Tag: AP

No Pittsburgh media among AP awards voters

Here is the full list of AP voters for the NFL awards.

Thursday night was the NFL Honors where the most prestigious individual awards of the season were handed out. Those awards are voted on by a select group of AP media members.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are all up in the air about the voting for Defensive Player of the Year which went to Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett rather than Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Not to feed the conspiracy theorists out there but if you look at the list below you will see that none of the 50 voters are members of the Pittsburgh media. Do with that information what you will.

Emmanuel Acho, FS1
Greg Auman, Fox Sports
Howard Balzer, PHNX radio
Jarrett Bell, USA Today
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
Tom Brady, Fox Sports
Tedy Bruschi, ESPN
Vic Carucci, WGRZ radio
Mark Craig, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Tom Curran, NBC Sports Boston
Charles Davis, CBS Sports
Nate Davis, USA Today
Howard Deneroff, Westwood One
Tony Dungy, NBC Sports
Jori Epstein, Yahoo Sports
Boomer Esiason, CBS Sports
Doug Farrar, USA Today Sports Media
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk
Reuben Frank, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Rich Gannon, SiriusXM
Jonathan Jones, CBS Sports
Lindsay Jones, The Ringer
Mike Jones, The Athletic
Clark Judge, Talk of Fame Network
Ira Kaufman, JoeBucsFan(dot)com
Mina Kimes, ESPN
Peter King, NBC Sports
Pat Kirwan, SiriusXM
Jeff Legwold, ESPN
Jim Miller, SiriusXM
Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus
Bruce Murray, SiriusXM
Gary Myers, NFL author
Laura Okmin, Fox Sports
Dan Orlovsky, ESPN
Nick Pavlatos, SiriusXM
Dan Pompei, The Athletic
Nora Princiotti, The Ringer
Lorenzo Reyes, USA Today
Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports
Dianna Russini, The Athletic
Mike Sando, The Athletic
Aaron Schatz, FTN Network
Adam Schein, CBS Sports
Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Chris Simms, NBC Sports
Armando Salguero, Outkick(dot)com
Mike Tirico, NBC Sports
Ben Volin, Boston Globe
Charean Williams, Pro Football Talk

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Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. among finalists for DROY

Could Joey Porter win Defensive Rookie of the Year?

The Associated Press released the list of five finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. used a strong final 11 games when he was inserted into the starting lineup. Here’s a full rundown of the finalists.

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:

Packers KR Keisean Nixon named first-team All-Pro in 2023

Packers kickoff returner Keisean Nixon was named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press for the second consecutive season in 2023.

Green Bay Packers kickoff returner Keisean Nixon was named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press for the 2023 season.

Nixon received 36 of the 50 first-place votes.

The honor is Nixon’s second consecutive first-team selection at returner. Per the Packers, Nixon is just the fourth player to go back-to-back as the first-team All-Pro kickoff returner.

Although he didn’t have a kickoff return touchdown, Nixon led the NFL in both kickoff returns (30), kickoff return yards (782) and kickoff returns of at least 30 yards (7). His long kickoff return — 51 yards — was the 10th longest in the NFL in 2023. He also had a 49-yard kickoff return.

Among returners with at least 10 kickoff returns, Nixon’s 26.1-yard average ranked fourth.

He finished the season with two games of 100 or more kickoff return yards and nine with 50 or more.

Last season, Nixon had 11 returns of at least 30 yards and five of 50 or more, including a 105-yard touchdown. He also had eight games with 100 or more kickoff return yards.

Nixon was the team’s only All-Pro in 2023. Nixon and cornerback Jaire Alexander (second team) were All-Pro picks for the Packers in 2022.

AP’s first-team All-America includes three Alabama players

AP All-American first-team led by three Alabama defenders

With only bowl games left in the 2023 college football season, the year is sadly nearly done. After the Army-Navy game, we are at that point in the winter where our attention has shifted to the awards and accolades before playoffs get underway.

The first of the major awards was announced on Saturday night as LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was recognized as the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner after guiding the Tigers to a 9-3 record and finishing second in the SEC West. As great as Daniels was, the Tide defense was one of the few teams to keep him in check during a 42-28 victory in Tuscaloosa this season.

The Tide’s defense was so sensational that they had three players named to the AP first-team All-America, all on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas Turner and Kool-Aid McKinstry come as no surprise, but it was Terrion Arnold’s emergence in the secondary that came as a surprise. Arnold led the defense with five interceptions and 11 passes defended and was also good for 61 tackles.

Offensive lineman JC Latham and defensive back Caleb Downs also qualified for the second team while kicker Will Reichard was named to the third team.

All of these accolades are noteworthy, but every single player on Alabama’s roster will tell you that all that matters is the game on Jan. 1 against Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

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NEW: Trio of Tigers named to AP All-American teams

Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. were all represented on the AP All-American teams.

The Associated Press released its college football All-American teams on Monday, and three LSU Tigers ultimately made the cut.

Quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] were represented among the First Team. Daniels is the Heisman Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award winner after leading the nation in total yards per game and total touchdowns as well as quarterback rating.

Nabers, meanwhile, led the nation in receiving yards with 1,546 and also finished with 14 touchdowns. He was passed up for the Biletnikoff in favor of [autotag]Marvin Harrison Jr.[/autotag], however, despite having the more impressive season statistically.

[autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] was also represented as an All-American and was listed on the Third Team. Thomas’ production was limited while splitting targets with Nabers, but he still exceeded 1,000 yards and led the nation with 15 receiving touchdowns.

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LSU’s Jayden Daniels named AP Player of the Year

Jayden Daniels becomes the second Tiger to be named the AP’s national Player of the Year.

The list of accolades keeps stacking up for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

On Thursday, the Tigers’ quarterback was named the national Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He becomes the second LSU player to win the award, joining Joe Burrow in 2019.

Burrow also won the Heisman that season, and Daniels is the heavy favorite to do so as well this season. The AP Player of the Year award tends to be a strong indicator of the Heisman winner, having differed only twice from the Heisman vote in the past two decades.

Daniels received 31 of 55 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Michael Penix, Bo Nix, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Ollie Gordon II.

Daniels paces the nation in total offense and total touchdowns this season, tying for first in passing touchdowns and ranking third in passing yards. His 208 quarterback rating would be an FBS record.

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4 LSU players named to Associated Press All-SEC teams

The Tigers’ offense is well represented on the All-SEC teams.

The Associated Press All-SEC teams have been announced, and it should come as no surprise that LSU’s record-setting offense was well-represented.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who was also named the AP’s SEC Offensive Player of the Year after a season that landed him an invite to the Heisman ceremony where he’s the heavy favorite to win the award, is represented as a unanimous First Team selection, as is his top wideout [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag].

Daniels is pacing the nation in practically every quarterback stat, and his 208 quarterback rating is the best in FBS history. Nabers, meanwhile, was the nation’s leading receiver with 1,546 yards and ranked second in touchdowns with 14 as he was named a Biletnikoff Award finalist.

Fellow receiver [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] appears on the Second Team, as does left tackle [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag].

Thomas also had a 1,000-yard campaign, and he beat out Nabers with 15 receiving touchdowns, which led the nation. Campbell started every game and didn’t allow a single sack as the leader of one of the country’s top offensive lines.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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Billy Napier addresses sleep, other issues for Florida’s road games

“You should sleep late man; it’s just much easier on your constitution”. — Beastie Boys

Florida football has struggled away from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during head coach Billy Napier’s one-plus year tenure, amassing a paltry 1-7 record in true road games since assuming the reins.

Most recently, the Gators were easily handled by the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington two games ago, which was a polar opposite performance from what was seen in the Swamp in the win over the Tennessee Volunteers. Additionally, the Orange and Blue came out flat in Salt Lake City against the Utah Utes to open the season.

So what gives?

A recent Associated Press report took a look into the issue and it appears that a greater emphasis is being put on sleep as the Gators face a tough road schedule ahead. But it is not all about just getting eight hours of quality slumber — that is just one component of the whole plan.

“Most of it is mental,” Napier said. “We talked about mentally being prepared, physically being prepared but also emotionally being prepared. You’ve got to anticipate and visualize what it’s going to be like, that it will be challenging.

“There will be ups and downs in the game. Our dialogue during the week [has been] about being prepared to respond,” he continued. “We’ve got to know and apply the things that we’ve learned in the past.”

The coaching staff is not the only one who has noticed the difficulties the team has faced. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall also weighed in on the Gators’ struggles.

“All the guys are well aware that we haven’t played our best ball on the road,” Pearsall noted. “So just continuing to emphasize that throughout the locker room, and we’ve got to highlight that each and every day.”

Defensive back Jaydon Hill also chimed in.

“I feel like it’s not as big as we’re making it seem as far as what needs to be fixed,” Hill offered. “It comes down to us just executing and having the same passion and joy that we play with in the Swamp and taking it on the road and not coming out flat, coming out swinging instead of taking the hits. And I feel like that’s probably the biggest thing.

“It’s a lot easier said than done, but we’ve got to do it.”

All things considered, it really does come down to execution as Hill said.

“Bottom line is when the ball’s spotted and we kick it off, we’ve got to be ready to mix it up,” Napier said. “And if you’ve done a good job preparing all week, you’re mentally prepared, you can communicate at a high level, you can play fast, you can anticipate.

“And then physically you’ve got to have a sharp sword. You’ve got to be ready to go. That axe can’t be dull.”

Next up for Florida is a trip to Columbia, South Carolina, to face Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks on Saturday, Oct. 14, inside William-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on the SEC Network.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Spring high school football league starting up, led by former USFL President

Woods says he wants to give the young players a genuine 11-on-11 experience that can’t be found at All-Star camps.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the former President of the USFL, Brian Woods, is starting up a spring league for high school football players. Apparently the league will be using NCAA rules and will operate outside of high school athletic association guidelines. That means players will get a chance to use their NIL for profit.

Per the AP report, the goal is to recruit local four and five-star athletes for teams in 12 cities, including Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and Tampa.

Woods says he wants to give the young players a genuine 11-on-11 experience that can’t be found at All-Star camps.

“If you look at 7-on-7, you look at these camps, at the end of the day, none of them are 11-on-11 football… None of them are going to give a quarterback, for instance, in a 7-on-7 situation, a live pass rush. So if you’re looking to evaluate players in an actual football context, that’s what this league is about.”

The league’s inaugural season is scheduled to take place next spring beginning on April 19 and running through May 24.

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