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Last year Rob Ninkovich got his second Super Bowl ring. In the process, he denied Ricardo Allen his first ring. Ninkovich retired, but Ricardo is one of a handful of Purdue players back for another shot. Purdue has a great in the Super Bowl of late. A boilermaker has won a ring in 14 of the past 18 seasons. I am pretty sure Purdue at least had a player in the Super Bowl on the losing side of those other four Super Bowls too.
So who has a chance this year?
AFC
New England Patriots – Jason King – OL – King is only a member of the practice squad, but he is on the roster and that would be enough for a ring. It is how John Standeford got a ring with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI. The rookie is in the right place to develop a career, too.
Pittsburgh Steelers – None
Jacksonville Jaguars – None
Kansas City Chiefs – Akeem Hunt – RB – Hunt was not used much offensively. He only had four carries and finished the year with -2 yards rushing. He also added 3 receptions for 27 yards. He was a solid player in the return game, however. He returned 25 kickoffs for 611 yards for a solid 24.4 average. As we know, his speed can be a difference maker. He played in a career high 14 games.
Tennessee Titans – Dennis Kelly – OL – Kelly has had a solid year in his 6th season in the league. He is in year 2 of a 3-year, $3 million contract and he has seen action in 15 different games as a reserve.
Buffalo Bills – None
NFC
Philadelphia Eagles – None
Minnesota Vikings – None
Los Angeles Rams – None
New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees – QB – Brees had 245 more yards passing today, getting him to 70,445 yards for his career. He will enter next season (assuming he returns) 1,495 yards behind Peyton Manning for the all-time NFL record. He also is 78 completions behind Brett Favre for the completions record. Can he enter it with a second Super Bowl ring?
Carolina Panthers – Kawann Short – DT – Short has already played in one Super Bowl, but came up… short. The Panthers certainly like him though after giving him a 5-year, $87 million contract before this year. This is his 5th season in the league and he had 7.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
Atlanta Falcons – Ricardo Allen – S – Ricardo had his first interception of the season today as the Falcons beat Carolina to return to the playoffs. He has been a valuable member of the Atlanta secondary. He is on a relatively small contract too, so a big playoffs could mean a huge payday for him as a free agent.