Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Find out who is representing the Chargers.
Six former Chargers have made the list of 122 modern-era players eligible for the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
They are as follows:
DB Antonio Cromartie
NT Lorenzo Neal
DL Leslie O’Neal
LB Takeo Spikes
DB Rodney Harrison
DB Bob Sanders
It will be trimmed to a list of 25 semifinalists in November and then to 15 finalists in January.
The selection committee will meet after that to select the 2022 class, which will be enshrined next August.
“I was just really stunned by the Patriots’ front seven.”
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=none image=https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
The New England Patriots’ front seven is much stronger in 2021 than it was last season.
But, there’s still room for improvement.
Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison noted this during an NBC Sports segment.
“I look at their defensive front seven — which is supposed to be stout, which is really supposed to be the strength of their team — and it was average,” Harrison said, transcribed by WEEI. “It wasn’t very good. I just didn’t see the consistent pressure. I didn’t see them stopping the run. I didn’t see those guys flying around. They looked slow, they didn’t really look energetic.
“This is supposed to be a faster, more athletic defense. I was just really stunned by the Patriots’ front seven.”
The Patriots did manage to hold the Dolphins to only 74 rushing yards on 23 carries, which is a vast improvement in the rush defense compared to last season. But, Tua Tagovailoa had too much freedom in the 17-16 win and the lethal group of edge rushers didn’t pose the threat they were expected to.
Things will likely change in Week 2, though.
New England will hit the road to take on the New York Jets and they’ll face rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. Bill Belichick’s teams are historically dominant against rookie quarterbacks and it’ll be an opportunity to get the front seven fired up.
If Harrison still feels this way after Week 2, the Patriots may have an issue defensively going forward.
[listicle id=109977]
Rodney Harrison revealed how Bill Belichick takes criticism from analysts.
In the middle of Rodney Harrison’s first season as an NFL analyst on NBC, he was tested, as he offered his thoughts on the Patriots’ controversial 4th -and-2 play against the Indianapolis Colts that year. Yup, the former Patriots safety has been on NBC’s “Football Night in America” since 2009.
With Harrison maintaining relationships with Patriots players and Bill Belichick, he was put in a tough spot, with criticism of the coach he once played for.
Harrison was uncomfortable to say the least, yet still managed to give his opinion. Now in his 13 season at the position, he has shown he is not afraid to criticize New England. With that being said, Harrison revealed Belichick’s reaction to his former player offering criticism.
“I was just up there for the Patriots Hall of Fame [in 2019], and Belichick told me and Willie McGinest, ‘Look, if you guys have to criticize me, I understand it. You have a job to do,’” Harrison told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I was like, ‘Coach, I have no problem with that!’ It was nice for him to say that, because somebody that gave me an opportunity, who really believed in you, the last thing you want to do is criticize him. But I had to do my job.”
If anything, Harrison’s story just goes to show that Belichick is not afraid to take everything in stride.
[lawrence-related id=106920]
Rodney Harrison is optimistic about Kyle Dugger’s future.
One of the brightest young players on the New England Patriots’ roster is Kyle Dugger.
It was clear he had sky-high potential when the Patriots used their first pick in the 2020 draft on a DII safety. The Lenoir-Rhyne product was dominant within his realm, but played at a lower level than most of the top prospects. It’s possible he could’ve dropped to the Patriots at a lower pick, but Bill Belichick knew who he wanted and didn’t risk losing him.
Dugger dealt with an ankle injury last year, but he stilled played in 14 games and seamlessly worked his way into an NFL setting with little offseason reps. Patriots legend Rodney Harrison was a part of that development, as he told ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Sunday.
“Right after the draft, they gave me his number and I just called him. I reached out and talked to him,” Harrison said. “Even this offseason, I text him and say, ‘Hey, send me some clips you want me to look over of you in coverage.'”
[Coach] Belichick told me that he’s been looking for a young kid who can come in and do a lot of the things that he basically asked me to do. Kyle can be that.”
Harrison believes in Dugger’s potential and he reiterated that to him with positive reinforcement.
“I’ve been telling him ‘You can cover. You just have to believe in yourself a little bit more. Don’t give those tight ends free releases. Get up there and jam them — you’re a big kid, you’re strong, so get up there and challenge them and don’t make it easy for them,'” Harrison said. “In the pass game, I just want to see him play with more confidence. He just has to believe what he sees. I tell him, ‘Believe what you see and go get it! Don’t second-guess yourself! Be aggressive! You don’t need to play careful.’
“In the run game, I think he’s tough and he’s starting to really see the line-block combinations; when the tight end blocks down and the tackle pulls, where he needs to go, where his proper fit is.”
Overall, Harrison is optimistic about Dugger’s future.
“I love the kid, his attitude,” he said. “He’s such a humble kid, and he wants to be really good. He asks questions.”
[listicle id=105457]
Find out which players represented the Chargers.
The Chargers have seen some elite players walk through the doors since the franchise originally started up.
Sports Illustrated selected the best player taken at each of the 259 picks in the modern seven-round draft, which dates back to as early as 1942.
The Bolts were represented with seven players.
Here’s who made the list:
9. Lance Alworth, WR, San Diego, 1962. (11, 136) Hall of Fame. NFL’s 100th anniversary team. All-decade. 7 Pro Bowls. 2 championship rings. 3-time AFL receiving champion.
32. Drew Brees, QB, San Diego, 2001. (20, 287) 13 Pro Bowls. 2006 NFL Man of the Year. 1 Super Bowl ring. 2010 Super Bowl MVP. 2-time NFL passing champion. 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. NFL’s all-time leading passer with 80,358 yards – only QB with 80,000. Only 12 5,000-yard passing seasons in NFL history and Brees has five of them. No one else has more than one.
64. Dan Fouts, QB, San Diego, 1973. (15, 181) Hall of Fame. All-decade. 1982 NFL MVP. 6 Pro Bowls. 1982 NFL passing champion. His jersey number 14 retired by the Chargers.
145. Rodney Harrison, S, San Diego, 1994. (15, 186) 3 Pro Bowls. 2 Super Bowl rings. 1,206 career tackles, 34 interceptions. Named to the 50th anniversary teams of both the Chargers and Patriots.
164. Rickey Young, HB, San Diego, 1975. (9, 131) 1978 NFL receiving champion. 408 career receptions, 16 touchdowns. 3,666 career rushing yards, 23 touchdowns.
202. Earnest Jackson, HB, San Diego, 1983. (6, 81) 2 Pro Bowls. 1984 AFC rushing champion. 4,167 career rushing yards, 22 touchdowns.
222. Trent Green, QB, San Diego, 1993. (11, 120) 2 Pro Bowls. 1 Super Bowl ring. Quarterbacked the NFL’s top-ranked offense at Kansas City in both 2004 and 2005. 28,475 career passing yards, 162 touchdowns.
“That would be the worst decision [Bill Belichick] has ever made.”
As the New England Patriots search for a quarterback this offseason, the speculation leads to any name that isn’t Cam Newton.
The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Patriots last year and finished the season with a 7-8 record, which is impressive considering the team around him. Although he had 12 rushing touchdowns and carried the squad with his energy and enthusiasm, it was clear he isn’t the same passer as before. Newton threw for 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns and ten interceptions over 15 games.
But, is it worth bringing him back for a second chance? Rodney Harrison strongly disagrees with that idea.
“That would be the worst decision [Bill Belichick] has ever made,” Harrison said, via NBC Sports Boston . “Because now you’re not being fair to your team. When I saw what I saw with Cam, every time I saw Cam pretty much I was hurt. Because I was a guy that believed in Cam, and when you see him drop back and he continues to throw the ball into the ground, throw it five feet or 5 yards above somebody else, you’re like ‘What are you doing, Cam?’ …
“You have to find a quarterback. It would be a terrible mistake for Bill Belichick to bring Cam back because Cam can’t play football anymore. He just can’t play quarterback in the National Football League.”
Harsh, but maybe true.
The Patriots have been linked to Alabama’s Mac Jones and they have the No. 15 overall pick to potentially snag him. There’s other veterans out there who could fit with the team — including Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr and Jacoby Brissett.
As for a potential future with Newton, Harrison clearly isn’t a fan.
[vertical-gallery id=101739]
“He is a star, but, yes, he is not a winner.”
Similar to the 2020 offseason, there’s going to be endless debates on the New England Patriots’ quarterback situation going into 2021.
There isn’t much information coming from Bill Belichick and the team, but speculation is leading to the fact that Cam Newton is on his way out in free agency. Whether or not the Patriots seek out a veteran or find their guy with the No. 15 pick is an absolute mystery.
One quarterback that does stand out is the 32-year-old Matthew Stafford, who’s mutually parting ways with the Detroit Lions this offseason. Because Stafford still has two years remaining on his contract, the money situation will be tricky and the Patriots are one of the few teams who can afford him. Former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi laid out the financial scenario and explained why the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts are front-runners.
Rodney Harrison gave his insight on the situation and believes Stafford would be a ‘perfect’ choice for the team. Tedy Bruschi doesn’t agree and he argued his point Wednesday on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria.”
“No, I don’t agree with Hot Rod there,” Bruschi said. “I’m a fan of Matthew Stafford, the player. I’m just not a fan of his teams. And so what does that say? It says watching him play is fun — sling it all over the place, the arm angles, taking chances. All of that stuff, that’s great. But it never equals into anything substantial, anything meaningful for the victory.”
And Bruschi is correct — Stafford is a 12-year veteran who had solid teams in Detroit and he only produced three playoff appearances, with no wins.
“He is a star, but, yes, he is not a winner,” Bruschi said. ” … There’s a lot of guys out there with a lot of stats that have no playoff wins, and I think Stafford doesn’t have playoff wins for a reason.
“Now if he comes to New England, you’re gonna have to drop in pay, you’re gonna have to learn to play a different way. And if there’s anyone that knows what kind of player you are, he’s on the staff now, who’s just been hired, and that’s (former Lions head coach) Matt Patricia.”
Newton was willing to risk time with his family and learn a new system, but he talked numerous times about the mental grind of playing in New England. Like Bruschi said, Patricia would know best if Stafford had that ability in him.
“I would say this, winning football is something that I don’t really recognize when I watch him play,” Bruschi said. “I just recognize the highlight plays that he has and that’s really not gonna work with this type of team, in my opinion.”
The Patriots met with Alabama’s Mac Jones at the Senior Bowl and they have options in other places if Stafford doesn’t pan out.
[vertical-gallery id=101046]
“I thought (Sunday) night was a masterful job.”
Here’s what former New England Patriots safety and current NBC Sports analyst Rodney Harrison said he liked about Bill Belichick’s Week 10 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
“I thought (Sunday) night was a masterful job because (Belichick) used the weather just like when we used to play against the Colts and all these other teams, these California teams that came in and really used it to his advantage,” Harrison said Monday on NBC Sports. “He went back to his roots. What are the Patriots’ roots? Even when Tom Brady was there, (it) was physicality, having tough, smart guys that play well under pressure and it always started in the trenches, whether it was the offensive line or defensive line. They controlled the offensive line. I mean, they absolutely did a wonderful job.”
[vertical-gallery id=98320]
A team of all-time great New Orleans NFL players is set to face Chicago’s own Homegrown Legends, with Peyton Manning and Ed Reed in front.
[jwplayer 55f1rSAh-ThvAeFxT]
What would happen if each NFL team only recruited talent from a geographic perspective? And what if we could put together those squads from throughout pro football’s history? To take it a step further, which city would field the best team?
Our best guess: the New Orleans Saints. Louisiana has created together more great football players than the rest of the country put together, and that’s reflected in our Homegrown Legends roster. Peyton Manning would be throwing to Reggie Wayne and Odell Beckham Jr. when isn’t handing the ball off to Marshall Faulk, with Ed Reed commanding the defense.
Just look at how it was recapped in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings:
Mr. Manning will certainly be familiar with Reggie Wayne, and here, we finally get to answer the question, “What if the Colts hadn’t traded Marshall Faulk to the Rams after the 1998 season, his only year with Peyton?” You could be writing an alternate history of the NFL in the early 2000s there. We’ll make up for that here by giving Manning a truly ridiculous group of receivers. Maybe he can keep Odell consistent, too. Aside from that, imagine how amazing it would be to watch a secondary that had both Ed Reed and Tyrann Mathieu. Unfair to every opposing quarterback, to be sure.
Now we’re in Round 1 of the Hometown Legends tournament, with the No. 2 New Orleans squad matched up against the No. 15 Chicago team in the NFC bracket. We don’t mean any disrespect to Chicago’s all-time greats, but this is a contest New Orleans should walk away with.
Vote for New Orleans to take down Chicago by following this link.
[vertical-gallery id=38128]
“Coach is absolutely fantastic – every year during the holidays, he sends us gifts and baskets and really nice chocolates.”
Bill Belichick is infamously known for his monotone voice and harsh demeanor. He’s not the most friendly of coaches when it comes to time with the media and he doesn’t necessarily wear his emotions on his sleeve.
There’s a side to him that the public doesn’t always see and it’s refreshing to know he’s human also. Belichick grew up with a military mentality and it has led to six Super Bowl wins as a head coach and more success than any other coach in NFL history.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran released a new podcast episode titled, ‘The Bill Belichick You Don’t Know’ on Thursday. It features a slew of former Patriots and their own respective stories about Belichick.
I think you guys will really like this. https://t.co/V3OHx6UKzY
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) July 16, 2020
These stories were transcribed by Boston.com’s Deyscha Smith.
“Coach is absolutely fantastic – every year during the holidays, he sends us gifts and baskets and really nice chocolates. He’s an easy-going guy; conversations are always light; he doesn’t really take himself too serious, as much as other people think that he’s this really serious guy; he’s caring; he’s just an open relaxed guy. I got a great relationship with him.”
“He’s actually very very funny, that would shock the people of New England. He’s got a good sense of humor. It’s just that that’s not him the football coach. That’s him the person, and he’s always been able to divide church and state. I mean this is the same guy that’s close friends with Bon Jovi, he’s the same guy that me and him were at a charity event for my charity and we’re singing background to ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive.’ So, I mean it’s the same guy — there’s him the football coach and there’s him when he’s not the football coach.
“I think that in the world we live in unfortunately, with cell phones and everyone videoing everything you do, you really got to be on your guard to live a more quiet, anonymous type of lifestyle when you’re away from football.”
“I think it was 2009, it was my first year there and you have a general idea of Bill as a young guy coming onto the team. There’s a little bit of fear of, ‘You don’t want to get him angry or do you anything [because] you could get cut easily,’ he’s got the power to do all.
The year we played Tennessee … I’m walking out after the game, walking to my truck and all of a sudden, a snowball comes flying in, and I’m like, ‘Who the heck is throwing snowballs?’ And it was Bill throwing snowballs at guys. It was just kind of funny, Bill Belichick throwing snowballs at people. I’m sure he was super pumped because we had won by a lot and it was snowing.
It was just kind of a fun moment where you were like, ‘He’s not so bad…he’s not so bad.’ I threw a snowball back — but it was one of those moments where it was like, make sure you don’t hit him.”
“For me, Bill [and I] are very cool. It was different, we had a very talkative relationship, I talked to him about a lot of things. There were moments when I was going through something and I needed some advice, and Bill is a guy that I would turn [to] and ask what he thought.
“Bill is a really great, straightforward guy, and that’s what I like about him the most. And he’s really funny. [He’s like] Larry David, like “Curb Your Enthusiasm”…that’s how Bill is. You can’t really explain the humor, you have to be in the room when it happens.”
“I remember one time we’re sitting in the meeting room, and he was critiquing Asante Samuel and he said, ‘Okay!’ That’s it Asante, hit him with a pillow. Let’s throw marshmallows at him sometime.’ There’s that sarcastic, funny humor that a lot of people are scared to death to even smile during those meetings because you’re like, ‘I could be the next one up on that film study.’
“Sometimes you’ll even see him crack a grin after he says something like that.”
“He has such a dry sense of humor and it’s hilarious, he’ll compare plays to funny situations that have nothing to do with football.
“Before we go on long breaks, before we go for summer vacation or after season, he likes to pull up news reports of other NFL players who made poor decisions in the offseason, just a little reminder [and] bug in our ear of what we should not be doing.
“He would go over the reports and he’d have us guess as to what time of the day these things happened, what do [we] think these guys are in the news for, and then he’ll always leave us with, ‘Stay off the [blank], bottom line. Stay off the ticker, the ESPN ticker, that bottom line that goes across your screen.’”
[vertical-gallery id=91049]
