Tag: derrick thomas

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 4

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has passed Pro Football Hall of Fame LB Derrick Thomas for the most AFC Player of the Week Awards in franchise history.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has earned his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award this season and the ninth weekly award of his career. In doing so, Mahomes even made a bit of franchise history.

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 1 ranked scoring defense, Mahomes posted an impressive stat line of 23-of-37 for 249 yards, three touchdowns and one interception with a 97.7 passer rating and 34 yards on the ground. He threw a touchdown pass that had the whole football-watching world talking, reminding us all of just how special it is to watch him play. Most importantly, his performance helped this team get back into the win column after a disappointing loss the week prior.

Mahomes now has nine NFL weekly awards during his five seasons as a starter and has passed Chiefs Hall of Fame LB Derrick Thomas for the most weekly awards in franchise history. It took Thomas 10 seasons to earn eight weekly awards and Mahomes exceeded that amount in half the time.

Here are links to our stories on all of his other AFC Player of the Week honors:

Mahomes was the only player in the AFC to throw three touchdown passes in Week 4. Only Dan Marino and Peyton Manning have more games with three touchdown passes through their first six seasons as a starter.

On top of all that, Mahomes now has the fifth-most weekly awards among active NFL quarterbacks. He’s accomplished that in just five seasons as a starter and we’re barely a quarter of the way through the 2022 NFL season.

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The Honey Badger brings home another award

Another award for former LSU Tigers defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.

Former LSU Tiger, Tyrann Mathieu, earned his second career Derrick Thomas MVP award for his performance in the 2021 NFL season and postseason.

The Derrick Thomas Award is named after the former Chiefs linebacker and NFL Hall of Famer that played 169 games in Kansas City. He recorded 642 tackles, 126.5 sacks, 41 forced fumbles, and an interception during his 11-year career.

This was the second time Mathieu won the prestigious award that is voted on by Kansas City players and coaches. He last won the award in 2019. This year, Mathieu finished the season with 82 combined tackles, three interceptions, and a sack. The Chiefs were defeated by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.

“Chiefs Kingdom, Tyrann Mathieu here,” Mathieu began. “It is, once again, such an honor to accept the Derrick Thomas team MVP award. You know, credit goes out to my coaches and my teammates for believing in me, for helping support me. It’s such an honor to represent Chiefs Kingdom. So, go Chiefs.” – chiefswire

Mathieu played for LSU in 2010 and 2011 totaling 133 combined tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, four interceptions, eight fumble recoveries, and 11 forced fumbles. The Tigers were 24-3 during those two years and appeared in the National Championship game against Alabama on January 9th, 2012.

Swinney compares Clemson linebacker to Pro Football Hall of Famer

When he watches Trenton Simpson, Dabo Swinney sees flashbacks of a former Alabama star and Pro Football Hall of Famer. During his Zoom conference call Sunday evening, Clemson’s head coach compared the Tigers’ sophomore linebacker to the late great …

When he watches Trenton Simpson, Dabo Swinney sees flashbacks of a former Alabama star and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

During his Zoom conference call Sunday evening, Clemson’s head coach compared the Tigers’ sophomore linebacker to the late great Derrick Thomas, one of college football’s best pass rushers who was a first-round pick in the 1989 NFL Draft and went on to become a nine-time Pro Bowler, totaling 126.5 sacks during his 11-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He can do anything. He really can. He can do anything,” Swinney said of Simpson. “I was one year at Alabama with a guy named Derrick Thomas… I got to see him up close and personal and then obviously followed him all through his career. You hate to compare people, but he reminds me of that. Derrick was a little bigger, but just the versatility and all the different things he can do as far as rushing the passer, the speed he possesses, his physicality, range, you name it – he is just a really, really good football player that’s going to continue to get better.”

In 11 games this season (10 starts), Simpson – a former five-star prospect from Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte – has tallied 66 total tackles, which is good for third on the team. Simpson is second on the team with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks, behind only Myles Murphy in both statistics. Simpson has also recorded three pass breakups and eight quarterback pressures.

Swinney believes Simpson is ahead of where former Clemson do-it-all defender and current Arizona Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons was at the same stage of their college careers.

“He’s still learning the game, still building a great foundation for his future,” Swinney said of Simpson. “But he’s a weapon and can do a little bit of everything. Very similar to Isaiah in that regard. I think he’s ahead of Isaiah as a true sophomore, for sure, within our scheme. Like I said, just going to continue to improve and grow.”

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks

Throwback Thursday: Chiefs’ Derrick Thomas sets NFL’s single-game sack record

#TBT to #Chiefs legend Derrick Thomas setting the NFL’s single-game sack record on Nov. 11, 1990, with seven sacks against #Seahawks QB Dave Krieg.

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31 years to the day, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas broke the NFL’s single-game sack record.

The record was previously held by San Francisco 49ers DE Fred Dean, who set it with six sacks in 1983 against the New Orleans Saints. He held the record for seven seasons before Thomas put up one of the best performances by a defensive player in NFL history. Facing the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 10 of the 1990 NFL season, Thomas notched seven sacks on QB Dave Kreig, including four sacks in the second half of the game.

It was just Thomas’ second season as a professional and he was building upon a stellar rookie campaign. While the record stands to this day, it didn’t matter at the moment. Kreig escaped what would have been the eighth sack by Thomas and delivered a fourth-quarter strike to WR Paul Skansi with seconds remaining in the game. The Seahawks would win the game 17-16 over Kansas City, giving the Chiefs their fourth loss of the season.

“I thought I had him,” said Thomas, via the New York Times. “He just stumbled back and caught his balance and threw the pass. That last sack I didn’t get is the one I’m going to remember.”

The Chiefs would go on to finish the season with an 11-5 record. Marty Schottenheimer’s team would make the wild-card round of the playoffs, but lose with a familiar 17-16 score against the Miami Dolphins. Thomas would go on to record a league-leading 20 sacks that season, earning a selection to the Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors.

Bringing the past to the present, Thomas actually faced off against current Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck, who played left tackle for the Seahawks from 1989-1991. While his team won the game, playing against Thomas is probably a memory he’d rather soon forget.

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Will Anderson jr. earns SEC conference honors yet again following win against Miss. State

Will Anderson Jr. earns the Crimson Tide’s seventh SEC honor on the season!

Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. has been no stranger to SEC conference honors during the 2021 season, so far.

The Sophomore linebacker earned his third SEC Player of the Week award on the season after recording four tackles for loss during the Mississippi State game on Saturday, all four TFLs were sacks.

The star edge rusher also added two more stops to go with his four TFLs, giving him a total of six stops on the evening. He also added a pass breakup to his impressive stat sheet.

Anderson earned the Crimson Tide’s seventh total SEC honor on the season.

With the performance, Anderson became just the third Alabama defender in its history to record four-plus sacks in a game, joining the legendary NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas and two-time All-American Leroy Cook.

Anderson was highly commended by Alabama fans and alumni after his recent displays of leadership prior to the game against the Bulldogs.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for continued coverage of the Alabama Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.

 

Recapping Marty Schottenheimer’s most memorable Chiefs games

In celebration of the life of Marty Schottenheimer, here some of the most memorable Chiefs’ games during his tenure in Kansas City.

Marty Schottenheimer was one of the finest coaches in not only Chiefs history but the history of the NFL as a whole. From 1989 to 1998, Coach Schottenheimer stalked the sidelines for Kansas City in 160 games, winning 101 of those. During the Schottenheimer era, the Chiefs hung their hats on the play of the defense, and while postseason success was always what eluded him throughout his career, there’s no denying the legacy he left behind.

Schottenheimer passed away on February 8, 2021. It was 21 years to the day of Chiefs Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas’ death. Life can be poetic at times and given the link these two will always share in the minds of Chiefs Kingdom, the image of them embracing once again is a comforting one.

In celebration and in honor of the life of Schottenheimer, here are some of the most memorable games with the Chiefs during his tenure with Kansas City.

Alabama football countdown: 55 days until kickoff

We are only 55 days from Alabama football kicking off its season. With the cancelled USC game, we’re just not sure who the opponent with be.

Alabama’s opening week game against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Tex.) has officially been cancelled after the Pac-12 recently made the announcement that it would be playing a conference-only schedule in 2020.

Yes, that was unfortunate news, and yes, that means the Crimson Tide is looking for a new opponent to open its season on Sept. 5, but as of right now, that is still the target date to open the season. Until that changes, we’ll continue the countdown to kickoff.

With it now being July 12, we are officially 55 days away from the start!

Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr. out of Indianapolis (Ind.) wears the No. 55 for the Alabama and has since his arrival before the 2018 season. He’ll be competing for the fifth and final starting spot along the Tide’s offensive line this season.

The most notable player to wear the number, however, is former linebacker Derrick Thomas, who still holds the unofficial record for most sacks in a single season (27) and a career (52). The reason it’s unofficial is because the NCAA didn’t start recording official defensive statistics until 2000.

Emil Ekiyor Jr.
Alabama running back Keilan Robinson (2) runs behind the block of offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor, Jr., (55) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, November 23, 2019. Mickey Welsh, Montgomery Advertiser

2020 Alabama football schedule

  • Sept. 5 vs. OPEN*
  • Sept. 12 vs. Georgia State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Sept. 19 vs. Georgia (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Sept. 26 vs. Kent State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 3 at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)
  • Oct. 10 at Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.)
  • Oct. 17 vs. Mississippi State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 24 at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.)
  • Nov. 7 at LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
  • No. 14 vs. UT-Martin (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 21 vs. Texas A&M (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 28 vs. Auburn (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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ESPN 2 to Re-Air Perhaps Greatest NFL Draft of All-Time

It was the 1989 NFL Draft and it wasn’t anything like the show it has now become.  But it was historic in terms of greatness and although Notre Dame’s representative in it’s first round never made the Hall of Fame, he still had a pretty solid career.  In fact, he just won a Super Bowl ring this past February.

Five picks, four eventual Hall of Famers.

And one all-time bust.

It was the 1989 NFL Draft and it wasn’t anything like the show it has now become.  But it was historic in terms of greatness and although Notre Dame’s representative in it’s first round never made the Hall of Fame, he still had a pretty solid career.  In fact, he just won a Super Bowl ring this past February.

Notre Dame won a national championship after beating West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 1989.  A few short months later one of the most-historic NFL Drafts played out and saw Notre Dame star offensive tackle Andy Heck taken in the first round.

Heck was selected 15th overall by the Seattle Seahawks and saw four Hall of Fame players go ahead of them, each coming in the first five picks.  Why does this matter?  If you’re interested in traveling back in time and living a different life in terms of sports viewing, the 1989 NFL Draft will air Monday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.  ESPN2 will only show the first round of the draft, not that I’m guessing you’re craving a ton more coverage of players getting selected 31 years ago.

After the draft, Heck was excited about his rise to the first round.

‘This is a dream come true for me,’ Heck said. ‘I guess my stock has really risen. It’s just unbelievable to be going to a solid team like the Seahawks.’

Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz also was surprised ‘Andy’s stock has risen so high since the season ended. But you all got yourself an excellent pick.

‘He’s a class act in every respect,’ said Holtz. ‘He’s intelligent and has exceptional morale values, and he’s a very positive person. He’s also very durable and has tremendous work habits.’

Heck went from playing tight end in his first three years at Notre Dame to play offensive tackle on the title team in 1988.

Troy Aikman would go first overall to the Cowboys, Barry Sanders wound up in Detroit after being selected third, the Chiefs hit it out of the park with Derrick Thomas at four and Deion Sanders “fell” to the Falcons at five.

The guy who went second?  Tony Mandrich, the Michigan State turned Green Bay Packers bust.

What’s worth noting in this draft though is that another Hall of Fame talent was taken 20th overall as the Broncos took Steve Atwater out of Arkansas.

Notre Dame would end up having five players selected in the 1989 draft with Frank Stams, Mark Green, Wes Pritchett and George Streeter all eventually getting their names called.

You can watch the 1989 draft in full tonight on ESPN as numerous Hall of Famers get their names called to start their NFL careers.  As for Heck, things didn’t end too poorly as he played 12 seasons in the league between the Seahawks, Bears and Redskins.  He also just won a Super Bowl as the offensive line coach of the Chiefs.

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