Football

Eli Manning surprised the hell out of Michael Strahan on Wednesday -- jumping out of a box to inform the ex-NFL star his Giants jersey is being retired ... and the scene was AWESOME!!!

It all went down on the set of "Good Morning America" ... when Eli was rolled into the studio in a giant wooden box to break the news to Michael that no future NY player would ever wear his old #92 again.

Check out the video ... Strahan was shocked to see his former QB -- and he was even more surprised when his ex-teammates Justin Tuck and Jessie Armstead joined in too!

The trio explained to Strahan the honor ... informing the former pass rusher that his jersey retirement ceremony will happen on Nov. 28.

To make the announcement even sweeter, they told Strahan the game will be when the Giants play his old rival, the Philadelphia Eagles.

New York later released a statement on the honor, with Giants president John Mara saying, "He deserves to have his number retired as other Giants immortals have, including Mel Hein, Frank Gifford and Lawrence Taylor."

Mara added, "Michael's career was defined by his achievements, his consistency and his leadership. Very few defensive ends played the position as well as Michael."

Strahan -- a second-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft -- was a BEAST during his 15-year NFL career ... logging 141.5 sacks -- the most in Giants history and the 6th-most ever in the league.

Strahan still holds the record for the most sacks in a single-season (22.5) ... and he also owns a Super Bowl ring -- one in which he earned by famously beating Tom Brady's undefeated Patriots.

"Michael Strahan was a Hall of Fame player and he is a Hall of Fame person," Giants chairman and executive vice president Steve Tisch said.

"Only the very best players get their jerseys retired and Michael is in that category in Giants history and NFL history, as well."

Bill Belichick is clearing the air on why Cam Newton is no longer a New England Patriot ... saying it had NOTHING to do with the QB's COVID-19 vaccine status.

The longtime Pats head coach addressed the decision to sack the 2015 MVP with reporters on Wednesday ... and while he didn't budge on most of the questions surrounding the roster move, he made sure to squash any indication it was related to Cam being unvaccinated.

"No," Belichick said bluntly ... before claiming vaccinated players have had issues with COVID as well.

"The number of players and coaches and staff members that have been affected by COVID in this training camp who have been vaccinated is a pretty high number. So, I wouldn't lose sight of that."

Belichick adds there are other players on the team who haven't gotten the jab ... and having everyone vaccinated wouldn't guarantee other issues from popping up.

"Your implication that vaccination solves every problem is just not really ... I would say that has not been substantiated based on what's happening in training camp this year. That's all."

Of course, Cam ran into some issues last week after some confusion surrounding daily testing ... and was forced to keep away from the team for 5 days.

Patriots legend Deion Branch says Bill Belichick actually HELPED Cam Newton by cutting him Tuesday ... explaining to TMZ Sports the move will now allow the QB to find a starting job elsewhere.

Branch's logic is simple ... he says if Newton had stayed in New England, he would've warmed the bench all season behind Mac Jones.

Now, however, after releasing the former NFL MVP -- Branch says Belichick allowed the 32-year-old to go try to compete for a QB1 role in another city.

"Let's tip our hats off to coach Belichick and the move that he did make," Branch said ... "freeing Cam and allowing him to go and seek another team."

Branch believes there will be plenty of Newton suitors now that he's on the open market ... with the ex-Pats wideout telling us everyone from the Houston Texans to the Miami Dolphins could be interested in signing the 32-year-old.

"For sure he'll be picked up," Deion says.

Malik McDowell -- a 2nd round pick out of Michigan State in 2017 -- is gunning to make the most of his second chance at being an NFL player ... saying he's in the "best place" he's been in a long time.

Of course, 25-year-old McDowell has yet to play a down in a REAL NFL football game -- he suffered an injury in an ATV accident just weeks before his rookie training camp with the Seattle Seahawks ... and was arrested 5 times between 2017 and 2019.

He was released by the 'Hawks in March 2019 ... and was sentenced to 11 months in jail later that year. Needless to say, most people expected McDowell's career all but over.

But, McDowell has been busting his ass ever since his release -- he signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns in May ... and on Tuesday, he was named to the team's 53-man roster for the 2021 season.

Malik spoke about his journey back to the field ... saying his time behind bars helped put his priorities in order and motivate him to turn things around.

"I know what my life could be without football and the stuff I fell into without playing football," McDowell said Tuesday. "I just wanted to get more structure back in my life."

Malik says he's not going to make the Browns look bad for giving him another shot ... and he's going to give it his all.

"My career's at stake, my livelihood, taking care of my family, chance to take care of my family. Just to do what the everyday person can't do, go out there in front of thousands of fans and play a game and get paid lots of money to do it."

"That's a lot of people's dreams and I get to live my dream."

McDowell also gives a big shoutout to his biggest supporter -- his mother, Joya Crowe.

"When I ain't believe in myself, she was still believing in me and everyday she told me you gon' play football one day again, even when I didn't believe her 'cause I'm going through all my situations."

"She saw past everything I was going through and she know me the best. That's my real driving force. She was the one who pushed me the most."

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson is doing her part to help ensure Louisianians gets back on their feet after Hurricane Ida ... donating $1 MILLION to storm victims.

Benson and the Saints announced the charitable act on Monday -- saying they're praying for those impacted by the hurricane that has wreaked havoc on Louisiana since it made landfall over the weekend.

"As South Louisiana and the Gulf Coast begin to assess the significant damage inflicted by Hurricane Ida, please know our prayers are with all of those who have suffered from the impacts of this historical storm," Benson and the Saints said.

"We have great faith in the resilience and strength of our community and look forward to doing everything in our power to help lead in the recovery."

Benson and the Saints say the $1 million will go to their Gulf Coast Renewal Fund ... and they urged others to join in with donations as well.

"We will continue to be in close communication with governmental and community leaders to determine where aid and assistance can most effectively be directed," Benson said.

The Saints added that the Superdome suffered only "minor damage" in the storm ... and they're hopeful it won't impact any part of their upcoming regular season schedule.

"We know how much winning games can unite and inspire people in our region," the Saints said, "and we can't wait to take advantage of that responsibility and opportunity."

Cam Newton is a Patriot no more ... New England has released the veteran QB in a shocking move.

The Pats announced the cut on Tuesday ... paving the way for rookie Mac Jones to be the starter in New England going forward.

Newton hasn't exactly lit it up for the Pats in his time under center -- he threw for just 2,657 yards and 8 TDs along with 10 interceptions in 15 games last season.

And, his preseason work this summer wasn't exactly inspiring either.

Still, Cam inked a 1-year, $5.1 million contract this offseason to play for the Pats ... and all indications were he would begin the season as QB1 in New England.

As for what's next for the Pats now, it's clear Bill Belichick is ready to ride with Jones -- the former Alabama superstar who the team drafted with the #15 overall pick in the spring.

Jones had a very good preseason -- throwing no interceptions and completing 36 of his 52 pass attempts in three games.

It's unclear, meanwhile, if Newton will find much interest from NFL teams now that he's a free agent.

JuJu ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and influencer JuJu Smith-Schuster just joined the biggest craze on the internet -- the milk crate challenge -- days before the NFL season is about to kick off ... and we're concerned.

If you've been living under a rock, the crate challenge is when people try to climb unstable stacks of plastic bins ... balancing on as many as 7 at one time.

It's a seriously dangerous act -- some people have reported major injuries from trying it -- and even social media platform TikTok has banned the content due to safety concerns.

But, that hasn't stopped JuJu from getting in on the action ... with video surfacing Monday of the 24-year-old recently attempting the challenge.

Thankfully, JuJu was able to make it across the line of crates without a problem ... but the big issue is that there's a chance it could NOT have ended well.

Granted, it looks like there were a couple of guys ready to catch him if he fell ... but still, who knows what coulda happened.

BTW -- JuJu recently signed a 1-year, $8,000,000 deal with the Steelers ... and plays an important role in the team's offense.

He's come under fire in the past for antics like posting TikToks in the locker room and dancing on opposing teams' logos.

With Week 1 approaching, it sure seems like there are much safer ways to pass the time.

NFL QB-turned-H.S. football coach Trent Dilfer is expressing his regret over a wild blowup on one of his players over the weekend ... saying he was flat-out wrong to shove and yell at the kid.

49-year-old Dilfer -- who won Super Bowl XXXV with the Baltimore Ravens -- went viral for unleashing on Lipscomb Academy star Beau Dawson (yeah, NFL kicker Phil Dawson's son) ... getting in his face and pushing him in an attempt to get him to sit on the bench during a game on Friday.

Now, Dilfer is apologizing for the whole incident ... releasing a statement via the team and praising the young player in the process.

"First and foremost, I take full responsibility as the head coach and leader of our team for not de-escalating an emotional situation with one of our players, Beau Dawson," Dilfer said.

"Beau is one of our finest student-athletes and embodies all the characteristics we are looking for in our Mustang players. Beau plays the game with the right kind of passion and is an inspiration to our other players."

He added ... "During a moment of frustration and in an attempt to get our team to play with more discipline, I unfairly singled Beau out."

Dilfer also defends Dawson from public criticism ... saying he should have done a better job controlling his own emotions during the incident.

Scott Zolak is issuing an apology for saying Cam Newton is "distracted" by rap music at Patriots practice ... saying on-air he should have never made the "racially insensitive" remarks.

The ex-New England QB issued the mea culpa on the 98.5 The Sports Hub pregame show just before the Patriots played the Giants in their preseason game ... adding that he had spoken with Newton in person over it all.

"I'm sorry for that comment," said Zolak, who played QB for New England from 1992 through 1998. "I didn't need to make that comment."

Of his conversation with Cam, Zolak said, "I got a chance to talk to him, and Cam's nothing but class. Great guy. He handled it perfectly."

If you missed it, while Zolak was reporting from Patriots practice last Thursday ... he said he believed rap music blaring over the speakers was hurting Cam's game.

Zolak then urged his former team to turn the music off.

"I think it's distracting for Cam here," Zolak said. "Because in between every throw he's dancing."

Zolak continued, "He can't help himself."

Newton played sparingly in the Pats' preseason finale Sunday ... completing just 2 of his 5 passes while throwing an interception. He's expected to be the team's starter when the Pats open up regular season play on Sept. 12 against Miami.

Adam "Pacman" Jones says he belongs in the Hall of Fame on either the 1st or 2nd ballot ... telling TMZ Sports he believes he was a better special teamer than Devin Hester.

The former Tennessee Titans superstar made the claim to us before his big Rough N' Rowdy fight last week ... explaining he truly believes he's one of the best return men of all-time.

"If you just go back and look at the history, who would be your top three, four returners from 2005 to 2017-18 season?" Jones said.

"If you look at the average per yard, how many times I've touched the ball, with even with being suspended, I had more yards than Devin Hester if you look at the amount of times we touched the ball."

Jones averaged 1 more yard per kickoff return than Hester in his career ... although Devin had Pacman in just about every other stat.

Still, Hester took nearly double the amount of returns that Jones did in their careers -- something Pacman says Hall of Fame voters should take into account when looking at the numbers.

"We'll see, man," Jones says. "You know I had a lot of baggage that went along with me but I got that out the way ... I truly feel that I was if not number one in returns, I got to be one or two. No less than three."

Of course, returners have yet to get into the Hall solely based on their accomplishments as a special teamer -- though many believe Hester could get in next year.

Jones (who's eligible for the Hall in 2024) seems to be content with his career even if he doesn't get in ... telling us, "I've outlasted my whole draft class beside the quarterbacks and my work is speaking for itself, man."

Offset is clearly ready to see the Matt Ryan era come to an end in Atlanta ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to see his beloved Falcons move on to a new quarterback.

The "Bad and Boujee" rapper -- who's from the ATL area -- was talking football with us out in NYC earlier this week ... when he explained he's done with Ryan.

"We need a new quarterback," Offset said. "I love Matt Ryan, though. But, we just need somebody young. You know what I'm saying?"

The 29-year-old continued ... "He's had success every year, but we've got to get a championship. It don't matter 'til we get a ring."

Of course, Offset's Migos-mate, Quavo, has felt the same way for a while ... telling us repeatedly over the years he's not a fan of Ryan's game.

In fact, back in 2019, Quavo said the Falcons should bench Ryan for Colin Kaepernick.

Wanna win your fantasy football league this year?? NFL Network star Kay Adams has the secret sauce to get you that trophy -- naming five sleepers that'll break out in 2021!!

Adams tells us the list of overlooked players starts with Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb ... saying she believes the wide receiver is going to go OFF this season.

"CeeDee Lamb is going to be a top-five finish," Adams said, adding that 1,500 receiving yards and eight touchdowns are not out of the question for the second-year wideout.

Next, Adams says Arizona Cardinals rookie receiver Rondale Moore could help dominate in points per reception leagues as well.

"He's just a weapon," Adams said of Moore. "They're using him in the preseason on the ground, handoffs, special trick plays -- crazy mind of Kliff Kingsbury -- so I think Rondale Moore is actually in a PPR league that's going to end up being really, really valuable."

When it comes to tight ends ... Kay says she thinks way too many people are passing on Detroit Lions star T.J. Hockenson.

"There's no way in my head he ends up outside the top three," Adams said.

Philip Rivers' career as a high school football coach is off to a good start after his team DESTROYED their opponent in the season opener ... and the ex-NFL star was STOKED.

Of course, the 39-year-old took over as football coach at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, AL in January after ending his 17-year NFL career as a star quarterback.

The Rivers-led Cardinals kicked off their season Thursday against McIntosh at Fairhope Municipal Stadium in Alabama ... and they won, 49-0!!!

Rivers was fired up, to say the least ... giving an excited interview after his first win as head coach.

"Tonight was special,” Rivers said to AL.com after the game.

"I told them I was excited to watch them play, and I really was. They had a different approach than they did last week because they knew it would count.”

Even though his team ran up the score against McIntosh, he says there's still some cleaning up to do.

"It was a good win. We did some things that were a little sloppy that I’m probably glad they happened now."

"But, all in all, we had a lot of different guys touch the ball. All the wideouts touched the ball. We ran it well. It’s a good start, but we have a long way to go.”

And, Rivers is "enjoyin' the heck" out of his new gig -- he says H.S. football in 'Bama hits different ... and this level of the sport has always been one his favorite moments of his entire football career.

"After playing 50 something college games and 250 something NFL games – those Thursday and Friday nights in high school, being around it at Decatur High growing up and playing, they are some of my favorite memories."

Jay Cutler admitted he hasn't had much fun dating since his split with Kristin Cavallari ... explaining that getting back into the scene has been "hard as hell."

The ex-NFL star made the revelation on his "Uncut with Jay Cutler" podcast this week ... saying straight-up that "meeting people is hard."

The 38-year-old was comparing dating to his former Chicago Bears team finding a new quarterback ... when he broke off on a tangent about how searching for love again has not been easy.

"I think finding out what people really, really want from you, I think that's probably an issue," Cutler said when he was asked why it's been tough.

"I'm at a different phase of my life now with kids and priorities are just changed," Jay added.

"Like, it isn't just a purely selfish play by my part. Like, there's a lot of other aspects that have to be taken into consideration whenever you get back out into that world."

Cutler said dealing with apps and social media platforms to court women has also been a big change.

"Like, it's a whole different ball game," he said. "You're not just walking into a restaurant or bar and talking to somebody. That doesn't exist anymore."

Cutler and Cavallari officially called it quits back in April 2020 ... and Jay has been spotted with a few women over the past year, most notably in January with a mystery blonde in Mexico.

Jay, though, made it clear he hasn't found anything too worthwhile ... saying he's not even sure what he wants in his next flame.

"I, honestly, I don't know that," Cutler said. "I wish I knew -- I think I'm trying to figure that out throughout this process, but I will [figure it out]. It's not a rush for me at this point."

With the first pick in the 2021 Fantasy Football Draft, Austin Ekeler selects ... AUSTIN EKELER!!!! -- 'cause the Chargers star tells TMZ Sports he's betting on himself to lead his team to victory this year.

26-year-old Ekeler has been a fantasy weapon for years as a dual-threat running back ... but unfortunately, went down with a tough hamstring injury during week 4 of the 2020 season.

While AE was able to return to the action, he says he was never back at 100% for the rest of the year ... leaving folks wondering what to do when the new fantasy season ramps up in 2021.

But, rest assured all you fantasy nuts -- Ekeler says he's feeling great and ready to dominate this season ... and is SO confident in what he'll be able to do, he's taking himself right at the top of his draft!!

"I would definitely be skeptical, too, absolutely," Ekeler tells us. "I'm picking myself #1 overall because I'm betting on myself. Feeling great, feeling explosive. Ready for these preseason games to be over with so we can get on the dang field."

Austin even makes a pitch to those who may be timid about drafting him ... saying he's just as dominant as he's always been and will have plenty of opportunities to rack up the points for his fantasy owners!!

Ekeler knows what he's talking about -- he's become a huge fantasy nut over the past few years ... and he's even hosting a weekly show with Yahoo Sports on the topic called "Ekeler's Edge."

But, if you needed any more incentive to get AE for your team, the dude is giving back to his supporters with an awesome giveaway ... by gifting an autographed jersey each week of the season to one lucky FF player who wins their matchup with Ekeler in the lineup.

Rutgers football player Peyton Powell says he's transferring ... claiming it's all 'cause the university has made it mandatory for students to get the COVID vaccine.

The school announced back in March if students wanted to attend classes and play football for the university, they'd have to get the shots.

"We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community," Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway said when announcing the decision.

"Adding COVID-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students."

Powell says after considering the school's choice ... he's now decided to leave the university in search of one that will not make the vaccine mandatory.

"The University of Rutgers has made the COVID vaccine mandatory to attend school and play football," Powell said Tuesday on his social media page.

"Therefore I have no other choice but to enter my name into the transfer portal."

The move will mark the second time in Powell's college football career that he's transferred ... the 6-foot-2, 185-pound DB was at Baylor during his freshman season in 2019 before switching to the Scarlet Knights.

Before that, Powell was a touted 4-star recruit from Permian High School in Texas.

FYI -- Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said earlier this month that 90% of the football team had been vaccinated.

The team is slated to begin its season on Sept. 2.