Tag: All-Pro

No Steelers make NFLPA All-Pro team

No Steelers make NFLPA All-Pro team

The NFLPA announced its All-Pro team for the 2023 NFL season on Wednesday. No members of the Pittsburgh Steelers made the cut, including edge rusher T.J. Watt. This is an All-Pro team selected by the players themselves.

It hasn’t been a great season for the Steelers individually. Except for Watt. Watt led the NFL in sacks with 19 and is the first player to ever lead the league in sacks three times.

The NFLPA chose Cleveland Browns edge Myles Garrett and Las Vegas Raiders edge Maxx Crosby over Watt. This is telling when other players in the league don’t consider Watt one of the two best pass rushers in the NFL while the entire Steelers fanbase assumes that Watt is the best defensive player in the entire NFL and will be rewarded for it with Defensive Player of the Year.

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Jalen Reeves-Maybin voted 1st-team All-Pro on special teams by the NFLPA

Lions special teams captain Jalen Reeves-Maybin voted 1st-team All-Pro by the NFLPA

The NFL Players Association, or NFLPA, has released the results of the All-Pro balloting from the membership. One Lions player earned first-team honors in the NFLPA voting.

It’s linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who earned one of two spots as a designated core special teams player. Reeves-Maybin was outstanding in the role in his return to Detroit after a year away with the Houston Texans.

Center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell did not win the voting at their respective positions. The NFLPA only recognizes one player at each specific position on the offensive line.

4 49ers voted by players to NFLPA All-Pro team

The NFLPA announced the 2nd All-Pro team voted on by players. The #49ers are well-represented:

The NFL Players’ Association last year began announcing an All-Pro team that’s voted on by players. This offers a different perspective on the league’s best players than the one presented by the All-Pro teams voted on by media.

San Francisco is well-represented on the second-annual NFLPA All-Pro team with four players landing on the list. Dallas has the most representatives with five.

Here are the 49ers voted to the NFLPA’s All-Pro team:

MVP? All-Pro? Narratives unfairly marring Prescott’s incredible 2023

The MVP debate might be dead in the water, but there is little argument to keep Dak Prescott off the All-Pro team. | From @cdpiglet

Dak Prescott ascended to another level under Mike McCarthy’s direct attention in 2023. The eight-year veteran had an MVP-caliber season for the Dallas Cowboys, and although Lamar Jackson will likely win the award, Prescott deserves votes to acknowledge his high level of play. Jackson had a great season as the most valuable player to the team with the league’s best record, and he ended the year helping blow out the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins.

The case for someone other than Prescott to be MVP is at least fair, but what is inarguable is that Prescott was an All-Pro this season. The case is even better for the Dallas Cowboys QB to be a first-team All-Pro over his MVP case, but what isn’t in doubt is that Prescott was one of the two best quarterbacks in the 2023 season.

This article will break down his case. It will examine how Prescott performed compared to other candidates like Jackson, Brock Purdy, and Josh Allen. It will go over the stats and the analytics and even break down the narratives that typically follow a QB who plays for the most discussed franchise in sports. Prescott will be an All-Pro. Here is the case to be made.

Tale of the Tape: Notre Dame defense vs. Tennessee State offense

Like the Irish’s D?

Just as impressive as Notre Dame’s offense against Navy was its defense. Allowing only a late field goal to the Midshipmen, the Irish showed that the defense they’ve boasted about for many years will continue to be as lethal as it’s ever been. There’s little reason to believe otherwise, though the Midshipmen’s run-heavy offense might not have been the best one to measure against.

Now, the Irish get to deal with Tennessee State, a Football Championship Subdivision offense on a team coached by former All-Pro running back Eddie George. That association alone gives the Tigers’ offense legitimacy no matter who they play, at least when it’s up against another FCS team. Put a Football Bowl Subdivision defense against that unit, particularly one like Notre Dame, and one never can tell what’s going to happen. Most likely, it will be bad news for that offense.

Here’s a look at how the Irish’s defense through extremely limited Football Bowl Subdivision rankings matches up with the Tigers’ 2022 FCS rankings:

New York Jets Quinnen Williams honored on the NFL’s Top 100 Player list for 2023

Former Alabama DT Quinnen Williams recognized as the 40th best player in the NFL

The summer of 2023 will be one to remember for former Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. This offseason, Williams signed a new four-year deal worth $96 million that makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle ever, with the exception of Aaron Donald. The New York Jets also added future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to run the offense which firmly places them in the middle of the Super Bowl conversation.

The cherry on top for Williams is that he was just recognized as the 40th-best player in the league on the NFL’s 2023 top 100 player rankings. Williams is coming off of a monster 2022 season where he earned First-team All-Pro honors after racking up 55 total tackles, 12.0 sacks and forced two fumbles.

The AFC East will be arguably the best division in the NFL this year between the Jets, Dolphins, Bills and Patriots. So four times a year, Williams will be tasked with chasing down his former college quarterbacks Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa.

New York hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010, and while Aaron Rodgers and the offense will grab the headlines, it is the defense that will dictate how far they can go in the postseason. With Williams and C.J. Mosley calling the shots defensively, it feels like they have something really special brewing.

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Indianapolis Colts workout former Alabama running back Kenyan Drake

Former Alabama RB Kenyan Drake worked out by the Indianapolis Colts.

The last week has been an absolute nightmare in the Indianapolis Colts running back room. For starters, 2021 First-team All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor and the Colts are not on great terms which led to Taylor requesting a trade. Then to make matters worse, backup RB, Zack Moss, suffered a broken arm that will sideline him for a minimum of four to six weeks.

As a result, the Colts are now in the market to find a back to potentially carry the workload as the situation plays out. Field Yates of ESPN reported that the Colts worked out former Alabama RB Kenyan Drake, as well as Benny Snell and Devine Ozigbo.

Drake has spent the past three seasons with three different franchises in the Cardinals, Raiders and Ravens. Despite being a temporary back for those three clubs, Drake still played in 38 games, 20 of which he started. He posted 2,149 all-purpose yards during that time and found the end zone 17 times.

At this point in his career, Drake is 29 years old and likely isn’t viewed as any franchise’s back of the future, but for a team like Indianapolis, he would be the perfect guy to bridge the gap while Taylor’s contract situation is figured out. The Colts will also have a rookie QB in 2023 and will do everything possible to make his life as easy as possible.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Drake and other former Alabama players in the NFL as the 2023 season approaches.

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Former Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II voted into the NFL’s top 100 players

Patrick Surtain II recognized as a Top 100 player in the NFL by coaches and peers

Earlier this offseason, former Alabama cornerback, Patrick Surtain II was voted as the best corner in the NFL. This week, he was honored as the No. 49 player in the NFL’s annual top 100 player rating which is voted on anonymously by various coaches and players in the league.

Surtain was the Broncos’ No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and has quickly emerged as probably the best player actively with the franchise. In only his second year in the league, Surtain earned NFL First-Team All-Pro Honors in 2022 as well as making the Pro Bowl. He started all 17 games last season posting 60 total tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes defended.

This offseason the Denver Broncos brought in future Hall of Fame coach Sean Payton to clean up the mess that was left behind from last year. While Peyton is recognized as an offensive coach, he brings a lot of experience to the table as a head coach and will get the absolute most out of Surtain.

Denever traded away All-Pro pass rusher Bradley Chubb last season, and Surtain will now be the defensive centerpiece the franchise can build around for years to come. The Broncos are stuck in a division that will force them to face Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice a year, so having a corner that can lock down one side of the field, like Surtain, is essential in the modern day NFL.

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Jaguars Calvin Ridley showing fantasy football owners he was WR1 upside

Jaguars Calvin Ridley showing everyone at training camp why he can be a WR1

After nearly two years away from the NFL, former Alabama wide receiver, [autotag]Calvin Ridley[/autotag], returns with a new number and a new team. Ridley was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, where he was a superstar and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, but the two sides just weren’t on the same page anymore.

Ridley missed the entirety of the 2022 season due to a suspension stemming from a violation of the league’s gambling policy, but despite that, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a future investment by trading for Ridley ahead of the trade deadline knowing he was not allowed to suit up again until 2023. Now, their move is beginning to come to fruition as Ridley has reportedly been outstanding through the first couple of days of training camp.

The Jaguars went 9-8 last season and were crowned as the champions of the AFC South, but at many times it felt as if they were just a piece away from being a really great team. In the wild-card round of the playoffs, the Jaguars came back from a staggering 27-0 deficit against the Chargers to win 31-30. The following weekend they were knocked off by the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 27-20.

Jacksonville also won five of their final six games with former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence beginning to look like a top-five quarterback in the league. Lawrence is easily the best quarterback that Ridley has ever played with and he should be in for a massive season statistically. Nathan Jahnke of PFF Fantasy says of Ridley, “The upside is there for his fantasy value to be elite.”

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Former Alabama DB Trevon Diggs voted as the 60th best player in the NFL

Trevon Diggs voted as the 60th-best player in the NFL by players and personnel

What a week it has been for former Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs! On Tuesday, Diggs signed a five-year contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys worth $97 million and on Friday he was voted as the 60th best player in the entire NFL.

Diggs was a second-round pick for the Cowboys in the 2020 NFL draft and has gone on to be one of the best value picks in franchise history. Through three years in the league, Diggs has started 44 of 45 games he has played in and posted 169 total tackles, 17 interceptions, and 49 passes defended. In 2021, Diggs earned a First-team All-Pro selection after he led the NFL with 11 interceptions, a feat which hadn’t been done since Everson Walls in 1981.

Last season, Diggs earned a second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and set a career-high in tackles with 59. Quarterbacks have begun to pick up on Diggs’s ball-hawking tendencies, and as a result, he tends to get much less action to his side of the field. Diggs is easily one of the five or ten best cornerbacks in the NFL and is on pace for a historic career.

His peers recognize this as well as Diggs was voted as the 60th-best player in the NFL heading into the 2023 season. Any list that is voted on by your opponents and rivals carries a little more weight, so to be viewed as one of the 100 best football players on earth must feel very rewarding.

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