Tag: 2020 season

Richard Gouraige set to defend Emory Jones’ blindside in 2021

Gouraige has been a starter the last two years, but now he faces the challenge of moving to left tackle.

Name: Richard Gouraige

Number: 76

Position: Offensive Tackle

Class: Redshirt junior

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 312 lbs

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

High School: Cambridge Christian

Twitter: @richardg813

Overview:

Richard Gouraige was one of the best players in the 2018 recruiting class. A four-star recruit on the 247Sports Composite, he was listed as the No. 81 player in the nation. Gouraige played on both lines of scrimmage, but he was initially recruited as a defensive end. Once he arrived at Florida, he moved to the offensive line, where he made two reserve appearances in a redshirt season in 2018.

He started making much more regular appearances a redshirt junior in 2019. He appeared in 12 of 13 games, and by the end of the season, he was the starter at left guard. He totaled five starts on the season.

Heading into 2020, Gouraige was once again projected to be a starter at left guard, and he indeed appeared and started in all 12 games as part of the offensive line whose protection allowed Kyle Trask to have a record-setting season through the air.

Gouraige saw considerable action at left tackle, as well, last season, and after the departure of Stone Forsythe, he’s the favorite to take over that starting spot. He has a difficult task ahead of him manning the most important position on the offensive line, but he’s a very experienced player. The Gators will hope that experience pays off in 2021.

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“The Wait is Over” video highlights Browns 2020 season success

A great highlight video encapsulates the Browns 2020 season in preparation for the 2021 starting soon.

If (when) the Cleveland Browns lift the Lombardi Trophy as the Super Bowl winners one year, the 2020 season will likely be seen as the turning point of the modern franchise.

In 2020, head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry put a vision into place and found success in their first season. Despite the myriad of issues and limitations around the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Browns were still able to install their new identity.

That identity led to a winning season, a playoff appearance and a playoff victory. Cleveland may have been one missed helmet-to-helmet penalty away from going to the AFC championship game last year.

If 2020 really was the turning point that ends up leading to a Super Bowl championship, this video entitled “The Wait is Over” does a great job of encapsulating the season. (Link opens in new window)

What will you remember most about the 2020 season? What was the biggest turning point during the season?

Tre’Vez Johnson is set up to be a starter after impressive freshman season

Johnson enters the 2021 season as the likely starter at STAR after appearing in every game as a true freshman.

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Name: Tre’Vez Johnson

Number: 16

Position: Defensive Back

Class: Sophomore

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 196 lbs

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

High School: Bartram Trail

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO AST FR INT PD
15 12 3 0 1 2

Overview:

A three-star recruit in the class of 2020 from Jacksonville, Johnson wasn’t necessarily expected to see a major role with the Gators as a true freshman. However, with Florida’s struggles on defense, it turned to young talent in the secondary and Johnson stepped up.

He appeared in all 12 games in 2020, mostly appearing at the STAR position, Florida’s version of the nickel corner which also doubles as a run-stopping linebacker/safety hybrid position, as well as safety. He totaled 15 tackles on the season, notched an interception in UF’s win over Kentucky and broke up two passes.

Heading into his sophomore year, Johnson is the projected starter at the STAR position, where he will also compete with true freshman cornerback Jason Marshall and transfers Elijah Blades and Jadarrius Perkins for playing time. Johnson could also see action at safety.

Florida will need to see more production from him in 2021, but they like the talented Johnson demonstrated in his ample action as a true freshman despite not being a highly touted recruit.

Video:

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Gervon Dexter aims to build off promising freshman season in 2021

Dexter played in all 12 games as a true freshman, and he should play an even bigger role in the rotation in 2021.

Name: Gervon Dexter

Number: 9

Position: Defensive Tackle

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6’6″

Weight: 308 lbs

Hometown: Lake Wales, Florida

High School: Lake Wales

Twitter: @GervonDexter

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO SACK INT
19 5 0 1

Overview:

A five-star recruit on the 247Sports Composite and the No. 12 overall player in the country, Dexter was the highest-rated prospect in Florida’s 2020 class. He was expected to be a major impact player, even as a true freshman, and that was mostly the case.

He appeared in 12 games during the 2020 season and even started two of them. He finished the year with 19 total tackles (five solo) and he notched an interception in the season-opening win over Ole Miss to give the Gators their first takeaway of the year. He also had a tackle for loss in that game.

Florida lost three interior defensive linemen after the 2020 season, and though it added experienced transfers in Antonio Valentino and Daquan Newkirk, Dexter should see a lot more playing time in 2021. That pair of veteran transfers is likely to be the interior starting duo, but Dexter should be a primary part of that rotation, as well.

Video:

Cameron Jordan still ranked a top-5 edge rusher after down year in 2020

Cameron Jordan still a top-5 edge rusher after down year in 2020

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Cameron Jordan turned in a performance last season that would be best described as good, though not great. He still led the New Orleans Saints defense in quarterback pressures (61), per Pro Football Focus, but that number snapped a five-year streak of 70-plus pressure years. His 7.5 sacks tied his lowest output since notching just one takedown as a rookie way back in 2011.

Still, Jordan is a force to be reckoned with. He’s someone opponents must plan for week in and week out. Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire, who ranked him fifth-best among his peers, writing:

“One of the most consistently effective pass-rushers of his generation, Jordan — who was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2011 draft — has amassed at least 70 total pressures every season from 2015 through 2019. 2020 saw a slight downturn in total pressure with 61 (eight sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 44 quarterback hurries), but that doesn’t mean Jordan was any less available to provide pressure. Often, it meant that he was the one on New Orleans’ line who was double-teamed to that others could get to the quarterback.”

It would make sense if Jordan is starting to slow down. He’s 32 and has played 900 or more snaps every year of his career, except for 2011, and you have to think that workload will start to erode his body eventually. It’s certainly something the Saints are beginning to plan for by drafting Payton Turner in the first round this spring; either Jordan or Marcus Davenport, 2018’s disappointing first rounder, will be on the outs in a few years.

Another observation from Farrar’s list is the strength of play around the NFC. Tampa Bay Buccaneers sack artist Shaquille Barrett is Farrar’s No. 1 edge rusher, while other conference rivals who made the cut include Za’Darius Smith (No. 4), Nick Bosa (No. 7), Chandler Jones (No. 8), and Chase Young (No. 9). And of the 11 players ranked at Touchdown Wire, five are scheduled to play the Saints this year. Bookend blockers Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk have their work cut out for them.

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Cowboys QB Ben DiNucci says first start ‘wasn’t me;’ history says he may be right

The rookie hopes a real offseason will provide a better launch than he got last year, but his first pro start was in line with others.

Playing quarterback in the NFL is hard. Playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, it could be argued, ups the degree of difficulty even more.

The ghosts of Meredith, Staubach, Aikman, Romo, and others might as well be in the huddle when a signal-caller makes his first professional start for America’s Team. And that’s the kind of thing that was running through Ben DiNucci’s mind on November 1st of last year as he was announced as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback in Week 8 in Philadelphia.

“It was a surreal moment for me,” DiNucci reflected, via the team’s official website. “That’s something I’ll be able to say for the rest of my life: ‘Hey, I started a game for the Dallas Cowboys my rookie year.'”

The rest of that night, though, was largely forgettable for the rookie. DiNucci went just 21-for-40 for 180 passing yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown or an interception, but he also didn’t make a strong impression in the 23-9 loss. His first start was a whirlwind that left the small-school rookie wondering what had happened.

“I feel like that wasn’t me out there.”

He wasn’t out there again. The third-stringer, who had come on in relief of the concussed Andy Dalton (who was, of course, subbing for the injured Dak Prescott), was back on the sideline the following week. Garrett Gilbert was signed off Cleveland’s practice squad and given the nod in Week 9 versus Pittsburgh.

Many fans were ready to dismiss DiNucci as a bust after a total of just 94 snaps in his rookie season. But that’s about 90 more than anyone in the Cowboys organization could have anticipated when they drafted him in the seventh round out of James Madison.

The 24-year-old may have been thrown in to the fire in a division-rivalry game in a hostile environment, but he says he got more used to the heat as the evening wore on.

“But I think just some positives for me, as you watched the game progress, I felt like I got a little more comfortable every quarter. Just some things, when the checkdown is there, take the checkdown, a positive play is a good play, no negative plays, just throwing the ball out of bounds when guys aren’t open. Just things that come with playing.”

Just playing wasn’t as easy as it should have been for DiNucci- or anyone- in 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic turning his entire rookie offseason into a virtual Zoom class, DiNucci never even got onto the football field with his Cowboys teammates until August’s abbreviated training camp.

So forgive the sophomore if he’s treating 2021 like it’s really his first time.

“It’ll be nice to have preseason this year just to kind of be able to get back in the flow of games, play in games and get out there and show what I can do.”

For what it’s worth, what DiNucci showed in his first start wasn’t even wildly different from the norm. Here’s a look at every quarterback who made his first NFL start as a member of the Cowboys over the past 20 seasons.

Player, date of 1st NFL start Comp Att Yds TD INT Result
Anthony Wright, 12/17/2000 vs NYG 13 25 119 0 1 L, 13-17
Quincy Carter, 9/9/2001 vs TB 9 19 34 0 2 L, 6-10
Clint Stoerner, 10/28/2001 vs ARZ 9 19 93 0 1 W, 17-3
Chad Hutchinson, 10/27/2002 vs SEA 12 24 145 1 0 L, 14-17
Drew Henson, 11/25/2004 vs CHI 4 12 31 0 1 W, 21-7
Tony Romo, 10/29/2006 at CAR 24 36 270 1 1 W, 35-14
Stephen McGee, 1/2/2011 at PHI 11 27 127 1 0 W, 14-13
Kellen Moore, 12/27/2015 at BUF 13 31 186 0 1 L, 6-16
Dak Prescott, 9/11/2016 vs NYG 25 45 227 0 0 L, 19-20
Ben DiNucci, 11/1/2020 at PHI 21 40 180 0 0 L, 9-23
Garrett Gilbert, 11/8/2020 vs PIT 21 38 243 1 1 L, 19-24

Not much rhyme or reason there. Some forgettable names walked off the field winners in their first start; the club’s current superstar and offensive mastermind both lost theirs. Romo’s first start was a good performance, but he had logged three training camps and two full seasons with the team prior. Prescott was thrown to the wolves as a rookie in Week 1 and didn’t exactly light it up in his first start. Even Gilbert, who many crowned as an immediate and obvious upgrade over DiNucci, didn’t post stats that were exponentially better.

The point is, it’s difficult- and historically speaking, premature- to write off DiNucci based solely on the basis of that Eagles game.

“Yeah, I think last year was weird, and being a rookie I think that was just kind of all that we knew,” DiNucci said during this year’s minicamp. “So this is really nice just getting in here and getting some reps, get comfortable going into camp and just kind of getting my feet on the ground. It’s a lot better when you’ve got guys around to bounce things off each other. It’s nice to be in the building and see faces and get out and practice a little bit.”

With a little more of that practice, a true offseason program, and some playing time under his belt, Cowboys coaches and fans may be able to more accurately gauge whether DiNucci belongs in the same breath with Stoerner and McGee… or Romo and Prescott.

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Greg Olsen thought he was coming back to Bears last offseason

Bears fans hoped for a Greg Olsen reunion in Chicago. And it could’ve happened if management wanted it.

If you ask any fan of the Chicago Bears who they believe was the one player that got away over the last 15 years, the vast majority would probably say tight end Greg Olsen.

Drafted in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, the former pass-catching star only spent a few seasons with the Bears before becoming a Pro-Bowl player with the Carolina Panthers when he was traded for a third-round pick in 2011.

After nine seasons in Carolina, Olsen believed he was going to come back to Chicago last year to finish where he started after a convincing phone call with head coach Matt Nagy.

In an interview with Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Olsen said he received a call from Nagy after he and the Panthers mutually parted ways last winter. The 36-year-old left the conversation feeling optimistic that the Bears would sign him, but the reunion never came to fruition.

I talked to Matt Nagy – he called me with the GM [Ryan Pace] and we talked for like 45 minutes on the phone. They’re asking me questions about routes and ‘what kind of systems you played in, would you be comfortable with code words versus digits, what did you do on your backside routes, what was your leverage reads?’ All that stuff.

So I hang up and I say to my wife, ‘babe, I think they really like me and want to sign me! How cool would it be if life came full circle and we could finish up my career in Chicago? That would be so sick.’

Long story short, they were like ‘we don’t have enough money.’ So I go and sign in Seattle. Day one of [expletive] free agency, they sign Jimmy Graham. They paid him more than I wanted!

When they signed Jimmy, I was like those guys – they used me. They took me on a really cheap date, picked my brain for everything I knew and then just gave me an Uber and sent me on my way.

When Olsen officially hit the market last offseason, he said the Bears had not reached out at the time when he had visits scheduled with multiple teams, though he was hoping they would. His call with the Bears may have come after those comments, who were clearly in need of help at the tight end position heading into the 2020 offseason.

Olsen signed with the Seattle Seahawks on a one-year, $7 million deal in February of last year. Pace and the Bears wound up signing Graham to a two-year, $16 million when free agency began in March. Olsen’s cap hit was roughly $6.9 million in 2020, while Graham’s was $6 million.

Olsen played in just 11 games for Seattle, totaling 24 receptions for 239 yards and one touchdown. He missed five weeks due to a plantar fascia tear. He ended up retiring after the season, leaving the NFL to focus on a career in broadcasting and was recently in the news after his son TJ successfully underwent a heart transplant. 

Graham, meanwhile, played in all 16 games and totaled 50 catches for 456 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a key contributor in redzone situations for the Bears in 2020, and will likely continue to be a focal point for the 2021 season.

Were the Bears seriously interested in Olsen’s services heading into last season? Or were they simply doing their due diligence and wanted to pick the brain of one of the best tight ends of the 2010s?

Though Olsen coming back to Chicago would have made for a great story, it’s clear the Bears made the better move signing Graham. But that won’t change the fact that Olsen is still the one player many wish have stuck around a little longer.

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Did Tom Brady just call out the Bears for passing on him?

Tom Brady just took a shot at a team that passed on him last offseason. It might be the Bears he’s talking about.

The Bears have come a long way at quarterback since last season, which featured an underwhelming quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.

Consistency at quarterback has been an issue that has plagued this franchise for years, and it was said to be a priority last offseason.

And before Chicago settled with Trubisky and Foles, they were among several teams interested in signing future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady, who tested the free-agent waters before signing with the Buccaneers and orchestrating a Super Bowl run.

Brady is set to appear on the new episode of The Shop: Uninterrupted on HBO, and a clip from the episode already has people talking. In the clip, Brady discusses his free-agent journey last offseason — specifically one team that was interested that bowed out at the last minute.

Brady’s response was epic to say the least.

“You’re sticking with that motherf–ker?”

According to a report from Dan Patrick, the Bears were among the shortlist of teams Brady was considering at the end, which also included the Chargers and Buccaneers.

Even though reports indicated Brady wasn’t interested in signing with a cold-weather team, which starts with Chicago, the Bears certainly could be the team Brady is talking about given they were even on his shortlist of teams he was considering.

Even if that proves to be the case, things might’ve well worked out for the Bears, who traded up to draft Justin Fields as their hopeful franchise quarterback. And so far, Fields has been garnering rave reviews during offseason workouts.

I guess we’ll soon see if it was Chicago that earned Brady’s wrath.

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Cowboys RB Tony Pollard on prepping with Elliott this offseason: ‘We both are locked in’

The ‘two’ in the Cowboys’ one-two rushing attack says he and former rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott are more ready in 2021, thanks to OTAs.

Dak Prescott and his three-headed wide receiver monster get all the attention heading into 2021, and rightly so. Even without a proper offseason program, they came out of the blocks firing last year and were on a record-setting pace with their air assault before Prescott was lost for the season.

The Cowboys’ run game was not able to pick up enough of the slack, due to a combination of factors, like a piecemealed offensive line and backup passers who didn’t pose much of a threat to defenses. The team rushed for 1,788 yards in 2020, putting them squarely in the middle of the pack among teams leaguewide.

For the ’21 Cowboys to go further than last year, the ground attack has to improve. Running back Tony Pollard, the backup to two-time rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott, says simply getting the team together for OTAs- something they couldn’t do last summer- is a step in the right direction.

“It’s big,” Pollard told media members during minicamp. “There’s nothing [you can do] to simulate playing football other than playing football. There’s nothing that can simulate being out there with the guys you’re going to go to war with on Sunday and just getting that timing down, that chemistry down.”

Much of that chemistry boils down to a balancing act between Pollard and Elliott. Elliott is the well-paid workhorse, but 2020 saw him turn in the poorest numbers of his career. There are a variety of well-documented reasons, but the results on the field were unmistakable, ultimately leading to Pollard getting increasingly more action.

In 2019, Elliott played on 83.59% of the offense’s snaps, according to Pro Football Reference. Pollard, conversely, was on the field for just 17.75%. Over the course of 2020, though, those numbers changed significantly: Pollard’s snap count surged to 31.65%; Elliott’s dropped to 68.79%.

The team has praised Pollard’s electrifying playmaking abilities ever since drafting him out of Memphis, and is reportedly (still) looking for new ways to get him involved in the Cowboys offense. The versatile six-footer even saw reps at wide receiver during minicamp, but that may have been more a product of personnel availability than a sneak peek of some wild new play package.

Pollard and Elliott comprise what Pro Football Focus calls the second-best rushing duo in the NFL. Both will both have to be major contributors in whatever role they’re assigned for the Cowboys to find success this season. And the third-year back echoes something Prescott himself said recently, that Elliott looks to be on track to return to his former self.

“He’s definitely been locked in,” Pollard said of his backfield mate. “I can tell he took the right steps forward this offseason, getting his body right, getting in shape. Me and him, we also worked out together a lot of times during the offseason. We both are locked in this offseason, getting ready.”

Pollard credits running backs guru Josh Hicks with helping him and Elliott through a series of offseason workouts, videos of which have made their way to social media.

“It just helps a lot, especially the drills that he does,” Pollard explained. “It’s not a lot of drills that don’t happen in a game; it’s a lot of realistic drills. It may be, like, a cone drill or you have to dodge a barrel that’d be like an O-lineman or a linebacker blitzing. You just have to make some adjustments and cut based off of the drill he has. He does a good job of making it realistic so we can prepare for real-game situations.”

The real games are fast approaching, and Pollard believes the preparation he, Elliott, and the rest of the Cowboys offense are undertaking now will end up paying off.

“Our whole goal here is to win it all,” he offered. “If you’re not doing that, you’re falling short. That means there’s room for improvement all around.”

For the Cowboys rushing attack, that means putting themselves back in the upper echelon of the league’s ground games. And that will require both Elliott and Pollard to take what they’ve started, in their private workouts and OTAs, and step up their individual games and live up to their billing on Sundays this fall.

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Bears TE Jimmy Graham considered retiring after last season, but has ‘unfinished business’

There was a moment when Jimmy Graham considered retiring after 2020. But the allure of winning his first ring brought him back to the Bears.

In the final seconds of the Bears’ wild-card playoff loss to the Saints, tight end Jimmy Graham caught a touchdown and walked right off the field, the reality of another season cut short of a title dawning on him. And there was a moment when Graham considered hanging up his cleats.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Graham said that he considered retirement after last season. Health was the biggest factor for Graham. But ultimately, it was the allure of winning his first Super Bowl ring that brought him back to the Bears in 2021.

“I got a lot of unfinished business,” Graham said “… I want to win a ring. That’s all I think about.”

With Graham’s salary cap hit at $10 million for the 2021 season, there was reason to believe he might become a cap casualty. But as players like cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine and offensive tackles Charles Leno and Bobby Massie went, it become more obvious that the Bears wanted to keep Graham in place for 2021.

Graham returns to a tight ends room that consists of second-year player Cole Kmet, who Graham enjoyed mentoring during his rookie season. Graham raved about Kmet early on in his rookie season, and he said one of the greatest joys for him last season was watching the growth of Kmet.

“He’s just a special kid,” Graham said. “There’s truly no ceiling. He can be as good as he wants to be.”

We’ll get to see just how good the duo of Graham and Kmet can be in 2021 with improved quarterback play, whether that’s from rookie Justin Fields or veteran Andy Dalton.

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