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USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Stephon Gilmore namedrops toughest wide receivers he's faced
Former New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has gone head-to-head with a who's who list of top-tier NFL receivers. That level of competition has ranged from Pro Football Hall of Famers to multiple-time First-Team All-Pros and perennial Pro Bowlers. When appearing on The Money Down Podcast, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year named the best receivers he's faced in his career. "I did mostly good against bigger receivers because I'm a bigger corner, so I can kind of match up with them well. It's just sometimes, like the more shiftier [receivers], like Tyreek Hill, obviously a different speed, he's hard to go against," Gilmore admitted. "I played against Calvin [Johnson] early in my career. I wish I could have played him at like Year 5. I was a rookie out there on him. [Antonio Brown] was good. Julio [Jones] was good. Davante Adams was pretty good. ...Davante Adams didn't really do nothing on me that game, but I could just tell by his route-running that he's different." Gilmore stepped up to the challenge right out of the gate and proved himself as one of the best cornerbacks of his generation. He is the only player in the Patriots' franchise history to ever win the defensive MVP. The Patriots utilized him as a shutdown cornerback for multiple years. He was the team's eraser, consistently matching up against the best receiving talent on the field. By the end of his run in New England, Gilmore had 11 interceptions, 52 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, one sack and 185 tackles. Even at 34 years old as a free agent, Gilmore is still looking to challenge himself by signing to another NFL team and adding to what some already view as a Hall of Fame-worthy career. So there's the potential for more names to get added to his top list of receivers. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Caleb Williams Is Already Better Than $55 Million QB, Says NFL Analyst
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Chicago Bears didn't quite have the season some predicted they would have in 2024 after drafting former USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick last April. After trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers to take Williams with the top pick, Chicago actually regressed by two games from its 7-10 season in 2023. And though the team only won five games, Williams actually looked the part of a franchise QB. The Bears surrounded Williams with better offensive weapons than Fields had—they added Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen via trade, drafted wideout Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick, and signed Pro Bowl running back D'Andre Swift—which led to the fifth-most single-season passing yards (3,541) by any Bears QB in franchise history. Williams also threw the fewest interceptions (six) of any Bears passer with 20 or more touchdown passes, and his 87.8 passer rating was the fifth-highest among Bears QBs who threw for 3,000 or more yards in a single season, per Pro Football Reference. More NFL: Jonnu Smith Sends Clear Message to Dolphins After Steelers Trade Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears takes off running looking for a receiver late in the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 05, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears takes off running looking for a receiver late in the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 05, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.) For those reasons and more, FS1 host Danny Parkins believes Williams is already better than one of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL — Jordan Love, whose $55 million-per-year salary puts him in a four-way tie with Cincinnati's Joe Burrow, Buffalo's Josh Allen, and Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence as the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL, behind only Dallas' Dak Prescott ($60 million). "How about this — Caleb Williams is already better than Jordan Love," Parkins recently said on "First Things First." "How about that? No one believes that. It's OK. I'm sorry, but it's true. Jordan Love has played the majority of two seasons. Both of those seasons, double digit interceptions. "Here's the thing about Jordan Love — the guy had 11 interceptions both years that he played. Caleb Williams played 17 games last year and he had six." And while Williams and Love is more of an apples-to-oranges comparison, Parkins does raise some intriguing points about the two passers. More NFL: Patrick Mahomes Doesn't Hesitate to Name Greatest Pass-Rusher He's Ever Faced Quarterback Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC Wild Card Playoff at Lincoln Financial Field on January 12, 2025 in... Quarterback Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC Wild Card Playoff at Lincoln Financial Field on January 12, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More"Caleb Williams' offensive coordinator was fired nine games into his rookie year with the worst offensive line in the league, and they fired his head coach three weeks after they fired his offensive coordinator," he continued. "...Jordan Love has Matt LaFleur of the Sean McVay tree. Everything in the world has been catered to him. Jordan Love." Love and Wiliams had similar completion percentages (63.1 to 62.5) last season, but Williams actually threw for more yards (3,541 to 3,389) with fewer interceptions (six to 11) than Love did in 2024, though Love missed two games early in the year. Williams also played behind a worse offensive line, as evidenced by his 68 sacks taken to Love's 14. He was also pressured on 241 drop backs to Love's 172.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Data and Film: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown more than just a slot merchant
Obviously, it's bit of a guessing game on how the Detroit Lions offense will look under new offensive coordinator John Morton. Compared to former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, it could look a lot different. Or it could look somewhat similar. It's obviously a waiting game filled with a whole lot of guessing and anticipation. One thing that will remain constant in the Detroit Lions offense is the presence of wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Entering his 5th season in the NFL, he's been the most consistent piece to the Lions organization during that time. Through four seasons, he's totaled 470 receptions for 4,851 yards and 33 touchdowns. On a 17-game average (per Pro Football Reference), St. Brown averages 111 receptions for 1,250 yards and 9 touchdowns per season. Despite the emergence of players such as Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, it hasn't slowed Amon-Ra down. Much of what makes Amon-Ra so dominant and consistent is his ability to win anywhere and everywhere on the field. Primarily aligned out wide or in the slot, there was strong production from either alignment in 2024. According to NextGenStats, St. Brown ran 240 routes from the slot with 39 receptions for 441 yards and five touchdowns. He was targeted 56 times out of the slot. However, he ran 252 routes from a wide alignment. This led to 67 receptions for 740 yards and five touchdowns. He was targeted 75 times from a wide alignment and this resulted in a 89.3% catch percentage. It's clear after the 2024 season that St. Brown is more than just a slot merchant as some like to label him. Let's dive into the film to look more into what makes St. Brown successful from wide alignments. As I reviewed the tape from last season, one of my big takeaways is how the Lions offense somewhat manipulated defenses by condensing their formations. The play above gives a great snapshot of that prior to the snap. At the top of the screen, you'll see Amon-Ra St. Brown aligned on the ball and about two yards from the top of the numbers. From there, you can see that the Lions are aligned in a 2x2 set for their offensive formation. Once the ball is snapped, you'll see St. Brown work through some initial contact, but he manages to get inside leverage on the cornerback. As he threatens vertically, he makes it appear as if he's going to continue vertically on his route. However, he quickly breaks his route to the middle of the field and Jared Goff finds him for a big completion. Moving onto the next play, we'll see a similar formation as the previous play with the Lions coming out in a 2x2 set. However, rather than it being condensed, the receivers are wider. As you can see, St. Brown is aligned at the top of the screen and is about a yard or so from the bottom of the numbers. Once the ball is snapped, you'll see St. Brown reading the cornerback. As the cornerback begins to quickly bail, he breaks his route to the middle of the field, and he slips underneath the linebackers. While St. Brown begins to break towards the middle of the field, you'll see tight end Sam LaPorta begin to run vertically up the seam. As he carries vertically, St. Brown runs underneath, and this would be labeled as a Dagger concept. From there, Jared Goff finds him with ease and it leads to a nice completion. Lastly, I want to focus on an easy pitch-and-catch between Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown from the Colts game last season. On the play above, the Lions come out in another 2x2 set with St. Brown aligned at the top of the screen. This time, St. Brown is right at the bottom of the numbers. With a safety buzzed down, the expected coverage prior to the snap could be Cover 1, Cover 3 or potentially some type of inverted Cover 4 look from the Colts defense. Once the ball is snapped, it appears to be some variation of Cover 3 from the Colts. On the route, you can see St. Brown work inside and then break back towards the sideline on what appears to be a corner route. Despite the cornerback being over the top of the route, there's plenty of separation due to the fluidity and explosiveness from St. Brown on his route. This gives Goff plenty of room to make a clean pass and it ultimately leads to a first down. Overall, it's certainly a joy to watch Amon-Ra St. Brown on a weekly basis. But it's no secret that he's one of the most consistent playmakers in the NFL. We all know the list of receivers that were drafted prior to him in the 2021 NFL Draft but there's been a misconception on how he's utilized in the Lions offense on a weekly basis. As the data and film indicate, St. Brown is a complete receiver who can win anywhere on the field. Regardless of alignment or route being ran, there are no limitations within his game. I'd expect the production and usage to continue for him in the Detroit Lions offense, regardless of who is calling the plays.
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Brock Purdy won't be elite until he improves in one specific area
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has miraculously hit the ground running as an NFL quarterback despite being selected with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He long ago cleared all reasonable expectations for his draft position. There are new expectations now that Purdy has received a five-year, $265 million contract extension. There's one major area Purdy has to improve if he's going to meet or exceed those expectations. The raw data tells us Purdy has been an extremely productive signal caller since stepping in as the 49ers No. 1 QB in Week 13 of the 2022 season. There have been debates about Purdy's impact on a very productive 49ers offense, but he continues to be a really good player by virtually every metric. One thing about Purdy's statistical profile stands out, though, and it may be the thing holding him back from being a consensus "elite" quarterback. He is not good when the 49ers are trailing. Here are Purdy's career numbers in three game scenarios via Pro Football Reference: 49ers lead: 363-527 (68.9%), 4,942 yards (9.4 YPA), 35 TD, 7 INT, 115.2 RTG 49ers tied: 146-220 (66.4%), 1,801 yards (8.2 YPA), 14 TD, 4 INT, 105.1 RTG 49ers trail: 213-322 (66.2%), 2,775 yards (8.6 YPA), 15 TD, 16 INT, 87.9 RTG There is some expected drop off with his team behind. The interceptions could tick up especially if the 49ers are trailing late and they have to throw. A leap in interception rate from 1.4% with the 49ers tied or leading, to 7.5% when they're behind is catastrophic. This is something Purdy has to clean up if he's going to launch himself into the upper echelon of NFL QBs. And it isn't even about the production. It's just about the back-breaking turnovers Purdy is prone to when the 49ers are behind late in a game. Last season he threw four interceptions on 49 attempts (8.2% INT rate) with his team behind with fewer than four minutes to play. It's also worth noting he has zero touchdowns in those situations in his career along with eight interceptions. Those are wasted opportunities to not only come back, but to stamp himself as a player who can carry the 49ers to wins. Purdy ideally won't have to carry the 49ers to anything. A well-rounded team that is consistently dominant is the preferred route to victory. There will be times the club leans on its franchise QB to lead them to victory, however, and his ability to do that instead of struggling when they're behind will ultimately determine if he can elevate himself into the NFL's elite QB tier. More 49ers: 49ers WR laughs at offseason trade talks as he recovers from season-ending injury
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid ranks as PFF's top returning head coach going into 2025
Pro Football Focus recently ranked Kansas City Chiefs' Andy Reid as the NFL's top returning head coach going into 2025. After an impressive 15-2 regular season record and a return to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive season, Reid is a no-brainer to lead this list. "Like Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots teams before them, the Kansas City Chiefs are the masters of situational football," wrote Dalton Wasserman. "The Chiefs played in 12 one-score games last season, including the playoffs, and won all of them. They found a way to reach the Super Bowl for the third straight season because Andy Reid has his entire team prepared for any situation." If the Chiefs can sustain their dominance, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer will continue his ascent in the NFL's record books. Reid no longer holds the title of the league's oldest head coach, following the Las Vegas Raiders' hiring of Pete Carroll, who has reclaimed that designation. Reid has 273 career victories, trailing only Belichick's 302, George Halas' 318, and Don Shula's 328. The Chiefs won 15 games in 2024, and it would take a few years to respectfully begin the conversation of passing Shula.
