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Yahoo Sports AM: Andrew Whitworth interview
Andrew Whitworth played 16 seasons in the NFL. But it wasn't until he joined the media that he truly became a fan of the game.
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🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 Huge ratings: 19 million people watched Michigan beat Ohio State on Saturday, making it the most-watched regular-season college football game since 2011. Scandal sells.
🏀 15 straight losses: The Lakers routed the Pistons, 133-107, to hand Detroit their 15th straight defeat, the longest losing streak in franchise history.
🏈 Bobby's back: Bobby Petrino is returning to Arkansas as their offensive coordinator 11 years after he was fired as head coach following a motorcycle crash that revealed an improper relationship with a staffer.
🏀 Upset in Fayetteville: Unranked and shorthanded Arkansas stunned No. 7 Duke, 80-75, and Razorbacks fans celebrated with a good old fashioned court storm.
⚾️ Top relievers: Félix Bautista (BAL) and Devin Williams (MIL) were named the AL and NL Relievers of the Year, beating out Emmanuel Clase (CLE) and David Bednar (PIT).
🏁 Seven years, $7.7B: NASCAR inked new media rights deals with Fox, NBC, Warner Bros. and Amazon for a combined $7.7 billion. The seven-year deals begin in 2025.
🎙️ TNF: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH ANDREW WHITWORTH
Andrew Whitworth played 16 seasons in the NFL, retiring in 2021 as the oldest offensive tackle in league history. But it wasn't until he joined Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" crew last year that he truly became a fan of the game.
What he's saying: "I don't know if I was a fan of football when I played it," Whitworth told me in an interview. "Which is crazy to say. But I don't know that I was." He continued:
I think I was a fan of challenges; of going out every week and shutting down this rusher, or playing against this defense a certain way. I loved trying to accomplish our goal of winning, but I'd be lying if I said I was excited about what anyone else was doing.
Since I've been retired, I literally can't wait for Sundays, Thursday nights, Monday nights. I mean, all I think about all week long is catching every game. I finally feel like a fan.
Early on, trying to figure out how to watch games on Sunday was the most frustrating thing. Like, how do I see all the games I want to see? How many TVs do I need? What's the best way to watch multiple games at once?
I just finished this incredibly long football career, but I feel like I'm 18 years old and I just got a fake ID and I can go to a club. That's how I feel watching football now — I just want to consume everything I can.
A second chapter: Professional athletes take a variety of paths once they retire. Some get into coaching. Some launch a second career. Others fade into obscurity. Why did Whitworth decide to go the media route?
When I got done playing, it was like, man, what are some ways I could stay close to the game and still be involved? There were some options from the Rams to stick around the organization. Some other teams too.
I just started thinking, ya know, I'd love to tell stories and just talk about a game that's changed my life. So this Amazon opportunity came about and honestly, sitting here right now, I couldn't have imagined it being this fun.
Being in these stadiums, it keeps you so connected. And every week it seems, I've got players asking me, "Hey man, you got any thoughts on my game? Things you could help me with?"
For my last five or six years in the NFL, I was kind of a coach-player, mentoring guys. Now, I'm getting to do that a little bit while also covering the games, which has been great.
A week in the life: In addition to being a "TNF" analyst, Whitworth is also a husband and father. Here's how he structures his week.
Monday: "TNF" production meeting in the morning followed by research and film study. From 3-5pm, Whitworth coaches his son's junior high basketball team. From 5-7, he coaches his other son's football team.
Tuesday: More film study. "There's guys I lean on across the league — maybe they specialize in O-line play, maybe they were a former coordinator — who I'll hit up and get their take," says Whitworth. Then he travels Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
Wednesday: "As soon as I get to that city, I start putting together a tape to talk about and show the producers. We all get together, usually at the hotel, and spend 4-5 hours having dinner and talking about the game."
Thursday: Morning workout, followed by another production meeting. "Then we'll venture into the city and find fun things to do. In Seattle, Fitz [Ryan Fitzpatrick] and I threw around raw fish at [Pike Place Market]. In Philly, we went purse shopping for Charissa [Thompson]. … Then we head to the stadium and do the game."
Friday-Sunday: "We fly home on Friday and get ready to do it all over again. I coach my kids sports on Saturday and watch all the NFL games on Sunday."
Tonight's game: Whitworth and the rest of the team are in Dallas for tonight's NFC showdown between the Cowboys and Seahawks.
⚽️ THE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE IS WIDE OPEN
Manchester City is vying to become the first team in the history of English top-flight soccer to win four consecutive championships. To do so, they'll need to emerge from one of the most crowded title races in recent memory, Jeff writes.
Where it stands: Arsenal have a one-point lead over City through one-third of the season, and five other teams are within seven points of the first-place Gunners.
Arsenal (30 points): They nearly dethroned City last year but are still seeking their first Premier League title since 2004.
Man City (29): Erling Haaland continues breaking records, reaching 50 Premier League goals faster (48 games) than any man before him (Andy Cole, 65 games).
Liverpool (28): The Reds join Arsenal as the only teams with a single loss so far. That was a narrow 2-1 road defeat to fellow contender Tottenham.
Aston Villa (28): Promoted just four years ago after a brief stint in the Championship, the Lions are threatening the top spot after Sunday's road win over Tottenham.
Tottenham (26): Spurs have fallen to fifth after dropping three straight games — their first three losses of the season.
Man United (24): The Red Devils are firmly in the mix despite one of their worst starts ever and a 0 goal differential.
Newcastle (23): The Magpies are on the other side of the goal differential spectrum, with their +17 mark tied for second-best in the league.
Bottom of the standings: Everton's 70-year run in England's top flight (second-longest ever*) is in jeopardy after they were hit with a 10-point penalty for breaking financial rules, dropping them into 19th place (out of 20).
*Longest active streaks in England's top flight: Arsenal (98 seasons), Everton (70), Liverpool (62), Manchester United (49), Tottenham (46).
🏈 WHO YA GOT: NIX OR DANIELS?
Oregon's Bo Nix and LSU's Jayden Daniels have separated themselves from the pack in the Heisman race, but the gap between the QBs remains razor-thin.
Nix: 3,906 pass yards, 37 TD, 2 INT, 78.6 completion percentage, 189.8 passer rating; 159 rush yards, 6 TD … 11-1 record
Daniels: 3,812 pass yards, 40 TD, 4 INT; 72.2 completion percentage, 208.0 passer rating; 1,134 rush yards, 10 TD … 9-3 record
Looking ahead: Nix can add to his résumé tomorrow night in the Pac-12 championship game. Daniels won't get that chance, with LSU finishing third in the SEC West.
⚾️ DAWSON'S REQUEST: CUBS OVER EXPOS
Andre Dawson is one of three Hall of Famers wearing an Expos cap in Cooperstown. If he had his way, he'd be the 12th wearing a Cubs cap instead, Jeff writes.
The news: Dawson, a 2010 inductee, recently sent a letter to the Hall of Fame asking for his plaque's design to be changed from an Expos to a Cubs hat, hoping to "right a wrong" that has been bothering him since the day he found out.
What he's saying: Dawson called the decision "gut-wrenching" at the time, and 13 years later he feels just as strongly. Despite spending twice as many years in Montreal as Chicago, he says his time with the Cubs renewed his love of the game.
"[Going to the Cubs] was an eye-opening experience for me," he told the Chicago Tribune this week ($). "The change of scenery rejuvenated me because of how warmly I was received."
"Over time, I've thought about it more and came to the [conclusion] I should have had some say-so [in the choice of his HOF cap]. I personally feel my mission … is to right a wrong."
How it works: Players used to choose the cap themselves. But since 2001, following rumors that teams tried compensating players to pick their logo, the final decision has rested with the Hall of Fame.
It's usually a no-brainer, but in cases where you could reasonably argue for multiple teams, "we try to decide where the player made his most indelible mark," then-Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson told ESPN in 2009.
Idelson added that after making their decision, "we have a conversation with the player, because we wouldn't do something unilaterally." Though perhaps that didn't happen with Dawson.
By the numbers: Statistically speaking, the Hall of Fame's choice was understandable: Dawson spent 11 seasons in Montreal compared to six in Chicago, winning Rookie of the Year, six Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers.
He did, however, win MVP his first year in Chicago. He also made more All-Star teams as a Cub (five) than as an Expo (three).
Combine that with his vocal, vehement preference to be enshrined as a Cub, and it seems logical for Cooperstown to heed his request.
Tough calls: 66 players and managers don't have a logo on their Hall of Fame cap because it was too close to call, including Fred McGriff from earlier this year. Other notable examples include Mike Mussina, Greg Maddux and the late Roy Halladay.
📸 PHOTO OF THE NIGHT: SUGGS TO ANTHONY
Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony did their best impression of the iconic Dwyane Wade-LeBron James photo from 13 years ago in the fourth quarter of the Magic's 139-120 win over the Wizards on Wednesday night.
Orlando is for real: The upstart Magic (13-5) have won eight straight games and trail the Celtics by just one game for the East's best record.
📆 NOV. 30, 2013: THE KICK SIX
10 years ago today, Auburn's Chris Davis made one of the most iconic plays in college football history, returning a missed Alabama field goal for a game-winning touchdown* as time expired in the Iron Bowl, Jeff writes.
"There goes Davis!": The late Rod Bramblett delivered an epic radio call: "There goes Davis! Davis is going to run it all the way back! Auburn's gonna win the football game! Auburn's gonna win the football game!"
⚽️ 1872: Scotland played England to a 0-0 draw in what is widely considered the first official international soccer match.
🍿 1971: "Brian's Song," the beloved made-for-TV movie about the friendship between Bears teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, premiered on ABC.
*What a month: Two weeks earlier, Auburn scored a 73-yard touchdown on a tipped pass on 4th-and-18 to beat Georgia, 43-38.
📺 WATCHLIST: COWBOYS-SEAHAWKS
The final third of the NFL season kicks off tonight in Dallas (8:15pm ET, Prime), where the explosive Cowboys host the struggling Seahawks, Jeff writes.
Offensive juggernaut: The Cowboys (8-3) lead the league in points (347) and point differential (+162) and have won five of their last six games.
Yes, but: All of their wins have come against sub-.500 teams*. Can Seattle (6-5) give Dallas a challenge and snap their two-game skid?
More to watch:
🏀 NCAAW: No. 1 South Carolina at No. 24 UNC (7pm, ESPN); No. 9 Virginia Tech at No. 7 LSU (9pm, ESPN) … Three of the four semifinalists from a year ago.
⛳️ PGA: Hero World Challenge (12pm, Peacock; 1:30pm, Golf) … Tiger Woods makes his return at the tournament he hosts in The Bahamas.
🏀 NCAAM: Liberty at No. 13 FAU (6pm, ESPNU); No. 15 Creighton at Oklahoma State (9pm, ESPN2)
🏐 NCAA Volleyball Tournament: Round 1 (4-10pm, ESPN+) … 16 games kick off the 64-team tournament.
🏀 NBA: Pacers at Heat (7:30pm, NBA); Clippers at Warriors (10pm, NBA)
🏒 NHL: Golden Knights at Canucks (10pm, ESPN+) … First vs. second in the Pacific.
*The Cowboys' eight wins: Giants (twice), Jets, Patriots, Chargers, Rams, Panthers and Commanders. Their combined record? 24-55.
🥇 OLYMPICS TRIVIA
Salt Lake City, Utah has been selected as the preferred host for the 2034 Winter Olympics, effectively confirming the city will host for a second time.
Question: When did Salt Lake City host its first Winter Olympics?
1998
2000
2002
2006
Answer at the bottom.
🏈 GREAT READ: C.J. STROUD'S PATH TO STARDOM WAS ANYTHING BUT SMOOTH
How has C.J. Stroud made such a smooth transition into the NFL and engineered the best rookie season by a QB in at least a decade? Those close to him credit the lessons instilled by his father's incarceration and his mother's fight to stave off homelessness and financial ruin.
From Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg:
Forty miles east of downtown Los Angeles, deep in endless suburban sprawl, is a storage facility that at first glance looks entirely unremarkable. A motorized gate, tall, metal fences and video surveillance cameras protect dozens of padlocked storage units.
You'd never guess that the NFL's best rookie lived here for three years when he was in high school. You'd never guess that C.J. Stroud used to open the gate for customers who needed access after-hours. You'd never guess that some of college football's best known coaches passed through the doors of the Stroud's cramped, two-bedroom apartment behind the property manager's office.
"Bet you've never recruited at a storage facility before," Kimberly Stroud used to tell them, half amused, half embarrassed.
___
Trivia: 2002
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