Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1492675
M A R C H 2 0 2 3 7 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M downs to help propel his team to the Super Bowl. "I think he just keeps getting better," Sirianni said in December. "He's run- ning the crap out of the ball. He's doing a really nice job of being decisive. He's doing a really nice job of being physical. … He's gotten a lot of touches, and he's done a nice job of protecting the football and then protecting the quarterback. I just think his whole game continues to evolve." Whether or not it evolves in Phila- delphia remains to be seen. The Eagles could use the franchise tag on him in hope of working out a new deal, or he might head elsewhere. Regardless of where he plays next season, Sanders will be showing po- tential Penn State recruits what can be accomplished by joining the Nittany Li- ons. Coach James Franklin said prior to the Super Bowl that he views Sanders as a great ambassador for the program and the university. "Miles is awesome, and we're proud of him," Franklin said. "He's done re- ally well, not just on the field and being an impact player for the Eagles, but re- ally how he's represented himself off the field. He's been like that the whole way, since we recruited him out of high school. He's just been a phenomenal representative of Penn State and our football program." FORMER NITTANY LIONS IN THE NFL PLAYOFFS Through games of Feb. 12 Saquon Barkley (played at Penn State from 2015-17), RB, New York Giants: Barkley was one of the stars of New York's first playoff victory since its 2011 Super Bowl season, finishing with 53 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns in a 31-24 win over Minnesota in the Wild Card Round. He had 61 yards a week later in the Giants' 38-7 loss to Phila- delphia in the Divisional Round. Barkley, who ranked fourth in the league with a career-high 1,312 yards rushing during the regular season, said after the loss to Philadelphia that he "would love to be a Giant for life." He's a free agent this offseason, as is quarterback Daniel Jones, and the Giants must make some hard decisions about where to invest. General manager Joe Schoen told reporters after the season that Barkley is "a guy that we would like to have back." But Schoen added, "As far as positional value, we'll get into how we want to build this team and allocate our resources. That's what it comes down to." Ryan Bates (2015-19), OL, Buffalo Bills: Just as he did throughout the regular season, Bates started at right guard during the Bills' two playoff games. He finished the season with the team's second-highest blocking grade (61.5), as rated by Pro Football Focus. Nick Bowers (2015-19), TE, Cincinnati Bengals: After spending the regular season on the practice squad, Bowers was called up to the active roster prior to the Bengals' visit to Buffalo in the Divi- sional Round of the playoffs. He did not see ac- tion against the Bills or in Cincinnati's 23-20 loss to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game. In January, Bowers signed a reserve/future contract with the Bengals. Cam Brown (2016-19), LB, New York Giants: Brown was listed as New York's third-team right inside linebacker, playing in six games and finish- ing with 6 tackles in his third NFL season. He did not appear in the Giants' two postseason games. Dan Chisena (2015, 2018-19), WR, Minnesota Vikings: Chisena saw action in two games and finished the season without a catch. He didn't appear in Minnesota's playoff loss to New York. In January, Chisena signed a reserve/future contract with Pittsburgh. Mike Gesicki (2014-17), TE, Miami Dolphins: Gesicki had 2 catches for 15 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown reception just before halftime, in Miami's 34-31 loss to Buffalo in the Wild Card Round. He was targeted on the Dolphins' last of- fensive play of the game, but the incompletion on fourth-and-5 ended the Dolphins' upset hopes and may also have brought an end to Gesicki's tenure in Miami. He'll be a free agent this offseason and is ex- pected to move on after finishing with 32 catches for 362 yards and 5 touchdowns in an offense that did not play to his strengths as a pass catcher. Kevin Givens (2016-18), DT, San Francisco 49ers: Givens saw action in all three of the 49ers' playoff games, finishing the postseason with 4 tackles. Although bothered by a knee injury late in the regular season, he had 20 tackles in 10 games, including 2 sacks. Chris Godwin (2014-16), WR, Tampa Bay Buc- caneers: Godwin was the leading receiver in Tom Brady's final NFL game, catching 10 passes for 85 yards in Tampa Bay's 31-14 loss to Dallas in the Wild Card Round. The sixth-year pro bounced back nicely from a season-ending knee injury the year before, finish- ing the 2022 regular season with 104 catches for 1,023 yards. Robbie Gould (2001-04), K, San Francisco 49ers: In three playoff games, Gould converted all 8 of his field goal attempts, including a 4-for-4 showing in a 19-12 win over Dallas in the Divi- sional Round. Gould, 40, just completed his 18th NFL season. He ranks eighth in league history with 447 field goals and 10th with 1,961 points scored. He's a free agent this offseason and told reporters re- cently that he's "nowhere near retiring." Austin Johnson (2012-15), DT, Los Angeles Chargers: Johnson was placed on injured reserve after his left knee was fractured in a 20-17 win over Atlanta on Nov. 6. He missed the Chargers' final 10 games, including their 31-30 loss to Jack- sonville in the Wild Card Round. DaQuan Jones (2010-13), DL, Buffalo Bills: Jones had 1 tackle against Miami in the Wild Card Round, but a calf injury kept him out of Buffalo's loss to Cincinnati the following week. He started 16 regular-season games for the Bills. Connor McGovern (2016-18), OL, Dallas Cow- boys: McGovern started at left guard during the regular season and playoffs, and he was also used as a fullback in jumbo sets. He'll be an unre- stricted free agent this offseason. With the Cow- boys being $7 million over the salary cap heading into the offseason, McGovern may be moving on. Carl Nassib (2011-15), DE, Tampa Bay Bucca- neers: Nassib had 2 tackles in Tampa Bay's loss to Dallas in the Wild Card Round. He finished the regular season with 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Odafe Oweh (2018-20), DE, Baltimore Ravens: Oweh had a sack in Baltimore's 24-17 loss to Cin- cinnati in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. He received the defense's third-highest grade (89.4) from PFF, his best showing of the season. Micah Parsons (2018-19), LB, Dallas Cowboys: Parsons finished second behind San Francisco de- fensive end Nick Bosa in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. During the regular season, he ranked seventh in the league with 13.5 sacks and 17th with 13 tackles for loss. He also had 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. Parsons totaled 7 tackles in Dallas's two playoff games. Included in that total was a sack against Tampa Bay that assured Parsons of a spot in league history. When he dropped Tom Brady for an 8-yard loss on the Buccaneers' final possession of the game, he became the last player ever to sack the future Hall of Famer. Donovan Smith (2011-14), OT, Tampa Bay Buc- caneers: Bothered by an elbow injury, Smith saw his PFF blocking grade slip from 83.3 in 2021 to 58.1 this past season. He was the Buccaneers' starting left tackle throughout the season and in their playoff loss to Dallas, but with the team $55 million over the salary cap heading into the offseason, his future in Tampa Bay appears cloudy. Jordan Stout (2022), P, Baltimore Ravens: In Baltimore's matchup against Cincinnati in the Wild Card Round, Stout averaged 47.3 yards and had 2 of his 3 punts downed inside the Ben- gals' 20-yard line. During the regular season, the rookie averaged 45.9 yards on 57 punts. ■