Category: Trojans in NFL

Leonard Williams joins Pete Carroll with Seahawks after big NFL trade

Pete Carroll didn’t coach Leonard Williams at USC, but he will coach Williams with the (USC) Seahawks.

Imagine a world in which Leonard Williams not only played at USC but was coached by Pete Carroll as a Trojan. Wow. That would have been something. Williams, of course, came to USC a few years after Carroll left. Now, however, this elite defensive player and this elite football coach will work together.

As Seahawks Wire reports, “Seattle cut a deal with the New York Giants to acquire defensive lineman Leonard Williams. All it cost the Seahawks was a 2nd round pick in 2024, and a 5th round pick in 2025. The Giants will still be on the hook for most of his salary in exchange for better draft capital.”

Williams isn’t accumulating huge sack numbers in 2023, but remember: Great defensive linemen often occupy double-teams and make an impact without racking up stats. They allow teammates to make the sacks and accumulate numbers.

Williams will also bolster a Seahawk rush defense which showed some weakness against the Cleveland Browns. Guys are exhausted up front because there isn’t a lot of depth. Seattle defensive linemen have played too many snaps, quite frankly. Williams will dramatically change snap counts and provide much-needed relief to Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones.

Pete Carroll should have a lot of fun using Williams up front with the Seahawks, who lead the NFC West heading into November.

*

Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality.

Amon-Ra St. Brown expected to shine on Monday Night Football with the Lions

Amon-Ra St. Brown gets ready for his MNF close-up.

Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the rest of the Detroit Lions’ offense have been humming this season.

The Lions host a Monday Night Football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Ford Field in Detroit. The rare MNF visit to the Motor City should produce the loudest Detroit crowd of the season.

The Lions are looking to bounce back from their worst loss of the season last week, a 38-6 no-show against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Lions are one of five NFL teams to rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency this season (7th and 8th, respectively).

St. Brown has caught 51 passes for 557 yards and three touchdowns in six games this season. He has developed into one of the most high-volume players in the NFL. He has been the engine behind an elite Lion passing game. He has also been targeted 69 times this season, which is seventh-most in the NFL.

Last year in his second season, the former USC Trojan caught 90 passes for 912 yards and five touchdowns.

*

Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality.

Michael Pittman Jr tries to bounce back after Colts’ rough loss to Browns

Pittman felt the frustration of falling short. He and the Colts need a big response.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. clarified recent comments he made out of frustration following the team’s controversial loss to the Cleveland Browns this past weekend (via 1075 The Fan’s Kevin Bowen).

Following the Colts’ Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Pittman – who had two catches on five targets in the game – made some comments to the Indianapolis Star he wanted to clean up.

“They just didn’t target me today, for whatever reason,” he said. “Maybe I’m not a big part of the offense … When I do get the ball, I feel like I always do something with it. Just know that i’m viable to break off a big one in any situation vs. any team. I’m just trying to show the coaches that I’m out there, too.”

Colts coach Shane Steichen offered this observation:

“Why I think you know Pittman is a huge part of this offense, and he’s the ultimate competitor, and I think with really good players, they want the ball and they express their feelings some time and that’s part of this league, and we’re going to do everything in our power to continue to give him the football moving forward,” Steichen said.

Pittman leads the Colts in targets (65), receptions (42) and receiving yards (489) entering Week 8. He is averaging 69.9 yards per game. Starting QB Anthony Richardson is out for the season and Gardner Minshew will start the rest of the year. Let’s see if Pittman can raise his game.

*

Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality.

Former Trojan JuJu Smith-Schuster is trying to find his way with the Patriots

Bad JuJu exists in New England.

JuJu Smith-Schuster was the New England Patriots’ big free-agent signing during the offseason, but he’s still trying to gain the confidence of coaches.

Per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, Smith-Schuster is on “increasingly shaky standing on the depth chart.” Multiple team sources have said they believe he’s “not presently among the team’s five most effective pass-catchers.”

Smith-Schuster has missed the Patriots’ last two games, but the wideout’s removal from the injury report indicates he has cleared the NFL’s five-step concussion protocol. This sets the stage for him to rejoin the lineup Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

In five games with the Patriots, Smith-Schuster has logged 14 catches for 86 yards on 25 targets. The Patriots are 2-5 this season and rank in the bottom 10 offensivly in most major statistical categories.

Smith-Schuster has had an up-and-down NFL career to this point. His two most productive seasons were his first two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he had 2,343 yards and 14 touchdowns in 30 games between 2017 and 2018. He did, however, win Super Bowl LVII with the Kansas City Chiefs this past season before joining the Patriots.

*

Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality.

Sam Darnold unlikely to start for 49ers against Bengals, but still needs to be ready

It doesn’t seem Darnold will get a chance to start against the Bengals, but he knows he has to be ready if called upon.

San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy entered the concussion protocol this past week. He entered the protocol after initially reporting symptoms on the plane flight home to San Francisco from Minneapolis following the 49ers’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

With Purdy’s status in limbo earlier in the week, the 49ers realized they could be forced to turn over to backup quarterback Sam Darnold, who beat out former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance for the second-string role in the offseason.

Darnold, who has yet to see extensive action with the 49ers, has 55 career starts under his belt with the Jets and Panthers, but he has been inconsistent to say the least throughout his career. The former USC quarterback is 21-34 as a starter in his career with a 59.7 percent completion rate, 61 touchdowns, 55 interceptions and a 78.2 passer rating.

The prospect of Darnold coming to the rescue for the 49ers was exciting. Darnold didn’t have a chance with two bad NFL organizations in New York and Charlotte, but the Niners give him a chance to work with elite talent.

However, on Friday, Brock Purdy made considerable progress in his recovery. He practiced with the team and — as of early Saturday morning — is expected to clear concussion protocol and start against Cincinnati. Darnold will have to wait, but he will need to stay ready if he does get a chance on the big stage in San Francisco.

*

Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality.

Jordan Addison has breakout Monday Night Football game for Vikings vs 49ers

Jordan Addison looks like the real deal in Minnesota.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver and former USC Trojan Jordan Addison had a breakout performance on Monday Night Football in a win against the San Fransisco 49ers.

Addison, an NFL rookie, looks like the real deal. He stepped up in a big way with superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson sidelined by a hamstring injury. Addison had seven catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns in his big performance on a prime-time stage.

The play of the game came with Minnesota facing 3rd and 6 in the middle third of the field with 16 seconds left before halftime. The 49ers sent three extra rushers. Kirk Cousins threw a pass into traffic. San Francisco defensive back Charvarius Ward got his hands on the ball first. The fight for the ball with Ward was eerily similar to the opening drive of the game, when Cousins threw to Addison over the middle. Addison had his fingers on the ball first on that play, but the ball was wrestled away by Ward to hang the Vikings with their fourth opening-drive turnover in seven games this NFL season.

On this second play just before halftime, Addison turned the tables. He swiped the ball from Ward and dashed to the end zone for a crucial touchdown. The Vikings grabbed a 16-7 halftime lead in a game they eventually won, 22-17.

“I needed that one,” Addison said. “I couldn’t let him (Ward) get it twice.”

Through seven games, Addison has 29 catches for 400 yards and six touchdowns. Not only is that tied for the second-most receiving TDs in the league, according to the Vikings, it ties the NFL record for most TDs through a rookie’s first seven games.

Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality.

Tuli Tuipulotu named to The Athletic’s first quarter NFL All-Rookie Team

Tuli Tuipulotu is giving the Chargers the bolt of lightning they need.

Tuli Tuipulotu has started this season like a bolt of lightning for the Los Angeles Chargers. Tuipulotu’s 13.5 sacks in his final year at USC earned him 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and a second-round selection in this year’s draft by the Chargers. While he’s behind two of the best pass rushers in the NFL on the depth chart — Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack — Tuipulotu has still managed to put up strong numbers this season.

Through four games, Tuipulotu has two sacks, four tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits.

The Athletic released its NFL All-Rookie Team through the quarter mark of the season, with Tuipulotu making the list at edge rusher.

NFL Staff Writer Diante Lee pointed out how some of the rookie’s traits that made him successful at the collegiate level has translated early on in the pros.

Lee wrote:

“Just like in his final season at USC, Tuipulotu is producing with a relentless motor and hand-fighting skills. He’s second among all rookie edge rushers in total pressures (14) and just a shade behind Anderson in pressure rate.”

Other commentators weighed in as well:

“The best player on the field defensively in this game was a rookie, and it was Tuli Tuipulotu,” said Daniel Jeremiah on his “Move the Sticks” podcast. “He was awesome against the Raiders. He had four or five pressures. He had a sack. He could have had three or four sacks. It’s one of those things where he generates the carnage, and everyone else gets to kind of clean it up.”

*

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football leading into the big game against Washington on October 14.

Prominent Pac-12 sports journalist thinks USC is likely to fire Alex Grinch before season’s end.

USC and Lincoln Riley need to have a plan in place if Alex Grinch coaches poorly and loses to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator might actually be worse than Alex Grinch, a fascinating plot point heading into the October 14 renewal of Irish-Trojans.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Notre Dame and Utah.

Pro Football Focus mock draft has Caleb Williams to the Bears

One wonders how much the Bears’ win over the Commanders will affect the 2024 NFL draft board.

We are about a quarter of the way through the 2023 NFL regular season, and the NFL landscape is taking shape.

With tons of premium 2024 NFL draft prospects to consider, such as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Brock Bowers, there has never been a better time to dip a toe into the draft waters, and the theater of the draft will only get more dramatic in the coming months as it becomes clearer how the 2024 draft board will look (preceding trades).

Pro Football Focus has its updated draft order following Week 4’s Sunday games. Here is a look at PFF’s quarter-season mock draft.

Caleb Williams is projected as the top pick in the NFL draft going to the Chicago Bears at No. 1. Through five games, Caleb Williams has 1,603 passing yards, 21 TDs and one interception for USC.

PFF has Williams and the Bears landing WR1 Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State at No. 2 overall to as the Bears hold the second pick via the Carolina Panthers. The Bears’ win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday night decreased Chicago’s odds of being No. 1, but there’s a lot of season left to play.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football leading into the big game against Washington on October 14.

USC win over Colorado feels hollow because Alex Grinch isn’t doing his job.

Experts think Alex Grinch will prevent USC from making the Pac-12 Championship Game.

The coach who ripped Jordan Addison for transferring to USC is now staring at a humiliating season in Pittsburgh.

Amon-Ra St. Brown scores big TD for Lions in prime-time win at Lambeau Field

Amon-Ra St. Brown is very likely to play in the NFL playoffs this season.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is more than familiar with the atmosphere under the lights at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay. He was ready to shine in the latest edition of NFL Thursday Night Football.

Amon-Ra St. Brown quietly had a red-hot start to the year, posting 275 receiving yards through three weeks. He entered Thursday night’s matchup with the Packers coming off of back-to-back 102-yard receiving games.

St. Brown was very efficient through NFL Week 3, catching 21 of his 27 targets at 13.1 yards per catch with a touchdown. He ranked ninth among all receivers in yards per route run—an efficiency metric from PFF. St. Brown’s average depth of target through three games was just eight yards, with Detroit wanting to get him the ball in space where he can make plays after the catch.

St. Brown made sure to continue to produce in a divisional battle versus the Packers. The Lions won in Green Bay this past January to knock the Packers out of the playoffs.

They picked up where they left off, dusting off the Pack 34-20 to take control of the NFC North. Jared Goff and St. Brown connected on a touchdown which helped the Lions win. After St. Brown’s touchdown, a Packer fan dumped beer on him.

We don’t know if the beer tasted good, but winning sure does.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

Jordan Addison tries to take Vikings’ offense to the next level

Jordan Addison’s debut had its moments, but his ultimate task is to help the #Vikings turn the corner. That’s a long way away.

Former USC Trojan Jordan Addison brought in four of six targets for 61 yards and a touchdown in the Minnesota Vikings’ 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

The rookie first-round pick scored the first touchdown of his pro career on a 39-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter for Minnesota’s first points of the season.

Addison completed his college career with a standout season at USC, earning All-Pac-12 honors. An 11-game starter, Addison recorded 875 yards and 8 touchdowns on 59 catches as the top target in Caleb Williams’ Hesiman Trophy season.

Prior to USC, Addison spent two seasons at Pittsburgh, recording 100 receptions for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns. He won the Biletnikoff Award for top wide receiver in the country and was named a consensus All-American in 2021.

Addison shows promise as a wide receiver. The next step for him will be to reshape the field so drastically for the Vikings’ offense that it becomes nearly impossible to defend all their pass catchers. Addison has to find a way to make the game easier for Kirk Cousins. Minnesota’s 17-point outing against the Bucs in Week 1 was plainly unacceptable. It wasn’t Addison’s fault, but the rookie needs to find ways to make this passing game function better.

Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.