18 minutes agoPatriots have Super Bowl legacy of seizing the day; will Eagles' pressure turn the tables?
Sixteen years ago, as the St. Louis Rams strolled into the Louisiana Superdome favored by 14 points to win their second Super Bowl in three years because of a record-breaking offense and resourceful defense, Kurt Warner had a gnawing feeling the upstart opponent he had shredded in November had something different in store for him.
He just didn't know what. Read more
19 minutes ago Once-jettisoned Lewis is now a gem of a running back for Patriots
He arrived, as many future Patriots standouts do, with little fanfare, a transaction few probably cared about even in New England.
It was Dec. 31, 2014, when the Patriots signed Dion Lewis, some pint-size running back who had been drafted by the Eagles and hadn't even played an NFL game in two-plus years. Read more
19 minutes ago Trading places: Eagles' Blount, Long bring Patriots intel to Philadelphia huddles
The Patriots have gained a reputation for ruthlessly acquiring information, whether it's the infamous Spygate investigation into illegal filming of an opponent's practices or this midseason's signing of ex-Steelers linebacker James Harrison. That addition came while New England and Pittsburgh were headed toward the AFC's No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the playoffs.
This time, the Eagles — the Patriots' Super Bowl opponent on Sunday — have an inside edge thanks to two signings made last spring, well before either team anticipated this matchup. Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive end Chris Long were part of the Patriots' Super Bowl victory over the Atlanta Falcons a year ago. Read more
20 minutes ago Craig: Greatest pro football coach ever? Belichick part of great debate
David Baker, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, assures us that metallurgists have assured him that an enshrinee's bronze bust will last 40,000 years.
Some of us will have to take their word for it. Read more
20 minutes ago Scoggins: Foles loses all comparisons to Brady, but has proven he can win
Tom Brady and Nick Foles sat side-by-side for an Opening Night interview to start Super Bowl week. In terms of experience and playoff pedigree, that was like pitting me against Ryan Gosling in a best-looking contest. Read more
20 minutes ago Souhan: Butler exemplifies Belichick's knack for using right player, right time
Malcolm Butler had just won a Super Bowl and revived a sleeping dynasty. His interception on the goal line had given the New England Patriots another title and prevented the Seattle Seahawks from winning a second straight. Read more
21 minutes ago Reusse: Everything, and nothing, has changed in the past 17 seasons in New England
Roger Jeziorski and Marlene Krist were members of Browerville High School's Class of 1962. They were married and the Jeziorskis raised their family on a farm in nearby Cushing Township. Read more
21 minutes ago Hartman: Without U.S. Bank Stadium, we'd have no Vikings or Super Bowl
A lot of people put their political careers on the line when they voted to finance U.S. Bank Stadium in 2012, none more so than Gov. Mark Dayton, who was at the forefront of the battle to get that legislation passed. Read more
22 minutes ago Patriots' defense is the best at 'bend but don't break'
Cornerback Eric Rowe said you can see the change in the Patriots defense when it is in the red zone.
"Everyone tightens up. Everyone is alert," Rowe said. "Awareness is heightened. … When we're getting down there, you can tell in our body language that we need to tighten up now." Read more
23 minutes ago NBC's 'Sunday Night Football crew has covered Super Bowls before, but none like this
At its heart, Sunday's telecast of Super Bowl LII will look a lot like NBC's "Sunday Night Football." The network will use the same announcers, the same producer and director, the same crew and many of the same camera angles.
But the Super Bowl is not an ordinary game, and NBC's broadcast will mirror the grandiosity that surrounds the most watched TV event of the year. Like everything else associated with the game at U.S. Bank Stadium, the show required years of planning, a spare-no-expense vision and a crew of hundreds to carry it out. With more than 100 million people expected to tune in, their mission is to create a dazzling show, while keeping their focus squarely on the game itself. Read more
23 minutes ago Even now, the regrets remain for Vikings ironman Jim Marshall
The Twin Cities newspapers were not quite as insane in their coverage of dramatic Vikings games in the 1970s as is the case four decades later. Still, there were ample numbers of articles in the Minneapolis Tribune and the afternoon Star when the Purple advanced to four Super Bowls in the eight Januaries from 1970 to '77. Read more
24 minutes ago How 'another game' became the Super Bowl of today
Bobby Bell vividly remembers standing on the Los Angeles Coliseum field that day in 1967, looking up and seeing all those empty seats, and asking himself, "Who in the hell is going to pay $12 for a ticket?"
Bell, the former Gophers great, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He is one of the best to ever play in the NFL. But, as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost to the Green Bay Packers in the first Super Bowl, he did not appreciate the history of what he saw that day: the beginning, the very first steps, of a cultural phenomenon. Read more
24 minutes ago Mark Craig's five keys to the Super Bowl
Classic red-zone battle on tap for game
24 minutes ago Your Sunday Guide: All about Super Bowl LII
25 minutes ago Super Bowl trivia
What's the point?
25 minutes ago The call: Key story lines, matchups for the Eagles
Two big story lines
25 minutes ago The call: Key story lines, matchups for the Patriots
Two big story lines
4:18pm Patriots vs. Eagles, Super Bowl LII: Who has edge at every position?
How close do we expect this second Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl to be? Try a 5-4 edge to the Eagles in the nine position matchup breakdowns below. However, the most important one — quarterback — is lopsided toward Tom Brady and the 4 ½-point favorite Patriots. On paper, Sunday's game at U.S. Bank Stadium should be strength against strength as the New England offense and Philadelphia defense put forth the best talent on their respective sides of the football. Read more
