Tag: strength

Linebackers and secondary are the Sooners’ strength in 2024 per PFF

According to Pro Football Focus, Oklahoma’s back seven will be its biggest strength in 2024.

It’s preview season in the world of college football, and the Oklahoma Sooners had the spotlight this past week from Pro Football Focus in their College Football Preview (subscription required).

PFF gave the Sooners just a 4% chance to win the SEC this year, but had OU 13th in the nation in their power rankings.

Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman, who co-wrote the article, named Oklahoma’s back seven as its biggest strength heading into the new season.

Here’s what PFF had to say:

Oklahoma’s defense features a top-10 secondary and a linebacker unit that is headlined by [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], a third-team AP All-American last year.

OU is loaded at the linebacker positions with Stutsman as the clear leader. [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] should see significant snaps inside as well. [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] will likely have a role in his second year with the Sooners as well.

At the cheetah spot, [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] and [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag] are intriguing options with experience, but don’t be surprised if [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag] sees plenty of time.

The secondary has plenty of headliners, beginning with [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] at safety. Playing alongside him will likely be [autotag]Peyton Bowen [/autotag] and/or [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] to give OU a formidable trio to rotate at both safety spots.

Cornerback is lead by [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] on one side, Oklahoma’s defensive leader in snaps a season ago. While he’ll see time at corner, the Sooners plan to move him around the secondary, even giving him snaps at cheetah in 2024. [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag] will likely battle all season long on the other side of the field with [autotag]Dez Malone[/autotag] factoring in as well. [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag] is a local product from Mustang, and he and [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag] saw some fill-in action last season.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has the makings of a high-level defense in 2024 as he enters his third season at the helm of the Sooners.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Saints’ 2023 schedule is 2nd-easiest based on opponent record in 2022

The Saints’ 2023 schedule is 2nd-easiest around the league based on opponent record in 2022. Only the Falcons have an easier road ahead of them:

Here’s some good news. The New Orleans Saints finished in third-place within the NFC South last year, but a silver lining to the 7-10 record that landed them there in 2022 is an easier schedule in 2023. We’re all about positive thinking.

New Orleans’ opponents for the 2023 season went a combined 122-164-3 last year, which is a winning percentage of just .427 for the second-easiest schedule in the league. Only the Atlanta Falcons (.417) have an easier road ahead of them. Of the 14 teams to qualify for the playoffs, only four of them are on the 2023 schedule:

  • 13-4 Minnesota Vikings (away)
  • 9-8 Jacksonville Jaguars (home)
  • 9-7-1 New York Giants (home)
  • 8-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (twice)

Not bad, right? Of course there’s going to be a ton of turnover and changes around the league between now and September. We have a busy free agency period, the landmark 2023 NFL draft, and plenty of trades to navigate between now and then — to say nothing of the injuries, holdouts, suspensions, and other factors that will determine what each of these teams looks like in the fall.

Who will be playing quarterback in New York and Tampa Bay next year? Will the Vikings be able to keep Justin Jefferson happy despite a mediocre quarterback situation of their own? For that matter, who are the Saints going to trot out under center themselves?

New Orleans has a lot of work to do this offseason beyond finding a quarterback they have faith in. The Saints have 20-plus outgoing free agents to consider re-signing, some bloated contracts to whittle down, and plenty of funny money to move around in their usual restructures. They may be looking at the 2023 schedule and feeling good about their chances, but so are many other teams looking at their games with New Orleans.

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What Seahawks intend to do with defensive tackle Snack Harrison

The Seattle Seahawks signed defensive tackle Snacks Harrison to the practice squad but the team has bigger plans for him in the near future.

The Seattle Seahawks signed defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison to the practice squad on Wednesday, but the team has bigger plans for him in the near future. However, he likely won’t be available by Sunday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

“Let me see him on a practice field first, I’ve got to see what he looks like running around,” coach Pete Carroll told the reporters. “Learning the defense, he’ll be fine there. He’s a really smart football player, that’s not going to be a problem. It’s just how fit he is and all that. He’s a big man, so we got to see what he looks like.”

Harrison had been contemplating retirement at the end of last season and hasn’t stepped on a football field since. He’ll need to get up to strength and speed before he’s eventually promoted to the active roster and he gets his chance on game day.

“Damon’s been a real force in the league, and he’s got a real special style—he’s so big and so strong and stout in the middle,” Carroll continued. “This opportunity to get him now and to get him on the practice squad is to give him a chance to work and get ready and learn what we’re doing and see where he can fit in as soon as possible.”

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Broncos OL Dalton Risner shares impressive workout video on Twitter

Broncos offensive lineman Dalton Risner had no problem moving 1,500 pounds.

Denver Broncos offensive lineman Dalton Risner took to Twitter on Tuesday to share an impressive video of him pushing a sled weighing 1,500 pounds. Risner is training at TopSpeed Strength and Conditioning in Overland Park, Kansas.

Risner (6-5, 312 pounds) impressed the Broncos at the Senior Bowl last year and was then selected by Denver in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. A native of Wiggins, Colorado, Risner played college football at Kansas State before joining the Broncos’ offensive line.

As a rookie, Risner started all 16 games and was penalized just three times. After allowing 2.5 sacks, he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Risner has quickly emerged as one of Denver’s best offensive linemen and he appears poised to remain a key piece on offense for years to come. Though the Broncos didn’t reach the playoffs last season, the team didn’t finish the year with four wins in their final five games, giving them momentum for 2020.

“[That] fired us up to have a great year next year,” Risner said Dec. 29.

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