Locos Win UFL Championship Game

The Las Vegas Locomotives had to go to overtime to defeat the previously-unbeaten Florida Tuskers 20-17 in the UFL Championship Game yesterday. The Tuskers had given the Locos their only two losses during the regular season, but the Locos effectively had the home field advantage as the game was played in Sam Boyd Stadium. The Locos also had a 5 to 1 advantage in ProUtes: Jesse Boone and Lauvale Sape started for the Locos, while Josh Savage (#93, pictured at right) started for the Tuskers. Gabe Long had two tackles, Brian Hernandez returned two punts for 11 yards, and John Madsen had one catch for -5 yards off the bench. Paris Warren missed the game as he was dismissed from the Tuskers for disciplinary reasons.

During the course of the six game season Madsen and Warren each caught a touchdown pass. Hernandez averaged 20.6 yards per punt return with a long of 54 yards. On the defensive side Long and Savage both had a sack. Long was the leading tackler, while Savage forced two fumbles. Did any of these ProUtes play their way into the NFL? That doesn't seem likely. Will the UFL expand next season and add a team in Utah based on the success of these ProUtes? That is a possibility. Until that happens all I can say is Go Locos!

Smith A Second Half QB

Alex Smith is showing that he is a second half quarterback. Following a poor performance in the first half against Green Bay, Alex bounced back and had a nice second half to finish 16 of 33 for 227 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. The rally wasn't enough to win the game, as Alex was outplayed by Aaron Rodgers, the hometown qb the 49ers passed up when they selected Alex #1 overall. But just like his second half performance against the Texans in week 7, Alex's second half against the Packers was enough to win the ProUte of Week 11 award! Will Alex (2) play enough second halves to challenge Eric Weddle (3) for ProUte of the season?

Andre and Andrew

The blog has been rather football-centric lately, so I thought I would post an update on a couple of ProUtes in the NBA: Andre Miller and Andrew Bogut. Andre is playing a supporting role in Portland, averaging 10.8 points and 5 assists in just 27.9 minutes per game. Those numbers are all lower than his career averages, but Andre has played a lot of games in his career. Andrew, on the other hand, is on the shelf yet again with an injured leg. He'll be out until mid-December. Before getting hurt he was averaging 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds a game, above his career averages. The Blazers are 11-5 and play host to the winless Nets tonight; the Bucks are 8-4 with a game at New Orleans tonight.

It's In The Sack

Jonathan Fanene got after the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, tearing up Chris Kemoeatu and crew for six tackles, two sacks, and one pass deflection. With those two sacks of Ben Roethlisberger (one pictured at right) he bagged the ProUte of Week 10 award. Fanene has five sacks total for the surprisingly formidable Cinncinati defense. He will look to add to that total this week against the Oakland Raiders and new starter Bruce Gradkowski. Just saying that name should be enough to get the big Bengal salivating!

Ganther Back In, Gross Out

Quinton Ganther is healthy and playing in the NFL again, now as a member of the Washington Redskins. With Clinton Portis injured Ganther saw a few plays in relief of Ladell Betts, carrying three times for four yards and catching one pass for 18 yards. Those stats weren't enough to warrant a nomination for ProUte of the Week 10, but still worth mentioning! Ganther had a better week than Jordan Gross, who suffered a broken ankle when another player fell on his leg. Gross joined fellow ProUte Panther lineman Ma'ake Kemoeatu on the injured list. I regret predicting an outcome like this in a preseason post on Aug. 12th. Gross has been a stalwart tackle for the Panthers and a generous donor to the University of Utah; it's a shame to see his season end this way.

In addition to Ganther two other ProUtes have resurfaced in the league: Freddie Brown with the Bengals and Martail Burnett with the 49ers. They are members of the practice squads of those respective teams.

To The Nines

Eric Weddle's 9 tackles in Week 9 earned him the ProUte of the Week award for the third time this season. This unprecedented feat is all the more impressive considering that no other ProUte has won the award twice. After the Chargers defeated the Eagles in week 10 Weddle could also become the first player to win back-to-back ProUte of the Week awards!

Soliai Gets in on the Action

Paul Soliai, a back up nose tackle with the Miami Dolphins, had an exceptionally active game last week. He racked up 6 tackles, deflected a pass, and forced a fumble! That's practically a career high game for a nose tackle, so Soliai won the ProUte of Week 8 over Steve Smith, who scored his first touchdown of the season, Alex Smith, who was steady for San Francisco, and Eric Weddle, who had a typically strong game. That makes two awards for the defensive line to one for the offensive line; will Jordan Gross even the count?