In their final meeting before every game, former Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver imparted a “winning thought” to his position group. He typically handled the responsibility, but occasionally he let other coaches speak. On the Saturday before the team’s Week 4 contest against the Cleveland Browns last season, Weaver tabbed assistant to the head coach/defensive assistant Megan Rosburg.

Rosburg spent a significant portion of her childhood in Cleveland where her father, Jerry, worked as the Browns’ special teams coordinator. It was a sentimental moment for her. But it was also nerve-wracking given she was in her second year as an NFL coach and had never addressed the D-line room. When she stood up in front of everyone, however, that anxiety translated to raw emotion.

“Every good story needs a villain!” Rosburg shouted.

As the Ravens defensive line dominated the Browns in a 28-3 rout the following day, that message became their rallying cry.

“All the guys on the sideline were repeating her line,” Weaver said recently. “That stuck with us for a while.”

Rosburg, now 31, is one of 12 full-time female coaches in the NFL. Seeing the players galvanize around her message affirmed to Rosburg that they respected her just like any other coach on…

Where does a former NFL coach with a Super Bowl title to his name go on holiday for the new year? Wrexham, of course.

Paul McCord and his family swapped Florida for north Wales to take in the League Two match against Barrow after becoming passionate fans of the club through the documentary Welcome to Wrexham.

It meant leaving behind the Tampa sunshine and daytime temperatures of 22C (71.6F) for highs of 9C but Paul, wife Mindy — a successful coach in women’s lacrosse — and nine-year-old son LJ couldn’t have been happier.

“Being here in Wrexham to celebrate the new year meant so much,” says Paul, a member of the coaching team who took the Baltimore Ravens to Super Bowl glory in 2001. He sports the commemorative ring he received after the 34-7 victory over the New York Giants.

“This is our second visit to Wrexham. We first came over in March 2023, for the Southend United game. Then, we took in the U.S. tour last summer, watching the games in Chapel Hill, Los Angeles, San Diego and Philadelphia.

GO DEEPER

Wrexham, Chelsea and the $20m match

“That was great, as we got to meet up again with people like Wayne (Jones, The Turf landlord and breakout star of the documentary), who we met on that first visit to Wrexham.

“We’ve fallen in love with the place and the people. In…

NFL team owners collect millions in revenue. They wield outsized power over their organizations and in their communities. They point to the bottom line, wins and losses, when firing coaches and executives, sometimes without giving them much time. But their own won-lost records appear nowhere.

Even people who follow the NFL closely might not know whether Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross owns a better record than New York Giants owner John Mara (he does).

They might not know whether female owners account for two of the five highest winning percentages since taking over their teams (they do).

They might not know that the only team without a traditional owner could lose 200 games overnight without dipping below .500 (the Green Bay Packers could).

They might not know that five of the last six owners to buy (rather than inherit) a team make up the bottom five in win percentage (they do — the lone exception is the Buffalo Bills’ Terry Pegula).

Some of these ownership situations are difficult to evaluate for reasons such as owners allowing their offspring to operate their teams. I’ve used simple criteria in ranking owners from worst to best win rates below. For our purposes, wins and losses are counted for owners after the NFL has approved their purchases; after an owner…

CLEVELAND — Middle linebacker Roquan Smith doesn’t particularly care what anyone not associated with the Baltimore Ravens thinks about him. He’s going to be himself, and if asked about the energy and mindset that you need to take on the road for an AFC North matchup, he’s going to answer the question honestly and without an ounce of concern over how his comments are perceived by the opposing locker room.

So when Smith learned last week that the Cleveland Browns weren’t too pleased about the description of his mindset heading into the game — “We’re going over there to beat their tails in front of their wife and kids,” the veteran said — he couldn’t even muster a shrug.

“Honestly, I don’t really care how people take things out of context. I know what I meant and the people that are close to me know what I meant by those comments,” Smith said Sunday following the Ravens’ 28-3 thrashing of the Browns in front of an announced 67,919 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. “It was just the way I felt about going to war with my brothers. Honestly, if you need bulletin board material in this game, really? You are playing the game for the wrong reasons.

“I don’t need anybody to say anything for me, because guess what? When that whistle blows, I’m going 100…

Former Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens running back Alex Collins died at the age of 28, Collins’ family announced Monday.

Collins was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash on Sunday night in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., the Broward County Sheriff’s Office announced. Detectives with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit are investigating the crash.

Investigators said a Chevrolet Suburban SUV driven by an unidentified adult female turned left to travel south onto Northwest 33rd Avenue, and as the car crossed the eastbound lanes, a motorcycle driven by Collins struck the rear passenger side of the SUV.

Collins was pronounced dead on the scene, and the SUV driver remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Alex Collins this morning,” his family said in a statement. “Alex was cherished by his family and friends as well as supporters from all around the world. All who truly know him can attest to his drive, determination, and larger-than-life personality.

“We kindly request your thoughts and prayers for our family during this difficult time. We ask for privacy as we navigate through our grief. We will provide updates regarding funeral…