That headline in the next day's Inquirer (photo above) says it all, doesn't it - with the key word being finally. In a 36-year span (1978-2013) the Eagles qualified for the playoffs 20 times, only to come away empty 20 times, including defeats in Super Bowls 15 and 39. They also went without a title in the last five seasons before the Super Bowl era after winning their last championship in 1960. But for Eagles fans all of that futility didn't matter anymore after the victory over the Patriots.
Solid on both offense and defense, the Eagles finished ranked 2nd in the NFC in points scored, 2nd in total yards gained, 2nd in fewest points allowed, and 2nd in fewest total yards allowed. Most impressive was something I didn't find out until NBC mentioned it during the telecast of the opening game of the 2018 season - that the 2017 Eagles did not allow a single point in the final 2 minutes of any of their games. And as for the easy schedule? Yeah, it was easy. Only 3 of the Eagles' 16 games were against teams that made the playoffs, and all three of those teams lost in the 1st round of the playoffs. But so what? When the pressure was on, the Eagles got the job done. Period.
In the 10 years that I've done this blog the Eagles have consistently each year been a team with very few players with dreads. But that wasn't the case in 2017. It really brought a smile to my face to see so many players with dreads contributing to their success. Well, it wasn't so many compared to most of the other teams in the league; but it was for them. 3 players with dreads touched the ball on offense for the 2017 Eagles, and 4 players with dreads made tackles on defense. RBs LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi broke the team's 7-year drought without an offensive touchdown scored by a player with dreads, and it was about time someone did.
As you may remember, my crystal ball (in the post titled "For the Birds") predicted success for the Eagles, but not quite this much. CB2 correctly had the Eagles winning the NFC championship; but then they were supposed to lose in the Super Bowl - to the Baltimore Ravens (oops!). The Ravens, of course, didn't even make the playoffs, let alone win the Super Bowl. And that wasn't thing only thing CB2 was wrong on. CB2 nailed exactly the record for 5 teams; but all in all there were many more misses than hits. I mean, CB2 earned a D (off by 3 games) or F (off by 4 or more games) for nearly half of the league's teams (14 or 32) Ouch!
I'm a couple of months late with the report card for CB2's 2017 forecast. It's a report card that I'm sure CB2 wouldn't mind if I didn't bother publishing it at all. But I am, um, contractually obligated too, so here it is.
AFC EAST
predicted actual
1. NE 15-1 1. NE 13-3
2. MIA 9-7 2. BUF 9-7
3. NYJ 5-11 3. MIA 6-10
4. BUF 3-13 4. NYJ 5-11
What a slap in the face: Bills get rid of all of their best players with dreads then go out and do 6 games better than forecast and make playoffs for first time in 18 years ..... GRADE: C- ... (L9Y - the grade for the last 9 years, beginning with 2016 and dating back to 2008: C-, D, D, D, C-, C, C-, B-, D)
CB2 also thought (for some reason) that more than half of the Jets' touchdowns would be scored by players with dreads, but only 21.9% were (7 of 32). The Texans had the highest percentage of TD scored by players with dreads at 62.5% (25 of 40).
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AFC NORTH
predicted actual
1. BAL 12-4* 1. PIT 13-3
2. PIT 11-5* 2. BAL 9-7
3. CIN 7-9 3. CIN 7-9
4. CLEV 3-13 4. CLEV 0-16
* In the forecast published in "For the Birds" I had BAL 13-3 and PIT 12-4. That was a typing mistake on my part. What CB2 actually predicted and what I should have published was BAL 12-4 and PIT 11-5.
CB2 out on a limb with its pick of Ravens to win Super Bowl, but unfortunately the limb broke, as their 9-7 record wasn't good enough to make playoffs ..... GRADE: C ... (L9Y: C+, D+, C, C, C+, B-, C-, C. F)
CB2 also had the Ravens leading the league with 11 interceptions by players with dreads; and they did finish tied for the lead, although they had only 6 INT by players with dreads, as did the Giants, Redskins, and Rams.
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AFC SOUTH
predicted actual
1. HOU 10-6 1. JAC 10-6
2. TENN 8-8 2. TENN 9-7
3. IND 6-10 3. IND 4-12
4. JAC 5-11 4. HOU 4-12
TIEBREAKER: Colts finished in 3rd place due to head-to-head sweep of Texans (Weeks 9 and 17)
Of all the teams CB2 picked to win their divisions Texans by far finished the worst ..... GRADE: D+ ... (L9Y: D, C+, C, D+, D-, D, D-, D-, C-)
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AFC WEST
predicted actual
1. LAC 10-6 1. KC 10-6
2. OAK 9-7 2. LAC 9-7
3. KC 8-8 3. OAK 6-10
4. DEN 7-9 4. DEN 5-11
Much to my delight, CB2 was wrong about Chiefs, as Chargers' strong finish was too little, too late ..... GRADE: C ... (L9Y: C, C-, C, C, D, B, A-, B, B)
CB2 had the Chargers edging the Chiefs 23-21 for the team with the most TD by players with dreads. While nailing the Chiefs' 21 TD, CB2 was a bit off on the Chargers, who had 18. Those numbers were good for 3rd and 4th place. The Rams were the team with the most TD by players with dreads, edging the Texans 27-25.
CB2 also picked the AFC West as a landslide winner for the division with the most TD by players with dreads. That was a pretty easy pick, and it was correct. The 50 TD scored by the AFC West's players with dreads were 9 more than the next closest division (AFC South 41).
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AFC TIEBREAKERS
Patriots clinched #1 seed due to head-to-head victory over Steelers (Week 15)
Jaguars clinched #3 seed due to better record in conference games than Chiefs (JAC 9-3, KC 8-4)
In 4-way tie for #5 seed, Titans clinched #5 seed due to better record in conference games than Bills, Ravens, and Chargers (TENN 8-4, BUF 7-5, BAL 7-5, LAC 6-6)
In 3-way tie for #6 seed, Chargers eliminated due to worse record in conference games than Bills and Ravens (BUF 7-5, BAL 7-5, LAC 6-6). Bills then clinch #6 seed over Ravens due to better strength of victory (BUF 57, BAL 43)
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NFC EAST
predicted actual
1. PHIL 10-6 1. PHIL 13-3
2. DAL 10-6 2. DAL 9-7
3. NYG 9-7 3. WASH 7-9
4. WASH 6-10 4. NYG 3-13
Eagles (even better than expected) and Giants (woeful) spoiled chance for a good grade here ..... GRADE: C ... (L9Y: C, D, C+, D, D+, B-, D, C, C-)
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NFC NORTH
predicted actual
1. GB 12-4 1. MIN 13-3
2. MIN 7-9 2. DET 9-7
3. CHI 5-11 3. GB 7-9
4. DET 4-12 4. CHI 5-11
Accurate Bears forecast the only thing keeping this from being a total failure ..... GRADE: D ... (L9Y: C, D, D+, C-, C-, B-, C, B, C-)
Waynes, CB2's pick to have the most picks by anyone with dreads, got only 2 INT (one of which on the play in photo below), 3 fewer than the leader, Tre Boston of the Chargers, who had 5.
NFC SOUTH
predicted actual
1. ATL 12-4 1. NO 11-5
2. CAR 11-5 2. CAR 11-5
3. NO 6-10 3. ATL 10-6
4. TB 5-11 4. TB 5-11
TIEBREAKER: Saints finished in 1st place due to head-to-head sweep of Panthers (Weeks 3 and 13)
This was CB2's highest grade of all the divisions, but bad miss on Saints kept it from being higher ..... GRADE: C+ ... (L9Y: D+, C-, C, D, C-, D, B+, A, D)
CB2 went out on a limb predicting four players with dreads would score touchdowns for the Saints and almost nailed it. Three Saints with dreads scored: Kamara, Cameron Jordan, and Trey Edmunds.
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NFC WEST
predicted actual
1. SEA 11-5 1. LAR 11-5
2. ARIZ 10-6 2. SEA 9-7
3. LAR 6-10 3. ARIZ 8-8
4. SF 4-12 4. SF 6-10
Not bad on 3 out of 4; but Rams improved far more than expected ..... GRADE: D+ ... (L9Y: C, B-, B+, C, B+, D, D-, D, D-)
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NFC TIEBREAKERS
Eagles clinched #1 seed due to better record than Vikings in games vs. common opponents (PHIL 5-0, MIN 4-1)
Rams clinched #3 seed due to head-to-head victory over Saints (Week 12)
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DIVISION WINNERS
CB2 picked only 2 correctly out of 8 ..... GRADE: D ... (L9Y: C-, D-, C-, C-, C, C-, D, C-, F)
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PLAYOFF TEAMS
AFC
predicted actual
1. NE 1. NE
2. BAL 2. PIT
3. LAC 3. JAC
4. HOU 4. KC
5. PIT 5. TENN
6. MIA 6. BUF
NFC
predicted actual
1. ATL 1. PHIL
2. GB 2. MIN
3. SEA 3. LAR
4. PHIL 4. NO
5. CAR 5. CAR
6. ARIZ 6. ATL
5 of 12 teams picked correctly ..... GRADE: C- ... (L9Y: C+, C-, B-, C, C, B, C-, B-, C-)
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SUPER BOWL
predicted: BAL over PHIL
actual: PHIL over NE
GRADE: D ..... I'll give CB2 a D instead of an F for picking the Eagles to get to the Super Bowl even though they didn't lose it ..... (L9Y: F, F, D, D, A, F, F, A-, F)
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OVERALL GRADE: C- ..... (L9Y: C-, D+, C, D+, C, C-, D+, B-, D)
This is the same crummy grade as it was for the 2016 forecast; even crummier, actually, because according to my complicated formula (lol) the 2017 C- is slightly lower than the one for 2016, right at the bottom range of C-, barely avoiding sliding down to a D+. I'm not putting CB2 on probation yet, but there better be improvement in 2018.
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DG
The dread gallery section in my 2017 house calls post featured almost exclusively offensive players. But I have not forgotten the defense. Here now are some of the shining moments by the league's defensive players with dreads during the 2017 season.
1. With the Texans threatening to add to their 7-6 lead late in the 2nd quarter in Week 10, Rams LB Mark Barron goes high to intercept a pass by Tom Savage on 2nd and 17 then avoids WR Bruce Ellington as he returns it 15 yards to the LA 25-yard line. The Rams then drove 43 yards and kicked a FG before halftime to take the lead and went on to win 33-7. This was the 3rd (and last) INT of the season for Barron.
Barron had half of the Rams' 6 INT by players with dreads, a total that tied them for the league lead with three other teams .....
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2. ..... The Redskins were one of those three teams - even though CB Josh Norman didn't have any interceptions at all. Here in Week 11 it's S D.J. Swearinger picking off a deep pass by Drew Brees intended for WR Michael Thomas on 3rd and 16 to end the Saints' opening drive of the game, as CB Bashaud Breeland also defends. Swearinger also had 6 tackles (5-1) in the game, but the Redskins blew a 31-16 lead late in the 4th quarter and lost to the Saints 34-31 in OT.
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3. I bet that before the ball was snapped on this play, DT Damon Harrison never dreamed he was about to get his 1st career INT; but that's what happens late in the 1st quarter in Week 11, as a hit by DE Jason Pierre-Paul on TE Travis Kelce as Kelce tries to catch a shovel pass on 2nd and 10 causes the ball to pop up into the air, and Harrison pins it to his shoulder before returning it 9 yards to the Chiefs' 26-yard line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv5aSsOnZGI ..... 6 plays later the Giants scored a TD to take a 6-0 lead. Harrison finished with 5 tackles as the Giants beat the Chiefs 12-9 in OT.
Damon's pick was the 2nd of the Giants' 6 interceptions by players with dreads.
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4. The Ravens were the other team with 6 interceptions by players with dreads, and this was the first of those. Playing his 1st game in a Ravens uniform, CB Brandon Carr gets the 1st INT of the season by a player with dreads, picking off an Andy Dalton pass after it was deflected by LB Patrick Onwuasor and bringing it back 20 yards to the Baltimore 47-yard line late in the 1st quarter of the season opener at Cincinnati. LB C.J. Mosley later also got an INT as the Ravens began what was supposed to be their march to the Super Bowl by shutting out the Bengals 20-0.
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5. On 3rd and 5 from the 6-yard line during the 4th quarter in Week 15 RB Isaiah Crowell has three defenders in front of him, but for some reason QB DeShone Kizer throws the pass to him anyway and it is easily intercepted by Brandon Carr in the end zone for a touchback. Carr finished with 4 tackles as the Ravens dealt the Browns their 14th loss of the season, 27-10.
After getting a total of 7 INT in his 5 seasons with the Cowboys, Carr had 4 INT for the Ravens in 2017, which tied him for second most among players with dreads .....
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6. Also finishing with 4 INT was D.J. Swearinger, the last of those coming here late in the 2nd quarter in Week 16, as he bobbles and hangs onto a pass by Brock Osweiler on 1st and 10 that was thrown nowhere near any Broncos' receiver. Swearinger had 4 tackles (3-1) in Washington's 27-11 home victory over Denver. The 4 interceptions were a career high for D.J. (short for Dayario Jamal), and from the looks of things he's planning on establishing a higher career high in 2018.
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7. Finishing one ahead of Brandon Carr and D.J. Swearinger and taking the crown for most interceptions by a player with dreads was S Tre Boston of the Chargers. Boston breaks the 3-way tie as he intercepts a deep pass intended for WR Johnny Holton in the end zone on the first play after the 2-minute warning before halftime in Week 17, preserving the Chargers' 13-10 lead. Chargers went on to defeat the Raiders 30-10. Boston's 5 interceptions were a career high and left him 3 behind the league leaders, Kevin Byard of the Titans and Darius Slay of the Lions.
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8. Two of Tre Boston's interceptions came in the final 2 minutes of the Week 10 game at Jacksonville. With the Chargers leading 17-14, Boston juggles the ball for a moment but eventually picks off the pass intended for WR Allen Hurns (left photo) on the first play after the 2-minute warning. Then after the Chargers turned the ball back over to the Jaguars on the very next play, Tre strikes again, intercepting a terrible pass by QB Blake Bortles at the 10-yard line (right photo) on 3rd and 25 with 1:24 remaining to deny the Jaguars a chance to tie the game with a FG. Despite Boston's attempted heroics, the Chargers just refused to win. The Jaguars got the ball back with :58 to go (after the Chargers went three-and-out) and tied the game on a FG with :03 to go then kicked another FG in overtime to win 20-17.
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9. On 3rd and 17 during the 2nd quarter in Week 11 S Malcolm Jenkins thinks he's going to get the INT, but CB Ronald Darby beats him to it, picking off the deep pass intended for WR Dez Bryant at the Eagles' 49-yard line and returning it 5 yards. It was Darby's 1st INT in an Eagles uniform (he had 2 in his 2 seasons with the Bills). In his first game back after recovering from a serious ankle injury Darby had a team high 8 tackles (8-0) and 1 PBU in addition to his pick, and the Eagles improved to 9-1 with the 37-9 road win over the Cowboys. If not for that injury, Ronald might have been the one wearing the crown for the most INT by a player with dreads. Despite playing only 8 games, he finished the season with 3 INT and 6 PBU.
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12. Vikings CB Trae Waynes gets his 1st INT of the season, picking off a deep pass by QB Jameis Winston intended for WR DeSean Jackson in the end zone on 1st and 10 during the 2nd quarter in Week 3 and bringing it back for an 18-yard return. The play kept the Vikings' lead at 14-3, and they went on to win 34-17. In his 3rd NFL season - and first as a full-time starter, Trae had 2 INT, upping his career total to 5.
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13. On 3rd and 6 early in the 3rd quarter in Week 1 Broncos CB Bradley Roby intercepts a pass intended for Chargers' WR Keenan Allen (#13), hanging onto the ball as he hits the ground. After the play Allen and QB Philip Rivers vehemently protested that a penalty be called on Roby; and given Bradley's penchant for often illegally making contact with receivers, I'm not surprised. But he got away with it, and it set up a 43-yard TD drive that upped the Broncos' lead to 21-7. Roby also had 5 tackles (3-2) and 1 PBU in the game, and the Broncos held on to win 24-21. This turned out to be Roby's only INT of the season. He also finished with 16 PBU.
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14. Dolphins CB Bobby McCain sure picked a great time to get his 1st INT of the season. With the game tied at 28 and on the first play after the Dolphins punted to the Jets' 15-yard line with 47 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter in Week 7, a short, left sideline pass intended for WR Jermaine Kearse is off target, instead finding the hands of McCain, who takes the return 6 yards to the 17-yard line. As he reaches the bench after the play Bobby is congratulated by a couple more of the Dolphins' players with dreads (right photo), TE MarQueis Gray (#48) and RB Senorise Perry. 4 plays later the Dolphins kicked a FG for a 31-28 lead with :22 on the clock and held on for the win. McCain had 2 INT in 2017, upping his career total to 3 in his first three seasons.
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15. CB Marcus Williams (the one with dreads, not the one of Saints infamy) puts in his bid to be the Texans' hero in their Week 8 game at Seattle, getting his 1st (and only) INT of the season at the 6-yard line on a Russell Wilson pass intended for WR Paul Richardson to keep the Texans ahead 38-34 with 2:49 remaining in the game. But unfortunately for Williams his day's work wasn't done yet. The Texans' offense, which to that point had racked up 489 total yards, failed to run out the clock. The Seahawks got the ball back with 1:39 on the clock, and Marcus was on the field when TE Jimmy Graham scored the game winning TD with 21 seconds to play .....
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16. ..... After the Seahawks scored, CB Richard Sherman sealed the win with his 2nd interception of the game with :07 on the clock. Earlier in the game Sherman gets his 1st INT of the game (and the season), dropping off the man he is covering to pick off the pass intended for TE Stephen Anderson on 2nd and 7 and returning it 19 yards to the Houston 16-yard line:
5 plays later the Seahawks settled for a FG to take a 27-24 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Sherman (1-3) and Williams (4-0) both finished with 4 tackles in the game as the Seahawks won 41-38. Sherman's two picks in this game were his only two for the season and his last two in a Seahawks uniform, as he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 10 and was released during the offseason. He had 32 INT in his 7 seasons for Seattle.
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17. At Seattle a month earlier (Week 4) S Matthias Farley makes his 1st INT of the season, getting both feet inbounds after at the Colts' 45-yard line after picking off the pass intended for Jimmy Graham with 3:34 remaining in the 2nd quarter. The Colts cashed in the turnover, driving 55 yards for a TD that gave them a 15-10 halftime lead. In addition to this pick Farley finished with 10 tackles (4-6) in the game .....
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18. There were three safeties with dreads on the Colts roster in 2017, and they combined for 5 of the team's 13 interceptions. Clayton Geathers (not active until late in the season) didn't have any in his 5 games played, Farley had two, and the other three were by rookie (1st round draft pick) Malik Hooker. Here in Week 2, with the Cardinals in FG range, Hooker pulls down his 1st career INT on a 1st and 10 pass intended for WR J.J. Nelson late in the 2nd quarter. Hooker brought the return back 32 yards as the Colts maintained their 10-3 lead. The Colts kept the lead until the 4th quarter before blowing it, as the Cardinals came back to win 16-13 in OT.
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19. After getting his 2nd interception of the season against the Browns in Week 3, Malik Hooker makes it three weeks in a row with a pick, this time bringing it in one handed after it bounced off the hands of Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham during the 3rd quarter at Seattle. Malik went 29 yards on the return to the 24-yard line, setting up a FG that tied the game at 18. The Colts collapsed after that, however, losing to the Seahawks 46-18.
After the first month of the season Hooker was on pace to lead the league in interceptions; but this would be has final INT of the season. A torn ACL he suffered in Week 6 put a premature end to his rookie season.
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20. Intended receiver Jaron Brown has no chance to catch this overthrown deep pass from QB Drew Stanton on 1st and 15 during the 3rd quarter in Week 17, so the only question is which Seahawk DB will get the INT. Without an interception all season to this point, rookie CB Shaquill Griffin finally gets his first, outwrestling teammate Earl Thomas for the ball and hanging on after hitting the ground at the Seattle 29-yard line to keep Arizona's lead at 20-14. Griffin finished with 6 tackles (6-0) and 1 PBU in addition to his pick, but the Seahawks lost at home to the Cardinals for the 3rd straight year, missing a FG attempt with 32 seconds to play in their 26-24 defeat.
This was the last of 77 interceptions by players with dreads in 2017.
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21. Before he was released at the end of November, LB Ray-Ray Armstrong had 2 interceptions for the 49ers. Here in Week 4 another Cardinals drive ends with an interception. On the 13th play of the game's opening drive CB Rashard Robinson should have intercepted the pass by QB Carson Palmer on 3rd and goal; but he drops it and Armstrong comes in to save the day with the diving catch for the touchback. Armstrong finished with a career high 10 tackles (8-2), including his only sack of the season, but the 49ers lost 18-15 on a TD catch by Larry Fitzgerald in the final minute of overtime.
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22. The 49ers also lost in overtime on the road in Week 5, but it wasn't on this play. On 1st and goal at the 8-yard line on the first possession of OT, Colts QB Jacoby Brissett thinks he's going to hit TE Darrell Daniels for the game winner, but he doesn't see Ray-Ray Armstrong dropping back, and Ray-Ray picks off a pass in the end zone for the second straight week. This one he brings back 29 yards to the 28-yard line. But the 49ers punted on the ensuing drive, and the Colts kicked a FG on their 2nd drive of OT to win 26-23, dropping the 49ers to 0-5.
The two interceptions by Armstrong in 2017 were the 2nd and 3rd of his career. The NFC West was the division that had the most interceptions by players with dreads. Armstrong was one of 12 players with dreads who combined for 20 INT in 2017.
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24. Desmond Trufant no doubt enjoyed his 2nd (and last) INT of the season a little more than usual because he got it in Seattle, just a couple of miles from his hometown of Tacoma. On the 2nd play of the Seahawks' opening drive on Monday night in Week 11 Trufant, after juggling an off-target pass intended for WR Tyler Lockett on 2nd and 1, gets a handle on it at the Atlanta 22-yard line and brings it back 40 yards. 7 plays later the Falcons scored a TD to up their lead to 14-0. It turned out to be a happy homecoming for Desmond. He also had 5 tackles (5-0), 1 TFL, and 2 PBU in the game, and the Falcons picked up a huge 34-31 win over the Seahawks.
With his 2 INT in 2017, Trufant now has 9 career INT in 5 seasons.
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And now, for the rest of the DG, here's a look at some of the sacks by players with dreads during the 2017 season.
25. A pair of Ravens with different-colored dreads drop Dolphins QB Matt Moore for a 12-yard loss on 1st and 10 in Week 8. LB C.J. Mosley gets one of the two half sacks he had in 2017 (for a total of 1), combining with LB Za'Darius Smith for the sack at the Miami 21-yard line late in the 2nd quarter. While this was Smith's only tackle in the game, Mosley had an even bigger play in the 2nd half, taking an INT return 63 yards to the house as the Ravens walloped the Dolphins 40-0. Smith and Mosley were two of 6 players with dreads who had sacks for the Ravens in 2017. The Ravens' total of 18 sacks by players with dreads was the third highest in the league .....
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Ishmael was one of 7 players with dreads on the Falcons defense who had sacks in 2017. They combined to record 23 of the team's total 39 sacks. The 23 were the most by any team's players with dreads.
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31. The last of Demarcus Lawrence's career high 14.5 sacks was one for the highlight reel. With 5 minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter in Week 16, Russell Wilson tries to keep the play alive on 3rd and 5, running toward his own end zone while trying to elude Lawrence. But Demarcus ain't having it, catching Wilson from behind and dropping him for a 22-yard loss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYdKoANNOmA ..... The Seahawks punted on the next play, but WR Dez Bryant fumbled the ball away on the first play of the Cowboys' ensuing possession. Cowboys ended up losing 21-12, officially eliminating them from the playoff race.
During the offseason it was announced that Lawrence had been voted (by players) the 34th best player in the league: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa8lYh4flts
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33. Two weeks later the Steelers again won 26-9, this time in Baltimore, and Bud Dupree picked up his 2nd sack of the season, dropping Joe Flacco for a loss of 9 on 3rd and 13 on the second play of the 4th quarter, forcing the Ravens to punt on the next play with the Steelers leading 19-9.
Dupree's 6 sacks on the season came in 6 different games, with the Steelers winning all of them except that disastrous loss to New England in Week 15.
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34. Playing in the 51st game of his career in Week 12 vs. the Broncos, Raiders DE Denico Autry finally gets the first multi-sack game of his career. Two of the three tackles (2-1) Autry had in the game were sacks, both of them coming on 3rd down. Midway through the 2nd quarter he tackles Paxton Lynch for a 9-yard loss (photo above) on 3rd and 5; then on the opening drive of the 2nd half (photo on right) he gets Lynch again, for a loss of 8 on 3rd and 12. The Broncos punted after both of the sacks. Raiders went on to win 21-14, extending the Broncos' losing streak to 7 games .....
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35. One week later Denico Autry gets his 4th sack of the season, grabbing the right foot of Geno Smith to bring him down for a 3-yard loss on 3rd and 5 with 1:48 remaining in the game. The Giants settled for a FG on the next play to cut the Raiders lead to 24-17. Raiders held on to win and improve to 6-6, their last hurrah before dropping their last 4 games and finishing 6-10. Autry had a career high 5 sacks for the season, but they weren't enough to convince the Raiders to keep him. He signed with the Colts during the offseason.
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37. Two of the remaining three players from the NFL Draft class of 2002 still in the league have a close encounter in Week 12, as 37-year old DE Julius Peppers sacks 38-year old QB Josh McCown for an 8-yard loss on 3rd and 4 early in the 4th quarter. Peppers makes sure not to tackle McCown too roughly, as the two formerly were teammates for 3 seasons with the Bears (2011-13). The Jets punted on the next play, and WR Kaelin Clay returned the punt 60 yards for a TD, upping the Panthers' lead to 32-20, and they went on to win 35-27.
Peppers is still in the league, of course, because he's still good at sacking the QB. His 11 sacks in 2017 marked the 10th time he's had at least 10 sacks in a season and increased his career total to 154.5 sacks in 16 NFL seasons.
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38. In his first 6 and a half NFL seasons DE Adrian Clayborn had never had more than 2 sacks in a game, so those attending the Falcons game against the Cowboys in Week 10 had no reason to expect that they'd be watching Clayborn make Falcons history. Adrian broke the team record for most sacks in a game (that had stood for 20 years) when he sacked Dak Prescott 6 times in the Falcons' big win over the Cowboys. Of course, he got away with illegal hits to the head on these two of them, but they happened so fast it was easy for the officials to miss them. Clayborn gets started early, knocking the Cowboys out of FG range on the game's opening drive with this sack for a 5-yard loss (photo on left) on 2nd and 9. Then early in the 4th quarter he gets his 5th of the game, tackling Prescott for a 7-yard loss on 3rd and 12. If you want, here's a look at all 6 sacks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq-bK4bfy58 ..... Of course, Clayborn's performance would've looked even more impressive had he not had his dreads reduced so severely; but he's been playing with them looking like this for so long now that I've given up hope that he'll ever unleash them full blast during a game.
With his 6 tackles - all solo sacks - 2 FF and 1 FR, Clayborn was a pretty easy choice for NFC defensive player of the week. Adrian finished the season with a career high 9.5 sacks, his most since he had 7.5 during his 2011 rookie season with Tampa Bay, and that helped earned him a nice little payday (from the Patriots) during the offseason.
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39. A player with dreads was the leader in sacks for all four teams in the NFC South. But since DT Gerald McCoy's dreads are too short, there's no sense in showing any of the 6 sacks he had to lead the Buccaneers. So instead here's a look at the 1st sack of the season by DE Will Clarke. On 2nd and 6 late in the 2nd quarter in Week 10 Clarke gets the first of 6 sacks of Jets QB Josh McCown, for a loss of 8 at the Tampa Bay 45-yard line. But Will didn't get to enjoy it for long. The Jets converted on 3rd and 14, and the drive ended with a FG. This was Clarke's only tackle of the game as the Buccaneers won 15-10. Moments like these have been too few in Clarke's career. Let go by the Bengals after getting just 4.5 sacks in 3 seasons, the 2014 3rd round draft choice had just 2.5 sacks in his first season with the Bucs in 2017.
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41. Melvin Ingram hits double figures for the 2nd time in his career (2015 was the other), getting his 10th sack of the season and his 4th sack of QB Alex Smith of the Chiefs here during the 1st quarter in Week 15 (the other three were in Week 3). The sack was at the 50-yard line for a loss of 8, but the Chiefs ended up getting a FG on the drive anyway. With the division lead on the line (both teams were 7-6), the Chargers laid an egg against the Chiefs (as they've been doing often lately). Ingram had 5 tackles (3-2) and 1 PBU, but the Chargers lost on the road to the Chiefs 30-13, ending their 4-game losing streak.
Ingram finished the season with 10.5 sacks and had a TFL in 12 of the Chargers' 16 games. One of two star players with dreads named Melvin on the team, Ingram is "introduced" by the other, RB Melvin Gordon, in this video featuring his being named the 76th best player in the league: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD-rXGBilgA
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Philon's 4.5 sacks were good for only 4th place on the Chargers, behind leader Joey Bosa (12.5), Melvin Ingram, and .....
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43. ..... LB/DE Chris McCain, whose dreads are long enough to just barely be visible as he gets his 1st sack of the season on his 1st tackle of the season. McCain drops Broncos QB Trevor Siemian at the Denver 24-yard line for a loss of 10 on 2nd and 8 with 38 seconds remaining until halftime in the final game of Week 1. With the Chargers out of timeouts, the Broncos then decided to run out the clock on 3rd and 18, settling for a 14-7 halftime lead. Broncos went on to win 24-21.
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After totaling just 2 sacks in his first 3 seasons, McCain put himself in good position for a much bigger payday after his breakout 2017 season; but after being charged for battery on a woman (in a January incident), he was considered persona non grata as far as NFL teams were concerned.
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45. DE Takkarist McKinley (Takk, for short) had a pair of strip sacks during his rookie season with the Falcons, although neither resulted in a turnover. In the closing seconds of the 1st half here in Week 15, McKinley sacks QB Jameis Winston for a 7-yard loss on 1st and 10 and separates him from the ball at the Buccaneers 22-yard line. But the Bucs got the FR and let the clock run out, settling for a 17-7 halftime deficit. The sack was the 6th (and last) of the season for McKinley and his only tackle of the night in the Falcons' big 24-21 road win.
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Upshaw had to wait until Week 16 before getting his 1st sack of the season. McKinley's total of 6 sacks were the most by any rookie with dreads in 2017.
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It was Smith's only tackle of the afternoon in the Ravens' 27-10 road win over the Browns. Smith finished with 3.5 sacks for the season, putting him into a tie for 3rd place on the Ravens .....
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48. ..... with DT Willie Henry, who gets the last of his 3.5 sacks in the final minute of the 1st half in Week 16, dropping QB Jacoby Brissett for an 8-yard loss on 3rd and 10. The Colts punted on the next play. Henry tied his season high with 5 tackles (4-1) as the Ravens beat the Colts (barely) 23-16 to stay in the driver's seat in the battle for an AFC wild card berth (which, of course, they didn't get after losing to the Bengals the following week). Unfortunately this might be the last sack Henry ever gets with dreads. I had to kick him out of the house after he cut his dreads off just before the 2018 season.
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49. Colts LB Jabaal Sheard gets the first of the two strip sacks he had in Week 9, tackling QB Tom Savage of the Texans at midfield on 1st and 10 late in the 2nd quarter. The Texans recovered the fumble but punted 3 plays later, allowing the Colts to keep their 10-0 lead. Sheard's other strip of Savage saved the game for the Colts. With the score 20-14, but with the Texans at the Colts 7-yard line with 2 seconds remaining in the game, Sheard ended the threat with his 2nd sack of the game, allowing the Colts to escape with the victory. I'm not including a photo of that one because I can't find one of it where you can see Sheard's dreads. Jabaal went without another sack until getting one against the Texans in Week 17, which upped his season total to a team high 5.5 sacks .....
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50. While Jabaal Sheard led the Colts in sacks, he finished in 2nd place among AFC South players with dreads, 4 behind DE Jadeveon Clowney of the Texans. Here in Week 4 Clowney, who for some reason was still on the field with 6 minutes to play and the Texans leading by 40, gets his 3rd sack of the season, stripping Matt Cassel in the process at the Titans' 15-yard line. The Texans recovered and tacked on a FG 4 plays later for the final points of their 57-14 victory.
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51. Jadeveon Clowney recorded a new career high in sacks in 2017, but he did not reach double figures in sacks for the first time - and he has no one to blame but himself. Sitting on 9 sacks since Week 12, his 10th sack would have been a nice Christmas present for himself; but he loses this sack (left photo) of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger on 3rd and 7 late in the 3rd quarter in Week 16 because he grabs Big Ben's facemask. Worse yet, the penalty gave the Steelers a first down, and they scored a TD 2 plays later to up their lead to 27-0, on their way to a 34-6 road victory. Then in Week 17, the only game all season in which Jadeveon had his dreads completely unleashed, he again appears to have his 10th sack of the season (right photo), as he wraps up Jacoby Brissett late in the 1st quarter at Indianapolis. But Brissett somehow breaks out of his grasp, and Jadeveon ends up having to settle for sharing the sack with DT Chunky Clements. Clowney had 5 more tackles in the game (and finished with a season high 7), but none of them was a sack, so he finished the season with 9.5 sacks.
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52. Earlier (photo #3) we saw the 1st INT of Damon Harrison's career. Here during the 3rd quarter in Week 6 Harrison gets his 1st sack of the season (and only solo sack), as the 353-pound DT drags down Broncos QB Trevor Siemian for an 11-yard loss on 1st and 10, stalling a drive that had reached the Giants' 37-yard line. The drive ended with a blocked FG attempt 3 plays later, keeping the score 20-3. Harrison finished with 4 tackles (3-1) as the Giants (0-5) picked up their 1st win of the season, defeating the Broncos in Denver 23-10. Damon got a half sack later in the season and finished with a total of 1.5 sacks.
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53. It was a long time coming, but LB Jaylon Smith finally gets his 1st career sack. Smith, who spent his entire 2016 rookie season recovering from a knee injury he suffered during his final game in college for Notre Dame, went without a sack in 2017 until here in Week 7, as he tackles 49ers QB C.J. Beathard and gets the FF on the final play of the 3rd quarter. The Cowboys recovered the fumble at the SF 29-yard line and scored a TD 8 plays later to up their lead to 40-3, on their way to a 40-10 road win. This was Smith's only sack of the season; but Jaylon (with 4 sacks already so far in 2018), as you've probably noticed, seems to be fully healthy now and is just playing great.
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OK. Let's wrap up this DG with a couple of sick sacks from Week 17 - sick dreads, that is.
58. Jets DT Steve McLendon gets the satisfaction of tackling the great Tom Brady for a 5-yard loss on 3rd and 9 during the 4th quarter of another Jets loss to the Patriots. But the satisfaction lasts only until he realizes the sack doesn't count thanks to an illegal use of hands penalty against LB Jordan Jenkins. The penalty meant that McLendon finished the season with 1.5 sacks instead of 2.5. The Jets lost to the Patriots in Foxborough for the 7th straight time, 26-6. The 1.5 sacks in 2017 upped McLendon's career total to an even 10 in 8 NFL seasons.
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59. In the games that DT Sheldon Day has his dreads flowing at full blast, they always make a spectacular showing, as they do here as he gets his 2nd sack of the season - and his first in a 49ers uniform - dropping QB Sean Mannion for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 9 late in the 2nd quarter at the Coliseum. The Rams punted on the next play. Day had a career high 5 tackles (4-1), including 2 TFL, as the 49ers won their 5th game in a row (to finish 6-10), defeating the Rams (who were resting most of their best players for the playoffs) 34-13. Day's other sack came in Week 7, in his final game with the Jaguars before they released him.
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I did not keep track of all of the players with dreads who had sacks during the 2017 season. But here is a list of the top 15 players with dreads who had the most sacks.
Demarcus Lawrence (DAL) 14.5
Cameron Jordan (NO) 13
Ziggy Ansah (DET) 12
Julius Peppers (CAR) 11
Melvin Ingram (LAC) 10.5
Adrian Clayborn (ATL) 9.5
Jadeveon Clowney (HOU) 9.5
Akiem Hicks (CHI) 8.5
Matthew Judon (BAL) 8
Bud Dupree (PIT) 6
Gerald McCoy (TB) 6
Takk McKinley (ATL) 6
Jabaal Sheard (IND) 5.5
Denico Autry (OAK) 5
Demario Davis (NYJ) 5
Chris McCain (LAC) 5
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I did, however, keep track of all of the interceptions by players with dreads. There was a total of 77 of them, by 45 different players. Here's the list of the 45.
5
Tre Boston (LAC)
4
Brandon Carr (BAL)
D.J. Swearinger (WASH)
3
Mark Barron (LAR)
Ronald Darby (PHIL)
Malik Hooker (IND)
Janoris Jenkins (NYG)
2
Ray-Ray Armstrong (SF)
Matthias Farley (IND)
Stephon Gilmore (NE)
Tyrann Mathieu (ARIZ)
Bobby McCain (MIA)
C.J. Mosley (BAL)
Ron Parker (KC)
Nickell Robey-Coleman (LAR)
Kelvin Sheppard (NYG)
Richard Sherman (SEA)
Desmond Trufant (ATL)
Trae Waynes (MIN)
Tramon Williams (ARIZ)
Ahkello Witherspoon (SF)
1
Bashaud Breeland (WASH)
Josh Bynes (ARIZ)
Jamie Collins (CLEV)
Trae Elston (BUF)
Mason Foster (WASH)
Shaquill Griffin (SEA)
Damon Harrison (NYG)
Davon House (GB)
Adam Jones (CIN)
Cameron Jordan (NO)
Dre Kirkpatrick (CIN)
Cory Littleton (LAR)
Reggie Nelson (OAK)
Sheldon Richardson (SEA)
Darryl Roberts (NYJ)
Rashard Robinson (SF)
Bradley Roby (DEN)
Da'Norris Searcy (TENN)
Buster Skrine (NYJ)
Terrance Smith (KC)
Tye Smith (TENN)
Danny Trevathan (CHI)
J.J. Wilcox (PIT)
Marcus Williams (HOU)
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One more time, here are the 77 INT by players with dreads during 2017, this time listed by team and division.
AFC EAST (7)
BUF (1) - S Trae Elston 1
MIA (2) - CB Bobby McCain 2
NE (2) - CB Stephon Gilmore 2
NYJ (2) - CB Darryl Roberts 1, CB Buster Skrine 1
AFC NORTH (10)
BALT (6) - CB Brandon Carr 4, LB C.J. Mosley 2
CIN (2) - CB Adam Jones 1, CB Dre Kirkpatrick 1
CLEV (1) - LB Jamie Collins 1
PIT (1) - S J.J. Wilcox 1
AFC SOUTH (8)
HOU (1) - CB Marcus Williams 1
IND (5) - S Malik Hooker 3, S Matthias Farley 2
JAC (0)
TENN (2) - S Da'Norris Searcy 1, CB Tye Smith 1
AFC WEST (10)
DEN (1) - CB Bradley Roby 1
KC (3) - S Ron Parker 2, LB Terrance Smith 1
LAC (5) - S Tre Boston 5
OAK (1) - S Reggie Nelson 1
NFC EAST (15)
DAL (0)
NYG (6) - CB Janoris Jenkins 3, LB Kelvin Sheppard 2, DT Damon Harrison 1
PHIL (3) - CB Ronald Darby 3
WASH (6) - S D.J. Swearinger 4, CB Bashaud Breeland 1, LB Mason Foster 1
NFC NORTH (4)
CHI (1) - LB Danny Trevathan 1
DET (0)
GB (1) - CB Davon House 1
MIN (2) - CB Trae Waynes 2
NFC SOUTH (3)
ATL (2) - CB Desmond Trufant 2
CAR (0)
NO (1) - DE Cameron Jordan 1
TB (0)
NFC WEST (20)
ARIZ (5) - S Tyrann Mathieu 2, CB Tramon Williams 2, LB Josh Bynes 1
LAR (6) - LB Mark Barron 3, CB Nickell Robey-Coleman 2, LB Cory Littleton 1
SF (5) - LB Ray-Ray Armstrong 2, CB Ahkello Witherspoon 2, CB Rashard Robinson 1
SEA (4) - CB Richard Sherman 2, CB Shaquill Griffin 1, DT Sheldon Richardson 1
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