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USA Today
04-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
When, how to watch Cowboys Zack Martin's retirement press conference
When, how to watch Cowboys Zack Martin's retirement press conference The end is here for Zack Martin. The nine-time Pro Bowl right guard will officially announce his retirement at The Star in Frisco on Wednesday, March 5 at 11 a.m. CT, the Cowboys have revealed. The press conference will be streamed live from the team website. He was a first-round draft pick out of Notre Dame in 2014, his selection drawing attention- at first- in that he was not polarizing Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was said to be infatuated with as the team came on the clock. But Martin quickly made a name for himself based on his dominating play in the trenches, earning first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie... and then going on to do it six more times over a total of eleven seasons in Dallas. He would make the second team twice, leaving only two years in which he was not named either the best or second-best right guard in the sport. Though he never got to enjoy deep postseason success, Martin's career will be remembered for consistent excellence. Moving forward, his name will likely always be accompanied by the mind-blowing stat that, over 171 starts (including playoffs), he was flagged for holding a grand total of seven times. Even more incredibly, not one of them ever came on a pass-protection play. Martin suffered an ankle injury during the Cowboys' Week 11 loss to Houston. He had to be helped off the field in what ended up being the final action of his stellar career. A few weeks later, it was announced that Martin would require surgery. Earlier that same day, Martin had been chosen to be the team's nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. "Zack's the best," quarterback Dak Prescott said this week. "It's hard to even fathom a locker room or huddle without Zack Martin. He's been here since I've been here and he's been a warrior. ... You just can't replace him with one guy. It's going to take myself and a bunch of other guys, and I'm not even talking about just on the field. I'm talking about the leadership he brings off of the field." The most dominant offensive lineman of his generation, Martin is widely considered to be a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day and perhaps the Cowboys' vaunted Ring of Honor.
Fox News
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Who are the 10 fastest players in the NFL Next Gen Stats era?
Next Gen Stats was adopted in 2016 and has been used to track various NFL analytics, primarily regarding speed. This allows us to analyze the fastest ball carriers in the league, and is defined as showing "the maximum speed, measured in miles per hour (MPH), a player achieves on a given play when carrying the ball on offense (rusher, passer or receiver) or special teams (punt or kick returner)." This stat highlights some of the fastest players at all positions throughout the league. On that note, here are the 10 fastest players in the Next Gen Stats era. A tight, back-and-forth Week 6 affair in the Meadowlands saw Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco get up a deep ball in the third quarter of a then-17-13 game before being crushed, and Wallace came down with a 70-yard completion after thundering behind New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins. While Baltimore ultimately lost 27-23, Wallace's completion saw him clock at 22.34 mph. The Dallas Cowboys were in a 14-0 second-quarter hole at home against the Houston Texans in Week 11. Then, Cooper Rush hit Turpin over the middle, and the wide receiver did the rest. After reeling in the pass, Turpin exploded downfield for a 64-yard touchdown, hitting 22.36 mph in doing so. It ended up being the Cowboys' only touchdown in an eventual 34-10 loss, but Turpin's scoring play marked the fastest time recorded by a Dallas player in the Next Gen Stats era. A Week 15 game between two teams with a losing record turned into a high-octane offensive smackdown, exemplified by Cooks' sizzling, second-quarter touchdown for the New Orleans Saints. On the second play of the drive, Drew Brees found an open Cooks, who snuck behind the Arizona Cardinals secondary at 22.40 mph, for a 65-yard touchdown— giving the Saints a 17-13 lead. In the end, Cooks finished with seven receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and helped the Saints to a 48-41 victory. Rhodes spoiled the Cardinals' aspirations of taking the lead late in the second quarter of a Week 11 matchup, as the cornerback intercepted quarterback Carson Palmer at the goal line and ran the pick back 100 yards for a touchdown, giving the Minnesota Vikings a 20-10 lead; he maxed out at 22.40 mph on the return. Rhodes finished the game with two interceptions, helping the Vikings get a 30-24 win. Diggs finished with nine receptions for 182 yards and one touchdown in a 17-14 Vikings victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. Furthermore, Diggs maxed out at 22.50 mph on one of his nine receptions. The win was also quarterback Sam Bradford's first game under center for the Vikings. Trailing the Cardinals 10-6 out of the halftime break in Week 13, Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins found Jackson for a 59-yard completion on the second play from scrimmage of the second half. Jackson topped at 22.60 mph on the play, which facilitated a go-ahead touchdown three plays later. That chunk play was actually Jackson's only reception in a 31-23 loss. The San Francisco 49ers began the 2020 season with a 24-20 loss at home to the Cardinals, but their running back made some history. On the first play of the 49ers' second possession, Jimmy Garoppolo got the ball out to Mostert, who then ran through Arizona's defense for a 76-yard touchdown, maxing out at 22.73 mph and giving them a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Mostert finished the game with 56 rushing yards on 3.7 yards per carry but also had four receptions for 95 yards and the aforementioned score. After the Kansas City Chiefs broke the ice with a second-quarter safety in a Week 12 divisional matchup, the Denver Broncos punted the ball back to Kansas City. Hill came down with the punt and proceeded to run around the Broncos for an 86-yard touchdown, giving the Chiefs a 9-0 lead. Hill's top speed on the return was 22.77 mph. The wide receiver also totaled nine receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown in a 30-27 Chiefs win. It was a day that saw countless players go down with injuries, but the 49ers still had their way with the New York Jets in Week 2, getting a 31-13 road victory. The tone was set on the first play from scrimmage, as Mostert got the call on the run and plowed through New York's defense for an 80-yard touchdown that saw him hit 23.09 mph. Ironically, Mostert rushed for just 12 yards on seven carries the rest of the game. The Chiefs suffered their first loss of the 2016 season in Week 2, losing on the road to the Houston Texans, 19-12, in a game that saw Kansas City fail to reach the end zone. But history was made in electric fashion, as Hill maxed out at 23.24 mph on a kick return that was called back, which stands as the fastest recorded speed in an NFL game in the Next Gen Stats era. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
New York Times
27-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Chiefs' all-out blitz with Super Bowl berth on the line is defensive play call of the year
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Most inside the Kansas City huddle knew the call before it came in. 'I had an intuition,' defensive end George Karlaftis admitted later. 'And I wasn't the only one.' Cornerback Trent McDuffie heard it and grinned, then darted to the left side of the field and eagerly awaited the snap. He knew the stakes. He knew the assignment. He'd been waiting all game for the chance to chase down Josh Allen. Here it was. 'I wanted that blitz,' McDuffie would say later, revisiting the pivotal play in Sunday's AFC Championship Game. GO DEEPER Chiefs hold off Bills to set up Super Bowl rematch with Eagles, keep 3-peat bid alive Two minutes remained. The Chiefs led the Bills by three, 32-29, and the Buffalo offense faced a fourth-and-5 from its own 47-yard line. A conversion would keep the Bills' chances alive; a stop would all but secure the Chiefs' third straight trip to the Super Bowl. The latest instant classic in the AFC's best running rivalry rested on one play. McDuffie's number had been called. Advertisement 'I looked at Trent and gave him those eyes,' safety Jordan Hicks said. 'It was like, time to go.' Brett Veach watched intently from the owner's suite at Arrowhead Stadium, worried that something he'd half-jokingly mentioned to his family earlier in the afternoon — 'first team to 35 wins' — was about to come true. 'God, I hope I'm not right,' the Chiefs' general manager told himself. Patrick Mahomes stood on the sideline, teeming with angst. 'I'm always nervous when the football is not in my hand,' the quarterback admitted. Owner Clark Hunt was less worried. 'I trust in Spags,' he'd say later, smiling. Spags. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. One of the best in league history. 'A wizard,' nose tackle Mike Pennel later called him. In his team's defining moment of the season — up to this point at least — Spagnuolo dialed up a devastating play call, one he hadn't used all game, overloading the right side of the Bills' line with pressure and sending his best cornerback, McDuffie, on an all-out blitz. GO DEEPER Why the Chiefs love Steve Spagnuolo: Exotic blitzes, tough love and home cooking Risky? Sure. Some of Spags' own players admitted as much. Bring that type of heat against a quarterback like Allen and you're gambling that he's not going to turn it into the kind of chunk play that sinks your season. Allen does that kind of thing as well as any quarterback in football. The Chiefs have learned this the hard way. They watched Allen bolt from the pocket on a game-clinching touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the Bills' Week 11 win — Kansas City's only real loss of the regular season. 'But that's who Spags is,' Chiefs safety Bryan Cook said. 'Life is about risk. The real question is: are you confident in the risk you're taking?' Spags was. He always is. 'I just figured they do something to beat man (coverage),' Spagnuolo said after the Chiefs' 32-29 victory clinched their spot in Super Bowl LIX. If I'm going to have somebody coming, (McDuffie) is a good guy to have.' Advertisement The Bills didn't see it coming. Neither did Tony Romo. efore the snap, the CBS color commentator told play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, '(Allen) is going to have time here.' The payoff came quickly and decisively: Allen was hurried from the pocket almost instantly. First it was safety Jordan Reid, untouched. Then it was McDuffie, also untouched. Finally it was Karlaftis, who forced the Bills quarterback to heave a prayer high into the Kansas City sky, then did his best to avoid falling on Allen 'to not get a dumbass penalty,' Karlaftis later said. Spagnuolo had gotten three Chiefs defenders into the Bills' backfield in under two seconds and forced Allen into a borderline Hail Mary with the Super Bowl berth on the line. It was the defensive play call of the year. '(Spagnuolo) waited all game to send the most exotic pressure,' Romo told Nantz. Still, the Bills had a shot. Allen's heave hung in the air for several seconds. Hicks lost it in the lights. I'm like, 'Holy sh—,'' he said. My heart dropped for a second.' McDuffie gazed back. Everything was in slow motion,' he remembered. All defensive tackle Chris Jones could think about was ending it. I'm tired,' he admitted later. Get us off the field!' Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid had a shot at securing the ball, but it bounced off his hands. Five plays later, the celebration was on at Arrowhead. After it was over, and while the confetti rained down — a staggering fifth trip to the Super Bowl clinched in the past six years — McDuffie sat on the bench next to Cook and soaked it all in. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He knows this isn't normal. He knows this isn't how the NFL works. Three years into his career, the 2022 first-round draft pick has still never lost a playoff game. All he knows are Super Bowls. 'This is something you're probably not gonna see again,' McDuffie said. You're not going to be able to go back-to-back-to-back.' GO DEEPER Super Bowl LIX projections, analysis: Chiefs meet Eagles in rematch As for the growing sense of Chiefs' fatigue, he hears it. t comes with the territory. Growing up, McDuffie's older brother Tyler was a New England Patriots fan, the league's last dynasty before the Chiefs' reign began. I used to hate the Patriots,' McDuffie said. So being in that position to be the ones everyone's hating? It's a great feeling.' Advertisement He smiled. Cigar smoke hung in the air while his teammates passed around the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The music thumped. Tickets to New Orleans had been punched. One more win and the Chiefs will bask in a feeling no team in history has ever experienced.
