Culture
After Years Away, These Teams Are Back on Basketball’s Big Stage
The N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments all the time symbolize the prospect to make historical past.
Some groups have already accomplished that earlier than taking the ground.
Massachusetts, a No. 12 seed within the girls’s bracket, set a program report with 26 wins en route to creating its first event in 24 years.
UMass, the Atlantic 10 Convention event champion, will face No. 5 Notre Dame in Oklahoma. Coach Tory Verdi took over in 2016, when the Minutewomen weren’t precisely a high-profile program.
However make no mistake; the Minutewomen aren’t simply comfortable to be within the event. They need to shake up the sphere.
“I really feel like all of us actually step as much as that problem, like the larger the stage, the higher we play,” Sam Breen, a graduate ahead and the A-10 participant of the 12 months, mentioned this week.
Breen leads a bunch that has witnessed this system’s rebuilding, and one which incorporates Sydney Taylor and Destiney Philoxy, who have been each second-team all-conference.
Listed here are 4 extra groups seeking to create a brand new event narrative after years away from the most important stage.
Howard
On Wednesday, Howard made historical past twice in the identical sport: By defeating No. 16 seed Incarnate Phrase, 55-51, in South Carolina, the Bison gained the primary girls’s First 4 sport.
It was additionally Howard’s first event victory — ever.
The Bison (21-9) made the sphere by profitable the Mid-Jap Athletic Convention event ultimate, avenging their loss to North Carolina A&T within the championship sport final season. Prime-seeded Howard dealt with No. 2 Norfolk State, 61-44.
So, for the primary time in 21 years, the Bison are a part of the N.C.A.A. event, and so they have already got a win underneath their belt because of a 15-point double-double from Brooklyn Fort-Davis.
Their reward? A date on Friday with No. 1 seed South Carolina, one of many favorites within the area.
Fairfield
Fairfield Coach Joe Frager knew this season could be his final.
In October, forward of his fifteenth season with the Stags, he mentioned he would step away on the finish of the 12 months, citing his well being.
Frager has led postseason runs earlier than: His Southern Connecticut State squad gained the 2007 N.C.A.A. Division II championship in 2007, his final 12 months there earlier than he went to Fairfield.
Below his predecessor, Dianne Nolan, the Stags earned an at-large bid to the 2001 N.C.A.A. event.
They hadn’t been again since.
“This has been a particular season as a result of efforts of our teaching workers and gamers,” Frager mentioned. “This group has been centered and goal-oriented from starting to finish, and that speaks volumes concerning the management supplied by our seniors. Proper now, I’m very a lot within the second. I’m certain after a while passes, I’ll be capable to savor the recollections of this nice season.”
Fairfield (25-6) defeated Manhattan to take the Metro Atlantic Athletic Convention event championship and earn an computerized qualifier. The Stags are led by the senior ahead Lou Lopez-Senechal, who scored 24 factors within the convention title sport. They’ll play Texas, a No. 2 seed and the Massive 12 Convention event champion, on Friday.
Nevada-Las Vegas
U.N.L.V. (26-6) hasn’t been to the event since 2002. A win over Colorado State within the Mountain West Convention event championship sport put it again there 20 years later.
As a No. 13 seed, U.N.L.V. has an instantaneous problem on Saturday evening within the type of No. 4 seed Arizona, which misplaced to Stanford in final 12 months’s title sport.
Coach Lindy La Rocque took over this system in 2021, and a 12 months later has it again on school basketball’s greatest stage.
U.N.L.V. averages 75.6 factors per sport, its most since 2009-10. The group is led by Essence Booker, who was named the Mountain West event’s most precious participant after dropping 25 factors within the championship sport.
Texas at Arlington
Starr Jacobs, the Solar Belt Convention participant of the 12 months, has performed solely a single Division I season.
After transferring from Temple Faculty, a junior school in Texas, she turned the primary U.T.A. participant to common greater than 20 factors per sport. She additionally led U.T.A. (20-7) to its first event look in 15 years.
As a No. 14 seed, the group will face third-seeded Iowa State on Friday evening. Will probably be this system’s final time representing the Solar Belt, because the college will be a part of the Western Athletic Convention subsequent season.
Earlier than then, although, U.T.A. desires to indicate its star energy — or fairly, Starr energy.
Illinois State
The Redbirds, the Missouri Valley Convention event champions, have gained a single N.C.A.A. event sport, in 1989. They haven’t even had the prospect since 2008.
No. 15 seeded Illinois State (19-13) will play on Friday towards No. 2 seed Iowa, the Massive Ten event champion and one of the crucial dynamic and high-profile groups of the N.C.A.A. event.
The Redbirds are 1-5 within the N.C.A.A. event, and it gained’t be simple to beat the Caitlin Clark-led Hawkeyes.
Juliunn Redmond leads the Redbirds in scoring with 17.6 factors per sport, whereas the all-conference ahead DeAnna Wilson has tallied eight double-doubles this season.
When Longwood takes the courtroom Thursday evening in Raleigh, N.C., it’s going to have been greater than a decade within the making.
The No. 16-seeded Lancers, who accomplished their transition to Division I within the 2007-8 season, struggled by means of years of dropping seasons earlier than making the event. Simply three seasons in the past, they completed 3-27.
Now, behind the Massive South Convention participant of the 12 months Akila Smith, who’s tied for third in Division I in blocks with Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee, the Lancers (21-11) will get an opportunity in a play-in sport towards Mount St. Mary’s. A win on Thursday would earn them a date with No. 1 North Carolina State.
Culture
The 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
Baylor plays LSU on Tuesday night in the Texas Bowl, Dave Aranda’s team looking for its seventh straight win to finish the season in a matchup that sets the table for the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal.
The Bears bumping right up against a College Football Playoff game is fitting because one might argue Baylor could be in it without the most brutal loss in school history — one of the wildest on record in a sport made for mind-melting defeats.
As we prepare to cross over into 2025, let’s celebrate the 25 worst losses of all time. “Worst” is mostly an evaluation of circumstances, with consequences factoring heavily. Your garden-variety Hail Mary isn’t enough. We’re talking plays that couldn’t possibly be duplicated, calls that can’t be explained, gigantic leads blown and/or great seasons squandered.
And yes, a lot of these games can be flipped around as all-time best wins. But today we celebrate the losers.
One game that didn’t qualify: The original “Fifth Down” game between Cornell and Dartmouth in 1940. Cornell scored a touchdown to win 7-3 on an extra down that shouldn’t have been permitted, circumstances similar to one of the games on the list that follows. But Cornell sent a telegram the next day to Dartmouth, officially forfeiting the game. Were it not for those swell Big Red chaps, the Big Green would be on this list.
Auburn 17, Alabama 16 • Dec. 1, 1972
“Punt Bama Punt,” they like to call it, and a nickname like that gives a game a strong chance to end up on a list like this. Paul “Bear” Bryant’s team was 10-0 and ranked No. 2 coming into this Iron Bowl against Ralph Jordan’s 8-1, No. 9 Tigers, and the higher-ranked team controlled the game — seeking a win that would provide access to a national championship shot against Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Access was denied by Bill Newton, who inexplicably blocked two punts in the final 10 minutes, and David Langner, who returned them both for touchdowns. This has it all — unimaginable plays by a hated rival, costing a team its shot at glory.
Colorado 33, Missouri 31 • Oct. 6, 1990
Missouri appears twice on this list, with middling teams, but in both cases, their losses led to conference rivals winning shares of national championships. One was pure luck, but this one was made possible by some of the worst officiating malpractice on record. Colorado quarterback Charles Johnson spiked the ball twice in a sequence that ended with him scoring on the Buffs’ fifth play, which obviously never should have happened. An underrated aspect of this debacle: Replays cast serious doubt on whether he actually got into the end zone.
Texas A&M 36, Kansas State 33 (double OT) • Dec. 5, 1998 • Big 12 title game
This is an all-time bag fumble, not just for that Kansas State team but for a program that could have gained so much from being in the first BCS title game. No. 2 UCLA’s upset loss to Miami meant Bill Snyder’s Wildcats just needed to beat the Aggies as 17.5-point favorites. They just needed to preserve a 27-12 lead in the final nine minutes of the game. But Sirr Parker caught the tying touchdown and two-point conversion, then the winner in double-overtime, and Florida State leapfrogged Kansas State and UCLA to play (and lose to) Tennessee.
Michigan State 27, Michigan 23 • Oct. 17, 2015
There aren’t enough Hail Marys in the world to approximate the improbability of Michigan punting, up 23-21, from the Michigan State 47-yard-line with 10 seconds left and Blake O’Neill fumbling the snap; O’Neill trying to pick it up and spin rather than falling on it; O’Neill getting hit and letting it pop into the air; Michigan State’s Jalen Watts-Jackson grabbing it in full stride; and Watts-Jackson following a convoy of Spartans into the end zone as time expired and his hip was broken and dislocated.
This is how Jim Harbaugh’s first meeting with Mark Dantonio ended. It would deny Harbaugh’s first team a home shot at Ohio State for a spot in the Big Ten title game — it would be six years before he won the league. The hated Spartans ended up winning at Ohio State, winning the Big Ten and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. Circumstances and consequences, maxed out.
Tennessee 28, Arkansas 24 • Nov. 14, 1998
A lot of people forget that Houston Nutt’s Razorbacks were 8-0 and ranked No. 9 coming to Knoxville to play the No. 1 Vols. More people remember how they blew it. The Hogs had it at their 49 with 1:47 left, up 24-22, and Tennessee had one timeout left. Arkansas went play action. UT’s Billy Ratliff drove Arkansas guard Brandon Burlsworth back and Burlsworth stepped on quarterback Clint Stoerner’s foot. Stoerner could have secured the ball as he fell, but he left it on the grass. The Vols took that incredible gift all the way to the national championship. What if Arkansas hadn’t committed an all-time gaffe? Would the following week’s 22-21 upset loss at Mississippi State gone differently? Would the Hogs have ended up in the BCS title game? We’ll never know.
Auburn 34, Alabama 28 • Nov. 30, 2013
Auburn got to this game at 10-1, ranked No. 4 on the strength of another candidate for this list — the 73-yard “immaculate deflection” to stun Georgia — but it took something more improbable to emerge as a national title contender. Nick Saban went for the win for No. 1, unbeaten Alabama with a 57-yard field goal try. It turned into a 109-yard Chris Davis return for the win, “The Kick Six.” Of course, if you want to talk repercussions, Saban and Alabama would be back again and again. A season that finished with a loss in the last BCS title game tied Auburn to Malzahn for another seven seasons, and he never lost fewer than four games again.
Nebraska 45, Missouri 38 (overtime) • Nov. 8, 1997
Show me more misery, Missouri! At least this loss to a hated conference rival that went on to win the whole thing was about bad luck, not incomprehensible human error. But what luck — Scott Frost’s pass bouncing off intended receiver Shevin Wiggins’ chest, hitting the foot of a Missouri player and bouncing up, then off Wiggins’ leg and finally into the hands of diving Cornhusker Matt Davison with the clock at zeroes. The “Flea Kicker” was not unlike Pee Wee Herman’s chain-reaction “breakfast machine” in action, and it cost the Tigers their first win over the Huskers in 20 years.
Michigan State 16, Ohio State 13 • Nov. 9, 1974
It was eventual Heisman winner Archie Griffin, Woody Hayes and No. 1 Ohio State as four-touchdown favorites at a 4-3-1 team. Michigan State fullback Levi Jackson sprinted 88 yards for the winning score and was greeted in the end zone by bell-bottomed student revelers. Then it got weird. Ohio State got to the Michigan State 1-yard line, hurried for a final play and landed on the fumbled ball in the end zone. One official signaled touchdown, another signaled time had expired, they all fled a field filling with fans, and it took 46 minutes for Big Ten commissioner Wayne Duke to tell Hayes he had officially lost. His vengeance included turning Michigan State in for NCAA violations, leading to probation that crippled the program until the late 1970s.
Cal 25, Stanford 20, Nov. 20 • 1982
“The Play,” a kickoff return for a touchdown as time expired featuring five laterals, the Stanford band on the field taking body shots and Joe Starkey’s exquisitely unhinged radio call, deserves that title and is perhaps the finest single summation of this sport. But being on the other side of that is bitter, especially considering a couple of those laterals were awfully close to forward passes and a knee sure looked like it might have been on the ground. It’s been analyzed countless times with varying conclusions. Stanford coach Paul Wiggin, fired a year later, said it crushed his program. Of course, had he not instructed quarterback John Elway to call timeout with eight seconds left before the would-be winning field goal to account for a possible miscue, there would have been no time for “The Play.”
Miami 30, Duke 27 • Oct. 31, 2015
The winning play itself, a kickoff return consisting of eight laterals, lasting 49 seconds and winding all the way back to the Miami 3-yard line before heading back the other way, was even more breathtaking than Cal’s 1982 winner against Stanford. Problem was, officials threw a flag on an illegal block in the back. Bigger problem was, they overturned that upon review — even though the rulebook gave them no permission to review an illegal block in the back. Oh and by the way, the ACC said in a statement announcing the suspension of the entire crew (including the replay official), a runner’s knee was down and there was an additional penalty on Miami that should have been called. Shucks, sorry!
Mississippi State 21, Ole Miss 20 • Nov. 28, 2019
Rivalries abound on this list, which makes sense because nothing is worse than losing to a rival. Also, because rivalry games serve as crockpots for the absurd. Few can match the circumstances of this particular Egg Bowl, in which Ole Miss receiver Elijah Moore caught an apparent tying touchdown from Matt Corral with four seconds left and celebrated by impersonating a dog urinating in the end zone. The ensuing penalty led to a missed extra point. Firings ensued, The Athletic later writing a piece on how nearly 300 coaching careers were affected. Woof.
Colorado 38, Baylor 31 (overtime) • Sept. 22, 2024
Yes, the big play was technically a Hail Mary, but it was not the usual: drop back, set up, launch high, hope a receiver can high point or a tip lands fortuitously. This was Shedeur Sanders taking a snap from the Baylor 43, bailing left to escape an extra Baylor rusher, setting his feet for a fraction of a second and launching the dart of darts into the hands of LaJohntay Wester, who was way too available in the end zone. This came after Baylor led 24-10, squandered that, got the ball at the Colorado 26 with a 31-24 lead and 3:58 left, ran three times, missed a field goal, then let the Buffs escape from second-and-24 at their own 31 with 55 seconds left. It ended for Baylor at the goal line in overtime, Travis Hunter knocking the ball loose to erase a would-be tying touchdown.
Aranda later said his team was “cut wide open” by the loss, and it showed the next week as the Bears fell behind 28-7 to BYU at home. They stormed back and had a chance to win late but fell 34-28. What if Baylor does any one of several things to close out Colorado and isn’t battling the combo of Cougars/catastrophe hangover the next week? This turned into a team that was good enough to play for a Big 12 title.
UNLV 27, Baylor 24 • Sept. 11, 1999
Strictly in terms of circumstances, this is Baylor’s worst loss. But since Kevin Steele’s team finished 1-10 and was blown out most weeks, this will have to settle for second. What a beauty, though. The Bears had the ball at the Rebels’ 8-yard line with 28 seconds left, up 24-21. Kneel and celebrate? Nah. Steele wanted another touchdown. One play, strip, fumble and 100-yard return later, Steele’s head coaching career was off to a foreboding start.
Central Michigan 30, Oklahoma State 27 • Sept. 10, 2016
The Hail Mary that didn’t quite get there, and had to be finished by a lateral for a 51-yard touchdown on the final play of the game would have been enough to make this part of Oklahoma State’s unwanted lore. The fact that it never should have happened makes it much worse. The Mid-American Conference crew penalized Oklahoma State for intentional grounding on what should have been the final play, a throw away with four seconds left. The crew incorrectly ruled that game couldn’t end on that play. It should have. Resulting apologies were not well received.
Colorado State 48, Washington State 45 • Dec. 21, 2013 • New Mexico Bowl
The late, great Mike Leach coached Washington State in a 67-63 loss to UCLA in 2019 that featured the third-largest blown lead in FBS history — 32 points — and yet that one didn’t quite make the cut. He has two others that did, including this doozy in which the Cougars led 45-30 with less than three minutes to play. Colorado State scored. Wazzu lost a fumble, ruled down upon review. Wazzu lost another fumble and this one counted. Colorado State scored and tied it on a “Statue of Liberty” two-point play. Wazzu fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, setting up the winning field goal.
Cal 60, Washington State 59 • Oct. 4, 2014
This one has a claim as the wildest game on record, with the teams combining for 56 points in the third quarter and the quarterbacks — Cal’s Jared Goff and Wazzu’s Connor Halliday — playing catch with no resistance. Goff threw for 527 yards and five touchdowns. Halliday threw for an NCAA-record 734 yards and six scores. So it’s a tossup and someone had to lose, right? Not when you’re Washington State and you gave up kickoff returns for touchdowns of 100 and 98 yards to Trevor Davis. Not when you’re Washington State and you suffer the ultimate college kicker moment, a 19-yard Quentin Breshears miss for the win to lose.
Georgia Tech 23, Miami 20 • Oct. 7, 2023
Mario Cristobal may yet return the Hurricanes to the heights of two decades ago and earlier, but in the meantime, he really shouldn’t be able to live down this abject failure to do math. Especially since he lost in a similar way as Oregon’s coach five years earlier — running a play and fumbling the ball away when his team could have taken a knee to kill the clock. Call it Kevin Steele-itis. Georgia Tech managing to go 74 yards in 24 seconds for the win is the kind of math that makes you think football karma was involved.
Michigan State 41, Northwestern 38 • Oct. 21, 2006
Still the largest comeback in FBS history, it saw John L. Smith’s Spartans trailing 38-3, scoring a touchdown with 7:03 left in the third quarter and ripping off another 31 in a row to shock Pat Fitzgerald’s first Northwestern team. Two interceptions and a blocked punt for a touchdown aided the madness. The Wildcats finished 4-8. For Spartans fans, this was like NFL fans watching a team win to blow a higher draft pick — they wanted Smith fired as soon as possible. He got a one-week reprieve, but a blowout loss at Indiana a week later gave them their wish.
Texas Tech 44, Minnesota 41 • Dec. 29, 2006 • Insight Bowl
Leach was on the right side of this one, but Minnesota’s Glen Mason decidedly was not: He was fired two days after his team blew a 31-point lead in the game’s final 20 minutes. And AD Joel Maturi made it clear the nature of the collapse — not the first in Mason’s tenure — factored into the decision. Mason’s decision to go for a fourth-and-7 rather than try a field goal, up 38-21 in the fourth quarter, factored significantly into the result.
Houston 35, Pittsburgh 34 • Jan. 2, 2015 • Armed Forces Bowl
Paul Chryst had moved on to Wisconsin, Pat Narduzzi was hired to be Pitt’s next coach and Joe Rudolph in the interim oversaw an astounding squandering of a game in hand. Pitt led 31-6 with less than 11 minutes to play and 34-13 with less than four minutes on the clock. Two recovered onside kicks and a flurry of plays at the expense of Pitt’s disappearing defense changed all that.
BYU 46, SMU 45 • Dec. 19, 1980 • Holiday Bowl
This was early branding for a bowl game that has delivered consistent bangers over the years, and it was an inexplicable collapse for Ron Meyer’s Mustangs, starring Eric Dickerson and Craig James. SMU dominated for about 58 minutes, then gave up 21 points in the final 2:33 to lose. That included a recovered onside kick and a Hail Mary on the final play, Jim McMahon to a leaping Clay Brown.
Maryland 42, Miami 40 • Nov. 10, 1984
Jimmy Johnson’s defending national champion Miami Hurricanes had a tough run of luck in 1984, and anyone who follows college football has seen countless replays of Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary to beat the Canes that season. But the previous loss was worse — the largest blown lead in FBS history at the time. Frank Reich came off the Maryland bench and pulled off the unthinkable, as he would do years later with the Buffalo Bills. It was 31-0 Miami at halftime, but he threw six touchdowns after the break and the Terps stopped a tying two-point conversion to hold on.
Penn State 15, Kansas 14 • Jan. 1, 1969 • Orange Bowl
Joe Paterno went for the two-point conversion and the win with 15 seconds left to deliver his first undefeated season, but the co-Big Eight champion Jayhawks got the stop to finish 10-1 … wait, check the flag. Kansas, 12 men on the field. The Kansas fans who rushed the field headed back to the stands. And of course, the Nittany Lions converted on their second chance. Kansas coach Pepper Rodgers got star John Riggins back the next season, but his team went from 9-2 to 1-9.
TCU 47, Oregon 41 (triple overtime) • Jan. 2, 2016 • Alamo Bowl
It was 31-0 Oregon at halftime. It was 31-31 at the end of regulation after Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs scored points on all six of their second-half possessions. The Ducks had a reason for their offensive disappearance — quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s finger injury — but the defense vacated as well. Mark Helfrich responded by demoting defensive coordinator Don Pellum to linebackers coach. The 4-8 season that followed cost Helfrich his job, just two years after his team lost in the national title game.
Miami 13, Holy Cross 6 • Jan. 1, 1946 • Orange Bowl
The only bowl game in Holy Cross history — a program that dropped from what is now called FBS to FCS in 1981 — was right there for the taking. The 8-1 Crusaders were driving on the 8-1-1 Hurricanes, and coach John “Ox” DaGrosa called for a pass in the waning seconds from the Miami 26. It bounced off receiver Al Conway and into the hands of Miami’s Al Hudson, who took it back 89 yards for the win as time expired.
(Photo of Dave Aranda: Andrew Wevers / Getty Images)
Culture
Byron Leftwich went from future NFL head coach to perceived scapegoat. Now he wants back in
TYSONS, Va. — Byron Leftwich slips into the Northern Virginia brunch spot unrecognized and unbothered.
Lean and broad-shouldered at 6-foot-5, the former NFL quarterback looks like he could still play even though his 45th birthday looms in a couple of weeks. After a nine-year playing career, Leftwich made a meteoric rise up the coaching ranks. As offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he helped Tom Brady and Bruce Arians on a storybook Super Bowl march to cap the 2020 season. Leftwich was a legitimate head coaching candidate in the winter of 2022.
But time moves quickly, circumstances change and memories fade. So on this chilly morning in the middle of football season, Leftwich is just another guy lost in the hustle and bustle of the DMV.
He has spent the last two football seasons largely shrouded in mystery — once a virtual lock to lead his own team, then fired, then off the grid. And thanks to his relatively solitary nature, Leftwich’s goals and whereabouts have remained murky.
Influential NFL figures tried to maintain contact with Leftwich to keep him on the radar, but they say their messages and calls went unanswered. Former colleagues relayed conflicting accounts: Some said he was on shortlists for a handful of college jobs; others reported he had largely isolated himself in West Virginia while waiting for an NFL offensive coordinator role to open up; others sensed Leftwich no longer wanted to coach.
Leftwich is here to clear that up.
“I. Want. To. Coach,” he says emphatically over what’s left of his fried eggs, bacon and a biscuit.
After a year-and-a-half devoted largely to his 14-year-old son, Dominic — making breakfast, dropping off and picking up, traveling up and down the East Coast for a demanding AAU basketball circuit, watching every football practice and game — Leftwich wants back in the coaching game.
“There’s something missing. … I really do feel as though something’s not there, and I’ve got to get back to it,” says Leftwich, who received his son’s blessing to return. “I’m really into helping other players. I want to help them to play the best. I love to teach.”
Leftwich viewed his sabbatical as an exercise in patience. After things ended in Tampa, he promised himself he wouldn’t pounce on any opportunity for the sake of landing a gig. He didn’t direct members of his small circle to drum up a media campaign to keep his name hot and wasn’t about to ask counterparts for handouts. Confident in his body of work, Leftwich maintained a belief that at the right time, the right job would present itself.
Two hiring cycles quietly came and went, but Leftwich has remained unshaken.
“I didn’t have the opportunities right after and this last year that I thought I would have, but I understand the process, and I understand that the whole world’s trying to get in that league,” Leftwich says. “Nothing should be given to me. Nobody owes me anything. So, I’m going to just work and see if I can have the opportunity to coach in that league again.”
Some league insiders believe Leftwich’s under-the-radar approach may have cost him. But it’s the route he feels most comfortable with, even if his supporters wish he were more outspoken.
“Byron will not push himself out there. He’s going to do it on his work,” says Arians, Leftwich’s offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh and coaching mentor in Arizona and Tampa Bay. “But I’ll say it: I think it’s total bullsh– that he’s not a head coach in this league.”
Arians can’t talk about Leftwich without recalling the November 2002 game in which Leftwich, in his final season at Marshall University, played the fourth quarter with a broken left tibia. Leftwich was unable to walk, but his offensive linemen carried him downfield between pass completions as the quarterback racked up more than 300 passing yards.
They began working together eight years later when Arians was the OC in Pittsburgh at the end of Leftwich’s playing career. The coach recognized that Leftwich, then backing up Ben Roethlisberger, was among the strongest leaders on the team. Arians became convinced Leftwich would become a strong coach.
“He’s the toughest and one of the smartest, brightest dudes I know,” Arians says. “He was such a bright quarterback, and he had a great rapport with young players. … Guys have questions, he could answer anything and everything: Why and how it’s going to make you better if you do it this way. He just has a great feel for the game.”
“Awesome leadership qualities have always oozed out of him,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says. “Some of it comes from the position he played, but he has always had an ease about him when it comes to leadership. He’s comfortable in his own skin and gets along well with people, and he carries himself in a way that commands respect.”
Arians hired Leftwich as a coaching intern with the Cardinals in 2016. A year later, Leftwich was promoted to quarterbacks coach in Arians’ final season in Arizona. A year after that, Leftwich served as interim offensive coordinator for the final nine games of the season before being let go with the rest of Steve Wilks’ staff.
In 2019, Leftwich was reunited with Arians in Tampa Bay. He largely flew under the radar his first season as a full-time offensive coordinator, but the Buccaneers ranked third in the NFL both in total offense (397.9 yards per game) and points (28.6) and first in passing yards (302.8). Arians credits Leftwich’s tutelage for Jameis Winston passing for a league-high 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Of course, Winston also threw a league-leading 30 interceptions that season. Leftwich says the biggest regret of his coaching career is that he only got to work with the former No. 1 pick for eight months. He wishes they had more time together to hone Winston’s decision-making skills, but Leftwich couldn’t disagree with the Buccaneers’ decision to pursue Tom Brady.
Life with the GOAT got off to a rocky start. COVID-19 restrictions robbed Brady of the usual acclimation process offered by offseason practices and meetings. Arians says Brady didn’t fully grasp Tampa Bay’s offense until mid-November. He directed Leftwich to blend the aggressive downfield elements of Arians’ playbook with the up-tempo tenets that Brady thrived at executing during his storied Patriots career.
Things started to click in the final month of the season. After entering their Week 13 bye 7-5 and averaging 28.6 points a game, the Buccaneers returned with a revamped offense and reeled off eight straight victories (four to close out the regular season and four more en route to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy) while averaging 33.9 points a contest.
“He’s got a great work ethic, a great football IQ. It’s just been a growing process for both of us,” Brady said when asked about Leftwich during Super Bowl week. “It’s taken some time to get there because we didn’t have a lot of the things that we normally have with football (in the offseason). Over the last couple of months we’ve certainly executed a little bit better.”
Through a spokesperson, Fox Sports declined to make Brady available for this story.
The Bucs were better in 2021, averaging 406 yards and 30 points per contest. Leftwich believes they should have returned to the Super Bowl. But they fell in the divisional round of the playoffs to the L.A. Rams, who two games later won a championship of their own.
That offseason, Leftwich interviewed for head coaching openings with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars, the team that drafted him No. 7 in 2003. It was widely believed that Leftwich would receive a Jacksonville homecoming as the Jaguars’ head coach. But then came reports that Leftwich turned down the job because he didn’t want to work with general manager Trent Baalke.
Leftwich denies those claims. He says he had a good interview with the Jaguars and didn’t know Baalke.
“The stories started out of nowhere. I thought I was in a good spot, didn’t even talk to anybody. I understand this business, and I’m wise enough to know not to talk about what you’re going through when you’re going through it,” Leftwich says. “I never turned down that job because they never offered it. There were a lot of stories out there and I never spoke on it, but I never turned it down.”
Jacksonville eventually hired Doug Pederson, who had guided the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory five years earlier. Pederson guided the Jaguars to a playoff appearance in Year 1 but missed the playoffs in 2023 and is on the hot seat with Jacksonville at 4-12.
“I was willing and ready to take that (Jaguars) job,” Leftwich says. “That’s where I played, and I was very interested in trying to help that situation — all hands on deck — really trying to help that situation, because I know that city, I know the fan base and I thought that they had really good players down there that you can win football games with.
“But when I did the interviews … I knew that, ‘OK, at the end of the day, if I don’t get either, I get to go back with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and maybe (Brady, who was considering retirement) — people who I built strong relationships with.’ I was like, ‘I just get to go back to that and coach ball.’”
Brady retired, then unretired in February 2022. The next month, Arians retired abruptly, turning the team over to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. It seemed like a seamless transition plan: Bowles would continue to oversee the defense while Leftwich and Brady ran the offense. But injuries ravaged the Buccaneers’ offensive line, and Brady, who was going through a highly publicized divorce, wasn’t as effective.
Tampa Bay’s offense plunged to 15th in yards (346.7) and 25th in points (18.4). After a first-round playoff exit, Brady retired for good and Bowles fired Leftwich.
“We didn’t score enough points and we didn’t run it well, and at times we didn’t throw it well,” Bowles said at the time when explaining his decision. “When you see something wrong, you have to try and fix it. I’ve been with those guys a long time, so it was a tough decision. But I felt the change had to be made.”
Arians, who had taken on an advisory role with the team, didn’t agree with the move. He is on record saying Brady’s personal matters hindered the quarterback’s play. And the former coach believes Leftwich became the scapegoat for the Buccaneers’ struggles.
“It looks like it all falls on Byron, and that to me is totally wrong,” Arians says. “I mean, it was just a different philosophy that Todd wanted to go with. … But if there is anyone that puts anything out negatively about Byron, they’re totally full of s—.”
The fallout from that season dramatically altered Leftwich’s coaching trajectory, but he says he understood Bowles’ decision. “I felt it was time to move on,” Leftwich says. “It was the first time we were out of the top five in offense. So the fact that we were 15th allowed people to say, finally, ‘Does that guy really know what he’s doing? Can he do this?’ … That’s the nature of the business.”
Leftwich doesn’t view the 2022 season as a total failure. Given the calamity he and his players faced and all of the mixing and matching he had to do to compensate, he views that season as his best coaching job. It forced him to grow.
“(Arians) always told me, ‘I’ve been fired for winning, I’ve been fired for losing. I’ve been fired for doing my best. I’ve been fired for doing my worst.’ So being fired means nothing,” Leftwich says. “You can’t worry about being fired. Believe in what you believe in, do what’s best for the players, and accept everything they could come with it.”
Following his Tampa Bay departure, he expected to receive inquiries, but no NFL teams called. He received some interest in college positions, but some of those would have required him to make what he believed were rushed decisions, so he declined. Others didn’t seem like good fits, so he embraced the opportunity to make up for lost time with his son.
The body clock still chimes at 3 a.m. without the use of an alarm clock, just as it did during his coaching days. Instead of reporting to an office by 3:30 a.m. for film study, practice and game planning, he hits the weights, then the punching bags. By midmorning, after he feeds Dominic and gets him to school, Leftwich finds himself in front of a screen, clicker in hand.
He studies the coaches film of every NFL team. When watching live, he calls plays as if he were in the quarterback’s ear. Sometimes his predictions are correct, sometimes they’re not, but Leftwich makes the next call regardless. He digs deep to expand his knowledge of offensive and defensive patterns and tendencies, “staying sharp and up on what everybody’s doing.”
“He has a 360-degree perspective of the game — not only offense but defense as well,” Tomlin says. “Certain people have the ability to see the game in 3-D, and Byron is one of them.”
Leftwich says Arians taught him just as many nuances about interior offensive line play as he did pass routes and coverages. Arians also helped Leftwich learn the importance of understanding players’ capabilities, believing a firm grasp of each player’s skill set enables a good coach to design more expansive and versatile schemes while drawing greater confidence and commitment out of players.
“People get hung up on ‘The system this, the system that.’ I don’t care what the system is,” Leftwich says. “I know enough different types of offenses and different types of personnel packages and ways to attack to be able to … be as multiple as possible. And that’s all about preparation.
“It’s how (Arians) raised me. Anywhere I go, we’ll be as multiple as we need to be. We need to be two tight end set this week? Then it’s two tight end set. We need to be a four wide receiver set next week? We’ll do whatever we need to do to win that game. But because of our preparation, we will be able to do everything.”
Both Arians and Tomlin agree that Leftwich should be a member of an NFL coaching staff, if not leading his own. But to return to the NFL ranks, Leftwich has a series of questions he must answer.
A query of six front-office members who are expected to interview for general manager positions — and who are thus forming their own prospective head coach candidate lists — yielded mixed reviews. All agreed Leftwich exhibited great instincts and leadership abilities as a player. Some believed those strengths translated well to coaching and praised the abilities he showcased with Tampa Bay. Others expressed reservations about Leftwich’s independence.
How much of Tampa Bay’s success stemmed from Brady’s greatness, they wondered. How much of the offensive explosiveness was Leftwich responsible for, and how much came from Arians’ expertise and direction? How much of the drop-off in production in 2022 can be attributed to Arians’ absence?
Leftwich believes a deep dive into his qualifications and responsibilities in Tampa Bay will dispel any doubts. “I was blessed to have that opportunity in Tampa because the guy that hired me put a lot on me and I know how to do things the right way because of that,” he says. “I encourage anybody to do their background checks. Ask anyone who has worked with me.”
“I get a lot of credit for things I didn’t do in Tampa,” Arians says. “Byron called all the plays. Very seldom did I call anything. He did it all, even in the Super Bowl.”
Then there’s the recency question. In a league where head coaching tenures rarely exceed three years, hot prospects shoot up in popularity, then fade quickly into oblivion. Will Leftwich’s name still carry enough clout to garner consideration in a coaching market expected to feature head coaching veterans such as Mike Vrabel and Brian Flores and coordinators Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury?
Leftwich recently hired a new agent and stressed his desire to aggressively pursue NFL jobs. He believes that if he meets with a team owner or general manager looking for a head coach — or a head coach looking for a coordinator — his credentials will elevate him above competing candidates.
“Just give me the opportunity. Bring me in and see. Communicate with me, see if I’m the right type of leader you want,” Leftwich says. “Do your homework. See if I can lead men. … See if I know my X’s and O’s. See if I know people. See if I know what needs to be done to succeed at the job.”
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Douglas P. DeFelice, Perry Knotts / Getty Images, Scott Boehm / Associated Press)
Culture
NFL offensive linemen Christmas gifts ranked: Do QBs, teams benefit from their generosity?
Offensive linemen have the most thankless job in the NFL. Go stand in that guy’s way, and if you do a good job, we’ll never talk about it. Screw up and, best case, we’ll publicly shame you. Or we’ll blame you for a loss or injury.
The big lugs need a hug, and that’s why they look forward to the holiday season. Their rich quarterbacks — and sometimes the running backs — reward offensive linemen for their blood, sweat and tears with lavish gifts for Christmas. While they’re not always shared with the public or annoying media types, we were able to compile our list of the top 10 gifts from this year, plus a couple of honorable mentions. (The bottom of the list is best left to one’s imagination, and we were not able to confirm our theory that Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud gave his offensive linemen some rocks to kick.)
Did the quarterbacks, and teams, get immediate dividends from the offensive linemen for their generosity? Let’s take a look at the best gifts along with how those teams fared in Week 17.
1. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 17 result: Beat Denver Broncos 30-24
Joe Burrow asked his linemen what they wanted, and when some said guns, it got him thinking about the coolest weapon — and samurai swords were the obvious answer.
“Samurai swords, I think, are pretty dang cool,” he told reporters.
He bought authentic Japanese Katana swords, each having a unique backstory of a town or battle, lined them up in a room and had the linemen pick.
“Joe does a great job at buying gifts that are extremely meaningful,” left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. told reporters. “The fact that he bought me a sword, it’s the most ancient form of respect.”
“My favorite gift I’ve ever gotten by far because it’s so different,” guard Alex Cappa added.
Burrow was sacked seven times in the Bengals’ overtime win over the Broncos on Saturday, so maybe less pretend sword fights this week, guys.
2. Green Bay Packers
Week 17 result: Lost to Minnesota Vikings 27-25
Running back Josh Jacobs wrapped up customized diamond pendants for his 12 offensive linemen. They were commissioned by ZoFrost and Co., a custom jewelry maker based in Houston.
Jacobs is having a huge season but was held to 69 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the loss to the Vikings. The Packers did score the last 15 points of the game to make it close, so maybe it just took the linemen a while to stop squinting from all the bling.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 17 result: Beat Dallas Cowboys 41-17
Running back Saquon Barkley, who is vying for the NFL rushing record, was smart and went in with quarterback Jalen Hurts on gifts for the linemen. They bought each one a personalized golf cart, customized with the player’s last name and number. And, of course, the logos for Hurts and Barkley on the back. After all, what’s the point of a gift if there isn’t a constant reminder of who got it for you?
Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley’s joint holiday gifts to the #Eagles offensive line arrived earlier today. They bought each lineman a personalized golf cart with their last name and number on it. Hurts and Barkley’s logos are on the back. #FlyEaglesFly | #Eagles 🎅🎄🎁 pic.twitter.com/5kQLLsdRmo
— Quay L.Jones🦅 #FlyEaglesFly (13-3) (@QuayLJones3) December 24, 2024
4. San Francisco 49ers
Week 17 result: Lost to Detroit Lions 40-34
Brock Purdy was also smart. He hasn’t gotten his big payday yet, so he turned to corporate sponsorship. Thanks to his friends at Toyota, Purdy gave 10 linemen either a Toyota Sequoia or a Toyota Tundra. Though these are the most expensive gifts on the list, we can’t rank them too high since Purdy was more of a middleman.
Santa Purdy 🎅
Brock surprises his O-Line with some new wheels 🛻 pic.twitter.com/4iYIWs9k3t
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 20, 2024
5. New York Jets
Week 17 result: Lost to Buffalo Bills 40-14
You can’t dress up a pig, but that doesn’t mean pigs don’t like to clean up nicely every now and then. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has had a miserable season, tried to style up the Jets facility. He had a tailor come in and measure the linemen for a custom Tom Ford suit, which they can wear with their new Tom Ford sunglasses and Tom Ford cologne. They also received a Louis Vuitton passport holder.
And if that was all too much for them, Rodgers threw in a stereo speaker and a bottle of Devils River bourbon.
As for the game, Rodgers benched himself in the fourth quarter with the Jets down 40-0. There is no truth to the rumor that one of the lineman at that point yelled out, “Who the eff is Tom Ford?!?”
6. Detroit Lions
Week 17 result: Beat San Francisco 49ers 40-34
After all, offensive linemen are a simple lot. Jewelry? Trucks? Nah. Lions quarterback Jared Goff knew his audience.
“It’s hard when you got guys giving out Toyota trucks to try and keep up with that,” he told reporters, “but I got them a nice Yeti package with a ton of wagyu — steaks and beef. I hope they like it.’”
They did. The only downside is the gift is gone in four days.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 17 result: Lost to Kansas City Chiefs 29-10
This one should be higher on the list. We are just anti-gift cards. Even if they’re for $10,000 for an Airbnb that can be used worldwide. The Steelers’ Russell Wilson also gave 14 offensive linemen a black and yellow Louis Vuitton duffel bag, custom-made black and yellow Good Man Brand shoes and a bottle of wife Ciara’s Ten To One rum.
The Steelers have lost three games in a row, so clearly vacation-themed gifts were a bad idea.
🎁
From: @DangeRussWilson
To: The offensive line pic.twitter.com/eFXiVZfy4f— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 24, 2024
8. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 17 result: Beat Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10
This should be higher on the list, as well. But we’re tired of the Chiefs winning everything. And of Taylor Swift. The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes gave his bodyguards a red Yeti cooler with a Rolex watch, Oakley sunglasses, Lucchese boots and Normatec recovery boots inside. This after giving them a golf cart last year and a personalized golf bag with clubs the year before.
QB1 spread some Christmas cheer by giving gifts to the o-line 🎁 pic.twitter.com/xASg3iplnX
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 18, 2024
9. Washington Commanders
Week 17 result: Beat Atlanta Falcons 30-24
Jayden Daniels is impossible to predict on the field, as he can throw it over defenders’ heads or run by them. But when it comes to buying gifts, the Commanders QB kept it simple. He wrapped up electric scooters for his offensive linemen, “so they don’t have to walk around as much,” he told reporters.
10. Los Angeles Chargers
Week 17 result: Beat New England Patriots 40-7
Justin Herbert got his linemen two gift cards, one from Delta Airlines (along with luggage) and one for wagyu beef from Snake River Farms — to keep their minds off their vacation plans.
The Patriots didn’t show up Sunday, so it didn’t really matter for this study what Herbert got his guys.
Justin Herbert gifted the offense lineman with luggage and gift cards.
Here’s Rashawn Slater with a thank you vid: pic.twitter.com/JUXuEyVafL
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) December 24, 2024
Honorable mention
Buffalo Bills
Week 17 result: Beat New York Jets 40-14
In the past, Bills QB Josh Allen gifted his linemen custom scooters, golf clubs and lessons. But his Bills linemen have reversed the trend — since whenever they screw up, Allen just runs by a defensive lineman or trucks a defensive back.
Last year, they gave him an ATV. This season, they decided to let him know what they thought about the pending MVP vote. The linemen gave him a custom diamond necklace of Allen’s No. 17 jersey with “MVP” on the nameplate. The back has the names of the linemen listed. Tackle Dion Dawkins posted the gift on Instagram with the caption, “Merry Christmas to our MVP.”
New York Giants
Beat Indianapolis Colts 45-33
Daniel Jones is living the good life as a practice squad player on the Vikings. But he didn’t forget his former teammates — or hold a grudge for all the beatings they facilitated earlier this season — and sent his old Giants linemen presents. He gifted them a limited edition bottle of Clase Azul tequila. The bottles can range in price from $120 to $19,000.
Here’s hoping the linemen didn’t Google their respective bottles.
Overall record: 8-4
Moral of the story: Big guys like presents.
(Top illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos of Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff: Emilee Chinn, Dylan Buell and Todd Rosenberg / Getty Images)
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