National Football League News and Rumors
Russell Wilson sets record for postseason passing yards by a rookieCurtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com We previously detailed many of the records set during the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs this weekend. Another was set by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson threw for 385 yards as the Seahawks nearly rallied from a 20-point fourth… |
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CHICAGO (AP) -- Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will interview a second time for the Chicago Bears' coaching job. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Eagles will conduct a second interview with Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley on Tuesday. And while that’s being interpreted as a sign that the Eagles are closing in on hiring Bradley, Bradley is still making other plans. Albert Breer of … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Earlier tonight, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune reported that the Bears have two finalists for their head-coaching job. That number may actually be three. According to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians al… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com [Editor's note: We embarked on this effort a week ago, hoping to do a daily update of all coaching and G.M. vacancies. Lately, I've been forgetting to do it as often as I've been remembering. If I didn't own the place, I'd be concerned about my own … |
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A person familiar with the situation says the Carolina Panthers interviewed Pat Shurmur and Hue Jackson Monday for their vacant offensive coordinator position. |
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Adam Schefter, ESPN.com The Chicago Bears have entered their second phase in finding a head coach and will speak again with a pair of candidates, including Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Bears G.M. Phil Emery has traded in his shotgun for a scalpel. According to David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune, at least one of the baker’s dozen candidates for the head-coaching job has been told that only two will be brought to Halas Hall for a second… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As the Browns search for a General Manager, there’s finally a favorite for the job. And some in the Cleveland media will be happy to know that it’s not Mike Lombardi. Per a league source, Chiefs director of pro personnel Ray Farmer is believed to have… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Police in Jersey City say they've been trying to contact Tennessee Titans wide receiver and former Rutgers star Kenny Britt to question him about an incident Sunday in which he allegedly drove a friend to the hospital after the man had been stabbed at a… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Over the weekend, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that the Bears soon will trim down their list of 13 known coaching candidates, conducting a second round of interviews that will involve not only G.M. Phil Emery but also team president Ted Phillips and … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik has given no indication he intends to extend quarterback Josh Freeman’s contract, allowing him to walk into the final year of his deal in 2013. But he said Monday that Freeman and his representatives understood wh… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Cleveland Browns are close to selling naming rights for their stadium to an energy company based in Akron, Ohio, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Tim Tebow’s big brother is sorry for taking delight in the loss of Tebow’s former team. Peter Tebow went on Twitter immediately after the Broncos’ loss to the Ravens on Saturday and said he was happy to see the Broncos lose. He also took a shot at P… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com When the Lions announced Monday that they were parting ways with special teams coach Danny Crossman, it was expected that he’d be heading to Buffalo to join the staff of the Bills’ new head coach Doug Marrone. It didn’t take long for that to happen.… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com On Sunday, I weighed in on why I disagree with Tim Ryan, the former Bears defensive tackle and current FOX analyst who was the only All-Pro voter who didn’t cast a vote for Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. On Monday, Ryan called me and gave me his explana… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com After the Seahawks’ first offensive series of the game, tight end Zach Miller left the field and went to get his foot checked out by the team’s medical staff. His return was called questionable a short time later, but Miller didn’t miss more than a … |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com John Fox would tell Peyton Manning to take the knee again. |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Chargers officials picked up Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy in Denver on Monday and took him back to interview in San Diego, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com John Dorsey called becoming the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs the "perfect storm." The word "serendipity" may have been more appropriate. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Falcons didn’t get much use out of John Abraham yesterday, but Falcons coach Mike Smith indicated his only real pass-rusher’s injury wasn’t terribly serious. Abraham only played 15 snaps yesterday after aggravating an ankle injury and leaving in… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick had an unprecedented running performance, Denver’s Trindon Holliday had an unprecedented returning performance, and the Patriots keep winning games behind Tom Brady’s passing. Kaepernick, Holliday and Brady a… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com We’d need a lot more than an hour to talk about everything worth talking about from this weekend’s Divisional Round of the playoffs, but an hour’s all we’ve got. So it’s going to be a sprint from start to finish on Monday’s Pro Football Talk o… |
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Drew Magary, deadspin.com Reader Corey wrote in and said he made this shirt for Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers while Quizz was in college. It is the first known display of personality shown by a Falcons player in the Mike Smith era. I feel like I know this team so much be… |
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Lynn Zinser, nytimes.com Fan behavior in San Francisco has led to an increased police presence at 49ers games; 92 people were ejected from the game against the Packers on Saturday. |
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Benjamin Hoffman, nytimes.com San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a chance to be the first quarterback known at least as much for his running as for his passing to win a Super Bowl. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Before the Rams could ever walk away from their lease in St. Louis, the Convention and Visitors Commission would have to refuse to make the improvements required to put the Edward Jones Dome in the top 25 percent of all stadiums. And before the CVC can … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com … |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com We’ve got a rematch in the AFC Championship Game, which means the Ravens are trying to avoid a repeat of last year’s painful loss to the Patriots. Lee Evans couldn’t catch a pass in the end zone that he should have caught and then Billy Cundiff miss… |
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Barry Petchesky, deadspin.com Let's go back to the halcyon days of 2007, when an unheralded sixth-round pick named Derek Anderson outplayed Charlie Frye and Brady Quinn to become the Browns starter. Anderson would make the Pro Bowl and win 10 games as he led Cleveland to its best se… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Knowing he’s going to be under fire the entire offseason, many of his Texans teammates are rushing to the defense of quarterback Matt Schaub. Which is a prudent course to take, of course, since they’re stuck with him. “Have they ever been in his sho… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com We'll certainly be covering all aspects of the conference championship matchups through the week at Shutdown Corner, but here are a few general observations about the upcoming AFC Championship game. AFC Championship Game Baltimore Ravens at New England … |
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Jay Busbee, yahoo.com The Jackson County (Mo.) Medical Examiner's office has released autopsy results for Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins, marking some of the final elements of the murder-suicide in Kansas City last December. Belcher murdered Perkins at their shared home,… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The injury news on tight end Rob Gronkowski was not good, but the Patriots appear to have dodged a bullet in regard to running back Danny Woodhead. Woodhead injured his thumb early in Sunday’s 41-28 victory over the Texans and did not return to the cont… |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com All due respect to Rob Gronkowski and his unique skill set, but the Patriots will survive without their tight end's presence. Sidelined with a broken arm, Gronk is forced to miss the remainder of the postseason as the Patriots move on to face the Ravens… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Titans decided to hold onto head coach Mike Munchak, but they’re parted ways with several assistant coaches since the end of the regular season. That’s not sitting all that well with tight end Jared Cook. Cook is slated to become a free agent come… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly can’t give away his team’s G.M. job, even though he reportedly tried to give away $1 million for the purposes of buying, by Manhattan standards, a no-bedroom, 1/2-bath apartment. There are several reasons for the Je… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Philadelphia Eagles interviewed former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt on Monday morning as they continued their search to replace Andy Reid. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Broncos coach John Fox says quarterback Peyton Manning does not deserve the blame for Saturday’s loss to the Ravens. The Broncos’ secondary, however, is another story. Fox acknowledged at his season-ending press conference today that it took a major s… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com When Seahawks coach Pete Carroll tried to excuse his decision to ice kicker Matt Bryant, Carroll said that officials told him before the game that “practice kicks” would not be allowed. But there’s a difference between the “practice kicks” that … |
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Barry Petchesky, deadspin.com We called this one a couple of months ago, but the Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross made it official today—they want to make $400 million worth of renovations to Sun Life Stadium, and they want state and local governments to pay for some, possibly most o… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Cam Cameron is interviewing Monday for the New York Jets' vacant offensive coordinator position, sources told ESPN. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com That professional football players are willing to endure pain — both present and future — isn’t necessarily news. But sometimes a story stops you in your tracks, and reminds you what they’re putting on the line on a weekly basis. Dan Le Batard of … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Despite the first consecutive playoff appearances in non-strike seasons in franchise history, the Bengals know that it’s not easy to sell tickets to Paul Brown Stadium. So they’re cutting prices. Again. Specifically, prices for season tickets will b… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com More changes are coming on the Lions’ coaching staff. The Lions fired wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, running backs coach Sam Gash and offensive line coach George Yarno immediately after the season, and now changes appear to be coming on special t… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Mike McCoy train is gaining speed, and it looks like you better hurry if you want on board. As we mentioned earlier, the Broncos offensive coordinator is interviewing with the Chargers today. Now, FOX’s Jay Glazer reports that the Cardinals are tryi… |
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Field Yates, ESPN.com The Patriots hired former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to a position on their coaching staff, coach Bill Belichick announced Monday. |
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'Youth will be served,' they say. Don't tell that to Tom Brady. Surrounded by the future at QB in these playoffs, he won't give up his legacy without a fight, Michael Rosenberg writes. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Patriots put up an impressive performance against the Texans on Sunday afternoon, allowing them to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second straight year. They’ll be facing the Ravens next week, just as they did last season, and Tom Curra… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Patriots advanced to another AFC Championship Game with Sunday’s win over the Texans, but they aren’t going to have tight end Rob Gronkowski against the Ravens. Gronkowski re-injured the left forearm he broke earlier this season and will need to h… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com With a day to think about it, Brendon Ayanbadejo would like to recant his claims about the Patriots. Ayanbadejo, the Ravens linebacker who ripped the Patriots on Twitter Sunday night over Spygate and an offense that Ayanbadejo described as a “gimmick… |
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Barry Petchesky, deadspin.com The NFL is invincible. After a season of unnecessary distractions and safety crises and owner collusion and labor stoppages, in the course of two days the sport managed to put on two games that were so good they make you want to run through a fucking br… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The end of the Packers season accelerated thinking about whether or not wide receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings would return to the team for the 2013 season. They aren’t the only Aaron Rodgers targets with an uncertain future in Green Bay. Tight … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com In the days after the Browns fired G.M. Tom Heckert, word emerged that the Browns requested permission to interview Vikings assistant G.M. George Paton. But an interview never happened. There are two different versions in league circles as to what happe… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Here’s a bit more evidence that the Jets aren’t having the easiest time finding someone to take their general manager job. According to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, the Jets were going to include a $1 million housing allowance in the deal they w… |
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Lynn Zinser, nytimes.com The sum total of the weekend's four N.F.L. games: 3,598 yards, 35 touchdowns and that whole defense-wins-championships canard takes one right in the kisser. |
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Tom Ley, deadspin.com Infinite Manningfaces For The Game Of The Year And Colin Kaepernick Fooling All Of Wisconsin: Saturday's NFL Playoff Games, In GIFs | This may well be remembered as the game of the season, in no small part because conditions conspired to make things nea… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com After any close game, there are moments to which either side can point as affecting the ultimate outcome. But whenever the tuck rule rears its head, Putin-style, in any contest of consequence, it stands out. On Saturday night, the tuck rule was applied… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Texans owner Bob McNair bemoaned his team’s lack of depth, but the reality is it’s as simple as bad luck. “Last year and this year for some reason, players that we’ve lost have been key players,” McNair said, via Tania Ganguli of the Houston Chr… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Although police say Titans receiver Kenny Britt is refusing to cooperate in an investigation into a stabbing and shooting in New Jersey over the weekend, Britt released a statement through a spokesman saying he will talk to police. Police in Bayonne, Ne… |
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Toni Monkovic, nytimes.com The Broncos' coach has received withering criticism after a stunning loss Saturday, but in at least one key decision, time might have been on his side. |
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Denver's CBS Affiliate Seems Really Confused About Which Teams Are Playing In The AFC ChampionshipJan 14
Timothy Burke, deadspin.com As you already know, the Denver Broncos fell this weekend to the Baltimore Ravens in a double-OT thriller. The city of Denver, it seems, is still a bit in denial. Here's a graphic that ran during last night's 6 p.m. newscast, one that's exceptionally bi… |
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Monday morning one-linersJan 14
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com LB Bryan Scott hopes the new regime in Buffalo wants to keep him with the Bills. Did the Marlins make it harder for the Dolphins to get the stadium money they want? Shane Vereen made sure the Patriots didn’t suffer because of Danny Woodhead’s injury. … |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Everyone covering passes for the Denver Broncos: You can blame safety Rahim Moore all you want for losing coverage on the 70-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds left in regulation of the Baltimore Ravens' 38-35 overtime w… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Colin Kaepernick, quarterback, San Francisco 49ers: Much of the talk in the week leading up to the 49ers' divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers centered on how Kaepernick would handle his first playoff game in the NFL. After all, Alex Sm… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com During the pre-game lull of storylines, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt spitting and wiping his feet on the Patriots logo was the kind of thing that got a lot of attention. But after his team absorbed a 41-28 loss, Watt said it wasn’t a symbolic gesture,… |
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Andy Benoit, nytimes.com The most dramatic play and the most dramatic decision were more about one team's mistakes than another team's greatness. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Much had been made about the playoff drought the Falcons ended yesterday, the one that went back to the 2008 debut of quarterback Matt Ryan, coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff in Atlanta. But when Tony Gonzalez, whose own streak last… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Falcons kicker Matt Bryant Norwooded a 49-yard field goal attempt that came after a timeout was called at the end of Sunday’s NFC playoff thriller, and FOX cameras promptly showed an incredulous Seahawks coach Pete Carroll apparently arguing to an offic… |
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George Bretherton, nytimes.com Crushing playoff defeats have been the norm for a franchise that hasn't had much luck or success in the N.F.L. But a wild finish against Seattle could be a turning point for the Falcons. |
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It’s a bit of a letdown that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning won’t battle it out in the AFC Championship Game next week with a chance for Manning to close the gap on Brady on the list of the all-time greats. |
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Disappointed in how the playoffs' started? With offense everywhere and legends making their mark, for good and bad, the divisional round easily made up for it, writes Peter King. |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Houston Texans wide receiver DeVier Posey suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the team's 41-28 loss to the New England Patriots in an AFC divisional-round game on Sunday, the Houston Chronicle reported. |
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Matt Ryan watched in relative seclusion as Matt Bryant lined up for the 49-yard field goal with 13 seconds to play at the Georgia Dome on Sunday. The kick would determine whether the Falcons would suffer another ignominious playoff defeat or move within… |
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Ray Lewis Is Truly Awesome Ray Lewis has described many things as awesome. He dieted and exercised before this season and showed up to camp at his ... |
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We Went There: 49ers-PackersJan 14
Kevin Greene walked through the tunnel, hands in pockets, eyes fixed on his feet. As some players jogged and some players sulked, the coach of the Pac... |
