- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
Generation game: young coaches set for Super Bowl showdown
One year after Bruce Arians became the oldest head coach to win the Super Bowl at the ripe old age of 68, Sean McVay could become the youngest.
At 36 years and 20 days old, the fresh-faced Los Angeles Rams head coach would beat Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin's record as the youngest ever coach to raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy if his team emerges victorious on Sunday.
Win or lose, McVay is already part of the youngest head coaching duel ever seen in a Super Bowl.
With Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor still only 38, this weekend's showpiece marks the first time in history that two coaches under the age of 40 have faced each other.
Remarkably, McVay is already something on an NFL veteran.
When appointed by the Rams in 2017, he became the youngest head coach in the modern era of the NFL, aged 30.
A transformative appointment, McVay was given the task of turning the Rams into box office championship contenders after the franchise relocated back to California from St. Louis in 2016.
In his five seasons in charge, McVay has already taken the team to the Super Bowl in 2019, when they were beaten 13-3 by New England.
McVay's reign has also encompassed four trips to the post-season. Prior to his arrival, the team had not made the playoffs since 2004.
The Rams coach has also demonstrated the ruthlessness that is the hallmark of championship-winning coaches, abruptly trading for Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford last year and jettisoning Jared Goff in the process.
That judgement has proven to be vindicated, with Stafford helping the team to a second Super Bowl appearance under McVay.
"I wouldn't want anyone else to lead this team," the Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp said of McVay.
"You never have to question his preparation and the work he's able to put in."
- 'Gotta love ball' -
The rebuilding job performed by Bengals coach Taylor is no less remarkable.
Taylor served as one of McVay's assistant coaches in Los Angeles from 2017 until leaving for the Bengals in 2019.
Arriving in Cincinnati, Taylor inherited a franchise steeped in failure after three consecutive losing seasons.
Despite reaching the playoffs in five consecutive seasons between 2011 and 2015, the team had been eliminated at the first hurdle on each occasion.
Taylor's first season in charge was a painful experience.
The Bengals finished with a miserable 2-14 record, the worst in the NFL, underscoring the size of the task in front of the rookie head coach.
"That was obviously our hardest year," Taylor said. "We were all getting to know each other.
"But I think we all did a really good job of getting to know each other in a short amount of time and it helped serve us well."
The transformation began to take shape when Cincinnati secured quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 draft pick in 2020. The promise of Burrow's early performances, however, were shattered when the quarterback suffered a serious knee injury in November 2020.
The Bengals would finish Taylor's second season with a 4-11 record.
Taylor says the Bengals rebuild is the result of placing emphasis on the character of the locker room.
"You gotta love ball," Taylor said. "That's the most important thing. You want guys who love football because it's a grind.
"The season is a long six or seven months, whatever it is, and if you've got guys who don't love the game and don't love the process then it's hard to get to where you want to go."
F.Pedersen--AMWN