Hope Powell has revealed how she defied her Mum to play football, how she built England Women and the importance of representing her communities. Powell is perhaps best known for her time as a coach with the Lionesses, Team GB and, more recently, with Brighton. But she was also an experienced player herself, amassing over 60 England caps and a raft of other domestic accolades. However, growing up in West Indian culture in south London in the 60s and 70s, it was not the most conventional career path for a girl - and Powell's mother even tried to dissuade her from football. "When I was growing up and playing on the estate, I honestly thought I was the only girl that played," she told Jess Creighton on Inside the WSL. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player This week's episode of Inside The WSL takes a dive into the life of Hope Powell - one of the most influential figures in the game. Izzy Christiansen: WSL postponements a … [Read more...] about Hope Powell: Defying Mum to play football, building England Women and representing her communities
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Patrick Mahomes ankle injury: Chiefs QB to practice again Thursday, ‘on track’ for AFC Championship Game
Getty Images Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will practice again Thursday after he was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, according to head coach Andy Reid -- making it seem as though the 2022 All-Pro quarterback won't be very limited in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. "He felt good in the walkthrough," Reid said of Mahomes on Thursday, ahead of the practice session. "He's on track." Reid thought Mahomes did a "nice job" in practice Wednesday and felt comfortable with what was being asked of him. Mahomes felt he had a good day as well, even saying he felt "probably better than I expected." Overall, it's been a positive 24 hours for Mahomes, who left his press conference Wednesday without either a walking boot or a noticeable limp . "I still feel like I can do a lot of things," Mahomes said Thursday. Patrick Mahomes KC • QB • #15 CMP% 67.1 YDs 5250 TD 41 INT 12 YD/Att … [Read more...] about Patrick Mahomes ankle injury: Chiefs QB to practice again Thursday, ‘on track’ for AFC Championship Game
Patrick Mahomes injury update: Chiefs QB practices fully again Thursday, ‘on track’ for AFC Championship game
Getty Images Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes practiced fully again Thursday after being a full participant in Wednesday's session. Head coach Andy Reid made it seem as though the 2022 First-Team All-Pro quarterback won't be very limited in the AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. "He felt good in the walkthrough," Reid said of Mahomes on Thursday, ahead of the practice session. "He's on track. His feet are doing OK right now, so he still can move then. So he's not just throwing with all arm. But he's got a good enough arm. You've seen him do it even when there's no ankle issue, so he'll throw some balls where he's flat-footed." Reid thought Mahomes did a "nice job" in practice Wednesday and felt comfortable with what was being asked of him. Mahomes felt he had a good day as well, even saying he felt "probably better than I expected." Overall, it's been a positive stretch for Mahomes, who left his press conference Wednesday without … [Read more...] about Patrick Mahomes injury update: Chiefs QB practices fully again Thursday, ‘on track’ for AFC Championship game
2023 Top247: Final edition sets 5-star field
247Sports on Thursday afternoon released the final edition of the 2023 Top 247 rankings, headlined by the 32 five-star prospects designated annually. Four of those players rose to 100 ratings 247Sports on Thursday afternoon released the final edition of the 2023 Top247 rankings, headlined by the 32 five-star prospects designated annually. Four of those players rose to 100 ratings — 98 represents the five-star threshold — to lead the class. As a reminder, December's pre-Early Signing Period update marked the beginning of the Top247's new five-star era, which will take full effect in the 2024 class. That means the next update to the 2024 Top247 will feature a full 32-player five-star field. Stay tuned for that in the coming spring. Below readers will find a link to the full 2023 Top247 final edition, as well as the final 32-player five-star field for the senior class. As for that quartet of 100-rated prospects atop the board, we provide some context on their standing as well. … [Read more...] about 2023 Top247: Final edition sets 5-star field
Patriots experienced unprecedented offensive disarray under Bill Belichick during 2022 season, per report
Getty Images The return of Bill O'Brien as New England Patriots ' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach will come after one of the most dysfunctional seasons in the Bill Belichick Era, according to the Boston Herald . The team's 18.2 offensive points per game were its worst since Year 1 under Belichick in 2000, while its third-down and red zone offense were both the worst in Belichick's 23 seasons as Patriots head coach. 2022 Patriots offense NFL Rank Offensive points per game 18.2 22nd Total yards per game 314.6 26th Third-down percentage 34.9%* 27th Red zone touchdown percentage 42.2%* Last * Worst in Bill Belichick Era (since 2000) O'Brien experienced great success running the Patriots offense as the play-caller in 2011 when the team reached the Super Bowl , and just like Matt Patricia and Joe Judge -- the two longtime Belichick coaches who ran the offense in 2022 -- he's an … [Read more...] about Patriots experienced unprecedented offensive disarray under Bill Belichick during 2022 season, per report
NFL Stats divisional playoffs: Joe Burrow extends winning run, Travis Kelce closes in on Jerry Rice postseason record
Sky Sports statistician Benedict Bermange picks out the best stats the NFL has to offer from the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, including another monster day for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as he closes in on Jerry Rice's postseason receptions record... The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars to reach their fifth-straight AFC Championship game. The Chiefs will now have hosted five conference title games in a row, the longest streak since the first conference championship game was played in 1966. They had never hosted one at all in franchise history before drafting Patrick Mahomes, having played three in total prior, all of them on the road from 1966-2016. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights of the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs Highlights of the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Kansas City Chiefs … [Read more...] about NFL Stats divisional playoffs: Joe Burrow extends winning run, Travis Kelce closes in on Jerry Rice postseason record
Lakers’ LeBron James ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most career NBA All-Star Game appearances
Getty Images Another night, another entry in the record books for LeBron James , who on Thursday night was named as a captain and starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. This is the sixth consecutive year that James, who received 7,418,116 fan votes, will be a captain, and 19th consecutive year that he'll be an All-Star. James' 19 All-Star Games matches Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most all-time, and also sets a record for the most consecutive appearances. The only other active players with double-digit All-Star appearances are Kevin Durant (12), Chris Paul (12) and James Harden (10). Perhaps the most interesting historical detail is why Abdul-Jabbar missed out on an All-Star Game in the prime of his career in 1978, and thus doesn't have a record 20 consecutive appearances. (It's also worth noting that Abdul-Jabbar sat out of the 1973 game and was an injury replacement in 1989.) On opening night of the 1977-78 season, Abdul-Jabbar's Los Angeles Lakers were taking … [Read more...] about Lakers’ LeBron James ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most career NBA All-Star Game appearances
2023 NBA All-Star Game roster announcement takeaways: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo voted team captains
With more than half of the 2022-23 season in the books and the All-Star Game approaching, it's time to name the starters for the league's mid-season exhibition. Those starters were determined by a vote divided amongst fans (50 percent), media (25 percent) and players (25), and on Thursday, those starters were announced on TNT with an assist from the accounting firm Ernst and Young. With two guards and three front-court players coming from each conference, the following 10 players have been selected: Player Position Conference *LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Forward West Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans Forward West Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets Center West Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks Guard West Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors Guard West *Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks Forward East Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Forward East Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets … [Read more...] about 2023 NBA All-Star Game roster announcement takeaways: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo voted team captains
Carolina Panthers hire Frank Reich as new head coach to reunite with franchise’s first starting quarterback
Frank Reich was named the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. Reich becomes the sixth head coach in Panthers history having previously served as the first starting quarterback for the franchise in 1995. The 61-year-old received a second interview with owner David Tepper and the team's search committee this week. He joins the Panthers after being fired by the Indianapolis Colts nine games into the 2022 season. He posted a 40-33-1 record in four-plus seasons in Indianapolis and guided the club to two postseason appearances. Steve Wilks served as the interim coach of the Panthers after replacing Matt Rhule, who was fired October 10 after a 1-4 start. Carolina finished with a 7-10 mark and have missed the playoffs in each of the five seasons since Tepper brought the franchise in 2018 for a then-NFL-record $2.275 billion. Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this Privacy Options Reich is viewed as an … [Read more...] about Carolina Panthers hire Frank Reich as new head coach to reunite with franchise’s first starting quarterback
2023 NBA All-Star: Joel Embiid biggest starter snub; Anthony Davis had a strong case over Zion Williamson
USATSI The 2023 NBA All-Star starters were announced Thursday night, and naturally, a couple players who are looking at bench roles have a legitimate beef. First, here are the starters, which were selected using a weighted system in which the fan vote accounted for 50 percent, and the media and player votes 25 percent each. Western Conference: LeBron James (captain), Stephen Curry , Luka Doncic , Zion Williamson , Nikola Jokic Eastern Conference: Giannis Antetokounmpo (captain), Donovan Mitchell , Kyrie Irving , Jayson Tatum , Kevin Durant Now, let's get to the starter snubs, starting with the most obvious. Joel Embiid It's not an honest snub unless you can say who should be replaced, and in this case, Embiid deserved to start over Anteokounmpo. The media and players agreed, voting Embiid third among frontcourt players behind Tatum and Durant, but Embiid wound up fourth in the fan vote, where Giannis was first. That was the difference. I get … [Read more...] about 2023 NBA All-Star: Joel Embiid biggest starter snub; Anthony Davis had a strong case over Zion Williamson