SANTA CLARA – (Wire Service Report) – The “Dark Side” was not going to let history repeat itself. Instead, the Seattle Seahawks’ self-nicknamed defense more than returned the favor.

Eleven years after New England beat Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX with a clinching interception in the end zone, the Seahawks forced a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers to send Seattle to a 29-13 win over the Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium.

It is the second Super Bowl title in franchise history — 12 years after the Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards to earn Most Valuable Player honors, Jason Myers connected on all five field-goal attempts and quarterback Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass while Seattle’s offense didn’t turn the ball over.

But it was the “Dark Side” that provided the real fireworks, setting the tone from the outset and closing the door when New England threatened to serve Seattle a second heartbreaking defeat on the game’s biggest stage.

The Seahawks, who led the NFL in allowing an average of 17.2 points per game during the regular season, held the Patriots to 51 total yards in the first half and off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. And when New England twice appeared to have generated significant momentum, twice the Seahawks’ defense responded with turnovers.

The final blow came with the Patriots trying to rally from a 22-7 deficit with 4:27 remaining in the game. Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon hit Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on a blitz, popping the ball in the air. It was intercepted by linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who returned it 45 yards for his first career touchdown, all but cementing the second Super Bowl title in Seahawks history.

The final tally for Seattle’s defense was six sacks, eight tackles for loss, three forced turnovers and the touchdown. Three quarterback hits came courtesy of Witherspoon, while Derick Hall and Byron Murphy II each recorded a pair of sacks.

“They just made a decision that they’re going to play a certain way,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who also serves as the defensive play-caller, said in accepting the Lombardi Trophy. “They lived up to the ‘Dark Side’ today. It’s going to go down in the history books.

“We love our players, but they made it happen. They made it come to life, and we won the game.”Sam Darnold threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, and while he led the offense to only one touchdown, he also completed Seattle’s three-game playoff run without throwing an interception.

“I have to give a shout out. Our offensive line, our tight ends, our receivers and, of course, the running backs for everything they did tonight. It’s special in the run game,” Darnold said. “But the defense!”

Three of Myers’ field goals came in the first half, when Seattle took a 9-0 lead to the locker room. However, the Seahawks left the Patriots in the game by failing to reach the end zone despite two trips inside the red zone.

With less than 100 yards in total offense and just 12:58 left in the game, the Patriots quickly capitalized in a break in the action when a fan streaked across the field. After the fan was wrestled to the ground and removed by several security personnel, Maye hit Mack Hollins with a 24-yard completion on the next play.

It was the biggest play of the game for New England’s offense to that point, and Maye immediately went back to the well. He hit Hollins again on a perfectly-thrown 35-yard touchdown strike to the left side of the end zone, beating tight coverage from Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.

The Patriots appeared to have fully switched the momentum when they forced a punt and Maye marched them to their 44-yard line on the ensuing drive with a 16-yard scramble and a 7-yard toss to Kyle Williams. However, he threw an ill-advised pass into coverage on the next play that was intercepted by Seahawks safety Julian Love.

Love returned it to the Patriots’ 38-yard line. Six plays later, Myers connected on his fifth field goal to extend Seattle’s lead to 22-7.

New England quickly moved the ball back into Seattle territory. But that’s when the Seahawks’ defense struck the decisive blow with Nwosu’s touchdown.

“I’d like to have it back,” Maye said. “I’d like to go back to the beginning and redo it. So many plays that decide and change the game. What was it, 19-7 or 22-7, I had the fumble or throw for a touchdown? It comes down to who makes the plays and who doesn’t.”

Maye added that he required a pain-killing injection in his shoulder in order to play, despite saying that the shoulder was fine all week leading up to game day. A Seattle defense that racked up 11 quarterback hits and forced three turnovers certainly didn’t help.

“The plan was to get to Maye. Disrupt him,” Nwosu said. “We knew — he was their whole team. He was the MVP runner-up, could’ve been MVP. We knew if we get to him, their game plan was nothing.”Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell was charged with 16 pressures allowed, per NFL Next Gen Stats, a single-game high for any player this season, including the regular season.

“We can sit here and try to put it on one guy,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. “You’ll be disappointed. That’ll never happen. It starts with us. The coaching staff making sure that we’re doing our part and, obviously, we’ve got to be able to protect. And we do protect we have to progress through, get guys open, help the quarterback.”

New England’s initial first down of the second half didn’t come until Seattle was flagged for defensive holding with 1:23 left in the third quarter. It was also the Seahawks’ first penalty of the game.

The post See You on “The Dark Side” appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief

BOSTON – Oh, the glory. The Winter Olympic Games colliding with the Super Bowl. NHL players are back in the ice hockey tournament and the New England Patriots are playing in their first Super Bowl since 2019, which seems like forever and a day ago if you have to turn the calendar back to the Year 2000.

Here’s a quick look at the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances with a translation from Roman Numerals to the more modern Hindu-Arabic numbers we use these days:

Tom Brady (file photo)

New England Patriots Super Bowl Appearances:

Super Bowl 20: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10

Super Bowl 31: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21

Super Bowl 36: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17

Super Bowl 38: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29

Super Bowl 39: New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21

Super Bowl 42: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14

Super Bowl 46: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17

Super Bowl 49: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24

Super Bowl 51: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28

Super Bowl 52: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33

Super Bowl 53: New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3

Every Super Bowl (link)

SUPER: The theme of this week’s notebook is to enjoy some reminiscing about Super Bowls of the past. This year marks Super Bowl LX and it dates those of us who can remember Super Bowl I (Kansas City vs Green Bay in Los Angeles). Super Bowl I wasn’t even in the lexicon of sports fans before Super Bowl I, as the term was coined by Lamar Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, in 1966. He suggested the name during a meeting while trying to decide on a title for the championship between the NFL and AFL.

The story goes that Super Bowl I wasn’t sold out in the massive Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which was commissioned in 1921 and opened in 1923. The game was played January 15, 1967 (I had just turned seven years old).

The LA Coliseum is enormous (77,500), and over the years with the LA Rams and then the LA Raiders playing in the venue, it caused some issues for the NFL as it was, indeed, difficult to sell out and thus the NFL TV blackout rules might kick-in to black out the home Los Angeles (No. 2 TV market) and spoil TV ratings.

My memories were looking at what seemed to be an invincible Green Bay Packers team and thinking the Kansas City Chiefs were going to get clobbered in this first great match-up between the National Football League (NFC) and the rival American Football League (AFC). My premonitions were correct and KC got smoked by the score of 35-10. Green Bay QB Bart Starr was the Most Valuable Player as he would be in Super Bowl II at the Orange Bowl in Miami. That game featured the Oakland Raiders who fell 33-14 to the Pack, a slight improvement. I can remember the great Vince Lombardi stalking the sidelines, classically dressed in his overcoat and stoic.

We (meaning my family and most of the kids in my neighborhood) were AFL fans, as the New York Jets played at Shea Stadium, which was closer to our homes. The rival New York Giants seemed old and stogy, and they played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The love of the Mets was the attraction to the Jets and thus, the dislike of the Yankees and the (football) Giants.

Then, there was a key factor – Joe Willie Namath, a.k.a. “Broadway Joe.” Sure there was Yankees greats Joe DiMaggio (Mr Coffee) and Mickey Mantle and some others, but Joe Namath was the very first marketing machine athlete I can remember, and his charisma of coolness fit in with Walt “Clyde” Frazier of the New York Knickerbockers.

Of course, the Jets upset the Baltimore Colts, with the QB tandem of Earl Morrall and the great Johnny Unitas), 16-7, after Namath made the bold guarantee for the New Yorkers to win the game. I had other sports idols on the Jets. I had an Emerson Boozer sweatshirt, and loved defensive safety Johnny Sample and the host of great receivers, like Don Maynard and George Sauer.

That game cemented my love of the NFL and it lasted until the Jets moved from the aging Shea Stadium to the new Giants Stadium in New Jersey (1984). The trip through the Midtown Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel to East Rutherford was too much, and our dump, the beat-up, cold and windy Shea Stadium, seemed so great, although imperfect.

With these various memories in mind, I consulted with column contributor Tom Walsh, the organizer and facilitator of the greatest Super Bowl, and then, AFC/NFC Championship parties in the history of the world, as well as being the most trustworthy and loyal friend you could ever ask for.

To Mr Walsh, the following question was posed:

Q: “I know you love the KC Chiefs as you adopted them in the Len Dawson era and rooted for them against the mighty GB Packers. What are your earliest memories of the Super Bowl?”

A: (Surprised me a bit) – “So the first Super Bowl ever was played on my fifth birthday Jan 15, 1967. Truth be told, I don’t remember a thing about that particular “game.” I do, however, remember a lot of fuss going on in the household because we had moved from Kansas City the year prior and my brother Billy ( five years older) was a fan already, so it was a combination of birthday and Super Bowl celebration.

“My first clear memories of a Super Bowl came from Super Bowl IV (January 11, 1970) and at that point in time, I was fully aware of sports. The Mets were coming off of their miracle Mets run (of 1969) and I was beginning to care about and participate in sports. The Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7). It was that moment that did it for me in terms of fandom.”

He was a Chiefs fan for life.

And, that’s how the NFL does it and how the Super Bowl became the highest-rated, most watched, can’t miss worldwide sports event on the planet. World Cup be damned!

The New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks game will attempt to break last year’s 127.7 million viewers. That’s to serve up :30 second spots at $8 million or :60s at $16m to $20m. (estimated 2026 prices)

As the ‘70s marched on there were great (better call them super) football teams in the Miami Dolphins (coach Don Shula), the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steel Curtain. Those high level teams dominated but were highly respected by all football fans.

Another early memory for me was the fact many of the games were somewhat one-sided. It wasn’t until the 1979 Pittsburgh vs. Dallas Super Bowl, won by Pitt (35-31) that I can remember a high scoring affair.

Fast forward to the early ‘90s and we witnessed the Buffalo Bills’ four consecutive bridesmaids era and then later in the decade, the Denver Broncos era.

As the clock struck 2002, it was time for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots to ride in with a decade of dominance give or take a few disappointments, a New York Giants miracle or two (ask David Tyree) and ultimately the Patriots chasing Brady down I95 where he won another Super Bowl with former Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski as a sidekick.

Patrick Mahomes and the Walsh Family enjoyed their renaissance and took three Super Bowl titles in the 2020s, while losing title games to Brady’s newfangled Tampa Bay Bucs and the mighty Philadelphia Eagles who can still fly with the best of ‘em.

All the while, event organizers from New Orleans to Miami Gardens to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Santa Clara have raked in the millions in economic boosts the size of Saturn Five rockets. This week, the NFL has inserted major cash flow from San Francisco to Palo Alto and from San Jose to Santa Clara. There’s nothing like it as the New England and Seattle faithful have traveled heavy and at steep prices.

Face value for a cheap seat is roughly $950 but that same ticket is going for $3,869 on the secondary market as kick-off time draws nearer and nearer. Meanwhile, lower bowl “decent/good” seats are going for $5,007 and as high as $8,000 to $14,000 per seat, depending on how close you like your seat to the 50 yard line.

High-priced tickets go for $40,530 to $44,796 per seat on the secondary market and a luxury suite will set you back $600,000 to $1.8 million. Although ticket prices can fluctuate drastically in the final two days, Super Bowl LX is currently the second-most expensive Super Bowl on record, with an average purchase price of roughly $8,016.

ALL ABOUT TONIGHT: That brings us to game time. How about some predictions and prognostications, with an attempt to avoid the cliches? (Such as protect the ball, limit turnovers, team that has the ball last, pass protection is key, focus, special team play can be the determining factor).

Please keep in mind, after the Joe Namath Jets, my NFL allegiances were usually to root for the favorite teams of friends, so they could enjoy the title. But, while living in New England, it was always fun to watch Tom Brady operate on a weekly basis, orchestrating comeback after comeback, victory after victory, but the arrogance of team owner Bob Kraft always kept me an arms-length away from the team/Gillette Stadium. That said, I have a friend who was BBs right hand man, and I certainly rooted for him to take in a Playoff share. He left the Patriots when BB did.

This year, it’s been very different. I did not expect the Patriots to win five or six games, maybe seven. I did not think QB Drake Maye could turn into a major contender for MVP (Matthew Stafford of the LA Rams edged Maye out) in teh voting, and I did not think Mike Vrabel’s effect on the team would be so amazing, so vibrant and meaningful in his first year as Patriots’ head coach.

Well, damn the torpedos, and full speed ahead.

Let’s take a look.

TL PREDICTIONS: The prediction here is that Vrabel’s defense will step up once again. Just as they held the Los Angles Chargers and Denver Broncos and Houston Texans offenses down, I expect even more from NE’s “D” on Sunday. The neutral home field will be a major advantage, compared to the crazy and hostile setting of Denver. The Patriots’ defense endured and QB Drake Maye did what he had to do to rally, run and score.

Against Seattle, I see a game-long defensive battle. The Patriots, as they’ve done thoughout the late half of the regular season and all of post season, will limit RB Kenneth Walker III to play as though he’s not age III but age LX. Walker’s sidekick, RB Zach “Don’t Call Me ‘Guy’” Charbonnet is out – a huge setback for the Seahawks. Seattle, like the Patriots’ other opponents, will struggle to gain more than 3.4 or 3.5 per offensive play, a factor that will see punt-after-punt-after-punt in the early going.

LOW SCORING: I see a possible 0-0 first quarter score, and maybe a 7-0 or 10-3 halftime.

SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS: It will be the second half when Vrabel’s defense can win the game. Look for at least one “points off turnover” score, coming from a forced fumble or mid-field interception. It would not surprise if there’s a “Pick 6” or a score off a muffed punt. The Patriots might produce seven or 10 points from the defensive and special team side of the ball, while holding Seattle QB Sam Darnold to “three and outs” regularly.

CAN NEW ENGLAND RUN VS. SEATTLE D? If New England can establish a decent running game, with RB Rhamondre Stevenson and his sidekick, rookie TreVeyon Henderson, it will open up the passing game for Maye and simultaneously create running opportunities for the MVP-runner-up QB. I can see Maye break a 15-20 yard run, maybe for a TD.

PUTTING THAT ALL TOGETHER: I see a relatively low-scoring game. Certainly, it will be a battle of defensive capabilities in the first half. Will one team have its defense on the field too long? Will fatigue play a factor? Will points be scored off turnovers and just how many turnovers or significant mistakes will be made by the young QBs (of either team) and the stumbling, fumbling RBs?

X-FACTOR: I see New England’s TE Hunter Henry playing a pivitol role in converting those third and long or third and five/six situations. He will be a clutch performer and I haven’t seen that written anywhere else.

IN CONCLUSION … a.k.a. THE VEGAS LINE: I think Las Vegas bookmakers have the wrong team favored. The line came out at New England (+5), then settled at New England (+4.5). … In some other books, the line came out at Seahawks (-3.5) and settled at (-4.5) and its stayed put. … Two Sundays ago, I would’ve placed the line at New England (-2.5). Today, I might call it (- 1.5). … The scoring total is at 45.5 – far too high, unless the defenses score 14 points or more apiece.

I see it more like: New England 17-6 or New England 17-10. Drake Maye runs for one TD, throws for another (Henry) and Maye gets his MVP and his first Super Bowl ring.

Most of the experts disagree and they, of course, are the guys who set the Vegas lines.

The guy I trust the most is Matt Youmans of VSiN and he has it: Patriots 23-20 over Seattle, with Drake Maye as the MVP. In scientific terms, that means he’s on the Patriots and the “Under.”

A factoid to consider: The team that is the better NFL Playoff seed (Seattle a No. 1 and New England a No. 2) is just 2-17-1 (ATS) = (10.5%) in the last 29 Super Bowl games. (Some games had teams with the same playoff seed). And, in the last 24 years, Underdogs own an (18-6) record = 75%. By the way, another slice has Underdogs (14-4) over the last 18 Super Bowls, but those stats doesn’t really matter as this is forward thinking column and past performances have ZERO to do with the outcome of Sunday’s game.

FLIP SIDE: If you’re keen on the Seattle Seahawks and don’t buy any of the logic explained above, you’re probably criticizing New England’s relatively smooth (not easy, but smooth) path to the Super Bowl. (Chargers to Texans to Broncos).

In the wild card round, New England held the Los Angeles Chargers to one second quarter field goal in a low-scoring, 16-3 contest.

While Houston looked great on paper and rode a 10-game winning streak, the fact of the matter was New England’s defense stood up to Texans QB C.J. Stroud and held him down in the Red Zone. Houston led 10-7, but a NE pick six (Marcus Jones) returned for 26 yards, and a Drake Maye to Stefon Diggs 7-yard TD strike made it 21-10 Patriots at the half.

In the AFC Championship game, New England faced a Denver Broncos team without their (more) dynamic QB Bo Nix.

Lady Luck!

SLEEPLESS SEATTLE … can impose a much more dynamic offensive approach, sans No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet. The combo of much-travelled but underrated QB Sam Darnold to Pro Bowl WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is dangerous at all times and can take advantage of New England’s one defense weakness – a suspect secondary. The deep ball is not a friend in New England.

Can Vrabel devise his defensive schemes to take Smith-Njigba out of the game, and force Seattle to run? Can the New England secondary step-up and play their best game of the season? – Lots of question marks but the answers will play out in Santa Clara.

Kick-off is 6:30pm ET/3:30pm (Local).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: What’s a Super Bowl Notebooks without a few of the basic lines? Here’s the basic line and a sampling of alternate wagers/props:

Super Bowl LX

• Seattle (-4.5) over Patriots (Line opened at 5.0 points)
• Over/Under 45.5

Most Rushing Yards

• (Seattle’s) Kenneth Walker III – (-225)
• (NE’s) Rhamondre Stevenson – (+240)
• (NE’s) Drake Maye – (+700)
• (NE’s TreVeyon Henderson – (25/1)
• (Seattle’s) George Holani – (50/1)
• (Seattle’s) Rashid Shaheed – (66/1)

Yards Rushing (Over/Under)

(Seattle’s) Kenneth Walker III

• Over 74.5 yards – (118)
• Under 74.5 yards – (-110)

(New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson

• Over 47.5 – (118)
• Under 47.5 – (110)

(New England’s) TreVeyon Henderson

• Over 37.5 (118)
• Under 37.5 (110)

(New England’s) Drake Maye

• Over 37.5 (115)
• Under 37.5 (115)

Passing Yards

(New England’s) Drake Maye

• Over/Under – 221.5 (115)

(Seattle’s) Sam Darnold

• Over/Under – 229.5 (113)

Longest Rush

• (New England’s) Drake Maye – 13.5 (120)

Photo by Eiliv Aceron on Unsplash

TIDBITES (sic) & (Chicken) NUGGETS: Ahh, the annual Lyons/Martin Super Bowl Menu. It’s not a game time decision, it’s an all day affair.

Breakfast

• Fresh Whole Oranges, peeled and sliced into silver dollar sized bites
• The World’s Greatest pitted Grapes (both red and green), cold and crunchy
• Assorted Cereals, with Almond Milk or 1%
• Fresh Everything Bagels, with Garden Veggie cream cheese, served toasted
• Assorted Berries or Chocolate Chip Pancakes, served with Vermont Maple syrup
• Tropicana Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• Freshly Brewed Coffee or Bigelow Tea (assorted flavors), served with 1/2 & 1/2

Lunch

• Classic, well done Omaha Steak Cheeseburgers w/ Heinz ketchup and dill pickles
• Crispy tater-Tots
• Diet Cokes

Pre-Game Snacks

• Veggies Crudite – Celery, Carrot sticks, sliced Multi-Color Peppers
• Knorr’s Vegetable Soup Mix dip, sour cream
• Pig in Blankets
• BUFFs’ Chicken Wings (Medium, not too hot)
• Cheeze Sticks (Trader Joe’s)

Game Time

• White Chicken Chili
• Taquitos
• Hint of Lime Chips
• Sam Adams American Light Beer
• Diet Coke
• Wine Spritzers
• Olde Tyme Prezels (Dark and Regular)
• Dry Roasted Planter’s Peanuts
• Chips
• Honoring Super Bowl stars of the past, famous GRONK-a MOLE w chips
• A new dish will be: crispy bacon B.L.Ts with MAYE-O

Half Time

• Clare’s Famous Meatball Subs
• Artichoke Dip with Pita
• Street Corn
• Celery sticks
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Combinations of Kalamata, Pitted Green, and Castelvetrano Olives, mixed with artichokes, feta, and marinated vegetables (a.k.a. Giardiniera)

Post Game or Anytime

• Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Coffee
• 2019 Silver Oak: Cabernet Sauvignon
• Josh Cellar, 2024: Pinot Grigio

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: Two guys walk into an English pub near London 250 years from today. They want to toast what used to be The United States of America. “Yeah, they made it 250 years, but then, forget it,” says the older man. “Let’s not talk about that tonight,” says the younger lad. “I want to play some music. The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?”

“The Beatles,” says the older gentlemen.

“The Stones,” says the young lad.

“The Who,” shouts someone from the bar.

Obviously, the argument of the best rock band is endless, and there’s never a right answer.

“What’s your favorite color,” asked the Bridgekeeper in Monty Python’s Holy Grail?

“Red, no Blue.”

Arghhhh.

But if some sports historian two hundred and fifty years from now were to ask anyone, from any corner of the earth, “What was the best halftime act in NFL Super Bowl history?” There would be a chorus.

A chorus of “Prince.”

The stories of the legendary halftime show are endless, and they’ve taken on even more magnificence in the 269 fictitious years since Prince took the stage in the middle of a serious thunder/lightening storm in South Florida for my little story, here.

But, the point being: No one will ever top the halftime act performed by Prince at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Bruce Springsteen was great. Others were fan-tastic. Some were controversial (Where were you when the term “Wardrobe Malfunction” was coined?

Today, to put the finishing touch on this Super Bowl LX collection of notes and quotes and quips and nuggets, I give you Prince.

Note: You will need to click-through to watch the show on the NFL Youtube channel. That’s the NFL’s rule because it’s their footage. It’s a MUST WATCH.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10:00pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a compilation of interesting sports notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers. Wire Service reports are utilized within the column. And, remember, PGA TOUR Brunch is On Sale.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

The post TL’s Super Sunday Notes | NE v SEA appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

SANTA CLARA – (Wire Service Report) – There’s more security than Patriots players around the Santa Clara hotel the team is staying at this week, one of the novel elements of the Super Bowl for New England players and staff making their maiden voyage on this eight-night sleepover.

Every player and coach — from the most identifiable in quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel to 5-foot-10 face-in-the-crowd rookie wide receiver Efton Chism III — follows the mandate to wear a lanyard around his neck with his plastic 3×4-inch name tag fully displayed for security checks at every exit and entrance of the property. On Monday, for example, Maye had to flash his badge to uniformed officers to exit in the morning, return to the building, enter a meeting room, return to the lobby, exit for practice, return from practice, exit for In-N-Out Burger and return.

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a player, made it a strict point to stress grace and being a polite Patriot when the team receives a request from support staff, security, equipment managers and janitors. It’s his new Patriot Way.

“Those little things that go a long way, do things right, and coach Vrabel is the best at it,” Maye said Thursday at 8 a.m. PT media before the team loaded buses to Stanford University for another full squad practice.

Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were present when 24-year-old Tom Brady started Super Bowl XXXVI. Vrabel was 26. He started at outside linebacker with Tedy Bruschi and Roman Phifer with a mandate to corral Marshall Faulk and put Kurt Warner on his can to douse the “Greatest Show on Turf.”

Their unique perspective as observers of Brady’s ascension and active participants in the Patriots’ dynasty has been gold for Maye as he advances in the NFL’s ultimate treasure hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.

One example: McDaniels has stressed to Maye the competitive stamina required to play in a Super Bowl. The pace and cadence of daily and even hourly activities the task of winning a Super Bowl requires of the position. Brady did not participate in family events during the week as a matter of course if only briefly interacting with them when the team’s traveling party multiples to include spouses and children on Friday.

Brady and the Patriots beat the Rams, 20-17, riding the quarterback’s arm on the final possession. McDaniels was on a headset but Charlie Weis was offensive coordinator. When the Patriots saw their 17-3 lead dissolve and the game was tied with 1:37 on the clock, coaches discussed briefly playing it safe and going to overtime.

“They let the kid go out and rip it. I remember Drew (Bledsoe) saying (to Brady) ‘Just go out there and sling the ball. Play like you always have,’” McDaniels said. “And he did. Those are the types of situations the best players in football live for. Hopefully we have one of those in us if we need it on Sunday.”

Brady completed his first two passes — to running back J.R. Redmond — and hit him again between two incompletions to get the ball to the Patriots 40. The 23-yard connection to Troy Brown down the left sideline put Adam Vinatieri within range and a quick-hitter to tight end Jermaine Wiggins got him six yards closer to the 48-yard game winner.

McDaniels said he uses Brady on teaching tapes for quarterbacks and Maye has seen plenty of examples of execution in the four- and two-minute offense with No. 12’s play doing the teaching. Without directly comparing Brady and Maye, McDaniels knows there is at least one visible common trait the quarterbacks share.

“He wants to have the last shot. If you play quarterback in the National Football League, that’s probably one of the prerequisites, that you would like to have the ball in your hand at the end,” McDaniels said.

Numbers back up the idea of Maye rising to meet elevated pressure. Against the blitz, he had 16 touchdowns, one interception and a 115.8 passer rating. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald noticed.

“The thing that makes Drake so dangerous is, in addition to the arm talent, the processing and the movement, he’s got a playmaking ability late in, late in, late in plays,” Macdonald said.

Vrabel sees flashes of Brady’s trademark competitiveness. Daily. From trying to be the first and last in the building to pickup basketball and everything in between, Maye has an obvious and trained refuse-to-lose mindset.

“Every 2-on-2 basketball game in the backyard prepared me for this. The joy of it but also the feeling you get of accomplishing beating my older brothers, compete at a high level,” Maye said. “Watching my older brothers (Cole, Beau and Luke), excel in sports wanting the ball at the end of the games. And always being the player that you felt like, knowing that if they play well, they’re going to win the games. That’s the position I’m in now.”

– Field Level Media

The post Patriots Had This Moment in Mind appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

SANTA CLARA – Call it a comeback. And better make it two.

Super Bowl LX sets up as a repeat of two recent NFL championship teams colliding Sunday on the home field of another NFL champion, the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s a repeat of Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015 that swung from a Seattle Seahawks celebration to a confirmation of the New England Patriots’ dynasty when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson pass at the goal line with 20 seconds left.

“It hasn’t come up one time,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of the Super Bowl rematch.

Almost everything has changed on both sidelines in the decade since that game. Neither team was even in the playoff field last season.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft called a leadership audible and restored the championship standard in New England, placing three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel atop the organization pecking order, and the new head coach guided a stunning turnaround in 2025.

Vrabel, a former linebacker under Bill Belichick, has resurrected the franchise and partnered with the second-youngest Super Bowl starting quarterback ever, 23-year-old Drake Maye, to move New England to the doorstep of a league-record seventh Lombardi Trophy.

“The organization has set a standard,” Vrabel said. “The Patriots organization, Robert and Jonathan (Kraft), have set a standard for this organization that this is what the expectation is. We understand that, we embrace that.”

Seattle shifted from Pete Carroll at the end of the 2024 season, and longtime general manager John Schneider restocked in tandem with Macdonald, 38. The second-year coach and defensive-minded mad scientist won 14 games in the 2025 regular season, earning the top seed in the NFC with reclamation project Sam Darnold starring in the vast shadow of Seattle’s sledgehammer defense.

Darnold threw 25 touchdown passes in his first season with the Seahawks. He opposes Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft, who produced numbers once expected of another famous Patriots passer with a fully stocked ring finger. Maye finished ahead of Darnold in most passing categories. He had 31 touchdown passes, 4,394 yards and a league-leading 113.5 passer rating with a pair of rookies starting on the left side of a fully revamped offensive line.

Maye has harped on running the ball, and Vrabel continues to preach balance in the long preamble to Super Bowl LX. But numbers could set up in Seattle’s favor.

The Seahawks have a streak of 28 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher and big plays are a pipe dream — only 15 plays of 20-plus yards — because of the speed and versatility of the back seven and the ability of Macdonald to generate pressure with his front four. They were stingy on first down and excelled on third down, when the crosshairs are largely centered on the pocket.

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PALO ALTO – (Staff, Pro Footbal Writers and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice as on-field preparations for Super Bowl LX against Seattle shifted gears.

The second-year quarterback, who injured his right shoulder during the AFC championship game, took all of the team’s first-team reps during a 90-minute practice at Stanford Stadium. He had told reporters earlier in the week that he was “feeling good” and that certainly appeared to be the case as the team worked through seven-on-seven and full-squad drills in full shoulder pads.

While the team installed much of its game plan during practices last week in Foxborough, head coach Mike Vrabel said his staff saved several elements of that plan so they would have new information to present to players in meetings and practices here in the Bay Area. This was a suggestion from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is coaching in his 10th Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots’ staff.

“No one has more experience than Josh with this, and he felt like that we needed to do something to keep them engaged and stimulated, so they weren’t looking at some things for the second or third time,” Vrabel said.

Vrabel is taking that engagement literally. After practice ended, Vrabel pulled a group of interior defensive linemen aside for extra instruction. Vrabel even got down into a three-point stance to work with defensive tackle Cory Durden on pass rush technique.

“We’re now talking about 36 hours being critical here, before people come in, friends and obligations that come with this game,” Vrabel said.

Team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft arrived at Stanford with legendary Patriots receiver Julian Edelman. Like McDaniels, those three men are quite familiar with the Super Bowl preparation process, but it’s all new for most of Vrabel’s squad. No Patriot remains on the roster from their last Super Bowl and only five players on the current roster have prior Super Bowl experience.

“We’ve got some things to clean up, and then we’ve got to forge ahead,” Vrabel said. “We want to continue to keep the energy and the enthusiasm, but the execution is going to end up really helping us win the game.”

Maye was listed on the team’s first injury report with the shoulder, but as a full participant. Linebacker Robert Spillane was the only Patriots player who did not participate as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in the AFC title game in Denver. Linebacker Harold Landry was listed as a limited participant with a knee injury. Other players listed on the injury report were backup offensive lineman Thayer Munford Jr. (limited, knee) and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (full participant, hamstring.) Farmer remains on the injured reserved list but has been designed to return.

–Pro Football Writers of America

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SAN JOSE – (Wire Service Report) – The Seattle Seahawks opened Super Bowl week Wednesday with their first and only padded practice of the week before the game. The Seahawks players took the practice field at San Jose State for 1 hour and 50 minutes, starting at 2:15 p.m. under a sunny and cloudless sky. It was 73-degrees.

“We had an opportunity to work at a different practice window,” head coach Mike Macdonald said after practice. “Which I thought was great with our guys’ cadence. Lot of spirit. Guys did a great job. We had a great practice.”

Safety Nick Emmanwori was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury that he suffered during practice.

The rookie safety injured his ankle while defending a pass late in practice. He walked off the field on his own shortly before 4 p.m. Several players and coaches went over to comfort him before he left.

“He had an ankle today, we brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps?” Macdonald said.

Seattle practiced in pads for about an hour before taking them off for the second half of practice.

Macdonald said he reached out to coaches he’d worked with in the past to design the structure for last week and this week of practice. He said the team started installing their game plan last week.

“We’re going to be evolving. We didn’t put the whole thing in last week. We’re just gonna keep building it, stay on cadence this week and do what we need to do to feel like we get to a sweet spot by end of the week.”

Five Seahawks were limited in practice on Wednesday. Left tackle Charles Cross (foot), left tackle Josh Jones (ankle, knee), quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique), fullback Robbie Ouzts (neck) and safety Emmanwori (ankle).

Darnold has been limited in all eight practices since he injured his oblique on Jan. 15.

“Sam’s right on schedule,” Macdonald said. “So we’ve had this plan here over the last X amount of weeks, and it varies every day. And today he had a great day, so we’re right on schedule.”

Six other Seahawks players are on the injury report but practiced in full Wednesday: Tight end Eric Saubert (hamstring), receiver Jake Bobo (hand), fullback Brady Russell (hand), linebacker Ernest Jones IV (chest), safety Julian Love (shoulder), linebacker Drake Thomas (shoulder).

Three players were limited in practice for non-injury rest: linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

Seattle will practice again Thursday at 2:15 p.m. local time.

–Pro Football Writers of America

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CANTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – “It’s not you, it’s me,” must be the saying in Foxboro. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft did not receive enough votes for selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, ESPN reported Tuesday. Last week, there were confirmed reports that former head coach Bill Belichick, who led the Patriots to nine Super Bowls and six championships over 24 seasons, also is not part of the Class of 2026 to be enshrined in this tiny Ohio town, this summer.

The new Hall of Fame class will be revealed Thursday night at the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco.

Belichick and Kraft were among the five finalists competing in the same category — contributors, coaches and senior players who last played in 2000 or earlier. Kraft qualified as the contributor finalist and Belichick as the coach.

Former players Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood filled out the list of finalists and none, one, two or all three can have their names called Thursday. To be selected, a finalist needs 40 of the 50 possible votes. If no one reaches that benchmark, the highest vote-getter becomes a Hall of Fame member.

When news spread of Belichick’s failure to reach the voting minimum, Kraft was among those in the football community who expressed disbelief that Belichick was not selected.

“As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League. He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer,” Kraft said in a statement.

Kraft, 84, purchased the team and its old stadium for $172 million on Jan. 31, 1994. His purchase kept the franchise from being sold and relocated.

Before his ownership, the team had been to the playoffs six times since its founding as the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1960. That includes their 46-10 drubbing by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX after an 11-5 regular season in 1985.

With Kraft and Belichick in charge, the Patriots won the Super Bowls following the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons.

Kraft’s investment in the Patriots was a wise one. In 2025, he sold 8% of the shares in the team for $720 million, giving the team a $9 billion valuation.

Kraft’s Patriots will appear in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in Santa Clara.  A win would give New England a record seventh NFL title in the Super Bowl era, breaking a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

–Field Level Media

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SANTA CLARA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NFL will play its first regular-season game in Paris next season with the New Orleans Saints named Monday as one of the participants.

The game will take place at the 80,000-seat Stade de France, France’s national stadium which served as the host site for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Bringing a regular season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “Paris is one of the world’s greatest sporting and cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events that unite fans on the biggest stages. Playing our first-ever regular-season game at the impressive Stade de France, together with the New Orleans Saints, underlines our continued global growth ambitions and we look forward to bringing the NFL to our passionate fans in France.”

The Saints have international marketing rights in France, where the NFL claims to have more than 14 million fans.

“This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris,” said Saints team owner Gayle Benson.

Also Monday, the NFL announced it is returning to Madrid in 2026 with a new multi-year agreement.

The league staged its first game in Spain during the 2025 season when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime on Nov. 16.

The game drew 78,610 fans to Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium, which will once again serve as the venue under Monday’s deal.

“It is an honor and a privilege for Real Madrid to host the NFL once again at the Bernabeu stadium,” said Real Madrid director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno. “We experienced a historic first NFL Madrid game a few months ago, and this new agreement will allow the alliance between our club, the Community of Madrid, the City Council and the NFL to continue, strengthening the image of our capital and the Spanish brand around the world.”

The Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and Dolphins have marketing rights in Spain, where the NFL counts 11 million fans.

In addition to Paris and Madrid, the NFL in 2026 will play its first-ever game in Australia in Melbourne with the Los Angeles Rams as one of the participants. There will also be three games in London and one each in Munich, Germany, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

–Field Level Media

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – The NFL said Sunday that the Seattle Seahawks were not fined for failing to comply with league ownership requirements to sell the team, contrary to a report of a $5 million penalty in the Wall Street Journal.

“As we told the WSJ yesterday on the record, the team was not fined,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal article on Saturday included the league’s denial as well as the team — through a spokesman for Vulcan, Inc., the late Paul Allen’s company that manages the Seahawks — declining to comment on the fine.

The league and other owners are putting pressure on the trust that has controlled the franchise since owner Allen died in 2018, to sell the Seahawks, according to the article. League rules require controlling ownership be an individual, not a larger entity such as a trust, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

Allen, a Microsoft co-founder who also owned the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, made the stated intention that the teams eventually be sold, with proceeds going to charity. His sister, Jody Allen, is executor of the trust.

Multiple reports on Friday said the Seahawks are up for sale immediately after Super Bowl LX next Sunday, when Seattle faces the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, Calif.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” the Paul G. Allen Estate said in a statement on Friday. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”

The Trail Blazers went on sale in September 2025 and reportedly are being sold for more than $4 billion to a group of investors led by Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.

Paul Allen’s estate does not include a hard deadline to sell the Seahawks, but one term expired in 2024 that would have required 10% of the proceeds to go to the state of Washington.

Per Sportico last summer, the Seahawks were valued at $6.59 billion, in the middle of the pack for NFL teams. Forbes’ December 2024 list of worldwide sports franchise values put the Seahawks in a tie for 24th place with the Los Angeles Dodgers at $5.45 billion.

The latest purchase of an NFL club was the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders in 2023. ESPN cited an anonymous team executive saying the Seahawks could be sold for $7 billion to $8 billion.

The highest-valued sports franchise is the Dallas Cowboys, listed by Sportico at $12.8 billion and by Forbes a year earlier at $10.1 billion.

Paul Allen spent $200 million in 1997 to buy the Seahawks from Ken Behring at a time when there was talk of the team relocating.

–Field Level Media

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Will the ghost of John Facenda please report to the SportsCenter set in Bristol?

You’ve been sold.

Government regulators approved ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network, linear rights to the NFL RedZone Channel and other league media assets in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN, the NFL and ESPN announced late Saturday night.

The blockbuster deal was formally announced last August pending reviews by the Justice Department and other non-US antitrust authorities, which are now complete.

“With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead,” ESPN and the NFL said in a joint statement. “As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”

The deal will bring major NFL media properties under the Disney-owned network and expand ESPN’s football offerings across both traditional and streaming platforms.

The National Football League gave up 100% ownership of the NFL Network for 10% of ESPN, which is valued in billions of dollars.

Under the agreement, NFL Network and RedZone will be integrated into ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service while remaining available via cable and satellite. The RedZone brand could translate to a similar offering in other sports to which ESPN has broadcast rights.

NFL Fantasy will merge with ESPN Fantasy, creating the official season-long fantasy platform of the league.

As part of a second agreement between the sides, ESPN will also gain rights to license three additional NFL games per season for 28 total. Seven of those games will be broadcast on NFL Network — these three new ones and four that will shift from ESPN to NFL Network. The NFL doubleheaders on Monday nights will cease, while NFL Network again will have four international games for a total of seven games each season.

The merger does not impact coverage of Super Bowl LX next week, with viewers unlikely to see changes until April at the earliest, when NFL Media employees become part of ESPN.

The NFL will retain ownership of key properties including NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com and the NFL Podcast Network, and will continue producing and distributing the digital version of RedZone independently

–Field Level Media

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