Tag: Marshall Faulk

Tyrann Mathieu has a ton of respect for Bijan Robinson: ‘He’s going to be special’

Tyrann Mathieu may play for the Saints, but he knows a quality opponent when he sees one. And he has a ton of respect for Falcons star Bijan Robinson:

Tyrann Mathieu takes a lot of pride in playing for his hometown New Orleans Saints, but he knows a quality rival when he sees one. And he’s eager to compete against Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. Mathieu pointed to the second-year pro during a recent appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast when taking stock of his opponents in the NFC South.

And Mathieu offered some lofty comparisons for Robinson and his unique skill set: “Man, he’s going to be special. Marshall Faulk, you know, Edgerrin James, you know what I mean? Like, LaDainian Tomlinson, you know? And I didn’t think the Falcons really used him as good as they should have last year, but, man, he’s going to be good. He’s going to be real good.”

Robinson proved to be a dangerous dual-threat running back in 2023. He ran 214 times for 976 rushing yards, scoring 4 touchdown runs, while being targeted 86 times as a receiver; he caught 58 passes for another 487 receiving yards and 4 more touchdown receptions. He’s one of five rookie running backs to have 900-plus rushing yards and 400-plus receiving yards as a rookie since 2010, and one of 16 to do so in the history of pro football. Mathieu knows his history — James (1999) and Faulk (1994) are both in that group. Tomlinson (2001) was 33 receiving yards shy of joining them.

Mathieu’s Saints have gone 3-1 against the Falcons in his two years on the team, and they were a foolish Derek Carr pick-six in scoring position from beating them in Atlanta last year. But he sees Robinson as someone who could be a problem in the years ahead.

Robinson broke out with his first multi-touchdown game as a rookie against the Saints in Week 11, scoring a 10-yard run and a 26-yard reception while totaling 123 yards from scrimmage. Mathieu and his teammates did a better job limiting his gains on the ground in the Week 18 rematch (Robinson ran 11 times for just 28 yards) but he took an early grab-and-go pass out of the backfield 71 yards for a touchdown. They adjusted, though, and he finished with 32 yards on his other 6 catches.

Don’t expect first-year Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to make it as easy for them by splitting Robinson’s touches with other players. As Mathieu alluded to, former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith was widely criticized for playing veterans like Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson ahead of the running back they drafted 8th overall. The Falcons are excited to have Kirk Cousins at quarterback after a couple of years in the desert, but they’ll be counting on Robinson to shoulder a heavy load in 2024.

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Marshall Faulk explains why he doesn’t think Aaron Donald will stay retired

Marshall Faulk has a theory that Aaron Donald retired because “he wants more money” after seeing Chris Jones’ new contract

Aaron Donald flirted with retirement after the Rams won the Super Bowl two years ago. A few months later, he signed a new three-year contract worth a total of $95 million. Many believe he brought up the possibility of retirement simply to get a new contract from the Rams, which there may be some truth to.

This offseason, Donald officially announced his retirement after 10 seasons, hanging up his cleats after a decorated and Hall of Fame career. Rams legend Marshall Faulk isn’t so sure Donald will stay retired, though.

He came up with a theory that Donald only retired because “he wants more money.” It’s hard to believe that to be true considering if Donald returned for another season in 2024, he’d have earned an extra $30 million on top of the $65 million he got for the last two seasons.

Faulk shared his thoughts recently on the Bleav In Rams podcast, explaining why he believes Donald could be back when he sees camps opening this summer and he’s not in attendance.

“I’m in disbelief, and I’m in such disbelief that I’ve concocted a conspiracy theory that he’s done with the guaranteed money, he saw the money that Chris Jones got – and I don’t know if Chris Jones got more money than he got. This is in my head and I’m like, he wants more money. He wants to be the highest-paid,” Faulk said. “It looks good for Hollywood right now. I see he’s spending a lot of time with The Rock. He might end up on the WWE, might be cookin’ something with The Rock. Who knows? All of that might be in his plans. That’s just in my head. That’s just in my head, I’m not going to lie. I’m like, training camp’s going to roll around and 99 – and I’m telling you, every professional football player, it’s weird when you’re done playing and everybody else is going to camp and you’re not going. You’re like, ‘What do I do? What do I do here? Everybody is in camp.’ Your routine is broken and it takes a while to get accustom to the new routine. I’m hopeful that Aaron Donald comes back, that he plays. I think there’s more than just a couple of years there. But what I don’t know is what the body is feeling like. You don’t know. You don’t know how much he’s investing into being the person that he is and he might be slipping a little bit and he don’t want to play without being his best. There’s a lot of things in play but I’m hopeful that my conspiracy theory that he’ll be coming back is the truth.”

Faulk knows about missing training camp after retiring from football because he’s gone through it himself. However, the same may not apply for Donald. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year said this week that he’s “burned out” and he can’t imagine going through another training camp and 17-game season.

It’s always possible that he’ll come out of retirement, either this year or next. He wouldn’t be the first to do so. But it sure seems like he’s serious about stepping away from football fully healthy and with a trophy case full of hardware.

NFL analyst misses the mark big-time in criticism of Steelers GM Omar Khan

Marshall Faulk calls out the wrong Steelers general manager.

Everyone makes mistakes. But when you are a highly paid NFL analyst, you had better get your facts straight before you start talking. Former NFL running back Marshall Faulk went on “The Rich Eisen Show” and in his criticisms of the Pittsburgh Steelers, completely missed the mark about general manager Omar Khan. See if you can spot where it all goes wrong for Faulk.

“I believe Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers, when they lost their GM, that’s the difference in this team,” Faulk stated. “The talent doesn’t look like the Pittsburgh Steelers talent. The Pittsburgh Steelers used to draft the best available talent, not what they needed. If you start drafting what you need you get in trouble. So you gotta take the best available talent.”

If we are being fair. Faulk was half right. The level of talent in the Steelers drafts hasn’t been great over the past half dozen seasons or so. However, those drafts belonged to former general manager Kevin Colbert. Not current general manager Omar Khan. Khan didn’t take over the team until after the 2022 NFL draft.

Khan orchestrated the 2023 NFL draft which yielded multiple high-level rookie starters and could be the best draft the Steelers have had in a decade.

There’s no doubt problematic drafts are a part of what is holding the Steelers back, but that doesn’t fall on Khan.

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Christian McCaffrey ties an NFL record with big day vs. Cardinals

Christian McCaffrey’s scoring binge on Sunday tied an NFL record, and put him on the verge of breaking a Jerry Rice franchise record.

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had a huge Week 15 in Arizona. McCaffrey led the club with 115 rushing yards, while also notching a team-high five receptions for a team-high 72 receiving yards. He also tallied three total TDs, including two in the air and one on the ground.

His multifaceted scoring attack helped him climb to the top of the NFL history books. Sunday marked McCaffrey’s 15th career game with at least one rushing and one receiving touchdown. That ties him with former Colts and Rams running back Marshall Faulk for the most such games all time.

Of those 15 games, four have come this year and another two came last season after he joined the 49ers. That means six of his 15 have come in the 25 games he’s played in San Francisco. There’s a very real chance McCaffrey breaks that record this season.

McCaffrey on Sunday also notched his 18th, 19th and 20th touchdowns of the season. He’s only the second player in 49ers franchise history to eclipse the 20 TD mark. Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice set the franchise record with 23 total TDs in the 1987 season (in only 12 games!!!).

There’s a very real chance McCaffrey breaks both Faulk’s NFL record and Rice’s 49ers franchise record this season.

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Alvin Kamara ties Marshall Faulk for most two-point conversions in NFL history

Another week, another record. Alvin Kamara has tied Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk for the most two-point conversions in NFL history:

Week after week, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara continues to set records. Previously this season, he reached the 10,000 all-purpose yards milestone, becoming the first Saint to ever reach that landmark. Now, Kamara continues to look to add to his extremely successful career by tying another record during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Kamara came into the game with five two-point conversions in his career during the regular season. The all-time leader is Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk, who had seven in his storied career. Kamara was able to get two of these conversions so far in the game against Minnesota, so they currently are tied for the NFL record.

The one thing worth noting here is that Faulk did have an eighth conversion which occurred in the playoffs, so he does have eight in his career total between the regular season and postseason. Former Saints running back Mark Ingram II also had one in the playoffs, so if we count that, Kamara is tied for second place with Ingram for total career conversions.

Two more conversions would clear Kamara of both records, one more would clear him of the regular season record. It’s another impressive feat for the veteran Saint, who continues to be one of the most impressive offensive weapons in franchise history.

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Alvin Kamara broke another Saints franchise record with his latest two-point conversion

Alvin Kamara broke another Saints franchise record with his latest two-point conversion. He’s also now tied with Travis Kelce for the league lead among active players:

Look, times are tough for the New Orleans Saints these days, and we’ll take our doses of positivity when we can. So it’s worth celebrating Alvin Kamara’s latest accomplishment — not long after the dynamic running back broke Marques Colston’s record for touchdowns scored in a Saints uniform, Kamara laid claim to another record: the team’s high-water mark for two-point conversions.

Kamara went into last week’s game with the Jacksonville Jaguars locked in a tie with his old teammate Mark Ingram II, both players having successfully converted four two-point tries in their Saints careers. But Kamara caught a quick pass from Derek Carr to walk into the end zone untouched for his fifth two-point conversion. That play tied the game after a frightful first three quarters, though the Saints ultimately weren’t able to pull off the win.

Still, it’s just the latest achievement in Kamara’s impressive NFL career. Hopefully he and Carr can link up with more scoring plays like this one to help the Saints offense get back on track, though you’d like to see Carr taking greater advantage of the talent stacked up for him at wide receiver in most situations.

As for Kamara: his five successful two-point conversions are now tied with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce for the most among active players, matching the career totals of Pro Football Hall of Famers Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, and Edgerrin James in a ten-way tie for sixth-place in NFL history. Four players are ahead of them in a tie for second place with six two-point scores (including Ingram, who did it twice in 2019 with the Baltimore Ravens), but everyone is trailing the legendary Marshall Faulk, whose seven two-point conversions are the most in NFL history. Kamara has a real shot at going the distance and surpassing even Faulk someday — strengthening his own Hall of Fame candidacy.

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Demoff: Marshall Faulk initially thought Rams ‘were stupid’ for considering Sean McVay in 2017

Marshall Faulk initially thought the Rams were crazy for considering Sean McVay in 2017, but one dinner completely changed his mind

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Now six years removed from hiring Sean McVay, the Rams look incredibly smart for taking a chance on the then-30-year-old coach in 2017. He’s since led them to five winning seasons, four playoff appearances, two Super Bowls and one world championship in his first six years.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but not everyone thought the Rams were wise to make McVay the youngest head coach in NFL history. Rams legend Marshall Faulk initially thought it was a crazy decision to even consider him – that is, until he sat down with McVay for dinner during the hiring process.

Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff detailed on The Athletic’s “The Playcallers” podcast how Faulk went from thinking the team was “stupid” for considering McVay, to telling owner Stan Kroenke that he’d be making a huge mistake if he let the coach get away, all in a matter of hours.

Faulk’s mind completely changed after having dinner with McVay and other Rams brass in Los Angeles, immediately hitting it off with the young coach.

“Marshall was the perfect person because he was explaining to me why we had needed a veteran offensive mind to be the head coach,” Demoff said. “And he was happy to go to dinner with this 30-year-old, but he thought that was stupid, and that we were stupid.

“Marshall walks in and he tells Stan, ‘I’m so excited to be here, I think you’re making a mistake but just glad to be part of the process.’ And at dinner, Stan and Marshall have always had a great relationship – a cerebral player, someone who I think everyone respected for football intellect and understanding the challenges around the team. So it was an opinion I knew he’d respect, either way, and one I would have to respect either way. But also the one advantage it had is it was easy for Sean to be able to talk football.

“At dinner, the two of them got going and they hit it off immediately. They’re talking the whole time. I remember walking out and Marshall told Stan, he goes, ‘You let that guy leave tomorrow, you’ve made a huge mistake. That’s your guy.’”

McVay wowed the Rams during the interview process, and clearly he did the same for Faulk. It’s understandable that Faulk would be skeptical of his former team hiring a 30-year-old head coach, especially after the disastrous stretch they had just gone through with Jeff Fisher as their head coach.

And while he wanted a veteran offensive mind, the Rams went with a brilliant young coach who knew the offensive side of the ball better than most. There isn’t a soul in the world who would say the Rams made a mistake by hiring McVay, especially not after the success he’s had already in Los Angeles.

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Best NFL player to wear each jersey number: How many Rams were picked?

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar picked the best player ever to wear each jersey number and 6 Rams made the list. Can you guess who?

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There are some players in NFL history who became impossible to see wearing any other jersey number. Tom Brady and the No. 12 go hand in hand, just as Aaron Donald and No. 99 do.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar went through the fun (and challenging) exercise of picking the best player to ever wear each jersey number, from No. 00 to 99. The Rams have had some historic names suit up for them throughout the franchise’s history, many of whom made Farrar’s list.

It’s easy to think of a few, like Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson rocking Nos. 28 and 29, as well as Orlando Pace in his No. 76 uniform. In total, six Rams were selected, including Donald at the very end.

Marshall Faulk: No. 28

Eric Dickerson: No. 29

Aeneas Williams: No. 35

Jerome Bettis: No. 36

Orlando Pace: No. 76

Aaron Donald: No. 99

Faulk wore No. 28 throughout his NFL career, including his first five seasons with the Colts before going to the Rams in 1999. It was a tough number to sift through because there were a lot of deserving picks, including Adrian Peterson, Darrell Green and Darren Woodson, but Faulk was the best choice.

Dickerson edged out Harold Jackson, Earl Thomas, Ken Houston and others at No. 29, a number he wore his entire NFL career, too. No. 35 wasn’t as loaded as some other numbers, but the Hall of Famer Williams made those digits look good for both the Cardinals and Rams.

Bettis is best known for his time with the Steelers but he got started with the Rams, where he also wore No. 36. Pace and Steve Hutchinson were the top candidates at No. 76, along with Marion Motley and Steve Wisniewski.

At No. 99, there were a host of current and future Hall of Famers alongside Donald. J.J. Watt is one of the best ever, as is Warren Sapp. Jason Taylor also got consideration thanks to his Hall of Fame resume. But Donald is one of the rare all-time greats who’s still currently playing, and his resume at the end of his career will be the best of anyone to wear No. 99.

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Bijan Robinson picked Marshall Faulk as a top 5 RB, which baffled Tyreek Hill for some reason

Tyreek Hill was stunned that Bijan Robinson put Marshall Faulk in his top 5, saying he’s “never heard nobody throw Marshall Faulk in the top 5 of running backs.” 🧐

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Bijan Robinson is entering his much-anticipated rookie campaign with the Atlanta Falcons and he is paying respect to the running backs that came before him. When speaking about his personal all-time favorite running backs on Tyreek Hill’s “It Needed to be Said” podcast, former Los Angeles Rams running back Marshall Faulk was third on Robinson’s list.

Robinson listed Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson as his top two running backs of all time. The first-year running back proceeded to name Faulk as his third-best running back in NFL history, which surprised Hill on the podcast.

“Oooo, OK. These are like some names I’ve never heard – I mean, obviously I know Marshall Faulk, but I’ve never heard nobody throw Marshall Faulk in the top five of running backs,” Hill said.

“Are you serious? You’ve never heard nobody throw Marshall Faulk in a top-five running back list? Ever?” Robinson replied, stunned by Hill’s statement.

Despite not taking an NFL snap yet, Robinson is considered one of the most dynamic running backs to enter the league in recent memory. In his three seasons at Texas, Robinson rushed for 3,410 yards and 33 touchdowns on 539 attempts. He also hauled in 60 passes for 805 yards and another eight touchdowns, showing off his dual-threat ability.

But whenever you speak about running backs who paved the way for dual-threat running backs in today’s NFL, Faulk should be one of the first mentioned. The Hall of Fame running back of the Rams finished his legendary career with 12,000-plus rushing yards and 100 rushing touchdowns, while also having the most receptions by a running back (767) in NFL history.

While Robinson has yet to play a game, he’s likely hoping to have his name mentioned with the all-time versatile backs that came before him.

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The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Schemes that are taking over the NFL, Part 3

In this week’s Xs and Os, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar discuss the NFL’s important trends with press coverage, and defensive stunts.

In the “Xs and Os” video and podcast, Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, are spending the offseason discussing the trends, schemes, and concepts taking over the modern NFL.

The guys started two weeks ago with two-deep coverage and the run-pass option, and you can watch that entire episode right here:

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Last week, it was all about pre-snap motion (run and pass), and the five-man front. You can watch that entire episode right here:

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Finally, this week, it’s been all about aggressive press coverage and defensive stunts. You can watch the most recent “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Now, onto the things Greg and Doug discussed this week!