Tag: List

ProFootballFocus perpetuates untruth that Wisconsin RB Ron Dayne is not NCAA’s all-time leading rusher

Badgers fans were not happy to see this on Sunday:

ProFootballFocus is in the midst of perpetuating one of the worst untruths in the college football world — that former Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne is not the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher.

The service put out a graphic titled ‘college football all-time rushing leaders’ on Sunday. At No. 1: San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey with 6,405 yards. No. 2, as listed, is Dayne with 6,397 yards. Then comes Texas great Ricky Williams with 6,279 and Badger great Jonathan Taylor with 6,174.

Related: Position battles to follow as Wisconsin Badgers begin 2024 fall training camp

Wisconsin fans should be well aware of why PFF’s list — which is actually just an aggregation of the official NCAA rushing leaderboard — is contradictory. The NCAA includes Pumphrey’s bowl statistics in his 6,405 yards but omits Dayne’s. That is because the NCAA, for some reason, does not count bowl statistics before 2002.

So it ignores Dayne’s 728 rushing yards from bowl games, but includes Pumprey’s 328.

Simple logic would urge the NCAA to either include all bowl statistics, or include none. ProFootballFocus, instead, has shared one of the NCAA’s biggest ongoing mistakes.

If all rushing yards in every game played were considered, as they should be, here is what the NCAA’s all-time leaderboard would look like:

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes takes top spot on ‘NFL Top 100’

#Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was ranked as the NFL’s best player by his peers on the “NFL Top 100” television program.

Patrick Mahomes has been nothing short of spectacular since taking over at quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018. He has won two Super Bowls, two MVPs, and singlehandedly altered the course of Chiefs history in just five seasons under center.

Mahomes, rightfully, ranked in the top spot on the annual “NFL Top 100” television program. The show surveys players around the league to determine who the best players in the NFL are, as voted on by their peers.

It should come as no surprise that the 27-year-old quarterback took first place, especially after his outstanding 2022 season. He joined teammates Chris Jones and Travis Kelce, who ranked 10th and fifth respectively, as the only Chiefs to be chosen for the prestigious list.

Though accolades like this are to be expected for a quarterback who has achieved as much as Mahomes, they serve as a reminder of the greatness that fans have had the privilege of witnessing for the last five years. Entering his sixth year as a starter Mahomes still has plenty to prove if he intends to chase Tom Brady’s legacy for the all-important “Greatest of All Time” status.

Here’s where Chiefs DT Chris Jones ranks on ‘NFL Top 100’ list

Take a look at where #Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones ranked on the “NFL Top 100” list for the 2023 season.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones ranked 10th on the “NFL Top 100” list for the 2023 season. The annual television program counts down the league’s top players, as voted on by their NFL peers, who put together their rankings of the 100 best players in the league.

Kansas City did not have a single player chosen for any of the first 90 spots but finally got on the board with Jones’ selection at the 10th position. Though he was the first Chief to make the list, a certain reigning MVP, Patrick Mahomes, is expected to be ranked in the top three, and we here at Chiefs Wire are guessing that he won’t rank second or third.

Jones’ selection is certainly warranted, but his ongoing holdout from Kansas City’s training camp puts something of a damper on the excitement surrounding his place in the rankings.

Chiefs fans still haven’t seen Jones work out in St. Joseph with his teammates, and until he gets back on the field, there isn’t much to say about his outlook for the 2023 season or what an honor like this might mean for him.

Rashid Shaheed won’t be the Saints’ most underappreciated player much longer

Rashid Shaheed won’t be the Saints’ most underappreciated player much longer. If he can continue to play at the level we saw last year, everyone will know his name:

The NFL is full of underappreciated players, some of whom were talked up by CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr — including New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Recruited as a returns specialist coming out of school, Shaheed became a big-play threat for a Saints offense that badly needed one last season, and now he’s riding a lot of hype going into his second season. Here’s what Benjamin had to say about Shaheed:

“Give the Saints a ton of credit for finding a player like Shaheed, who has a cap number of just $870,000 in 2023. An undrafted free agent out of Weber State, Shaheed was a deep ball threat in his rookie season, averaging 17.4 yards per catch in 12 games (28 catches, 488 yards, two touchdowns). He also averaged 14.3 yards per carry (on just four carries) with a touchdown while finishing with 1,058 all-purpose yards.

Shaheed was tremendous value for the Saints — and his speed is one of the best-kept secrets in the league. He’ll be an excellent No. 3 wide receiver for New Orleans in 2023, but don’t be surprised if he elevates his status.” 

2023 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Shaheed. He’s stepping into a bigger role in the offense as the No. 3 receiver behind Chris Olave and Michael Thomas and his arrow is trending up now that his coaches know how to best use his talents. He’s switched back to his college jersey number and is embracing the opportunity in front of him.

It shouldn’t take long for Shaheed and Carr to strike up a connection. If he can continue to play at the level we saw in the back half of the 2022 season, he won’t be underappreciated for much longer.

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Chris Olave represents the Saints on PFF’s ‘top 25 under 25’ list

Chris Olave reps the Saints on this top 25 under 25 list from Pro Football Focus. The playmaker is younger than many of his rookie teammates:

Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema highlighted the NFL’s top 25 players who have yet to celebrate their 25th birthday — and only one New Orleans Saints standout made the cut. Second-year wide receiver Chris Olave represented the Saints on Sikkema’s list, clocking in at No. 23. Here’s what Sikkema wrote of Olave:

“Olave finished his 2022 rookie campaign with an 82.9 receiving grade. He recorded 24 explosive plays of 20 yards or more, which was a top-10 mark among players under 25. His 14.9-yard average depth of target was one of the higher marks in the league, which showcases his deep-threat ability.”

The Saints will be leaning on Olave in a big way this year; it’s no sure thing that Michael Thomas will remain healthy often enough to lead the charge offensively with him, and Rashid Shaheed needs to show he can continue to produce on a heavier workload. Olave has already put in work with his new quarterback Derek Carr to prepare for an important season.

Olave just turned 23 years old a month ago on June 27, so he’s younger than many of his rookie teammates (including 24-year-old quarterback Jake Haener). He’s started his career strong and looks like a building-block for the Saints for years to come. It’s on him to keep up the momentum and meet that expectation.

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6 Commanders players who need a strong showing in training camp

These players need a strong showing in training to either win starting positions or make the roster.

Training camp is here. For the Washington Commanders, rookies reported to camp on Friday, and the rest of the team will officially report on Tuesday. While most NFL teams enter camp knowing who most of their 53-man roster will be, every squad will have roster and position battles.

Someone comes out of nowhere every year to jump on the coaches’ radar. Whether in practice each day or in the preseason games, players who are thought to have no shot at making the roster make the roster.

Who will that be for Washington in 2023?

We have identified six players who need a strong showing this summer to earn a starting spot, hold on to a starting spot, or make the roster.

 

Ranking the NFC East starting quarterbacks in 2023

Who tops the list?

Quarterback play is the driving factor to success in the NFL. While teams can get to the playoffs without a franchise quarterback, being an annual contender means having an elite quarterback.

The problem is that it’s hard to find one of those quarterbacks. The Philadelphia Eagles believe they found their guy in Jalen Hurts. Hurts had a breakout season in 2022, leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl, where he was phenomenal in a heartbreaking defeat.

What about the rest of the NFC East?

The NFC East was the best division in the NFL last season. Three teams made the NFC divisional round, while Washington came just short of making the playoffs after a late-season slide.

Let’s rank the NFC East’s four starting quarterbacks.

2023 Patriots draft: List of all picks

The Patriots have 11 draft picks this year. Here’s where they’ll pick.

The New England Patriots will have more than enough picks to shape their roster for the better at the 2023 NFL draft.

They have stockpiled 11 picks in this year’s draft for a roster that desperately needs help competing in a much-improved AFC East division. There’s always the chance that the Patriots use every pick on a player, but history has taught us that coach Bill Belichick is the king of wheeling and dealing in draft day trades.

His favorite thing to do is trading back and stockpiling even more picks for the team. But considering how badly the Patriots struggled throughout the 2022 season, this would be a great opportunity for him to be more aggressive in addressing needs on the roster.

New England has the No. 14 overall pick of the draft, which is the highest draft spot the team has had in nearly 15 years. This could be the start of a bounce-back year for the Patriots.

Here’s their full list of draft picks.

Green Bay Packers 2023 NFL free agent list

The Green Bay Packers have 14 unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents entering Monday.

The Green Bay Packers will enter the legal tampering period of the 2023 offseason with 14 unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents. Free agents can agree to terms with teams starting Monday afternoon; the official start of the new league year arrives Wednesday.

Below is a full list of the Packers’ free agents, sorted by 2022 salary:

College Football News ranks all-time programs

Which college football program really is the GOAT?

What college football program is the greatest of all-time?

Plenty of Notre Dame fans that visited Fighting Irish Wire assuredly just said “Notre Dame” to themselves while anyone reading from the south probably uttered a “Bama” or “Roll Tide.”

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently went through all of the Associated Press polls (dating to the 1930s) and used them as a guide to rank the top college football programs ever.

Neither Notre Dame or Alabama wound up atop the list. Neither did Ohio State nor Michigan. So who did?

Fiutak compiled the ratings for the best programs all-time by a very simple formula. He took all of the AP final rankings and used a simple scoring system: the AP national champion each season received 25 points, the No. 2 team 24, No. 3 23, and so on down to the bottom.

Here is how the top 10 ended up: