Tag: Sony Michel

Twitter reacts: former Georgia RB Sony Michel retires

Michel ends his football career with two Super Bowls and as the third all-time leader rusher in Georgia history

All great things must come to an end. Former Georgia Bulldogs star running back Sony Michel is retiring from football. Michel retires after having an incredible career at the University of Georgia and in the NFL.

Michel played at Georgia from 2014-2017. During his time with Georgia, Michel had 590 carries for 3,613 rushing yards and scored 29 total touchdowns. Only Nick Chubb and Herschel Walker have rushed for more yardage at Georgia than Sony Michel.

Michel won a SEC championship and came up with a game-winning touchdown against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl in his final season with the Georgia Bulldogs. Unfortunately, Michel’s final career Georgia game was a defeat in the national championship against Alabama. However, Michel played outstanding against the Crimson Tide.

Two Super Bowl victories highlight Sony Michel’s NFL career. Michel had an all-time great postseason with the New England Patriots en route to his  first Super Bowl. In the 2018 NFL postseason, Sony Michel set a rookie record with six postseason rushing touchdowns. He capped it off with the only touchdown in New England’s Super Bowl win over Los Angeles.

Later, he won another championship with the Los Angeles Rams. Michel finishes his five season NFL career with 779 carries for 3,243 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns.

Here’s how social media reacted as Sony Michel called it a career:

Rams are signing RB Royce Freeman, a former 3rd-round pick

With Sony Michel retiring, the Rams are bringing in Royce Freeman – a former 3rd-round pick

Out of nowhere, Rams running back Sony Michel told Sean McVay on Saturday morning that he’s retiring from the NFL. It was unexpected, and after practice, McVay said to reporters that the team was looking to bring in at least one more running back to fill the void.

Well, it didn’t take the Rams long to find someone. They’ve agreed to terms with Royce Freeman, who’s entering his sixth season in the NFL. He was a third-round pick by the Broncos in 2018 and has also spent time with the Panthers and Texans.

Freeman, 27, has 1,473 career rushing yards and eight touchdowns, adding 85 receptions for 519 yards and another touchdown as a receiver. Last season in Houston, he carried it 41 times for 117 yards but he did not score a touchdown.

With Freeman joining the Rams’ roster, they now have Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, Zach Evans and Ronnie Rivers alongside the former Texans running back.

It’s possible the Rams will add a sixth running back at some point based on McVay’s comments Saturday.

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5 best Sony Michel runs with Patriots, after retirement announcement

Former Patriots and SB champion Sony Michel is retiring from football. Here’s five of his best runs with the Patriots.

Former New England Patriots running back Sony Michel is shockingly calling it quits after only five seasons in the NFL. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay revealed the news when speaking with reporters on Sunday.

Although Michel’s run was short, he clearly made an impact in his time in the NFL. The Patriots selected him with the No. 31 pick of the 2018 NFL draft, and he helped push them over the top for their sixth Super Bowl victory.

It’s a victory that might not have been possible without him on the roster.

Injuries robbed Michel of so many years of NFL greatness. It’s easy to forget he kick-started his run in New England with back-to-back years of 900-plus yard seasons. One has to wonder about the heights he could have gone if he stayed healthy throughout.

Yet, even with a short career, Michel managed to do the one thing most players only dream of: He won two Super Bowls. In celebration of Michel’s incredible career, we’re taking a look at five of his best runs with the Patriots.

5 veteran running backs the Rams could sign following Sony Michel’s retirement

Sony Michel announced his retirement and the Rams could look to sign one of these veterans to provide depth at RB.

The Los Angeles Rams aren’t far into training camp and they’ll be in the market for at least one veteran running back. Sony Michel had a conversation with Sean McVay ahead of the team’s training camp practice on Saturday to share that he’s retiring from the NFL.

Michel was brought in to give the Rams depth and experience at the running back position before announcing his retirement. Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, Zach Evans, and Ronnie Rivers are the remaining running backs on the current roster.

With McVay revealing that the Rams are looking to bring at least one more running back upon Michel’s departure, here are five veterans they could look to sign.

7 takeaways from Rams’ 3rd day of training camp

Here are 7 takeaways from the Rams’ 3rd day of training camp practices on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Rams held an open practice session for fans on Saturday for the third day of training camp. Position battles continue to take place, and some players are catching the eye of fans and the coaching staff in hopes to secure a role on the roster.

There were a handful of storylines that took place on the third day of training camp, including the sudden retirement of Sony Michel and the passing game being the star of the show. With the Rams looking to improve each day, here are seven takeaways from the team’s third practice session.

Running back Sony Michel’s career in photos

Former Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel finishes his career with two Super Bowl victories

Former Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel is retiring from football. The career of an NFL running back is short. Too short. Michel retires as a legend at the University of Georgia and in the NFL.

Sony Michel’s NFL career featured two Super Bowl titles. One with the New England Patriots and one with the Los Angeles Rams. Michel finishes his five season NFL career with 779 carries for 3,243 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns.

During the 2018 NFL postseason, Sony Michel was unstoppable. He set a rookie record with six rushing touchdowns in the postseason to help the Patriots win a Super Bowl.

Michel won a SEC championship and came up with a clutch touchdown in the Rose Bowl in his final season with the Georgia Bulldogs. Unfortunately, Michel’s final career Georgia game was a defeat in the national championship against Alabama. Michel played at Georgia from 2014-2017. During his time with Georgia, Michel took 590 carries for 3,613 rushing yards and scored 29 total touchdowns.

Let’s take a look back at Sony Michel’s career in photos:

Rams RB Sony Michel decides to retire from NFL after 5 seasons

Sony Michel just signed with the Rams last month but he’s decided to retire from the NFL

The Los Angeles Rams brought back Sony Michel last month following minicamp, but the veteran running back isn’t going to suit up for them this season. In a surprising decision, Michel told Sean McVay on Saturday morning that he’s retiring from the NFL.

Michel went through the Rams’ first two days of training camp but has decided to call it a career after just five NFL seasons, one of which was with the Rams in 2021. He helped them win a Super Bowl that year before spending last season with the Chargers.

Michel, 28, came into the NFL in 2018 as a first-round pick by the Patriots, going 31st overall to New England that year. He finishes his career with 3,243 yards and 18 touchdowns, and most importantly, two Super Bowl rings on his finger.

Whether on offense or special teams, Sony Michel willing help wherever Rams need it

Whether it’s on offense or special teams, Sony Michel is willing to do anything to help the Rams this year

Sony Michel was a big part of the Rams’ Super Bowl run in 2021, even if he didn’t get the recognition Sean McVay thinks he deserves.

“I think he was as key and critical to what we did in ‘21 and probably didn’t get the recognition especially when you think about how instrumental he was in the month of December when we really leaned on him and he was averaging about over a hundred (yards) a game,” McVay said.

After a year away from the Rams in 2022, the veteran running back has returned to the team he helped win a championship. The Rams signed him this offseason, adding him to a depth chart that also features Cam Akers, Kyren Williams and Zach Evans.

Whether Michel even makes the 53-man roster remains to be seen, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Los Angeles this year. Whether it’s on offense or special teams, Michel is just looking to make an impact somewhere for the Rams.

“I was just thankful for the opportunity,” Michel told TheRams.com this week. “Right now, I’m trying to take advantage of it. Just trying to maximize every opportunity I get, no matter where it’s at, (whether that’s) offense, special teams. Whatever I can do to one, earn a spot on this team, and two, potentially help this team win some football games.”

Michel played 10 games with the Chargers last season, but he only got 36 carries and finished with 106 yards. It was by no means the season he expected to have after rushing for 845 yards with the Rams in 2021, but McVay still sees value in having him on the team.

“His professionalism, his toughness, his ability to be able to compete in both phases and then I think he is a great complement,” McVay said. “He understands the standards and I think when you have some guys that are good complements to the players that you already have in that room and then somebody that you are familiar with, that was a great opportunity for us to be able to bring him back and excited for Sony and glad to have him back around.”

Michel is best between the tackles and along the goal line, which as McVay said, makes him a nice complement to the slashing style of Akers and the third-down ability of Kyren Williams. And in such a young running back room with no one over the age of 24, the 28-year-old Michel can absolutely bring some leadership value to the team.

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Remembering Sony Michel’s flipping good block against the Bucs in 2021

Remember this incredible block by Sony Michel in 2021? We sure do.

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Sony Michel may not be a starting-caliber running back anymore, but he still knows how to block and that’s a valuable trait in obvious passing situations.

Michel, who the Rams brought back this week, laid one of the best blocks of the 2021 season during his first stint in Los Angeles. Considering it was almost two years ago, it’s easy to forget just how good it was, but we’re here to remind you of it.

During the Rams’ Week 3 win over the Buccaneers, Michel flipped a blitzing Ross Cockrell on his back with a late blitz pickup, preventing the DB from getting to Matthew Stafford just as he was releasing the ball.

You can see Michel quickly recognize that Cockrell was rushing off the right side, so he sprinted over and hit him low, which sent him flipping into the air.

This angle in slow-motion might be even better, showing just how good a block it was.

Michel has always been good in pass protection throughout his career. In each of the last four years, Michel finished with a pass-blocking grade between 66.1 and 82.5, according to Pro Football Focus. The only year he was below 66.1 was as a rookie in 2018 when he had a grade of 60.0.

Between Michel and Kyren Williams, the Rams now have two quality pass-blocking running backs on their roster.

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How does Sony Michel impact the Rams’ backfield?

Sony Michel is surprisingly back with the Rams. Will he just be a camp body or will he compete for a meaningful role in LA?

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Fairly unexpectedly, the Los Angeles Rams made an addition to their running back room this week. They signed a familiar name, bringing back veteran RB Sony Michel.

The Rams had four running backs on the roster already, led by Cam Akers and Kyren Williams, which is why the decision to sign Michel came as a surprise. Michel brings plenty of experience to the position, having played five years in the NFL and started 35 games in his career, but he’s not exactly an explosive back or change-of-pace guy.

Instead, he’s a physical, between-the-tackles runner who can pick up the tough yards on third down and near the goal line – as he did several times near the end of his first Rams tenure.

Where exactly he slots into the depth chart is unclear. Michel is coming off a season in which he played 10 games for the Chargers and had just 106 yards on 36 carries. That’s an average of 2.9 yards per carry, the lowest of his career and well below his average of 4.2 across his five seasons.

He’s certainly not going to unseat Akers as the starter, and it’s hard to imagine him even beating out Williams as the No. 2 option. What’s most likely to happen is he’ll compete with Ronnie Rivers for the fourth spot behind Akers, Williams and rookie Zach Evans.

The Rams liked Evans enough to trade up 37 spots to select him, so it’s really hard to imagine him being cut, even though he’s only a sixth-round rookie. Williams was a standout in OTAs and minicamp and Akers still appears to be the starter.

Perhaps the Rams were simply looking for another camp body and someone with enough experience to help the younger backs on the roster. And he probably brings more to the table as the fourth running back than Rivers, given his physical running style and nose for the end zone.

It’s very possible that Michel won’t even make the 53-man roster. We don’t know the details of his contract with Los Angeles, but unless there’s a lot of guaranteed money on it, he’s absolutely a cut candidate.

The Rams absolutely don’t need five running backs on the roster, so that should be out of the question, which likely leaves Michel and Rivers competing for the final spot on the depth chart.

From a fantasy perspective, this move shouldn’t have much of an impact on Akers at all. It could potentially hurt his goal line work if the Rams are concerned about Akers’ ball security, but Michel isn’t going to overtake Akers as the starter.

This is just a way to add some experience and depth to a position that only had four players heading into training camp.

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