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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2020)
B4 SPORTS East Oregonian Saturday, January 4, 2020 McCaffrey a double All-Pro pick FIRST TEAM By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer NEW YORK — Christian McCaffrey’s versatility and superb statistics helped him to a rare dou- ble: The Carolina Panthers running back has made The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team at two positions. McCaffrey rushed for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns while catching a phenomenal 116 passes for 1,005 yards and four TDs. He became the third player in NFL his- tory to fi nish with 1,000 yards rush- ing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season, joining Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig, who is on the senior ballot for the hall this year. That so impressed the 50 mem- bers of a nationwide media panel who regularly cover the NFL for McCaffrey to be voted the fi rst- team running back and the top fl ex player. The fl ex position was cre- ated in 2016 to reward players who epitomize the way offense is now played in pro football. Not one fi ts that description better than McCaf- frey, whose terrifi c season came for a 5-11 team. “It means a lot,’’ says McCaf- frey, a third-year pro. ”It is a big honor and that is something that you don’t work hard for it, but when it comes you are really grateful and appreciative.” McCaffrey’s achievement was complemented by the unanimous selections of New Orleans receiver Michael Thomas and New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore. It’s the second straight season both made the squad, Thomas doing it with an NFL-record 149 catches, Gilmore anchoring the league’s top-ranked defense. Ravens sensation Lamar Jack- son, who in his second season led Baltimore to a league-best 14-2 mark, was chosen as quarter- back. Jackson and McCaffrey were among 14 fi rst-time All-Pros. Rams safety Eric Weddle, who witnessed the jukes and jaunts of Jackson fi rsthand in a 45-6 Ravens romp. “When you get on the fi eld and you get to the speed of what they run, it’s tough,’’ says Weddle, a 2019 NFL ALL-PRO TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback — Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Running Back — Christian McCaff rey, Carolina Flex — Christian McCaff rey, Carolina Tight End — George Kittle, San Francisco Wide Receivers — Michael Thomas, New Orleans; DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Left Tackle — Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore Right Tackle — Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Right Guard — Zack Martin, Dallas Center — Jason Kelce, Philadelphia DEFENSE Edge Rushers — Chandler Jones, Arizona; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Interior Linemen — Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh Linebackers — Bobby Wagner, Seattle; Demario Davis, New Orleans; Eric Kendricks, Minnesota. Cornerbacks — Stephon Gilmore, New England; Tre’Davious White, Buff alo Safeties — Jamal Adams, New York Jets; Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Defensive Back — Marcus Peters, Balti- more; Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City; and Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore SPECIAL TEAMS Placekicker — Justin Tucker, Baltimore Punter — Brett Kern, Tennessee Kick Returner — Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago Punt Returner — Deonte Harris, New Orleans Special Teamer — Matthew Slater, New England AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaff rey runs during the second half of a Dec. 22, 2019, game against the India- napolis Colts in Indianapolis. The Carolina running back has made The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team at two positions. former All-Pro. ”I mean, some of the plays I didn’t know who had the ball because they run it so effi - ciently. (Jackson) is one of a kind; he’s pretty special.” This special class includes sev- eral multiple All-Pros: Rams DT Aaron Donald and Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner, each for a fi fth time; Cowboys right guard Zack Martin and Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for a fourth time. Bears kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson made his third All-Pro roster, as did Eagles center Jason Kelce and Texans receiver DeAn- dre Hopkins. All-Pros for the second time included Thomas, Gilmore, Cardi- nals edge rusher Chandler Jones, Steelers DT Cam Heyward, Patri- ots special teamer Matthew Slater, Colts left guard Quenton Nelson, and Ravens defensive back Marcus Peters, who shared that spot with the teammate Marlon Humphrey and the Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu (second appearance). Thomas, Gilmore, Nelson, Hop- kins, Kelce, Martin, Donald, Wag- ner and Tucker repeated from 2018. The other newcomers were Humphrey; 49ers tight end George Kittle; Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley; Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk; Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt; Saints linebacker Dema- rio Davis; Vikings LB Eric Kend- ricks; Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White; safeties Jamal Adams of the Jets and Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Steelers; Titans punter Brett Kern; and Saints punt returner Deonte Harris, the only rookie on the team. “When you got here and peo- ple start talking about All-Pro and that’s the best of the best, you’re like ‘Pro Bowl is cool, but I need to get the best of the best.,’’ says Wag- ner, who led the NFL in tackles this season. “As you get older you kind of understand how hard these things are to get. And so you don’t take any of them for granted and are very grateful for your health, grateful for your teammates. As you get older you refl ect and you appreciate things differently that you might not have had when you were young.” Ramczyk once played Division III college ball. Now look at him. “It’s just pretty crazy that I was at a little D-3 school and I’m like, ‘If I’m going to play this game, I’m going to play to be the best I pos- sibly can be,” he says, adding the All-Pro designation is “pretty awe- some. It’s pretty cool.” Not surprisingly, Baltimore led the All-Pro Team with fi ve selec- tions, while New Orleans had four, Baltimore and Pittsburgh each had three. There were 16 AFC players and 13 from the NFC. SECOND TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback — Russell Wilson, Seattle Running Back — Derrick Henry, Tennessee Flex — Derrick Henry, Tennessee Tight End — Travis Kelce, Kansas City Wide Receivers — Julio Jones, Atlanta; Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Left Tackle — David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Right Tackle — Mitchell Schwartz, Kan- sas City Left Guard — Joel Bitonio, Cleveland; Joe Thuney, New England Right Guard — Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Center — Rodney Hudson, Oakland DEFENSE Edge Rushers — Shaq Barrett, Tampa Bay; Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Interior Linemen — Grady Jarrett, Atlanta; DeForest Buckner, San Francisco Linebackers — Luke Kuechly, Carolina; Darius Leonard, Indianapolis; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Cornerbacks — Richard Sherman, San Francisco; Marcus Peters, Baltimore Safeties — Justin Simmons, Denver; Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City SPECIAL TEAMS Placekicker — Josh Lambo, Jacksonville Punter — Tress Way, Washington Kick Returner — Mecole Hardman, Kan- sas City Punt Returner — Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Special Teamer — Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago, and J.T. Gray, New Orleans ADVERTISERS: LOOKING TO REACH A KEY AUDIENCE SEGMENT ? Advertise Here! + ENJOY THESE BENEFITS Section remains in homes all week Streaming, puzzles and TV listings You OWN your fixed ad space all year Attractive rates Limited Time Offer SCREEN time Contact your Angela Treadwell, Sales Manager today to schedule an appointment! atreadwell@eastoregonian.com or call us today! 541-966-0827
