#td david hodges | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bongaboi · 5 years ago

Text

Buffalo: 2019 Bahamas Bowl Champions

The Buffalo Bulls picked up their first bowl win in program history Friday with a 31-9 victory over the Charlotte 49ers in the 2019 Bahamas Bowl, the first game of college football's 2019-20 bowl season.

Buffalo fell short in its first three postseason appearances, including a 42-32 loss to the Troy Trojans in last year's Dollar General Bowl. UB bounced back from a 2-4 start this season by winning five of its last six regular-season games, and it capped the turnaround by beating the Niners.

Charlotte was playing in the program's first bowl game. Like the Bulls, the 49ers opened the campaign in lackluster form en route to a 2-5 record, but they stormed back to win five straight games to become bowl eligible. It's the team's first winning season since joining the FBS level in 2015.

Notable Game Stats

QB Kyle Vantrease (UB): 8-of-17 passing, 77 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; rushing TD

QB Chris Reynolds (UNCC): 15-of-24 passing, 203 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

RB Jaret Patterson (UB): 173 rushing yards, 2 TD

RB Benny LeMay (UNCC): 45 rushing yards

WR Antonio Nunn (UB): 53 receiving yards, 1 TD

WR Victor Tucker (UNCC): 61 receiving yards, 1 TD

DL Malcolm Koonce (UB): 5 tackles, 2 sacks

LB James Patterson (UB): 3 tackles, 1 INT

DB Marquavis Gibbs (UNCC): 9 tackles, 1 INT

Lance Leipold Could Generate Interest From Power 5 Schools

Leipold, who became the Bulls' head coach in 2015, may not be a household name, but those within the college football community are keenly aware of his accomplishments.

ESPN ranked him as the 78th-best coach in the 150-year history of college football last week, in large part because of his success at the Division III level. He led the Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks, his alma mater, to a 109-6 record and six national championships in eight years beginning in 2007.

"I'm very humbled and flattered to be mentioned in that company," Leipold said of the ranking. "It is truly the work of the student-athletes, assistant coaches and staff members that I have been blessed to work with that makes something like this occur."

It took the 55-year-old former quarterback a couple of years to right the ship in Buffalo. The Bulls posted a 7-17 record over his first two seasons in charge.

Since then, UB has gone 24-15 with a pair of bowl appearances and now a postseason win. Last year marked the first 10-win season in program history.

The fact Buffalo managed to remain competitive in 2019 despite a long list of departures, led by quarterback Tyree Jackson, wide receiver Anthony Johnson and linebacker Khalil Hodge, is a testament to the foundation Leipold has built in Western New York.

Athletic directors around the country are surely taking notice too. As soon as the coaching carousel starts spinning again following bowl season, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Leipold's name pop up in the rumor mill in connection to some Power 5 jobs.

His championship pedigree from Wisconsin-Whitewater and his recent success at Buffalo suggests he'd be a strong choice to help rebuild a high-profile program.

Charlotte Program Moving in Right Direction Despite Loss

Building a football program from scratch is an uphill battle. That's the challenge Charlotte has faced since 2013, when it joined the FCS ranks before getting elevated to FBS two years later as part of Conference USA.

Since the 49ers don't have the history or tradition associated with most teams around the country, they've had to get creative in order to attract recruits and become competitive.

First-year head coach Will Healy and director of football relations Carter Crutchfield worked to create Club Lit—a dance floor inside the locker room to reward wins.

"That was one of the goals when we got here, is it's all about branding," Crutchfield told ESPN's David M. Hale. "People only know what you tell them. You're in the city of Charlotte, we have so much to sell, but we had to find an identity. Club Lit really turned into a viral thing."

It's unique, and it's the type of gimmick that can help swing the decision of an undecided recruit in their favor. That's crucial when you can't point to a truckload of trophies in a case outside the locker room.

The sample size is small, but Healy guided the Niners to a seven-win season after they posted no better than a 5-6 mark over its first six years and they're just two years removed from a 1-11 campaign.

Charlotte will lose a couple of key seniors in LeMay, its leading rusher, and defensive end Alex Highsmith, who entered bowl season tied for second in the country with 14 sacks.

That said, there's a lot of talent set to return for 2020, including quarterback Chris Reynolds, his top two targets in Victor Tucker and Cameron Dollar and linebacker Markees Watts.

It sets the stage for the 49ers to take another step forward next year.

What's Next?

Buffalo is set to open the 2020 campaign with a road trip to face the Big 12's Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Sept. 5.

Charlotte will also begin next season Sept. 5 by visiting the SEC's Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium.

#2019 #bahamas bowl #jeanne d'arc #college football #bowl season #buffalo bulls #.

2 notes · View notes

actutrends · 5 years ago

Text

Eli Manning’s legacy, NFL playoff picture, Raiders farewell and more

Eli Manning said his farewell to New York on Sunday, but the Giants legend deserves a moment of remembrance beyond the cheers.

Eli Manning had the rarest of moments in sports. He got to say a proper goodbye.

Manning walked off the MetLife Stadium field to a standing ovation from the remaining fans following a 36-20 win over the Miami Dolphins. The New York Giants are a forgettable 3-11 and Manning is finished as a quality quarterback, but the day wasn’t about the present. It was about a career worth celebrating.

For years, Manning has been an unfortunate punching bag both locally and nationally. Some fans were happy when No. 10 was benched for Geno Smith by former head coach Ben McAdoo. On social media, the 38-year-old has been meme’d and mocked.

Now, nobody is here to say Manning hasn’t been given a damn good shake. He was taken first-overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers before forcing his way to the Giants. Once there, he learned under Kurt Warner before starting the second half of his rookie season. Manning was blessed to play for a future Hall of Fame coach in Tom Coughlin, surrounded by elite talent on both sides of the ball.

Manning is no victim, but he is underrated. History will remember him in a better light.

Why? Because regular-season miscues fade when compared to Manning’s postseason exploits. The four-time Pro Bowler has thrown 241 interceptions, and lost as many games as he has won. He’s led the league in INTs three times and made the postseason only six times in 16 years.

Still, Manning made the most of his opportunities.

Manning was never elite. He never put up Hall of Fame numbers. In 2007, Manning went to Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay in the playoffs, and won ’em all. In Super Bowl XLII, he engineered one of the great NFL upsets, beating a previously-undefeated New England Patriots team, highlights by his epic late-down-the-middle heave to David Tyree.

Four seasons later, Manning once again won the NFC Championship Game on the road, taking brutal shots from the San Francisco 49ers. Two weeks later, he stayed the Pats once more, punctuated by a phenomenal sideline throw to Mario Manningham.

Manning’s two best plays essentially won two Super Bowls. How many players’ best moments are so important?

Arguing Manning as a great quarterback is incorrect. Arguing him as one of the most important in the game’s history is a better route. And, frankly, that is Manning’s potential ticket to the Hall of Fame. You can’t tell the NFL’s story without him.

After this season, Manning will be finished in New York. Maybe he’s finished period. He doesn’t need the money, so why hold a clipboard?

If this is it, Manning will retire as an unqualified success. Two rings, two indelible moments.

On Sunday, Giants fans got to say goodbye. Another moment for Manning.

Power rankings

Top 10 underrated quarterbacks in NFL history

1. Y.A. Tittle, New York Giants (MVP, 3x All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowl, 242 TDs) 2. Dan Fouts, San Diego Chargers (4x passing champ, 6x Pro Bowl, Off. POY, HOF) 3. Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers (3x Super Bowl champ, 3x All-Pro, 2x MVP) 4. Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Bengals (4x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro, MVP, Super Bowl appearance) 5. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (4x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro, MVP, Super Bowl appearance) 6. Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans (3x Pro Bowl, MVP, Super Bowl appearance) 7. Phil Simms, New York Giants (2x Super Bowl champion, 199 TDs) 8. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals/Arizona Cardinals (3x Pro Bowl, 46,247 yards) 9. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles (6x Pro Bowl, Super Bowl appearance) 10. Mark Brunell, Jacksonville Jaguars (3x Pro Bowl, 184 TDs)

Quotable

“I’ll be fine. The doctor says if everybody go out and vote for me for Man of the Year, it’ll be better.”

– Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner on his ankle after win over the Carolina Panthers

After injuring his ankle during a 30-24 triumph in Carolina, Wagner gave Seattle fans the best news on the day. The All-Pro linebacker’s health is fine as the Seahawks remain in control of their own destiny.

With two more wins — including a Week 17 win over the 49ers in CenturyLink Field — Seattle would finish the regular season 13-3 and the NFC’s top seed.

Plenty to shake out in the NFC playoff picture.

Podcast

Random stat

Jameis Winston threw his 30th touchdown on Sunday in a 38-17 win over the Detroit Lions. Should he throw for 427 yards over Tampa Bay’s final two games, he’ll eclipse the 5,000-yard mark.

If Winston does so, he becomes the eighth quarterback all-time to amass 5,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns in a single season. After rampant speculation regarding Winston’s future, it seems quite likely the Buccaneers will bring him back for 2020 if not longer after a breakout campaign.

Info learned this week

1. Texans wrestle control from Titans, and now the race clears up

Deshaun Watson and Bill O’Brien are breathing much easier.

After beating the previously red-hot Tennessee Titans 24-21 on Sunday, the Houston Texans suddenly have a vice grip on the AFC South. While only leading by a game with two remaining, Houston owns the tiebreaker over Tennessee. A win against Tampa Bay on Sunday or the Titans in Week 17 wraps up a second straight division title.

As for Tennessee, a late surge might come up short. The Titans need to beat the New Orleans Saints next week and then take down the Texans to have any realistic shot of a playoff berth. While conceivable, a tall order.

Should the Titans come up short, the next questions surround Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. Both have proven huge cogs in the offense alongside rookie receiver A.J. Brown. How does general manager Jon Robinson allocate resources?

The thought here? A long-term deal for Henry, and a pay-as-you-go pact for Tannehill dressed up as a multi-year contract.

2. Ravens, Chiefs separating from rest of AFC

The New England Patriots can’t be discounted. The Baltimore Ravens and Kanas City Chiefs are the AFC’s top two teams. Both things can be true at once.

On Thursday, Lamar Jackson accounted for five touchdowns in a rout of the New York Jets. On Sunday, Kansas City’s emerging defense smashed Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs won 23-3, with Patrick Mahomes throwing for 340 yards and two scores. Both teams are rolling.

GOING DEEP: KC rookies are leading charge for Andy Reid’s club

Meanwhile, the Patriots led 13-10 at halftime over the one-win Bengals before pulling away in the second half for a 34-14 victory. Still, the trouble signs are everywhere. Tom Brady completed 15-of-29 for 128 yards. Of the wide receivers, N’Keal Harry led New England with 15 yards.

The Patriots are attempting to reach their fourth consecutive Super Bowl. They might well have a postseason bye. Counting out Brady and head coach Bill Belichick would be absurd.

It would also be absurd to not state the obvious. The Baltimore and Kansas City are ascending. New England appears stuck in neutral.

3. Packers’ offense a clear concern with playoffs looming

Green Bay keeps winning, but the Packers have obvious problems.

In a 21-13 win over the Chicago Bears, Aaron Rodgers went 16-of-33 for 203 yards and a touchdown. Green Bay was outgained 415-292 in total yards, only to be bailed out by a trio of Chicago turnovers.

Barring a loss to the last-place Detroit Lions in Week 17, the Packers will win the NFC North. They might even end up with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Still, Green Bay’s offense has largely been underwhelming in recent weeks. The defense is good, but can it be great against elite competition for a month straight?

If the Packers are going to win their fifth Lombardi Trophy, they’ll need Rodgers and the offense to be better than they’ve been.

4. Bills, Steelers must find offensive groove to be playoff threats

The Buffalo Bills are in. The Pittsburgh Steelers might be. If either wants to stay more than three hours, the offenses need to show up.

On Sunday night at Heinz Field, we saw two terrific defenses in Buffalo’s 17-10 win. We also saw Josh Allen miss one open receiver after the next, while Duck Hodges lived up to his first name with four interceptions. Yes, defense can win games, but in the playoffs, offenses rife with miscues go home.

On an aside, Bills fans should be thrilled. After failing to make the playoffs from 1999-2016, Buffalo is now making its second trip in three years under head coach Sean McDermott. Both he and general manager Brandon Beane deserve ample credit for the program they’ve built.

No, they aren’t serious AFC contenders yet, but the Bills are a good team. They’ve come a long way in a short time.

5. Cowboys, Eagles may finally put the NFC East race to a merciful end

Our long, national nightmare might end. We might have an NFC East champion come Sunday.

After throttling the Los Angeles Rams and essentially ending their playoff dreams, the Cowboys visit the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. The same Eagles who barely survived the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, juggernauts who are a combined 6-20.

If Dallas wins, it clinches the NFC’s No. 4 seed. At 8-7 and with a tiebreaker over Philadelphia, Week 17 becomes moot. If the Eagles win, they would need either a win over New York or a Dallas loss to Washington in the season’s final weekend to advance.

Maybe the Cowboys turned the proverbial corner on Sunday. We’re about to find out.

History lesson

The Raiders played their final game in Oakland on Sunday. The postgame was emotional, with players and coaches saying their goodbyes to the Black Hole after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-16.

For longtime Raiders’ fans by the bay, it’s been a journey. The team was founded by Wayne Valley in 1960 in the American Football League. The organization was on the verge of relocation a few years later, only to be saved by a loan from Bills founder, Ralph Wilson.

From 1967-75, the Raiders went to seven AFC/AFL title games. They lost all but one, and were hammered by the Packers in Super Bowl II. Finally, in 1976, they went 13-1 and beat the Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Four years later, they won it all once more, handling the Eagles in the Superdome.

The return to glory was short. Owner Al Davis was in litigation against the NFL to move his team to Los Angeles. He won. The Los Angeles Raiders came to be in 1982. Thirteen years and a title later, they were back in Oakland. It seemed one of the league’s largest wrongs had been righted. Now, it’s so wrong again.

Perhaps Las Vegas ends up being a wonderful NFL city. Maybe the fans embrace the silver and black. Maybe the Raiders win a few Lombardi Trophies in the coming years.

Still, one can’t help but mourn the move. Oakland has great fans. It deserves so much more.

It deserves a football team.

Parting shot

Jay Glazer did all NFL fans a service on Sunday morning.

The well-respected FOX insider secured the Patriots footage in question last week regarding whether they filmed the Cincinnati sideline. From the initial viewing, New England can’t feel confident.

A cameraman in Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s employ filmed the Bengals’ sideline continuously. In the video, the same employee can clearly be heard offering to destroy the tape. No such luck. Whether Bill Belichick and his staff have any involvement remains to be seen. According to Glazer, the league is attempting to wrap up its investigation shortly. More answers are coming, and perhaps a stiff fine and the forfeiture of draft picks.

GOING DEEP: Video shows Patriots in hot water

Fans in New England will cry foul, but optics matter here as well. Whether the Patriots were trying to gain a competitive advantage or simply had someone on the payroll with no knowledge of league rules, it’s on them. They need to be held accountable for shoddy practices, and after being popped for both SpyGate and DeflateGate, one would imagine they will be.

New England has dealt with myriad on-field issues this season. It’s biggest off-field one is only growing.

The post Eli Manning’s legacy, NFL playoff picture, Raiders farewell and more appeared first on Actu Trends.

0 notes

junker-town · 5 years ago

Text

6 winners from Week 13 of the NFL season

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Andy Dalton set a Bengals record. Derrius Guice showed he might just be the guy after all. The Texans? Also good.

Week 13 of the NFL season started with a Thanksgiving lineup of mostly drama-free contests. David Blough exceeded expectations but fulfilled his destiny as a Lions quarterback by losing a one-possession game to the Bears. The Cowboys continued a rich 2019 tradition of getting beaten by teams with winning records by eating a double-digit loss to the Bills. The Falcons, uh, tried.

That was a lead-in to all the action on the final day of the long weekend. The nation’s collective turkey (and alcohol) hangovers were soothed by a handful of big games. The early slate featured a possible Super Bowl preview between the 49ers and Ravens and a rivalry showdown between the Steelers and Browns. The late games were highlighted by games like Patriots-Texans and Chiefs-Raiders that had major postseason implications.

That left us with a wide slate of winners and losers, both on the scoreboard and in the locker room. Who stood out the most?

It wasn’t: the Jets, Panthers, or Eagles, who deserve nothing nice

The Jets handed the Bengals their first win of the season. That’s notable because it’s December. Carolina recovered an onside kick to take a stab at an unlikely 15-point comeback against Washington, then turned a first-and-goal situation with 40 seconds to play into zero points and a 29-21 loss. That’s notable because the Panthers held a 94 percent win probability in the first quarter.

The Eagles wasted a 28-14 lead in Miami to lose to a team that gave Patrick Laird (six career carries before Week 13) the majority of its rushes Sunday. That game was made even more gloriously weird and entertaining thanks to one of the greatest fake field goals our fragile world has ever known.

THE GOAT FAKE FIELD GOAL#PHIvsMIA #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/dAZJuTxUmQ

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 1, 2019

That, at least partially, was enough to convince Eagles head coach Doug Pederson the Dolphins are, in fact, good. The data doesn’t bear that out, but sure, Doug. That’s just as likely as my working theory that a bad team uprising took place to push the Giants to the top spot in the draft. That way, they can force New York into passing up Joe Burrow because the team’s already got Daniel Jones.

Now, on to ...

This week’s actual winners:

6. Jarvis Landry, who has gotten even better despite the presence of Odell Beckham Jr.

The Browns lost to the Steelers, relinquishing their edge in one of the AFC North’s oldest rivalries and losing the battle of sassy t-shirts along the way. Their offense regressed to Hue Jackson levels and their defense allowed Devlin Hodges to throw for 10.1 yards per pass.

That cold front froze out Beckham (three catches, 29 yards), but it failed to cool off Landry (6 catches, 76 yards). Though 12 games, the versatile wideout is on pace for an 87-catch, 1,225-yard, seven-touchdown season. The second number would be a career high, as would his 14.1 yards per catch.

Landry isn’t just putting up big numbers — he’s showcasing some of the game’s strongest hands and field awareness in the process:

holy crap, Jarvis Landry pic.twitter.com/StyWIFHAR7

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 1, 2019

That catch was originally ruled an incompletion, but a Freddie Kitchens challenge overturned it to give Cleveland new life in the Pittsburgh red zone. In true Browns fashion, the team lost yards and was forced to settle for a field goal. Even so, it was a statement proving Landry’s one of the league’s top wideouts, despite languishing on mediocre teams.

Beckham’s trade to Ohio seemed likely to cut into Landry’s production. Instead, he’s coming up with more catches on only slightly fewer targets per game (from 9.3 in 2018 down to 9.0). The Browns may be facing a lost season after falling to 5-7, but Landry has emerged as the kind of player who can change this franchise’s fortunes when he and Baker Mayfield — who played the second half with a badly bruised throwing hand and made Landry his security blanket — find their rhythm.

5. Aaron Rodgers, free play god

Green Bay faced third-and-goal back at the New York 17-yard line when Rodgers saw a disheveled Giants defense struggle to sub out its personnel. He used that opportunity to hurry the Packers to the line of scrimmage, induce a 12 men on the field penalty with a quick snap, and then delivered an absolute dart to Davante Adams on the free play.

Second TD of the day for #One7 ❄️ RETWEET to #ProBowlVote for @tae15adams! ❄️#GBvsNYG | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/G1WZ0Mrn5O

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 1, 2019

Suddenly, a dicey 17-13 lead was a two-possession game in the fourth quarter, effectively stomping out the Giants’ comeback hopes. The touchdown catch was Adams’ second of the day and 38th since 2016 — most in the NFL over that span despite missing seven games due to injury. He wasn’t the only Packers wideout to feast after Thanksgiving. Allen Lazard, undrafted in 2018, had his first career 100-yard game, needing just three catches to get to 103 yards Sunday.

Rodgers finished his day with four touchdowns — the 23rd time he’s hit or exceeded that number. That ties Brett Favre for fourth all-time when it comes to four-plus TD games in NFL history, behind only Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady.

4. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who keeps quietly messing up the Dolphins’ tanking plan

Fitzpatrick started the day with an interception on his first pass of the afternoon and a quick 7-0 deficit. His next two drives centered around sacks and punts.

Then he woke up, and here’s what he did over the Dolphins’ final eight drives:

26 of 36 passing

358 passing yards

3 touchdowns

0 interceptions

a 131.5 passer rating

Miami scored five touchdowns and a field goal over its next seven possessions, stopped only by a kneeldown with six seconds left in the second quarter.

Fitzpatrick’s big day was a boon for DeVante Parker, who faces an uncertain 2020 since he has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract. Parker’s 159 receiving yards and two touchdowns were both career highs. More importantly, four of his targets created first downs or touchdowns in third- or fourth-down situations, including one brilliant scoring play:

.@DeVanteParker11, OH MY! #FinsUp : #PHIvsMIA on FOX : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/uPnyeJSIAR pic.twitter.com/6eFfYXlP7G

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2019

The Dolphins are still bad. Fitzpatrick isn’t their quarterback of the future. But if you squint hard enough, you can see how they could be good again.

3. Derrius Guice, very much back (for the first time)

Guice has been effectively cursed over the course of his brief NFL career. The 2018 second-round pick missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL in his preseason debut. His 2019 started with a 10-carry, 18-yard performance in Week 1 that saw him land on injured reserve shortly afterward with a torn meniscus.

The former LSU star kept working. He returned in Week 11 and showed off a glimpse of his potential with a 45-yard touchdown catch in garbage time of a loss to the Jets. He outgained backfield-mate Adrian Peterson in a Week 12 win over the Lions.

And then, facing the Panthers and their 30th-ranked rushing defense, Guice finally got the breakout game for which he’d waited 19 months. One week after gaining 32 yards on 10 carries, he smashed through the Carolina defensive line for a career-high 129 yards on 10 more. That included a pair of touchdowns and a brutal stiff-arm that should have Shaq Thompson reconsidering his future in the league.

Great run from Derrius Guice here. Nice patience initially to allow the blocks to develop. Found the hole and then burst through it. Nasty stiff arm to run through the tackle and turn the run into a big gain #Redskins pic.twitter.com/VQltGkZZMT

— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) December 1, 2019

The second-year tailback was instrumental in Washington’s third win of the season. He accounted for two-thirds of his team’s touchdowns and 38 percent of its total yards. Guice may have done it against a bad Panthers rushing defense, but he planted his flag as a playmaker who can be a major part of Washington’s rebuild.

2. Bradley Roby, who led a defensive effort that made Tom Brady look like crap

Brady’s 2019 has been a tale of decline, but he hasn’t been as bad as he was Sunday night in a long, long time. Midway through the third quarter, he looked like he’d been replaced with Brock Osweiler:

Brady’s final numbers — 326 yards and three touchdowns — failed to convey the absolute frustration he wore on his sleeve on the sideline:

'why don't YOU take out the trash, DAD' pic.twitter.com/H2zdc2BplW

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 2, 2019

How did the Texans make Brady act like a surly teenager on their home field? While the Patriots averaged more than three seconds of dropback time per pass, the six-time NFL champion struggled to find open targets downfield. That started with Roby, who picked off Brady twice (though one was called back due to a pretty blatant hold from Roby), sacked him once, and knocked down another pass in his return from a hamstring injury.

Roby signed with Houston on a one-year, $10 million deal aimed at restoring the value that made him a first-round draft pick in 2014. His big night against Brady — one whiffed tackle on a third-and-14 conversion for the Pats aside — was the latest turn in a solid 2019. He’s recorded as many interceptions as he’s had touchdowns allowed (one each) and has limited opposing QBs to a 71.5 passer rating and 50 percent completion rate in coverage.

That helped the Texans earn their first win over New England since 2010. Come 2020, it could be the key piece of evidence that lands him a multi-year contract.

His primetime performance was about more than making a statement about his place in the league, however:

Bradley Roby dedicated this game to his grandfather who passed away 'this is special to me. I take pride in being a game-changer'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 2, 2019

1. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati savior

Dalton was benched midway through the Cincinnati season in favor of fourth-round rookie Ryan Finley. It happened on his birthday. It happened just hours before the trade deadline, effectively marooning him with the Bengals. It happened while he was tied for the franchise lead in touchdown passes.

Despite this amazing confluence of crappiness, Dalton remained a consummate professional. When Finley didn’t make his case as the team’s next franchise passer (zero wins, 47.1 completion rate, 62.1 passer rating in three games), the Bengals turned back to their long-tenured gunslinger in hopes of diverting their path from 0-16 and toward a much more respectable one- or two-win season.

Dalton was up for the challenge. The nine-year veteran brought the Jets’ three-game winning streak to a screeching halt, throwing for a cromulent 243 yards and one record-setting touchdown:

.@AndyDalton14 is now the @Bengals all-time leader in passing touchdowns! : #NYJvsCIN on CBS : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/uPnyeJSIAR pic.twitter.com/tFJOFC28pq

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2019

While Dalton was completely acceptable in his return, Cincinnati’s first win of the season hinged on the swarming play of a charged-up defense. The Jets had scored 34 points in each of their last three games. They were held to six on Sunday as Sam Darnold needed 48 passes to throw for just 239 yards. New York’s running backs averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. Carlos Dunlap sacked Darnold three times and hit him six times total.

It was a lone triumph in a season marred by mistakes, but it was a big moment for what may be Dalton’s final victory wearing orange and black. Even better, it didn’t affect the Bengals’ place at the top of 2020’s prospective draft order. That’s a win/win.

0 notes

sportsleague365 · 5 years ago

Link

The Fujitsu Frontiers head into the upcoming X-League season with a legitimate shot at winning a record-tying fourth straight championship, but also a major question mark hanging over their heads. Fujitsu players celebrate during their third straight JXB title win – Sachiyo Karamatsu, Inside Sport: Japan, Dec 18, 2018 The Frontiers will be without star running back Trashaun Nixon, as the record-setting, one-man wrecking crew underwent season-ending surgery after going down with a knee injury during the Pearl Bowl spring tournament. Trashaun Nixon conducts the crowd before receiving his MVP award at the JXB – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Dec 18, 2018If ever a team needs to be at its best it will be this season, as the league radically changed the format, grouping the top eight teams into a single division termed X1 Super. Everyone plays each other once, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals.2019 sees all teams in the top division play each other in the regular season“It’s a new league, and from the first game, there will be no game in which we can let up,” new Fujitsu head coach Yo Yamamoto said at the 2019 kickoff press conference in Tokyo on August 20.New Fujitsu Head Coach Yo Yamamoto – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, April 21, 2019Yamamoto is under the gun immediately, as he is taking over from longtime head coach Satoshi Fujita – a man that led the Frontiers to four titles in five years.Former Fujitsu Head Coach Satoshi Fujita (center) – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, April 22, 2018“It’s my first season as head coach, so there’s a certain amount of nervousness,” Yamamoto added. “We’re focused on the opening game on August 24 against IBM, and will concentrate on each and every game from there.”Yamamoto (left) at the season opening press conference – Ken Marantz, Inside Sport: Japan, August 19, 2019On paper, the battle for the four playoff spots appears to be a five-team fight between Fujitsu, Panasonic Impulse, IBM Big Blue, Obic Seagulls and Nojima Sagamihara Rise.Fujitsu, Obic, Panasonic, IBM and Nojima seem set to vie for four semifinal slotsThe Elecom Kobe Finies would really need to step things up a few notches to pull off a surprise, while the Tokyo Gas Creators and All Mitsubishi Lions – the only Super team without a foreign player- – will likely be playing the role of spoiler at best.Finies, Creators or Lions making the final four would be a surpriseBoth will try to avoid the 8th-place finish that brings a promotion-relegation playoff match with the winner of the second-tier X1 Area. Creators and Lions earned promotion to the top flight for the first time ever last season, sending former champions Silver Star and Deers down to the second division in the process.Lions defeated Silver Star in the 2018 Wild Card Creators downed Deers in the Wild Card round as well The preseason buzz is how much will the loss of Nixon will affect Fujitsu’s four-peat attempt. The converted LB set a regular-season league record last year with 817 rushing yards (despite missing one full game and part of another.)Nixon was an All-XLeague LB before switching to RB – Chris Pfaff, Inside Sport: Japan, Nov 26, 2017The New Mexico State man was named MVP of both the 2018 season, and the Japan X Bowl -a game in which he scored three TD as the Frontiers defeated IBM 35-18 for their third straight title.Nixon carries in the 2018 JXB – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Dec 18, 2018Opponents know they underestimate Fujitsu at their own peril though, even without the most dangerous player in the league.“I don’t think it’s an equalizer that they don’t have him,” IBM head coach/quarterback Kevin Craft said. “Whether they have him or not, Fujitsu is an awesome team. They’ve been in the championship for as many years as I’ve been here, even before I got here. IBM Head Coach / QB Kevin Craft – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, May 19, 2019“They’ve been a championship-caliber team before they had foreign players. So the totality of a football team is really what matters most. Obviously he’s an impact player, but I know that they picked up another guy who’s probably very talented as well. Trashaun is a heckuva player, but we still have our work cut out for us, whether he’s there or not.”Nixon scores during the 2018 season opener against IBM – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, August 26, 2018If there is one positive aspect of Nixon’s injury, is that it occurred in the spring, allowing the team time to find a replacement. The Frontiers came up with 24-year-old Samajie Grant, out of Arizona University, who doesn’t have Nixon’s physical size but does possess proven athleticism.Samajie Grant listed as a WR on the Arizona Wildcats websiteThe 175-cm, 80-kg Grant (Nixon stands 186 cm and weighs 106 kgs) was mainly a wide receiver at Arizona, but was switched to running back in the middle of his senior season to fill a hole left by injuries.He had 145 career receptions for 1,639 yards and 12 touchdowns as a receiver, before compiling 461 yards on 74 carries and six touchdowns in five games as a running back. Against rival Arizona State, he rushed for 176 yards and three TDs on 19 carries in a 56-35 victory. Undrafted in 2016, Grant was invited to a tryout by the Detroit Lions but not kept on. After a year off, he signed a contract in 2018 with a different Lions team -British Columbia of the Canadian League – but was released in August.“In principle, he might have been more suited to our play style as a receiver,” Yamamoto said. “But looking at his career, he’s a fantastic athlete and we expect to him to help us in various ways.” Obic head coach Naoki Kosho expects his team, which has lost close games to Fujitsu the past two years, to make the necessary adjustments. Obic Seagulls HC Naoki Kosho (left) – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Oct 7, 2018“Last season, we had to come up with a defense to stop Nixon, and we’ll do so against whoever is in there now,” he said. “When [QB Colby] Cameron was there, at first they would score 40 points. The next year we held them to 7 points.”Obic held Colby Cameron (3) and Fujitsu to seven points in the 2017 JXB semifinals – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Nov 26, 2017Panasonic Impulse, like Fujitsu, is coming off a crisis, although the Osaka side’s problem was off the field.Two American players, quarterback Ben Anderson and defensive back Edmund Burns, were arrested on suspicion of importing and possessing marijuana, leading the Impulse to withdraw from this spring’s Green Bowl tournament, and facing the possibility of being suspended for the fall season. The arrests of Benjamin Anderson (left) and Edmund Burns led Panasonic to withdraw from the 2019 Green Bowl“Because of a scandal involving our players, we caused a great deal of trouble and offer our deepest apologies,” head coach Nobuyoshi Araki said. “I have to thank the many people who supported us and offered encouragement. In mid-June, we were informed we would be able to play in the league.Panasonic Impulse have not played a game since last year’s JXB semifinal loss to IBM – Lionel Piguet, Inside Sport: Japan, Nov 25, 2018“We want to do whatever we can to repay all those who stuck with us during the hardest times. As the league commissioner spoke about teams ‘overflowing with integrity’, and we more than any other team have to abide by that.”Not only did Panasonic avoid a harsh punishment, it actually appears stronger than ever this season, if for no other reason than it has taken complete advantage of a loophole in the XLeague rules regarding non-Japanese players. Center Ed Davis moves to the coaching staff but Impulse have more Americans than ever in 2019 – Lionel Piguet, Inside Sport: Japan, May 20, 2018The Impulse head into the season with nine Americans on their roster, five of whom do not count against the four-man quota for foreigners because of links with Japan. By contrast, there are only three similarly exempt players on the combined rosters of all other X1 Super teams.Of the five, offensive lineman Gabe Ahner joins his older brother Aaron, a defensive lineman. The two grew up in Okinawa, attended Kadena High School on the U.S. military base of the same name, and graduated from Louisville University.DL Aaron Ahner returns to Impulse bringing his younger brother with him – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Oct 6, 2018Linebacker Moses Wiseman follows in the path of fellow Nihon University alumnus David Motu, a five-time All X-League selection at defensive lineman. The final non-quota American is running back Victor Mitchell, out of the University of Virginia-Wise, whose mother is Japanese.Nihon University Phoenix LB Moses Wiseman has joined Panasonic – Lionel Piguet, Inside Sport: Japan, Dec 17, 2017With Anderson and Burns gone, and center Edmond Davis moving to the coaching staff, the Impulse refilled their American quota with quarterback Anthony Lawrence (San Diego), wide receiver Daniel Wise (Colorado State-Pueblo) and defensive back Josh Cox (Central Michigan.) They join two-time All X-League defensive end Carlton Jones.DL Carlton Jones is back with Impulse for a fifth season – Lionel Piguet, Inside Sport: Japan, May 20, 2018The 185-cm, 88-kg Lawrence comes in with an impressive pile of stats from pass-friendly San Diego, which also gives him an indirect Japanese link. His 12,628 passing yards and 120 touchdowns for his career with the Toreros broke the school record previously held by Mason Mills, who spent two years with the Asahi Beer Silver Star and still holds the single-season X-League record of 2,037 yards. (Current Silver Star running back Jonah Hodges and Fujitsu cornerback Al-Rilwan Adeyemi also hold places in the San Diego record book.)Mason Mills (top), Jonah Hodges (center) and Al Rilwan Adeyemi (bottom) are USD grads that have succeeded in Japan“When you look at Anthony, he’s not the biggest, not the strongest, not the fastest, he doesn’t have the best arm,” San Diego head coach Dale Lindsey told the San Diego Union Tribune during the 2018 season. “He just knows how to play. Instincts, whatever they are, he has them to the max.”Anthony Lawrence with the Toreros – Photo courtesy of USD AthleticsGood instincts aren’t all he possesses. In addition to being a two-time Pioneer League offensive player of the year and four-time All League selection, Lawrence was twice named to the league’s Academic team. Out of high school, he was also recruited by Ivy League schools Penn and Yale.Lawrence broke Mason Mills USD career passing yards mark. Mills holds the XLeague single season record – Photo courtesy of USD AthleticsFour of the X1 Super division’s American quarterbacks are returning for their second seasons – Fujitsu’s Michael Birdsong, Obic’s Skyler Howard, Nojima’s Jimmy Laughrea, and Elecom’s Cody Sokol – having made it through the gauntlet of learning a new system in a foreign language and adjusting to a different culture.Michael Birdsong is one of four American QBs entering their second year in Japan – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Nov 10, 2018Like Grant, Birdsong had big shoes to fill when Fujitsu brought him in to replace the revered Cameron, who had led the Frontiers to the Japan X Bowl all four years he was here, winning three championships. Not as pure a passer as Cameron, Birdsong relied on athleticism and a hard-nosed style to lead Fujitsu to a third straight championship.Birdsong replaced Fujitsu legend Colby Cameron – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Nov 27, 2016Fujitsu has provided Birdsong with two new targets in highly touted rookie wide receivers Riki Matsui (Kwansei Gakuin University) and Shunya Kotsusa (Hosei University).Highly touted young WR Shunya Kotsusa joined Fujitsu this year– John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, April 21, 2019Howard, who led the Seagulls to a third straight title in the spring Pearl Bowl tournament, has had his season preparation delayed by personal matters, and might not be ready for the opening game against the Lions on August 25.Seagulls QB Skyler Howard returns to the Chiba side for 2019 – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, May 3, 2019“He came to camp a bit late,” Kosho said. “We’re at a stage where no matter who comes in at quarterback, we’ll be alright.” The Seagulls do not play a Big 5 opponent until the fourth week of the season, giving Howard time to get in synch with the offense.Howard and new signing Jason Fanaika after Obic’s Pearl Bowl victory – Sachiyo Karamatsu, Inside Sport: Japan, June 21, 2019Nojima head coach Takayuki Sunaga has high hopes that Laughrea can finally end his team’s frustrating drought – the Rise have not even made the semifinals since 2015, and have yet to advance to the Japan X Bowl.Nojima Sagamihara Rise HV Takayuki Sunaga – John Gunning, Inside Sport: Japan, Sept 23, 2018“He’s become a real leader,” Sunaga says of Laughrea, who finished second among passers behind Sokol last year with 1,341 yards, with 11 touchdowns. To help give their QB more time, the Rise brought in 143-kg offensive lineman Damien Parris, out of Houston. Parris was recently on the roster of the Jacksonville Sharks of the indoor football league.Rise QB Jimmy Laughrea in action in the Pearl Bowl – John Gunning Inside Sport: Japan, June 2, 2019Elecom’s Sokol lost his top receiver when Anas Hasic, who led the league with 36 receptions, 461 yards and six touchdowns, was released. But the team brought in a new target in Alfonso Onunwor. The Cleveland native, who transferred from a junior college to Idaho, caught 103 passes for 1,259 yards and nine touchdowns in 24 games over two years for the Vandals.New Finies signing Alfonso Onumor – Noel Slattery, Inside Sport: Japan, June 9, 2019IBM, which has lost in two straight Japan X Bowls to Fujitsu, will be the lone team among the elite sides to feature a Japanese quarterback, as Craft, while taking snaps himself, plans to continue to rely heavily on Yuki Masamoto.“I still think that Masamoto…can change a game,” Craft said. “He’s a great thrower, but he can make plays with his legs. He’s played a big role in our offense in the last couple of years.” IBM QB Yuki Masamoto scores in the Pearl Bowl final – Sachiyo Karamatsu, Inside Sport: Japan, June 21, 2019Craft said he is also looking forward to seeing the play of his five-time All X-League defensive end James Brooks.“I’m really anxious to see James play on defense this year, because he’s playing on another level that I haven’t seen him play at since he’s been here,” he said. “He’s really motivated, and he’s in great shape. He’s going to make a big difference for our defense.” IBM DL James Brooks after last year’s JXB semifinal win over Panasonic – Lionel Piguet, Inside Sport: Japan, Nov 25, 2018Tokyo Gas kept on its two Americans on offense, quarterback Ikaika Woolsey and powerful running back Andre Whyte, while adding defensive tackle Tim McGee (Jacksonville State) and defensive end/linebacker Jebrai Regan (Gardner Webb). They also picked up wide receiver Yuya Kato, who played at Western Oregon.Creators RB Andre Whyte scores in Tokyo Dome – John Gunning Inside Sport: Japan, Sept 21, 2018In one scheduling quirk, Tokyo Gas will play none of its regular-season games at the league’s main venue (Fujitsu Stadium) in Kawasaki. The Creators will be the visiting team against both Obic and Nojima when they play their annual games at their respective hometown stadiums. They also play in the lone regular season game at Tokyo Dome; and once each at Kobe’s Oji Stadium, Yokohama Stadium and Tokyo’s Amino Vital Field.With just enough uncertainty to make things interesting, this season promises to at least be entertaining week in and week out. “This year is really going to be unlike any year that we’ve had in the X-League in the past,” Craft said. “We’re all playing really tough games all season long, and I think that the level of play in Japan has really gone up in the last few years across all teams. “Each team in this league can jump up and bite you and make a run. I think every single game is going to be exciting, not only for the players but for fans and anybody watching across the league. I hope it’s a good season and I hope it’s a very well-played season.” The post Japan: Revamped XLeague kicks off new season – will Fujitsu win title #5? appeared first on American Football International. #XLeague #AllMitsubishiLions #ElecomKobeFinies

#XLeague #AllMitsubishiLions #ElecomKobeFinies

0 notes

jodyedgarus · 6 years ago

Text

Patrick Mahomes Is Proving That QBs From Gimmicky College Offenses Can Succeed In The NFL

When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes 10th overall in the 2017 draft, scouts lauded his work ethic and impressive arm strength — but they still had doubts about Mahomes’s NFL future. It wasn’t personal; it had to do with the high-flying college offense Mahomes played in at Texas Tech and old misgivings about how quarterbacks from pass-happy systems would translate to the pros.

All of that seems silly now, of course. In truth, Mahomes came along at just the right moment: the moment when NFL teams are finally embracing offensive elements they used to consider mere collegiate gimmicks. Now Mahomes and his MVP-caliber performance through eight games have the potential to forever eradicate questions about air-it-out college passers.

The history of college QBs with video-game statistics traces its way back decades before Mahomes lit up Big 12 defenses for 5,052 yards as a junior for the Red Raiders in 2016. According to Sports-Reference.com’s data, the first modern1 major-college quarterback to break 4,000 yards in a season was BYU’s Jim McMahon in 1980 — one of multiple passers to crack the milestone in Provo under the guidance of innovative coach LaVell Edwards. (Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer — three times! — and Steve Sarkisian would also break that barrier over the next decade-and-a-half, while future Hall of Famer Steve Young barely missed it in 1983.)

Around the same time, other similarly pass-centric offenses were piling up big numbers, too. As the 1980s came to a close, Houston run-and-shoot passers Andre Ware and David Klingler racked up stats that still defy the imagination. That same offensive scheme would migrate to the NFL in the 1990s and find new life in the 2000s with Hawaii coach June Jones, who turned Warriors QBs Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan into ultra-prolific passers. Elsewhere in the spread, Utah’s Scott Mitchell had a field day in Jim Fassel’s wide-open system in 1988, while Drew Brees, Chris Redman and Tim Rattay thrived in the ’90s while running various versions of the single-back scheme championed by coaches such as Purdue’s Joe Tiller.

And we haven’t even gotten to the quarterbacks who played in the air raid system of Hal Mumme and his many proteges. The air raid borrowed elements from both the run-and-shoot and Edwards’s BYU offense, forging a passing playbook that has obliterated opposing defenses. Playing for Mumme at Kentucky, Tim Couch threw for 4,275 yards and 36 TDs in 1998, while Kliff Kingsbury joined the 5,000-yard club directing Mike Leach’s Texas Tech offense in 2002. Leach was just getting started: From 2002 to 2008, five different Red Raider QBs broke 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, with Graham Harrell tossing for 48 TDs and 5,705 yards (second-most in the FBS modern era) in 2007 and fifth-year senior B.J. Symons, Kingsbury’s former backup, going for a ridiculous 52 scores and 5,833 yards (first in the modern era) in 2003.

Leach was no longer in Lubbock by the time Mahomes arrived on campus — the coach had moved to Washington State, where he’s been rewriting the Pac-12 record books — but the young QB learned from the next-best thing: Kingsbury himself, now Texas Tech’s head coach. Kingsbury is part of a whole generation of quarterbacks-turned-coaches who came up in the air raid and spread it like wildfire across the college and high school ranks. Coaching the Red Raiders, he helped Mahomes become one of the most prolific passers in Big 12 history.

As the author S.C. Gwynne wrote about in his excellent book “The Perfect Pass,” these similar (yet distinct) strains of aggressive passing all came together to change the sport forever, dragging it out of an antiquated era of primarily run-based football and making it into the aerial showcase we see today. Nowadays, the college game is a passing game, one in which 86 percent of snaps come in the shotgun, and even Alabama — long religiously balanced on offense — is averaging nearly 350 yards per game in the air.

Just how much have extreme pass-first philosophies taken over college football in recent years? Kingsbury became only the third modern member of the 5,000-yard club (joining Detmer and Klingler) when he broke that barrier in 2002. Sixteen years later, the group has expanded its membership fivefold (including Mahomes), with current Leach QB Gardner Minshew on pace to join this season as well.2

But for all the collegiate success these prolific passers enjoyed, pro front offices became fearful of handing them the keys to an NFL offense. And not without cause: In the 1980s and ’90s, a number of the wide-open college passing game’s early adopters were picked highly in the draft, at least partly on the basis of their big NCAA numbers — and few were especially successful in the NFL. BYU’s Marc Wilson and McMahon, Houston’s Ware and Klingler, plus Trent Dilfer (who played at Fresno State under Tiller’s mentor, Jim Sweeney), Ryan Leaf (who starred at Washington State under spread-passing guru Mike Price), Kentucky’s Couch and Marshall’s Chad Pennington were all taken among the draft’s top picks. Pennington and McMahon had the best careers of the bunch with more than 60 points of Approximate Value (AV) apiece — the mark of a solid, if not Hall of Fame-worthy, career — while the rest went varying levels of journeyman or bust in the NFL.3

(Young, it bears mentioning, is a special case. Because he went to the USFL out of BYU, he was selected in the NFL’s supplemental draft, so he doesn’t get lumped in with the group above. Young easily had the best career of any pass-happy college product since the 1980s.)

Most stat-stuffing college QBs of the 1980s-90s fizzled out

Career NFL Approximate Value (AV) for college passers who had at least 150 more adjusted yards per game than the Division I-A average and played in a notable college offensive system, 1975-2000

Best College Season NFL Draft Player College System Year Yds TD Year Pick NFL AV Chad Pennington Marshall Spread 1999 3799 37 2000 18 62 Chris Redman Louisville Spread 1998 4042 29 2000 75 10 Tim Couch Kentucky Air raid 1998 4275 36 1999 1 32 Tim Rattay La. Tech Spread 1998 4943 46 2000 212 13 Ryan Leaf Wash. St. Spread 1997 3968 34 1998 2 1 Danny Wuerffel Florida Fun ‘n’ gun 1996 3625 39 1997 99 6 Josh Wallwork Wyoming Spread 1996 4090 33 — — 0 Mike Maxwell Nevada Pistol 1995 3611 33 — — 0 Trent Dilfer Fresno State Spread 1993 3799 30 1994 6 60 Jimmy Klingler Houston Run and Shoot 1992 3818 32 — — 0 Craig Erickson Miami-FL Spread 1990 3363 22 1992 86 22 David Klingler Houston Run and Shoot 1990 5140 54 1992 6 11 Ty Detmer BYU Vertical 1990 5188 41 1992 230 15 Andre Ware Houston Run and Shoot 1989 4699 46 1990 7 5 Anthony Dilweg Duke Fun ‘n’ gun 1988 3824 24 1989 74 4 Scott Mitchell Utah Spread 1988 4322 29 1990 93 53 Robbie Bosco BYU Vertical 1984 3875 33 1986 72 0 Steve Young* BYU Vertical 1983 3902 33 — — 171 Jim McMahon BYU Vertical 1980 4571 47 1982 5 71 Marc Wilson BYU Vertical 1979 3720 29 1980 15 40

* Selected in NFL Supplemental Draft

Sources: pro-football-reference.com, sports-reference.com/cfb

Over time, the prevailing notion became that a quarterback’s college statistics were as much a liability as an asset, a sign that some coach’s gimmicky scheme had propped up a mediocre talent, giving him numbers he had no real business producing — ones that almost seemed like they were specifically designed to deceive scouts. And in fact, Mumme did base the air raid in part around the notion of making an elite quarterback talent unnecessary for passing success. “If he could design a system that featured passing and could be run by average or sub-average football players who could not throw like Dan Fouts or Jim McMahon,” Gwynne wrote of Mumme’s philosophy, “he could truly change the game of football.”

Eventually, NFL teams all but gave up on drafting air raid or run-and-shoot products. When Kingsbury broke the 5,000-yard barrier, all it got him was a lousy sixth-round draft slot. (Unlike that other Patriots sixth-round pick, Kingsbury’s career transitioned to coaching not long thereafter.) Chang and Brennan combined to throw 248 college touchdowns at Hawaii … and neither threw a pass in the NFL. Likewise, Symons and Harrell both nearly cracked 6,000 yards in a season … and Symons wasn’t taken until the eighth-to-last pick of the 2004 draft, while Harrell wasn’t drafted at all. The system was unstoppable, but the players in it were easily brushed off.

For most of the 2000s, big college numbers got you nowhere

Career NFL Approximate Value (AV) for air raid or run-and-shoot passers who had at least 150 more adjusted yards per game than the Division I-A average, 2000-07

Best college Season NFL Draft Player College System Year Yds TD Year Pick NFL AV Graham Harrell Texas Tech Air raid 2007 5705 48 — — 0 Chase Holbrook NM State Air raid 2006 4619 34 — — 0 Colt Brennan Hawaii Run and shoot 2006 5549 58 2008 186 0 Cody Hodges Texas Tech Air raid 2005 4197 31 — — 0 Sonny Cumbie Texas Tech Air raid 2004 4742 32 — — 0 B.J. Symons Texas Tech Air raid 2003 5833 52 2004 248 0 Kliff Kingsbury Texas Tech Air raid 2002 5017 45 2003 201 0 Nick Rolovich Hawaii Run and shoot 2001 3361 34 — — 0

Sources: pro-football-reference.com, sports-reference.com/cfb

Here’s how Gwynne summarized the attitude surrounding air raid passers by 2008, the season in which Leach and Harrell’s Red Raiders pulled off a monumental upset over No. 1-ranked Texas: “The proof that this was a ‘system,’ commentators all agreed, was that hardly any of Leach’s players, and none of his quarterbacks, ever made it in the NFL,” he wrote. “They were merely products of a scheme that magically spun dross into gold, mediocre quarterbacks into NCAA record-holders.”

Because of that perception, the early to mid-2000s were a wasteland for QBs from wide-open college offenses. Some more traditional spread passers got more traction — Byron Leftwich and Rex Grossman were both first-round picks out of vertical passing systems in college, though neither ultimately lived up to early expectations. A feedback loop was established in which the shortcomings of past system passers were used as an excuse to discount current ones, whose lack of NFL success was in turn held up as further evidence that the model simply couldn’t work in the pros.

But more recently, the tide has begun to turn in favor of the college spread passer. First, Sam Bradford of the Oklahoma Sooners — where Leach worked as offensive coordinator in 19994 — was picked No. 1 in the 2010 draft. Bradford wasn’t highly regarded out of high school, either, but he passed for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns while leading the Sooners to the 2008 BCS title game. More importantly, he had the size and other attributes to quell concerns about the system he came out of. While Bradford’s NFL career hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations of the No. 1 overall pick, his acceptance by the scouts — and his subsequently decent NFL career — began to usher in the era of collegiate system passers as legitimate NFL prospects.

Around the same time, the NFL itself began to change. In a shocking upset in 2008, the Dolphins famously used the Wildcat — a literal college scheme — to run roughshod over the New England Patriots. Spread formations featuring the shotgun and/or the so-called 11 personnel — one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers — started being used on the majority of NFL plays. The lines between “pro-style” and college offenses began to blur even further with the quick success of mobile, read-option QB prospects such as Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III, each of whom thrived with plays that borrowed heavily from university playbooks. While defenses ended up adapting to some of these innovations — and Griffin and Kaepernick’s careers have fizzled due to, respectively, injuries and politics — the Philadelphia Eagles used college-style run-pass option tactics to win the Super Bowl with a backup QB in February.

As Kevin Clark recently wrote for The Ringer, the NFL’s scheme wars are over, and the spread — with its influences ranging from Edwards at BYU to Tiller at Purdue, Jones at Hawaii and Mumme at Kentucky — won the day. Against this backdrop, former big-number college passers have begun to thrive at the game’s highest level. Case Keenum, whose resume in Houston’s air raid system included a 5,631-yard, 48-TD season in 2011, went from an undrafted backup to one of the NFL’s best passers last season.5 Jared Goff, who starred in Cal’s “Bear raid” offense under coach Sonny Dykes (a Leach disciple), has a 104.6 passer rating and a 19-4 record over the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. Oklahoma product Baker Mayfield parlayed his college performance in Lincoln Riley’s system into the No. 1 overall pick in the draft; he’s currently holding his own as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns.

All of this might culminate in the success of Mahomes, whose 22-AV pace this year would place him second only to Steve Young (peak AV: 23) among the best NFL quarterbacking seasons by pass-heavy college-system products. Between Mahomes’s own considerable skill set, the amazing amount of talent around him in Kansas City and the coaching genius of Andy Reid — himself drawing on many tricks and ruses from the college game — the Chiefs’ young passer is off to maybe the best career start of any quarterback ever, establishing himself as the MVP front-runner in the season’s first half. In the process, he may be driving the final stake into the heart of the myth that crazy college passing stats are the harbinger of NFL failure, or that playing QB in a wide-open scheme makes you unfit to run an offense in the pros.

If so, it would be the crowning moment of a trend decades in the making. We can trace the rise, fall and return of the spread-system quarterback prospect if we map out the career-high AV and draft value invested in FBS (or Div. I-A) passers who averaged at least 150 more adjusted passing yards than the NCAA average in a season and played in an air-it-out college scheme — whether it be the air raid, run-and-shoot, spread option, single-back, Fun ’n’ Gun, pistol or BYU vertical offense:

After the stellar success of Young and some decent seasons by Mitchell and McMahon, the failures of Klingler and Ware set off a long drought for prolific college system passers. But the recent rehabilitation of the archetype is evident on the right side of the timeline, with Mahomes currently soaring highest.

Fewer than 10 starts into his pro career, it may yet be premature to anoint Mahomes as the college-style passing attack’s permanent NFL savior. But as systems such as the air raid spread further throughout the college ranks, and as NFL teams show more and more willingness to embrace those same offensive concepts, it seems likely that traditional concerns about spread-system quarterback prospects will fade into oblivion. All it took was four decades of ups and downs, changing schemes and adapted attitudes — and miles and miles worth of college passing stats.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/patrick-mahomes-is-proving-that-qbs-from-gimmicky-college-offenses-can-succeed-in-the-nfl/

0 notes

newsintodays-blog · 6 years ago

Text

NFL preseason roundup: Browns' Mayfield tosses 2 TD passes in debut

New Post has been published on http://newsintoday.info/2018/08/10/nfl-preseason-roundup-browns-mayfield-tosses-2-td-passes-in-debut/

NFL preseason roundup: Browns' Mayfield tosses 2 TD passes in debut

The NFL’s top two 2018 draft picks were on display as the Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Giants 20-10 in a preseason opener on Thursday night in East Rutherford, N.J.

Aug 9, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scrambles as New York Giants linebacker Jordan Williams (79) pursues during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield replaced Browns starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor late in the first quarter and responded by connecting on 11 of 20 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. The Heisman Trophy winner also converted two fourth-down plays with his own running plays.

Taylor, expected to be the starter, was a perfect 5-for-5 in his two series, throwing for 99 yards, including a 36-yard TD pass to David Noku.

Meanwhile, the Giants’ first pick and No. 2 overall, running back Saquon Barkley rumbled 39 yards on the opening handoff from Eli Manning, setting up Aldrick Rosas’ 42-yard field goal. Barkley finished with 43 yards on four carries.

Colts 19, Seahawks 17

Andrew Luck returned to the field for the first times in 586 days, playing two series in Indianapolis’ win at Seattle. Luck, who missed all of last season after having shoulder surgery, was 6 of 9 for 64 yards.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was 4 of 5 for 43 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nick Vannett. Wilson, who played just one series, also had 14 rushing yards on two carries.

Adam Vinatieri, who will be 46 in December and is entering his 23rd NFL season, kicked three field goals for the Colts.

Saints 24, Jaguars 20

New Orleans scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including Jonathan Williams’ go-ahead 4-yard run, to rally past host Jacksonville.

Blake Bortles drove the Jaguars down the field to start the game, capping a 15-play, 79-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run. He converted both of his third-down passes and finished 6 of 9 for 53 yards.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees received the night off as Tom Savage started and completed 10 of 14 passes for 70 yards.

Steelers 31, Eagles 14

Landry Jones and Josh Dobbs tossed a touchdown apiece for visiting Pittsburgh, which played without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wideout Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell, who still hasn’t signed his franchise tender.

Jones finished a perfect 4 of 4 for 83 yards, including a 71-yard TD pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Dobbs was 9 of 13 for 91 yards with a TD and a pick.

The defending champion Eagles rested several starters, too, including quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. Nate Sudfeld started behind center for Philly, tossing 140 yards, going 10 of 14 with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

Aug 9, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) throws the ball during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Buccaneers 26, Dolphins 24

Chandler Catanzaro’s 26-yard field goal with 23 seconds left lifted Tampa Bay to the win at Miami.

Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston, who is suspended for the first three games of the regular season for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy, played the second quarter against the Dolphins’ second team. Winston engineered two scoring drives, finishing 11 of 13 for 102 yards in four series.

Ryan Tannehill, in his return from two serious knee injuries, completed passes on his first four plays to open the game, driving the Dolphins 40 yards before rookie Jason Sanders missed a 53-yard field goal try. Tannehill wound up 4 of 6 for 32 yards.

Bengals 30, Bears 27

Andy Dalton completed 6 of 8 passes for 103 yards, two touchdowns and one pick for host Cincinnati. The one pick wasn’t the quarterback’s fault as wideout John Ross fell on his route and Chicago’s Kyle Fuller picked it off and returned it for a 47-yard score.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky played two series, netting minus-1 yard on eight plays. He completed 2 of 4 passes for 4 yards. Tyler Bray, hoping to make the team, hit on 18 of 27 passes for 219 yards and one interception but no TDs.

Chicago’s Ryan Nall gained 95 yards on nine carries.

Panthers 28, Bills 23

C.J. Anderson’s 4-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter put visiting Carolina ahead for good.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton played just two series, going 6 of 9 for 84 yards in the win.

Bills first-round draft pick Josh Allen entered in the second half, completing 9 of 19 passes for 116 yards, including a 14-yard TD to Ray-Ray McCloud III.

Buffalo’s returning backup QB, Nathan Peterman, was 9 of 10 for 119 yards with a TD and a pick over two drives, while AJ McCarron finished 7 of 10 for 116 yards with no TDs or interceptions.

Ravens 33, Rams 7

Host Baltimore jumped out to a 17-0 lead as Joe Flacco hit Patrick Ricard for a 6-yard touchdown on the Ravens’ opening drive. It was the only series Flacco played, and he went 5 of 7 for 71 yards.

Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson was 7 of 18 for 119 yards and added 21 yards on five carries, including a 9-yard TD.

The Rams sat starting quarterback Jared Goff and starting running back Todd Gurley. Los Angeles didn’t score until the fourth quarter, when Brandon Allen hit KhaDarel Hodge with an 8-yard TD pass.

Slideshow (11 Images)

Patriots 26, Redskins 17

Both starting quarterbacks — New England’s Tom Brady and Washington’s Alex Smith — didn’t play in the preseason opener at Foxborough, Mass.

Brian Hoyer, Brady’s backup, completed 16 of 23 passes for 144 yards with no TDs or picks.

Colt McCoy, Smith’s backup, tossed two touchdown passes, finishing 13 of 18 for 189 yards.

Packers 31, Titans 17

Marcus Mariota drove the visiting Titans down the field for a score on their first possession, capping it with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Darius Jennings. Mariota attempted just three passes, completing two for 42 yards, in his only series.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t play, with backup Brett Hundley getting the nod. Hundley hit on 9 of 14 passes for 108 yards, including an 8-yard TD pass to running back Jamaal Williams, and one interception.

DeShone Kizer, who is battling for the backup job with Hundley, was 9 of 18 for 134 yards with no TD passes. He also gained 18 yards on three carries.

Texans 17, Chiefs 10

Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, in his return from a torn ACL, played sparingly, completing his one pass attempt for 4 yards in his five-play stint during the Texans’ win at Kansas City, Mo.

Patrick Mahomes, who will be the Chiefs’ starter now that Alex Smith is with the Redskins, was 5 of 7 for 33 yards on two drives.

Brandon Weeden replaced Watson on the Texans’ second possession and led back-to-back touchdown drives, hitting rookie tight end Jordan Akins with both scores — passes of 6 and 14 yards.

49ers 24, Cowboys 21

Nick Mullens’ 7-yard touchdown pass to Richie James Jr. with 18 seconds left capped San Francisco’s come-from-behind victory at Santa Clara, Calif.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott played one series, completing all three of his passes for 39 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown to rookie Michael Gallup. Prescott added a 12-run on his only carry.

Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was 3 of 6 for 34 yards in his only series.

—Field Level Media

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source link

0 notes

tinkerbelldetective · 6 years ago

Text

Watching Jurassic Park with Hodges

Chilling out on the couch, maybe a thin blanket

A crap ton of food in front of you, Pizza Rolls or whatever

Naming as many dinosaurs as possible

Dinosaur impressions

Latching onto his arm or pressing your head into his shoulder when something scary happens

Him looking at you in shock or something

Screaming the first time you see the T-Rex, whether out of fear or excitement neither of you were completely sure

Him kissing your nose

Him making a face anytime you comment on how attractive Jeff Goldblum is

Falling asleep on him while the credits roll

Him awkwardly attempting to shut the tv and dvd player off without waking you

Waking up in his arms the next morning

#my love #my csi imagines #td david hodges #hodges x reader #csi: crime scene investigations

15 notes · View notes

demitgibbs · 7 years ago

Text

Q&A: ‘School of Rock’ The Musical

Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber is excited to announce casting has been finalized for the national tour of his high-octane Broadway and West End hit School of Rock – The Musical! that will play the Broward Center for the Performing Arts December 12 – 24, 2017.

School of Rock – The Musical is based on the smash hit 2003 film of the same, featuring music from the movie, as well as an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, a book by Julian Fellowes, choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter and direction by Laurence Connor. The musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pintsized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school’s beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within.

Soon to be rocking the roofs off of theaters across America, the School of Rock – The Musical national tour stars Rob Colletti as Dewey, Lexie Dorsett Sharp as Rosalie, Matt Bittner as Ned, Emily Borromeo as Patty, Merritt David Janes as Dewey Alternate, Deidre Lang as Ms. Sheinkopf, Olivia Bucknor as Shonelle, Theodora Silverman as Katie, Chloe Anne Garcia as Marcy, Carson Hodges as Mason, Gianna Harris as Tomika, Gilberto Moretti-Hamilton as Freddy, Phoenix Schuman as Zack, John Michael Pitera as Billy, Theo Mitchell-Penner as Lawrence and Ava Briglia as Summer. The adult ensemble features John Campione, Patrick Clanton, Christopher DeAngelis, Kristian Espiritu, Melanie Evans, Liam Fennecken, Kara Haller, Elysia Jordan, Jameson Moss, Sinclair Mitchell, Tim Shea and Hernando Umana. The kid’s ensemble features Rayna Farr, Bella Fraker, Alex Louis, Tommy Ragen, Gabriella Uhl and Aiden Niklas Villa.

It was a pleasure to sit down with Lexie Dorsett Sharp, who plays Rosalie, for this exclusive interview:

#td_uid_1_5a284f4d9aad9 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item1 { background: url(https://hotspotsmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Lexie-Dorsett-Sharp-160x120.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; }

1 of 1

Lexie Dorsett Sharp

At what age did you begin singing/acting?

I actually started singing with a voice teacher when I was 6. Very early on I showed an interest, so I grew up singing in church, doing community productions, etc. I also played the violin for 10 years and played the Piano. I have always had a real love for music.

What was your first professional gig?

At the age of 15 at the Red Mountain Theater Company in Birmingham, Alabama I was hired to be a swing in Bee Hive, which was a 60’s revue show. I covered many of the female players. At the time, I was balancing high school and that show, but it was such a memorable time in my life.

Other than this show, what role has been your favorite to play and why?

I toured with Elf the Musical and played the mother role of Emily and I really enjoyed that. My husband in real life played my husband on stage, and that made it very special.

What’s your fantasy role?

Honestly because it hasn’t happened yet, I would love to play the diva in Spamalot (The Lady of the Lake), because it is such a funny and powerful woman role, and its comedy and that’s where I feel like I shine. Another role, which I have been up for a few times and haven’t played yet is the Witch in Into The Woods.

WATCH:

youtube

Is there a lot of pressure for you and the cast to perform in this musical since the movie is so iconic?

I have toured with Young Frankenstein The Musical, and the Addams Family, which both had a strong fan base due to the movie/TV show, and what I found in general is that most people are very happy when they see the shows translate onto the stage.

What should the South Florida audiences expect out of this touring company of School of Rock?

We keep all the iconic stuff and expand on it. The movie was mostly focused on Jack, and in the show we focus on a lot of the relationships. I have a lot of reign with my character, and I think it made the show more comedic and a better show. In addition, the kids (we travel with 16 kids). are playing the instruments live. It’s an unbelievable experience for the audience.

Also, Merri Sugarman of Tara Rubin Casting did a phenomenal job of casting a diversified group of entertainers. I think this is very important, and she did a wonderful job. It makes everyone be able to look at the show and see themselves in one of the characters.

School of Rock – The Musical opened on Broadway to rave reviews on Sunday, December 6, 2015. This Ben Brantley New York Times ‘Critics’ Pick’ “is an inspiring jolt of energy and mad skillz,” raves Jesse Oxfeld of Entertainment Weekly. And in his four-star Critics’ Pick review, Time Out’s David Cote proclaimed, “School’s IN – forever!” School of Rock – The Musical was nominated for four 2016 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Lloyd Webber and Slater), Best Book (Fellowes), and Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Alex Brightman). School of Rock – The Musical also won the 2017 Oliver award for Outstanding Achievement in Music.

Tickets for School of Rock will be available at the Broward Center AutoNation Box Office, 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33312, browardcenter.org or by calling 954.462.0222. Orders for groups of ten (10) or more may be placed by calling 954.660.6307. Ticket prices start at $35.25.

For more information on Lexie check out her website at LexieDSharp.com, or on social media at Instagram.com/lexiedorsettsharp.

For more information on School of Rock, go to: ustour.SchoolOfRockTheMusical.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/06/qa-school-of-rock-the-musical/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/168264362820

0 notes

hotspotsmagazine · 7 years ago

Text

Q&A: ‘School of Rock’ The Musical

It was a pleasure to sit down with Lexie Dorsett Sharp, who plays Rosalie, for this exclusive interview:

#td_uid_1_5a284f4d9aad9 .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item1 { background: url(https://hotspotsmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Lexie-Dorsett-Sharp-160x120.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; }

1 of 1

Lexie Dorsett Sharp

At what age did you begin singing/acting?

What was your first professional gig?

Other than this show, what role has been your favorite to play and why?

I toured with Elf the Musical and played the mother role of Emily and I really enjoyed that. My husband in real life played my husband on stage, and that made it very special.

What’s your fantasy role?

WATCH:

youtube

Is there a lot of pressure for you and the cast to perform in this musical since the movie is so iconic?

What should the South Florida audiences expect out of this touring company of School of Rock?

For more information on Lexie check out her website at LexieDSharp.com, or on social media at Instagram.com/lexiedorsettsharp.

For more information on School of Rock, go to: ustour.SchoolOfRockTheMusical.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/06/qa-school-of-rock-the-musical/

0 notes

junker-town · 5 years ago

Text

4 NFL teams with something to panic about right now

The Browns are without their best player, Myles Garrett, as they try to crawl back into playoff contention.

The Browns lack any discipline whatsoever, while the Steelers and Panthers have major questions to answer about their future.

There was really only one team we could start off the panic index with this week. Some teams lose even when they win — none more so than the Browns.

At some point over the last two months, the Browns and Raiders swapped identities. Oakland became the ascendant AFC team surprising foes en route to a winning record behind an efficient quarterback, a dynamic running attack, and a defense that jelled into a better-than-expected unit. Meanwhile, Cleveland was out there making poor decisions, losing winnable games, getting constant flags, brawling with rivals, and seeing a defensive player suspended for the season.

The Browns beat the Steelers Thursday night to improve to 4-6 and remain in the AFC playoff hunt, but threw a wrench in their comeback plans by losing Myles Garrett indefinitely after he ripped off Mason Rudolph’s helmet and summarily struck him with it. Garrett was the catalyst of the Cleveland pass rush, recording 10 sacks in his first seven games. The club will also be without tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who ranks second on the team with five sacks, for Week 12’s game against the Dolphins due to his role in that Pittsburgh melee.

The Browns likely have to win out — or at worst go 5-1 — to find a spot in the 2019 postseason. They’ll have to do so without arguably their best player. And if the previous 11 weeks are any indication, they won’t just have to beat their opponents; they’ll have to overcome their own stupid mistakes.

No team in the league has had more ejections or given up more yardage to penalties than the Browns, who’ve gifted opponents 822 yards over the course of 10 games. Cleveland’s been flagged an average of 11.2 times per game, effectively keeping the team from finding the rhythm that pushed the 2018 Browns to a 5-3 finish in the back half of the season.

Baker Mayfield, often tasked with having to throw his team back into contention late in games, has thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11) in what was supposed to be his breakout season. If those paces continue, it’ll be a 12th straight losing season in Ohio.

Panic index: The Browns have the easiest remaining schedule in the league, so if there ever was a good time to lose a defensive player of the year candidate (there is not), this was it. Cleveland will have to win out against a schedule that includes games against the Dolphins, Cardinals, Steelers, and two matchups against the 0-10 Bengals. The Browns can still rally here — as long as the team doesn’t inflict too much damage on itself to prevent takeoff.

The Steelers still need a post-Ben Roethlisberger plan

The Steelers have drafted several quarterbacks in the last 11 years as insurance for mainstay Ben Roethlisberger. Dennis Dixon, Landry Jones, and Joshua Dobbs worked as backups and emergency options in Pittsburgh, but that was their ceiling. The Steelers didn’t really need them to be anything else, either, because Roethlisberger had never missed more than four games in any given season.

Until this year, that is, when he suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2. Since then, 2018 third-round pick Mason Rudolph has taken over. Judging by his play recently, he’s not the answer to the team’s search for the next franchise quarterback.

In his first four games, Rudolph put up solid stats (67 completion percentage, 7:2 TD:INT ratio, 102.5 passer rating), even if the Steelers didn’t ask him to do too much. His last four games have been a different story, though.

Now that teams have more game tape on him, Rudolph has seen a major dip in his numbers (59.5 completion percentage, 5:6 TD: INT ratio, 70.8 passer rating). This season, only embattled Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is throwing for fewer yards per pass than Rudolph’s 6.3.

Rudolph is coming off the worst game of his NFL career, too. He threw just one touchdown pass and four interceptions in the loss to the Browns (though what he’ll be remembered for most is his involvement in the Myles Garrett brawl).

That loss moved Pittsburgh to 5-5 and even further down the wild card playoff picture. While Rudolph hasn’t been entirely to blame, he falls short when he needs to make plays rather than be a game manager:

Another takeaway for the @Browns defense! Joe Schobert slides for the interception. #Browns @TheSchoGoesOn53 : #PITvsCLE on @NFLNetwork | @NFLonFOX | @PrimeVideo How to watch: https://t.co/I6INVckndX pic.twitter.com/CBRHvmsalg

— NFL (@NFL) November 15, 2019

Roethlisberger still has two seasons left on his current contract, but he’s 37 years old, and is coming off his biggest injury yet. Without a first-round pick next year (due to the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade), the Steelers could find themselves in the same boat next season if Roethlisberger gets hurt again: slipping out of the playoff race because of not having an adequate backup plan.

Panic index: It might be a little soon to give up on Rudolph after just seven starts, especially because his best playmakers (including JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and James Conner) have been banged up.

If Roethlisberger is fully healthy next year, that’ll give the Steelers more time to develop Rudolph and determine if he’s worth an investment, or if they should try once more to draft Big Ben’s replacement.

Or, they could just listen to some of the fans and see what third-stringer Devlin Hodges can do again.

The Panthers’ future suddenly looks like “long-term mediocrity”

Just a month ago, moving on from Cam Newton in the offseason looked like it could be the right move for the Panthers. His play declined since his 2015 MVP season and, for the second year in a row, his season ended early due to injury.

The good news for Carolina was the play of Kyle Allen softened the blow. In his first four starts of the 2019 season, he threw seven touchdowns, no interceptions, and had a 106.6 passer rating. Allen appeared to have a real chance at being the Panthers’ quarterback of the future.

Now, not so much.

In his last four starts, Allen has three touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a putrid 60.3 rating. It was understandable when he threw three picks against the 49ers, arguably the best defense in the NFL. But four interceptions against the lowly Falcons? That’s awful. It was so bad that it sent Panthers owner David Tepper into an existential crisis. Via ESPN:

Tepper’s frustration over losing was evident, as he continually said that long-term mediocrity would not be accepted. He also said fans, many of whom left the stadium early Sunday, were smart enough to recognize long-term mediocrity.

Newton may end up sticking around in Carolina after all, given Allen’s recent play. But that might not be enough to get the Panthers back on track.

Panic index: It’s better to have an owner who’s determined to fix a team rather than one who’s fine with being stuck in neutral. The Panthers have several good things in place, including Christian McCaffrey, one of the most dynamic players in the league. The sky isn’t falling even if Allen’s not the answer.

The Bengals are reaching new levels of terrible

It’s not surprising that the Bengals are among the league’s bottom teams, but they weren’t expected to be this bad. They’re 0-10 on the season, and the switch from Andy Dalton to Ryan Finley at quarterback has not resulted in anything but much shakier play from under center.

Their latest loss was against the Raiders, a rather pitiful 17-10 game in which the Bengals never really threatened to win despite actually leading at one point. More than anything, the Bengals look lost and lethargic on the field. There’s no consistency outside of their winless record, and it’s hard to see any real identity on either side of the football, except maybe apathy:

Never seen an NFL team operate with less energy than this year’s #Bengals from play-calling down to players on the field. The #Dolphins are well coached & play hard. Bengals are nothing like that. Look like they just want to go home.

— Evan Silva (@evansilva) November 19, 2019

Following the loss to the Raiders, the Bengals were officially eliminated from the playoff race. It’s the earliest a team has been knocked out of postseason contention since at least 2002, per ESPN.

That was also the last year the Bengals had won fewer than four games. They finished 2-14. But at this point, even getting one win seems like a pipe dream.

Panic index: After that dreadful 2002 season, the Bengals ended up with No. 1 pick in the draft — and landed longtime quarterback Carson Palmer. Currently, they are in line for No. 1 pick again and can take whichever quarterback they like the most. The best thing that can happen at this point is the Bengals look to the future and figure out what kind of team they want to be.

Another option for Bengals fans? Just accept this dire present and decide nihilism is the only way forward.

0 notes

faizabdurrahim-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Psychology Capital as Solution to Improve Your Organization (The Relation of PsyCap, Engagement & Performance)

Persaingan global yang sangat ketat menyebabkan kondisi ekonomi yang semakin sulit. Perusahaanpun dituntut untuk berjuang sedemikian rupa agar dapat survive dalam situasi yang semakin runyam ini. Belum lagi biaya kesehatan yang semakin meningkat dan segala kesultian yang terus berkembang saat ini. Dengan demikian, runyamnya permasalahan ini dapat berpengaruh kepada penurunan kesejahteraan pekerja.

Lalu bagaimanakah agar suatu organisasi bisa tetap survive dan sukses ? Para peneliti mulai tertarik membahas Psychology Capital sebagai komponen dasar pembangunan kesejahteraan pekerja daripada membahas pembangunan kesejahteraan pekerja dari segi ekonomi, human & social capital. Dan hasil research yang telah dilakukan oleh Luthans membuktikan bahwa Psychology Capital sangatlah efektif dalam membangun kesejahteraan pekerja.

Apa itu Psychology Capital ? Psychology Capital (sumber daya psikologi) bermula dari pandangan Positive Psychology (suatu cara pandang psikologi yang memandang manusia dari aspek-aspek positifnya). Pada dasarnya di dalam diri seorang manusia memiliki 4 aspek penting Psychology Capital, saya lebih senang menyingkatnya menjadi HERO :

Hope

Kegigihan untuk mencapai tujuan yang mengarahkan jalan kita untuk mencapai kesuksesan.

Efficacy

Keyakinan untuk mengambil dan mengerahkan usaha agar mencapai kesuksesan dalam menyelesaikan tugas yang menantang.

Resilience

Kemampuan untuk menahan dan bangkit dari kesulitan dan masalah yang ada agar mencapai kesuksesan.

Optimism

Kemampuan dalam membuat atribusi positif mengenai masa kini dan masa depan.

Hal-hal yang ada diatas pada dasarnya sangat berkaitan dengan motivasi, performance, employee & work engagement, serta tingkat kepuasan diri (satisfaction). David ulrich mengatakan “Sangatlah penting dicatat bahwa kontribusi pekerja yang tinggi pada suatu organisasi dapat menghasilkan output yang optimal dan efektif (work is quality not quantity), dengan demikian suatu organisasi tidak dapat memiliki pilihan lain selain meningkatkan engagement pada pekerjanya, bukan hanya engagement yang tampak/terlihat tetapi juga soul engagement (engagement yang timbul dari dalam diri)”. Engagement dapat dikatakan sebagai komitmen, antusiasme, dedikasi, dsb. Dalam Kamus Merriam-Webster engagement dideskripsikan sebagai suatu keterlibatan emotional atau komitmen.

Terdapat bermacam-macam Engagement, diantaranya adalah Work Engagement dan Employee Engagement. Work Engagement lebih membahas kepada keterikatan hubungan antara pekerja dengan kerjaanya sedangkan employee engagement lebih kepada keterikatan hubungan antara pekerja dengan organisasinya. Engagement yang baik dapat menghasilkan satisfaction atau kepuasan yang baik pula. Employee Engagement dapat diamati melalui beberapa hal, diantaranya :

Trait engagement (Tingkat kekonsistenan, pribadi proaktif & trait positif effect)

State engagement (Satisfaction, involvement & empowerment)

Behavioral engagement (Extra-role behavior, proaktif & role expansion)

Studi penelitian telah membuktikan bahwa Psychology Capital yang tinggi akan menyebabkan Engagement yang tinggi pula khususnya dalam hal Employee maupun Work Engagement. Tak hanya sampai disitu, Psychology Capital yang baik ternyata dapat menghasilkan performance yang baik pula. Berdasarkan penelitian yang telah dilakukan Luthans menunjukan bahwa pegawai yang memiliki HERO yang baik dapat menghasilkan performance kerja yang lebih baik & lebih produktif dibandingkan dengan pegawai yang memiliki HERO yang rendah. Dengan demikian PsyCap menjadi sangat berarti dan sangat berinvestasi besar dalam performance organisasi itu sendiri.Penelitian juga menunjukan bahwa walaupun pada dasarnya sumber daya manusia, finansial & sosial dapat mempengaruhi kinerja namun Psychology Capital ternyata lebih memiliki peran investasi yang sangat besar di dalam sebuah industri dan organisasi. Hal tersebut dapat mengubah cara pandang suatu industri dan organisasi dimana apabila dahulu investasi sebuah industri dan organisasi lebih dipandang dari segi finansialnya, namun pada saat ini Psychology Capital lah yang memiliki peran sebagai investasi paling efektif dalam perkembangan sebuah industri dan organisasi.

Secara praktis hal yang dapat kita pelajari adalah kita tidak boleh meremehkan keempat aspek dari Psychology Capital tersebut, janganlah meremehkan Hope, Self-Efficacy, Resilience dan Optimism. Kita harus berusaha dalam mengembangkannya agar kita dapat memiliki performance dan engagement yang baik dalam organisasi maupun industri yang kita tempati. Sehingga hal tersebut dapat menciptakan win-win solution dimana pekerja dapat tersejahterakan dengan baik dan organisasipun akan tersejahterakan dengan baik pula.

Sources :

Luthans F, et al. (2007). Positive Psychological Capital: Measurement and Relationship with Performance and Satisfaction. Journal of Management, 541-572.

Luthans F, Youssef CM, Avolio BJ. (2007). Psychological Capital. New York, United States: Oxford University Press

Hodges, TD. (2010). An Experimental Study of the Impact of Psychologycal Capital on Performance, Engagement, and the Contagion Effect. Lincoln, United States : University of Nebraska

Schaufeli, WB. (2013). What is Engagement ? In C.Truss, K. Alfes, et.al. London, England : Routledge

0 notes