NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert was among the bystanders to help rescue a man and his family from a helicopter that had to make an emergency landing in the water near Davis Islands in Tampa on Thursday, according to Matt Cohen of the Tampa Bay Times.

Gabbert was on a personal watercraft at the time of the incident, per Cohen.

Tampa Police interim chief Lee Bercaw has made Bucs quarterback Blaine Gabbert an honorary member of their Tampa Police Marine Patrol after he and his two brothers saved four people from the water of a helicopter crash Thursday. pic.twitter.com/RLQTqa52oe

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 30, 2022

Hunter Hupp and his parents were taking a helicopter tour over Tampa and the city's beaches as a Christmas gift before he heard a "popping sound" from above his head. The helicopter's engine had failed and it wasn't going to make it back to the airport.

The helicopter made an emergency landing in the water around 200 yards from Davis Islands. As the aircraft began to sink, Hupp found himself entangled in seatbelts and other cords that made it difficult for him to escape.

Hupp's parents and the pilot made it out safely, but Hupp said he struggled under the water for between 45 seconds and a minute before he finally freed himself. Hupp, his parents and the pilot escaped with no injuries.

Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports Gabbert "was one of the first to respond on his jet ski" when the helicopter went down. The veteran signal-caller lives on Davis Islands, according to Auman.

As Hupp, his parents and the pilot treaded water, Gabbert and someone on another jet ski came along to help. Hupp said his father was helped up onto one jet ski and he and his mother onto the other.

Hupp, who had no idea an NFL quarterback was one of the rescuers, detailed the matter, via Auman:

"They slowly brought us back to the shore, a sandy beach near the yacht club, and hung out for a while, were really nice. We exchanged pleasantries upon reaching flat ground. They were really an asset to helping us out, because we were the only ones out there for a while. It was a handshake and a huge and 'Thank you so much.' They went out for a nice afternoon ride and just happened to come upon a stranded helicopter family."

The Tampa Police Department is now "coordinating with local and federal agencies regarding the investigation and eventual recovery of the helicopter."

Gabbert, who was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars 10th overall in 2011, has been with the Buccaneers since 2019 and serves as a backup to seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees was hospitalized after suffering an injury during an on-field collision ahead of Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, the team announced (h/t NFL Network's Ian Rapoport).

NFL analyst Cam Marino reported a Saints player ran into Pees during a kickoff drill.

It appears a member of Falcons staff was just carted off the field. Didn’t see what happened. The person was being attended to by medical staff for a few minutes.
Working to find out who it was. pic.twitter.com/hYmlxZHEWM

— Justin Felder (@Justin_FOX5) December 18, 2022

A cart and stretcher came out to take Pees off the field. Medical staff stabilized his neck before placing him on the cart and transporting him to the hospital, per ESPN's Michael Rothstein.

The Falcons said in their statement that Pees was "alert and responsive." He was released from the University Medical Center New Orleans after receiving treatment, the team later announced. He will fly back to Atlanta with the team.

Frank Bush took over as the team's interim defensive play caller Sunday.

Pees, 73, has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL for more than a decade. He entered the NFL as a linebackers coach for the New England Patriots in 2004 and became a defensive coordinator for the franchise in 2006.

After his stop in New England, Pees joined the Baltimore Ravens as an inside linebackers coach in 2010 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2012. He also served as defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans before coming out of retirement and joining the Falcons in 2021.

Pees is the oldest defensive coordinator in the NFL.

The Falcons could be in trouble without their defensive coordinator Sunday. They already entered the game with one of the NFL's worst defenses, allowing 380.6 yards per game (251.1 passing and 129.5 rushing).

Additionally, they are allowing 24.0 points per game.

The Falcons entered Sunday's game with a 5-8 record and still have a chance to win the NFC South.

There is a growing belief in NFL circles that Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks has earned the right to be appointed the team's full-time head coach, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"Slam dunk to take interim tag off title," an AFC executive told Fowler. "Better brand of football since he took over."

"They play hard for him, has full command of locker room," an NFC executive added.

Since taking over for the fired Matt Rhule in October, Wilks has led the team to a 4-4 record. The Panthers were 1-4 before the switch.

That turnaround has the Panthers, somewhat shockingly, just one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) for first place in the NFC South, with a crucial matchup between the teams coming on New Year's Day.

If the Panthers win out—a doable scenario, with winnable matchups against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Bucs and New Orleans Saints left on the schedule—they are guaranteed to win the division since they already beat the Bucs once and a second victory in the matchup would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker.

They would also have a better divisional record than the 5-8 Atlanta Falcons if the Falcons won their four remaining games.

Wilks has turned around the Panthers amid a consistent quarterback carousel that has seen Baker Mayfield, PJ Walker and Sam Darnold all start, with Wilks settling on Darnold for the time being.

The team also traded key offensive playmakers Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson and has leaned on a young, aggressive defense and the dual-headed rushing attack of D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard.

Wilks says the offensive line has "taken ownership" of the fact they're a strength of this team now.

With the emphasis on the run game, and the protection for all the QBs, that's certainly been the case (and very different from last year).

— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) December 14, 2022

It has been an old-school approach, but it's worked for Wilks and the Panthers.

The 53-year-old has only been given one other NFL head coaching opportunity, going 3-13 with the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 season. He's also spent time as a defensive coordinator with the Panthers (2017) and Cleveland Browns (2019) and has a long history coaching defensive backs and serving as an assistant head coach at the NFL level.

But he's helped turn this Panthers team around. If Carolina makes an unlikely push to the playoffs, he'll almost assuredly be handed the reins on a full-time basis.

Despite speculation that Tom Brady could return for a 24th year in 2023, there's a growing belief from NFL insiders he will walk away at the end of this season.

Per The Athletic's Mike Jones, a majority of insiders "believe" Brady will likely retire when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season wraps up.

Prior to the Bucs' game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Brady "feels good enough to keep playing" and is keeping all of his options on the table.

Brady flirted with retirement at the end of last season. The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced on Feb. 1 he was walking away from the sport, but he changed his mind on March 13.

This season has been a challenge for Brady and the Bucs. The 15-time Pro Bowler is still playing well with 3,585 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. He leads the league in completions (381) and attempts (579).

Injuries and poor performances at other positions have caused all sorts of problems for the offense. They have the fifth-worst scoring offense in the NFL with 17.2 points per game entering Week 15.

Tampa Bay has scored fewer than 20 points in each of its last three games. It only did that five times in the previous two seasons combined.

Given the state of the Buccaneers' roster and already being $40 million over the 2023 salary cap, it would seem unlikely that Brady returns to the team next season if he does continue playing.

There are several teams that could potentially be looking for a new quarterback during the offseason. Jones listed the 49ers, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans as potential landing spots for Brady.

While there will be a lot of focus on what Brady does after the season, the Bucs are still in the running for a playoff spot. They lead the NFC South by one game, despite having a 6-7 record.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady denied a report that he adjusts the team's offensive plan without coaches' input before every game.

"No," Brady said in his Thursday press conference, per ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio. "I have no idea. I mean, anybody can write anything, and say whatever they want. So, no. ... I'm not gonna respond to every—next question."

NFL insider Michael Silver wrote in a recent article for the San Francisco Chronicle that Brady "runs a separate meeting with the Bucs' skill players" the night before every game and "goes over the game plan, makes tweaks to assignments and formations and provides a revised blueprint" that head coach Todd Bowles and the Bucs staff don't know about until it is being executed on game day.

Bowles also refuted the report earlier this week, via the team's official website:

"No, we know what's going on in the meeting and we know all the tweaks. The defensive guys meet by themselves as well. We have several position groups that meet by themselves as well to get on the same page together before a game. That's nothing … That's not new."

Even if Brady is making "tweaks" to Tampa Bay's offensive game plan, it hasn't resulted in much improvement. While the Bucs are averaging 338.6 yards per game—265.7 yards passing and 72.9 yards rushing—they rank 28th in the NFL in scoring, averaging just 17.2 points per game.

Additionally, it's worth wondering if Brady should be making adjustments in the first place. His resume, which includes seven Super Bowl titles and three MVP awards, speaks for itself, but Bowles is in his first season as head coach, and it's possible the offense is struggling without one concrete plan in place.

Tampa Bay's offensive struggles have resulted in the team posting a 6-7 record following a brutal 35-7 loss to rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Since the NFC South has been so bad this season, the Bucs are still first place in the division, occupying the NFC's fourth playoff seed. But if things don't change, they could be blown out come playoff time.

The Buccaneers have matchups against the 9-4 Cincinnati Bengals, 4-9 Arizona Cardinals, 5-8 Carolina Panthers and 5-8 Atlanta Falcons to close out the season. Tampa Bay's matchups with two divisional opponents could prove to be hugely important to the team's postseason hopes.

It's Desmond Ridder's time. And the Atlanta Falcons have approached his rookie season as though that time would come this year.

"I'm prepared for this," Ridder told reporters on Wednesday. "This is what they've been preparing me for. They didn't want to baby me."

Marcus Mariota has been the starting quarterback up until this point, but head coach Arthur Smith chose to make the switch to Ridder during the bye, giving him an extra week to prepare as the starter for Sunday's matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

Ridder, 23, has yet to play at all in the regular season after being Atlanta's Round 3 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. But he's felt as though the team has been preparing him for the possibility of seeing the field at any moment.

"It means going about the game plan how a 12-year vet, an eight-year vet, whatever it may be," Ridder told reporters. "Not putting on a wristband, (but) making me memorize every single play call, all the ins and outs, all the checks, all the cadence, just taking it like I've been in the league for eight years (even though) I've been in the league for six months."

Tom Brady's former teammate Rob Gronkowski believes the veteran quarterback will thrive as a Fox Sports analyst once he retires from the NFL.

"Tom's gonna kill it. ... He knows football like no other," Gronkowski told TMZ Sports. "He can break down any player at any time. He'll just present it to the screen, showing the strength and weaknesses. He can talk football like no other."

As for when Gronk thinks his old pal will retire, that remains to be seen.

"That dude's a beast," he said of the 45-year-old Brady. "He can go forever."

He joked that Brady could play until he was 68, but it hasn't looked like it this season. Brady has thrown for 3,585 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 65.8 percent of his passes and taking 18 sacks. The Bucs are just 6-7, though they're still in first place in the awful NFC South.

It will be the first time since 2009 that Brady hasn't won 11 games as a team's starting quarterback, although the Bucs' issues run far deeper than him.

Six months after announcing his retirement from the NFL, Danny Amendola says he would be willing to come back for one specific player.

Appearing on The Herd with Colin Cowherd (h/t Dan Lyons of Sports Illustrated), Amendola said he would "absolutely" return if Tom Brady called him.

"Tom's done a lot for me, and if he needs me, I'd always play for Tom," he added.

When the Buccaneers signed Cole Beasley in September, Amendola said on Inside the NFL he never got a call to join the team:

"[The Bucs] just signed Cole Beasley... I didn't get a call."

- @Edelman11

via @insidetheNFL pic.twitter.com/lg0YAvquHe

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 21, 2022

Beasley was only with Tampa for two weeks before announcing his retirement. The 33-year-old ended his retirement on Tuesday when he was signed by the Buffalo Bills to join their practice squad.

Amendola and Brady spent five seasons together with the New England Patriots from 2013 to 2017. They had a terrific connection on the field, with Amendola ranking eighth among all Patriots players in passes caught from Brady (271).

The Patriots played in three Super Bowls during that five-season stretch, winning twice. Amendola led all players with 152 receiving yards in New England's 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52.

Amendola left the Patriots as a free agent in March 2018 when he signed a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. He remained a productive player, but his run with New England was the most high-profile stretch of his career.

After stints with the Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans, Amendola officially announced his retirement on July 25.

Wouldn’t have it any other way. pic.twitter.com/DbU0Ubrgkf

— Danny Amendola (@DannyAmendola) July 26, 2022

At the time of his announcement, Amendola had offers on the table from multiple teams to continue playing.

Amid reporters that Marcus Mariota left the Atlanta Falcons upon learning Desmond Ridder would be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, head coach Arthur Smith addressed his status.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Smith said Mariota's decision to have knee surgery "had nothing to do with" the decision to play Ridder.

Josh Kendall of The Athletic reported the Falcons learned on Friday, one day after it was reported Ridder would take over at quarterback, that Mariota was going to step away from the team.

Smith confirmed the quarterback change on Monday, and told reporters the decision was "performance-based" due to Mariota's struggles.

During the same press conference, Smith said Mariota's knee was "nothing that has been an issue this season," but it was Mariota's "prerogative" to do what he felt was in his best interest.

Ridder was the second quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL draft. He was selected by the Falcons with the 74th overall pick. The 23-year-old was a two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year winner at Cincinnati. He has yet to appear in a game this season.

The Falcons signed Mariota to a two-year contract as a free agent in March. He was named the team's starter early in training camp and has played each of the first 13 games this season.

Mariota has played okay in Smith's offense with 2,219 passing yards, 438 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns (15 passing, four rushing).

After scoring at least 23 points in each of their first four games, the Falcons have been held to fewer than 20 points in six of their past nine games.

Despite having a 5-8 record, the Falcons are only one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South. They will play the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers could win the NFC South with Steve Wilks as their interim head coach, but team owner David Tepper is keeping an eye on several names to take over on a permanent basis after this season.

Per ESPN's Dan Graziano, Tepper wants to hire someone with previous head-coaching experience and has a list of candidates that includes Sean Payton, Leslie Frazier, Marvin Lewis, Frank Reich and Dan Quinn.

Payton will probably be the top coaching candidate for every team with a vacancy this offseason. His situation is complicated by the fact that he retired from the New Orleans Saints, who still own his coaching rights through the 2023 season.

Any team that wants to hire Payton may end up needing to give the Saints compensation in a trade.

Even if the Panthers wanted to bring in Payton, the odds of New Orleans letting him go to a division rival would seem low barring some obscene trade offer.

Jon Gruden was traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 for a package that included two first-round draft picks, two second-round selections and $8 million.

It seems unlikely any team would make that kind of offer for a coach nowadays, but you never know what a desperate owner might do.

There's also the question of where Payton might want to coach if he returns next season. He is working as an NFL analyst for Fox and can stay in that role if there isn't a job opening he wants to take.

Quinn and Frazier are having outstanding seasons in their current roles. Quinn is in his second campaign with the Dallas Cowboys as defensive coordinator. The team ranks in the top 10 in yards allowed per game (310.9), passing yards allowed per game (182.4) and points allowed per game (17.6).

Frazier has been defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Buffalo Bills since 2020. Their defense ranked first in points allowed in 2021 and currently ranks second in points allowed (17.0) this season.

Reich's tenure with the Indianapolis Colts ended poorly, but he led the team to three winning seasons and two playoff appearances in his first four campaigns. The 61-year-old was also the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles team that won the Super Bowl in 2017.

Wilks has done a terrific job with the Panthers since taking over after Matt Rhule was fired in October. The team is 4-4 in eight games with Wilks after a 1-4 start to the season.

Sunday was the Panthers' best win of the campaign, as they pulled out a 30-24 victory on the road against a Seattle Seahawks team that is fighting for a playoff spot.

Despite trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by one game, the Panthers control their destiny in the NFC South race. They already have a 21-3 victory over the Bucs, and the two teams play again in Tampa in Week 17.