Author: nfltalk

While the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles lay claim as the NFL’s best team this past season, Shannon Sharpe does not believe that they would have beaten one of his former teams, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, who captured the franchise’s first title behind an historically dominant defense. 

Sharpe, in response to CBS Sports recent list ranking every Super Bowl champion since 2000, believes that the 2000 Ravens’ historically elite defense would have dominated the first 13 teams on said list. 

“I guarantee you, if they let us play by the rules that they played by, not one of those offenses score on that Raven defense,” Sharpe recently said on his podcast. “They won’t get more than 14 points.” 

Sharpe said that Baltimore’s defense would have success containing Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who this year became the third rushing champion to win the Super Bowl. Barkley rushed for just 57 yards in the Eagles’ Super Bowl in over the Chiefs, but he did catch six passes for 40 yards in that game that included a 22-yard catch that helped Philadelphia extend their lead to 27-0 late in the third quarter. 

“He’d have 37 against (the Ravens’) defense,” Sharpe said. “You’re not running, because you’ve got Sam (Adams) and Goose (Tony Siragusa) and Ray (Lewis) running free. Ray’s hunting.” 

Sharpe later alluded to Baltimore’s hard-hitting, opportunistic secondary that included future Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson. Sharpe touched on the fact that the 2000 Ravens’ defense gave up just 165 points during the regular season, with 36 of those points being given up in the team’s Week 2 win over the Jaguars. Baltimore’s defense then allowed just 16 points in four playoff games that culminated in their 34-7 win over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. 

There’s no denying that the 2000 Ravens defense was a dominant and historic group that ranks among the best of all-time. That group would have surely made…

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The Cowboys have not started contract talks with edge rusher Micah Parsons about an extension, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Parsons could follow CeeDee Lamb and not show up until signing an extension. The Cowboys didn’t get the Pro Bowl wide receiver’s contract extension completed until Aug. 26, 2024, which was after training camp ended and only 13 days before the season opener.

Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie contract and scheduled to make $24.007 million in 2025 on his fifth-year option.

Talks could begin at the NFL Scouting Combine next week with the Cowboys’ front office and Parsons’ agent in Indianapolis.

The four-time Pro Bowler, who has 52.5 sacks in four seasons, is expected to receive one of the biggest non-quarterback contracts in league history.

San Francisco edge rusher Nick Bosa’s annual average of $34 million tops the position.

Parsons replied positively on social media to news the NFL salary cap will increase to between $277 million and $281.5 million.

He recently said there “definitely is a plan in place” for getting a deal done.

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FRISCO, Texas — Right guard Zack Martin, one of the pillars of the Dallas Cowboys, is retiring after 11 seasons, per NFL Media. He had his third surgery on his right ankle, which ended his 2024 season after Week 11.

Martin is a nine-time Pro Bowler, and his seven first-team All-Pro selections are tied for the most in NFL history among offensive guards with Hall of Famers Randall McDaniel and John Hannah. In fact, Martin as many career holding penalties (seven) as he did first-team All-Pro selections.

However, the 2010s All-Decade Team member showed his age across his final three seasons. Martin’s Pro Football Focus offensive grades always hung in the 80s and they reached as high as 94.2 in 2021 at the age of 31. But over the past three years, they dropped to 73.3 in 2022 and 70.5 in 2023 and now down to 65.6 this season. Martin also allowed his single season career-high in sacks in each of the last two…

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The Chargers signed defensive back Elijah Modlen to a contract extension Thursday, the team announced.

Molden’s three-year extension is worth $18.25 million, with $13.5 million guaranteed, per multiple reports.

The Chargers acquired him in a trade with the Titans in August, and he totaled a career-high 72 tackles, three interceptions, seven pass breakups and two fumble recoveries in 15 games. The Chargers led the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 17.7 per game.

The Titans made Molden a third-round pick in 2021, and he has started 28 of 48 career games. In his career, he has registered 209 tackles, 15 passes defensed, seven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, four recoveries and five interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns.

Molden’s father, Alex, played eight NFL seasons after being the 11th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, including two years (2001-02) with the Chargers. While with the Chargers, Alex Molden appeared in 22 games and recorded four interceptions, two sacks, 98 tackles, two forced fumbles and two recoveries.

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Tom Brady lost two Super Bowls to the Giants, a third to the Eagles and was defeated twice by the Broncos one game shy of the Super Bowl. While each of those teams had considerable success against him, Brady said that a different former opponent continues to cause him to lose sleep. 

The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback revealed which team that is while responding to Peyton Manning’s post about an upcoming gathering of members from the 2006 Colts, who defeated Brady’s Patriots in an AFC Championship game that went down as an instant classic. 

“That group still gives me nightmares!” Brady wrote. 

New England’s 38-34 loss to the Colts in the ’06 AFC title game may very well be the most painful non-Super Bowl loss of Brady’s career. The Patriots led 21-3 in the first half before the Colts mounted a furious comeback that was capped off by an interception from Brady with under 30 seconds remaining. 

The 2006 Colts featured the league’s second-ranked scoring offense, led by Manning, fellow Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and perennial Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne. On defense, the Colts were led by Hall of Fame pass rusher Dwight Freeney, All-Pro defensive end Robert Mathis and 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders. 

The Colts, who had lost to the Patriots in two of the previous three postseasons, would go on to defeat the Chicago Bears in that year’s Super Bowl. It’s safe to say that the Patriots would have also beaten the Bears if they had gotten past the Colts and Manning, who later led the Broncos to a pair of AFC title game wins over Brady’s Patriots. 

Ironically, the Patriots’ title game loss to the Colts set in motion what would ultimately be the most historic loss of Brady’s career. 

After the Patriots receivers came up short in big moments against the Colts, then-New England coach Bill Belichick went out that offseason and restocked his receiving corps…

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