Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.Many Super Bowl bettors have sifted through the hundreds of available game props, which make up a sizable share of the handle each year. There's real value to be found in those props, especially if you're knowledgeable about each team's style and go-to weapons.Then, there are the exotic props. Compared to regular props, they're way more fun but infinitely harder to predict. Still, there's value in the fact that books can't rely on sharp intel or refined algorithms to determine outcomes like the age of the Puppy Bowl MVP or whether the halftime performers will be showing skin (hint: they probably will).It's mostly guesswork, which puts bettors on a similar plane to oddsmakers. To that effect, here are our guesses for some of the best (and most interesting) Super Bowl LIV prop bets.National anthem lengthPick: Under 1:55 (+275)The expectation is that Demi Lovato will milk every second of her comeback tour, but as we broke down in detail earlier this week, that may not be the case. The over/under has risen to 2:04 at some books, but you can get nearly 3-1 odds on under 1:55 - the average time of the last 29 Super Bowl anthems - which is absurd value.Length of the final word, 'brave'Pick: Over 5.5 seconds (-175)"But wait," you ask, "I thought you said to go under on the anthem?" Why yes, I did. Overall, Lovato has shown herself to be an efficient anthem singer. But she loves to stretch out those final few notes, and 5.5 seconds is no match for her vocals. (Yes, I have spent too much time on YouTube. Sue me.)Super Bowl MVP first mentionPick: God/religion (+250)Without getting too into the weeds, a quick glance at the Super Bowl MVP oddsboard points to some obvious value here. Patrick Mahomes has been outspoken about his faith, and he's the odds-on favorite to win the award. This might be an even better way to bet on Mahomes' MVP odds than to bet on the award winner.Color of liquid poured on winning coachPick: Red/pink (+250)This needs little explanation: The winning team will be wearing red, which is also the best flavor of Gatorade. Easy play.Will Darrelle Revis tweet about Richard Sherman during Super Bowl?Pick: Yes (+200)Revis and Sherman have reignited their old feud this month, which was highlighted by Revis ranting about the 49ers cornerback on Twitter. Sherman then stoked the flames this week by implying that Revis was selfish. The ball is now in Revis' court, and what better time to fire away than on Super Bowl Sunday?Highlight shown of Joe Montana playing with ChiefsPick: Yes (+150)How is this a plus-money wager? The fact that Montana suited up for both San Francisco and Kansas City is one of the biggest subplots of this Super Bowl. If a clip isn't played of him in the "other" red, an intern will lose their job.Coach mentioned firstPick: Andy Reid (-120)Between Reid and Kyle Shanahan, the former is the bigger name coaching the better team with more to prove. It's the perfect storm for a Super Bowl narrative, and the FOX announcers are smart enough to play that up.Highlight shown of Dan MarinoPick: Yes (+550)This is a risky wager, but the price demands a play here. Marino is the youngest quarterback to ever start in a Super Bowl - Mahomes is the fifth youngest - and those two are the only players to be named MVP and start in a Super Bowl before turning 25. The parallels are worth a long-shot bet.Will Joe Buck or Troy Aikman say 'Patriots'?Pick: Yes (-270)How could they not? Last year's Super Bowl winners were the Patriots. The Chiefs lost to the Patriots in last year's AFC title game. The last time either coach was in the Super Bowl, they lost to the Patriots. Patriots, Patriots, Patriots.Will they mention that Jimmy Garoppolo started his career with the Patriots?Pick: Yes (even)Oh, I forgot one more reason why they'll surely mention the Patriots: Garoppolo won two Super Bowls with the franchise! Come on, now. One of the two starting quarterbacks is a two-time champion, and we aren't gonna mention how he got those rings? Patriots, Patriots, Patriots.C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Patrick Mahomes' historic start to his NFL career led many to believe the Kansas City Chiefs would waste no time breaking the bank to secure their star quarterback long term.However, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said the team could wait until 2021 to sign Mahomes to an extension."There will be a right time sometime in the next 12-15 months to extend Patrick, and when I say right time, I mean right time for both the player and the club,'' Hunt said, according to ESPN's Adam Teicher.He added: "I don't want to say necessarily it has to be this offseason but I will say that it's a priority to get him done. I hope Patrick is here for his entire career and that's going to be our goal.''It was reported earlier in January that the Chiefs hope to complete a "mammoth" contract this offseason to make Mahomes the league's highest-paid player.Russell Wilson currently holds that distinction, taking home $35 million per season. But it has been speculated that Mahomes could sign a contract that pays him at least $40 million per year.While Dak Prescott is expected to sign a long-term extension with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, he's likely the only high-profile quarterback who will ink such a contract, and it isn't guaranteed to exceed Wilson's deal.In his second campaign as the starter for the Chiefs, Mahomes led the team to Super Bowl LIV, in which it'll face the San Francisco 49ers. The signal-caller burst onto the scene last season, throwing 50 touchdowns to win the MVP award.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.Only on Super Bowl Sunday could you be watching Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals during the day because you need more shots on goal from Alex Ovechkin than catches by Emmanuel Sanders.The cross-sport prop market on Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most fun, as the sporting events outside of the big game change every year. Whether it's college basketball, NBA, NHL, or even the Oscars, there are plenty of cross-sport props that tie into the headliner when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs.Here are the best for Sunday:George Kittle's and Travis Kelce's receiving yards +10.5 vs. total combined points in St. John's-GeorgetownWith how much action typically comes in on the overs in the player prop markets, it's wise to wait on numbers. However, Kelce and Kittle are the two best tight ends in the league and can shatter their receiving-yard totals of 76.5 and 70.5, respectively. And you're not in bad shape even if they hover right around that number. Georgetown started the year with plenty of track meets, going over the total in seven of its first 10. The Hoyas have since slowed down a bit, going under in six of their last eight with an average combined score of roughly 145 points. I'd recommend rooting for the tight ends in this prop.James Harden -7.5 points against Pelicans vs. first-half points in Chiefs-49ersThis is a prop I recommended taking as early as possible, and I'd still play at the current price. The first-half under is a Super Bowl play that some smarter bettors hit last week, so I'm content with tying it in, especially with the upside on the other end of the prop. The New Orleans Pelicans' defense is one of the worst in the league and allows the seventh-most points per game to point guards. For a player who's already averaging north of 36 per contest, Harden's the look in this spot.Carey Price's saves (-120) vs. Patrick Mahomes' rushing yardsIf you've been keeping tabs on our Super Bowl coverage so far, you know how hard I'm fading Mahomes on the ground. I think his odds to score the first touchdown are inflated, as is his longest rush prop. San Francisco's defense allowed an average of 21.1 rushing yards per game to quarterbacks this season. Mahomes' stock is likely at its peak after he ran for 53 yards in back-to-back postseason contests. I like Price's saves to be higher, with the Montreal Canadiens on the second game of a back-to-back Sunday against a Columbus Blue Jackets offense that's No. 12 in the NHL in shots on goal per contest.Raheem Mostert -0.5 carries vs. Zion Williamson's pointsUntil Williamson starts to see a full workload, we'll likely see his point total somewhere in the 14-to-16 range. He erupted during the fourth quarter of his debut against the San Antonio Spurs to surpass his total of 13.5 and pushed the following game against the Denver Nuggets when he posted 14. As for Mostert, he carried the ball a whopping 29 times in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers with fellow running back Tevin Coleman sidelined with a dislocated shoulder. The 49ers have leaned on the ground game all year and figure to play keep-away from the Chiefs' offense. They should also be able to move the ball against a Kansas City defense that's one of the worst at defending the run. Look for Mostert to win this prop.Pascal Siakam's points + rebounds (-110) vs. Jimmy Garoppolo's passing attemptsI love Siakam in this spot, as he's been on a tear lately. The 2020 All-Star Game starter has at least 18 points in each of the last four games and will match up with a Chicago Bulls defense that allows the most points in the league to opposing power forwards. This gets a bit tricky if Garoppolo is forced to play catch-up early. But if San Francisco can control the clock, the offense will keep it on the ground as much as possible, just as it did two weeks ago against Green Bay when the quarterback threw the ball only eight times.Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

During his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, cornerback Richard Sherman didn't hide his hatred for the San Francisco 49ers.Now a member of the NFC champions, Sherman wants to make it clear he never held any ill-will toward San Francisco, only the man who was leading the team at the time, Jim Harbaugh."I wanted to put him out of the league," Sherman said at Super Bowl Opening Night, according to Phil Barber of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. "And once I got that done, I had no animosity toward the 49ers organization."Sherman was coached by Harbaugh at Stanford from 2007-10. The head coach apparently suggested Sherman, then playing as a receiver, quit on his team for undergoing season-ending knee surgery in 2008.The five-time Pro Bowler was moved to defense, but his feud with Harbaugh, who led the offense, only escalated.Stanford's then-defensive coordinator, Ron Lynn, said Sherman used his knowledge of the offense's scheme to aggravate Harbaugh, calling out formations and play calls during practice, per Elliot Almond of The Mercury News."There is nothing to mend," Sherman told Almond on Jan. 17. "The bridge was burned down, torn down, and built another bridge at another place. But the bridge in this particular relationship will never be rebuilt. I don't think he is interested in it, and I'm not interested in it."Sherman - who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 draft - revealed recently that 49ers CEO Jed York told him he had a third-round grade from his team, but Harbaugh had the cornerback removed from the draft board, per The Athletic's David Lombardi.After leading the 49ers to three straight NFC Championship Game appearances and 36 regular-season wins from 2011-13, Harbaugh was fired after finishing 8-8 in 2014 and returned to the college ranks with alma mater Michigan.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

These articles aren't intended to be rankings or tiers for drafting. The goal is to review what we learned during the 2019 fantasy campaign and offer a glimpse of what's to come next season.You can view our complete wide receiver rankings here.2019 Fantasy reviews

Free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown was freed from house arrest by a Florida judge Tuesday as he awaits trial for a felony burglary with battery charge, according to The Associated Press.Circuit Judge Michael Usan granted Brown permission to travel freely within the United States so he can fulfill contractual obligations with ESPN and comedian Kevin Hart.The former NFL star's GPS monitor was removed, and he will instead have to check in daily with court personnel.Brown was released Friday on $110,000 bail, which remains in place. He also has to surrender his passport and firearms and undergo a mental health evaluation.The 31-year-old was charged last week for an altercation with a moving truck driver, who said he was attacked by Brown and his trainer, Glenn Holt, outside the receiver's home in Hollywood, Florida.Brown turned himself in to Florida police Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Super Bowl week is officially upon us.The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers gathered inside Marlins Park in Miami for Super Bowl Opening Night. Here are the highlights from Monday's event:NFL honors KobeSuper Bowl Opening Night kicked off by honoring NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash Sunday.Prior to player interviews, there was a touching moment of silence inside Marlins Park. "Kobe" chants followed shortly after.

When San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers steps onto the field Sunday at Super Bowl LIV, she'll be making history as the first woman to coach on the NFL's biggest stage.During Monday's Super Bowl Opening Night, Sowers was still trying to comprehend her achievement."Being the first female in the Super Bowl, it's surreal," Sowers said, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "It really is. But what I want to continue to say is that even though I'm the first, the most important thing is I'm not the last and we continue to grow it."Sowers will also be the first openly gay coach in Super Bowl history.

Jimmy Garoppolo acknowledged Monday he's interested in seeing where Tom Brady plays in 2020."I think everyone's curious," he told Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com at Super Bowl Opening Night. "... It'll be hard to see him in anything but a Patriots uniform."Garoppolo spent over three years backing up Brady in New England before the Patriots traded him to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 for a second-round pick.The 28-year-old said he received a text from Brady ahead of Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs, encouraging him to "go handle business" and win the game.Garoppolo is 17-for-27 for 208 yards with one touchdown and one interception in two postseason outings for the 49ers. San Francisco relied on its dominant running game to get through its first two playoff tests, but will likely need to lean more on Garoppolo's arm in the championship round."Just his calm demeanor, how he went about it as another game, and just stepping up, making big plays in big moments," Garoppolo said when asked what he learned from seeing Brady up close in the Super Bowl. "That's what it's all about."Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach called Patrick Mahomes the greatest player he had ever seen while scouting the young pivot ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft."You knew he was going to be great," head coach Andy Reid said at Super Bowl Opening Night, according to ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith. "Brett Veach said it - he's our general manager - he said he's the greatest player he'd ever seen. That's quite a tribute to the kid. Now that I've been around him, and you've watched him play, he's pretty doggone good."The Chiefs drafted Mahomes 10th overall out of Texas Tech. They traded that year's first- and third-round picks along with a 2018 first-rounder to the Buffalo Bills to move up after Veach, then Kansas City's co-director of player personnel, convinced Reid and team brass to draft him."People thought I was crazy back in the combine, before he took a start, that I said he's the best player I've ever seen," Veach said after the AFC Championship Game. "He's the best player in the game, and I think it's not just me saying it now, it's the whole league."Mahomes spent his rookie year learning behind Alex Smith before stepping into the starter's role as a sophomore. He responded to the promotion by winning NFL MVP honors in 2018, following it up by leading the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIV in his third pro season.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

LeSean McCoy plans to retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, the veteran running back told Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer at Super Bowl Opening Night.McCoy, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, will be a free agent following Super Bowl LIV, but the 31-year-old isn't planning to retire immediately."I can still play, so I'm not going to retire yet, but that day is coming," McCoy told Kevin Patra of NFL.com.McCoy spent the first six seasons of his career with the Eagles before Chip Kelly and Co. traded him to Buffalo Bills, with whom he played the next four campaigns. He accepted a reduced role with Kansas City in 2019 after joining the team on the heels of his release from the Bills.The 2009 second-round pick didn't receive a carry in either of the Chiefs' first two postseason contests, sitting out the AFC Championship Game as an inactive. McCoy ranked second in regular-season rushing for Kansas City, scampering for 465 yards and four touchdowns.A six-time Pro Bowler, McCoy eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground four times with Philadelphia. He won the NFL rushing title in 2013 after amassing over 1,600 yards.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As the Kansas City Chiefs attempt to capture their first Super Bowl in 50 years, wide receiver Sammy Watkins believes there's no one more deserving of the Lombardi Trophy than his head coach, Andy Reid."I think coach Reid deserves one," Watkins told reporters during Super Bowl Opening Night, according to Around the NFL. "He's one of the top coaches in this league. He's on the top coaches I've ever had and I think himself in general and this organization deserve a ring. I think everyone on this team deserves one. I think we've played well and went through all the trials and tribulations and injuries and stuff like that and we've played the best as a team. So I think if anyone deserves one, we do."I know he (Reid) won't retire but I think (a Super Bowl title) would definitely set up his Hall of Fame career. Like I said, I've been here for two years and that's probably one of the (most genuine) person(s) I've ever met as a coach. A coach that really cares, a coach you can go talk to and probably the best decision of my life to come play for him."Kansas City signed Watkins in 2018 after three seasons with the Buffalo Bills and one campaign with the Los Angeles Rams.The receiver has taken a back seat to other Chiefs stars at times this season, but he caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in his team's AFC championship win over the Tennessee Titans."Andy Reid is one the best coaches to play for," Watkins said, per Ariel Rothfield of KHSB. "If there's anyone who deserves it it's him."Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.All eyes will be on Demi Lovato on Sunday as she performs "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the Super Bowl. For bettors, however, eyes will also be on the clock.Among the most popular prop bets ahead of the big game is the over/under for the national anthem - which is set right around two minutes this year, depending on the book, with some heavy juice on the over. Last year's result was highly controversial, as Gladys Knight's rendition forced sportsbooks to decide whether the anthem should end after the first mention of "brave" for that prop and moving forward.With rules straightened out this year, Lovato's performance should hopefully bring less controversy, but it's no less intriguing for anthem bettors. Will the pop star stretch out the final notes to cash the over or will she continue a run of under winners for this popular prop?Recent historyBefore diving into Lovato's relationship with the anthem, it will help to know how past artists have performed. Here's a breakdown of every anthem singer since 2007 (when prop data became available):YEARSINGERTIMEO/URESULT2019Gladys Knight1:491:50Under2018Pink1:532:00Under2017Luke Bryan2:042:09Under2016Lady Gaga2:092:22Under2015Idina Menzel2:042:02Over2014Renee Fleming1:542:23Under2013Alicia Keys2:352:15Over2012Kelly Clarkson1:341:34Push2011Christina Aguilera1:531:54Under2010Carrie Underwood1:471:41Over2009Jennifer Hudson2:102:04Over2008Jordin Sparks1:541:47Over2007Billy Joel1:301:44UnderDepending on what number you got last year - and whether the book counted Knight's second and third "brave" - 2019 marked the fourth consecutive under and the fifth in six years. The lone over in that stretch was marked by controversy, as sportsbooks took down the prop after multiple max limits laid on the over suggested potential inside info.Gossip about Lovato's performance hasn't surfaced thus far, though the heavy juice on the over suggests books and/or early bettors expect something well over two minutes long. Are there any factors that might signal value here beyond standard over/under trends?Lovato (27) is the youngest artist to sing the anthem since Carrie Underwood (26) in 2010, who went over. She's also the eighth artist under 35 to sing the anthem since '07, with the previous seven going 4-2-1 to the over. All but two artists in that 13-year span have been female, though there's no trend among those performers (5-5-1).The average national anthem length over the last 29 Super Bowls is roughly 1:55 - aided by research from Ashton Grewel of Covers.com - which is a full five seconds shorter than what most books are offering for Lovato. Eight of the last 13 have gone under two minutes.Of course, every artist has their own style - hence their artistry. What can we learn from Lovato's past to predict how she'll perform Sunday?Lovato's big momentWhile some artists have scarce history with the national anthem, Lovato has performed it ahead of at least five major sporting events, which gives us great insight into how Sunday's performance might go.Lovato has averaged 1:56 in those five performances, which checks in below this year's over/under of two minutes. Her latest rendition - a 2017 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor - was her longest at 2:11, but all four of her previous outings fell short of two minutes.YEAREVENTTIME2017Mayweather vs. McGregor2:112015World Series1:582012World Series1:502011World Series1:492008Cowboys vs. Seahawks1:53While the boxing event was certainly of stature, it doesn't quite compare to the pressure of her three performances at the World Series, where she's averaged 1:52. Her lone anthem before an NFL game was seven seconds below Sunday's over/under.And here's the thing: All four performances featured the long, drawn-out notes that everyone is expecting Sunday. She is a pop singer, after all. But they still averaged out to 1:56, which could provide serious value for prop bettors.Doug Pensinger / Getty Images Sport / GettyLovato's personal life will intertwine with her performance in Miami, as it should, amid a triumphant comeback to music.Sunday's national anthem will be just her second public performance in nearly two years following a well-publicized July 2018 overdose. She sought treatment for substance abuse in November of that year and hadn't released any new material until she performed her new song, "Anyone," at the Grammys on Sunday.She drew rave reviews for her moving performance, which lasted 4:02 and included her getting choked up and needing to start over in a moment drenched with emotion.Why does any of this matter? Humanity, for one. But for bettors, her approach to the anthem could go one of two ways: Lovato could use Sunday's spot as an opportunity to soak in the moment and saturate her performance with emotion, as she did at the Grammys. It could also be an opportunity for Lovato to demonstrate her strength and confidence with a tight, powerful rendition of one of the most challenging songs for an artist.The award-winning singer has been vocal about her increasingly high confidence levels after years of battling mental health and substance abuse, and she's discussed the adrenaline she'll likely feel in the next phase of her career comeback. That alone could lead to a speedier performance than many expect.How long will it take?Lovato may stretch out a few notes Sunday - in part to revel in her biggest moment since stepping away, in part to showcase her vocal talent as one of the youngest to perform the anthem for the Super Bowl.For the most part, though, every artist squeezes the marrow out of the anthem, and the under has still been cash for bettors. Even Lovato, who's known to let her voice run free, has been a notably short anthem singer.Lovato's a savvy brand manager, and long anthem performances often carry a negative connotation, which doesn't fit the singer's image in 2020. And given the magnitude of this moment for Lovato, it'd be shocking to see her attempt to reinvent the anthem as, say, Alicia Keys did before the 2013 Super Bowl or Fergie at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.The play here is under, which is a massive value at two minutes. Some books are even offering as high as +250 for under 1:55. Expect Lovato to sail through the anthem with the sort of crisp, impressive performance that her comeback deserves.C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Video has emerged of Kareem Hunt being stopped by a police officer Friday, following which he was cited for a traffic violation.(Video courtesy: TMZ)The Cleveland Browns running back told the officer he'd fail an NFL drug test if administered one following their encounter."I mean, yes, sir (I would fail a drug test)," Hunt said. "It's the offseason. Sorry, I was having a good time.""Small amounts of marijuana" were found in Hunt's car, but he wasn't charged with any drug offenses, according to the police report. An open container of vodka was also discovered.The officer, who said he was a Browns fan, scolded Hunt for his decision and noted the running back was given a second chance by the NFL."You had a good second part of the year," he said. "You don't want to screw that up over some weed."He added: "Look at the (Baltimore) Ravens running back - what happened to him? (Ray) Rice. I mean, dude, I'm shocked that you got a second chance."The tailback was emotional during the conversation, conceding it was difficult to not be playing for his former club, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the Super Bowl.The Browns released a statement shortly after Friday's news surfaced to say they were "aware and looking into" the situation.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hall of fame signal-caller Joe Montana knows the difficulties of changing teams following a historic career with a single franchise, a transition New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady could face this offseason."It's not easy to go to another team and get accepted, no matter how much success you've had and how many years you've played," Montana told NFL.com's Michael Silver. "They still want to see you come in and be the same player and be that loyal to them as you were to the other team you just left. So, it's not easy (for) guys looking at that change, especially at the quarterback position."Montana won four Super Bowls over a 14-season tenure with the San Francisco 49ers before the team traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993. The two-time NFL MVP posted a 20-12 record in two seasons as the Chiefs' starter, leading Kansas City to the AFC Championship Game once.Brady, who will be 43 years old when the 2020 season kicks off, is a free agent this offseason. The Patriots can't franchise tag him.Asked if he had any advice for Brady regarding a potential departure from New England to sign with a different team, Montana offered the Patriots icon a warning."Don't - if you don't have to," he said. "It's a process to go through, and it takes time to get used to the team. I was fortunate because (former 49ers quarterbacks coach) Paul Hackett was there running the offense, and so I was pretty familiar with probably three-quarters of the offense going in. And, if they let (Brady) have his own offense (with a new team), yeah, that makes it a little bit easier."But still, the transition of moving ... I just can't see how they would let him leave there, myself."Selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady has won six Super Bowls and three league MVP awards while throwing for 74,571 yards and 541 touchdowns over 20 pro seasons.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Cleveland Browns have found their next general manager.The Browns reached an agreement with Philadelphia Eagles executive Andrew Berry to make him their new general manager and executive vice president of football operations, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.The hiring will be announced Monday afternoon, according to Schefter.The 32-year-old Berry will become the NFL's youngest GM. He reportedly signed a five-year contract, added NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.Berry will be paired with new head coach Kevin Stefanski, who took over from Freddie Kitchens. Kitchens was fired after failing to lead the Browns to the playoffs in his first year in charge.The Browns also moved on from general manager John Dorsey after just over two seasons. Since taking over the Browns in 2012, the Haslam family has fired five general managers.Berry previously spent three seasons in Cleveland as the team's vice president of player personnel from 2016-18 before joining the Eagles. He graduated cum laude from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in computer science.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders has come a long way from his days of college football in Dallas."I remember just being a kid at SMU and just hoping I had an opportunity to get on a team and prove myself as a special-teamer," Sanders said, according to Ed Bouchette of The Athletic."I'd run down on kickoffs and tackle somebody if I had to. I just wanted to make it to the NFL," he added. "Now I look back 10 years later and three Super Bowl appearances and two Pro Bowls, three or four contracts and it's just like blowing my mind. I just wanted to make a roster, and here I am."Sanders is set to play Sunday in his third career Super Bowl. He participated in Super Bowl XLV as a rookie for the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing with the Denver Broncos after four seasons and being a part of their Super Bowl 50-winning roster.His tenure in Denver ended in October when the Broncos traded the pass-catcher to the 49ers midway through the regular season."I couldn't hope for a better situation than to end up with Niners," Sanders said. "But at the same time, there was pressure, too, because they were undefeated and I didn't want to be the reason they don't go undefeated. It feels good to know I was able to make the necessary plays when they called my number and help get to the Super Bowl. Now we have to win it."The then-6-0 49ers didn't finish their campaign unbeaten - with a 13-3 record - but received a significant boost from Sanders, who amassed 36 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games with San Francisco. He also tossed one score in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints.The 32-year-old posted just 33 yards on two receptions in two games this postseason, though that's mostly due to the 49ers' success in the running game.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant shook the football world as well.NFL stars took to social media to pay their respects to one of the sporting world's most accomplished and cerebral athletes.Among them was New England Patriots quarterback and six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Baltimore Ravens defensive end Matthew Judon is expected to draw trade interest if the team assigns him the franchise tag, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.Judon is coming off a career year rushing the passer, tallying 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2019. He's amassed 24.5 sacks over the last three seasons, and the pending free agent will be in the market for a lucrative long-term contract in the offseason.Though the Ravens would like to re-sign Judon, they could entertain trade offers for the 27-year-old in an attempt to capitalize on a robust trade market for pass-rushers.Three marquee pass-rushers were traded last offseason after receiving the franchise tag: The Kansas City Chiefs shipped Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick; the Seattle Seahawks sent Frank Clark to the Chiefs for a first-round pick, a third-rounder, and a 2020 second-round pick; and the Houston Texans moved Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks for a third-round pick and two players.Baltimore is projected to enter the offseason with $28.9 million in available cap space, according to OverTheCap. Only 10 other franchises are projected to have less.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Russell Wilson hopes to witness a more active offseason from the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 than he has in recent years."I think we need a couple more (players)," the quarterback said before the Pro Bowl, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. "I think we need a couple more. Jadeveon (Clowney) is a big-time guy that we would love to get back on our football team. He was so good in the locker room. He brought so many just havoc plays to the field. Hopefully, we can get a few other players there on the defense."Then also on offense, we have a great offense, but I think we can always add more pieces. I think that's going to be the part that's going to be great with (general manager) John Schneider and (head coach) Pete (Carroll), as well, in terms of this offseason's free agency. Free agency is very, very key to getting those superstars on your team and try to get great players that can fill the space."The Seahawks have been relatively quiet in free agency lately, often because of salary cap constraints. Aside from the Clowney trade, most of their notable offseason transactions in recent memory have included cutting ties with veterans who helped them reach back-to-back Super Bowls in 2014 and 2015.Seattle is projected to have $59.4 million in cap room entering the offseason, the eighth-highest total in the NFL, according to OverTheCap. Clowney represents the team's highest-profile free agent.Once an NFC powerhouse, the Seahawks haven't advanced past the divisional round since the aforementioned Super Bowl appearances.Wilson is coming off another stellar season, throwing for 4,110 yards with 31 touchdowns and five interceptions across 16 starts.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Drew Brees isn't ready to walk away from football just yet, but he's also not committing to playing another year, either. He's taking his time.The longtime New Orleans Saints quarterback said Saturday he doesn't want to make a decision on his football future until after the Super Bowl."I'm really waiting until football is totally done," Brees said, according to Amie Just of The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate. "Obviously being here, I'm just very much focused on my family and this opportunity to be around the guys, playing the game."Then, I'll kind of lay low for a little bit, get away, and then assess. I kind of have a process in mind. And I'll give it a month or so."At 41, Brees is set to appear in his 13th Pro Bowl on Sunday after showing he still had something left in the tank despite thumb surgery delaying the start of his 19th NFL season.He completed 74.3% of his pass attempts for 2,979 yards and 27 touchdowns against four interceptions over 11 games in 2019.Although the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns is eligible for free agency this offseason, he's remained steadfast he'll remain in New Orleans if he chooses to come back, and general manager Mickey Loomis has already stated the team will leave the door open for a return.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Senior Bowl provides teams with their first extended look at a number of top-tier prospects ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.Here are five players who starred in Mobile, Alabama, and improved their draft stock:Denzel Mims, WR, BaylorIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyYou know the big-name receivers ahead of April's draft - Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs, and Laviska Shenault stand out - but it's time we pay more attention to Mims.The former Baylor standout demonstrated in Mobile nearly every desirable trait a pass-catching prospect can possess. Mims showed off his fluid route-running skills and ability to separate from defensive backs, dominating both in practice and during Saturday's game. He used his near-6-foot-3 frame to high-point a number of balls and haul in contested catches, much like he did in the Big 12.Mims will lock himself in as a top-50 pick if he carries this momentum into February's combine, and could be among the most valuable offensive selections.Bradlee Anae, DE, UtahIt's difficult to fly under the radar following a 13-sack campaign, but Anae was still underappreciated coming into the Senior Bowl.The star Pac-12 defensive end was dominant all week, consistently bullying offensive linemen in one-on-one practice drills with disruptive hands, explosive athleticism, and a developed pass-rush plan.Anae was even more impressive during Saturday's game. He notched multiple sacks and forced a second-quarter interception from Jalen Hurts after immediately besting the opposing left tackle. The consensus first-team All-American demanded attention in Mobile, locking himself in as a second-round selection (with perhaps an outside shot at the first). His stock is soaring.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has gifted Super Bowl tickets to the family of a fallen U.S. soldier in conjunction with the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).Sgt. Martin "Mick" LaMar died Jan. 15, 2011, during his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was survived by his wife Josephine (Josie) and her five children."The work I do with the USAA and the TAPS organization is something I really have kind of fallen in love with," Kittle said, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "I have a lot of family in the military so it's something that I just respect, and the sacrifice that they give is the ultimate sacrifice."So, if I can ever give back and make a family's day or just make them smile a little bit, then I've just done a little part in their lives."Josie and her 16-year-old son, Nicolas, will make the trip to Miami for Super Bowl LIV, in which the 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs."As I hit the field to play in the Super Bowl, I find comfort in the fact that 49ers fans Josie and Nicolas LaMar will be cheering our team on," Kittle said in a statement. "It's a special privilege to be able to team up with USAA and TAPS to award a trip to the Super Bowl to Sgt. LaMar's family in recognition of his military service and paying the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country."Super Bowl LIV takes place Feb. 2.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Several players at the Pro Bowl are speaking out against the 17-game regular-season schedule NFL owners have proposed during collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations."When I talk to the guys, I don't think many people want to do it," Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell told ESPN's Jenna Laine and Michael DiRocco. "Really, you talk to guys and I don't think anybody wants to do it. It's going to be very, very tough. I know the ownership's really hard on it."We're definitely talking, trying to figure out what we need to do, how we can make this thing work. It's going to be a process, but 17 (games), that's very tough."The expansion of the regular season has been one of the greatest sticking points between the NFL and NFL Players Association. Owners have offered players a shorter preseason in exchange for an extra week in the regular season."Most of the starters don't play in that last (preseason) game anyway, so if you take away that one preseason game, you're not taking away anything for us," said Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda. "You're just adding a game. I'm not for the extra game."I think the game's long enough. It's physical enough, tough enough on people's bodies to play 16 games and also playoffs, so I'm just not for that. I understand that it's going to be hard to stop it, but I'm not for increasing the games at all."The league and union were reportedly aiming to reach a new agreement by Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, but that timeline doesn't appear realistic. The existing CBA runs through the 2020 season, after which the NFL could face its second work stoppage in 11 years."I don't have the answers, but I think if the NFL says they care about player safety and tell the parents of kids in youth football how much they care about player safety, then it doesn't make sense to play football without more rest," Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper said. "So it'll be interesting to see if their actions align with their words."Hooper added: "I mean, the NFL is coming under a lot of player scrutiny - there's a lot of former players taking their own lives and having a lot of issues - and their answer now is to play more football and have more traumatic brain injuries. If they care as much as they say they do publicly, I feel that they should add another bye week."Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter shared similar thoughts."I would say they need to give us a longer offseason, shorten down OTAs," he said. "If they're gonna do that, make OTAs less weeks - and give us more bye weeks during the season - that would be OK with me. They've gotta take something away, because the season just ended for me last week."I got 14 weeks until I'm back to football again. The (regular) season is like 16 weeks (plus a bye), plus the preseason - that's 21 weeks. And then you come back in the offseason for OTAs - that's another three months - so 14 weeks is not enough."The 2020 Pro Bowl takes place Sunday, seven days before Super Bowl LIV caps the 2019 campaign.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry intends to resume his career for the 2020 season, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports.Berry didn't play at all this past campaign after being cut by the Chiefs in March.The decision to sit out the season was intentional, added Garafolo, who said the safety had offers from teams but took a "sabbatical" to get himself physically and mentally healthy.The 31-year-old played in just three games combined during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He suffered a torn Achilles in the first contest of the 2017 campaign, while a Haglund's deformity in his Achilles kept him sidelined until the Chiefs' 14th game of the following year.Berry made five Pro Bowl appearances and was named a first-team All-Pro three times. After overcoming Hodgkin's lymphoma, the former first-round pick was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2015.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Although there's a week off between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes his team would be fine if there wasn't a break."If we had to play Sunday, we'd be ready," Shanahan said, per Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle.The 49ers earned the top seed in the NFC on the strength of their 13-3 record and, after a first-round bye in the playoffs, cruised past the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers to reach the title game.Shanahan said his team followed their typical schedule this week and will make a few tweaks to the game plan after they land in Miami on Sunday.The players already have their playbooks and Shanahan said it won't include many surprises."You never store plays in the vault. No one ever really saves a play. There's no magical playbook," he said.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York didn't want to get too far ahead of himself but did entertain the idea of visiting the White House if his team wins Super Bowl LIV over the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 2"We have to get to that point," York said to reporters Thursday, including Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. "For me, personally, I respect the office of the president. I'm not going to get into politics, I hope that we have that decision to make. And I hope that we have that opportunity. And I hope we're fortunate enough to get a call from the president to invite us to the White House."The 2018 Super Bowl champion New England Patriots did not send a full roster to the White House and President Donald Trump canceled the 2017 champion Philadelphia Eagles' invitation after only a small number of players were going to attend.If the 49ers win, they may not have a full complement on the trip to Washington, D.C., either."I haven't thought about it, we've got a long way between now and then, but I doubt it," Niners corner Richard Sherman said when asked if he would attend the White House.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Francisco 49ers are in the Super Bowl, yet the public seems to be questioning the abilities of starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.The Niners advanced to the Super Bowl on the strength of their running game and stout defense. Garoppolo only attempted eight passes during the NFC Championship victory over the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.Now, entering a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs for the Lombardi Trophy, many are pointing at Garoppolo as the 49ers' weak link."Everyone has different ways to get motivated, and very similar to Sherm, I do the same thing," the quarterback said, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner."I hear all the stuff and everything, but you can't put that all out there all the time. You have to do with it what you will and take it for what it is. Just at the end of the day, you've got to go out there and play football."Garoppolo responded well to criticism earlier this season. Following a Week 13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which he threw for just 165 yards, he went off for 349 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-46 win over the New Orleans Saints.The quarterback's teammates can't seem to understand why some are doubting Garoppolo's abilities after their run-heavy output against the Packers."That's wild that he takes criticism for that," 49ers tackle Joe Staley said. "We won the game. We were doing what we needed to do to win the game, and that's the main point of an NFL football game. I think he would be pretty sad if he threw 450 and we lost, so it doesn't really matter."Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.The Super Bowl prop market can be a bit overwhelming.With hundreds - yes, hundreds - of different props to choose from, it doesn't take much for your volume to get out of control. Here, we'll keep things simple by picking five to get on early.Patrick Mahomes' longest rush under 14.5 yardsMahomes has worked his magic on the ground this postseason, posting back-to-back games with 53 rushing yards. Given those strong performances, his price for the first touchdown of the Super Bowl is a bit inflated, and I also believe we're getting a high number on this prop. Mahomes has only recorded a rush of at least 15 yards in four of 16 games this season. Meanwhile, San Francisco has been solid when it comes to containing opposing quarterbacks, allowing just 21.1 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per rush from the position during the campaign.Dee Ford to not record a sackFord has only recorded 6.5 sacks in 11 games with San Fran this season after netting 13 in 16 contests with the Chiefs last year. The amount of times that Mahomes will drop back is concerning if you're betting against Ford on this prop, but the pass-rusher should see plenty of Mitchell Schwartz, who graded out as the fourth-best tackle by PFF this season.James Harden point total (vs. Pelicans) -7.5 against first-half Super Bowl pointsOh, you weren't going to get weird with some cross-sport props? Shame on you. I'll try to type this out with a straight face but don't think I'll have much luck.Not only have the Pelicans gone over the total in 12 of their last 13 games, but they've allowed the second-most points in the league and have surrendered north of 123 on average in their last three. If Harden can pour in 35 - he's averaging 36.6 this season - I think he'll cash, especially considering some sharper bettors are taking the 49ers-Chiefs first-half under 27.5.Tevin Coleman to score the first touchdownThis was one I recommended earlier in the week when the market opened up, with Coleman at 21-1. It was probably tricky for the oddsmakers to price Coleman after he suffered a dislocated shoulder last weekend against the Packers. But the coaching staff sounds optimistic regarding the running back's status for the Super Bowl, making him an intriguing bet for this prop. Although he's down to as low as 14-1 in some shops, I still think there's value here.Mecole Hardman’s first reception over 14.5 yardsI really like the upside here with Hardman, considering the 49ers will be tasked with trying to stop wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. Hardman's been quiet in the postseason, totaling just 27 yards on three catches. But I think the lightning-quick receiver who averaged north of 20 yards per reception in 2019 is due for a splash play.Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.It's bad enough when you lose money on the greatest day of the NFL calendar, likely surrounded by people enjoying the game much more than you are. But when your losses come on a bad beat, the kind that would keep you up at night even if it happened in the preseason? Those are the ones you never live down.Fortunately, we're here to work through such horrors together ahead of this year's championship tilt between the Chiefs and 49ers, two teams that have mostly avoided stamping their own bad beats into Super Bowl lore. Knock on wood.Here are five of the worst bad beats in Super Bowl history, listed in chronological order:Super Bowl V: Colts 16, Cowboys 13Bad beat: Cowboys +2.5Bettmann / Bettmann / GettyYou'd be forgiven if you don't remember the "Blunder Bowl" of 1971, which featured a Super Bowl-record 11 turnovers - including seven by the winning team - and 164 combined penalty yards. But it's a game some bettors will never forget.The Cowboys held a 13-6 halftime lead following a tumultuous first half that included a fluky 75-yard score for the Colts (then of Baltimore), a shanked extra point by rookie kicker Jim O'Brien, and an injury to Baltimore star Johnny Unitas.Things got even weirder in the second half: Baltimore fumbled the opening kickoff to set up a Cowboys drive to the 1-yard line, where Dallas triumphantly coughed it up to the Colts player who'd fumbled just moments before.Baltimore turned it over on each of its first two possessions of the fourth quarter, but it was the Cowboys' costly interception on their second drive that set up a game-tying touchdown for the Colts. Then, with just over a minute left, Dallas committed a drive-killing holding penalty near midfield - precipitating an errant toss into the arms of Baltimore defender Mike Curtis, who set up the game-winning field goal.With five seconds left, O'Brien - whose Colts could have run out the clock if not for his missed PAT - converted the 32-yarder to end the suffering for everyone ... everyone except Cowboys +2.5 bettors. Cue the violins.Super Bowl XXXIII: Broncos 34, Falcons 19Bad beat: Under 52.5Vincent Laforet / Getty Images Sport / GettyBefore the start of the fourth quarter of this 1999 blowout, there was little thought that the under could become a bad beat. The total of 53.5 was the second-highest in Super Bowl history at the time, and the Broncos' 17-6 lead after three quarters meant they could milk the rest of the clock with star back Terrell Davis.It would, quite literally, take record-level scoring for under bettors to lose that Sunday. Can you see where this is going?On the first play of the fourth quarter, blocking fullback Howard Griffith plunged into the end zone for his second score of the day. 24-6. A few minutes later, John Elway took it himself for a 3-yard score. 31-6. Still, why sweat? The Falcons' offense had been inept all day, and the Broncos could ease off the gas with an ironclad lead.Then, the sweating came. On the kickoff following Elway's score, electric Falcons returner Tim Dwight took it back 94 yards for Atlanta's first touchdown of the game. 31-13. Jason Elam's field goal on the next drive - set up by a failed onside kick by the Falcons - made it 34-13. The game was suddenly just one score from spelling heartbreak for under bettors.Heartbreak came, and it came in the worst way. Atlanta quarterback Chris Chandler engineered a 16-play (!), 76-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion and two goal-line incompletions before finally connecting with Terance Mathis. The touchdown capped a 30-point fourth quarter, then the highest-scoring final frame in Super Bowl history.The Falcons curiously attempted a two-point conversion, perhaps just to drive the stake into under bettors' hearts. It failed, leaving total bettors a half-point shy of milk and honey.Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams 23, Titans 16Bad beat: Titans +7, over 45Mike Zarrilli / Getty Images Sport / GettyJust one year after that ridiculous fourth quarter between Denver and Atlanta, bettors were treated to another thrilling finish in 2000. It culminated in what was, for some, the most devastating final play ever seen.If you don't think this qualifies as a bad beat, tell that to Titans bettors, who saw their team storm back from a 16-0 third-quarter deficit to tie it at 16-16 with just over three minutes left in the game. Tennessee's defense had held the St. Louis Rams' star-studded offense off the board for nearly 20 minutes, and underdog bettors were starting to see green.St. Louis had scored just one touchdown all day. So when the Rams got the ball back on their own 27, it seemed inevitable they'd march down the field and set up kicker Jeff Wilkins for his fourth field goal of the game - sending Titans bettors home happy.Or, not. On the first play of the drive, Kurt Warner launched it down the right sideline for Isaac Bruce, who took it 73 yards for the score. Your move, Tennessee.The Titans had an answer. With 11 plays in under two minutes, Steve McNair marched his team from its own 12 all the way to the Rams' 10-yard line. The 12th play was the dagger: With five seconds left, McNair whipped it to a crossing Kevin Dyson, who reached as far as his right arm would allow.It wasn't enough.Tennessee bettors - and oft-forgotten over bettors - came one yard short of pay dirt. The former settled for an agonizing push; the latter came up empty thanks to the most famous tackle in Super Bowl history.Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23Bad beat: Cardinals +3 (first half)Win McNamee / Getty Images Sport / GettyThere have been hundreds of in-game bad beats that fail to surface on lists like this one, mostly because so few people bet them. But there's no overlooking the calamity that was Super Bowl XLIII for Cardinals first-half spread bettors in 2009.Arizona, already a sizable underdog coming into the game, trailed 10-7 late in the first half against the Steelers. But the Cardinals had the ball at the goal line with 18 seconds left and a full set of downs. Arizona first-half backers had a push in their back pocket; any type of score here would guarantee a nice reward before intermission.Correction: any type of score by Arizona.Just as Warner had screwed Titans bettors years earlier, he doomed Cardinals bettors by simply never seeing James Harrison, who cut off the route and rumbled his way down the sideline. The Steelers linebacker bowled through Warner at the 35-yard-line and meandered his way through Arizona's tackle-averse offense, finally stumbling into the opposing end zone for a miracle score.It was one of the worst bad beats in Super Bowl history, but it wasn't the only bad beat of the game. Under 46 bettors were sitting on winning tickets with just over three minutes left, when the Steelers just had to milk the clock to preserve a 20-14 lead. Instead, an ill-timed safety set off a 16-point flurry in a thrilling but torturous end for under backers.Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34, Falcons 28Bad beat: Falcons +3, under 57Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe bad beat to end all bad beats. The greatest Super Bowl loss of all time. Simply put, "28-3."The Falcons held that aforementioned lead midway through the third quarter in 2017. The Patriots' dynasty was dead and Atlanta bettors could already start planning how to spend their winnings. No team had ever blown a double-digit lead in the Super Bowl. It couldn't happen here ... right?Except you never kill New England so easily. The Patriots had an epic answer, one that included heavy doses of James White and inexplicable luck - from turnovers to bad coaching to a fingertip grab that still seems impossible years later.The most devastating moment for Falcons bettors - and there are plenty from which to choose - came early in the fourth quarter when Dont'a Hightower clobbered Matt Ryan on the quarterback's own 36-yard line. It set up the second of four unanswered New England touchdowns and provided the stroke of good fortune Tom Brady and Co. needed, flipping all momentum the Patriots' way and sowing seeds of doubt in the hearts and minds of the previously unstoppable Falcons.At that point, the rest became a formality: the Julian Edelman catch, the two-point conversions, even the coin flip in overtime. The Patriots were always going to come back. Total bettors had to know it, too: A comeback was only possible if New England knotted it at 28-28 in regulation, a cruel one-point tease for those holding under 57.Still, losing a total bet is no comparison to the feeling of holding a 25-point lead in the second half as an underdog before falling flat on your face in the biggest game of the season. It's the worst Super Bowl bad beat of all time, and one can only hope this year's game spares us from such pain and suffering.C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Longtime New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning officially said goodbye to the NFL during a press conference on Friday.After a 16-year career filled with ups and downs, Manning said he's looking back at his playing days with the glass half full."I choose to leave this game with only positive memories," he said. "If there are going to be endless echoes, choose the good ones."The 39-year-old also spoke to his progression from a quiet rookie to a leader with the Giants."From the very first moment, I did it my way. I couldn’t be someone other than who I am," Manning said. "Undoubtedly, I would've made the fans, the media, and even the front office more comfortable if I was a more rah-rah guy. But that's not me."Ultimately, I choose to believe that my teammates and the fans learned to appreciate that. They knew what they got was pure unadulterated Eli."During the same press conference, the Giants announced that Manning's jersey will be retired by the organization."We would be honored to induct Eli into the Giants Ring of Honor," team president and co-owner John Mara said. "No Giant will ever wear number 10 again."

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.Let's face it: If the Pro Bowl fell on any other week, you probably wouldn't be betting it. But with an agonizing wait until the Super Bowl, it's your only football fix, and it's a lousy weekend in the sports calendar overall.Don't mistake desperation for despair, though. Over the years, the Pro Bowl has offered sneaky value for bettors who've known where to strike, and the lines for this season's exhibition look to be exploitable.Here are three key things to consider when betting the NFL's All-Star showcase:Know your rostersThe first thing to do when betting on the Pro Bowl is avoid falling in love with conventional betting trends. The underdog has covered in 13 of the last 16 years, including 10 outright wins, but rosters change each year and the betting lines are more guesswork than an exact science.That said, the AFC (-1.5) has won three straight and four of the last five matchups, and its roster looks equipped to take advantage again this year.The NFC is loaded at the running back position, but the last four Pro Bowls have featured a combined 412 rushing yards between both teams, with no one rushing for 100 yards. The pass-first display strongly favors the AFC, which has a deeper and more star-studded secondary that should excel through 60 minutes of mostly man coverage.Familiarity can also play a key role, especially with so many shuffling parts due to injury, retirement, and Super Bowl substitutions. This also favors the AFC. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will have his top target in Mark Andrews to throw to early on, and he'll be protected by four regular teammates in linemen Marshal Yanda, Ronnie Stanley, and Orlando Brown as well as fullback Patrick Ricard. He could even run the option with teammate Mark Ingram, too, if AFC coach John Harbaugh dials it up.Saints quarterback Drew Brees could connect with Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara for the NFC, but those three are unlikely to see much overlap given the team's depth chart. The AFC, meanwhile, features multiple starters wearing the same logo.Focus on playmakersWith motivation a major question mark in these exhibitions, it only takes a few big plays to swing the momentum and effectively kill the losing team's chances. That means paying even closer attention to players who can break open the game with a single play.Is there a player more suited for that than Jackson, especially in a game where tackling is optional? The regular-season MVP front-runner had 867 yards before first contact this year - seven fewer than leader Christian McCaffrey - and averaged 4.9 yards before contact, which was 40% more than runner-up Raheem Mostert (3.5).Deshaun Watson, the AFC's backup quarterback, didn't have enough rushes to qualify for the leaderboard, but he averaged 4.3 yards before contact and should also be a nightmare for the NFC's defense Sunday. He and Jackson will test a depleted NFC linebacking corps, which lost Bobby Wagner to injury and Luke Kuechly to retirement.On defense, the AFC's Stephon Gilmore is the quintessential game-changer after scoring as many touchdowns as he allowed in coverage (two) this season. Von Miller and Jamal Adams - the only defenders on either roster to have previously won Pro Bowl MVP - can also make enough plays to single-handedly decide Sunday's outcome.Don't fall for fireworksRemember when I said to ignore easy betting trends? Here's an exception: The under has been rolling, and there's no reason to avoid it now.This game flew over the total earlier this century, as teams averaged 67.2 combined points from 2000-2010. From 2011-13, the Pro Bowl hit just shy of 100 points per contest in three easy overs. Since then, though, six straight have gone under, with last year's matchup falling 25 points short of its 58-point total.It's no fluke, either. The scoring drain coincides with pivotal rule changes in 2014, which aimed to shorten the game and allow for more diverse coverages on defense. It worked, as the six tilts since have averaged a combined 48.7 points.Under bettors breathed a sigh of relief when reigning Pro Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and his Chiefs teammates Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce swapped their roster spots for a Super Bowl berth. Yet, the total has still risen from an opening 49.5 to 50.5. It'd be the lowest Pro Bowl total in available data sets, but it's still higher than the final score of the last three editions and four of the six since the rule changes.It's possible that the AFC's playmakers blow Sunday's total out of the water, but the style of the Pro Bowl favors a lower-scoring game than many bettors might expect.C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Police in Rocky River, Ohio, found "small amounts of marijuana located in three different locations" in the car of Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt after pulling him over for speeding Tuesday, according to a police report obtained by Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan.Hunt was cited for the traffic violation but was not charged with any drug offenses.The 24-year-old has a history of off-field issues since entering the league. He was suspended eight games to begin the 2019 campaign following two violent incidents, including one in which he was captured on film shoving and kicking a woman in a hotel hallway.Cleveland signed the tailback in March 2019, three months after his release from the Kansas City Chiefs.Hunt played in each of the Browns' final eight games this season, rushing for 179 yards and two touchdowns while adding 37 catches for 285 receiving yards.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Any complete assessment of Eli Manning's NFL career, which officially ends with his Friday retirement announcement, is going to sound like it was made up.The abridged version goes like this:

As a football player agent, Frank Murtha never liked Labor Day weekend, because he could never let himself relax. His routine for the holiday was strict: He'd sit by his phone and hope it wouldn't ring. "But invariably," he said, "it did," with word that a client - like hundreds of other former college standouts turned NFL rookies - had been released from the only league in the United States that mattered.Time has blurred some details of one particular episode, but the outline of the encounter evinces the stress of cutdown day. The setting: a college dormitory near the site of a 1990s NFL training camp. The team's designated "Turk" made his grim rounds, instructing late roster casualties to go meet with the coach, playbook in hand. One ill-fated player didn't answer the door. He was lying under his bed, having invested his faith in seemingly unassailable advice from his roommate: If they can't find you, they can't cut you."His intel was bad," Murtha recalled with a chuckle recently.That Murtha can laugh about the gambit is a luxury of recounting it a few decades later. Eventually, the sting of even a crushing disappointment fades. Yet he doesn't invoke the memory merely for humor's sake. These days, Murtha is gearing up to offer that powerless player's successors something he couldn't so many Labor Days ago: assurance that their professional ambitions won't sputter out underneath a twin mattress."We can say, 'Hey, come on out from under there!'" Murtha said. "We've got a job for you."––––––––––In the only Big Four sport devoid of a professional minor-league system, players the NFL deemed expendable have at times been able to rely on a fallback option that doesn't entail heading to the Canadian Football League: the profusion of Americans who are determined to create a sustainable secondary football league.AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol. Denis Poroy / AAF / Getty ImagesNone of these dreamers have succeeded in the Super Bowl era. Left to show for their efforts are the husks of failed ventures from the United States Football League of the mid-1980s - undone by team owner Donald J. Trump's push to compete head to head with the NFL's fall schedule - to the short-lived Alliance of American Football, whose spectacular flameout after eight weeks of action last spring culminated in a bankruptcy filing and multiple lawsuits.The logic behind these schemes holds that if pro football is the almighty king of American sports, there must be a segment of fans clamoring to watch games when the NFL is idle. In attempting to satiate this appetite, no startup entity has managed to prove beyond reproach that sufficient demand for spring or summer football actually exists in the U.S., but that hasn't dissuaded four new sets of would-be league executives from betting that they'll be the ones to buck the trend.You've probably heard of XFL 2.0, the $500-million reboot of the rebellious spring circuit helmed by pro wrestling mogul Vince McMahon. The original XFL folded in 2001 after one blunderous, money-burning season. Nearly 20 years later, McMahon is financing a less gimmicky offshoot whose schedule is set to kick off the weekend following the Super Bowl in eight NFL cities.The XFL season culminates with a championship game in late April, at which point Ricky Williams, the former All-Pro running back, has signaled his intent to fill the next stretch of the NFL offseason void. Williams, Terrell Owens, and Simeon Rice are among the dozens of retired NFLers backing the 10-team Freedom Football League, which hopes to set itself apart by empowering players to participate in team ownership and encouraging them to speak out in support of social justice causes.Pacific Pro Football is a planned developmental summer league conceived by Tom Brady's agent Don Yee. The idea is to base four teams in Southern California and stock them with top-tier college-aged talent - players who could be paid as they audition for the NFL draft rather than toiling without compensation for at least three seasons in the NCAA.Frank Murtha Courtesy of Frank MurthaThen there's Murtha, 70, the president and CEO of Major League Football. Murtha bills MLFB as a developmental showcase, with games in May and June in six midsize cities - Little Rock, Arkansas; Norfolk, Virginia; Canton, Ohio; and so on - that aren't served by the NFL or, for that matter, Major League Baseball. Murtha's archetypal player will be a pro on the fringes of the NFL monolith, cast off from the 32 rosters but skilled enough, perhaps, to warrant another future look."The quality players are there," Murtha said. "The difference between the guy that gets cut and the guy that makes (an NFL) team, sometimes, particularly at the back end of rosters, is very fine."There's no consensus on what kind of alternative league has the best odds to survive long term, as shown by the divergent organizing principles of the XFL, the FFL, Pac Pro, and MLFB. Where their proponents align is in the belief, espoused by Murtha, that a surplus of NFL-worthy talent is out there, unsigned and ready for a shot, and the conviction that their shared pursuit to start a league is no fool's errand, historical precedent be damned.What has to happen for an entrepreneurial mind to win over fans, ward off hubris, balance the books, and finally launch a league that sticks? Last June, an investigation by ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Michael Rothstein into the downfall of the AAF described spring football as "a siren with a long lineage of wrecked dreams and wasted money." The story went on to quote XFL 1.0 executive Tom Veit's take on the question, expressed in conversation with AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol: "Spring football will work when people learn not to screw it up."––––––––––When the 49ers and Chiefs meet in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, the title game will double as the climax to the NFL's 100th season. The tradition of aspiring challengers trying and failing to puncture the league's monopoly - of screwing it up, as it were - is almost as old. Back in 1926, promoter C.C. Pyle established the original American Football League in response to the NFL denying his bid for an expansion franchise in New York. The hastily assembled nine-team loop drew mostly sparse crowds and disbanded after one season."It failed miserably, largely because (Pyle) really didn't take the serious approach that it needed," pro football historian Joe Horrigan said.Subsequent upstart leagues found firmer footing over the next few decades, persuading the NFL to absorb a few more teams, in the case of the All-America Football Conference of the 1940s, and to agree to a full merger with the American Football League of the 1960s. That marriage prompted the creation of the Super Bowl and the dawn of the fortified NFL's modern era, during which no nascent league has stayed afloat for long.Gary Davidson in 2008. Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times / Getty ImagesThe first to rise and very quickly fall was the World Football League (1974-75), the brainchild of American Basketball Association and World Hockey Association founder Gary Davidson. Playing mostly on Wednesday nights from July to December, the WFL was a momentarily disruptive force, signing away from the NFL high-profile stars such as Larry Csonka and Paul Warfield. Davidson's other creations hung around long enough to force partial mergers with the NBA and the NHL, but his football offering was severely underfunded, struggled at the gates in some cities, and folded during a recession."Of the sports ventures I've been in, it was the best one, but it had the worst timing," Davidson, 85, said in an interview.Next came the USFL (1983-85), the first league that sought to capitalize on the NFL's long offseason. "I've never believed that Americans buy chewing gum only in the spring, make love only in the fall, go to movies only in the summer," founder David Dixon said in his pitch to prospective team owners, as related in "Football for a Buck," Jeff Pearlman's 2018 biography of the USFL. "We will play spring football. And people will watch."For three seasons, many people did, impressed by the stature of players who picked the USFL over the NFL - Herschel Walker, Reggie White, Jim Kelly, and Steve Young among them - and enticed by on-field innovations such as the two-point convert. As running back Jairo Penaranda told Pearlman, "The USFL wasn’t as good as the NFL. But it was 10,000 times more fun." The league also hemorrhaged money and triggered its own demise when it abandoned the spring for a fall schedule at the behest of Trump, the owner of the New Jersey Generals."We had a great league and a great idea," Houston Gamblers owner Jerry Argovitz told Pearlman. "But then everyone let Donald Trump take over. It was our death."The fatal flaws that consumed the WFL and the USFL - financial woes, fan disinterest, mismanagement - were harbingers of the flops to come. The sensationalism of the first XFL couldn't mask its second-rate play. Dozens of United Football League (2009-12) alumni later played in the NFL, but the fall-based league lost money in the nine figures. Viewership and attendance numbers were promising across most of the AAF, which nonetheless fell irreversibly into the red at breakneck speed.Considered individually, there's hardly a model example in the bunch. Take them together, isolate the positives, and introduce a measure of patience and discipline? That's how Murtha, for one, thinks he can make a secondary league work.Rod Smart of the original XFL. Todd Warshaw / Getty ImagesFor all that ailed the AAF and USFL, those leagues, as Murtha sees it, succeeded in demonstrating that fans in certain U.S. markets will take to spring football. Simple math killed Ebersol's experiment: AAF revenue totaled a reported $12 million against more than $100 million in expenses. Even before Trump guided the USFL into extinction, its owners spent carelessly and, in Pearlman's words, embraced a "terribly misguided" plan to expand from 12 to 18 teams after a single season, a grasp for expansion-fee proceeds that consequently thinned the league's talent pool."Like any business, (the key to sustaining is) controlling your costs," Murtha said. He outlined the balance that he said Major League Football will seek to strike: "On the one hand, putting together an entertaining product with good coaches and players who are well-coached, and, using an example, not paying head coaches half-a-million dollars."Major League Football originally intended to stage its debut season in 2016, but shelved that plan after an anticipated $20-million investment fell through. Several executives later left the company. Over the last couple of years, Murtha has quietly spearheaded an attempted reset, working toward a formal launch announcement that he said he expects to make soon.Ahead of that announcement, Murtha said MLFB's annual operating budget will be in the ballpark of $30 million, scaled far down from the capacity of, say, XFL 2.0. He said the league will position itself as totally non-adversarial to the NFL, seeking instead to provide coveted game reps to players - plus coaches, front-office staff, and officials still climbing the career ladder - who might otherwise languish in free-agent purgatory.MLFB is a publicly traded single entity, meaning the league's shareholders will collectively own all six teams. Murtha said a centralized all-players training camp is scheduled for April in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, where the league is headquartered. Rather than hold a draft, Murtha said MLFB rosters might be allotted in a way that tries to ensure competitive balance while accounting for players' regional ties. (The Ohio team, for instance, could get dibs on Big Ten graduates under the latter consideration, a practice the AAF and USFL each employed.)If, as Murtha says, financial restraint is paramount to survival, MLFB has already taken an unsuperstitious step in that direction. Late last year, the league acquired football and video equipment, as well as medical supplies, that used to belong to the AAF - $3 million worth of gear at a fraction of the price."Everything from uniforms, helmets, shoulder pads, on down to about 30 pallets of athletic tape," Murtha said. "Basically anything and everything you needed to run an eight-team league."––––––––––Until any league of that ilk - Murtha's, McMahon's, some other entrant to the genre that has yet to be concocted - exhibits prolonged signs of life, the champions of secondary football in the U.S. will face a high burden of proof to establish that their cause can actually be realized. How do you master something that everyone else keeps screwing up?Vince McMahon in 2014. Ethan Miller / Getty ImagesDavidson, the founder of the WFL, isn't sure it can be done. Speaking by phone from his office in Costa Mesa, California, 45 years removed from his foray into the game, he said he thinks football is on a downward trend across the country, beset by declining high-school player participation and too much other negative publicity. Timing is everything in business, he said, just as it was during the recession of the mid-'70s."There's always a balance to these things," Davidson said. "I think the balance today (would make it) very tough to start a football league."Other former league executives are more optimistic. Michael Huyghue, the United Football League's first and only commissioner, maintains that the UFL was a quality concept - "What we did was prove that we had a good football product," he said in an interview - whose poor timing contributed to its shuttering. Billionaire funding wasn't sufficiently abundant right after the 2008 economic collapse. The 2011 NFL lockout was resolved in the summer, thwarting the UFL's chance to fill a TV broadcast void that September and October.Above all, Huyghue said, a prospective league needs a sound revenue model underpinned by a fruitful TV rights agreement. And despite the NFL's predominance, he believes fall is the ideal time to play, when fans are known to want to watch football and when players just a notch below the NFL, fresh off a restful offseason, are ripe and ready to perform at a compelling level."People watch football Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We thought if it would just occupy one of those days, people would still tune in," Huyghue said. "We wanted to be disruptive, not copycat. We thought that was an effective way to deliver the product. I still don't think it was a bad idea."Former UFL chief operating officer Frank Vuono, a longtime sports marketing executive, is convinced that no league that overlaps with the NFL will last. Given that not all college teams use pro-style schemes, and that roster spots and practice time are scarce across the NFL, Vuono said a formalized feeder system would be the most viable addition to the pro ecosystem."I think you need to really work on an agreement with the NFL to be a developmental league, and you have to play in the spring, and you have to play in cities that don't have NFL football," Vuono said. "That's my thesis."Quinton Flowers of the new XFL's Tampa Bay Vipers. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe first football game to be played after the Super Bowl will pit the XFL's Seattle Dragons against the DC Defenders on Saturday, Feb. 8. Next up: the Los Angeles Wildcats at the Houston Roughnecks. This latest attempt at revolution will be televised on ABC, ESPN, and FOX, to an audience that Huyghue figures has yet to tire of possible NFL alternatives."I think everybody's like, 'Let's watch the next rendition, and if it works, it works. If not, no harm no foul,'" Huyghue said. "I don't think there's any fear of taking an at-bat. But I think if you don't have really strong business acumen for running an entertainment product, you're going to fail."Such is the test that Major League Football, too, will confront when its kickoff day arrives. Murtha said he welcomes the challenge, the allure of "building something from scratch" having drawn him to the dream in the first place. It's a new endeavor after his decades as an agent, during which he represented stars such as Andre Tippett and plenty of players he calls "sleepers" - comparatively unsung names who scrapped for everything they achieved on the field.When Murtha expounds on his goal to employ the best jobless players out there, he thinks about the advice he'd pass along to rookie clients who weren't getting many NFL reps. Lack of opportunity has displaced many a solid prospect from the roster carousel, but they can at least control how hard they work in the meantime. They can hope for a break as they see their ambition through."Don't take a play off. You never know when the head coach might be looking at you," Murtha would say. "That might be your ticket to sticking around."Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.The quarterback is king in today's NFL, but Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers have been flipping the script all season.While superstar Patrick Mahomes put the Kansas City Chiefs en route to the Super Bowl, 49ers pivot Jimmy Garoppolo is just an ancillary piece of Shanahan's run-based offense. Amazingly, San Francisco reached Super Bowl LIV with just 208 passing yards on 17 completions from Garoppolo across two games.The 49ers are the only team since the turn of the century to win back-to-back postseason contests with less than 30 combined passing attempts. In that same span, they're the only team to reach the Super Bowl despite attempting less than 40 passes in the playoffs (they've thrown 27 times), and they're the only team to reach the big game with less than 275 yards passing in the postseason.There's no doubt about it - San Francisco has placed an unprecedentedly low dependence on the quarterback position.But is this offensive strategy a comment on Garoppolo's ability (or lack thereof)? While some might think so, he hasn't performed poorly. Instead, the 49ers just haven't needed to throw because they've dominated everywhere else on the field.Through two playoff games, San Francisco has averaged a remarkable 5.7 yards per rush (excluding quarterback kneels) while limiting opponents to only 4.9 yards per play. Additionally, the 49ers haven't trailed for a single second of the postseason.Given that dominance, the biggest question isn't whether bettors can trust Garoppolo against Kansas City. More importantly, will the rest of the 49ers play up to their usual standards on Super Bowl Sunday? If they do, bettors shouldn't have to trust Jimmy G to pull out the win.Let's look back at similar situations. Across the past 25 Super Bowls, here are the quarterbacks who completed fewer than 15 passes or threw for less than 216 yards.Quarterback (Team)YearComp.YardsResultPeyton Manning (Denver)201613141Won 24-10Russell Wilson (Seattle)201518206Won 43-8Rex Grossman (Chicago)200720165Lost 29-17Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)20069123Won 21-10Brad Johnson (Tampa Bay)200318215Won 48-21Tom Brady (New England)200216145Won 20-17Trent Dilfer (Baltimore)200112153Won 34-7Kerry Collins (NY Giants)200115112Lost 34-7John Elway (Denver)199812123Won 31-24Brett Favre (Green Bay)199714246Won 35-21Troy Aikman (Dallas)199615209Won 27-17Quarterbacks who fit the bill went 9-2 in the Super Bowl. The logic here is admittedly a bit circular - teams that emerge victorious generally throw less - but it also speaks to a larger point: Contrary to popular opinion, you don't need to pass with great success to win football games.The 49ers are built to succeed by running the football and playing suffocating defense. They've done both exceptionally well this season and haven't needed to deviate from the script. Passing as little as they do isn't a sign of weakness, but rather one of strength: "Why air it out when we can just run you over?"And, if the 49ers do find themselves trailing in Miami, there's plenty of evidence to suggest they're capable of throwing. George Kittle and Deebo Samuel are both excellent targets for Garoppolo, and Shanahan has an innate ability to scheme them open and get the ball into their hands. Plus, no team is better at throwing defenses off the scent with pre-snap movement.Perhaps surprisingly, San Francisco went 3-1 this season when Garoppolo attempted 35 or more passes - losing only to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime because of a missed field goal - and 6-2 when he threw at least 29 times. There's no cause for concern there.Of course, the 49ers' ideal game script won't include Garoppolo throwing more than 20 times. If he ends up passing that often, it will mean the dominant defense is allowing a lot of points or the running game isn't playing up to par.Again, this Super Bowl won't boil down to whether you trust Garoppolo, but rather if you trust the rest of his team and the coaching staff to execute their game plan the way they've done it all season.Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Kansas City Chiefs' offense has been one of the most dangerous units in the NFL since Patrick Mahomes took over at quarterback, and the San Francisco 49ers are well aware of that ahead of Super Bowl LIV."Very explosive," 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said of the Chiefs' offense, according to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports. "Mahomes has gotten better. They're at every position - it almost looks like they got their roster from the Olympic relay team and threw them all on the field. Not to say that they can't run routes or can't catch either, because they can do that."They are a special group and you can see why they are there."The Chiefs' dynamic attack is highlighted by wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who caught two touchdown passes against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game. The speedy wideout ran track during high school and his early college career and won a gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the World Junior Championships in 2012. He also clinched bronze in the 200m dash.After finishing 2018 with the highest-scoring offense in the league, the Chiefs averaged 28.2 points per game in 2019 - good for eighth in the NFL - despite losing Mahomes for two tilts due to a knee injury.Kansas City has been even better in the playoffs, leading all teams in points per game (43) and yards per play (6.9) over two postseason contests."They are the fastest team, by far," Saleh said. "To try to compare it to another team would not do them justice, to be honest with you. But anytime you have speed like that it will naturally stress the defense."The 49ers' defense, meanwhile, is formidable in its own right and could have a better chance against the Chiefs than most other stop units. San Francisco has maintained its high defensive standards from the regular season, leading all playoff teams in points (15) and total yards (252.5) allowed per game.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Rumors of a potential retirement surged after quarterback Drew Brees couldn't confirm whether he'd return to the New Orleans Saints for the 2020 season following another heartbreaking playoff loss.While the 41-year-old signal-caller admitted again Thursday that "it's not a given" he'll play a 20th season, he said if he does return, it will be with the club he's played for since 2006."I've never been in the situation where I said I was mulling over the thought of (returning)," Brees said during the Pro Bowl skills event. "To me, each one of these contracts, I don't know how many it's been with the Saints, I've played with them 14 years. Each one it's not a matter of if it gets done, it's when."Obviously, at this stage in my career, it's not a given that I'm coming back every year but when that time comes, I'll always be a Saint."Brees is eligible for free agency this offseason.The future Hall of Famer completed 74.3% of his pass attempts for 2,979 yards and 27 touchdowns against four interceptions through 11 games in 2019. He missed five contests due to a thumb injury suffered in Week 2.Brees' desire to remain with the Saints until he calls it a career appears mutual, as general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday that the club wants the quarterback for as long as he wants to play.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Free-agent receiver Antonio Brown made his first court appearance Friday for a felony burglary with battery charge after he was involved in an incident with a moving company.After a "lengthy back-and-forth hearing," Brown was granted bail and his bond was set at $100,000, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe.The judge also ordered the 31-year-old to receive GPS monitoring, release his passport and guns, go through drug and alcohol testing, and undergo a mental health evaluation.

Antonio Brown turned himself in to Florida police Thursday night, TMZ reports.Police issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Brown for felony burglary with battery after he was involved in an incident with a moving company the day prior.The moving company was delivering Brown's belongings from California, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. However, the driver said Brown refused to pay the $4,000 fee. An agreement of payment was eventually reached between the two sides but another argument ensued shortly after the driver returned to drop off the items.Brown is accused of then throwing rocks at the moving truck, entering it from the driver's side, and attacking the employee.The driver said he also suffered cuts to his hands in a struggle for the keys with Brown's trainer, Glenn Holt.Holt was arrested for felony burglary with battery. He was released Wednesday on bond.Brown was not initially arrested as he remained in his home Tuesday, which prompted the warrant.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NFL's Pro Bowlers showed off their individual talents at the Skills Showdown held in Orlando, Florida which aired on Thursday night.Russell Wilson's pinpoint accuracy was on display again as, for the second year in a row, he led the field with 19 points in the Precision Passing drill.Precision Passing

The tributes for retiring New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning are flooding in and aside from Giants fans, nobody is more saddened by the end of Eli's career than his brother, Peyton."I'm happy for Eli, because I know he's at peace and he put a lot of time and thought into this decision. But I am sad, because I won't get to see him play anymore," Peyton said in an interview with Aric DiLalla of DenverBroncos.com."And after my dad and Dan Marino, Eli really was my favorite player. So I have to find a new one. But for really 19 years going back to his three years at Ole Miss, 16 years in the NFL, I have enjoyed watching him play, watching him compete, watching him grow into a man. It's been a heck of a run."Since retiring in 2015, Peyton has been a regular at his younger brother's games, including Eli's final game, a Week 15 win over the Miami Dolphins."I really have enjoyed watching him play in person a lot more," Peyton added. "I've been averaging about three games a season during the years that I was retired. I certainly got to keep up with his games more."... But to go see him play and take my kids down to the locker room and have the chance for them to see their uncle, that was a real thrill. So I'll miss that."The brothers each won two Super Bowls during their lengthy careers.Eli will hold his retirement press conference Friday at 11 a.m. ET.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones doesn't believe the calf injury that has limited him this postseason will affect his participation in Super Bowl LIV.The star pass-rusher is "one thousand percent" sure he'll be ready to play a full role in the season finale against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2, according to ESPN's Adam Teicher.Jones missed the Chiefs' divisional-round clash against the Houston Texans on Jan. 12 and appeared in just 42% of defensive snaps in the AFC Championship Game against the Titans. He recorded two tackles and one quarterback hit against Tennessee on Sunday.Despite missing three games in 2019, the 25-year-old's nine sacks led Kansas City for the second straight year. He's amassed 24.5 sacks since 2018.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.When the Kansas City Chiefs opened as short favorites over the San Francisco 49ers, it was a signal to bettors that the betting line won't offer much to exploit. Sure enough, the line hasn't moved much - which wasn't the case a year ago - and sharp bettors haven't pounced on the total yet.With so much information available on how to bet the Super Bowl, it can be hard to sift through the noise. And, truthfully, few know exactly which bets to make. On a game like this, it's never easy.However, there are ways to improve your general betting strategy to bet more like a pro. Here are three key tips to remember before wagering on the big game:Know when to betAny bettor knows that picking the right side isn't the only part of winning bets. Betting at the right time is also critical.The spread for this year's Super Bowl has moved incrementally at some books and not at all at others, but that doesn't mean it'll remain static. Public bettors will likely bet heavy on the Chiefs (-1.5) because they love favorites, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is like catnip for the casual crowd.If you like the 49ers, it's worth waiting to see how high the line goes before backing the underdog, and it wouldn't be surprising to see sharps do that this year. Even if the line stays under the key number of 3, the moneyline will be more in your favor if you like San Francisco. Conversely, if you feel strongly about the Chiefs, don't wait until just before kickoff to place a bet you've been considering all week. Bet now before the line moves against your interests.That approach applies even more with the total, which opened at 52.5 at some books before a flood of over money pushed it to 54 or even 54.5. If you're eyeing the over, it was best to jump early before losing two full points of value. And for under bettors, it's worth the wait to grab the best number you can.Don't fall for big moneyFollowing sharp action can be one of the more profitable ways to bet football, but that edge is mostly lost leading up to the big game.Because almost every football bettor is playing the Super Bowl - and often in higher volume - it can be hard for a casual fan to differentiate a sharp play from a whale play. Many bettors far exceed their bankroll for the biggest game of the year, but that doesn't mean their bet is any wiser.Also, given the stakes of the game, few bettors (if any) are going to possess inside information that isn't available to the public - which isn't always true for, say, a Jaguars game in October. Books will generally post some of their most efficient lines of the year for such a widely bet game too, so you're unlikely to trick the book by hammering a faulty number.Because books can rake in millions from casual Super Bowl bettors, many aren't fielding big bets from sharps anyway. Instead, house players - casual bettors who occasionally bet big - are often the ones laying the eye-popping totals you see shared on social media.Sharp bettors haven't taken a strong position on the game yet, so they aren't providing a lot to read from. If you see big money being bet on either side, don't immediately assume you can glean valuable information.Fade the easy playBettors often fall for the easiest bets, which are the ones books hope they'll make.That's especially true in the props market, which can feature massive fields with no clear answer. Many public bettors will simply go for the obvious choice, even at short odds. Books know this, and the favorite is rarely worth the price.For example, take the Super Bowl MVP award, which is one of the most-bet props on the board. Just pick the quarterback on the team you think will win, right? But three of the last six years, that QB didn't take the award. Always offense? Nope, as two of the MVPs during that time were linebackers. Books know how bettors think, as evidenced by Mahomes getting even odds to win this year's award.The first touchdown scorer is also a popular but difficult prop to hit. Last year, nobody scored a touchdown until there were seven minutes left in the contest. Three years earlier, defensive tackle Malik Jackson recovered a fumble in the end zone in the first quarter. Do you really want to take 5-1 odds on someone to score first when you don't even know which team will receive the opening kickoff?Raheem Mostert could still be the first to break the plane, and Mahomes could be named MVP. But think twice before settling for the easy choice, especially when paying an unsavory price.C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NFL announced Thursday that the number of reported concussions during the 2019 season rose slightly from the previous campaign, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert.There were 224 reported concussions in the 2019 preseason and regular season combined, compared to 214 in 2018. Both numbers are well down from 2017, when 281 concussions were reported, prompting the league to implement new safety rules.Despite the slight increase in 2019, the numbers from the last two years will form a "new benchmark" for the future, according to Jeff Miller, the league's VP of health and safety initiatives."From here on, we are going to be driving our concussion reduction efforts against that new benchmark," Miller said. "Last year's number was a substantial drop. This year's number is statistically similar to it. We feel as if we've found a new place from where we need to continue to push down the number of concussions."After averaging 266.3 concussions per season from 2015-17, the NFL reworked kickoff rules and made it illegal for players to lower their heads to initiate contact with opponents.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.A little over two years ago, Patrick Mahomes was making his first NFL start as a wide-eyed rookie. In just over a week, he'll become the fifth-youngest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl.When the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2, the 24-year-old Mahomes will be the 22nd quarterback in NFL history to start in the big game before his 27th birthday. He'll also join Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to win an MVP and start in the Super Bowl before turning 25.Those accolades clearly speak to Mahomes' excellence, but they could also signal trouble for the young quarterback.Marino - the youngest QB to ever start in a Super Bowl - was shut down in his lone appearance, a 22-point loss to San Francisco. Two of the other three quarterbacks younger than Mahomes were also embarrassed in double-digit Super Bowl losses, and the lone winner (Ben Roethlisberger) posted a 22.6 passer rating, the worst by a winning quarterback in Super Bowl history.Of the 21 pivots to make their first Super Bowl start before age 27, only eight pulled out a victory. Should bettors be concerned about backing the Chiefs and an inexperienced Mahomes? Or can the former MVP help reverse the trend?The blight of inexperienceYoung quarterbacks have shown their mettle throughout history. In 1969, a 25-year-old Joe Namath helped the Jets pull off an all-time upset in Super Bowl III. In 1975, Terry Bradshaw launched the Steelers dynasty at age 26. Seven years later, Joe Montana did the same for the Niners at age 25.More recently, though, the bright lights have burned young quarterbacks. Since Montana's win in 1982, quarterbacks under 27 have gone 5-10 straight up (5-8-1 against the spread) in their first Super Bowl start. And since Roethlisberger's ugly win in '06, starters in that spot have gone 1-4 SU/ATS, which was capped off by Jared Goff's stinker against New England last year.Here's a breakdown of how every starting quarterback under 27 has fared in their first Super Bowl start:YearQuarterbackAge (Y/M/D)Result (SU/ATS)1985Dan Marino (MIA)23/4/6L/L2006Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)23/11/4W/W1983David Woodley (MIA)24/3/6L/L2019Jared Goff (LAR)24/3/21L/L2020Patrick Mahomes (KC)24/4/17???2002Tom Brady (NE)24/6/1W/W1997Drew Bledsoe (NE)24/11/13L/P2014Russell Wilson (SEA)25/2/5W/W2013Colin Kaepernick (SF)25/3/1L/L1969Joe Namath (NYJ)25/7/13W/W1982Joe Montana (SF)25/7/14W/W1980Vince Ferragamo (LAR)25/8/28L/L1993Troy Aikman (DAL)26/2/11W/W1986Tony Eason (NE)26/3/19L/L1975Terry Bradshaw (PIT)26/4/11W/W1986Jim McMahon (CHI)26/5/6W/W2007Rex Grossman (CHI)26/5/13L/L1968Daryle Lamonica (OAK)26/5/29L/L1987John Elway (DEN)26/6/29L/L2016Cam Newton (CAR)26/8/28L/L1972Bob Griese (MIA)26/11/14L/L2000Steve McNair (TEN)26/11/17L/PJust how bad has it been for young QBs? Of the 21 starters who made their Super Bowl debut before age 27, only four produced a passer rating higher than 100, and more than half of them posted a total below 80.Nine players recorded passer ratings below 70, including all four quarterbacks who were younger than Mahomes will be on Super Bowl Sunday. For context, all 32 qualified NFL starters in 2019 owned a passer rating of at least 78.3 for the season.Passer rating can be an imperfect mark to measure quarterback performance, especially from previous eras, but it helps highlight how poorly some of Mahomes' predecessors fared through the air in the biggest start of their career.Mahomes will also carry a burden that many of those others didn't have. Of the eight winning quarterbacks on the list, at least five were aided by a historically stout defense or a dominant run game - neither of which exist on this year's Chiefs.Only one of the listed quarterbacks in the last three decades (Cam Newton) carried his team in a similar fashion to Mahomes, who combined for at least 35 pass and rush attempts in seven of his last nine starts. In the Super Bowl, Newton's Panthers scored just 10 points in a 14-point loss to the Broncos.All told, there's little precedent when it comes to a young quarterback like Mahomes carrying his team to a title. But a few signs of success could separate the Chiefs superstar from the pack.Talent above allThis shouldn't come as a surprise, but the splits are worth emphasizing: The better a young quarterback's team is entering the Super Bowl, the better he plays during it.Among the 21 quarterbacks on the list above, 13 of them made their first Super Bowl start as an underdog. Those quarterbacks went 3-10 straight up (3-8-2 ATS). Meanwhile, favorites went 5-3 with four double-digit wins. Five of the six best performances by passer rating came from favorites, and five of the seven highest-scoring teams were favored (those seven teams went 5-2).It's a positive indicator for Mahomes, whose Chiefs (-1.5) are priced as the better team and whose complement of offensive weapons could help him continue his torrid playoff run.Kansas City dropped 51 points on the Texans in the divisional round, averaging nearly one full point per play. The Chiefs followed that up with a 35-point showing against Tennessee, which had allowed that many points just once all season. The chief architect in both games was Mahomes, whose current postseason run grades out as the best - by far - in the PFF era (since 2006).Mahomes is now 3-1 in the playoffs, and all three wins were convincing. He's 23-6 in his career as a favorite (16-12-1 ATS) with a seven-game winning streak, and he's 13-3 SU when coming off a double-digit win (10-4-2 ATS). Through his first two-plus seasons, no spot has seemed too big for the young phenom.No opposing defense has been, either. Mahomes went 5-0 this season against top-12 defenses (per weighted DVOA) with 1,324 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 72.9% of his throws. His passer rating in those games alone (112.4) would have ranked fourth among all QBs on a season-long basis.Can he break the mold?Clearly, few quarterbacks in NFL history can match the pedigree of Mahomes at this age. One was Marino, who flopped in his lone Super Bowl appearance, and the young quarterbacks who came after him should make bettors at least consider the challenge that Mahomes is facing.Still, Mahomes is proving to be a "one of one" player so far in his career. Perhaps he can be the one who rewrites the narrative and subverts inexperience on the biggest stage.C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Rumors about changes at the Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback position in 2020 became stronger after a photo of team owner Mark Davis and free-agent QB Tom Brady at a UFC event went viral last weekend.But quarterback Derek Carr isn't making that connection."I mean, there was a lot of quarterbacks at that fight," Carr said, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. "And there was a lot of football players at that fight that are free agents. And it's like, every time, with my job, it's always a story. No matter what."And knowing some people that were around, I even know what the conversation was (between Davis and Brady), and it's like, 'C'mon, man, when's it going to end?'"Instead, Carr expressed his excitement to start a fresh campaign with the Raiders entering a brand new $2-billion stadium, saying he looks "forward to taking the first snap in that stadium, and I look forward to taking every snap from here on out - until I'm done."The Raiders officially announced their relocation to Las Vegas on Wednesday.The AFC West club finished its last season in Oakland with a 7-9 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NFL world was blindsided by the recent retirement of linebacker Luke Kuechly, who had become one of the Carolina Panthers' most respected leaders and beloved players over an eight-year career.While new Panthers head coach Matt Rhule didn't get the opportunity to work with Kuechly as a player, he's hoping to eventually add the seven-time Pro Bowler to his coaching staff."To me, I hope he sticks around. He came in the other day and was watching tape with our coaches," Rhule told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday. "I hope I can convince him to coach with us at some point. But most importantly, I care about him and (hope) he does what's right for him moving forward."Despite Kuechly hanging up his cleats at 28 years old, Rhule said the linebacker is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and praised him as the "ultimate team player."Kuechly, who was drafted ninth overall in 2012, boasts an impressive NFL resume.In addition to making the Pro Bowl in every season since his first year, he was named Defensive Player of the Year in his sophomore campaign, a first-team All-Pro five times, and Defensive Rookie of the Year.While coaching could be in Kuechly's future, the linebacker is also exploring broadcasting opportunities, sources told Joe Person of The Athletic.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Vikings will make Gary Kubiak their new offensive coordinator following the departure of Kevin Stefanski to the Cleveland Browns, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.Kubiak was Minnesota's assistant head coach and offensive advisor during the 2019 season.The year after winning the Super Bowl in 2015 as the Denver Broncos' head coach, Kubiak stepped down due to health reasons. He spent two years in an advisory role in Denver before joining Minnesota.Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer had high praise for Kubiak during the season."Gary has been tremendous,” Zimmer said in November, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. "It's probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me since I’ve been here. He's very smart. I talk to him a lot about what he's done as a head coach. … I just love his demeanor and the way that he and Kevin can communicate during the games and also during the week on game plans."Kubiak will take over the offense in a critical season for Minnesota. Quarterback Kirk Cousins will be in the final season of the fully guaranteed three-year, $84-million contract he signed as a free agent.The Vikings ranked eighth in scoring, ninth in third-down percentage, and 16th in yards during the regular season.Cousins and Co. racked up 362 yards of offense during a shocking wild-card win over the New Orleans Saints. However, the unit was dominated by the San Francisco 49ers in the next round. Cousins was sacked six times and the offense produced just 147 yards in the 27-10 loss.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As a football player agent, Frank Murtha never liked Labor Day weekend, because he could never let himself relax. His routine for the holiday was strict: He'd sit by his phone and hope it wouldn't ring. "But invariably," he said, "it did," with word that a client - like hundreds of other former college standouts turned NFL rookies - had been released from the only league in the United States that mattered.Time has blurred some details of one particular episode, but the outline of the encounter evinces the stress of cutdown day. The setting: a college dormitory near the site of a 1990s NFL training camp. The team's designated "Turk" made his grim rounds, instructing late roster casualties to go meet with the coach, playbook in hand. One ill-fated player didn't answer the door. He was lying under his bed, having invested his faith in seemingly unassailable advice from his roommate: If they can't find you, they can't cut you."His intel was bad," Murtha recalled with a chuckle recently.That Murtha can laugh about the gambit is a luxury of recounting it a few decades later. Eventually, the sting of even a crushing disappointment fades. Yet he doesn't invoke the memory merely for humor's sake. These days, Murtha is gearing up to offer that powerless player's successors something he couldn't so many Labor Days ago: assurance that their professional ambitions won't sputter out underneath a twin mattress."We can say, 'Hey, come on out from under there!'" Murtha said. "We've got a job for you."––––––––––In the only Big Four sport devoid of a professional minor-league system, players the NFL deemed expendable have at times been able to rely on a fallback option that doesn't entail heading to the Canadian Football League: the profusion of Americans who are determined to create a sustainable secondary football league.AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol. Denis Poroy / AAF / Getty ImagesNone of these dreamers have succeeded in the Super Bowl era. Left to show for their efforts are the husks of failed ventures from the United States Football League of the mid-1980s - undone by team owner Donald J. Trump's push to compete head to head with the NFL's fall schedule - to the short-lived Alliance of American Football, whose spectacular flameout after eight weeks of action last spring culminated in a bankruptcy filing and multiple lawsuits.The logic behind these schemes holds that if pro football is the almighty king of American sports, there must be a segment of fans clamoring to watch games when the NFL is idle. In attempting to satiate this appetite, no startup entity has managed to prove beyond reproach that sufficient demand for spring or summer football actually exists in the U.S., but that hasn't dissuaded four new sets of would-be league executives from betting that they'll be the ones to buck the trend.You've probably heard of XFL 2.0, the $500-million reboot of the rebellious spring circuit helmed by pro wrestling mogul Vince McMahon. The original XFL folded in 2001 after one blunderous, money-burning season. Nearly 20 years later, McMahon is financing a less gimmicky offshoot whose schedule is set to kick off the weekend following the Super Bowl in eight NFL cities.The XFL season culminates with a championship game in late April, at which point Ricky Williams, the former All-Pro running back, has signaled his intent to fill the next stretch of the NFL offseason void. Williams, Terrell Owens, and Simeon Rice are among the dozens of retired NFLers backing the 10-team Freedom Football League, which hopes to set itself apart by empowering players to participate in team ownership and encouraging them to speak out in support of social justice causes.Pacific Pro Football is a planned developmental summer league conceived by Tom Brady's agent Don Yee. The idea is to base four teams in Southern California and stock them with top-tier college-aged talent - players who could be paid as they audition for the NFL draft rather than toiling without compensation for at least three seasons in the NCAA.Frank Murtha Courtesy of Frank MurthaThen there's Murtha, 70, the president and CEO of Major League Football. Murtha bills MLFB as a developmental showcase, with games in May and June in six midsize cities - Little Rock, Arkansas; Norfolk, Virginia; Canton, Ohio; and so on - that aren't served by the NFL or, for that matter, Major League Baseball. Murtha's archetypal player will be a pro on the fringes of the NFL monolith, cast off from the 32 rosters but skilled enough, perhaps, to warrant another future look."The quality players are there," Murtha said. "The difference between the guy that gets cut and the guy that makes (an NFL) team, sometimes, particularly at the back end of rosters, is very fine."There's no consensus on what kind of alternative league has the best odds to survive long term, as shown by the divergent organizing principles of the XFL, the FFL, Pac Pro, and MLFB. Where their proponents align is in the belief, espoused by Murtha, that a surplus of NFL-worthy talent is out there, unsigned and ready for a shot, and the conviction that their shared pursuit to start a league is no fool's errand, historical precedent be damned.What has to happen for an entrepreneurial mind to win over fans, ward off hubris, balance the books, and finally launch a league that sticks? Last June, an investigation by ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Michael Rothstein into the downfall of the AAF described spring football as "a siren with a long lineage of wrecked dreams and wasted money." The story went on to quote XFL 1.0 executive Tom Veit's take on the question, expressed in conversation with AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol: "Spring football will work when people learn not to screw it up."––––––––––When the 49ers and Chiefs meet in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, the title game will double as the climax to the NFL's 100th season. The tradition of aspiring challengers trying and failing to puncture the league's monopoly - of screwing it up, as it were - is almost as old. Back in 1926, promoter C.C. Pyle established the original American Football League in response to the NFL denying his bid for an expansion franchise in New York. The hastily assembled nine-team loop drew mostly sparse crowds and disbanded after one season."It failed miserably, largely because (Pyle) really didn't take the serious approach that it needed," pro football historian Joe Horrigan said.Subsequent upstart leagues found firmer footing over the next few decades, persuading the NFL to absorb a few more teams, in the case of the All-America Football Conference of the 1940s, and to agree to a full merger with the American Football League of the 1960s. That marriage prompted the creation of the Super Bowl and the dawn of the fortified NFL's modern era, during which no nascent league has stayed afloat for long.Gary Davidson in 2008. Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times / Getty ImagesThe first to rise and very quickly fall was the World Football League (1974-75), the brainchild of American Basketball Association and World Hockey Association founder Gary Davidson. Playing mostly on Wednesday nights from July to December, the WFL was a momentarily disruptive force, signing away from the NFL high-profile stars such as Larry Csonka and Paul Warfield. Davidson's other creations hung around long enough to force partial mergers with the NBA and the NHL, but his football offering was severely underfunded, struggled at the gates in some cities, and folded during a recession."Of the sports ventures I've been in, it was the best one, but it had the worst timing," Davidson, 85, said in an interview.Next came the USFL (1983-85), the first league that sought to capitalize on the NFL's long offseason. "I've never believed that Americans buy chewing gum only in the spring, make love only in the fall, go to movies only in the summer," founder David Dixon said in his pitch to prospective team owners, as related in "Football for a Buck," Jeff Pearlman's 2018 biography of the USFL. "We will play spring football. And people will watch."For three seasons, many people did, impressed by the stature of players who picked the USFL over the NFL - Herschel Walker, Reggie White, Jim Kelly, and Steve Young among them - and enticed by on-field innovations such as the two-point convert. As running back Jairo Penaranda told Pearlman, "The USFL wasn’t as good as the NFL. But it was 10,000 times more fun." The league also hemorrhaged money and triggered its own demise when it abandoned the spring for a fall schedule at the behest of Trump, the owner of the New Jersey Generals."We had a great league and a great idea," Houston Gamblers owner Jerry Argovitz told Pearlman. "But then everyone let Donald Trump take over. It was our death."The fatal flaws that consumed the WFL and the USFL - financial woes, fan disinterest, mismanagement - were harbingers of the flops to come. The sensationalism of the first XFL couldn't mask its second-rate play. Dozens of United Football League (2009-12) alumni later played in the NFL, but the fall-based league lost money in the nine figures. Viewership and attendance numbers were promising across most of the AAF, which nonetheless fell irreversibly into the red at breakneck speed.Considered individually, there's hardly a model example in the bunch. Take them together, isolate the positives, and introduce a measure of patience and discipline? That's how Murtha, for one, thinks he can make a secondary league work.Rod Smart of the original XFL. Todd Warshaw / Getty ImagesFor all that ailed the AAF and USFL, those leagues, as Murtha sees it, succeeded in demonstrating that fans in certain U.S. markets will take to spring football. Simple math killed Ebersol's experiment: AAF revenue totaled a reported $12 million against more than $100 million in expenses. Even before Trump guided the USFL into extinction, its owners spent carelessly and, in Pearlman's words, embraced a "terribly misguided" plan to expand from 12 to 18 teams after a single season, a grasp for expansion-fee proceeds that consequently thinned the league's talent pool."Like any business, (the key to sustaining is) controlling your costs," Murtha said. He outlined the balance that he said Major League Football will seek to strike: "On the one hand, putting together an entertaining product with good coaches and players who are well-coached, and, using an example, not paying head coaches half-a-million dollars."Major League Football originally intended to stage its debut season in 2016, but shelved that plan after an anticipated $20-million investment fell through. Several executives later left the company. Over the last couple of years, Murtha has quietly spearheaded an attempted reset, working toward a formal launch announcement that he said he expects to make soon.Ahead of that announcement, Murtha said MLFB's annual operating budget will be in the ballpark of $30 million, scaled far down from the capacity of, say, XFL 2.0. He said the league will position itself as totally non-adversarial to the NFL, seeking instead to provide coveted game reps to players - plus coaches, front-office staff, and officials still climbing the career ladder - who might otherwise languish in free-agent purgatory.MLFB is a publicly traded single entity, meaning the league's shareholders will collectively own all six teams. Murtha said a centralized all-players training camp is scheduled for April in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, where the league is headquartered. Rather than hold a draft, Murtha said MLFB rosters might be allotted in a way that tries to ensure competitive balance while accounting for players' regional ties. (The Ohio team, for instance, could get dibs on Big Ten graduates under the latter consideration, a practice the AAF and USFL each employed.)If, as Murtha says, financial restraint is paramount to survival, MLFB has already taken an unsuperstitious step in that direction. Late last year, the league acquired football and video equipment, as well as medical supplies, that used to belong to the AAF - $3 million worth of gear at a fraction of the price."Everything from uniforms, helmets, shoulder pads, on down to about 30 pallets of athletic tape," Murtha said. "Basically anything and everything you needed to run an eight-team league."––––––––––Until any league of that ilk - Murtha's, McMahon's, some other entrant to the genre that has yet to be concocted - exhibits prolonged signs of life, the champions of secondary football in the U.S. will face a high burden of proof to establish that their cause can actually be realized. How do you master something that everyone else keeps screwing up?Vince McMahon in 2014. Ethan Miller / Getty ImagesDavidson, the founder of the WFL, isn't sure it can be done. Speaking by phone from his office in Costa Mesa, California, 45 years removed from his foray into the game, he said he thinks football is on a downward trend across the country, beset by declining high-school player participation and too much other negative publicity. Timing is everything in business, he said, just as it was during the recession of the mid-'70s."There's always a balance to these things," Davidson said. "I think the balance today (would make it) very tough to start a football league."Other former league executives are more optimistic. Michael Huyghue, the United Football League's first and only commissioner, maintains that the UFL was a quality concept - "What we did was prove that we had a good football product," he said in an interview - whose poor timing contributed to its shuttering. Billionaire funding wasn't sufficiently abundant right after the 2008 economic collapse. The 2011 NFL lockout was resolved in the summer, thwarting the UFL's chance to fill a TV broadcast void that September and October.Above all, Huyghue said, a prospective league needs a sound revenue model underpinned by a fruitful TV rights agreement. And despite the NFL's predominance, he believes fall is the ideal time to play, when fans are known to want to watch football and when players just a notch below the NFL, fresh off a restful offseason, are ripe and ready to perform at a compelling level."People watch football Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We thought if it would just occupy one of those days, people would still tune in," Huyghue said. "We wanted to be disruptive, not copycat. We thought that was an effective way to deliver the product. I still don't think it was a bad idea."Former UFL chief operating officer Frank Vuono, a longtime sports marketing executive, is convinced that no league that overlaps with the NFL will last. Given that not all college teams use pro-style schemes, and that roster spots and practice time are scarce across the NFL, Vuono said a formalized feeder system would be the most viable addition to the pro ecosystem."I think you need to really work on an agreement with the NFL to be a developmental league, and you have to play in the spring, and you have to play in cities that don't have NFL football," Vuono said. "That's my thesis."Quinton Flowers of the new XFL's Tampa Bay Vipers. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe first football game to be played after the Super Bowl will pit the XFL's Seattle Dragons against the DC Defenders on Saturday, Feb. 8. Next up: the Los Angeles Wildcats at the Houston Roughnecks. This latest attempt at revolution will be televised on ABC, ESPN, and FOX, to an audience that Huyghue figures has yet to tire of possible NFL alternatives."I think everybody's like, 'Let's watch the next rendition, and if it works, it works. If not, no harm no foul,'" Huyghue said. "I don't think there's any fear of taking an at-bat. But I think if you don't have really strong business acumen for running an entertainment product, you're going to fail."Such is the test that Major League Football, too, will confront when its kickoff day arrives. Murtha said he welcomes the challenge, the allure of "building something from scratch" having drawn him to the dream in the first place. It's a new endeavor after his decades as an agent, during which he represented stars such as Andre Tippett and plenty of players he calls "sleepers" - comparatively unsung names who scrapped for everything they achieved on the field.When Murtha expounds on his goal to employ the best jobless players out there, he thinks about the advice he'd pass along to rookie clients who weren't getting many NFL reps. Lack of opportunity has displaced many a solid prospect from the roster carousel, but they can at least control how hard they work in the meantime. They can hope for a break as they see their ambition through."Don't take a play off. You never know when the head coach might be looking at you," Murtha would say. "That might be your ticket to sticking around."Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.