NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Super Bowl 2023: National anthem singer and more pregame performers for Arizona’s Super Bowl 57

    Super Bowl 2023: National anthem singer and more pregame performers for Arizona’s Super Bowl 57

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    The Super Bowl is historically the most-viewed television program in the United States with the hype surrounding the game like no other, and the entertainment level goes far beyond the action on the field. We are just one day away away from kickoff for Super Bowl LVII, and a whole lot of people will be watching. The pregame festivities and ceremonies as well as the halftime show make the big game a major moment in pop culture.

    We already know that Rihanna will be the halftime show performer for Super Bowl LVII, but the NFL also announced the rest of the Super Bowl entertainment.

    Eight-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton will be performing the national anthem ahead of the game. The country music singer also has 15-time Country Music Association and 10-time Academy of Country Music awards.

    More on Super Bowl

    Babyface will be performing “America the Beautiful” ahead of kickoff. The 64-year-old is a 12-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, songwriter and producer with 125 Top 10 hits, 44 No. 1 R&B hits and 16 No. 1 pop hits.

    “Lift Every Voice and Sing” will be sung by Emmy, Critics Choice and Independent Spirit award winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. The 66-year-old has a successful acting career and is nominated for a Golden Globe and an NAACP Image Award. 

    Arizona native Troy Kotsur will perform the national anthem in American Sign Language (ASL) on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Kotsur was the second deaf person in history to win an Oscar for his role in the film “CODA.”

    Colin Denny, a member of the Navajo Nation in Arizona, will sign “America the Beautiful.” Deaf performer Justina Miles…

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  • Notre Dame targets Utah’s Andy Ludwig as offensive coordinator to replace Tommy Rees, per report

    Notre Dame targets Utah’s Andy Ludwig as offensive coordinator to replace Tommy Rees, per report

    USATSI

    Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is the top candidate for the same job at Notre Dame, according to ESPN. Ludwig, 58, is a well-traveled college assistant who spent the past four seasons guiding the Utes’ offense amid one of the best eras of program history. He would replace Tommy Rees, who left Notre Dame last week to become Alabama’s offensive coordinator. 

    Ludwig’s unit at Utah ranked No. 17 in total offense during the 2022 season as the Utes won the Pac-12 Championship for a second consecutive season. Running the football has been the Utes’ calling card during his tenure on staff, but Ludwig has also shown some quarterback development chops by molding Cam Rising into one of the Pac-12’s best. Developing a quarterback will be among the most critical tasks for the Fighting Irish’s new coordinator as the program looks to build on a 9-4 record from coach Marcus Freeman’s debut campaign.

    Because Freeman’s background is on the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame’s new offensive coordinator should have autonomy to run the offense as he sees fit. Freeman also interviewed Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein for the position, but Klein is remaining with the Wildcats after helping guide the program to the 2022 Big 12 championship. 

    Prior to arriving at Utah, Ludwig spent four seasons as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator under Derek Mason. He’s also been the OC at Fresno State, Oregon, Cal, San Diego State and Wisconsin, and worked an earlier stint in the same role for the Utes.

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  • Panthers hire Josh McCown as QB coach

    Panthers hire Josh McCown as QB coach

    The Carolina Panthers have already brought back one of their former quarterbacks to coach the team. So, while we’re having a big ol’ reunion, why not grab another?

    As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Friday night—in a somewhat surprising development later announced by the team—the Panthers are hiring Josh McCown as their new quarterbacks coach. The 43-year-old, who played in Carolina from 2008 to 2009, now returns to Charlotte—where he also coached at nearby Myers Park High School.

    McCown had himself a well-regarded 16-year NFL career—which also included stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. He started in 76 of his 102 games—passing for 17,731 yards, 98 touchdowns and 82 interceptions between 2002 and 2019.

    This’ll be McCown’s first crack as a coach on an NFL sideline, as he just missed out on the Houston Texans head-coaching gig a year ago.

    More Latest Panthers News!

    Panthers bring back Dom Capers as senior defensive assistant

    Panthers considered ‘sleepers’ for Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson

    Panthers legend Julius Peppers headlines 1st-time eligibles for 2024 Hall of Fame class

    Story originally appeared on Panthers Wire

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  • Super Bowl 57 Props Guide: Odds, picks for more than 500 Chiefs vs. Eagles prop bets from SportsLine

    Super Bowl 57 Props Guide: Odds, picks for more than 500 Chiefs vs. Eagles prop bets from SportsLine

    The Super Bowl matchup is set, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs set to battle in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, February 12. Not only is it going to be the biggest sporting event in the world in all of 2023, it’s also going to be the biggest sports betting event on your calendars this year.

    Sportsbooks offer hundreds of ways to take a stance on the game, from the player props we see on every NFL game like over/under passing yards and anytime touchdown scorer, to more interesting over/unders like 2.5 players to throw a pass and 1.5 yards for shortest touchdown, to even more specific props like whether there will be a score in a specific window at the beginning or end of a game, will the game be tied after 0-0, and so on.

    You can also get action on the coin toss and Super Bowl MVP, and some books will even post lines for the length of the national anthem, what happens during the halftime show and the color of the Gatorade splashed on the winning coach, among other props that will be determined when the game clock isn’t running. If multitasking is your thing, you can also play cross-sport props that essentially create a choice between something related to the Super Bowl and something else going on in sports that day (i.e., will Ja Morant or the Eagles score more points).

    We’re covering all those angles and more in our Super Bowl props guide. Here, you’ll be able to find lines on all game-related props provided by Caesars Sportsbook and relevant content from SportsLine, sharing model and expert picks along the way. We’ll also cover some of the more exotic props on the anthem and halftime that you may not find at your sportsbook but can add a bit of fun to your party.

    Be sure to check back regularly as we continue to update this post with prop lines as they become available as well as new SportsLine props content up until kickoff. All odds are subject to change.

    Chiefs vs….

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  • The key questions surrounding Oklahoma and Texas setting departure date from Big 12 to SEC

    The key questions surrounding Oklahoma and Texas setting departure date from Big 12 to SEC

    The Big 12 announced Thursday that the league had reached an agreement with Oklahoma and Texas for those schools to depart for the Southeastern Conference one year before the expiration of the their grant of rights expired with the league.

    Here’s a breakdown of the highlights of the announcement and what it means:

    When will Oklahoma and Texas enter the SEC?

    The official date of the two schools joining their new league is July 1, 2024, a year earlier than the league’s grant of rights contract with the schools and television deal called for.

    How much will it cost Oklahoma and Texas?

    The schools will forgo a combined $100 million in distributable revenue that will go largely to the eight Big 12 schools remaining from before the Sooners and Longhorns departed. Big 12 members that join this summer – Brigham Young, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston – won’t be a part of that revenue influx. The Big 12 announcement said Oklahoma and Texas would be able to partially offset that amount with future revenues.

    Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (90) brings down Oklahoma quarterback Davis Beville (11) during their 2022 game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas,

    Does this affect the recently released 2023 Big 12 football schedule?

    No. That schedule remains the same. Oklahoma will play three of the four new teams in the league, hosting Central Florida and traveling to Cincinnati and Brigham Young. The Sooners do not play longtime conference rivals Baylor, Kansas State and Texas Tech in their final season. Texas travels to Houston and hosts BYU in its two games against the new arrivals. The Longhorns won’t face either West Virginia or Oklahoma State.

    GOOD FOR ALL: Why Oklahoma, Texas leaving Big 12 early makes sense

    PORTAL SUCCESSS: Florida State, LSU lead list of top transfer classes

    HEAD OF CLASS: Ranking 10 best recruiting…

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  • Deion Sanders keeps recruiting for Colorado, even while presenting at NFL Honors

    Deion Sanders keeps recruiting for Colorado, even while presenting at NFL Honors

    Recruiting season never seems to end for new Colorado football coach Deion Sanders.

    Even after he announced a top 25 class of newcomers last week on national signing day, “Coach Prime” once again took advantage of his celebrity and national platform to make a pitch for the Buffaloes in Boulder.

    This time, he was on stage presenting an award at the NFL Honors ceremony Thursday in Phoenix, near the site of the Super Bowl Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. The event was televised nationally by NBC.

    “I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to recruit,” Sanders said, generating  laughter from the crowd of NFL luminaries.

    Sanders then said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told him he could he borrow “The Star” for his recruiting efforts – a reference to Cowboys’ team headquarters in Frisco, Texas. Sanders also said Jimmy Johnson, the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach, was going to help him out with prospects, too.

    “I need all your cousins … your nephews, send ‘em right to Colorado,” Sanders said. “We good? We don’t have no NIL money, either, by the way.”

    Sanders, also a Pro Football Hall of Famer, publicly has downplayed “NIL money” in his recruiting messages – meaning income players now can earn from their names, images and likenesses (NIL).

    He’s a celebrity NIL man himself as a pitchman for Avocados From Mexico, Aflac insurance and Oikos yogurt.

    But he said it last week: ”If you’re here for NIL, or to be rich, we’re not the school for you.”

    He instead has used his celebrity and personality to draw recruits, dramatically amplifying Colorado’s national brand by appearing on several national television shows since his hiring was announced at CU in early December.

    He also has used his social media platforms to continue his recruiting pitch to recruits in several states, including in Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

    ‘We’re not here for the NIL. We’re here for the NFL’: Deion Sanders makes bold statement with huge first…

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  • Texas, Oklahoma leaving Big 12 early, joining SEC in 2024 season after reaching exit agreement

    Texas, Oklahoma leaving Big 12 early, joining SEC in 2024 season after reaching exit agreement

    Texas and Oklahoma have reached an early exit agreement with the Big 12 that will see the powers depart for the SEC following the 2023-24 athletic season. The Big 12 and both programs announced Thursday night that the Longhorns and Sooners will pay early withdrawal fees of a combined $100 million to join the SEC in 2024, a full season earlier than originally planned.

    The Big 12’s two most prominent programs made waves in July 2021 when they accepted invitations to join the SEC, setting off the latest round of conference realignment. At the time, Texas and Oklahoma planned to move to the SEC beginning July 1, 2025, once the Big 12’s active grant of rights agreement expired, opening the door for UT and OU to depart the conference free and clear. 

    However, once the Big 12 backfilled its membership by adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF — all joining the league for the 2023 season — momentum began to shift toward the Longhorns and Sooners leaving for the SEC earlier than scheduled. Texas and Oklahoma not only preferred to avoid playing the new Big 12 members, they wanted to join the SEC for Year 1 of its new TV deal with ESPN. The Big 12 eyed the substantial exit fee to supplement the new six-year media rights deal it negotiated with Fox and ESPN in October 2022.

    The eight legacy Big 12 teams agreed to share a portion of their media rights distributions from the Big 12’s existing deals with Fox and ESPN to make possible the four-team expansion. Each program decided to forgo $16 million total ($8 million annually in 2023-24 and 2024-25) in future monies, sources previously told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd.

    The negotiated $100 million early exit fee the Big 12 will receive from Texas and Oklahoma for not being part of the league’s media…

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  • 2023 Super Bowl: Rihanna halftime show predictions, including first and last songs, setlist, special guests

    2023 Super Bowl: Rihanna halftime show predictions, including first and last songs, setlist, special guests

    With Super Bowl LVII fast approaching, predictions are flooding in for the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. From the winner to MVP to the score to prop bets and everything in between, fans and experts are making their guesses for everything that will take place during the game. 

    With predictions coming in about all aspects of the big event, it only makes sense that we should predict what the halftime show will be like. Superstar artist Rihanna will be performing in a highly anticipated halftime show. Not much has been spoiled about the performance so far, so her setlist and whether she will have any special guests join her on stage remain to be seen.

    More on Super Bowl LVII

    Ahead of the big performance, we took all the data, the statistics and history of the halftime performances to give you all a prediction of what we think will happen on Sunday. If correct, we will accept all praise. If wrong? We just can forget these predictions ever happened.

    Which song will Rihanna sing first?

    Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits, plus 31 songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with a total of 360 weeks in the top 10. So she has a lot of songs, and popular ones, to choose from.

    Some favorites for her to start with are “Diamonds,” “Don’t Stop the Music” and “We Found Love.” The opening of “Diamonds” allows for a gradual build into the setlist and the visual options with a song about diamonds are endless. A glittering stadium, fans being given bracelets that light up or light effects on the stage would make for a powerful start. It is one of her most popular songs, charting for three consecutive weeks in the Top 100, peaking at No. 1. Considering whoever wins the Super Bowl will get lots of diamonds on their championship ring, it would be a very fitting start to the performance. 

    If Rihanna wants to build the show and gradually get to the more…

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