Tag: safety

Texans S Justin Reid wins 2019 Ed Block Courage Award

Houston Texans safety Justin Reid won the team’s 2019 Ed Block Courage Award as voted by his teammates.

The Houston Texans have selected second-year safety Justin Reid as the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award winner.

Reid’s teammates voted to recognize his efforts both on and off the field and for his ability to overcome great adversity.

“I feel blessed and honored to be voted the winner of the Ed Block Courage Award, especially since it’s voted on purely by my teammates,” Reid said. “It means a lot to be able to represent them and the Houston Texans organization with this honor.”

Reid has played with wrist and shoulder injuries since coming into the NFL as a third-round pick from Stanford in 2018. The Prairieville, La., native has started in 25 of his 29 career games with 153 total tackles, four interceptions, a pick-six, 14 pass breakups, two quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss.

Coach Bill O’Brien says that Reid’s “team-first attitude” is what made him a great selection for the award.

“For a young player, he has a great understanding of what it means to be a professional in order to have success at this level,” O’Brien said. “Everyone sees the plays he makes on Sundays, but it’s his dedication to doing whatever it takes throughout the week to get his body ready to go in the training room that has earned the respect of his teammates.”

Established in 1984, the Ed Block Courage Award is given to one player from every NFL team and honors players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. The award is also the only one that is chosen solely by their peers.

Reid and other winners from the other 31 teams will travel to Baltimore to receive their trophies at a gala in their honor and to visit the Ed Block Courage House, which provides support and quality care for abused children and their families in the community.

Block, a longtime athletic trainer for the Baltimore Colts, was passionate towards causes that helped children.

 

Texans’ Ed Block Courage Award Winners

2019       S Justin Reid

2018       S Andre Hal

2017       OT Derek Newton

2016       OT Duane Brown

2015       DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney

2014       OG David Quessenberry

2013       ILB Brian Cushing

2012       QB Matt Schaub

2011       ILB DeMeco Ryans

2010       TE Joel Dreessen

2009       LB Zac Diles

2008       WR Harry Williams

2007       DE Anthony Weaver

2006      LB Kailee Wong

2005      WR Jabar Gaffney

2004      DT Seth Payne

2003      CB Aaron Glenn

2002      CB Jason Bell

After ankle sprain scare, Bobby Wagner should be available Sunday

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner sprained his ankle Week 15 in Carolina but does not believe it will be a factor going forward.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner gave fans quite a scare Week 15 in Carolina when he went down on the field after a play in the fourth quarter. Able to walk off to sidelines under his own power, Wagner was then held out for the remainder of the ball game.

“I definitely was scared, but I’m good,” Wagner told reporters in the locker room. “The doctor said that if everybody goes out and votes for me for Man of the Year that it will be better. That’s what he said.”

After the win, coach Pete Carroll confirmed Wagner had sprained his ankle.

“I felt like I probably slipped a little, but then he hit me in my side and my back,” Wagner explained. “My leg kind of got caught underneath. I’ll be fine.”

Carroll provided an update on Wagner’s status during his Monday morning radio show on 710 ESPN Seattle.

“Bobby is going to try to ignore this as an injury,” Carroll said. “He doesn’t think it’s going to be a factor, but we’ll see.”

Quandre Diggs, however, may not be as fortunate. Carroll confirmed the safety suffered a high ankle sprain and could be sidelined for the near future.

[lawrence-related id=52980]

Broncos nominate Justin Simmons for 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award

The Broncos have nominated safety Justin Simmons for the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

The Denver Broncos have nominated safety Justin Simmons for the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, the team announced Thursday. The award “recognizes a player for his outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community,” the team said in a statement.

Each of the league’s 32 teams nominates a player for the award each year and the nominees receive a donation up to $50,000 to the charity of their choice. The winner will be announced during “NFL Honors” on the eve of Super Bowl LIV (Feb. 1) on Fox. The winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

Simmons has logged over 3,500 minutes of volunteer work this year with 20 different local organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Denver Rescue Mission. Simmons won the team’s Community Ambassador Award in 2017 and 2018.

Simmons will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal in the team’s final three games of the season.

Denver’s most recent nominees for the award were outside linebacker Von Miller (2018) and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (2017). John Elway is the only Broncos player who has won the award, back in 1992.

[vertical-gallery id=629099]

Broncos DB Kareem Jackson named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week by NFL.com.

Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced Wednesday. Jackson had a standout performance in Denver’s 38-24 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Facing the team he spent the first nine years of his career with, Jackson totaled 11 tackles, one interception and three pass breakouts. He also returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown. He became the first defender with at least 10 tackles, a fumble returned for a score and an interception in the same game since former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher in 2011.

On the year, Jackson has totaled 69 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble. His 11 tackles on Sunday tied a career high.

This marks the first time a Broncos defender has taken home a conference award since outside linebacker Von Miller won in Week 11 last season. Jackson is the 34th Denver defender to take home the award since 1984.

Broncos DB Kareem Jackson had huge game vs. Texans, his former team

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson had a big game against the Texans, his former team.

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson entered the NFL as a first-round pick out of Alabama with the Texans in 2010 and he spent the first nine years of his career in Houston. Jackson became a free agent in March and the Texans opted not to re-sign him so he signed a three-year deal with Denver.

On Sunday, Jackson faced the Texans for the first time since they parted ways with him. The 31-year-old defensive back had one of the best games of his career, totaling 11 tackles and one interception. He also broke up three passes and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

“He had a lot of energy, made a lot of plays,” Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson said of Jackson after the game. “He was jacked up. This is his home away from home pretty much, and he was excited to come back. So he did a good job today.”

Jackson’s touchdown happened in the first quarter of a 38-24 win when defensive lineman Jeremiah Attaochu recovered a fumble. Jackson knew Attaochu was about to be tackled so he asked his teammate to lateral the ball to him.

“I saw somebody grab him so I just thought he was tackled,” Jackson said. “I could kind of see everybody relaxing. It’s one of those plays they didn’t know if it was an incomplete pass or fumble.

“So one of the things we harp on we just play through the whistle. I never heard the whistle. It’s great awareness by Jerry to recover the ball, and I was just right there. He heard me. I was able to score it.”

That heads up thinking from Jackson led to a score that gave Denver momentum and helped the team build a 31-3 halftime lead. After the win, coach Vic Fangio had only positive things to say about Jackson’s performance.

“He had the interception, the fumble return for the touchdown, had a bunch of PBUs, was active in the tackling,” Fangio said. “But also had a tone-setting big hit, which got us off the field.

“It was on a third-down play, would have been a first down. So all in all, I think you could say he had a hell of a game.”

[vertical-gallery id=629001]

Broncos coach Vic Fangio hinting that Justin Simmons will be re-signed

Broncos coach Vic Fangio has been hinting that Denver will re-sign safety Justin Simmons.

Broncos general manager John Elway, who is in charge of building the team’s roster, will listen to input from coach Vic Fangio this offseason to hear his opinion on certain players. It’s safe to assume Fangio is going to give safety Justin Simmons a glowing review.

Simmons, 26, will earn a little more than $2 million this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in March. Fangio has hinted more than once this year that Simmons will be re-signed by Denver.

“He’s playing very well for us,” Fangio said on Nov. 25. “We’re awful happy to have him. I think he’s going to have a great career — here. He’s been playing well all year.”

A few weeks before his most recent comments about Simmons’ future, Fangio said earlier in November that he foresess “a bright future for him in a Broncos uniform.”

Simmons appreciates his coach’s praise.

“It means a lot,” Simmons said on Nov. 26. “As you guys know, Vic is the type of guy that doesn’t really sugarcoat anything.

“He says exactly what’s on his heart and on his mind. Hearing something like that definitely goes a long way.”

Simmons was selected by Denver in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Boston College. Through 12 games this season he has totaled 70 tackles and three interceptions. Simmons has also broken up 10 passes.

[vertical-gallery id=628662]

Notre Dame Football: Kyle Hamilton Named Freshman All-American

It didn’t take long at all for Kyle Hamilton to make his presence known at Notre Dame this year as fall camp was pretty much just a daily breakdown of how many interceptions the freshman from Atlanta had that particular afternoon.

It didn’t take long at all for Kyle Hamilton to make his presence known at Notre Dame this year as fall camp was pretty much just a daily breakdown of how many interceptions the freshman from Atlanta had that particular afternoon.

It didn’t take long for him to make an impact on the gamefield either, getting substancial playing time as a true-freshman in the opener against Louisville before returning his first career college interception for a touchdown a week later against New Mexico.

The season would see him pull down four interceptions in total and have pretty much an entire defensive gameplan built around him in October’s win over USC.

On Friday Pro Football Focus named their Freshman All-American Team and named Hamilton their first-team safety.

Notre Dame landed the best coverage safety in the entire 2019 recruiting class. Hamilton recorded a near-elite 89.7 coverage grade in his true freshman season, allowing just seven passes to be completed on 22 targets. Those seven went for 74 yards and no touchdowns. However, the Fighting Irish safety stole possession four times by way of interceptions, and he forced another five pass breakups for a passer rating of 3.0 when targeted, best among all defenders in the nation with at least 15 targets.

– Pro Football Focus 12/6/2019

High praise for a star in the making at Notre Dame.

 

How Jamal Adams’ injury could affect the Jets defense

The Jets don’t have many options to replace their best pass rusher and safety if Jamal Adams misses time with an ankle injury.

Jamal Adams didn’t look healthy throughout most of the Jets’ loss to the Bengals Sunday, and his potential absence in Week 14 throws an already depleted defense into complete disarray.

Adam Gase wouldn’t rule Adams out for the Dolphins game this week but called the safety’s ankle injury “legit week-to-week.” Adams was seen in a walking boot following the Bengals loss, but Gase wouldn’t call it anything more than an ankle injury.

“I’m going to lean on him a lot as far as how he feels,” Gase said Monday. “We want to make sure he’s good to go before we put him back out there. I want to make sure he’s in the right place physically so he can play his style of ball, which is basically he’s the heartbeat of our defense. We want him to be able to go full throttle and he has to feel right to get back out there.”

Gase’s assessment of Adams’ role is 100 percent correct – he is the heart and soul of the Jets defense. Without him, the Jets could be in a lot of trouble, both from a personnel and schematic perspective.

If Adams misses any time, the Jets won’t have many options to replace him in the starting lineup.

New York only has two other safeties on the active roster, Blake Countess and Matthias Farley. They have a combined three defensive snaps in 2019, all of which belong to Farley. If Gase doesn’t want to start either of those two, he could opt to move cornerback Darryl Roberts over to safety, a role he’s at least somewhat familiar with after starting five weeks in 2018 for Marcus Maye. A third choice is to look at free agency, where former Jets reserve safeties like Brandon Bryant and Santos Ramirez are available. The fourth and least likely option is to bring in a veteran safety like T.J. McDonald, Eric Berry or George Iloka if Adams hits injured reserve.

Regardless of which route the Jets take if Adams isn’t healthy enough to play, the defense will suffer without him. Gregg Williams will lose his most valuable pass rusher and one of his best coverage defenders and it will change how he builds his defensive schemes. Williams unlocked Adams’ potential to rush the quarterback at multiple spots on the field, and it’s translated to team-highs in blitzes (60), pressures (15) and sacks (6.5). The Jets will have even more trouble rushing the quarterback without Adams, who has 32 more blitzes than any other active Jets defender.

Unsurprisingly, Adams wants to play. He said after the Bengals game that he felt like he let his team down by being unable to perform because of “a freak accident.” He injured his ankle early in the contest and only missed one snap, but didn’t look the same for most of the game. On Monday, he tweeted about how badly he wants to play through the injury.

“This injury is eating me alive,” Adams tweeted. “S–– sucks, can’t even describe how it feels to have something stop you right when you get on a roll. I’m gonna do everything I can to get back on the field ASAP, believe that. Win, lose, or draw, I wanna be out there with my brothas.”

The Jets will take the necessary precautions before deciding on Adams’ availability, including an MRI this week, and it looks like he won’t practice for most if not all of this week. With the playoffs almost completely out of the picture, it would make sense to sit Adams until he’s fully healthy. It would decimate the Jets defense, but the longterm health of Adams is significantly more important than a meaningless Week 14 game against the equally-woeful Dolphins.

If the Jets are seriously considering giving Adams a long-term extension this offseason, which they should, keeping him off the field for at least a week would be best for the team. It would also allow the Jets to get extended looks at other players at the position. The loss of Adams would completely change how Gregg Williams gameplans his defense against the Dolphins, but it’s the right move for the future of the Jets.

Ex-Broncos safeties Steve Atwater and John Lynch named Hall of Fame semifinalists

Former Broncos safeties John Lynch and Steve Atwater have been named semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020.

Former Denver Broncos safeties Steve Atwater and John Lynch have been named modern-era semifinalists for the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. There are 25 total semifinalists — that list will be trimmed down to 15 finalists in January.

This marks the ninth time Atwater has been named a semifinalist and the eighth time Lynch has been a semifinalist. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce a 20-person class of 2020 in February.

Atwater earned eight Pro Bowl nods during his time with the Broncos and helped the team win back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s.

Lynch won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before going on to play the final four years of his career in Denver. Lynch made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons with the Broncos.

[vertical-gallery id=628347]

Ravens S Earl Thomas: Texans coach Bill O’Brien didn’t believe I still wanted to play football

Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas says Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien questioned his will to keep playing football during free agency.

The Houston Texans had money to spend in the 2019 free agency period. They also had a need at safety after watching Tyrann Mattieu, Kareem Jackson and Andre Hal (retirement) leave the team.

Fortunately, one of the best safeties of the decade, Earl Thomas, became available. Quarterback Deshaun Watson took notice of that, as the two share the same agent, suggested to Bill O’Brien that the team sign the Texas native with a Hall of Fame resumé.

O’Brien didn’t seem too interested.

On a call with Thomas, O’Brien questioned the safety’s will to still to play football.

“He was at the rodeo at the time,” Thomas told Dan Pompei of The Athletic. “Our conversation was not what I thought it was going to be. It was him not believing I still wanted to play football.”

It wasn’t as if O’Brien didn’t have some questions about Thomas. After all, the Super Bowl champion safety broke his left leg in Week 4 of the 2018 season. It was the second time in the past three seasons that his season had ended with a broken leg. Signing Thomas to the Texans would mean spending some of the offseason rehabilitating the injury while the 30-year-old integrated with the team.

Eventually, Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens to the tune of $55 million over four years. The Texans chose the affordable Tashaun Gipson, who signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal, shortly after they lost out on retaining Mathieu, who signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.