Tag: honey badger

Tyrann Mathieu to continue next chapter of NFL career with hometown Saints

The wait is almost over. Tyrann Mathieu will continue his NFL career with his hometown New Orleans Saints, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

The wait is almost over. After an extended free agency process that took followers all the way through the 2022 NFL draft, Tyrann Mathieu has finally made his decision, and will return to his New Orleans hometown. After taking an offseason visit with the New Orleans Saints, all eyes have been on the Honey Badger and his potential return to the Big Easy. Now, it’s all but official. Reports say Mathieu has agreed to terms and expects to sign in the days ahead.

That’s big. It means Mathieu will play out the next chapter of his career in front of his family, his friends and a fan base that will be ecstatic about having him back in town and contributing to their favorite football team. The Pro Bowler took a virtual visit with the Philadelphia Eagles as well after the Kansas City Chiefs did not offer him a contract to return, a gesture that Mathieu said left him “heartbroken” in an interview with Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. 

No need for heartbreak any longer though as Mathieu returns home starting with the 2022 season. It was clear that not only did the fanbase want this to happen, but Saints players past and present did as well. Fellow safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson spent the majority of the free agency period recruiting Mathieu on Twitter and even trying to set up a shootaround with him. Former Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis wrote a heartfelt note on Instagram to express that returning to New Orleans during his playing career was one of the best decisions he’d ever made. He urged Mathieu to do the same. 

The former LSU Tiger is sure to have a massive impact on the field, helping New Orleans address their most glaring remaining need after the draft. But off the field is the real story here. Watching Mathieu come out of the tunnel during the Saints’ first home game is going to ignite the Caesars Superdome, the city of New Orleans, and the state of Louisiana to an unforgettable extent. 

“New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu” has a pretty good ring to it. No city loves you back the way New Orleans does. It’s clear that Mathieu has always lived his city, constantly returning to do great work within the community, speaking at LSU, and more. Now, he’ll get to see that love reciprocated on a daily basis as the Honey Badger homecoming gets under way.

Former Notre Dame Star Given Highest Madden Rating Among Safeties

Defensive backs were the latest to have their ratings released and a former Notre Dame star was given the games highest grade of any safety in the game.

You don’t have to be the biggest video game player or sports fan in the world to know anything about John Madden and EA Sports football franchise.  Since it splashed onto the scene in the early-90’s the popularity for the NFL video game still only continues to grow.

The latest edition, Madden ’21 is set to be released on August 25 and with the current state of affairs it’s hard to imagine there not being record number of pre-orders.

For now though it’s not about the game play as it is the player ratings that are being released slowly this week.

Defensive backs were the latest to have their ratings released and a former Notre Dame star was given the games highest grade of any safety in the game.

Current Minnesota Vikings star safety Harrison Smith was given a 95 overall rating, the best of any safety in the game.

Smith’s 95 graded out just ahead Kansas City Chiefs star safety Tyrann Mathieu (93) and current New England Patriot Devin McCourty (92).

Smith was elected to his fifth Pro Bowl last year after intercepting three passes and forcing three fumbles for the Vikings.

Smith spent the 2008-2011 seasons at Notre Dame where he intercepted seven passes and recorded over 300 career tackles for the Fighting Irish.

Ex-LSU safety Tyrann Mathieu named NFL’s best slot defender

How does Mathieu compare to other players on the defensive side of the ball?

Safety Tyrann Mathieu, better known by LSU football fans as the “Honey Badger,” posted a respectable career in Baton Rouge and has gone on to do the same in the NFL.

In fact, he’s currently one of the best defensive players in the league, according to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, who recently released his rankings of best slot defenders.

Mathieu ranked first on the list, ahead of the San Francisco 49ers’ K’Waun Williams.

 “I believe Mathieu should have been named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year,” he wrote. “No disrespect to Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who won the award, but Mathieu did his work at a ridiculously high level everywhere on the field — 92 snaps on the defensive line, 388 in the box, 31 at wide cornerback, 205 at free safety, and 561 in the slot. When he was in the slot, there was no more effective defender in the league last season. Mathieu allowed 42 slot receptions on 61 targets for just 297 yards, 174 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 69.1.”

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In 2019, Mathieu posted 71 tackles, 59 solo, two sacks, 12 passes defensed and four interceptions as the Kansas City Chiefs made it all the way to Super Bowl LIV, where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20.

Over his NFL career, Mathieu has recorded 457 tackles, 401 solo, nine sacks, 61 passes defensed and 17 interceptions along with one touchdown.

So, how does Mathieu function at such a high level? Farrar has the explanation.

“He has somehow managed to combine the ideal traits for multiple positions — he has the quickness to excel in the slot, the range to play two-deep safety, the aggressiveness to face up to the run in the box, and his diagnostic abilities make him nightmare fuel for receivers all over the field. If you want to see the ideal slot guy — not to mention the best five-tool pass-defender in the game — look no further than the Honey Badger.”

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