Football

Joe Burrow had a digit disaster at his press conference on Wednesday ... 'cause the superstar quarterback wore the wrong jersey!!

The 26-year-old showed off the new look as he met with reporters ... and he was immediately asked if he was ditching #9 for #8.

Naturally, as soon as Burrow looked down to check what they were talking about ... he started cracking up.

"I guess I put the wrong one on," Burrow laughed. "So what happened was, I forgot about the press conference ... so I put my jersey back on. But apparently, it wasn't my jersey."

"Guess it's been that kind of day, huh?"

FYI -- #8 belongs to Brandon Allen, the backup quarterback who resigned with the Bengals last March.

Hopefully, Burrow remembers to wear his own jersey when the Bengals take on the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday.

Speaking of the game, Burrow eventually got to talkin' about the big road matchup ... and he's not concerned about the Bills being the betting favorite.

"I always enjoy going on the road. Just you and your guys," Burrow said. "It feels like it's you against the world and that's where we like to be."

"Never feel like an underdog."

Don't fret, Cowboys fans ... Martin Gramatica -- one of the best kickers in NFL history -- is predicting a bounce-back game for Brett Maher, explaining all the guy has to do is just "forget" about his dreadful performance in Tampa.

Maher missed four extra points in the Cowboys' playoff win over the Buccaneers on Monday night -- and he looked downright beat up over the performance both during and afterward.

But, Gramatica told Babcock on "TMZ Sports" on Tuesday that he doesn't think the Dallas placekicker should be all that concerned ... explaining it was just one game.

Gramatica advises the 33-year-old to move on quickly ... adding that he believes Maher has a whole season of success that should trump his bad evening in South Florida.

"I would just say, do what you did throughout the year," said Gramatica, who made 76.4 percent of his kicks in his 11-year NFL career. "Short memory. Forget about it. You're good enough. You got us here."

Maher made 29 of his 32 field goal attempts this season ... and rarely struggled prior to the playoff stinker. Gramatica made it clear both the kicker and his team should focus on that -- as opposed to the missed kicks against the Bucs.

"The message I guarantee you from his teammates and coaches is, You got us here," the former Bucs and Cowboys kicker said. "You helped us get here. Some of your game-winners got us here."

"So, forget about it. Next game, we're going to need you."

Tusk V, the University of Arkansas' legendary live mascot, has died, the school announced Tuesday. He was 4 years old.

The University released a statement on Tusk V's passing ... saying he died of natural causes at his home outside of Dardanelle, Arkansas.

Tusk, born on April 19, 2018, served as the school's official live mascot for three years (2019-2022) and witnessed the football team win two bowl games during his tenure.

Tusk V was a staple on the sidelines at Razorbacks games ... and would routinely interact with fans throughout the season.

Tusk V's last regular season appearance was on Nov. 19 at the team's home finale ... when Arkansas defeated Ole Miss 42-27 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The Russian boar was most recently on hand for the Hogs' 55-53 win in triple overtime over Kansas in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Tusk V became the official live mascot after his father, Tusk IV, retired in 2019. He will be succeeded by his brother, Tusk VI, who will continue the live mascot tradition.

Tusk V -- who would have turned 5 in April -- was laid to rest on the Stokes family farm, the caretakers for the university's mascots.

Devin Willock -- the Univ. of Georgia offensive lineman who tragically died in a car accident on Sunday -- was ejected from the vehicle during the wreck after not wearing a seat belt ... this according to the crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, authorities say the crash happened at around 2:45 AM in Athens ... after the driver of the 2021 Ford Expedition, UGA staffer Chandler LeCroy, "failed to negotiate a left curve" and barreled into two poles and trees -- before eventually coming to a halt against an apartment building.

Excessive speed was listed as a contributing factor in the crash, the report states. The posted speed limit in the area was 40 MPH.

The report adds LeCroy was not tested for alcohol or drugs.

In the docs, authorities say LeCroy and another passenger, UGA offensive lineman Warren McClendon, were both wearing lap and shoulder belts. But, according to the report, Willock and the car's fourth passenger, 26-year-old Victoria Bowles, were not using theirs.

The report states Willock, who was just 20 years old, died at the scene after being thrown from the vehicle. LeCroy was transported to a hospital after the crash but died a short time later.

According to the docs, McClendon and Bowles were transported to medical facilities for treatment for what were described as "suspected minor or visible" injuries.

The UGA community -- which had celebrated the team's national championship win over TCU just hours before the fatal crash -- is still reeling from the accident ... with star quarterback Stetson Bennett saying in a social media post on Tuesday, he's devastated over it all.

Tom Brady's biggest fan is taking a page out of Gisele Bundchen's book ... calling out the quarterback's teammates for the Buccaneers' playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Stunning model Veronika Rajek -- who sports 3.5 million followers on Instagram -- has gone viral for her TB12 support this season ... even going as far as to say she loves the 7-time Super Bowl champ.

Just like all Tampa Bay fans, Rajek was left in disbelief after Brady and Co. were torn apart on Monday Night Football and booted from the postseason ... and instead of focusing on TB12's less-than-stellar performance, she pointed fingers at the other 52 men on the roster.

"I'm just sorry," Rajek said on IG after the game. "But one guy cannot play for everyone on the field. TB you did your best. Like always."

"But one piece of the puzzle doesn't make a picture."

The comments are similar to what Brady's ex-wife said after the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI ... when she infamously stated, "My husband can not f***ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."

Antonio Brown went too far on social media again -- the controversial former NFL superstar just shared a sexually-explicit private picture on his Snapchat with the mother of his children.

The post -- which has since been deleted from AB's profile -- showed the woman performing oral sex on the Super Bowl champ in bed. The picture quickly circulated on other social media platforms early Tuesday morning.

It's unclear when the image was taken, but we're assuming it isn't recent -- things have gotten ugly between the two sides, with Kyriss claiming AB sent "explicit videos" to their son during an alleged domestic violence incident back in November.

AB has become notorious for his Snap updates recently -- as we previously reported, he shared a poorly Photoshopped pic of Tom Brady's ex, Gisele Bündchen ... editing her face onto a nude body.

The former Steeler has also trolled Brady throughout the quarterback's divorce ... sharing memes mocking his old teammate.

It's unclear why AB posted the NSFW pic, but he's been active on Twitter as well ... saying, "Don't play wit me. Play Football."

The city of Buffalo has some fresh new artwork ... weeks after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the football field, a local artist painted a mural of the Bills safety!

Adam Zyglis, the artist, was the mastermind behind the project ... and he collaborated with Rory Allen to find the perfect place for the mural. The guys decided on Larkin Square.

FYI, Larkin Square is outside downtown Buffalo ... and is about 15 minutes away from Highmark Stadium, where the Bills play their home games.

Adam, an editorial cartoonist at the Buffalo News, tells us the inspiration for the mural was born when he heard 24-year-old Hamlin was being released from the hospital.

"I completed the illustration late last week after reading news of Damar Hamlin returning to Buffalo and coming home," Adam told us. "That moment of tragedy united the country across team allegiances and party lines."

He continued ... "It was a human moment, and his recovery was an illustration of Buffalo's strength, love, and resiliency. As the coach said, it was much bigger than football."

The 17-foot-tall illustration, which shows Damar in his Bills uniform making a heart gesture with his hands, was hand-drawn by Adam and took 4-5 hours to create and color.

The mural was installed on Monday, and once Damar saw the sick artwork on social media, he tweeted, "Where is this?" with a heart emoji and two fire emojis.

Of course, Damar hasn't returned to the field since being released from a Buffalo hospital last week ... however, Hamlin did visit his teammates at the facility over the weekend.

Hamlin supported his squad as he watched them defeat the Dolphins in the Wild-Card round ... and will be cheering for the Bills in the divisional round when they play the Bengals.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage was forced to leave Monday night's playoff game on a backboard ... and the scene was scary -- particularly in the wake of Damar Hamlin's on-field medical emergency just two weeks ago.

Gage went down awkwardly late in the fourth quarter of TB's blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys -- and he didn't get up immediately ... prompting officials and medical personnel to race onto the field to tend to him.

The 26-year-old wideout, who took a violent hit to the head and neck area on the play, stayed down for several minutes ... all while Cowboys and Buccaneers players looked on with worried expressions on their faces.

Gage was ultimately strapped to a backboard and rushed to the hospital.

Following the game, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said Tom Brady's target had a concussion and was being evaluated for potential neck injuries. He was not sure if Gage had movement in all of his extremities.

"His fingers were moving when he was down there," Bowles said. "I don't know about the rest."

The terrifying moment happened just 14 days after Hamlin was taken off the field in an ambulance during a similar scene on Monday Night Football as well.

Hamlin, thankfully, has since made tremendous strides in recovering from the crisis. We're all now hoping Gage sees similar results.

Tom Brady ain't ready to call it a career -- at least, not publicly in the immediate aftermath of Monday night's playoff loss to the Cowboys -- the star quarterback told reporters he's still "truly" undecided about his football future.

Brady addressed media members for around five minutes following the Buccaneers' 31-14 loss to Dallas in the opening round of the 2023 postseason ... and was noncommittal when it came to questions about his next steps.

"I'm going to go home and get a good night sleep -- as good as I can tonight," the 45-year-old said ... before adding that he has no timetable for a career decision.

"This has been a lot of focus on, you know, this game. So, yeah. It'll just be one day at a time. Truly."

Brady then bid farewell to Buccaneers reporters -- a gesture that some believe could have potentially tipped his hand.

"Thank you everybody for welcoming me," Tom said ... "Just very grateful for the respect and I hope I gave the same thing back to you guys. So, thank you very much."

If it is the end, it certainly wasn't the storybook finish the future Hall of Famer would have liked. Brady looked messy for almost the entire evening against Dallas, completing just 53 percent of his 66 passes and throwing a back-breaking interception in the first half.

Tom -- a free agent this offseason -- does have options moving forward. He can return to Tampa, or he can go elsewhere ... reportedly, several other teams want him in 2023. Or, he can jump into the broadcasting deal he already inked in 2022.

A retirement decision last year ultimately came in February, before he reversed course just a couple weeks later. So, buckle in ... a long offseason of Brady speculation awaits.

Daniel Jones has what it takes to lead the Giants to a Super Bowl win in New York ... according to David Tyree, who knows a little something about winning a Lombardi Trophy.

The former Giants receiver and special teams ace joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs daily on FS1) -- a day after the G-Men won a road playoff game -- where the Super Bowl 42 hero was asked if Jones was, without any doubt, the team's franchise QB.

"I think I said 6 to 8 weeks back, Daniel Jones is the quarterback for the New York Giants. You don't allow gold to walk out of the building for the potential of platinum, right?" Tyree asked.

"We're not gonna sit up here and say he deserves Deshaun Watson money, but he deserves that full-blown opportunity to represent this organization in the same manner that he did this year. He's earned the right, he's been dominant, he's been consistent, he's limited turnovers. He's done everything you can ask a quarterback to do and he's got the right temperament in the New York City market."

Of course, David was half of (arguably) the greatest play in Super Bowl history, the "Helmet Catch." Tyree, with the Giants trailing Tom Brady and the undefeated Patriots by 4 points with under 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, and All-Pro Rodney Harrison blanketing him, miraculously came down with a crucial Eli Manning pass on 3rd & 5.

Just a few plays later, Manning threw the Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress.

Question is, can 25-year-old Jones play well enough to lead the Giants to another Super Bowl?

"Yeah, I think the Giants are closer than I ever could imagine. Let's just be honest, I believe in all those guys who play at wide receivers but I'm just as good as them and I was the 3rd and 4th wide receiver on the roster. This is amazing what's happening."

David says with an offseason to add talent, the team will continue to improve.

"They're gonna be able to have some salary cap, able to make some good moves in the market in the offseason but obviously, they have to sign those centerpieces like Saquon [Barkley], Daniel Jones, and Dexter Lawrence."

Speaking of Catch-42 or the helmet catch ... Tyree is about to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the historic play by putting on a youth football camp, Catch Camp, in Arizona, the site of the 2008 catch, and this season's SB.

The camp, which will take place on February 3, doesn't just focus on running and catch  ... Tyree says they'll also teach the kids life skills.

There's more -- we also talked to David about the job head coach Brian Daboll's done this season, taking essentially the same roster Joe Judge went 4-13 with just a season ago, and going 9-7-1 and winning a playoff game.

Tyree, who was Director of Player Development after retiring, was let go by Judge and GM Dave Gettleman ... and let's just say he doesn't speak very fondly of how the organization was run under the two men.

Deshaun Watson's out of the NFL playoffs, but don't feel too bad for the guy ... the quarterback is now on a tropical vacation, cozying up with his smokin'-hot girlfriend, Jilly Anais.

While the league's last remaining teams are duking it out for a spot in Super Bowl LVI, the Cleveland Browns star's mind couldn't be further from a football field ... as he hit a boat on Monday with Anais in an exotic location -- and clearly enjoyed the free time.

In video that Anais shot and posted on her social media page ... you can see she and Watson got really close on the ship's deck -- sippin' what appeared to be some champagne while soaking in the warm weather.

The two also got some up-close-and-personal time in the water ... when Anais hopped on Watson's back while he was cruisin' around in the ocean on an underwater sea scooter.

The couple seemed to be wearing some matching bathing suits, too ... and at one point, Watson even got close to Anais' bikini bottoms with a bottle of Veuve.

The vacation is a much-needed one for Watson, who had a rough season. After serving an 11-game ban following allegations he was inappropriate with female massage therapists, he came back rusty, completing just 58.2 percent of his passes while throwing five interceptions in six starts.

A Jimmy John's employee hilariously trolled former Lions QB Dan Orlovsky for notoriously running out of the back of the end zone during a game 14+ years ago ... reminding him of the gaffe while the analyst simply attempted to order lunch.

It was 2008 ... Orvlosky was the quarterback in Detroit, and the Lions were on the road in Minnesota, playing the Vikings at Mall of America Field.

Orlovsky and the Lions were backed up in their own territory. Orlovsky dropped back to pass, but was pressured by star DT Jared Allen, who began chasing Dan.

Orlovsky panicked once he saw Allen pursuing, and proceeded to run out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety, and giving birth to one of the funniest plays in NFL history.

On Monday, ESPN's Laura Rutledge posted video of Orlovsky being trolled ... saying someone at the popular sandwich chain, Jimmy John's, rehashed the iconic (or painful, if you're Dan) moment.

"Watch out for the back of the end zone," the sandwich's packaging read, much to Dan's chagrin. "How they gonna do our guy like that," Laura asked jokingly.

Meanwhile, Dan's other colleague, Mina Kimes, seemed to think the troll job was hysterical.

To his credit, Orlovsky did crack a smile ... and also got the last laugh, clapping back ... "I like Subway better."

Josh Allen to ... Rob Gronkowski?!?

Gronk revealed this week that this combination nearly happened this season ... explaining on the the "New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce" podcast that he was this close to signing with the Bills in 2022.

"I was like, 'Ahh. Tom [Brady] retired, I'ma check out some other teams," the 33-year-old future Hall of Famer said. "I was actually in talks with the Buffalo Bills a little bit. They wanted me to come up there."

Gronkowski though, said the two sides never got the chance to strike a deal -- telling the Kelces on the pod he just couldn't find the desire to play more football this season.

"It just wasn't there," the ex-Bucs star said.

But, if it had been there? "I would probably most likely be in Buffalo right now playing with the Bills," he revealed.

Of course Travis tried to make sure things stayed that way ... the Chiefs star told Gronk to remain retired -- just in case K.C. has to play Buffalo for a spot in next month's Super Bowl.

"Don't join them after this week," Travis said with a smile, before joking Gronk should just continue to do cool events like his upcoming field goal kick for a live Super Bowl commercial.

"Just kick the field goal, man!" Travis said.

FYI, Gronk has some Bills in his DNA -- he grew up 17 minutes from Buffalo ... and said he was upset when the team picked defensive tackle Torell Troup over him in the 2010 NFL Draft.

"They passed me and then I was pissed, kind of," Gronk said. "I was like, dude, I could've just played for my hometown team, like, they don't have a tight end and they passed me at 41.'"

Ohio State will have to find a new starting quarterback in 2023 ... the Buckeyes' star signal-caller, C.J. Stroud, has declared for the NFL draft.

The 21-year-old announced his decision on social media on Monday ... calling the choice "one of the hardest I've ever had to make."

Stroud then thanked his teammates, coaches, fans and more for making his career at OSU a special one.

"To Buckeye nation, it's been a helluva ride," Stroud said. "To the students, alumni, and all of the OHIO state fans, thank you for welcoming a kid from Cali into the Buckeye family."

Stroud put up monster numbers throughout his career ... but really shined in his final college game, throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns in the CFP Semifinal against Georgia.

Stroud is considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft ... with some experts projecting he will be selected as high as number one overall.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor continued his playoff tradition after his team pulled off a tight win over the Baltimore Ravens ... by hitting up a Cincinnati bar to present a game ball to fans!!

The fourth-year play caller showed up at The Blind Pig -- right across the street from Paycor Stadium -- following the Bengals' 24-17 dub over their division rivals on Sunday night ... and the crowd was clearly thrilled to have him join their party.

Taylor even addressed the patrons in attendance ... thanking them for their continued support.

"We appreciate it," Taylor said over the mic. "You all are the best fans in the whole world."

"Playoff win, the first of many," he continued. "Love you guys. Game ball to the Blind Pig. Appreciate all your support. We need you next week in Buffalo, find a way to get up there. Find a way, find a way. Who Dey!!"

The Bengals will now travel to New York to face the Bills in the divisional round ... setting up a matchup between Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.

Damar Hamlin continues to be with his team in spirit as their Cinderella journey toward a potential Super Bowl continues ... and it looks like he was even briefly with them in person.

The Buffalo Bills safety was tweeting out support for his guys Sunday as they took on the Miami Dolphins in a playoff game ... which they ended up winning by a few points to now advance to the AFC Divisional Round, making them one step closer to a SB appearance.

Right from the kickoff, Hamlin was tweeting ... one read, "My heart is with my guys as they compete today! Supporting from home as I focus on my recovery. Nothing I want more than to be out there with them! LFG." He attached an old video of him hyping up fans.

He sent other tweets throughout the game as well, including one that shouted out fellow safety Dean Marlowe and another congratulating running back James Cook. Both guys made great plays that helped the Bills secure the win in dramatic fashion -- with a 34 - 31 score.

Right after the game, Hamlin tweeted a "W" with some accompanying emojis that matched the team colors, and showed off a hand-gestured heart. Dude's clearly stoked.

Some thought DH was actually going to attend this matchup in person, as he showed up at the Bills' training facility at some point this weekend ... where he met face-to-face with his teammates and shared some smiles. A photo of this was posted to LB Matt Milano's IG Story.

It speaks to his remarkable recovery since his horrific on-field injury ... which nearly claimed his life. In the end, it seems like Hamlin is opting to take it easy, and that's probably for the best. While he seems good as new now, nobody expects him to hit the field anytime soon.

Considering the tremendous adversity the team has been put through these past two weeks ... it's kind of a miracle that they're continuing to play so well, clocking in victory after victory.