Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller had an impressive performance at the 2011 NFL combine.
The 2020 NFL combine will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis next week, giving NFL hopefuls a chance to impress scouts, coaches and executives ahead of the draft.
The nearing arrival of the 2020 combine has brought back memories of Von Miller’s brilliant performance at the 2011 combine. The Broncos shared highlights of Miller’s combine on their official Twitter page Tuesday:
Miller ran a 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds, the second-best time among outside linebackers at the combine. His 37-inch vertical jump ranked third among OLBs and his 6.7-second three-cone time ranked second among OLBs. Miller’s 4.06-second 20-yard shuttle ranked first at his position.
After his impressive combine, Miller was selected by Denver with the second overall pick in the draft. He went on to become the team’s all-time leader in sacks and took home Super Bowl MVP honors after helping the Broncos defeat the Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.
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.
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.
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).
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:
New Orleans Saints linebacker Kiko Alonso ended his year with a knee injury, but he’s recovering with physical therapist Dr. Sharif Tabbah.
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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:
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.
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.
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:
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:
