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EDITOR PICKS

  • Watch: Carvajal's header delivers killer blow for Madrid in UCL final

  • An introduction to Top Soccer News on theScore ??

  • An introduction to Top Soccer News on theScore ??

  • Real Madrid beat Dortmund to win 15th European Cup

NFL

Titans name Texans DC Vrabel new head coach

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have hired Mike Vrabel as the 19th head coach in franchise history, the team announced Saturday.

Vrabel, 42, will replace Mike Mularkey, who was fired Monday. The Titans will give Vrabel a five-year contract, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

A 14-year NFL veteran and three-time Super Bowl champion, Vrabel spent the past four seasons coaching the Houston Texans, including 2017 as their defensive coordinator.

  • The Titans want to build what the Patriots have, which is why GM Jon Robinson was gung-ho about hiring former New England LB Mike Vrabel as head coach.

  • You want over/under win total projections for next season? We’ve got them for every team, from 32-1. Guess where the Tom Brady and the Patriots are.

  • We gathered a panel of NFL execs to break down the AFC Championship Game and NFC Championship Game. Did anyone take the Jaguars over the Patriots? Will the underdog Eagles win again?

2 Related

“We want to build a culture around winning, competitiveness and toughness,” Vrabel said. “Everything we do is going to be geared towards winning and being physical. We want to prepare our players so they know what to do, which will allow them to play fast and aggressive.”

The Texans, meanwhile, will replace Vrabel with Romeo Crennel, adding to his previous title of assistant head coach, coach Bill O’Brien told Fox 26 in Houston.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson handpicked Vrabel as his first interview candidate. Earlier this week, Robinson described his ideal head coach as being a “leader of men, team-first, detailed, tough and dependable,” qualities that Vrabel has received high praise for both as a coach and a player.

Robinson and Vrabel spent seven years together in New England, from 2002-08, when Vrabel was a player and Robinson was cutting his teeth in the Patriots’ scouting department. That relationship certainly played a role in this hire.

“I have always had a great deal of respect for Mike as a player and as a coach,” Robinson said. “I saw him up close as a player for the Patriots and saw how he prepared himself to be successful on a daily basis. He was the ultimate team-first player, and he embodies that same mindset as a coach. He is intelligent, energetic, detailed and a leader whose deep passion for this game will resonate with our players. As a coach, I have seen him develop talent at both the college and NFL level, and put players in position for them to be successful. I am excited to get him in front of our team and watch us grow together as a team.”

Vrabel is scheduled to be introduced by the Titans at a news conference Monday at Saint Thomas Sports Park.

Among Mike Vrabel’s top priorities as Titans head coach will be the development of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who took a big step back in his third NFL season. Erik Williams/USA TODAY Sports

Vrabel’s offensive staff will be extremely important, and it’s likely he detailed a solid plan to convince Robinson he could bring in strong coaches to maximize their offensive talent and get the most out of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who took a big step back in his third NFL season.

It’s yet to be seen who will fill the all-important roles of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Mariota’s development will be essential, and those hires could be just as important as Vrabel’s.

Most of the Titans assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, are under contract through the 2018 season, and Vrabel will decide which ones he will keep.

With this hire, the Titans prioritized culture, leadership and maximizing the talent on the field. Robinson said it was “paramount” that he and the new head coach be aligned in everything involving the Titans organization. They clearly believe they are.

“In the interaction between Mike and Jon during the interview, you could see their connection right away from the history they have with one another — seeing the game in a similar way and talking the same language,” controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said. “Mike has a commanding presence and a deep understanding for how he will attack this head coaching opportunity. Throughout his football career, he has played for, been mentored by and coached with successful teams and organizations. He knows what it takes to reach that level of sustained success — he has seen it first-hand. We have a chance to build on the solid foundation that we established over the past couple of years and I believe Mike is the right person to continue that progress.”

Vrabel’s first task will be selling his culture and mission to a strong Titans locker room that achieved the most success for this franchise since the 2003 season. Taking the next step from playoff team to championship contender won’t be easy, but Robinson and Strunk clearly believe Vrabel is up for the task.

The Titans also interviewed Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks for the job.

NFL

Vikes' Thielen, Sendejo questionable vs. Eagles

3:12 PM ET

  • Kevin SeifertNFL Nation

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    • ESPN.com national NFL writer
    • ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013
    • Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008

The Minnesota Vikings have designated Pro Bowl receiver Adam Thielen as questionable for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. But indications are strong that Thielen will start, despite a lower back injury that cost him one day of practice this week and limited him for two others.

Safety Andrew Sendejo (concussion) is also listed as questionable. But Sendejo was a full participant in practice Friday and appears set to start as well. Sendejo still must formally be cleared by an independent neurologist via an exam that will take place no later than Saturday.

Vikings receiver Adam Thielen has been limited this week by a lower back injury, though he is expected to play in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Eagles. Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire

In other injury news, cornerback Mackensie Alexander did not practice Friday because of an illness and is listed as questionable. The Vikings also ruled out defensive tackle Shamar Stephen (knee). Stephen is likely the only player on the roster who won’t be available for Sunday’s game.

Meanwhile, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer would not say whether Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater would back up quarterback Case Keenum. Bradford took that role from Bridgewater for last week’s divisional playoff round and is expected to do the same Sunday. Earlier this week, Zimmer left open the possibility that all three quarterbacks will be active.

NFL

Ill-advised Jimmy G trade will haunt Patriots if Tom Brady isn't right

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — At 4:13 p.m. Thursday, the New England Patriots tweeted news that jolted their loyal worshipers more than a double shot of espresso in their Dunkin’ Donuts coffee:

Quarterback Tom Brady, with an ailing right hand, didn’t participate in practice.

Three days before the AFC Championship Game, mind you.

The Patriots have a mini-crisis, and they’ll have no one to blame but themselves if this turns into the worst-case scenario — if Brady struggles and the defending Super Bowl champions lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

If that’s how it plays out, the Patriots will be subjected to an offseason of massive criticism, and it would be justified because they sold off the NFL’s best insurance policy — Jimmy Garoppolo — for 50 cents on the dollar.

Coach Bill Belichick might be the smartest football guy in the history of the sport, but he erred in trading Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick. Forget about the long-term implications; let’s focus on the now.

In Super Bowl-or-bust mode, always the case in these parts, Belichick decided to go Brady or bust by shipping out Garoppolo in a highly controversial trade. Brady has been terrific this season — he probably will be named the league’s MVP for the third time in his illustrious career — but he’s 40 years old and football is a contact sport.


Jacksonville (10-6) at New England (13-3), 3:05 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS.

• Jags’ blueprint to rattle Brady, Pats
• Belichick rewriting playoff record books
• Title game not redemption for Bortles
• Coughlin quickly put stamp on Jaguars
• Scouting Jaguars’ defense: Seattle 2.0
• Pats’ Lewis rolling after 985-day hiatus
• Ramsey guarantees Super Bowl win
• Sizing up the conference title games
• Big questions for final four | Schedule
• Barnwell: An improbable final four
• Why Jacksonville is a good bet

Guys get hurt, and Brady injured his famous right hand while colliding with a teammate in practice on Wednesday. There’s no way he will sit out Sunday, but if he suddenly starts throwing like Blake Bortles, everyone will know he’s not right. Brady’s hand will get more TV time than Curt Schilling’s right ankle/bloody sock got in the 2004 postseason.

What then?

Worse, what if Brady aggravates the injury and can’t finish the game?

Belichick will have no choice but to turn to Brian Hoyer, whose only postseason experience was a disaster. Starting for the Houston Texans in 2015, he threw four interceptions and passed for 136 yards in a 30-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

That would be the Patriots’ worst nightmare, and it would shine a harsh light on the Garoppolo trade and the story behind it. ESPN the Magazine recently reported that Belichick wasn’t on board with it, and that he was “furious and demoralized” when the deal went down at the trading deadline. The story reported that owner Robert Kraft, perhaps influenced by Brady, ordered the trade. Kraft, in an interview with The MMQB.com, told a conflicting version, saying Belichick was the driving force behind it.

Someone isn’t telling the truth.

The Patriots should’ve kept Garoppolo, who has blossomed into a star, even though it would’ve meant losing him after the season as a free agent. A third-round compensatory pick in 2019 isn’t as good as a second-round pick in 2018, but the risk-reward would’ve justified the lower compensation.

New England is in the business of winning now, and they left themselves vulnerable. It’s ironic, because they’ve been two steps ahead of the competition for nearly two decades, winning five Super Bowls. This season, they made one move too many, creating their current predicament.

On Thursday, players clammed up, refusing to acknowledge Brady’s injury. Before the injury report was released, safety Devin McCourty was asked how Brady looked in practice.

“Tom looks excellent every day,” he said. “[He’s] one of the best-looking people I’ve ever met.”

They can joke about it now. If Brady isn’t Brady and the Patriots fall one game short of the Super Bowl, the offseason fallout could get ugly.

NFL

NFL Insiders predict: Le'Veon Bell's best 2018 team fit

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell said last week that he’s prepared to sit out a season, or even retire, if he is hit with the franchise tag for the second consecutive year. The 25-year-old Bell played on a $12.1 million franchise tag in 2017, and that number is projected to increase to around $14.5 million for next season.

From the wild-card round through Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, ESPN.com has the playoffs covered.

• Schedule, coverage, more »
• Resetting the NFL playoff bracket »

Last July, Bell turned down a long-term contract that reports said was worth up to $30 million in the first two years because he felt the team didn’t value his full skill set.

The Steelers could let Bell test the free-agent market to try to get a long-term deal elsewhere. Pittsburgh drafted James Conner in the third round in 2017, and Fitzgerald Toussaint is a restricted free agent, so the Steelers have replacement options on their roster.

We asked our panel of ESPN NFL insiders to weigh in on Bell’s realistic next steps:


Which team is the best fit for Bell in 2018?

Jeremy Fowler, ESPN NFL Nation Steelers writer: Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell’s do-it-all skill set pairs well with several teams armed with cap space. A Bell-Jimmy Garoppolo-Kyle Shanahan attack in San Francisco would deepen the intrigue in the NFC West. But for as much as Bell wants to test his true value on the market, he knows the Steelers offer him the best on-field package, which provides hope for a long-term deal. The Steelers have invested five years in Bell. They watched him turn into a star and got him the ball more than 1,600 times. Letting him walk runs contrary to their draft/develop/pay strategy for cornerstone players. Riding a trio of Bell, Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown is still the Steelers’ best route to a Super Bowl. Tagging Bell at $14 million-plus is good business for the Steelers. Offering him an impressive deal is even better business, assuming they structure it with escape hatches after two years. That places the onus on Bell to decide whether sitting out 2018 is really worth it.

  • From Le’Veon Bell skipping camp to Ryan Shazier’s spinal injury, the Steelers overcame plenty of physical and emotional hurdles to win the AFC North.

  • The All-Pro running back said the Steelers have the right players to make a playoff run next year, but didn’t say if that group included himself.

  • Running back Le’Veon Bell told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he’s prepared to sit out a season, or even retire, if the Steelers use the franchise tag on him for the second consecutive year.

2 Related

Matthew Berry, senior fantasy analyst: Pittsburgh Steelers, but … Under the age old adage of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” staying with the Steelers is the ideal spot. It’s a team and offense that know him and his skill set well and will use him in a variety of ways to take full advantage of his talents. He has become one of the best — if not the best — running backs in the league there, and with Roethlisberger announcing his intention to return, it makes the most sense. If that doesn’t work, he should go to a team with a good offense that only lacks a true franchise back. Taking money out of it and just looking at the best fit, how about the Detroit Lions? They have a great quarterback in Matthew Stafford and an improving defense, but the issue for years has been their inability to run the ball. Ameer Abdullah has struggled with inconsistency and injuries, and Theo Riddick is a nice change-of-pace player but not a true three-down back. Adding a franchise back like Bell, especially with his pass-catching abilities, to a Stafford-led offense would greatly improve the Lions as they look to get back to the playoffs with a new head coach in a tough division.

Mike Clay, NFL writer: New England Patriots. Though a return to Pittsburgh is the most logical and likely outcome, there are plenty of terrific fits for Bell across the league. The one that stands out most to me (cover your ears, Steelers fans) is in New England. Bill Belichick has been guilty of “tipping” pass or run based on personnel in recent years (85 percent of James White’s snaps have been passes, compared to 29 percent for Mike Gillislee this season, for example), so he could look to become less predictable by bringing in the super-versatile back. Bell has racked up at least 261 carries and 75 catches during each of the past three seasons in which he has played in at least 12 games. Tom Brady will be 41 when the 2018 season begins, and he could use the additional weapon. Considering Belichick’s committee-heavy history, it seems like a long shot that the Patriots would spend big on a running back, but Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead are both unrestricted free agents, and Gillislee quickly fell out of favor after rushing for three touchdowns in Week 1.

Dan Graziano, NFL writer: Pittsburgh Steelers. They know they can run their offense through him, that they can use him as a runner and a receiver, that he coexists peacefully with their other stars and that they can win tons of games with him. For Bell, the comfort level of knowing all those things has to matter, too. Can he be sure he’d be used the same way elsewhere that the Steelers use him? Would he be happy if he went to a team that didn’t? The Steelers may still want to go year to year on Bell, given his history of injuries and suspensions. But he didn’t have any of those issues in 2017, and if they were looking for him to “prove it” on the franchise tag, he absolutely did. They should be able to work out something, unless one side’s demands proves too out of line with the market. So far, that has been Bell’s side.

Le’Veon Bell rushed for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns and added 655 receiving yards and another two touchdowns in 2017. Mark Alberti/ Icon Sportswire

Field Yates, NFL Insider: Cleveland Browns. In a piece that ran earlier this season, I tackled this exact question by noting that a return to Pittsburgh makes sense and is probably where he winds up. But if we were to explore other options, wouldn’t a fit in Cleveland add up? Want to take pressure off a rookie quarterback? Having the best back in the league alongside would be a great place to start. Bell has shown that he can handle an incredible workload, piling up touches as a runner and a receiver, plus the Browns have virtually limitless cap space to afford any player of their liking in free agency.

Matt Bowen, NFL writer: Pittsburgh Steelers. With his versatile skill set, plus the ability to handle high-volume touches, Bell is one of the catalysts for the Steelers’ high-powered offense. And while he could obviously fit as a featured back with multiple offenses in the league, his talent and overall usage is maximized in the Pittsburgh game plan.

Mike Sando, senior NFL writer: Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are clearly the best spot for him. Coaches, evaluators and agents I’ve polled generally thought Bell would have been wise to accept what was offered. If he leaves, he’d be a great fit for any team without an established top back. Cleveland could help itself and hurt a division rival. Tampa Bay has taken chances on talented players carrying baggage of varying types. The Bucs should probably think twice before adding another one, but the need for a running back is obvious and the stakes are high for coach Dirk Koetter.

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Soccer

  • Watch: Carvajal's header delivers killer blow for Madrid in UCL final

  • An introduction to Top Soccer News on theScore ??

  • An introduction to Top Soccer News on theScore ??

  • Real Madrid beat Dortmund to win 15th European Cup

  • Police arrest dozens of ticket-less fans at Wembley final

  • Dortmund boss Terzic lauds 'brilliant' Sancho after UCL defeat

  • Modric, Kroos among Madrid stars to make history with latest UCL triumph

  • Madrid's inevitability is a superpower no rival can match

  • Transfer window preview: 50 players who could move this summer

  • Vinicius Jr. named Champions League Player of the Season

“If you think about it, I've never held a job in my life. I went from being an NFL player to a coach to a broadcaster. I haven't worked a day in my life.”
-John Madden


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