Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Now, there are two underclassmen additions to the list of names that will be absent from the Tigers’ 2020 roster along with the projected first overall draft pick.
Now, there are two underclassmen additions to the list of names that will be absent from the Tigers’ 2020 roster along with the projected first overall draft pick.
Now, there are two underclassmen additions to the list of names that will be absent from the Tigers’ 2020 roster along with the projected first overall draft pick.
Now, there are two underclassmen additions to the list of names that will be absent from the Tigers’ 2020 roster along with the projected first overall draft pick.
Tyrann Mathieu could have lit up Deshaun Watson in Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game between the Texans and the Chiefs, but he didn’t.
Tyrann Mathieu could have lit up Deshaun Watson in Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game between the Texans and the Chiefs, but he didn’t.
Tyrann Mathieu could have lit up Deshaun Watson in Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game between the Texans and the Chiefs, but he didn’t.
Tyrann Mathieu could have lit up Deshaun Watson in Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game between the Texans and the Chiefs, but he didn’t.
Texas Longhorns safety Brandon Jones is no longer active on Senior Bowl rosters, could there be an injury?
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is a great opportunity for NFL hopeful’s to work with NFL coaches and impress scouts in one of their final opportunities ahead of the NFL Combine and Pro Day workouts. The Longhorns had three players that accepted invites to participate in the week long festivities. That list appears to be down to two.
Texas S Brandon Jones also no longer listed.
Usually means a player has had to pull out due to injury.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 7, 2020
Texas safety Brandon Jones did not participate in the Longhorns’ bowl win over the Utah Utes and now appears to be out for the Senior Bowl. Brandon Jones has been projected as a top 100 draft selection in most mock drafts. He still should be participating in the NFL Combine that takes place February 23rd through March 2nd.
Nothing on Jones has been released at this time and it is a situation that will be monitored.
Seventh time is a charm, right? For Tampa Bay Buccaneers great John Lynch, it might finally be his year to get that elusive gold jacket. Lynch was drafted as the 82nd overall pick (third round) in 1993 by the Buccaneers out of Stanford. Just a year …
Seventh time is a charm, right? For Tampa Bay Buccaneers great John Lynch, it might finally be his year to get that elusive gold jacket.
Lynch was drafted as the 82nd overall pick (third round) in 1993 by the Buccaneers out of Stanford. Just a year prior, the Florida Marlins also drafted Lynch as a pitcher with the 66th overall pick (second round) but he ultimately chose football as his career going forward, and it’s safe to say that both he and the Bucs are happy he went that route.
Throughout the first three seasons of his career, Lynch was mainly a backup safety, barring injury to the Bucs starters (Marty Carter 1993-94 and Barney Bussey 1995) despite flashing signs of the greatness that has Lynch as a seven-time finalist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In 1995, Lynch earned his first start for the Bucs against the Minnesota Vikings and made a tremendous impact with 11 tackles (six solo), two passes deflected and he picked off Vikings quarterback Warren Moon twice. It wasn’t until coaches Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin implemented the Tampa 2 defense that Lynch would wind up putting the entire league on notice that he was as a mainstay in the starting lineup as the Buccaneers strong safety.
A leader. A playmaker. A Bucs legend.
Congratulations to John Lynch on being named a 2020 @ProFootballHOF finalist! pic.twitter.com/2PNpsR0jDe
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 3, 2020
While his numbers may not show the flashy appeal that some fans want to see when it comes to talking about all-time greats, Lynch possessed all of the intangibles that makes players great. Lynch played 11 seasons for the Buccaneers and four with the Denver Broncos.
Since 2017, Lynch has been the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, instilling the same intensity he played with into his team’s players and coaches, and rebuilt a franchise that saw a fall from grace since their 2012 visit to the Super Bowl. The 49ers earned a record of 13-3 this season, good enough for the best record in the NFC and a bye in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.
Buccaneers faithful, and Lynch himself, will find out February 1 if seventh time is the charm for him to join fellow Buccaneers Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Tony Dungy in the NFL Hall of Fame.
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The Seattle Seahawks have a secret superstar in the wild-card round, as safety Quandre Diggs will be returning from his high-ankle sprain.
Going into the 2019 season, the Seahawks thought they could replace future Hall of Fame safety Earl Thomas with an aggregate of young players who had not yet aligned their athleticism to their field awareness. They were wrong. To their credit, head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider went about correcting the problem by fleecing the Lions out of safety Quandre Diggs on Oct. 22. All they had to give up to get Diggs was a 2020 fifth-round pick, and Detroit even threw in a 2021 seventh-rounder.
The difference in Seattle’s secondary was immediate. From weeks 1-9, on posts, deep crossers, go routes, hitch-and-go routes, out-and-up routes — anything that would test a secondary deep — the Seahawks allowed five catches on six catchable targets for 144 yards, one touchdown, and one interception to the middle, right middle, and left middle of the field. But from weeks 10-13, Seattle didn’t allow a single reception under those conditions. Neither Diggs nor safety-mate Bradley McDougald was targeted at all on such routes. In Week 14, Diggs was one of the few bright spots in a 28-12 Week 14 loss to the Rams, picking off two Jared Goff passes and returning one for a touchdown.
Having a safety who knows what’s going on is kind of important, as Diggs showed in his pick-six. Goff tries to hit Robert Woods on a crossing route from left to right, but Diggs has it read all the way, and screams down from the deep third to take the ball away for a 55-yard score.
But Diggs suffered a sprained ankle in Week 16 against the Panthers, and it didn’t take long for Seattle’s pass defense to fall apart again. Jimmy Garoppolo took advantage in a Week 17 loss to the 49ers that cost Seattle the division title. Diggs is on pace to return to the field on Sunday against the Eagles, which is very good news for a defense desperately in need of smart safety coverage.
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The Houston Texans secondary is counting on safety Jahleel Addae to step up in the aftermath of safety Tashaun Gipson going on injured reserve.
The Houston Texans secondary took quite the hit on Tuesday when it was announced that safety Tashaun Gipson was going to injured reserve.
The former Pro Bowler sustained a transverse process fracture in his back. Without Gipson starting alongside second-year safety Justin Reid, the Texans will have to rely more on Jahleel Addae to fill the void.
“He’s played quite a bit and done a nice job for us,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said of Addae on Wednesday .”We’ve used him in several different spots. So, I like what he brings to the table.”
Addae produced 42 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups in his 16 games with the Texans, three of which he started.
With Gipson out of the lineup, the Texans will have to find a suitable replacement to cover tight ends. Crennel knows that only time will disclose the truth.
“Only time will tell, but he was a starter and he made plays in the game,” said Crennel. “He helped us, so we’ll have to see how that goes. We still have experienced players that can play on the back end and we’ll have to see how they play and if it impacts us positively or negatively.”
Gipson collected 51 tackles, three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and eight pass breakups in his 14 games for Houston, all of which he started.
What Addae does bring to the secondary is playoff experience. With the Chargers franchise, the former 2013 undrafted safety from Central Michigan played in four postseason games, collecting 32 tackles, two for losses, forcing a fumble, and recovering another.
The Texans could use that level of playmaking when they take on the Buffalo Bills at 3:35 p.m. CT on Saturday at NRG Stadium. Houston seeks their first playoff win since Jan. 7, 2017, while the Bills are long-suffering after experiencing their last on Dec. 30, 1995.
The Bears will pay safety Eddie Jackson an average of $14.6 million per year. Justin Simmons will likely ask the Broncos for more than that.
The Bears have signed safety Eddie Jackson to a four-year contract extension worth $58.4 million with $33 million guaranteed, according to Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire. That could be good news for Broncos safety Justin Simmons.
Jackson is now the league’s highest-paid safety, earning an average of $14.6 million per season. Simmons is about to become a free agent in March and his agent will likely ask for more than what Jackson was paid.
Jackson — a free safety like Simmons — totaled 60 tackles, one sack, five pass breakouts and two interceptions this year. Simmons totaled 93 tackles, 15 pass breakups and four interceptions. Jackson earned AP All-Pro honors last season and Simmons was named a second-team All-Pro this year.
Simmons will likely aim to top — or at least match — Jackson’s new contract. Simmons earned just over $4.7 million in the first four years of his career. The safety will likely earn three times that total in 2020 alone.
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Broncos safety Justin Simmons made the AP’s second-team All-Pro roster.
Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons made the Associated Press second-team All-Pro squad for the 2019 NFL season. Jets safety Jamal Adams and Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick made the first team. Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu also made the first team, listed as a “defensive back.”
Former Broncos outside linebacker Shaq Barrett made the second-team defense as an edge rusher and Denver linebacker Von Miller and defensive back Chris Harris each received one vote at their respective positions.
Simmons is just the fifth safety in franchise history to earn AP All-Pro recognition, joining Steve Atwater (three times), Brian Dawkins (one time), Dennis Smith (one time) and Billy Thompson (one time).
Simmons was also named to Pro Football Focus’ first-team All-Pro squad this week. The safety’s two All-Pro nods emphasize how ridiculous it is that Simmons isn’t even an alternate for the Pro Bowl.
Simmons will become a free agent in March. Denver plans to bring him back, either on a franchise tag or multi-year contract extension.
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