Alshon Jeffery 1/1/ 2017"I guarantee you we are going to win the Super Bowl next year."
Pro athletes in all sports make predictions and guarantees so frequently nowadays that whenever you hear the latest one, your reaction is usually like ... yeah, whatever. It's in one ear and out the other, especially when the one talking about winning the Super Bowl is a member of the Chicago Bears. But every once in a while, one of those predictions actually comes true. Jeffery uttered his now famous guarantee shortly after the Bears' loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the final game of the 2016 season; and he made it while not knowing which team he would be playing for in 2017, since he was set to become a free agent during the offseason. I suppose then that you have to give all the credit to the Philadelphia Eagles for recognizing that Alshon was serious about keeping his New Years's resolution. After he signed with the Eagles, was their ever any doubt it was going to be satisfaction guaranteed for Eagles fans?
No, folks, it turns out Jeffery was not out of his mind. And all of those who commented (in an online article I read reporting his guarantee) that he was had to be shaking their heads and/or sitting there with egg on their faces at the conclusion of Super Bowl 52 while watching Jeffery (photo on left below), RB Jay Ajayi (photo above), and all their teammates celebrate the Eagles' 41-33 victory over the high and mighty New England Patriots on Feb. 4 at Minneapolis.
While it is true that defense wins championships, it was kind of hard to make that argument after this one. The Eagles won this championship while allowing more than 600 yards. Six hundred thirteen, to be exact. Add to that the 538 yards the Eagles gained on offense, and the combined total of 1,151 total yards were the most ever in any NFL game (regular season or playoffs) ever played. The number 1 shows up on the stats sheet in a couple of categories to give you an indication of just how hapless and hopeless both defenses were ..... punting: there was only 1 punt in the entire game; interceptions: 93 passes were thrown in the game and only 1 was intercepted (and that came only after the ball deflected of the hands of the intended receiver); and sacks: there was just 1 sack in the whole game. But it was that one and only sack that saved the day for the Eagles.
Settling for two FGs on their first 4 drives normally isn't a problem for the Patriots because their defense is keeping things under control. But not this time. At no point in this game did it look like the New England defense was going to be able to stop the Philadelphia offense. The Eagles scored on 8 of their 10 possessions, including all 4 in the 2nd half, and averaged 7.6 yards per play.
The Eagles then scored touchdowns on two of their next three drives to open up a 15-3 lead, and all the while it was Jeffery doing everything within his power to live up to his guarantee. The Eagles' opening drive would have lasted 3 plays instead of 14 if not for Jeffery's 17-yard catch and run on 3rd and 4. After the Patriots tied the game at 3, Jeffery untied it with a leaping 34-yard TD catch (photo on left) to cap a 3-play, 77-yard drive. Later Alshon made a nice over-the-shoulder catch (photo on right below) for a 22-yard gain that set up the Eagles' 2nd TD. All of this damage being done by Jeffery came while he was being covered by DBs not named Stephon Gilmore; and no doubt Gilmore had a big problem with that.
Gilmore had one other PBU in the game, again denying Jeffery on a pass into the end zone in the final minute of the 1st half. If Stephon's defensive teammates had played as well as he did, no doubt we'd be talking about a Patriots repeat instead of a Patriots defeat. If you want, you can click on the second link below for a video of the close encounters Gilmore and Jeffery had with each other during the game. The first link is to a Philadelphia Inquirer article - reprinted in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - from before the game that set the stage for the duel between the two.
https://triblive.com/sports/nfl/13248711-74/ex-college-roommates-alshon-jeffery-stephon-gilmore-set-to-meet-in-super-bowl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmlHSlqpcPY
Ajayi's biggest gain was a 26-yard run on 3rd and 4 on the Eagles' next drive; but then the Eagles turned the ball over on the next play. J-Train had his dreads at full blast and they were much more impressive than Blount's, whether he was carrying the ball for 57 yards on 9 carries or was in pass protection (left photo below). The third head of the RB committee, rookie Corey Clement, had only 8 yards rushing on 3 carries but hurt the Patriots badly with his 100 yards receiving on just 4 catches, including a huge 22-yard TD on 3rd and 6 in the 3rd quarter. Compared to the 1st half, Blount and Ajayi were very quiet in the 2nd half. They accounted for 5 of the Eagles' 6 rushing 1st downs; but only 1 of those 5 was in the 2nd half.
Rather than staying aggressive and trying to put the Patriots away, the Eagles were conservative after the turnover, giving the ball to Blount three times in a row to use up as much clock as possible and make the Patriots use up all of their timeouts. Mission accomplished, but after they couldn't get a first down and settled for a FG, the Patriots were still alive, down by 8 with 1:05 to play.
It's been a bit of a drought - well, make that quite a drought - but championships have been no strangers to Philly sports fans over the years. The Phillies, 76ers, and Flyers have all won titles in my lifetime. But the big one, an Eagles title, has been so elusive. And surely that has frustrated Eagles fans to no end, especially with all of their NFC East rivals having already won multiple Super Bowls. But now the suffering is over. It's the Eagles' turn to wear the crown, and I can only imagine how sweet it is for their fans.
After Darby, Ajayi, and Blount, none of the Eagles' other players with dreads did anything. DE Steven Means, WR Marcus Johnson, and rookie CB Sidney Jones all were inactive for the game and not even in uniform. And LB Dannell Ellerbe was practically inactive. The stats sheet has him down for 10 snaps (3 on defense, 7 on special teams); but I don't remember seeing him on the field at all. Ditto for RB Brandon Bolden, one of five Patriots with dreads in uniform. He played 18 snaps (only 1 on offense) without doing anything I noticed. OT LaAdrian Waddle was on the field for 7 special teams plays, which undoubtedly were the Patriots' 4 extra points and 3 FG attempts. DT Malcom Brown finished with 6 tackles (2-4), tied for third most on the Patriots' D. DT Ricky Jean Francois had no tackles in his 15 snaps. A 9-year veteran, Jean Francois has now played in 14 career playoff games for 4 different teams but still doesn't have a ring to wear on his finger.
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DREADS FOCUS
Not only did the dreads show out on West Division teams in 2017, the players with dreads really showed out on the field with their performances. 40% of all the touchdowns scored by players with dreads and 39% of the interceptions by players with dreads this season were by players for teams in the NFC West and AFC West.
NFC WEST
Best player with dreads: Todd Gurley
Player with best dreads: Sheldon Day
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ARIZONA CARDINALS
I don't know if Larry Fitzgerald is trimming his dreads or not, but something is keeping them from getting too long. After 14 years in the league Larry's dreads should be all the way down his back. But for the most part this season he had them partially reduced and banded (right photo above), allowing them to make it down only to the top of the number 11 on his jersey (left photo above). Fitzgerald finished with 109 catches for 1,156 yards and 6 TD, the 5th time in his career (and 3rd year in a row) he has had at least 100 receptions in a season and the 9th time he's topped 1.000 yards. And he's not done yet, having decided to play at least one more season.
Josh Bynes would have played all 16 games had he not sprained his ankle in Week 15 and missed the last 2 games after signing as a FA after TC was already underway in early August. Bynes played more snaps on special teams than defense, but he did account for 1 of the team's 5 interceptions by players with dreads (left photo above, vs. the Titans in Week 14). A week before Bynes signed, so did Tramon Williams (right photo above, celebrating with LB Karlos Dansby after the 12-7 victory over the Titans). Dumped by the Browns with a year remaining on his contract, Williams played 13 games for the Cardinals, starting 9 and finishing with 10 PBU and 2 INT in his 11th season in the league. After a decade of doing nothing with his dreads except watch them get longer, Tramon changed up this season, going with different colored locks. Now 35 years old, Williams is getting set for his 12th season after signing with the Packers for 2018.
After leading the Cardinals with 12.5 sacks in 2016, Markus Golden didn't have any in 2017 (he just missed Jacoby Brissett of the Colts in Week 2 in photo on left above). Golden got off to a slow start, and then his long dreads weren't seen on the field at all after he tore his ACL in the Week 4 win over the 49ers. After losing superstar RB David Johnson to injury in the season opener, the Cardinals re-signed former superstar Chris Johnson. But CJ's superstar days were long ago, and now at age 32 he wasn't able to help the team. Thanks to his declining skills and a lousy O-line, Johnson (photo on right above) was released after playing in 4 games and averaging just 2.5 yards per carry. On his 50 touches (45 carries, 5 catches) he made only 5 first downs, and his biggest gain was 15 yards. I don't know if CJ has officially retired; but even if he hasn't, it's unlikely we'll be seeing him and those raggedy dreads of his in the NFL anymore.
Halfway through his 5th season with the Cardinals, RB Andre Ellington also was shown the door (I have no idea why) after rushing for 53 yards and 1 TD and catching 33 passes for 297 yards in his 30 snaps per game. He immediately was picked up by the Texans and became teammates with his cousin.
The best of the Cardinal players with short dreads by far was Tyrann Mathieu (photo on right above). In his 5th season on the team - and his 1st with dreads - Mathieu started all 16 games and recorded 78 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT, and 5 PBU. But evidently that wasn't enough to convince the Cardinals to keep him. He'll be wearing a Texans uniform in 2018. Maybe I was just seeing things, but it looked like Tyrann was eager to show off his new dreads, because his helmet was off his head and on the field during live action in at least a couple of games during the season. Hopefully he'll let his dreads grow long enough in the seasons ahead that he won't need to have his helmet off for us to see them. Robert Nkemdiche (photo on left above) was the only NFC West player with dreads to score a defensive TD (Week 16 vs. the Giants), but other than that it was a 2nd straight disappointing season for the team's 2016 1st round draft pick. A preseason calf injury slowed him for the first half of the regular season, and he ended up playing on 253 snaps in 12 games on the D-line.
Also enduring a disappointing season was rookie Chad Williams (photo on left). Cardinals fans no doubt were asking why did we pick this guy in the 3rd round after he played only 98 snaps on offense and finished with a mere 3 catches for 31 yards. But certainly he wasn't the first player ever to spend his rookie season in Coach Arians' doghouse, so there's still hope he'll turn into a good player.Vinston Painter (photo on right), who had dreads for at least one season while in college at Virginia Tech before cutting them off and then again briefly while he was with the Broncos in 2014 before cutting them off again, got his 3rd edition started and was on the field with them for 6 games on special teams while also spending time on the PS.
After signing as a FA in the offseason, LB Jarvis Jones and his sick dreads were released at the end of TC due to a back injury. DT Ed Stinson also was cut at the end of TC due to a hamstring injury. S D.J. Swearinger and CB Mike Jenkins were FA at the end of 2016 and were not re-signed. CB Brian Dixon was let go in May. DT Xavier Williams, DT Olsen Pierre, and TE Hakeem Valles all cut their dreads off before TC. Rookie WR Larry Clark was released early in TC; WR Marquis Bundy was released in the middle of August; and WR Chris Hubert, DE Cap Capi, WR Aaron Dobson, rookie S Ironhead Gallon, rookie WR Krishawn Hogan, and rookie CB Ryan Lewis all were cut at the end of TC. Lewis was immediately signed to the PS but was let go a week later (and then spent the rest of the season on the Patriots' PS). Hogan ended up with the Colts.
LB JOSH BYNES
DE VONTARRIUS DORA (PS)
WR LARRY FITZGERALD
LB MARKUS GOLDEN (IR)
S Tyrann Mathieu
CB/S Harlan Miller
DT Robert Nkemdiche
OT Vinston Painter
WR Chad Williams
CB TRAMON WILLIAMS
GRADE: B-
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LOS ANGELES RAMS
I think we all knew the Rams were going to be improved; but mercy, did you honestly see this coming? The Rams won the division, clinching their first playoff birth in 13 years; and on the dreads front they were #1 in the league for the most touchdowns scored by players with dreads. The new coaching staff arrived and made the old one look like a bunch of idiots. 7 of the 8 players with dreads on the active roster were starters and/or major contributors; and making the biggest contribution of them all was Todd Gurley.
Not only did Gurley score more TD than any other player with dreads, he scored more than any other player period. His 19 total TD in 2017 were 6 more than the runners up; and they also were more than the combined total of TD by the players with dreads in 3 different divisions (NFC East, AFC East, and AFC North). Gurley rushed for 1,305 yards (#2 in the league) on 4.7 yards per carry and also had 64 catches for 788 yards. He picked up 98 first downs and led the league with 2,093 total yards from scrimmage. No wonder he was named the league's offensive player of the year. Although it's exciting to see, it's also scary when you see Gurley hurdle over defenders to pick up extra yards (right photo above, from Week 2, when he scored after going over Bashaud Breeland). Obviously hurdling comes naturally to him (http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/249227/leaping-hurdles-people-comes-naturally-for-rams-todd-gurley ) but you just worry that one of those times he's going to crash and injure himself. Todd's dreads don't seem to have gotten any longer since he came into the league in 2015. Maybe they are and I'm just not noticing it. But all of his locks are the same length, which usually indicates you're getting them trimmed; so I'd guess he's intentionally not allowing them to grow too long.
It's a good thing for the Buffalo Bills that they ended their long playoff drought this season; because if they hadn't I was all set to mercilessly scold them for dumping their 4 best players with dreads before the start of the season. Those four made the playoffs for the first time too. Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby ended up in the Super Bowl, while the other two ended up with the Rams - Sammy Watkins and Nickell Robey-Coleman.
I would like to say the addition of Watkins to the roster was one of the biggest reasons the Rams' offense was so explosive; but honestly the Rams were such an embarrassment of riches at WR that Sammy wasn't called on to do that much. He averaged less than 5 targets per game and a puny 2.6 receptions per game, finishing with 39 catches for 593 yards; and he had only 9 gains of 20+ yards all season. 8 of the 39 catches went for touchdowns, including a season long 67-yarder (left photo above) in the Week 9 win over the Giants. The 8 TD were one less than his career high. And it was those 8 TD added to Gurley's 19 that allowed the Rams to edge the Texans for the team with the most TD scored by players with dreads. Watkins had my vote for the best dreads in the division until a certain D-lineman showed up in San Francisco for the 2nd half of the season. When Sammy's got his dreads flowing at full blast, as he did for about half of the games, they're among the best of any WR in the league.
Gurley would have wound up with 18 TD instead of 19 had not Robey-Coleman been tripped up from behind while on his way to the house and gone down at the 2-yard line (photo on left above) on the first play from scrimmage in Week 3 at San Francisco. Gurley happily finished what NRC couldn't on the very next play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ung99eyBs90 .... Robey-Coleman finished the season with 2 INT and 7 PBU in his role as the slot CB. If he were so inclined, Mark Barron could be on the list of the league's LBs with the best dreads. But unfortunately he isn't, instead keeping his dreads reduced (photo on right above) for all 14 games he played. He finished with 86 tackles and 6 TFL, and his 3 INT were the most by any NFC West player with dreads.
Playing alongside the great Aaron Donald on the D-line, Michael Brockers (photo on right above) wasn't too bad himself with 55 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 4 PBU as he got the 2nd edition of his dreads started. Jamon Brown (photo on left above, as he and CB Troy Hill participate in a community service event on Nov. 28, and it's one of the few photos I could find that you get a good look at his dreads) started all 16 games on the O-line as he got the 1st edition of his dreads started.
Cory Littleton (photo on left below), whose dreads should be outside of his helmet in time for the start of next season, was outstanding on special teams, with 5 tackles and 2 blocked punts; and he had that good game on defense too in Week 16 vs. the Titans while replacing the injured Barron. Marqui Christian (photo on right below) was the only player with dreads I didn't include as a major contributor; but he was a regular on special teams, averaging 21 snaps per game in 12 games before going on IR with a shoulder injury for the last 2 games of the season.
After breaking his leg during Week 3 of the preseason, Temarrick Hemingway (photo at bottom) spent all of his 2nd season with the Rams on IR after playing 8 games as a rookie in 2016. Hemingway's potential remains untapped; but if he stays healthy, for sure he's going to get that 1st NFL reception - and then some - in 2018.
By the time WR Bradley Marquez recovered from the knee injury he suffered early in TC, it was November and the Rams didn't need him anymore. He was released and played his final game with dreads with the Lions in Week 17. After his off-the-field problems caused him to miss all of 2016, RB Tre Mason was officially released in March. He missed all of 2017 too but is hanging out in the CFL these days, hoping to regain his form so that he can return to the NFL. C Demetrius Rhaney was released right after minicamp in June. LB Josh Forrest lost his job because he injured his hamstring during the last week of TC. Rookie CB Aarion Penton and rookie WR Shakeir Ryan also were let go at the end of TC.
LB MARK BARRON
DT Michael Brockers
G Jamon Brown
S MARQUI CHRISTIAN (IR)
RB TODD GURLEY
TE TEMARRICK HEMINGWAY (IR)
LB Cory Littleton
CB NICKELL ROBEY-COLEMAN
WR SAMMY WATKINS
GRADE: B-
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SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Reports of the death of Reuben Foster's career turned out to be greatly exaggerated. He got off with just a 2-game suspension after most of the charges against him were dropped. Sidelined by the high ankle sprain he suffered in the season opener, Foster (#56 in photo on left) was outstanding - as expected - during the second half of his rookie season before getting into trouble in the offseason. Had he been healthy all year. he likely would have been defensive rookie of the year. Just starting to become visible outside of his helmet this season, Foster's dreads should be more easily seen next season.
Reuben seems to be one of those guys intent on torpedoing their own career. Hopefully after this latest scare he'll realize how much money he's not going to make if he doesn't start making better decisions off the field. If the 49ers can find a way to keep him off the suspended list and on the field, it'll be a very good thing for their defense, and maybe one day he'll end up in the Hall of Fame.
Once Foster did get healthy, the 49ers decided there was no good reason to keep Ray-Ray Armstrong (photos on right above and at bottom) around anymore, and he was released right after Thanksgiving (and immediately claimed off waivers by the Giants). In the 10 games (5 starts) before he was let go Ray-Ray had 54 tackles and accounted for 2 of the team's 5 interceptions by players with dreads.
CB Rashard Robinson (photo on left above) only lasted until mid-season. In 8 games (7 starts) before he was traded to the Jets Robinson had 6 PBU and 1 INT in his 1st season with dreads. He was traded mostly because .....
..... it was time for rookie (3rd round pick) Ahkello Witherspoon to move into the starting lineup. Although he had similar numbers to Robinson, Witherspoon (photo on right, warming up before the game at Washington in Week 6), with 5 PBU and 2 INT in 12 games (9 starts) was an upgrade. Unfortunately this might be the last you hear about Ahkello in this blog. It will be unless he decides to grow back the dreads he cut off after the season was over. Adrian Colbert (photo on left above), drafted in the 7th round, joined Foster and Witherspoon to give the 49ers three rookies with dreads on their starting defense. With dreads not far outside his helmet, Colbert recorded 37 tackles (5 of which were on special teams) 5 PBU, 2 FF, and 1 FR in 14 games (6 starts).
With dreads just starting to become visible outside the helmet, Eli Harold (#57 in photo on left, having a word with Foster in Week 10, and greeting Foster in photo at top during player introductions in Week 9) was the only 49er with dreads to play all 16 games. His 2 sacks (in 452 defensive snaps) were the team high for anyone with dreads. After signing as a FA during the offseason, former Bronco Dekoda Watson (photo on right) saw much more time on special teams than defense in his 2nd season with dreads.After being let go by the Jaguars a couple of days before Thanksgiving, Sheldon Day (photo on left below) was claimed off waivers by the 49ers and immediately replaced both Armstrong as the player with the best dreads on the team and Sammy Watkins as the player with the best dreads in the NFC West. It won't be easy but hopefully one day the quality of Day's play on the field will match the high quality of his dreads. In 6 games for SF Sheldon played 32 snaps per game as a reserve D-lineman and recorded 16 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, and 1 PBU.
After being released by the Chargers, Dexter McCoil (photo on right) was claimed off waivers and saw almost all of his action on special teams in his 8 games with the 49ers.
After spending the first 2 months of the season on the PS, Darrell Williams (photo on left below, giving K Robbie Gould a lift after his game-winning FG on the last play of the game in Week 15, as Foster and others join the celebration) was activated ..... and replaced Garry Gilliam (photo on right below) as a reserve O-lineman after Gilliam injured his knee serious enough in Week 8 to be put on IR.
After spending time on the practice squads of the Browns and the Colts, rookie Channing Stribling finished the season spending 5 weeks on the PS of the 49ers. After being cut by the Chargers and then spending a month on the Seahawks' PS before being cut again, Trovon Reed spent the last 2 weeks of the season on the 49ers' PS. The 49ers' grade for their dreads dropped a notch (or two) when RB DuJuan Harris and S Marcus Ball were released before OTA practice in May. LB Jayson DiManche was let go midway through TC after injuring his hamstring. After being signed as a FA late in TC, DT Sen'Derrick Marks was released at the end of TC.
S ADRIAN COLBERT
DT SHELDON DAY
LB Reuben Foster
OT Garry Gilliam (IR)
LB Eli Harold
S DEXTER McCOIL
CB TROVON REED (PS)
CB CHANNING STRIBLING (PS)
LB Dekoda Watson
OT DARRELL WILLIAMS
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
GRADE: C+
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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
After five consecutive playoff appearances and one (should have been two) Super Bowl victory, the Seahawks' championship window closed in 2017; and unless Coach Carroll is a wizard, it ain't opening up again anytime soon. Despite a 9-7 record, the Seahawks did not play in January, and the team now seems to be declining at the same time the other three teams in the division are on the rise.
It was also the end of an era - sort of - when it comes to the Seahawks' dreads, specifically Richard Sherman's dreads. After years of resisting the rising tide of reduced dreads in the league, Sherman finally gave in and joined the crowd this season. There were a couple of games where he let his dreads go full blast (photo on left above, from before the Week 4 game vs. the Colts); but for most of the first half of the season he was on the field looking like many other players, with his locks braided together (photo on right above, from Week 8 vs. the Texans) and far less impressive looking than he's had them in the past.
Sherman wasn't on the field at all in the second half of the season because he tore an Achilles tendon in the Week 10 win at Arizona. He went on IR for the first time in his career, missing the final 7 games of the season after playing in all 105 games since being drafted in 2011. As I mention in my last report while naming Richard to my All-Pro with dreads teams, he may not be as dominant a CB as he was in his prime a couple of years ago, but he's still really good. It was a real head-scratcher when the Seahawks let him go two months after the season ended.
A RB with dreads scored 3 touchdowns for the Seahawks in 2017; but it wasn't the one you figured it would be. Signed as a FA during the offseason, Eddie Lacy was supposed to help the Seahawks' struggling running game; but as it turned out the Seahawks should have saved their money. As usual there's no complaints about Lacy's dreads (photo on left below, from Week 1 against his old team). He always has them right. But on the field? Well, after an ankle injury ended his 2016 season with the Packers after 5 games (during which he averaged a career high 5.1 yards per carry), Eddie came to Seattle as a FA and found out just how terrible the Seahawks' O-line really is. To say the least 2017 was a disaster. He was on the team's weekly injury report for just one week all season yet played in only 9 games, touched the ball only 76 times (69 carries, 6 catches), made only 9 first downs, and scored no touchdowns. He averaged 2.6 yards per carry (his previous low was 4.1). Certainly a better offensive line would help, but what would help even more is if he would shed a few pounds. He has no quickness anymore, and that's all the result of his weight gain. He has to get himself in better shape if he wants his career to continue.
I had hoped J.D.McKissic would be wearing a Falcons uniform when he scored his 1st NFL TD; but after spending most of his 2016 rookie season on their practice squad, the Falcons let him go a week before Christmas. The Seahawks claimed him off waivers, switched him from a WR to a RB, and he played in 3 games (including against the Falcons in the playoffs). This season he played 13 games and picked up 453 total yards on his 80 touches (46 carries, 34 catches), 20 first downs, and 3 TD. I also would prefer to have seen McKissic with his dreads flowing full blast when he scored his 1st TD; but they're so long that he had to keep them reduced every game (including Week 8, photo above on right). If not, they would have been at high risk of being grabbed literally on every play. But it's a concern J.D. won't have next season. His dreads are now officially a thing of the past: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi16s44HwjJ/?hl=en&taken-by=j.dmckissic ..... It hurts me to watch that. What a crying shame.
Sheldon Richardson's 1st season with dreads was in a Seahawks uniform after the Jets traded him about a week before the regular season started. In what would be his only season on the team Richardson (photo above on left) had a solid season despite finishing with a career low 1 sack. He actually had the ball in his hands on 3 different plays, on 2 FR and his 1st career INT. With those strange looking dreads under his helmet, Neiko Thorpe (photo above on right) played 14 games almost exclusively on special teams. 10 of his 12 tackles were on special teams plays. After being released by the Rams, Josh Forrest was added to the Seahawks' PS in mid-October, stayed on it for 3 weeks, and then signed to the active roster; but after playing in only 2 games, including vs. the Falcons in Week 11, where unfortunately he had his long dreads reduced (photo on left below), he had to go on IR after spraining his foot in the Week 12 game against the 49ers. Earl Thomas (photo on right below, as he is introduced before playing in the Pro Bowl) got the 2nd edition of his dreads started just before the end of the season, and OT Germain Ifedi's hair started looking more and more like dreads as the season went along; but they both were going to have to wait until 2018 before I welcomed them to the house.
After being cut from the practice squad of 4 different teams (including the Seahawks just before Thanksgiving), Alex Carter ended the season back on the Seahawks' PS for the final 2 weeks. Cut at the end of TC, DT Rodney Coe was brought back to the PS in late October but then was released again 5 weeks later. OT Tyrus Thompson spent all season on IR with an undisclosed injury.
After enjoying 2016 in retirement, RB and Oakland native Marshawn Lynch decided he wanted to resume his career with the Raiders before they left town, and the Seahawks obliged him, trading him there in April. FA DT John Jenkins was not re-signed. RB Terrence Magee was released in mid-May. Signed as a FA, LB Arthur Brown was let go just before the start of TC, denying him a chance to play his 1st season with dreads after he played his first 4 seasons with braids. LB Ronald Powell was released during TC after suffering an undisclosed injury. CB Demetrius McCray, injured in the final preseason game, was let go at the end of TC. And RB Alex Collins was also cut at the end of TC (and then proceeded to make the Seahawks look like idiots after moving on to Baltimore and having an excellent season for the Ravens).
ROSTER
CB ALEX CARTER (PS)
LB JOSH FORREST (IR)
CB SHAQUILL GRIFFIN
RB EDDIE LACY
RB J.D. McKISSIC
DT Sheldon Richardson
CB RICHARD SHERMAN (IR)
OT TYRUS THOMPSON (IR)
CB Neiko Thorpe
GRADE: C
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AFC WEST
Best player with dreads: Kareem Hunt
Player with best dreads: Tre Boston
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DENVER BRONCOS
The Broncos also had only one interception by a player with dreads. Bradley Roby picked off Philip Rivers of the Chargers in the season opener, and there were no more after that. Roby also had 16 PBU (one of them on a pass to Dolphins WR DeVante Parker in Week 13 in photo above on right), a number that ranked him in the top 15 in the league. From what little I see of the Broncos I can tell Roby's idea of what a CB should be is someone who never lets the receiver catch the ball; and if that means making contact illegally and/or before the pass gets to the receiver, so be it. I guess he figures they can't call a penalty on him on every play. He was flagged for 5 coverage penalties this season, a number that's sure to increase next season, when he finally moves into the starting lineup full time. As for Bradley's dreads, it's the same old same old - reduced all the time.
Other than Roby, Jamal Carter was the only Bronco with dreads to play in all 16 games. Carter didn't play that much on defense in his rookie season but was on the field for 21 special teams snaps per game. Jamal too kept his dreads reduced all the time - well, almost all the time. He did have them going at full blast in Week 17 (photo above on left) vs. the Chiefs.
In his 1st season with dreads (and 2nd as a starter) Todd Davis (photo above on left) was the same solid, steady player he was in the past without dreads. He started 14 games (missing 2 due to injury) and had 82 tackles (48-34), 3 TFL, and 1 sack.
With the longest dreads on the team, O-lineman Billy Turner was benched the first 5 games, finally got a chance to play against the Giants in Week 6 (he blocks DE Jason Pierre-Paul in photo above on right), and promptly injured his hand. He had surgery and went on IR after playing just that 1 game.
Undrafted rookie DT Tyrique Jarrett (photo on bottom, watching RB Melvin Gordon go down in front of him) was on the field for 3 snaps in the season opener, but then was demoted to the PS a week later and remained there until being released a week before Christmas. FA LB Dekoda Watson was not re-signed. DT Zach Kerr had dreads during Week 3 of the preseason, a game in which he injured his knee. When he returned to action a month later, those dreads were gone. WR Cody Latimer, who got his dreads started in 2016, also put his name on the ex-dread list, cutting his off before the start of the 2017 season. So did LB Shane Ray.
Rookie CB Dontrell Nelson was released near the end of TC. LB Vontarrius Dora, WR Marlon Brown, LB Quentin Gause, and S T.J. Ward all were released at the end of TC. That late purge - especially the loss of Dora and Brown - really hurt the Broncos' grade.
ROSTER
S JAMAL CARTER
RB JAMAAL CHARLES
LB Todd Davis
CB BRADLEY ROBY
OT/G BILLY TURNER (IR)
GRADE: D+
===============================================================================
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
The Chiefs came up a bit short in their attempt to take the team crown for the most TD scored by players with dreads. They finished in 3rd place, with exactly half of their 42 TD taken to the house by players with dreads. The bulk of those 21 were scored by the H&H boys - Hill and Hunt (photo above on left, from Pro Bowl practice in late January), both of whom made my All-Pro with dreads team.
In his 2nd season with dreads Tyreek Hill (photo on right, celebrating in front of his phone after the huge win over the Chargers in Week 15) dropped from the 12 TD he had during his spectacular 2016 rookie season to 8 TD this season.; but he still remained a threat to score every time he touched the ball. Used more in the passing game this season, he finished with 1,183 yards on 75 catches, a 15.8 average, and was as dangerous a deep threat as anyone in the league. And there's no telling how much more damage he'll do in the years ahead, now that the Chiefs have a QB with a stronger arm than their previous one. As for his dreads, Tyreek doesn't have very many locks; but the ones he does have should be long enough to start creeping out from underneath his helmet next season.
In his first game with dreads Demetrius Harris (photo on right above) had the honor of scoring the 1st TD of the season by a player with dreads. His 7-yard TD reception was the first of 5 TD by players with dreads in the 42-27 win over New England in the Thursday night season opener. A backup TE, Harris had 18 catches for 224 yards and played a lot on special teams as well.
Demarcus Robinson moved into the starting lineup in the 2nd half of the season after ex-dread WR Chris Conley went down with an injury but didn't see very many passes come his way. He finished with only 21 catches for 212 yards despite being on the field for 36 snaps per game.
Robinson's 3-year old dreads (photo on right above, from before the game in Week 17 at Denver, and alongside Hill in photo at bottom, from before the game at Dallas in Week 9) were just long enough to be seen outside his helmet this year (when they weren't reduced); but similar to Hill's, there's not enough locks.
In his 1st season with dreads Akeem Hunt (photo above on left, before the Week 14 game vs. Oakland), no relation to Kareem, saw most of his action on special teams, finishing 7th in the NFL in kickoff returns with a 24.4 average. He finished the season on IR after injuring his ankle in Week 17.
In what was going to be his 1st full season with dreads Eric Berry (photo on left above) played only 1 game, going down with a season-ending Achilles injury on his 70th snap of the night against the Patriots. Had he stayed healthy, the Chiefs would have had a pair of safeties with dreads in the starting lineup, as Ron Parker started all 16 games for the 3rd year in a row. Parker had 67 tackles, 2 INT (one of them in Week 15 in photo on right above), 2 PBU, and 2 FR in his final season in KC. He's moving on to the ATL for 2018.
There's not a lot of sick dreads on the Chiefs, but you'll find some on the heads of LBs Terrance Smith and Ramik Wilson. Until he got the start in Week 17 Smith (photo on right) played almost exclusively on special teams. In that one start he picked off 1 of the team's 3 interceptions by players with dreads. Wilson (photo on left above, carrying the ball on the way to his 2nd career TD in Week 17), as you probably recall, had very long dreads in college but cut them much shorter when he joined the Chiefs in 2015. They've grown back nicely since then, starting to approach their former length. But they're not there yet.
It wasn't until after the season was over that I discovered the Chiefs had 2 sacks - not none, as I had thought - by players with dreads in 2017. Both were credited to rookie Tanoh Kpassagnon (photo on left below), who I didn't realize had started growing dreads until a couple of months ago, while I was searching for photos of other players and saw him.
ROSTER
S Eric Berry (IR)
OT Dillon Gordon (PS)
TE Demetrius Harris
WR Tyreek Hill
RB Akeem Hunt (IR)
RB KAREEM HUNT
DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
S RON PARKER
WR DEMARCUS ROBINSON
LB TERRANCE SMITH
LB RAMIK WILSON
GRADE: B
===============================================================================
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
http://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/la-sp-chargers-tre-boston-20171226-story.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2sEeThjHtQ
Although he had way fewer tackles than Addae and Boston, Melvin Ingram (photo on left below, enjoying WR Keenan Allen's TD catch just before halftime in Week 17) was the best player with dreads on the Chargers' D. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl in 2017 after recording 17 TFL and 10.5 sacks. He also scored his 1st NFL TD, taking a FR 39 yards to the house in the 54-24 romp over the Bills in Week 11. Too short to be visible two years ago, Ingram's dreads started creeping out from under his helmet a bit this year (see photo at bottom, celebrating his big sack and FR along with Boston and Addae in Week 5).
The Chargers' offense also has a star player with dreads named Melvin. After a disappointing 2015 rookie season, Melvin Gordon the last two seasons has shown why the Chargers drafted him in the 1st round. In 2017 Gordon (photo on right above) remained healthy enough to start all 16 games (not easy for a RB to do) and racked up 1,581 total yards, 80 first downs, and 12 TD on 342 touches (284 carries, 58 catches) with just 1 fumble - a fumble, as you will recall, that resulted in a Chargers TD. But not all is as it should be. In college Gordon had one of the best career yards per carry average of all time; but behind an O-line more adept at protecting the passer than at run blocking, his averages have been a subpar 3.5, 3.9, and 3.9 in his three seasons with the Chargers. That needs to get better. For one more (final?) season in 2017 Melvin refrained from reducing his dreads. Clearly he doesn't want to. But they're getting so long that he might have to and put them at less risk of being grabbed.
Having his dreads grabbed has always been a worry for Travis Benjamin. That's why they aren't very much (if at all) longer now than when he was in college 6 years ago. He trims them to keep them from getting really long, and he even had them reduced for a couple of games this season. In 35 snaps per game in his 2nd season with the Chargers Benjamin (photo on right above) averaged just 2 catches per game, but he made his 34 receptions go for 567 yards (a 16.7 average) and 4 TD. He also took a punt return to the house to help beat the Broncos in Week 7 but then followed that the next week with a brain cramp against the Patriots that resulted in him being tackled in the end zone for a safety, a play which you can see on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn7RnDdh-kk
When he first came into the league (drafted by Cleveland) in 2012, I was worried Travis, at 5-10, 175 pounds, would get killed. But his great speed has served him well, and he hasn't taken very many huge hits. He's now up to 22 career touchdowns ... and counting.
When the Chargers picked Mike Williams in the 1st round of the Draft, they didn't expect him to go all season without a TD catch. But after injuring (or re-injuring) his back in the very first practice at rookie minicamp in May, he wasn't ready to play until Week 7. He ended up playing just 234 snaps and finished with 11 catches (one of them in photo on left above, in Week 10 at Jacksonville) for 95 yards and 0 TD. He's healthy now though, so you might want to add him to your fantasy team for 2018.
Darius Philon, the Charger most likely to have his dreads reduced, and Chris McClain, in his last season before his dreads become long enough to be visible outside his helmet, combined for half of the team's AFC-leading 20.5 sacks by players with dreads. Philon (photo on left above) had 4.5 in 32 snaps per game, while McCain (coming off the bench to congratulate RB Austin Ekeler after his TD gave the Chargers a 14-6 lead over the Jaguars) had sacks on 5 of his 20 tackles on the season, and he also had 2 FF.
As great as the dreads were in the Chargers' secondary with Boston and Addae, they weren't as great as they could have been. Something was missing ..... and that something were the awesome dreads of Jason Verrett (photo on right below). After making the Pro Bowl in 2015, Verrett has played just 5 games since - 4 in 2016 before suffering a torn ACL and just the season opener in 2017 before going on IR after re-injuring the knee. Sadly, and devastatingly, it looks like Jason's going to miss all of 2018 too after suffering another (different) injury. That's too bad. I'm really feeling sorry for him.
Joe Barksdale (photo on left above) also had issues with injuries in 2017 but managed to start 11 games on the O-line and play decently. After the season, in a Los Angeles Times article, it was disclosed that Barksdale had an even more difficult time off the field, battling depression so severe that he contemplated suicide: http://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/la-sp-super-bowl-barksdale-20180202-story.html ..... To have to deal with that and still be able to play football at a high level is really admirable.
With Boston and Addae both logging more than 1,000 defensive snaps, there wasn't much to do but watch for rookie Rayshawn Jenkins when the other team had the ball; but the team's 4th round pick did make his mark on special teams (22 snaps per game, 8 special teams tackles). I saved a great helmetless photo of Rayshawn, but I'm using another one instead (photo on left below) because I like his choice of having the first verse of Psalm 27 tattooed on his arm.
Of the 5 players with dreads on the Chargers' offense the one whose dreads are the longest is Geremy Davis. Unfortunately those dreads were hardly seen on the field at all in 2017. After spending most of the first half of the season on the PS, Davis (photo on right above, from practice on Nov. 30) was added to the active roster at the end of October but played in only 2 games for a total of 19 snaps.
After tearing an ACL in the 2016 preseason and spending all of his rookie season on IR, Donavon Clark spent all of 2017 on IR as well after re-injuring the knee in the final preseason game. After appearing in 2 of the first 4 games - only on special teams - S Dexter McCoil was released (and immediately claimed by the 49ers).
FA RB Dexter McCluster and FA G D.J. Fluker were not re-signed; and CB Trovon Reed and S Dwight Lowery were cut at the end of TC. Surprisingly Lowery was not signed by another team, and it appears his career, which began in 2008, is now over. His high school alma mater hired him to be the head football coach there.
ROSTER
S JAHLEEL ADDAE
OT JOE BARKSDALEWR TRAVIS BENJAMIN
S TRE BOSTON
G DONAVON CLARK (IR)
WR GEREMY DAVIS
RB MELVIN GORDON
DE MELVIN INGRAM
S RAYSHAWN JENKINS
LB Chris McCain
DT DARIUS PHILON
CB JASON VERRETT (IR)
WR MIKE WILLIAMS
GRADE: A
==============================================================================
OAKLAND RAIDERS
I was really disappointed when Clive Walford cut off his dreads in 2013 early in his junior season in college at Miami. Now I see he's finally bringing them back, but it's going to be a long while before they look as good as they did when he cut them off. In the first season with his 2nd edition of dreads Walford (photo on left below) played just 130 snaps on offense as a reserve TE and finished with 9 catches for 80 yards in 13 games before missing the last 3 games with a concussion that put him on IR.
Shortly after taking the field for the Week 7 game against the Chiefs (photo on right below), DE Mario Edwards must have decided his dreads had gotten too long, because he cut them off .... and started over and is now working on the 3rd edition (at least) of his dreads. But since he didn't have dreads when the 2017 season ended, I didn't include his name on the roster.
Denico Autry (photo on left below, conferring with DE Khalil Mack between plays in Week 12 vs. the Broncos) was a starter in only 3 of the 16 games he played but was on the field for 37 snaps per game on the D-line and finished with 36 tackles, 9 TFL, 5 sacks, and 7 PBU in what turned out to be his final season in a Raiders uniform. He'll be suiting up for the Colts in 2018.
Undrafted rookie Nicholas Morrow came out of nowhere to make the team and play in all 16 games, starting 5, and finishing with 60 tackles, 5 TFL, and 4 PBU in his first season with dreads. Let's now see if 2017 was a fluke or if he truly is going to be a good player. It was hard finding any photos of Morrow with his helmet off, but the photographer for the Raiders website caught part of him (photo on right above) in a shot of the sideline before the Week 17 games vs. the Chargers. I did not include him in DG170 as part of the 2017 class of rookies with dreads because I didn't know that he had started his dreads until after seeing him late in the season.
Seth Roberts (photo on left above) kept alive his perfect streak of the Raiders winning every time he has a TD catch. The Raiders are now 10-0 whenever he has a TD catch. The problem this season was that he had only 1 TD catch, that coming in the season opener. Out of 749 snaps, 65 passes thrown to him, and 43 passes caught by him, just 1 TD. Just as disappointing as his performance were his dreads, which he kept reduced for every game. And from what I've seen recently, those dreads are going to be even more disappointing next season.
The Raiders' three undrafted rookie WRs with dreads all were cut at the end of TC. Isaac Whitney and Keon Hatcher were immediately signed to the PS, but Ishmael Zamora was not. Whitney was added to the active roster right after Thanksgiving. That's him not catching the only pass thrown to him (photo on right above) in Week 13 vs. the Giants. He ended up playing 2 games for a total of 32 snaps but didn't have any stats other than that 1 target. Hatcher remained on the PS all season, making him ineligible for the spot on my Dread All-Pro team he would have earned with dreads as long as his (see photo at bottom, from Week 1 of the preseason).
Signed by the Raiders after being let go by the Seahawks, CB Demetrius McCray (photo on left above) played 3 games, all on special teams, before injuring his knee and being released.
And that brings us to the Raiders' two oldest players with dreads, one each on offense and defense, and both 34 years old during the 2017 season. Whether he had his hair in braids while with the Buccaneers early in his career or in dreads since joining the Raiders in 2014, Donald Penn was on the field for all 16 regular season games for the first 10 years of his career. But that streak ended this season when he injured his foot in Week 15 and went on IR for the last 2 games of the season. Penn (photo above on right, congratulating Lynch after one of his 2 TD vs. the Dolphins in Week 9), for all of his good work in the trenches all of these years, doesn't have much team success to show for it - as in 0 playoff wins. The Bucs lost the only playoff game they had while he was with them during his 2007 rookie season; and then he missed the Raiders' only playoff game in 2016 due to a knee injury.
When he signed with the Raiders as a FA in 2016, Reggie Nelson gave up his crown as the NFL player with the longest dreads. I couldn't understand it and was a bit shocked, because in the 9 seasons before he got to the Raiders Nelson had just let his dreads grow and grow and grow. Make no mistake, Reggie still has great dreads that are still among the longest in the league (both photos below); but it's obvious they had some sort of setback during the 2016 offseason. Is it even possible that he actually cut them a bit shorter? Well, it was either that or something else happened because when he first showed up in Oakland, his dreads were noticeably shorter than they were during his final season with the Bengals in 2015.
Noticeably shorter - two words I sure never thought we'd never be saying about Reggie Nelson's dreads. On the field Reggie apparently ain't what he used to be either. After making the Pro Bowl in 2015 and 2016, Nelson (as well as the rest of the Raiders' secondary) had a poor 2017 - just 1 INT for Nelson and an NFL-fewest 5 INT for the whole team. Not to mention all the bad coverage and blown coverages that caused the Raiders to give up 6 TD passes of at least 50 yards. Reggie may be showing his age, but despite that the Raiders decided to keep him around for another season.
Injured during the first preseason game, Denver Kirkland spent all of his 1st season with dreads on IR. After being cut at the end of TC, Fadol Brown, like Hatcher, spent all season on the PS.
It looked like 2017 was going to be the 1st season with dreads for RB Jalen Richard, but he cut them off about 2 weeks before the start of the regular season. After spending all of 2016 on IR, LB Neiron Ball was released 3 weeks before the start of TC.
ROSTER
DE DENICO AUTRY
DE FADOL BROWN (PS)
WR KEON HATCHER (PS)
G Denver Kirkland (IR)
RB MARSHAWN LYNCH
LB Nicholas Morrow
S REGGIE NELSON
WR CORDARRELLE PATTERSON
OT DONALD PENN (IR)
WR SETH ROBERTS
TE Clive Walford (IR)
WR ISAAC WHITNEY
GRADE: B+
==============================================================================
That's all, folks - for Part 1 of this report, that is. Check out Part 2 for a dread gallery of the Super Bowl along with the postseason weekly honors.
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