Tag: Walter Payton

Seahawks nominate Bobby Wagner for Walter Payton Man of the Year again

For the second time, Wagner is getting nominated by the team for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. 

Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner is more than just an all-time great defender. He’s an A+ human being and one of the classiest players who’s ever put in a Seahawks uniform. For the second time, Wagner is getting nominated by the team for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Wagner has a lot of balls in the air off the field, including charities to help prevent strokes, promote HBCU schools and pay off school lunch debts, per the team website.

“Sometimes I just see stuff, like I heard about somebody not being able to afford school lunch, and I found out that if you can’t pay that balance off in elementary school, it follows you into middle school,” he said. “I didn’t know that. I wouldn’t have known that unless I got put in that situation, so you try to help that. It’s just being around a lot of people who are doing a lot of amazing things, and seeing if I can either be a part of it or try to do my part to make a positive change.”

On the field Wagner is having another spectacular season, reaching over 100 tackles for the tenth-straight year. Assuming he gets another Pro Bowl nod it’ll be his ninth nomination. Making the All-Pro team this year would represent his seventh time earning that honor.

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Ravens LB Roquan Smith nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

The Baltimore Ravens have nominated All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year award

The NFL today announced the 32 nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and the Baltimore Ravens’ selection is All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award honors players who excel on the field and demonstrate a passion for creating a lasting positive impact beyond the game.

 

All 32 nominees will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. The Man of the Year winner will be announced during NFL Honors, a prime-time awards special to air nationally on CBS on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Eagles’ OL Lane Johnson nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Lane Johnson is Eagles nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

The Philadelphia Eagles have announced Lane Johnson as its 2023 nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide.

Considered one of the league’s most prestigious honors, the award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities and excellence on the field.

“I’m incredibly honored to be named the Eagles’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year alongside an inspiring group of men who are making a difference in their communities,” said Johnson. “I’ve been fortunate to spend my entire career playing for an organization and city that has embraced me at my best, but more importantly, supported me and helped me through some of my darkest moments. Playing this game has always been a passion of mine, but being able to share my mental health journey through the platform football has given me has been a rewarding experience. I’m grateful to have had a strong support system, and my hope is to support others who are suffering in silence by opening doors for them to feel comfortable enough sharing their stories.”

All 32 nominees will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. The 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally on CBS on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Taysom Hill joined rare company with his do-it-all performance vs. Colts

Taysom Hill joined rare company with his do-it-all performance against the Colts. The Saints’ Swiss army knife is closing in on NFL history:

Taysom Hill joined rare company with his do-it-all performance against the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints’ Swiss army knife is closing in on NFL history — he’s one of a select few players who have gained 40-plus yards as a passer and runner with 10 or more receiving yards in multiple games.

There have been 78 such performances in NFL history, and a decent-sized crowd has done it once or twice. But Hill is one of five players who have done it three times, along with Cam Newton, George Taliafe, Ray Evans, and Tom Tracy. And that isn’t the mountaintop.

Two legendary pros have done so four times: Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton and Louisiana legend John David Crow. Hill is one more game away from tying them, and two from making the record his own.

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The best player ever for all 32 NFL teams

Who’s the GOAT for every team?

Some NFL players are so much more than the basic sum of their parts.

They are not mere cogs in The Machine, doing their job, punching in and out while carrying a lunch pail. They are the genuine difference-makers, the tone-setters, the memorable faces of the franchise, and the people who inherently make the uniforms they wear iconic by default.

No matter how long an NFL team has actually been around, they’ve had at least one great player. It’d be impossible not to. Everyone has had that one superstar who was a bright magnet of charisma and someone who never shied away from the spotlight — either from the opposing team or fans. Everyone has had that player who made folks fall in love with their team.

The following list takes a look at the finest player in franchise history for all 32 NFL teams. It takes into account individual accomplishments, peer comparisons, influence on their team and city, and how well their skills translated to the tests of time. If you’re even a casual pro football observer, you will undoubtedly guess some of the more obvious selections, while others had more of a back-and-forth.

Let’s break it down.

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NFL analyst believes Bears RB Khalil Herbert in line for ‘big year’

Could Bears RB Khalil Herbert be in for a breakout year? One NFL analyst believes so.

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What do you think when someone says, “Chicago Bears?” It’s a multi-faceted question that can have many answers, all of them holding truth. One person might attach an identity to the team, saying “hard-nosed football.” The Bears lead the NFL with a whopping 30 players inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame; another fan might acknowledge one of them as the personification of the team, like the legendary Walter Payton.

For many, however, the Bears are known for having a long history of positional excellence that has withstood the test of time. Linebackers, defensive lineman, cornerbacks, running backs — excellence has graced these positions over the team’s 104-year history and many of those players are considered Bears legends.

The tradition is still alive and well in the modern age, as several recent players have brought elite skill to their respective positions. All-Pro Roquan Smith was the center piece of some truly terrifying Chicago defenses as the team’s middle linebacker, and the powerful duo of Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack were whirlwinds of freak power and athleticism that opposing lineman couldn’t weather. As for running backs… it’s a bit of a different story.

While former Bear David Montgomery was an above-average running back whose ability to break tackles couldn’t be denied, Chicago has not had a truly great running back since 2015 — since Matt Forte was catching bullet passes from quarterback Jay Cutler. If history is truly meant to repeat itself, then where is Chicago’s next great running back? Well, one reputable football analyst claims that he’s already on the roster: Khalil Herbert.

Herbert has become a bit of a social media darling in Bears circles the last week or so. Fans are claiming that Chicago’s apparent commitment to an “running back by committee” approach on the ground can pave the way for Herbert to stand out among his teammates. Analyst Clay Harbor, however, believes an advanced metric from last season could indicate a “BIG year for Herbert.”

In the graph Harbor posted, Herbert ranks above other prominent running backs in a statistic called Average Rush Yards over Expected, with the Bears running back comfortably above one yard. For those who may not be aware, formulas are utilized to estimate what a ball carrier should average on any given play, based on a number of factors.

In this case, the formula Harbor posted is from the website Football Insights. So, the graph effectively demonstrates that Herbert gained one more yard per running play than the formula would have predicted Herbert to gain.

That number may seem inconsequential, but football is a game of inches. That one yard more Herbert gains on average could be the difference between getting stuffed at the goal line or scoring a touchdown.

Herbert’s breakout year could be imminent, if Harbor and the rest of the Bears’ faithful is to be believed. Which means Herbert may be taking his first steps into becoming Chicago’s next great running back.

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All-Time Saints Villains: Who has the most career rushing yards against New Orleans?

Who has the most career rushing yards against the Saints? The Panthers’ duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart was challenging to say the least:

Some seriously talented runners have suited up against the New Orleans Saints over the years — but which rusher stands on top? Who challenged the Saints defense the most as a threat to make a big play on the ground?

We’ve already looked at the highest-scoring quarterbacks and most-accomplished wide receivers to oppose the black and gold. Now let’s look back on the Saints’ biggest rivals at running back, thanks to Statmuse:

10 best first round picks in Chicago Bears history

Here’s a look at the 10 best first-round picks by the Bears in franchise history, a list that includes all Hall of Famers.

The Chicago Bears have had some memorable — and Hall of Fame — first-round picks during their storied 102-year history, with linebacker Brian Urlacher being the most recent.

Chicago hasn’t had much success in the first round in recent history — whether it was during the Jerry Angelo, Phil Emery or Ryan Pace eras. The hope is that changes with quarterback Justin Fields, who was the team’s last first-round pick in 2021.

After not having a first-round selection in three of the last four years, the Bears will pick in the top 10 in the 2023 NFL draft. They traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for two first-round picks, two second-round selections and wide receiver DJ Moore.

But Chicago does have the No. 9 pick — which will be Ryan Poles’ first-ever first-round selection — something that worked out well for the franchise back in 2000.

Here’s a look at the 10 best first-round picks by the Bears in team history, a list that includes all Hall of Famers:

LOOK: Eagles’ fans boo Dak Prescott while he was accepting the Walter Payton Man Of The Year award

Philadelphia Eagles fans are deep at the #SuperBowl and promptly booed Cowboys QB Dak Prescott while he was accepting the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Dak Prescott couldn’t bring himself to root for the Eagles in the Super Bowl, so he shouldn’t be shocked that Philadelphia fans returned the favor.

Prior to the kickoff of Super Bowl LVII, Andrew Whitworth presented the Cowboys’ star quarterback with the 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

The moment recognized Prescott’s work in the community and is centered around the great Walter Payton, one of the NFL’s greatest players and greatest men.

While being introduced as the winner of the award, Eagles fans didn’t hold back the boos and let them rain down on Prescott.

Social media reacts to everything, and the reaction to Philly fans was what you’d expect.