Tag: 2020

Brett Heggie heads to NFL after accomplished Florida career

Florida football loses its starting center in 2021 as Brett Heggie moves on to the NFL after 31 starts in four years.

Name: Brett Heggie

Number: 61

Position: Offensive Line

Class: Redshirt Senior

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 321 pounds

Hometown: Mount Dora, Fla.

High School: Mount Dora

Twitter: @HeggieBrett74

Overview:

One of the few remaining holdovers from the previous regime, Heggie joined the Gators in former coach Jim McElwain’s second recruiting class in 2016. A three-star prospect from central Florida, Heggie was the sixth-best center in the class per the 247Sports Composite. Already at nearly 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds coming out of high school, Heggie had good size right away. Still, he sat out his first season in 2016, taking a redshirt.

As a redshirt freshman, though, he was one of the Gators’ best offensive linemen. He appeared in eight games (starting seven of them) and earned an SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award before an injury against Missouri cut his 2017 season short.

He returned in 2018, but his season was again limited by injuries. Still, he appeared in nine games, earning another SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award. He saw action at both guard spots as a redshirt sophomore, and he was a part of an offensive line that allowed just 18 sacks all season, the third-least in the SEC.

Heggie played in 12 of UF’s 13 games the following year, starting all of them. He once again saw starts at both left and right guard, and the Gators’ passing offense took a major leap forward, becoming the 16th-best in the country.

During his final season in 2020, Heggie moved to center, where he started for all 12 games. He was one of the team’s most dependable offensive linemen, which allowed quarterback Kyle Trask to have a record-setting season through the air. Florida led the nation in passing yards per game and were eighth in yards per play, and in the process, Heggie took home the third SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award of his career in the season opener against Ole Miss.

With his eligibility expired, Heggie will move on to the NFL while the Gators are left to try to fill a major void along the interior of their offensive line.

Video:

[vertical-gallery id=39189]

[vertical-gallery id=34050]

Now an upperclassman, tight end Keon Zipperer hopes to break out

Zipperer’s production has been limited to this point in his career, but with the departure of Kyle Pitts, he could see an increased role.

Name: Keon Zipperer

Number: 9

Position: Tight End

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 240 pounds

Hometown: Lakeland, Fla.

High School: Lakeland

Twitter: @_KeonZ

2020 statistics:

REC YDS AVG TD LNG ATT YDS AVG TD LNG FUM LST
11 145 13.2 2 39 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

Overview:

Part of the Lakeland contingent of Florida’s roster, Zipperer was a four-star recruit and the No. 2 tight end in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. His recruiting process was contentious, with schools like Miami and Alabama showing late interest, but he committed to and signed with the Gators on the first day of the early signing period in December 2018.

As a freshman in 2019, he saw action in eight games but only made three receptions on the year for 31 yards and a touchdown, and all of those came in UF’s win over Towson. Though he was playing behind Kyle Pitts and Kemore Gamble as a sophomore in 2020, he saw some more action when the former got hurt.

He played in 10 games at both tight end and on special teams, making 11 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught the first pass of the season against Ole Miss.

Now, Pitts is gone, and it will be down to Zipperer and Gamble as the only returning experienced tight ends to fill that void.

Video:

[vertical-gallery id=39833]

[vertical-gallery id=39189]

[vertical-gallery id=34050]

4th-and-how-much? IT DOESN’T MATTER! Cowboys’ McCarthy is a go

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was the best fourth down decision maker in the NFL in 2020.

Near the end of the 2019 season, the Mike McCarthy public relations tour began. It reached a fever pitch when Peter King wrote about him in his weekly column, reading like an advert from the Dallas Cowboys head coach’s agency. The biggest takeaway? Analytics would play a big role in his decision making going forward.

Last year’s season went about as badly as one could have expected. How much of that can be blamed on McCarthy is less than the angriest fan would imagine. One thing is for sure: he held up his end of the deal on fourth downs in 2020.

No coach made the correct decision on fourth down with four or less yards to go more often than McCarthy did with the Cowboys. That might seem like a niche stat pulled from the recesses of the internet in order to defend a Dallas coach that oversaw one of their worst seasons in recent memory, but the fact is that coaches are too conservative in that exact situation.

McCarthy wasn’t. Nor did he have nearly his full complement of offensive weapons. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him become more conservative with a healthier team on the field in 2021, but if he’s true to his word, he’ll continue his all-gas-no-brakes decision making on fourth down.

 

4th-and-how-much? IT DOESN’T MATTER! Cowboys’ McCarthy is a go

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was the best fourth down decision maker in the NFL in 2020.

Near the end of the 2019 season, the Mike McCarthy public relations tour began. It reached a fever pitch when Peter King wrote about him in his weekly column, reading like an advert from the Dallas Cowboys head coach’s agency. The biggest takeaway? Analytics would play a big role in his decision making going forward.

Last year’s season went about as badly as one could have expected. How much of that can be blamed on McCarthy is less than the angriest fan would imagine. One thing is for sure: he held up his end of the deal on fourth downs in 2020.

No coach made the correct decision on fourth down with four or less yards to go more often than McCarthy did with the Cowboys. That might seem like a niche stat pulled from the recesses of the internet in order to defend a Dallas coach that oversaw one of their worst seasons in recent memory, but the fact is that coaches are too conservative in that exact situation.

McCarthy wasn’t. Nor did he have nearly his full complement of offensive weapons. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him become more conservative with a healthier team on the field in 2021, but if he’s true to his word, he’ll continue his all-gas-no-brakes decision making on fourth down.

 

Seahawks give exclusive rights free agents tender to Ryan Neal

The Seattle Seahawks have tendered safety Ryan Neal in the aftermath of doing the same to defensive tackle Bryan Mone and OG Kyle Fuller.

 

After handing out ERFA tenders to defensive tackle Bryan Mone and offensive guard Kyle Fuller, the Seattle Seahawks have done the same to safety Ryan Neal, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Neal made a few valuable contributions in 2020, including two interceptions, one of which sealed Seattle’s victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. He finished the season with 44 combined tackles (33 solo), three tackles for loss, five passes defensed, a safety, and the aforementioned INTs in 13 games and four starts.

Neal could prove to be a crucial piece of the defense next season, especially if a few of Seattle’s defensive playmakers depart in free agency.

[lawrence-related id=71731]

Greg Olsen voices his thoughts on the Russell Wilson situation

Former Seattle Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen joined Colin Cowherd’s podcast and expressed his thoughts about the Russell Wilson situation.

Amid all the drama and speculation about Russell Wilson’s future with the Seattle Seahawks (or possibly elsewhere), former Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen joined the Colin Cowherd podcast to express his own thoughts on the situation.

Olsen believes that Wilson is currently likely to stay in the Emerald City because he thinks the two sides will be able to move past their disagreements and work toward a mutually beneficial future.

“If you’re taking the odds today, he’s back in Seattle,” he said. “They fix the things that need to get better to push the organization forward.”

The retired tight end said that Wilson wants to spearhead the offense his own way rather than cling to coach Pete Carroll’s philosophy of having a high volume of running plays every week. While Wilson largely had free rein in the first six weeks of the 2020 season, the Seahawks offense became more aligned with Carroll’s conservative strategies in past seasons from then on.

“Are they willing to allow him to operate the Seattle Seahawks in that manner? I think that’s the crossroads they are at right now,” Olsen said. “After being there a year, I’m not exactly sure which path they take. Both guys know that they’re capable of being the all-time best; they just have a different philosophy of how it’s done.”

Wilson’s future in Seattle will depend on him and the organization working out their differences this offseason. Can they do so, or is the prospect of the two sides parting ways becoming more and more likely?

[lawrence-related id=71670]

B.J. Finney struggled to train for 2020 season with Seahawks

Offensive lineman B.J. Finney struggled to train for the 2020 season with the Seahawks due to fear of losing out on a signing bonus.

When offensive lineman B.J. Finney was with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, he struggled to train for the 2020 season because of his concern over losing out on a $2 million signing bonus due to the restrictions the NFL placed on player physicals.

These restrictions were, of course, set in motion due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Finney entered training camp overweight and out of shape.

“It put a player like him in a bad situation — he literally couldn’t work out to get in shape, and he was in a funk all year because of it,” a source affiliated with Finney told ESPN. “This is the one time you can set yourself up for life, and if you tweak your back or do anything, you’re in jeopardy of losing your contract.”

Finney signed a two-year contract with the Seahawks but never played a down for them, as they traded him along with a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for Carlos Dunlap.

[lawrence-related id=71628]

Seahawks’ K.J. Wright awarded Male Seattle Sports Star of the Year

Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright was awarded the Male Seattle Sports Star of the Year Award from the Seattle Sports Commission.

On Saturday, Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright received the Male Sports Star of the Year Award from the Seattle Sports Commission.

Wright had a stellar 2020 season, accumulating 86 tackles (60 solo), 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, 10 passes defensed, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games and 16 starts.

In addition to his consistency on the field, Wright has been an active member in the community during his decade-long career with the Seahawks, and fans took notice.

“This award, it’s truly an honor,” Wright said. “It’s an award the fans voted for—I’ve always tried to be a staple in the community, on and off the field, and to be recognized with this award is amazing. I’ve always watched the show—I’ve never been—but I’ve always watched it and seen some of my teammates be a part of it, and I thought it’d be cool to be part of it someday. So I’m really excited.”

The veteran linebacker reflected on his accomplishments in the blue and green and expressed hope that he will stay in Seattle for the 2021 season.

“It’s meant everything,” he said. “I believe I put together a Ring-of-Honor resume with my play, how I’ve helped in the community, helped bring the team a Super Bowl. The legacy is pretty cool. I’m thankful for every play that I’ve played, and I definitely want to come back and finish it and get a ring. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Wright previously stated that he wishes to be compensated properly following one of his best seasons to date. We’ll see what happens when free agency rolls around.

[lawrence-related id=71543]

Seahawks get 4 spots on NFL’s list of top 100 catches of 2020

The Seattle Seahawks notched four spots on the NFL’s list of the 100 greatest catches of the 2020 season, three by Lockett and one by Moore.

The NFL recently released their list of the 100 greatest catches of the 2020 season, and the Seattle Seahawks had four plays that notched spots on it.

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett had three of the four, while fellow WR David Moore got the other.

Lockett’s touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11 clocked in at No. 90, and two of his 15 receptions in Week 7 against the same team got in the upper half; his one-handed catch over Patrick Peterson came in at No. 49, and his toe-dragging touchdown to make the score 34-24 got No. 43.

However, the biggest of all was Moore’s 38-yard touchdown catch in Week 2 against the New England Patriots to give the Seahawks a 21-17 lead, a reception that had a particularly notable stat attached to it.

You can watch the video of the entire list here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKQ914aL-s0&feature=youtu.be

[lawrence-related id=71425]

Trevon Grimes was a big-time wide receiver for the Florida Gators in 2020

We break down wide receiver Trevon Grimes’ career with the Florida Gators, which lasted three seasons after a transferring from Ohio State.

Name: Trevon Grimes

Number: 8

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Senior

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 218 pounds

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

High School: St. Thomas Aquinas

Twitter: @Trevongrimes8

2020 statistics:

REC YDS TD LNG AVG RSH YDS LNG AVG
38 589 9 50 15.5 1 4 4 4

Overview:

A former five-star recruit, Grimes started his college career at Ohio State picking the Buckeyes over the in-state Gators. But after one season in Columbus, Grimes went back to the Sunshine State and transferred to Florida where he spent the final three years of his eligibility. He decided to join Dan Mullen’s squad, hoping to break a go-to receiving option to the offense.

The receiver made an impact right away in 2018 catching 26 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns. A year later he upped that production to 33 receptions for 491 yards and 3 touchdowns. But his senior season at Florida was his cherry on top as Grimes played in every regular-season game and the SEC Championship Game recording 38 receptions for 589 yards and 9 touchdowns, a banner year for the receiver.

With the Gators having multiple weapons on offense, Grimes still found a way to stand out becoming a big target for quarterback Kyle Trask. He set  new career-high in catches against Arkansas and then matched that in the win over Tennessee.

Grimes wrapped up his Florida career in the SEC title game, catching four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, including setting a career-high long on a 50-yard reception. He opted to sit out of the Cotton Bowl to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Video: