Latest news with #SuperBowlLVI
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Von Miller says signing with Commanders was 'intentional'
#Commanders OLB Von Miller:'The Washington Redskins called me a month and a half ago and started talking, signed and agreed to come here to Washington about a week and a day ago and here I am.' The Washington Commanders have been tweaking their roster all offseason. The latest big name to join the ranks of the burgundy and gold is linebacker Von Miller. Miller brings over a decade of NFL experience to a defense that struggled in 2024. Miller spoke about why he signed with the Commanders at training camp on Thursday. 'I guess I'll start, I'm excited to be here, 15th year in the league," he said. "It never gets old, especially being out of work for four months, perspective kind of changes a little bit. Back when you were young, you was like, 'Man, why we gotta go to OTAs, man? I wish I was home, man.' And you sit on the couch for four months, and it's like, 'Man, I wish I was in OTAs, man.' It's good dropping the kids off, and it's good picking the kids up from school, but I want to go to work [laughs], I want to go to work." Miller started his career with the Denver Broncos in 2011, when they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He played 10 seasons in Denver before he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. He was part of the Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory before hitting the free agency market in 2022. He wasn't on the market for long before signing with the Buffalo Bills, where he remained through 2024. An aging veteran, Miller was released ahead of free agency in 2025. He was more than ready to return to the game he loves, but only for the right team. 'It was extremely intentional coming here," he said. "You just can't leave [Buffalo Bills QB] Josh Allen and go anywhere, man. You just can't go from the AFC championship and just go anywhere. And whenever you get older too, losses, they pile up. It seems like they just hit way harder than what they used to when you were young. And this team is all about winning, I'm all about winning. Whatever it takes to win, I'm going to do. That's on and off the football field." The Commanders put the NFL on notice last season with the way they came out of the gate and never slowed down. They gave the organization its best season in over 30 years and made it to the NFC Championship. The best way to improve on that is to make it to the Super Bowl this season, and Miller is all-in on winning. "This team is all about winning, I'm all about winning, and it was a good marriage.' The Commanders will have plenty of rotations with their edge rushers, but when Miller is on the field, you can expect him to make an impact this season.
Los Angeles Times
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Rams open training camp: Analyzing their biggest concerns
Sean McVay has led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and six playoff appearances. Now, as he prepares for his ninth season, the 39-year-old coach once again has a team regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The roster includes experience — quarterback Matthew Stafford is entering his 17th season — and young stars such as receiver Puka Nacua and edge rusher Jared Verse, the 2024 NFL defensive rookie of the year. 'I love the natural, just zest and the joy that this group has,' McVay said this week as players reported for training camp at Loyola Marymount. After Stafford and the Rams agreed to terms on a contract adjustment last spring, general manager Les Snead provided McVay and Stafford with a bonus of sorts by signing receiver Davante Adams. The three-time All-Pro joins Nacua, receiver Tutu Atwell, running back Kyren Williams and tight ends Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson to give the offense multiple weapons. Snead also signed center Coleman Shelton — a member of the Rams' Super Bowl LVI championship team — and defensive lineman Poona Ford. Ford will bolster a front that includes Verse, edge rusher Byron Young and tackles Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, among others. 'We are stacked,' Williams said. Which is not to say that McVay, Snead and the Rams do not have concerns. Here are five issues to watch as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans: Stafford, 37, will not participate in team drills during the first week of workouts because of back soreness. According to McVay: No big deal. And it might not be. Yet any time the most important player on the team is sidelined, it cannot be passed off as a non-issue, especially if the problem persists. Stafford is already among the top 10 all-time in several NFL career passing categories, and he needs only 191 yards passing to reach 60,000. Veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo will take first-team reps during the first week of practices. In March, the Rams awarded left tackle Alaric Jackson a three-year contract that includes $35 million in guarantees. Three months later, McVay announced that Jackson was dealing with blood-clot issues in his legs for the second time in his career. The Rams quickly signed veteran D.J. Humphries to fill the void. Jackson reported to training camp, but McVay gave no timeline for when he might be cleared to fully participate or play. Humphries, 31, made the Pro Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, but he suffered a major knee injury near the end of the 2023 season. In 2024, Humphries signed with the Kansas City Chiefs but played in only two games. Right tackle Rob Havenstein, 33, had surgery on both shoulders after last season. The 10-year veteran said he would not be limited during camp. Third-year pro Warren McClendon Jr. and veteran David Quessenberry are other tackles on the roster. With an improving pass rush led by Verse, the Rams stood pat during free agency and the draft, deciding not to add a cornerback. Darious Williams, 32, and Ahkello Witherspoon, 30, are the projected starters with Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. expected to play large roles for a position group that also includes Derion Kendrick and Josh Wallace, among others. The Rams believe Forbes, a 2023 first-round pick by the Washington Commanders, has taken a major leap since they claimed him off waivers last December. The Rams are hoping to avoid the disaster that was last year's training camp: Kendrick suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first workout, Williams a significant hamstring injury during the second. Williams is scheduled to earn $5.4 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract, according to The Rams and Drew Rosenhaus, Williams' agent, negotiated throughout the offseason, and they were scheduled to meet again Wednesday, McVay said. Williams has rushed for at least 1,100 yards in each of the last two seasons and scored 31 touchdowns in that span. The Rams would like to keep him beyond this season, but at what price? The Rams have not signed a running back to an extension since they awarded Todd Gurley a then-record deal in 2018. Ferguson, a second-round draft pick from Oregon, is expected to play a major role and eventually supplant Higbee. Josaiah Stewart will work into the edge rushing rotation with Verse and Young. Running back Jarquez Hunter and Blake Corum will back up Williams, Ty Hamilton could bolster the defensive line, and linebacker Chris 'Pooh' Paul Jr. and receiver Konata Mumpfield will compete for roles in their position groups and special teams.
USA Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Von Miller's new jersey number recognizes ex-Broncos teammate
Von Miller's not done yet. Now 36 years old, the veteran pass rusher will play a 15th season in the NFL this fall after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders last week. As he hinted in his signing announcement on social media last week, the veteran edge defender has picked a perfect jersey number with his new club: No. 24. Miller previously wore No. 58 with the Denver Broncos and No. 40 (his college number) with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. Neither of those numbers were available with the Commanders, so he explained to The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala that he chose the number of one of his former teammates. "[I] respect Champ Bailey a lot," Miller told Jhabvala, via Commanders Wire. "Played with Champ Bailey for three years, one of my big brothers, and he played here and he wore 24. So it was kind of like it spoke to me in so many different ways, so I decided to go with 24." Miller and Bailey were teammates in Denver from 2011-2013. Bailey, who is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, started his career in Washington, and he kept No. 24 when he was traded to the Broncos in 2004. Miller (6-3, 250 pounds) started his career in Denver and set a franchise record with 110.5 sacks in 142 games. He was a star of the team's famous "No Fly Zone" defense from the 2015 season, taking home Super Bowl MVP honors after the team defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. Six years after that Super Bowl win, Miller was traded to the Rams, and he won a second ring after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. Miller now holds a record with 4.5 sacks in Super Bowls (2.5 with Denver and 2.0 with L.A.). Miller has 129.5 regular season sacks in his career, plus 10.5 sacks in the playoffs (140 total). He ranks 16th on the NFL's all-time sack list, eight sacks away from the top ten. After recording six sacks in 13 games with the Bills last fall, Miller will now get an opportunity to continue climbing the all-time list with the Commanders. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Countdown to Kickoff: Jonah Williams is the Saints Player of Day 54
Williams may be a dark horse roster candidate to make the team There is a 54 day wait remaining before the New Orleans Saints start their 2025 regular season. The Saints will start this, their 59th NFL season, at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Joining new Saints head coach Kellen Moore are several new faces on the coaching staff and among the player personnel. One of those new players is defensive lineman Jonah Williams. Our Saints Player of the Day, Williams is also in current possession of uniform No. 54. Only Weber State offered Williams a football scholarship out of Rocky Mountain High School in Idaho. Before starting at Weber State, Williams served a nearly two-year Latter-Day Saint mission in Brazil. Once arriving at Weber State, he'd be a four-year starter that forced 3 fumbles and had 15 sacks and 28 tackles for loss through his career with the Wildcats. Bypassed in the 2020 NFL draft, Williams was signed by the Los Angeles Rams and Brandon Staley, their defensive coordinator at the time. Williams didn't make it past final roster cuts for the Rams in 2020, but spent time on the team's practice squad that year and would make their 2021 active roster. He'd play in eight games for the Rams to start the 2021 campaign, playing in 96 defensive snaps before being waived. The Minnesota Vikings briefly picked Williams up, but released him after a failed physical. He'd return to the Rams, where he'd finish the year on the practice squad and earned a Super Bowl LVI championship ring. Williams remained with the Rams through the 2023 season. He would appear in 33 of 34 games, making 22 starts and recording 2.5 sacks with 4 tackles for loss among 72 total stops. During the 2024 offseason, Williams would return to the Vikings as a free agent. He would play in one game with Minnesota before being signed off their practice squad by the Rams once again. After six contests with Los Angeles, Williams was poached off their practice squad by the Detroit Lions. Williams played three games with Detroit to end the year, including their loss in the divisional round of the playoffs. New Orleans signed Jonah Williams this offseason in free agency. He'll be reunited with Brandon Staley, the Saints defensive coordinator who coached him in Los Angeles. Williams appears to have an uphill battle to make the roster in a crowded New Orleans defensive line. However, it is also a defensive front desperate for playmakers. Williams brings some scheme versatility with his ability to slide inside. He's worth watching as a potential dark horse roster candidate as the Saints begin training camp in just one week.
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Michele Tafoya reponds to airplane letter drama after social media eruption
Former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya responded to those who trolled her Tuesday for reposting an old tweet that showed a complimentary note she received from a flight attendant back in 2023. Upon re-sharing the note this week, Tafoya — who left her job as a veteran NFL sideline reporter with NBC in 2022 to enter politics — was called out by fellow sports media personalities and X users, with a community note being tagged alongside her message to make it clear it wasn't a recent post. 'I will forever be grateful to the flight attendant who handed me this note back in 2023,' Tafoya wrote on Wednesday. 'It meant the world to me then, and it still does. So in honor of all the people who think it's strange that I would re-post a meaningful photo, here it is again.' 3 NBC reporter Michelle Tafoya works on the sideline before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, December. 8, 2019, in Los Angeles. AP 3 Michele Tafoya stirred buzz after re-sharing an older note from a flight attendant this week on X. X The fallout from Tafoya's re-share on Tuesday was swift, as some believed the note was presented as new. 'The welpiest WELP I ever did welp,' sports reporter Sarah Spain posted on X in response to a tweet to Tafoya that read, 'Michele, how many times is this exact same flight attendant gonna hand you this exact same note.' Trey Wingo remarked, 'The receipts,' while former ESPNer Mike Wise commented, 'I love it when absolute frauds like @Michele_Tafoya get found out.' Tafoya explained Wednesday that she recently came across the note while cleaning. 3 Michele Tafoya looks on during Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. Getty Images 'I ran across the photo of the note while cleaning out my photos, @ChrisOrlandoHS … It still means a lot to me. And I'm still grateful to the person who wrote it. But you're entitled to perceive it any way you like. Have a great day,' she wrote. When one X user remarked, 'Are we really going to start calling out all the times people repost things???' Tafoya replied Thursday, 'Apparently some people are just that petty.' Tafoya left her post at NBC Sports for politics after Super Bowl 2022. 'I got to a point in my life where I wanted to try other things, and there are some things that are really important to me,' Tafoya told The Athletic at the time. 'This is not to say that sports isn't an important field, that my job isn't an important job. But in my position, I was not as free to be as vocal about world events that I'm concerned about. 'It's not because I was told to shut up. I want to be very clear about that. But look, if you're on a show like 'Sunday Night Football,' which is the No. 1 show in prime time for 11 straight years, unprecedented, the last thing they want to do is invite controversy.'
