“He is going to fall off a cliff. Tom Brady is going to be a bum in short order.” ESPN analyst Max Kellerman made this claim about quarterback Tom Brady three years ago. Kellerman was possibly thinking what most people assume: at age 40, most men start losing hair, lose athleticism and muscle, develop substantial wrinkles, and begin the eventual decline to old personhood. However, Brady at the ripe age of 43, continues to defy Father Time, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the 2021 Super Bowl. This Sunday, Brady's Bucs will face the Kansas City Chiefs.
Though everyone thought 2020 was a weird year, 2021 began with the Cleveland Browns’ first playoff victory in 25 years. The Browns, once the laughing stock of the NFL, defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the NFL Wild Card Round, but the following week, the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs eliminated the Browns in a 22-17 win. The game marked their first playoff victory since 1994 and their first playoff game since 2002.
Each January, struggling teams in the NFL choose their next head coach or general manager. This season, there have been five coaches who could make it to the professional stage. Four out of the five coaches on this list are under 45, far below the average NFL head coach age of 51 in 2018. Will the trend of hiring younger coaches lead to success? With these five teams averaging 3.8 wins through the 2020 season, here are the predictions of new head coaches who will help a franchise improve in 2021:
When was the last time the NFL had a 43-year-old quarterback leading a team to an 11-5 record heading into the playoffs as a Super Bowl favorite? Of course, no one except for the living legend, Tom Brady. During his long tenure with the Patriots, Brady built up a career like no other: collecting six super bowls wins, three MVPs, four Super Bowl MVPs, and many other accomplishments. However, listing all of the great statistics and accolades that he has garnered over the years does not remotely describe Brady’s greatness.
A month before his eighth NFL game in three years, quarterback Taylor Heinicke focused on finishing his engineering degree at Old Dominion over his professional football career. Since going undrafted in 2015, Heinke has shuffled around three NFL teams. However, due to players out with injuries, the Washington Football Team gave their practice player a chance and subbed him in during a loss against the North Carolina Panthers in Week 16. That game, he threw for a modest twelve completions for 137 yards and one touchdown. However, the stats do not show that he was subbed in the 4th quarter as his team trailed by 14 points.
After sporting their worst record of 7-9 in the Belichick era, Patriots fans head into the offseason concerned for the future. To say the least, the Pats’ performance this season was disappointing. With divisional rivals the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills finding their footing this season, the 2021 offseason may be the most consequential one of Bill Belichick’s career. Fortunately, Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick have around 59 million dollars in cap space to bring the Patriots back to their prior state.
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With the conclusion of the 2020-2021 NFL season, many elite stars and controversial players with severed relationships with their 2020 teams will be placed on the trade block or will enter free agency. With a smaller salary cap, teams will enter an offseason where keeping or signing star players will be a difficult and expensive process.Below is a list of notable 2021 free agents who will find new teams in 2021.
Adams leads the NFL in receiving yards per game, as well as receptions per game, and touchdown receptions. He racked up an impressive 1,374 yards and 18 touchdowns, despite missing two out of the 16 regular-season games. Adams solidified his position as the top receiver of the league this season, beating out other stars like Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyreek Hill with his stunning statistics. Adams and his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, were one of the top QB-WR duos of the league and carried the team to the first seed in the NFC, and make the team look like a promising Superbowl candidate.
Each season, the Associated Press selects two all-pro teams to recognize the NFL’s best performers. The media is not always fair, and reputations and biases cause voters to snub deserving players. A panel of 50 members of the Associated Press selects the all-pro teams. Each member casts one vote for who they believe was the best at each position. This year, the second team did not have a tight end after the AP unanimously chose Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce as first-team all-pro.
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Messi or Ronaldo? LeBron or Jordan? Each year, sports fans engage in a spirited debate over the best player in a particular sport. This year, football fans are divided on who deserves the 2021 NFL MVP: Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes or Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Both have led their teams to the number one seed in their respective conferences. When the NFL Honors roll around on February 6, the MVP award will end up in Rodgers’ trophy case as he secures the 3rd MVP of his career.
In 2020, after decades of mounting pressure and millions of dollars on the line, Washington decided to cast away its old moniker to enter the 2020-2021 NFL season essentially nameless. For years, the organization sparked controversy—not due to its players or coaches, but solely due to its name. Its previous title, the Redskins, bears the namesake of a word generally recognized as a slur directed at Native Americans.
Mohammad Ali, Serena Williams, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, and Lebron James are the only names mentioned in the same breath as Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. Often referred to as the Greatest Of All Time or the GOAT, Tom Brady defied the odds once again winning his seventh Super Bowl title.
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In 2020, after decades of mounting pressure and millions of dollars on the line, Washington decided to cast away its old moniker to enter the 2020-2021 NFL season essentially nameless. For years, the organization sparked controversy—not due to its players or coaches, but solely due to its name. Its previous title, the Redskins, bears the namesake of a word generally recognized as a slur directed at Native Americans.
