Tag: Touchdown Wire

Terrell Davis named best player in NFL history to wear No. 30

Terrell Davis, a member of the 2,000-yard club, 2-time Super Bowl champion, NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP, was the best player to ever wear 30.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar recently revealed his list of the best players to wear each jersey number in NFL history, and a Denver Broncos fan favorite made the list.

Former running back Terrell Davis was named the best player in league history to wear No. 30. Davis, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, had his career cut short by injury but not before rushing for 2,000 yards in a single season and earning NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP honors.

A two-time Super Bowl champion, Davis rushed for 7,607 yards during his career, which still stands as a franchise record in Denver.

In addition to Davis, four other Broncos were named the best players to ever wear their respective numbers: outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (94), inside linebacker Randy Gradishar (53), quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and quarterback John Elway (7).

To view the full list of the best players to wear each number in NFL history, visit Touchdown Wire.

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Randy Gradishar named best player in NFL history to wear No. 53

Touchdown Wire named Broncos great Randy Gradishar the best player in NFL history to wear No. 53.

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Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar recently revealed his list of the best players to wear each jersey number in NFL history.

For jersey No. 53, Farrar picked former Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar.

Gradishar was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1977 after he led the famous “Orange Crush” defense to Denver’s first Super Bowl appearance.

Gradishar totaled a franchise-record 2,049 tackles in 10 seasons while adding 20 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries before retiring at age 31.

The recognition from Farrar is nice, but Gradishar also deserves recognition from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The fact that Gradishar doesn’t already have a spot in Canton is a terrible oversight by Hall of Fame voters.

A seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, Gradishar is a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

In addition to Gradishar, four other Broncos were named the best players to ever wear their respective numbers: outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (94), running back Terrell Davis (30), quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and quarterback John Elway (7). 

To view the full list of the best players to wear each number in NFL history, visit Touchdown Wire.

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Chiefs’ Nick Bolton named eighth-best linebacker in NFL

Our friends at @TheNFLWire believe that #Chiefs’ Nick Bolton is one the best linebackers in the NFL.

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Kansas City Chiefs LB Nick Bolton is earning praise as one of the top linebackers in the NFL.

In his annual list of the NFL’s top linebackers, which features 11 players this year, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar listed Bolton as the eighth-best linebacker in the league. The position group is one of the more overlooked on the defensive side of the ball nowadays. The position is still evolving with the modern game, which often plays with five or six defensive backs instead of heavy formations with 2-3 linebackers.

The criteria that Bolton had to meet to make the list:

  • Beating blocks and hitting run fits consistently.
  • Blitzing effectively from multiple gaps.
  • Coverage ability as a middle-of-field or flat defender.

Here’s a look at what Farrar had to say about Bolton’s 2022 campaign:

The Chiefs selected Bolton in the second round of the 2021 draft out of Missouri, and he became one of many young defenders who showed up at exactly the right time for Kansas City’s Super Bowl run. Last season, Bolton had two sacks, five quarterback hits, five quarterback hurries, 142 solo tackles, 61 stops, and he allowed 76 catches on 83 targets for 673 yards, 457 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 94.4.

Of course, Bolton’s most notable play of the 2022 season was the forced fumble, fumble recovery, and fumble return touchdown he scored in Super Bowl LVII. That tied the game early in the second quarter, and it was an obvious difference-maker in the game.

Farrar used three plays to illustrate Bolton’s emergence as one of the league’s best linebackers. First, of course, his Super Bowl LVII forced fumble, recovery and ensuing touchdown return. He should have had two fumbles returned for touchdowns in that game, but I digress,

The second play illustrates how Bolton has grown as a coverage player. He may never be a great man coverage linebacker, but he did a much better job with zone coverage drops last season and limited the damage in the middle of the field.

Finally, Farrar took a look at a play against the Broncos in Week 17, where his blitz rattled Russell Wilson into a terrible throw. The throw almost resulted in an interception by George Karlaftis on a pass batted by Bolton.

You can watch all of those clips over on Touchdown Wire.

Bolton has a bit of a chip on his shoulder heading into the 2023 NFL season. The offense gets a lot of the credit in Kansas City, but the defense played an outsized role in their latest Super Bowl title. Just as he made positive gains from his rookie season to 2022, it’s likely that the upcoming season will be his best year.

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Touchdown Wire names Quinnen Williams best 2-technique in football

As if there wasn’t enough love for Quinnen

When talking about the top defensive linemen in the NFL today, one of the first names that will pop up, especially on the interior, is Jets All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Williams broke out big-time in 2022 with 12 sacks, second among defensive tackles to Chris Jones of the Chiefs. He was a force both against the pass and against the run, making him a complete asset in the trenches.

In a recent episode and post from the “Xs and Os” podcast with Doug Farrar and Greg Cosell, the two shared their picks for the best defensive linemen at each technique across the line (1-technique, 2-technique, etc.).

Williams popped up on this list as the choice for the best player at the 2-technique (head-up on the offensive guard) and 2i-technique (inside shoulder of the guard). Check out what the crew said about Williams.

When looking at 2-tech and 2i players, who work head over the guard and to the guard’s inside shoulder, strength and speed are equal requirements.

“In an ideal world, you need to be country-strong,” Greg said. “You need to move people. There’s nothing wrong with being quick as well — I think that Quinnen Williams and Jeffery Simmons have what makes people great at those positions, which is a combination of both. But in tight areas, you need the ability to control and displace [an offensive lineman]. Because you don’t have space on one side, like an edge-rusher does. You have to create your own space, and in order to do that, you need to control the man in front of you, and displace him.”

Control and displacement again, and here, we bring up the aforementioned Quinnen Williams as the ideal for these positions. Last season, Williams totaled five solo sacks, one half-sack, nine quarterback hits, and eight quarterback hurries from the 2 and 2i spots.

The All-Pro can use this as more ammunition in his quest for a new contract heading into his fifth NFL season and being set to make under $10 million while players such as Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence (TW’s pick for best 0-tech/1-tech) and Jeffery Simmons received new deals this offseason for around $22.5 million and $23.5 million per year.

Texans DE Jerry Hughes still productive as 7-tech pass rusher

Houston Texans defensive end Jerry Hughes is one of the best 7-tech pass rushers according to the Touchdown Wire.

The Houston Texans are undoubtedly getting younger at edge rusher with the drafting of No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson. However, the club still believes they have an effective defensive end in Jerry Hughes, and the tape may prove it.

According to Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, who studied edge rushers in various techniques from the 0-tech to the wide-9, the best rusher using the 7-tech is none other than Hughes.

The same positive attributes that apply to 6-tech rushers basically apply to 7-techs, and here, we have to point to Jerry Hughes, the veteran pass-rusher who amassed seven solo sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 17 quarterback hurries in the 7-tech position, to the tight end’s outside shoulder. Hughes was a stalwart in this role because he’s able to combine speed and bend around the edge with power moves to foil the best left tackles. Here, against the Eagles in Week 9, left tackle Jordan Mailata got a taste of what that looked like.

On the year, Hughes generated 9.0 sacks. It was the first time since J.J. Watt’s 16.0 sacks in 2018 that a Texans defender had come close to reaching the double-digit mark.

Despite how Hughes was used in former coach Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 scheme, the former Sugar Land Stephen F. Austin High School product will be part of an attacking front with new coach DeMeco Ryans.

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New Lions DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson ranked 3rd-best safety in the league

Gardner-Johnson’s versatility, playmaking and attitude all factor into his high ranking

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The Detroit Lions made a concerted effort to get better in the back end of the defense. One of the key additions to the secondary recently picked up some lofty accolades.

Versatile safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson cracked the Touchdown Wire list of top 11 safeties at No. 3 overall. Analyst Doug Farrar is a big fan of Gardner-Johnson’s impactful play during the safety’s stints in New Orleans and Philadelphia.

As a free-range deep safety in one- and two-high looks, Gardner-Johnson provided extreme value with his sideline-to-sideline range and ball skills.

But wait, there’s more!

Gardner-Johnson is more than capable of stopping a run play in the backfield with timed gap-shooting moves, and taking down enemy quarterbacks when the need arises.

We’ve already seen Gardner-Johnson’s energy and confidence as an agitator during minicamp, as well as his willing mentorship for youngsters Jerry Jacobs and Kerby Joseph. It’s nice to see some national recognition for the Detroit defensive addition.

Alexander Mattison named most underrated player on Vikings by Doug Farrar

After four years with the Vikings, Mattison finally gets a chance to be the guy in the backfield.

Every year, there are players that are key to the success of an NFL team that go unnoticed. Unsung heroes don’t get the national recognition they deserve for their contributions. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar named one underrated player from each team. For the Minnesota Vikings, that player is Alexander Mattision.  

Mattison has gotten a bit more fanfare this off-season than most that made the list heading into the 2023 season. The selection was based on his workload, or lack thereof, going into his fifth season in the league. Mattison has only 404 career carries heading into this season, where he will turn 25 before the season starts. With the release of Cook last week, keeping Mattison fresh may have been the best way to go.

Farrar states that while Mattison is not the explosive runner that Dalvin has been, Mattison “is absolutely the kind of hammerhead back you can go with in critical situations.”

There are a lot of questions surrounding this offense. Will Justin Jefferson keep up this superior level of play? How far can Kirk Cousins take this team? Can Jordan Addison immediately contribute to the passing game? What can we really expect for seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride to become?

With all these questions circling, it is nice to have just one semblance of consistency. That will come from Alexander Mattison. The peace of mind that will come with that fact is underrated indeed.

D.J. Reed named Jets’ ‘secret superstar’ by Touchdown Wire

The Jets are fortunate to have more than just Sauce at the cornerback position.

Sauce Gardner is already deservedly recognized as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL after his incredible rookie season. However, his running mate sometimes doesn’t get the recognition he deserves as well.

Fortunately, our friend Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire is here to give that recognition. In his recent piece looking at a “secret superstar” for each team, he named cornerback D.J. Reed to that position for the New York Jets.

Here’s what Farrar had to say about Reed:

Rookie cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner got all the kudos in the Jets’ secondary last season, and there’s nothing wrong with that — the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year was about as good as any cornerback in the league, no matter what coverage he was playing. But there’s more to be said than has been said about D.J. Reed, who the Jets stole on a three-year, $33 million contract in 2022. Reed was on the open market despite the fact that he had played exceedingly well for the Seahawks in 2020 and 2021.

The former fifth-round pick of the 49ers in 2018 out of Kansas State has undoubtedly found his ideal home in Robert Saleh’s defense — last season, he allowed 47 catches on 83 targets for 467 yards, 120 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, 12 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 75.7. If you wanted to avoid Sauce, throwing to Reed’s side of the field didn’t produce more positive options.

The Jets had one Pro Bowl cornerback in 2022, but you can very well argue they could have, and maybe should have, had two Pro Bowlers at the position.

Reed is still only 26 years old and the Jets have him for at least the next two seasons. Perhaps in 2023, he won’t be as much of a secret anymore.

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Most notable free agent from each NFL team who remains unsigned in 2023

Our NFL Wire editors identified the most notable free agent from each team who remains unsigned.

We’ve reached the dead portion of the 2023 NFL offseason, where teams are wrapping up their offseason programs with mandatory minicamp before breaking for the summer.

As teams ready their training camp rosters, there are still some notable free agents on the open market who could help shore up positions of need. That includes wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, edge rusher

Jadeveon Clowney, kicker Robbie Gould and (unofficially) running back Dalvin Cook.
Our NFL Wire editors identified the most notable free agent from each NFL team who remains unsigned (at the time of publication) ahead of training camp.

Jets have most rookie Opening Day starting quarterbacks since 2002

The Jets have had a couple rookie quarterbacks on day one.

For the first time in seemingly quite some time, the Jets can feel good about their Opening Day starting quarterback as Aaron Rodgers will take the reigns for the 2023 season.

It’s also a strong veteran presence for the Jets at the helm after a recent string of bad luck with putting rookies in the spotlight early. In fact, no team has relied on a rookie quarterback from day one over the past two decades than the Jets.

Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane took a quick trip down memory lane to check out all the rookie quarterbacks that started on Opening Day since realignment in 2002.

In 2009, the Jets rolled with USC quarterback Mark Sanchez after taking him with the No. 5 overall pick. His career started with a 24-7 win over the Houston Texans and he would go on to play in two AFC Championship Games under head coach Rex Ryan.

The last two obviously leave a bitter taste in Jets’ fans mouths. One is Sam Darnold in 2018, though the first game was a positive, a 48-17 Monday night win over the Detroit Lions. The other of course is Zach Wilson in 2021, aka not Trevor Lawrence. That was the Sam Darnold revenge game as the Jets lost to the Carolina Panthers, 19-14.

The Jets may go through this again in the future. But for now, it’s full speed ahead with Rodgers. No one is thinking about the future. It’s the here and now for the Jets.