingram came close to losing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2006 as he had used all his lifelines up at the £32,000 mark, but in a shocking twist he went on to scoop the jackpot. "And I have nothing I can even go off. "If I answered this, it'll be a one in four chance and I don't think the audience's hearts can take that. "So with no regrets, I'm gonna walk." Who Wants to be a Millionaire airs on ITV1 and ITVX. 4
