Sports
What’s in a name (change)? For Josh Hines-Allen, it was about roots and recognition
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With a 17 1/2-sack season, a second Pro Bowl appearance and a new contract that made him football’s highest-paid outside linebacker, Josh Allen indisputably had become a big name in the NFL. But not exactly like he wanted.
He often was referred to as “the other Josh Allen,” with the more famous one quarterbacking the Buffalo Bills.
The Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher and his wife, Kaitlyn, watched highlights of this year’s Pro Bowl Games and listened to a commentator refer to “Aidan Hutchinson and Josh … Allen?”
“It was almost like she was confused about who I was,” he says.
She wasn’t the only one. Kaitlyn wanted to know where her husband’s jerseys were being sold and learned they were as difficult to find as disinfecting wipes during the pandemic. The 27-year-old, five-year NFL veteran and father of three had considered changing his name for a couple of years. Now his wife started pushing for it.
His four older sisters have a different last name, Hines-Allen, incorporating their mother Kim’s maiden name. When Josh and twin brother Isaiah were born, their father, Robert, wanted the boys to be Allens. Kim and Robert divorced when Josh was a baby, and his dad wasn’t around much, so the boys were raised and shaped by Hineses. In his New Jersey neighborhood, Josh was known as “Little Hines.”
So in the offseason, Josh hired a marketing agent and a lawyer. He waited in lines at the courthouse that serves Duval County. There were stacks of forms to fill out. He had to verify the addresses of every place he lived from birth to the present. He was required to identify all his family members, as well as their residences and ages. Changes had to be made to his driver’s license, Social Security information and tax returns.
In July, his marketing team released a video announcing the change, and a new teal nameplate was placed above his locker. It was then that Josh Hines-Allen became who he was intended to be.
A former pro basketball player, uncle Greg “Dunkin’” Hines (left) is a towering figure in Josh Hines-Allen’s life. (Courtesy of Greg Hines)
The new name is about how he hopes to elevate. And it’s about what grounds him.
Morris Hines was a force. Considered a hoops legend on the streets of their New Jersey neighborhood, Morris founded a basketball team at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark and instilled a love of sports in his descendants, including his grandson Josh. Morris taught Josh to shadowbox. He used to say, “Cut them deep and let them bleed.” Josh has it tattooed on his inner arm. Josh learned to tie a tie from Morris. In fact, he has tied teammates’ ties and taught them the way Morris did it.
“He’s one of the biggest reasons why I am the way I am mentally and competitively,” Josh says.
Morris’ oldest son, Greg, was more father figure for Josh than uncle. He was also a legendary basketball player and an example of how sports could change a life. “Dunkin’ Hines” was a dominating big man at Hampton University and an inaugural member of the Hampton Athletics Hall of Fame. A fifth-round pick of the Golden State Warriors, Hines never made the NBA but played professionally for 12 years.
At 12, Josh was the only man in the house with Isaiah living in Alabama with relatives. His sisters were driving him crazy by “momming” him.
“It was just pitiful,” he says. “I was already going to school, and then at home they made me go to ‘class’ with them as my teachers. It was just because they wanted to. We had math, science and recess.”
Desperate to get out of his house, Josh moved in with Dunkin’ Hines, who took Josh and his dirty clothes to the laundromat and taught him how to wash, dry and fold them. Josh learned to count the coins they saved in a jar and convert them to cash at an exchange machine. Hines made him feed and clean up after Blazer, his white boxer.
Josh and Hines imitated the WWE wrestlers Josh watched on “SmackDown” and “Raw,” trying to make the other tap out. At 6-foot-9, 280 pounds, Hines had a significant advantage, which taught Josh to use leverage and his quick, strong hands.
“Those nights were so awesome,” Josh says.
Hines schooled Josh on the basketball court, where he remembers his nephew as an average ballhandler but strong and very athletic for his size, with a knack for rebounds, loose balls and defense. When Josh got frustrated with basketball, Hines signed him up for football for the first time.
When Josh moved in, Hines was a bachelor enjoying the privileges of freedom and fame. He thought Josh needed some religion, so every Sunday morning, they walked to Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church in Montclair, where together, they experienced amazing grace.
“I had no structure, no responsibilities in my life,” Hines says. “That grounding, keeping God in the center of our lives, helped us both out.”
Josh also looked up to Keith Hines, Greg’s brother and Kim’s twin. Nieces and nephews called Keith “The General” because he didn’t mess around. Basketball was in his blood, too, as The General once scored 59 points in a high school game and then played at Montclair State before becoming a high school coach.
It wasn’t just the men of the family who paved the way for Josh.
Josh’s appreciation for the pageantry of sport grew while sitting in the bleachers at Montclair High watching his sister Torri, who would go on to play at Virginia Tech and Towson. He got chills every time the lights dimmed and Torri and her teammates broke through a poster to dazzling strobes.
“I thought it was the coolest thing, and it kind of made me fall in love with that part of sports,” he says.
Sister Kyra played basketball at Cheyney University the way Josh plays football. “You didn’t want to mess with her, you know what I mean?” he says. “She was the shortest one of my sisters but the toughest, and I just loved the way she played.”
Myisha, one year older than Josh, played against sixth-grade boys when she was in fourth grade. In high school, she was a McDonald’s All-American. At Louisville, she was first-team All-ACC three times and played on a Final Four team. She won a WNBA championship with the Washington Mystics in 2019 and was voted second-team all-league a year later.
Josh’s entire athletic experience has been about trying to keep pace with Myisha, with whom he could never compete on the basketball court. A year after she was taken 19th in the WNBA draft, he wanted to be drafted higher, which he was (seventh). Now he is determined to win a championship like she did — and to one-up her by being voted first-team all-league.
Myisha and Josh weren’t close when they were young, but their relationship has grown as professional athletes.
“I try to give her motivation, lead her down a good path and help keep her mind right,” Josh says. “She does the same for me.”
Myisha Hines-Allen (left) won a WNBA championship in 2019 as a member of the Washington Mystics. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Shortly before the Jaguars play the Bills in September, Josh plans to offer fans an opportunity to swap old “Allen” jerseys for new “Hines-Allen” ones at a discounted price. It’s a good week to do it because the game is on a Monday night and the players have a little extra time — plus his opponent is the other Josh Allen.
They’ve never swapped jerseys with one another. They haven’t exchanged phone numbers either or even pleasantries.
“I don’t think he likes me,” Hines-Allen says. “After the first time we played them, he walked right by me, never said anything. By the second time, I didn’t really care.”
If the quarterback is resentful, he has reason. Hines-Allen has helped prevent him from winning both games they’ve played against one another. In the first game, a 9-6 victory in 2021, the Jaguars linebacker sacked and intercepted the Bills quarterback as well as recovered his fumble. And the Jaguars prevailed in the second “Josh Allen Bowl” by a 25-20 score.
Those games weren’t just any games to Hines-Allen.
“It was kind of like a respect thing — you have to earn the respect,” says Hines-Allen, who vows never to lose to the Bills QB. “I feel like I did, but if we didn’t win, it would have been like, ‘Oh, and you lose to him?’ It definitely brought out a little extra in me because my name is my name. I respect all and want the same thing given to me.”
If Hines-Allen breaks the NFL sack record of 22 1/2 — which he intends to do — more respect will come. He rushes the passer with extreme dynamism and unpredictable gusts, making him about as easy to hold back as a twister. He had 17 sacks in 13 games at Kentucky and 22 1/2 in 12 games at Montclair High. Getting 5 1/2 more than he did in 2023 does not seem unreasonable to him.
His pursuit of the record will be abetted, he believes, by dropping less and rushing more in the scheme run by new Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Head coach Doug Pederson envisions Hines-Allen “pushing that 20-plus sack range” with more support from his team.
“He’s one of those guys who shows up early and stays late,” says Pederson, who recently became Hines-Allen’s neighbor when the linebacker bought a house near his coach’s. “He has the determination to be great.”
He hired a chef to prepare his meals and sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber for about five hours every night. He brings the device to road games, along with a specialist to administer intravenous fluids, and his personal physical therapist.
During his pregame routine, he makes himself the only person in a crowd of thousands by wearing noise-canceling headphones and listening to nothing but silence. He is normally gregarious, with an easy smile and hugs all around. But there is a dark side.
“I’m angry,” he says. “I had a great season last year, but the only thing I got was a Pro Bowl. I’m pissed because y’all think I’m supposed to be happy. I’m pissed because I wasn’t All-Pro. I’m pissed because I wasn’t a nominee for defensive player of the year. I’m pissed because my team didn’t make the playoffs.”
So now there are quarterbacks to pound, honors to earn, triumphs to be had, a legacy to uphold and another to create. And opponents who studied 2023 tape will realize the linebacker across from them is not the same one who wore No. 41 last year.
This is Josh Hines-Allen.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
Sports
Erin Andrews wants anonymous NFL executive who criticized Bills' Josh Allen to 'take ownership'
Shortly before NFL training camps opened, ESPN released the results of a survey that ranked the best players in the league across 11 different position groups.
Each position ranking featured commentary from NFL executives, coaches and scouts, all of whom remain anonymous. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was listed as the third-best player at his position. While Allen’s ranking could certainly be argued, a quote about the Bills star’s position among his peers seemed to stir some controversy.
One of the unnamed executives described Allen as “one of the more overrated players in the NFL,” which Fox Sports NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews took issue with. Fox Sports is a unit of FOX Corp., the parent to Fox News and FOX Business.
Josh Allen (Timothy T Ludwig)
Andrews addressed the executive’s remarks on her “Calm Down with Erin and Charissa” podcast, which she co-hosts with Fox Sports’ Charissa Thompson. Andrews challenged the anonymous person to “take ownership” of their opinion.
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“Like, come on, if you’re going to say something like that, say it with your chest. Take ownership,” Andrews said. “‘I’m afraid, so I’m going to say something mean.’ It’s like Twitter. Shut up.”
Fox Sports NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews took issue with one anonymous NFL executive’s opinion on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The anonymous executive also suggested that Allen was prone to mistakes and struggled with different aspects that are critical for any player who hopes to excel at playing quarterback.
“Immense talent but he makes a lot of mistakes,” the executive noted. “He’s underdeveloped at winning at the line of scrimmage, tends to lock on to targets, more of a thrower than precision passer, forces throws into traffic.”
Andrews stopped short of sharing her full thoughts on the criticism. “Sources are funny, aren’t they?” Thompson added. “I’ll leave that alone since I get in trouble for being too honest.”
Fox Sports NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews took issue with one anonymous NFL executive’s opinion on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Almost 80 ballots were submitted, with all of those ranking at least one position group, ESPN reported. While the majority of respondents ranked every position group, follow-up calls and additional voting took place to avoid publishing data that included ties.
Meanwhile, a nameless “AFC executive” said Allen “leaves you wanting more, a little bit.”
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the anonymous comments left him frustrated.
“I don’t know where to start. It’s frustrating,” Beane said in July. “You try to ignore this stuff, but Josh is going into year 7 and there’s still the naysayers. I don’t get it. If I was going to use rated, I would say underrated before I would say overrated. And I know I’m biased. He’s our guy, love him every single day.”
Beane also questioned the validity of the comments.
“These things that come out there … I know people love the rankings of whoever. But when you don’t put your name to it, and you make comments like that, like, who is this executive? Executive is a loose term. I was probably referred to as an executive well before I should have been. I just say, if you’re not going to put your name on it, we really shouldn’t validate it.”
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Billy Bean, who played parts of six seasons with the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres and was Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, died Tuesday after a year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was 60.
In 1999, Bean became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay. Glenn Burke was the first.
“Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others. He made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Billy’s husband, Greg Baker, and their entire family.”
We mourn the passing of Billy Bean, a former Dodger and pioneering executive who as MLB’s Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion truly elevated the culture and spirit of the game he loved. pic.twitter.com/fFykeWFWbi
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 6, 2024
Bean joined MLB in 2014, hired by then-commissioner Bud Selig as ambassador for inclusion. As a senior advisor to Manfred, Bean’s role focused on player education, LGBTQ inclusion, and social justice initiatives.
Bean, a Santa Ana native who played at Loyola Marymount, broke into the majors in 1987 with the Tigers. On July 17, 1989, Bean was traded to the Dodgers, with whom he played 51 games. After two seasons in the minors and one playing in Japan, Bean returned to the U.S., playing for the Padres from 1993-95 before retiring.
As Arne Slot settles into his role as Liverpool’s head coach, there is an exciting array of fresh ideas from his new backroom staff.
The novel training methods of assistant coaches, Sipke Hulshoff and John Heitinga. The vibrant voice of lead physical performance coach, Ruben Peeters. The creative coaching drills of head of goalkeeper coaching, Fabian Otte.
Off the pitch, Liverpool have been developing a coaching assistant who could help their set-piece approach for the coming season… and it’s not even human.
Liverpool’s analytics department is renowned for its pioneering work, led by director of research William Spearman who took over from Ian Graham in 2023. In their most recent venture, they have teamed up with Google DeepMind, using artificial intelligence (AI) to determine strategies for corner kicks.
The collaboration has culminated in a paper published in Nature Communications — TacticAI: an AI assistant for football tactics. The project, led by researchers Zhe Wang and Petar Velickovic, used data from 9,693 corner kicks collected from the 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23 (up to January 2023) Premier League seasons, feeding information on each player’s height, weight, starting location, and movement throughout the corner routine.
The information from each player enabled the researchers to predict the outcomes most likely to occur within a given corner setup. For example, which player is likely to receive the ball? Will the sequence lead to a shot attempt?
Once the sequence has been played, the analysis can then build a picture to determine whether similar routines have been successful in the past. Crucially, TacticAI can draw from this analysis to generate suggestions that improve the outcome of the corner. For example, moving players’ positioning or body orientation to reduce the chances of conceding a shot from a specific corner.
The graphic below shows four suggestions made by TacticAI to tweak players’ positioning when defending a corner.
As evidence of the model’s capability, experts at Liverpool — including assistant coaches, video analysts and data scientists — were unable to distinguish between the output provided by TacticAI’s suggestions and real-life corner routines, with the suggested routines favoured from the original corner sequence 90 per cent of the time — highlighting how effective the model can be in providing improvements within the tactical structure.
As you can see in the graphic above, the advised tweaks might appear subtle but joint-lead researcher Velickovic emphasises these suggestions are in-keeping with modern-day football. Small changes in distances, timing, and decision-making can be the difference between victory and defeat.
“The aim is not to tell you that a player needs to move two or three metres to the left or the right,” Velickovic told The Athletic. “You make minor adjustments to a player’s location, orientation or velocity which are all relatively small, and that was deliberate.”
A core aim of Liverpool’s project with Google DeepMind is to provide coaches and analysts with a tool to help them with workflow. Opposition analysts often watch hundreds of videos in the lead-up to a game, which is labour-intensive. The ability of TacticAI to sift through similar opponent routines and curate defensive strategies is powerful.
It is more time-efficient to draw conclusions in a fraction of the time and this work provides an objective tactical approach without bias, underpinned by thousands of examples.
“This tool is designed to accelerate a coach’s ability to spot patterns,” Velickovic said. “Coaches are looking at complex situations with 22 players, and they have to work out what the key parts are that made or broke a particular strategy — and which players were responsible.”
“With a system like this — where it immediately produces adjustments to all of the defensive players — you can focus your attention and immediately spot that, for example, a specific defender is doing something wrong.”
“If this happens to your defender over many situations, you can then try to fix it in your coaching. If it is an opposing player, you can work on strategies to exploit that weakness.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold takes a corner against Atalanta last season (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
It is worth noting this research evaluates the potential use of such an approach, and is yet to be rolled out in Liverpool’s matchday analysis. Nevertheless, the rise of dedicated set-piece coaches shows how many clubs are growing wise to this important part of the game — with 28 per cent of all goals scored from dead-ball situations in the Premier League last season.
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For Velickovic, the marginal impact this work can have could prove crucial.
“We can never exactly forecast what will happen in a corner,” Velickovic said. “But if you increase your chances of scoring or decrease the chances of conceding by even one per cent, that can make a huge difference over the course of a season.”
Corners have been responsible for some of the most important moments in Liverpool’s recent history. Jurgen Klopp’s final trophy as manager was thanks to a Virgil van Dijk header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner to clinch the Carabao Cup against Chelsea in February.
The unlikely figure of Alisson Becker scored an iconic last-minute header to convert Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner against West Bromwich Albion in 2021 to keep Liverpool’s top-four hopes alive.
And Liverpool fans do not need a second invitation to relive Alexander-Arnold’s quickly-taken corner to Divock Origi in the 2019 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona — one of the most memorable goals in the club’s history.
“Corner taken quickly… ORIGIIII!!!!” 😱😍
Does Divock delivering in our incredible comeback against Barcelona get your vote for our greatest ever goal?
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 22, 2022
Ultimately, the delivery Alexander-Arnold provides from set pieces is the crucial component to ensure a choreographed routine is executed. As set-piece specialist Gianni Vio has previously told The Athletic, “The taker is the most important player in set pieces.”
The statistical models can be instructive for coaches, but without strong delivery, the sequence collapses.
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Looking at last season, the numbers suggest Liverpool could improve their conversion from corners when assessed against the rest of the Premier League. Their 4.2 goals per 100 corners was their poorest rate since 2018-19, with their overall goals scored and conceded per 100 corners almost perfectly aligned with the league average.
This project was the final milestone in Liverpool’s multi-year journey with Google DeepMind, but the collaboration shows an ongoing desire to push boundaries and find an edge when using analytics in football. It is a partnership that traces back to 2021, where their work has seen them publish two other papers relating to AI in football tactics and its use in analysing penalty kicks.
The constant evolution of football tactics means that the analysis of corner kicks is a dynamic process that should be continually updated. An optimal strategy in 2015 might look different today. The best for the German Bundesliga could be different from the Premier League.
The potential for this AI model to grow across multiple seasons and wider leagues is where analysts can create an extra dimension in their tactical approach and strategic decision-making.
At its core, AI is the ability of a computer to perform tasks that we typically associate with humans. The growth of AI — specifically, Generative AI via platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini — has been visible across multiple industries worldwide.
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While these platforms are fantastic resources for coaches and analysts to use as tools, they should never replace human expertise. Data’s place in football is secured, but the combination of objective and subjective analysis is where staff can optimise their in-game decision-making. We are not entering a world where football is played by machines.
For now, at least.
(Top photo: Playmaker/MB Media/Getty Images)
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