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Rod Brind'Amour might as well be synonymous with the Carolina Hurricanes, both as a player and as a coach.
As a player, Brind'Amour spent 10 years with the Hurricanes from 2000-10, and captained the team to its first-ever Stanley Cup back in 2006. Then after retiring, he worked his way through the organization to become head coach in 2018, and he hasn't looked back since.
Now in their seventh season under Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes have been one of the league's more successful teams throughout his tenure, making the playoffs each and every year. For context, the last time they made the playoffs before his arrival was in 2008-09, his penultimate season as a player.
The Hurricanes have had their share of struggles in the postseason, but they're usually a safe bet to get out of the first round. In fact, Brind'Amour became the first coach in NHL history to win a playoff round in each of his first seven seasons after Carolina closed out the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Crazy stat: #Canes Rod Brind'Amour is the first head coach in #NHL history to win at least one round in each of his first seven seasons behind the bench.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 30, 2025
Just making the playoffs seven years in a row is an accomplishment in today's NHL, let alone that.
If one wants to pedantic, the Hurricanes only won the qualifying round in 2020 before losing in the actual first round. However, the NHL still counts those series as part of the playoffs, so it's fair game.
It would also be easy to criticize Carolina's shortcomings in the postseason under Brind'Amour. The Hurricanes have only made it to the Eastern Conference Final twice under him and were swept there both times, first against the Boston Bruins in 2019 and then against the Florida Panthers in 2023.
While that all may be true, Brind'Amour is still the best head coach the Hurricanes have ever had. They never even made the playoffs in three-straight years before his arrival (at least not since relocating in 1997), and he now has them on a seven-year streak.
That's impressive on its own, and of course, he still has plenty of chances to get over that postseason hump.
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Patriots have Drake Maye concern after comments by Steelers LB T.J. Watt
The New England Patriots offense had an ugly performance in their 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt keyed on what opposing defenses should look to do against the Patriots. Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Watt said after the game that the Steelers had a plan for how to get the Patriots to cough up the football. “Mike (Tomlin) had a big presentation on it earlier in the week,” Watt said, of the Steelers’ Patriots prep. “I think 38 (Rhamondre Stevenson) had eight or nine fumbles last year (he had seven), which is a very high amount. Four (Antonio Gibson) had a couple fumbles. And we knew 10 (Drake Maye) had a bunch of fumbles as well (he had nine), when he was in the pocket. "It was something we highlighted each and every day. There was a constant reminder throughout the week. We just needed to deliver and I’m glad we did.” Why T.J. Watt's comments are concerning for Patriots Tomlin's presentation worked. The Patriots turned the ball over five times, four of which were lost fumbles. Stevenson lost two fumbles. Maye lost one fumble and had an interception. The issue with Stevenson isn't as big a deal for the Patriots as Maye. Rookie TreVeyon Stevenson will eventually become the lead back in New England. But Watt's diagnosis for Maye is concerning. Part of Maye's successful development in the league will mean he can play efficient football in the pocket. Not only is his passing game a liability there, but opposing defenses know he lacks awareness in the pocket and is susceptible to fumbling. Look for defenses to take advantage of that information until the Patriots can stop committing those turnovers.
Cowboys rookie standout expected to miss extensive time
The Cowboys lost two offensive starters to high ankle sprains in Week 3. In addition to CeeDee Lamb going down, Tyler Booker will not be available to the team for the foreseeable future. Booker is expected to miss at least three weeks because of the high ankle malady he sustained in Chicago, AllDLLS.com’s Clarence Hill reports. ESPN.com’s Todd Archer pegs the timetable at 4-6 weeks. The latter duration being where this settles would make the first-round pick an IR candidate. Tyler Booker injury is another bad break for Dallas Cowboys This represents another bad break for the Cowboys, who have center Cooper Beebe on IR. Brought in after Zack Martin‘s retirement, Booker started at right guard in Dallas’ first three games. The injury also comes after second-year left tackle Tyler Guyton — the team’s 2024 first-round pick — missed several weeks due to a knee injury sustained early in training camp. Guyton returned in time for Week 1 but continues to see new faces along the O-line. IR is a possibility for both Lamb and Booker, Jerry Jones said (via WFAA’s Ed Werder). This comes after a report indicated Lamb was not an IR candidate. An IR transaction would sideline either until Week 8. Booker played through the injury but will take a seat for a while. If the Cowboys are planning on carrying Lamb on their 53-man roster, a Booker IR move would make more sense. Two of Dallas’ injury activations went to Jonathan Mingo and Payton Turner in August. The team will likely hold another for Beebe, and rookie running back Phil Mafah also landed on IR shortly after roster-cutdown day. These placements would stand to factor into the Cowboys’ decision with Booker. Weeks after the Martin news, the Cowboys drafted Booker at No. 12 overall. Sporting a keen eye for first-round talent over the past several years, the Cowboys only placed 12 first-round grades on prospects this year. This led to the team staying at 12 and taking Booker, doing so after previously eyeing Tetairoa McMillan. The Cowboys identified four All-Pro O-linemen (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Martin, Tyler Smith) in Round 1 from 2011-22, and they will hope Booker — now opposite a guard-record contract given to Tyler Smith — will follow that path. The Cowboys have 2023 UDFA T.J. Bass and waiver claim Trevor Keegan as options to replace Booker. Bass would seemingly be the more likely option, having started five games from 2023-24 and having played in all three Cowboys contests this season. Keegan has not played this year.
Green Bay Packers, Micah Parsons see another Dallas Cowboys offensive starter ruled out for Week 4
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield drops harsh quote about former coach after win
Quarterback Baker Mayfield was forced to lead a game-winning drive against the New York Jets after a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown took away a chance for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to ice the game at 29-20 with less than two minutes to play. With 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, Mayfield engineered a seven-play, 48-yard drive that ended in a successful 36-yard field goal attempt by kicker Chase McLaughlin to give the Buccaneers a 3-0 start with a 29-27 win over the Jets in front of 62,872 fans at Raymond James Stadium. What Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield had to say about former coach Following the game, Mayfield said he felt vindicated by beating New York, especially defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who cut the former first-round pick (after using him as a scout-team defensive lineman) when he was the interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2022. “I loved it," Mayfield said of beating the Jets via Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. "Their D-coordinator (Steve Wilks) was the one who cut me in Carolina. A lot of stuff was personal today. Haason Reddick. Former Jet. A lot of people.” The loss dropped Wilks and first-year head coach Aaron Glenn to 0-3. The Jets fought hard with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor filling in for Justin Fields, who is still in the concussion protocol from Week 2. Mayfield didn't impress Wilks during his time in Carolina, but he showed the defensive coordinator why he's worthy to be a starter in the league. Mayfield went 19-of-29 passing for 233 yards and one touchdown on Sunday. He added 44 yards rushing on four carries against Wilks' defense.
Rival Teams 'Upset' With Dodgers Due to Shohei Ohtani Rule
However the Dodgers decide to use star pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani in the postseason, the generational talent gives LA a massive advantage. Because of a unique rule that applies only to players as unique as Ohtani, the Dodgers could turn their superstar into an even bigger advantage. Every team in MLB is limited to a maximum playoff roster of 26 players, with no more than 13 spots reserved for pitchers. Ohtani will be able to enter the postseason as a designated hitter and will not take up one of the 13 spots as a pitcher despite the Dodgers planning on utilizing Ohtani as a starting pitcher. "Teams are upset that the Dodgers will have one more pitcher than everyone else on their roster since there’s a special exemption for Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player," USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote. "If Ohtani is a starting pitcher, he can remain in the game as a DH once he’s replaced on the mound. But if he starts the game as a DH and pitches out of the bullpen, the Dodgers would lose the DH once his relief appearance is over. The only way Ohtani could stay in the game would be moving to the outfield, where he hasn’t played since 2021." Ohtani has expressed his willingness to play in the outfield if it means giving the Dodgers a roster advantage in the postseason. However, it is likely, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, that Ohtani will not be making a surprise appearance in the outfield. One factor that will be at play with Ohtani's ability to contrtibute as a starting pitcher will be his longevity. After recovering from a torn UCL in the 2023 season and serving as a designated hitter exclusively in 2024, Ohtani returned to the mound in 2025. While Ohtani has performed well with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, he hasn't pitched more than five innings in a single start. Ohtani's limited use is a strategy by the Dodgers to save their superstar's arm for the big moments that are offered in October. Ohtani has one more scheduled start for the regular season when the Dodgers travel to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. Latest Dodgers News
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