Tag: speed

Chargers GM Tom Telesco emphasizes importance of having speed at every position

Tom Telesco is valuing speed in his evaluations of draft prospects.

The Chargers’ slow grind of an offseason is about to get hectic with the NFL draft set to take place this week.

The team held a pre-draft press conference on Monday ahead of the annual selection meeting wherein general manager Tom Telesco gave reporters insight regarding Los Angeles’ draft strategy.

Speed, he said, would be a focal point for the Chargers. Asked about the role that speed plays in the evaluation process, Telesco made it known that he is looking for athletes who are fleet of foot in this year’s class.

“I’ve never met a coach who didn’t want speed,” He explained. “I’ve never been a GM who didn’t want speed, not a scout. We want it at every position, same with Derrick [Ansley] and, certainly, with [Special Teams Coordinator] Ryan Ficken. It’s all the same.”

In specific, the Chargers need more speed and explosiveness at the wide receiver position even after the re-signing of Jalen Guyton, who tore his ACL in Week 3 of the 2022 season.

If they could add a receiver with some juice for Justin Herbert to target and more speed on defense, Los Angeles could see their position in the top-heavy AFC rise next year.

The 5 best Keanu Reeves movies to stream, from The Matrix to Bill & Ted

It’s time to stream some Keanu Reeves movies. John Wick would be proud if you did.

Keanu Reeves has spent a career’s worth in Hollywood thrilling audiences with some of the best action movies of anyone’s generation.

From battling machines in The Matrix to saving passengers aboard a runaway bus in Speed, Reeves is one of the most trusted movie stars around when it comes to action-packed cinema.

His latest film, John Wick: Chapter 4, is now playing in theaters nationwide.

The next installment in the assassin-filled action saga has debuted to stellar reviews as Reeves now gets another chance to implement his signature brand of Wick-y justice on those who try to defeat him.

If you need to catch up on the series, the first three John Wick movies are available to stream on Peacock.

As you get into the John Wick spirit, what are some other Keanu Reeves films that you can check out on streaming?

Packers have a need for team speed in 2023

According to tracking from Next Gen Stats, the Packers were the second-slowest team during the 2022 season.

The Green Bay Packers need to get faster this offseason. According to Brian Burke, who does sports analytics at ESPN, the Packers were the second-slowest team (only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slower) in terms of overall team speed in the NFL in 2022.

Here is a look at the team-by-team rankings:

To compile the data, Burke got some help from Next Gen Stats’ tracking system and took the mean of each player’s 2nd through 6th fastest max speeds on all non-special teams plays, noting that “fastest speed is often a blip in the data.”

The average of each team’s top 2 QBs, 3 WRs, 2 TEs, 4 DBs, and 3 LBs were then weighted by snaps. Team speed is evenly weighted by offense and defense.

The unit to measure player speed is yards covered per second. Because miles per hour is almost exactly double, that would mean 10 yards per second is approximately 20mph.

Looking at Burke’s chart, defensive backs were Green Bay’s fastest position. Tight end was the slowest, with linebacker and quarterback not far behind.

To their credit, the Packers have tried to add speed in recent years. In 2021, they drafted Eric Stokes in the first round after he ran a 4.25 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Then last year, they traded up to select Christian Watson with the 34th overall after he displayed some freakish testing. Watson ran a 4.36 at the NFL Combine and was later responsible for the fifth-fastest play of the 2022 season, according to Next Gen Stats.

Overall, Green Bay has prioritized bringing in good athletes, whether it be through the draft or free agency, but clearly, it hasn’t been enough.

They could certainly use another speed threat opposite Watson, and it also wouldn’t hurt to add a speedster at running back. Aaron Jones is quicker than he is fast, and AJ Dillon is a 250-pound power back who runs through guys more than he runs away from them. Drafting a burner may be the finishing touch this backfield needs.

Tight end should be an easy position to solve. If 38-year-old Marcedes Lewis retires, that would trim off some of the sluggishness. There’s also a good chance the Packers will address the position through the draft, which comes at a great time seeing that this year’s batch of tight ends is filled with athletes.

Quarterback will tougher to fix, especially if Aaron Rodgers returns. At 39, Rodgers can’t run like he used to, but thankfully, Jordan Love would give the team some fresher legs if he becomes the starter.

Defensively, it’s interesting that Green Bay’s linebackers were the slowest in the league, if Burke only measured inside linebackers. Quay Walker was the first linebacker off the board in 2022 and ran a 4.52. That said, it’s possible his timed speed is different than his play speed. Meanwhile, De’Vondre Campbell is also decently fast (ran a 4.58 in 2016) but suffered a knee injury halfway through the season. Hopefully, Walker will start to play faster with more experience, and Campbell will come back healthy next season to recapture his 2021 form.

Of course, speed isn’t everything, and doesn’t necessarily equate to wins, but it definitely helps.

This year’s Super Bowl Champion, the Kansas City Chiefs, finished 11th in Burke’s rankings, while their opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, finished 7th.

Luckily, speed is relatively easy to find and should be a priority for the Packers this offseason.

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Seahawks Kenneth Walker has speed needed to construct perfect RB

Analyst Maurice Jones-Drew selected Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III for his speed in constructing the perfect running back.

In his latest edition of “RB Index” for NFL.com, analyst and former running back Maurice Jones-Drew attempts to construct the perfect running back by choosing various traits from current, active players to piece into perfection.

In the speed category, Jones-Drew chose none other than Seahawks running back, Kenneth Walker III.

“Walker showed blazing speed at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2022, running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash,” MJD writes. “It became clear this wasn’t a fluke when the rookie recorded the second-fastest speed as a ball-carrier this season, hitting 22.09 mph during a 74-yard, fourth-quarter sprint to the end zone in Seattle’s 37-23 win over the Chargers in Week 7. In fact, he had four rushes in which he reached at least 20 mph this season.

“The fleet-footed Walker ran his way to second place in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting – a solid start to a promising career.”

Jones-Drew used seven other bruisers from around the league to build his perfect back. Besides speed, the individuals selected showcased size, durability, contact balance, vision, agility and elusiveness, hands and pass protection.

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Saints fielded one of the slower WR groups in the NFL this season

Despite boasting speedsters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the New Orleans Saints fielded one of the slower WR groups in the NFL this season:

Not going to lie, this is a bit of a shock. Despite boasting young speedsters  like Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the New Orleans Saints fielded one of the slower wide receiver corps in the NFL in 2022. While Olave and Shaheed have comfortably timed in the 4.3-to-4.4-second range in the 40-yard dash, as a group New Orleans was weighted down by players like Jarvis Landry (4.77), Marquez Callaway (4.55), Tre’Quan Smith (4.49), Michael Thomas (4.57), and Keith Kirkwood (4.50), with dynamic athletes like Kevin White, Deonte Harty, and Kirk Merritt only running a handful of routes over the course of the season.

So it’s clear the Saints need to get faster. Per research from Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus, New Orleans ranked right around the middle of the pack with the 14th-slowest wide receiver room, based on average 40-yard dash time weighted by routes run. Teams’ leaders in routes run factored heavier than backups and reserves, and the Saints’ top route-runners included Olave (431 routes), Landry (207), Callaway and Shaheed (188 each), and Smith (178).

No receiving corps was slower than the New York Giants, who averaged nearly 4.6 seconds as a group. And the Seattle Seahawks set the pace with a blazing average of roughly 4.37 seconds. For comparison, the Saints scored an average of about 4.47 seconds:

Olave and Shaheed are a fine pair to build around, but the Saints should be looking to get younger at receiver in 2023 — or at least more explosive and athletic. Trotting out players who lack the speed to separate with consistency like Landry and Callaway is asking for trouble. It limits what can be done offensively and narrows the margin for error in demanding a quarterback and receiver be perfectly in sync from the snap to the whistle. There are plenty of slower receiving rooms around the NFL, but the New Orleans offense was so stagnant last season that you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

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Alabama WR Tyler Harrell unexpectedly enters the transfer portal

Alabama shockingly loses another WR to the transfer portal

After a one-year stint with the Alabama Crimson Tide, wide receiver [autotag]Tyler Harrell[/autotag] has shockingly re-entered the transfer portal. Harrell arrived in Tuscaloosa during the summer via the transfer portal after spending the first few years of his career with the Louisville Cardinals.

Unfortunately, Harrell was sidelined for most of the fall and didn’t see much action. In fact, he only had two catches for 18 yards. He likely was going to play a bigger role in the offense in 2023 so the move is a bit surprising.

Alabama retained Jermaine Burton for another year, but losing depth is never good. Especially when it is someone who has game-changing speed such as  Harrell.

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Packers offense will miss Christian Watson’s speed in Tampa Bay

Rookie WR Christian Watson isn’t expected to play Sunday. Here’s why the Packers will miss his speed vs. Tampa Bay, from @Paul_Bretl.

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The Green Bay Packers will reportedly be without Christian Watson in Tampa Bay after he popped up on the injury report this past week with a hamstring injury.

Although Watson hasn’t played a major role in the passing game through two weeks, his presence, specifically his speed, is very much going to be missed by this Packers’ offense.

In two games, Watson has caught five of seven passes for 43 yards or just 8.6 yards per catch per PFF. With many of those touches coming on jet sweeps, his average yards per route run is only 1.19 yards, and his average depth of target is 6.7 yards, which is even a bit inflated by that deep ball attempt in Week 1, along with a 25-yard reception from Jordan Love when that game was out of hand.

With that said, while Watson is yet to light up the stat sheet, defenses have to account for him when he’s on the field because of his 4.3-speed, which benefits the rest of the offense.

The fact that the Packers are so willing to give Watson the ball on those jet motions means that the defense has to react any time he is sent in motion –which has been often. This helps create that illusion of complexity that we often hear Matt LaFleur discuss, with motion playing a key role in that by helping to keep defenses guessing.

Watson being sent in motion keeps the linebackers on their heels, can tip off Aaron Rodgers as to what the defense is doing based on their movements, and also open up running lanes. All of which takes place without Watson even touching the ball.

Unfortunately, Watson didn’t haul in that downfield pass from Aaron Rodgers against the Vikings, but he did put on tape what he’s capable of as a vertical threat, creating 3.5 yards of separation, according to Next Gen Stats.

That presence on the field not only brings big-play ability to the offense, but it helps create opportunities for other pass-catchers underneath, along with the attention that Watson draws from the defense, specifically the safeties.

Having this element is a must for the Packers’ offense. If we look back at their playoff loss to San Francisco in January when the offense was without Marquez Valdez-Scantling, it was quite evident how condensed – and more difficult – things became in the passing game for Rodgers when the 49ers’ defense didn’t fear getting beat over the top.

And it’s worth noting that Valdes-Scantling caught four passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Bucs in the 2020 NFC Championship Game.

Everything just described may not move the needle, especially for a second-round pick and on a team with questions at the receiver position, but Watson’s speed will be missed as the Packers offense faces a very difficult road test, traveling to Tampa Bay to take on one of the NFL’s top defenses. We do not know how many opportunities Watson would have had if healthy, but regardless of whether it was one target or 10, his presence alone with that speed of his would have benefited the Green Bay offense.

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Explosive play proves Packers WR Sammy Watkins can still run

Packers WR Sammy Watkins was going 20.48 miles per hour on his 55-yard catch in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Bears.

Sammy Watkins might be 29 years old and a veteran of over 100 NFL games, but the Green Bay Packers receiver proved he can still run on his 55-yard reception against the Chicago Bears in Week 2.

According to Next Gen Stats, Watkins hit 20.48 miles per hour on the play, making him the 13th fastest ball-carrier in the NFL during Week 2. His speed was on par with a long touchdown run by Lamar Jackson against the Dolphins and a long touchdown catch by Quez Watkins against the Vikings.

Off a run fake, Watkins scooted past cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Eddie Jackson and into the clear, and Aaron Rodgers found him wide open downfield for the big play. The explosive gain set up a field goal that gave the Packers a three-score lead in the fourth quarter, essentially sealing the win.

The straight-line speed is still there for Watkins, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds coming out of Clemson in 2014.

“To get behind the defense and get that much separation, that was huge,” receiver Randall Cobb told Packers.com. “To make those plays in critical moments like that, that’s going to be a big piece of our offense, and we’re going to need him.”

Watkins finished with three catches for 93 yards. The Packers scored on all three drives that included a Watkins catch. He showed off some short-area explosiveness on two in-breaking routes, one for 14 yards and another for 24, in the first half.

Two of Watkins’ teammates were actually timed as faster in Week 2: Jaire Alexander and Christian Watson. Alexander was going 20.62 miles per hour when he intercepted Justin Fields late in the fourth quarter, while Watson was going 20.6 miles per hour on his 9-yard catch on a touch pass from Aaron Rodgers. For Watson, this is his second time in two weeks creating one of the fastest times of the week.

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Seahawks coach Pete Carroll: This is the fastest team we’ve had

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll believes he has his faster roster yet heading into the 2022 NFL regular season.

There may still be questions about how things will shake out with a new quarterback under center, but coach Pete Carroll knows one thing for certain about his squad this season . . . the Seattle Seahawks have speed on their side.

“This is the fastest team we’ve had,” Carroll said after Saturday’s walkthrough, first mentioning the obvious with wide receivers Marquise Goodwin, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Dee Eskridge.

“To me, it’s always a priority,” Carroll explained. “It’s always faster the better. We are looking for strongest, fastest make-up of the players. I don’t care about how much guys weigh in terms of how big they are. I care about how fast they are and how well they can move.”

And it’s not just the receivers that can turn on the heat this year, it’s players throughout the roster that add quickness to this squad.

“When you have offensive tackles that run a 4.9 (seconds), that gives you the chance to really pick up your speed,” Carroll continued. “We are fast on the edge coming off and on the defensive side of the ball. The DBs can run, the corners can run. So, it just seems like every part of our game seems faster.

“And I’m calling on it and hopefully we’ll see the factor on special teams in a lot of ways.”

The Seahawks have their first chance to showcase their speed on Monday night when they host the Broncos at Lumen Field.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid comfortable with rookies in secondary heading into Week 1

The #Chiefs have four rookies who will play roles in the defensive secondary, but that doesn’t seem to worry HC Andy Reid in the slightest.

The Kansas City Chiefs added a lot of new faces on the defensive side of the ball this offseason and especially so in the secondary.

A total of four draft picks are expected to play key roles in the defensive secondary for Kansas City, be it in a starting capacity or as depth. With the first week of the 2022 NFL season upon us, Chiefs HC Andy Reid isn’t too concerned about the relative inexperience of players like Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams and Bryan Cook.

“Yeah, I like them,” Reid said of the young secondary. “I like the speed they play with. I think Juan (Thornhill) has done a good job of kind of helping everybody out back there and managing that from a player’s standpoint back there. But it looks like we’ve got good speed and range and those type of things.”

It’s not like the group is entirely comprised of rookies. They have Thornhill as Reid mentioned, but there’s also Rashad Fenton, L’Jarius Sneed and Justin Reid for the young players to lean on. Still, Reid expects and plans to live with the growing pains that will come from having a young secondary.

“There are going to be some hiccups here and there when you have young guys,” Reid said. “That’s what happens, but I think in the long haul we’ll be okay with the guys we got there.”

What this group lacks in experience, they make up for in athleticism and speed. That was something that was clearly lacking from the entire Chiefs defense in recent seasons, but it was especially apparent in the 2021 NFL season. If this group can stay assignment sound in Week 1 and rely on their natural gifts, the team should be in good shape as they kick off the regular season.

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