Tag: Marcus Allen

Lincoln Riley lands 4-star edge rusher David Peevy over Oregon and Washington

David Peevy is from Lincoln High School in San Diego, the same high school attended by #USC icon Marcus Allen. Peevy spoke about Allen when committing to USC.

All recruitments generate a certain degree of excitement and optimism within a college football program, but this one is a little extra special for USC.

Lincoln Riley won a recruiting battle with Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks and Kalen DeBoer’s Washington Huskies for four-star edge rusher David Peevy, part of the 2023 class.

You can plainly tell that one of the areas where USC needs a significant upgrade is at the rush end (edge rusher) position. Korey Foreman, a highly-ranked recruit, has not been able to give the Trojans a whole lot in one and a half years with the program. The Men of Troy can use a big boost.

Enter Peevy, who comes from a high school USC fans will recognize:

Josh Jacobs makes Raiders history, ‘next level’ play bringing teammates up with him

‘the dog he got inside of him’: Josh Jacobs ‘next level’ play bringing teammates up with him

With just under six minutes left in the third quarter between the Raiders and Texans Sunday, the Raiders lined up in first and goal from the four.

The Texans had just taken back the lead with a field goal. The Raiders had not scored a touchdown in the red zone in this game and a failure would have meant squandering some tough running by Josh Jacobs to get them there.

Derek Carr took the snap, pitched it out left to Jacobs, who saw his lane and went for the end zone. Kolton Miller made the block outside and, without even looking, raised his arms knowing Jacobs was in for the touchdown.

 

“I knew. I knew for sure,” said Miller on the score. “I heard the footsteps. And man I was just running and running and running, glanced back and was like ‘oh yeah, he’s in’.”

The play was the culmination of what had begun brewing on the drive to get there. And finishing it off would prove to be the start of much more as well.

As Jacobs often does — and especially of late — he got stronger as the game got later. He started with 45 yards in the first half and more than doubled that in the second half.

His 143 yards on the day gave him his third straight game over 140 yards rushing and the top three rushing games of his career.

“The dog that he got inside of him,” Davante Adams said of Jacobs. “You got to spend time with a guy to really know the level because there’s a lot of good backs in this league. I’m not taking anything away from anybody else, but the way he runs the ball, the way he wants the ball, he wants to be the guy in those big moments like that and he steps up to the plate.”

His rushing yardage put him in the Raiders record books. The biggest one is surpassing Marcus Allen for the most rushing yards (3688) in his first 50 games in Raiders franchise history.

He also became the first Raiders running back to rush for over 100 yards in three straight games since Napoleon Kaufman in 1997. A feat only five other Raiders backs have ever accomplished.

Yards are great, but it’s touchdowns that win games.

Jacobs had two more touchdowns to give him three in the game. Just an absolutely dominant performance for Jacobs and he pulled up the rest of the team with him.

“His vision is awesome and the way he plays the game is…man, it’s next level,” Miller continued. “We try to make some holes and some good double teams and he just extends it and takes it to that next level. He made history. That’s huge, man. That’s so awesome.”

Jacobs has always been good at breaking tackles, but, as Miller noted, he is on another level right now. And he sees it too.

“I feel like studying film you kind of see certain formations,” Jacobs said when I asked him what he’s seeing on the field. “You see certain guys play and you know your escapes. Every run I have I know I got one or two escapes, like if the play breaks down, I know where I can go possibly. I will say this, KP (running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu), man, me and him sit down and have individual meetings and we go over all the little details, the fine print details of things and I feel like he harps on the details – even when I’m playing good he’s still coming over and be like you still did this and did that and that kind of keeps me where I need to be. That’s all him, I give him credit for that.”

Jacobs also gave some credit to his offensive line while his offensive line, in part for how excited they would get for him when he would break off a big run. And while he would never say this, again, starts with him.

There’s no question the offensive line has a hand in Jacobs finding room to run, but their enthusiasm starts with Jacobs either creating yards when things break down or taking what he’s given and creating even more with it.

“Just having a really good back in the backfield, he makes it easier on us,” said left guard Dylan Parham. “We just hold our blocks, get a hat on a hat, and then he just makes the rest happen. He’s a special player.”

The result is another special game for Jacobs and the Raiders winning two of their last three as a result.

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Every Penn State player on an NFL opening day roster in 2022

Here is every former Penn State plater on an NFL roster to start the new NFL season in 2022.

The start of a new season in the National Football League is here and there will be a good amount of Penn State flavor throughout the league this season. Penn State will have the eighth most players on an NFL opening day roster this season with 34 players appearing on an NFL team’s 53-man roster to start the season (plus two additional players on injured reserve and another on the physically unable to perform list). In all, Penn State claims 44 players are on NFL rosters to start the year with the inclusion of practice squad players.

That includes nine players who were on the Penn State roster in 2021, including wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag]. Dotson is one of four Penn State players on the Washington Commanders, the most of any NFL franchise to start the season.

Former kicker [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] continues to be the elder statesman of the Nittany Lions football family in the NFL. Gould, of the San Francisco 49ers, is entering his 19th season in the NFL.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on either an NFL team’s 53-man roster or practice squad at the start of the 2022 season.

PHOTOS: James Franklin’s first recruiting class at Penn State was loaded

James Franklin has been hitting the recruiting trail with plenty of success. Here’s a look back at his first signing class at Penn State.

The first recruiting class for a head coach is always important, when you are the coach at a power five school it is setting the tone. The tone a coach sets with that first class can be the wave that is ridden for his tenure and [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag], looking back, nailed his first class.

His first class featured a ton of wins and positive results while at Penn State but it also provided a ton of talent to the NFL as well. While for Penn State fans, what is done in State College is most important, there is an argument suggesting sending players to the NFL may be even more important for getting strong future classes.

Let’s take a look back at the first recruiting class signed by Franklin since his arrival at Penn State, and where some of those players went following their time in Happy Valley.

2022 NFL draft: Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields selected by 49ers

Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields is officially off the board at the 2022 NFL draft

One of the key defensive players for the Penn State defense in 2021 is now officially heading to the NFL. Cornerback [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] saw his dream become a reality when the San Francisco drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday.

Casto-Fields made the decision to return for his extra year of eligibility in 2021 after seeing his 2020 season cut short due to injury. That allowed Castro-fields to have a steady season on the playing field that ultimately helped lead to receiving an invite to the Senior Bowl.

Castro-Fields is the latest cornerback from Penn State to be drafted by an NFL franchise, joining recent draft picks such as [autotag]John Reid[/autotag] (2020), [autotag]Amani Oruwariye[/autotag] (2019), [autotag]Nick Scott[/autotag] (2019), [autotag]Troy Apke[/autotag] (2018), [autotag]Chris Campbell[/autotag] (2018) and [autotag]Marcus Allen[/autotag] (2018), [autotag]Jordan Lucas[/autotag] (2016), and [autotag]Adrian Amos[/autotag] (2015).

Castro-Fields is the fourth Nittany Lion to be selected in the 2022 NFL draft. Wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders, [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] went early in the second round to the Atlanta Falcons and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] was selected by the Chicago Bears later in the second round. Linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] went to the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round, and punter [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag] ended up with the Baltimore Ravens later in the fourth round.

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Marcus Allen’s impassioned plea to get Cliff Branch in the Hall of Fame

‘You’re touching nerves’: Marcus Allen’s impassioned plea to get Cliff Branch in the Hall of Fame

We were blessed with some phenomenal and moving speeches by the new classes entering the Hall of Fame over the weekend. Including those of Raiders greats Charles Woodson and Tom Flores. Woodson and Flores each getting in on different ends of the spectrum, with Woodson getting in on the first ballot and Flores getting in via the senior committee after 22 years of eligibility.

Flores becomes the latest Raiders great to find himself waiting for the Senior committee to get in because the regular committee, for whatever reason, was unwilling to do so. Other Raiders who were forced to wait for the senior committee included Ray Guy and Ken Stabler.

There is at least one more, however. Sticking out like a sore thumb. And who, like Stabler before him, tragically passed away having not been recognized by the Hall of Fame and thus never getting to take the stage and don their gold jacket.

That man is Cliff Branch.

We’re two years almost to the day that Branch passed away. Five months later, Branch’s name appeared among the list of finalists for the Hall of Fame Centennial class. A team that would select 15 seniors, seemingly making for the best chance Branch had ever had of finally getting his due. Even if posthumously.

A few months later, Branch’s name was not among those who would receive induction. It was an utter travesty, to say the least. But you don’t need me to tell you that. I recently asked his former Hall of Fame teammate, Marcus Allen, about it.

“Levi, you’re touching nerves,” Allen replied. “And I don’t mind.”

“I think it’s almost criminal when you look at Cliff’s numbers and you look at others’ numbers that are in [the Hall of Fame]. He’s still number four all-time in postseason yards receiving. Played in a completely different era. If he played today and they were throwing it a hundred times a game, the numbers would just be ridiculous.

“Clearly a guy who changed the game. Changed coverages. Changed the way defense is played. Certainly opened up things for everybody else. Could have been the MVP when they beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl when he scored the touchdown.

“It was not only a regular season, it was postseason, it was everything. There’s some people that just change the game. Like Bob Hayes changed the game. Cliff was one of those guys. And without Cliff Branch there’s no Freddy, there’s no Marcus, there’s no Todd Christensen, you know what I mean? Without Cliff.”

Allen knows his stuff. Branch was the NFL’s all-time leader in postseason receiving yards when he retired. And Branch is indeed still, to this day, fourth all-time in postseason receiving yards. His 1289 yards are bested by only Jerry Rice (2245), Julian Edelman (1442), and Michael Irvin (1315). Rice and Irvin are both in the Hall and Edelman is not yet eligible (and also played in a very different era).

Branch was one of only a few players who played on all three of the Raiders’ Super Bowl teams. His Hall of Fame wide receiver teammate Fred Biletnikoff played on just one of them.

It seems every player with whom you can compare Cliff Branch in terms of accomplishments or numbers is a Hall of Famer already. So, what is the hold-up for Branch?

“I don’t know. I just wish we had a say-so that’s all,” Allen said. “At least with the Heisman trophy the former players get a vote. It’s completely out of our hands and I hear different things. They may like a person and they may dislike a person and those things are held against them. And it should never be that. It should be complete objectivity. It should just be ‘Is this guy good enough as a player, I don’t care what I think about him personally, but that’s what I hear. Because a writer didn’t like a particular person, and that’s not right. . .It’s crazy. It’s nerve-wracking.”

Honestly, it’s hard to fathom what football writers would have against Branch. He was one of the nicest and most positive people you could ever meet. It was heartbreaking to hear he had passed away. And that heartbreak is only worsened by the knowledge that he went so many years receiving the annual disappointment that he would be once again passed up for the Hall of Fame.

“Those are the things that bother me,” Allen said of Branch and Stabler not living to see induction. “Being on the phone with Cliff and the disappointment. Obviously, he never showed it, but I know deep down inside he was. When you care about people. When you line up next to people in the huddle and you see how incredible they are and they don’t get recognized for it, it upsets you.”

Branch has been eligible for going on 32 years now. The likes of Marcus Allen and others have long pounded the table but to no avail. Allen had also been vocal about Tom Flores getting in and Sunday night he sat on the stage and watched his former head coach get his due. So, there’s no way he should give up the fight for Branch either.

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Raiders Hall of Fame RB Marcus Allen releases first-ever NFT’s

Raiders Hall of Fame RB Marcus Allen releases first-ever NFT’s

With the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies coming up this weekend, a few Hall of Famers are putting out some pretty cool collectibles. In a series called Playbooks, six greats will be featured including Raiders greats Marcus Allen and Tim Brown.

This is the first-ever NFT for Allen who, like Brown, is in the rare group that won the Heisman Trophy and later was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Allen carries the distinction of being the only NFL player ever to win a Heisman, NFL MVP, Super Bowl, Super Bowl MVP and be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

With that resume, you can bet he’s got a lot of stories to tell. Many of which people may not have heard before and which offer a unique in-depth look at what made Marcus Allen one of the NFL’s greats. He tells those stories through his NFT’s.

“I’m surely captivated by new technology and I also thought it was an innovative way to tell different stories,” Allen told RaidersWire.

“It’s my words and really, truly what it means to me. There are several plays in my career that may not be as meaningful to some, but once I tell the story, it’d sort of a stepping stone to get me where I eventually got to in the Hall of Fame.”

The Playbook series features a set of four NFT’s called Phenom, Star, Legend, and Icon. Essentially covering each stage of his football career from USC to being a star running back for the Raiders, continuing his legendary career in Kansas City, and ultimately being immortalized in Canton.

“I think the stories are endless,” Allen continued. “I could go on and on. When you play as long as I did and played in as many great games that I played in, and you had as many challenges that I had, when you played in a phone booth, and you played in a different era — the game was different, the rules were different, all those different things — I think you’d find that interesting.”

These NFTs are brought to you by the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company and Dolphin Entertainment. They are priced at $25 each and go on sale today at Blockfolio by FTX with a limited number of different custom NFT’s available.

Other Playbooks NFT’s feature RB Earl Campbell, TE Shannon Sharpe, QB Joe Theismann, and RB Doak Walker.

The purchase of these NFTs provides several opportunities to unlock a variety of “extra” opportunities for engagement and interaction, including signed memorabilia, “meet and greet” opportunities and other unique experiences.

Collectors purchasing all “Playbooks” from a particular player within a certain amount of time will automatically be invited to join a video conference with that player, for example, while collectors who purchase the most “Playbooks” from a specific player within that same window will have the chance to receive signed jerseys, helmets and in the case of Doak Walker, even two tickets to next year’s Hall of Fame Enshrinement, courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. More details can be found here.

“I’m just looking forward to this new genre and what we’re creating for collectors. I think it’s fascinating,” Allen added. “It will be interesting to find out how many people are really excited about it. This is what we call progress. This is what we call change. It’s something new and exciting and hopefully, people will see this as something they want to be a part of.”

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