Tag: Joe Webb

25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Tuesday night legend Joe Webb

The legend of Tuesday night Joe Webb will forever live in Vikings’ lore

Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!

In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.

It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.

On the twelfth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Joe Webb dominating the Philadelphia Eagles on a Tuesday night.

The Vikings had quite the 2010 season. After waiting until the preseason was nearly over to get their starting quarterback on the team in Brett Favre, things did not go according to plan. The team had dealt with some interesting circumstances throughout the season. They had traded for and then released Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, fired their head coach Brad Childress for the move and the Metrodome roof collapsed.

This doesn’t even include that Brett Favre sustained an injury the week prior to this game against the Chicago Bears and it forced Favre to miss his second-consecutive start, which broke his streak of 297 consecutive starts dating all the way back to 1992.

With the Metrodome’s roof collapsing, the Vikings already saw one of their games get moved to Detroit where they played the New York Giants on a Monday night two weeks prior to this game.

For the week 16 clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, they moved it back from Sunday night to Tuesday night due to the Philadelphia area getting bombarded with more than a foot of snow and blizzard-like conditions. Because of that, the Eagles won the NFC East sitting at home, as the New York Giants beat the Green Bay Packers to secure the crown for Andy Reid’s team.

When the game happened, it was a much-better game than you would have thought that the 5-9 Vikings would give the Eagles their fifth loss of the season, dropping their record to 10-5

There were two major factors in the game: the Vikings forced three turnovers including scoring their first touchdown on an Antoine Winfield 45-yard scoop-and-score.

The biggest performance of the night was from backup quarterback Joe Webb. The Vikings initially drafted the former UAB quarterback as a wide receiver, but they kept him at quarterback after he performed so well in minicamp.

The Vikings crafted a really good game plan to stop the Eagles’ highly potent passing attack and maximize a dual-threat Webb. He finished throwing 17-26 for 195 yards along with six carries for 31 yards. His presence was excellent on many levels and much-needed for the Vikings after such a tumultuous season. The dual-threat ability of the rookie quarterback proved to be too much for the Eagles on that fateful Tuesday night and we can all celebrate Webb for his beyond-impressive performance.

Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:

Drafting Randy Moss
Vikings 1997 Wild Card Comeback
Jarius Wright Walks Off the Jets
Jared Allen traded to Vikings
Adrian Peterson Sets Rushing Record
Brett Favre Revenge Tour
Bud Grant Rocks a Polo in Freezing Temperatures
Adrian Peterson Stiff Arms Defender to Oblivion
Anthony Carter Dominates the 1987 Playoffs
Kirk Cousins’ First Major Comeback
Randy Moss Dominates Monday Night Football

14 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 14

Currently worn by punter Ryan Wright, 7 players have worn the number 14 for the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 14 days at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players who have worn that specific jersey number.

Punter Ryan Wright currently wears the No. 14 for the Minnesota Vikings with Stefon Diggs having worn the number recently.

With 14 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 14 in a regular season game with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Is Jeff Driskel following the path of former Texans QB Joe Webb?

The Houston Texans are trying to figure ways to use Jeff Driskel, which is reminiscent of another former QB, Joe Webb.

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The Houston Texans are determining different ways to utilize Jeff Driskel.

Driskel, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round in 2016 from Louisiana Tech, switched over to tight end. The switch crowds the tight end room for Houston, but also gives the Texans another athlete for special teams.

Special teams coordinator Frank Ross likes the possibility of using Driskel’s size at 6-4, 235 pounds to help out with his special teams units.

“Guy can jump, run,” Ross said. “You know, raw obviously. He has not been the hitter, he’s been at quarterback for so long. He’s trying to avoid as much as possible, now we are going to train him in our techniques. But again,  every player here is a football player first and it’s nice to have a guy who’s willing to do anything whether it’s a positional change or whether he’s asked to do a role that would be a little bit foreign to him within a core player already.”

The path Driskel is taking is one reminiscent of former Texans quarterback Joe Webb. The former Minnesota Vikings 2010 sixth-round pick from UAB spent the 2018 season with Houston, playing predominantly on special teams. Although Webb was an emergency quarterback and played some receiver, catching two passes for 13 yards among his 35 offensive snaps, the 6-4, 231-pounder played 312 snaps on special teams.

Although Webb made his transition earlier in his career with the Vikings in 2012, he proved that going from avoiding hits to delivering hits can be done.

Said Ross: “Definitely going to continue to work with him and every player that we have. Here’s the thing about Jeff. He’s smart, he’s tough and of course, he’s physically gifted. So, we’ll see where we can take it.”

Driskel has not seen any playing time in 2021 as Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills have taken all the snaps at quarterback.

Giants claim RB Ryquell Armstead, waive QB Joe Webb

The New York Giants have claimed RB Ryquell Armstead off of waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars and waived QB Joe Webb.

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The New York Giants continued working on their running back depth on Tuesday, claiming Ryquell Armstead off of waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Armstead, 24, was a fifth-round pick of the Jaguars in the 2019 NFL draft. He appeared in 16 games (one start) that season, gaining 252 yards from scrimmage (108 rushing, 144 receiving) and scoring one touchdown.

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Unfortunately for Armstead, his early career growth would come to grinding halt in 2020.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Armstead was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in August of last year, activated nearly three weeks later and then placed back on the list in September. He was hospitalized twice throughout the season with “significant respiratory issues” as a result of his coronavirus battle.

Although he was waived in Jacksonville, Armstead’s agent says he’s returned to full health and no longer has any COVID-19-related symptoms.

“He has a 100% clean bill of health from multiple doctors,” Jeremy Appledorf, Armstead’s agent at EMG Sports, told the New York Daily News. “He’s been cleared of any COVID-related symptoms. He’s ready to get to work with the Giants.”

Although Armstead is currently listed at 200 pounds, he is working his way back up to a playing weight of around 220 pounds.

In order to make room for Armstead on their 90-man roster, the Giants also announced that the contract of quarterback Joe Webb had been terminated.

Vikings’ top sixth-round picks of the past decade

Like most NFL teams, the Minnesota Vikings have struggled to find talent in the sixth round of the NFL draft.

I should start this off by saying that the sixth round isn’t the best place to find stars, so that’s a big reason why this list isn’t as good as the other rounds. That said, the Vikings have had better luck in the seventh round and undrafted free agency than the sixth round when it comes to developing key contributors.

A team’s ability to find talent in the later stages of the draft can be crucial to developing a team and staying under the salary cap, so I still think it’s important to look at this list and see what Minnesota has garnered over the years.

Giants gave Carson Tinker largest reserve/futures signing bonus

Of the 18 players they signed, the New York Giants have given long snapper Carson Tinker the largest reserve/futures signing bonus.

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The New York Giants have signed 18 players to reserve/futures deals since their season ended in early January, and they’ve given those players a wide variety of signing bonuses.

At the very bottom of that pile is quarterback/wide receiver Joe Webb, who received just $500 at the time of signing. At the other end of that spectrum is long snapper Carson Tinker, who landed an $8,500 signing bonus.

With Casey Kreiter an impending unrestricted free agent, it would make sense for the Giants to ensure Tinker remains around until at least training camp. If Kreiter is re-signed and reassumes his starting role, Tinker could be released or find himself back on the practice squad, where he spent the 2020 regular season.

Ultimately, giving Tinker the largest reserve/futures signing bonus is more about ensuring his availability next season in case the Giants need it.

Reserve/futures contracts guarantee that a player can not jump ship and sign with another team. Although not technically under contract until the new league year begins, their rights belong to the signing team and their salary will impact the following season’s cap.

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Giants cut Devonta Freeman from IR, sign Joe Webb

The New York Giants have made a series of roster moves, including the release of RB Devonta Freeman and the signing of QB Joe Webb.

The New York Giants cut veteran running back Devonta Freeman from injured reserve on Thursday evening in what amounts to a procedural move.

Teams are required to cut impending free agents who finish the season on IR once they are able to pass a physical. And given that Freeman had joined the team on a one-year deal, his time in East Rutherford was up.

Prior to landing on IR with ankle and hamstring injuries, Freeman rushed for 172 yards and scored one touchdown on 54 carries.

Meanwhile, the Giants also signed quarterback/wide receiver Joe Webb, who had been released prior to the team’s Week 17 game in order to make room for linebacker Kyler Fackrell on the 53-man roster, to a Reserve/Futures deal.

The Giants initially signed Webb in early December, but he appeared in just two games for the team, taking 13 snaps on special teams.

Finally, the Giants activated wide receiver David Sills from the Reserve/COVID-19 list and renegotiated his contract. Sills was an exclusive rights free agent.

Despite the season being over, Sills remains on the Reserve/Injured list.

Giants vs. Browns: Statistics, numbers and broken records

The New York Giants fell to the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 and here’s a look at some of the statistics and numbers.

The New York Giants took a beating on Sunday night, falling to the Cleveland Browns, 20-6, in a game that wasn’t even as competitive as the lopsided score would have you believe.

Without offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, quarterback Daniel Jones and cornerbacks James Bradberry and Darnay Holmes, the Giants were outmatched and outclassed for the second straight week. Some would also argue they were outcoached.

Here’s a look at all the noteworthy stats to come from the Week 15 loss:

  • With the loss, the Giants secured a losing record for the fourth consecutive season.
  • The Giants have finished sub-.500 in seven of the last eight seasons.
  • New York did not score a touchdown for the third time this season.
  • The Giants have scored a combined 13 points over their past two games, which is the lowest total over a two-game stretch since September of 2018. It’s their lowest total in back-to-back home games since 1976.
  • With the loss, Colt McCoy’s career record falls to 8-22.
  • Julian Love made his first career start at cornerback.
  • Dion Lewis’ 48-yard kickoff return to start the game was his longest since 2017 and the Giants’ longest since November of 2019.
  • Graham Gano has now connected on 27 straight field goal attempts, one shy of his career high and two shy of tying the Giants’ all-time record.
  • Joe Webb appeared in a game for the first time since 2018. In his Giants debut, he took four special teams snaps.
  • Joe Judge threw his first challenge flag of the season late in the fourth quarter on an onside kick. He lost.
  • The prime time matchup was the Giants’ first on Sunday night since September 16, 2018.

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Giants-Browns Week 15: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 15 game against the Cleveland Browns. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants entered Sunday night’s game with an opportunity to regain their lead in the NFC East and significantly boost their playoff changes. Instead, they took an ugly loss against the Cleveland Browns and fell to third in the division.

The loss guaranteed the Giants their fourth straight losing season and their eighth losing season over the last nine. It’s an ugly time.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that attributed to the Giants’ ninth loss of the season:

Offensive snaps: 54
Defensive snaps: 63
Special teams snaps: 18

Something that immediately leaps out when looking at the snap counts is that the offensive line rotation seems to have subsided. In fact, Matt Peart did not receive a single snap, while only Will Hernandez and Shane Lemieux were rotated.

Also worth noting is that Alfred Morris had the team’s most offensive success despite being on the field for just 13 snaps. Fullback Eli Penny also made an impact on his lowly eight snaps.

Meanwhile, linebacker Devante Downs made his presence felt — and not in a good way — despite being on the field for just 11 plays.

Quarterback Joe Webb took just four snaps on special teams. That fell well below expectations for his use.

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Detroit Lions have released WR/QB Joe Webb from the practice squad

The Detroit Lions announced they have released wide receiver/quarterback Joe Webb from the practice squad.

On Saturday, the Detroit Lions signed quarterback David Blough to the active roster, freeing up a spot on the practice squad, that was filled on Monday with the signing of defensive tackle Albert Huggins.

On Tuesday, the Lions opened up another spot on the practice squad, announcing the release of wide receiver/quarterback Joe Webb.

Webb has a unique skill set of being able to play in the slot and in the backfield, but when the Lions signed gadget player Victor Bolden to the practice squad last week, it appeared Webb’s days were numbered.

The Lions have done quite a bit of practice squad shuffling as of late and with an open spot on the current roster, it’s not likely going to end anytime soon. It’s unclear if the Lions are signing another player and thus needed to make room today, or if they are planning on other internal adjustments — keep in mind they have several players potentially returning from injured reserve and may need to move players around.

Stay tuned to Lions Wire for all the roster moves as they happen.