Tag: Ted Ginn Jr.

Former Panthers WR Ted Ginn Jr. reciprocates love from Cam Newton

Ted Ginn Jr. appreciated the special shoutout from his former QB Cam Newton.

Ted Ginn Jr. just tipped his cap (or his Meshika depending on who you ask) to his old pal Cam Newton.

Last week, the former NFL Most Valuable Player and Carolina Panthers legend was asked what receiver (other than tight end Greg Olsen) was his favorite throughout his career. Newton didn’t even hesitate to answer.

“Ted Ginn,” he replied in a clip posted to the 4th & 1 with Cam Newton Twitter/X account. “Ted had a very high IQ. And I don’t think he was ever featured like he was featured during the Carolina Panthers days, ’cause he scared so many people with his speed. And you couldn’t out, overthrow the [expletive].”

Well, those words weren’t thrown over Ginn Jr. either.

The retired wideout posted the following to Newton’s praise just a few days later:

The two helped push the Panthers to a pair of NFC South titles (2013 and 2015) as well as the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl appearance. Over his three years in Carolina, Ginn Jr. reeled in 134 catches for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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Panthers great Cam Newton reveals his favorite receiver (other than Greg Olsen)

Who was Cam Newton’s favorite non-Greg Olsen target from his NFL career? The former MVP had an emphatic answer for that.

Asking Cam Newton for his favorite pass catcher from his NFL career is an exercise in futility. (We all know it’s his dawg.) So, the field has to be narrowed down a bit.

While filming this week’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers legend took the following question from a fan:

Newton and former tight end Greg Olsen spent nine seasons together in Carolina—a run that saw three NFC South titles, four total playoff appearances and a trip to Super Bowl 50. Their partnership also helped produce a Most Valuable Player Award for Newton and a three-year string of 1,000-yard receiving campaigns for Olsen—a then-NFL record for the position.

But with Greg off the table, who would Cam take . . . ?

“Ted Ginn,” he replied emphatically. “Ted had a very high IQ. And I don’t think he was ever featured like he was featured during the Carolina Panthers days, ’cause he scared so many people with his speed. And you couldn’t out, overthrow the [expletive].”

Ginn was in on two of those three division titles, including the one that resulted in their NFC championship win in 2015. Over three total seasons with Newton and the Panthers, the speed merchant recorded 134 catches for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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Josh Bynes officially retires as a Raven after 12 NFL seasons

Following 12 seasons in the NFL, inside linebacker Josh Bynes is officially retiring as a Baltimore Raven. Today, @bynestime56 will officially retire as a Raven Congratulations on your retirement, Josh❕ pic.twitter.com/Wz727HBRbz – Baltimore Ravens …

Following 12 seasons in the NFL, inside linebacker Josh Bynes is officially retiring as a Baltimore Raven.

Bynes was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2011. The very next season, Bynes would make the game-ending tackle on Ted Ginn Jr. on a kickoff in Baltimore’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

Bynes was signed off the Ravens’ practice squad by the Detroit Lions during the 2014 season. After spending three seasons with the Lions, Bynes signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he would stay for the next two seasons before being released in the 2019 offseason.

Bynes returned to Baltimore during the 2019 season. The Ravens’ young pair of inside linebackers were struggling to start the season after losing C.J. Mosley in free agency to the New York Jets that offseason. Baltimore turned to Bynes and fellow veteran inside linebacker L.J. Fort a few weeks into the season, and the duo did not look back.

Bynes signed with the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2019 season. After one season with the Bengals, he signed with the Carolina Panthers but was released as part of final roster cutdowns before the 2021 season.

The Ravens were in a similar situation to start the 2021 season, with second-year first-round pick Patrick Queen struggling without Fort on the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Baltimore again turned to Bynes to save the day, and he did just that.

Bynes remained a starter alongside Queen into the next season until the Ravens traded for All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears.

The former undrafted linebacker finished his 12-year career with 582 total tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, five interceptions, 34 passes defended, and one defensive touchdown in 138 games played.

Ted Ginn Jr. has bold proclamation about Ohio State vs. Florida BCS game in 2007

We wished this too Teddy #GoBucks

The 2006 [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag]team entered the [autotag]BCS national championship[/autotag] game as a touchdown favorite and appeared poised to run away with the title.

Heisman Trophy winner [autotag]Troy Smith[/autotag] led an offense that boasted star receiver [autotag]Ted Ginn Jr.[/autotag] among others. The Glenville pair made their marks in Columbus, but couldn’t bring home a title.

Recently, Netflix released “[autotag]Swamp Kings[/autotag],” a documentary looking at Florida’s rise and fall under former Buckeye head coach [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag]. If you watched like I did, it brought out some not so favorable memories about that title game.

It seems Ginn watched as well and took to X, the website formerly known as Twitter, to let everyone know his feelings.

It’s hard to argue with Ginn. The Buckeyes offense looked completely off without their best deep threat after he was hurt celebrating his opening kickoff house call. Unfortunately, this what if scenario for Ohio State fans still stings to this day.

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Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

Tyrann Mathieu thought Jimmy Graham was joining the Saints as a coach

When Tyrann Mathieu first ran across Jimmy Graham at the New Orleans Saints facility, he thought Graham was returning to coach like Ted Ginn Jr.:

Tyrann Mathieu, he’s just like us — the New Orleans Saints safety ran into 36-year-old tight end Jimmy Graham at the team facility Tuesday, he told Nola.com’s Rod Walker, and wrongly assumed that Graham had returned to coach the Saints, not catch passes against him in practice. Many fans and observers expected Graham would be signing a one-day retirement contract, or maybe joining the coaching staff as Mathieu did.

Mathieu recounted: “It was funny man, I was in the equipment room and he kind of walked by, and we had some words. You know Ted Ginn was here in the spring, and so obviously I played against both of those guys, I played with Ted in the past. As we’re talking I’m looking at (Graham) and I think he’s about to coach, I ask him what he’s coaching. He says, ‘Nah, I’m playing.’ He kind of surprised me with that one. He looks good. I definitely feel he can help us still.”

Ginn, 38, was invited to join the Saints at training camp as an assistant wide receivers coach, so it wasn’t an unfounded assumption on Mathieu’s part. We’ll see if Graham still has enough left in the tank to help the Saints offense put points on the board and win some games in the fall. That all starts with productive practices during the summer.

Graham was out of football in 2022, but there’s a precedent for late-career tight ends continuing to make an impact. In 2018, the 38-year-old Ben Watson caught 35 passes for 400 yards and a couple of scores with the Saints. Derek Carr completed a pair of touchdown passes to a 38-year-old Jason Witten with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. Graham is younger than both of them with less wear and tear on his body. Maybe he can make the most of his opportunities in scoring position with the Saints this year.

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Chris Olave shares his Mount Rushmore for Ohio State wide receivers

Chris Olave shared his Mount Rushmore for Ohio State wide receivers — earning points for humility after declining to name himself as the school’s receiving TD leader:

This was a fun conversation: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was interviewed on the Richard Sherman Podcast to explore a range of topics, including something he’s uniquely positioned to cover — the greatest wideouts in Ohio State Buckeyes history. Olave had the privilege of sharing a locker room with some talented future pros as well as the opportunity to watch elite prospects setting the standard in his youth.

When Sherman asked for his four-man Mount Rushmore, Olave singled out these names as the best he’s ever known:

Saints invite Ted Ginn Jr. to coach at training camp

The Saints brought Ted Ginn Jr. back in a bit of a different capacity for minicamp, and the former receiver has an invite to return for training camp. | @crissy_froyd

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The New Orleans Saints have extended an invite to Ted Ginn Jr. to coach at training camp, per a report from Rod Walker on NOLA.com. The former first-round wideout, caught 100 passes for for 1,417 yards and eight touchdowns between the 2017 – 2019 seasons, seeing action in 36 contests.

While he has permanently hung up his cleats, Ginn still has a strong desire to be involved in the football world.

“I still got something left in the tank,” Ginn said in a recent interview with Walker. “I ain’t going nowhere. This is still Teddy Ballgame.”

And he’s confident in his ability to make the transition to what has the potential to become a longer-term role.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time,” Ginn added. “Even when I played in the league, I was somewhat a coach. As I got older, I could see I had some different pointers and things that people took from me.”

With the connections that Ginn has as the Saints continue to make some changes throughout their staff, it would be unsurprising to see the likes of people like return specialists Lynn Bowden and Keke Coutee make their case if Ginn stays around. Both players competed with undrafted rookie Malik Flowers during minicamp practices under Ginn’s tutelage.

To have a former player return to the team in a coach’s capacity is nothing new for the Saints. It’s something they’ve done before with players like Dan Campbell, Aaron Glenn, Zach Strief and Jahri Evans — just to name a few. How things shake out and what the long-term future for Ginn’s coaching career will be something to keep an eye on.

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Ted Ginn Jr. coaching up Saints wide receivers at minicamp practices

Ted Ginn Jr. was in attendance coaching up the Saints WR corps at Tuesday’s minicamp practice, though it’s unclear whether he’ll stay for training camp:

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This is cool: Ted Ginn Jr. was in attendance at Tuesday’s New Orleans Saints minicamp practice, coaching up the wide receiver corps along with Kodi Burns. The 38-year-old retired from the NFL in 2021 but was back on the practice field at the team’s training facility this week, which makes sense if he wants to pursue a coaching career after spending a few years away from the game.

Ginn experienced a late-career resurgence after signing with the Saints, averaging the highest numbers of his career in 2017 (3.5 receptions and 52.5 receiving yards per game) as a quality deep threat for Drew Brees. He remained a big part of the offense even into the 2019 season.

Dennis Allen said after practice that it’s unclear whether Ginn will return for training camp, so this may just be a temporary experience for him. But it might develop into a long-term run. The Saints have a history of bringing in former players to their coaching staff — that’s how Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell got his start, as did his top assistant Aaron Glenn. Zach Strief also joined the Saints as an assistant coach before earning a promotion this offseason elsewhere, being replaced by his old teammate Jahri Evans. Maybe Ginn takes a similar career path.

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The five top-rated Ohio State cornerback recruits since 2000

The five top-rated Ohio State cornerback recruits since 2000 #GoBucks

We have been diving into some of the more highly touted recruits in Ohio State history. We recently discussed the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, guards, center, defensive ends, defensive tackles, inside linebackers and outside linebackers. We wanted to look into the history of recruiting cornerbacks.

Some exciting names are on this list. Even though 247Sports‘ recruiting rankings only go back to 2000, there are some memorable names. It is always fun to reflect on how some of these guys performed and whether they lived up to expectations.

This list only confirms the insane wealth of talent Ohio State has had at the cornerback position. Some of the guys that just missed the cut are Damon Webb, who is in the Canadian Football League; Jermaine Mathews, who will be a true freshman this season; and the elite Eli Apple.

LOOK: Ted Ginn, Jr. destroyed Michigan in 2006

I mean, he was a Michigan savant!

In case you missed it, former Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. is calling it a career after a very underrated and very productive 14-year career in the NFL.

But before he did some pretty cool things at the highest level, Ginn was developing on the banks of the Olentangy as perhaps the fastest player to ever don the scarlet and gray. He came to Ohio State as a highly sought-after 5-star cornerback prospect but was turned into a wide receiver and kick returner because of his big-play ability and speed. He did not disappoint.

Well, unless you were a Michigan fan that is. You remember it well probably. It was dubbed the “Game of the Century” when No. 1 OSU hosted No. 2 Michigan in late November of 2006. The Buckeyes would go on to win the game 42-39 in large part because of the exploits of Ginn.

All the former Buckeye speedster did was catch eight passes for 104 yards and one touchdown — one of them a 39-yard strike over the top from quarterback Troy Smith. He kept several drives alive and even recovered the final on-side kick attempt to seal the game.

Get a look at some of his highlights from that game thanks to the Ohio State on BTN Twitter account below.

I have to admit, Ginn was one of my favorite players to watch ever. He could get into high gear in a blink of an eye and run past anyone. You always had the feeling he could take a play all the way at any time, and often did.

Good luck in your future endeavors Ginn. Whatever it is, we’re sure you’ll do it at breakneck speed, just like you played the game.

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