Former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel dies at 71
Jim Fassel, whose bold guarantee of a playoff bid late in the 2000 season seemingly catapulted the New York Giants to a spot in the Super Bowl, has died. He was 71.
The Giants said Tuesday that family friends informed them of his death.
Son John Fassel, special teams coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, confirmed the death to the Los Angeles Times. He told the newspaper his father was taken to a Las Vegas hospital with chest pains and died while being treated Monday.
Jim Fassel, the 1997 NFL Coach of the Year, guided the Giants from 1997 to 2003, posting a 58-53-1 record. He was 2-3 in the postseason, including a 34-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl in February 2001.
Fassel's 58 victories place him behind Steve Owen (153), Tom Coughlin (102) and Bill Parcells (77) among Giants coaches. Owen and Parcells are Hall of Famers, and Parcells and Coughlin each won two Super Bowls.
Fassel coached a number of outstanding players for the Giants, including Hall of Famer Michael Strahan. Strahan, now a co-host of "Good Morning America'' and a television personality, called Fassel a big part of his life.
"Just a great man, great coach, and he will be missed,'' said the former defensive end, who sent condolences to the Fassel family during Tuesday's GMA broadcast.
"I enjoyed every minute with him as my coach and after my career when we continue to stay in touch and talk,'' Strahan said.
Former Giants running back Tiki Barber was among those to pay tribute to Fassel on Twitter, writing, "He challenged me to excel at the small things, then allowed me run with the big ones."
Current Giants coach Joe Judge spoke of Fassel's ties to the team during minicamp Tuesday.
"That's something that makes you kind of sit back and reflect. It brings up a lot of great coaches who have been through here,'' Judge said. "Look, it's definitely an honor to be in the same position as all of these coaches.''
Fassel was born in Anaheim, California, on Aug. 31, 1949. He played quarterback at Fullerton College, USC and Long Beach State. In 1972, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Chicago Bears. He played briefly in the NFL and World Football League.
Fassel was considered an offensive expert and worked for the Giants as offensive coordinator in 1991 and '92. He was the coordinator with the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals before returning to New York as head coach after Dan Reeves was fired.
Taking over in 1997, Fassel inherited a team that had missed the playoffs five of the previous six seasons under Ray Handley and Reeves. He quickly turned things around, posting a 10-5-1 mark and leading New York to the NFC East title, its first since winning the Super Bowl under Parcells in February 1991.
The Giants missed the playoffs the following two seasons. They appeared headed to the postseason in 2000 after opening with a 7-2 record, but consecutive losses to St. Louis and Detroit in November had many thinking the team was going to fold.
Fassel had other ideas. On Nov. 22, four days before a game with Arizona, the coach put his reputation on the line, telling the media to target him.
"I'll take full responsibility. I'm raising the stakes right now,'' he said. "This is a poker game, I'm shoving my chips to the middle of the table, I'm raising the ante. Anybody wants in, get in. Anybody wants out, get out. This team is going to the playoffs. OK. This team is going to the playoffs."
The Giants crushed Arizona 31-7 and finished the regular season on a five-game winning steak that gave them the NFC East title with a 12-4 record. Playoff wins over Philadelphia and Minnesota followed before the Ravens crushed them in the Super Bowl.
New York missed the playoffs in 2001 and made it as a wild card in 2002, but Fassel lost the team in 2003 and announced two games before the end of the season he would not be returning.
"On behalf of the Mara and Tisch families and our entire organization, I would like to express our condolences to the Fassel family and Jim's friends. We were all saddened to hear of Jim's passing. Jim was a good man and his record as our coach speaks for itself," Giants co-owner John Mara said in a statement. "Jim distinguished himself by the way he managed our team and devoted his efforts to the fire fighters and other families following the tragedy of 9-11. The players respected Jim and enjoyed playing for him and his coaching staff. And we appreciated his seven years of leading our team."
Coughlin was hired and led the Giants to Super Bowls after the 2007 and 2011 seasons.
Fassel played college football before a brief career in the NFL and Canadian football. He was also part of the coaching staffs at Denver, Oakland, Arizona and Baltimore, as well as head coach at the University of Utah. He never served as a head coach in the NFL again, but was the head man for the United Football League's Las Vegas Locomotives.
Fassel joined Westwood One radio as a color commentator for its Sunday NFL games in 2007. He stayed with the network for two seasons, calling Sunday afternoon games with Harry Kalas and "Sunday Night Football'' with Dave Sims. Fassel was also part of Westwood One's playoff coverage those two years, calling various games, and worked the 2007 and 2008 NFC Championship Games.
John Fassel will not be at the Cowboys' minicamp this week following his father's death. Fassel's assistant, Matt Daniels, will run the special teams' portions of practice.
"John's as big of a family man as we have here, and our heart goes out to him and his family right now," Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. "John's love for his family and especially his father, Jim, he's shared many stories just in our short time together."
ESPN's Todd Archer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Washington Football Team's first day of minicamp starts with photos, chalkboard signs
Just like when some kids start school, Washington Football Team quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's first day of minicamp on Tuesday in Ashburn, Virginia, begins with a photo and his own personalized chalkboard sign that reads he is in Year 17, is 38 years old and his "teacher" is "Mr. [Ron] Rivera."
Also listed on Fitzpatrick's board are his friends, Washington's starting wide receivers: "Terry [McLaurin] and Curtis [Samuel]."
Fitzpatrick wasn't the only Washington player to pose with his own sign.
McLaurin, running back Antonio Gibson, linebacker Jamin Davis and safety Darrick Forrest also showed off their first-day boards.
Kicking off the three-day, mandatory minicamp in a unique way, Washington is one of nine NFL teams to practice this week, with the rest of the teams to follow next week (except for the Philadelphia Eagles, who have elected not to have a minicamp this offseason).
Teams have already been going through organized team activities, but for some, this is the first time veterans will take the field since the end of the 2020 NFL season. Star defensive end Chase Young is one player in particular who was not at Washington's previous OTAs, but is in attendance this week. ESPN's John Keim reports Samuel is not at minicamp Tuesday because, according to Rivera, the wide receiver tweaked his groin.
MORE: Rodgers, Brady, others -- Nine things to watch at NFL minicamps
For Broncos' Jerry Jeudy, neighborhood runs about more than social media
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos is just your friendly neighborhood wide receiver trying to go about the business of turning his flash-of-brilliance, flash-of-struggles rookie season into much, much more.
Jeudy is often economical with his words, but his actions -- in the form of training videos -- say plenty. Last offseason it was his feet. This offseason, on social media, Jeudy can be seen sprinting down the middle of his neighborhood with a Broncos helmet on.
"What happened was ... I was training and I felt like, 'Man, I need some conditioning' [and] I was already home when I thought about it," Jeudy said. "I was like, 'I need some more conditioning.' I just threw my helmet on, went out there and ran. That was basically it. I hadn't planned to go outside and run. It just happened like that. ... The neighbors came [out] as you can see on the video."
The video provides a glimpse into Jeudy's offseason as he tries to turn a mostly productive rookie season into something that is far more to his liking in 2021. Jeudy finished with 52 catches for 856 yards and three touchdowns last season. His yardage total was fourth among a historical rookie class of receivers, behind Justin Jefferson (1,400 yards), Tee Higgins (908) and Chase Claypool (873). And his yards per catch average -- 16.5 -- was second among rookies, behind only Gabriel Davis (17.1).
He also had more than a few drops, including a cringe-worthy five during a Week 16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
"I think a big thing that happened with Jerry -- like I told you guys back when it happened -- in the 15th game last year when he had some drops in that game, I thought it was going to be a defining moment in his career," said Broncos coach Vic Fangio in recent days. "… Then in our last game, he had a very good game and caught a bunch of balls for a bunch of yards. I think that was a very defining moment in his career. I see a more focused and more diligent receiver on the details. He knows he can't slack. I see a much more mature guy right now."
Part of the optimism is Jeudy, drops or not, seemed to have handled the most difficult part of being a rookie receiver in the league -- running routes with enough precision to create space against more physical NFL cornerbacks. He repeatedly got open against front-line cornerbacks, even after Courtland Sutton was no longer in the lineup due to a Week 2 knee injury. With Sutton out, Jeudy often found himself tracked by the No. 1 cornerback.
"I think he handled it well," said Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick. "Obviously, he could have handled it better at some points, but he was a rookie. He puts a lot on his shoulders, and he wants to be great really bad. Stuff happens. Going into Year 2 -- I've said it already, Jerry Jeudy is really good, like really, really good. For him, it's all mental at this point. He knows he can get open against anybody in this league."
"[It's] mostly concentration and focusing on the ball," Jeudy said. "I'm so quick to catch and run to hurry up and make a play instead of catching first, then run. That's mostly what is, just trying to make a play too fast."
Ultimately, that was the big picture takeaway across the board. Nobody, with Jeudy leading the way, was happy with the drops, especially the that-was-right-in-his-hands variety. Not from a guy taken with the 15th pick of the draft.
But Jeudy's five-catch, 140-yard performance in the season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, seven days after what we had called the worst day of his football life, included a 92-yard catch-and-run touchdown. It was the longest pass play in the league last season.
Jeudy said he took that close-out game of his rookie season into his offseason work. He said he believes he has a better feel for the nuances of each pass play and how he fits with Sutton expected to return to a prominent role in the passing game as well.
"I feel like I've matured," Jeudy said. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into [during] your first year of doing something. This is my second year and I feel like I have learned a lot from my first year. I know how to overcome whatever I had in past years to make this year better."
Hall of Famer Jim Kelly passes 'the torch' to Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen for charity
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As if it weren't heavily implied already, former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly literally "passed the torch" to current quarterback Josh Allen this past weekend.
Allen and Bills defensive tackle Harrison Phillips spent a day with the Pro Football Hall of Famer and his wife, Jill, at an event at Hunter's Haven Lodge in support of Kelly's foundations -- Hunter's Hope and Kelly for Kids. The lodge in Ellicottville, New York, is named after the Kellys' late son, who died at age 8 in 2005 after battling Krabbe Leukodystrophy.
Jill documented the weekend event, which included skeet shooting and dinner, on social media with a photo of Kelly handing a football to Allen. Inscribed on the ball were the quarterback's signatures along with the words, "passing the torch." Kelly and Allen also signed a few footballs for future charity events.
Allen officially took the Bills' quarterback torch last year when he set single-season franchise records for completions (396), passing yards (4,544) and passing touchdowns (37), the latter of which belonged to Kelly.
Kelly, the Bills' leader in career passing yards and touchdowns, told Jill last season: Allen "is going to break every record I have."
The quarterbacks have been in constant contact since the Bills drafted Allen No. 7 overall in 2018, with Kelly publicly voicing support for Allen on several occasions.
"The constant thing he kept telling me was to take what the defense gives you, little tidbits here and there," Allen said last season. "But more so about embracing Buffalo and embracing the city here and this community -- the type of people and the food. It goes beyond football when we're talking, but he's been great with my development here. Not just as a player but as a person, as well. I couldn't have asked to be in a better situation."
Kelly made it a point in May 2018 to speak with Allen after his rookie minicamp, when Allen called him, "the greatest quarterback to play the game and obviously the greatest in Buffalo history."
There is no debating Kelly is the best QB in franchise history, but Allen hopes to at least be in the conversation by the time his career is finished.
"That's where I want to be. That's eventually [the goal of] my career, to be regarded in the city of Buffalo like a Jim Kelly," Allen said in 2018. "Every quarterback who plays here wants to be in the same sentence as him, just because of what he is and what he [means] to the city."
Allen is entering his fourth NFL season after leading the Bills last season to their first AFC East title since 1995 -- Kelly's penultimate season in the league.
Allen is also in line for a contract extension that could make him one of the highest paid players in league history. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the deal could be done as early as this summer, or negotiations could extend into next year; either way, there is mutual interest on both sides to make Allen a Buffalo Bill for the remainder of his career.
Zach Wilson's rookie year hinges on Jets' ability to run the ball
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- If the New York Jets want to get the best out of rookie Zach Wilson, if they want to put an end to the vexing quarterback drought that has plagued the franchise for decades, they must learn to do this one thing exceptionally well:
Run. The. Ball.
They were really bad at it during the Sam Darnold era, ranking 30th in rushing offense over three years -- which probably explains a lot of things. Now they have a new coaching staff and a new scheme with a history of success, but big questions remain because the current cast of running backs lacks a true star.
And a true starter, for that matter.
Some perspective: If you combine the rushing yardage from the career years of the Jets' four veteran backs -- Tevin Coleman (800 yards), Josh Adams (511), Ty Johnson (273) and La'Mical Perine (232) -- the total would be 1,816. That's 200-plus yards fewer than Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry's 2,027-yard performance in the 2020 NFL season.
For the Jets, the star is the system, an outside zone scheme known for turning pedestrian players into 1,000-yard rushers. It started nearly 30 years ago with coach Mike Shanahan, who taught it to his assistants, who taught it to their assistants. One of them was Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who grew up in the coaching business under Shanahan's son, current San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
The scheme is like a secret family recipe, passed down through the generations, finally arriving in New Jersey.
"Best scheme in the world," said Jets coach Robert Saleh, who also worked under Kyle.
The Jets don't have to be world beaters, but they have to run the ball effectively to take pressure off Wilson, keeping him out of third-and-long and allowing him to utilize the play-action element in the offense. One of the reasons why they drafted him No. 2 overall was because of his ability to excel in play-action situations.
Now all they have to do is get better blocking up front and scheme up ways to get production out of their no-name backfield, which includes fourth-round pick Michael Carter, who might be the best of the bunch.
"I do think they all could be productive backs in this system," LaFleur said.
The plan is to use the "committee" approach, which is how the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season. They finished second in total rushing, but had no backs who cracked the 800-yard mark -- Raheem Mostert (772), Matt Breida (623) and Coleman (544).
The league is trending away from the one-man show.
"There are a few guys," Saleh said. "Derrick Henry still does it; there's a few of those. If you have one, you have one. You never want to force the issue. You want to share the load, and it gives those guys a chance to have longevity in their career."
The scheme requires patient backs who can run east-west until they see a crease and ... vroom! It's one cut and go. Coleman has an early edge because he's familiar with the system and has the most straightaway speed, based on data from NFL Next Gen Stats.
"When he gets the ball in his hand and makes that one cut," Saleh said, "it's like he's shot out of a cannon."
Coleman, 28, didn't generate much interest on the free-agent market (he signed for one year, $1.1 million), which says what the league thinks about him. Perine (5-foot-11, 216 pounds) is "a big, powerful back who can get downhill in a hurry," Saleh said. Quite frankly, Perine, a 2020 fourth-round pick, didn't show any special qualities as a rookie. Some opposing scouts wonder if the scheme change will stunt his development.
The most intriguing player is Carter (5-foot-8, 201), who runs bigger than his size and brings more quickness than the others. He ran for 1,245 yards and an 8.0 average last season at North Carolina, which suggests there's potential in those thunderous thighs.
"Every back has a unique trait," Saleh said of the Jets' depth chart. "Finding roles for them is going to be fun."
"They come in so many shapes and sizes," said LaFleur, suggesting there's no prototype of a player for the scheme.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas didn't have many great options in the offseason. The free-agent market was weak, and he wasn't about to pay big bucks after the Le'Veon Bell disaster by the previous regime. In the draft, he could have picked Najee Harris or Travis Etienne, but he preferred to use his second first-round pick on guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Two other running backs were chosen before he selected Carter near the top of the fourth round.
There was no fault in Douglas' strategy, but it leaves them with question marks. Quite frankly, the Jets haven't been a formidable running team since 2009-10, when they controlled the trenches and protected their young quarterback, Mark Sanchez.
They need to get back to that mentality with Wilson.
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