SafetyThe Rookie : Season 2 Episode 7
On this week's episode of ABC's The Rookie, "Safety," the rookies face a hard reality. Despite all of the physical and emotional safety precautions the officers take each day, they are never fully protected. The vests, weapons, gloves, and professional distance may keep the rookies alive. But knives, drugged out homeless men, jewelry thieves, and break-ups still happen. And they hurt. "Safety" started with benign community policing projects, but ended with two rookies facing life changing decisions. Finally, the rookies are starting to grow.
SafetyThe Rookie : Season 2 Episode 7
After several episodes that prioritized drama for the sake of drama, "Safety" is refreshing. There is an aspect of drama to the episode, but there is also humor, character development, and overall plot movement. Nolan and Russo's relationship is finally dead, after lingering on life support for far too long. Chen is finally learning that a woman with a neck tattoo should not be afraid of a guy like Bradford. Harper has finally realized that she does, in fact, have something useful to share with the rookies. While "Safety" was an improvement on The Rookie's second season so far, the show season still lacks a larger plot arc, something to keep the viewers engaged over the course of the season. Well, maybe next week.
Had it not been for injury, James might be the best safety in the league, and football fans everywhere have their fingers crossed that the injury bug is finally behind him so we can see the kind of special player he can be. The Florida State product posted an overall PFF grade of 87.8 as a rookie, but he has played just 299 total snaps in the two seasons since.
A seventh-round rookie, Kamren Curl was one of the steals of the draft a year ago, one of the standout rookies of the season. What was even more impressive was the development he showed over the season, with his overall PFF grade jumping from 53.1 to 74.4 from the first half of his season to the second. Curl could be primed for a big sophomore campaign.
New Amsterdam is an American medical drama television series, based on the book Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer, that premiered on September 25, 2018 on NBC and concluded on January 17, 2023, with 89 episodes over five seasons. The series was created by David Schulner and stars Ryan Eggold, Freema Agyeman, Janet Montgomery, Jocko Sims, Anupam Kher, Tyler Labine and Sandra Mae Frank.
On January 12, 2018, it was reported that NBC had given the production an official pilot order. It was further reported that Horton was expected to direct the pilot episode.[95] On May 4, 2018, it was announced that NBC had given the production a series order. It was also reported that Pico Creek Productions and Mount Moriah Productions would serve as additional production companies.[96][97][98] On October 10, 2018, it was announced that NBC had ordered an additional nine episodes of the series, bringing the first season total up to twenty-two episodes.[99] On February 4, 2019, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual winter press tour that the series had been renewed for a second season.[100] In January 2020, NBC renewed New Amsterdam for a third, fourth, and fifth season.[101] On March 14, 2022, it was announced that the series would end after its fifth season, which consisted of 13 episodes.[102]
The second season's eighteenth episode, "Our Doors Are Always Open" (originally titled "Pandemic"), that was scheduled to air on April 7, 2020,[118][119] was shelved by NBC, as its subject matter (dealing with a flu pandemic in New York City) was considered sensitive due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York state. Schulner felt that "the world needs a lot less fiction right now, and a lot more facts". The final episode completed before the suspension of production would be designated as the season finale, and aired on April 14.[119] The third season premiered on March 2, 2021.[120] The fourth season premiered on September 21, 2021.[121] The fifth and final season premiered on September 20, 2022.[122] The series finale aired on January 17, 2023.[123]
Smith would have what would be considered the best season of his career in 2017. In Week 3, Smith recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Jameis Winston in a 34-17 win over the Buccaneers.[36] Two weeks later, in a Monday Night game against the Bears, Smith intercepted rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky to seal a 20-17 win.[37] Against the Packers the following week, Smith sacked Brett Hundley 1.5 times and intercepted a pass thrown by Hundley in a 23-10 win.[38] In a rematch with the Packers in Week 16, Smith recorded two more interceptions against Hundley in a 16-0 win, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[39]
The second-year safety out of USC has burst onto the scene as one of the early breakout stars of the 2022 campaign. Hufanga showed enough in his rookie season for the 49ers to feel comfortable letting Jaquiski Tartt walk in free agency, and the youngster has seamlessly slotted into the starting lineup. With a blend of speed, football IQ and relentless physicality, the 2021 fifth-rounder is yet another diamond in the rough San Francisco uncovered in the late rounds of the draft. No one doubted Hufanga's abilities as a heat-seeking missile coming into the draft. He has lived up to that reputation in the NFL, posting twice as many run stuffs (six) as any other DB this season. But it's his development in coverage that has rocketed him into the top three of this list. Hufanga has allowed just one reception for 9 yards on six targets this season, with an interception and three passes defensed, including this assist to teammate Tashaun Gipson.
How are the Bears 2-1 despite only having completed 23 passes through three games (19 fewer than the next-closest team)? It's all about the defense, and the addition of Brisker -- a 2022 Next Gen Stats Draft Score "sleeper" -- has been a major component of that. Brisker appeared on our rundown of the top-10 rookie debuts due to his pass-coverage prowess, and that trend has not slowed down by any means since then. Only 30.0 percent of targets with Brisker as the nearest defender have been completed this season, the lowest rate among any player at any position with 10-plus targets. And even when the ball does get completed, Brisker's sure tackling helps limit the big plays, as his 1.9 yards/target allowed as the nearest defender is tied for first (with Chargers CB Bryce Callahan) among all players with 10-plus targets. Brisker has played all over the field (51.3 percent of snaps aligned as deep safety, 13.8 percent as slot CB, 15.3 percent as off-ball LB), and he has been the definition of "instant impact" for one of the league's most surprising teams thus far.
The Chargers responded with 12-play, 75-yard drive that included another broken record for rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. He went 6-of-6 for 53 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Donald Parham Jr., which tied the game at 7-7 after a Michael Badgley extra point. The touchdown pass was also Herbert's 380th completion of the season, a new rookie record that was previously held by the Eagles' Carson Wentz.
On the ninth episode of ALL IN Season 2, go all-access on how the Chargers clinched their first playoff spot since 2018. Take a deep dive into the defensive resurgence that powered this postseason push, including how the Bolts stymied two of the most explosive offenses in the league.
On the sixth episode of ALL IN Season 2, go all-access on the LA Chargers' gritty 2022 season as they power through a slew of injuries to a 5-3 record and the mentality Head Coach Brandon Staley has instilled in his team.
Antoine Winfield Jr. wasted no time making a name for himself as one of the best young safeties in the league. He helped the Bucs to a Super Bowl title his rookie year and followed that up with a coverage grade by PFF that ranked fifth among eligible safeties. The 23-year-old has tremendous vision in coverage and allowed a passer rating of just 63.9 last season. He also wasn't responsible for a single touchdown allowed by the Bucs last season. Unlike some other safeties on this list, Winfield primarily lurks as a free safety and doesn't migrate too often into the slot or line up in the box. Still, there's no denying that he's one of the premier pass defenders at his position. What's even crazier is that he's just about to enter his third season in the NFL.
When healthy, Derwin James is as good as they come at the safety spot. After being limited to just five games from 2019 to 2020, the 25-year-old played 15 games for the Chargers in 2021 and lit it up. Similar to what we saw from him during his rookie season in 2018, James earned first-team All-Pro honors and was an anchor for Los Angeles' defense. He has shown the ability to work all over the field and cover all positions (running backs, tight ends, and receivers) to an elite degree. He's spread around pretty evenly in the box (361 snaps), slot (224), and as a traditional free safety (326). No matter where L.A. decided to line him up, James was dominant. He allowed a 71.9 passer rating overall but was even better when covering the slot, allowing a 68.4 passer rating (fifth-best among eligible safeties). Whatever Brandon Staley needs to be done in the secondary, James not only can do it but arguably do it better than anyone in the league. The biggest thing preventing him from being the consensus best safety in the NFL is health.
2. Justin Jefferson is a complete stud at wide receiver. After posting 1,400 receiving yards as a rookie, and following that up with 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, Jefferson kicked off his third season by catching nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers Sunday. The Lions will see him and the Vikings in a couple weeks in Minnesota for a Week 3 matchup. 041b061a72