Tales of Beadles the Guard

ProUte honors go to a rookie for the second time in as many weeks. Zane Beadles and the Broncos offensive line allowed only one sack in 57 pass attempts, allowing quarterback Kyle Orton to throw for a career-high 476 yards. Against a pass rush that includes perennial Pro Bowlers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis (who combined for 6 sacks in their first two games) that is truly a commendable performance.

Beadles played tackle at Utah, but the Broncos drafted him to be a guard. Injuries to the line moved him back out to tackle, where the rookie is holding his own. Zane is versatile enough to play either position and intelligent enough to move in to center if need be.

The Broncos didn't get the W, but Beadles gets the award over fellow O-line #68 Chris Kemoeatu (387 total yards, 201 rushing, 0 sacks), Ma'ake Kemoeatu (5 tackles), and Eric Weddle (6 tackles).

In other news, Quinton Ganther was released by the Seattle Seahawks to make room on the roster for former Denver wideout Brandon Stokely. Perhaps Ganther will follow LenDale White yet again and team up with Beadles in Denver!

Sylvester Sets the Tone

Stevenson Sylvester set the tone for the Steelers on Sunday, forcing a fumble on a kick return. It was the first of seven takeaways in the game, a 19-11 win over the Titans. Sylvester, a rookie third-string linebacker (who wears #55 now), made the most of his time on the field, collecting three tackles to go with his FF. Sly also collected the ProUte of the Week Award!

His forced fumble may not have been as high profile as Koa Misi's fumble recovery for a touchdown, but Misi (another rookie LB who wears #55) was the beneficiary of that play. Sylvester caused the fumble. And he had three tackles to Misi's two, despite playing fewer downs than Misi. To see the video replays of their exploits, see Monday's post titled Fumble!

Also in the running for week two's award were Sione Pouha (6 tackles to lead the Jets), Steve Smith (3 rec., 66 yards, TD), and Eric Weddle (5 tackles and .5 sack).

New Look Locos

The Locos are back for their second season in the UFL with new uniforms, a new starting quarterback, and a new roster with only three ProUtes. The fledgling league overhauled its image between seasons, an upgrade so drastic it apparently required a fashion show. Stay tuned for America's Next Top Football Model! I mock, but at least one of my predictions came true: last year's merchandise has become obsolete.

Some teams changed their monikers along with their uniforms. The California Redwoods are now the Sacramento Mountain Lions and the New York Sentinels became the Hartford Colonials. The league is also expanding, adding the Omaha Nighthawks this season and a team in Virginia later.

No ProUtes parlayed their play into a second stint in the NFL (a second accurate prediction), although John Madsen came close. He and Gabe Long have not returned for year two. That leaves Las Vegas with Jesse Boone, Brian Hernandez, and Lauvale Sape on the roster.

The new look did not avail the Locos as they lost to the Florida Tuskers in the season opener.

Louie Sakoda was released today by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He signed with Winnipeg after being dropped by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but an injured calf prevented him from suiting up.

Fumble!

Utah had no trouble handling New Mexico on Saturday, but they did have some trouble handling the ball. They had four fumbles in the game and lost three, one of which was returned for a TD. Against an opponent like New Mexico that isn't too costly, but against a team like Air Force or TCU it could be devastating.

A pair of rookie ProUtes were on the other side of fumbles this weekend. Stevenson Sylvester made the most of his time on the field, forcing a fumble on a kick return. Pittsburgh had seven takeaways in their 19-11 win over the Titans.

Koa Misi fell on a Favre fumble in the end zone, resulting in a touchdown that ultimately proved to be the difference in Miami's 14-10 upset of Minnesota.

Pouncin' Pouha

Sione Pouha came out of the pile with two recovered fumbles and the ProUte of the Week Award! Pouncin' Pouha had 7 tackles in a stout effort against the Ravens in the first game of the 2010 season, but it was the pair of fumble recoveries that set him apart (watch the video here) . Sione also won the award in week 6 of the 2009 campaign, making this his second overall. With Kris Jenkins out for the season Pouha will have to up his productivity. He's off to a good start, beating Brice McCain (7 tackles), Koa Misi (4 tackles, 1 sack), and Steve Smith (5 catches, 75 yards, TD) for week one honors.

Practice Squad

Freddie Brown, Brett Ratliff and R.J. Stanford were relegated to the practice squad as NFL teams cut down to their final 53 man rosters this weekend. Brown was waived by the Bengals during the summer, then brought into the Vikings' camp to fill in for injured players. Ratliff was waived by the Browns later than expected, then signed by the Jaguars. Stanford showed some promising plays for the Panthers, but was the odd man out of the crowd. Kelly Talavou (Ravens) joined Martail Burnett (49ers) on IR and is done for the season.

David Reed secured a spot on the Ravens' roster with his sure hands and kick returning ability. Baltimore waived Demetrius Williams prior to the deadline, then traded Mark Clayton to St. Louis when they signed free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Reed is now listed as a third-string receiver behind Derrick Mason and Donte Stallworth, as well as the second-string kick returner (Stallworth is out with an injury, but Houshmandzadeh has yet to be added to the depth chart).

Quinton Ganther's DUI stop did not stop him from making the Seahawks as a first-string fullback and fourth-string running back. Robert Johnson made Tennessee's team, beating out fellow rookie (and Rhodes scholar) Myron Rolle, and Stevenson Sylvester earned one of many linebacker spots with Pittsburgh.