Irish In The NFL: Golden Tate Starts Brawl, McGlinchey Struggles, More
The Las Vegas Raiders signed running back Theo Riddick off their practice squad over the weekend, which gave Notre Dame 35 NFL players on an active roster at some point this season. Unfortunately, Riddick’s elevation came shortly after the Raiders cut DeShone Kizer from their practice squad, and now Notre Dame is left without a single quarterback on an NFL franchise.
But with so many players competing in the National Football League this season, there are bound to be at least a few significant storylines involving former Fighting Irish players.
Below is an update containing some of the most recent Notre Dame-centric news items from the NFL:
Golden Tate Starts Brawl With Jalen Ramsey
Let’s get this storyline out of the way. For those unfamiliar with the situation, Jalen Ramsey is an All-Pro cornerback with the Los Angeles Rams and also once dated New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate’s sister. The former couple has two children together.
According to a report from TMZ, for the last year Tate has publicly expressed displeasure with Ramsey and the way he has treated his sister.
“I’m not happy at all with the disrespect that he’s shown towards my sister,” Tate told The New York Post in 2019, “and the things he’s done in the past, but I don’t really want to go too much into it.”
This frustration boiled over on Sunday when the Tate’s Giants faced Ramsey's Rams.
Of course, the two spent much of the game lined up across from each other and after the game, an all-out brawl erupted when Tate and Ramsey threw punches at one another near the 50-yard line.
Apparently, the altercation didn’t stop there. Ramsey waited outside the Giants’ locker room to presumably continue the fight, per ESPN.
Fortunately, the brawl did not resume, and now it’s up to the NFL to levy punishments against both players.
We’ll see how this plays out going forward.
Mike McGlinchey Struggles In Pass Protection
We’ve all witnessed the majestic running style of 6-7 offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey as he sprints upfield to pulverize defenders and clear a path for a trailing running back or wide receiver.
The former top-10 pick has always been a strong run blocker, but lately his issues in pass protection have become apparent while he has struggled early in the season.
McGlinchey showed signs of progress in week three when he didn’t allow a single pressure against the Giants, but unfortunately his pass-blocking deficiencies flared up again in week four. He was beaten up by Philadelphia Eagles edge rushers Brandon Graham and Genard Avery, who combined for one sack and six quarterback hits.
But did McGlinchey struggle this much during training camp? His head coach doesn’t seem to think so.
“Mike had as good of a camp as he’s had here in his third year, so I was really excited about Mike going into the season,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game. “I don’t think he was as bad as advertised. I think when he has had some bad plays, it has looked bad and those stick out all the time with an O-lineman. And he’s had too many of those in a game.”
Going forward, Shanahan still sees McGlinchey as a potential top-tier offensive lineman, even if he’s dealing with a momentary setback.
"Mike’s played at a high level here for two years, and I think there’s a lot of parts of Mike’s game that he’s a lot better at this year than he has been in the past," Shanahan said. "But you get toward the end of the game in two-minute situations, and he had some bad-looking plays which stick out, that’s part of being an O-lineman.
"But by no means do I think he’s had a step back. We’ve just got to clean up some stuff. He’s got to be a little more efficient throughout the game because he has gotten better, but it doesn’t matter if you have a few bad ones.”
J.J. Jansen Becomes A Super Hero
The most-tenured former Notre Dame player currently in the NFL is Carolina Panthers long snapper J.J. Jansen, who will soon have played in more games for the franchise than all but one player.
Yet, given the responsibilities of his position, Jansen generally goes unnoticed, which is a good thing. If a fan base knows their long snapper by name, it's usually because too many snaps are going over the punter’s head.
But in week three against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jansen made a play that earned him some positive press. On a punt near the 50-yard line, he sprinted upfield and caught a bouncing football just before it entered the end zone and tossed it back to a teammate.
This resulted in the next drive for the Chargers beginning at their own 1-yard line.
The earned him lots of fanfare, and the Panthers’ social media account even released a graphic of the Jansen donning a superhero cape:
Former Notre Dame Football Players In The NFL: Week Four Recap
• Josh Adams (Played at Notre Dame from 2015-17), RB, New York Jets: Was back on the practice squad for the Jets and did not play in their 37-28 loss to the Denver Broncos … Has three carries for eight yards and a touchdown in two games played this season.
• Alex Bars (2014-18), OL, Chicago Bears: Played special teams in the Bears’ 19-11 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
• Asmar Bilal (2015-19), LB, Los Angeles Chargers: Did not play in the Chargers’ 38-31 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a calf injury … Was placed on injured reserve after week two.
• Miles Boykin (2015-18), WR, Baltimore Ravens: Had two catches, including one on a fake punt, on four targets for 28 yards in a 31-17 win over the Washington Football Team … Has 10 catches for 111 yards on the season.
• Chase Claypool (2016-19), WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers’ game versus Tennessee was postponed after several Titans players tested positive for COVID-19 … On the season, he has six catches for 151 yards, a touchdown, eight rushing yards and four special teams tackles.
• Sheldon Day (2012-15), DL, Indianapolis Colts: Did not play in the Colts’ win over the Bears … Came off of injured reserve last week and practiced, so he could be in the rotation going forward.
• Tyler Eifert (2009-12), TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: Hauled in two catches for 22 yards on six targets in a 33-25 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals … On the season, he has eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
• Matthias Farley (2011-15), DB, New York Jets: Played on special teams in the Jets’ loss to the Broncos … Has recorded three tackles through four games.
• Will Fuller V (2013-15), WR, Houston Texans: Snagged six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ 31-23 loss to the Minnesota Vikings … Has 18 catches for 274 yards and two touchdowns this season.
• Alohi Gilman (2017-19), S, Los Angeles Chargers: Played special teams and recorded one tackle in Los Angeles’ loss to Tampa Bay … This was the first tackle of his NFL career.
• J.J. Jansen (2004-07), LS, Charlotte Panthers: Played special teams in the Panthers’ 31-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
• Khalid Kareem (2016-19), DE, Cincinnati Bengals: Played defense and special teams in the Bengals’ win over the Jaguars … On the season, he has four tackles.
• Cole Kmet (2017-19), TE, Chicago Bears: Was targeted once in the Bears’ loss to the Colts ... On the season, he has one catch for 12 yards.
• Julian Love (2015-18), DB, New York Giants: Played defense and special teams in the Giants’ 17-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams … On the season, he has 18 tackles (one for loss), one pass deflection and a pick.
• Nick Martin (2011-15), OL, Houston Texans: Played every offensive snap at center in a loss to the Vikings.
• Zack Martin (2009-13), OL, Dallas Cowboys: Dominated in the Cowboys’ 49-38 loss to the Cleveland Browns and did not allow a quarterback pressure all game.
• Mike McGlinchey (2013-17), OL, San Francisco 49ers: Continued to start at right tackle in the 49ers’ 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Quenton Nelson (2014-17), OL, Indianapolis Colts: Started at left guard in the Colts’ win over the Bears.
• Julian Okwara (2016-19), DE, Detroit Lions: After being inactive in week two, he played defense and special teams in the Lions’ 35-29 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
• Romeo Okwara (2012-15), DE, Detroit Lions: Started for the first time this season and finished with three tackles, a sack and three quarterback hits in the Lions’ loss to the New Orleans Saints … On the season, he has 10 tackles (three for loss), two sacks and four quarterback hits.
• Troy Pride Jr. (2016-19), CB, Carolina Panthers: Recorded two tackles (one for loss) in the Panthers’ win over the Cardinals … On the season, has 13 tackles (one for loss).
• CJ Prosise (2012-15), RB, Houston Texans: Played special teams in the Texans’ loss to the Vikings … Has one carry for one yard on the season.
• Theo Riddick (2009-12), RB, Los Vegas Raiders: After he was called up from the Raiders’ practice squad, he had two carries for 13 yards in a 30-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
• Isaac Rochell (2013-16), DE, Los Angeles Chargers: Played defense and special teams in the Chargers’ loss to the Buccaneers … Has four tackles on the season.
• Kyle Rudolph (2008-10), TE, Minnesota Vikings: Grabbed two receptions for 19 yards in the Vikings’ win against the Texans … On the season, he has six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
• Harrison Smith (2007-11), S, Minnesota Vikings: Recorded three tackles in the win over the Texans … Only played a portion of the game because he was ejected on a questionable helmet-to-helmet call … On the season, he has 21 tackles (two for loss), two pass deflections and a pick.
• Jaylon Smith (2013-15), LB, Dallas Cowboys: Recorded seven tackles in the Cowboys’ loss to the Browns … On the season, he has 39 tackles (fourth in the NFL), 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass deflections.
• Durham Smythe (2013-17), TE, Miami Dolphins: Started and caught two passes for 30 yards in the Dolphins’ 31-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks … On the season, he has three receptions for 37 yards.
• Equanimeous St. Brown (2015-17), WR, Green Bay Packers: Was inactive for the Packers’ 30-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.
• Ronnie Stanley (2012-15), OL, Baltimore Ravens: Inactive in the Ravens’ win over Washington due to a shoulder injury, but should be back next weekend.
• Golden Tate (2007-09), WR, New York Giants: Was targeted six times and had four catches for 20 yards in the Giants’ loss to the Rams … On the season, he has 14 catches for 103 yards.
• Jerry Tillery (2015-18), DL, Los Angeles Chargers: Recorded three tackles (1.5 for loss) and one quarterback hit in the Chargers’ defeat at the hands of the Buccaneers … On the season, he has seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and five quarterback hits.
• Drue Tranquill (2014-18), LB, Los Angeles Chargers: Broke his ankle in week one and is out indefinitely … Has one tackle this season.
• Stephon Tuitt (2011-13), DL, Pittsburgh Steelers: The game versus Tennessee was postponed after several Titans players tested positive for COVID-19 … On the season, he has six tackles (one for loss), two sacks and eight quarterback hits.
• Sam Young (2006-10), OT, Las Vegas Raiders: After being inactive with a groin injury in week two and three, he started in the Raiders’ loss to the Buffalo Bills … Has played in two games this season.
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