Catégorie : Sport News

Pro sports franchises in North America travel arguably more than anywhere in the world, simply because of how large the U.S.A. is geographically. NFL teams travel less than, say, MLB or NBA teams, but they still have at least eight or nine road games per season. While fans simply see away teams show up and play on Sundays, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers exec recently shed some light on the immense work it takes to get a team’s travel itinerary sorted.

Tim Jarocki, the senior director of operations for the Bucs, shared some of the real legwork it takes to get all those players, plus dozens of staff and other hangers-on, set up for a game away from home. When asked specifically about lodging, Jarocki said that he typically contracts “about 200 rooms for one night”, which speaks to the massive scope of these road trips.

“Typically, I’m contracting about 200 rooms for the one night. That includes as many suites as I can get. Get anywhere from five to 15 suites for ownership, or general manager, or head coach. We also need quite a bit of meeting space for our meal room, our offense and defense, all the other breakout rooms. But we also have treatment, recovery and activation rooms.”

NBA execs only have to worry about 12-15 players on these trips. NFL execs, meanwhile, have to look after 50-60 players, plus the dozens of positional coaches. With that many millionaires in one place, they can attract undesirable attention. Jarocki said, therefore, that they are hyper-aware when it comes to security. Teams generally have police officers milling around their hotel meeting rooms and floors.

There’s also the question of where to put the players. Some players have preferences for the location of their room, the type of room, or who they room with.

“We get complete floors for players, so that there’s nobody else on the floor with them. So, I go through and I’ll assign all the rooms for the players. I know which room everybody’s in. Some people wanna be closer to the elevators, other people wanna be further away from the elevators.”

Jarocki—and he’s probably not unique in this—said that he likes to try and do what he can to provide the players with a room or room number that might bring even a little smile to their faces.

“Like Shelton Quarles. When he was playing, he was No. 53, so if I can put him in a room that ends with a 53, I try to do that, give him a little smile. Their rookie year, Calijah Kancey and Sirvocea Dennis, were sharing a room during training camp, so I put them in room 412. Basically, because 412 is the area code for Pittsburgh, where they went to school. So small things like that, sometimes people don’t notice it, but sometimes it brings a little smile to the long days that we all have.”

Location scouting for hotels in an away city can be tough too. Citizens of that city are generally loyal to their home NFL team. There have been many examples of a home team’s fans causing a ruckus at the away team’s hotel the night before a game in an attempt to get their guys a competitive edge. So, it’s safe to say that Jarocki’s is far from easy.

Matthew Wright held down the fort for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Los Angeles Chargers. The kicker was signed as an injury replacement to Pro Bowl kicker, Harrison Butker. He only kicked for them for two games, but played just about as well as he possibly could. Still, he is no Harrison Butker.

Wright kicked the game-winning field goal through the uprights as time expired against the Chargers. He was then named special teams player of the week on Wednesday, just three days before getting cut from the team.

Wright kicked like his job depended on it during his time with the Chiefs. Against the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday, he nailed four out of five field goals from various distances and added an extra point for a total of 13 points. He followed that performance up with another 13 points against the Chargers; this time he was a perfect — four for four from distance.

Wright capped the performance against the Chargers off with a game-winning kick that ‘doinked’ off the upright and in. It was by far the most dramatic kick we’ve seen this season. It sent the Chiefs to 12-1 and clinched them the division title, their ninth straight. But the party quickly subsided as news came out that Butker was fully healed and ready to take over kicking duties again.

While Chiefs fans rejoice that their Pro Bowl kicker is back, Wright has been almost completely forgotten already. It’s the life of a kicker in the NFL. One day you’re a folk hero with everyone singing your praises, the next you’re cut and on to looking for a new team to kick for. But some fans took the time to appreciate Wright.

It’s a tough situation for Wright. One that has many fans asking: why cut him at all? Well, the simple answer is that NFL teams traditionally only carry one kicker. A 53-man roster may sound like a lot, but the spots fill up quickly. And every team would rather just have one kicker to open up more roster space for offensive and defensive players.

Butker also isn’t just “any other kicker.” He’s debatably the best in the game and has been with the team for all three Super Bowl runs. In 2022, he kicked the game-winning field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. 4

He also kicked the game-winning field to win the Super Bowl against the Eagles that year. Last year in the big game, Butker set a record with a 57-yard field goal and kicked the game into overtime as time expired.

While the NFL world is feeling bad for Wright, it wasn’t the wrong decision. Butker is the guy the Chiefs will want heading into the playoffs. It’s a “thank you for your service” salute to Wright as he is propelled back into the world of free agency.

When Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy 11 years ago, he was the youngest ever to do it — a record he held until Lamar Jackson won it in 2016, beating it by just four days. It was a memorable moment for Jameis that he will never forget. Hours before the Heisman Award was set to announce its newest member, he took to Instagram, posting a reel to reminisce over that very moment.

The brief video starts with the announcement of Jameis winning the highly coveted college trophy, showing him giving hugs to his parents. It then cuts to his legendary speech where he remarks, “This Heisman isn’t just for Jameis Winston; it’s for Florida State… If we are going to do it, then we are going to do it big!” A phrase that became synonymous with Jameis during his time at FSU.

The video capped off with Jameis holding his trophy high and proud. He even wrote a caption to accompany the post: “A moment I’ll never forget. Looking forward to welcoming a new member to the #Heisman family.”

It was a nice touch for the current Cleveland Browns quarterback. The fan reaction to the post was great as well. Some fans recounted the season, while others had jokes for Jameis.

The Heisman award this season has been one of the most hotly contested topics in college football. Like every year, there are four finalists; but only two really stand a chance. However, none are under the age of 21 — so for this year, Jameis and Lamar can sleep easy.

Let’s start with the outsiders, who are surprisingly both quarterbacks—usually, it’s quarterbacks as the heavy favorites. Cam Ward is a 22-year-old senior from Miami, while Dillon Gabriel is a 23-year-old from Oregon. Both are outstanding quarterbacks whose teams have had great seasons, but their numbers just aren’t on par with the other two finalists.

Ashton Jeanty is a 21-year-old running back out of Boise State who has had a historic season. He almost broke the regular season rushing record set by Barry Sanders.

Jeanty rushed for 2,288 yards and an incredible 28 touchdowns. While it did come against lesser competition in the Mountain West Conference, the numbers are still mesmerizing. Not to mention, Jeanty held his own in games against tougher competition. He rushed for 401 yards and four touchdowns against ranked opponents.

Travis Hunter is the other leading candidate out of Colorado and is the odds-on favorite to win. Also, a 21-year-old, Hunter is a two-way player who plays both wide receiver and cornerback. And he’s excellent at both.

He had over 1,000 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns as a receiver, to go along with 31 tackles, four interceptions, and a forced fumble as a defender. Hunter has forever achieved the status of college football immortality and will be remembered as a legend.

Although, some don’t believe Hunter is worthy of the award. Some critics have expressed that he is just “average” on both sides of the ball, and that a player like Jeanty who is great on one side should win the award. We’ll see what the voters decide at 8 pm EST on December 14th. One thing is for sure: Jameis Winston will welcome the winner with open arms to the Heisman family.

Shedeur Sanders was controversially snubbed of a spot among the four Heisman Trophy finalists. But he’s still in New York for the ceremony in Manhattan on December 14. Ostensibly, he’s there to support his teammate and Heisman favorite, Travis Hunter. Ahead of the event, Sanders has been keeping himself busy, most notably by dropping still more hints about his landing spot in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

Sanders filmed a vlog of his New York trip, which was posted by his brother Deion Sanders Jr’s media company, Well Off Media. While strolling through a Nike store, Sanders was looking at a pair of white Nike Air Forces. In letting the Nike salesman know how he wanted them customized, the Colorado Buffaloes QB gave a possible hint on where he might want to play next.

“We gotta go white, red, and blue.”

Many listened to that and instantly made the connection with the colors of the New York Giants. The Giants currently own the worst record in the NFL (2-11) and are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak with no signs of slowing. They are also in dire need of a QB.

So, with Sanders boasting the shortest odds to go No. 1 in the 2025 Draft (-125) and his penchant for the spotlight, the links between him and the Giants have become common over the last few weeks. Sanders has only stoked the flames during this visit to New York.

On top of the suspicious shoe color request, Sanders was also filmed playing catch with Giants star rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who is clearly sick of the poor QB play he’s received in his freshman NFL season.

Sanders was also filmed in an elevator with some of his buddies during the trip. In the clip, someone says “You’re gonna be out here [New York]?”. Sanders and another friend reply that he’s “gonna be out here, regardless”. After that, Sanders held the football he was carrying up to the camera lens, revealing the “NY” logo on it.

We may be reading too much into these small hints. But there’s no denying that the shoes, the game of catch, and the elevator interaction all put together paint a picture of a guy who wants to join Big Blue in 2025.

However, this isn’t the first time Shedeur has dropped hints about where he might end up. The Giants are en vogue for Sanders right now. A few weeks ago, however, Sanders was posting videos of the Las Vegas Raiders stadium on the Strip. The AFC West team, also carrying a 2-11 record, is another large market that could accommodate Sanders’ large ambitions both on and off the field.

It seems Shedeur Sanders will be satisfied whether he lands in New York or in Las Vegas come April. Hopefully, neither team makes a run here over the final month.

The Giants finish the season at home vs. BAL, @ ATL, vs. IND, and @ PHI. The Raiders finish vs. ATL, vs. JAX, @ NO, and vs. LAC.

Lando Norris has received all kinds of praise from the people of the F1 fraternity after he had his best-ever season in 2024. Not only did he win his maiden race in Miami but also emerged as Max Verstappen’s biggest challenger, losing out by 63 points in the end.

Norris’ race engineer Will Joseph is the latest to praise him, having seen the 25-year-old grow from strength to strength after his Miami GP win. “He’s (Norris’) grown up massively and we’ve grown up together and our bond is based on trust,” Joseph said on the Fast and the Curious podcast.

Joseph added that when Norris first joined McLaren as a junior driver in 2017, the senior members of the team helped him settle and guided him with the workings of the side. Learning from them, today Norris has grown to become a leader himself.

“He’s now in a position where he’s sort of driving us and asking more things from us, which is what we wanted,” Joseph added. “That’s leadership”. Joseph mentioned that while he and Norris are definitely not best friends, what they have is an incredible professional relationship.

“We need to be excellent at working together, knowing what we’re both feeling, knowing what each snippet that I say on the radio means,” he further explained.

A race engineer’s relationship with any driver is indeed one of the most important relationships in this sport as it is the engineer who best understands how to relay the information to the driver and also motivate them when the chips are down.

Ideally, Joseph and Norris’ combination works well to take the next step forward and bag the British driver’s maiden championship, something he faltered to do at the first time of asking in 2024.

Norris’ next goal is to win the Drivers’ title

As ecstatic as Norris was to seal the Constructors’ Championship for McLaren by winning the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the jubilation he is likely to feel after winning the Drivers’ title will hit differently. This is because even some of the best drivers in the sport’s history have been a part of teams that have won the Constructors’ title but have never won the Drivers’ Championship themselves.

And if Norris’ flawless performance in Abu Dhabi is anything to go by, he seems prepared to fight for the Drivers’ title. The Briton himself revealed on the team radio that he expects 2025 to be his year after everything he has learned by fighting Verstappen for the championship this season.

Many experts such as Nico Rosberg and Danica Patrick have also labeled Norris the favorite to win the Drivers’ title in 2025. However, Rosberg did highlight that if Norris is to fight for the title next season, he will have to reduce his mistakes.

The 2016 F1 champion specifically pointed out Norris’ blunders in Singapore when the Briton almost crashed twice despite having a comfortable lead of over 20 seconds. The German former driver believes such mistakes are avoidable and unacceptable for any driver who wants to mount a championship challenge.

If Norris can work on ironing out these errors, he will definitely be the favorite as he has the raw pace and McLaren are expected to have the strongest package next year as well.

The 1989 F1 championship battle between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost was certainly one of the most controversial ones in the sport’s history. It was a season when McLaren was miles clear of the competition, as Senna and Prost traded blows in a title battle that went down to the wire. But it also ruined their relationship, sparking a rivalry that saw major drama in Japan.

In an exclusive interview with The SportsRush, Senna’s personal photographer and ally, Keith Sutton recalled the aftermath of that infamous crash which denied the Brazilian his second F1 world title in 1989. Sutton deemed Senna’s rivalry with Prost as “intense” and “fascinating”.

He understood that Senna was utterly passionate, but things also spilled over while fighting with Prost. “The 1989 Suzuka collision, for instance, was a defining moment where both drivers pushed their rivalry to its limits,” he recalled.

Senna and Prost were in a close battle for the Japanese GP lead throughout the 53-lap race at Suzuka. After the 40th lap, Senna caught up with his teammate and started attacking him, before their battle came to a head seven laps later at the Casio Triangle chicane.

Senna dived down the inside to make a move, but the Frenchman did not yield, resulting in both cars coming together and going off track in an anticlimactic manner. Prost’s car was immobilized, forcing him to get out, but Senna continued with the race and went on to finish first.

“Alain’s defensive move and Ayrton’s aggressive attempt to pass were part of their on-track chess match, but after the aftermath of Ayrton’s disqualification it brought the feud off the track,” Sutton recalled

The disqualification that Sutton was talking about was the highly controversial outcome of the heated moment between the two title protagonists. Senna was disqualified and also given a $100,000 and a six-month ban from Grand Prix racing. Consequently, Prost secured the 1989 world championship.

The controversy around Senna’s disqualification

FISA (now FIA) disqualified Senna classification because he returned to the racetrack at a different point from where he had exited following his collision with Prost. This also involved him cutting the chicane, which was illegal under the regulations

But the surprising part was that Senna did not gain any advantage by cutting the chicane as he lost time during his crash with Prost anyway. His move certainly ended his McLaren teammate and title rival’s race, but that wasn’t the explicit reason behind Senna’s disqualification.

FISA cited his return to a different track position and cutting the chicane as the reason, an action for which no driver had been disqualified in the preceding decade. Senna criticized this, accusing FISA of influencing the outcome of the world championship in Prost’s favor.

One of the Brazilian’s statements in a presser after the Suzuka race read, “It was clear that political and economic pressure groups manipulated behind the scenes to make Prost world champion.” This naturally irked the FISA, leading to Senna’s racing ban and fine.

Eventually, after some meetings, negotiations, and hearings between McLaren, FISA, and the World Motorsport Council, the ban on Senna was lifted and he was permitted to drive in 1990.

However, Senna’s rivalry with Prost carried on, despite the latter having left McLaren for Ferrari.

Senna’s Suzuka revenge in 1990

The Brazilian driver was once again fighting with Prost for the 1990 title and this time too, it all boiled down to the Japanese GP. In what felt like Deja Vu from the previous year, the duo crashed on the opening lap at the first corner itself.

There was also a debate about pole position being on the dirty side of the grid on the right. Since Senna was on pole with Prost in P2 on the front row but on the clean side, there was a high chance that the Frenchman would take the lead at the first corner.

Senna knew that if they both DNFed from the race in Suzuka, he would be the world champion. Sutton also recalled how the Sao Paulo-born driver admitted that he deliberately crashed with Prost to secure the world championship.

“While I understood Ayrton’s frustration with the politics in F1 at the time, I also felt it was a moment where his passion might have crossed a line,” Sutton stated about Senna’s urge to settle the scores with his arch-rival.

Nevertheless, Sutton feels that, however heated their rivalry was, Senna and Prost brought out the best in each other. No other driver pushed either of them as much as they pushed each other during that decade, from 1984 to 1993.

While the controversies arising from their rivalry are still debated today, their names are etched in F1 history as two of the greatest drivers to ever compete in the sport.

When Adrian Newey’s Red Bull departure was confirmed early into the 2024 season, many teams reportedly scrambled for his signature. Alpine too was in the mix and there were strong links between them until Newey’s new destination—Aston Martin—was revealed.

As it turned out, Alpine was never really a frontrunner, not because Newey didn’t want to join them but because the French squad didn’t think it was right to approach him. Flavio Briatore, former team principal of the Enstone squad, revealed that his side was not quite ‘ready’ for Newey, one of the greatest aerodynamicists of all time.

When Red Bull announced that Newey was leaving, Alpine was at the bottom of the table, struggling to get close to scoring points. “Adrian is an artist. We are not yet ready for someone like him,” said Briatore to AMuS.

The Italian, who had joined Alpine as an advisor earlier this year, added, “To benefit from him, you need to have the right team around him. Maybe we’ll be ready in two or three years. That’s why I never seriously talked to him.”

This is where Aston Martin excels. Owner Lawrence Stroll has built a strong foundation, including a state-of-the-art facility in Silverstone and a brand-new wind tunnel, all of which helped entice Newey to join them.

What to expect from Newey?

Newey played huge roles in the Championship-winning success of three F1 teams—McLaren, Williams, and Red Bull. But his hunger for a new challenge prompted him to leave the Milton-Keynes-based outfit and join Aston Martin, who are hungry for the title themselves.

However, it will take some time before Newey has any direct effect on the cars. He won’t be joining the Aston Martin squad until March 2025, which means he won’t have any direct role to play in the development of the 2025 car.

However, with Aston Martin set to go big in the building of its 2026 challenger under F1’s brand-new regulations, Newey could cook something special. It could finally fuel Stroll’s long-term ambition of seeing his team being crowned world champions.

Aryna Sabalenka had a memorable 2024 season, finishing as the year-end World No.1 in the WTA rankings and winning two Grand Slams for the first time in a single year. With her gritty style of play, Sabalenka’s ball-striking ability is unmatched on the Tour currently.

Some of her performances this season have been truly breathtaking. As we reflect on her most memorable moments, here are the top four highlights that proved her status as a superstar in the sport.

Sabalenka’s backward running forehand vs Hon (US Open 2024)

Sabalenka started her US Open campaign with a victory over Australia’s Priscilla Hon in the first round, 6-3, 6-3. Even though the Belarusian won the match in straight sets, it was anything but easy. She had to fight hard to win many points because Hon was determined to take her on from the baseline.

In one of those points, leading 3-2, 15-0 in the first set, Sabalenka came up with a decent serve. But Hon responded with a rather feeble return from the backhand. Seeing that, the World No. 1 ran to the net immediately and smashed a powerful backhand onto the center of the court.

However, Hon managed to return it with a good forehand, forcing Sabalenka to volley. After that, the Australian qualifier played a one-handed backhand lob, which on any other day would have ended in her favor.

But not against Sabalenka. She ran backwards and turned around quickly to hit a brilliant cross-court forehand to which Hon had no answer.

Sabalenka shocks Krejcikova with stunning drop shot (Australian Open 2024)

Sabalenka is known for her powerful forehands and a punchy baseline game. But Barbora Krejcikova got to witness another side of the three-time Grand Slam champion during their Australian Open quarter-final match.

In the first set, the 2023 Australian Open champion was up a break, leading 3-1. Krejcikova served, and the duo predominantly played a rally of backhands. It seemed as if both were playing mind games with each other as to who would blink first.

As the rally entered the 13th shot, Sabalenka stunned Krejcikova with a perfectly executed backhand drop shot, winning the rally out of nowhere. Sabalenka eventually won 6-2, 6-3, and went on to defend her title.

Sabalenka won a crucial point with her defensive skills vs Pegula (US Open 2024)

Sabalenka took on local favorite Jessica Pegula in the US Open 2024 final. The Belarusian won the first set 7-5 and was leading 3-2 in the second.

Pegula, keen to stay alive in the final, pulled off a great serve, but Sabalenka managed to come up with a decent return. What started out as a rally of forehands quickly turned into a duel of backhands. So much so that Pegula, who had been primarily playing cross-court shots until then, decided to go down the line with two backhands in a row.

These shots tested Sabalenka’s defensive skills, but she did well to keep the ball in play. The rally ended at the 20th shot when Pegula missed out on a forehand.

Sabalenka’s incredible net play vs Siniakova (Wuhan Open 2024)

Sabalenka can be quite effective on the net, largely due to her aggressive ball-striking ability. In her second-round match against Katerina Siniakova at the Wuhan Open this year, the crowd got to see it firsthand.

At 2-2 in the first set, Sabalenka was on serve. Siniakova decided to attack the third shot of their rally, going for a drop shot. This forced Sabalenka to come to the net and respond with a drop of her own.

The feisty Siniakova attacked with a powerful forehand down the line. In a brilliant display of reflexes, Sabalenka produced a jumping one-handed volley from the backhand.

While Siniakova responded to that by trying to go cross-court with a forehand, Sabalenka stretched quickly to the other side and produced a remarkable forehand volley, leaving the crowd stunned. Sabalenka went on to win the match 6-4, 6-4, and eventually the title in Wuhan.

McLaren capped off a stellar 2024 by clinching the Constructors’ Championship in Abu Dhabi thanks to Lando Norris’ emphatic win. As soon as he won, Norris declared that his team would be coming for both titles next season, something Will Joseph didn’t sound too sure about in a recent podcast.

Joseph, Norris‘ race engineer, expressed concerns about McLaren’s ability to defend its Constructors’ if they do not improve across the board. McLaren did end the 2024 season on top, but their level of performance was not satisfactory enough, per Joseph.

“I think it’s fair to say that if we perform at the level we are now we’ll get beaten,” he admitted on the Fast and the Curious podcast. He pointed to the razor-thin margins in F1, where small mistakes make huge differences.

“We have to raise the bar, we have to perform better, and so the winter is about working out how we are going to do that. We (must) do better at every single point because the margins are so small,” he added. Joseph was likely referring to the umpteenth number of mistakes made by his team throughout 2024.

He revealed that McLaren has been focusing on improvements in key areas, including car performance, race-day strategy, and engineering. According to Joseph, these improvements would be crucial in maintaining their advantage, as rival teams like Ferrari and Red Bull will intensify their efforts to close the gap in 2025.

Will 2025 be Norris’ year?

Winning the Constructors’ Championship was a testament to how far the team had come in a short period. At the beginning of 2023, McLaren was struggling to finish in the points, after which they recovered to end the season P4 in the standings.

2024, however, saw them become a race-winning outfit altogether. Mid-season upgrades introduced in Miami turned their season around, and Norris launched a strong challenge for Max Verstappen‘s crown, although it sadly didn’t work out.

The Dutchman secured his fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas, while Norris’ occasional errors, such as fumbled starts, hindered his bid for a serious title challenge. Improving race starts could be another critical focus for McLaren as they head into 2025.

Norris’ hunger for success was evident as he crossed the finish line in Abu Dhabi. His post-race radio message, ‘Next year’s going to be my year too,’ reflected his determination to take another step forward. This confidence from their star driver should serve as a powerful motivator for McLaren to push even harder during the off-season.

Have you ever heard Tom Brady talk about the strongest defense he faced, spearheaded by a remarkable player? Even Peyton Manning, for that matter. It would be Ray Lewis they were talking about, each time.

Brady has stated time and time again that he couldn’t pass in the middle of the field because Lewis had the ability to hit his receiver and put them to sleep. Those players wouldn’t even be able to play the following week.

Manning, on the other hand, has said that Lewis used to study film “like a quarterback” and never spared him and his teammates on the field. It’s like Lewis knew Manning’s moves before he made them. The former Ravens linebacker was the most dominant non-QB player for a reason. And yes, Manning was right — Lewis used to study film like a quarterback, a key factor in his exceptional performance.

In a re-surfaced interview clip between Lewis and Graham Bensinger, the former Ravens star asserts that he is doing everything before a play that he “studied” in the week leading up to the game. “There’s so much that goes through my head before every play,” he adds.

Everything matters before the ball is snapped. “From the formation” to “the look of a quarterback.”

Lewis asserts that even if it’s a “dummy point,” which is basically deceiving the opponent, he has to understand if he saw a similar thing in the tapes. If the receivers are lined up at “off the hash” marks, or even “on the hash,” that too was a sign for Lewis to interpret and execute.

Even the running backs weren’t off his radar. Lewis would check if the ball carriers were keeping their “heads straight,” if they were “at home,” or “off-set.” And it all was the result of his film study.

Interviewer: And how did you know (all) that?

Lewis: Easy, film study. Hour after hour after hour after hour.

The two-time Super Bowl champ “wouldn’t move” until he understood how the opposing offense executed their plays. This routine would continue until game day.

At the end of the day, it’s all about putting in the work, as Lewis explains here. Legends like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have always asserted that they would watch tapes before games, which helped them understand the upcoming defensive unit they were about to face.

It’s not an easy job either, just by the sound of it, or Kyler Murray wouldn’t have an ‘independent study’ clause in his contract, which ensured he studied film. Which is expected from a franchise QB like him.