Australia continued to enjoy the edge over England at the Under-19 World Cup. Two years after Lloyd Pope's astonishing 8 for 35 in Queenstown bowled Australia into the semi-final, Mackenzie Harvey struck a vital half-century in a chase of 253 to win a thriller by two wickets. This meant Australia and West Indies, the table toppers, are through to the quarter-finals from Group B.

Ben Charlesworth top scored with 82 for England, but found little support from the other batsmen. England were handily placed at 141 for 2 going into the last 20 overs, but managed to add just 112 more. That they eventually scraped past the 250-mark was due to Dan Mousely's unbeaten 51.

In reply, Australia stuttered too after Harvey's dismissal for 65. From 153 for 2, as they were reduced to 163 for 5 in 33 overs. The asking rate had touched six an over, with left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy picking up vital wickets in the middle. Tanvir Sangha, the legspinner, chipped in with 21 to eat into the target, before Connor Sully and Todd Murphy's unbeaten 47-run stand for the ninth wicket carried Australia home.

Elsewhere, first-timers Nigeria were no match to 2016 champions West Indies. They were first run ragged on the field as West Indies scored 303 for 8, fuelled by half-centuries from Kimani Melius, the captain, (65) and Matthew Patrick (68). But it still needed a lower-order revival for West Indies to push forward from 199 for 6. Joshua James' cameo of 43 off 30 provided the final kick.

Nigeria's batsmen stuttered against the pace of Jayden Searles, who picked up four wickets to set them back. It was a blow they couldn't recover from. Having struck a half- century, Patrick picked up two wickets to walk away with the top honours as Nigeria were bowled out for 57, losing by 246 runs.

The Hollywood (Florida) Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Antonio Brown Wednesday night following allegations that he and his trainer attacked a moving company truck driver near Brown's Florida home.

Hollywood police spokesman Christian Latta said in a news release that Brown faces charges of burglary with battery -- a felony -- burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief.

There was no police activity seen at Brown's home Wednesday night after the warrant was issued, suggesting police were waiting until Thursday morning to arrest him if he did not turn himself in.

Police told ESPN earlier Wednesday that they had made several attempts to contact Brown to question him about the incident, but the free-agent wide receiver retreated into his home and ignored their requests to speak with him.

Brown's trainer, Glenn Holt, had been arrested on a felony burglary with battery charge on Tuesday. He posted a $20,000 bond on Wednesday and was released from Broward County Jail.

Brown threw a rock at the driver's moving truck before the alleged battery outside of his home Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

The documents allege that Brown later forced his way into the driver's side of the main cabin of the truck and began to physically strike the driver after a disagreement over payment escalated. Brown was then restrained by his associates.

The court documents obtained by TMZ state that the moving company was hired by Brown to deliver belongings the receiver had stored in California to his home in Hollywood, Florida.

Brown, 31, allegedly refused to pay the $4,000 fee, which initially led the driver to attempt to leave with the property in his truck. The driver said that is when, according to the documents, Brown threw the rock, denting and causing paint damage to the driver's side of the vehicle. The driver then called police to report the damage.

Later, the documents say, the moving company told the driver to drop off the goods because Brown agreed to pay the fee plus damages he caused. Upon arrival, however, Brown paid the $4,000 fee but refused to pay more.

Another argument ensued, and that's when, the driver says, Brown assaulted him, and Holt attempted to grab his keys from the ignition to open the truck and get Brown's belongings, causing cuts and scratches on the driver.

Brown's home is located in a gated community in Hollywood. Multiple neighbors told ESPN that they are fed up with the antics coming from the home, including multiple police encounters this month.

Brown is being investigated by the NFL under its personal conduct policy following a lawsuit filed by his former trainer, Britney Taylor, that alleges she was sexually assaulted by Brown on multiple occasions. Brown also was accused of sexual misconduct at his home by an artist who was working there in 2017.

Brown played in only one game this season -- for the Patriots in Week 2 against the Dolphins. He was released by the Raiders before the season and by the Patriots before Week 3, after it was made known that he sent text messages to the artist who had accused him of misconduct.

He remains on the commissioner's exempt list, which prohibits from playing while the investigation is ongoing. Brown has filed eight grievances against the Raiders and Patriots, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano. He is seeking $39.775 million in lost salary, bonuses and guaranteed money.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Minnesota Vikings are handing offensive coordinator duties to Gary Kubiak, multiple league sources confirmed to ESPN. Kubiak served as the team's assistant head coach/offensive adviser during the 2019 season.

Kubiak will take over the role held by Kevin Stefanski since Week 15 of the 2018 season. Stefanski left Minnesota after 14 seasons to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

During his season-ending news conference, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer prioritized a need to retain continuity on offense as the team began its search for Stefanski's replacement. Minnesota hired Kubiak last year to serve in an advisory role; on game days, Stefanski called plays from the sideline while Kubiak oversaw the offense from the coaches box. Along with the hire came Kubiak's signature zone-blocking scheme that he ran in 21 seasons as an NFL head coach or offensive coordinator.

From 2018 to 2019, the Vikings offense jumped from 19th to eighth in points and 23rd to sixth in yards per attempt. Minnesota had the second-highest designed run percentage (47) in the NFL last season and averaged 133.3 rushing yards per game.

"It'll be the same system," Zimmer said last week. "Obviously [quarterback Kirk Cousins] is going to have a new offensive coordinator. It'll be his fifth coordinator in five years, I think he told me yesterday, or at least voice in his ear on game day. So, I mean, there's nothing I can do about that, but I think it's important not just for Kirk, but for the entire offense, to have the same system, the same calls and things like that so that when they come in here on day one it's not completely foreign to them."

Kubiak's passing offenses have ranked in the top 10 in net yards per attempt 12 times since his first year as a coordinator in 1995. Eleven times, his scoring offenses cracked the top 10 during that span. A lot of that had to do with how much he was able to get out of the quarterback position.

Cousins compiled one of his strongest seasons as a pro, leading the NFL with 13 touchdowns off play-action. The Vikings QB notched the third-highest completion percentage of his career (69.1), had the NFL's fourth-best passer rating (107.4) and was seventh in yards per attempt (8.1).

"I think Kirk played a lot better this year than he did the year before," Zimmer said. "I think obviously the scheme helped him quite a bit, and so I think yeah, I think this may have been his best year that he's played in the NFL."

Kubiak, who already was under contract through the 2020 season, according to a source, helped revive the Vikings offense during a season that ended in the divisional playoffs. Stefanski often talked about the impact Kubiak had on his limited experience calling plays.

"Having him around has been invaluable to me," Stefanski said in November. "This is my first year doing this, so having somebody that I can bounce ideas off of both during the week and during the game. ... I think it's a really great working environment [on this staff] where we could get a lot done and respect each other's ideas and thoughts. And Gary's certainly at the forefront of that."

Prior to joining the Vikings staff, Kubiak held a position in the Denver Broncos personnel department after retiring from coaching after the 2016 season. He led Denver to a win in Super Bowl 50 and holds the record for wins with the Houston Texans (61), where he was the head coach from 2006 to 2013.

It's fair to say that just about nobody expected the San Francisco 49ers to make Super Bowl LIV. There were certainly reasons to think they would be better -- I named them as the most likely team to improve, and I even predicted in April that they would make the playoffs. Making a leap from 4-12 all the way to the Super Bowl, though? Only one team in league history had done that across more than 50 years of Super Bowls.

Now two teams have done it, as the 49ers joined another recent Super Bowl attendee in going from 4-12 to the biggest game in football. They are one of just 10 teams to improve by nine or more wins in a single season (after prorating schedules to 16 games) in the Super Bowl era. What coach Kyle Shanahan and the rest of this organization have pulled off in 2019 is a once-in-a-generation sort of improvement.

Where do the Niners stand in terms of the most unexpected Super Bowl attendees in history, though, when we use more advanced metrics? And most importantly, when we have seen teams come out of nowhere and earn their way into the Super Bowl, have they been overawed on the biggest stage of their lives, or have they continued to beat the odds?

I'll try to get to those questions below. To measure how much each team improved from year to year, I'll be using the difference in their point differential as expressed by their Pythagorean expectation over a 16-game schedule, since point differential is a better predictor of future wins and losses than an actual win-loss record. I'm leaving out improvements that were impacted by the strike years of 1982 and 1987.

I'll build up to the most unlikely Super Bowl attendee of all time, but let's start with an organization that is conspicuous by its absence in Miami this February:

10. 2001 New England Patriots

Previous season: 5-11, 6.1 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 11-5, 10.8 Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: This is quite famously seen as the beginning of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era in New England, although both actually arrived in town in 2000. That season, Belichick oversaw a Patriots team that declined from 8-8 to 5-11, while Brady threw three passes. You're probably already familiar with what happened in 2001: Drew Bledsoe suffered a sheared blood vessel on a hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, Brady came in, and the rest was history.

By advanced metrics, while the 2001 Patriots were a clear improvement on the 2000 edition, they really weren't all that great of a team in the regular season. They were the third-best team in their division by DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average). They weren't particularly great at avoiding or forcing turnovers. The Pats were 3-4 at midseason before winning eight of their final nine games to win the AFC East. They faced the league's second-easiest schedule. They were realistically a good-but-not-great football team in a season in which they parlayed an 11-5 season into a first-round bye.

With the NFL reshuffling every team's schedule as a result of the 9/11 tragedy, the Patriots ended up with a bye in Week 16 and then another week off during the wild-card round. New England was a slight favorite against the Raiders, but after winning in what would long be remembered as the Tuck Rule game, it was a 10-point underdog against the 13-3 Steelers on the road in the AFC Championship Game. With Brady leaving the game injured before halftime, Bledsoe made his return and led a touchdown drive to put the Pats up 14-3. Belichick's special teams returned a blocked field goal and his defense forced four giveaways in a 24-17 victory.

What happened in the Super Bowl: The Patriots won one of the most famous games in NFL history as 14-point underdogs, beating the Rams 20-17. They forced three takeaways, with Ty Law taking one to the house for a 47-yard touchdown. After the Rams tied the score at 17 with 1:30 to go, John Madden said on commentary that the Patriots needed to run the clock out and play for overtime. Brady instead launched the first of many memorable drives and set up Adam Vinatieri for a game-winning field goal.

What happened next: If you need me to tell you what happened with the Patriots from here, this probably isn't the article for you.

9. 1989 Denver Broncos

Previous season: 8-8, 7.3 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 11-5, 12.1 Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: The defense transformed overnight. The Broncos improved from 27th to fourth in defensive DVOA and allowed a league-low 14.1 points per game. It was the first of many immediate turnarounds for new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who left the Eagles in 1988 to take over in the same role for Dan Reeves' Broncos. Denver had made it to the Super Bowl in 1986 and 1987, so it's fair to say that 1988 was seen as more of a down season than a sign that the organization was plummeting to the bottom.

As with the 49ers, Denver's improvement was predicated upon a massive uptick in takeaways, as the Broncos improved from 29 (which ranked 24th in the NFL) to 43 (which was second best). They got an immediate impact from first-round pick Steve Atwater, who intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble during his rookie season. Without a star pass-rusher, Phillips' blitz packages produced the league's fourth-highest sack rate and led the team to the AFC West title.

The Broncos forced five takeaways in playoff wins over the Steelers and Browns, with John Elway throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns in the latter victory to push the Broncos into the Super Bowl. What happened next wasn't quite as fun.

What happened in the Super Bowl: Expectations were low for the Broncos, who entered their third Super Bowl in four years as 13-point underdogs to the 49ers. San Francisco promptly scored touchdowns on three of its first four drives and never looked back, eventually stomping the Broncos 55-10. The 49ers' defense forced four takeaways, while Denver didn't force any, and the game ended with backup quarterbacks Gary Kubiak and Steve Young dueling in garbage time. This remains the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history.

What happened next: The Broncos went 5-11 the next season before turning things around by adding another future franchise icon in offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan. Phillips eventually took over as coach in 1993, but after two middling years, the Bowlen family rehired Shanahan away from the 49ers to serve as the team's head coach.

In 1997, a 37-year-old Elway finally won the big one with a 31-24 victory over the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Kyle Shanahan, then a senior in high school, spent that season holding his father's cords on the sideline in the final year before the NFL moved to wireless headsets.

8. 1998 Atlanta Falcons

Previous season: 7-9, 6.9 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 14-2, 11.7 Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: The second team in a row on this list coached by Dan Reeves, the Dirty Bird Falcons are fondly remembered for their simple formula on offense. Reeves took over a run-and-shoot team and turned it into a run-and-run team. Jamal Anderson carried the ball 295 times in 1997, but with the Falcons winning and killing clock the next season, Reeves handed the ball to Anderson a staggering 410 times during the regular season, with the lead Falcons back adding 70 more carries during the playoffs.

Anderson was more efficient in 1998, but the Falcons' improvement was really driven by another massive improvement in turnovers. The Falcons forced 28 takeaways in 1997, but Rich Brooks' defense upped that mark to a league-leading 44 in 1998, including 25 fumble recoveries on defense. The only team to recover more fumbles in one season since is the legendary 2000 Ravens defense.

The Falcons went 10-0 through the playoffs when they forced three or more takeaways, but they were a more realistic 5-3 when they created no more than two turnovers. Unfortunately, one of those games happened to be the biggest one ...

What happened in the Super Bowl: The most memorable element of Super Bowl XXXIII actually came the night before, when Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was arrested and booked for soliciting a prostitute. Robinson famously took the blame when Rod Smith ran past him for an 80-yard touchdown, although I think a 35-year-old free safety against one of the league's best wide receivers on a deep post probably wasn't going to go well for the Falcons regardless of what Robinson had done the night before.

Reeves was blown out by his former employers in a 34-19 defeat as his formula fell apart. The league's best red zone offense scored one touchdown in four red zone trips, and that came on the final meaningful drive of the game. The Falcons actually moved the ball to or past the Denver 26-yard line seven times and scored just 12 points on those drives. Chris Chandler & Co. turned the ball over four times, with Anderson also getting stopped on a fourth-and-1 and stalwart kicker Morten Andersen missing a 26-yard field goal. The Broncos, who turned the ball over only once, celebrated their second consecutive Super Bowl victory, with Mike Shanahan beating the coach who had once fired him in Denver.

What happened next: The Falcons almost immediately collapsed, going 5-11. After shouldering the largest single-season rushing workload of any back in history up to that point, Anderson tore an ACL in Week 2 in 1999 and missed the remainder of the season. The Atlanta defense forced just six fumbles and fell from fourth in scoring defense to 25th.

The Falcons also traded their 2000 first-round pick to the Ravens to pick up a 1999 second-round pick, which they used on tight end Reggie Kelly. Baltimore ended up netting the fifth overall pick out of the transaction and used it on Jamal Lewis. The Falcons didn't return to the Super Bowl until the 2016 season, when their offensive coordinator was, of course, Kyle Shanahan.

7. 1996 New England Patriots

Previous season: 6-10, 5.7 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 11-5, 10.6 Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: The Patriots improved from the league's 23rd-ranked scoring offense to second best, although DVOA pegs the 1996 Pats as the league's 14th-ranked offense. Drew Bledsoe & Co. faced the league's third-easiest slate of defenses, while the Patriots massively upgraded their starting wide receivers by swapping out Vincent Brisby and Will Moore for free-agent addition Shawn Jefferson and No. 7 pick Terry Glenn, whose 1,132 receiving yards was 11th in the NFL as a rookie.

With Pro Bowlers Glenn and Curtis Martin in the fold, Bledsoe had some of the best weapons in all of football, while the Pats also improved their kicking by replacing 39-year-old Matt Bahr with an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State by the name of Adam Vinatieri. The future Hall of Famer proved his mettle by kicking an overtime winner against the Jags in his fourth career game.

Although Bill Belichick wasn't officially the team's defensive coordinator, Bill Parcells snuck the recently fired Browns coach onto his staff and saw the Pats move from 29th to 13th in defensive DVOA. After a 34-8 loss to the Broncos in Week 12, though, things started to click for the New England D. It allowed just 12.8 points per game over the final five weeks of the season, and then it held the Steelers and Jaguars to nine points and zero touchdowns to win the AFC and advance to Super Bowl XXXI.

What happened in the Super Bowl: They lost 35-21 to the Packers in a game in which Bledsoe threw four interceptions and Martin was held to 42 rushing yards. Parcells' defense sacked Brett Favre five times on 27 dropbacks and limited the Packers to 3.2 yards per carry on the ground, but Favre hit long touchdown passes to Andre Rison and Antonio Freeman. When a Martin touchdown brought the Patriots within six points at 27-21 in the third quarter, Desmond Howard immediately responded with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to end the scoring.

What happened next: Parcells quit to join the Jets, with Belichick joining him. The Patriots hired former Jets coach and 49ers assistant Pete Carroll and went 10-6 before somehow losing a playoff game to the Steelers 7-6. Carroll won one playoff game in three seasons before giving way to Belichick, and, well, you know what happened next.

6. 2015 Carolina Panthers

Previous season: 7-8-1, 7.1 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 15-1, 12.1 Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: Cam Newton got healthy after an injury-hit 2014 and put together an MVP campaign, throwing 35 touchdown passes and adding 10 more on the ground. As you might suspect, the Panthers were devastating in the red zone, improving from 23rd in points per red zone trip in 2014 to first.

Again, turnover rate on defense also reared its head; after ranking 10th in the NFL in 2014 with 26 takeaways, Ron Rivera's defense nabbed a league-high 39 in 2015. In addition to a trio of superstars in Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly and Josh Norman, safety Kurt Coleman added to a career total of 10 interceptions over five seasons by picking off seven throws in 2015 alone. Charles Tillman rolled into town for one final season, so unsurprisingly, the Panthers forced 22 fumbles.

Throw in a 6-1 record in one-score games and you got a Panthers team that made it to Week 16 undefeated before falling to the Falcons in the Georgia Dome. There was still some skepticism surrounding those Panthers in the playoffs; consider that they were just 2.5-point favorites at home against an 11-5 Seahawks team in the divisional round. They went up 31-0 at halftime before Russell Wilson made it close afterward. As three-point favorites over the Cardinals in the NFC title game, the Panthers forced seven Arizona turnovers in a 49-15 shellacking.

What happened in the Super Bowl: The Panthers were the ones who were shellacked. Their defense held the last embers of Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense to just 194 yards from scrimmage, but Carolina lost three fumbles and turned the ball over four times in a 24-10 defeat. Newton was sacked six times and was responsible for three of those turnovers.

What happened next: The Panthers were an obvious candidate to regress the next season, and they fell all the way to 6-10. Newton was banged up during the opening-night rematch against the Broncos and missed two games during the first half of the season. Kuechly missed six games with a concussion, and a contract dispute between Norman and general manager Dave Gettleman led the Panthers to release their star cornerback before the draft. The Panthers fell to a still-respectable seventh in the NFL in takeaways, but they were just 2-6 in games decided by seven or fewer points.

5. 1981 Cincinnati Bengals

Previous season: 6-10, 5.7 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 12-4, 10.9 Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: The Bengals improved massively at quarterback by getting a full season out of veteran Ken Anderson, who was beset by injuries in 1980 and finished just two of the 12 games he played. Anderson was 26th in the league in adjusted yards per attempt in 1980, but after getting healthy during the offseason, he led the league in the same category in 1981. The closest comparable here might be Matt Ryan; although Anderson had been good for the majority of his tenure with the Bengals, nobody expected him to win league MVP as a 32-year-old in 1981.

Anderson was surrounded by a young core of offensive talent in second-year tackle Anthony Munoz, rookie wideout Cris Collinsworth and former Northeastern tight end Dan Ross, who made the Pro Bowl. Collinsworth caught a late touchdown pass to beat the Bills in the divisional round, and the Bengals went into the AFC Championship Game against a worn-down Chargers team. After famously beating the Dolphins in a 41-38 overtime classic in the heat of Miami, the Chargers had to go eight days later and play the Bengals in a game in which the wind chill on the field was registering at minus-37. The Bengals won handily, 27-7, and made it to Super Bowl XVI.

What happened in the Super Bowl: The Bengals chose the wrong day for a sloppy game, as they turned the ball over four times in a 26-21 defeat to the 49ers. Cincinnati failed to score any points on three of its six trips to the red zone, with Anderson throwing an interception, Collinsworth losing a fumble and running back Pete Johnson getting stuffed on a fourth-and-goal try from the 1-yard line. Archie Griffin also fumbled away a squib kickoff to the 49ers inside his own 5-yard line. Two late touchdown passes to Ross made the score look closer, but the Bengals probably should have won this game.

What happened next: Anderson was impressive in 1982 and 1983, but the Bengals lost a playoff game to the Jets in the former season before going 2-5 in one-score games to miss the playoffs in the following campaign. The Bengals transitioned to Boomer Esiason at quarterback and, after a dismal strike year in 1987, improved to 12-4 and made it back to the Super Bowl, only to lose to the 49ers again.

4. 1969 Minnesota Vikings

Previous season: 8-6, 9.4 adjusted Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 12-2, 14.8 adjusted Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: Many of the teams on this list went from bad to good. The Vikings morphed from pretty good into one of the best teams in NFL history. They led the league in points scored and in points allowed per game while sporting a roster with five Hall of Famers in Grady Alderman, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Mick Tingelhoff and Gene Washington. The Purple People Eaters-led pass defense was the heart of the team, with Minnesota allowing opposing quarterbacks to post a passer rating of just 42.1, a figure nearly 16 points below that of the next-best defense.

The Vikings lost two regular-season games; after a 24-23 loss to the Giants in the opener, Bud Grant's team won 12 straight before turning the ball over eight times in a season-ending 10-3 defeat at the hands of the 6-8 Falcons. (And Vikings fans thought Kirk Cousins was bad!) The defense drove victories over the Rams and Browns in the playoffs to set up Super Bowl IV against the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs.

What happened in the Super Bowl: Just about everything went wrong for the Vikings, who entered as 12-point favorites and lost 23-7. The offense and special teams turned the ball over five times and lost quarterback Joe Kapp to an injury in the fourth quarter. The Vikings' defense was stuck defending five drives that started beyond Kansas City's 40-yard line, and while Minnesota allowed only one touchdown on those drives, there was no realistic path for it to win given how poorly the offense was playing.

What happened next: The Vikings were even more dominant on defense in 1970, but with the team having lost Kapp to the Patriots in proto-free agency, backups Gary Cuozzo and Bob Lee took over at quarterback and proceeded to throw interception after interception in playoff losses in 1970 and 1971.

Fran Tarkenton returned to the team in 1972 and the Vikings made it to the Super Bowl in 1973, but in a Garoppolo-esque performance, the Dolphins won 24-7 in a game in which starting quarterback Bob Griese attempted only seven passes. The Vikings continued to come up narrowly short for the remainder of Bud Grant's lengthy tenure as Minnesota coach, which ran through 1985, although they haven't made it back to the Super Bowl since the 1976 season.

3. 1981 San Francisco 49ers

Previous season: 6-10, 5.6 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 13-3, 11.2 adjusted Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: We talked about the 1981 Bengals earlier, but the 49ers also came out of nowhere that season. While many of the pieces for their dominant run to come were in place, the Niners hadn't made the playoffs since 1972 and were coming off a 6-10 season. Joe Montana had taken over for Steve DeBerg in 1980, and although he led the league in completion percentage, the third-round pick was 22nd in yards per attempt, and coach Bill Walsh still had a reputation as an offensive genius who might not be able to translate his complicated scheme into NFL success.

In 1981, that success came. Montana continued to play well and threw downfield more frequently, but the major improvements came on a defense that jumped from 26th to second in points allowed per game. The 49ers moved from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 after acquiring veteran inside linebacker Jack Reynolds, but the big difference came with their three rookie starters in the secondary. Walsh used three of his first four picks in the draft on defensive backs, including No. 6 pick Ronnie Lott. He's the Hall of Famer of the group, but Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson each made two Pro Bowls during their time in San Francisco. Walsh's defense forced 48 takeaways, the third most in all of football, and followed up a 1-2 start by winning 12 of its final 13 games.

The 49ers then advanced past two future rivals in the playoffs, beating the Giants in a 38-24 shootout before a now-legendary NFC Championship Game against the Cowboys. After the defense blew a 21-17 fourth-quarter lead, Montana came back onto the field and led the 49ers downfield before Dwight Clark made a pretty famous catch.

What happened in the Super Bowl: I covered this in the Bengals section. The Cincinnati defense actually did a pretty good job in limiting Montana to 157 passing yards on 22 attempts, and the running game averaged a tick under 3.2 yards per carry, but the Bengals were too sloppy and left their defense in compromising positions all game.

What happened next: The 49ers were launching one of the longest-lasting dynasties in NFL history, but they took a step backward during the strike season in 1982, when they went 3-6 and ranked 27th out of 28 teams in takeaways. They made it back to the Super Bowl in 1984, and things went just fine for Montana, Walsh and a franchise that is still influencing the league today.

2. 2019 San Francisco 49ers

Previous season: 4-12, 5.8 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 13-3, 11.8 adjusted Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: The modern-day 49ers share some similarities with many of the other teams on this list. They were impossibly bad at forcing turnovers in 2018, with a league-low seven and an NFL-record two interceptions all season. The Niners topped that interception total in the 2019 season opener alone and ended up forcing 27 takeaways, the sixth-highest total in the league. With the secondary finally healthy and the 49ers massively upgrading their pass rush, a pass defense that ranked 27th in defensive DVOA in 2018 improved to second this season.

Kyle Shanahan's offense also came together in its first full season with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers ranked 30th in the NFL in points per red zone possession on offense last season, but with a better offensive line, they improved to 19th in points per trip inside the 20. They followed in a Shanahan tradition by averaging a league-best 6.7 yards per play on first down and went from inheriting the league's worst average starting field position to its second-best average starting field position, a difference of 6.5 yards per possession.

The 49ers ranked 30th in overall DVOA last season. The only thing they really did well was gain yards on first down (where they were fourth) and kick field goals. They have improved, often dramatically, across the board in every category short of those field goals, where Robbie Gould has dropped from 97.1% to 74.2%.

There were plenty of reasons to think the 49ers would improve on their performance from a year ago, but this sort of massive, across-the-board improvement on both sides of the football is really remarkable.

1. 1999 St. Louis Rams

Previous season: 4-12, 5.4 Pythagorean wins
Super Bowl season: 13-3, 13.8 adjusted Pythagorean wins

Why they improved: Even the 49ers would be amazed at how quickly the Rams turned things around. The other teams on this list improved their Pythagorean expectation by a number between 4.7 and 6.0 wins. The Rams improved by 8.4 wins, and they did so despite losing their starting quarterback to a torn ACL in the preseason. The 49ers were 40-1 to win the Super Bowl before the 2019 season. The 1999 Rams were 150-1. They ranked 25th in ESPN's preseason power rankings. Nobody saw the Rams coming.

Twenty-eight-year-old Kurt Warner stepped in after 11 career NFL pass attempts and delivered one of the best seasons in league history, winning MVP in the process. A Rams offense buoyed by the additions of Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt led the league in virtually every meaningful offensive category. No team in the NFL came within 80 points of the Greatest Show on Turf, which averaged a mind-blowing 32.9 points per game. The other teams in the league topped 30 points an average of about three times per year. What other teams would regard as their best offensive performance of the season was the typical weekly output for the Rams.

As much as the offense improved, the Rams' defensive leap in 1999 often gets lost in the shuffle. While they faced the league's easiest schedule, they improved from 24th in the NFL in scoring defense to fourth under Peter Giunta. Unsurprisingly given the stories elsewhere in this list, St. Louis improved its turnover rate, jumping from 23 takeaways in 1998 to 36 in 1999. It got someone to take pressure off star pass-rusher Kevin Carter when it promoted 1998 first-round pick Grant Wistrom to the starting lineup, and Carter responded with a 17-sack season. Coach Dick Vermeil also promoted a little-known undrafted free agent to the starting lineup at linebacker after he impressed in limited time as a rookie, with London Fletcher proceeding to start across various NFL lineups for the next 15 seasons.

Warner proceeded to blitz an overmatched Vikings team in the divisional round, throwing for 391 yards and five touchdowns in a game in which the Rams went up 49-17 in the fourth quarter before the Vikings added some garbage-time touchdowns. He wasn't anywhere near as impressive against the Bucs and their league-best pass defense in the NFC Championship Game, as Warner threw three interceptions and averaged an even 6 yards per attempt. The Rams' defense instead held Shaun King and the Bucs to two short field goals, forced a safety on a bad snap, then, when they picked off King at midfield in the fourth quarter trailing 6-5, Warner drove on the short field for a game-winning touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl. The Bucs' final drive included the wildly controversial Bert Emanuel incompletion, but the Rams held and made their way to a Super Bowl matchup with the Titans.

What happened in the Super Bowl: One of the closest games in NFL history came down to a yard, as Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson narrowly short of the end zone to seal a 23-16 win for the Rams. Warner threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns, but the Titans kept themselves in the game for most of the contest by dominating in the red zone. They held the Rams to three field goals, a missed kick and a fumbled field goal attempt in their five red zone trips during the first half.

The Titans punched the ball in on their first two red zone trips in the second half, but after they tied the score with an Al Del Greco field goal, Warner finally struck for a big play and hit Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown to regain the lead. Steve McNair drove the Titans 60 yards to get to the Rams' 10-yard line with five seconds to go, but when the slant to Dyson came up short, the Rams were champs.

What happened next: The Rams took a step backward after Vermeil retired and fell to 10-6, with the defense ranking dead last in points allowed per game. Warner missed five games with a broken hand and threw interceptions on a career-high 5.2% of his pass attempts, but he averaged nearly 10 yards per attempt and completed almost 68% of his passes as the ultimate high-risk, high-reward quarterback.

The offense carried the Rams into the playoffs as a wild-card team, but Warner turned the ball over four times and the Rams went down 31-7 in the fourth quarter to the underdog Saints before a few late touchdowns made things close. The Rams promoted Lovie Smith to defensive coordinator for 2001 and posted a dominant 14-2 campaign, but they ran into the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

NEW YORK -- Dwight Howard has already repaired his relationship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Now he's looking to mend a bridge with an old Lakers teammate by pairing with him at All-Star weekend next month in Chicago.

Howard wants Kobe Bryant to help him in the dunk contest.

"I'm trying to get Kobe," Howard said after the Lakers' 100-92 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. "So if I can get all the Laker fans to lobby to get Kobe to help me in the dunk contest, that'd be really good. That'd be awesome."

Bryant and Howard's lone season together on the Lakers in 2012-13 was tumultuous and drama-filled, but Howard -- a late offseason signing after DeMarcus Cousins suffered a serious knee injury -- has been embraced by L.A. as a key reserve player on the Lakers' ascension back to the No. 1 team in the Western Conference.

It has been more than 10 years since Howard participated in the dunk contest in 2009, when he was one of the darlings of the league as a rising superstar for the Orlando Magic. He starred in the event from 2007 to '09 and won it in 2008 by donning a Superman costume along with his basketball shorts and soaring from a step inside the foul line to send the ball home.

Howard announced that he was returning to the All-Star staple during an appearance Tuesday at the NBA Store. When The Athletic reported Howard's planned involvement in the contest earlier this month, Howard denied it, saying, "I don't know where you guys are getting this information from. I never said I was doing the dunk contest."

He explained Wednesday that he said that because discretion was part of what the league asked of him if he were going to be invited to compete.

"I had to sign on the dotted line," Howard said. "Adam Silver, he asked me to do that."

Howard revealed that he wasn't actually asked to be in the dunk contest; it was the other way around. He had the idea to return to the contest and reached out to Michael Levine, vice president of entertainment and player marketing for the NBA, to gauge the league's interest.

"I reached out myself and told them I wanted to be in it, so it was like, 'Oh, really?' I was like, 'Yeah,'" Howard said. "So here it is. I think I'm the oldest dunker in the dunk contest ever."

Howard, who turned 34 last month, lost around 30 pounds in the offseason and plans to enter into an even stricter fitness routine in the 3½ weeks leading up to the contest.

"I just felt like I'm in the best shape I've been in my whole career," Howard said. "So why not go out there and give it, give it 135 percent, and see what happens?"

Howard has been practicing for the contest and spent time at the National Basketball Players Association gym in downtown Manhattan on Tuesday, working on the dunks he has planned.

"Now that I'm competing against some way younger guys, I have to find a way to really make the dunk contest fun for the fans and really entertaining," Howard said. "So came up [with] some pretty good ideas, so things are going to be a lot of fun."

Howard would not divulge the dunks -- or props -- he has planned, however.

"I can't give everything away," he said.

Howard was more than happy to share his anticipation, however.

"What am I excited about? Just being in the atmosphere," he said. "It's been a long time. I got some pretty good dunks, things ready to go. Just can't wait to get out there, enjoy the atmosphere and try to put on a great show for all our fans. Try to make this 2020 dunk contest the best ever."

It could be even better if Bryant joins in.

"Have I asked him? Not yet," he said. "Just got to get the fans behind me first. Setting the table. Need you guys. 'Hey, Kobe, can you get in the dunk contest with Dwight?' That'd be great."

MIAMI -- Former Miami Heat great Dwyane Wade isn't surprised that new Heat swingman and his good friend Jimmy Butler is having so much success with his old team. Wade, who spent 15 seasons playing in Miami, believes that Butler has the right kind of "crazy" to fit in with the Heat's culture.

"I think Jimmy's been very clear, and I think I've spoken a few times, it's conversations that we had about Miami early on, and it's certain people that you just know are Miami Heat guys when you know the culture," Wade said during a conference call Wednesday to announce his new role with Turner Sports. "And for me, I always thought that Jimmy was that -- not knowing that this would actually happen -- but I always thought that Jimmy's personality and his crazy is perfect for [Heat president] Pat Riley and [coach] Erik Spoelstra's crazy."

After hearing about Wade's comments, Butler agreed. When asked why he thinks he has the right brand of "crazy" for this Heat team, Butler praised the tough-minded Heat culture that has defined Riley's tenure in South Beach.

"I think it's all based off of honesty, truthfulness, hard work and intention," Butler told ESPN after scoring 24 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds in a 134-129 overtime win over the Washington Wizards. "And I feel like when you talk about myself, you talk about Spo, you talk about Coach Pat, that's what all of this thing is based off of: how hard you work, how you can keep it real with one another and not take anything personal. It fits for me here. I'm loving it, man. They're constantly in my ear, and we're constantly going back and forth, figuring out ways that I can be better. How I can make everybody else better. But this culture -- I'm super happy to be here. I'm fortunate to be here, man. This is a great group of guys. It's a great organization. But like [Wade] said, this is the right type of crazy for me."

Wade, who spent the 2016-17 season playing alongside Butler as a member of the Chicago Bulls, said he made it clear to Butler when he signed with the Heat last summer that this was his team now.

"One thing I told Jimmy when he got there was, 'Hey, this is Jimmy Butler era,'" Wade said. "'Don't worry about people saying anything about Dwyane Wade. I am old and retired and gone. So you don't have to worry about me anymore. Focus on what you're trying to build with Miami in your time there. Don't ever feel like you have to be me or anybody else that's come before you. You just have to be Jimmy Butler.' And I think he's great at being Jimmy Butler, and that's who he needs to be."

After some tumultuous moments during previous stops in Chicago, Minnesota and Philadelphia, Butler, 30, has fit quickly into the Heat culture and has helped the team to a 31-13 start.

"I think we all are pleasantly surprised by the emergence of the Heat so soon," Wade said. "Knowing that Jimmy was coming in, obviously he was an All-Star player, but not knowing what the younger guys was going to bring to the team and not knowing that Bam [Adebayo] was going to continue to emerge to an All-Star level as he has, it's definitely been a pleasant surprise for all of us old heads that love the Miami Heat. Just overly joyed and excited about where the team is and just the future of the possibilities, where we go."

Spoelstra was effusive in his praise when discussing the impact Butler has had on both the team and the younger players in the group.

"We've always admired him as a player," Spoelstra said. "And like Dwyane said, we felt that his values match up ours, and we never think anything of that. If you want to use the adjective, quote unquote, his crazy matches our crazy. People have said that more about us than him. So we think it's a marriage made in heaven. It's our language. He speaks our language. We speak his language. We think it's normal behavior. We think if you lose or don't play well, we expect everybody in the building to be probably irrationally upset, even during the regular season or in a regular-season game during January. That's how we're wired. That's why he's perfect for us to be the face of the franchise moving forward."

Spoelstra and his players point to the fact that Butler has served as a role model on and off the floor for a group that has surprised the entire league in the first half of the season.

"And then stylistically, the way he plays the game of basketball and the way he competes fits on so many different levels to be able to help our young guys grow and gain confidence," Spoelstra said. "And play off of his talent and his competitiveness and his will because he's a very giving and sharing player. That was probably one of the most pleasant things that I've learned about him in our setting is he wants other guys to flourish, and he understands the big picture. Guys need to be better and different in April and May than they are right now. For that to happen, he has to facilitate that, and we think it's a fantastic fit."

Aside from cheering the Heat on from a distance, Wade is enjoying retired life as he begins his career as a commentator for Turner. When asked about a possible ownership stake in the Heat and a role within the organization moving forward, Wade said those conversations are "ongoing."

"When it comes to talking to the Arisons and ownership, we've definitely sat down and talked about what I wanted to do since the game is over with," he said. "And that's a conversation that will continue to be ongoing. I think right now, as you guys know, my family and I moved to Los Angeles, and I'm really involved in so many other areas of my life, and I want to get that, and I want to get that going, and the basketball will be there. My ties to Miami will never go anywhere. When that opportunity makes sense and is right, then we'll definitely sit down and have an even more in-depth conversation."

NEW ORLEANS -- For three minutes and eight seconds, Smoothie King Center turned into Zion Williamson's playground. The rookie's burst in the fourth quarter saw him give the New Orleans Pelicans' fans everything they wanted to see and more.

Williamson scored 17 consecutive points during a stretch that electrified the crowd and helped turn a double-digit deficit into a brief Pelicans lead before he headed to the bench for the last time with 5:23 remaining.

In those final minutes, the San Antonio Spurs gained control and won 121-117, but the story of the night was Williamson, who was making his NBA debut.

He started his run with a wide-open 3-pointer. Then he caught a lob over LaMarcus Aldridge for a layup. He followed that with another 3-pointer, a putback layup and two more 3-pointers, the last of which came while Aldridge was guarding him and gave the Pelicans a 107-106 lead.

When Williamson checked out at the 5:23 mark, he wasn't happy. Neither were the fans. Minutes later, while Brandon Ingram was shooting free throws, the crowd was chanting, "We want Zion."

But he wasn't going to check back in. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry made it clear postgame why the decision was made to pull Williamson.

"And no, he couldn't go back in the game, so don't go there," Gentry said to finish his opening statement. "Just because the medical people said that was it."

When asked about the conversation with Williamson, Gentry added, "I don't think anybody would be happy about it if you were playing at the level he was playing at, and then all of a sudden you had to come out of the game. I'm not the brightest coach in the world, but I wasn't gonna take him out in those situations unless I was told to."

Williamson finished with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and made all four of his 3-point attempts. He added seven rebounds and three assists.

Like many in the crowd, he wasn't thinking about medical restrictions when it was time for him to come out of the game.

"It's very hard," Williamson said. "I'm 19. Honestly, in that moment, I'm not thinking about longevity. I'm thinking about winning the game. So it was very tough."

The rally was something Pelicans fans had been waiting to see from the No. 1 overall pick. Williamson's run began at the 8:52 mark of the fourth quarter with a 27-foot 3-pointer that closed San Antonio's lead to 99-94. Over the following 3:08 stretch, Williamson had 17 points.

"I think what you saw there was a taste of what, once we really get settled, he gets settled in, there is a lot of things we can do with him," Gentry said. "There's a lot of potential there. It was good to see him do that. I just think there's a really, really high ceiling that he can reach, you know. He can reach it."

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, who finished with 12 points and shared a podium with Williamson after the game, said he was "hyped" watching Williamson drain 3-pointer after 3-pointer.

"After the first one, I was like, 'All right, cool.' Then the second one came, and I was like, 'All right, boy, you been practicing!' And then the third one, from that point on, the energy was crazy," Holiday said. "We've seen him do this since high school. This is what he does. As exciting as it was, is it really that much of a surprise?"

Williamson posted his first NBA field goal, a 1-foot shot, at the 10:35 mark of the second quarter, followed with an offensive charge for a turnover exactly one minute later. Derrick Favors replaced him for the Pelicans with 7:40 left in the first half.

Turnovers were an issue for Williamson. He finished with five, including two in the first half and two in the third quarter. Part of that was because Williamson was pressing and deferring too much in his NBA debut, something to be expected from a rookie. Gentry said he talked to Williamson at halftime to try to settle him down.

"I told him I wanted him to be more aggressive and wanted him to enjoy the moment," Gentry said. "Don't take this lightly. It's a great moment for you. It's what you've worked for your whole life is to be able to walk out and play in an NBA game. So enjoy that moment and not to worry about it, and we're gonna be fine as a team, and you're gonna be fine as a player."

The Pelicans have said time and again that Williamson isn't coming to save the franchise. They continued that approach by introducing Williamson second in the starting lineup, behind Ingram. Holiday was last. That said, the team, the franchise and the city all understand what type of player has joined the starting five.

"I think if you are adding a great player in there, he will find a way to adjust, and we will find a way to make it adjust," Gentry said pregame. "But obviously, it's the first game that he's playing in the NBA, so we will just see how it goes. But everyone else still? You play the way you played with the consistency that we played over the last two or three weeks and with the energy that we played with. So integrating him into what we are doing is not going to be that difficult."

The buzz was palpable throughout the night, but it went to another level in the fourth quarter, when Williamson began to show some of the skill set befit of his billing. Even Spurs coach Gregg Popovich appreciated the moment overall -- and that was before Williamson went on his fourth-quarter run.

"I'm glad he's back," Popovich said pregame. "You know it's -- a talent like that -- you know he's a great guy on top of it all. The whole world needs to see him. So I mean, obviously, it's good for the Pelicans, but it's good for basketball. He's quite a package, both as a player and as a person."

Aldridge had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks to pace the Spurs, seemingly an afterthought on Williamson's night. DeMar DeRozan added 20 points and five rebounds, and the Spurs finished with five players in double figures.

Even in the opposing locker room, the conversation eventually shifted to Williamson's big outing.

"He's special, you know?" DeRozan said. "Anybody who's been following basketball the past few years seen the talent that he has, you know? Hope he be able to stay healthy and be able to put it together. The sky's the limit for him."

Williamson said his NBA debut was everything he dreamed of, except for the loss. That part, he hopes, will change his next time out.

"Just the energy the crowd brought, the energy the city brought, it was electric, and I'm just grateful that they did that," Williamson said. "It was a dream come true to finally get out there; but at the end of the day, I did want to win, so just got to look to next game."

PARIS -- The NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player has simple advice for the player many are viewing as a future MVP after his show-stopping debut.

"Don't rush the process," was the message that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sent to Zion Williamson on Thursday from Paris.

The 19-year-old Williamson made his highly-anticipated NBA debut for New Orleans Pelicans against San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

The NBA's No. 1 overall draft pick had the crowd on its feet and asking for more after scoring 17 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter of a 121-117 loss, which took a back seat to Williamson's impact.

Antetokounmpo, an NBA All-Star for the past three years, knows what it's like to be surrounded by hype and urged Williamson to take his time.

"You're going to be a beast, the whole league knows you're going to be a beast," Antetokounmpo said in Paris, where the Bucks will take on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. "Just take it step by step, day by day."

Because of the time difference, Antetokounmpo was already asleep in his Parisian hotel when Williamson was putting on a show in New Orleans.

"I wasn't able to watch it because it was late here. But when I woke up I watched the highlights and saw that he scored 17 points (in barely more than three minutes )," Antetokounmpo said. "It's amazing. I'm really excited for him."

Antetokounmpo is one of the front-runners for the MVP title again this year, and will be looking for a fifth triple-double of the season against the Hornets, the first regular-season game to be played in France.

The 25-year-old Antetokounmpo is in stellar form himself. He had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in just 31 minutes of the Bucks' 111-98 win against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, reaching a career milestone of 10,000 points in the process.

Williamson missed the first half of the season after having knee surgery, and Antetokounmpo urged the 6-foot-6, 285-pound rookie out of Duke not to push his body too hard, too early.

"Obviously he's a tough kid. My advice that I give to him: Just have patience, work hard and make sure you're healthy," he said. "Because I saw some highlights and saw he was wearing a sleeve on his knee that was hurting. Don't rush, don't rush the process."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver thinks Williamson is well equipped to handle the pressure.

"It comes with the territory, and he has been under a spotlight long before he even played in the national limelight at the Duke University," Silver said. "He is going to be a social media star these days and again, it's not easy for these young players, but I think he is built to be a big-time player and can handle these big moments."

After Kobe Bryant showed up to watch LeBron James and the Lakers earlier this season, James reflected on the two players’ careers.

“Two guys that came straight out of high school, a lot of pressure put on both of us at such a young age. ... Just use that every single day on trying to be the best in the world. And inspire kids all over the world. We share a lot similarities,” James said.

One of those similarities is in scoring. Bryant and James currently rank No. 3 and No. 4 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and in the coming days, James will complete what has been a 17-year journey to close the scoring gap between the two players.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have signed left-hander Francisco Liriano, right-handers Bud Norris and Drew Storen, and infielder Neil Walker to minor league contracts with invitations to attend major league spring training.

Liriano was 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 69 relief appearances for Pittsburgh last season. The 36-year-old Liriano is 112-114 with a 4.15 ERA and has averaged 9.01 strikeouts per nine innings over 419 career games.

Norris hasn't pitched in the majors since 2018, when he had a 3.59 ERA with 28 saves in 33 opportunities for St. Louis. Norris, who turns 35 on March 2, attended major league spring training with Toronto last year. He is 67-90 with 47 saves and a 4.45 ERA in 355 career games, including 188 starts.

Storen last pitched in the majors in 2017 for Cincinnati, posting a 4.45 ERA over 58 games. He made nine relief appearances for Kansas City's Double-A affiliate in 2019. The 32-year-old Storen is 29-18 with 99 saves and a 3.45 ERA in 470 career relief appearances.

Walker batted .261 with a .344 on-base percentage, eight homers and 38 RBIs in 115 games for Miami last season. The 34-year-old switch-hitter has a .267 average, 149 homers and 606 RBIs in 1,288 career games.