Page 16 - aruba-today-20241002

A16 SPORTS
Wednesday 2 OctOber 2024

Henry, Flacco are NFL graybeards who have found new life with

new teams as have Darnold and Barkley

By ARNIE STAPLETON September Surprise after
AP Pro Football Writer leading Minnesota to a 31-
Some NFL veterans are 29 win at Lambeau Field on
making the most of sec- Sunday.
ond chances. Or even their Darnold spent a year under
fourth or fifth. the tutelage of Kyle Shana-
Derrick Henry looks just as han in San Francisco be-
good at 30 years old in a fore signing a one-year, $10
Baltimore Ravens uniform million deal with Minneso-
as he did as a twentysome- ta. He’s completing 68.9%
thing franchise player in of his throws, a significant
Tennessee and Saquon jump from his career aver-
Barkley is tearing it up in age of right around 60%.
Philadelphia with a visit Of course, not all of the
coming up in October to league’s graybeards are
the Meadowlands to face looking so green.
his former teammates with Aaron Rodgers looked ev-
the New York Giants. ery bit of his 40 years in a
For Sam Darnold, his fourth 10-9 loss to Denver on a
stop on an NFL journey that sloppy, soggy afternoon at
began as a baby-faced the Meadowlands where
20-year-old is proving the he was held without a
charm and ageless Joe Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, right, runs with the ball as Buffalo Bills linebacker touchdown pass.
Flacco is still slinging it now Dorian Williams tries to stop him during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, “The weather sucked,”
with his fifth team. 2024, in Baltimore. Rodgers said. “But so did
It’s not like Henry was Associated Press some of my throws.”
washed up when he bid a Baltimore, half of what he downs against a Steelers his arm ever wear out? He’s That might serve as an
fond farewell to the Titans had in his final season in team he’s beaten 11 times throwing lasers all around.” apt description of the play
and their fans followng his Nashville. as a starter. Looking young again. around him, too.
final game at Nissan Stadi- Not bad for a guy four Flacco went 16 of 26 for Like Henry in Baltimore, Dar- The Jets were whistled for
um in a Tennessee uniform months shy of his 31st birth- 168 yards and two touch- nold in Minneapolis and 15 penalties, including five
eight months ago, but he’s day, 18 yards short of 10,000 downs double what Bron- Barkley in Philly. false starts. which brought
making north of 30 look just for his career and just five cos rookie Bo Nix has in four Henry is averaging 6 yards into question whether Rod-
as good as he did in his 20s. trips to the end zone from full games so far. per carry with the Ravens, gers’ cadence something
Henry took the Ravens’ first an even 100. When CBS sideline re- well ahead of his already the quarterback has used
offensive snap 87 yards to The fountain of youth, which porter Aditi Kinkhabwala impressive 4.7-yard career to his advantage his entire
the end zone for the lon- seems to have soaked Dar- asked him afterward if he average. career to confuse defenses
gest touchdown run in fran- nold in Minnesota and fel- ever ages, Flacco replied, Barkley, selected second is an issue for his own of-
chise history Sunday night, low 27-year-old Barkley in “When you’re out here in overall in 2018 between fense.
the bellwether burst in a Philadelphia, also splashed this environment, no. You Baker Mayfield, who found After the game, coach
199-yard performance that Flacco, four months shy of feel like you’re 12 years a home in Tampa Bay last Robert Saleh questioned
propelled the Ravens to 40 and light years since his old.” year in his fourth NFL stop, “whether or not we’re
a 35-10 shellacking of the days as Baltimore’s fran- When Kinkhabwala told and Darnold, is averaging good enough or ready to
previously unbeaten Buffa- chise ironman. him, “Anthony Richard- just shy of 6 yards a run for handle all the cadence.”
lo Bills that served the NFL’s Flacco, that rare star- son told us that you were the Eagles. Rodgers called the five pre-
biggest statement in Week turned-backup, came off cooler than he thought,” That’s also well ahead of snap penalties “an outlier”
4. the bench in relief of an Flacco retorted: “Listen, his 4.4-yard average with and suggested that while
The 247-pound Henry injured Anthony Richard- he told me that his mom is the Giants, who let him get adjusting his cadence is
reached 21.29 mph on son to lead the Indianapo- eight days older than I am. away in free agency only “one way to do it,” he
the run according to NFL lis Colts past the previously So, there’s no chance in to join a division rival. Bar- added: “The other way is to
NextGen Stats. That ties the unblemished Pittsburgh the world that he thinks I’m kley’s four touchdown runs hold them accountable.”
fourth-fastest speed by a Steelers 27-24. cool.” put him on pace to top That echoes Rodgers’ criti-
ball carrier this season. On his fourth team since NBC analyst Chris Simms the career-best 11 times cism of his teammates in his
For good measure, Henry his split from the Ravens sure does. he scored during his rookie waning days in Green Bay,
caught his first touchdown after the 2018 season, the “How about Joltin’ Joe?” season with the Giants in when he often lamented
pass since 2019 and now league’s reigning Come- Simms cracked on “Football 2018. the inexperience of his
has half a dozen touch- back Player of the Year Night in America.” “Does Darnold has positioned the much younger supporting
downs in four games for threw for a pair of touch- this guy ever get old? Does Vikings (4-0) as the NFL’s cast.q