LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Scott Satterfield has named former Cardinals standout and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch as the program's director of player development.
Branch played 12 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. He caught 21 passes in two Super Bowl victories with the Patriots, including 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles to tie a game record and earn MVP honors in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Branch was also a two-time All-Conference USA first team selection at Louisville from 2000-01. His No. 9 is among the program’s honored jerseys.
Satterfield welcomed Branch back to his alma mater in a release on Thursday and called him a recognizable name whom players can look up to. He added, “To have one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play at Louisville and a former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player join our staff, is a great addition to our football program.”
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Kyle Shanahan and Dan Quinn will always share the painful memory of coaching in the Super Bowl together with Atlanta five years ago when the Falcons couldn't hold a 25-point lead in the second half of a loss to New England.
At least now the San Francisco coach and the Dallas defensive coordinator will be able to talk about a more recent postseason moment they have in common.
The wild-card meeting Sunday between the visiting 49ers (10-7) and Cowboys (12-5) is the first in the playoffs involving both coaches since that crushing loss in Houston. Back then, Shanahan was Quinn's offensive coordinator when Atlanta's infamous 28-3 lead evaporated in a 34-28 overtime loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
“I think for both of us, you want to go back and certainly what we did and you talk about it and you say, ‘What did you learn from it?’” Quinn said. "Because otherwise the pain of not completing the deal would be lost on us.
“It’s a shared experience that we have but one hopefully years from now they’ll be some other things to talk about and in a better way. But hey I get it. A couple of years ago I would’ve been (upset) about it and tried to blow it off. I’m never going to look past it and (I'll) just take the things I learned and rock it from there.”
Shanahan took over the 49ers after the Super Bowl loss, while Quinn led the Falcons to the playoffs the next season before consecutive losing years set the stage for his firing with an 0-5 record last season. The Cowboys hired him in the offseason.
Now both have experienced Super Bowl losses as head coaches after San Francisco lost a fourth-quarter lead to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to finish the 2019 season.
They'll be two of three coaches at AT&T Stadium who have led teams to Super Bowls. Dallas coach Mike...
NEW YORK (AP) — The race to Super Bowl 56 in sunny southern California is about to begin.
And if the Green Bay Packers have anything to say about it, opposing teams will have to go through frigid Lambeau Field for an opportunity to get there.
The Packers finished the regular season with the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the top spot in the final AP Pro32 poll of the regular season.
The Packers earned all 12 first-place votes for 384 points in balloting Tuesday by media members who regularly cover the NFL.
Because Aaron Rodgers and the Packers earned the NFC’s bye, they will watch the wild-card weekend from home before knowing their opponent for the divisional round.
“Aaron Rodgers appears headed for a fourth MVP and, perhaps more importantly, a chance to address the only shortcoming on his resume,” Newsday’s Bob Glauber said.
“A second Super Bowl championship would check that box in dramatic fashion.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers remained at No. 2 in the poll. The Bucs, who beat the Packers in the NFC title game last season, are the No. 2 seed in the conference. The defending champs will open the postseason by hosting the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs inched up a spot to No. 3. The Chiefs will begin their drive for their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance as they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. The Steelers, who are a 12 1/2-point underdog in the game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, are the lowest-ranked playoff team in the poll at No. 14.
And the Tennessee Titans, who have the top seed in the AFC, gained a place to No. 4.
“Titans may not look dominating, but if (running back Derrick) Henry returns, look out,” Fox Sports’ John Czarnecki said.
The Dallas Cowboys climbed three spots...
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Monday following the team’s season-ending victory in Arizona.
According to King County Court records, Smith was arrested at 2:10 a.m. and was released from custody around 9:30 a.m. Smith was arrested by the Washington State Patrol, but no other information was immediately available.
“Geno is fully cooperative with the investigation. I hope that an open mind can be kept by all as the facts are ascertained," Smith's attorney Jon Fox said in a statement.
Smith has just completed his third season with the Seahawks and had the most extensive playing time of his tenure in Seattle. He appeared in four games and started three while Russell Wilson was out due to finger surgery. Smith threw for 702 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.
Smith had appeared in just one game during his first two seasons with Seattle. He was on a one-year contract with Seattle and will be a free agent after the end of the current NFL season.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Smith took part in end-of-season meetings Monday after he was released from custody.
“We have to let his people handle all of that. He was in the meeting today with us. I don't have anything other than that," Carroll said.
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RENTON, Wash. (AP) — After the first losing season in more than a decade it seems as if there will, or should, be changes coming for the Seattle Seahawks.
The unknown is how deep those changes will go and how involved owner Jody Allen will be with the direction moving forward.
Could they be massive and possibly include head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider, or quarterback Russell Wilson? Maybe. More likely is that there are superficial tweaks and the group that has led Seattle to the longest run of success in franchise history remains intact for another season
“She wants to make sure that we’re doing everything we can possibly do to get everything right,” Carroll said of Allen, who oversees the estate of her brother Paul Allen since his death in 2018. “She’s a terrifically competitive person in that regard and she doesn’t want any stone unturned. Exactly the way I look at it. I just feel so connected to that thought that that’s what we do.”
Seattle finished off its disappointing 7-10 season with a 38-30 win over Arizona on Sunday. Expected to be contenders in the NFC West, the Seahawks were left to play meaningless games at the end of the regular season and missed the playoffs for just the second time since Wilson was drafted in 2012.
The first losing season since 2011 doesn’t necessarily equal a complete overhaul. Wilson, Carroll and Schneider could all return in exactly the same roles and Seattle would likely again be considered a contender in the NFC.
But if the Seahawks are to graduate from playoff contender and back into the realm of championship caliber this could be the offseason of a more significant change.
“Who knows how wide the spectrum is of changes that will probably take (place), but something has to change,” wide receiver DK Metcalf...