Latest news with #Up&Adams
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Dolphins 2nd year RB: 'I know I can be a top back in this league'
Jaylen Wright showed promise during his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins, but his production dropped off in the back half of the year and he still hasn't recorded his first touchdown. Heading into his second season in Miami, the running back is confident much better days are coming soon. 'I just really feel like, and I know I can be a top back in this league," Wright said Thursday in an appearance on Up & Adams. "I feel like just my skill set, my ability, and the system I'm in, it sets me up to be great." The Dolphins are similarly confident in Wright's abilities. The team traded away a 2025 third-round pick to get the fourth-round pick it used to take Wright in the 2024 NFL draft. And now the team is expecting the second-year back to step into the shoes of veteran Raheem Mostert, who was released by the Dolphins in February. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel is also hopeful that a year spent with Mostert, De'Von Achane, and Jeff Wilson Jr. will yield dividends. 'I think Jaylen Wright benefited tremendously from coming into the league in a very competitive room," McDaniel told reporters in June. "I think when that's the case, you learn how little room for error you have to execute your job responsibilities or to have complete ownership of your assignments, because if you're a hair off, or a hair late, or a hair indecisive, there's decisive people who are talented that can contribute to the team." Now Wright appears primed to join Achane as part of a one-two punch in the Dolphins backfield. "In the pass game, I'm going to be way more involved this year," Wright said on the Up & Adams Show. "Way more involved in everything. Run game, pass game, pass protection, everything."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Commanders' star calls Dan Quinn a 'difference-maker'
Dan Quinn ... best coach ???Zach Ertz loves his guy. @UpAndAdamsShow @Commanders Veteran tight end Zach Ertz believes the Washington Commanders have an advantage over other teams: Head coach Dan Quinn. Ertz joined Kay Adams on "Up & Adams" this week this week and was asked to name one thing the Commanders were better at than other teams. Ertz praised his coach. "I would say Coach Quinn is probably the best coach I've been around in front of the team and being himself, and bringing energy and holding guys accountable at the same time," Ertz said. "I think he is truly, truly a difference-maker here in this league, and I don't know if you can say that about every single coach that they're a difference-maker with their teams. But I think Coach Quinn truly elevates all of our performances. And not only on Sundays, but truly every day. And so, for me being around him in particular has opened my eyes to how good he is. I was never with him, I never played for him before I got out here, but immediately, you knew he was a difference-maker." Ertz has been around a long time, 13 years to be exact. He has played for some excellent head coaches and been around some truly remarkable leaders. Quinn is different. There's a reason so many players love playing for Quinn. One underrated aspect of Quinn's leadership is his care for veteran players. Washington signed multiple veterans last season, including Ertz and Bobby Wagner. They looked like they hadn't missed a beat. Ertz played in every game for only the second time since 2018 and finished with 66 receptions and seven touchdowns. And you wonder why a player like Von Miller signed with the Commanders. Washington has a specific plan in mind for Miller so that he can be at his best.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Is Broncos quarterback Bo Nix clutch? Chris Harris chimes in
Is Bo Nix Clutch?Chris Harris Jr. weighs in 👀@heykayadams | @ChrisHarrisJr Is Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix clutch? Kay Adams of FanDuel TV's Up & Adams show asked that very question to former NFL cornerback Chris Harris earlier this offseason. "It's too early," Harris said. "It's too early to say he's clutch [or] to say he's not. We didn't have that many clutch games -- nail-biter games where he had to make comebacks. But I think he has -- he's not afraid of it. I don't think he's afraid at all to make those plays. Some quarterbacks might be afraid of the moment." Harris then remembered the team's 41-32 win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football last fall. "I think Bo wants the moment -- he wants to throw the ball in that situation -- and actually, the Cleveland Browns game! ... That was clutch." Harris also chimed in on the Bo Nix vs. Justin Herbert debate. Who will have the better career? "I would say at the beginning I would give it to Justin," Harris said, "but, hopefully, as we [progress], Bo can take it over. ... I think he can take that leap over him." We asked Chris Harris Jr. which QB will have a better career…Bo Nix or Justin Herbert?@heykayadams | @ChrisHarrisJr Harris played for the Broncos from 2011-2019, helping the team win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. A four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, Harris officially retired last October with 22 career interceptions on his resume. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Panthers great Luke Kuechly debunks two massive misconceptions about Cam Newton
The "me-first" attitude of former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was simply a myth. Former teammate and fellow franchise great Luke Kuechly touched on the legacy of the franchise's 2015 squad during Monday's episode of Up & Adams. He told host Kay Adams that Newton deserves more praise for leading that legacy as the team's undeniable and unquestioned standard. "There's a lot of things I loved about Cam. There's a couple things that he did that I don't think necessarily get enough credit," Kuechly stated. "I don't think I ever saw Cam yell at somebody, get mad at somebody, call somebody out in a negative way. I don't think he ever blamed anybody, and I always appreciated that about him. If the snap was too high, he's like, 'I'll get it.' If he threw a bad ball, he's like, 'Ok, what can I do better?' "And in the games, he was just relentlessly competitive and he was so tough. The toughness that Cam had was something that doesn't get talked about enough. And he didn't always need to say things—but if you just watched him and watched how he treated people and watched how he worked and watched how would get hit and get back up and watch him run through defenders to get through first downs, you kinda understood that toughness for us isn't negotiable. "Our quarterback is running through guys' faces and getting up and doing dances and flexing and scoring touchdowns. And you kinda just said, 'This is the standard for what this football team is about. This is our quarterback. This is what he wants. We're gonna do the same thing he's doing.'" Between his flamboyant personality and his decision not to fall on that infamous fumble in Super Bowl 50, Newton had been saddled with some less-than-flattering labels during his NFL career. Some believed Newton would put himself over the team, and didn't go the extra mile for the greater good. But according to Kuechly, that couldn't be further from the truth. Newton and Kuechly spent eight seasons together, a successful run that included three straight NFC South titles between 2013 and 2015. That reign was highlighted by their 2015 trip to the Super Bowl, which ended in a disappointing 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. And even despite the ultimate result, that year and the rest of Newton's work left a lasting impact on the organization and his teammates. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Luke Kuechly praises Panthers QB Bryce Young for his physical and mental toughness
There's more than meets the eye when it comes to Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Former linebacker, franchise great and Panthers radio voice Luke Kuechly talked about the resilience of Young on Monday's episode of Up & Adams. And even though some within the league believed the 5-foot-10, 190-pound passer would have trouble holding up in the pros, Kuechly—one of the toughest players to ever lace them up—thinks Young has already proved he's plenty strong enough. "For me, with Bryce, he's shown that he's physically tough," Kuechly told host Kay Adams. "He's shown that when there's a little bit of adversity—he got benched. The guy didn't get hurt, nothin'. He got benched. And for him to stay locked in and come back and have the second half of the season like he did—I just think shows he's got the physical toughness he showed his rookie year and then mentally, he's tough as well. The signs are there, now we just gotta put the whole picture together." After an underwhelming rookie campaign, Young had the start of his sophomore season halted in Week 3—when he was benched for veteran Andy Dalton. The former No. 1 overall pick turned in, perhaps, the two worst performances of his brief NFL career to that point—passing for just 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions between a pair of blowouts losses in Weeks 1 and 2. He'd get his second chance in Week 8, when a hand injury sidelined Dalton ahead of the team's trip to Denver. Young wouldn't look back from there, finishing the final 10 games with 2,327 yards, 20 scores and six picks while leading the Panthers to a 4-6 mark. So as Young enters his third year, the picture and his toughness—as Kuechly alluded to—continues to come together. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
