Tag: Ben Watson

Countdown to Kickoff: Benjamin Watson is the Saints Player of Day 82

We’re counting down the days until the Saints kick off their 2024 regular season, and no active player wears No. 82. So Benjamin Watson is our Saints Player of the Day:

We’re counting down the days until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season, and no active player wears No. 82, so Benjamin Watson is our Saints Player of the Day. The former Saints tight end made two stops in New Orleans late in his career, but he closed the book on his NFL story with the same team that drafted him, the New England Patriots. He also suited up for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens during his 17-year pro career.

So what about his time with the Saints? Watson initially came to New Orleans as an experienced No. 2 tight end working with Jimmy Graham, but he was promoted to the TE1 spot after Graham was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. And Watson responded well. He put up career-highs in 2015 (at age 35!) with 74 receptions for 825 yards, converting 42 first downs and scoring six touchdowns, which tied his personal-best set way back in 2007.

The Saints tried to get younger when Watson left to chase a Super Bowl with the Ravens by signing Coby Fleener, but both players suffered injuries that lessened their impact on the field. Watson ended up returning to New Orleans in time for their own Super Bowl run in 2018, finishing third on the team in receptions (35) and fourth in receiving yards (400). However, Watson was sidelined with appendicitis days before the infamous 2018 NFC championship game, marking  an unfortunate end to his Saints career.

Still, Watson made some great memories with Saints fans. He brought a much-needed veteran presence to the locker room in the 2010’s and has continued to represent himself and the team well in retirement, working in the media for ESPN’s SEC Network covering college football. He remains popular with fans and looks back on his time in New Orleans fondly.

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89 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

Ben Watson was a decent tight end from 2007-2010 who had a touchdown catch in the Super Bowl. He wore No. 89 for the Cardinals.

We inch ever closer to the start of the 2024 NFL season and the Arizona Cardinals’ Week 1 season opener. As of Tuesday, the Cardinals will take the field at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park to take on the Buffalo Bills in 89 days.

No. 89 now belongs to second-year tight end Blake Whiteheart, who spent time on the practice squad and the active roster last year after signing as a rookie free agent.

He has yet to make an impact in the NFL but hopes to make the roster as perhaps the fourth tight end on the team.

No. 89 has mostly been a throwaway number for years for back-of-the-roster receivers and tight ends.

The last player to wear No. 89 and make a reasonable impact was tight end Ben Patrick, who played for the Cardinals from 2007-2010.

A seventh-round pick by Arizona in 2007, he played in 42 games, starting 20 in four seasons. he had 45 career receptions, never catching more than 15 in a season. However, he had five career postseason catches in six games and had a touchdown reception in the Super Bowl.

That’s not a bad impact.

He wasn’t the best No. 89 the Cardinals have had, but he did make an impact while he played here.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Tyrann Mathieu thought Jimmy Graham was joining the Saints as a coach

When Tyrann Mathieu first ran across Jimmy Graham at the New Orleans Saints facility, he thought Graham was returning to coach like Ted Ginn Jr.:

Tyrann Mathieu, he’s just like us — the New Orleans Saints safety ran into 36-year-old tight end Jimmy Graham at the team facility Tuesday, he told Nola.com’s Rod Walker, and wrongly assumed that Graham had returned to coach the Saints, not catch passes against him in practice. Many fans and observers expected Graham would be signing a one-day retirement contract, or maybe joining the coaching staff as Mathieu did.

Mathieu recounted: “It was funny man, I was in the equipment room and he kind of walked by, and we had some words. You know Ted Ginn was here in the spring, and so obviously I played against both of those guys, I played with Ted in the past. As we’re talking I’m looking at (Graham) and I think he’s about to coach, I ask him what he’s coaching. He says, ‘Nah, I’m playing.’ He kind of surprised me with that one. He looks good. I definitely feel he can help us still.”

Ginn, 38, was invited to join the Saints at training camp as an assistant wide receivers coach, so it wasn’t an unfounded assumption on Mathieu’s part. We’ll see if Graham still has enough left in the tank to help the Saints offense put points on the board and win some games in the fall. That all starts with productive practices during the summer.

Graham was out of football in 2022, but there’s a precedent for late-career tight ends continuing to make an impact. In 2018, the 38-year-old Ben Watson caught 35 passes for 400 yards and a couple of scores with the Saints. Derek Carr completed a pair of touchdown passes to a 38-year-old Jason Witten with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. Graham is younger than both of them with less wear and tear on his body. Maybe he can make the most of his opportunities in scoring position with the Saints this year.

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Former Patriots TE Ben Watson praises Jakobi Meyers’ post-game response

The former Patriots legend approved of the response from wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.

A former New England Patriots player is praising wide receiver Jakobi Meyers after his response to the costly blunder in the final stages of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Former Patriots tight end Ben Watson appreciated the wide receiver’s response to the incident in what was a heartbreaking defeat for the Patriots.

Meyers and Watson were teammates in 2019 and played with each other that season.

The final play against the Raiders saw Meyers take a lateral handoff from running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. Meyers then threw a ball that was intended for quarterback Mac Jones, and the pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by former Patriot Chandler Jones.

The loss stung for New England fans and players alike. Watson praised the wide receiver on Twitter as he reacted to the difficult play in real-time, following the loss.

With the loss, New England’s playoff hopes grow slimmer. The team has a tough schedule from here on out that includes the likes of the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.

All three teams are expected playoff contenders that should be heavily favored against the Patriots.

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Former Georgia football players congratulate Dawgs on national title

Former Georgia Bulldog stars are extremely happy for Georgia fans, players, and coaches after the Dawgs won a national championship.

Former Georgia Bulldog stars are extremely happy for Georgia fans, players, and coaches after the Dawgs knocked off Alabama to win a national championship.

Many former Georgia players like Nick Chubb, Rodrigo Blankenship, Aaron Murray, and Mecole Hardman experienced heartbreak in a big game against Alabama. Now, these former players are quite happy to be on the winning side.

Thomas Davis, Ben Watson, David Andrews and more know hard it is to win a championship. They’re all ecstatic that their beloved Bulldogs finally got over the hump and won a national championship for the first time since 1980.

All of the above mentioned players congratulated Georgia Bulldog nation on the victory over Alabama and the national championship:

Nick Chubb, Rodrigo Blankenship, and Mecole Hardman all lost to Alabama in the heartbreaking 2018 national championship. David Andrews and Aaron Murray fell five yards short against Alabama in the 2012 SEC championship.

Now, these memories won’t be quite as painful. Georgia finally prevail over Alabama on college football’s biggest stage. Kirby Smart and Nick Saban aren’t done playing big games against each other.

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SEC Network hires Deuce McAllister to analyst role

SEC Network hires former Saints RB Deuce McAllister to analyst role

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Good news, SEC fans. Legendary New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister accepted a position with the SEC Network to work as a college football analyst this year, bringing the proud Ole Miss product back to his old stomping grounds. His first assignment will be working the Sept.11 game between Auburn and Alabama State, so mark your calendars.

Interestingly, McAllister will continue to work Saints games for WWL Radio — he’s now joined in the booth by longtime television broadcaster Mike Hoss, who replaces Zach Strief. So he’ll have quite a busy schedule in the fall.

McAllister is the latest former Saints player to join the SEC Network, along with his teammate and Super Bowl XLIV champion Roman Harper (an Alabama alum) and fan-favorite tight end Benjamin Watson (who studied at Georgia). With Jonathan Vilma calling NFL games for FOX Sports and Drew Brees on the call for Notre Dame kickoffs on NBC Sports, there’s quite an assembly of former Saints on the airwaves this year.

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Ben Watson says he might trade one of his twins for Super Bowl XLII win

Retired New England Patriots TE Ben Watson jokingly said he’d trade one of his twins for a Super Bowl XLII victory over the New York Giants.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has had the New York Giants on the brain in recent months. He addressed the hate he receives from some Big Blue fans, arguing that they should love him, while also continuing to lament a Super Bowl XLII loss.

In fact, Brady went as far as to say he’d trade two of his other Super Bowl titles for a win in Super Bowl XLII.

“Would you be willing to trade two Super Bowl rings to win that one Super Bowl?” Shannon Sharpe asked Brady.

“I would,” Brady said without hesitation.

As it turns out, Brady isn’t alone in that line of thinking. And while he doesn’t have seven Super Bowl rings to bargain with, former New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson would be willing to pony up one of his twins for that Super Bowl XLII victory.

“I texted Tom and said, ‘I don’t know which one but I might trade one of my twins.’ Whichever one is the bad one of the day, I might trade one of them. If he was acting bad that day, throwing stuff everywhere and spitting on me, I might trade one of them for that ring, too,” Watson told USA TODAY jokingly.

Like Brady, Watson admits that Super Bowl loss to the Giants “still hurts” all these years later.

“That is something that would have been so special,” Watson added. “[It’s] something that would have cemented us as the greatest. Kudos to the Giants for what they did. But to [win] 18 games in a row and then lose the last one, it still hurts.”

Over a decade later, what the Giants managed to accomplish on that fateful night continues to impress. And for the Patriots, it continues to haunt.

Ja’Whaun Bentley explains why he felt rejuvenated after a George Floyd protest

“That was an opportunity for a lot of people to express themselves and also create awareness.”

Ja’Whaun Bentley said he was starting to feel worn down. The New England Patriots linebacker had done a lot of hard work this offseason to help create awareness on racial injustice following the death of George Floyd which inspired international protests. But retired tight end Ben Watson’s “Boston Pray” event helped Bentley recharge last week.

Watson led the event for one hour at the Boston Common with worship and scripture. Bentley explained why he felt it was important for him to attend.

“Obviously, through the times that we’re experiencing right now dealing with trying to address police brutality as well as systemic racism that’s going on, a lot of people are working hard, whether it’s donating, protesting, a lot of different ways they want to make an impact,” Bentley said on a videoconference call on Wednesday. “I felt like Ben’s event was the perfect way to kind of rejuvenate yourself as well as continue to use your platform to make an impact to create awareness. So, a lot of times, you begin to kind of wear down with the constant talk and the constant creating awareness, and you need to kind of regroup and try to fill your tank up, so to speak, in a way to continue to create awareness. I thought that was a great opportunity to do so.”

Bentley and Watson were one of many Patriots who have been outspoken about promoting change since the death of Floyd. Devin and Jason McCourty have been active in the discussion. Patriots owner Robert Kraft also donated $1 million to local charities which will promote social justice.

“I would say only time will tell whether or not everything we’re doing will have a huge effect,” Bentley said. “But me personally, seeing everybody there just allows you to see how much everybody wants to be a part of change, be a part of history and address the many moments that we’ve been exposed to within the past few weeks, as well as trying to address things that have been going on for hundreds of years. So, that was an opportunity for a lot of people to express themselves and also create awareness.”

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Georgia Bulldogs football community speaks out

The Georgia Bulldogs football community speaks out following the death of George Floyd. They emphasize unification and positivity.

The Georgia Bulldogs football community is assuring that their voice is being heard following the tragic death of George Floyd. Kirby Smart issued a statement following the emergence of protests.

Numerous legendary Georgia Bulldogs made sure the voice their opinions on the issue of racism. Constant themes of their messages include: unification, helping others, positivity, and being actively involved.

Here’s what arguably the greatest Georgia Bulldog of all-time, Herschel Walker, said to everybody:

Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean suggests everyone do their best to make a positive environment for all and help others:

Former NFL and University of Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran gives a good, simple metaphor for the ways people can help out during these times.

Georgia Bulldog great Benjamin Watson, someone who is very familiar with the topic of social justice, noted the importance of focusing on the youth:

University of Georgia wide receiver coach Cortez Hankton had a powerful message to share as well. Hankton’s message goes deeper and gives three rules to live by:

It’s clear dwelling on negativity and inaction won’t help future generations and the present day be better for all. Lots of wisdom is being imparted out there and this is just a small slice of the pie. The entire subject goes much deeper beyond Georgia football.

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Tracking UGA football in NFL Free Agency

Todd Gurley, Leonard Floyd, and Thomas Davis are among many Georgia Bulldogs in NFL Free Agency.

NFL Free Agency is especially unpredictable this off-season. Numerous Georgia Bulldogs are headlining some shocking moves.

In a surprising move, the Los Angeles Rams have released Todd Gurley. Gurley would fit in with the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and more. He was the engine of Los Angeles’s Super Bowl offense in 2018.

The Chicago Bears have released outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. Floyd signed a one year deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Chicago originally selected Floyd with a first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Nov 17, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) makes a pass under pressure from Chicago Bears outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (94) during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

New York Jets outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins is in for a massive raise. New York, who has minimal pass rushing opinions, will have to pay their 2019 sack leader to coax him to stay.

The Cincinnati Bengals placed a franchise tag on wide receiver A.J. Green. The  tag prevents Green from entering NFL Free Agency. Will he sign the tag with Cincinnati and pair up with projected number one overall pick Joe Burrow or hold out?

The  Bengals have released offensive tackle Cordy Glenn. Glenn, a second round pick out of the University of Georgia, is a free agent. At 30, Glenn will have a market among teams looking to upgrade their pass-blocking.

Recently released former New York Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree is seeking a new home. At 28 years old, Ogletree is still productive. He has the speed necessary to be a linebacker in the modern NFL.

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