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Nate Burleson breaks down Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford trade. Who won the deal?
Former Lions WR and current NFL Network and CBS TV personality Nate Burleson joins Dave Birkett to discuss the Matthew Stafford trade, Jared Goff & more, Feb. 2, 2021.
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
You probably already knew about the quarterback matchup in Sunday’s Super Bowl 55, featuring a former Michigan backup (Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady) and a one-time Detroit Tigers draft pick (Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes III). But those aren’t the only players with local ties playing in the big game in Tampa. Here’s a look at the state’s best to root for on both teams during Super Bowl 55.
Kansas City Chiefs
RB Le’Veon Bell
Local connection: Michigan State.
The buzz: Signed with the Chiefs on Oct. 17, three days after being released by the Jets. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2013 second-round pick hasn’t been the same since he sat out the 2018 season in a contract dispute, though he did average 4.0 yards per carry on 82 touches in the regular season. In the playoffs, however, he had just two carries for six yards in last month’s win over Cleveland.
DE Frank Clark
Local connection: Michigan.
The buzz: A second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, he was traded to the Chiefs in January 2019 and signed a five-year, $105.5 million deal. Had six sacks this season and made his second straight Pro Bowl. In the playoffs, he had two sacks against Buffalo in the AFC title game.
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DE Mike Danna
Local connection: Warren De La Salle, Central Michigan and Michigan.
The buzz: The rookie fifth-round pick had 2½ tackles with six quarterback hits in 13 games this season. In two playoff games, he has three tackles.
OT Eric Fisher
Local connection: Stoney Creek High, Central Michigan.
The buzz: The No. 1 overall pick in 2013 made his second Pro Bowl this season. He won’t play Sunday, though, after suffering a torn Achilles in the AFC title game against Buffalo.
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QB Chad Henne
Local connection: Michigan.
The buzz: Mahomes’ backup, a 2008 second-round pick by the Miami Dolphins, is 35 and an 11-year veteran on his third NFL team. He started one game this season: The regular-season finale, in which he completed 23 of 32 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Henne saw some emergency work in the Chiefs’ playoff opener against the Browns, taking over in the third quarter when Mahomes suffered a concussion. He led a field-goal drive and finished 6-for-8 with one interception.
TE Nick Keizer
Local connection: Portage Northern High, Grand Valley State.
The buzz: Undrafted free agent signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. Spent 2019 on the Chiefs’ practice squad and made his NFL debut this season, catching six passes for 63 yards while mostly playing on special teams. No receptions for the ex-Laker in the playoffs, but he played 30 snaps in the AFC title game.
DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
Local connection: Born in Kalamazoo.
The buzz: The 6-7, 289-pounder, whose last name is pronounced TAWN-oh pass-N-yo, was a physical marvel as a second-round pick out of Villanova in 2017. But he only has seven sacks in 61 regular-season games with the Chiefs. In the AFC title game, though, he had two sacks and two quarterback hits.
OG Andrew Wylie
Local connection: Midland High, Eastern Michigan.
The buzz: Signed as an undrafted free agent with Indianapolis in 2017 and bounced around with a few teams that year. Signed with the Chiefs in 2018 and has started 35 regular-season games sincein three seasons. He missed all of the Chiefs’ playoff games last season with a high ankle sprain.
DE Taco Charlton
Local connection: Michigan.
The buzz: The 2017 first-round pick spent two disappointing years with the Dallas Cowboys before being waived in September 2019. He signed with the Chiefs in 2020 and had two sacks and a forced fumble in seven games before he went on IR with an ankle injury in November.
DE Austin Edwards
Local connection: Born in Lansing, played at Ferris State.
The buzz: The undrafted rookie free agent signed with Atlanta and made his NFL debut with the Falcons when he played six snaps in his only game of the season, a 23-22 loss to the Lions in Week 7. The Chiefs signed him to their practice squad Jan. 14.
OG Patrick Omameh
Local connection: Michigan.
The buzz: An undrafted free agent who signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and has been well-traveled, playing for eight teams. He played in six games for the Las Vegas Raiders this season before he was released. The Chiefs signed him in December and he started the regular-season finale against the Chargers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB Tom Brady
Local connection: Michigan.
The buzz: He has cobbled together a nice career, we suppose, after having to platoon with Drew Henson in Ann Arbor and then being drafted 199th overall in 2000. He’ll be trying to win his seventh Super Bowl, with three previous losses as well.
WR Antonio Brown
Local connection: Central Michigan.
The buzz: A sixth-round pick by the Steelers in 2010, Brown appeared on a Hall of Fame track before misadventures with the Raiders and New England Patriots. He signed with the Bucs in October and had 483 yards receiving and four touchdowns in eight games. Barely a factor in the playoffs, he had three catches for 59 yards and one touchdown against the New Orleans Saints and missed the NFC title game with a knee injury.
DE William Gholston
Local connection: Detroit Southeastern, Michigan State.
The buzz: A fourth-round pick of the Bucs in 2013, Gholston has had a good, though not spectacular, career in Tampa, with 15 career sacks in 119 games. After a combined two sacks and 15 QB hits over the past three seasons, he put up three sacks and 20 QB hits in 2020.
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
Local connection: Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, Central Michigan.
The buzz: A second-round pick in 2019 by the Bucs who had four picks in 32 career games, Murphy-Bunting has had a breakout postseason, with an interception in each of the Bucs’ three games, and six tackles in the NFC title game.
DL Pat O’Connor
Local connection: Eastern Michigan, Lions.
The buzz: O’Connor was a seventh-round pick of the Lions in 2017, but was released in September of that year. Signed by the the Bucs in October 2017, he has carved out a career on special teams. He recorded his first NFL sack in December 2020 against the Minnesota Vikings.
DT Ndamukong Suh
Local connection: Lions.
The buzz: The Lions took him second overall in 2010; he’s on his third team since leaving Detroit after the 2014 season. He made the last of his five Pro Bowls in 2016 and at 34, he isn’t the same dominant force. But he still had six sacks this season — his highest total since 2015.
QB Drew Stanton
Local connection: Farmington Hills Harrison, Michigan State, Lions.
The buzz: Stanton, 36, was a second-round pick of the Lions in 2007 and left after 2010 with stops in Indianapolis, Arizona and Cleveland. Stanton was semi-retired when Bucs coach Brucs Arians, his ex-boss in Arizona, called him on Christmas Eve and signed him to the practice squad. In 38 career games, Stanton has 20 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
P Matt Wile
Local connection: Michigan, Lions.
The buzz: Signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2015, he has spent time with eight teams, including the Lions’ practice squad in 2019-20. Wile has played in 22 career games and has a 32.4-yard net average. He was signed Dec. 31 to the Bucs’ practice squad.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.