Category: 2020 season

Kiran Amegadjie’s old Bears tweet has unbelievable connection

The rookie used to vent his frustrations about his favorite team on social media and one post has a wild connection to the current squad.

New Chicago Bears offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie realized a dream last Friday when he was selected by his hometown team with the No. 75 overall pick. Amegadjie, who grew up and played in Hinsdale, made it clear that he was a fan of the Bears growing up. It didn’t take long for everyone to see just how big of a fan he was, however.

Shortly after he was selected, his old tweets started popping up that proved he was living and dying with every play. Amegadjie, like many Bears fans, was venting his frustrations about the team during the 2020 season on Twitter/X when they endured a rollercoaster season. Comments like complaining about blocking and play calling were nothing nefarious and were warranted given the state of the franchise at the time, but one post in particular stood out, and it turns out it has quite the connection to the 2024 squad he just joined.

During the Bears’ prime-time matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Amegadjie posted a tweet that simply read “Make the pain stop please,” an evergreen message Bears fans have probably said many times during their fandom. Based on the timestamp, it turns out that tweet was in response to the Rams scoring a touchdown to put the game out of reach in the third quarter, made by tight end Gerald Everett, his new teammate who signed in free agency. The Bears would eventually lose 24-10, which kicked off a six-game losing streak.

 

Amegadjie very likely doesn’t remember the specifics of his Bears-related tweets. He’s already deleted quite a few of them, after all. But seeing that he’s now teammates on the Bears with the man who made him want to wish away the pain of being a Bears fan back in the day is quite the twist. That could be a fun icebreaker as the two get to know one another.

Report: Sean Payton never paid fines for COVID-19 policy violations during 2020 season

ESPN reports Sean Payton never paid fines for violating the NFL’s COVID-19 policy in 2020, allegedly laughing at Jon Gruden for doing so:

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8169″]

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton made a cameo in a dynamite report from ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham on the fall of longtime NFL personalities Jon Gruden (the ex-Las Vegas Raiders coach) and Dan Snyder (the soon-to-be former Washington Commanders owner). Payton has been close friends with Gruden for decades, dating back to their early careers together with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Back in the 2020 season at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Payton and Gruden were fined $100,000 for violating the league’s health and safety protocols after failing to properly cover their faces during a high-profile game at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium. But ESPN reports that only Gruden paid up.

“I never paid the fine,” ESPN quotes Payton as telling Gruden, “You’re the only dumbf— that paid the fine.”

ESPN adds that Payton claimed multiple other coaches declined to pay their fines; the NFL issued discipline to a group including Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks), Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers), and Vic Fangio (Denver Broncos), though it’s unclear who Payton was allegedly referring to.

Payton has a famously frosty relationship with the NFL head office in New York stemming from the 2012 Bountygate scandal, so it’s not too surprising that he would refuse to pay up if not forced to. The Saints were later docked a 2022 sixth-round draft pick for additional COVID-19 policy violations, being the only team in the league to do so (the Raiders also initially forfeited a draft pick, but won it back upon appeal). We’ll have to wait and see whether Payton’s acrimonious relationship with league commissioner Roger Goodell has followed him to Denver.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Saints’ 2020 draft class entering make-or-break season in 2023

The Saints’ 2020 draft class is entering a make-or-break season in 2023. Cesar Ruiz, Zack Baun, and Adam Trautman can still change the narrative, but they’re running out of time:

Much of the attention on the New Orleans Saints’ 2020 NFL draft class has centered on right guard Cesar Ruiz, and for good reason — the former first-round pick struggled mightily through the first two years of his career before turning things around last season, and now he’s going into what could be a career-year with plenty of momentum behind him, despite an unfortunate season-ending injury in rearview. If the Saints don’t choose to exercise his fifth-year option after this year’s draft (which would cost them more than $14 million in 2024), he’ll be a free agent next year.

His other 2020 draftmates don’t have the luxury of a fifth-year option ahead of them, and they also haven’t quite met expectations up to this point. At the time of the draft, general manager Mickey Loomis and the team’s decision-makers like assistant GM Jeff Ireland told us they were going for a quality-over-quantity approach by drafting just four players, and trading up for three of them — linebacker Zack Baun, tight end Adam Trautman, and quarterback-turned-tight end Tommy Stevens. That strategy was met with skepticism at the time, and history hasn’t exactly justified the idea there.

Stevens was waived and kicked down to the practice squad within six months, and the Saints cut him for good 199 days after they picked him. Baun has been limited to special teams for most of his Saints career. Trautman hasn’t developed as hoped and the team was actively looking for his replacement in hosting Foster Moreau on a free agent visit.

So the way things stand right now, it’s hard to look at the 2020 class as anything but a failure. The Saints either took the wrong approach, picked the wrong prospects, or had the wrong vision in mind for them. Draw your own conclusions there.

That’s not to say there isn’t a scenario where things turn around. If Ruiz continues playing well and earns a long-term extension with the Saints, that does a lot to salvage the 2020 draft for New Orleans. So too would Baun taking a step forward in the role Kaden Elliss flourished in last season. He excelled as a pass rusher in college but the Saints overcomplicated things by making him play out of position and off the line of scrimmage. Elliss lined up closer to the ball and experienced great success because of it. Maybe that’s the proof-of-concept the coaches needed to let Baun do what he’s done best.

But that’s still just two players out of an entire draft class, and they each need to meet those expectations. Whether they can change the narrative or not is undetermined. Let’s hope they can go the distance. These players haven’t met expectations yet, but there’s still some time left on the clock for them to get there.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[stnvideo key=”ySJsx71LQK-2668252-7618″ type=”float”]

Cowboys WR progress, Bengals have 9 players on initial injury report

The Cowboys and Bengals are deep into preparations for their Week 2 tilt. Here’s who’s working and who’s on the mend. | From @KDDrummondNFL

As work began in full towards the weekend matchup, Dallas is making their way without four starters and a key reserve. Meanwhile the Cowboys next opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, have a long list of players on their practice report. The number is misleading however as all of the key members of their depth chart are either full participants after playing in Week 1, or trending in the direction of suiting up.

Here’s a look at the practice report from Wednesday.

Bears’ Jaylon Johnson, Darnell Mooney are first-round picks in PFF’s 2020 re-draft

The Bears got steals in both CB Jaylon Johnson and WR Darnell Mooney, who were both first-round selections in PFF’s 2020 NFL re-draft.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbve7kb6he6scwe player_id=none image=https://bearswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Pro Football Focus took a crack at re-drafting the 2020 NFL draft, where Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and wide receiver Darnell Mooney were both selected in the first round to NFC North rivals.

With the 22nd overall pick, the Minnesota Vikings originally selected wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who went third to the Detroit Lions in this re-draft. Instead, PFF has Minnesota drafting Johnson, who originally was the 50th overall selection, in this re-draft.

This selection doesn’t fill the Vikings’ need for a wide receiver to pair with Adam Thielen, but Minnesota has also had a revolving cast of cornerbacks in recent years. Johnson has responded well to the No. 1 role he’s been forced into on the outside. There’s still some room for growth, but Johnson has been active at the catch point for Chicago, as his 15.3% forced incompletion rate ranks sixth among 64 cornerbacks with at least 100 targets since 2020.

The Green Bay Packers originally drafted quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall selection, which spurned quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In this re-draft, the Packers give Rodgers the wide receiver he wanted in Mooney, who was originally a fifth-round selection.

Mooney isn’t best suited as the No. 1 option he currently is in Chicago, but he does represent a nice complementary piece to a passing attack that can stress defenses vertically. Mooney’s 0.4 wins above a replacement since 2020 rank sixth among wide receivers in the draft class — just behind Claypool in Pittsburgh.

Both Johnson and Mooney are cornerstones for this franchise moving forward. And it’s safe to say Chicago got a steal in both of them.

[listicle id=509362]

[listicle id=509365]

Matt Nagy ghosted Allen Robinson following Bears’ 2020 season

Allen Robinson got the cold shoulder from Matt Nagy following the Bears’ 2020 season.

The Bears fired Matt Nagy following the end of a disappointing 2021 season, and it didn’t take long for some unflattering stories to surface about Nagy’s time in Chicago.

According to a feature by The Athletic‘s Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain, Nagy once blew off a meeting with quarterback Mitch Trubisky following the 2019 season. Now, a new story is surfacing from wide receiver Allen Robinson, who also got the cold shoulder from Nagy.

Robinson appeared on the Cut to It podcast with Steve Smith, where he explained how Nagy never had an exit interview with Robinson, as is custom, following the 2020 season.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t talk to him, we didn’t talk,” Robinson said. “I’m gonna say, ‘We didn’t talk,’ because from the time the season ended, on the plane after the Saints game, the following 24 to 48 hours, there’s some sort of exit meetings. For us, because of COVID, that was supposed to scheduled with the head coach and management, or whoever they were coordinating that, via Zoom. Talked to the receivers coach, talked to equipment, everybody else. Few days go by, no Zoom link. Week go by, no Zoom link.

“I was a pending free agent at that point. I didn’t know which direction they were wanting to go, either way or not, So for me, I’m waiting for that exit meeting so we can talk about this thing. Like, what do you all see, or think, in the foreseeable future, just to five me an idea. So for me it it’s supposed to be a Zoom link sent out to me, cool. Alright, I’m waiting for that Zoom link so we can chop it up and see what’s up. Even from a football side, from how do we improve next year? A week go by, no Zoom link. Two weeks, no Zoom. Now January, we’re into February, nope.”

With a new regime in place following the firings of Nagy and GM Ryan Pace, you have to wonder if perhaps new GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus could somehow convince Robinson to return.

In a way, it would be a clean slate with a new regime in place. But the more likely option is Robinson exploring free agency and finding the most bang for his buck.

[listicle id=494793]

Cowboys WR Amari Cooper placed on COVID list, will miss Week 11 game vs Chiefs

The Cowboys’ WR1 could also miss the Thanksgiving rematch against his old Raiders team. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott will be without one of their most lethal weapons when they travel to Kansas City for their Week 11 game. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has been placed on the team’s Reserve/COVID list, according to the team website.

The timing of the roster move means he will definitely be ineligible to play Sunday. And due to the short week before the Thanksgiving Day game, Cooper is in serious jeopardy of also missing that contest, in which he was to face his old Raiders team. Cooper’s vaccinations status, which is not known, could even impact his availability for the Cowboys’ Week 13 game in New Orleans.

Cooper is currently second on the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. As one of the few current Cowboys players who has experienced a game at Arrowhead Stadium, Cooper had just this week shared with his teammates some tips for dealing with the challenging and noisy environment.

“It is different than other spots. It gets pretty loud there,” Cooper said. “It is going to be a challenge for us, definitely with the noise.”

“It just depends on how well you can handle it as a team. I think we’ve been handling it pretty well as a team, especially with Dak recognizing the blitz, being able to get into the right situations and get the ball off on-time and stuff. We’ve been handling it well. I don’t think we’ve played a team that’s just blitzed as much as they do, so again, it’s going to be another challenge for us from that aspect as well.”

CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Cedrick Wilson will now be the top three pass-catching targets for Prescott in what is expected to be a high-scoring affair.

[listicle id=686065]

[listicle id=686088]

[listicle id=686033]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Khris Bogle continues to be a valuable rotation player for Florida

Bogle isn’t starting right now, but he’s seen action in every game so far in 2021.

Name: Khris Bogle

Number: 8

Position: Outside Linebacker

Class: Junior

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 242 lbs

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

High School: Cardinal Gibbons

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO AST SACK FF FR
27 11 16 4 1 0

Overview:

Bogle was one of coach Dan Mullen‘s first major recruiting wins, and it came over the sport’s greatest coach in Nick Saban. Bogle committed to Alabama the January of his senior year, but on National Signing Day, he announced that he’d be flipping to Florida.

A four-star recruit and top-100 player, Bogle saw early action as a true freshman, playing in all 13 games as a rotational linebacker/BUCK player. He totaled 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Bogle was expected to play a rotational role again in 2020, but a season-ending injury to Jeremiah Moon led to him starting four games at BUCK, and he had a career-high 27 tackles with four sacks and a fumble recovery.

He was expected to be a key member of the rotation once again, and while the bulk of the playing time has gone to Moon and Brenton Cox Jr., Bogle has still appeared in all seven games and has 14 tackles to go with a sack.

Bogle has never quite had the impact he was expected to coming out of high school, but he has been an important and reliable member of this defense since arriving on campus.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Australia product Jeremy Crawshaw looks to become next great Gators punter

Punter Jeremy Crawshaw looks to become college football’s next great punter to hail from Australia.

Name: Jeremy Crawshaw

Number: 26

Position: Punter

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 193 lbs

Hometown: Emu Plains, New South Wales, Australia

Previous School: ProKick Australia

Twitter: @jeremy_crawshaw

2020 statistics:

PUNTS AVG LNG YDS TB IN20 NET
2 49 50 98 0 1 49

Overview:

Originally from outside of Sydney, Australia, Crawshaw is the next in a long line of punters from the land down under that have broken through in college football in recent years. Discovered by ProKick Australia, Crawshaw was a two-star recruit rated as the No. 9 punter in the 2020 recruiting class.

Crawshaw early enrolled at Florida as a true freshman last season, but he found himself as the backup to redshirt senior Jacob Finn. The only action Crawshaw saw was in the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma, when he had two boots for an average of 49 yards.

After the 2020 season, Finn announced that he was transferring to Virginia, clearing the way for Crawshaw to start in 2021 as a redshirt freshman.

He’s been Florida’s primary punter through the first five games, and he’s attempted 15 punts for an average of 45.3 yards so far in 2021. He has three touchbacks and six punts downed inside the 20 this season.

Crawshaw hasn’t been amazing, and it’s clear UF’s specialists have taken a step back since the days of the Townsend brothers and Evan McPherson. Still, Crawshaw is a talented punter who should be a solid starter for the next few seasons.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Avery Helm surging into a starting role in his second year

It was a bit surprising when Helm was named the starter opposite Kaiir Elam, but he has held the job down through the first three weeks of the season.

Name: Avery Helm

Number: 24

Position: Cornerback

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 180 lbs

Hometown: Missouri City, Texas

High School: Fort Bend Marshall

Twitter: @FMB_Helm

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO SACK FF INT PD
1 1 0 0 0 0

Overview:

A four-star recruit in the 2020 recruiting class from Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, Helm was expected to be a bit of a project player. He was only the No. 24 corner in the nation coming out of high school, and he was the third-highest rated defensive back Florida signed in the class.

He didn’t see much action as a true freshman in 2020, appearing in just one game, Florida’s loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. With a number of starters sitting out, UF gave a lot of opportunities to younger players like Helm in that game, and he earned a tackle.

Helm entered the 2021 season expected to be a rotational player in the secondary, but those plans changed when projected starter Jaydon Hill was lost for the season with a knee injury in camp. Helm won the starting job opposite Kaiir Elam over true freshman Jason Marshall, and though he’s had to deal with some learning curves as a redshirt freshman, he does have five tackles and a pass deflection through three games.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.