Wild scene at Super Bowl media night
up, wake up, wake up!' and I saw it. I was like,N`o, I don't believe it because you know you see stuff online and it be like fake especially someone like that. Man, that's Kobe man. He's a role model. He's a GOAT. You don't expect nothing like that. Someone who has as much money as him, as much fame as him, to go down the way he did him and his family. I don't know, bro. I just hate talking about stuff like that personally man because sad you know.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid knew Bryant from his years coaching the
Philadelphia Eagles. Bryant went to high school in a Philly suburb and had a love-hate relationship with fans in the city because he played for the Los Angeles Lakers. But he was a die-hard Eagles fan and his reaction on social media after the team won its first Super Bowl title two years ago endeared him to many. The city mourned his loss as one of its own.
“It's sad,” Reid said. “A great person, man. I feel bad for his family, sick for his family. They'll rebound. They're strong. They'll live up to his strength.”
Reid is the seventh coach in league history to lead two teams to the Super Bowl. His Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 15 years ago.
The Chiefs are making their first appearance in the NFL title game in 50 years, seeking their second championship.
The 49ers are going for their sixth win in seven trips. Their only loss came against Baltimore in their previous appearance seven years ago.
C.J. Mosley is ready to officially ready put his nightmarish first season with the Jets in the rear-view mirror. The four-time Pro Bowl linebacker missed 14 games in 2019 due to a groin/core muscle injury suffered in the season opener.
The typically reliable Mosley, who had missed just three games in his first five seasons with the Ravens, underwent season-ending surgery last month. He had tried to avoid going under the knife after aggravating his groin/core muscle in a Week 7 loss to the Patriots.
“I'm feeling well,” Mosley told SNY over the weekend at a team-sponsored event. “This week makes six weeks out since the surgery. So, I'm pretty much right where I should be as far as that goes. I'm jogging a little bit. Obviously, I'm not trying to go full speed right now. I'm on pace right now to be ready for spring football.”
Mosley was the most prominent Jets player to miss an extended amount of time. However, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams did a terrific job without him as one of his foundation pieces. The Jets finished seventh in total defense and second against the run. Williams & Co. mixed and matched players to fill in for Mosley, who played just 10.3% of the defensive snaps (114).
“They played with heart,” Mosley said about the defense. “We didn't make any excuses when guys went down or guys weren't available … Every week it seemed like somebody got hurt. We had to deal with some type of obstacle. With Coach [Williams] — and all our staff and support people — he didn't let us make any excuses. We always played tough. We always competed.”
It was a tough pill to swallow for Mosley, who signed a blockbuster five-year, $85 million deal with $43 million guaranteed in free agency. He started off on fire with a pick-six in the first game against Buffalo before getting injured in the second half. He managed a grand total of nine tackles in 2019.
“It was pretty difficult, especially when I hit that turning point when I thought I was going to be ready to play coming back for that second New England game [Week 7],” Mosley said. “I ended up hurting myself more. After that, I took a little time to mentally get myself right. At the end of the day, it was a blessing in disguise. I took time to learn the defense more. I was still active. Every week I was preparing and watching film and taking notes like I was getting ready to play. So, from the off-field aspect, I got that much better.”
Mosley has altered his diet this offseason, including a shift to vegan with the hope of maximizing his play in 2020. The Jets will almost certainly ease Mosley back when spring workouts commence in April.
“For me, it's just about maintaining my health,” Mosley said about how he'll approach the offseason. “I started a cleanse this week. I'm trying to go vegan. We'll see how that works. Anything to try to get me the edge, to get myself on the field and stay on the field as long as I can.”
The Jets are all on board with doing whatever it takes to make sure Mosley produces like they know he can.