Saturday, January 9, 2016

NFL '15 Dread News - Week 17

Where to start? .....
Well, how about we start my first full-fledged NFL report in nearly 2 years in the AFC West .....
When the Kansas City Chiefs began the season 1-5 while the Denver Broncos were going 6-0, I figured my preseason prediction of the Chiefs finishing in 1st place was already down the toilet. But, as Lee Corso would say, not so fast! The Chiefs hit a softer spot of their schedule; the Broncos, who seemingly were playing close games every week, finally started losing some of them; and wouldn't you know, when the two teams kicked off their respective home games at the same time last Sunday, the Chiefs were only one more Broncos loss away from stealing the division crown. And for a brief few minutes it looked like that loss might actually happen, as the last place and 9-point underdog San Diego Chargers took a 20-17 lead in the 4th quarter. But the Broncos didn't panic, came back and tied the game, and then scored a TD with 4:44 to play to win it 27-20, clinching not only the AFC West title but also the top seed in the AFC for the playoffs.

The Broncos dominated in total yards in the 1st half 279-93 but were only leading by 1 point, 7-6. That's because after scoring a TD on the 2nd play from scrimmage, they turned the ball over on four of their next 5 possessions. And when they began the 2nd half with another turnover, they were -5 in turnover margin and yet still had the lead (which is nearly impossible). When the Chargers finally scored a TD following that 5th turnover to go ahead 13-7, Coach Kubiak had seen enough. QB Brock Osweiler was out, and in came Peyton Manning, healthy again after missing the previous 6 games due to injury. Immediately the Broncos' offense started playing better. Manning ended up throwing only 9 passes (he went 5 for 9 for 69 yards), but he didn't need to throw because they were running the ball so well (finishing with 210 yards rushing). Most importantly the turnovers ceased, and the Broncos were able to score 2 TD and 2 FG in 5 drives with Manning at the helm.
CB Bradley Roby finished with 2 tackles (2-0) for Denver, one of which was a huge stop of RB Danny Woodhead for a 3-yard reception on 3rd and 4 (photo above) with about 8 minutes to play in the 4th quarter and the game tied at 20. Roby also had 2 PBU, and both of those were on 3rd downs as well. LB Danny Trevathan, who continues to do a great job of not letting anyone see his dreads when he's on the field, led the Broncos with 10 tackles (8-2), including 1 TFL. Rookie LB Shane Ray, playing his first season with dreads, had 4 tackles (3-1), including 1 TFL.
S Jahleel Addae's dreads made their usual awesome showing for the Chargers (photo at top of page), but it wasn't one of his better games. In fact, an analysis by the Pro Football Focus website rated him - and DE Ricardo Mathews too - among the worst players at their positions in the whole league this week. On a play that won't make it to his highlight reel, Jahleel got absolutely trucked while trying to tackle RB C.J. Anderson (photo above), turning a would-be 6-yard run into an 11-yard gain in the 1st quarter. There were, however, a couple of positive plays for Addae. He got the FR on the Broncos' 5th turnover, setting up a 32-yard TD drive. And on the Broncos' ensuing drive he made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 1-yard line at the end of a 17-yard run by Anderson (photo below), although the Broncos got the TD anyway 2 plays later. Mathews, with dreads even longer than Addae's (and that's not easy to do), had 0 tackles; but rookie DT Darius Philon got a TFL on his only tackle (1-0); and LB Melvin Ingram finished with 3 tackles (3-0), 1 sack, and 2 PBU.
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It ended up not making any difference, but the Chiefs took care of their business, finishing at 11-5 after winning their 10th in a row, 23-17 over the Oakland Raiders. After the Chiefs scored a TD on their opening drive, S/CB Ron Parker ended the Raiders' first possession with a sack on 3rd and 8. Parker stripped the ball from QB Derek Carr, but Carr was so close to the sideline that the ball went out of bounds, allowing the Raiders to punt on the next play instead of it being a turnover.

Ron would get the turnover later in the 1st half though, picking off a pass by Carr in the end zone on 3rd and 2 (photos above and below) to end a drive that had reached the KC 24-yard line and keeping the score at 14-3. It was Parker's 3rd INT of the season. Unfortunately the Raiders scored a TD on a pick six on the very next play, wasting Parker's play. Parker's afternoon also included back-to-back penalties (for a total of 29 yards) on a late TD drive that brought Oakland to within 23-17, making for a nervous finish for Chiefs fans. The Raiders needed to go 89 yards in 1:34 on their final drive but never made it past their own 35-yard line as the Chiefs held on.
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The last 2 of the 12 playoff spots were still up for grabs this week, with the race for the 2nd wild card spot in the AFC being the more intriguing. The New York Jets (10-5) needed a win to clinch their first playoff appearance in 5 years, while the Pittsburgh Steelers' (9-6) season would continue only if the Jets lost. Both teams were on the road, playing against the NFL's two teams located on the shores of Lake Erie - Cleveland and Buffalo. And at the end of the day it was the Steelers and their fans celebrating, as they defeated the Browns 28-12 and got the help they needed, as the Jets fell to the Bills 22-17. And it was me celebrating too because, after all, I did pick the Steelers to make it to the Super Bowl.
Already with 5 CBs with dreads on the team - Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby, Nickell Robey, Ron Brooks, and Mario Butler - the Bills added one more CB with dreads to their roster midway through the season when 8-year veteran Leodis McKelvin began growing dreads for the first time (that I know of). They're still baby dreads two months later, but hopefully he's serious about letting the grow much longer - although he's going to have to play several more years for them the reach the same length as his fellow CBs. McKelvin made the biggest play of the game - the play that ruined the Jets' season - intercepting a pass in the end zone with 10:43 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Jets were trailing 19-17 at the time and were in FG range (14-yard line) and seemed certain to be about to take the lead until McKelvin stepped in front of WR Eric Decker for the easy INT. Leodis finished with 5 tackles (5-0) and 1 PBU in addition to his pick. 
The Bills then took nearly 7 minutes off the clock with a drive that ended with a FG, upping their lead to 22-17, and the Jets turned the ball over on their final two possessions - but only after coming close (kind of) to pulling off a miracle finish. With 24 seconds to play a deep pass up the sideline for an instant was in the hands of WR Kenbrell Thompkins. But Butler, in a risky move, instead of making the tackle, threw his body at Thompkins and was able to jar the ball loose (photo above). I mean, if Thompkins had been able to hang on, there's no way Butler could have made the tackle and it would have been a 73-yard TD. Instead it was an incomplete pass, and an INT on the next play ended the Jets' playoff hopes. Butler, on the field only because Gilmore, Darby, and Brooks are all injured, finished with 2 tackles (1-1) and 2 PBU. Robey finished with 3 tackles (2-1).
On a carry for a 58-yard gain (his longest run of the season) in the 2nd quarter Jets RB Chris Ivory surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in yards rushing for the first time in his career. But the loss - and the fact that for some reason he got only 6 carries in the game - made it a bittersweet accomplishment for Ivory. DT Damon Harrison finished with 8 tackles (5-3), on one of which he got a FF (photo above) for a turnover in the 3rd quarter that set up a FG that brought the Jets to within 16-10. Rookie LB Lorenzo Mauldin (2-1) and CB Marcus Williams (1-2) both had 3 tackles, while CB Buster Skrine (1-0), S Calvin Pryor (1-0), and LB Jamari Lattimore (0-1) all had 1 tackle. Skrine also had 1 PBU.
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Although I haven't tallied the final totals, it's a safe bet that the Steelers were #1 in the NFL this season in TD scored by players with dreads. They added one more to their total in their tougher-than-expected win over the Browns. WR Markus Wheaton's 8-yard reception for his 5th TD of the season (photo above) with 10:43 remaining in the game upped the Steelers' lead to 25-12 and gave them a little breathing room. Markus finished with 3 catches for 57 yards.
The one bit of bad news for the Steelers was the ankle injury suffered by RB DeAngelo Williams early in the 2nd quarter, an injury serious enough that he won't be able to play in the team's 1st round playoff game. Discarded by the Carolina Panthers during the offseason, the 32-year old Williams (photo above) has gotten much more playing time than expected (due to injury suffered by starting RB Le'Veon Bell back in Week 8) and has shown he's still got it, rushing for his most yards in a season since 2009. Hopefully there will be a 2nd round game for the Steelers, and hopefully DeAngelo will be healthy enough to play by then.
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Week 17's puny total of 6 TD by players with dreads might have been higher by two if not for a couple of red zone fumbles in the 4th quarter of the New Orleans-Atlanta game. Saints RB Travaris Cadet had his best game of the season (83 total yards, 2 kickoff returns for 75 yards), but it was spoiled a bit by his fumble at the 2-yard line with 6:04 remaining. As he tried to keep his balance and make it into the end zone, Cadet was stripped of the ball by S Charley Godfrey (#30 in photo above, assisted by S Kemal Ishmael), ending a drive that began at the Saints 4-yard line .....
.... A drive that began after Falcons RB Devonta Freeman fumbled on 1st and goal from the 3-yard line, keeping the game tied at 17. Freeman, who missed making the dread stars list by 1 yard (81 yards rushing, 18 yards receiving) earlier had given the Falcons a 17-14 lead with a 4-yard TD catch (photo above) just before halftime. But the Falcons didn't score at all in the 2nd half, also self destructing on the their two drives after Freeman's fumble and losing 20-17.
WR Julio Jones, who I am thrilled to have welcomed back to the house this season (he debuted his beginner partial dreads in Week 7), made the dread stars list. Godfrey (6-0) and Ishmael (5-1) finished with 6 tackles and 1 PBU each. DT Jonathan Babineaux had 2 tackles (2-0), and both were TFL. CB Brian Dixon had 6 tackles (5-1) for the Saints, half of them after receptions by Jones (one of those in photo below). DT Cameron Jordan finished with 2 tackles (2-0), including 1 sack, and blocked a FG attempt. DT John Jenkins finished with 2 tackles (2-0), one of of which he forced Freeman to fumble (photo above, just as he's about to knock the ball out) and got the FR.
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Playing (as usual) with most of his dreads hanging down the front of his jersey (most players have them down the back), Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl CB Richard Sherman (photo below, showing off after a play last Sunday) has had his long dreads grabbed by an opponent at least twice during games in the final month of the season, with the latest coming during the Seahawks' 36-6 drubbing of the Arizona Cardinals. Back in Week 14 Sherman got dragged down by his dreads while returning an INT, but this time having those dreads in front worked in his favor, as the officials mistakenly called a facemask penalty on Cardinals gunner Brittan Golden while he tried to shed a block by Sherman on a punt return during the 2nd quarter. Golden was furious after the play because not only did the return go for 66 yards, he didn't even grab Sherman's facemask, just his dreads.
Seriously though, even though it wasn't a facemask penalty, it still was a penalty, right? Because every time someone gets tackled by his dreads, you always hear that it's a legal tackle - because the hair is part of the uniform. And since that's true, when Golden grabbed Richard's dreads, he actually was grabbing his uniform; and in this case, because Sherman didn't have the ball, a holding penalty should have been called. If the hair truly is part of the uniform, it has to be part of the uniform on every play, right? Not just when someone has the ball. Anyway, Golden might have being seeing Sherman's dreads in his sleep this week because the Seahawks also broke punt returns of 22 (nullified by a penalty on Sherman), 42, and 31 yards before halftime en route to a 30-6 halftime lead, allowing both teams to rest their starters in the 4th quarter.  
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I was drifting in and out of consciousness during the telecast of the Minnesota-Green Bay game, but I had to force myself to stay awake during the 4th quarter because NBC repeatedly was showing sideline shots of Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson. I was like, "Oh, God, what did he do?', because none of his teammates were congratulating him, meaning it must have been something really bad.













Well, it turned out to be something good and bad, as you already know if you saw the contest The good was that Patterson, trying to take a kickoff return to the house for the 3rd time this season, returned the kickoff 70 yards. But instead of getting the TD, Cordarrelle ended up with egg on his face when Mason Crosby, the Packers' kicker, noticed that he was carrying the ball a little too loosely and stripped him of it at the GB 31-yard line (photos above), with the Packers recovering the fumble. Damn, Cordarrelle, it's bad enough to get tackled by the kicker; but it's downright humiliating to let him take the ball away from you. No wonder the camera was on you. The turnover, coming after after the Packers had closed to within 20-13 with 5:30 remaining, could have been devastating for the Vikings. But their defense kept the Packers out of the end zone on their final two drives of the night, and the Vikings held on for the 20-13 victory to clinch the NFC North title, ending Green Bay's run of 4 consecutive division crowns.
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DREADS FOCUS

In case you were wondering, yes, I am planning to do a team-by-team listing of all of the players with dreads in the league (even if it takes the rest of the winter) as I did for the 2012 and 2013 seasons but not last season. But I got a late start on this week's report and ran out of time (I'm trying to finish this in time so I can watch the Chiefs-Texans game). So I'm not going to start the focus section until the next report. Please hang in there.
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DG

1. Two players with dreads whose initials are 'DH' saw a lot of each other for the 2nd time this season last Sunday, as Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins catches a pass in front of Jaguars CB Davon House during 1st half at Houston. I think this is a shot of Hopkins' 12-yard reception on 2nd and 9 on the Texans' 2nd drive of the game, which ended with a FG.

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2. Davon House pushes DeAndre Hopkins out of bounds at the Jaguars' 45-yard line after a reception for a 20-yard gain during 1st quarter. This was the 3rd play of a 10-play, 79-yard TD drive, as the Texans upped their lead to 10-0.
In their first meeting in Week 6 Hopkins had 2 TD catches against House, but Davon managed to keep him from scoring this time. Hopkins finished with 7 catches for 89 yards. House had 7 tackles (6-1) - 4 of which came on receptions by Hopkins - 1 PBU, and got his 4th INT of the season (on a pass that deflected off the hands of Hopkins). Texans won easily 30-6 to finish at 9-7 and clinch AFC South division title.

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3. Colts WR Andre Johnson beats Titans CB B.W.Webb (and his awful reduced dreads) on a post-corner route, makes the catch and gets the ball across the goal line before falling out of bounds for an 18-yard TD on 2nd and 10 late in 2nd quarter at Indianapolis, putting the Colts ahead (to stay) 20-14. Webb finished the game with 3 tackles (3-0), one of which was a TFL.

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4. QB Zach Mettenberger is able to get rid of the ball before being sacked by S Dwight Lowery but is called for an intentional grounding penalty on the Titans' first play from scrimmage. They punted 3 plays later.

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5. Dwight Lowery torments Zach Mettenberger again on a blitz on 2nd and 15 during 3rd quarter. This time Lowery deflects the pass, and it is intercepted by LB Jerrell Freeman for a 23-yard pick six, upping Colts' lead to 27-14 early in 3rd quarter. Lowery finished the game with 3 tackles (2-1). Colts defeated Titans 30-24, but it was too little too late. The favorite to win the AFC South, Colts finish at 8-8 and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

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6. Packers RB Eddie Lacy is tackled rather rudely for a 7-yard loss by Vikings DT Kenrick Ellis and LB Anthony Barr (#55) on 2nd and 12 midway through 2nd quarter at Green Bay. Packers punted 2 plays later. Lacy had made the dread stars list in all 5 of his career games vs. Vikings until this one. He was held to 34 yards rushing on 13 carries and 2 catches for 7 yards. Packers, who started 6-0, finish 10-6 and in 2nd place in the NFC North after losing to Vikings 20-13.

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7. Falcons S Charles Godfrey tackles Saints RB Travaris Cadet after a 9-yard gain on a reception on the 2nd play from scrimmage at the Georgia Dome. The drive ended with a punt 4 plays later. It was the first of 6 tackles (6-0) for Godfrey, who also got credit for 1 PBU and 1 FF in the game. Cadet finished with a career high 83 yards, including 6 catches for 77 yards (but also had a key fumble). 

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8. With the game tied and the Falcons taking possession with 1:47 to play, the script called for a Falcons game-winning score in the closing seconds; but instead on the 1st play of the drive a pass intended for RB Devonta Freeman is intercepted by S Jamarca Sanford at the ATL 28-yard line. 6 plays later it was the Saints, not the Falcons, kicking a FG on the last play of the game to win 20-17. Freeman, who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in rushing yards on a carry in 1st quarter, had 81 yards on 24 carries and 2 catches for 18 yards (and also a costly fumble). Falcons, who went 5-1 against their NFC South rivals last season, went 1-5 this year, including 2 losses to the Saints, as they finish at 8-8 (after a 5-0 start).

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9. Buccaneers CB Mike Jenkins breaks up a deep pass intended for WR Corey "Philly" Brown on the 6th play of the Panthers' opening drive at Charlotte. The drive ended with a punt 6 plays later. Jenkins had no other stats in the game other than this PBU. Panthers whipped Bucs 38-10 to finish at 15-1 (wow) and clinch the #1 seed in the NFC for the playoffs.

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10. LB Aaron Lynch tries an unconventional way to make a tackle, but it fails to stop Rams RB Tre Mason on a carry during 1st half. With Todd Gurley sitting this one out due to injury, Mason got a season high 18 carries, gaining only 44 yards, including a 4-yard TD. Rams led 16-10 at halftime but scored no more, and 49ers came back to win 19-16 in overtime.

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11. WR Brandon Marshall easily beats CB Mario Butler and gets the Jets on the board with a 17-yard TD catch on 2nd and 8, cutting Bills' lead to 13-7 during 2nd quarter. Butler had better moments than this, finishing the game with 2 tackles (1-1) and 2 PBU.
After spending most of his first 4 NFL seasons on the practice squads of various teams, hopefully Mario has found a home with the Bills. He played in 13 games this season and has been re-signed for next season. 

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12. RB Boobie Dixon (formerly known as Anthony Dixon) is tackled at the Jets' 17-yard line by LB Erin Henderson and DE Muhammad Wilkerson after a gain of 3 on 1st and 10 midway through 3rd quarter. This is the play on which Wilkerson (#96) broke his right leg. The drive ended with a FG 3 plays later as Bills upped their lead to 19-10. Dixon gained 3 yards on both of his carries in the game for a total of 6. Bills ruined Jets' playoff hopes, defeating them for the 5th straight time, 22-17.

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13. The last man with a chance to stop WR Demaryius Thomas, Chargers S Jahleel Addae whiffs completely on the tackle near the 30-yard line, and Thomas goes on to finish off a 72-yard catch and run for a TD on the 2nd play from scrimmage for a quick 7-0 lead at Denver. Addae finished the game with 7 tackles (5-2) and 1 FR. Chargers, 4-11 entering the game, made Broncos sweat but couldn't deny them the AFC West title. Broncos won 27-20 to finish at 12-4 and clinch the #1 seed for the playoffs in the AFC.




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14. Bengals S Reggie Nelson makes the tackle on Ravens TE Maxx Williams near midfield, but not until after Williams picks up 12 yards on a reception to convert a 3rd and 5 midway through 2nd quarter at Cincinnati. The drive ended with a FG 7 plays later, upping Ravens' lead to 6-0.

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15. LB Vontaze Burfict leaves his feet to make one of his 12 tackles, holding RB Javorius Allen to a 3-yard gain on a reception on 2nd and 10 during 3rd quarter. The Ravens punted two plays later. Burfict was the only defensive player to make this week's dread stars list.

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16. As CB Dre Kirkpatrick looks on, Reggie Nelson has a golden opportunity to add one more to his league-leading total of interceptions but instead drops the pass on 2nd and 10 midway through 4th quarter and has to settle for a PBU. Nelson also had 12 tackles (7-5) in the game, while Kirkpatrick finished with 2 tackles (2-0) and 1 PBU. Bengals defeated Ravens 24-16 to finish tied for the best record in the AFC at 12-4 but, thanks to the tiebreaker, have to settle for the #3 AFC seed for the playoffs.  

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17. Browns RB Isaiah Crowell is stopped by Steelers LBs Lawrence Timmons (#94) and Ryan Shazier, as LB Bud Dupree stands by with 6 minutes remaining in 2nd quarter at Cleveland. Crowell picked up 4 yards on the run on 1st and 10, the 3rd play of an 11-play drive that ended with a FG that cut Pittsburgh's lead to 7-6. Crowell finished with a game high 53 yards rushing on 15 carries. Dupree had 2 tackles (2-0).

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18. WR Travis Benjamin makes the catch on the Browns' first offensive play of the game but can't get away from Lawrence Timmons and is tackled after only a 5-yard gain. The drive ended 3 plays later with a stop on 4th and 5. Like Crowell, Benjamin also had 53 total yards - on 5 receptions - and had 1 punt return for 12 yards. Browns fought hard trying to deny Steelers a spot in the playoffs but ended up losing 28-12 to wrap up yet another disappointing season at 3-13.

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19. LB Sean Spence celebrates after the game as the win, plus the Jets' loss to Buffalo, clinches the #6 AFC seed for the Steelers. Spence had 1 tackle (1-0) in the game.

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20. In one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals on the day, WR Larry Fitzgerald dives into the end zone to finish off a 17-yard TD reception on 2nd and 8, as Seahawks CB Richard Sherman arrives too late to stop him. The TD cut Seattle's lead to 10-6 during 2nd quarter. Fitzgerald finished with 6 catches for 55 yards. Sherman, who was not assigned to cover Fitzgerald on this play, had 3 tackles (3-0) and 2 PBU. Knowing they had little chance to clinch the #1 seed in the NFC (which would have happened only if the Panthers lost at home to Tampa Bay), Cardinals played poorly and got whipped at home by Seahawks 36-6.

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DREAD STARS
  • Vontaze Burfict - Bengals - 12 tackles (8-4), 1 TFL, and 1 INT in 24-16 home W over Ravens
  • DuJuan Harris - 49ers - 67 yards rushing on 16 carries, and 8 receptions for 86 yards in 19-16 home W in OT over Rams 

  • Julio Jones - Falcons - 9 receptions for 149 yards in 20-17 home L to Saints
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HOUSE OF DREAD

I was already resigned to the fact that since there were a season low 4 TD scored by players with dreads - and no more than one of them in a single game - there wasn't going to be a HOD winner this week. But then I came across this photo (on right) from the Jaguars-Texans game that shows the Texans gathering around injured teammate Duane Brown. I was like, wait a minute, it looks like Jonathan Grimes (#41) has dreads. And after checking a little further, it's confirmed that he does, and that he's had them for at least a month (after not having them when the season began.) So there is a HOD winner after all, the end zone at NRG Stadium in Houston, where 2 TD were scored by players with dreads. Grimes, a RB, scored on a 12-yard reception (photo below, getting past S Johnathan Cyprien) and a 3-yard run, helping the Texans clinch the AFC South title with a 30-6 win over the Jaguars. 


OTHER WEEK 17 TD: Devonta Freeman (ATL), Markus Wheaton (PIT), Tre Mason (STL), Larry Fitzgerald (ARIZ)
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HEAD DREAD


In a game they had to have to make the playoffs, the New York Jets decided the best way to stop the Buffalo Bills' offense was to not let Sammy Watkins beat them deep. So he beat them short instead. Although he scored no touchdowns, Watkins' gains on short passes were the biggest reason the Bills were able to defeat the Jets 22-17. Often working against Pro Bowl CB Darrelle Revis, Sammy had a career high 11 receptions for 136 yards, with 9 of the catches coming on drives that resulted in points.

It must have felt like old times for Watkins. He usually had numbers like this every game when he was in college at Clemson; but for whatever the reason, the Bills haven't thrown to him much in his first 2 NFL seasons (65 receptions last year, 60 this year).

Watkins had receptions of 6, 7, and 13 yards on the Bills 70-yard TD drive that increased their lead to 13-0 in the 2nd quarter. After the Jets made it 13-7, the Bills answered back with a 70-yard drive for a FG, with Sammy contributing a 15-yard catch on 3rd and 3 and a 16-yard gain on 2nd and 9. Then in the 3rd quarter Watkins made 3 more receptions for first downs on another FG drive: a 9-yarder on 2nd and 6, a big 38-yard catch and run after he made a juggling catch (photo above) on 1st and 20, and then an 8-yard reception to the Jets' 20-yard line four plays later on 4th and 6 to move the ball into easier FG range.




















We unfortunately didn't get to see Sammy's long dreads flapping around; but don't worry, he didn't cut them off. He just had them all stuffed underneath the skull cap he was wearing (left photo above, as he stops for autographs after the game). You could see them just fine the next day (right photo above), when the Bills' players cleaned out their lockers.

If you like, please click on the link below for an analysis (including GIF highlights) of Watkins' performance this week from the Pre Snap Reads blog.

http://presnapreads.com/2016/01/04/buffalo-bills-must-keep-feeding-sammy-watkins-in-2016/

What I like the most about that analysis is when it says, "The Bills are a much better offense when Watkins is heavily involved." Amen. Hopefully this game will convince their coaching staff to throw him the damn ball more often in the seasons ahead.

2 comments:

  1. Zac brooks cut his dreads off
    I think Robert Nkemdiche is growing dreads

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the notices.

    Zac brooks cut his dreads off .....

    True but sad. I certainly wasn't expecting it.
    There was a picture I saw the week before Clemson played Oklahoma showing #24 without dreads and identifying him as Brooks. Since Clemson has two #24's on their roster, I was hoping the picture was actually the other 24 and not Brooks. But no.
    It turns out he cut them off sometime between Clemson's senior day game on Nov. 21 and the game against North Carolina on Dec. 5.
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    I think Robert Nkemdiche is growing dreads .....

    You think correctly.
    This I already knew - since seeing a picture of him with beginner dreads at Ole Miss media day back in August.

    ReplyDelete