Latest news with #LombardiTrophies
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Saquon Barkley's recent career confession isn't exactly the news Eagles fans want to hear
Nothing lasts forever. Sometimes, we wish that weren't the case. Sometimes, we wish we could bottle up the best memories, shake them up, stir them up, and pour them into a garden so we can grow more of them. If Saquon Barkley never played another snap for the Philadelphia Eagles, he has done his job and given us enough memories for a lifetime. If Saquon Barkley never played another snap for the Eagles, depending on who you ask, he might already be the best free-agent signing in this franchise's history. Here's the best part. He isn't done! He signed a three-year deal when he joined the organization in March 2024. He signed a two-year extension last March, but don't take anything for granted. There are no guarantees he's sticking around to play it out. Some of these podcasts need to vanish and do so quickly. They do. Every day, new ones are born, and most miss the mark like Charles Barkley hoisting one from the three-point stripe. Names aren't necessary. Let's instead focus on some of the winning brands: New Heights, Exciting Mics, and Green Light with Chris Long are three that come to mind almost immediately. During a recent airing of the latter, Chris interviewed Saquon Barkley for about 43 minutes. It's an intriguing watch, but it offers a sad but honest reminder that even the great Saquon is mortal. "I'll probably be one of those guys that (will announce retirement) out of nowhere. I'll probably just wake up one day, whether it's next year or two years or four years, and just be like, 'Yeah, it's over. I don't think I will ever lose that passion. I'm just a competitor. The competitive nature is always going to be there." Yeah, after watching Saquon break long runs every week last season and asking ourselves, 'Where has this guy been?', no one wants to envision a world without him. Can we at least get a few more years out of this and, if at all possible, at least one or two more Lombardi Trophies? Then, if Saquon wants to walk away, we would support his decision. He's like the perfect dessert to a five-star meal. He's at the top of his game on the best roster he's ever played on. As Jalen Hurts said towards the end of Super Bowl 59, Saquon was indeed the 'last piece' to the Eagles' championship puzzle. He's also a fan of Barry Sanders, and we know how his career ended. Barkley's following statement was more frightening than the former. "One of my favorite players of all time, probably my favorite player of all time, is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that. Maybe one day it will be out of nowhere. I'll probably be ballin' and just be like, 'Yeah' and call it quits." Again, no one wants to think about that. Then again, the running back position is football's most punishing. We've seen Barry retire early. We've read and seen the stories of Jim Brown retiring while still in his prime. No man knows the day or the hour, not even Saquon himself. When he calls it a career, it will be a sad day, one we'll ultimately have to accept. All we ask is a little more time to appreciate this gift. He's an Eagle now. History won't remember him as a member of that team in New York. Neither will we, but let's hope he's having too much fun to think about his mortality right now. This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Saquon Barkley talks retirement and Barry Sanders
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Saquon Barkley's recent career confession isn't exactly the news Eagles fans want to hear
Saquon Barkley's recent career confession isn't exactly the news Eagles fans want to hear During a recent interview, Saquon Barkley told Chris Long that he'll probably be one of those guys who retires out of nowhere. Nothing lasts forever. Sometimes, we wish that weren't the case. Sometimes, we wish we could bottle up the best memories, shake them up, stir them up, and pour them into a garden so we can grow more of them. If Saquon Barkley never played another snap for the Philadelphia Eagles, he has done his job and given us enough memories for a lifetime. If Saquon Barkley never played another snap for the Eagles, depending on who you ask, he might already be the best free-agent signing in this franchise's history. Here's the best part. He isn't done! He signed a three-year deal when he joined the organization in March 2024. He signed a two-year extension last March, but don't take anything for granted. There are no guarantees he's sticking around to play it out. Brace yourself for Saquon Barkley's recent confession. Some of these podcasts need to vanish and do so quickly. They do. Every day, new ones are born, and most miss the mark like Charles Barkley hoisting one from the three-point stripe. Names aren't necessary. Let's instead focus on some of the winning brands: New Heights, Exciting Mics, and Green Light with Chris Long are three that come to mind almost immediately. During a recent airing of the latter, Chris interviewed Saquon Barkley for about 43 minutes. It's an intriguing watch, but it offers a sad but honest reminder that even the great Saquon is mortal. "I'll probably be one of those guys that (will announce retirement) out of nowhere. I'll probably just wake up one day, whether it's next year or two years or four years, and just be like, 'Yeah, it's over. I don't think I will ever lose that passion. I'm just a competitor. The competitive nature is always going to be there." Yeah, after watching Saquon break long runs every week last season and asking ourselves, 'Where has this guy been?', no one wants to envision a world without him. Can we at least get a few more years out of this and, if at all possible, at least one or two more Lombardi Trophies? Then, if Saquon wants to walk away, we would support his decision. He's like the perfect dessert to a five-star meal. He's at the top of his game on the best roster he's ever played on. As Jalen Hurts said towards the end of Super Bowl 59, Saquon was indeed the 'last piece' to the Eagles' championship puzzle. He's also a fan of Barry Sanders, and we know how his career ended. Barkley's following statement was more frightening than the former. "One of my favorite players of all time, probably my favorite player of all time, is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that. Maybe one day it will be out of nowhere. I'll probably be ballin' and just be like, 'Yeah' and call it quits." Again, no one wants to think about that. Then again, the running back position is football's most punishing. We've seen Barry retire early. We've read and seen the stories of Jim Brown retiring while still in his prime. No man knows the day or the hour, not even Saquon himself. When he calls it a career, it will be a sad day, one we'll ultimately have to accept. All we ask is a little more time to appreciate this gift. He's an Eagle now. History won't remember him as a member of that team in New York. Neither will we, but let's hope he's having too much fun to think about his mortality right now.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
49ers should learn from Chiefs and stop making Super Bowl excuses
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, was asked about the challenge of resetting and resuming the relentless football grind after a Super Bowl defeat - February's blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles preventing Kansas City from becoming the first team to capture three successive Lombardi Trophies. "I feel like I focus every year, because I know how special of a run that we're on and how many years left I'll have with all these great players and a great team," said Mahomes. "And every team is different and you don't want to miss an opportunity. "When you lose a Super Bowl, I think there's sometimes in those workouts - you might be a little tired - (but) you have that extra, added motivation to finish even harder or finish even stronger." NFL POWER RANKINGS: Where teams stand post-draft It was the latest insight into the mindset of Mahomes and his dynasty - and both might have a case as the greatest in league history by the time their runs conclude - especially in the face of their rare setbacks. And let's not forget, the 2024 Chiefs somehow won a franchise record 15 regular-season games and, then, the conference - even though they couldn't protect Mahomes (sacked a career-high 36 times), couldn't consistently run the ball and lost No. 1 wideout Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Compare that to the 2024 49ers, who followed up their overtime loss to Kansas City in Super Bowl 58 with a 6-11 campaign - their worst since 2018, when the team was forced to use three starting quarterbacks. And, yes, last season's Niners were stripped of several key players - Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Dre Greenlaw, Javon Hargrave - due to injuries for most of the year. Yet coach Kyle Shanahan, who previously signaled his most recent outfit was out of sorts from training camp on, admitted Thursday, "I felt guys weren't ready to come back. And I understood that. But I told them how I won't really understand it this year." The dreaded Super Bowl hangover, emotional debilitation or whatever you want to call it felt like the latest excuse for an organization that's had several as its championship drought now extends beyond three decades. There was former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's fourth-quarter overthrow of wide open Emmanuel Sanders in Super Bowl 54, a game the 49ers probably win if the connection is made. There was safety Jaquiski Tartt's dropped interception in the fourth quarter of the 2021 NFC championship game - and if he hangs on, San Francisco (not the Los Angeles Rams) almost surely reaches Super Bowl 56. Then there was the late defensive collapse and Shanahan's controversial decision to receive the opening kickoff of overtime in Super Bowl 58 - which actually might have been the right call regardless - which Kansas City ultimately claimed 25-22 on a game-ending touchdown. The Niners have also been occasionally sideswiped by major injuries in recent seasons and always seem to be in the midst of significant contractual issues every summer - though that shouldn't be the case in 2025, especially now that Brock Purdy is no longer on the quarterbacking version of welfare. Still, funny how that stuff never seems to affect the Chiefs, who will reach the league's version of the final four no matter what roadblocks are thrown in front of them. Coach Andy Reid attributes much of it to his veteran leaders, players like Mahomes who don't skate during or skip out on the team's offseason program. "All the good leaders have been here," Reid said. "It's good to have them there. When they're there, it's a certain energy that comes with it. Expectations from all the ... new guys - free agent type or the college kids - and they set a tempo with that." Meanwhile, Shanahan's just glad to have perfect attendance for a change after so many years of having the spring and summer sidetracked in some capacity by financial standoffs between players and the front office. "I thought the coolest thing was everyone being there on the first day," Shanahan said in reference to the start of this year's offseason program. "We had every guy show up and I didn't have to call anyone and beg them, which said a lot." Sure does, even if Shanahan intended it as a compliment to his current crew after several expensive veterans were purged in recent months as the team cleared room for Purdy's five-year, $265 million extension. Tight end George Kittle, who was extended along with Purdy and linebacker Fred Warner, says having the business side of football resolved should help on the field. "I'm glad they decided to do that," said the six-time Pro Bowler. "That's awesome for us because now we have everybody in the building that's just focused on playing football and focusing on just getting a little bit better every single day. "It's good for football because now all we're focused on is football." San Francisco's stars paid, the team drawing the league's easiest schedule (the Niners' 2025 opponents had a collective winning percentage of .415 last season), McCaffrey apparently back to 100% and after an atypically long offseason to rest and recover, Shanahan knows this year's squad has little to rationalize. "The year before last year coming off the '23 season was one of the shorter breaks that we've had, having that tough loss in the Super Bowl and coming back really just like six weeks later," he said. "It's never fun to have January off, but those extra five weeks add up a lot, and I think guys were itching to get back this time, excited to get back, ready to go for the first day, and it's been a lot more fun that way." As for the Chiefs, saddled with another tough first-place schedule full of prime-time games plus a Week 1 pilgrimage to Brazil, they'll turn the adversity of an embarrassing Super Bowl showing into their own fun. "I think it'll be good for us at the end of the day," said Mahomes. "I mean, obviously looking back you want to win the game, but a lot of those (younger teammates) hadn't lost one - hadn't ended a season on a loss that are on this team now. So I'm sure they'll be motivated to go back out there and try to find a way to get to the Super Bowl and win it this year." A lesson the current 49ers have yet to learn and a goal they have yet to reach. All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Chiefs never make Super Bowl excuses – a lesson the 49ers must learn
It's patently fair to think that both the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will be among the leading contenders to win Super Bowl 60 at the end of the 2025 NFL season. Both teams have star-studded rosters. They've combined for 11 appearances in conference title games over the past seven seasons – K.C. qualifying each of those years – a period when no other club has made it that far more than twice. And, of course, the Chiefs and Niners have met on two of the past six Super Sundays. Yet Thursday seemed to illustrate a – maybe the – major difference between these proud franchises and might even be the reason that Kansas City beat San Francisco in those Super Bowls while winning another and appearing in five overall since the start of the 2019 campaign. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, was asked about the challenge of resetting and resuming the relentless football grind after a Super Bowl defeat – February's blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles preventing Kansas City from becoming the first team to capture three successive Lombardi Trophies. 'I feel like I focus every year, because I know how special of a run that we're on and how many years left I'll have with all these great players and a great team,' said Mahomes. 'And every team is different and you don't want to miss an opportunity. 'When you lose a Super Bowl, I think there's sometimes in those workouts – you might be a little tired – (but) you have that extra, added motivation to finish even harder or finish even stronger.' NFL POWER RANKINGS: Where teams stand post-draft It was the latest insight into the mindset of Mahomes and his dynasty – and both might have a case as the greatest in league history by the time their runs conclude – especially in the face of their rare setbacks. And let's not forget, the 2024 Chiefs somehow won a franchise record 15 regular-season games and, then, the conference – even though they couldn't protect Mahomes (sacked a career-high 36 times), couldn't consistently run the ball and lost No. 1 wideout Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Compare that to the 2024 49ers, who followed up their overtime loss to Kansas City in Super Bowl 58 with a 6-11 campaign – their worst since 2018, when the team was forced to use three starting quarterbacks. And, yes, last season's Niners were stripped of several key players – Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Dre Greenlaw, Javon Hargrave – due to injuries for most of the year. Yet coach Kyle Shanahan, who previously signaled his most recent outfit was out of sorts from training camp on, admitted Thursday, 'I felt guys weren't ready to come back. And I understood that. But I told them how I won't really understand it this year.' The dreaded Super Bowl hangover, emotional debilitation or whatever you want to call it felt like the latest excuse for an organization that's had several as its championship drought now extends beyond three decades. There was former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's fourth-quarter overthrow of wide open Emmanuel Sanders in Super Bowl 54, a game the 49ers probably win if the connection is made. There was safety Jaquiski Tartt's dropped interception in the fourth quarter of the 2021 NFC championship game – and if he hangs on, San Francisco (not the Los Angeles Rams) almost surely reaches Super Bowl 56. Then there was the late defensive collapse and Shanahan's controversial decision to receive the opening kickoff of overtime in Super Bowl 58 – which actually might have been the right call regardless – which Kansas City ultimately claimed 25-22 on a game-ending touchdown. The Niners have also been occasionally sideswiped by major injuries in recent seasons and always seem to be in the midst of significant contractual issues every summer – though that shouldn't be the case in 2025, especially now that Brock Purdy is no longer on the quarterbacking version of welfare. Still, funny how that stuff never seems to affect the Chiefs, who will reach the league's version of the final four no matter what roadblocks are thrown in front of them. Coach Andy Reid attributes much of it to his veteran leaders, players like Mahomes who don't skate during or skip out on the team's offseason program. 'All the good leaders have been here,' Reid said. 'It's good to have them there. When they're there, it's a certain energy that comes with it. Expectations from all the … new guys – free agent type or the college kids – and they set a tempo with that.' Meanwhile, Shanahan's just glad to have perfect attendance for a change after so many years of having the spring and summer sidetracked in some capacity by financial standoffs between players and the front office. 'I thought the coolest thing was everyone being there on the first day,' Shanahan said in reference to the start of this year's offseason program. 'We had every guy show up and I didn't have to call anyone and beg them, which said a lot.' Sure does, even if Shanahan intended it as a compliment to his current crew after several expensive veterans were purged in recent months as the team cleared room for Purdy's five-year, $265 million extension. Tight end George Kittle, who was extended along with Purdy and linebacker Fred Warner, says having the business side of football resolved should help on the field. 'I'm glad they decided to do that,' said the six-time Pro Bowler. 'That's awesome for us because now we have everybody in the building that's just focused on playing football and focusing on just getting a little bit better every single day. 'It's good for football because now all we're focused on is football.' San Francisco's stars paid, the team drawing the league's easiest schedule (the Niners' 2025 opponents had a collective winning percentage of .415 last season), McCaffrey apparently back to 100% and after an atypically long offseason to rest and recover, Shanahan knows this year's squad has little to rationalize. 'The year before last year coming off the '23 season was one of the shorter breaks that we've had, having that tough loss in the Super Bowl and coming back really just like six weeks later,' he said. 'It's never fun to have January off, but those extra five weeks add up a lot, and I think guys were itching to get back this time, excited to get back, ready to go for the first day, and it's been a lot more fun that way.' As for the Chiefs, saddled with another tough first-place schedule full of prime-time games plus a Week 1 pilgrimage to Brazil, they'll turn the adversity of an embarrassing Super Bowl showing into their own fun. 'I think it'll be good for us at the end of the day,' said Mahomes. 'I mean, obviously looking back you want to win the game, but a lot of those (younger teammates) hadn't lost one – hadn't ended a season on a loss that are on this team now. So I'm sure they'll be motivated to go back out there and try to find a way to get to the Super Bowl and win it this year.' A lesson the current 49ers have yet to learn and a goal they have yet to reach. All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL schedule makers deal Eagles a bad hand ahead of 2025 regular-season campaign
NFL schedule makers deal Eagles a bad hand ahead of 2025 regular-season campaign For the first time in NFL history, the defending Super Bowl champions won't place consecutive home games all season. Every once in a while, if you're like most, you think of Jason Kelce's iconic speech at the first-ever Philadelphia Eagles victory parade. That was a great day. He threw on full Mummers regalia and sang off-key about how everyone hated the City of Brotherly Love and its citizens didn't care. Though it didn't seem like much then, weird things have made us wonder if the G.O.A.T.'s words were more prophetic than we had initially given him credit for. Remember that slippery field at Super Bowl 57? Remember that strange holding call on James Bradberry when physical play was allowed for the entire game? It was almost as if the referees changed the strike zone in the bottom of the ninth inning in game seven with two outs. Sure, the Birds won another Super Bowl since then. Still, we feel like the refs owe us a few. The Eagles should have three Lombardi Trophies on the shelf. Say what you will about blaming the refs being bush league and everything. Maybe it is, but every once in a while, something else pops up. Each time it happens, it becomes easy to ask the question. Is it too far off base to say the NFL does have something against the Eagles? The NFL dealt the Eagles a bad hand with the structure of Philly's 2025 regular-season schedule. If you're like most, you made sure you were around a television or on your devices when the full Eagles schedule was revealed. You probably asked yourself a question. What's going on with the structure of this schedule? Consider this a good-news, bad-news scenario. Philadelphia won't rack up many frequent flier miles during the coming campaign. In total, they'll log 15,924. That ranks lowest among the NFC East's four teams. That's obviously the good news. The bad news is that they're the first defending Super Bowl champion in history to tackle an entire regular season without consecutive home games on their schedule. Couple that with the fact that they're scheduled for five primetime games, and we're obviously discussing an emotionally taxing, physically challenging, and mentally exhausting campaign. A.J. is already on record. He isn't a fan of the large number of primetime affairs. Traveling every other week seems like a worse proposition, though. This is undoubtedly a raw deal. Sure, we know the Birds will handle this with class, and no one will complain. Maybe they'll use this as a rallying call, but it's easy to side with Jason Kelce's stance. Perhaps the powers that be do have it out for the NFL's franchise in Philadelphia.
