Morning Sports Update
Long weighed in on a recent report about how McDaniels took issue with Antonio Pierce’s reference to the Patriots.
Chris Long, Josh McDaniels, and “The Patriot Way”: Given the Patriots’ recent struggles, and former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels being fired from his job as head coach of the Raiders, it hasn’t exactly been a great time for proponents of the so-called “Patriot Way.”
One of the recent commentators to take aim at the longstanding term — often vaguely used to describe New England’s long run of success — was former defensive lineman Chris Long.
Long, who helped the Patriots win Super Bowl LI (and retired following the 2019 season), spoke about McDaniels and New England during a recent episode of his podcast, “Green Light with Chris Long.”
McDaniels was replaced by interim Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who Long praised.
“It’s just a spot where guys play big for a guy they love,” Long said of Las Vegas players’ commitment to Pierce.
He recapped a reported story about McDaniels and Pierce, and how a perceived slight against the Patriots may have contributed to former’s exit as coach.
“When you heard the story last week that they actually — Josh McDaniels was like, ‘Hey, my players don’t like me, Antonio Pierce, can you help me get better liked?’ And he nails it, he hits it out of the park by all accounts.
“And then at the end of it, he makes the comment about when they beat the Patriots. And Josh freaks out and he’s like, ‘You don’t talk to the Patriots like that!’”
Long, who noted that he likes McDaniels after their time together with the Patriots, nonetheless panned his ex-coach’s response to Pierce.
“If Josh said that — I’m sorry, I love Josh because he was with me in New England — that is the lamest s*** in the world,” he said. “And that is why people don’t like certain New England people. It’s because it’s like it’s untouchable. What is ‘The Patriot Way’?
“I don’t know what it is,” Long admitted, “because it’s not working in New England and you certainly can’t walk into a new building and be like, ‘This is about the Patriots,’ when you haven’t done s***. Not at your first stop or your second stop.”
The Raiders clobbered the Giants 30-6 in Pierce’s first game in charge, improving the team’s record to 4-5.
Trivia: Chris Long was selected second overall by the Rams in 2008. Who is the only other player from the University of Virginia to be picked in the top five of an NFL draft over the last 20 years.
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Picked by the Jets, and played all 10 seasons of his NFL career with them.
Scores and schedule:
Tonight, the Revolution host the Philadelphia Union in the second game of a best-of-three first-round playoff series. New England lost the first game and now faces a must-win scenario in order to keep the season going. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Also tonight, the Celtics are in Philadelphia to play the 76ers at 7 p.m.
Tomorrow, the Bruins the Islanders at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Tom Brady and Victor Wembanyama: Brady posted the photo on his Instagram, adding a joke for Julian Edelman.
Fun moment for a former Bruin: Vinni Lettieri, who played one game for the Bruins last season amid a year spent mostly with in Providence, scored his first goal as a member of the Minnesota Wild during a 4-2 win over the Islanders on Tuesday. The moment was special because his grandfather, Lou Nanne, was calling the game.
On this day: In 2007, Revolution forward Taylor Twellman scored a spectacular bicycle kick to send New England to the MLS Cup Final with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire.
Daily highlight: Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta stormed out of net to make multiple diving saves. Carolina defeated Buffalo 3-2 in overtime.
Trivia answer: D’Brickashaw Ferguson
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