SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #4 Aaron Rodgers

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #4 Aaron Rodgers

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by | Sep 1, 2019 | Featured, NFL

4. Aaron Rodgers

Team: Green Bay Packers

Position: QB

Experience: 14 Years

Aaron Rodgers has long been considered the most talented quarterback in the NFL. He has the ability to  throw the ball down the field. He can move in the pocket and is a threat to get yards on the ground. He is deadly accurate. Anything a coach would want their quarterback to do, Rodgers has shown that he is more than capable of doing at a high-level over the course of his 14-year career. He really doesn’t have much left to prove to anyone about his skills and his talents on the field.

Yet, we enter this year with arguably the most questions about Rodgers’ game since he took over for Green Bay Packers legend, Brett Favre in 2008. Since he’s been a starter, he’s operated in one system under one head coach. However, the Packers choose to fire Mike McCarthy during the season last year. As is the trend in the NFL today, they sought a coach from the Sean McVay coaching tree to replace him in Matt LaFleur. He was the Rams offensive coordinator in 2017. He also has experience working under another offensive genius as LaFluer was the quarterbacks coach in Atlanta with Kyle Shanahan serving as the offensive coordinator.

Rodgers has become accustomed to calling the shots from the line of scrimmage and with the time and knowledge he had working with McCarthy he was essentially his own offensive coordinator. By the end of McCarthy’s tenure there was a noticeable rift between the two. The hope is that removing that toxicity in the facility and giving the offense a facelift will unlock a version of Rodgers that is even better than what we’ve grown used to over the last decade stretch of his playing career.

The front office has done a better job of trying to surround their star quarterback with elite talent. Davante Adams might not have made our list but he is a consensus choice for a slot among the top five receivers in the league today. If the younger members of the receivers room—Geronimo Allison and Marquez Valdes-Scantiling—can continue to improve this will be one of the better group of wideouts Rodgers has had. Pair that with a full season of Aaron Jones at running back and the Packers could look completely different on the offensive end under LaFleur’s coaching.

A return of peak Rodgers is not out of the question. If the rest of the team steps up to meet his level of play and production then he could be in line for another MVP season. NFL fans know how good he is but with just one Super Bowl victory he has yet to stand atop the pedestal of greatest of all-time among his quarterback peers and other noteworthy Hall of Fame players. With a new age of QB coming to make their mark—Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray to name a few—time is running out on Rodgers reign as the league’s best quarterback.

Sep 1, 2019 No Comments
Notable Cuts As NFL Teams Trim Rosters

Notable Cuts As NFL Teams Trim Rosters

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by | Sep 1, 2019 | Featured, NFL

4:00 PM EST. That was the deadline for all 32 NFL teams to get their rosters down to 53 players.

That meant a fair amount of players around the league would have to be let go.

In the midst of two blockbuster trades orchestrated by the Houston Texans, some of the moves made were overshadowed. Here’s a position-by-position recap of the players who were released that are names you know or names you ought to know.

QUARTERBACKS:

  • Tyree Jackson (Buffalo Bills)
  • Jeff Driskel (Cincinnati Bengals)
  • Kevin Hogan (Denver Broncos)
  • Brett Rypien (Denver Broncos)
  • Brian Hoyer (New England Patriots)
  • Kyle Lauletta (New York Giants)
  • Paxton Lynch (Seattle Seahawks)

RUNNING BACKS:

  • LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills)
  • Christian Wade (Buffalo Bills)
  • Tra Carson (Green Bay Packers)
  • Jacquizz Rodgers (New Orleans Saints)
  • Elijah McGuire (New York Jets)
  • Josh Adams (Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Andre Ellington (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
  • Jeff Wilson Jr. (San Francisco 49ers)
  • Samaje Perine (Washington Redskins)

WIDE RECEIVERS:

  • Michael Floyd (Baltimore Ravens)
  • Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi (Cleveland Browns)
  • Terrelle Pryor (Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • Laquon Treadwell (Minnesota Vikings)
  • Demaryius Thomas (New England Patriots)
  • Keelan Doss (Oakland Raiders)
  • Jordan Matthews (San Francisco 49ers)
  • Josh Doctson (Washington Redskins)

TIGHT ENDS:

  • Logan Paulsen (Atlanta Falcons)

OFFENSIVE LINE:

  • Christian Westerman (Cincinnati Bengals)

DEFENSIVE LINE:

  • Jonathan Bullard (Chicago Bears)
  • Datone Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • Cornellius “Tank” Carradine (Miami Dolphins)
  • Ziggy Hood (New Orleans Saints)

LINEBACKERS:

  • Shane Ray (Baltimore Ravens)
  • Malik Jefferson (Cincinnati Bengals)
  • Jachai Polite (New York Jets)
  • Noah Spence (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

DEFENSIVE BACKS:

  • Captain Munnerlyn (Buffalo Bills)
  • Su’a Cravens (Denver Broncos)
  • Teez Tabor (Detroit Lions)
  • Orlando Scandrick (Philadelphia Eagles)

SPECIALISTS:

  • Britton Colquitt (Cleveland Browns)

Sep 1, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans Acquire Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills

BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans Acquire Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills

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by | Aug 31, 2019 | Featured, NFL

Earlier today it was revealed that the Houston Texans were sending Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks on a blockbuster trade.

Turns out, it wasn’t the only big move that the team would make on the day.

It had been rumored that the Texans were after Miami Dolphins left tackle, Laremy Tunsil in a potential Clowney deal but the edge rusher didn’t want to take his talents to South Beach.

However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Houston will get its guy along with wide receiver Kenny Stills—who has been public in his distaste for Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ support of President Donald Trump.

Keep in mind that the Texans are currently operating without a general manager so both of these major moves have been credited to head coach Bill O’Brien.

The offensive line has long been a weakness for Houston and now they get a high-end tackle to protect Deshaun Watson’s blindside.

The full details of the move are listed below.

Texans receive: LT Laremy Tunsil, WR Kenntnis Stills, 2020 fourth-round pick, and 2021 sixth-round pick.

Dolphins receive: 2020 and 2021 first-round picks, a 2021 second-round pick, OL Julien Davenport, and Special teamer Johnson Bademosi.

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #5 Bobby Wagner

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #5 Bobby Wagner

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by | Aug 31, 2019 | Featured, NFL

5. Bobby Wagner

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Position: MLB

Experience: 7 Years

The SneakerReporter’s highest rated inside linebacker and the best in the business, Bobby Wagner. Wagner came into the league in 2012 and his career took off as the Legion of Boom dominated the NFL, leading the Hawks to the 2014 Super Bowl Title. Although most of the recognition went elsewhere, Wagner patrolled the middle of the field, while also shutting down runs with ease. Without him, the Legion of Boom looks a lot different and may never win a championship.

When the Seahawks drafted Wagner in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the scouting report on him was that he plays with a terrific motor but could be undersized at the NFL level. The scouts weren’t wrong about the motor at all, as Wagner has an uncanny sense of reading plays and blowing up running backs in the backfield. In his rookie season he had over 130 combined tackles, three INTs, and 9 tackles for loss. Wagner quickly put the concerns about his size to rest. 

The Seahawks Super Bowl run in 2014 really catapulted Wagner into the elite category, finally receiving some well earned recognition. He made his first Pro-Bowl and First Team All-Pro in 2014. Since then, he has yet to miss a Pro-Bowl and has earned First Team All-Pro honors three more times (2016, 2017, 2018). Wagner’s versatility is what makes him so special. He is quick enough to stay with receivers over the middle but also strong enough to shed linemen on the interior. 

Bobby Wagner has all the ideal qualities for an inside linebacker. At 6’0” 240 lbs., Wagner is an absolute wrecking ball. His explosion and hit power are some of the best in the NFL today. But perhaps Wagner’s best trait of all, he never misses tackles. Wagner and Kuechly are known as some of the best form tacklers in the league, but Wagner took it to a whole new level in 2018 when he only missed one tackle the entire season. Wagner already owns real estate in the Seahawks Record book as the All Time leader in Solo Tackles, as well as the most tackles in a single season, with 168 in 2016. 

Wagner holds his spot as one of the last members of the Super Bowl winning squad in 2014. Wagner has been healthy for the majority of his career, hopefully foreshadowing many more years of dominance. At only 29 years old, expect Wagner to keep producing elite numbers. Bobby Wagner is truly an underappreciated star in today’s league. He isn’t about the fame and antics, he strictly gets the job done. 

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks Agree On Deal Involving Jadeveon Clowney

BREAKING NEWS: Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks Agree On Deal Involving Jadeveon Clowney

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by | Aug 31, 2019 | Featured, NFL

The Houston Texans and Jadeveon Clowney have been at an impasse ever since the two sides couldn’t agree on a new contract. The franchise tag was ultimately applied to edge rusher but he refused to sign the tender or report to camp.

As the offseason progressed into training camp, it seemed less likely that Clowney would ever suit up for the Texans again.

Once he made it known that he was willing to miss games the conversation changed from how they could keep him to who they could deal him for.

The Miami Dolphins were often rumored but Clowney wanted to play for a contender if he was to be moved. According to FOX’s Jay Glazer, the Texans and Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a trade pending all players involved passing their physicals—at this time Clowney is the only player we know for sure is part of the deal. The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reports that a Seattle is sending a third-round pick and two players to the Texans.

Pete Carroll gets as good of a replacement as possible for Frank Clark.

Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has spent his time away training in Florida and is reportedly in the best shape of his career.

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #6 DeAndre Hopkins

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #6 DeAndre Hopkins

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by | Aug 30, 2019 | Featured, NFL

6. DeAndre Hopkins

Team: Houston Texans

Position: WR

Experience: 6 Years

Simply put, DeAndre Hopkins is the best wide receiver in the NFL. Debate if you want but the job of the receiver is to catch passes and last season, Hopkins did not drop a single ball. That’s right, he was thrown 115 catchable passes last year and he finished with 115 receptions. He was an offense all to himself. No matter how opponents chose to defend him if the ball was within his catch radius it was going to come down in his possession. Hopkins has gotten better each season and it is scary to think what the next step in his progression will be.

Even before Andrew Luck decided to retire, the Houston Texans were considered a team that not only could win the AFC South but also be a threat to the New England Patriots in the AFC. Part of the reason is the connection that Hopkins and Deshaun Watson have developed. Their production is equal to or better than any other quarterback and wide receiver duo currently in the league. Capitalizing on this pair is important, As long as both remain healthy this franchise will surely be in the discussion for the playoffs.

For his part, Hopkins is truly a complete receiver. He can run a complete route tree. He has the speed to burst past taller cornerbacks and the size to jump over smaller cornerbacks. Unless he lines up against an All-Pro defensive back (sometimes even that isn’ enough) you can pencil him in with a catch if Houston runs a passing play. If the team success can match the stats that Hopkins routinely puts up then by this time next year he could be the clear-cut answer for the question of who’s the best wideout in the NFL.

He’s coming off of back-to-back First-Team All-Pro selections and looks on the path to repeat everything we saw from him last season. The Texans have added Will Fuller V and Keke Coutee to their receiver room in hopes of opening the field for Hopkins even more. However, the two of them have rarely been able to stay on the field as they have piled up injury after injury over the course of their short times in the league to date. If the supporting pieces are available Hopkins overall numbers may dip some but he could be even more efficient–if it is even possible to be more efficient than not dropping a single pass.

At the end of the day, regardless of who’s out there with him and who’s throwing him the ball, Hopkins has the talent to dominate. He has done just that over the last two seasons. If he continues, there’s a chance that his name will land even higher on this list when it comes out next year.

Aug 30, 2019 No Comments