NFL '15 Dread News - Week 18

Cold? What cold?

Leave it to Bud Grant, coach of the Minnesota Vikings during their glory years in the late 1960's and early '70's, to provide the most hilarious moment of the first weekend of the playoffs (Jan. 9-10). Famous for not allowing a heater on the home team's sideline during cold weather games at old Metropolitan Stadium back in his day, Grant, now 88 years old and an honorary captain for the Vikings' game against the Seattle Seahawks, walked onto the field for the coin toss wearing a short sleeve shirt (photo on right). Oh, did I mention the gametime temperature was -6 degrees? A couple of days before the game a co-worker had asked me if Grant was still alive. And after seeing him on the field, I thought to myself that he might not be alive much longer after pulling a stunt like that. While Grant no doubt wasn't at all bothered by the frigid conditions - it was the 3rd coldest game in NFL history - no doubt all of the players were, even with all the hand warmers and heated benches and cold gear available nowadays. The cold stopped the Seahawks' offense cold; but it didn't matter - they were playing the Vikings. 

Throughout their history the Vikings have made an art form of the gut-wrenching playoff defeat; and they added another beauty to their collection, missing a chip-shot, 27-yard FG attempt with 22 seconds remaining in the game to allow the Seahawks to escape Minneapolis with a 10-9 victory.
CB Richard Sherman dropped down to his knees (photo below) in disbelief and thanksgiving after the miss, as he and his teammates gladly accept the gift handed to them, one that keeps alive their attempt to three-peat as NFC champion.

The Vikings' offense didn't do much either (183 total yards to 226 for Seattle) but took advantage of good field position to kick three field goals and build a 9-0 lead heading into the 4th quarter. And that looked like it might be enough with the Seahawks going botched punt, punt, turnover on downs, punt, INT, and punt on their first 6 possessions. The 7th possession appeared to be doomed too when on 1st and 10 a shotgun snap sailed right past QB Russell Wilson, who wasn't expecting the ball to be snapped yet. The play might have lost 15 or more yards and at best should have been an incomplete pass; but instead it turned into a 35-yard gain to the 4-yard line, as a DB for no good reason stopped covering the man he was covering, leaving him wide open. Two plays later it was 9-7. And three and a half minutes after that the Seahawks had the lead, kicking a 46-yard FG with 8:04 to play that cashed in a fumble by superstar RB Adrian Peterson - Minnesota's only turnover in the game. After both teams punted twice on their next two drives, the Vikings took possession with 1:42 remaining and drove from their own 39-yard line to the Seattle 9 - only to miss the FG.

With RB Marshawn Lynch missing his 8th straight game due to injury and CB Tye Smith inactive, Sherman was the only player with dreads in uniform for the Seahawks. He finished with 6 tackles (6-0), the first of which was a stop of Peterson for a 1-yard loss on the first play from scrimmage (photo on right). The Vikings also had a CB with sick dreads on the field, as rookie Trae Waynes played most of the 2nd half in relief of injured starter Terence Newman. Waynes finished with 3 tackles (2-1), 1 PBU, and got the 1st INT of his career, picking off a pass on 4th and 3 on the Seahawks' opening drive of the 2nd half and returning it 24 yards. Unlike Waynes and Sherman, WR Cordarrelle Patterson kept his sick dreads mostly hidden - confined inside the hooded sweatshirt he wore underneath his jersey. Patterson, who took a kickoff return to the house for the only Vikings' TD in their 38-7 regular season loss to the Seahawks on the same field 5 weeks earlier, went no further than 34 yards on any of his 3 returns in this one. DT Sharrif Floyd had 3 tackles (3-0), 2 of which were TFL, including 1 sack. WR Jarius Wright had 1 catch for 9 yards.
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6 of the 8 teams in action in the 1st round have RBs with dreads; but with four of them on the disabled list, the 63 yards rushing gained on 12 carries by Eddie Lacy were the most by any of them in the four games. Lacy had a big 30-yard run (photo on left) to set up a TD then later scored a TD himself to help the Green Bay Packers advance with a 35-18 road victory over the Washington Redskins. Trailing 11-0 early (and it should have been 16-0), the Packers' offense broke out of their slump in a big way, scoring on 5 consecutive drives (4 TD, 1 FG) to put up their most points in a game since Week 3 despite finishing with a modest 346 total yards.

WR Desean Jackson, who could have made a better effort to get into the end zone, was ruled out of bounds at the 1-yard line (photo below) on a 14-yard reception in the 1st quarter.

Jackson's lack of urgency ended up biting the Redskins in the ass, as they couldn't gain that last yard and had to settle for a FG, making the score 5-0 instead of 9-0. Washington did score a TD two possessions later but missed the extra point after it, upping their lead to 11-0. The Packers roared back to lead 17-11 at halftime; and after Washington went back ahead 18-17, Lacy ran for an 11-yard gain to convert a 4th and 1 then broke free for his 30-yard gain to the 4-yard line on the next play. A TD on the next play put Green Bay ahead 24-18. Lacy then finished the Packers' next drive with a 2-yard TD run, making it 32-18 with 12:23 remaining in the game, and they held on for the win.

With rookie RB Matt Jones missing his 3rd straight game due to injury and WR Andre Roberts already on IR, Jackson was the only player with dreads (at least I think those are dreads that he has) to touch the ball on offense for Washington, finishing with 2 catches for only 17 yards. On defense LB Mason Foster had 9 tackles (6-3), including 2 TFL.
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All four visiting teams won in the 1st round, with the only lopsided game being the Kansas City Chiefs' 30-0 drubbing of the Houston Texans. It's a good thing I stopped production on last week's report and tuned in in time for the opening kickoff. Otherwise I would have missed seeing the opening kickoff returned to the house, as RB Knile Davis went 106 yards untouched to give KC a 7-0 lead. The Chiefs' defense took it from there, helped by the poor performance by Texans QB Brian Hoyer. I mean, Hoyer was struggling so badly - 4 turnovers, including 3 interceptions, in a span of 5 possessions in the 1st half - that every time he dropped back to pass, you almost expected him to be picked off.

The turning point came in the 2nd quarter, right after a FG upped the Chiefs' lead to 13-0. The Texans had a golden opportunity to get back in the game, driving from their 20-yard line to the KC 3. But on 2nd and goal Hoyer, not wanting to get hit by 346-pound DT Dontari Poe, threw an ill-advised pass (photo above) that was intercepted, ending the threat. The Texans never made it to the red zone on any of their next 6 drives for the rest of the game. The Chiefs drove 94 yards on their 2nd half opening possession, making it 20-0 on a 9-yard TD catch by rookie WR Chris Conley, and cruised home from there.

The TD came on Conley's only catch of the game. Poe had a hand in another turnover, getting a FR in the 1st quarter, and finished with 5 tackles (1-4). CB/S Ron Parker had 4 tackles (2-2) for the Chiefs. Pro Bowl WR DeAndre Hopkins, who had 2 TD catches for the Texans in their 27-20 loss to the Chiefs on the same field in the season opener, was held to a harmless 6 catches for 69 yards in this one, including a 4-yard gain on 3rd and 10 (photo above) in the 3rd quarter, forcing a punt on the next play. RB Jonathan Grimes finished with 15 yards rushing on 4 carries and 2 catches for 12 yards. 
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This just in .....
Commissioner Goodell, citing player safety, has announced that although the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers will be scheduled to play twice (as usual) during the 2016 regular season, the two games will not actually be played. Each team will be awarded 1 win and 1 loss, and most importantly nobody will be injured (or fined).
I'm just joking, of course; but man, did the Bengals and Steelers ever beat up on each other this season. The Steelers lost star RB Le'Veon Bell in their first meeting. The Bengals lost starting QB Andy Dalton in the second meeting. And both teams lost key players in their 1st round playoff game at Cincinnati.

To be a Bengals fan is to be that woman at the game whom a CBS camera showed crying at the end of their unbelievable 18-16 defeat. Riding a streak of 7 consecutive playoff losses, it looked like the Bengals were finally going to win one. But instead once again they broke their fans' hearts, snatching defeat away from the jaws of victory, giving the game away after they had wiped out a 15-0 deficit in the 4th quarter and taken a 16-15 lead. The Steelers could have been convicted of grand theft after this one; but then again, can you really even call it stealing when you leave the front door to your house wide open?

At the center of the wild finish was, as you know unless you've been asleep ever since the game ended, none other than star LB Vontaze Burfict. Vontaze giveth - getting an INT that seemingly clinched the victory for the Bengals with 1:23 to play; and then Vontaze taketh away - committing a selfish, idiotic personal foul penalty that moved the Steelers into FG with 18 seconds on the clock. It is true that the Steelers still would have had a chance without Burfict's blunder; but with no time outs left they would have needed to do something special. That penalty, a blow to the head of WR Antonio Brown (photo on left) on an incomplete pass, really let them off the hook.

I thought the game was going to be a no-lose for me. Either the Steelers would win - and take the first step of their journey to the AFC championship I predicted them to win; or the Bengals would win - and we'd be able to see Reggie Nelson's dreads for at least one more game. But then what happens. After tuning in to the game late and missing the entire 1st quarter, literally the very thing I see is a shot of Nelson being helped off the field and onto a trainer's table on the Bengals' sideline. Just great. Sadly that would be the last anyone would see of Nelson for the rest of the night, as he too severely injured his ankle to continue while sacking QB Ben Roethlisberger on 3rd and 6 on the third play of the 2nd quarter.

Earlier in that drive it was another tackle that Nelson made that created quite a commotion. After knocking RB Jordan Todman out of bounds on the Steelers' sideline, Nelson collided with Mike Munchak, one of the Steelers' position coaches; and apparently Munchak found Reggie's super long dreads too irresistible, briefly grabbing and yanking on them (photo on right) - much to the anger of Reggie, who turned and shoved Munchak as if to say, "WTF are you doing?" The NFL must have been wondering the same thing, later adding a $10,000 fine on Munchak to the 15-yard penalty he was assessed by the game officials. The links below are to a slow-motion video of the entire play and a short article that has a couple of GIF looks at the incident.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xveLI0cbqg
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25444581/steelers-mike-munchak-facing-significant-fine-for-pulling-reggie-nelsons-hair

Down 15-0 on 3 FGs and a highlight-reel TD catch by WR Martavis Bryant, it wasn't looking good for the Bengals. But then Burfict, who made the tackle that ended Bell's season back in Week 8, took aim at the other two big stars of the Steelers' offense - Roethlisberger and Brown. On 3rd and 18 on the final play of the 3rd quarter Vontaze sacked and crushed Roethlisberger (photos below), knocking him out of the game with an injured shoulder. Immediately the momentum changed. The Bengals' offense, which had 6 punts and 3 turnovers on their first 9 possessions, scored a TD, FG, and TD on consecutive drives in the 4th quarter for a 16-15 lead. And when Burfict then intercepted backup QB Landry Jones at the Pittsburgh 26-yard line with 1:36 to play, the Bengals' 25-year drought without a playoff victory appeared to be over. 

 


But streaks that long don't go away without a fight. That became evident on the very next play. The Steelers still had all 3 of their timeouts left, so the Bengals decided to try to get a 1st down instead of just kneeling down 3 times and kicking a FG. Well, they didn't get a 1st down, nor did they get a FG either. Instead they gave the ball right back to the Steelers on a fumble by RB Jeremy Hill. Mercy, your only job as a RB in that situation is to make sure to hang onto the ball. The yards don't even matter, just don't fumble. But Hill couldn't do that seemingly simple task, as LB Jarvis Jones wrapped him up and LB Ryan Shazier stripped the ball from him just before he hit the ground (photos below).

At that point Roethlisberger re-entered the game, bad shoulder and all. The Steelers inched their way upfield, advancing from their 9-yard line to their 42 in 7 plays before staying alive on a 12-yard reception by Brown to the Cincinnati 46 to convert a 4th and 3. The Steelers took their final timeout after the play and had 22 seconds left. That's when it all fell apart for the Bengals. A pass over the middle intended for Brown was incomplete, taking 4 more seconds off the clock; but Burfict, a great player but also a dirty player, felt the need to whack Brown in the head after the ball had already gone past him and had hit the ground. Out came the penalty flag for a personal foul, moving the ball 15 yards to the 32-yard line and into FG range. Vontaze just doesn't get it, does he? During the injury timeout (Brown stayed down after the hit, suffering a concussion) after the play, there was a shot of Burfict on the Bengals' sideline demonstrating to Coach Lewis how he had used his shoulder to clobber Brown and that it wasn't a helmet-to-helmet hit.

But damn, Vontaze, in that situation you could've used your shoulder, your helmet, your leg, or your pinkie - any kind of contact to the opposing player's head is a penalty. It's kind of incredible he didn't know that.

CB Adam Jones then decided to add his two cents, making things even worse for the Bengals when he too was hit with a personal foul penalty, which moved the ball all the way to the 17-yard line. Jones accidentally made contact with an official while protesting the presence of Steelers position coach Joey Porter on the field. Coaches are allowed onto the field to check on an injured player; but while Brown was being helped off the field, he wasn't anywhere near Brown, instead standing over by a group of Bengals players and yapping at them. Certainly Porter should have been called for a penalty; but whether or not he was, it was inexcusable for Jones to lose his cool like he did and hurt the team. Porter was later fined $10,000; but he'll gladly pay that after having goaded Jones into the costly 15-yard penalty.

Without the two penalties, it would have been difficult (although not impossible) for the Steelers to get into FG range in time. But thanks to the 30 free yards with the clock stopped, not only were they in FG range but in chip shot range and made the 35-yard attempt on the next play to win it. Eight different players with dreads made at least 1 tackle for the Bengals in the game, including LB Rey Maualuga, who had a team high 10 tackles (7-3). DT Pat Sims got a half sack on his only tackle (0-1) and also had 1 PBU. CB Josh Shaw and DE Will Clarke also finished with 1 tackle (1-0) each. For the Steelers, in addition to being in on the tackle that caused Hill's huge fumble, Jarvis Jones got credit for a FF of his own on a sack, resulting in a turnover after the Bengals had moved into FG range early in the 3rd quarter. He finished with 4 tackles (2-2), and DT Steve McLendon got credit for a TFL on his only tackle (1-0).
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DREADS FOCUS

This is the part where one more time you get to hear me complain about reduced dreads. Of course, if you are a fan of reduced dreads, that is if you think Dre Kirkpatrick's dreads look better reduced down to 20 or so braided locks (photo on right from this week's game vs. the Steelers), you may kindly skip this paragraph and proceed to the next one. If, however, you are like me and would rather see Kirkpatrick's 70 locks (or however many he has) flowing individually - the way IMO they are meant to - then we probably shared the same disappointment this season. Things got better later on in the season, but in the beginning it was like an epidemic of reduced dreads. It was as if having your dreads braided was the hot new style and that you weren't even normal if you didn't have them braided in some way. Certainly there were still plenty of players who kept their dreads right - enough to keep me from going crazy - but for real it was and continues to be really sad to see so many reduced dreads in the league.

And another thing. Although it doesn't bother me quite as much as reduced dreads, the proliferation of players with partial dreads is becoming increasingly more aggravating. Of course, if seeing Michael Griffin (photo on left from Titans training camp in August) with dreads only in the middle part of his head and none on the sides doesn't aggravate you, please skip the rest of this paragraph and move on to the next one. But if you are like me and think that Griffin made a mistake when he shaved off the dreads on the sides that used to be there - just so that he could look like everybody else - then read on. I exaggerate, of course - not everybody has shaved off the hair on their sides. But you can't deny that whether they have their hair normal, in dreadlocks, or like Odell Beckham, this look of having hair only in the middle with none on the sides has been becoming more and more common among athletes. It's certainly not a look that I dislike (it actually grows on you after a while); but when it comes to dreads, it just is not right. When partial dreads are long enough to be visible outside the helmet - players like Griffin and Dontari Poe, for example - it looks like something is missing. Those players don't look nearly as impressive as they would with twice as many more locks. But these days, when players start growing dreads, more often than not it seems they're starting out with partial dreads. And as sad as that may be, there's nothing I can do about it. It is what it is.

Anyway, I'm still going to list all of the NFL's players with dreads (that I know of) in this year's dreads focus - even those with the reduced and partial dreads that don't look as good. The grade I'm assigning for each team's dreads is strictly my opinion (and you're certainly welcome to express yours), and there's no secret formula to determine it. Factors in making up the grade include how many players with dreads there are on a team, how many players there are with sick dreads, whether or not players are key players or bench warmers, and how much I actually like the dreads. Those factors won't weigh equally, and how much they weigh will vary from team to team. I'll kind of be making up the rules as I go along. The list for each team reflects the team's roster when their 2015 season ended. Players denoted by (IR) and (PUP) finished the season on either the injured reserve or physically unable to perform lists. (PS) means a player was on that team's practice squad at the end of the season. Players in CAPS were starters on offense or defense for at least half of the games they played in. Stats listed are from the 2015 regular season, obtained from the Pro Football Reference website  ...... OK. I'm going to do only one division this week, and that division is the .....

AFC EAST
       Best player with dreads: Sammy Watkins         
       Player with best dreads: Stephon Gilmore

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BUFFALO BILLS 

I always like to save the best for last; but since I'm doing the teams in alphabetical order, we have to start with the best this time. The Bills' 14 players with dreads are the most in the league, including players with sick dreads at every position except RB and QB. Leading the way - as mentioned in my Week 17 report - are 6 CBs ..... With a rookie on the opposite corner, Stephon Gilmore (top photo on right, breaking up a pass vs. Titans in Week 5) didn't see as many passes come his way as he might have wanted but still managed a team-leading 3 INT in 12 games before landing on IR with a severe shoulder injury. Although facing stiff competition, Stephon's dreads in the running for best dreads of any CB in the league ..... That rookie opposite Gilmore was Ronald Darby (bottom photo on right, defending against WR Chris Conley vs. Chiefs in Week 12), who gave up some touchdowns but still played very well, leading the team with 19 PBU ..... Mario Butler, with dreads almost as long as Gilmore's, had 5 PBU in 13 games after appearing in just 1 game (total) in the first 4 years of his career prior to this season ..... Ron Brooks had 2 PBU in 12 games before going on IR after Week 16 ..... Hmm, Nickell Robey's dreads aren't any longer after 3 years with Bills than they were when he left college (USC). Evidently he doesn't want them to get longer. He had 4 PBU and 1 sack this season ..... Playing his 8th season with Bills, Leodis McKelvin was welcomed to the house for the first time in his career, debuting his baby dreads in Week 9 after missing the first 7 games with ankle injury. Let's hope he's here to stay. He finished 2015 with 2 INT and 7 PBU ..... Randell Johnson played 10 games mostly on special teams before going on IR after Week 15 ..... It speaks to the talent of Sammy Watkins (photo below, mad at himself for dropping a pass vs. Jets in Week 10) that his 60 catches for 1,047 yards and 9 TD this season were a bit of a disappointment. He's capable of so much more. I have no doubts that he will go on to have a great career (be it with the Bills or someplace else), but I'm am a bit concerned about his dreads. Although those dreads are longer than almost every other WR in the league, they weren't always flowing at full length. There were several games where he had them folded in half; and of course, the Week 17 game where he had them confined entirely inside his helmet. When you start doing stuff like that, it indicates to me that you're starting to consider your dreads a nuisance, and it's only a matter of time before you do away with them altogether. Hopefully I'm dead wrong and Sammy's dreads will live on for many more seasons; but I won't be surprised if I'll have to add his name to the ex-dread list soon ..... Boobie Dixon played mostly on special teams, as usual. He finished with exactly 44 yards rushing and 44 yards receiving and scored 1 TD ..... MarQueis Gray, with the best dreads of any TE in the league, but unfortunately went on IR after only 4 games and 0 receptions ..... Lavar Edwards signed off Cowboys practice squad at end of November but appeared in no games ..... 3 players on practice squad all have sick dreads too. Cyril Richardson on PS all season, while Manasseh Garner and Phillip Thomas signed to PS near end of season ..... WR Denarius Moore signed in early October but cut after 5 games despite averaging 15.4 yards on punt returns ..... OT Darryl Johnson, CB Ellis Lankster, LB Quentin Groves, and rookie RB Ricky Seale all cut at end of training camp.

CB Ron Brooks (IR)
CB Mario Butler
CB RONALD DARBY
RB Boobie Dixon
DE Lavar Edwards 
TE Manasseh Garner (PS)
CB STEPHON GILMORE (IR)
TE MarQueis Gray (IR)
LB Randell Johnson (IR)
CB/S LEODIS McKELVIN
G Cyril Richardson (PS)
CB Nickell Robey
S Phillip Thomas (PS)
WR SAMMY WATKINS

GRADE: A 

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MIAMI DOLPHINS 

Dolphins boast the only O-line in the league with 3 starters with dreads, and they lined up right next to each other. Of course, most people wouldn't know that C Mike Pouncey has dreads - he just started growing them this season; but on either side of him you'd have to be blind not to notice the sick dreads of Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas ..... Pouncey's dreads might fall short of Turner and Thomas, but his game isn't falling short of anyone's. He's the only AFC East player with dreads selected for the Pro Bowl. I'm not including a photo of Pouncey; but if you need to see his dreads, you can see them (kind of) in this interview he did shortly after being picked for the Pro Bowl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJeNbWZn7nk ..... Turner and Thomas need to improve if they plan on remaining in the starting lineup next season, let alone ever be selected for the Pro Bowl ..... Rookie CB Bobby McCain played all 16 games, starting 4 times and finishing with 4 PBU ..... S Walt Aikens (top photo on right, getting beat for a TD catch by WR Eric Decker vs. Jets in Week 4) also played in all 16 games, starting 5 times and finishing with 20 tackles (15-5) but no PBU or INT. Sick LBs Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe came and went; but another one, Kelvin Sheppard, might stay a while. Sheppard (bottom photo on right, tackling RB DeMarco Murray vs. Eagles in Week 10) started 14 games and had 102 tackles (72-30) and 2 PBU ..... Rookie Jay Ajayi started the season on IR, and by the time he was activated in Week 9 he wasn't going to unseat Lamar Miller as the starting RB. Ajayi finished with 187 yards rushing (3.8 per carry), 7 catches for 90 yards, and 1 TD in 9 games ..... After being released for immaturity by Giants after Week 13, Damontre Moore (photo below, on sideline vs. Patriots in Week 17) brought his talents and his colorful dreads to South Florida and had 1 sack in 3 games ..... Sick Terrell Manning still trying, still hoping for an opportunity somewhere, signed to practice squad early in November ..... Dax Swanson, after starting on Patriots PS, signed to and cut from Dolphins PS at least 4 times ..... Rookie DT Jordan Williams, cut by Jets early in season, signed to PS late in season but cut after Week 16 (but has been re-signed for next season) ..... DE Emmanuel Dieke cut from PS in early October; and WR Cobi Hamilton and RB Dimitrius Bronson cut at end of training camp.

S Walt Aikens
RB Jay Ajayi
LB Terrell Manning (PS)
CB Bobby McCain
DE Damontre Moore
C MIKE POUNCEY
CB Dax Swanson (PS)
G DALLAS THOMAS
G BILLY TURNER
   
GRADE: A 

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

When healthy, which was for 12 games this season, Dont'a Hightower played at near Pro Bowl level, finishing with 61 tackles (51-10), 3.5 sacks, 2 PBU, and 1 FR ..... Three RBs with dreads on roster at start of season, but Travaris Cadet released in late September after playing in only 1 game, and LeGarrette Blount placed on IR after injuring his hip at Houston in Week 14. Blount finished with 703 yards rushing (4.3) and 7 TD ..... Brandon Bolden (top photo on right, being tackled vs. Texans in Week 14), with the best dreads on the team, touching the ball on offense more than expected due to injuries to Blount and other RBs. Bolden had 207 yards rushing (3.3) and 19 catches for 180 yards, including 2 TD catches .....
Signed as a free agent to rush the passer after playing his first 4 NFL seasons with Browns, Jabaal Sheard doing his job well, with 8 sacks (one of them in photo below vs. Cowboys in Week 5) and 4 FF in 13 games ..... Rookie Malcom Brown got career off to good start, playing all 16 games and starting 12, finishing with 48 tackles (31-17), 3 sacks, and 2 FR ..... With WR corp decimated by injury, Keshawn Martin (bottom photo on right, vs. Texans in Week 14) acquired from Texans in a trade in September and would have challenged for best dreads on the team if he didn't have them reduced all the time. Martin came on strong late after missing 5 games with a hamstring injury, finishing with 269 yards and 2 TD receiving and doing well on both punt returns (11.5) and kickoff returns (25.7) ..... LaAdrian Waddle signed as a free agent in mid-December 2 days after being released by Lions and played in 1 game ..... Rookie Darryl Roberts on IR all season ..... After being released by Packers, DT Khyri Thornton signed to practice squad and then to active roster for 3 weeks before being released again ..... CB Brandon Dixon, OT Brennan Williams, and rookie S Floyd Raven all signed to PS briefly before being let go ..... RB Tony Creecy, CB Jimmy Jean, and LB D.J. Lynch all rookies who were cut at end of training camp.

RB LeGARRETTE BLOUNT (IR)
RB Brandon Bolden
DT MALCOM BROWN
LB DONT'A HIGHTOWER
WR KESHAWN MARTIN
CB Darryl Roberts (IR)
DE Jabaal Sheard
OT LaAdrian Waddle

GRADE: B

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NEW YORK JETS

It wasn't that long ago that the Jets had a serious shortage of players with dreads; but those days are over. For a while Jets, like Dolphins, had two starting guards with dreads; but Willie Colon, after being injury free in his first two seasons with the team, placed on IR after Week 6 after being slowed by knee injury - the 3rd time in last 5 seasons he has finshed the season on IR ..... James Carpenter (bottom photo on right, from Week 2), however, played all 16 games and had a solid season (according to an article I read) in his first year with Jets after playing his first 4 seasons with Seahawks. Ironically Carpenter's strong season has made Colon expendable, and Willie most likely will not be back next season.

Carpenter's dreads not as long as they used to be, but they're long enough  ..... Damon Harrison anchored middle of D-line, finishing with 72 tackles (39-33) ..... Best dreads on the team are on the head of Chris Ivory (top photo on right, vs. Colts in Week 2), who for most games has those dreads flowing freely (the way I wish all RBs would). Ivory heading to his 1st Pro Bowl (as an injury replacement) after recording his 1st career 1,000-yard season ..... Jamari Lattimore, a close second for best dreads on the team, played 15 games mostly on special teams ..... Calvin Pryor (69 tackles, 2 INT, 4 PBU) has dreads long enough to be in consideration for best on the team but keeps them reduced too often ..... Buster Skrine and his partial dreads had 54 tackles, 1 INT, and 5 PBU as the team's slot CB ..... Not drafted in 2014, Marcus Williams (who was just as big a star in college at North Dakota State as Billy Turner, whom the Dolphins drafted in the 3rd round that year) playing his way into a big contract and giving hope to other undrafted players that being undrafted doesn't mean you can't have a successful career. In his first full season with team Williams had 6 INT (!), 4 PBU, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF, and 1 FR in 13 games ..... Rookie Lorenzo Mauldin, who had red dreads in college at Louisville to match the team colors, now sporting green dreads (photo below, vs. Bills in Week 17) after Jets drafted him. He had 4 sacks playing in a reserve role and on special teams this season ..... Julian Stanford signed to practice squad in early December ..... Rookie WR Arthur Williams cut midway through training camp ..... WR Saalim Hakim and RB Daryl Richardson cut at end of training camp before landing elsewhere.

G JAMES CARPENTER
G WILLIE COLON (IR)
DT DAMON HARRISON
RB CHRIS IVORY
LB Jamari Lattimore
LB Lorenzo Mauldin
S CALVIN PRYOR
CB Buster Skrine
LB Julian Stanford (PS)
CB Marcus Williams

GRADE: A


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DG

1. Chiefs rookie WR Chris Conley makes a catch during early warmups at Houston as he gets ready to play in his 1st career playoff game. Conley's dreads aren't quite long enough to be easily seen with his helmet on, so I included this photo so you can get a better look at them.

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2. DT Dontari Poe gathers in the ball for a FR, putting an end to a Texans drive that had reached the KC 30-yard line late in 1st quarter. On 3rd and 7 QB Brian Hoyer lost control of the ball when one of his O-lineman was pushed back and knocked into him, and Poe recovered it at the 42-yard line for the Texans' 2nd turnover of the game already. Five plays later Chiefs kicked a FG to up their lead to 10-0.

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3. DB Ron Parker makes the tackle, getting WR Cecil Shorts out of bounds at the Houston 31 and holding him to a 5-yard gain on 2nd and 17 early in 2nd quarter. Texans punted 2 plays later. Parker finished the game with 4 tackles (2-2).

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4. On 2nd and 8 from the 9-yard line CB Kareem Jackson arrives too late, and Chris Conley makes the catch for the TD, upping Chiefs' lead to 20-0 during 3rd quarter .....



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5. ..... Wait a minute. That's right, it's not a catch unless you maintain control all the way to the ground; and Conley manages to hang on despite Jackson's attempt to knock the ball loose. The TD came on Conley's only reception of the game and capped an 11-play, 94-yard drive on the Chiefs' first possession of 2nd half.

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6. WR DeAndre Hopkins is mauled by CB Sean Smith on the tackle after picking up 17 yards (his biggest gain of the game) to the KC 27-yard line on 2nd and 3 with 12 minutes remaining in 4th quarter. It was the last of Hopkins' 6 catches on the day, which were good for just 69 yards .....

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7. ..... 4 plays later Brian Hoyer and OT Derek Newton react after the drive ends with a sack on 4th and 7. In a pathetic showing Texans' offense finished with only 226 total yards and had 5 big turnovers.
Hallelujah! Chiefs fans, the streak is over! The streak of 8 consecutive playoff defeats finally comes to an end with the easy 30-0 victory over Texans. It's their first playoff win in 22 years. 

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8. Seahawks CB Richard Sherman breaks up the pass intended for WR Adam Thielen on 2nd and 10 on Vikings' opening drive of the game at Minneapolis. The drive ended with a punt 6 plays later. As cold as it was (gametime temperature was -6 degrees F), evidently it wasn't cold enough to make Sherman put on a long sleeve undershirt .....

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9. ..... But it was cold enough for WR Cordarrelle Patterson to wear a hooded sweatshirt under his jersey, making his dreads barely visible. Patterson touched the ball 3 times - all on kickoff returns, on which he gained 9, 22, and 34 yards for a total of 65, none of which preceded a scoring drive.

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10. Rookie CB Trae Waynes and his sick dreads are on the move after he intercepted a deflected pass on 4th and 3, ending Seahawks' opening drive of 2nd half. Usually you just want to knock the ball down on 4th down; but in this case, with both offenses struggling to score, absolutely you want to make the INT and try to take it to the house. Waynes picked up 24 yards on the return but didn't get anywhere near the house, getting tackled at the MIN 46-yard line. It was Trae's 1st career NFL INT (although since the stats in playoff games don't officially count, he won't get credit for his 1st official INT until he gets one next season). 5 plays later Vikings kicked a FG to up their lead to 6-0.

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11. Richard Sherman makes his 5th tackle of the game, pushing RB Adrian Peterson out of bounds at the Seahawks' 45-yard line for a gain of 3 on 1st and 10 with 4:35 remaining in 3rd quarter. The drive ended with a FG 8 plays later as Vikings increased their lead to 9-0.

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12. Seeing meaningful action in the 2nd half in relief of injured started CB Terence Newman, Trae Waynes got picked on a few times but gave up nothing deep, although he may have gotten away with one here as he hooks the left arm of WR Tyler Lockett on a deep pass on 1st and 10 on 1st play of 4th quarter, forcing him to try to make a one-handed catch, which he could not. No penalty was called.
Unfortunately Waynes injured his arm on the play and was not on the field 4 plays later when Lockett made his momentum-changing 35-yard reception. We'll never know if that play would have happened if Waynes had been on the field instead of Josh Robinson, who stopped covering Lockett on the play, leaving him wide open. Waynes was back on the field on the Seahawks' next drive and gave up the 8-yard reception on 3rd and 7 that moved them into range for what turned out to be the game-winning FG. Waynes finished the day with 3 tackles (2-1) and 1 PBU in addition to his INT. You can see the INT on a video included in this short article about Trae from the Vikings' website: http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/Rookie-Waynes-Makes-Impact-Progress-in-Playoffs/c9bafc29-c7a8-484f-8ac2-7201e4868e24

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13. Richard Sherman and teammates celebrate after K Blair Walsh unbelievably misses an easy 27-yard FG attempt with :22 remaining in 4th quarter, a FG that very likely would have given Vikings the win. 

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14. Instead it's the Seahawks, not the Vikings, running into the victorious locker room, as Richard Sherman and DE Michael Bennett head in for some much-needed warmth, after Seattle's 10-9 victory in the third coldest game in league history. Sherman finished with 6 tackles (6-0), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU as Seahawks take the first step in their attempt for a 3rd straight NFC championship.

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15. At the same time it was below zero in Minnesota it was 61 degrees in Maryland, where DE Ricky Jean Francois has his dreads reduced as he warms up with strength and conditioning coach Joe Kim and stops to sign autographs before the Redskins' home playoff game vs. the Green Bay Packers.  Jean Francois would finish with 1 tackle (1-0) in the game.








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16. LB Mason Foster stands during the playing of the national anthem before the game. It's good to see Foster growing dreads again - for the first time since cutting off the first edition of his dreads following his rookie season with the Buccaneers in 2011.

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17. Over on the visitors' sideline LB Julius Peppers bows his head during the anthem. I thought Eddie Lacy was the Packers' only player with dreads until I saw this photo. Peppers has been in the league since 2002, and this is the first time he has begun growing dreads. What took you so long? Peppers would finish with 2 tackles (1-1), including 1 TFL, in the game. 

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18. Mason Foster makes the tackle at the Washington 32-yard line as RB Eddie Lacy picks up a 1st down with a 2-yard run on 2nd and 1 with 4:53 remaining in 2nd quarter. 4 plays later Packers kicked a FG to cut Redskins' lead to 11-10. Foster finished the game with 9 tackles (6-3), 2 of which were TFL.

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19. After running for 11 yards on 4th and 1 on the previous play, Eddie Lacy breaks free for a bigger gain on 1st and 10, here breaking a tackle by S Dashon Goldson at the 8-yard line near the end of the play before going down at the 4 for a 30-yard gain with 5 minutes remaining in 3rd quarter. Packers (but not Lacy) got the TD on the next play to go ahead (for good) 24-18.

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20. Eddie Lacy does get his TD on the Packers' next possession, scoring standing up on a 2-yard run on a line plunge on 1st and goal .....

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21. Eddie Lacy celebrates after his TD finishes a 10-play, 76-yard drive, increasing Packers' lead to 32-18 early in 4th quarter. Lacy finished with a game high 63 yards rushing on 12 carries (but also had a late fumble that could have been costly but wasn't) as Packers advanced to round 2 with a 32-18 road win over Washington.

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22. Not an optical illusion. Bengals S Reggie Nelson's dreads really are so long that they're touching his butt while he gets stiff-armed by Steelers RB Jordan Todman on a 2nd and 4 play late in 1st quarter at Cincinnati. This was the play that after Nelson knocked Todman out of bounds on the Steelers' sideline after a 14-yard gain, the Steelers lost all of that yardage when O-line coach Mike Munchak was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for grabbing Nelson's dreads after Nelson accidentally collided with him. Sorry, but I couldn't find a photo of that, nothing any clearer than the one from earlier on this page ..... 

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23. Five plays later Reggie Nelson brings the Steelers' drive to an end, sacking QB Ben Roethlisberger for a 10-yard loss on 3rd and 6 to take Steelers out of FG range early in 2nd quarter ......

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24. ..... Unfortunately Nelson stays down after the play after injuring his ankle, as CB Adam Jones comes over to check on him. And that was all she wrote for Reggie in this one. He missed the rest of the game, finishing with 3 tackles (3-0) and the 1 sack.








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25. After making the catch on a screen pass on 2nd and 10 WR Markus Wheaton meets resistance 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the form of LB Vontaze Burfict. Wheaton spins to get away from Burfict .....

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26. ..... but is knocked off balance by Burfict, and as he tries to stay on his feet he fumbles the ball. Bengals recovered at the CIN 47, ending the drive and keeping the game scoreless with 5:48 remaining in 2nd quarter. Burfict got credit for a TFL and FF on the play.

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27. On the next play the Bengals' possession begins with a 3-yard loss, as rookie LB Bud Dupree hits and drops RB Jeremy Hill. Two plays later Steelers got the ball back on an interception on 3rd and 13. Dupree finished the night with 3 tackles (2-1), with this being his only TFL.

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28. Facing a 2nd and 25 following a personal foul penalty, Steelers get back into FG range, as Adam Jones makes a mistake in coverage, allowing WR Antonio Brown to get wide open. Brown picks up 23 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the 21-yard line. After an incomplete pass on 3rd and 2, Steelers kicked a FG to take a 3-0 lead with 2:27 to play until halftime.

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29. After a three-and-out series by Bengals, Steelers get the ball back, and on 2nd and 15 Markus Wheaton gets open over the middle in front of S George Iloka and makes the catch at the CIN 27-yard line. And this time he ain't dropping the ball .....

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30. ..... Even after being clobbered by S Shawn Williams (Reggie Nelson's replacement), Wheaton still hangs on for the 24-yard reception. Williams initially and briefly hit Wheaton in the head, so a personal foul penalty was tacked on after the play, moving the ball to the 12-yard line with :52 on the clock. But Steelers had to settle for a FG 4 plays later, upping their lead to 6-0. This play and the one on which he fumbled were Wheaton's only 2 catches in the game (for 23 yards). He also had 1 kickoff return for 16 yards.

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31. On the first play after Bengals turned the ball over on their first possession of 3rd quarter (on a sack and FF by LB Jarvis Jones), WR Martavis Bryant gets the ball on a reverse; and after starting on the left side, he cuts back to the right and into the clear at the PIT 45-yard line. Knowing he's in trouble, CB Dre Kirkpatrick turns on the jets in pursuit of Bryant, hoping to cut him off before he gets to the end zone .....

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32. ..... Kirkpatrick finally catches Bryant at the 20-yard line and, with Martavis still carrying the ball in his left hand, almost causes him to fumble as he knocks him out of bounds. Bryant gained 44 yards on the play, and 4 plays later Steelers settled for another FG to make it 9-0.

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33. Dre Kirkpatrick and Martavis Bryant had another close encounter on the Steelers' next drive. On 2nd and goal from the Bengals' 10-yard line Bryant beats Kirkpatrick near the right sideline in the end zone and makes the catch. But Dre isn't giving up just yet .....

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34. ..... As Bryant tries to maintain control of the ball, Kirkpatrick grabs his arm and almost knocks it loose ....

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35. ..... But Martavis remarkably hangs on, pinning the ball to the back of his thigh to maintain control .....












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36. ..... Bryant flips over as he falls to the ground but maintains control when he hits the ground to finish his spectacular 10-yard TD catch. If you want to see the video version of the play, here it is on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbz0o0spEgk



The Steelers missed the 2-point conversion after the TD but still upped their lead to 15-0 with 5:02 remaining in 3rd quarter. Kirkpatrick, who was in and out of the lineup while bothered by a quad injury, finished the game with 3 tackles (2-1).
Of course, the shots of this play would have been even better if Kirkpatrick and Bryant didn't both have their dreads reduced. But you can't always get what you want, I guess.

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37. After the Bengals closed their deficit to 15-10, Adam Jones picks up 24 yards on his only punt return of the game, giving Bengals good field position at the PIT 45-yard line with 3:28 remaining in the game. Bengals went the 45 yards in 7 plays to take a 16-15 lead with 1:50 to play. Jones also had 2 kickoff returns in the game, for 22 and 28 yards.

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38. Adam Jones pleads with referee John Parry - to no avail - after being called for a personal foul penalty with 18 seconds to play. Adam was arguing that a penalty should have been called on Steelers LB coach Joey Porter, who was on the field jawing with Bengals players during an injury timeout. Instead the penalty was called on him when he accidentally made contact with an official. Jones picked up a $29,000 fine for touching the official. The first link below, from Cincinnati TV station WCPO, goes into the play in more detail, and the second link is to an NFL.com article listed all of the players fined in the game.

http://www.wcpo.com/sports/football/bengals/bengals-adam-jones-may-have-been-in-the-right-when-he-blasted-refs-in-profanity-filled-tirade
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000623166/article/adam-jones-fined-29k-steelers-porter-fined-10k

Jones' penalty turned what would have been a long, 50-yard FG attempt into a much-easier 35-yard attempt for the Steelers, which they made with 14 seconds to play to win the game 18-16. Jones had 2 tackles (1-1) in addition to his returns in what likely was his last game in a Bengals uniform.

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39. Coach Lewis keeps Vontaze Burfict from attacking one of the officials as they exit after the Bengals' crushing defeat. Burfict finished with 6 tackles (5-1), 2 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FF, and 1 INT, and would have made the dread stars list if not for his personal foul penalty that moved the Steelers into FG range with 18 seconds to play. The personal foul was for an illegal hit to the head of WR Antonio Brown, and it earned Vontaze a 3-game suspension to start next season (it would have been a 1-game suspension, but it's more because Vontaze is a repeat offender).
The beat goes on for the Bengals: so good during the regular season but just can't buy a win when they get to the playoffs. This was the 5th straight year they have lost in the 1st round of the playoffs, extending their overall playoff losing to streak 8 in a row since their last win 25 years ago.  

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40. Obviously the mood was a little brighter on the visitors' sideline, as Martavis Bryant and teammates celebrate at the end of a game they looked to be certain to lose. Bryant finished with 5 catches for 29 yards, including the 10-yard TD, plus the 44-yard gain on his only rushing attempt. Steelers took first step on their journey to the AFC championship I predicted them to win with the 18-16 win over Bengals.
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NEXT

As you know by now, despite an outstanding performance by Martavis Bryant, the Steelers stumbled and fell trying to take their second step to the AFC championship. In fact, all the teams that won on the road in the 1st round lost in the 2nd round. We'll look at those games in my next report. I'm not going to worry about doing these NFL reports on time. That ain't going to happen. I'll post them as quickly as I can do them, but it's a safe bet the season will be long over before I get them all finished.