Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Seven Up

Seven of the eight ProUtes in the same game.
Carolina came from behind to beat Miami, 20-16. It was the seventh straight victory for Carolina, but the true headline of the game was the participation of eight ProUtes! Sam Brenner got another start, and his reward was facing Star Lotulelei. Koa Misi, Derrick Shelby, and Paul Soliai were opposite Jordan Gross. That left R.J. Stanford, a former Panther defensive back, to cover Steve Smith. No offense to R.J. (who didn't see much action, or this photo op), but that's a mismatch. Smith didn't put up big numbers, but he made the big play when his team needed it.

With four minutes to go in the game, Miami was forced to punt. Carolina took over at their own 20 yard line. On first down, Smith was called for illegal formation, a five-yard penalty. With a first-and-fifteen, Ted Ginn, Jr. lost three yards. Cam Newton ran for eight yards on second-on-eighteen. Newton went back to Ginn, Jr. for an incomplete pass on third-and-ten. Facing fourth-and-ten at their own 20 yard line with two-and-a-half minutes to play, the reformed-conservative Ron Rivera went for it. And did Newton look for Ginn, Jr. when it counted? No, he did not. When you need to move the chains, you look for Steve Smith. Even when he's double covered. Put that ball in there, and only one man will come out with it. Smith caught the pass, the defenders fell down, and it turned into a 19-yard gain. That play sustained the drive, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen. Smith didn't get the score, but he got the win. He got his five catches for 69 yards, and he got another ProUte of the Week Award.

San Diego also came back to top Kansas City, 41-38, in a game that pitted Alex Smith against Eric Weddle. Alex completed 26-of-38 passes for 294 yards and 3 TDs, with one interception. Weddle didn't snag that pick but he did force a fumble, which he recovered. He also made six tackles. Sean Smith had three tackles and a PDef, but he was also beat on the game-winning touchdown. That game had rival coaches as well, with former Ute Mike McCoy squaring off against former Cougar Andy Reid. The Chiefs have lost two in a row, with a rematch with Denver looming.

Reggie Dunn was signed to another practice squad. After a stint in Green Bay, Dunn has taken his talents to Cleveland. He keeps (re)turning up!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Three Technique

There were three significant games in week 11:

Miami 20, San Diego 16
The Dolphins are once again a 5 ProUte team, having promoted Sam Brenner from the practice squad to immediate starter. Miami's offensive line is in such disarray following the Incognito-Martin fallout and the injury to Pouncey that Brenner was called into action. He was part of the unit that surrendered four sacks, including one by Eric Weddle. The Dolphins' defense held the Chargers' offense in check, but none of the ProUtes on the squad came close to Weddle's 7 tackles, sack, and pass defensed.

Denver 27, Kansas City 17
Denver handed Kansas City their first loss of the season and took over the division lead in the process. The Chiefs lead the league in sacks, but they couldn't get to Peyton Manning and his fragile ankles. Credit Zane Beadles and the Broncos offensive line for giving their aging QB time to throw. Alex Smith threw the ball 45 times, but only completed 21 passes for 230 yards. He threw a touchdown at the start of the second quarter and another one at the end of the fourth quarter, when the outcome was already decided. He also ran 5 times for 52 yards, and recovered his own fumble. Sean Smith had 2 tackles and a PDef for K.C.'s D.

Carolina 24, New England 20  
This was the biggest game of the week, and it was played on the Monday Night Football stage. Cam Newton outplayed Tom Brady, Steve Smith owned Aqib Talib, and the Panthers came away with another impressive victory. Smith's stats (4 for 62) are on par with his season, but his diss on former rival Talib, telling him to "Ice up, son," sums it up. Not a lot will be said about Jordan Gross, but Carolina converted 8 of 11 third downs. More will be said about Star Lotulelei, who lined up at the 3 technique and blew right by the blocker to sack Brady. He also had 4 tackles and an assist. Prior to the game, Star topped the Making the Leap list on NFL.com; after his big showing, he is the ProUte of the Week!

Friday, November 15, 2013

By Weddle's Beard

The Wedd Head is sporting a bushy beard this season, prompting possible new nicknames. Captain Boltbeard, anyone?

Weddle has quietly put together another solid season, leading the Chargers with 70 tackles. It's been quiet on the interception front, as quarterbacks have been going away from him. It's also been quiet on the ProUte of the Week front. He's honorable mention almost every week, but he's been out-shined by less consistent performers. In week 9 he had 15 tackles, for example, but Sean Smith had a 100 yard pick six. In week 10 Kansas City was on bye, so Weddle didn't have to compete with Sean or Alex, the previous two winners.

His eight tackles in a loss to Denver (unbeaten Kansas City's next opponent) weren't a season-high for Weddle, but it was the high for the week. Steve Smith had six catches for 63 yards in Carolina's 10-9 win at San Francisco, but Weddle (and his beard) wins ProUte of the Week 10!  

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Nine Lives

Sean Smith scored one of the two defensive touchdowns the Chiefs needed to survive in week 9. Kansas City is 9-0 going into their bye week, and they owe it to their defense. With his team trailing 10-3 and Buffalo threatening to add to that lead, Smith returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, which he said "was like Christmas." In that case we have one more present for him: the ProUte of the Week Award! Smith also had 2 PDefs, a tackle, and an assist.

Smith's former teammate Paul Soliai had 3 tackles, a sack, and a PDef in an overtime victory over Cincinnati, while Eric Weddle made 9 tackles and 6 assists in an overtime loss to Washington. Paul Kruger faced his former Baltimore teammates and had 2 tackles and a PDef.