As a left tackle, Austin Jackson plays the role of protectorate — taking care of a precious commodity, a quarterback’s blind side. It’s a role for which the 20-year-old from the University of Southern California has long been prepared. For as long as he can remember, Jackson has looked after his sister Autumn, who is […] More
The last time he changed teams, from DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md., to Ohio State, Chase Young made an indelible impression on his recruiter. “We talked on the phone probably more than anyone I’ve ever recruited,” said Larry Johnson Sr., the Buckeyes’ defensive line and associate head coach. “Sometimes at 10 at night he would […] More
Once projected as a top pick in the N.F.L. draft, Tua Tagovailoa ultimately became one of its biggest mysteries. A dynamic left-hander who won two national championships as Alabama’s quarterback, Tagovailoa has been recovering from a hip dislocation sustained in a November game. He was cleared to begin football activities in March, but teams were […] More
In any other year, N.F.L. facilities across the country would be buzzing this week, when teams are allowed to begin their off-season workout programs, the first organized football activities since they ended the prior season. Normally, this is a time when teammates are reunited for workouts and position meetings. Coaches get their first in-person look […] More
Ernie Accorsi, the former general manager of the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns and Giants, remembers attending his first N.F.L. draft in 1969. He expected to enter a grand, ornate ballroom filled with titans of the game: Vince Lombardi, Paul Brown, Don Shula. Instead, he walked into a tiny New York hotel conference room and did […] More
Enjoying this newsletter every Friday? Send it to a friend, or six, and have them sign up at nytimes.com/rory. There is something unsettling about watching a soccer match played behind closed doors, in a stadium filled with echoes and air, rather than noise and life. The faces of the players, the jerseys they wear and […] More
For the past month, since the N.F.L. banned nonessential travel and shuttered team facilities, many coaches, scouts and other player evaluators have had to rely primarily on watching footage of college games in the hopes of finding a franchise-lifting selection in the N.F.L. draft that starts on April 23. Watching video, though, is not a […] More
Von Miller, the Denver Broncos’ All-Pro linebacker and the winner of the Most Valuable Player Award in Super Bowl 50, on Thursday became the latest and most prominent N.F.L. player to reveal publicly that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Miller was not feeling well in recent days, which prompted him to get tested […] More
