After an emotionally charged couple of weeks, Aaron Rodgers finally had a release on Sunday as he walked off the field following the Green Bay Packers' 17-0 shutout of the Seattle Seahawks.
Rodgers missed the Packers' loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 after testing positive for COVID-19 and has been at the centre of a public debate ever since.
Though he was far from his best after missing two weeks of practice, reigning NFL MVP Rodgers was grateful just to be back in his comfort zone at Lambeau Field as he led the Packers (8-2) to another victory.
"Good to be back with the guys, good to be back at home, good to be on the field, really," Rodgers told reporters via videoconference.
"The most emotions from the whole night was probably walking off the field after the game. It definitely got me a little misty."
Asked why he thought he felt that way, Rodgers responded: "I don't take these things for granted, walking off the field as a winner."
Rodgers completed 23 of 37 passes for 292 yards in his return, but the Packers' only touchdowns came on fourth-quarter runs by AJ Dillon.
On a night that saw his counterpart Russell Wilson become the latest star quarterback swallowed up by the Green Bay defence, Rodgers threw a key interception in the end zone late in the third quarter but otherwise avoided major mistakes.
"I felt pretty good for the most part," Rodgers said. "I feel like I played fairly solid. Obviously I had the one bad decision in the red zone and probably missed a couple of throws."
Rodgers did acknowledge afterward that he felt a bit like "Anchorman" character Ron Burgundy, merely repeating what Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur said via his headset to the team in huddles because he did not have a feel for the flow of the game after missing so much practice.
The 37-year-old quarterback also told reporters after the game that he was tired – "It's been a long 10 days" – and LaFleur echoed that sentiment about the team as a whole.
"I think our team is tired, to be honest with you," LaFleur said. "It definitely felt like you could feel the energy was maybe a little bit off."
The good news for the Packers is their defence is showing no signs of fatigue. Facing Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray the last three games, the Packers have allowed just 34 points.
"It's so important to be able to win games in different fashions in this league," LaFleur said, "and I thought our defence really carried the night."
NFL teams unwilling to hand Belichick total control, suggests Pennel
Bill Belichick's failure to land another coaching role in the NFL after leaving the New England Patriots was unsurprising due to the level of control he demands, says his former tackle Mike Pennel.
Belichick is regarded as one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history, leading the Patriots to nine Super Bowls and winning six during 23 seasons in charge between 2000 and 2023.
His six Super Bowl titles as a head coach match the best returns of any franchise in NFL history, with the Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers both possessing six.
He is also within reach of Don Shula's record for the most victories as an NFL head coach, with his total of 333 (including postseason games) putting him 14 behind the Miami Dolphins legend (347).
If only regular-season games are counted, Belichick has 302 victories to Shula's 328.
However, Belichick parted company with the Patriots after they went 4-13 during a dismal 2023 season, and he was unable to land a new role despite being linked with several teams, including the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.
Pennel, who spent six months with Belichick's Patriots in 2019, believes the level of control he demands over a franchise's direction proved off-putting.
"Bill Belichick's one of the greatest coaches of all time, if not that. So it's going to look a lot different. He was coaching in the NFL before I was even alive," he told Stats Perform.
"I'm clearly just speculating because I'm not part of the New England Patriots franchise, but I just think the situation was, it was that time where they wanted to change.
"They wanted a fresh face and Bill wants things to run a certain way and I don't think franchises are willing to relinquish that much control to a new coach.
"I just think he wants to take his time. I know he's a family man and just wants to enjoy the time with his family. He's already done everything."
Jerod Mayo has taken the reins in Foxborough following Belichick's departure, with quarterback Drake Maye being drafted third overall to lead the team into a new era.
Pennel, however, believes teething problems will be part of the process this year, saying: "It's hard. It takes some time. You know, there's a couple years of transition depending on how much time you have with the players and everything like that.
"You're learning a whole new system. You're learning with all new players, you're learning with all new staff, so it's very hard.
"I don't think it's ever happened like that, in the first year to go to a Super Bowl. It's hard to get to that successful level."
Dolphins coach McDaniel gets three-year extension
The Miami Dolphins have extended the contract of head coach Mike McDaniel through the 2028 season, ESPN reported Friday.
It's a three-year extension for McDaniel, who has two seasons remaining on the four-year contract he signed after being named Miami's head coach in February 2022.
McDaniel has gone 20-14 in two seasons with the Dolphins while leading the team to the playoffs both years, the franchise's first back-to-back postseason appearances since 2000-01. That resurgence has been led by an offence that's been among the NFL's best under the 41-year-old, who came to Miami after serving as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator for Kyle Shanahan in 2021.
Miami was especially potent on that side the ball last season, as it led the NFL in total yards and finished second overall in scoring at 29.2 points per game while compiling an 11-6 record to tie for first place in the AFC East.
McDaniel's arrival has also coincided with Tua Tagovailoa's emergence into a top-tier quarterback after the 2020 No. 5 overall pick struggled his first two seasons under the previous coaching regime.
Tagovailoa led the league with 4,624 passing yards in 2023 and set a Dolphins single-season record for completion percentage (69.3) while throwing for 29 touchdowns.
McDaniel now joins his quarterback as members of the organisation the Dolphins have locked up for the forseeable future. Tagavoiloa agreed to a four-year, $212 million extension through 2028 last month.
Taylor Swift fame will not hurt Kelce's desire for more Super Bowl glory – Pennel
Travis Kelce's love of football means his off-field fame will not impact his desire to help the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl three-peat, says team-mate Mike Pennel.
Kelce has become recognised as one of the NFL's best tight ends through 11 seasons with the Chiefs, being named in the first All-Pro team on four occasions and becoming a nine-time Pro Bowler.
His partnership with quarterback Patrick Mahomes has helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowls, including back-to-back crowns to cap the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
However, it is Kelce's relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift that has taken his off-field image to a new level, making him one of the world's most recognisable sportspeople.
Alongside his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, he also hosts the popular 'New Heights' podcast and has made several television appearances.
Chiefs tackle Pennel says there is no jealousy towards Kelce in the Chiefs' locker room, however.
He told Stats Perform: "We all love it, man. It's a brotherhood, so we're always excited when we see anyone on TV or succeeding off the field.
"Trav definitely was that guy that had that trajectory, you know what I mean? So, to say that we're surprised by it... we're not really. I know that everybody's really happy for him and all the opportunities that he's getting."
The Chiefs are looking to make history in the 2024 season, with a chance to become the first team in the NFL to win three straight Super Bowls.
Of the eight previous teams to win back-to-back championships, none have even reached the Super Bowl in the following season. Pennel, however, believes Kelce's drive could help the Chiefs go where no team has gone before.
"I think it's testament to [general manager Brett] Veach. He puts people in the locker room that love the game of football," he said.
"The money's great and everything like that, but I know genuinely that everyone in our locker room loves football.
"I think that's what it's testament to, he's got all the accolades, he's done everything with all the money and everything, but he generally loves the game of football and loves being competitive and wants to help the Chiefs organisation excel.
"To take that next advantage with getting a three-peat and more Super Bowls, as many as they can during this window."
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