Latest news with #quarterbacks
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Ex-NFL quarterback's shock Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes comparison divides opinion
Legendary NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has split fan opinion after claiming that Aaron Rodgers was 'better' in his prime than Patrick Mahomes. Debates over where Rodgers stands within the pantheon of football's greatest ever quarterbacks has been rife after he confirmed that he's ready to end his NFL career. The quarterback signed a one-year, $13.65million deal with the Steelers earlier this month however admitted that he expects the upcoming season to be his final. In contrast, Mahomes has plenty of years left on the football field and is quickly rising up the quarterback 'GOAT' list after shining in recent years. The Chiefs star, who is just 29, has been to five Super Bowls in his career and won three - compared to Rodgers' single title claimed at Super Bowl XLV. Despite this, Roethlisberger insisted that a 'prime' Rodgers trumps Mahomes - but still took time to heap praise on the Chiefs star. He revealed: 'I would take Aaron in his prime over Patrick now. (Pat) He'll go down as another arguable G.O.A.T. I think Aaron in his prime is better'. It didn't take long for fans to provide their opinions on the statement and it's fair to say there was a split among supporters. Some were echoing Roethlisberger's thoughts, as they wrote: 'AR is the most efficient QB in NFL history. Ben spit facts'. 'Completely agree. Put prime Rodgers in Mahomes' situation and that would be insane,' another said. However, some fans were quick to back Mahomes. 'Maybe in regular season but in the playoffs dude never played to his potential everyone knows that', one said. 'Rogers might be the better passer overall But obviously Mahomes has the better success in terms of champions', another said. 'No i don't agree with this statement. I love Rodgers but Mahomes is something else'. Rodgers agreed to play his 21st season with the Steelers this month on a deal that reportedly includes $10million guaranteed - following yet another offseason in NFL limbo after his split from the New York Jets. After leaving New York, Rodgers had been linked with city rivals the Giants and the Minnesota Vikings as well as the Steelers. It quickly became clear, however, that Pittsburgh was the only realistic option on the table for him, before he jetted to Pennsylvania for talks with Mike Tomlin. Yet, Rodgers still took his time before committing to the Steelers before admitting to Joe Rogan last month that tragedy in his personal life, with multiple members of his inner circle said to be battling cancer, had forced him to put his decision on hold.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michigan State and Michigan Quarterbacks Aidan Chiles and Bryce Underwood Hosted a Camp Together and Put Their Rivalry to the Side
Michigan State and Michigan Quarterbacks Aidan Chiles and Bryce Underwood Hosted a Camp Together and Put Their Rivalry to the Side originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Michigan State football quarterback Aidan Chiles hosted a camp over the weekend ran by Donovan Dooley's Quarterback University, Child's Play Foundation, and the Athlete Collective. Chiles wasn't the only NCAA quarterback in attendance, though. Advertisement Last year, Chiles and former Michigan quarterback Alex Orji helped host the event. This year, Bryce Underwood took Orji's spot and Chiles knew the rivalry was in the air. Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles during spring practice.© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 'I'm gonna be real. Honestly, it's kind of weird, just because we are rivals and we all know how things play out outside of this," Chiles said according to the Detroit Free Press. "But other than that, it's just coming together for the community, just being better people and trying to make better quarterbacks, better futures.' Both young quarterbacks appreciated the camp to give back to the youth in their community. Chiles and Underwood made it known, though, that their own paths to success stay relevant in their minds regardless of where they are or what they're doing. Advertisement "I'm very competitive with myself, so I just want to see how far I can go," Underwood said according to Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood at spring practice.© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images While not best friends, the two are familiar with each other from training with Dooley. After transferring from Oregon State, Chiles started working with Dooley and found that his mentality with the game has improved drastically. He didn't have a star performance and has a lot to prove to himself, his team, his coaches, and the general public heading into 2025-26. Working with Dooley helped him stay focused on his goals and not let the outside noise interfere or derail his progress. Advertisement Over the spring and start of summer, Chiles' improvements have been noticeable to head coach Jonathan Smith, who he's spent a lot of time with watching film. With Dooley, the rising junior continues to refine his technique. "Just making sure that everything's polished, so that I can go into the season and be ready, make all the throws I need to make, as simple as that," Chiles said. Underwood is heading into his freshman year with the Wolverines. The two rival quarterbacks will face each other on the NCAA field for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 25. Related: Michigan State Football Must Battle Big Ten Rival for Class of 2026 Running Back Target Related: Michigan State Lands Its Second Wide Receiver and 19th Recruit From the Class of 2026 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
CNET
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Today's NYT Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 24, #1466
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today's Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles. Today's Wordle puzzle features a very common vowel, so you might be able to guess it quickly. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on. Today's Wordle hints Before we show you today's Wordle answer, we'll give you some hints. If you don't want a spoiler, look away now. Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats Today's Wordle answer has one repeated letter. Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels There are two vowels in today's Wordle answer, but one is the repeated letter, so you'll see that only twice. Wordle hint No. 3: First letter Today's Wordle answer begins with E. Wordle hint No. 4: Sports Today's Wordle answer is often used to describe NFL quarterbacks who are the best in the league. Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning Today's Wordle answer can describe a select group that is in some way superior to others. TODAY'S WORDLE ANSWER Today's Wordle answer is ELITE. Yesterday's Wordle answer Yesterday's Wordle answer, June 23, No. 1465 was ODDLY. Recent Wordle answers June 19, No. 1461: CURIO June 20, No. 1462: TAUPE June 21, No. 1463: GLADE June 22, No. 1464: THRUM
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Marcel Reed may be the SEC's most overlooked quarterback, but Texas A&M believes
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Among SEC quarterbacks this season, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier is the experienced pocket passer whose methodical development could land him in the first-round of next year's NFL Draft. There is LaNorris Sellers, the dynamic athlete who seems primed to take a big leap forward in Year 3 for South Carolina. At Florida, DJ Lagway was so good as a freshman last year he helped save his head coach's job. Oklahoma's John Mateer is the flashy incoming transfer. And, of course, there is Arch Manning, Texas' first-year starter and cultural phenomenon. Advertisement Texas A&M's Marcel Reed has neither the name nor the narrative to be mentioned with the SEC's upper-tier QBs, but the numbers suggest he should be in that conversation. 'The challenge that he's battling is just the most high-profile game he won was against LSU, and he won it with his feet,' Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. Ask an average college football fan about Reed, and there is a good chance that late October night game at Kyle Field will come up. The Texas A&M quarterback came off the bench to start the second half and ran wild on the Tigers in a 38-23 victory that propelled the Aggies into November as SEC championship contenders. Reed had already started three Aggies victories early in the season when preseason QB1 Conner Weigman was injured, and he was good enough down the stretch — despite the team's 1-4 finish — that Elko felt no pressing need to go portal shopping for a replacement. 'We were committed to Marcel the whole time,' Elko said. But in his breakout performance on a big stage, Reed beat the Tigers throwing just two passes, leaving lingering questions about that part of his game. 'Then you look at Auburn, where he brings us back from a 21-0 deficit, drives us down the field to give us the lead late in the fourth quarter,' Elko said. 'You look at the bowl game, where he throws for (292) yards, drives us down the field to take the lead late in the game. But I think all of that gets trumped by the most-high profile game he plays, which is LSU, where the rhetoric on the entire broadcast is his feet, his feet, his feet. And so that just becomes the easy national narrative to pick up because nobody really wants to do the research to dig into statistically what it looks like.' Heading into Year 3 in College Station, Reed, the former four-star recruit and Tennessee Mr. Football, is embracing his first time being the clear QB1 since high school. 'It's a lot more comfortable coming into the offseason,' Reed said as the Aggies wound down spring practice. 'But you know, there's a lot of pressure, and there's things that are gonna be thrown on my shoulders, and I gotta take it and run with it.' Advertisement Statistically, Reed looks a lot like those far more heralded quarterbacks in the SEC. His completion percentage last season was better than Lagway's (61.3 to 59.9). His yards per pass and efficiency rating were almost identical to Nussmeier's, albeit in far fewer passes. Reed's interception (2.5) and touchdown (6.25) percentages are right in line with those of Sellers. 'I feel like everybody has their perception on who's a good passer and who isn't,' Reed said. 'You can go look at the stats and the percentages all you want. I feel like I'm up there. Actually, I know I'm up there.' And the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Reed ran for 543 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 4.68 yards per carry. That's the same number of rushing touchdowns as Sellers and one fewer than Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia, with a better per-carry average than both. Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein said Reed stepped into an offense that lacked explosiveness last season, with limitations at receiver and injuries at running back. 'Candidly, we were not very sexy on offense last year, right?' Klein said. 'Our explosives over 20 (yards) were not nearly where they need to be. I think some of that from a flash perspective probably affects the perception of him.' Still, the Aggies did a lot of important things well. In SEC play, Texas A&M was No. 1 in scoring offense (29.4 points per game), No. 1 in red-zone touchdown and overall scoring percentage and tied for first in turnover margin. 'That doesn't happen if you don't play really well at quarterback,' said Klein. Klein knows all about the value of a quarterback who can make plays with his legs. He ran for 2,485 yards and 56 touchdowns in his career as a 6-4, 225-pound battering ram with Kansas State, becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012. Reed is a very different type of running threat. Advertisement 'Oh, shoot, he's way the heck faster than I am,' Klein said. 'I wouldn't have gotten hit as much if I had his twitch.' And there is hope in College Station that A&M has upgraded at receiver through the portal, most notably with the addition of KC Concepcion from NC State. Texas A&M was one of a host of CFP contenders and hopefuls who eschewed the transfer portal this offseason at the most important position on the field. Instead of seeking out a plug-and-play veteran quarterback, several teams are rolling with less experienced players who are developing the old-fashioned way. That group includes Julian Sayin at Ohio State and CJ Carr at Notre Dame, both standard redshirt freshmen. Sayin did transfer from Alabama to Ohio State, but he never even made it to spring practice with the Crimson Tide, leaving after Nick Saban's retirement in January 2024. Georgia saw enough from Gunner Stockton in the SEC Championship Game and CFP to roll with him in 2025. Ty Simpson, who has thrown 50 passes in three seasons at Alabama, was leading a three-way competition out of spring practice. At Ole Miss, Austin Simmons takes over for first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart. Simmons' next start will be his first. Reed has more game experience than all of those players — plus Manning — but look at the Heisman odds at BetMGM and you'll find Reed (+4000) behind most of them. There is some irony to Reed being viewed as more of a runner than a passer. At Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, he directed what he described as a pro-style offense. 'I'd say more than 50 or 60 percent of my snaps were under center back in high school,' Reed said. Thomas Morris of QB Country trained Reed for several years and still stays in touch with his former pupil. Morris said although Reed was well-coached in high school, MBA's offense didn't highlight his athleticism. Advertisement In a 2023 recruiting class headlined by Manning and Nico Iamaleava, who recently transferred from Tennessee to UCLA, Reed was ranked No. 20 among quarterbacks by 247Sports. 'If it was a different offense, I think he probably would have been a five-star, and probably, I think, he would have been the top dual-threat in the country,' Morris said. 'Because he flashed this little Lamar Jackson, kind of Deshaun Watson-type thing, and you could see it, but it just wasn't the offense for it, so he didn't get to put it on display as much as he needed to.' The transfer portal flows both ways, so as important as it was for Texas A&M to be committed to Reed, he needed to reciprocate. 'Quarterback situations around the country are just incredibly fragile all the time, right?' Klein said. 'You think you know one thing one day, and then all of a sudden it changes the next day.' Reed was recruited by the previous staff, but Klein and Elko won him over as they started anew after the fiery collapse of Jimbo Fisher's tenure. 'I think he respected how myself and Coach Elko handled some of the situations last year, with honesty, transparency, fairness,' Klein said. 'Obviously, most of it went in his favor.' Waiting his turn behind Weigman paid off for Reed, and there was no reason to bail on a good situation after showing he could play. 'Obviously, when it comes to hitting the portal and going other places, then you have to meet a whole new roster, all new coaches. You've got to build different relationships,' Reed said. 'And I think the relationships that I built here are the ones that I want to have forever. So there's really no reason for me to leave.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bell: Ranking Steelers Top QB Options in 2026 NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers made a wise decision to avoid reaching on a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, choosing to fortify the roster in other key areas. With the organization starving for long-awaited postseason success and without a viable long-term option on the roster, they figure to be major players in the arms race next offseason. Luckily for the Steelers, this next crop of passers in the 2026 NFL Draft offers more optimism than its predecessor, specifically as it relates to both traits and theoretical upside. Over the last month, I've spent a significant amount of time combing through the top draft-eligible prospects, gathering my thoughts, and coming up with a preliminary ranking list based on the guys that intrigue me the most as future NFL starters. Advertisement Notably absent in this exercise is Arch Manning from Texas. Why? Because for as tantalizing as his 108 career dropbacks have been, the sample size is still far too small to appropriately gauge, and by all accounts, he's not planning on leaving Austin anytime soon. Six months from now, this list will almost assuredly look different as certain players rise, others fall, and unexpected newcomers burst onto the scene. Think of this more as a watch list, as these are my top five quarterbacks entering the 2026 college football season. Without further ado, here we go! Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis hits Cal quarterback Francisco Mendoza on Oct. 12, 2024. — David Hague/PSN TOP PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2026 NFL DRAFT QUARTERBACK TARGETS Fernando Mendoza, Indiana After two solid seasons on the west coast, the Cal transfer is heading east this upcoming fall, and there's a lot to be excited about with his scouting profile. Mendoza has very good size at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and a real howitzer for an arm. He's capable of driving the football into tight windows, throwing guys open with eye-popping velocity that delivers an audible thud on contact. Beyond the impressive physical attributes, Mendoza is advanced for his age from a mental processing standpoint. He's hyper aware of complex pre-snap defensive looks and is a quick post-snap processor that looks to punish teams for bringing additional rushers to the party. Mendoza shows the requisite desire to play from within the pocket, operating on time with the ball frequently coming out before the receivers break. He's not just an accurate passer but a precise one, with consistent ball location that stands out on film. My favorite thing about his tape was how often his best reps seemed to come in high-leverage situations such as long down & distance situations. He's certainly comfortable operating in the RPO world and meets the athleticism threshold for the position. There will hopefully be even more dropback opportunities in Curt Cignetti's offense, and with that, he'll need to work diligently to cut down on the sacks. Don't let the box score fool you: this kid is tremendously talented. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Athletics LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Advertisement When a 19-year-old finishes his first year as a starter with 12 touchdowns in the final four games, including a heroic performance in Death Valley to knock off Clemson, evaluators are smart to take notice. At 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, Because Sellers was under constant siege beyond a porous offensive line that allowed a 42.5% pressure rate, his rare ability to create for himself out of structure was frequently on display. He's incredibly strong, can shake defenders off with ease, and then turn potential sacks into explosive plays down the field. With him under center, the entire quarterback run game catalog is on the table as a play caller, and with him being such a dangerous rushing threat, he lightens the box count with his mere presence. It's obvious that Sellers has a strong arm, but he's more than just a one-speed thrower and already shows an understanding of how to take some heat off when necessary. He has nearly unlimited range to uncork the ball over safeties' heads down the field, and the early returns on his deep ball were very solid as he consistently gave his guys chances to make plays down the field. Sellers' accuracy doesn't wane when he's moved off platform, and he's extremely comfortable when throwing on the move. The tools are outstanding, but there is still work to be done. He's a see-it, throw-it passer right now, and his overall operation in the pocket needs to be two ticks faster. But if his environment is more stable in 2025, I'm betting a big leap is on the horizon. Cade Klubnik, Clemson Athletics Cade Klubnik, Clemson Advertisement With a strong 2024 campaign, Klubnik flipped the narrative surrounding his play, from underwhelming 5-star prodigy to morphing into one of the more prolific passers in all of college football. He looked like a completely different player, taking notable jumps from an accuracy and decision-making standpoint. Perhaps the most noticeable improvement was how dangerous he was on second reaction plays, consistently hunting big play opportunities out of structure. His arm elasticity stands out, especially on throws moving to his left. Much of Clemson's aerial attack relies on Klubnik's ability to play point guard due to his plus pre-snap processing and quick decision-making, making him a methodical quick game operator underneath. In the drop-back game, Klubnik does most of his damage outside the numbers, and there are a good amount of anticipatory throws on out-breakers and stop routes that are both on time and on the money. When he sees press coverage on the outside, his aggressiveness kicks up another notch. Not only is he capable of bucket throws down the sideline, but he also showcases a nice understanding of leverage and frequently throws guys open on back-shoulder fades with pinpoint ball location. A few areas of focus this fall should be minimizing the unnecessary movement in the pocket and continuing to improve as a post-snap processor to cut out some of the blurry decisions. Klubnik shows good command of his unit, and I'm anxious to see if there's more to tap into. Garrett Nussmeier. Gus Stark / LSU Athletics Garrett Nussmeier, LSU Advertisement It's never easy following in the footsteps of a Heisman Trophy winner but the spotlight certainly didn't look too bright for Nussmeier in 2024. Despite virtually no prior collegiate experience, his unrivaled confidence and surprising polish stood out on film. All of that starts to make more sense once you find out that his father, Doug, is a former quarterback himself and current offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. Nussmeier plays with clean footwork and a good base, hits receivers in stride to allow them to maximize their yards after catch potential and is extremely aggressive attacking all three levels of the field. There are some truly beautiful throws of him layering the football over linebackers up the seam and over the middle. There are subtle nuances to his game that I appreciate, like his control of the operation pre-snap, keeping his eyes up versus pressure and finding the checkdown quickly to avoid sacks that often derail drives. Nussmeier is tough as nails and willing to stare in the fire to deliver a tight window throw, too. If you're looking for one performance to sell yourself on his potential, his bowl game versus Baylor was outstanding with NFL-caliber throws littered throughout. His physical tools aren't overwhelming, so he really needs to reign in some of his reckless tendencies as a passer, but that's certainly fixable with more time on task. Year one provided plenty of highs, now it's about finding more consistency. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar at the 2024 Peach Bowl in Atlanta. — Jordan Lenenberg / Nittany Sports Now Drew Allar, Penn State Advertisement At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, Allar has the look of a 2000s-era AFC North gunslinger, and he's worked tirelessly on his throwing mechanics in an effort to give him every shot to make it to the next level. He's a soon-to-be three-year starter with a rocket launcher attached to his right shoulder that allows him to fit the ball into the tiniest of crevices. His release has tightened up over time, and that has further increased his margin for error as a passer. These are skills that came in handy for the Nittany Lions offense last season because of an uninspiring receiving corps that struggled to create any sort of separation. The senior plays in an offense that gives a ton of pre-snap freedom to get them into favorable calls, and he also flashes the ability to get through full-field, pure progression reads. He's not the quickest cat, but his sheer mass and play strength can make it challenging for defenders to get him on the ground. His maddeningly frustrating lower body mechanics derail his accuracy, and he has a tendency to get in his own head, allowing negative plays to stack. After being given more responsibility, Allar took positive strides last season, all while still taking good care of the football. If he can continue on that upward trajectory, his arm talent and experience will warrant higher consideration on this list. This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Bell: Ranking Steelers Top QB Options in 2026 NFL Draft
