New York Giants QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley have been named the FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Week.
Both New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley were nominated for FedEx Player of the Week awards for their record-breaking performances in Week 16 against the Washington Redskins, and in the end, it was a clean sweep.
Jones has officially been named the FedEx Air Player of Week 16, while Barkley has officially been named the FedEx Ground Player of Week 16.
Per the press release:
Jones won for his week 16 performance against the Washington Redskins where he completed 28 of 42 attempts for 352 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 132.1 in a 41-35 win.
Barkley was awarded for his week 16 performance, again against the Washington Redskins, where he rushed for 189 yards on 22 attempts, scoring one touchdown.
As a result of the awards, which were voted on by fans, FedEx will donate $2,000 to The USO in each player’s name, totaling a pledge of $4,000.
JACKSONVILLE — Tennessee will conclude the 2019 season with a TaxSlayer Gator Bowl matchup against Indiana.
The contest will be played Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN.
Tennessee has played in the Gator Bowl six other times and UT players rank high for the Bowl’s all-time individual records.
Gator Bowl Individual Records: Where Vols rank all-time*
Most touchdown runs — 3
Lee Suggs (Virginia Tech) vs. Clemson, Jan. 1, 2001
James Stewart (Tennessee) vs. Virginia Tech, Dec. 30, 1994
Mike Gaddis (Oklahoma) vs. Virginia, Dec. 29, 1991
Terry McMillian (Missouri) vs. Alabama, Dec. 28, 1968
Bobby Cavazos (Texas Tech) vs. Auburn, Jan. 1, 1954
Lu Gambino (Maryland) vs. Georgia, Jan. 1, 1948
PATs — 6
John Becksvoort (Tennessee) vs. Virginia Tech, Dec. 30, 1994
Scott Blanton (Oklahoma) vs. Virginia, Dec. 29, 1991, (6 att.)
Most points — 24
James Stewart (Tennessee) vs. Virginia Tech, Dec. 30, 1994
Fred Biletnikoff (Florida State) vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 2, 1965
Most touchdowns — 4
James Stewart (Tennessee) vs. Virginia Tech, Dec. 30, 1994
Fred Biletnikoff (Florida State) vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 2, 1965
Longest run
96 – Mikell Simpson (Virginia) vs. Texas Tech, Jan. 1, 2008
76 – Kendrick Jones (Tennessee) vs. Virginia Tech, Dec. 30, 1994
Records against Tennessee in the Gator Bowl
Most yards rushing
216 – Floyd Little (Syracuse) vs. Tennessee, Dec. 31, 1966, (29 att.)
“He had a guy in every f—ing stadium in the league to get him that beer.”
Eli Manning will likely suit up in a New York Giants uniform for the last time on Sunday when he will watch from the sideline as his team looks to play spoiler against the hated Philadelphia Eagles.
Manning has had quite a run during his 16 years as the leader of the Giants. He has two Super Bowls wins over Tom Brady, of course. He also became known for making weird faces during games that weren’t going well. And he also took a lot of heat over the years for throwing a lot of interceptions.
But you can’t deny that he did some great things during his time in New York.
Now we’re learning of another awesome thing he had going for him – apparently Eli had a beer guy in every NFL stadium that would hook him up with a 6-pack or a 12-pack after games so he could drink them in the back of the bus with other players and break down the game.
ESPN’s Ian O’Connor told that story in his great profile of Eli that came out today:
Eli Manning always drank beer on the team bus. It was a Broadway Joe kind of thing to do, and a fact that might run counter to an image Manning spent absolutely no time crafting. But win, lose or draw, Manning would find someone on the road to buy him a six-pack or 12-pack that he would carry to the back of the bus, on ice, and share with some veterans as they discussed the game on the ride to the airport.
Even then, Manning’s consistency stunned his New York Giants teammates. “It was unbelievable,” said Lawrence Tynes, the kicker who won two championships with the quarterback. “He had a guy in every f—ing stadium in the league to get him that beer.”
Wisconsin faces Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.
After picking up a much-needed victory over Milwaukee at home last weekend, Wisconsin (6-5) hits the road to Knoxville to take on Tennessee (8-3) on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers and Volunteers have split the four previous contests in this series, with Wisconsin winning a 74-62 decision at the 2016 Maui Invitational in the last meeting.
Wisconsin has lost four of its last six leading into Saturday’s matchup, though it was able to take care of business in a 83-64 victory over Milwaukee the last time out. Tennessee has fallen on some hard times as well as of late, dropping two of its last three. The Volunteers lost to No. 12 Memphis and Cincinnati before breaking their losing streak in a 75-53 win over Jacksonville State last Saturday.
Though I would expect this to be a close contest, Tennessee is certainly the favorite to come out on top in the end; we all know how awful the Badgers have played on the road this season, and though the Volunteers did lose one of their top players recently with Lamonte Turner’s decision to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, head coach Rick Barnes still has a pretty strong rotation.
Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest.
Bowden has taken a big leap this season after serving as the fourth or fifth option on Tennessee’s loaded roster last year.
An excellent shooter, the 6-5 senior from Knoxville has become the team’s leading scorer this season. However, with Turner – who was their No. 2 scorer and one of the top facilitators in the nation at 7.1 assists per game – now sidelined, the Volunteers will need Bowden to step up and shoulder an even greater share of the offensive load.
Bowden has scored at least 11 points in all but two of Tennessee’s games this year and is coming off of his second-highest scoring total of the season (19 points) in its win last Saturday against Jacksonville State.
Dec 14, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Yves Pons (35) moves the ball against Memphis Tigers forward Precious Achiuwa (55) during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
As with Bowden, Pons has assumed a far greater role for the Volunteers this season compared to last.
One of the freakier athletes in college basketball, the 6-6 junior from France has always had major potential, and he now appears to be putting it all together. Pons’ minutes have skyrocketed from 11.7 to 32.6 minutes per game this season, and he has poured in at least 10 points in eight of 11 games while averaging over nine points more than he did in 2018-19.
Pons is also second on the team in rebounding and third in the SEC in blocks per game. He rejected a school-record six shots in Tennessee’s last game.
James was one of the nation’s top high school recruits in the class of 2019, earning five-star status and the No. 22 spot in the 247Sports composite national rankings and making a trip to the McDonald’s All-American Game. Unsurprisingly, the 6-6- combo guard from Charleston, S.C. has been an instant-impact addition for Tennessee this season.
He’s struggled a bit to knock down shots, but he’s still making an impact in the scoring column, and his production should increase moving forward with Turner out of the lineup. James is also second on the team in assists, and his rebounding average is the highest of any Volunteer and all SEC freshmen.
While he hasn’t put up the kind of numbers we often see from highly-touted freshman, there’s no question James has still established himself as one of Tennessee’s top players. He may not be a sure-fire “one and done” player destined for the first round in this year’s NBA draft as things stand today, but he still looks to have a bright future at the next level ahead of him and will undoubtedly be the top pro prospect on the floor in this matchup.
Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.
Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.
Russell Wilson is in the spotlight as the NFL regular season comes to a close.
The end of the regular season is here. Teams and players are looking to finish strong. However, it won’t happen for everyone and some will finish wrong and it will wind up costing jobs.
The Bucs will finish .500
Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
Bruce Arians has done a remarkable job in his first season in Tampa Bay. It will be quite the accomplishment to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 and finish with an 8-8 record. Quietly, Arians is turning around a moribund franchise.
Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.
Whatever the Liberty Bowl player gift is this year is going to automatically be the second-best swag for the Navy Midshipmen, who Thursday shared pictures of their trip in the New England Patriots private plane.
The Rams not only missed the playoffs, but they also don’t have a first-round pick in 2020.
For the first time since 2016, the Los Angeles Rams won’t be one of the 12 teams in the postseason dance. Sean McVay had led them to two straight playoff appearances, but the team came up short this year and was eliminated from postseason contention last week.
With as much parity as there is in the NFL, and as difficult as it is to repeat as division champions, the Rams were never a lock to make the playoffs. They were, however, among the favorites to win it all.
Missing the playoffs is a tough pill to swallow, but it’s even worse when you don’t have a first-round pick in either of the next two years. The Rams traded their first-rounders in 2020 and 2021 to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey, who played well in his nine games with Los Angeles before injuring his knee in Week 16.
Had the Rams secured a postseason berth, they would’ve guaranteed that the pick heading to Jacksonville would’ve been no better than 21st overall. When trading first-round picks in-season, the hope is to go on a deep postseason run to make that selection worse for the team receiving it.
Now that the Rams have missed the playoffs, their first-round pick heading to Jacksonville will be no worse the 20th overall. At 8-7, they have the best record of any team not currently holding a playoff berth. The Steelers are also 8-7, and their pick is owned by Miami from the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, so the Dolphins have the 19th overall pick.
After that, it’s a cluster of 7-8 teams. As of now, the Raiders would pick 14th, followed by the Cowboys, Raiders again (via Bears), Colts and Bucs. So if the Rams lose on Sunday and all of those teams win, the Jaguars’ pick from Los Angeles could move as high as 14th – depending on tie-breakers.
That’s not a bad deal for Jacksonville, which will also get the Rams’ first-rounder in 2021.
It hurts for the Rams to miss the playoffs, but it’s even worse when you consider the fact that they could have potentially held the 14th overall pick at the end of the season had they not made the trade with Jacksonville. Instead, they’ll have to wait about 50 picks before making their first selection in 2020, pending any trades made and how the final order finishes.
According to sources close to Lettermen Row, Wyatt Davis, Thayer Munford and Josh Myers all appear to be returning for their senior seasons.
It’s that time of the year when we start to hear rumblings about players that could leave early for the NFL. That might be put off a wee-bit because Ohio State is in the middle of a College Football Playoff run, but at some point we’ll begin to hear who is declaring and who isn’t for those players three years removed from high school.
On that note, the Buckeyes have already received good news on its offensive line — at least according to a report from Lettermen Row. You could even say that Christmas came a day late for offensive line coach Greg Studrawa. That’s because according to the online Ohio State fan site, both right guard Wyatt Davis and center Josh Myers are planning on returning for their senior seasons.
Both spoke to Lettermen Row and confirmed the intentions to forego the NFL Draft and come back for another year in Columbus.
“Yes, I did [submit draft feedback paperwork], but I want to put out there that I’m returning next year,” Davis told Lettermen Row. “I haven’t received [feedback] yet. I’m still waiting on it just to see it. But, yes sir, I’m coming back.”
The report also cites sources close to the program that also say left tackle Thayer Munford could also return, confirming that he did not even submit paperwork for feedback in preparation for the draft. The same boat that Josh Myers is in — having completely skipped the process with the intentions of coming back.
If true, the return of all three could be an important development for an offensive line that was one of the best in the country this year. The program could have lost all three and had to go through another rebuild year.
Myers took the starting center job and has excelled to the point of being one of the best in the country. Davis earned All-American honors, and Munford is the anchor on the left side that protects the blind-side of the right-handed Justin Fields.
Now, Davis could potentially change his mind if he gets a first round grade that would be enticing, but he appears to be well set in his decision to come back and be a big part of embarking on another run in 2020.
You can bank on other early departures on the team, but this is at least some very good news for the future of the Ohio State offense.
Doug Pederson says Eagles will continue to ride Miles Sanders hot hand
The Philadelphia Eagles have a predicament at running back, but its one that every team around the NFL would love to have.
Over the last five games, the Eagles running game has been carried by the rookie Miles Sanders, with Boston Scott filling in valiantly in relief. On Thursday, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said that running back Jordan Howard was set to meet with medical personnel in hopes of getting cleared for contact.
Howard hasn’t played since Nov. 3 due to a shoulder injury and if cleared, the potential for the Eagles to return to their thunder and lightning combo at running back presents itself.
“I honestly don’t think much has to change,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said on Thursday. “I think Jordan is a piece to the puzzle. He can obviously add depth, but Miles has been sort the hot hand here lately and we want to continue that going.”
Over the last five games, Sanders is averaging 117.6 total yards per game and four touchdowns. Expect the Eagles to continue to gashing defenses with Sanders and Scott, while utilizing Howard later in games and when the team needs a tough yard.
