Tag: Austin Eckler

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers voted to have best offensive trio in NFL

Justin Herbert, Austin Eckler, and Keenan Allen? Hard to get better than that.

When it comes to former Oregon Ducks playing in the pros, it’s hard to find many people who are more loved than Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

As a Eugene native who grew up as an Oregon fan, Herbert has been the heart and soul of Duck fans who watch football on Sundays. His career has gotten off to an incredibly successful start in just two seasons.

There seems to be a good chance it continues as well.

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We know Herbert has all the talent in the world, but when you look at the rest of the Chargers’ roster, you see a star-studded affair.

Recently CBS Sports went about its annual tradition of ranking the best “triplets” in the NFL. By triplets, it mean the combination of quarterback, running back and either wide receiver or tight end. Writers and analysts rank the top teams in the league and the results are averaged.

Herbert and the Chargers came in first place.

1. Los Angeles Chargers (Avg: 1.8, High: 1, Low: 4)

QB: Justin Herbert RB: Austin Ekeler WR: Keenan Allen

The Burrow-Chase connection figures to be one of the NFL’s best for a long time and was nearly enough to nab Cincy the top spot in our rankings. As you can see from the average rankings and the fact that both teams only received votes between first and fourth, our panel considered these two teams the clear cream of the crop, a step above Buffalo. Herbert’s remarkable first two seasons, Ekeler’s breakout as maybe the league’s best pass-catching running back, and Allen’s year-to-year consistency are likely what earned Los Angeles just a single more first-place vote than Cincinnati, and made the Chargers the No. 1 team in this year’s Triplets Rankings.

With Herbert’s ceiling and proven skill, plus Eckler’s talent and Allen’s unstoppable ability on the outside, it’s hard to argue with the ranking. On top of that, when you add Mike Williams on the outside, it gets to be a scary offense.

We’ve seen how special Herbert can be at the next level during his first two seasons in the NFL. If everyone can stay healthy and the Oregon legend continues to trend upward, we will likely get to see how special he really is.

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WATCH: Justin Herbert has hilariously classic reaction to low Madden 22 rating

While his teammates were shocked and upset at his low Madden 22 rating, Justin Herbert’s reaction is hilarious and beyond classic.

Whether you agree or disagree, the NFL world gets buzzing when the annual EA Madden ratings are released, as football players look to see how the classic video game judges their talent and assesses a number to their skill-set.

For the Los Angeles Chargers, it is hard to argue that quarterback Justin Herbert has a shockingly low rating of 80, especially considering he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history for a QB.

With training camp going on, the Chargers put together a video on Tik Tok of players reacting to Herbert’s low score. Here’s some of what we got:

Chris Harris: “80?!? Ah, come on man… That’s uncalled for Madden. Our quarterback should be close to the 90s!”

Keenan Allen: “Damn! What he can’t do?”

Austin Eckler: “So every other rookie from last year better be below 80…”

While it’s great to see his teammates sticking up for him, watching Herbert’s reaction to the rating may be the funniest of all.

“Sweet! I grew up playing Madden, so just to be in the game is pretty cool.”

If there was ever a more humble or level-headed guy, we’re yet to see him. Just another example of Herbert being a great leader off the field, and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

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Steelers FB Derek Watt on why Pittsburgh is the right fit

Pittsburgh Steelers fullback, Derek Watt, knows the team’s culture and thinks he’ll fit right in.

The Steelers made their first big move of the offseason when they signed fullback Derek Watt on March 25.

Watt drew comparisons to his upbringing when explaining why Pittsburgh is the right fit for him.

“I think what made Pittsburgh a great fit for me was the culture that they have there, the tradition that they have built,” Watt said. “They are a hard-working, blue-collar, tough-nosed organization. I just feel like it kind of fits the way I was raised and the way I try to play the game.”

Watt was born and raised in Waukesha, Wis., the son of a firefighter and a dispatcher of a building inspection company. His father, John, worked 24-hour shifts while his mother, Connie, worked her way up at the inspection company.

Watt knows the value of hard work and what an organization like Pittsburgh expects of him.

Just what should fans expect?

Given that the Steelers had a ton of needs and FB wasn’t really one of them, this was a surprise signing. Pittsburgh made him the second-highest-paid FB (behind San Fransisco’s Kyle Juszczyk) and released Roosevelt Nix.

In 2019, Watt played in 325 special teams snaps with a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.5. On offense, he logged 72 run-blocking snaps (58 grade)  to just four pass-blocking snaps (34 grade).

While he did score a touchdown, Watt only had eight rushing attempts for 10 yards.

Don’t expect the second coming of FB Dan Kreider, but he will be a vital part of this team. My thought is that he’ll have a more prominent role on both ST and offense than Nix did with better results. Watt is a tenacious run-blocker which should help running back James Conner tremendously.

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