Sports
Love, wrath and mind games: Meet the man tasked with fixing UCLA’s defense
Invoice McGovern’s high defender seemed barely deranged, together with his eye black smeared like a WWF wrestler.
He would tempo the sideline earlier than each recreation. He would stare throughout the sector on the participant he wished to destroy.
The menace on his face was unmistakable.
“That was my factor,” Mark Herzlich recalled this week, greater than a decade after the linebacker terrorized quarterbacks and operating backs alike underneath McGovern at Boston School. “It’s bizarre and a little bit sadistic however Invoice was like, ‘Hey, that is what will get Mark jacked up.’”
Pulling his star apart earlier than the 2008 season opener, McGovern delivered a fair greater jolt.
“He goes, ‘Mark, you’re the perfect participant on the sector proper now. Play prefer it,’” mentioned Herzlich, who would go on to grow to be the Atlantic Coast Convention defensive participant of the 12 months. “I saved reminding myself that’s what Invoice advised me and whether or not each single recreation that was true or not, I felt it was true as a result of my coach believed it was true.”
Over the past month, UCLA’s new defensive coordinator has been as much as his previous cerebral methods. His message to the Bruins sounds extra like one thing out of a psychologist’s handbook than a coach’s playbook.
“He simply lets me be me,” mentioned Devin Kirkwood, the trash-talking Bruins cornerback who tries to annoy everybody moreover referees. “He’s simply helped me specific my recreation in methods I wasn’t in a position to do final 12 months, so now once I show it, it simply seems like poetry.”
McGovern finds himself in Westwood as a result of UCLA’s protection has principally resembled gibberish since coach Chip Kelly’s arrival in 2018. When the Bruins gave up 26.8 factors per recreation final season, rating No. 74 nationally, it certified as one thing of a breakthrough in comparison with defenses that had given up 30 or extra factors in every of the three earlier seasons underneath Jerry Azzinaro.
Kelly then traded in a single previous buddy for one more, hiring McGovern to switch Azzinaro although some would possibly contemplate their backgrounds almost an identical. Each had robust ties to New England and Kelly. Each had labored on the NFL and school ranges, together with three stops on the identical employees. Each had gone at the least a decade between stints as defensive coordinators.
One crucial distinction emerged in March when McGovern consented to a spherical of interviews with native beat writers. By the point he uttered his first phrase, he had mentioned extra publicly than his famously silent predecessor in 4 years on the job.
A local of northern New Jersey who has spent his total 37-year teaching profession within the Northeast and Midwest, McGovern revealed a self-deprecating humorousness when requested if this was his first time residing in Southern California.
“Oh, yeah, you haven’t seen my white legs but,” he cracked. “Nobody desires to see me down there on the seaside or on the pool.”
McGovern additionally divulged that he has identified of Kelly since they performed soccer at rival New England faculties within the Nineteen Eighties, McGovern an All-American defensive again at Holy Cross and Kelly a reserve counterpart at New Hampshire. As they commenced their teaching careers, they continued to cross paths at camps and in recruiting.
These paths lastly merged in 2013 when Kelly employed McGovern to be his outdoors linebackers coach with the Philadelphia Eagles. They parted after Kelly was dismissed close to the top of the 2015 season, McGovern turning into linebackers coach with the New York Giants and Chicago Bears till being let go as a part of one other employees change in January.
A second time period of Kelly-McGovern adopted, Kelly saying he was intrigued by the NFL ideas McGovern and new inside linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. may use to fortify his staff’s lagging cross protection.
“Clearly, I feel we’ve accomplished a very good job towards the run,” mentioned Kelly, who made McGovern his highest-paid assistant at a wage of $900,000 per 12 months, “however we have to do a greater job in cross protection.”
McGovern’s four-year run as Boston School’s defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012 began with numerous stops. His Eagles rose from No. 26 nationally in whole protection throughout McGovern’s first season in that function to No. 13 in 2010. However issues quickly deteriorated, the Eagles rating No. 70 in 2011 and No. 100 in 2012.
One among McGovern’s favourite sayings was that his gamers didn’t want to depart Chestnut Hill as coaches, however they need to be capable of given all of the hours they spent within the movie room. Gamers discovered not solely formations but additionally the highest three issues opposing groups preferred to do out of them in order that there would hardly ever be any surprises.
“I had 12 interceptions all through my profession, which is nearly unparalleled for a linebacker,” mentioned Herzlich, who additionally spent two seasons enjoying for McGovern within the NFL with the Giants, “however that’s as a result of we knew what the opposite staff was going to do.”
The mindset amongst defensive gamers after a three-and-out by the offense, Herzlich mentioned, wasn’t that that they had to return onto the sector however that they obtained to as a result of it gave them one other probability to hit any individual. McGovern preached toughness and enjoying inside the guidelines … on condition that typically these guidelines did the Eagles a favor by permitting them to contact receivers after 5 yards.
“We might rep always the place when you can knock down a large receiver on a crossing route or you’ll be able to knock down a man legally,” Herzlich mentioned, “that’s the best technique to cowl him, so we had been very bodily, we had been very aggressive.”
Yearly throughout spring observe, when he felt the timing was proper, McGovern would make a present of ripping gamers to reignite their aggressive fireplace. Writing their names on a board, he would tick off the shortcomings of everybody within the room.
“He’d be like, ‘This man’s damage, you’re not producing, you’re not doing this, we have to decide it up!’” Herzlich mentioned.
McGovern additionally revealed a extra tender aspect with gamers who contemplate him household. Some say he’s like an uncle. Others evaluate him to a father, Herzlich noting the best way McGovern consistently checked in on him and saved his dad and mom up to date whereas Herzlich was present process chemotherapy for bone most cancers after returning to campus his senior 12 months.
Contemplating that McGovern will flip 60 on New Yr’s Eve, it could be extra correct to name him a grandfather determine.
UCLA followers received’t care if he’s hailed because the Dalai Lama if he can’t revive the staff’s protection. McGovern has been as tight-lipped as his predecessor in terms of what that protection would possibly appear like, saying solely that it might be different. He’s been identified to favor having linebackers primarily function a part of the defensive position to extend strain and fill gaps in protection.
“You need to give completely different seems, completely different displays,” McGovern mentioned, “issues which might be going to hopefully work to your benefit and create some points on the opposite aspect of the ball.”
His return to the school recreation after a decade away — save for a stint as a defensive analyst at Nebraska in 2020 — won’t be all that jarring on condition that many NFL offenses make use of the identical read-option, unfold and run-pass-option ideas which have overtaken school soccer. It ought to assist that the Bruins characteristic a bevy of potential playmakers between Kirkwood, linebacker Darius Muasau and twin edge rushers Grayson and Gabriel Murphy.
Forcing turnovers has been emphasised since spring observe, defenders frequently being taught to strip the ball and react instantaneously to passes thrown of their neighborhood. Alongside the best way, McGovern has injected dad jokes, saying that gamers who fell had been hit by a sniper or victims of the “Turf Monster.”
How would McGovern describe his humorousness?
“Missing,” he deadpanned.
The Bruins’ protection would possibly lastly have every part it wants due to the person who makes gamers really feel his love earlier than his wrath, letting them have the ultimate say on the sector.
“At any time when I step on the market,” Kirkwood mentioned, “he’s banking on me, he put his cash down on me, and I put my cash down on him.”
Sports
Giants legends Lawrence Taylor, Ottis Anderson speak at Donald Trump's Jersey Shore campaign rally
Nearly 40,000 people were in Wildwood, N.J., Saturday for a Donald Trump campaign rally, and one of those spectators was arguably the greatest defensive player of all time.
New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor was spotted at the Jersey Shore rally.
Assemblyman Paul Kanitra from New Jersey’s 10th legislative district saw his “favorite player growing up” at the rally.
Those in attendance got a surprise when Taylor and former Giants teammate Ottis Anderson spoke on stage.
“I grew up a Democrat, and I’ve always been a Democrat, until I met this man right here,” Taylor said to cheers. “Nobody in my family ever will vote for a Democrat again.”
L.T. is widely regarded as the greatest linebacker to ever play. He was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, including in his rookie season.
He won two Super Bowls, made 10 straight Pro Bowls and was named the MVP of the 1986 season. He also remains the franchise’s all-time sacks leader, which includes his 9½ sacks from his rookie season, before sacks became a stat.
This came despite a lavish lifestyle off the field, which resulted in legal troubles after his playing days.
Many attendees who spoke to Fox News said they believe Trump could flip the Garden State in November, when he hopes to take back the White House for a second term.
Rod Delaine, an Amazon factory worker in Staten Island who lives in New Jersey, told Fox News Digital he drove nearly 2½ hours to attend the rally.
LIONS ROOKIE SAYS HE CHOSE NO. 0 BECAUSE ‘AIN’T NOBODY LIKE ME’
A New Jersey schoolteacher who identified herself as Anna said she was motivated to attend because of the state of the economy.
Another supporter, who identified himself as Carlos, said he believed the country needed to return to the way things were under the former president.
“I think this country needs to change. Although, we already know what Trump’s all about. So, that change is just going to come right back to us because that’s what we need,” Carlos said. “We need Trump because I don’t think Biden is just getting the job done right now. Some of it’s his fault. Some of it is probably the people around him. But I think we need Trump back to get this country back to where it needs to be.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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Sports
Shaikin: Why USC, college baseball’s most decorated team, plays home games over an hour from campus
“You ever played Mafia before?”
I had asked Connor Clift, a senior catcher for the USC baseball team, about the Trojans’ trying season.
“We play Mafia for hours,” Clift said.
It’s a video game.
“You have a sheriff, and you have townies, and the mafia tries to kill the townies, and the sheriff tries to catch the mafia,” he said. “Nobody knows who is who, and then you fight it out.”
The Trojans play for hours, because they ride the bus for hours. They are a team without a home.
They practice half an hour from campus — an hour, with traffic. They play most of their home games an hour from campus — two hours, with traffic.
“Beat the traffic,” sophomore outfielder Austin Overn said, “or else you’re screwed.”
The most distinguished team in college baseball history is homeless. The 12-time NCAA champion Trojans cannot play on campus because of construction that includes upgrades to Dedeaux Field and new facilities for the USC football team.
When USC hired Andy Stankiewicz as its new baseball coach two years ago, he said had been assured whatever construction would take place would displace the team for the 2028 season.
“That’s it. One year,” he told The Times then. “When it’s over, we’re going to be in a gorgeous, brand new Dedeaux.”
That timeline changed last summer. The baseball team had to vacate last fall — and for two years, not one.
“That was a little bit of a surprise, honestly,” Stankiewicz said. “You have to learn to make the adjustment on the fly and keep going.”
Coaches and administrators scrambled. Baseball teams long have been barnstormers, but the Savannah Bananas do not have to worry about classes.
For fall practices, the Trojans bused to El Camino College in Torrance. The community college had priority for the baseball field in the afternoon, so the USC players shifted their classes to the afternoon and departed for El Camino as early as 7 a.m.
On occasion, Stankiewicz said, the Trojans would get there and the gates to the field would be locked, and the team would have to wait for campus security officers to come by and open up.
To leave El Camino at 11 a.m. and get to class at USC at noon, Overn said, could mean rushing to get in a shower and a couple bites of lunch in between.
“It was,” he said with a smile, “a little fast for me.”
The Trojans already had their 2024 schedule. No school would displace its own team so USC could play there. And, as USC associate director of operations and event management Garrett D’Angelo said, “We wanted one spot that was home.”
In Irvine, on the site of the former El Toro Marine base, voters rejected a proposed international airport two decades ago. Since then, a community sports mecca dubbed the Great Park has blossomed there, surrounded by thousands of homes. The NHL’s Ducks built themselves a practice rink there, not far from a stadium used by a minor league soccer team.
That is where USC found its home away from home, at a sparkling 1,300-seat ballpark designed to host championship games of youth tournaments. The ballpark is surrounded not by campus landmarks, but by an iconic orange balloon on one side and a water park on another side.
No one expected students would show up, but USC has a robust alumni base in Orange County.
“This was the best option on short notice,” said Rock Hudgens, USC director of baseball operations.
The Trojans built their own locker room, because the one in Irvine had 12 lockers and USC needed 40. They rented an ice machine and arranged for regular deliveries of ice.
The ballpark did not include a batter’s eye. The Trojans contracted with an event production company to deliver one, and so the makeshift batter’s eye is framed in the same way a concert stage would be.
To make the place feel like home, they wrapped ballpark columns and draped railings with USC decor. They used Velcro, because the wraps and drapes come off when the stadium is used by others — including the weekends USC had to rent fields at Loyola Marymount and UC Irvine because the ballpark already had been reserved.
At the start of May, when USC had its finals week, players normally would have walked to class Thursday and Friday and taken their exams. Instead, because USC had a home game Friday night in Irvine, the players bused to Orange County Thursday afternoon and took finals in a hotel Friday morning.
The Trojans have fallen on hard times since the glory days of Tom Seaver and Fred Lynn, Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson, Barry Zito and Mark Prior. They have not won an NCAA championship in 26 years.
Over the past 18 seasons, they have posted three winning records and made one postseason appearance.
The Southland is not exactly a hotbed for college baseball — Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State aside — but the Trojans have not averaged even 1,000 fans for years. In 2015, the last time USC posted a winning record, the average attendance was 826.
That is what makes this home-away-from-home season such a pleasant surprise. The students may not be here, but admission is free, and youngsters playing on adjacent diamonds stop by with their families.
Josh Boatright, 14, rode his bike past the ballpark one day and checked out a few innings. He has been back three times, although he admits he would not be as interested in the Trojans if the team played at Dedeaux Field instead of in his neighborhood.
“If I go all the way to L.A.,” he said, “I’d probably go for a Dodger game.”
The Trojans have averaged 740 fans at the Irvine ballpark this season, more than they averaged at Dedeaux Field last season, even for a team with a losing record. USC has three games left in Irvine this season.
“I feel like, as of now, it’s a home,” Overn said. “For the most part, I feel like we’re here all the time.
“It’s a home. It’s obviously not the home we were expecting this year.”
And, after we talked, Overn walked into the Friday night — not to a dorm room or an apartment or a fraternity, and not to a campus party, but to a bus that would take him to a Marriott hotel within walking distance of an outdoor mall that celebrates “life at its most stylish, delicious and exciting.”
Sports
NFL legend Jerry Rice 'hot' over Brenden Rice's draft tumble, but confident son will prove doubters wrong
Jerry Rice is widely considered one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history. Rice’s son, Brenden Rice, followed in his father’s footsteps and recently became an NFL receiver.
The younger Rice finished his college football career with 1,821 receiving yards. Earlier this year, he declared for the NFL Draft, and last month fell to the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round.
While many projections had Brenden as a Day 2 or Day draft pick, his slide to the final round of the draft took some by surprise — especially his Hall of Fame father.
“My dad was hot,” Rice told reporters as he smiled. “You guys get the flash like … the humble dude, right? Me, he’s like, ‘Hell no, we’re going to take this to a different level. These guys going to feel us.’”
Rice attended his friend’s funeral on the same day the Chargers called and told him he would be one of their draft picks.
“It was just like a blessing from God because he allowed me to go ahead and just mourn the death of my friend,” Rice said, “and then after that just go ahead and be happy, and it was a glorious day.”
NFL LEGEND JERRY RICE’S SON BELIEVES HE AND CALEB WILLIAMS COULD BE NEXT TOM BRADY-ROB GRONKOWSKI DUO
He found the silver lining in his unexpected tumble in the draft. The 22-year-old now gets the opportunity to catch passes from quarterback Justin Herbert.
“I’m in the best position possible to go ahead and make my mark and make my own legacy. I went from Caleb Williams to Justin Herbert, and I’m in a room that’s going to allow me to compete, day-in and day-out,” Rice said.
The Chargers moved on from wide receiver Mike Williams and traded away six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen this offseason, which gives Rice an opportunity to play a significant role in the team’s offense.
“Everything’s upon me. If you guys don’t see me coming on this fall, that’s on me. If you guys see me out there, then I put in the necessary work to put my best foot in the door and go out there and produce.”
Rice spent the first two seasons of his college football career at Colorado, before transferring to USC in 2022.
Brenden suggested that it remains to be determined whether he is a better athlete than his father was, but he is certainly motivated to surpass his dad’s NFL rookie production.
“I feel as though we’re neck and neck. I’m faster, and I heard his rookie season in the NFL wasn’t good,” Rice said. “I gotta go top him.”
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