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Friday, September 06, 2024

Austin Blythe to Serve As Honorary Captain

 











September 5, 2024

 

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa standout offensive lineman Austin Blythe will serve as honorary captain when the Hawkeyes host Iowa State in an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series contest on Saturday on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:40 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on CBS.

 

Blythe was a four-year starter for the Hawkeyes from 2012-15, helping lead Iowa to 31 victories, including 12 wins and a Big Ten West Division title as a senior. In his final year, he was a finalist for the Rimington Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top center. Blythe also was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree and named a permanent team captain in 2015.

 

Blythe appeared in 50 contests during his career, starting at right guard as a redshirt freshman in 2012 before moving to center for his final three seasons. The native of Williamsburg, Iowa, helped lead the Hawkeyes to three January bowl games as the starting center (2014 Outback Bowl; 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl; 2016 Rose Bowl). He earned second-team all-conference laurels as a junior and was tabbed honorable mention all-league his sophomore campaign.

 

Blythe played seven seasons in the National Football League after being drafted in the seventh round by Indianapolis in 2016. He played four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2017-20), and one year each with the Colts (2016), Kansas City Chiefs (2021) and Seattle Seahawks (2022). Blythe started at right guard in Super Bowl LIII for the Rams.

 

Blythe will accompany the Iowa captains to midfield for Saturday’s pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Mike Vrabel is helping the Browns while the Browns help set up his next chapter: Dan Labbe

 














Cleveland Browns consultant Mike Vrabel during training camp at The Greenbrier

 

By  Dan Labbe, cleveland.com

Published: Jul. 31, 2024, 5:53 p.m.


WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- It’s hard to believe Mike Vrabel isn’t a head coach in the NFL this season, but his bad luck in the coaching cycle is good fortune for the Browns and both parties will benefit from being together, for however long their relationship lasts

“I remember when (head coach) Kevin (Stefanski) and I were talking about (hiring Vrabel), we were like, ‘Do you think he’d do this?’” GM Andrew Berry said on Monday. “Or he’s going to maybe want to take the year off with his family? And so we kind of came in softly, tactfully, and it was, from the very beginning, ‘Oh, yeah, I’d love to do this.’”

Vrabel’s time as head coach in Tennessee came to an end last January after six years of generally overachieving, building a reputation as a hard-nosed, detail-oriented coach who wreaked havoc as an underdog and wasn’t afraid to play chicken with his former head coach, Bill Belichick.

He’s the perfect mix of football guy and analytics, bridging the gap between the two sides, learning from the likes of Belichick and Urban Meyer about building winning programs.

“He has such a unique perspective because here’s a former All-Pro player, coached in Power 5 college, defensive coordinator and then very, very successful head coach in Tennessee,” Berry said. “So there’s nothing that he hasn’t seen or that he can’t provide insight into, whether it’s how we’re practicing on the field, how we game plan, player development and player support areas, how we think about acquiring players.”

Vrabel ending up in Cleveland during this unexpected gap year is a testament to how stable the Browns organization has become in such a short time under Berry and Stefanski. Vrabel certainly doesn’t need this job. He’s a hot name in the next coaching cycle before it even begins. He and Belichick might be the two scariest men in football, at least if you’re a coach whose seat is starting the season a little warm.

“Have a lot of respect for this organization,” Vrabel said. “What (owners) Jimmy and Dee (Haslam) have done, have a ton of respect for Andrew and Kevin and what they’ve been able to do in a short amount of time. And I trust them and I trust them that they would do right by me and that they would help me and that the position and the fit would be beneficial to everybody.”

For Stefanski, there are plenty of coaches who might be intimidated having Vrabel in the building, even if they’re a two-time coach of the year. Vrabel is a native son, someone the Browns probably should have hired in 2018 instead of running it back with Hue Jackson after his 1-31 masterpiece.

After a brief detour, it worked out just fine and the Browns ended up with Stefanski and Berry at the helm.

Instead of being intimidated — admittedly two NFL of the Year awards and a new extension make it easier — Stefanski and Berry understand the importance of having smart people around and being opportunistic to take advantage of however long Vrabel is not in a head coaching chair.

“We’re probably on borrowed time with him,” Berry admitted.

You see how the Browns are benefitting every day when Vrabel spends time with the tight ends or working alongside his former teammate, Bubba Ventrone, on special teams.

This is a two way street, though, and Vrabel is going to benefit from his time here in ways you can’t see.

He has been working with Berry and his staff and was helping in the pre-draft process, writing up reports on players, almost making it sound like he was doing work the scouting staff does.

“They give you a list of players, you try to evaluate them, you try to figure out what they can do, figure out what they do best, figure out what their areas of focus are, write up a report and then when asked about them in the meeting, try to give a concise answer to how you see the player, how they could fit, what roles they could fill, what positions they may be able to play,” Vrabel said, “and if they don’t call on you, then you just go on to the next player.”

Yes, Vrabel brings his knowledge and background as a player and coach for members of this organization to learn from, but he’s learning, too. He’s being exposed to how a team like the Browns, who rely heavily on data and analytics, approach player acquisition and team-building as well as how they utilize information on the field.

“This is the opportunity that I think is best for me right now to be able to go through draft meetings, personnel meetings with Andrew and his staff and see how that all got navigated and how they may do things,” he said. “And there’s 32 flavors in this league and everybody does it a little differently. So it’s been fun to be a part of this and try to help where I can and most especially learn.”

Vrabel is like a USB stick already loaded with valuable information and now he’s getting plugged into a Browns organization on the leading edge of football’s analytics revolution. The Browns are getting plenty of information from him, but he’ll go back into the coaching world soon, too, after he unplugs, having learned new ways of doing things, adding to his vast store of knowledge.

The Browns and Vrabel are a perfect match, and not just because Vrabel ate dog bones in junior high. The two sides are helping each other — the Browns benefitting from one of the game’s top coaches helping players and other coaches grow and develop and Vrabel gets to learn some new tricks, too, as he sets up his next move.

He’s also being reminded of what football can be.

“You can work hard and have a good time at the same time,” Vrabel said.

He’s doing both with the Browns and both he and the Browns will be better because of it.


Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Markus Kuhn returns to Giants organization ahead of trip to Germany

 

Jul 22, 2024 at 10:08 AM


















East Rutherford, N.J. - Thirty years ago, the Giants took part in the first ever NFL game in Germany when they defeated the San Diego Chargers, 28-20, in a 1994 preseason game in Berlin.

 

Twenty years later, Giants defensive tackle Markus Kuhn became the first ever German-born player to score a touchdown in an NFL game when he scooped up a fumble and returned it 26 yards during a 36-7 win over the Tennessee Titans during the 2014 season.

 

The Giants now have official marketing rights in Germany, and with their upcoming trip across the pond in Week 10 for a matchup against the Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena in Munich, the organization has brought back a familiar face to help lead the charge on the German content front. Kuhn returns to the Giants as an official German brand ambassador and content strategist for this season.

 

Kuhn spent four seasons with the Giants from 2012-15. He played in 39 games with 11 starts and finished his NFL career with 48 total tackles (24 solo), 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, four passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and, of course, the aforementioned defensive touchdown.

 

In his new role, the former defensive tackle will provide overall guidance on the landscape in Germany and give recommendations on content, events, and in-market activations. Kuhn will also serve as the face of the team's German social and digital accounts to help create content that will bridge the culture of New York and Germany, while also educating on the sport of American football.

 

Kuhn recently joined the Giants Huddle podcast to discuss his new role with the team, the NFL's popularity in Germany and much more.

 

"The Giants were the last team before the international game series started that played in Germany as part of the World Games when they played in Germany in the 90s," Kuhn said. "So the Giants played in Germany as the last team. Now, coming back this year, there's a big fan base in Germany. There's fan clubs that meet and watch together. So, we have a good amount of Giants fans, but also we just have a ton of American football fans in Germany that still are undecided for the team. We're trying to see if we can turn them into Giants fans."

 

Kuhn was born and raised in Mannheim and began playing football at the age of 14 after being introduced to the sport while on vacation with his family in Florida. He eventually joined the Weinheim Longhorns of the German Football League (GFL), where his accolades included Rookie of the Year along with being named a four-time GFL All-Star.

 

He then came to the United States in 2007 with the desire to play collegiate football. After traveling around the country with his father handing out his highlight reel on DVD to any football program that would entertain him, Kuhn eventually ended up with a scholarship to North Carolina State. A few years later, Kuhn was selected by the Giants in the seventh-round (No. 239 overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.

 

"Obviously, I know American football has been growing in Germany," said Kuhn. "It's one of the biggest growth markets outside of the U.S. for American football. We have 20 million football fans, people that are interested in American football in Germany. It's the second-most watched TV sport after soccer. We have about a million people watching the NFL every weekend, every Sunday, we have millions of people watching the Super Bowl. The Giants are going back this year, so there's a lot of buzz happening."

 

Kuhn added, "Being back for the second time and working here now for the third time is obviously very exciting. It means a lot to me."

 

To follow the Giants German-language social media accounts visit our official Instagram (@NYGiants_Deutschland), Twitter (@Giants_DEU) and Facebook accounts along with our dedicated digital hub to keep up with the latest news on all things Big Blue.

 


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