Tag: Neiko Thorpe

Missing the cut: Which Tiger had the best chance to be the cover athlete for NCAA Football 17?

Rudy Ford, Kris Frost, and Carlton Davis each had a great shot at being a cover athlete for NCAA Football 17… if EA Sports had released the game.

Many sports video game fans across the country (including myself) were excited to learn that the NCAA Football franchise is on track to return to our lives in the summer of 2024, which will be re-named “EA Sports College Football.”

Plans for the game were threatened to be delayed due to a lawsuit from The Brandr Group, citing that the franchise’s $500 million pool, which would give each athlete represented in the game $500, was considered to be “far below market value.”

Despite the setback, EA Sports remains on schedule to release the game next summer.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring back an authentic college football experience for fans and athletes that have shown such passion for the franchise, and we’re looking forward to delivering it in Summer 2024,” an EA spokesperson tells On3’s Pete Nakos.

It has been ten years since the release of the last game, NCAA Football 14. It has us at Auburn Wire thinking… which Auburn athletes missed out on being a cover athlete for the famous video game franchise?

Our pick for the hypothetical cover of NCAA Football 15 was [autotag]Chris Davis[/autotag], and we selected [autotag]Cameron Artis-Payne[/autotag] to represent Auburn on the cover of NCAA Football 16. Now, it is time to share our selection for NCAA Football 17.

The 2015 season was not kind to Auburn, especially in SEC play. Auburn ended the year with a 7-6 record and a Birmingham Bowl win over Memphis. When it came to production, the Tigers relied heavily on their defense. [autotag]Rudy Ford[/autotag] led the team in several categories, which leads him to be our candidate to represent Auburn on the cover of NCAA Football 17 if the game had been released.

Ford made 116 stops in 2015, becoming the first Tiger to record 100 or more tackles since [autotag]Daren Bates[/autotag] and [autotag]Neiko Thorpe[/autotag] accomplished the feat by making 104 and 102 tackles respectively in 2011. Ford also pulled down two interceptions and forced two fumbles.

Other cover athlete candidates from the 2015 season include [autotag]Carlton Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kris Frost[/autotag]. Frost was second in tackles with 96, while Davis led the team in interceptions with three. Offensively, [autotag]Peyton Barber[/autotag] rushed for 1,017 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

Here are some of the best images from each cover candidate from Auburn for the hypothetical “NCAA Football 2017” video game that would have been released ahead of the 2016 football season.

Seahawks place Neiko Thorpe on injured reserve, activate Phil Haynes

The Seattle Seahawks have placed cornerback Neiko Thorpe on the injured reserve and activated guard Phil Haynes to the 53-man roster.

The Seattle Seahawks announced a couple of roster moves Wednesday afternoon ahead of the team’s Week-11, Thursday-night matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field.

Seattle has placed cornerback Neiko Thorpe back on the injured reserve. Thorpe was just activated back to the 53-man roster last week after suffering from a groin injury since Week 3.

“Neiko, his groin didn’t make it,” coach Pete Carroll said after the loss to the Rams on Sunday. “All the time we spent trying to get him back, we thought we had him. He had a lot of time to get ready, but it acted up again.”

To fill the empty spot on the 53-man roster, the Seahawks have activated guard Phil Hayes from the injured reserve, where he began his season due to a hip injury.

“Phil has been playing guard for us and can play center as well,” Carroll said Wednesday afternoon. “So he’s kind of a utility guy as he works his way back in. He’s had a good return, we are really excited for him. He’s been out for quite a while – last year as well – so it’s good to get him back out and competing.”

The Seahawks and Cardinals are set to square off Thursday night at 5:20 p.m. PT.

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Pete Carroll provides injury updates following Seahawks’ loss to Rams

Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of player injury updates following the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams Week 10.

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The Seattle Seahawks suffered a number of new injuries in their heartbreaking loss Week 10 to the Rams in Los Angeles. Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of player updates following the game.

Cornerback Neiko Thorpe was just activated back to the 53-man roster from the injured reserve on Saturday, but it appears it might have been too soon.

“Neiko, his groin didn’t make it,” Carroll said. “In all the time we spent trying to get him back, we thought we had him. He had a lot of time to get ready but it acted up again.”

Safety Jamal Adams, who is finally back in play after a groin injury early in the season, briefly left the game to have his shoulder looked at but was able to return and finish the contest.

Carroll also said Travis Homer hurt his hand, Jordan Simmons suffered some calf tightness and Kyler Fuller sprained his ankle.

The Seahawks have a short week ahead, set to square off against the Cardinals at home Thursday night.

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Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde and Benson Mayowa downgraded to out Week 10

The Seattle Seahawks announced a flurry of roster moves Saturday afternoon ahead of the Week-10 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Seattle Seahawks announced a flurry of roster moves Saturday afternoon ahead of the Week-10 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

Running backs Chris Carson (foot) and Carlos Hyde (hamstring) and defensive end Benson Mayowa (ankle) have been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game. All three had been listed on Friday’s injury report as questionable.

Carson, Hyde and Mayowa now join center Ethan Pocic (concussion), cornerback Shaquill Griffin (concussion/hamstring), cornerback Quinton Dunbar (knee) and defensive tackle Brian Mone (ankle) who had already been ruled out for Week 10.

In addition, Seattle place Mone on the injured reserve and activated cornerback Neiko Thorpe to the active roster.

Finally, the Seahawks promoted running back Alex Collins and defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison from the practice squad.

Kickoff in Los Angeles is set for 1:25 p.m. PT Sunday afternoon.

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Jonathan Bullard added to active roster, Neiko Thorpe to injured reserve

The Seattle Seahawks have placed cornerback Neiko Thorpe on the injured reserve and added defensive end Jonathan Bullard to the 53-man roster

The Seattle Seahawks executed six roster moves on Wednesday afternoon, including placing cornerback Neiko Thorpe on the injured reserve.

Thorpe, a special teams standout, has been battling a hip injury and was inactive for the last two games. Coach Pete Carroll said Thorpe had been experiencing “athletic hernia symptoms” as of late.

To fill the empty spot on the active roster, Seattle has signed defensive end Jonathan Bullard.

Bullard was originally selected by the Bears in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft and spent three seasons in Chicago. He was with the Cardinals last year and started six of his nine games played. Bullard was most recently a member of Arizona’s practice squad after he was cut during the initial trim-down of the initial 53-man roster.

On Wednesday, the Seahawks also signed defensive end Damon Harrison and two other to the practice squad.

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A look at Seahawks’ injuries heading into Week 4 against Miami

Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of player injury updates ahead of the team’s Week-4 contest this Sunday in Miami against the Dolphins.

  • The Seattle Seahawks sustained a number of injuries in their 38-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys, but so far, nothing new has panned out to be season-ending.

Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of player updates during his Wednesday afternoon press conference.

He was first asked about running back Chris Carson (knee), center Ethan Pocic (knee) and guard Damien Lewis (ankle) – all who got a bit banged up during the Week-3 contest.

“All three of those guys were at the walk thru today,” Carroll said. “They were all out there and participated in the full walk thru. Chris is really sounding positive, Damien looked pretty good, and Pocic was all right, so we might get a real good turn from those three guys.”

As far as linebacker Jordyn Brooks, he could be out for a bit while he recovers from his knee injury.

“He’s limping a little bit today,” Carroll confirmed. “He’s pretty sore. It’s going to be a real challenge for him to make it back as stiff as he is right now. He got whacked pretty good, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

Safety Jamal Adams could be sidelined for some time as well as he deals with his groin strain by undergoing “massive treatments” to speed up the process.

Finally, Carroll gave some information on the three players who were inactive last Sunday against the Cowboys: safety Lano Hill (back), cornerback Quinton Dunbar (knee) and cornerback Neiko Thorpe (groin).

Carroll said all three players are trying to make it back this week but will go all the way to game-day before a final decision is made.

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Why cornerback Gavin Heslop could make Seahawks roster

Seattle Seahawks CB Gavin Heslop possesses the length, athleticism and high football IQ that Pete Carroll loves out of his defensive backs.

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a whopping 17 undrafted free agents from the 2020 class to compete for spots on the active roster.

Most years, teams are lucky to get one UDFA to make the squad, as they are primarily brought in to give the team extra bodies during training camp.

However, the Seahawks have had plenty of luck in the past, going all the way back to Dave Krieg and including Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and more recently, defensive tackle Poona Ford.

This years class is sure to have some intriguing players in it, and one who could stand out above the rest is former Stony Brook cornerback Gavin Heslop.

Heslop received a call from the Seahawks during the fifth round of the draft, telling him they were hoping to pick him up if he went undrafted. Just seconds after the draft concluded, he got a call from coach Pete Carroll.

“It meant a lot, just having a NFL team wanting to take a chance on me and bringing me in to be a part of their organization,” Heslop told The Journal News. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity. I’m so grateful for the opportunity, that Pete Carroll and the staff was interested and liked what I was doing on the field and like what type of person I am to give me a chance.”

Heslop stands six-foot-one and has 32 inch arms, which is a near requirement to be an outside cornerback in Carroll’s defense. He was a three-year starter at Stony Brook, and earned All-CAA honors twice. He posted 52 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pair of blocked kicks, three forced fumbles, three recoveries, and one defensive touchdown in his final season with the Seawolves.

Heslop’s best path to making the active roster would be if Quinton Dunbar, currently facing legal issues in Florida, is unable to start the season with the team. If Dunbar is able to play, the team will have Dunbar, Shaquill Griffin, Ugo Amadi, Tre Flowers and Neiko Thorpe all likely reprising roles on the defense and special teams.

However, Heslop’s length and athleticism would make him a dynamite special teams contributor, and there’s plenty of reason to think Seattle will keep him around to contribute in that role, if they can find a way to sneak him onto the active roster or at least the (expanded) practice squad.

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How Quinton Dunbar’s arrest could impact Seattle’s depth at CB

The Seattle Seahawks have six cornerbacks vying for a final roster spot as a backup and special teams contributor.

The Seattle Seahawks set themselves up to have a cornerback room featuring Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar and Ugo Amadi as the starters on the outside and at nickel, respectively, with former starter Tre Flowers joining Neiko Thorpe as depth options across the secondary in 2020.

The best laid plans don’t always come together, however, and now, four months before the season is set to begin, the Seahawks are already facing a big wrinkle with the recent arrest of Dunbar, who is facing four counts of felony armed robbery.

It’s far, far too early to know how Dunbar’s situation is going to play out, especially with his defense lawyer disputing the facts of the original warrant. The legal proceedings could easily take the entire summer, and regardless of if he is convicted of a crime or not the NFL can, and will, do their own investigation, which could lead to a suspension.

So while that will be an unresolved matter of interest for the next few months, the Seahawks will be forced to evaluate their depth at cornerback, in case Dunbar is not available when the regular season rolls around.

The most likely scenario, if that ends up being the case, is to plug Flowers back into a starting role at right corner, a role he held in both 2018 and 2019.

Should that happen, a role as a backup corner (and likely special teams contributor) would open up on the active roster – and you know how much coach Pete Carroll loves hosting an open competition.

The contenders currently on the roster include Linden Stephens, Brian Allen, Jayson Stanley, Debione Renfro, Gavin Heslop and Kemah Siverand.

Stephens spent most of 2019 on Seattle’s practice squad before he was claimed by the Dolphins, appearing in three games and making three combined tackles. Stephens made it back to Seattle in April and is in contention to play some nickel this season, if he plays well in camp.

Allen played in 16 games for the Steelers between 2017-2018, exclusively on special teams, racking up three combined tackles. He’s the biggest of the group however, standing six-foot-three, and his size and NFL experience make him a strong candidate to take the final roster spot in the secondary.

Stanley was claimed just after the draft, and he has the size profile (six-foot-two, 209 pounds) that the Seahawks target, as well as experience as a former wide receiver in college.

Renfro, Heslop and Siverand were all signed as undrafted free agents. Renfro starred at Texas A&M in college, and his scouting profile points to someone who should excel as a special teamer, which will give him a nice advantage when looking for a roster spot.

Heslop is six-foot-one and was a big-time playmaker while at Stony Brook, able to play any spot in the secondary and contribute on the special teams.

Lastly, Siverand played wide receiver A&M before transferring to Oklahoma State, where he racked up 11 tackles as a defensive back. His stats aren’t very telling, but he also possesses the size and versatility to potentially contribute on the special teams.

The Seahawks also have a handful of options they could pursue on the open market, including Logan Ryan and Trumaine Johnson, but don’t be surprised if the team decides to hold a competition with the players they already have on the roster.

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Seahawks players use social media to celebrate Mother’s Day

Seattle Seahawks current and former players took to Twitter to wish a happy Mother’s Day to their moms and wives on Sunday.

Mother’s Day celebrations will no doubt be impacted heavily this year, with social distancing practices still in place around the United States – which of course limits people’s ability to see their parents.

That of course won’t stop people from celebrating, however, and social media will continue to be a prominent way for people to share their feelings about their own moms and the other moms in their life.

The Seattle Seahawks, as well as many current and former players, have already begun sharing pictures and stories on Twitter, in light of the holiday.

Many players used the platform to send love to their own moms, while a handful of others celebrated their wives, a few who are celebrating their first Mother’s Day as a new mom.

In light of this pandemic’s impact on social gatherings, we here at Seahawks Wire hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday and is able to celebrate with the moms in their life in some capacity while we wait for a return to normalcy in the (hopefully) near future.

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Seattle Seahawks re-sign cornerback Neiko Thorpe

The Seattle Seahawks re-signed veteran defensive back Neiko Thorpe, who was the captain of the special teams last season.

The Seattle Seahawks brought back special teams captain Neiko Thorpe on Monday, agreeing to terms with the 30-year-old defensive back. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Thorpe has not started a game in his four years with the Seahawks, but he has been the leader of the special teams unit, fulfilling the gunner role on both the kick and punt coverage teams.

Thorpe missed some time to injury last year, paving way for Akeem King to take over the gunner role, but Thorpe is healthy now and will once again look to reprise his role in 2020.

An undrafted free agent out of Auburn, Thorpe spent some time with the Chiefs before playing in the CFL and the Raiders before, eventually, making his way to Seattle.

Thorpe’s return gives the Seahawks a cornerback room of Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar, Tre Flowers and nickel Ugo Amadi, along with Brian Allen and Ryan Neal.

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