A look at how several former members of the New York Giants are faring in the XFL as the league hits the midway point of its season.
The XFL returned for its third iteration this year and is now being run by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The season is officially through five weeks — their midway point — and there has been some solid action and interesting moments, many of which have a distinct New York Giants flavor.
XFL’s Vegas Vipers adds former Ohio State running back #Vipers #XFL #GoBucks
The newest iteration of the XFL kicks off on Feb. 18, 2023, and more football means more opportunity for one former Ohio State player. The Vegas Vipers selected former Ohio State running back, Rod Smith, in the ninth round of the open phase of their positional draft.
Most players in the XFL look to use the league as an entryway into the NFL, but Smith actually had an incredibly successful NFL career given the expectation for undrafted players. Smith went undrafted in 2015 and had a cup of coffee with the Seattle Seahawks that season before spending the rest of 2015 through 2018 with the Dallas Cowboys. Smith had stints with the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders. He returned to the New York Giants in 2020 and finished his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
Most Buckeye fans will remember Smith as a former star recruit from Indiana who struggled with off-field issues throughout his time in Columbus. He started to see significant playing time as a redshirt freshman, but was placed in the doghouse for missing the flight to the 2012 Gator Bowl. As a junior, Smith was suspended for the season opener — and as a senior — he dealt with academic issues in the spring and was dismissed from the team after a failed drug test.
Smith has the pedigree to be a star in this league.
After being snubbed last year, Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion DeMarcus Ware should be a favorite to reach the Hall of Fame this year.
After being snubbed by voters in his first year of eligibility in 2021, Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion DeMarcus Ware has once again been nominated as a modern-era candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ware is among 11 former Broncos who were nominated this week, the Hall of Fame announced Tuesday. Five players who won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s headline the list: wide receiver Rod Smith, center Tom Nalen, kicker Jason Elam, guard Mark Schlereth and defensive lineman Neil Smith.
Some of those players had longer tenures with the Broncos than Ware, but he is arguably the team’s most accomplished candidate, and he’s probably the most likely to reach the Hall of Fame first.
Denver also had former linebackers Al Wilson and Seth Joyner, wide receiver Wes Welker, defensive lineman Simeon Rice and cornerback Dre’ Bly nominated for the 2023 Hall of Fame class.
Former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar was snubbed as a senior candidate this year, as were Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves as coach candidates. Denver hasn’t gotten the love it deserves from Hall of Fame voters historically, but Ware should be a strong candidate for the 2023 class.
These special guests took in the Broncos’ practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. After practice, several Denver players stayed to sign autographs and speak with the military members, including quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Kendall Hinton and offensive tackle Garett Bolles, among others.
After practice, USAA and the Broncos partnered to put on its annual Salute to Service boot camp, where the military personnel were greeted by Denver legend Rod Smith and several local and national USAA representatives.
Former Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith speaks to military members and their families
After a rousing introduction, all in attendance participated in drills similar to those run at the NFL combine. Drills included a long throw contest, the shuttle, a 40-yard dash and the long jump.
“It was really good having the opportunity to come here, to practice how the NFL [does],” said Army participant Gideon Adomah. “My best was the 40 yard dash. I ran a 4.80-something. That was kind of slow for me. I was expecting something better, like a 4.1.”
Adomah, originally from Ghana, said that this was his first exposure to the NFL in his life. “It was my first time throwing a football, so I learned something today,” he said.
According to Dave Morrisey, senior relationship advisor to the United States Air Force Academy for USAA, there were personnel from several bases in Colorado, including Fort Carson, Schriever Space Force Base, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and Peterson Air Force Base.
“[My highlight of the day] was definitely the players appreciating us. It’s great to get support that is unseen sometimes,” said Nick Nelson, staff sergeant in the United States Air Force. “It is support we don’t see often, you know, everyday when we go to work. [For the players], it shows what they’re playing for. They go and put it all on the line, just like we do.”
Broncos legend Rod Smith watches as military members participate in the 40-yard dash.A military member participates in the long throw contest during USAA’s Salute to Service boot camp
Penn State loses analyst to coordinator job with Rich Rodriguez and Jacksonville State.
It seems like so long ago that Rich Rodriguez was the hottest name in college football, lifting up West Virginia to heights they never imagined. He rode that momentum all the way to a big payday from Michigan but the Big Ten quickly humbled him and his wave of momentum. He finds himself back in the Big Ten though, not to coach, but to get a coach for his new staff.
Rodriguez took over the job at Jacksonville State in November of last year. The FCS program has seen recent success and Rodriguez’s offense is a reason for further optimism. To help run his offense he decided the best man for the job was on [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s staff, [autotag]Rod Smith[/autotag].
Rodriguez had a short term in the Big Ten coaching Michigan going 15-22 in three seasons before being fired. Michigan had themselves on quite the carousel after losing the once-hot commodity, it seems they are now more than happy with Michigan alum, Jim Harbaugh.
As for Rod Smith, he joined Penn State’s staff just this year after being an offensive analyst for Bronco Mendenhall’s staff at Virginia. Once Mendenhall resigned, Smith drove north and got a job with Franklin. In a short time frame, he turned that into an even bigger role now with Rodriguez.
Smith will be the new offensive coordinator for Jacksonville State in 2022 but Rodriguez didn’t just promote some offensive analyst. Smith is actually reuniting with Rodriguez. The two worked together at Glenville State, one of Rodriguez’s first head coaching jobs that helped him mold his offensive flair with a no-huddle offense.
His quarterback at Glenville State? Rod Smith.
Smith also served as an offensive coordinator for Rodriguez when Rodriguez was the head coach at Arizona. Smith was also a part of Rodriguez’s coaching staff at West Virginia and Michigan before that.
Even though he was only on staff for a short time, we can add another name to the James Franklin coaching tree. James Franklin has long had success being a pit stop of sorts for college coaches and Smith proved to be no exception.
Just this year, Franklin has had to replace two coordinators in [autotag]Brent Pry[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Lorig[/autotag] on the defensive and special teams. He brought in coach looking for a rehab stint of sorts in Manny Diaz to be the defensive coordinator., It remains to be seen just how long Diaz will be sticking around.
The bottom line here is Franklin will always be sending coaches off to promotions and he will always find more than suitable replacements. This is a trait that should not be overlooked when analyzing how we view Franklin.
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In addition to the trade of OT Greg Little, the Panthers maneuvered around four other players to reach Tuesday’s 85-man roster limit.
As unfortunate as this side of the business can be, five players were headed to the chopping block for the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday afternoon. What’s even more unfortunate is that one of them has come as a result of a crushing injury.
During their cutdown to the 85-man roster limit, the Panthers announced they have placed cornerback Troy Pride Jr. on the injured reserve. Pride Jr. sustained a knee injury late in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts and was carted off into the locker room.
The 23-year-old defender was drafted by the team in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He started in eight of his 14 games played as a rookie last season, totaling 41 tackles and a pair of pass deflections.
Pride Jr.’s spot on the roster was already in jeopardy, even prior to the injury. With Carolina boasting a sudden crop of solid depth at cornerback, teammates Keith Taylor and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III were presumed as favorites to knock off Pride Jr. on the depth chart.
A former Ohio State running back gets another shot with the Panthers1
Former Ohio State running back Rod Smith is getting another shot in the NFl.
According to a release by the Carolina Panthers official Twitter account, the team has signed Smith to a contract to add some depth at the position. To make room for the signing, the Panthers waived punter Oscar Draguicevich.
The most consistent role for Smith in the NFL so far has been with the Cowboys where he rushed for 359 yards on 99 carries during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
He’ll now get another shot to find a role with the Panthers. He joins former Ohio State players Pat Eflein and C.J. Saunders who are also on the roster for training camp in 2021.
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To make room for Smith on the 90-man roster, the Panthers released rookie punter Oscar Draguicevich.
The Panthers have made a couple of roster moves prior to today’s training camp practice. The team just announced that they’ve signed former Cowboys running back Rod Smith – not to be confused with current Carolina running back Rodney Smith – nor the former Pro Bowl Broncos receiver.
This Smith played his college football at Ohio State, where he racked up 549 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground and a couple more through the air. Smith went undrafted in 2015 and got his first gig in the NFL with the Seahawks. After Seattle waived him in October, Dallas picked him up and he stayed with the Cowboys four years. He’s also spent time with the Giants, Titans and the Raiders. All in all, he’s played in 55 games at this level, totaling 101 rushes for 364 yards and five touchdowns.
To make room for Smith on the 90-man roster, the Panthers released rookie punter Oscar Draguicevich.
Manning is a lock to enter the Hall of Fame next year.
BREAKING: The Modern-Era nominees for the Class of 2021 have been unveiled. The list is comprised of 130 players. Among the group are 14 first-year eligible players.
Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is among nine ex-Denver players who have been nominated for the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class as modern-era candidates.
A total of 130 modern-era players were nominated and Manning is among 14 first-year eligible players, joining Calvin Johnson and Charles Woodson, among others (view the full list on the Hall of Fame’s website).
Manning won two Super Bowls during his career, one with the Colts and one later in his career with the Broncos. He is a lock to be voted into the Hall of Fame this year.
In addition to Manning, former Denver center Tom Nalen, wide receiver Rod Smith, kicker Jason Elam, defensive lineman Neil Smith and safety John Lynch were also nominated. The list of nominated players who spent time with the Broncos also includes receiver Wes Welker, running back Glyn Milburn and defensive lineman Michael Dean Perry.
Denver legend Steve Atwater was set to enter the Hall of Fame this year but the ceremony was pushed back until 2021 because of the coronavirus. Manning will likely join Atwater in Canton next summer.
