These cleats are an excellent tribute to the original 3 Deep
The Minnesota Vikings are ready to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon and nobody is more ready than wide receiver Adam Thielen.
Before each game, players can choose to wear whatever they want while they go through pregame warm-ups. One of the ways that players choose to express themselves is by wearing custom cleats.
Thielen has been known to have some creative cleats. Last week against the Eagles, he wore custom Italian Stallion Rocky Balboa cleats and he took it one step further this week with a picture of the original 3-deep.
Originally consisting of Cris Carter, Jake Reed and a rookie Randy Moss, 3-Deep was a dominant force that helped the Vikings set the NFL record for most points in a season.
The current Vikings receivers aren’t too far off from the original trio in the 1998 season. A really cool homage to the legendary group from Thielen.
If you were released by an NFL team today, your career may not be over! Several pro football Hall of Famers were once cut by other teams.
On the annual occasion of the NFL’s cruel necessity to trim its rosters down to the mandated 53 players, it’s important to remember that for the hundreds of players who heard the worst possible professional news on Tuesday, August 30, that there is hope after getting cut by one team. If you’ve put good tape out there, other teams will see it, and you might get another shot that way. Perhaps a coach or executive you’ve worked with before is on another team, and that person wants you where they are now. Or maybe a team that’s wafer-thin at your position will roll the dice.
Given the sheer numbers, it makes sense that players cut by one team would find success elsewhere. In rare occasions, players who have been jettisoned, unwanted, have rolled up to other places and played at levels that landed them (at the very least) in a Ring of Honor somewhere, and (at the very most) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Not everybody releasing players this week is right. And not every player released this week is wrong. It’s important for all of those players to remember that, and perhaps to be inspired by this list of the best players in pro football history to find themselves released by one team, only to succeed beyond anybody’s wildest expectations somewhere else.
This should be well worth a watch and include never before seen video, interviews, and more on former #GoBucks great Cris Carter.
Premium cable network EPIX announced the second season of their franchise show, “NFL Icons,” on Tuesday — and there’s a former Ohio State football great that will be a part of the series brought to you by NFL Films.
Former Buckeye receiver Cris Carter, who played for the Buckeyes from 1984 through 1986, will be the focus of one of the eight episodes. The Carter episode will air on Saturday, October 22, at 10 p.m. EDT/PDT. According to a release, the production will have content that you would only expect from NFL Films.
“The feature has lots of Buckeye stories from when Cris attended Ohio State and excelled for the Buckeyes,” read a release. “The relationship with Earle Bruce is a thread throughout.
“Wide receiver Cris Carter’s winding road from a childhood in Middletown, Ohio to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton – including stops as a celebrated Ohio State Buckeye, through adversity with the Philadelphia Eagles and redemption with the Minnesota Vikings.”
Carter will forever be remembered as one of the best to play the wide receiver position in the scarlet and gray, and marrying his story up with the storytelling and wide range of archived video the folks at NFL Films possess should be well worth a watch.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter celebrates in the end zone after catching a 14-yard pass from quarterback Brad Johnson for a touchdown in the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints in Minneapolis, Sunday, Nov. 8, 1998. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)
The series will be narrated by award-winning broadcaster Rich Eisen and will have exclusive interviews, video, mic’d up moments, and off-the-field content you won’t see anywhere else. The first episode of the series will be a feature of the late, great, John Madden on Sept. 10, at 10 p.m. EDT/PDT.
“We are thrilled to present Season Two of NFL Iconson EPIX,“ said Michael Wright, president of EPIX. “Our partners at NFL Films are accomplished storytellers, with unprecedented access and insight into their uniquely American subject. The NFL Iconsfranchise, narrated by the incomparable Rich Eisen, is a celebration of those players and coaches who have helped define what is best about the league. NFL ICONS is a great addition to EPIX’s growing list of acclaimed and entertaining docuseries.”
To get you ready for the next season of the series, take a look at a teaser provided by the folks at EPIX.
“NFL Icons,” Season Two on EPIX, will consist of episodes focusing on the following NFL Hall of Famers:
Walter Payton (Sept. 17)
Jimmy Johnson (Sept. 24)
Steve Young (Oct. 1)
Ray Lewis (Oct. 8)
Troy Aikman (Oct. 15) Cris Carter (Oct. 22)
Tony Dungy (Oct. 29)
So set your DVR, or tune in to EPIX to have an exclusive look at many of the NFL’s icons we’ve come accustomed to watching through the history of the NFL, including — and most especially — former OSU great Cris Carter.
What Ohio State player do you think of historically when you discuss the wide receiver position? #GoBucks
It’s the doldrums of almost summer and you are most likely stuck between queueing up last year’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah on the DVR for the umpteenth time, reading rankings and listicles that include Ohio State, and yearning for the start of the college football season.
Sounds like a perfect time to kick off a series we are embarking upon here at Buckeyes Wire. We call it the “face of the position” and it’s really exactly as it sounds. When you think of a position group at Ohio State, who do you think of? From quarterback to linebacker, to placekicker and beyond, OSU has some of the most iconic and historical college football players that have taken their place among the best in the game.
However, one player stands out above all else when you shroud them behind the colors of scarlet and gray, and that’s where we are going to ask for your assistance.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting players that are in the running for the face of a position at Ohio State and asking for your vote in a Twitter poll to have one player identified as the one you think immediately at that position.
We’ve already looked at the quarterback position and running backs. Now we’re moving on to the wide receiver position where Ohio State has begun to recruit better than anyone. It’s a position that might eventually be considered Cadillac group in the history of Ohio State over the next few years because it’s already well on its way with a lot of momentum.
We’ll keep voting up for five days, and at the end of it, we’ll reveal the winner of each. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to cast your vote from the nominees and write in a candidate if you think of another player.
Did Cris Carter have the best hands ever in the NFL?
Cris Carter is arguably the best wide receiver to ever wear the scarlet and gray. In an era of Ohio State football when throwing the pigskin was mostly an afterthought, Carter was as sure-handed as they came.
He finished his OSU career with 2,725 yards and 27 touchdown receptions and would go on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL. Between time with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings, Carter had over 1,000 receptions, nearly 14,000 yards receiving, to go along with 130 touchdowns.
NFL Throwback put a highlight reel together of some of the former Buckeye’s pass-catching abilities asking if maybe he had the best hands ever. There were plenty of opinions to go around, but it was Carter himself who chimed him with an interesting quote saying:
“Talked to (goat) @JerryRice this week, he said “‘I wanted to catch the ball like Cris Carter'” I rest my case.
Most would say that Jerry Rice is the greatest all-around receiver ever in the NFL. To have the greatest say that he wanted to catch like you? That really does speak volumes of how great Cris Carter was over the course of his career.
One of the all-time greats for sure, both in the NFL and in Ohio State history.
Carter said he would not have let Meyer stay in Ohio after Week 4 loss to the Bengals.
Jacksonville’s coaching search finally came to an end on Thursday night as the team announced the hiring of former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who won Super Bowl LII.
But even with a hire in place, it’s hard to ignore the disastrous process. Much of the blame for that is placed on general manager Trent Baalke, who has become a popular punching bag around the league.
Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter got in on the action, saying that Urban Meyer approached him before the start of the 2021 season asking him to be a part of his support staff.
“Urban Meyer coached me at Ohio State,” Carter said. “1986. He was my wide receiver coach. So last year he gets the Jacksonville job. Me and Urban have extensive conversations. We have a conversation about me joining his support staff.”
Carter said he spoke to a friend in a similar role with the Detroit Lions to come up with a plan for the job to present with Meyer. The coach liked the plan and wanted Carter to come to Jacksonville to meet with Baalke. But things quickly changed.
“Urban called me back two days later and said ‘Trent Baalke killed it. He didn’t see the skillset, he didn’t see the value that you bring to the organization,'” Carter said. “I said, ‘Well, Urban, I don’t know what you and Trent Baalke have been doing since 1987, but for the last five decades, I’ve been associated with the National Football League…’ I said ‘Urban I can be your eyes and your ears.'”
According to Carter, his hiring would have prevented one of the early signs of collapse from the Meyer regime. After a loss to the Bengals on Thursday night in Week 4, Meyer stayed in Ohio instead of flying back with the team and was caught on video inappropriately touching an unknown woman at a bar.
“One example, there’s no way we lose to Cincinnati and Urban Meyer is not on that plane going back to Jacksonville,” Carter said. “One thing right there, Cris Carter would have been like ‘We’re going back to Jacksonville, we’ll get on the (private jet) Friday morning and then go back up to Ohio, which we’re both from.'”
It’s hard to say in hindsight whether Carter would have been enough to prevent that outcome, but it’s fair to say the presence of someone who understands how you have to carry yourself to make it in the league could have made an impact on Meyer’s decision-making.
Regardless, it didn’t happen, and if what Carter says is true, the Jags may have Baalke at least partially to thank for that — especially considering Baalke reportedly gave Meyer the OK to not fly back with the team.
Cris Carter gave a thumbs up for the Vikings passing on Jim Harbaugh.
Don’t count Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter among the many Minnesota Vikings fans torn over the team’s decision to pass on Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. The former Vikings wideout needed only two words and an emoji to express his feelings on the situation.
“No Harbaugh,” Carter posted, followed by a thumbs up emoji.
Harbaugh flew in and met with the Vikings for an interview on Wednesday with hopes that the two sides would be able to get a deal done. There was serious optimism emanating out of the Harbaugh camp to the point where it was reported he was ready to accept the job if the Vikings extended him an offer.
But the interest from the Vikings never got that far.
The team never extended him an offer, and he hopped back on a plane to Michigan to continue coaching college football for the foreseeable future. Following the Harbaugh news, it was reported shortly after that the Vikings are expected to hire Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their next head coach.
The specific question phrased to Carter on Twitter asked him to give a thumbs up or thumbs down for the new coaching hire. He never mentioned how he felt about O’Connell specifically, but he did offer the thumbs up for “no Harbaugh.”
Like the rest of us, perhaps Carter is taking a wait-and-see approach with the soon-to-be head coach.
Cris Carter went on Good Morning Football to discuss how Odell Beckham Jr. and the Rams have been a perfect match.
Odell Beckham Jr. has come into his own since joining the Los Angeles Rams (thank you Odell Beckham Sr.) and he’s now just one game away from potentially winning his first Super Bowl. In an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” Hall of Fame wideout Cris Carter discussed why Beckham has been such a perfect fit for the Rams.
Carter highlights Beckham’s ability to work off of Cooper Kupp as a reason why he’s having loads of success with the Rams. When teams shade coverages to try and contain Kupp, Matthew Stafford has gradually improved his trust in targeting Beckham, especially in single-coverage situations.
“The wide receiver that’s had the sensational season in Cooper Kupp, they did need another threat on the other side, and that’s what OBJ has been able to do,” Carter said.
Before arriving in Los Angeles earlier this season, some people questioned whether or not Beckham was still a viable starting wide receiver in the NFL. Beckham had a rough stint with the Cleveland Browns, but we now know that the Pro Bowl wideout just wasn’t an ideal fit with the Browns.
Throughout his eight regular-season games with the Rams, Beckham racked up 27 receptions, 305 yards, and five touchdowns. While securing the first playoff win of his career, Beckham recorded four receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown in the wild-card round versus the Arizona Cardinals.
The former first-round pick would follow that up with a productive outing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round with six catches for 69 yards. But he saved his best for the NFC title game, posting nine receptions for 113 yards, giving him 100-plus yards in a game for the first time since Week 6 of the 2019 season and nine-plus receptions for the first time since 2018.
Kupp has put together a special season with the Rams and when Robert Woods went down with an unfortunate season-ending injury, Beckham arrived at a perfect time for Los Angeles. While injuries and other occurrences have limited his production in recent years, Beckham has been one of the many reasons why the Rams are hosting the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
Isaac Bruce believes he and Torry Holt are the best WR duo in NFL history over Randy Moss and Cris Carter.
Some people would venture to say that Randy Moss and Cris Carter are the best wide receiver duo in NFL history. Moss and Carter played from 1998-2001 on the Minnesota Vikings together. In their first three seasons, Moss and Carter each posted 1,000-plus receiving yards and at least nine touchdowns, striking fear into opposing defenses. Despite the stellar production that Moss and Carter compiled together, Isaac Bruce believes that he and Torry Holt are the best wide receiver duo of all time thanks to their dominance together with the St. Louis Rams.
“It may seem like a whole lot of arrogance to other people, but numbers don’t lie,” Bruce said during a virtual interview on Tuesday, via Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. “Everything we put on the football field, the film, it is what it is. You can always go back and turn it on.”
When asked whether he and Holt were a better duo than Moss and Carter, Bruce uttered that they have something the Vikings’ duo doesn’t.
“We won a Super Bowl,” Bruce said.
Besides having a Super Bowl ring to flaunt, Bruce and Holt also played together longer than the duo of Moss and Carter. After Holt was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft, Bruce and Holt would spend 1999-2007 together on the Rams. Over the course of those nine seasons, they won a Super Bowl in Holt’s rookie year and proceeded to make the Super Bowl in 2001, only to lose to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Amid Bruce and Holt’s run with the Rams, they were one of the most dominant wide receiver pairings we’ve ever seen grace the gridiron. The numbers speak for themselves as Bruce is preparing to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month and Holt has a chance to be enshrined in Canton at some point in the future, too. While there has been an abundance of gifted wide receiver duos to play in the NFL, Bruce doesn’t believe any of them are superior to him and Holt.
Rudolph ranks in the top-10 in nearly every receiving category with the Vikings.
The Vikings released tight end Kyle Rudolph this offseason after 10 seasons with the team, mostly due to cap reasons.
This week, Rudolph signed a deal with the Giants.
While we’re looking ahead to what someone like Irv Smith Jr. can do for the Vikings, it’s worth taking a look back at where Rudolph’s numbers rank in team history.
Rudolph’s 453 receptions rank fifth in team history, behind only Cris Carter, Randy Moss, Steve Jordan and Anthony Carter.
His 4,488 receiving yards rank 10th in team history, behind Carter, Moss, Carter, Jake Reed, Sammy White, Jordan, Ahmad Rashad, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
Rudolph’s 48 touchdowns rank fifth in team history behind Carter, Moss, Carter and White.
Now with the Giants, Rudolph’s role will probably be pretty similar to what it was late in his career with the Vikings considering New York has Evan Engram at tight end.
