Tag: Revenge Game

Saints vs. Eagles is a revenge game for C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Zack Baun

Former New Orleans Saints defenders C.J. Gardner-Johnson return to the Caesars Superdome, but this time as members of the Philadelphia Eagles:

The New Orleans Saints versus Philadelphia Eagles is better known in certain circles as the C.J. Gardner Johnson and Zack Baun revenge game.

It’s unclear if Baun has any animosity towards the Saints, but Gardner-Johnson certainly held a grudge upon his departure. There was even a point where he called the Saints his favorite opp.

Ironically, the Saints have played Gardner-Johnson’s team in each of the past two seasons. The safety has been unable to dress out, however, due to injuries. He did miss Thursday’s practice with a foot issue so he may miss this revenge game for the third year in a row.

Gardner-Johnson rose to prominence as one of the best nickel corners and trash talkers in the league with New Orleans. Since departing he has transitioned into becoming a safety. He was punched in the face again during “Monday Night Football,” so it’s safe to say his position is the only thing that changed.

Baun looked like a star in the making in Week 1. In Brazil, Baun made 15 tackles and had two sacks. That sack total ties his season high with New Orleans from last year. Most surprisingly, he is doing this from inside linebacker. Baun has left the Saints for a more important role. He is a starting linebacker who is going to beat all of his season high marks possibly before Week 5.

The Saints offense will look to exploit both of their former players and come down with a third straight victory.

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Former Chiefs RB DeAndre Washington could be Dolphins lead back in Week 14

The Chiefs traded Washington to the Dolphins earlier this year.

The Miami Dolphins placed RB Myles Gaskin on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday, leaving the team with few options at the position for the Week 14 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. One option they’ll likely have available on Sunday is former Chiefs RB DeAndre Washington.

Washington, who was acquired from the Chiefs at the trade deadline earlier this season, seems to be the odds on favorite to lead the Miami backfield. A former teammate of Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, Washington was buried on the depth chart in Kansas City. He can potentially earn the Chiefs a pick swap as part of the conditions of the trade.

Washington hasn’t played much for Miami so far this season. He has 48 offensive snaps, totaling 18 carries for 56 yards. Most of that production came in a win over the New York Jets in Week 12, where he had 13 carries for 49 yards. Last week, Washington missed the Dolphins game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a hamstring injury. He was limited during Wednesday and Thursday practices for Miami, but a full participant on Friday.

Signs point to Washington being good to play and receive the lion’s share of the snaps on Sunday, but they’ll have other options available too. Positionlees rookie Lynn Bowden Jr., fullback Patrick Laird, and another ex-Chiefs RB in Elijah McGuire are among the players they’ll likely mix in. Still, things are shaping up to be a classic revenge game for Washington, who’ll look to prove that Kansas City was wrong to trade him.

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Akiem Hicks finally burying the hatchet with the Saints

Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks is finally ready to move on from his grudge against the New Orleans Saints, the team that gave up on him.

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Does Akiem Hicks still feel some animosity towards the team that drafted him? The Chicago Bears defensive lineman has kept a hefty chip on his shoulder over the years after being discarded in a trade with the Patriots, but he hasn’t kept the resentment going towards the New Orleans Saints after five years in Chicago.

“Do I appreciate how I was cast aside?” Hicks told Nathan Smith for ChicagoBears.com. “I wasn’t good enough to play for that team? No, I don’t appreciate those things. You never forget, but you can’t carry hate in your heart, you know what I’m saying? I would also say that, man, you just appreciate those moments. I wouldn’t say it loses its luster.”

A recent trip down memory lane — a highlight reel of Marques Colston’s biggest plays during his and Hicks’ time together in New Orleans — turned the big man sentimental, and he found himself catching up with an old friend in Saints captain Cameron Jordan. He’s also surrounded by other former Saints players, like nose tackle John Jenkins (drafted by the Saints a year after Hicks) and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., plus one-time superstar tight end Jimmy Graham. The group was assembled by Bears general manager and former Saints personnel man Ryan Pace.

So it’s just another game to him, now. In the past, Hicks has relished playing against the team that quit on him, and spoken extensively about the negativity he’s associated with them. But now that he’s had time away from the organization and reflected on the lifelong friendships he made there, he’s ready to approach Sunday’s matchup as if it were any other.

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