Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Spread it Around

Alex Smith completed 18 of 19 passes to 9 different targets, an all-around demonstrative performance on Monday Night Football. Even when Arizona tipped a pass it still ended up in the hands of the intended receiver. The only pass to fall incomplete was dropped by a wide open receiver, but otherwise Smith's teammates made great runs after the catch and great blocks downfield to extend plays. Smith had 232 passing yards, an average of 12 yards per attempt, and 3 TDs, including one juke-and-jive 47 yards up the sideline by Randy Moss. Arizona has a solid defense and, although they sacked Smith four times, they never got him off his game. No turnovers, no looking over his shoulder. He's still the clear starter for a San Francisco team that is the clear division leader after beating Arizona, 24-3. Alex Smith is our ProUte of the Week for Week 8.

Steve Smith had the play of the day - if not the whole season - on this pass he tipped and caught. He also had a nice leaping reception for 47 yards, one of his 7 catches for 118 yards. Eric Weddle was all over the soggy field in Cleveland, making 6 tackles (one for loss), a PDef, and a forced fumble. In addition he fielded five punts, returning one 20 yards. Paul Soliai was a force for the Jets to reckon with, as he had 4 tackles (one for loss) and recovered a Mark Sanchez fumble with one arm while fending off a blocker with the other. As for the blockers, Zane Beadles and the Broncos came up big with 530 total yards (225 rushing) and no sacks allowed. Beadles made the trap block to get McGahee into the end zone for the game's first score.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Slow Start

The Carolina offense is off to a slow start this season. It's 24th in the league at 335.5 yards per game, and 29th in the league with 106 points. Cam Newton is 26th in passing yards, just behind Alex Smith, incidentally. He's tied for 28th in passing touchdowns with three Matts: Cassel, Hasselbeck, and Stafford (two of whom haven't played all 7 games). His passer rating of 79.3 ranks 23rd behind rookie Russell Wilson. He does lead the team in rushing yards with 273 (good for 31st most in the league). With an overloaded backfield paying premiums to DeAngelo Williams (47th) and Jonathan Stewart (41st) that's not a positive sign.

It's been a sophomore slump for Newton (which really began halfway through his rookie season), and his behavior has been sophomoric. Steve Smith has called him out for sulking on the sideline, a call for leadership to which Coach Ron Rivera took exception. After Week 7's 19-14 loss to Dallas, Newton said something had to change. That change came the following day with the termination of general manager Marty Hurney. How that helps Stewart, Williams, and Mike Tolbert run the ball more effectively, or Cam Newton pass the ball more efficiently, I don't know. More importantly, what does it mean for Steve Smith?

Smith had 7 receptions for 83 yards in Week 7, but he was held scoreless again. For the season Smith has 28 catches for 471 yards (16.8 yards per reception) but no TDs. Law of averages would tip in favor of him getting into the end zone soon, although it may not happen against Chicago's defense this week.

In a week when many ProUtes had a bye, Steve Smith's performance stood out as the best, yet wasn't an award-winning performance for a player of his caliber. The same can be said of Alex Smith, who was 14-23 for 140 yards, a TD and an INT. He played a tough defense and his team won against a division opponent, but his play wasn't up to the standard of the other weeks he's won the award. As such there was not a ProUte of Week 7. One player who warrants a mention for something that does not appear on the stat sheet: Matt Asiata covered up the onside kick at the end of Minnesota's 21-14 victory over Arizona. Not a game-winning play, but a play he had to make. 

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Same Old Locos

While his brother Matt Asiata is breaking in with the Minnesota Vikings, Shawn Asiata is trying to make an impact with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the UFL. Utah fans know full well the type of bone-jarring impact the big fullback can make as a lead blocker, and how well he catches the ball out of the backfield. So far he has one reception for 11 yards for Sacramento (0-3). Another new player in the UFL is Clint Mower, a long snapper for the Virginia Destroyers (1-2). So far the season has belonged to veterans Jesse Boone and Lauvale Sape of the Las Vegas Locos (4-0).

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Team Effort

Eric Weddle couldn't keep Eric Decker out of the end zone on this play, but he did have 6 tackles (one for loss) and a PDef against the Broncos. He also fielded a punt, which, like most of the kick returners in this game, he muffed. He recovered his drop, unlike Denver's Bolden or Holliday. The game was a tale of two halves, as Denver turned it over repeatedly in the first half and San Diego returned the favor in the second half.

Zane Beadles was on the winning side, as Denver came back from a 24-0 halftime deficit to win the game, 35-24. Denver didn't dominate by piling up the yards, but Beadles and the line were flawless in pass protection, allowing no sacks of Peyton Manning despite having to abandon the run (57 yards) to come back. Pass protection was ultimately the difference in the game, as Rivers was sacked four times, threw four interceptions, and lost two fumbles. Both quarterbacks threw pick sixes, but Manning was the more efficient quarterback because he had better protection in the pocket. Weddle did more individually in this game, but Beadles did more to help his team win. For that reason Zane Beadles is the ProUte of the Week.

Honorable Mention: Ma'ake Kemoeatu had five tackles for Baltimore's depleted defense in a narrow defeat of Dallas, and Sean Smith had 5 tackles and a PDef in a close victory over the Rams.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Use the Force

Forced fumbles were all over the field in Week 5, especially in Cincinnati. Sean Smith forced one to go with his PDef and 8 tackles, and Koa Misi forced this fumble on one of his 5 tackles. It was quite a day for the Miami defense, as 5 ProUtes recorded tackles! Derrick Shelby got his first, R.J. Stanford had one, and Paul Soliai had 3 plus half a sack in Miami's 17-13 victory.

Eric Weddle forced a fumble and sacked Drew Brees on his record-setting day; Weddle also had 7 tackles in the contest.

Robert Johnson hauled in his first interception on this red zone tip drill, but the Vikings controlled the game to the point that Matt Asiata got his first two carries for 8 yards.

Brice McCain also had an interception in the end zone, and he returned it 86 yards to the opposite red zone. That's what you call flipping the field! McCain had 2 tackles, half a sack, and a PDef as Houston remained undefeated.

Paul Kruger had 5 tackles, 3 for a loss in a close game against the Chiefs.

So many candidates for ProUte of the Week, but one ran away with it: Alex Smith. In a 45-3 rout of Buffalo, Smith threw for a season-high 303 yards and 3 TDs. He added 49 yards rushing on 3 carries as San Francisco became the first NFL team ever to top 300 yards passing and 300 yards rushing in the same game. Talk about bringing balance to the force! The 49ers aren't just a dominant defense any more. The 621 total yards was a franchise-record, and it belongs to Alex Smith and Jim Harbaugh, not Joe Montana and Bill Walsh. Alex had a perfect passer rating in the first half, and he leads the league with a rating of 108.7. He's also leading the way with three ProUte of the Week Awards in the first five weeks of the season!


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Picked Apart

Sean Smith's two picks set him apart from the field for ProUte of Week 4. Smith asked to cover Larry Fitzgerald, and he did so about as well as anyone in the game. He had 6 tackles, 4 PDefs, and 2 INTs, including a sweet snag in the end zone. Fitzgerald had 64 yards and a TD on 8 receptions, and that was with Arizona abandoning the running game. Kevin Kolb completed 29 passes for 324 yards and 3 TDs, but only a portion of those passes went to his favorite target. Smith did get beat on the tying touchdown pass to Andre Roberts, but he can't be expected to win every snap.

Koa Misi also had a go at the Cardinals, getting to Kolb for 1.5 sacks, making 5 tackles, and forcing a fumble. He could have won the award two weeks running if not for Smith stepping up.

Eric Weddle had an interception to go with his 5 tackles, and Paul Kruger had a sack, 2 tackles, and 2 PDefs. Let's not forget about the o-line, where Zane Beadles and the Broncos overcame an injury to the starting center to produce 503 total yards without allowing a sack. Beadles even had his number called on this fake field goal, although the play wasn't executed exactly as it was drawn up.