Tag: Thomas Jones

12 former Chiefs among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024

12 former #Chiefs among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 | from: @EdEastonJr

The NFL announced the 173 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.

There are 12 former Kansas City Chiefs in the running, including return specialist Dante Hall, fullback Tony Richardson, quarterback Rich Gannon, guard Brian Waters, and first-time nominee running back Jamaal Charles.

The list will be cut to 25 semifinalists in November and 15 finalists in early January.

Here’s a look at the former Chiefs up for the Hall of Fame in 2024:

Throwback Thursday: Bears win the NFC North in Green Bay on Christmas in 2005

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, the Bears celebrated Christmas ’05 with a 24-17 win over the Packers and division title at Lambeau Field.

Every Thursday throughout the 2020 regular season, Bears Wire looks back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.

December 25, 2005: Bears celebrate Christmas at Lambeau Field with a 24-17 win and division title

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXlV16JL5g0

Back in 2005, there weren’t many new feats the Chicago Bears haven’t accomplished in their storied history. Well, except having a quarterback who can throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. But up until 2005, the Bears had never played a football game on Christmas day. When it finally happened, they made sure it was a memorable game.

Fifteen years ago, the Bears turned a slow start to their season into an improbable playoff run during head coach Lovie Smith’s second season. Led by one of the best defenses of the decade, along with a power running game, the Bears were stifling opponents left and right, winning 10 games and were on the verge of capturing a division title. They just needed to defeat their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers, to get there.

In their primetime matchup, the Bears struck first. Quarterback Rex Grossman, who was making his first start of the season after missing much of the year with a broken ankle, fired a dart to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad on the Bears’ first drive to put them up 7-0. The lead wouldn’t last, though, as the Packers responded on their next drive.

Quarterback Brett Favre drove down the field on a defense that had only allowed 12.6 points per game, tying it up at 7-7. Green Bay had a chance to take the lead on their next possession but missed a 38-yard field goal attempt from kicker Ryan Longwell. From there, the Bears began to turn things around. Grossman launched a 54-yard bomb to wide receiver Bernard Berrian to put the Bears in striking distance. Running back Thomas Jones finished the job, putting the Bears up 14-7. The veteran back had 105 yards on 25 carries.

Things got worse for the Packers as Favre began throwing passes to the other team. The Hall of Fame quarterback threw four interceptions in total, including a pick six to linebacker Lance Briggs that put the Bears up 24-7 in the third quarter. The game tightened at the end, however, when the Packers cut the Bears lead to 24-17 late in the fourth quarter.

With one last chance and just under a minute to go, Favre would fall short in his comeback bid as he would be picked off to end the game. The win gave the Bears the NFC North title, a first-round bye in the playoffs, a sweep of the Packers for the first time since 1991, and one heck of a Christmas present for fans everywhere.

[listicle id=464708]

LaDainian Tomlinson: Signing with Jets was ‘the best decision I could have made’

Hall of Fame RB LaDainian Tomlinson says signing with the Jets in 2010 was the best decision he could’ve made for his career at the time.

LaDainian Tomlinson appeared to be entering the twilight zone after rushing for a career-low 730 yards in his last season with the San Diego Chargers.

What happened next is what Tomlinson calls the best decision he could’ve made for his Hall of Fame career, which looked to be on its last legs. After taking a visit with the Minnesota Vikings, Tomlinson decided to sign a two-year deal with Rex Ryan and the New York Jets ahead of the 2010 season.

“The best decision I could have made was signing with the New York Jets at that time,” Tomlinson, now an analyst with NFL Network, said. “I was able to bounce back with a good season. I helped my team get to the AFC Championship Game. I was featured in a national commercial. That season justified my decision to join Rex Ryan and the Jets — forgoing a deal with Minnesota — and that was a great feeling.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyp-EDBHAk0&w=560&h=315]

Tomlinson signed a two-year deal worth $5.1 million and joined the league’s top rushing attack from the season before. He was the veteran presence in the backfield that New York was searching for after parting ways with Thomas Jones, even though Jones rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2009. With Shonn Greene emerging as the Jets’ starting running back, Tomlinson was the perfect complement for Ryan’s ground and pound approach.

Tomlinson helped Gang Green to its second AFC Championship Game in as many seasons. He proved that he still had a lot left in the tank, rebounding with 914 yards on 219 carries with six rushing touchdowns in 2010. He also added 52 receptions for 368 yards, playing an important role as a check-down option for then second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Tomlinson played one more season for the Jets before calling it a career. New York gave Tomlinson his final shot at reaching the Super Bowl but fell just short of that mark in 2010. Tomlinson showed his age in 2011, recording just 729 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.

At the time of his retirement in 2012, Tomlinson compiled 3,174 career rushing attempts for 13,684 yards and 145 rushing touchdowns. As one of the best pass-catching backs of his generation, he caught 624 passes for 4,772 yards and 17 touchdowns. Tomlinson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Although he will be remembered for what he accomplished in San Diego, including scoring an NFL record 31 total touchdowns in a single season, Tomlinson still looks upon his two-year stint with New York fondly.

Matt Forte, Thomas Jones air grievances about former Bears management

“The Last Dance” shined a light on the dark side of professional sports management, and some former Bears shared their own experiences.

The sports world saw its most excitement in over a month when the ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance” premiered on Sunday evening. The 10-part series details the Chicago Bulls’ final championship run back in 1998 and shows never-before-seen footage of one of the most iconic sports teams of all time.

Naturally, nearly every sports fan tuned to watch the first two episodes and had many thoughts on the Bulls, particularly regarding the mistrust between the Bulls players and their front office. A couple former Bears chimed in as well, then shared thoughts on their own team.

Former Bears running back Matt Forte, who played for the team from 2008-15, reacted to a Tweet from retired NFL receiver Torrey Smith, saying Bulls general manager Jerry Krause “ruined one of the greatest teams in any sport” as he reacted to the docuseries. Forte agreed and said it seems to be a common theme in Chicago.

When asked to elaborate, the former Pro-Bowl rusher didn’t hold back, airing his grievances with former Bears general managers Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery. Forte began with Emery, citing the way head coach Lovie Smith was fired in 2012 following a 10-6 season. He was also displeased with how Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher’s tenure ended with the team, along with linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Charles Tillman.

Forte then went on to detail his issues with Angelo, focusing on how his former boss wasn’t faithful in contract negotiations just prior to the 2011 season, Forte’s final year in his rookie deal.

That’s when Thomas Jones, another former Bears running back, entered the conversation to agree with Forte when it came to Angelo. Jones spent three seasons with the Bears from 2004-06 before getting dealt to the New York Jets for a second-round draft pick following the Bears loss in Super Bowl XLI. Like Forte, he has a similar issue with Angelo when it came to negotiating in good faith.

Angelo, who signed Jones as a free agent in 2004 and drafted Forte in the second-round of the 2008 NFL Draft, was fired following the 2011 season. Emery was hired as his replacement and got off to a rocky start with Forte.

The Bears placed the franchise tag on the team’s second all-time leading rusher, before eventually agreeing to a contract extension, giving Forte $32 million over four years with $18 million guaranteed. The two parties avoided a holdout situation heading into training camp. Emery would be fired just two seasons later after a disastrous season in 2014.

Forte apologized for his posts, saying the docuseries reminded him how great his own teams could have been.

Jones also made it clear he has no ill will towards Angelo, saying “it’s just the ugly part of the NFL,” and that he’s grateful for the opportunity he had to play in Chicago.

Getting a peek behind at the curtain at some of the issues that plagued arguably the greatest basketball dynasty ever brings out many emotions. As former players, Forte and Jones brought some of their own issues with team management to light after reacting to “The Last Dance.”

The question is, with millions of fans captivated by the docuseries and still eight episodes to go, what else might be shared by Chicago athletes over the next few weeks?

[lawrence-related id=442650,442631,442488,442633]

Bilal Powell moves up to 8th on Jets’ all-time rushing list

Bilal Powell moves up no No. 8 on the Jets’ all-time rushing list.

Bilal Powell has cemented himself as one of the best running backs in Jets history.

In Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, Powell moved up to No. 8 on the team’s all-time rushing list, passing Bill Mathis with 3,591 yards. Coming into the game, Powell needed 19 yards to move ahead of Mathis and got 20 rushing yards on New York’s first drive of the game.

Powell has been on the Jets for his entire nine-year career. The Jets took him in the fourth-round out of Louisville back in 2011.

Powell has always been a reliable player for the Jets, though he’s never truly been a No. 1 running back. But whenever he has gotten a chance to play, he’s made the most of it, whether it’s running the football or as a pass-catcher.

The next player Powell has to catch on the Jets’ all-time rushing list is Thomas Jones, who is currently at 3,833 yards.