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Karl-Anthony Towns’ shirt for his Knicks debut foreshadowed the NBA Finals

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NBA fans noticed something cool about the shirt Karl-Anthony Towns wore to his first New York Knicks game in 2024 in light of the NBA Finals matchup.

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday to clinch a berth in the Finals against the Knicks. In light of that, fans dug up a post from when he made his Knicks debut showing him arriving for the game in a retro 1999 NBA Finals shirt. That matchup, of course, was between the Spurs and Knicks.

Obviously, the fact that the 2026 Finals will be between the Spurs and Knicks is a coincidence in itself. It’s cool, however, that Towns unintentionally foreshadowed his first NBA Finals appearance with his nod to the past.

Admittedly, Towns’ Knicks fandom, however much it existed, goes back even before him joining the team. This has to be a pretty fun moment for him in multiple respects.

Towns will be integral to the Knicks’ chances of winning the series. He will be asked to be a force inside while also trying to keep Victor Wembanyama in check. He has been up to the task so far in the playoffs, averaging 16.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

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Chet Holmgren looked petrified while answering question about Victor Wembanyama

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Chet Holmgren looked just as nervous during a Game 7 postgame interview as he did on the court on Saturday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star started the Western Conference Finals finale against the San Antonio Spurs with a jumper to score his team’s first two points. It was all downhill from there for Holmgren, who would not score a single basket the rest of the way in a 111-103 loss for the defending champions.

After the game, a reporter asked Holmgren about Wembanyama getting into his head during the series. A somber Holmgren responded with about as much confidence as an undersized kid confronting the school bully twice his size.

“At the end of the day, it’s always about us trying to win the basketball game,” Holmgren said during the locker room interview. “Us as a collective — the Thunder team trying to win the basketball game. That’s what it’s always going to be.”

At the very least, Holmgren deserves credit for actually facing the media after Game 7. After the Spurs lost in Game 5, Wembanyama ditched his media duties and received a warning from the NBA because of it.

Holmgren’s longtime rivalry with the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama was one of the most prominent narratives of the series.

Wemby emphatically got the better of Chet throughout the seven games, and particularly in Game 7. The French phenom led his team in scoring (22) and rebounding (7) in Game 7, while Holmgren finished with four points and four rebounds on 1/2 shooting. Holmgren even got benched during a crucial stretch of the contest.

Watching Holmgren shrink in the face of adversity against Wembanyama was a worrisome sight for Thunder supporters, especially considering the West may run through San Antonio each year for the foreseeable future.

The Thunder signed Holmgren to a $240 million rookie max extension last July that kicks in next year. At least for one series, Holmgren did not look like he was worth even half that money.

The OKC star enters the offseason with the most left to prove.

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1 player has already secured a championship ring ahead of Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals

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New York Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan can already carve out a spot in his trophy cabinet for a 2026 NBA championship ring.

Sochan will almost certainly receive said hardware this June regardless of who comes out on top in the NBA Finals between his Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, who beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday to emerge out West.

The Spurs released Sochan in February after failing to find a taker for him before the trade deadline. The Knicks signed Sochan after he cleared waivers days later. With his current and former teams duking it out on the NBA’s biggest stage, Sochan is virtually already a winner.

Sochan obviously gets a ring if the Knicks win it all in the coming weeks. If the Spurs win, there’s a good chance the team also sends Sochan a ring for the part he played in the team’s 2025-26 campaign.

The Spurs drafted Sochan ninth overall in the 2022 draft, and he started in 149 games for San Antonio across his first three seasons. He averaged double-digit points in all three of those campaigns and even developed a close personal relationship with Wembanyama himself. Spurs fans may recall Wembanyama dying his hair blonde before the start of his rookie season as an homage to Sochan.

Sochan became the odd man out of the Spurs’ rotation this season, playing in just 28 games as a reserve before being released.

Every NBA champion maintains full discretion on who receives a championship ring after winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy. But it’s long been an unwritten rule that teams send rings to players who were traded or left the team midseason.

It’s hard to imagine Wembanyama or the well-respected Spurs front office being against rewarding Sochan for his contributions to the team, even if he no longer wears the silver and black.

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Alex Caruso has salty comments after Thunder get eliminated by Spurs

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There were certainly some sour grapes on Alex Caruso’s end after Game 7.

Caruso and the Oklahoma City Thunder fell on Saturday night to the San Antonio Spurs in the winner-take-all game of the Western Conference Finals. They lost to the Spurs by a final score of 111-103 at home at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. to formally end their championship defense.

After the defeat, Caruso was asked by reporters about whether or not the Spurs posed a matchup problem for that the Thunder needed to solve moving forward. In response, Caruso dropped some salty comments.

“There’s nothing that needs to be solved,” said Caruso, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. “We could’ve won the game tonight. You would’ve been asking them the same thing. I don’t think there’s this narrative that this is a bugaboo. We should’ve played better and won the game and been in the NBA Finals.

“They’re a good team, they’re young,” Caruso added. “[We’ll] both probably be around for a while. But we’ve gotta get better and try and win next time.”

While Caruso did try to cover it up there with some light praise for the Spurs at the end, he clearly did not want to give San Antonio too much credit. That said, the question was definitely a fair one.

San Antonio beat the Thunder four out of five times during the regular season (including in the NBA Cup) and then proceeded to knock them out of the playoffs despite OKC having homecourt advantage. Meanwhile, the Thunder had looked almost invincible against every other Western Conference opponent, winning their last five straight conference playoff series by a total game margin of 20-4.

OKC’s loss was through no fault of Caruso’s as he finished the WCF series with 14.9 points per game on stellar 48/50/82 shooting splits despite coming off the bench the entire way. But Caruso is obviously no fan of the Spurs and even had multiple heated moments with them throughout the seven-game set.

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Victor Wembanyama had powerful message ahead of NBA Finals against Knicks

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Victor Wembanyama sounded like the human embodiment of the “ball is life” mantra with his San Antonio Spurs sitting just four wins away from an NBA championship.

Wemby was a puddle of emotions on Saturday as the Spurs escaped Paycom Center with a Game 7 road win to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Wembanyama, who was named Western Conference Finals MVP, had tears streaming down his face as he embraced his Spurs teammates and coaching staff.

After the game, a more tranquil Wembanyama shared how deeply winning an NBA championship matters to him.

“Winning the Larry O’Brien, it’s a childhood dream,” Wembanyama said during his postgame press conference. “And having a real shot at it, having a tangible chance at winning, at realizing a dream — it’s a lifetime chance.”

“We never know when it’s going to happen again. It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life.”

Most fans can imagine this being the first of many Wemby appearances in the NBA Finals over the next decade. The young and talented Spurs have a core that will only get better with every passing year.

However, Wembanyama knows how easily projections can go awry. He was the runaway favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year last season before a bout with deep vein thrombosis ended his 2024-25 season early.

The 22-year-old phenom isn’t taking his present opportunity for granted. Standing between him and his childhood dream are the New York Knicks, who have the look and feel of a team of destiny after they blazed through the East.

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Fans all said the same thing about Luke Kornet’s amazing play in Game 7

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Luke Kornet only had a brief cameo during Saturday’s winner-take-all game, but he certainly made the absolute most of it.

The San Antonio Spurs backup center Kornet achieved immortality during the team’s 111-103 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. In the fourth quarter at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., Kornet entered the game at the 6:48 mark to give a brief break to Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama.

In response, Kornet came up with the play of his life. With the Spurs clinging to a 97-91 lead, Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein picked off a pass and quickly went the other way in transition.

Kornet responded by chasing after Hartenstein at full speed ahead and producing an incredible chasedown block. Here is the video.

That breathtaking play by Kornet led to everyone saying the same thing over social media. Fans were all in agreement that the block was responsible for the Spurs winning the game (and by extension, the series).

The Thunder had all the momentum on their side at the time and were on a 5-0 burst in front of their home crowd at the moment of Hartenstein’s steal. But Kornet immediately put an end to OKC’s run with that emphatic block, and the Spurs regained control of the wheel from there.

Kornet, 30, then subbed out at the 5:49 mark, adding up to a total shift of less than a minute. But in that span, the little-known reserve seven-footer managed to produce the play of the year in the NBA (and he may have some divine intervention to thank for that).

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Victor Wembanyama had the most emotional reaction to making NBA Finals

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The 7-foot-5 Victor Wembanyama had nowhere to hide his emotions on Saturday as his San Antonio Spurs clinched their spot in the 2026 NBA Finals.

The Spurs outlasted the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a heavyweight bout to decide the West. Wemby’s emotions took over as the Spurs closed out a 111-103 win in the final seconds of Game 7 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Wembanyama was visibly in tears and hugging every Spurs teammate he came across once the weight of the moment hit him.

Wembanyama led the Spurs with 22 points and 7 rebounds in the hard-fought victory. But it was a total team effort for San Antonio, which had seven players score in double figures. Five different players also grabbed at least six rebounds.

The Spurs superstar was named the Western Conference Finals MVP. Instead of celebrating his individual accomplishment, Wemby used the opportunity to let his teammates know what they mean to him.

“This [Western Conference Finals MVP trophy] doesn’t mean anything, but the fact that we’re a team. We’ve done it together,” Wembanyama said.

Wemby has never been one to hide his emotions. Some fans mocked Wembanyama for crying after a regular-season win over the Los Angeles Clippers in February. The Frenchman even felt the need to defend himself later on, declaring that he’ll never carry the burden of hiding his emotions on the court.

Nobody’s laughing now as Wembanyama used his passion to fuel his team all the way to the NBA Finals.

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Internet reacts to Chet Holmgren getting benched during decisive Game 7

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Chet Holmgren disappeared at the worst possible time for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The defending NBA champion Thunder were officially eliminated from the playoffs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night. They lost by a final score of 111-103 to the San Antonio Spurs in front of their home crowd at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Meanwhile, the biggest egg of the night ended up on the face of the OKC star Holmgren. The seven-footer Holmgren had a nightmare game, finishing with four points and four rebounds on just 1/2 shooting in 33 minutes.

Holmgren looked unsure and passive against Spurs counterpart Victor Wembanyama all throughout the night. One particular clip of Holmgren not even trying to challenge Wembanyama in space during the fourth quarter even made the rounds online.

Eventually, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault decided to pull Holmgren from the game at the 8:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter. Holmgren did not see the court again for the crucial end-of-game stretch until the 4:26 mark (before being pulled again for good with 1:23 left in the game).

As a result, Holmgren got fried by users on social media. Here were some of the cruelest posts at his expense.

Holmgren, 24, was an All-Star, an All-NBA selection, and an All-Defensive honoree during the regular season. He also landed a max rookie extension from the Thunder last summer, paying him a total of $239.3 million over the next five seasons (all the way through 2031).

But Holmgren definitely failed to live up to that billing during one of the biggest games of his NBA career on Saturday night against the Spurs. He got outplayed by undersized backup Jaylin Williams (11 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes) and let his rival Wembanyama take his lunch money all throughout the WCF series (which was also the case during the regular season).

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Paige Bueckers had the best reaction to her jersey selling for an absurd auction price

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Paige Bueckers feels like the auction market may have overestimated the value of one of her most sought-after pieces of memorabilia.

Melissa Triebwasser of The IX Sports reported that the Dallas Wings jersey Bueckers wore in her WNBA debut in the 2025 season was recently auctioned off for a record-breaking $64,720.

Triebwasser tried to get Bueckers’ thoughts on the expensive transaction, and the former UConn Huskies star said she wouldn’t even shell out that kind of money to buy her own jersey.

“That’s insane to me, just thinking about it,” Bueckers said, via Triebwasser. “That much money is insane to me. I’m just feeling very grateful and feeling blessed that people are that invested in women’s sports. You can see the rise in popularity, the growth in respect. I wouldn’t even pay $10 for my own jersey.”

Bueckers has been living up to the hype since the Wings took her first overall at the 2025 WNBA Draft . In her first season, she averaged 19.2 points on a 47.7% shooting from the field with 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds through 36 games. 

Bueckers’ WNBA debut, however, was a 99-84 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, with Bueckers scoring 10 points on 3/10 shooting with 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 30 minutes.

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Dylan Harper held down Stephon Castle to keep him from retaliating against Alex Caruso

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San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper showed his veteran instincts on Saturday to calm his teammate down during a heated moment in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.

Spurs guard Stephon Castle stripped Alex Caruso of the ball to create a fastbreak opportunity for himself late in the first half at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Castle, who had a step on Caruso in the footrace to the rim, looked like he was ready to rise up for a two-handed dunk.

Caruso had other ideas. He grabbed Castle from behind and kept him from rising, causing Castle to crash into the hardwood. A furious Castle tried to swipe at Caruso from the floor. But before things could escalate, Harper wrapped his teammate up like a parent swaddling a toddler.

The moment looked like it was plucked straight out of a buddy comedy, especially with the visual of Harper’s smile juxtaposed with Castle’s rage. The Spurs couldn’t afford to lose Castle to a silly altercation, and Harper knew that. The UConn product led the Spurs with 12 points in the first half.

The play was reviewed for a potential hostile act, but was not upgraded to a flagrant foul. Castle split a pair of free throws to extend the Spurs’ lead to 47-44 with about three minutes left before halftime.

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Geno Smith gets honest about Cade Klubnik’s NFL future

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Geno Smith sees great things coming for his New York Jets teammate and NFL rookie Cade Klubnik.

With the Jets starting to get to work in preparation for the 2026 season, Smith is getting a firsthand look at Klubnik during practices. So far, the veteran quarterback is impressed with the talent he has seen Klubnik display on the field.

“He can spin the heck out of the ball,” Smith said of Klubnik, via  Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.  “I feel like he’s the guy who’s always prepared. He’s been preparing as if he’s going to be the starter … I’ve seen that from him. I think he’s got a bright future.”

Smith has returned to where it all started for him in the NFL, with the Las Vegas Raiders trading him in the offseason to the team that welcomed him in the pros over a decade ago. 

In a way, he probably sees himself in Klubnik, at least based on the fact that they were both drafted by the Jets. 

New York took the West Virginia Mountaineers product Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, while Klubnik was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Smith is expected to start for the Jets, but Klubnik has a chance to further impress and make the quarterback competition (for the backup role at least) interesting in the training camp.

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Knicks star admits to being all-in on ‘Linsanity’ before making NBA

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Karl-Anthony Towns was once upon a time a Jeremy Lin fanatic just like every other New York Knicks supporter on planet earth.

Lin captivated the Knicks fan base and the basketball-watching world for multiple weeks during his legendary run in February 2012. Towns was apparently one of those rabid fans who wanted nothing more than to rock Lin’s jersey during that time.

Towns spoke candidly to reporters this weekend and gave Lin a special mention.

“I want to give a shoutout to Jeremy Lin,” Towns said. “Because he really made me a Knicks fan and had me at Modell’s, going crazy trying to find his jersey. … I have so much love for Jeremy Lin. He’s one of my favorite Knicks of all time, one of my favorite players of all time. He made me so passionate about the Knicks, and it’s crazy now that I’m in this position, I’m in this chair, talking to y’all as a Knicks player.”

Towns also spoke about watching a clip of Lin on social media, wherein the Taiwanese-American guard picked out a Towns jersey and shared that he’s “a big supporter of KAT.”

“For him to even mention me is kind of crazy, because the love I have for him and what he’s done for me and my Knicks fandom is second to none.”

Towns, who was born and raised in New Jersey, was the star player of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen when Linsanity took over the basketball world. The Minnesota Timberwolves made him the No. 1 overall pick three years later.

The Knicks acquired Towns via trade in 2024 — a move that was polarizing to many Knicks fans at the time. Even Towns himself did not seem happy about the deal. But since then, Knicks fans have embraced KAT, who has completely bought into the team he once cheered for as a kid.

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Orioles snap a brutal 368-game streak in the most thrilling way

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The Baltimore Orioles perfectly personified the baseball adage “It ain’t over till it’s over” on Saturday.

The Orioles were circling down the drain entering the bottom of the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md.

Trailing the visiting team by five runs, the Orioles’ offense suddenly woke up, as the Blue Jays’ bullpen struggled to close it out.

Jeff Hoffman was charged with all five earned runs of the Orioles in the inning, including Pete Alonso’s walk-off RBI single that drove Taylor Ward home.

Here’s Alonso’s game-winning hit that also ended a particularly long Baltimore drought.

According to ESPN Insights, that win snapped the Orioles’ streak of 368 games in which they lost after trailing by at least four runs in their last scheduled batting half-inning. 

Overcoming such a deficit in the ninth inning is never easy, but at some point, a streak like that will come to an end, and it did for Baltimore in the penultimate game of their ongoing series against the Blue Jays.

The unexpected turn of events down the stretch of the contest has the Orioles improving to 27-32. Baltimore will look to follow up that thrilling win with another in the series finale on Sunday.

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Video: Cam Skattebo pulls off insane move months after surgery

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It is safe to say that New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo will be on the field in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

Any doubts about his status after suffering an ankle injury during a Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2025 campaign may have been squashed altogether after he pulled off an ultra-athletic move in a charity softball game on Saturday.

The former Arizona State Sun Devils star hit a home run during the Brian Burns Charity Softball Game at Clover Stadium in Pomona, N.Y., and celebrated the dinger with a move that 90 percent of the population can’t pull off.

Here is a video of Skattebo touching home plate before hitting his signature backflip.

Skattebo was having a strong NFL season when he went down with the season-ending injury. In the eight games he played in 2025, he racked up 410 rushing yards to go with 5 touchdowns on 101 carries, adding 207 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 receptions and 32 targets. 

Together with quarterback Jaxson Dart, Skattebo has given the Giants’ offense an encouraging outlook, as the team hopes that both players will take their games to the next level in 2026.

But first, the 24-year-old Skattebo will have to stay healthy, as he has also set a huge goal for himself in his second year in the league.

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Kyrie Irving has an encouraging update on his status

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Cooper Flagg has given the Dallas Mavericks and their fans something to feel good about the team’s future. Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, also has some encouraging news on his status after missing the 2025-26 NBA season because of an injury.

During a recent Twitch stream, the nine-time NBA All-Star shared that he’s nearing full recovery from his ACL injury.

“I am definitely close to being over at 100% in terms of my ACL recovery,” the former NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers said. I’m so grateful that I’ve had the time to heal and just experiment with my body more on the court and off the court in the weight room and just pushing myself to the limit.”

Irving was among those heavily counted upon to lead the way for the Mavericks after the team shockingly traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February of 2025. 

But the former NBA Rookie of the Year suffered a devastating season-ending torn ACL injury less than a month later. Irving spent the whole 2025-26 season sidelined, as he helplessly watched Flagg and the Mavericks struggle on the court and finish the campaign with just a 26-56 record.

There are rumors of a potential Irving trade in the summer, but teams may be wary of the star point guard for a number of reasons.

For one, it remains to be seen how good he can still be after his injury. He also turned 34 in March. In addition, he is due to earn over $39 million in the 2026-27 season, with a $42.4 million player option for the 2027-28 campaign.

H/T Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

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Florida State baseball players had to rescue the grounds crew

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Florida State’s baseball game on Saturday turned into a battle between the grounds crew, Seminoles players, and the tarp.

Saturday’s game between Florida State and Coastal Carolina at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. was delayed in the fourth inning by a rather intense storm. The grounds crew’s initial attempts to get the tarp on the field did not go well.

The situation was dire enough that Florida State’s players had to rush out of the dugout to assist.

It ultimately took players from both teams to mostly get the field covered, although even that was not done flawlessly.

The game did eventually resume, so the issues with the tarp were not bad enough to cause problems with the game.

The grounds crew can at least take solace in the fact that even the Major Leaguers struggle with the tarp sometimes. That could have gone far worse.

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Mitchell Robinson has profane message for his critics after his injury

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New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson had a message for the haters after news emerged regarding his injury ahead of the NBA Finals.

Robinson took to Instagram to acknowledge fan support after he suffered a mysterious broken pinkie finger ahead of the start of the Finals. He also took aim at those who, in his words, “want to see me down and hurt.”

“The ones that want to see me down and hurt all I gotta say for you is f— you,” Robinson wrote (profanity edited by LBS). “And last the ones that say they love and care about me but can’t be there for me when I need them but I’m always there when they need me god will get you.”

Robinson’s situation remains a bit of a mystery. We know he broke his right pinkie finger and had to undergo surgery on it, but we do not know when or how the injury happened. For now, the plan is to have the center try to play through it.

Robinson is the Knicks’ top center off the bench and is known for his defensive presence down low. He has delivered solid bench contributions throughout the postseason, averaging 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 14.2 minutes per game.

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Frances Tiafoe had strong words for his French Open opponent

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Tensions were high Saturday during the French Open third round match between Frances Tiafoe and Jaime Faria.

Tiafoe and Faria were in the middle of a marathon match at Roland Garros when the two started jawing at each other. The umpire stepped in to intervene, but Tiafoe could be clearly heard directing some strong words at his opponent.

“Why don’t you quit trying to act like you’re tough? You’re not hard bro, just play,” Tiafoe said.

Faria definitely seemed to be the more upset of the two, though it was not clear why. It should be noted, however, that he had blown a two-set lead at this point and may have been getting frustrated with how things were going.

Tiafoe is certainly prone to heated moments, but in this instance, the back-and-forth may have helped him lock in. He wound up winning the final set 6-2 to complete his comeback and advance to the fourth round.

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Fernando Tatis Jr. looked so relieved after finally hitting a home run

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Fernando Tatis Jr. went the first two months of the MLB season without hitting a home run. That drought came to an end on Saturday, and the San Diego Padres star could not have looked more relieved.

Tatis slugged his first home run of 2026 on Saturday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. He took Nationals starter Foster Griffin deep, ending a run of 207 at-bats without a homer since the start of the season.

The celebration when Tatis returned to the dugout was more reminiscent of someone’s first career home run than anything else. At one point, Tatis looked up and took a deep breath, as if feeling total relief after going deep.

Tatis reached the 40 home run plateau in 2021, but has not since and probably will not again. He still had plenty of power, though, and hit 25 home runs for San Diego last season. His drought, needless to say, was highly unusual.

It has been a rough year for Tatis, who got off to a slow start at the plate. Things have not gotten much better since then, either. Entering play Saturday, he was hitting a respectable .268, but had just seven extra-base hits all season.

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Jerod Mayo has a new job outside of football

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Former New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo has a new job, and it has virtually nothing to do with football.

Mayo has resurfaced as a member of private equity firm Fifth Down Capital, per Chris Mason of MassLive. It is the first real public move Mayo has made since being fired by the Patriots in 2025.

Mayo’s profile on the firm’s website lists him as managing director, and makes mention of his playing and coaching career in the NFL. The website adds that he “has been an active investor and advisor to private companies for over a decade.”

Whatever his specific role, it is clear that Mayo is done with football, at least for the time being. Given his experience, it is certainly possible he could have landed a coaching role somewhere in the NFL, but there are no indications that he even pursued that path.

Mayo was the immediate successor to Bill Belichick in New England, and Robert Kraft had singled him out for that role years before he landed it. After a 4-13 season and rumors of a lax demeanor behind the scene, he was fired and replaced by Mike Vrabel, who immediately won the AFC title in his first season in charge.

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