It Was All Good Just a Week Ago: Athletes Who Fell Off
It was all good just a week (or month or year) ago for the names you're about to bear witness to on this list.
In professional sports, you're only as good as your last showing. No league, association or organization is immune to athletic production nose-diving off a cliff.
The focus here was to shine a light on 10 athletes who have fallen into the abyss. Using a two-year window as our time frame for destruction, we etched out a group of guys who could use a DeLorean in order to find better days. Whether it was injury or regression, players here have earned their spot.
With all of the criteria laid out on the table, let's go ahead and take a look at 10 athletes who have drastically fallen off.
Brandon Jennings
1 of 10
Brandon Jennings has a chance to reset the trajectory of his NBA career thanks to the New York Knicks and the gift of free agency.
The good news is Jennings clocks in at 26 years old. He's still physically in the prime of his career. The bad news is he's coming off a torn Achilles, which essentially wrecked the last year of his career and put his skill set on a downward spiral.
Prior to the injury, Jennings was a scoring point guard, who without fail found his way to the basket. From 2009 until 2015, he averaged 16.5 points per game and looked every bit the part of a starter.
But an Achilles tear turned everything upside down. Last season, Jennings averaged 6.8 points with the Detroit Pistons and 7.0 with the Orlando Magic, as he split the season between both clubs.
Assuming he can find a glimpse of his old self in the Big Apple, Jennings could be absolved from this list. Until then, he more than qualifies for this list.
Nick Foles
2 of 10
The Nick Foles saga at quarterback has been a weird, convoluted mess involving three cities in three years.
It all started with the Philadelphia Eagles and then-head coach Chip Kelly's decision to hand him the ball in 2013. Foles produced a statistical dream of a season, tossing 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in a span of only 13 games.
Foles looked the part. He was a benefactor not only of Kelly's innovation but also an offense built on speed and quick reads.
The following year, things took a spin for the worse. His completion percentage dipped from 64 percent to a lowly 59.8. On top of that, Foles' eight games as a starter produced 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He was human after all.
Kelly saw the writing on the wall and dealt Foles for then-St. Louis Rams—now Los Angeles—former No. 1 draft pick Sam Bradford.
Foles played in 11 games for the Rams last season, struggling every step of the way. His 56.4 percent completion rate, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions were reflective of his current state of play.
Foles went from being a starter to a lame-duck quarterback for the Rams in three seasons. The freshly reacclimatized team understood this and granted Foles his release earlier this offseason, per ESPN.com, giving him a true "it was all good just a week ago" moment.
Matt Harvey
3 of 10
Matt Harvey's rise to top of Gotham was fast and it was furious. From his opening moments in 2012, fans and scouts alike could tell the New York Mets had themselves an ace.
The fireball-heaving right-hander would go on to strike out 449 batters in his first three seasons of action between 2012 and '15—Harvey missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Harvey looked to be back on pace even before the 2016 season began to take shape. But a 4-10 start, fueled by a career-worst 4.86 ERA, was further destroyed by season-ending surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, per Kristie Ackert and Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.
Despite a productive 2015, it hasn't been an easy road for Harvey as of late. Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked about Harvey's issues on the mound and how he hasn't looked himself. Hopefully, for his sake and the Mets, he will bounce back nicely in 2017.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Colin Kaepernick
4 of 10
Colin Kaepernick was the future of the San Francisco 49ers. He was the first dual-threat, do-it-all quarterback to come along since Steve Young was under center. He replaced Alex Smith, took control of Jim Harbaugh's offense and played in Super Bowl XLVII.
But that was then and this is now. Rapid turnover in San Francisco before the start of the 2015 season partially led to Kaepernick's downfall. His lack of development as a passer was an even bigger slice of that pie.
Today we have a situation few would have put money on two years ago. Blaine Gabbert and Kaepernick are both auditioning to be the lead in Chip Kelly's version of 49ers Full House.
If we're to believe media reports from earlier this year—specifically NFL Network's Mike Silver—Gabbert is the "heavy favorite" to land the job. However, now that the competition is officially underway, it could be close considering Kaepernick is healthy, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner.
Whether he hangs onto the job or not is up for debate. The one thing we do know is this has been a rapid fall from grace for the visor-wearing No. 7.
Randal Grichuk
5 of 10
Randal Grichuk had all the makings to label himself a breakout star for 2016. Last season, his official arrival in St. Louis was cause for a celebration after logging just 323 at-bats.
Grichuk belted 17 home runs, drove in 47 runs and hit for an average of .276 in a span of 103 games. He looked and acted the part of an everyday, five-tool standout.
Before the 2016 season got underway, MLB.com's Lyle Spencer wrote about how Grichuk could be a breakout star. "The Cardinals know what they have in Grichuk: an athlete you can build around, like Trout," he wrote.
Things haven't gone according to plan. Grichuk has struggled, hitting .216 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI to bode. MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch made note of how his struggles have continued post-All-Star break—the 24-year-old has .170 with 21 strikeouts since then.
After turning heads last year, it's been nothing but a downhill roll for the Cardinals center fielder.
DeMarco Murray
6 of 10
Redemption is something DeMarco Murray will need to chase entering the 2016 NFL season. Aligned with the Tennessee Titans—his first voyage outside of the NFC East—Murray could expunge all the ghosts of the Philadelphia Eagles' past with a big year.
Murray's one-year financial stay with the Eagles was a disaster. Fifteen games on the gridiron turned into 702 yards rushing, six touchdowns and a 3.6 yards-per-carry average.
Compare that to his remarkable 2014 campaign with the Dallas Cowboys and you truly are presented with a tale of two cities—Murray's 1,845 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns and 4.6 yards-per-carry average was complete madness.
The Titans rolled the dice on Murray and brought him to the AFC South in March, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, hoping he'd return to form. He'll have to get things going early behind a young Titans roster led by second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota if he wants a chance at finding glory.
Until he proves otherwise, Murray belongs right here with the rest of these guys.
Yasiel Puig
7 of 10
The rapid disintegration of Yasiel Puig's career with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been shocking to watch. Three years ago, Puig burst onto the scene, hitting .319 with 19 home runs and 42 RBI over 104 games.
He was poised to be a long-term solution for the Dodgers until the bottom fell out from his statistical output. After struggling in 2015—playing only 79 games and hitting .255—Puig has yet to return to form. His current .260 average, seven home runs and 34 RBI resulted in a trade-deadline debacle.
When the Dodgers couldn't move No. 66, they demoted him to the club's Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City Dodgers, according to the Dodgers' Twitter account.
He went from being a legend in the making, as Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer wrote, to the odd-man out in Los Angeles. All it took was three years and a $42 million contract, per Spotrac, to get there.
Lance Stephenson
8 of 10
A few years back, Lance Stephenson seemed like a lock to remain with the Indiana Pacers. He was developing on the offensive end and already was giving opposing guards a problem on defense.
Stephenson was creating a name for himself in the world, and guys like LeBron James were on the receiving end of his outlaw personality.
But it all came crashing down in terms of life with the Pacers. In 2014, he left the Hoosier State and a big contract on the table, opting to ink a deal with the Charlotte Hornets instead.
The Hornets ordeal lasted one season before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers and then the Memphis Grizzlies—where he at least averaged 19.2 points per game.
Reaching the conclusion of his three-year deal, he's once again a free agent in search of his next destination. Man, what happened to the days of job security and long-term viability?
Sam Bradford
9 of 10
It's been nearly a decade since Sam Bradford was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft—seven years to be exact. A lot has changed since then.
Bradford has struggled with his health, suiting up for 16 games just twice in seven seasons. That has hampered his ability to become a certified franchise quarterback.
Now in his second year with the Philadelphia Eagles, Bradford once again finds himself in an odd place.
As a Chip Kelly holdover, he struggled last season, tossing 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Watching him on film proves one thing: Bradford remains loaded with talent. Even in a "down year," he still managed to complete 65 percent of his passes.
With a new coaching staff in Philly and a first-round quarterback named Carson Wentz on the roster, Bradford's future remains cloudy. The good news is he's performed well in camp thus far, as ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan noted.
Despite all of that, having a rookie breathing down your neck and a new coaching staff in town is a true sign of things being all good just a week ago.
Justin Upton
10 of 10
Justin Upton's monster deal with the Detroit Tigers is looking more and more like money being flushed down the old, porcelain well.
The six-year, $132 million contract he signed has turned into a .240 average, 13 home runs and 46 RBI. If those totals weren't enough to drive you to the brink of insanity, looking at his wins above replacement mark will have people climbing the walls.
According to FanGraphs, Upton is currently positioned with a -0.3 WAR. Last season with the San Diego Padres, he was sitting with a 3.6 WAR. It's a numeric gap worthy of stomach pains.
Upton was selected for his offensive prowess. None of that aggressive output has shown up thus far in 2016, minus a few blips here and there.
All stats, box scores and information via Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
