Dan Pompei

MOORESTOWN, N.J. — When offensive tackle heard entrepreneur Naval Ravikant quote Confucius on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, he stopped what he was doing. “Every man has two lives, and the second begins when he realizes he has only one,” Confucius said. The words resonated with Johnson more than they would have before his second life began. His first life was not all bouquets, hosannas and victory cigars. There were feelings of inadequacy, pressure and despondency. But now, as he particip…

. We think about the greatest coach-quarterback duos in history, and we think about championships. Paul Brown and Otto Graham won seven — four in the AAFL and three in the NFL — with the . Bill Belichick and are the modern standard with six Super Bowl wins for the . By bringing five championships to the , Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr renamed the city “Titletown.” Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw, with a little help from the other side of the ball, claimed four Super Bowls for the . George Halas…

. This Super Bowl showdown between of the and of the is a clash of styles. It’s Kelce’s tight fade versus Kittle’s straggly, anyone-know-a-good-barber? look. Kittle’s pregame routine includes meditation, visualization and a salt bath. Kelce spends three hours selecting what he will wear. Advertisement pulls up in a Rolls-Royce Ghost, whereas it’s a classic Mustang for Kittle. They are as different as Heath Ledger (Kittle has a tattoo of him) and Chris Farley (Kelce watches his movies repeate…

The 2024 NFL Draft is just over two months away, and the jockeying for quarterbacks is just beginning. Our reporters gathered for a virtual mock draft, with each representing the team they cover. We encouraged writers to trade picks to move up or down as they saw fit, and they weren’t shy. Two teams made trades in the top 10 to grab quarterbacks, as four signal-callers went in the first nine picks, and another team acquired a veteran QB via trade. Here’s how it all shook out: 1. (from Carolina…

SALT LAKE CITY — Scott Mitchell sinks into the soft gray sectional at 1 a.m. Hey look, Barry Sanders is on television. It’s a promo for “Bye Bye Barry,” a documentary that debuted on Amazon Prime one hour earlier. Watching Sanders was always a thrill, even when he was a teammate. Sometimes Mitchell was criticized for doing just that rather than following through with his play fake after handing off. The way Sanders moved was mesmerizing, and Mitchell couldn’t help himself. Now the 56-year-old h…

free agency unofficially kicked off Monday with a flurry of deals and most of the big names finding new homes, including , and . In fact, edge rusher is the only top-12 player still available from of the top 150 free agents. Deals can’t officially be signed until Wednesday, but The Athletic ’s Mike Sando, Kalyn Kahler and Dan Pompei don’t have to wait till then to share their biggest takeaways from the first wave of moves. Live updates: FA tracker: Best available players: Grades: Advertiseme…

Day 2 of the free-agent tampering period was less busy and frenetic than Day 1, but that doesn’t mean there was no news of interest. We saw several more big-name running backs change teams (, ), stalwart defenders agree to big-money deals (, , ) and a handful of quarterbacks find new homes (see below). Advertisement Again, contracts can’t officially be signed until Wednesday, but The Athletic ’s Kalyn Kahler, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei don’t have to wait to share their biggest takeaways from the…

The first waves of NFL free agency have come and gone with some teams (hello, , and ) while others have largely stood pat (, and ). That means as the NFL Draft approaches — we’re now just three weeks away — team needs have become that much clearer. And if there are still glaring holes on the roster, odds are, they’ll be addressed during the draft. So with that in mind, we take a look at the biggest remaining needs for all 32 teams. Biggest remaining need: Wide receiver General manager Monti…

Why is O.J. Simpson in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Simpson’s status as an honoree is controversial among fans, voters (I am one) and the media. Even some fellow Hall of Famers feel strongly that his bust should not be displayed alongside theirs. Separating the football player from the human being is a struggle for many. Advertisement But despite how it feels, there is no reason for Simpson — — not to be in the Hall of Fame. Unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Hall that honors Simpson has n…

The doorbell rings, and it feels as if the sun has broken through the clouds. The dogs rush to the front door. There’s Blue, the yapping chihuahua, and Marshmallow, the Shiba Inu with a limp. And here comes Misty McMichael with a big smile and a big hug. A visitor has arrived, and Steve McMichael is as buoyant as someone in his situation can be. Advertisement Whoever is at the door undoubtedly will bring up his upcoming induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and if he could still smile wi…