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OBF: Bill Belichick the last of his kind – and the best

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

Is Bill Red with a hoodie?Or was Red Bill with a cigar?We won’t sidetrack our just-in-case tribute to Bill Belichick with the no-win argument debating whether or not Belichick or Red Auerbach is the greatest coach in Boston sports history.Different times.Different sports.Different men.Bill Belichick is unquestionably the greatest coach in the history of the Patriots.Of course, that’s like winning the NFC South.What is certain is that no head coach so successfully dominated the NFL for as long as Belichick.Belichick built a 20+ year dynasty in New England upon the rock of Tom Brady in an age of free-agency and “parity.” And he made Brady possible.A DNA check of Robert Kraft’s six Super Bowl rings show half are the spawn of Brady (38, 49, 51) and half of Belichick (36, 39, 53).Each gave one away. For Brady it was Super Bowl 46, for Belichick it was Super Bowl 52.Super Bowl 42 was a communal catastrophe.Belichick’s record of achievement, his mastery of the game, his cheating – real and...

The inside story of the Patriots’ fall to rock bottom in the Bill Belichick era

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

In the wake of their 2022 season, the Patriots believed they were rebounding.The days of dysfunction, an ill-conceived offense, players questioning coaches’ tactics and quarterbacks melting down were over. Ex-offensive play-caller Matt Patricia had left, and Joe Judge was re-assigned. That 8-9 campaign represented a misery never to be experienced again.Instead of soaring to familiar heights, the Patriots found rock bottom.A year after Judge, Patricia and Bill Belichick oversaw what was then the team’s worst offense in decades, the Patriots rank dead last in scoring heading into Sunday’s season finale against the Jets.For the first time since 2000, the Patriots are a last-place team, having lost 12 games for the first time in Robert Kraft’s ownership. The season deteriorated into an unforeseen failure.To unpack that failure, the Herald interviewed more than a dozen team sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from the Patriots. Over months, sources des...

Volvo S90 Recharge is premium luxury sedan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

Volvo, hands down, is the best and most significant brand in Grasso’s Garage. As that’s no secret to my fan-favorite readers, it’s because of their effortless ways of chart-topping the big three: Luxury, comfort and price. Volvo, since 2017, has been a chart-topper due to their exclusive re-design, powertrain efficiency, and great styling that keeps them at the top of the luxury list.In competition with brands like Genesis and Audi, the S90 is similarly designed and sized to the G90 and A8. As a Volvo XC60 owner myself, the S90 is a great large sedan that is exceptionally comfortable, powerful and has all of the safety bells and whistles that anyone can ask for, similar to their entire fleet.Powered by a Volvo proven, 2.0L turbo-charged 4-cylinder engine, with electric motors and paired with a 8-speed Geartronic automatic transmission, this combination produces 455 horsepower and 523 lb-ft of torque and is ultra-smooth, quickly accelerating and very quiet for both the dr...

Taliban arrest women for ‘bad hijab’ in the first dress code crackdown since their return to power

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have arrested women in the Afghan capital for wearing “bad hijab,” a spokesman at the country’s Vice and Virtue Ministry said Thursday. It’s the first official confirmation of a crackdown on women who don’t follow the dress code imposed by the Taliban since they returned to power in 2021 and has echoes with neighboring Iran, which has enforced mandatory hijab for decades.The development is the latest blow to Afghan women and girls, who are already reeling from bans on education, employment and access to public spaces. The spokesman from the Vice and Virtue Ministry, Abdul Ghafar Farooq, didn’t say how many women have been arrested or what constitutes bad hijab. In May 2022, the Taliban issued a decree calling for women to only show their eyes and recommending they wear the head-to-toe burqa, similar to restrictions during the Taliban’s previous rule between 1996 and 2001.Farooq said the women were arrested three days ago.In voice notes to ...

Man critically injured in Mississauga shooting; suspects sought

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

A man is fighting for his life in hospital following a shooting in Mississauga on Wednesday night.Officers were called to the area of Battleford Road and Glen Erin Drive, near Meadowvale Town Centre, around 5 p.m. for reports of a shooting.A man was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.There was a large police presence in the area throughout the evening and police were asking people to avoid the area.No suspect information has been made available.

In AP poll’s earliest days, some Black schools weren’t on the radar and many teams missed out

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

The men’s basketball teams at Tennessee State in a three-season span from 1956 through 1959 were nearly unbeatable and somehow largely unnoticed.They had a coach in John McLendon who would be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach and contributor. They had five players who would play in the NBA, one of them a future All-Star. They won three consecutive national titles in the NAIA, the governing body for small colleges. TSU won 94 of 102 games during that stretch.And they never spent a day in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll.The AP poll has had a simple mandate over its 75 years of existence: pick the best teams in the country each week. Those teams now all come from the NCAA’s Division I membership. But in the poll’s earliest days — especially before most historically Black colleges and universities were considered NCAA members — the lines were a bit more blurred. Schools like Tennessee State were considered part of the “college division,” which was different ...

Rideshare driver shot, in critical condition after apparent carjacking in Austin neighborhood

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

CHICAGO — An apparent carjacking Wednesday night in the Austin neighborhood on the city's West Side left a rideshare driver in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest.Chicago police say a 51-year-old man driving a Toyota Camry was dropping off a passenger just after 10 p.m. in the 900 block of N. Leclaire Ave. when three males approached on foot. According to police, the offenders took the driver’s phone and demanded that he get out of his vehicle. When the man refused to get out of the Camry, police say, a suspect fired shots, striking the man in the chest. The man was transported by the Chicago Fire Department to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition.There is no one in custody as of now, and police did not say if the passenger in the victim's Camry was involved in the shooting.Area Four detectives are investigating.

APD says SWAT called out near Parmer Lane in far north Austin

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Police said Thursday morning the department's SWAT team was dispatched to an area off Parmer Lane just east of Interstate 35. Police said officers were responding to the 13000 block of Center Lake Drive. That is between West Parmer Lane and McAllen Pass off Interstate 35 in far north Austin. Police gave no other details in the 4:34 a.m. social media post expect to say their public information officer was on the way to the scene. APD's SWAT team responds to scene on Center Lake Drive, off Parmer Lane in North Austin, early the morning of Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) APD's SWAT team responds to scene on Center Lake Drive, off Parmer Lane in North Austin, early the morning of Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) APD's SWAT team responds to scene on Center Lake Drive, off Parmer Lane in North Austin, early the morning of Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) This is a breaking story. KXAN News will update this story onlin...

SWAT call ends; man dies of self-inflicted gunshot wounds

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Police said Thursday a man is dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds after a SWAT callout at an apartment complex on East Stassney Lane in south Austin. Police did not name the complex but the address they gave matches Austin City Lights which is between South Congress Ave and Interstate 35. Police said the situation began when 911 got a call around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday about a woman being assaulted by her boyfriend inside their apartment. The woman was able to get out by the time officers arrived, police said, but the boyfriend remained inside with a gun. That's when SWAT was called out, APD said. SWAT officers found the man's body inside the apartment at 2:45 a.m. Police said the man never made contact with officers. APD said the man was the only one inside the apartment other than some dogs when SWAT officers found his body.

8 restaurants we’re looking forward to in 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:13:47 GMT

It’s time to put 2023 — a great year for eating in the Twin Cities — to bed.Here are eight restaurants we are looking forward to opening in 2024.Woodbury Bebe ZitoThe Burger from Bebe Zito at The Market at Malcolm Yards. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)The ice cream and burger spot’s first three locations — in Uptown, Malcolm Yards Market and Eat Street Crossing — are widely beloved, so I couldn’t be more excited for Gabriella Grant-Spangler and Ben Spangler to bring their operation to the east metro.Located next to The Gap in the Woodbury Lakes outdoor mall, this outpost will feature the usual wacky ice cream flavors (Vanilla MSG, anyone? But also, frosted animal cookie, PB and J and bruleed salted caramel flan) and bacon-in-the-grind burger. They’ve expanded over the years to include chicken tenders and sandwiches, fries, cheese curds and more. Sounds like just the thing to fortify us during shopping outings.Opening Jan. 19.Bebe Zito: 9000 Hudson Road #615, W...