Tag: Steve Smith

Giants fire Jerome Henderson, Mike Treier; make other staff changes

The New York Giants have fired Jerome Henderson and Mike Treier, while several other assistants have opted to leave the team.

After an ugly 3-14 campaign for the New York Giants, someone would have to fall on the sword even if it wasn’t general manager Joe Schoen or head coach Brian Daboll.

That answer came on Wednesday when the team dismissed defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, as well as safeties coach Mike Treier.

Both men have been with the Giants for five seasons, preceding current head coach Brain Daboll.

It’s an odd move considering the Giants’ pass defense was not their biggest problem on defense this season. The Giants finished 24th in total defense, allowing 346.8 yards per game.

The run defense was the real culprit, allowing 136.2 YPG — the fifth most in the league — while the pass defense came in at No. 9 versus the pass this season (210.6) yards per game.

This was the team’s first year under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who was once thought to be on the hot seat. However, the team apparently will return with new coaches directing the defensive backfield.

The Giants also apparently had several other members of Daboll’s staff defect this week, reports The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.

Defensive assistant Ben Burress: Burress had been with the Giants since 2019 in a variety of roles, most recently as a defensive assistant working with the OLB the past two seasons. He also had a front office/analytics role during the 2022 season. He is leaving for an offensive assistant role at South Carolina.

Director of strength and conditioning Frank Piraino: Hired in February as part of a revamped strength staff, Piraino is leaving to re-join Mike Vrabel in New England. Piraino had been with Vrabel in Tennessee.

Director of sports and performance nutrition Steve Smith: No word on the reason for his departure. He had been with the Giants in his role since 2020.

The Giants promised that changes were coming. So far they haven’t been at the top, where many felt they should have been made. It remains to be seen if more cuts and departures are in the wings.

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Former Chiefs players named finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Former Kansas City #Chiefs players named finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 | @EdEastonJr

The latest finalists to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will include two former Kansas City Chiefs defensive standouts. Jared Allen and Terrell Suggs are among the 15 finalists announced for next year’s class on Saturday.

Allen was drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft and spent the first four years of his career in Kansas City. In his final year with the Chiefs, he made the Pro Bowl and became a first-team All-Pro with 15.5 sacks. He would later succeed with the Minnesota Vikings, becoming a three-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler over the next five seasons.

Suggs was acquired by the Chiefs toward the end of the 2019 season, serving as an additional piece on the journey to Super Bowl LIV. The 37-year-old played a significant role in the postseason, playing in most of the snaps and winning his second title after successful All-Pro seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

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The other finalists were Eli Manning, Luke Kuechly, Marshal Yanda, Steve Smith, Eric Allen, Antonio Gates, Jahri Evans, Reggie Wayne, Torry Holt, Willie Anderson, Adam Vinatieri, Darren Woodson, and Fred Taylor.

Steve Smith eats humble pie after massive game from Jerry Jeudy

Critical of the Browns WR over the summer, Steve Smith gives Jerry Jeudy his flowers

Former All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith has been notoriously critical of Cleveland Browns wideout Jerry Jeudy, but he is changing his tune after Monday night.

Jeudy, who is now tied for fifth in receiving yards in the NFL with 880 yards, racked up 235 yards and a touchdown on his former team on Monday Night Football. Smith noticed and gave Jeudy the credit that he deserved. Here is what Smith had to say on Jeudy’s big night:

“King Jerry Jeudy has arrived. Nine catches, 235 yards, and a whole lot of humble pie for guys like Agent 89, Steve Smith. And listening to all of the boos out in Denver, how dare you stone you fans for talking bad about him. He was balling. He lived up to everything you expected him to do. This wasn’t a revenge game, this was a ‘look at me’ game… fantastic job bro.”

The Browns dropped to 3-9 on the season, but it is becoming apparent that they have a future key piece after giving up just a fifth and a sixth round pick to get the young star in the making. At just 25 years old as well, the best football is still ahead of Jeudy.

Tom Izzo lists who he would like to replace him at Michigan State when he retires

Tom Izzo named a few people who he would like to replace him at Michigan State when he eventually retires

This offseason, fresh off a hip replacement surgery, Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo seemed like he found the fountain of youth and made a point to tell the media multiple times that he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“I got no interest in getting out of it,” Izzo said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast, per Fan Duel’s Jon Rothstein. “When I’m done, I’m going to talk to Mateen Cleaves, Steve Smith, Magic Johnson, and Draymond Green. I don’t want to lose the culture that I’ve seen for 40 years as a GA on up. I think it’s being lost somewhat now in college sports. Not just for me, but the players who come back and are a part of things. At least here at Michigan State, it’s important. It may not be that way at other places.”

It would be a little hard to imagine 65-year old billionaire Magic Johnson taking over that job, and it’s also worth noting that Draymond Green said back in July that he doesn’t have any interest in coaching Michigan State. Then again, he could also just be referring to those four as people he will consult with after he retires and not who he actually thinks will directly replace him.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Jim Harbaugh compares Ladd McConkey to NFL great

Ladd McConkey was compared to a five-time Pro Bowler.

Ladd McConkey dazzled in the Chargers’ win over the Saints, showing the type of wide receiver he can be at this level.

To Jim Harbaugh, McConkey’s performance was reminiscent of one of the best wideouts to play the game, comparing him to five-time Pro Bowler Steve Smith.

“I watch the film of Ladd and he reminds me of Steve Smith in the way he goes up for one of those contested balls,” Harbaugh said. “They both have the ability to almost look one way and then catch it a few feet the other way.

“It’s really subtle, it’s really good and we saw him do it again in this game,” Harbaugh added. “He’s done it in prior games. I tried to put my finger on it, ‘What is he doing?’ and that’s who he reminded me of, Steve Smith.”

Harbaugh ended his playing career with the Panthers in 2001, the same year Smith was on the team.

The comparison between the two is accurate because like Smith, McConkey possesses vertical leap and my-ball mentality to high-point contested passes, along with being great after the catch.

Kirk Cousins shows up to first day of training camp wearing NBA jersey of Michigan State legend

Kirk Cousins shows up to first day of training camp wearing NBA jersey of Michigan State legend

Former Michigan State football star quarterback Kirk Cousins is now with the Atlanta Falcons. On the first day of training camp, he paid homage to another Spartan great who played professional sports in Atlanta.

Below, you can watch Cousins walk into training camp wearing the old jersey of Steve Smith from his days with the Atlanta Hawks. Smith, who had his No. 21 jersey retired by Michigan State basketball, played for the Hawks from 1994-1999. He was named an NBA All-Star in 1998.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on X @IAmBrewster.

Who are the most productive NFL receivers ever with a rookie quarterback?

Can Terry McLaurin and Jayden Daniels crack this list?

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin will play with a new quarterback in 2024 — again. In McLaurin’s five NFL seasons, he has had a different starting Week 1 quarterback every year. That number will grow to six in September regardless of who starts under center for the Commanders.

In total, McLaurin has played with 11 different quarterbacks in his five NFL seasons. If he catches passes from rookie Jayden Daniels and veteran Marcus Mariota, that will make it 13 quarterbacks. Washington is hoping the buck stops with Daniels.

The Commanders selected Daniels No. 2 overall in April’s NFL draft, hoping he would become their franchise quarterback for the next decade or more. That would mean McLaurin finally finds stability under center.

Which other veteran wide receivers have fared the best with a rookie quarterback? Jordan Dajani of CBS recently listed the 10 best seasons for a wide receiver playing with a rookie passer.

Here’s the list:

  • 1. 2011: Steve Smith/Cam Newton, 1,394 yards, 7 TDs
  • 2. 2008: Roddy White/Matt Ryan, 1,382 yards, 7 TDs
  • 3. 2012: Reggie Wayne/Andrew Luck, 1,355 yards, 5 TDs
  • 4. 2023: Nico Collins/C.J. Stroud, 1,297, 8 TDs
  • 5. 2015: Mike Evans/Jameis Winston, 1,206 yards, 3 TDs
  • 6. 2012: Brian Hartline/Ryan Tannehill, 1,054 yards
  • 7. 1996: Isaac Bruce/Tony Banks, 1,034 yards
  • 8. 2008: Derrick Mason/Joe Flacco, 1,005 yards
  • 9. 2011: A.J. Green/Andy Dalton, 1,002 yards
  • 10. 2013: Vincent Jackson/Mike Glennon, 959 yards

If Daniels can play all 17 games in 2024, there’s a good chance he and McLaurin can crack this list, perhaps pretty high on this list. McLaurin has gone over 1,000 yards in the past four seasons and almost did in his rookie season. And he’s done without consistency at quarterback and offensive coordinator.

Kliff Kingsbury is Washington’s offensive coordinator and comes from an Air Raid background. While Kingsbury shied away from calling his 2024 offense the Air Raid, the offense will have ties to the passing game made famous by Mike Leach.

Steve Smith Sr. working with Giants’ wide receivers at OTAs

Retired NFL great Steve Smith Jr. has joined the New York Giants at OTAs to work with the team’s wide receivers.

Retired NFL great Steve Smith — whose 14,731 receiving yards is the eight-most in league history — was at the New York Giants’ OTA session on Thursday handing out pointers to Big Blue’s young receiving corps.

“He’s here. He came in. He’s been here last year. We have a good relationship with him, Joe and I. He’s coming out watching practice. I think he’s a good sounding board for some of the young guys, particularly some of the young receivers,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters. “So he’ll be here a couple of days. We have a good relationship with Steve. Joe, obviously at Carolina, and I’ve known him. I have a lot of respect for his game, how he’s played. We had him last year too.

“We have some young receivers. Again, he’s played a long time, been very successful. We have a good relationship with him. So happy to have him.”

Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro who played the majority of his career with the Carolina Panthers, goes way back with Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who began his NFL career in 2001 with the Panthers.

After his retirement in 2016, Smith became an analyst for the NFL Network and has worked in broadcasting since on various platforms.

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Twitter reacts to Steve Smith forgetting which Patriots receivers were playing

Steve Smith thinks JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne need to show up, but neither are playing for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots have a revolving door of receivers, and at this point, it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with who’s on the field and who’s not.

Just ask NFL Network’s Steve Smith, who completely forgot JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne were not playing in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

During the pregame segment, Smith mentioned both as players he needed to see show up for the Patriots in the game, but Bourne has been on injured reserve since the team’s Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins, when he tore his ACL.

And Smith-Schuster has been out for back-to-back weeks with an ankle injury. The Patriots are down to DeVante Parker, Demario Douglas, Jalen Reagor and Tyquan Thornton as their top receiving options at Mile High.

Here’s some of the best Twitter reactions to the segment:

EXCLUSIVE: Texans’ Tank Dell reveals his ‘receiver talk’ with former Panthers WR Steve Smith

Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell told @bigsargesportz what he and former Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith discussed.

All eyes were on C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young in Week 8 at Bank of America Stadium, but Tank Dell was all ears.

The Houston Texans’ third-round receiver had a chance to visit with former Carolina Panthers wideout Steve Smith ahead of the Texans’ tilt with Carolina in Week 8 on Oct. 29. The Texans’ social media captured Dell taking in instruction from a two-time All-Pro, a conversation that went for seven minutes during pre-game.

One can only wonder why Smith sought Dell out. Perhaps it could be the undersized Smith, who played the game at 5-9, 195 pounds, saw similarities with the 5-10, 165-pound Dell.

“That is between me and him,” Smith told the Texans Wire with a massive smile. “If you want to know, ask him, but I will tell you that it was receiver talk and two sponges soaking in knowledge from one another. He is going to be very good if he stays on his grind.”

Dell didn’t have his best game as the Panthers edged Houston 15-13. However, it only took a week for Dell to synchronize the advice and wisdom from Smith and apply it to the gridiron as part of the Texans’ comeback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The former Houston Cougar caught six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns, including the 15-yard strike to give Houston the 39-37 lead with 48 seconds left.

After the thriller against the Bucs that delivered Houston a 4-4 record, Dell was forthcoming to the Texans Wire as to what Smith shared a week prior.

“We talked about route running,” Dell said. “He told me about press releases and being a dog on every play. You know how he was during his playing days. He was telling me what I can get better.”

Dell led the NCAA Div. I with 17 touchdowns and 1,398 receiving yards last season, and Smith took notice. The 16-year NFL veteran, who spent his final three with the Baltimore Ravens, summarized Dell’s traits on his eponymous podcast ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

Said Smith: “His explosiveness, his RAC (run after catch), and he does a great job of setting up defenders and dynamic with the ball in his hands. He makes you think, ‘Where is Tank Dell’ at on the field. He has the ability to run away from defenders; he has the ability to beat press coverage. He also has the field awareness that you really want out of your wide receiver. He is a Tank.”

Not only has Dell garnered praise from other former NFL players, but inside his locker room, the accolades flow from his position group and offensive coordinators, and rightfully so, as he is only second to Texans Ring of Honor member Andre Johnson (495) in rookie receiving yards with 454 through their first seven games played.

While Dell is putting his name in the stat sheet, the rookie is finding other ways to help the offense without the ball.

On the first offensive play from scrimmage for Houston in the third quarter, Stroud completed a pass to wide receiver Noah Brown. While trying to avoid defenders, Dell put a massive block on the Bucs’ safety to create a clear path for Brown to the end zone.

“Cut on the tape, and I don’t think Tank knows he is that size,” Brown told reporters about Dell playing above his stature. “He is willing to go in there and do whatever it is he has to do, and I respect him for that, and I appreciate that. He is special; he will go across the middle and make a catch or throw a block. He is in there doing what he has to do.”

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