Tag: captain

Broncos announce team captains for 2023 season

Broncos team captains: QB Russell Wilson, WR Courtland Sutton, RT Mike McGlinchey, DB Kareem Jackson, DB Justin Simmons and P Riley Dixon.

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has announced the club’s team captains for the 2023 NFL season.

Quarterback Russell Wilson (offense), wide receiver Courtland Sutton (offense), right tackle Mike McGlinchey (offense), safeties Kareem Jackson (defense) and Justin Simmons (defense) and punter Riley Dixon (special teams) were named team captains on Wednesday.

Broncos players elected this year’s captains.

“We won’t usually have the rookies vote; we’ll have the veterans [vote],” Payton said last week. “The players will vote on offense, defense, and special teams, and we’ll kind of go from there. Typically, each week, we might have a guest captain — number six — that moves around.”

Last year, players elected Wilson, Sutton, Simmons, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and kicker Brandon McManus as team captains. Chubb and McManus are no longer with the team.

Denver’s captains will lead the team against the Las Vegas Raiders when the Broncos host their division rival in Week 1 on Sept. 10.

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Alvin Kamara fires back at Michael Thomas critics after latest injury update

Saints captain Alvin Kamara fired back at Michael Thomas critics after his latest injury update, saying “it hurts my soul to see that”

Alvin Kamara has really come into his own this season as one of the leaders on the New Orleans Saints’ roster. Sure, he’s a five-time Pro Bowler and the face of their franchise, but 2022 was the first year in which he earned a captain’s patch on his uniform. And he’s shouldered that new responsibility well in demanding greater accountability in the locker room and defending his teammates from unfair criticism in speaking with the media.

The Saints sent wide receiver Michael Thomas to injured reserve this week after resting him for five games, teeing him up for surgery on a dislocated toe that’s likely going to end his season. It’s led to troubling comments online  questioning his commitment to the team and suggesting he’s tapped out after having signed a contract extension. Kamara acknowledged the frustration — this is the third year in a row Thomas has missed significant time with injury — but pushed back against the critics doubting his teammate’s motivation.

“It’s a lot of shit we’ve got to go through,” Kamara told ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, pointing out that fans don’t see the long, painful hours in the trainer’s room working on injury rehab. He added, “A player like that, that’s fighting to get back, not only for his team, but for the fans and for this city … For people to be talking shit, it’s like, ah, it hurts my soul to see that.”

Kamara said that Thomas was optimistic he’d be active for the Raiders game, having taken the team doctors’ advice to rest his injured toe and receive treatment. But the dislocated digit didn’t heal as everyone involved hoped that it would after a recent MRI scan, prompting a change of plans. Thomas is still following doctor’s orders. It’s not like he’s gone rogue again and stopped talking to the team for months.

He’s as frustrated as anyone, which Kamara has seen firsthand. More from his conversation with Terrell: “Nobody’s in here like ‘Let me get injured and not play and just get paid.’ We get paid to play obviously and we want to be available but when you can’t do it, there’s certain things you’ve got to be smart about.”

What’s next for Thomas is anyone’s guess. Things can’t continue as they have considering his contract status. There’s a very real and unfortunate possibility that he’s already caught his last pass in a Saints uniform. But if things work out to where he continues to wear black and gold, Kamara has made it clear he’ll be one of the first teammates to welcome Thomas to their locker room.

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Notre Dame football: Bo Bauer through the years

A look back at Bo Bauer’s career at Notre Dame

Notre Dame football suffered some tough news this week when graduate linebacker [autotag]Bo Bauer[/autotag] suffered a knee injury and was lost for the year.  Marcus Freeman broke the news to the media on Thursday as Bauer has now played his final game in a Notre Dame uniform.

Bauer played in all 13 games as a freshman back in 2018, totaling 10 tackles during Notre Dame’s 12-0 regular season that saw the team earn their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history.

Bauer again played in every game as a sophomore and recorded 28 tackles, two of which were for a loss, and blocked a punt at Michigan.  Bauer was a regular on the Irish defense again as a junior, playing in all 12 games, recording 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and his first career interception and sack in a season Notre Dame made their second College Football Playoff appearance.

His senior year was another solid season that saw him record the sixth most tackles on the team (47), four of which were for a loss and 1.5 sacks.  He also made his first career start in a blowout victory at Virginia and recorded his second career interception, one he returned 79-yards to turn the tide in a win over USC.

Because of the COVID rule put in place by the NCAA in 2020, Bauer took advantage of an extra year of eligibility and returned to Notre Dame as a graduate student this season, highlighted by a career-high four tackles at Ohio State in the opener.

All the best to Bo during the rest of his time at Notre Dame and his future endeavors.

Leadership will be key to turning around Saints’ 1-3 start

If the Saints want to bounce back from a 1-3 start this week vs. Seattle, veteran leadership and experience will be the key, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

There were high expectations for the New Orleans Saints coming into the 2022 NFL season. Yes, their future hall of fame head coach stepped away from football for at least the year, but they banked on their continuity, reloaded their offense and addressed new holes in defense. Unfortunately, their offseason excitement has not yet translated to on-field success. A disappointing 1-3 start brought upon by self-inflicted wounds like turnovers and penalties could go a long way in damaging any team’s confidence. But there’s something different about the Saints and how they’ve responded. Instead of panic, there’s a confidence, a sense of urgency about the locker room. 

“We beat ourselves,” linebacker Pete Werner said. “But you can tell that we are capable of doing great things. And we’ve got a really talented group. We’ve just got to find a way to not really shoot ourselves in the foot.” As we’ve spoken to Saints players and coaches throughout the week, one of the consistent themes has been their self-awareness. There’s been no deflecting of issues, no delirium in regard to where the shortcomings have been to open the season, no denial at all around the team’s struggles. That’s encouraging to see. A unit unwilling to accept their own contributions to their lack of success won’t be in a position to fix anything, let alone key misgivings like turnovers and penalties.

“Even in wins there’s something to clean up,” defensive end Cameron Jordan said. “We’re sharpened to be a perfect team and we’re far from it. I think we have self-inflicted wounds.” Jordan, along with linebacker Demario Davis, is one of the leaders that other players in the locker room will point to as the fabric keeping everything together. Center Erik McCoy was adamant about exactly that point this week. That there is no division in the Saints locker room despite the unexpected start. While he insists that the team is not panicking, but instead heightening its sense of urgency, a sense of panic might not be the worst thing for the team.

“I think it’s always time to panic when you’re not getting a win on the column,” Jordan said. The sentiment isn’t lost on the team. Safety Tyrann Matheiu expressed similar feelings after the loss in London when he highlighted that the team is only “four games into a 17-round bout.” Which was reason for them to take things one game at a time moving forward. But with every additional loss, as Mathieu emphasized, the window closes a little more. As that window closes what’s on the other side, winning games, gets harder and harder to reach.

That doesn’t seem to be the driving factor behind the Saints’ motivation, however. According to co-defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, the veteran leadership in the locker room is what keeps that window from closing completely. And the Saints have a lot of leaders to lean on. Some of which have been here before.

“We’ve had a lot of guys have a lot of success here over six or seven years in a row, and a lot of those guys are still here. Cam Jordan, Mark Ingram, those guys have been through some ups and downs. I think 2017 we started 0-2 and made the playoffs. Look, we’ve been here before and we know how to get out of it. And getting out of it is all about the Saints. Let’s just take care of what we do and the end result will take care of itself.”

So, if the leadership is in place, if the team is well aware of the improvements that need to be made and their confidence seems unshakeable, what’s left? What does New Orleans need to do now to get back to winning games? To me, it’s simple. In basketball terms, they need to see the ball go in the basket. The idea of going on a win streak, even just the thought of winning a game almost feels too big to leap to right away.

While those within the facility will discuss the importance of taking things one game at a time. This team will benefit from taking things one play at a time. Fixing the individual issues that have plagued them so far this season won’t happen with a lens too widely focused. A more precise approach should be taken.

Offense struggling to get going? String together drives early with high-percentage throws and a steady run game. Need more plays on defense? Focus on the “turnover mentality” that defensive coordinators Nielsen and Kris Richard have preached since training camp. Need to eliminate the penalties? Play a sound, well-executed football game. Sounds overly simplistic, right? “Don’t like the way things are going? Change it.” But though it’s simply summed up in words, it’s a formidable task for the team trying to implement a winning brand of football.

Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks could serve as a bit of a reset for New Orleans. Seattle is ranked No. 31 in scoring defense, they’ve allowed several explosive plays and have never found a way to limit Saints running back Alvin Kamara in their previous meetings. A 2-3 record vs. a 1-4 record is a 15.3% swing in playoff chances. While the team can’t get wound up anywhere near playoff talk and consideration right now, it’s worth considering this game a must win.

The Saints will need to take their confidence into today’s matchup and focus play-to-play on self-improvement to ward off self-inflicted wounds. Quarterback Andy Dalton will be at the helm, another player with valuable experience. This week, unlike last, he’ll have Kamara on the field with him. The two, along with playmaking rookie Chris Olave and a stout defense looking to knock Geno Smith off his early-season mark could lead the way to a big bounce back win. Otherwise, they’ll be five games into a 17-round bout with a window closing by the second.

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Tyler Lockett plans to welcome Russell Wilson with open arms

Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett plans to greet his old friend Russell Wilson with a hug when Seattle hosts the Broncos Monday night.

The Seattle Seahawks have a new offensive captain this year, electing wide receiver Tyler Lockett to replace Russell Wilson, who held the position for the last nine seasons. Lockett will face off against his former teammate on Monday when the Seahawks host the Broncos.

The new captain was asked how he planned to approach his old friend on gameday.

“I know that when I see him, I’m going to give him a hug, talk to him, all that different type of stuff, wish him good luck,” Lockett said on Tuesday. “Not only in this game, but for the rest of the season and for the rest of his career, as we continue to talk outside of football and stuff like that. But I mean, Russ has done so much for this community.”

Naturally, the fans might react to the Seahawks’ former franchise quarterback with a little less love when he takes the field at Lumen on Monday night. Lockett does have some advice for the 12s, however.

“I think that Seattle should cheer him on for everything that he’s done, helped bring a Super Bowl to this community, all that different type of stuff,” Lockett said. “He’s an amazing guy.”

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NFL analysts: ‘Mac Jones emerging as New England Patriots leader’

Mac Jones is becoming the leader of the Patriots organization and people are taking notice!

In his lone season as a starter for the Alabama Crimson Tide, [autotag]Mac Jones[/autotag] was named a team captain and led the program to a national championship win. So, it should come as no surprise to the New England Patriots that they have something special in Jones.

After a rookie campaign that landed Jones a Pro Bowl appearance, he is looking to enter his second season and take his game to the next level. Jones has been recognized for spending his entire offseason committed to the strength and conditioning program, as well as following the Patriots’ nutritional plan.

NFL Network analyst, Mike Giardi, discussed Jones and what improvements he expects from him in year two. Giardi offered high praise, saying, “He has taken ownership of not only the offense but really of the team. As someone in the organization told me, he’s really got a maturity beyond his years.”

Jones still has plenty of room for growth, but the Patriots seem to love the path he’s on. Check out the full conversation below.

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A confident T.D. Moultry is poised for his best season yet

What are your expectations for T.D. Moultry this season?

It has taken longer than expected but T.D. Moultry is playing at the level many hoped he would reach when he signed with Auburn back in 2017.

He flashed as an underclassman but struggled as an upperclassman and was jumped by younger players on the depth chart. However, the new coaching staff has given Moultry confidence in himself and he is now turning his potential into production.

Moultry had the best game of his career in the season-opening 60-10 win over Akron. The super senior totaled seven tackles and three tackles for loss in his first career start. He was named a rotating captain ahead of the week two matchup with Alabama State.

Moultry credits his increased confidence for the strong start to his season.

“I ain’t never seen it in myself, for real, and the confidence was never there,” Moultry said. “But now I’ve got the confidence, and I believe I can do all the positions, outside and inside as well.”

Despite last Saturday being his first career start, Moultry was not nervous Saturday, something he admitted he has experienced in the past due to a lack of preparation.

“Years in the past, I was nervous the day before because I wasn’t prepared,” Moultry said. “When I walked on the field, that’s when the nerves kicked in just a little bit, the day before the game, throughout before the game. It wasn’t any nervousness before I got on the field (Saturday).”

The early-season success has been nice but Moulrtry is far from satisfied, saying he wants to be a captain again and become Auburn’s best defensive lineman.

“Now, being at the peak of my highs, I understand being a captain so I just have to keep being a consistent player and person.”

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Report: Washington names rookie DE Chase Young a team captain

Washington has reportedly named rookie DE Chase Young a team captain after the title was stripped from QB Dwayne Haskins.

After second-year QB Dwayne Haskins was stripped of his captaincy earlier this week, the Washington Football Team has reportedly named rookie DE Chase Young one of the team captains going forward.

We argued that this is what Washington should have done earlier this week, as it has become clear that Young is one of the emotional leaders of the team, both on and off the field. Veterans and young players alike have remarked all season long how much of a leader Young is, and his energy on the sideline and before games in the huddle is palpable. It is clear that everyone on the team looks up to him, and he has a strong voice in the locker room.

Now he will have a C on his chest for hopefully a long time in Washington as well.

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Film Study: How Jarrad Davis is finding success in his new role

Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis was demoted from his starting job three weeks ago, but he has settled into a new role and is thriving.

Three weeks ago, Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis was demoted from his starting job, and while it took a week to adjust to his new role, he has settled in over the last two weeks and has been playing some terrific football.

Davis was a four-year starter as an off-the-ball MIKE linebacker but he has always struggled with the staples in coach Matt Patricia’s scheme. Over the last two seasons, he was often guilty of misreading gaps, overpursuing plays, and his missteps would often put him out of position.

There is no doubting Davis’ athleticism, and his leadership has earned him love from the coaching staff — he is a team captain once again in 2020 — but after the first two weeks of the season, it was clear there were other linebackers on the roster who were performing better and he was benched.

Davis has been relegated to a fifth linebacker role and has only been on the field a handful of snaps — 15 in Week 3, 19 in Week 4, and 11 in Week 6 — but he is making those snaps count.

Over the last two weeks, Davis has been Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded Lions player, earning a 94.5 grade in Week 4 and a 95.2 grade in Week 6 — both in the elite range. Currently, Davis’ season grade of 81.1 is the 7th best among NFL linebackers with at least 85 snaps (He has 126 on the season).

So what has changed?

I took a look at all 11 plays from Davis game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and will break them down in this film study.

Setting the table

Davis didn’t enter the game on defense until the eight Jaguars drive and when the Lions were up 24-3 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. He played on five snaps on the eighth drive, one snap on the ninth drive, zero snaps on the tenth drive, and five more on the final drive of the game.

Snap 1

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position LB Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
8 1st and 10 WILL Tavai – MIKE Cover 3 Man coverage versus Tight End

Play result: Davis covers the tight end well, Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew takes a shot downfield for an incomplete pass.

Snap 2

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
8 2nd and 10 MIKE Tavai – WILL Cover 3 5-yard drop Zone coverage

Play result: Davis drops 5-yards deep in the middle of the field and Minshew finds the running back in the right flat. Tracy Walker gets outside contain on the back and Davis shows his range, pursues hard, properly breaks down, and squares himself for the tackle. The Jaguars gain just 3-yards.

Snap 3

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
8 1st and 10 WILL Tavai – MIKE Cover 2 man Man coverage versus Fullback

Play result: Davis shadows the fullback during his route and when Minshew hits the running back underneath, Davis breaks off his coverage, squares the back, and sticks the tackle, forcing a fumble that lands out of bounds. Jaguars gain just 2-yards.

Snap 4

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
8 2nd and 8 MIKE Jones – JACK Cover 1 Man A-Gaps

Play result: Davis takes on the block from the center and holds his ground but he is not involved in the play as it goes to his left. Jaguars gain 0-yards.

Snap 5

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
8 1st and 10 WILL Tavai – MIKE Cover 3 Backside A/B Gap

Play result: Davis takes on the left guard, shows his burst with a quick lateral shift to his left, all the way over to the frontside A-gap, and makes the tackle on the running back. Davis’ stop is wiped out after Romeo Okwara was ruled offsides and the Jaguars accepted the penalty.

Snap 6

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
9 3rd and 10 JACK Collins – MIKE Cover 2 Zone Pass Rush

Play result: Collins bluffs the left guard leaving him blocking air and everyone else in one-on-one matchups. Davis is locked up on the right tackle, uses a bull rush to walk him back into Minshew, who has to escape a collapsing pocket. When Michshew scrambles, Davis disengages the tackle with a stiff arm, dives for the sack attempt, but just misses. He was awarded a QB hurry.

Snap 7

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
11 2nd and 2 JACK Collins – MIKE Ragland – WILL 2-3-6 Shell Pass Rush

Up 34-16 with just 4:32 remaining, the Lions are in a 2-3-6 shell the rest of the way, with Davis asked to only rush the passer.

Play result: Davis is stalled by left tackle and Minshew throws an incomplete pass.

Snap 8

Drive Down and Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
11 3rd and 2 JACK Collins – MIKE Ragland – WILL 2-3-6 Shell Pass Rush

Play result: Davis begins his rush upfield, stab-steps and drops inside the left tackle’s inside shoulder. Davis gets past him but the tackle gives him a shove in the back and it throws Davis off just enough to push him off his pursuit line. Minshew escapes the pocket and scrambles for the first down, but once again, Davis should get credit for a QB hurry.

Snap 9

Drive Down/Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
11 1st and 10 WILL Collins – Mike Ragland – JACK 2-3-6 Shell Delayed  pass rush

Play result: Davis drops back off-the-ball to the WILL, delays his pass rush, and is easily picked up by the right tackle.

Snap 10

Drive Down/Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
11 2nd and 10 JACK Collins – MIKE Ragland – WILL 2-3-6 Shell Pass Rush

Play result: Davis rushes the right tackle but instead of making a pass rush move, he disengages and plays contain. Minshew throws an incomplete pass, but Davis didn’t have an impact on the play.

Snap 11

Drive Down/Distance Davis Position Support Coverage Scheme Assignment
11 4th and 10 JACK Collins – MIKE Ragland – WILL 2-3-6 Shell Pass Rush

Play result: On the Jaguars’ final offensive play of the game, Davis lines up outside the right tackle and stunts inside through the frontside A-gap. Davis once again will get credit for a QB hurry but he misses his clean shot for a sack and Minshew escapes the pocket. The play is not over for Davis though, as he illustrates his relentlessness by getting up after his miss, pursuing Minshew with aggression, and forcing him to throw an incomplete pass.

Summary

Davis’ 11 snaps were split between the WILL (4), MIKE (2), and JACK (5) and he found success at each spot. Both of Davis’ tackles came from an off-the-ball position, one at the WILL and one at the MIKE, while he also managed to get credit for three QB hurries on five rushes from the JACK and one from the WILL.

Of course, some of his production can be attributed to the situations in which he is taking the field, but production is production. The Lions had 21 pressures on the day, Okwara had the most with four but he rushed the passer 35 times. Davis was second on the team and got his three on just six pass-rush opportunities.

Davis has shown more patience in coverage, has done a nice job squaring up for tackles, and discovered a couple of pass rushing moves for his toolbelt. He is still earning back his playing time, and while the Lions waited until they were up three scores before deploying him on the field, he is proving he deserves more playing time.

Notre Dame NCAA Tournament Hero Inks Pro Deal

Notre Dame NCAA Tournament hero Rex Pflueger has signed a pro basketball deal.

Rex Pflueger, Notre Dame’s all-time leader in games played for the basketball team, has inked a professional deal with the Newcastle Eagles of England.  Newcastle plays in the BBC, the British Basketball League.

Pflueger chose Newcastle in part, due to his late mother who was English by birth.

Pflueger said in the team’s official release:

“It feels great knowing that I will be starting my professional career in a country that I am very much familiar with”, he said.

“My mother was born and raised in Andover before eventually meeting my father in the US and moving out here full time.”

Notre Dame fans remember Pflueger for being a leader, leaving his heart on the floor nightly and for battling back from a knee injury.

Pflueger’s tip-in with under two seconds remaining against Stephen F. Austin in the Second Round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament helped send Notre Dame to the Sweet 16 and eventually the Elite 8 for the second year in a row.