#special-teams

#special-teams

Hunter Luepke's role in Dallas was meant to be a fullback in the mold of John Kuhn, who played for McCarthy in Green Bay. Over McCarthy's last two years in Dallas, Luepke started in four of the 33 games he played in. He had 18 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, along with 15 receptions for 129 yards. Not exactly on par with Kuhn's numbers in his hey days with the Packers. But apparently he showed enough.

"Again, not the start we wanted. I give the guys a lot of credit. I'm not going to think too much into it. I thought the effort was there; it's just the execution wasn't. Just a great gutsy win by our guys. Wins like this can continue to propel our team to climb the standings and [help the players] understand what we need to do to become a successful team." - John Gruden

The Cowboys are the 19th best team by DVOA, which feels about right. With 14 teams making the playoffs, that means they're just on the outside of that threshold. It's worth noting that three of their four remaining opponents all rank below them in DVOA, as do two of the teams ahead of them in the conference standings. Let's highlight special teams real quick, because it's been bad.

Throughout the dynasty years under Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots were known for being a dominant force in all phases of the game, beyond what Tom Brady could do with any offensive roster he was given. That was particularly true of special teams, which Belichick emphasized during his tenure, prompting the rest of the league to follow suit. Near the end of his time in Foxboro, however,

What transformed into one of the most dangerous aspects of the Los Angeles Kings' offense after last season's trade deadline, and even propelled them to a two-game series lead over the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, has fallen completely off the rails. The five-forward power play unit was first introduced after the acquisition of Andrei Kuzmenko.

Olszewski was returning a kickoff late in the first half when he was first spun sideways by Marte Mapu, leaving him exposed to be hit by Elliss. There was no penalty because Olszewski was a ball carrier. Olszewski fumbled on the play and it was recovered by the Patriots. The hit was seemingly hard enough that it chipped the paint off his helmet decal.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost starting left tackle Walker Little and starting receiver/punt returner Parker Washington to injuries against the Tennessee Titans. Little was evaluated for a concussion late in the first half while Washington suffered a hip injury on an incomplete pass from Trevor Lawrence. Cole Van Lanen moved from right guard and replaced Little at left tackle while rookie Wyatt Milum replaced Van Lanen at right guard.

It would take Riley nearly three years - and plenty of ups and downs - to return to that same place, only this time to have the door slammed shut by No. 7 Oregon in a 42-27 loss that all but eliminated the Trojans' hopes of a first-ever playoff invite. USC will settle once again for a second-tier bowl game, while the Ducks are likely to be one of three Big Ten teams to host a playoff game.

After leading the team in receiving in that final exhibition, Flournoy secured one of the final spots on the 53-man roster, but he also knew that it could be short-lived. Mingo was set to return after four weeks, and Brooks and Jalen Cropper were hot on his tail off the practice squad. To keep his value on the roster high, he homed in on a craft that he began to specialize in late in his rookie season.

Here are the latest practice squad moves around the NFL: Atlanta Falcons Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Indianapolis Colts Las Vegas Raiders New England Patriots Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Reeves-Maybin, the current NFLPA president, spent most of his career with the Lions but was released this offseason. He worked out with the 49ers in October and now returns to the NFC North with the Bears.

We are not going to approach it too much (differently). The power play will look a little different for them. But we know they are going to come out, forecheck, put pucks in, and be physical. I don't think it is going to change their game much. We'll just be aware on the power play. They play hard. They're going to forecheck. It is going to be a tough game.

Hartford is struggling mainly due to their inability to start games off on the right foot or finish them out. The Wolf Pack have been outscored 11-8 in the first period, and 10-4 in the third period. They are only managing to outscore opponents 15-10 in the second period, with 8 of those 15 goals coming in their three wins so far this season.

Nick and AG are part of this fraternity [of] being a Jet. They came here and they brought wins. They were great players here and Nick was with us today. We had a kick return and a punt return [for touchdowns]. Kind of crazy. That's nobody but God and the man himself, Nick himself.