
Articles

Derrick Henry Could See Fewer Touches
TennesseeTitans.com's Jim Wyatt thinks that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will look to spread the ball around more to a number of players in 2020, which is why he thinks it's unrealistic to think that running back Derrick Henry has a chance for 2,000 rushing yards. The team will try to take some of the load […]
Keith Hernandez
Rashaan Evans Expected To See More Opportunities
Tennessee Titans linebacker Rashaan Evans had 139 tackles in his second season in the league during the regular season, and TennesseeTitans.com's Jim Wyatt expects Evans to take another step up in 2020. Evans also recorded 2.5 sacks and is expected to see more opportunities to rush the passer this season. The 24-year-old former first-round pick […]
Keith Hernandez
Titans Coaches Like Corey Davis
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis' future with the team beyond 2020 depends on how he performs in this season, but the coaches really like him. A former first-round pick (fifth overall) has disappointed in the NFL so far, but he does a lot of things well and is a willing blocker in the running […]
Keith Hernandez
Titans Excited About Darrynton Evans
The Tennessee Titans are excited about rookie running back Darrynton Evans, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said during a conference call this week that how much of a role Evans will have will depend on how much he can handle. The Titans will use Evans to give workhorse Derrick Henry a break, and Evans is […]
Keith Hernandez
Tremaine Edmunds Emerging As A Leader
Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is emerging as one of the defensive leaders to help replace Lorenzo Alexander and Kyle Williams, who have moved on in recent seasons. "Well the first guy that comes to mind is just seeing Tremaine's development in this offseason," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "This virtual offseason. Just the way […]
Keith Hernandez
Damiere Byrd A Regular At Throwing Sessions
New England Patriots wide receiver Damiere Byrd has been a regular at the throwing sessions with quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. Byrd was a free-agent pickup this offseason and has the speed to make some noise in 2020. The Patriots wide receiver corps finished last season as one of the slower groups in the […]
Keith Hernandez
Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer In Fierce Competition
New England Patriots quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer are in a fierce competition with each other for the starting gig in the post-Tom Brady era, but the two have been working out together and have an important dynamic between each other while sacrificing to help each other. One of the reasons the Pats went […]
Keith Hernandez
Kurt Warner Compares Stephon Gilmore To Deion Sanders
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner said that New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore is a rare talent in today's NFL. "He reminds me of Deion Sanders the way he studies his craft and is a student of the game," Warner said. Like Sanders, Gilmore gets up in opposing wideouts' faces often and presses them […]
Keith Hernandez
Increased Hopes That Colin Kaepernick Will Land With NFL Team
The National Football League isn't likely to put on a spectacle like they did last year in order to try and get free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick signed, according to a source, but there are increased hopes by some around the NFL that circumstances are more favorable for a team to sign him. Kaepernick famously created […]
Keith Hernandez
Drew Lock Throwing To Jerry Jeudy
Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock has been throwing to first-round rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, among others, at a Denver-area field, according to a source. With teams not able to meet yet for offseason workouts due to COVID-19, many quarterbacks have set up workouts with their teammates. It's a way for the new teammates to […]
Keith Hernandez
Laremy Tunsil The Best Left Tackle In The Game?
Pro Football Focus rates Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil as the third-highest tackle in pass blocking among those with a minimum of 300 snaps, having only allowed 29 pressures in 656 pass-protection snaps, including the playoffs. His individual impact in both pass and run snaps combined for the highest win-contribution metric among left tackles […]
Keith Hernandez
George Kittle An Elite Receiver And Blocker
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle led the league in receiving yards per route run in 2019 with 3.3, among those that ran a minimum of 100 routes, per Next Gen Stats. He recorded 75.2 receiving yards per game over 14 games, which was the second-highest rate among qualified tight ends, and the fourth-best […]
Keith Hernandez
DeAndre Hopkins Ranked Third In Receiving First Downs
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund's highest-rated on- and off-ball receiver in 2019. He ranked third in receiving first downs with 68 (behind just Michael Thomas and Julio Jones). Half of those first downs came on second down (30), and 19 of them were earned on second-and-seven-plus yards, which was […]
Keith Hernandez
Michael Thomas Can Do It At Every Level
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas set an NFL record with 149 catches in 2019, 91 of which netted the team a first down (most in the NFL), including nine touchdowns. Next Gen Stats shows that 97 of his catches came on short passes, which was 35 more than any other receiver. Thomas also […]
Keith Hernandez
Christian McCaffrey Can Do It All
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in scrimmage yards with 2,392 last year, with the next closest player (Ezekiel Elliott) at 1,777 yards. McCaffrey played 93.4 percent of Carolina's offensive snaps, which was the highest in the league among running backs. His 1,262 scrimmage yards on first down were the most for […]
Keith Hernandez
Derrick Henry Great At Picking Up First Downs, Breaking Tackles
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry earned more rushing first downs on first down (31) than any other running back in the league last season. Henry also had nine rushing touchdowns on first down (second-most in the NFL) and another on a pass. His yards per rush after contact of 4.2 was the best in […]
Keith Hernandez
Lamar Jackson Successful On Play-Action, Against Blitz
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won the 2019 NFL MVP with a blend of exceptional skills, the right play-calling and a supporting cast that helped make the most of his attributes. The second-year quarterback threw for 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions on play-action passes last season, which was the best TD-to-interception ratio in the league, […]
Keith Hernandez
Brad Seely Announces Retirement
Houston Texans special teams coordinator Brad Seely announced his retirement on Friday after 31 seasons coaching in the NFL. Seely has served as a team's special teams coordinator in every season from 1989 to 2019 and has 41 years of overall coaching experience. He has appeared in nine conference championship games, won three Super Bowls […]
Keith Hernandez
Matt Ryan Impressed With Todd Gurley II
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said he's done field work with running back Todd Gurley II "a handful of times" and came away "really impressed" with his new running back. The two have spent time together in recent weeks in Southern California. The Falcons are hoping Gurley, the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, […]
Keith Hernandez
Daniel Jones Didn't Crumble Under Pressure
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones held up quite well under pressure behind a porous offensive line in his rookie season. His numbers under pressure were comparable to Falcons QB Matt Ryan, which is incredibly impressive. Jones had an 8:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and nearly 1,000 passing yards while under pressure in 2019. The 23-year-old from […]
Keith Hernandez
Josh Allen Making Strides As A Passer
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the only player on NFL.com's Nick Shook's list of top-10 QBs under pressure to have a negative completion percentage above expectation in 2019, but his passer rating under pressure (80) and TD-to-interception ratio of 5:2 land him at No. 9. He took three and a half seconds on average […]
Keith Hernandez
Dak Prescott Sneaky Good Under Pressure
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed exactly the amount of pressured passes as was expected in 2019, but he also attempted the third-most pressured passes (144) of anyone on NFL.com's Nick Shook's list of top-10 QBs under pressure. He's also one of just two passers on the list to break 1,000 passing yards under pressure. […]
Keith Hernandez
Matt Ryan Nicknamed Matty Ice For A Reason
Nobody in the NFL faced more pressures last season than Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan with 216. And despite all that pressure, he still managed to post a passer rating under pressure that was more than 12 points higher than the league average of 66.2. Ryan's passer rating under pressure of 87.9 is the highest […]
Keith Hernandez
Matthew Stafford Consistent Under Pressure
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford played in just eight games last season because of injury, but he remained consistent under pressure when he was on the field. His passer rating of 84.2 while under pressure and his plus-2.2 percent completion rate above expectation are impressive considering that he threw more than 30 percent of his […]
Keith Hernandez
Kirk Cousins Thrives Under Pressure
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has mostly been successful in the NFL when pressured. While he doesn't face as much pressure as he once did, Cousins remains a top-five QB when under duress. His passer rating (91.5) was fifth-best in 2019, his completion percentage under pressure (58.1) was fourth-best and his completion percentage above expectation […]
Keith Hernandez
Lamar Jackson Setting New Bar For Quarterbacks
Not only did Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson set a new single-season rushing record for QBs in 2019, but he also ranked No. 4 on NFL.com's Nick Shook's list of best quarterbacks under pressure. He had a touchdown-to-interception ratio under pressure of 8:3, which means almost a quarter (22 percent) of his 36 touchdown passes […]
Keith Hernandez
Derek Carr Found Open Receivers Under Pressure
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr posted the third-best passer rating (103.7) while under pressure in 2019, and his completion percentage of 66.7 under pressure was the best of any qualifying signal-caller in the league last year. Carr's completion percentage above expectation of plus-5.9 had to do with the fact that he targeted open receivers […]
Keith Hernandez
Drew Brees Continues To Find Success Under Pressure
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees' 105.9 passer rating under pressure in 2019 is the second-best mark in a single season since 2016, trailing only Ryan Tannehill from last season. The future Hall of Famer found success under pressure by getting rid of the ball quickly (3.01 second on average per pressured throw) to nearby […]
Keith Hernandez
Ryan Tannehill The Best Under Pressure In 2019
Although Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn't play a full season in 2019, NFL.com's Nick Shook has him ranked No. 1 on the list of the top-10 QBs under pressure last season. The former first-round pick had the only passer rating above 110 in the league while being pressured in the pocket among those with […]
Keith Hernandez
Darius Leonard Not Your Typical Linebacker
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard comes in at No. 10 on NFL.com's Nick Shook's top-10 coverage men in 2019, and he's the only linebacker on the list. Not only does he consistently stop the run, but Leonard is expected to stay with receivers, running backs and tight ends in coverage. His five interceptions led all […]
Keith Hernandez