Tag: AJ Green

Freshman Rashod Dubinion has potential to be key player in rushing game

There’s another candidate to carry the load for the Arkansas running game this season.

There is a ton of buzz surrounding Arkansas football and for good reason.

Both coordinators, [autotag]Kendal Briles[/autotag] and [autotag]Barry Odom[/autotag] return for their third season, and signal-caller [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] returns to lead the offense with his dual-threat attack.

The biggest question surrounding the Razorback offense is, “who steps up in the place of Trelon Smith?” Smith, who transferred to TCU during the offseason, leaves behind 598 yards and five touchdowns from 2021.

[autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag], and [autotag]AJ Green[/autotag] are among the choices that Arkansas has, but there is another name that Razorback fans should get to know, that’s freshman [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag].

According to Nikki Chavanelle of On3, Dubinion, an early enrollee from Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Ga., played for current running backs coach Jimmy Smith in high school. Although early in his career, Dubinion looks to get a significant amount of carries in 2022, says head coach Sam Pittman.

He’s really a shifty runner. He’s a mature kid. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll help us next year in games. Not just special teams but he’ll be one of the backs toating the mail because he’s a good player.

To hear all of Sam Pittman’s thoughts following last Saturday’s spring game, click here.

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Former Georgia receiver A.J. Green re-signs with Arizona

The Cardinals have re-signed wide receiver A.J. Green, who caught 54 passes for 848 yards and three touchdowns last season for Arizona

The Cardinals have re-signed wide receiver A.J. Green, who caught 54 passes for 848 yards and three touchdowns last season for Arizona. Green and the Cardinals will look to have a more successful run in the playoffs this year.

Green signed a one-year deal. It is likely similar to last year’s one-year pact, but no contract details are available at this time.

Last offseason, the Arizona Cardinals signed A.J. Green to a one-year contract with $6 million guaranteed. Green was able to earn up to $8.5 million if he achieved all of his incentives.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver A.J. Green with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Green 10,278 career receiving yards and 68 career receiving touchdowns. A.J. Green began his NFL career with five consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. In 2019, Green missed the entire year with an ankle injury.

A.J. Green is a seven-time Pro Bowl player and has gas left in the tank. The Arizona Cardinals did not get to pair A.J. Green with DeAndre Hopkins as much as they would have liked last year.

Green will continue to receive a lot of single coverage and could quickly become one of Kyler Murray’s favorite targets. The Cardinals lost former slot wide receiver Christian Kirk to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Arizona will look to second-year receiver Rondale Moore to fill in Kirk’s r

The Cardinals reported the news of A.J. Green’s return to the desert.

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5 Georgia Bulldogs in the NFL that remain free agents

Georgia Bulldogs like Sony Michel and A.J. Green remain NFL free agents

The 2022 NFL offseason is well underway. Several Georgia Bulldogs have already found homes in the NFL via free agency.

Quite a few more Dawgs will be added to the league via the NFL draft, but what about the Georgia Bulldogs that remain NFL free agents such as Sony Michel and A.J. Green?

Here’s a look at five notable Georgia Bulldogs who are still NFL free agents after the first few weeks of free agency in 2022:

No Dominique Johnson? No problem for Arkansas’ running backs

Arkansas’ starting running back last year, Dominique Johnson, has missed spring ball. It’s only given a loaded Hogs backfield even more opportunity.

Pop quiz: How many FBS teams last year had four players eclipse the 500-yard mark rushing the ball?

One. Arkansas.

The team’s starter for the second half of last season, Dominique Johnson, has been unavailable to spring camp through four practices for the Hogs in 2022. Little has changed, though, with Arkansas’ attack. The return of sophomores Rocket Sanders and AJ Green, and the introduction of a pair of freshmen, has made spring ball feel like old times.

Sanders was the No. 2 back behind Johnson at the end of last season and was one of the four players who had more than 500 yards on the ground last year. With Johnson being absent, Sanders has slotted up to get first-team reps for a bulk of camp so far.

“Being a one, I feel like is a big role,” Sanders said. “I feel like just that right there made me want to be a leader. Not just for the running back room, but everybody else as well.”

Green was not one of the four players to reach that 500-yard threshold. Instead, he was a change-of-pace guy, perhaps the fastest player in the unit. He’s up to 210-215 pounds in camp, though, in hopes of being able to carry a larger workload if needed.

And Arkansas’ two freshmen, Rashod Dubinion and James Jointer, came from Georgia and Arkansas high schools early to get a leg up. Jointer is a bigger back while Dubinion is more on the quick-and-fast side.

Combined with quarterback KJ Jefferson, who led the team with 664 yards rushing and six scores last year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Razorbacks had another four players break the 500-yard mark again in 2022.

“We have a lot of weapons in that room, right now,” Green said. “They’re all coming in ready to learn. They’re going fast and not scared of anything.”

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Here’s how to cash in on NFL players hitting their incentives in Week 18

There’s a lot of money to be made in Week 18, both for individual players and bettors.

The final week of the NFL regular season is always one of the stranger times of the year. A third of the league is preparing for the postseason, a handful are tanking for draft position and the rest just want to make it to the end of the schedule without any major injuries.

All of these teams share one common thread: star players who are so close to hitting their contract bonuses they can already plan extended vacations. That leaves an opportunity for NFL bettors to tail key contributors gunning for an extra pay day.

Call it the All-Incentive Parlay. Here’s who we’re riding with.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

Arkansas running game ready to explode against Penn State

Arkansas wants to run all over a Penn State defense lacking four starters.

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The difference between confident and cocky is all about the delivery. Arkansas’ running game has a reason to be either.

For now, the Hogs are confident. And why not. Arkansas has the No. 12 rushing attack in the nation after averaging more than 217 yards a game on the ground during the regular season.

Combine that with Penn State’s loss of four defensive starters because of opt-outs and starting Hogs running back Dominique Johnson thinks he and his mates have a big opportunity in the Outback Bowl against the Nittany Lions on New Year’s Day.

“I’m very confident coming into this game, knowing that I have the other backs behind me,” he said. “I feel like we’re going to come in and dominate this game just because of all the talent we have in that room.”

Anyone who may try to glean how good the Razorbacks are by simply looking at individual totals are going to be misled. Trelon Smith, the starter for about three-quarters of the season, leads the team with 592 yards. It’s the lowest individual total for a team leader since Broderick Green ran for 443 yards in 2009.

But look closer and it makes more sense. Just behind Smith is quarterback KJ Jefferson with 554 yards. Rocket Sanders has 499. Johnson has 498. Even freshman AJ Green chipped in 201 yards. Arkansas has the sort of balance few teams in college football can manage.

“We all run the ball a different way, all different styles,” Johnson said. “I don’t think as a defense you can prepare for all the different run styles we bring to the table, so I feel that’s a plus for us.”

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, WR DeAndre Hopkins still out of practice

The Cardinals haven’t had QB Kyler Murray or WR DeAndre Hopkins in practice the first two days this week.

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The 49ers might run into a bit of good injury luck in their Week 9 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins have both missed the first two days of practice for Arizona despite getting extra time off after their Thursday night game in Week 8.

Murray hurt his ankle late in the Cardinals loss to the Packers and reports have varied on his potential availability, but for Arizona it’s not a good sign that the speedy QB has missed the first two days of practice. Their backup QB Colt McCoy is in line to start if Murray can’t play.

For San Francisco though it may be an easier task for them even if Murray does play. His mobility is so key to making Arizona’s offense dangerous that having that limited at all makes stopping Murray at least a little bit less daunting.

Arizona is also loaded at receiver, but Hopkins is their most dangerous player at that spot. He’s been working through a hamstring injury that he aggravated in the Cardinals’ Thursday night game. Hopkins has been a 49ers killer since joining the Cardinals in a pre-season trade a year ago. In three games against San Francisco he has 28 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown. Even if he’s hobbled he’s dangerous enough to be a factor.

Not listed on the practice report is wide receiver AJ Green, who is on the Reserve/COVID-19 list as of Thursday. He’s had a career resurgence in his first year in Arizona and would be another significant absence if he’s unable to suit up Sunday.

All eyes will be on the Cardinals injury report Friday. Two days of non-participation don’t bode well for Murray and Hopkins, but both players are good enough to be impactful with limited or no practice. If they don’t play though, Sunday becomes a very winnable game for the 49ers.

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