Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton had the second-best catch in the NFL last season.
The NFL recently released a video counting down the Top 100 catches from the 2019 season. Courtland Sutton’s one-handed catch against the Chargers is ranked No. 2 — a few other Broncos plays made the list as well. Jonnu Smith’s one-handed catch in the Titans’ game against the Ravens is ranked No. 1. Check out all the catches in the above video.
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Colin Cowherd believes the Broncos will be a surprise team next season.
After going 7-9 last season, the Broncos will look to reach double-digit wins in 2020 and return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season. At least one member of the national media — Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports — believes Denver will make a big jump next season.
“They won four of their last five games,” Cowherd pointed out in his way-too-early 2020 NFL power rankings. “I think they found their quarterback in Drew Lock . . . he’s just a puppy. Their defense was [in the] top 10 last year.
“So, I think they got the quarterback. [It’s] the second year in Vic Fangio’s system. Bradley Chubb — who never gets hurt — got hurt, so Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are still top two or three [edge defenders], great duo.”
Cowherd noted that he believes Denver will be the surprise team of the league, predicting that they will win 11 games during the 2020 NFL season. The last time the Broncos won that many games was 2015 (12 wins).
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NFL.com released a highlight video of Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay featuring his best catches from the 2019 season.
When the NFL starts cutting up highlight reel videos from a player’s season, you know they’re expecting big things from him in the future.
And after leading the NFL in touchdown receptions and making his first Pro Bowl in 2019, it’s no surprise Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay earned a video highlight reel.
In the video, the NFL focuses on some of the spectacular catches made by Golladay during the 2019 season. Let’s take a look at which catches were featured.
In Week 2 versus the Los Angles Chargers, Golladay had two terrific grabs, including a tiptoe down the sideline catch and the game-winning touchdown catch down the seam.
Golladay’s Week 4 catch in between four Chiefs may have been the catch — and throw — of the year, but that wasn’t the only great touchdown catch that game, as he also made another catch that earned him a spot on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football’s “Toe Drag Swag” feature.
Next up was “Monday Night Football” in Week 6, where the Lions opened up the game with a flea-flicker that Golladay was on the receiving end of.
In Week 8, Golladay nearly replicated the catch that earned him the Toe Drag Swag honors.
The Lions traveled to Oakland — for what appears to be the final time — in Week 9 and Golladay showed off his speed, quickness, and power after the catch in a 59-yards touchdown reception.
Week 10 brought a change at quarterback for the Lions and Golladay was on the receiving end of Jeff Driskel’s first touchdown pass as a Lion — a 47-yard touchdown bomb.
Week 11 versus the Cowboys, Driskel quickly learned, if Golladay is singled up in coverage, toss it up to him and he’ll likely come down with the catch.
By Thanksgiving, the Lions were on their third quarterback in David Blough, but Golladay continued to produce. On Blough’s second pass attempt of his career, Golladay broke through the defense for a 75-yard touchdown. Golladay would make yet another deep grab later in the game.
Week 14 against the Vikings brought another pair of fantastic catches, including a sideline grab in the first half and an over the top touchdown grab in the final quarter.
Golladay’s final two receptions in the video came against the Buccaneers in Week 15 and Packers in Week 17.
You can watch all the catches listed, in the video below:
These Kenny Golladay catches are just RIDICULOUS.@kgxix's best grabs of 2019! đ pic.twitter.com/E1B38RxTrd
— NFL (@NFL) February 15, 2020
New Orleans Saints linebacker Kiko Alonso ended his year with a knee injury, but he’s recovering with physical therapist Dr. Sharif Tabbah.
[jwplayer yY808HIT-ThvAeFxT]
Last summer, video of New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara’s intense workouts went viral — due as much to the world-class athleticism Kamara put on display as the creative training regiment that Dr. Sharif Tabbah designed to challenge the three-time Pro Bowler. Kamara’s results intrigued teammates like wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who also worked with Tabbah during the offseason.
Now in 2020, another Saints player has sought out the Miami-based physical therapist. Kiko Alonso projects to start at the strong side linebacker spot next season, but he went down with a torn ACL in the Saints’ playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It’ll be tough for him to be ready to start by training camp, but Tabbah said recently that he’s been impressed with Alonso’s progres in the weeks since surgery.
Tabbah shared an Instagram video of Alonso working on his surgically-repaired knee, noting that, “Itâs important to begin working on balance, stabilization and coordination and early as possible in a safe manner. Proprioception is lost after an ACL surgery but can be quickly restored when addressed appropriately!” Proprioception refers to the awareness people feel within their body, which can fade in areas that go unused following serious medical procedures.
A challenge athletes often face after surgery is the struggle to “trust” a repaired joint or limb, which makes sense considering that it’s failed them before. But training like the workout Tabbah drew up for Alonso does a lot to build confidence in the stability of his injured knee, which will allow him to play at full speed once the season kicks off in September. See it for yourself:
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Former Broncos center Dillon Day went viral after dropping an F-bomb during a live interview during an XFL game.
The XFL kicked off its 2020 slate of games on Saturday and former Denver Broncos center Dillon Day went viral after dropping an F-bomb during a live sideline interview.
Day, who now plays for the Seattle Dragons, was approached by ESPN’s Dianna Russini right after a failed drive ended with a brief scuffle.
“There was just a lot of chatting after the play,” Day said. “We’re trying to make some stuff happen and they’re doing a little extra pushing and shoving. We’re trying to get our [epletive] job done and they’re just — .”
ABC cut Day’s audio before he was able to finish his statement.
Dillon Day, pride of Mississippi State football, dropping F-bombs on live TV for the XFL is a beautiful thing. pic.twitter.com/eR7kLAraLa
— đ´ââ ď¸Barstool Mississippi Stateđ´ââ ď¸ (@HailStateStool) February 8, 2020
Day (6-4, 299 pounds) entered the NFL as a college free agent with the Broncos in 2015. After spending the first two years of his career on Denver’s practice squad, Day spent time with the Packers and 49ers before landing in the XFL. He’s now starting for Seattle.
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The Detroit Lions media department has released a behind-the-scenes video featuring coach Matt Patricia mic’d up during the Senior Bowl game.
Occasionally during the 2020 Senior Bowl, NFL Network would cut to clips of Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia being mic’d up on the sidelines and they even landed a very entertaining interview with Tom Pelissero.
Earlier this week, the Lions’ media department released a behind-the-scenes video of Lions’ coaches mic’d up during Senior Bowl practices and now they have released another extended behind-the-scenes video, this time featuring Patricia during the Senior Bowl game itself.
The video opens with quick clips of Patricia interacting with players and giving a pre-game speech in the locker room.
The first play highlighted was a memorable one. Michigan’s Josh Uche destroyed the South’s right tackle with a pass-rushing speed move and had a clean shot at the quarterback, but instead of making the sack, Uche simply touched him as he ran by. It’s worth noting that all week in practice it is stressed that you don’t hit the quarterback, but instead run by him as not to injure him — Uche just had a lapse in judgment, forgetting they were indeed in game-mode now.
When Uche got to the sidelines, Patricia calmly asked him if he was alright, to which Uche said, “I’ve gotta tackle him”. That got a chuckle out of Patricia, who simply said, “Yeah bro, we’re playing a game”, followed by another light chuckle.
Patricia tucked Uche’s shoulder pads back into his jersey and gave him more advice on how to approach the rest of the game, “That was a huge sack. The ball’s coming out on that deal. Listen to me, you’re a defensive player, let them worry about protecting the quarterback, you go get the quarterback.”
Cut to the next sequence and you can see Patricia in his element, talking to the defensive players about strategy and how to read their cues.
What fascinating about the interaction Patricia has with the sideline judge is not what they were actually talking about, but that mid-sentence, Patricia recognized where the play was heading and yelled to him to “watch out” on the sidelines. This all happened before the ball was even thrown, as Patricia knew the play, saw the breakdown in coverage, predicted that’s where the ball was going — and it did, for an 80-yard Darius Anderson (RB, TCU) touchdown.
Lots more interactions with players and more predictive play calls followed, eventually leading up to the Pelissero interview.
The video concludes with Patricia setting up a long field goal opportunity for kicker Tyler Bass, allowing him to give scouts who didn’t see him kick at Georgia Southern a chance to get a better look at him in live-action. This is an excellent example of Patricia doing right by his players and giving them a chance to shine on the big stage — and it’s also likely why he got the Gatorade bath at the end of the game.
You can watch the entire video (over 10-minutes in length) below:
Broncos coach Vic Fangio and two Denver players are featured in this “Bad Lip Reading” video from the 2019 NFL season.
“Bad Lip Reading” is back with some hilarious fictional audio from the 2019-2020 NFL season. Several Broncos made the cut this year.
At 2:34, kicker Brandon McManus and coach Vic Fangio discuss bat scents and whether anyone has them. Later, a Broncos cheerleader makes an appearance and at 4:40, quarterback Drew Lock sings an awkward song during his pre-game tunnel dance.
Lock appears again at 8:33 to declare, “I’m just sad” with a face to match his statement. It’s a pretty funny video with some creative lip reading.
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Whether or not the Falcons look to upgrade at running back, both Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison have shown they can have a role on this team moving forward.
As the Falcons enter the 2020 offseason, fixing the running game should be one of GM Thomas Dimitroff’s top priorities. The team’s new-look offensive line took a while to gel, which hindered Atlanta’s running backs for much of the year.
Whether or not the Falcons look to upgrade the position in the draft or free agency, both Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison have shown they can play a role on this team moving forward.
Smith ended the year on injured reserve, but ran for 4.8 yards per carry in the seven games he played. Watch some of Smith’s season highlights below:
THE JUDGE@ItoSmith pic.twitter.com/f5DJ2lbnOp
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) February 6, 2020
Qadree Ollison, the Falcons’ fifth-round pick, ran for four touchdowns in just eight games during 2019. Here are some of the best highlights from Ollison’s rookie season:
8 career games played, 4ď¸âŁ career TDs. @QOllison, keep grindingâźď¸ pic.twitter.com/XQ45huWl3B
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) February 6, 2020
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During the 1990 NFL season, Broncos safety Steve Atwater delivered a massive hit on Chiefs running back Christian Okoye.
After he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, former Broncos safety Steve Atwater was asked about the most famous play of his career: a massive hit on ex-Chiefs running back Christian Okoye on “Monday Night Football” during the 1990 NFL season.
âThat story may have to come up a little more now,” Atwater said on Feb. 1. “It was again I think inspired by [former teammate] Dennis Smith. He was my guy, my strong safety. In meetings weâd just look at film and talk about how we were going to attack him. Fortunately, I had the opportunity and it turned out well.
“Iâve been in other games with some guys who probably werenât as big as Christian Okoye was, but Iâd go up and hit them and they got me â they get the best of me. Definitely, the timing was right and I was fortunate I came out on the good side of that.â
Okoye was listed as 253 pounds during his playing days, 33 pounds more than Atwater’s listed weight. That didn’t stop the safety from delivering a massive hit on the running back that would have gone viral in today’s social media age. It was one of the most memorable hits in NFL history.
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The 2019 season has ended and the Broncos are ready for the 2020 campaign.
The 2019-2020 season officially came to an end on Sunday evening when the Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV.
After the game ended, the Broncos tweeted a hype video for the 2020-2021 season with the caption, “Next year starts now.”
Next year starts now. pic.twitter.com/cv4VEiUqka
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) February 3, 2020
After turning the offense over to Drew Lock, Denver won four of its final five games last season, giving the team momentum and confidence going into next season. The team’s first priority will be knocking off the Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC West. Bring on the offseason — free agency and the draft are right around the corner!
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