Who will win 2025 NFL Offensive Player of Year?
The FFHH crew predicts who will win the 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, declaring that Christian McCaffrey has a great shot if he stays healthy, especially since the 49ers traded Jordan Mason to the Vikings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
19 minutes ago
- USA Today
Josh Metellus offers praise to J.J. McCarthy with a unique player comp
Josh Metellus offers praise to J.J. McCarthy with a unique player comp Media members and players have praised J.J. McCarthy's arm since the Minnesota Vikings hit the practice field last month. Count Josh Metellus as the latest to offer his thoughts on McCarthy. On Tuesday, the do-it-all safety/linebacker/cornerback/social-media phenom for the Vikings told reporters that McCarthy has an arm as good as any quarterback he's seen, including an infamous backup Vikings quarterback. "He has one of the best zips I've seen since being in the league, and I've been around some guys who could sling it," Metellus said, according to Sports Illustrated's Will Ragatz. "Shoutout to Sean Mannion, he was slinging it. He had a great arm. But yeah, (J.J.) throws the ball as good as I've been around. He can put the ball where he wants to." Metellus meant for the entire quote to be positive. Yet the comparison to Mannion, who threw for 315 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in two starts with the Vikings, didn't come across as the most ringing endorsement to fans. Mannion's last start with the team came in the penultimate game of the 2021 season. The Vikings, 7-8, were heading to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers, needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Unfortunately, Kirk Cousins had to miss the game after testing positive for COVID-19. The Vikings were embarrassed 37-10, with Mannion completing 22/36 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown. He was briefly benched for rookie Kellen Mond, who completed 2/3 passes for five yards, before the Vikings re-inserted Mannion into the lineup. It led to one of the coldest Mike Zimmer quotes of his entire tenure. Whether fans believe Mannion had a great arm or not, it's encouraging to continue hearing about McCarthy's arm strength. Everyone knows he has good intangibles. If he can harness his arm and use it with accuracy, McCarthy could have a breakout season as the Vikings' starting quarterback.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
49ers believe Bryce Huff, ‘speed demon' with an undrafted motor, can be next Dee Ford
Prior to Bryce Huff's 10-sack breakthrough with the New York Jets in 2023, he played well into fourth quarters during the preseason. In 2022, the Jets added multiple free agents and rookies at his position. And ahead of the 2021 season, Huff added 20-plus pounds of muscle just to secure his roster spot as a defensive end after entering the league in 2020 as a linebacker. Robert Saleh, his head coach and defensive coordinator in New York, never saw Huff discouraged. He gladly played every preseason snap he could get in Year 4 as if he were still an undrafted rookie: 'If (Saleh) thinks I need to get these reps, I'm going to go out there and get these reps. I just keep it pushing.' Often overlooked, Huff never let his ego stop him from earning his keep, which turned into the largest contract signed by an undrafted non-quarterback in NFL history. The Eagles made him a $51 million man and also tried to turn the pass-rushing specialist into a stand-up linebacker, before opting to trade him one year into his three-year deal. The San Francisco 49ers — with Saleh back in place as defensive coordinator — were eager to pick up the pieces. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Huff has the fastest get-off of any defensive end they've had since Dee Ford. 'The player didn't change,' Shanahan said of Huff's rough stint in Philadelphia, in which he collected 2.5 sacks. 'He just didn't fit as well in their scheme. … Their outside guys drop into coverage, being in a 3-4 base, and that's something we really never do.' Huff played only 12 games and started six in his lone season with the Eagles, who won him a Super Bowl ring without his help. He fully expected to be traded this offseason, and now he's back with the coach who recognized his potential. Years before Huff joined the double-digit sacks club, Saleh told him upon taking over as Jets head coach in 2021 that he would only make the team as an edge rusher. Huff originally joined the organization as an outside linebacker, the position he played for 14 games in the final year of the Adam Gase era. But he didn't hesitate to adapt. And he really couldn't afford not to, as an unproven second-year player. In one offseason, Saleh saw Huff add more than 20 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame. Then they turned on tape of Ford, whose six sacks complemented Nick Bosa during his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign. The 49ers made the Super Bowl that year. 'We did watch a lot of Dee Ford film in my earlier years in (Saleh's) scheme,' Huff said. 'He's definitely a guy I've watched a long time. … We have the same type of stride and that's just something that (Saleh) showed me so I could work on my timing with some of my moves.' Having watched Huff the last couple of weeks in practices, All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williams called him 'a speed demon off the edge' capable of being the bookend to Bosa that has eluded the 49ers since injuries escorted Ford into retirement. 'That guy that is going to require a running back or a chip opposite of Nick,' Williams said of the attention Huff will draw. 'He adds that Dee Ford effect they had in '19 that took them to the Super Bowl. One of the reasons we had a really, really good defense for those couple years is having that guy who can actually make that quarterback step up by getting a good jump off the ball and being able to bend the edge.' Only so much can be gleaned from practices without pads. Huff, a full participant at the 49ers' mandatory minicamp this week, still ended every snap by sprinting to the ball. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek expects as much of all players in his room. It's nothing new for Huff, who has long known that stopping short of the whistle could be the difference between a sack or a completion, an open-field tackle or a touchdown. Saleh described him as a 'second-effort pass rusher.' All 32 NFL teams selected 255 players instead of Huff in the 2020 draft. His second effort got him through the door as a 'self-made man,' in Kocurek's words. Huff didn't have much to say about his Eagles setback, apart from his excitement to 'get after the quarterback' all the same. 'He just kept going and going and going, and really just kicked the door down and made it,' Saleh said.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Maddie Misch stares down pressure for St. Laurence. ‘Gives me some adrenaline.' Plus, area state softball notes.
Time after time, Montini had a runner in scoring position with two outs against St. Laurence pitcher Maddie Misch. And then, moments later, a zero went up on the scoreboard. It happened in each of the final four innings as the Vikings crept closer and closer to making softball history. Finally, they won to advance to state in Class 3A for the first time ever. When the going got tough, Misch got going Monday for St. Laurence in a 6-2 victory in the Class 3A Benedictine Supersectional. The junior right-hander dodged disaster like a pro. 'I actually feel like the pressure sometimes gives me some adrenaline,' Misch said. 'I feel I've always kind of performed well under pressure. It never really has gotten to me. 'I have trust in my defense. I know that I don't have to worry about those situations because I know my defense has my back. I have confidence we can get out of any situation we get into.' Misch has been — if not an unhittable force — certainly a clutch performer for St. Laurence (23-7), which will play Providence (25-11) at 10 a.m. Friday in a state semifinal game at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria. During the regular season, Misch and fellow junior right-hander Breanna Cahue were a one-two pitching punch. St. Laurence coach Teagan Walsh could very well use both against Providence. But Misch has come up big in her playoff performances. 'With Maddie, just the growth we've seen from sophomore to junior season is tremendous,' Walsh said. 'She holds herself accountable, she holds her teammates accountable, and she's a great voice even when she's not in the lineup.' When Providence plays at state for the first time since 2018, junior second baseman Bella Olszta will be doing some catching up to her older brother. Last season, Eddie Olszta was a starting infielder in baseball for the Celtics, who won the Class 4A state championship. Little sister wasn't jealous. Far from it. 'I think of my older brother as someone I look up to,' Bella said. 'I do compete with him a little bit, but I more look up to him. When he went to state, I said, 'I really want to do this. It seems super cool.'' She will get her chance in Friday's semifinal against St. Laurence. Olszta has been one of the standouts this season for Providence. She's a .333 hitter with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and 12 RBIs. During her three years on varsity, Olszta has been one of the Celtics' most versatile players, Although she was a natural middle infielder, Providence coach Jim Holba played her at third base and first base during her freshman and sophomore years. 'We had a need at those positions the past two seasons,' Holba said. 'We had an older girl (Sophia Thormeyer) playing at second base. Bella is a good athlete, so we put her in the fire pretty quick. She was willing to step in and get it done. 'Bella has progressed every year, putting extra points on her average. And she has been a quiet leader for us.' Junior first baseman Alexis Vander Tuuk thinks that Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec is a pretty cool aunt. But playing for her is even cooler. 'She is definitely one of the stricter coaches I've had,' VanderTuuk said. 'But I like how she's able to joke with us still. We have a lot of serious moments at practice, but we're also allowed to have fun while working hard. 'For me, personally, playing for my aunt is very similar to playing for my mom (Ali), who coached me on my travel team. They are very similar people with very similar coaching tactics. It's a crazy experience, but I'm blessed to get to play for her every day because she is an amazing coach.' VanderTuuk will be in the starting lineup at 3 p.m. Friday when Lockport (31-9) plays Barrington (34-3-1) in a Class 4A state semifinal. After two seasons on the junior varsity, VanderTuuk has emerged as a solid player this spring for the Porters. She's batting .301 with 12 doubles and 13 RBIs. Aunt Marissa is pretty proud. 'Alexis is a ballplayer, and it's fun for our family,' Chovanec said. 'She has done a great job at first base for us with her glove and her flexibility and she's consistent hitting in the 5-7 hole. 'It's exciting that she has stepped up. She earned her spot.'
