Football

The New York Football Giants are throwing support behind their current leadership after an abysmal season ... with the team saying head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are NOT on the chopping block.

President John Mara issued the vote of confidence on Monday ... one day after the G-Men fell to the Philadelphia Eagles' backups to secure their 14th loss of the campaign.

While the end of the regular season is known to be the time to make changes within the team -- Doug Pederson (Jaguars) and Jerod Mayo (Patriots) are already out of the job -- things are staying the same in the Big Apple.

Not even the Golden Globes could stop Dax Shepard from cheering on Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions on Sunday night ... check out some vid Kristen Bell shared from the famed awards ceremony, the actor was seen ignoring speeches to watch his beloved NFL team!!

The scene all played out as the Lions were battling with the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North while Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie were onstage in Los Angeles presenting an award.

Most of the crowd at The Beverly Hilton was locked in on who'd win Best Animated Feature ... but when Bell panned her camera around to her Michigan-native husband, he was glued to his phone -- which was showing the first half of Detroit's huge "Sunday Night Football" matchup at Ford Field.

Marcus Allen clearly doesn't think Travis Hunter will have any issues playing both ways in the NFL ... the Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports whoever drafts the Colorado star is getting "two players!"

Hunter's future, of course, has been the source of many debates in recent weeks -- as some, including Rod Woodson, say he'll have to pick either defensive back or wide receiver when he gets to the next level in order to sustain his high level of play.

But when we got Allen out at LAX this week ... he seemed to say the Heisman Trophy winner will have no problems logging snaps on offense AND defense in the pros.

The Dallas Cowboys have to be happy their season is over ... but, there was one more embrassing moment their team had to endure -- 'cause their kicker smashed a ball and hit one of their cheerleaders in the head.

During a second quarter kickoff, Brandon Aubrey -- Dallas' usually sure-footed kicker -- kicked a ball that sailed out of bounds ... already a penalty, which was bad enough.

But, it gets worse ... 'cause the ball careened out of bounds -- and found the back of a cheerleader's head. She falls to the ground, knocked over by the sheer force of the ball, and the people hurry to her check on her.

Vikings vs. Lions is one of the most consequential regular season NFL games in league history ... a game so important, there surely will be no choreographed dancing from Camryn Bynum and his teammates, right?

WRONG!

TMZ Sports caught up with the standout defender just days before the highly anticipated matchup between the 14-2 squads -- which will determine the NFC North winner and recipient of a first-round playoff bye (while the loser will be the 5th seed!) -- and asked the 26-year-old safety if he had anything special planned.

Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson have both landed college head coaching jobs in the last few weeks ... and Rod Woodson tells TMZ Sports he couldn't be happier to see it.

The Hall of Famer called the hirings "refreshing" ... particularly after years of watching ex-NFL stars get passed over for gigs all across the country.

Woodson, of course, knows the landscape well ... while he's currently working as a broadcaster for Baltimore Ravens games, he's dabbled in the coaching world throughout the last couple of decades -- and he understands just how hard it is to get a sideline job.

The Titans are in desperate need of a quarterback, but Chris Johnson is advising his former squad to still take Travis Hunter in the spring's NFL Draft -- telling TMZ Sports Tennessee would be "absolute fools" to pass on the Heisman Trophy winner.

If the season ended today, the 3-13 Titans would have the No. 2 overall pick ... and many pundits believe they should be targeting a signal-caller like Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward there -- as their QB play has been dreadful this year.

But, Johnson thinks it'd be a huge mistake to miss on Hunter for one of the young arms ... explaining to us he thinks the two-way Colorado star could change everything for his ex-team.

Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II nearly had a panic attack after taking his teammates out to dinner this week ... when his fellow Seattle players ran up a whopping $155,000 tab -- all before finding out it was a hoax.

The Seahawks had one last outing ahead of their Week 18 matchup against the L.A. Rams ... hitting up Ascend Steak & Sushi to chow down on everything they could get their hands on -- as well as some expensive booze.

When it came time to pay, the players presented Murphy with the damage ... showing him a fake receipt of $155k.

Ryan Quigley -- friend and former teammate of late college football standout Tiger Bech -- broke his silence after the death of the Princeton star ... as the two buddies found themselves in the middle of the horrible Bourbon Street terror attack.

Quigley, also a former Princeton Tiger, commented on a post put out by his alma mater mourning the death of 27-year-old Bech, with RQ writing, "I love you forever, Pal."

Quigley, who remains hospitalized with a broken leg, sustained during the attack, played at the Ivy League institution from 2016-19. He appeared in 33 games, rushing for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Tiger Bech tragically had his life taken in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, and now the standout football player's high school coach is speaking out about the life and death of his late star.

"When we lose someone, it always hurts. To lose someone like Tiger and then to lose him in such a tragic way on a holiday when he had come into town to be with family and friends, just tragic," Marty Cannon, former assistant football coach turned principal at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Louisiana told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1).

"Our thoughts and prayers definitely go out to the Bech family. They are also a tight-knit group of people, close, close family that we deeply love, and they love St. Thomas More. So, a lot of people are hurting today."

The internet is taking shots at ESPN after the network did not show the national anthem or moment of silence on the main Sugar Bowl broadcast ... after a terror attack in New Orleans delayed the important football game.

Folks online are up in arms with ESPN's decision to show studio analysts breaking down the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia instead of the in-stadium tribute to victims of Wednesday's terror attack in the city.

Thursday's Sugar Bowl was played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans ... close to where terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar mowed down NYE revelers in a pickup truck.

Eric Dickerson is setting the record straight on Saquon Barkley ... saying even though he was pulling for his single-season rushing record to survive, he's a big fan of the Philadelphia Eagles running back.

E.D. made headlines last week ... when he admitted he didn't want the 27-year-old to surpass his record of 2,105 yards.

The current rushing king faced backlash from several notable folks -- including fellow former running back LeSean McCoy, who claimed the legend was hating on his own position group during a segment on his FS1 show, "The Facility."

The Allstate Sugar Bowl is underway in New Orleans ... but before Georgia and Notre Dame kicked off the College Football Playoff matchup, the Caesars Superdome held a moment of silence to remember those lost during the Bourbon Street terrorist attack.

As we previously reported, the contest was postponed a day in wake of the tragedy ... but local law enforcement stated on Thursday the city was confident in its measures to ensure everyone in attendance would be safe.

After the moment of silence in the stadium, it was followed by chants of "U-S-A" and an emotional rendition of the national anthem from NOLA native Samyra Miller.

Saquon Barkley continues to make the New York Giants lives a living nightmare -- on and off the football field -- starring in a new ad clearly throwing shade at the team's owner for a comment he made on Hard Knocks during the NFL offseason.

The Eagles star running back dropped the new Unisom advertisement on his Instagram ... which showcases SB reading a lullaby to fans who "were having trouble sleeping."

"Rockabye baby, awake in your bed," Barkley said. "As the thought of 2,000 swirls in your head. It sure is tough to lose sleep over football. Not for me, though; goodnight to you all."

Bourbon Street will return to normal in time for the Sugar Bowl on Thursday ... with the New Orleans Mayor expecting full operation prior to kickoff -- one day after the New Year's terrorist attack.

The Georgia vs. Notre Dame matchup slated to go down at the Caesars Superdome on Jan. 1 was postponed in the wake of the tragedy that killed 14 people ... and while some officials have called for more time for the community to heal, the game will go down Thursday at 1 PM PT.

With thousands of football fans in town for the College Football Playoff contest, mayor LaToya Cantrell told reporters the iconic French Quarter street will be available to those looking to watch the action from the venues in the area.

Despite calls to further postpone the Sugar Bowl, the game is set to kick off in five hours ... and the New Orleans Police Department says they're confident the city will safely host the big game following the Bourbon Street terror attack which killed at least 14.

NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick appeared on the Today show where she was asked if her police force was ready for the Notre Dame vs. Georgia playoff game ... after some, including the state's Attorney General, called on officials to postpone the game.

"We are not alone," Kirkpatrick said. "We are in partnership with many other partners. Both local, federal, military, police will be here. We are gonna have absolutely 100's of officers and staff lining our streets, lining Bourbon Street, lining the French Quarter."