Florida Sports Wire

  By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE - It began with all the signs of bad afternoon. The national anthem could not be heard over the public address system, but the crowd began to sing the lyrics. A scoreboard sign trying to get the fans to chant “defense” was spelled “defence” – a British spelling maybe foretelling more Jags’ games across the pond. However, it was soon corrected. Then we had the thunderstorm delay – rumored to be the first in Jags’ history – that only yielded some rain sprinkles. It appeared the Jags would have a long day in the season and home opener. However, it resulted in one of the better Jags’ games in recent years as well as one of their better season openers in a 26-10 rout of Carolina. This was an afternoon when the Jags were effective and efficient with the fanfare. They didn’t need Travis Hunter to make any highlight plays on both sides of the ball. A new optimistic feeling has emerged under new head coach Liam Coen after an insecure feel...

  By Mike Bonts, Jacksonville SportsDay JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Florida Sports Wire)— The Carolina Panthers’ own mistakes on offense hurt them in a 26-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL regular season opener. Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw his 70th career touchdown pass on a six-yard completion to tight end Hunter Long. Lawrence also recorded 19 completions. Carolina QB Bryce Young threw an interception and fumbled in the first half, turnovers that led to 10 Jaguars points. Carolina trailed 10-3 prior to the 76-minute delay because of lightning in the Jacksonville area. Following the weather delay, Travis Etienne Jr. popped a 71-yard run. Three runs later, the Jaguars were in the end zone with a 17-3 lead. Etienne Jr. registered 143 rushing yards. Brian Thomas Jr. also ran for a six-yard score for Jacksonville. The only points for the visitors were on a 48-yard field goal by rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, until Young hit Chuba Hubbard for a touchdown pass i...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2025 regular season schedule was released by the National Football League. After winning the NFC South division title for the fourth consecutive year, the Buccaneers will again face five division winners from the 2024 season – the maximum number a team can play in the 17-game format. Tampa Bay’s 50th season will commence with a trip to take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. The Buccaneers will have a chance to extend their run to a franchise record five consecutive wins in season openers, and are 1-of-4 teams to have won their season opener in each of the past four seasons. In Week 2, the Buccaneers will return to the city of their 1976 inaugural game as they pay a visit to the Houston Texans and play on the primetime stage of Monday Night Football (7 p.m. ET on ABC). The home opener at Raymond James Stadium will take place in Week 3 when the Buccaneers take on the New York Jets (1 p.m. ET on FOX). In Head Coach Todd Bowles’ first regular se...

  JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jaguars have announced three additions to the coaching staff as part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program: Ari Confesor, Anthony Gaitor and Dawson Odoms. The three coaches will be with the team for the Jaguars’ offseason program from May to June. For over 30 years, the league-wide fellowship program has helped outstanding coaches gain exposure to NFL training camps and offseason workout programs. Confesor brings 15 years of coaching and scouting experience with stops at the University of Rhode Island (2009-12 and 2013-18), the Kansas City Chiefs (2012-13), College of the Holy Cross (2018-19), the United States Air Force Academy (2019-23) and Wake Forest University (2023-25). He most recently served as wide receivers coach at Wake Forest University and tutored the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards, WR Taylor Morin, to Honorable Mention All-ACC honors in 2024. Confesor earned a bachelor’s degree in political scien...

  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers confirmed the dates and times of the team’s 2025 preseason slate, which will feature matchups with the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Buffalo Bills. Tampa Bay will kick off its 2025 preseason with a home game at Raymond James Stadium against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, August 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET. This will be the first preseason contest between the teams after playing back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. In preseason Week 2, the Buccaneers will travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, August 16. The Buccaneers have played six prior preseason contests against the Steelers, with the most recent matchup coming in 2023. The Buccaneers will close out the 2025 preseason at home against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, August 23, at 7:30 p.m. ET, marking the first preseason game between the two teams since 2014. All three preseason contests will be aired locally on WFLA News Channel 8, the Buccaneers official home f...

 By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE - Trade Trevor Lawrence? At first mention, it seems unthinkable.  But there have been some tires kicked surrounding the fourth-year quarterback, especially with a number of teams seeking someone under center. Lawrence has been linked to the Steelers, and those rumors persist. He also reportedly has been in the scope of the Giants and Jets. Jaguars officials quickly and flatly denied any trade talk for the once viewed generational player.  With new head coach and former Bucs’ offensive guru Liam Coen in place, the Jags have viewed the Lawrence-Coen connection as a perfect fit. The Jags confirmed their stance with Lawrence’s five-year, $275 million deal. The Jags finally have a general manager in 34-year-old James Gladstone, who brings a Rams’ pedigree to Florida with him. Don’t forget Jags longtime mainstay Tony Boselli, who is now the team’s VP of football operations.  It’s a revamped regime in place, and one of the...

  NEW ORLEANS – – Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was voted the winner of the Pete Rozelle Trophy awarded to the Super Bowl LIX Most Valuable Player. Hurts completed 17 of 22 attempts (77.3 percent) for 221 yards and two touchdowns with a 119.7 rating and added 72 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground in the Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Chiefs, the most rushing yards by a quarterback ever in a Super Bowl. It marks the 34th time that a quarterback has been named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Hurts became the fifth quarterback ever with multiple touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in a Super Bowl, joining Ken Anderson (Super Bowl XVI), Pro Football Hall of Famers Brett Favre (Super Bowl XXXI) and Joe Montana (Super Bowl XIX) and Patrick Mahomes (Super Bowl LIV). Hurts, who had 304 passing yards and 70 rushing yards in Super Bowl LVII, is the first quarterback ever with at least 200 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in m...

 NEW ORLEANS – The NFL announced this evening that Jacksonville Jaguars DE Arik Armstead was named the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The award is the league’s most prestigious honor, recognizing NFL players who have exhibited excellence on the field and whose passion to impact lives extends beyond the game. The announcement was made during the NFL Honors Awards program, a primetime awards special that aired nationally on FOX this evening ahead of Super Bowl LIX. Throughout his 10-year career, Armstead has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving the local community. In 2019, he established the Armstead Academic Project (AAP), an initiative that ensures every student, regardless of their socioeconomic status, has direct access to the resources they need to thrive, unlock their potential and achieve their goals. Through AAP, he has committed himself to education, including a focus on improving literacy rates through his reading initiative, “Storytime with Arik Arms...

  By Tom Rock,  Pro Football Writers of America METAIRIE, La. —  The Philadelphia Eagles spent less than an hour on the field in their final preparations during a Saturday walk-through at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on the day before Super Bowl LIX.   Head coach Nick Sirianni described the team as “hungry” and “ready to roll.”   “When you have two weeks off [since the NFC Championship Game],” he said, “it’s like, ‘Let’s go!’”   With players wearing sneakers, sweats or shorts, and practice jerseys – there were no helmets but a few donned baseball caps to protect from the sun on a warm 78-degree late morning – the offense and defense jogged through plays against scout teams at opposite ends of the field. That was followed by situational football covering various end-of-half/end-of-game scenarios. Sirianni said the team does that every day and typically emphasizes it a little longer on Saturdays. Finally, a few special teams plays were executed befor...

By Nicki Jhabvala,  Pro Football Writers of America   METAIRIE, La.  — The Philadelphia Eagles’ second and most intense practice ahead of Super Bowl LIX started with a rain shower that dissipated during warmups and gave way to sun.    The two-hour workout began at 2 p.m. at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center with a brief period for stretching and warmups, followed by individual drills that focused on fundamentals — tackling and ball security. A special teams period, for extra points, followed.   “That’s been all year,” Coach Nick Sirianni said of the Eagles’ tackling and turnover circuits. “It always comes down to fundamentals, so we’ve always done that. It was a good practice.”    The Eagles then transitioned to an 11-on-11 period (helmets only, no pads or shells) before another special teams session for punt coverage.    The second half of the team’s workout was devoted primarily to full-team drills and situational work.   “I t...

  By Luke Johnson,  Pro Football Writers of America   NEW ORLEANS, La. —  Every time the Kansas City Chiefs ran onto the field for team drills during  Thu rsday ’s practice at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium, assistant coaches brought positive energy and reminders of what’s at stake with Super Bowl LIX looming Sunday.    Kansas City worked for roughly 75 minutes  Thu rsday  afternoon, with the starting offense and defense each running 24 plays against the scout team units. And while coach Andy Reid has been pleased with his team’s focus this week, he has also appreciated the fun energy  Thu rsday .    At one point, while the starting offense was in a huddle, “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring started playing over the speakers. As the song progressed, several players started singing along, yelling, “Whoa-oh!” in time with the song.    “They know that it’s a privilege and an honor to be here, but at the same time they w...

 JACKSONVILLE –  The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms with Liam Coen to become the team’s head coach.  “To repeat my message earlier this week, I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville,” Jaguars team owner Shad Khan said today.  “I also believe in being judged by actions, not words.  That’s why I took swift and decisive action this week to hire Liam Coen as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.  I am pumped that Liam is accepting the challenge and opportunity to build the winner that Jaguars fans and partners fully deserve.  I know our players feel the same.”   “Becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that I am going to run with to instill a championship culture and winning tradition here in Duval,” Coen said. “This doesn’t happen without the support and opportunities that my family and I have been afforded throughout my career, especially during this pa...

 Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who led the NFL in passer rating and became the first QB in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 yards and rush for over 800 yards in a season, is the 2024 NFL Most Valuable Player chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA). Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards, is the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who surrendered the fewest receiving yards at his position when targeted by opposing quarterbacks, is the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson, the 51st MVP honored by the PFWA, wins the award for the second consecutive year and for third time overall (2019, 2023-24). He is the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards since quarterback Aaron Rodgers (2020-21) and the sixth overall since the PFWA first awarded the honor for the 1966 season (running back Earl Campbell 1978-79, quarterback Bre...

 JACKSONVILLE –  Jacksonville wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has been named a finalist for the Associated Press 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, the NFL announced today. Additionally, Thomas Jr. has been named to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games in replacement of Ravens WR Zay Flowers, who is unable to participate due to injury. Thomas Jr. finished the 2024 season with 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, setting rookie franchise records in each category. In the NFL, Thomas Jr. ranked first among rookies and third overall in receiving yards; first among rookies and tied-sixth overall in receiving touchdowns; first among rookies and second overall in yards per catch (14.7; min. 75 receptions); and first among rookies and tied-first overall in 50-plus-yard receptions (five).  He is one of four rookies since 1970 to reach over 1,200 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Thomas Jr. registered 60-plus receiving yards and a touchdown reception in eight gam...