Tag: Roger Craig

2 former Vikings on ‘top 25 players not in Hall of Fame’ list

The question remains: Will Jim Marshall ever get into the Hall of Fame?

Over at CBS Sports, Bryan DeArdo ranked the top-25 players who aren’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame right now.

On that list were two former Vikings.

At No. 20 was defensive lineman Jim Marshall.

This has been a player that the NFL world has been advocating for over the years. Here’s what DeArdo wrote about Marshall:

A valued member of Minnesota’s “Purple People Eaters” defensive line, Marshall holds numerous NFL records, including the most seasons played by a defensive player (20, along with Junior Seau and Darrell Green), most consecutive games by a defensive player (282), most consecutive starts by a defensive player (270), and most career fumble recoveries (30). Marshall, who was still a starter at age 42, helped the Vikings win three NFC titles along with the NFL championship in 1969.

The other former on the Viking came it at No. 4. That was running back Roger Craig. Craig only spent two seasons with the Vikings at the end of his career. Of course, Craig is mostly known for his days with the 49ers, winning three Super Bowls and making four Pro Bowl teams.

You can check out DeArdo’s full list here.

Saints have a case for back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year winners

A year after New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas won Offensive Player of the Year, teammate RB Alvin Kamara could follow in his footsteps.

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Do you know who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage?

That would be New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara, with 557 combined yards of offense (the runner-up: Green Bay Packers stud Aaron Jones, with 509 yards). That’s an average of 139.3 scrimmage yards per game, which puts him on pace for 2,228 yards over a 16-game season. For context, Carolina Panthers keystone Christian McCaffrey led the league with 2,392 scrimmage yards in 2019.

And what about the NFL’s leader in touchdown runs and catches?

Again: Alvin Kamara, with seven scores in his first four games (Jones and Minnesota Vikings runner Dalvin Cook are tied for next-best, with six touchdowns each). Kamara is on pace to score 28 times in 2020, which would shatter his own personal best (18) and tie the great Shaun Alexander for the second-most in NFL history behind the legendary LaDainian Tomlinson, who logged 31 combined touchdowns back in 2006.

Kamara has started the 2020 season with a series of bangs, running wild against every defense he’s faced. He’s seen more touches than the next three teammates combined (his backup, Latavius Murray, and wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Tre’Quan Smith) and done a lot to shoulder the load with all-star receiver Michael Thomas sidelined by an injury.

It’s certainly impressive, and it sets Kamara up as an early favorite to win the NFL’s award for Offensive Player of the Year. That’s the same recognition that Thomas himself earned in 2019 after breaking the league record for receptions in a single season. He had 149 catches last year and also led the NFL in receiving yards (1,725).

Sure, Kamara could trail off a bit. Defenses could start guarding him better, the Saints could start distributing the ball more evenly, or he could suffer an injury setback of his own (let’s hope not). Other players around the league could also start outplaying him. But there isn’t anyone performing better than him right now, or for much of the last month. And if he keeps it up, he should be considered for the same award Thomas won last year.

For the curious, no teammates have won Offensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons since 1989, when the San Francisco 49ers had a three-peat between wide receiver Jerry Rice (in 1987), running back Roger Craig (in 1988), and quarterback Steve Young (in 1989). Thomas and Kamara entering that kind of company would be historic.

But what about MVP? The NFL’s award for its Most Valuable Player has been limited to quarterbacks since 2012, when Adrian Peterson (Kamara’s one-time teammate) won it after running for 2,097 rushing yards and totaling 2,314 yards from scrimmage. And Peterson joined Alexander, Tomlinson, and Rams legend Marshall Faulk as the only non-quarterbacks to win MVP over the last 20 years, so Kamara would be a long shot in even a best-case scenario. But we’re not going to write him off just yet.

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Best bets for which Pro Football Hall of Fame centennial finalists will be enshrined

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s special Centennial Class of 2020 will be announced Jan. 15 but the 38 finalists for induction have been revealed. As per the HOF’s official web site release: A special Blue-Ribbon Panel comprised of many members of …

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s special Centennial Class of 2020 will be announced Jan. 15 but the 38 finalists for induction have been revealed. As per the HOF’s official web site release:

A special Blue-Ribbon Panel comprised of many members of the overall Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Hall of Famers, coaches, football executives and several leading historians has scrutinized the merits of nearly 300 candidates nominated for consideration as part of the Hall’s special Centennial Class of 2020. The finalists will be deliberated by the Blue-Ribbon Panel in January from which 10 Seniors, three (3) Contributors and two (2) Coaches will be elected to the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020. The remainder of the one-time 20-person Class of 2020 will include five Modern-Era Players who will be elected from 15 finalists by the full Selection Committee on “Selection Saturday,” the eve of Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

So, with that in mind, here are our next best guesses — former coaches turned analysts, Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson, have already been announced as in — for the sweet Centennial Class enshrinees.

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Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey chasing history in Week 17 vs. Saints

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is looking for his first 1000/1000-yard season in Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints.

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The Carolina Panthers don’t have much to play for in Week 17, but they aren’t going to pull any punches against the New Orleans Saints. Panthers offensive coordinator Scott Turner told ESPN’s David Newton that he plans to funnel as many touches as possible to running back Christian McCaffrey, who is close to making NFL history as just the third player to record 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.

McCaffrey needs 67 yards through the air to join that company, having already racked up 1,361 rushing yards this year. He collected 69 receiving yards against the Saints in their meeting earlier this season, including a touchdown grab, which is slightly higher than his season average (62.2). He’s averaged 58.4 receiving yards per game against the Saints in five previous games.

If McCaffrey does go the distance, he’ll take his place next to two NFL legends: San Francisco 49ers great Roger Craig (1,050 rushing yards and 1,016 receiving yards in 1985) and then-St. Louis Rams star Marshall Faulk (1,381 rushing yards and 1,048 receiving yards in 1999). It’s a testament to McCaffrey’s athleticism, durability, and versatile set of skills that he’s put the team on his back this season and put up this level of production.

Hopefully, the Saints defense will be prepared to deny him that spot next to Craig and Faulk. They could be short-handed after losing defensive linemen Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins to injured reserve a few weeks ago, and with defensive backs Marcus Williams and Eli Apple exiting last week’s game with the Tennessee Titans. Just because they’re almost to the playoffs doesn’t mean they can overlook this opponent.

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