Tag: all pro

Chiefs DT Chris Jones reflects on 2023 AP First-Team All-Pro selection

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones reflected on his AP First-Team All-Pro selection in comments to the media on Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs had three players earn AP First-Team All-Pro selections for 2023. One of their stars has become a perennial member of that team as he reflected on the prestigious honor.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was named to his second consecutive First-Team All-Pro selection. He was named Second-Team All-Pro three times during his career in 2018, 2020, and 2021. He spoke about the latest accolade during his Wednesday press conference after practice.

“Give credit to my coaches, Joe Cullen, and Terry Bradden; the commitment those guys force out of me and the players in the room push me beyond measure,” Jones said. “I think a leader can’t be a leader without great teammates; it takes an army to be great, and those guys push the best out of me each and every day to get the best out of me. I don’t think I can accomplish something like that of that measure without having great teammates and guys who push the best out of me day in and day out.”

Jones, as a leader on the team, was appreciative of the support he received from coaches and his teammates. The reaction his teammates showed him following his tenth incentive-filled sack of the regular season was an example of the impact and unity the group has for one another.

Sauce Gardner earns second straight All Pro honors

Back to back All Pro appearances for Sauce Gardner.

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is now two for two in being named to the All Pro team after another incredible season that included 12 passes defended.

Gardner became the first cornerback since 1970 to be named First Team All Pro in each of his first two seasons. Last season, Gardner was the first rookie cornerback since Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott in 1981 to earn the honor.

Gardner finished as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 ranked cornerback this season.

Gardner could have potentially been joined by slot cornerback Michael Carter II, as the team included the position, but Trent McDuffie of the Chiefs and Taron Johnson of the Bills were named to the team ahead of Carter.

Another well deserved honor for Gardner. He was one of two Jets named to the team this season, joining linebacker Quincy Williams, a first-time selection.

Quincy Williams named First Team All-Pro

Quincy Williams gets a well-deserved honor of being named First Team All Pro.

Jets linebacker Quincy Williams’ excellent season was rewarded Friday. Williams was named First Team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

Williams did not make the Pro Bowl despite being the highest vote-getter among AFC linebackers. Being selected to the All Pro team by the Associated Press more than makes up for it.

Williams finished with 139 total tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, two sacks and ten passes defended, improving his play both against the run and the pass.

Good on the Associated Press for recognizing the incredible play of Williams this season and giving him this well-deserved honor.

Williams was one of two Jets to be named to the All Pro team, joining cornerback Sauce Gardner, who is now two for two in making the team.

Demario Davis defying expectations and Father Time

At 34, linebacker Demario Davis was named to his 5th consecutive All Pro team. He is a true ageless wonder.

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis is truly an ageless wonder. Davis turned 35 on Thursday and was named to his fifth consecutive All-Pro team on Friday. Since coming to New Orleans, he’s received more national acclaim for his play. The only year he hasn’t made an All-Pro team was his first year in New Orleans.

It’s really impressive when you consider his age. He played this entire year at 34 and was a second team All-Pro. Patrick Willis and Luke Kuechly are two of the most prominent linebackers of the generation. Both players retired before turning 30 years old, due to how grueling the position can be. Davis received his first All-Pro nod at 30 and has named to the All-Pro second team four consecutive years afterwards.

Davis has missed just one game since 2013. His mixture of durability and production makes his level of play so impressive. Over the last two years, Davis has been asked to blitz even more. He’s answered with 6.5 sacks each year, a career-high. Demario Davis’ five-year stretch has been impressive. When you realize he did it all in his 30’s as a linebacker, it truly becomes impressive.

Twitter reacts to Chiefs’ three All-Pro selections, L’Jarius Sneed snub

Users on Twitter shared their thoughts about the #Chiefs’ three All-Pro selections and L’Jarius Sneed’s inexplicable snub on Friday.

The Kansas City Chiefs saw three of their stars selected to the Associated Press 2023 All-Pro team on Friday ahead of the team’s playoff matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

Joe Thuney, Chris Jones, and Trent McDuffie were named to the prestigious list of the league’s top players, accomplishments that are commensurate with the exceptional seasons they put together.

One of Kansas City’s top contributors, veteran cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, was inexplicably absent from the list of the league’s top players, though, and after being snubbed for the Pro Bowl and NFLPA All-Pro teams earlier in January, many fans were left shaking their heads when the awards were announced.

Social media platforms were buzzing after Friday’s AP All-Pro teams were announced, and users in Chiefs Kingdom didn’t hold back about their excitement for Thuney, Jones, and McDuffie, or their consternation about Sneed’s exclusion.

Check out some of the top reactions to the All-Pro selections and snubs from Twitter:

3 Chiefs players earn AP First-Team All-Pro selections for 2023

3 #Chiefs players were named First-Team All-Pro by The Associated Press, which is the NFL’s officially recognized All-Pro selection.

The Associated Press has made its annual All-Pro selections. This is the All-Pro award officially recognized by the National Football League and held with high acclaim for the history books.

Three members of the Kansas City Chiefs were named First-Team All-Pro selections. The San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner, and the Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill received unanimous first-team votes.

Below is a quick recap of the players selected and some information on their All-Pro history:

Rashid Shaheed, Demario Davis named All-Pros by the Associated Press

New Orleans Saints playmakers Rashid Shaheed and Demario Davis were each named All-Pros by the Associated Press:

This is really cool: two members of the New Orleans Saints were selected for this year’s All-Pro teams by the Associated Press, with punt returner Rashid Shaheed named to the first team and linebacker Demario Davis picked for the second team.

Shaheed finished the year with the third-most punt return yards (339), having averaged 13.6 yards per return on 25 attempts. He led the NFL in all-purpose yards (1,479) thanks to his 384 kick return yards and 756 yards from scrimmage, 719 as a receiver and 37 as a rusher.

It’s the fifth year in a row that Davis has earned All-Pro recognition on either the first or second team; by earning a spot on the second team this year, Davis triggered a $500,000 bonus in his Saints contract. He’s continuing to play well late into his career, having celebrated his 35th birthday on Thursday.

A handful of other Saints players earned votes for the All-Pro list, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell: cornerback Paulson Adebo, special teams ace J.T. Gray, and long snapper Zach Wood; and Shaheed got votes for his work as a kick returner, too. Hopefully they can all build off their successful individual seasons and get New Orleans back to the playoffs this time next year.

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LS Andrew DePaola makes second-team All-Pro

Minnesota Vikings long snapper Andrew DePaola earned a spot on the Associated Press’ All-Pro second team

After the Minnesota Vikings had three All-Pro selections in 2022, they have just one for the 2023 season. Long snapper Andrew DePaola has made the Associated Press’ All-Pro second team.

DePaola is a model of consistency for the Vikings. He consistently delivers accurate snaps on both punts and field goal opportunities. With special teams needing consistency more than anything, having a player like DePaola is massive for the Vikings.

Of course, you could make arguments for other Vikings to be named to the All-Pro team. Outside linebacker Danielle Hunter and tight end T.J. Hockenson had the resume to be on the All-Pro team but they weren’t selected.

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Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill named 2023 First-team All-Pro

The Cheetah was a unanimous pick to be a First-team All-Pro.

While the NFL playoffs are set to begin this weekend, the Associated Press released their picks for their first and second All-Pro teams for the 2023 season.

For the Miami Dolphins, their lone representative on the roster is wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was one of just three unanimous selections.

In 16 games, Hill recorded 119 receptions (tied a franchise record set by himself in 2022), 1,799 yards (broke a franchise record set by himself in 2022) and 13 touchdowns.

The 29-year-old may not have broken the NFL receiving yards record or become the first player to ever hit 2,000 receiving yards in a season, but his year was still one to remember.

This is his fifth All-Pro selection in eight seasons.

Chiefs stars Travis Kelce, Chris Jones earn NFLPA All-Pro honors

#Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Chris Jones earned spots on the NFLPA’s All-Pro team this week.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ players have started earning accolades for their performance in the 2023 regular season ahead of the team’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins in the AFC playoffs this weekend.

Star tight end Travis Kelce and sack-master Chris Jones were named to the NFLPA’s All-Pro team on Wednesday, marking an incredible accomplishment that is sure to put wind in their sails before the Chiefs’ elimination tilt on Saturday.

Kelce fell just short of eclipsing the 1,000-yard during the regular season, but was among the league’s best players at the tight end position, helping buoy the Chiefs’ offense through tough stretches in their 17-game schedule.

Jones, who missed Kansas City’s first game after holding out from training camp to re-negotiate a better contract, secured 10.5 sacks over the course of the season, cementing his spot as the Chiefs’ top pass rusher.

Both players have been foundational pieces to Kansas City’s budding dynasty and will have a chance to further add to their legacies on Saturday against the Dolphins.