It’s NFL Draft week, a time of promise and opportunity for former Wisconsin Badgers searching for a role at the next level.
It’s NFL Draft week, a time of promise and opportunity for former Wisconsin Badgers searching for a role at the next level.
The Wisconsin football program has a rich history of producing NFL-caliber players, with Russell Wilson, T.J. and J.J. Watt and Joe Thomas representing some of the NFL’s best in the last decade.
But not all of those great players were selected in the first round.
Here, in order of the year they were selected, is every Wisconsin Badger to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft:
The new RB coach wants to put together a backfield worthy of Wisconsin’s rich history
Former NFL RB coach Gary Brown is the new man in charge at Wisconsin, and the newest member of the Badger coaching staff has taken to Twitter to start his recruiting pitch to RB’s across the country.
What type of RB room is Brown trying to build at Wisconsin? His ceiling is one of the best RB rooms ever assembled in college football that we saw at RBU in Madison. Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball, and James White teamed up in 2012 to make up the best backfield in the nation:
Putting together a Running Back room like this is what Wisconsin Football is all about!!! THE TRADITION WILL CONTINUE!!!! pic.twitter.com/g06PUhqOZa
Brown also wanted to show love to the fullback’s, another position Wisconsin has always had a rich history with:
Don’t worry….all you Fullbacks out there…Running Back U ALWAYS show love to the Fullbacks!!!! Alec Ingold and Derek Watt both earned a Masters in Fullback Etiquette with an emphasis on Knocking your Block Off!!! pic.twitter.com/R0DuCLl3P8
The Chargers are thin at the defensive end position.
The Los Angeles Chargers released their final injury report ahead of the Week 16 battle with the Denver Broncos.
Here is a look at the report:
L.A. will be without edge defenders Joey Bosa (concussion) and Uchenna Nwosu (knee), which means that Jerry Tillery and Isaac Rochell will start and Emeke Egbule should get extended snaps.
Linebacker Denzel Perryman (back) and wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring) are questionable. Tight end Hunter Henry remains on the COVID-19 list.
For the Broncos, running back Phillip Lindsay (hip/knee) has been ruled out and Royce Freeman (hip) is questionable, which means that Melvin Gordon will be plenty busy on Sunday.
Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out what Los Angeles needs to do in order to beat Denver in Week 16.
The Chargers are set to host the Broncos this Sunday, Dec. 29.
Let’s examine what Los Angeles needs to do in order to take care of business in their final home game of the 2020 season.
Offensively, Los Angeles needs to let Herbert cook. The last time the two teams played each other, Herbert threw two interceptions. However, a lot has changed since then. CBs Duke Dawson and Kevin Toliver most recently joined Essang Bassey and A.J. Bouye on the list of unavailable cornerbacks. This is the perfect recipe for Herbert to have a field day. To avoid Denver’s fearsome pass rush and mask L.A.’s suspect offensive line, a lot of play-actions and rollouts will need to be implemented; Herbert has been efficient with those. Defensively, the Chargers need to stop the rushing attack, which is an area they have struggled this season. If the Bolts can eliminate the ground game, they will force Denver to rely on Lock, who’s had a rough second season as a pro. Lastly and most importantly, the game management and special teams can’t afford to be subpar or else the Broncos will capitalize.
Matchup to watch: Broncos RBs Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay vs. Chargers front seven.
Stopping the run has been a difficult task for Los Angeles. For Denver, it’s all about rolling with what has been working for them on offense. If Los Angeles is going to slow down Gordon and Lindsay, it will be on edge defenders Joey Bosa, Isaac Rochell and Uchenna Nwosu to set the edge, NT Linval Joseph to command double teams and LBs Kenneth Murray and Kyzir White to fill the running lanes and not let these backs get going.
Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez previews Los Angeles’ Week 16 opponent.
The Chargers are set to face the Broncos in their second battle this season. The last time the two teams met, Denver bounced back after being down big to come out victorious, 31-30.
Here are three things to know about Los Angeles’ Week 16 opponent:
Slim secondary
The last time that the Chargers faced the Broncos, quarterback Justin Herbert was given fits, where he threw two interceptions. Heading into this week, Herbert could be in for a strong outing, as Denver’s cornerback group is rather thin. The Broncos will be without Bryce Callahan, A.J. Bouye, Essang Bassey, Michael Ojemudia, Duke Dawson and De’Vante Bausby. Entering the beginning of December, the Broncos were allowing 210.1 passing yards per game; they’ve allowed 305.0 over the last three weeks.
Second year struggles
The Broncos saw glimpses of a solid signal-caller in Drew Lock’s rookie season. However, it’s safe to say that Lock’s sophomore season has been far from that. Lock has seen Year 2 consist of ball security issues, as he has thrown 13 interceptions to just 14 touchdowns in 11 games. Even after general manager John Elway added a slew of skill players last offseason, he has been unable to make the most with them, as his mechanical and decision-making issues have hindered him.
Running game is rolling
While Lock has been unable to elevate the offense, running backs Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay have picked him up. Ranked No. 13 in rushing, the Broncos are averaging 118.8 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry. In his new home, Gordon has enjoyed a pretty productive year as he has 814 yards on the ground (4.4 YPC) and nine total touchdowns.
The Los Angeles Chargers are looking to end the 2020 season on a strong note.
The Chargers snapped their divisional losing streak last weekend with their win over the Raiders, and are now looking to keep that momentum going with another AFC West battle against the Broncos.
Going into this weekend’s contest, Los Angeles is favored by 3.5 points over the Broncos in Week 16 of the regular season, per BetMGM.
Led by quarterback Justin Herbert, L.A. got past Las Vegas in overtime, as Herbert scored on 1-yard plunge to give them the victory, all after tying Browns’ Baker Mayfield for the most touchdowns thrown by a rookie in a single season (27).
Denver, on the other hand, got stomped on by Bills, as they allowed 48 points. Their rushing attack did all they could to keep up, but QB Josh Allen was too much to overcome.
Sunday’s matchup will begin at 1:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.
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Another week of the NFL season is in the books with key contributions being made by former Wisconsin Badgers…
Another week of the NFL season is in the books with key contributions being made by former Wisconsin Badgers.
There was Andrew Van Ginkel’s strip of Melvin Gordon near the goal line, Russell Wilson leading his team to victory on Thursday Night Football, Jonathan Taylor having a big game against the Green Bay Packers and more.
Not one, but two Badgers were involved in the making of a tremendous defensive play for the Dolphins in the fourth quarter of their battle with the Denver Broncos.
Miami Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel saved any chance of a road comeback with Broncos RB Melvin Gordon trying to put the game away at the goal line.
Despite both coming out of Madison, Wisconsin, there was some friendly fire in Denver:
Gordon’s Broncos lead the Dolphins late in the fourth as Miami looks to tie the game. It’s already been a monster day for the Badger RB as he has 15 carries for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
We’ve hit double-digits in the NFL season as Week 10 is here.
Now more than ever, especially if you’re still alive in the playoff push, setting your lineup correctly for the weekend is a major key in fantasy football. Nothing worse than having a guy on the bench going off or someone in your starting lineup that has laid a dud.
Let us help you right here. Our five sleepers to start and five starters to sit in fantasy football Week 10:
Sleepers to start
Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins. Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
QB Jared Goff, Rams
vs. Seahawks
Jared Goff wasn’t great going into the Rams’ bye last weekend… but we’ve hit the point with the Seahawks defense where we can pretty much start whoever plays against them.
RB Antonio Gibson, Washington
at Lions
With Alex Smith starting, their running backs are going to be elite for fantasy production because he throws to them a lot. The Lions also are the worst defense in terms of fantasy football against opposing running backs, just look at Dalvin Cook last week.
RB Leonard Fournette, Bucs
at Panthers
The Bucs are pretty inconsistent with their rushing attack and just attack in general. We never know who will lead the way. The Panthers are the fifth-worst team in fantasy football against opposing running backs, though… so Fournette should get some looks.
WR Rashard Higgins, Browns
vs. Texans
Rashard Higgins should have a good look to heat back up against the Texans since Odell Beckham’s still done for the year. Houston has the sixth-worst fantasy football defense vs. WRs, and they’ve allowed nine TDs to the position in the last four games.
WR DJ Chark, Jaguars
at Packers
DJ Chark had 146 yards and a touchdown via QB Jake Luton last week. The Packers have a better secondary than the Texans, but their No. 1 CB in Jaire Alexander is still in the concussion protocol, which would make things massively easier for Chark.
