Tag: Higbee

Jan 14, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) runs during the second half of a 2024 NFC wild card game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Rams RB Kyren Williams had surgery on broken hand

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, head coach Sean McVay told reporters Wednesday.

McVay also confirmed reports that tight end Tyler Higbee tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee.

Both players were injured in the Rams’ NFC wild-card loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Williams, 23, left the game in the fourth quarter after rushing for 61 yards and catching one pass for 9 yards.

On the season, Williams rushed for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games (11 starts), earning a Pro Bowl nod. He also caught 32 passes for 206 yards and three TDs.

Higbee was hurt on a low hit by Lions safety Kerby Joseph in the second half. McVay said he didn’t have a timeline for Higbee but said he’s a candidate for the physically unable to perform list ahead of next season.

Higbee, 31, caught 47 passes for 495 yards and two touchdowns in 15 starts in his eighth season with the Rams.

McVay also said that the team remains “100 percent” committed to quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“Absolutely. Unequivocally yes.”

McVay also said that his coaching staff will remain intact unless someone leaves for another job.

“If there are changes, it will only be for better opportunities,” he said. “We’ll have the same group back.”

Defensive line coach Eric Henderson is leaving for a job at Southern Cal, and McVay said he’ll wait to replace him until defensive coordinator Raheem Morris’ situation is settled. Morris is interviewing for head coaching jobs.

–Field Level Media

Feb 11, 2022; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams tackle Andrew Whitworth during press conference at Cal Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rams notebook: Andrew Whitworth calls on peers to aid in community

Posted on | by Field Level Media

If playing left tackle in the Super Bowl at age 40 weren’t impressive enough, Andrew Whitworth just raised the stakes even higher.

The Los Angeles Rams veteran was selected as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year on Thursday night, the top off-field honor an NFL player can receive.

One day later, Whitworth said he figured out he was the winning recipient prior to the announcement. He said multiple NFL personnel members approached him to see if his speech was ready.

Regardless, he was honored to win the prestigious award, which recognizes “outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on it.” Whitworth is dedicated to numerous causes in Southern California and his native Louisiana related to housing insecurity and financial inequities.

“Our game is driven by the fans and the communities that pay attention and watch and buy jerseys and come to games,” Whitworth said Friday. “In the ways I give back to my communities, it shows my respect for the communities. … I believe in paying forward. To me, community service is important.”

Whitworth has spent the past five seasons with the Rams after playing his first 11 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals — Los Angeles’ opponent in Super Bowl LVI.

Rams coach Sean McVay said he is just in awe of Whitworth’s accomplishments.

“I can’t say enough about what he has meant to me personally as a coach and a person,” McVay said. “I’m so grateful for him. He’s been an instrumental part in everything that is right about the Rams the last five years.”

During his acceptance speech on Thursday night, Whitworth called on his peers to step up their level of community service.

“It’s called an investment,” Whitworth said. “You can apply these three things to any charity or cause you have a passion for. You can invest your time, you can invest your finances or you can invest your voice. Doesn’t matter which, we just have to keep investing in each other. Let your heart lead you all the way.”

Whitworth doesn’t yet know if he will play a 17th NFL season. He said he would talk to him family after the Super Bowl.

“I’ve cried wolf so many times, they may not want to listen,” Whitworth said per past retirement conservations. “At some point, it will actually happen.”

–The Rams placed tight end Tyler Higbee (knee) and offensive tackle Joe Noteboom (chest) on injured reserve Friday, ending their seasons.

Higbee was injured against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, and his chances of playing didn’t sound good after McVay said Monday that he wouldn’t practice all week. Noteboom was injured one week earlier in the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Los Angeles activated running back Darrell Henderson Jr. (knee) and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day (pectoral) from IR.

–With Henderson set to play Sunday for the first time since being injured in Week 16, the Rams suddenly have what McVay termed the “full arsenal” in backfield options.

Cam Akers returned from a July Achilles injury during the final week of the regular season and has carried the ball 54 times for 151 yards in the playoffs. Sony Michel led the Rams in the regular season with 845 rushing yards and Henderson had 688.

McVay believes it is a good dilemma and said the Rams would go with the “hot hand.”

McVay has seen Michel stand out on the Super Bowl stage but from the opposite side. As a rookie, Michel carried 18 times for 94 yards and one score when the New England Patriots notched a 13-3 victory over Rams in the Super Bowl after the 2018 season.

Akers is just happy to be a part of this game after a surprisingly fast rehab period.

“I knew the chance was real of going to the Super Bowl,” Akers said of his commitment to return this season. “I knew we had a good chance of going. I knew we had a good chance of making that run, and I wanted to be a part of it. I’m blessed to be able to.”

–Rams safety Eric Weddle is playing in his final NFL game after a return to the club following two seasons of retirement.

Earlier this week, Weddle detailed how he was doing nothing but sitting on the couch last month prior to getting the call from Los Angeles to see if he was fit enough to play.

However, people familiar with Weddle knew his lap wasn’t empty when he was sitting on the couch. After all, this is the same NFL star who has fessed up to eating a gallon of ice cream after victories.

Thus, it’s no surprise what Weddle’s post-Super Bowl routine will be like.

“I’m going to do nothing but ice cream celebrations for a week to make up for these last five weeks,” Weddle said Friday in reference to his time with the Rams. “I will make up for it when it is all said and done. The celebrations will happen.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 10, 2021; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Football Team defensive end Montez Sweat (90) lines up against the New Orleans Saints at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

NFL mandates booster, establishes one-day record 37 with positives

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The NFL is requiring players and other key personnel to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the league mandate to be fully vaccinated, according to a league memo.

Multiple outlets released the contents of the memo, which coincided with a noticeable uptick in reported positive tests around the league.

“On November 29, the CDC issued a study showing that the effectiveness of the approved COVID-19 vaccines may decrease over time and has recommended that all eligible vaccinated individuals over the age of 18 should receive a booster shot,” the memo reads in part. “Given the increased prevalence of the virus in our communities, our experts have recommended that we implement the CDC’s recommendation.”

Tier 1 and 2 personnel who previously have been vaccinated must receive a booster shot by Dec. 27, giving them just two weeks to comply.

Tier 1 staff encompasses players, coaches and trainers. Tier 2 includes general managers and front office employees.

The mandate covers those who received the Pfizer or Moderna shot more than six months ago and those who received a Johnson and Johnson shot more than two months ago.

Thirty-six players were placed on the reserve/COVID list Monday, all of whom tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the NFL transaction wire. A 37th tested positive after the daily wire was published. ESPN reported that it was the highest single-day total of positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Los Angeles Rams placed two starters, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Tyler Higbee, on the reserve/COVID list Monday mere hours before their game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Washington Football Team announced defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, linebacker David Mayo, defensive end William Bradley-King and tight end Temarrick Hemingway were placed on the COVID list. That upped Washington’s total to nine players on the list — all defensive players, including edge rusher Montez Sweat. Allen and Sweat are starters.

NFL Network and the Washington Post also reported that a Tier 3 staffer in Washington tested positive for the Omicron variant of the virus, the first known occurrence of the new variant appearing in the league.

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Josh Gordon, New York Giants receiver Kadarius Toney, Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison and Los Angeles Chargers rookie left tackle Rashawn Slater also landed on the reserve/COVID list Monday.

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) scores a touchdown past Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman (31) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Goff, Higbee team up as Rams defeat Eagles

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tyler Higbee caught three touchdown passes from Jared Goff, and the Los Angeles Rams recovered after nearly coughing up a three-score lead to beat the host Philadelphia Eagles 37-19 on Sunday.

Los Angeles (2-0) jumped to a 21-3 lead in the early second quarter on the second of Higbee’s career-high three scoring grabs. The tight end matched his touchdown total from the entire 2019 season in Sunday’s effort.

Philadelphia (0-2) struck for two quick touchdowns before halftime to trail 21-16: a Carson Wentz goal-line carry, and a 5-yard Miles Sanders rush 35 seconds before intermission. Sanders rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries in his 2020 debut, returning from a hamstring injury.

The Eagles threatened to take the lead midway through the third quarter, but Darious Williams intercepted Wentz’s would-be touchdown pass intended for J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

Wentz finished the day 26-of-43 passing for 242 yards. He was intercepted a second time by Troy Hill late in the game.

After exchanging field goals, Goff followed a 40-yard Darrell Henderson rush with a 28-yard, rainbow-arcing pass to a streaking Higbee for the touchdown. The ensuing 12-point cushion gave Los Angeles all the breathing room it needed to hold on.

Goff completed his first 13 pass attempts on the day and finished 20-of-27 for 267 yards. Henderson rushed for 81 yards on 12 carries, and caught a 28-yard pass off of a rub route in the late fourth quarter to set himself up for his first career touchdown on the ensuing snap.

Henderson carried just three times for six yards in Week 1, while Malcolm Brown saw the majority of touches. Brown finished Sunday’s contest with 47 yards on 11 carries.

Before three kneel-downs to end the game, Los Angeles averaged 5.4 yards on 36 carries behind a stout offensive line effort.

Philadelphia’s offensive line was much more productive against Los Angeles than in Week 1 when it allowed eight sacks to Washington. The return of Lane Johnson fueled a sack-free day and helped neutralize Aaron Donald.

The Rams five-time All-Pro defensive tackle finished with just one tackle.

–Field Level Media