Tag: New England Patriots

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Brian Flores’ uphill battle against the NFL shows flaws in the league’s hiring process

On Feb. 1, the former Miami Dolphins head coach filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and all 32 teams

It’s not unusual for drama to surface in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. For some reason, the extra week of hiatus (ignoring the Pro Bowl, because I honestly don’t know a single person who cares) tends to stir the kettle of NFL headlines.

A little over a week ago, Brian Flores’ NFL lawsuit became this year’s pre-Super Bowl noise that dominated sports media. Among the many allegations outlined in his 58-page filing, the former Dolphins head coach spoke out about his personal experience with racial discrimination in the league’s hiring process. The story was a topic of discussion on mainstream news platforms and late-night talk shows in the days following the allegations. I won’t go into the details here but there’s no shortage of information available, and Flores has since spoken about the lawsuit in an interview on ESPN’s “Get Up.”

Super Bowl LVI will be a wildly entertaining and eventful distraction, as the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams battle for a once-in-a-lifetime chance at immortality. But once the limelights dim, I hope developments in Flores’ situation continue to nab the attention of sports fans.

Objectively, Flores is qualified to coach an NFL franchise. He put in the groundwork as a scout and assistant coach in New England, winning four Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. In his two-year tenure as head coach of the Dolphins, the 40-year-old helped produce consecutive winning seasons. Nonetheless, he was inexplicably fired shortly after the 2021-22 regular season, a decision that shocked most people in the sports world. 

There is an esteemed list of premier head coaches in the NFL, including the likes of Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, and Andy Reid to name a few. Flores doesn’t have the pedigree to be on that echelon yet, but purely from a football perspective, he is a coaching talent that should be highly sought by most NFL teams, in theory.

At the time of this writing, there are two Black head coaches across 32 teams (one before the Houston Texans announced the hiring of Lovie Smith on Feb. 7). When you consider the fact that 70 per cent of the players in the NFL are Black, something obviously doesn’t add up. 

By speaking out, it’s likely Flores has jeopardized his career as an NFL head coach by choosing this path against the league. But no matter the legal outcome, the attention he has drawn will hopefully set up an infrastructure that allows minority coaches an equal opportunity at success.

 

Graphic by Madeline Schmidt

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Colour commentary: Previewing Super Bowl 53

Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary

Rams won’t stop Brady and will have to rely on offence

It’s pretty incredible to think quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick are taking the New England Patriots to Super Bowl 53, their ninth together.

Just like when they started together in 2001 and won three Super Bowls in four years, they’ll be playing in their third-straight title game when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta on Feb. 3.

The 41-year-old Brady and the Patriots have had an underdog attitude all season. I would think they’re the favourites for this Super Bowl, even though the Rams’s 13-3 record is better than the Patriots’s 11-5 record from the regular season.

In the playoffs, and especially in one-and-done title games like this, experience plays a pivotal role. Brady is older than L.A.’s head coach, Sean McVay, who turned 33 on Jan. 24, and 17 years separates Brady and his quarterback counterpart, Jared Goff. Not to mention, Brady and the Patriots have won five championships together, while the Rams have two playoff wins since McVay took over as head coach in 2017.

The Rams proved those numbers mean nothing in the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints. Up against 40-year-old Drew Brees and Sean Payton, who also won a title together in 2009, the Rams delivered an upset on the road—albeit a controversial one, but let’s not open that can of worms.

In last year’s Super Bowl, we saw how much the Philadelphia Eagles were underdogs against the Patriots. Even though Brady threw for over 500 yards and three touchdowns, the Eagles simply outscored them and won 41-33. If the Rams want to win this year, they just need to score a lot of points.

Even with a strong defence that features defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, the Rams likely won’t stop Brady. If L.A. needs to rely on their defence, they won’t win this game.

Instead, Goff is going to have to step up and make big plays. McVay also has to use this season’s third-leading rusher, Todd Gurley, more than he did against the Saints and at the same time give touches to back-up running back C.J. Anderson, whose experience winning a Super Bowl in 2016 may be invaluable to a young team.

For the Patriots to win, they just have to stick to their game plan. They know whatever they do works, because it’s brought them to four Super Bowls in the past five years. The Patriots had the 11th-best run defence this season, so if they can shut down the Rams’s running game, Brady and Belichick will be collecting their sixth ring together.

Prediction: 31-27 New England Patriots. Eight people from our staff predicted the Patriots to win Super Bowl 53, with three choosing the Rams.

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The Concordian staff previews Super Bowl 52

By Zeze Le Lin

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick aim for their sixth championship together on Feb. 4

The number-one teams in the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) are set to battle in this year’s Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minn. The New England Patriots will aim to win a second-straight Super Bowl, and their third in the last four years. Their only roadblock is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Concordian staff previews the big game.

What the Patriots need to do to win

By Matthew Coyte, Assistant Sports Editor

The New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl (shocker). After winning against the Tennessee Titans 34-14 without much difficulty, and then beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in a thrilling 24-20 AFC Championship game, the Patriots will look to capture the sixth title of quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick’s regime against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Patriots have been able to systematically beat every challenge tossed at them. No receivers to start the year? No problem. Brady getting 12 stitches on his throwing hand prior to the AFC Championship? He threw for 290 yards.

No matter the score, it seems when the fourth quarter hits, the Patriots hit another gear. Even with tight end Rob Gronkowski possibly injured, the team is finally healthy after struggling with injuries early in the season. You do not want to play against a healthy Patriots team. They also have the league’s best coach in Belichick. That doesn’t hurt.

The Eagles are a good team, but the Patriots are the Empire. Brady is Darth Vader, Belichick is the Emperor, but the Eagles are no Luke Skywalker. The Patriots will win as long as Brady doesn’t break both his arms and legs, and the reign of terror will continue.

What the Eagles need to do to win

By Nicholas Di Giovanni, Sports Editor

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles is not as bad as everyone thought. When their starter and potential MVP candidate Carson Wentz tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in week 14, nobody thought the Eagles had a chance.

However, Foles took over from Wentz and played as if nothing changed. In the two playoff games, he has a 77.8 per cent passing completion, and has thrown for nearly 600 yards with three touchdowns. Not to mention Foles completely tore apart the Minnesota Vikings defence in the Eagles 38-7 win in the NFC Championship.

Wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor personify the Eagles chant, “Fly Eagles Fly,” as they look like they fly on the field. With talented running backs in LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, their offence is a two-headed monster that could do serious damage.

Even though their defence, led by defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and safety Malcolm Jenkins, is capable of stopping good offences, they won’t be able to stop Brady, the quarterback who can pick apart any defence. If the Eagles want to win, their offence will need to do most of the work.

Predictions
By Alexander Cole, Managing Editor

Okay, well we all know that no matter how close a team gets to beating the Patriots, they will inevitably choke and practically give the game away at the last minute. It happened at last year’s Super Bowl, so I’m convinced it will happen again. Will this be any different? It won’t be.

The Patriots will start with the ball, and Brady and his injured throwing hand will struggle out of the gate. The Eagles, who have played solid defence all season, will take advantage of this. After the first quarter, Foles will have made some nice throws, and will have thrown for a touchdown. The score: 10-0 Eagles.

Throughout the second quarter, the Patriots will continue to struggle, but so will the Eagles. Neither team will really get many scoring opportunities, and the first half will end 13-7 for the Eagles.

In the third quarter, the Eagles will get a touchdown, and with a quarter to play, it’s 20-7 for Philadelphia.

Then to the dismay of literally every football fan ever, Brady will wake up with 10 minutes to go, and score two unanswered touchdowns, including one with a minute left to play. He wins his sixth Super Bowl, and I cry myself to sleep.

Staff Predictions

Calvin Cashen: 26-21 Patriots

Alexander Cole: 21-20 Patriots

Matthew Coyte: 30-21 Patriots

Nicholas Di Giovanni: 27-25 Eagles

Orenzo Porporino: 24-17 Eagles

Candice Pye: 26-21 Patriots

Katya Teague: 21-20 Eagles

Main graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

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