Cincinnati Bengals
Another Super Bowl MoCo Connection: Terrell Lewis, OLB for the Los Angeles Rams
Lewis graduated from St. John’s College High School in DC, but played Pop Warner for the @WhiteOakWarrior
Congrats on becoming a Super Bowl Champion!https://t.co/9ULKOD86pL pic.twitter.com/8Iu8alsP01
— The MoCoShow (MCS) (@TheMoCoShow) February 14, 2022
SportsLine oddsmakers have released their odds on who will be the Washington Commanders’ first-ever starting QB.
- Taylor Heinicke +300
- Jimmy Garoppolo +400
- 2022 draft pick +500
- Deshaun Watson +700
- Teddy Bridgewater +800
- Jameis Winston +900
- Marcus Mariota +900
- Russell Wilson +1000
- Aaron Rodgers +1500
Incumbent Taylor Heinicke is leading the way at +300. That’s based on the belief that the Commanders will draft a quarterback with the 11th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft who is likely to not beat Heinicke out for week 1 starting duties. Heinicke is familiar with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s offense and now has a full year of starter’s reps under his belt. Oddsmakers aren’t certain Heinicke will beat a newly drafted quarterback out for the position, as the odds for the 2022 draft pick starting are at +500, which is the third most likely situation.
Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers are working together to find a trade partner for the veteran quarterback who is coming off of a loss in the NFC Championship game. While his stats don’t jump out of you, his win/loss record as a starter is hard to look past, as he has gone 33-14 in his 47 NFL starts (2-0 with the Patriots in 2016 and 31-14 with the 49ers in the last 5 seasons). He is listed as the second most likely option at +400.
Deshaun Watson has been dealing with 22 civil suits claiming sexual misconduct against the quarterback. A grand jury has been investigated whether Watson’s alleged misconduct violates any relevant criminal laws. Watson remains under contract to the Texans, but did not play at all in 2021. The unresolved legal issue continues to be an impediment to any trade and the resumption of his NFL career. He is listed as the fourth most likely at +700.
Teddy Bridgewater (+800), Jameis Winston (+900), and Marcus Mariota (+900) are the next three in line. Bridgewater has started 29 games in the last 2 seasons, going a combined 11-18 for the Panthers in 2020 and Broncos last year. Winston started strong for the Saints, going 5-2 with 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions before suffering a season ending injury in week 7. Mariota hasn’t started a game for Las Vegas since joining the team two seasons ago, but showed enough in his time in Tennessee to be in the conversation for a starting job in 2022.
The two biggest names that could potentially be available are perennial Pro-Bowlers Russell Wilson (+1000) and Aaron Rodgers (+1500). Wilson threw for 25 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in a “down” year while Rodgers once again dominated the league with 37 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Though these are the two least likely in the Sportsline odds, they are also the two most likely to make the biggest impact for the newly rebranded franchise.
The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game while the San Fransisco 49ers head south to L.A. to play the Rams in the NFC Championship game. Each year when we get to this point, we try to highlight as many connections to Montgomery County, MD as we can find so let’s get to it!
Cincinnati Bengals
MoCo natives Stefon and Trevon Diggs have dominated the NFL this year. The brothers, who grew up in Gaithersburg, were both recently selected as Pro Bowlers for this NFL season.
Stefon grew up in Gaithersburg and attended Good Counsel High School in Olney, where he played football and ran track. He recorded 810 yards receiving with 23 touchdowns as a junior in 2010, and was runner-up for the Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year. As a senior, he recorded 770 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns, and racked up 277 rushing yards and three more touchdowns on the ground. He was named to the All-Metro team by The Washington Post both seasons.
Following his senior season, he was named MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Junior Combine in 2011 and was invited to play in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.A consensus five-star recruit, Diggs was viewed as one of the best players in the nation. He was considered the second-best wide receiver recruit in the nation and was rated as the No.1 recruit in the state of Maryland by Rivals.com. Though he had scholarship offers from Florida, USC, Cal, Ohio State, and Auburn, among others, Diggs chose to stay close to home and committed to the University of Maryland on February 10, 2012.
In his three seasons at Maryland, Diggs had 150 receptions for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. During his freshman year at College Park, he recorded the second-most all-purpose yards in school history with 1,896. He finished his three-year college career with 2,227 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, as well as two kick-return touchdowns. He was selected in the fifth round with the 146th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2015 NFL Draft, and signed a four-year, $2.5 million deal that included a guaranteed $227,000 signing bonus.
Diggs became a full-time starter for the Vikings midway through his rookie year despite his late-round draft status. In 2018, he received a 5-year contract extension, playing two more seasons in Minnesota before being traded to Buffalo in 2020. With the Bills, he became the fastest receiver to surpass 100 catches with his new team and broke Eric Moulds‘ franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Diggs led all NFL receivers in 2020 with 127 receptions and 1,535 receiving yards. He already has over 1,000 receiving yards on 82 catches with 8 touchdowns this season for the 8-6 Bills.
Trevon Diggs was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2020 draft. The Gaithersburg native currently leads the NFL with 10 interceptions.
Trevon played for the Wootton Patriots before transferring to Avalon. At Avalon, Diggs played on both sides of the ball and became a four-star recruit and was two-time All-Met as a wide receiver.
After his time at Avalon Diggs continued his academic and athletic career at the University of Alabama. By his junior year in 2018, Diggs had become a full-time starter for Coach Nick Saban’s defense until he broke his foot midseason, ending the 2018 season with 20 tackles, one interception, six pass breakups in six games.
By his senior year, Diggs started 12 games and posted 37 tackles and two fumble recoveries. (including a 100-yard score). During his senior year, he was a third-team AP All-American and second-team All-SEC.
As a rookie, Diggs played in 12 games and started 12 of them. He had 58 tackles, one forced fumble, a sack, and 3 interceptions. This year, his second in the league, he has 10 interceptions, 38 tackles, and 19 passes defended.
Photos courtesy of the NFL.
With Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen not being able to clear protocol, the starting quarterback for tonight’s game is going to be Garrett Gilbert.
Here are five things you should know about Washington’s starting quarterback for this week:
1. Gilbert was signed last week off of the New England Patriots practice squad. He played his college ball at Texas and SMU.
2. He has 1 career start, which came last year for the Dallas Cowboys. In the game he went 21 for 38 for 243 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. The Cowboys led the game 19-9 heading into the 4th quarter, but ultimately lost 24-19.
3. His father, Gale Gilbert, played in the NFL from 1985-1995. He threw his last NFL pass for the Chargers in 1995 and was the college teammate of Ron Rivera at Cal.
2. He spent 2018 with the Carolina Panthers, so he has familiarity with the offense.
1. He would’ve likely been named the AAF MVP had the Alliance of American Football finished its season in 2018. He threw for 2,152 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions in the partial season under Steve Spurrier, going a league-best 7-1.
Back in October, Los Angeles Rams head coach and former Washington offensive coordinator, Sean McVay announced that Damascus alumnus Jake Funk was lost for the season with a torn hamstring. Yesterday, Funk was designated to return from injured reserve.
He will provide depth at running back behind Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson Jr., but could also take over kick return duties. When he went down with the injury, it was believed that he would miss the rest of the season, but he’ll be available on Tuesday, McVay said.
Funk has primarily played special teams for the Rams this season– he has played in 66% of special team snaps on the year. He has also carried the ball 1 time for 6 yards, in a win against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jake Funk holds the Maryland state record for career touchdowns from when he was a student at Damascus High School. He went on to play at the University of Maryland before getting drafted by the Rams with the 5th pick of the 7th round earlier this year.
The NFL decided to move the Washington Football Team/Philadelphia Eagles game from today to Tuesday Night after the WFT’s Covid-19 List grew to over 20 players on Friday.
A new agreement will require Covid tests for unvaccinated players only unless a vaccinated player is experiencing symptoms, which should keep further postponements or cancellations from occurring.
The Football Team is still without its top 2 quarterbacks, Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, as they prepare for Tuesday’s game. Two negative back to back tests (with 24 hours in between tests) are required for a player to be removed from the Covid-19 list if they are vaccinated. A mandatory 10 days must be used for players who are not.
Starting defensive backs Kam Curl and Kendall Fuller remain on the Covid-19 list, as well as rotational defensive tackles Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle. Swing tackle Cornelius Lucas is also on the list, along with several other reserves.
The players will have an additional two days to test out of the Covid-19 list and be eligible to play on Tuesday night at 7pm against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Longtime MoCo resident James Brown was a member of the 2020/2021 class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame that was inducted earlier this week.
Affectionately known as “JB,” Brown is perhaps best known for hosting NFL Today.
The Montgomery County resident has won 3 Emmys and has hosted the Super Bowl 10 times.
More about JB, from the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, can be seen below:
Integrity. Class. Warmth. Intelligence. All words one would use to describe James Brown before even touching his excellence as a sports broadcaster.
A staple of the sports-television industry for nearly four decades, the man affectionately known simply as “J.B.” has established himself as the gold standard for the host of a live sports studio show. A winner of three Emmy Awards, Brown has been a fixture of NFL Sundays since 1994 and has hosted the Super Bowl show a record 10 times, including most recently at Super Bowl LV in February 2021.
“Throughout J.B.’s award-winning career, he has distinguished himself not only as the quintessential studio host but also as a versatile broadcaster and, in some instances, the conscience of the industry,” says Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Sean McManus, chairman, CBS Sports. “J.B. is a wonderful human being, a man of faith and as good a friend and colleague as one could ever have.”
Brown’s journey to sports television was anything but conventional. Following a collegiate basketball career at Harvard, he fell short of making the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks in an open tryout and, in the late 1970s and early ’80s, worked for such companies as Xerox and Kodak. In 1984, he got his first opportunity to get back into sports: a role as an on-air analyst on Washington Bullets telecasts and a spot in the rotation of analysts for NBA on CBS.
In the late 1980s, Brown’s star at CBS Sports continued to brighten as he handled a variety of roles, including play-by-play for NFL on CBS and reporting on the NFL Finals, the MLB Postseason, and the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics.
Brown’s big break into Sundays came when Fox Sports shook up the sports-media world, landing rights to the NFL at the end of 1993. At the start of the 1994 season, the first edition of Fox NFL Sunday debuted, with J.B., Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson. Brown anchored that iconic program for its first 11 years.
“J.B. has been a Hall of Famer ever since he first sat in front of a camera,” says Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer David Hill, former president, Fox Sports. “He has this authentic charisma, which makes every viewer feel that J.B. is speaking exclusively to that individual. It’s a rare gift.”
During his tenure at Fox, Brown stretched himself into hockey, serving as lead studio host for NHL on Fox from 1994 to ’98.
In 2006, Brown returned to where it all started — CBS Sports — to take over as host of The NFL Today, and he has been behind that desk ever since, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest to host a studio show.
“It’s a joy to have J.B. as a valued teammate,” says Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Jim Nantz, CBS Sports’ long-time lead play-by-play voice. “It’s even better to be able to call him a trusted friend. Simply put, he is one of the finest men I’ve ever known. A giant television talent. An all-world human being.”
Brown’s signature has always been bringing out the best in those around him. Whether it’s expertly crafting a story — as he did with one of his all-time favorite projects, the 1991 film Let Me Be Brave, the story of 12 mentally disabled athletes climbing Mount Kilimanjaro — or setting up his analysts to succeed from behind the desk on an NFL day in the fall.
“J.B. is simply the kindest, most prepared colleague with whom I’ve ever worked,” says former NFL quarterback and current analyst on The NFL Today Boomer Esiason. “He brings out the best in everyone. His egoless nature, along with his self-deprecating sense of humor, brings harmony and professionalism to all of our broadcasts. Throughout his entire career, he has carried himself with dignity, grace, and substance.”
“Sustained excellence is what I’d like to be thought of,” Brown said in 2020. “It has never been about me. It has always been about those with whom I work and trying to pull out and elicit the best from them for an excellent product, whatever that telecast is.”
A native of Washington, DC, Brown received the 2016 Pete Rozelle Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which recognizes “longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.” Sports Illustrated named him the Best Studio Host of the Decade in 2010, and he was also honored that same year as one of the “Faces of Black History,” celebrating Black Media Legends who have impacted the Black community through their achievements and positive examples. He was also the first recipient of the coveted Pat Summerall Award, which is presented annually during Super Bowl weekend.
Update 3:30pm: The NFL has moved the game between the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles to Tuesday night at 7pm.
Washington Football Team starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke has been added to the team’s Covid-19 list this morning, per Ian Rappaport.
Washington Football Team QB Taylor Heinicke has tested positive for COVID-19 and is going on the reserve list, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 17, 2021
His backup, Kyle Allen was placed on the list earlier this week. It was announced a couple weeks back that Ryan Fitzpatrick, the quarterback who started the season as the starter, would have season-ending surgery.
It appeared as though practice squad quarterback Kyle Shurmur would start for the Football Team in this Sunday’s game against the Eagles until the team signed Garrett Gilbert from the Patriots practice squad.
Yesterday we reported that over a third of the Washington Football Team has been placed on the team’s Covid-19 list, which is now up to 22 players after 3 players were added yesterday (safety Kam Curl and centers Tyler Larsen and Keith Ismael).
• QB Kyle Allen
• QB Taylor Heinicke
• LB Milo Eifler
• S Darrick Forrest
• C Tyler Larsen
• C Keith Ismael
• S Kam Curl
• DT Matt Ioannidis
• Cornelius Lucas
• TE Sammis Reyes
• WR Cam Sims
• CB Troy Apke
• DT Jonathan Allen
• DE Montez Sweat
• DE James Smith-Williams
• DE Casey Toohill
• DE William Bradley-King
• DT Tim Settle
• LB Khaleke Hudson
• LB David Mayo
• CB Kendall Fuller
• TE Temarrick Hemingway
Over a third of the Washington Football Team has been placed on the team’s Covid-19 list, which is now up to 21 players after 3 players were added earlier today (safety Kam Curl and centers Tyler Larsen and Keith Ismael).
• QB Kyle Allen
• LB Milo Eifler
• S Darrick Forrest
• C Tyler Larsen
• C Keith Ismael
• S Kam Curl
• DT Matt Ioannidis
• Cornelius Lucas
• TE Sammis Reyes
• WR Cam Sims
• CB Troy Apke
• DT Jonathan Allen
• DE Montez Sweat
• DE James Smith-Williams
• DE Casey Toohill
• DE William Bradley-King
• DT Tim Settle
• LB Khaleke Hudson
• LB David Mayo
• CB Kendall Fuller
• TE Temarrick Hemingway
Albert Breer reported from the NFL meeting yesterday regarding potential changes to NFL Covid policies.
A COVID-19 turning point was inevitable, and it just happened to come when the NFL’s power brokers were gathered together. @AlbertBreer from the league meeting in Texas: https://t.co/yfGWoeMl1A
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) December 16, 2021
Updated at 6pm to include Troy Apke, Washington’S 18th player on the list.
Almost a third of the Washington Football Team has been placed on the team’s Covid-19 list, which is now up to 18 players after 8 players were added earlier this afternoon.
• QB Kyle Allen
• LB Milo Eifler
• S Darrick Forrest
• DT Matt Ioannidis
• T Cornelius Lucas
• TE Sammis Reyes
• WR Cam Sims
• CB Troy Apke
The following players were already on the list:
• DT Jonathan Allen
• DE Montez Sweat
• DE James Smith-Williams
• DE Casey Toohill
• DE William Bradley-King
• DT Tim Settle
• LB Khaleke Hudson
• LB David Mayo
• CB Kendall Fuller
• TE Temarrick Hemingway
Albert Breer reported that NFL owners and executives were told by the NFL this morning that the league is discussing significant changes to Covid-19 protocols within the union.
The NFL has previously stated that it would not reschedule games this season. If a team cannot play due to a Covid spike the burden of cancellation or delay would fall on the club experiencing the Covid infection.
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke is banged up and will likely have practice squad quarterback Kyle Shurmur backing him up. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running back JD McKissic are both dealing with concussions that could keep them from playing this Sunday against the Eagles.
