Undrafted in 2010 after his college career at Army, Alejandro Villanueva went back into military service but in 2014 pursued a career in Pro Football, and despite all odds, was able to gain an invite to the Philadelphia Eagles as a Defensive End in training camp.  He did not make the team, but was courted by Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who converted him to a Tackle.  It worked, and after a year on the practice roster, and gaining significant weight, he became a starting Left Tackle for Pittsburgh the following year.

Villanueva continued to get better, and was a back-to-back Pro Bowl Selection in 2017 and 2018.  A solid performer for the Steelers in the last half of the 2010s, Villanueva might be best known for standing in the entrance tunnel during the national anthem when his teammates stayed behind to protest racial injustice.  It may not have him endeared him to some teammates, but it did raise his profile in the NFL.

After a final year with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021, Villanueva ended his career after seven seasons.

There was a time when it looked like Todd Gurley was going to be the next great Running Back, and why wouldn’t we think that?

Gurley was the first Running Back taken in the 2015 Draft (10^th Overall) and the Georgia Bulldog made the Rams look like geniuses as he proceeded to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1,106 Rushing Yards, 10 Rushing Touchdowns and a trip to the Pro Bowl.  Gurley had a sophomore jink (885 Yards, 6 Touchdowns), but exploded in 2017 where he led the NFL in Rushing Touchdowns (13), Touchdowns (19) and Yards from Scrimmage (2,093).  He was the runner-up for the MVP while winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year, and it could be argued that he was even better in 2018.  This was Gurley’s second straight First Team All-Pro year, and he again led the league in Touchdowns (21), with a fourth-place finish in YFS (1,831).  What transpired late that year was a beginning of a slew of knee injuries that would hamper the rest of his career.

Gurley plummeted to barely over 1,064 YFS, without missing a game and it was clear he wasn’t the same player.  The Rams let him go, and he had one year with the Atlanta Falcons where he had his least productive year (842 Yards, 9 TD).  No team picked up Gurley in 2021, and he retired shortly after.

Gurley might not have had the career that we thought he would have but 8,336 Yards from Scrimmage with 79 Touchdowns is a damned good career.

At 81 years old, former Baseball legend is still lobbying for a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Reported by TMZ, Rose penned an open letter to MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred:

“I have apologized many times, both for betting on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds and then for denying that I did.  I am writing today for three reasons. First, because at my age, I want to be 100% sure that you understand how much I mean it when I say that I’m sorry.  Second, to ask for your forgiveness.  And third, because I still think every day about what it would mean to be considered for the Hall of Fame.

The two most important people in my life were my dad and my Manager, Sparky.  My dad introduced me to baseball and Sparky taught me how to play it.  Both set an example for me about how to live my life that I sometimes have failed to live up to.  I think every day about them.  I know I disappointed them and I hope that they would still be proud of me.  What helped set me down the right path was Commissioner Giamatti telling me to reconfigure my life and the belied that they were watching me and I didn’t want to disappoint them anymore.  

I also know that I disappointed many Reds fans and baseball fans.  Besides spending time with my kids and my partner, there’s nothing that made me happier than playing baseball in front of fans.  That I let them down and brought shame to the sport we all love is something I think about every single day.

It is among my greatest regrets that I let down fans who believed in me and loved baseball.  It is also among my greatest regrets that I let down my teammates – and everyone I shared a baseball field with.  You can’t imagine how painful it is when I see my teammates from all the great teams I played on and players I played against go about their lives in ways I wanted to.  I want to be a part of that too and I know I probably never will.  I am so grateful for the time I shared with them on and off the field.  Nothing replaces it.  People think you move on after you leave the game.  You do in many ways.  But the most important parts of baseball should grow even stronger.  I screwed that up.

I am asking for your forgiveness.  Despite my many mistakes, I am so proud of what I accomplished as a baseball – I am the Hit King and it is my dream to be considered for the Hall of Fame.  Like all of us, I believe in accountability.  I am 81 years old and know that I have been held accountable and that I hold myself accountable.  I write now to ask for another chance.”

Should Manfred reinstate Rose (though this seems unlikely), it is not an automatic path to Cooperstown.  Rose would have to be nominated by the respective Veteran’s Committee, and then receive the necessary 75% of the votes to get in.

Rose is currently ranked #4 on our latest rank of those to considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

How do you replace a legend like Adm Vinatieri?  You work on becoming one yourself.

Stephen Gostkowski was the 2005 Conference USA Special Team Player of the Year, and he was the first Kicker taken in the next NFL Draft (118^th Overall), taken specifically with the belief that he could replace Vinatieri, who departed to Indianapolis as a Free Agent.  

Gostkowski never had the signature kick that Vinatieri had, but he was very good, very consistent, and became a five-time league leader in Points Scored.  A steady presence on dominant Patriots teams, Gostkowski won three Super Bowls with New England, was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team, and was a three-time Pro Bowler.  

He retired after one year (2020) in Tennessee, and had he played on almost any other NFL team, he would have been regarded as the best Kicker in that franchise’s history.