Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
12 former #Chiefs among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 | from: @EdEastonJr
The NFL announced the 173 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
There are 12 former Kansas City Chiefs in the running, including return specialist Dante Hall, fullback Tony Richardson, quarterback Rich Gannon, guard Brian Waters, and first-time nominee running back Jamaal Charles.
The list will be cut to 25 semifinalists in November and 15 finalists in early January.
Here’s a look at the former Chiefs up for the Hall of Fame in 2024:
Sometimes, it pays to be in the right place at the right time
Two-time All-Pro, two-time MVP and former Minnesota Vikings QB Rich Gannon weighed in on the T.J. Hockenson contract extension for The 33rd Team and believes he was in the right place at the right time.
“Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is all that matters in professional football…[Hockenson] becomes the highest paid tight end in professional football, and good for him. When you look at his body of work, he has gotten better each year he’s been in the league. His first year in Detroit, it was a bit of a project, 32 receptions. His second season, that number jumped to 67. And last year, I thought he had his best season as a pro. Began the season with the Detroit Lions, came over to the Minnesota Vikings and provided instant productivity in the tight end position.”
Gannon’s assessment of the situation with Hockenson is spot on. From weeks 8 to 18, the only tight end to accumulate more yards than Hockenson was Kansas City’s Travis Kelce.
Hockenson’s extension also “sets the bar,” as Gannon puts it, “for tight ends that have been better and more productive the last couple of seasons.”
This is good news for those that play the tight end position and have watched it grow in importance season after season. Teams are recognizing and compensating the players accordingly.
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Former NFL MVP Rich Gannon believes the Panthers are on the wise approach of having Bryce Young overtake Andy Dalton with his actions, not his billing.
Are the Carolina Panthers making the right decision by waiting to put Bryce Young on the road? A former driver with some pretty pertinent experience seems to think so.
Ex-NFL quarterback and 2002 Most Valuable Player Rich Gannon recently spoke of Carolina’s immediate plans under center—ones that will see veteran Andy Dalton atop the depth chart for the time being. And Gannon, in a breakdown for The 33rd Team, stated that the No. 1 overall pick in Young should have to earn his starting spot.
“It’s kinda like a 16-year-old with a car,” he said. “Before you hand him the car keys, you better make sure he knows how to stop the car, how to start the car, how to avoid oncoming traffic. But here’s what has to happen in the next couple of months in order for Bryce Young to walk out there with the starters on offense Week 1—he has to earn the trust and respect of his new teammates. And you do that by your actions on the field.”
Young, in fact, expressed the same sentiment during his introductory press conference on April 28. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner told reporters that he’s not entitled to anything at the pro level, even despite being this year’s top selection.
Gannon continued:
“Are you able to make all the calls in the huddle? Are you able to make all the checks at the line of scrimmage? How do you perform in competitive periods? Whether it’s a seven-on-seven period, whether it’s a team blitz period, whether a red zone period. How does a quarterback hurry up a two-minute situation? How does he perform late in those type of situations—late-in-game type situations. How does he do in the OTAs and minicamps?”
Well, we’ll find out that last part soon—as rookie minicamp is set to begin for Young and the Panthers this Friday.
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Rich Gannon: Derek Carr to ‘step up and play better’
There’s a lot wrong with the Raiders this season that has brought them to their 2-7 record. That would include Derek Carr. Rich Gannon laid this out well this week, essentially calling on Carr to be the difference.
Sitting at 2-7, there's a lot of blame to go around in Vegas
Former #Raiders MVP QB @RichGannon12 on some of the main issues, including an inability to win close games and the play of Derek Carr#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/GEDdMaZEro
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) November 14, 2022
“Derek hasn’t played horribly, but he really hasn’t played well, especially late in games. At some point he has to step up and play better. I think there’s enough tools in the toolbox to get it done and Derek Carr hasn’t, especially when they needed him the most; late in games. If you look at his win/loss record 59-77 that really says it all. Derek Carr has to find a way to put this team on his shoulders and get them to the finish line.”
Gannon is not wrong here.
Six of the Raiders’ seven losses this season have been by one score. And in each instance Derek Carr and the offense has had a shot to win it late and has failed to do so.
These criticisms come despite Carr’s emotional rant after the loss to the Colts Sunday in which Carr was upset about how some members of the Raiders don’t have the same passion for this team as he does.
It’s not Carr who Gannon says is the one who stands above the criticism, but rather Maxx Crosby.
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One expert believes in Kirk Cousins to go next level
The 2022 NFL season is fast approaching and the Minnesota Vikings are one of the most intriguing teams in the National Football League.
With a new regime taking flight in general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and especially head coach Kevin O’Connell, the way they handle a roster that is mostly similar to what Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer had last season. The Vikings finished the season 8-9.
This season, all eyes are on Kirk Cousins who signed a one-year extension in the offseason. The idea of re-signing Cousinsdis predicated on O’Connell unlocking the 11th-year signal caller.
In a recent article for The 33rd Team, former Vikings and NFL MVP quarterback Rich Gannon believes that Cousins can not only have his best season ever but throw for a career-high in yards.
“Look at the success that Stafford had in his first season, winning a Super Bowl with the Rams,” said Gannon. “In talking to O’Connell, he said Matthew took ownership of the offense. I think we’re gonna see that with Cousins.I think he can throw for 5,000 yards in his new offense, and I think O’Connell is going to take the training wheels off.”
If Gannon is right, Cousins will have the season of his life. I believe there are real roadblocks to achieving that. If he doesn’t have his best season and finishes with a record around .500, it will likely be the same old story.
Needless to say, Cousins and the Vikings will be appointment viewing all season.
Rich Gannon is out at CBS after doing NFL games at the network for 16 seasons
Player and coach movement are not the only carousels when it comes to the NFL. Announcers also have to wonder what’s next when contracts and the season come up.
One longtime voice at CBS Sports will no longer be heard on its NFL games. Rich Gannon is out as a game analyst after 16 seasons, the New York Post reported Monday.
NEWS: After 16 seasons, Rich Gannon is out as a CBS game analyst, The Post has learned.https://t.co/iqgKKJs9p0
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) February 22, 2021
CBS has not set Gannon’s replacement just yet. The two internal candidates figure to be Adam Archuleta and James Lofton.
Before last season, CBS started to tip its hand on the 55-year-old Gannon when it split him from his longtime partner, Kevin Harlan. While CBS doesn’t officially designate its depth chart, Harlan and Trent Green did the third best game most weeks, while Greg Gumbel and Gannon received the fourth most-watched matchup.
Gannon played 18 seasons at quarterback in the NFL before moving into the booth.
Of course, the big name in play at CBS is Jim Nantz, who is seeking a big-time raise, somewhere in the neighborhood of his partner Tony Romo. The former Dallas Cowboys’ QB got a 10-year, $180 million contract before last season.
Sporting News ranks Rich Gannon’s performance in Super Bowl 37 as third worst in Super Bowl history by QB
Hey look, another listicle of Super Bowl stuff. This time it’s the Sporting News who is ranked what they deem to be the ten worst Super Bowl performances by a quarterback in history. They have 53 to choose from. Coming in at number three was Rich Gannon in Super bowl 37, behind only Craig Morton in Super Bowl 12 and Kerry Collins in Super Bowl 35.
Completions: 24 for 44, 272 yards, two touchdowns
Turnovers: Five interceptions (three returned for touchdowns)
Quarterback rating: 48.9Gannon set two infamous Super Bowl records with five interceptions and three pick-sixes against the Bucs in Super Bowl 37. To be fair, Tampa Bay’s three defensive touchdowns all came after the game was well in hand in the second half, and Gannon’s two touchdowns brought the score to 34-21 in the fourth quarter. Still, his performance was a big reason why the Bucs won the game 48-21 and safety Dexter Jackson became only the third defensive back ever to win Super Bowl MVP.
Writer Zac Al-Khateeb uses the words “to be fair” but leaves out a couple important details. Neither of which fall on Gannon’s shoulders.
First and foremost, the Raiders were facing the man that designed their offense. There was only one coach who could beat that Raiders team and league MVP Rich Gannon and it was Jon Gruden, who was standing on the opposite sideline watching his former OC use his playbook. Some Raiders players also said Callahan got nervous and tried to change the offense days before the game, which only made things worse.
Secondly, there was the whole Barret Robbins debacle. As if the above situation wasn’t bad enough, Gannon would suddenly be without his All-Pro center for the game because he had gone down to Tijuana Mexico (the game was in San Diego) two days before and missed his medication, causing a bipolar episode. When he was tracked down and brought back to the team, he was told he would not be playing and likely was in no shape to play anyway. It’s hard to imagine a QB having a tougher set of circumstances with which to work.
Super Bowl week is a double-edged sword for fans. You get to think about Super Bowl trophies past, but also the most recent trip which is not such a fond memory.
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Raiders quarterback Derek Carr righted Oakland’s ship early in the game with this week’s drive, using both his arm and his legs.
The Raiders defense carried Oakland to a 17-10 victory against the winless Bengals, but that doesn’t mean the offense didn’t have its moments.
Rookie running back Josh Jacobs finished with 112 rushing yards on 23 carries. Wide receiver Tyrell Williams and tight end Darren Waller both had more than 75 yards receiving.
But it was quarterback Derek Carr that stole the show in this week’s drive of the game, doing his best impression of the last Raiders QB to take the franchise to a Super Bowl, and to play under coach Jon Gruden, Rich Gannon.
By the time the drive started, Carr already completed his first 11 passes and pulled the Raiders even at 7-7 in the second quarter. Gannon was the last Raiders quarterback to start a game so efficiently, in 2001 under Gruden, according to the CBS broadcast.
Carr didn’t stop there. After a 10-yard run by Jacobs, Carr completed his first pass of the drive to wide receiver Tyrell Williams for 21 yards. A roughing the passer penalty pushed Oakland to the Bengals’ 34-yard line.
Gruden kept feeding Jacobs; the rookie ran twice for 14 yards, followed by a reception for three more and another rush, this one good for five, leading to the two-minute warning. A 3rd-and-2 play at the 12-yard line awaited.
After the break, Carr found wide receiver Hunter Renfrow for 10 more yards. Jacobs ran for a short gain. On second down, Carr just missed tight end Darren Waller in the end zone. Though his reception streak snapped, Carr wasn’t finished evoking Gannon, the former NFL MVP.
After a drop back on third down, Carr bolted for the end zone, bringing to mind many Gannon scrambles on the way to an electrifying TD run.
You love to see it.@derekcarrqb makes some absolute MAGIC on third and goal. #CINvsOAK pic.twitter.com/TUjTeZmQ7g
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) November 17, 2019
Carr and the offense scored just enough points to win, but that’s the keyword: win. Though Carr’s offense didn’t perform as they would have liked, they produced yards and were on the field for more than 35 minutes, giving the defense much-needed rest.
Gruden, meanwhile, must be proud of the coaching job he’s done with Carr. The quarterback’s gunslinger style is toned down, and a precise signal-caller, reminiscent of the crafty Gannon, is on display. Given Carr’s superior arm talent, the compromise is something to behold. The Raiders may have won ugly against a bad team, but Carr’s TD run was still a thing of beauty, capping this week’s drive of the game.
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This is Minnesota’s last game before its Week 12 bye.
The 7-3 Vikings host the 3-6 Broncos in Week 11 of the NFL season at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Kickoff is set for noon CT on Nov. 17.
For those streaming, try fuboTV. You can get started here for free.
The game will air on CBS (note: not FOX). Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Jay Feely will be on the call.
For those listening locally, tune into 100.3 KFAN-FM. Paul Allen, Pete Bercich, Greg Coleman and Ben Leber will be on the call.
This is Minnesota’s last game before its Week 12 bye.
The Vikings are 7-7 all-time against the Broncos, but have lost their last three games. They go into this game as 10.5-point favorites.
