Tag: Damien Williams

Of Le’Veon Bell and a number’s game in Kansas City

Le;Veon Bell posted an image with in a No. 26 Chiefs jersey. Just wondering if he thought about Damien Williams.

Sometimes you might want to think before you tweet … or post something to Instagram, especially when you are just signing with a team.

Le’Veon Bell was quick to put a photoshopped image of himself in Kansas City uniform No. 26 on social media platforms Thursday.

Hopefully, the turbulent running back hasn’t already made waves with the Chiefs, particularly one teammate, Damien Williams, who opted-out of this season because his mother is battling cancer.

“My mom was just diagnosed with cancer and it’s Stage 4, so that was my decision” Williams said in late July. “With everything else going on, she was the only one there for me. I never had the opportunity to have my dad there, so my mom is my rock, my everything. During a hard time like this, I think I should be next to her every step,” he said.

“My mom said, ‘Whatever decision, you know, I’m behind you.’ At the end of the day, it was hard, football is my life, especially coming off a championship and wanting to do a repeat. … At the end of the day, this was something personal I had to handle.”

The Chiefs supported the decision.

“As an organization, we certainly understand and respect Damien’s choice, knowing it was made in the best interest of his family,” general manager Brett Veach said Wednesday. “He means a lot to our football team as a player and a person, and we’re going to miss having him around this season.”

Here is where it could get dicey. Williams has been a Chief for two seasons and wore No. 26 in both. He wore No. 34 for his first two seasons in the NFL with Miami and switched to No. 26 for his third and fourth seasons in South Beach.

Stepping back, Williams wore No. 26 at Oklahoma.

In Williams’ most recent game with the Chiefs, there easily was an argument that could have been made for him as Super Bowl MVP instead of Mahomes.

Williams rushed for 104 yards on 17 carries and caught four passes for 29 yards. He scored a receiving TD with 2:44 left to give KC the lead and iced it a minute or so later with a 38-yard run.

The team has not had to activate Bell yet … so the plot stirs.

Seems like he deserves more consideration for keeping his number than someone jumping on after five games and thinking they can just take it. The Chiefs made a decision to sign Bell. Now, they have to make one when it comes to a number.

Chargers’ Justin Herbert shows he can deliver quite a hit

Justin Herbert has already had a couple of highlight-reel moments.

Justin Herbert already had a couple of memorable moments in his first start.

The rookie from Oregon got the call when Tyrod Taylor was injured in warmups. He drove the Los Angeles Chargers to a TD on his first drive in the NFL.

He also took and delivered quite the shot that left the Chiefs’ Damien Williams on the losing end despite being the one who ignited the contact.

Earlier, Herbert showed he doesn’t need both shoes to throw a pass. Why would he? After all, he is throwing it with his arms. His legs just have to step into it.

Gallery: DE Yannick Ngakoue In 2019

The top photos of new Vikings defensive end Yannick Ngakoue from the 2019 season.

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Gallery: Everson Griffen’s 2019 season with the Vikings

It was reported on Wednesday that Everson Griffen had signed a deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Here are photos from his 2019 campaign.

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Chiefs’ Damien Williams opted out due to mother’s cancer diagnosis

The Chiefs’ Damien Williams said his mother’s cancer diagnosis led to him opting out of the 2020 NFL season.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams explained the reason for opting-out of the 2020 season. The Super Bowl star’s mother has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer.

Per Chiefswire:

“For me, it was kind of cut straight and simple, right to it,” Williams said. “I’m dealing with a family matter — my mom was diagnosed with cancer and it’s stage four. There was no other — that was my decision dog. With everything that was going on, she was the only one there for me. I never had the opportunity to have my dad there. My mom is my everything, my rock. During a hard time like this, I think I should be next to her.”

Williams, who scored two touchdowns and rushed for 104 yards in the Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers, added the decision was difficult despite the overwhelming circumstances.

“It was hard,” Williams said of his decision to opt-out. “I sat down and talked to everybody in my circle, family and everybody closest to me. My mom was like, ‘Whatever decision I’m behind you.’ At the end of the day, it’s hard. Football is my life, especially coming off a championship and wanting to do a repeat. I know they’re going to handle that. At the end of the day, it’s something personal I had to handle.”

Mother’s cancer diagnosis driving factor in Chiefs RB Damien Williams’ decision to opt out

Kansas City Chiefs RB Damien Williams has revealed the reasoning behind his decision to opt out.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that RB Damien Williams would opt out of the 2020 season on Wednesday. In an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio this afternoon, we learned the dire reasoning behind his decision to opt out.

“For me, it was kind of cut straight and simple, right to it,” Williams said. “I’m dealing with a family matter — my mom was diagnosed with cancer and it’s stage four. There was no other — that was my decision dog. With everything that was going on, she was the only one there for me. I never had the opportunity to have my dad there. My mom is my everything, my rock. During a hard time like this, I think I should be next to her.”

Despite learning his mother’s diagnosis, the choice to opt out of the season was a tough one for Williams.

“It was hard,” Williams said of his decision to opt-out. “I sat down and talked to everybody in my circle, family and everybody closest to me. My mom was like, ‘Whatever decision I’m behind you.’ At the end of the day, it’s hard. Football is my life, especially coming off a championship and wanting to do a repeat. I know they’re going to handle that. At the end of the day, it’s something personal I had to handle.”

Williams explained that this has been a whirlwind decision for him. He hadn’t yet had a chance to speak with Chiefs HC Andy Reid about it and only spoke with general manager Brett Veach.

“I only really got to speak to Brett Veach about it,” Williams said. “But like I said, everything is just so sudden. This really just happened.”

Veach released the following statement on Wednesday:

“As an organization, we certainly understand and respect Damien’s choice, knowing it was made in the best interest of his family. He means a lot to our football team as a player and a person, and we’re going to miss having him around this season.”

Williams undoubtedly has the support of the entire organization and Chiefs Kingdom in his decision to be with his mother and be her rock as she fights cancer.

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Eagles Miles Sanders lands outside the top-20 in a ranking of NFL running backs

Miles Sanders is No. 21 in an NFL.com ranking of all 32 starting RB’s

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Miles Sanders is one of the most dynamic weapons on the Philadelphia Eagles offense, but he appears to be fighting for respect as the 2020 NFL season nears.

Maurice Jones-Drew was one of the top running backs in the NFL during his time with the Jaguars and now with the NFL Network as an analyst, the former UCLA star spends his time analyzing the running back position.

During a recent ranking of all 32 NFL starting running backs heading into the 2020 season, MJD ranked the Eagles star No. 21 on the list, right behind Jets star, Le’Veon Bell.

Miles Sanders
Philadelphia Eagles · Second season
2019 stats: 16 games | 179 att | 818 rush yds | 4.6 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 50 rec | 509 rec yds | 3 rec TDs

Sanders flashed during his rookie season, and we should expect to see more big plays out of him as the starter out of the gate in Year 2. The speed added in the passing game should open things up for the dual-threat back. He needs to prove he can be the player he was at Penn State consistently and that can handle the toll of being the guy for an entire season.

Sanders should be even more dynamic this season after making huge strides as a pass catcher during his rookie season. If the Eagles can open up things in the outside passing game, Sanders could have even more room to roam and wreak havoc.

Christian McCaffrey was the number player on the list followed by Ezekiel Elliott (2), Nick Chubb (3), Alvin Kamara (4), and Joe Mixon who rounded out the top-five.

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Chiefs RB Damien Williams to face Hall of Fame competition on ‘Celebrity Family Feud’

Williams is one of the Rising Stars to face off against Hall of Famers in a new episode of “Celebrity Family Feud.”

Kansas City Chiefs RB Damien Williams will be facing some Hall of Fame competition off the football field in Sunday’s new episode of  “Celebrity Family Feud.”

The game show will feature a matchup between two teams comprised of current NFL Rising Stars and Hall of Fame players. Williams will, of course, play on the Rising Stars team alongside Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton, Baltimore Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey, Indianapolis Colts LB Darius Leonard and Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones. Williams will be the only player on the team with a Super Bowl victory to hang his hat on.

Williams’ team will face off against a Hall of Fame team comprised of Minnesota Vikings WR Cris Carter, St. Louis Rams OT Orlando Pace, Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Irvin, Pittsburgh Steelers LB Kevin Greene and Buffalo Bills DE Bruce Smith.

Both teams will be competing for charity. According to the NFLPA’s announcement, the Rising Stars are competing on behalf of CHAMPS, which is described as, “an organization dedicated to improving men’s health through education, screenings, referral options & advocacy.”

The Hall of Fame team will compete for the Professional Athletes Foundation, which is known as, “the leading foundation assisting NFL Former Players through health and educational resources and the GU Player Assistance Trust Fund.”

“Celebrity Family Feud” is hosted by Steve Harvey. The upcoming episode featuring Williams is set to premiere on Sunday, July 12 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

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5 best bargain contracts for Chiefs in 2020

The Kansas City Chiefs have some true bargain contracts on the roster.

The Kansas City Chiefs have retained many starters from Super Bowl LIV and assembled quite the roster for the 2020 season. General manager Brett Veach has managed to add and keep some players at well below market value too. Here’s a look at five of the best bargain contracts the Chiefs currently have on the roster for the upcoming season.

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

QB Patrick Mahomes

Average Salary: $4.1 million per Spotrac

Let’s start with the most obvious.

Any time you have the former NFL MVP and reigning Super Bowl MVP on his rookie contract, it’s going to be considered a bargain. He might not be on his rookie deal for much longer as negotiations for a contract extension are reportedly underway. That means we need to enjoy this while we still have it.

Even if Mahomes and the Chiefs don’t reach an extension in 2020, his salary jumps significantly in 2021 because of his fifth-year option. He’ll make over $24 million as it stands now, but that number could be adjusted based on the 2021 salary cap.

Even if Mahomes faces statistical regression during the 2020 season, he’s widely regarded as one of the best players in the NFL. The money they’re paying him is a deal and then some. Right now, there are 26 teams spending more money on the quarterback position than the Chiefs in 2020.

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5 Chiefs who have something to prove in 2020

These five Kansas City Chiefs players have something to prove during the upcoming season.

During the 2020 NFL season, there will be an opportunity for every player to improve their situation. Often these players are looking to prove something about themselves each season, be it staying healthy or something performance-related. Sometimes this can be the difference between a lost season or a Super Bowl run since they have a little more to play for.

Here are five Kansas City Chiefs players that have something to prove this season:

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

RB Damien Williams

Williams might quickly be forgotten for his Super Bowl heroics if he doesn’t perform well this season. Following the upcoming season, the running back will be an unrestricted free agent and will be looking to get paid and be the featured running back. That likely won’t be with the Chiefs considering they drafted LSU star RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round. Williams will need to outplay the rookie, along with the rest of a competitive running back group if he wants the starting job in Kansas City and a payday at the end of the 2020 season.

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