Senior Moment

Smith's pic on twitter.

Steve Smith had a painful separation from the Carolina Panthers. In order to separate himself from the other receiver named Smith on his new team he added Senior to his jersey. It's fitting for him, as it honors his son and marks the latter stages of his career.

When Baltimore meets rival Pittsburgh this year Smith, Sr. may find Brice McCain covering him. Like Smith, McCain signed with an AFC North team after being released by a team in the South (Houston).

One free agent left the AFC East (Miami) for the NFC South (Atlanta), but Paul Soliai won't see Steve Smith or Jordan Gross when he squares off against the Panthers. Zane Beadles, another lineman, moved to Florida and the AFC South (Jacksonville) from the AFC West (Denver).

Full Cupboard

The cupboard is full of candidates for ProUte of Week 17, which is even more impressive with all three Smith boys being rested! Sealver Siliga was a brute, racking up 5 tackles, 4 assists, a sack, and a forced fumble! That's bigger than Star Lotulelei's tackle, assist, and sack. Brice McCain had 5 tackles, 2 PDefs, and an interception. Eric Weddle had 9 tackles, 5 assists, and ran for a first down on a fake punt. Matt Asiata had a breakout game, rushing for 115 yards on 14 carries, an average of 8.2 ypc, with a long of 39 yards (and a fumble lost). Zane Beadles was a key member of the highest-scoring offense in NFL history.

How to choose one award-winning performance, then? Context. Siliga's play is remarkable for a practice squad journeyman, but New England didn't have much to lose against Buffalo. The Patriots are the second seed in the AFC regardless. The Panthers are the second seed in the NFC, and Star's sack was one of a team-record 9 against Atlanta. Houston had nothing left to play for, but they went down fighting, as McCain's game against Tennessee can attest. He has a knack for picking off Titans' passes! Asiata played well in a win, but Minnesota's coach was fired anyway. Beadles had a big year, but was it a big week for him?

And then there's Weddle, who bulled his team's way into the playoffs. When Mike McCoy decided to fake a punt from his own 28 in overtime, he put the ball in Weddle's hands. Can that really be considered a gamble? Weddle got it done, and San Diego got the help they needed to land a wildcard spot after defeating Kansas City's backups. Weddle got the victory, so Weddle gets the trophy.

Migration

Kruger also drew interest from the Colts.

The Browns left Cleveland to become the Baltimore Ravens, but one prominent Raven is reversing the migration course: Paul Kruger has agreed to a five year, $40 million contract offer from the Browns. Kruger led the Ravens in sacks this season, but after Ray Lewis retired Baltimore made inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe their priority for re-signing. That backfired on them, as Ellerbe has agreed to a bigger offer from the Dolphins. Baltimore lost three key players, with one of them going to a division rival. It remains to be seen if they will keep safety Ed Reed, but reportedly they will be retaining receiver/special teams player David Reed.

Sean Smith may find himself in another uniform this year - Miami has made some high profile deals, but the corner has not been among them. He may have to wait a bit for the market to settle, considering the Jets are looking to trade Darrelle Revis and the Eagles have released Nnamdi Asomugha. Brice McCain will also have to bide his time to find a taker for his services.

This is the year that the Utes who were drafted after the 2009 Sugar Bowl become free agents, but the Utes who were drafted following the Fiesta Bowl in 2005 are also changing teams. The trade sending Alex Smith to Kansas City was made official today, and the Jets may be parting ways with Sione Pouha.

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!

Two Deep: AFC

S. Smith battles S. Smith for the ball

Yeah, it smacks of desperation to write about the second week of the NFL preseason, but when have we seen seven ProUtes play in the same game? Miami has four on defense, while Carolina has two on offense and one on D. That meant we got to see Steve Smith go against Sean Smith (when he wasn't tussling with Vontae Davis). Miami's Smith appears to come away with the interception in this photo, but he was flagged for PI on the play. R.J. Stanford's INT in the end zone with :04 left stood, and put an end to the game.

The real standout in the game wasn't Smith, Smith,  or Stanford; it was Derrick Shelby, an undrafted rookie defensive end. Prior to this game the local media was already positing that Shelby would make the Dolphins 53 man roster. After his 4 tackle (2 for a loss), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble performance there's little doubt! Shelby is listed as second string on the depth chart, meaning Miami should field four ProUte defenders this season.

The AFC East has only one team without a ProUte on the roster: the Buffalo Bills. Jonathan Fanene is now a second-string defensive end for the New England Patriots, while Caleb Schlauderaff is a second-string center for the New York Jets.

The AFC South likewise has one team unrepresented: the Jacksonville Jaguars. With Jordan Babineaux sitting out, Robert Johnson got the start at strong safety for the Titans but did not record any stats against Tampa Bay. He is listed as the second-string free safety behind Michael Griffin, but it seems he is second-string for both safety positions. Brice McCain is second-string at right cornerback for the Houston Texans. In Indy, Zane Taylor is a third-string center.

In the AFC North: Stevenson Sylvester is listed as the second-string inside linebacker for the Steelers; he had three tackles in the first preseason game. Paul Kruger is slated to be the starter at Sam linebacker for the injury-prone Ravens. Kruger had 4 tackles and a PDef in last night's 27-12 loss to Detroit. Ma'ake Kemoeatu is the back up nose tackle in Baltimore, and had 2 tackles. David Reed is listed as a third-string wide receiver in Baltimore, but has not made any plays this preseason.

Over in the AFC West: Tony Bergstrom is listed as the second-string left guard for the Raiders, while Conroy Black is fourth-string at left cornerback. Sealver Siliga is a third-string nose tackle with the Broncos. John Cullen was released by the Chargers earlier this month.

Alex Advances

Alex leads his team to a playoff win.

Alex Smith looked every bit the ProUte of the Year against New Orleans on Saturday! Alex was 24-42 for 299 yards and 3 TDs, including the game-winner to Vernon Davis. Smith led two game- winning drives, capping the first with a 28 TD run with 2:11 to play. After Drew Brees connected with Jimmy Graham for a 66 yard TD to retake the lead, Alex did it again. With only 1:37 on the clock, Smith drove the 49ers 85 yards (61 in the hands of Davis) for the win. When everyone expected Alex to manage the game, setting up the league's leading kicker David Akers for a tying field goal, Coach Harbaugh dialed up a play called "Vernon Post" which the team executed perfectly.

Clearly this was a team victory, and the defense played its' part, starting with the hit safety Donte Whitner laid on Pierre Thomas at the two yard line, forcing a fumble and denying the Saints an opportunity to score early. The defense and special teams came up with four turnovers in the first half, yet San Francisco only led 17-14 at the break. Defensive end Justin Smith made one of the most physical plays of the year, driving Pro Bowl tackle Jermon Bushrod back and reaching over him to drag Brees down. Brees continued his record-breaking ways, completing 40 of 63 passes for 462 yards and 4 TDs, but he also threw two interceptions, ending his own record streak of none in the past five years of post-season play. In the first post-season appearance of his career, Alex Smith did not throw an interception. He did fumble twice while being sacked, losing one of the two. Alex's passer rating for the game was 103.2, better than Brees's 93.5, and he now has a signature play to call his own, thirty years after "The Catch." Home field advantage was definitely a factor in this game; the weather in San Fran was fine (it won't be this weekend for the NFC Championship Game), but the Saints are a different team away from their dome. Credit Smith's steady hand all season long for earning that advantage, and for using it to advance as a player and as a team.

In the other playoff match ups, Brice McCain (no stats) and the Texans couldn't overcome the rookie mistakes of their quarterback, falling to the Ravens and Paul Kruger (no stats). Tim Tebow was no match for Tom Brady, as the Patriots overwhelmed the Broncos. Zane Beadles had his name mentioned for a personal foul on a rushing TD early on, and OC Mike McCoy's name has been mentioned as a candidate for the head coach position in Miami.

68 Wildcard Pickup

Three ProUtes who wear #68 were in action during Wildcard Weekend: Chris Kemoeatu, Jonathan Fanene, and Zane Beadles. But they weren't the only ProUtes in the first round of the playoffs: Brice McCain, Stevenson Sylvester, and Denver OC Mike McCoy were also battling to get their respective teams to the next round. McCain didn't record any stats, but he played slot coverage for the Texans in their 31-10 dismantling of the Bengals; Fanene registered 6 tackles for Cincinnati, although he couldn't quite complete the one seen here. McCain and the Texans move on to face Paul Kruger and the Ravens (David Reed is on injured reserve) in the second round.

The Broncos prevailed in an overtime thriller against the Steelers, as McCoy's offense racked up 447 yards on the vaunted Steelers D, which was held without a sack by Beadles and the boys. Pittsburgh's o-line couldn't say the same thing, as Roethlisberger's limited mobility opened the door for five sacks. Sly didn't record any stats for the injury-depleted Steelers. Denver moves on to face New England next. Beadles will be the only 68 to advance, while Alex Smith will see his first playoff action when the Saints march into San Francisco.

Carolina Closes It Out

R.J. trying to slow down the record-setting Saints offense.

Carolina closed out the season with its third ProUte of the Week Award recipient - in Week 17 it was R.J. Stanford's turn to make a big play. The Saints led 14-7 when Drew Brees threw this red zone interception to Stanford, who took it back 53 yards in the other direction. This turnover offset a fumble by Steve Smith, but the Panthers ultimately succumbed to the Saints, 45-17. Stanford had two tackles and a PDef in addition to the INT. Smith also had a decent game (minus the fumble), with 6 receptions for 86 yards and a TD. With that performance Smith broke the franchise-record for receptions, previously held by Muhsin Muhammad.

Alex Smith had another nice day, completing 21 of 31 passes for 219 yards and a TD; he also ran for a TD as the 49ers wrapped up the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs. Brice McCain had another nice outing against the Titans, accumulating 2 tackles and 3 PDefs. Tennessee edged Houston by a point, but the Texans had already clinched the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Practice squad notes: Brett Ratliff finished the season on Tampa Bay's practice squad.

Left Side, Strong Side

Stewart runs (and runs well) off a block by Jordan Gross (#69)

Jordan Gross may not have been named to the Pro Bowl, but he is our ProUte of the Week. The Panthers offense romped all over the injury-depleted Buccaneers defense, and Gross led the way. Of Carolina's 433 total yards, 270 came on the ground. Carolina fired on all cylinders: Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams, Cam Newton - even Steve Smith got in on the action with this 23 yard end around. Newton broke Peyton Manning's rookie passing record, yet he only had 171 yards in this game (91 on a single play, the longest in franchise history). Smith only caught one ball for nine yards, as many key starters sat out the fourth quarter.

Gross is one of those key starters the Panthers can't function without. He manhandled rookie Adrian Clayborn at the point of attack, springing Stewart (and others) for the scamper seen here. Smith's run went away from the left-side anchor, but Gross still made a key block in the backfield to ward off the backside pursuit. The Panthers averaged an astounding 8.7 yards per rush and 9.1 per pass, scoring on eight of the first nine possessions. You don't get production like that without a dominating performance by your offensive line, which gave up one sack on the day.

Gross kept the award in Carolina for another week, despite the best efforts of Brice McCain (7 tackles, 2 PDef), Eric Weddle (6 tackles, 2 PDef), and Jonathan Fanene (2 tackles, 2 sacks) to wrest it away.

Injury update: Koa Misi was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

Affront

Lance Ball runs off a block by Zane Beadles.

Mike McCoy's offense isn't pretty these days in Denver, but you can't argue with results. The focus is all on Tim Tebow of course, but he better be splurging on a sumptuous dinner for his offensive line! Denver was down to a third-string running back, yet managed 244 yards rushing in Kansas City. The Chiefs had no sacks on Tebow (only attempting eight passes had something to do with that), and the Broncos ground out the yards on the ground. We are recognizing Zane Beadles as our ProUte of the Week for making that curtailed offense go. What will he be able to do against last week's ProUte Sione Pouha and the Jets defense on Thursday night?

Other nominees: Alex Smith (19-30, 242 yds, TD, INT), Brice McCain (2 tackles, 2 PDef, INT), and Eric Weddle (9 tackles).

Finders Keepers

Look what I found!

Tennessee's receiver didn't want to catch the ball, but when it bounced to Houston defensive back Brice McCain he knew what to do with it. He zigged and zagged his way through a crowd en route to a 38 yard INT return for a TD to cap the Texans' 41-7 victory over the Titans. The win gave Houston first place in the AFC South, and the play gave Brice McCain his first ProUte of the Week Award!

McCain wasn't the only ProUte to snag an interception this week - Eric Weddle also made a pick at the goal line against the Jets. Weddle had more tackles than McCain (6 to 3), and his pick prevented points, but McCain converted his INT into six points. Each of them also had a PDef. Dolphins' DB Sean Smith did not have an INT or a PDef this week, but he did have 7 tackles against the Broncos. Seven was the number for S. Smith in Week 7, as Steve Smith had 7 catches for 143 yards (and one carry for six more).

Week of the DB

It was the Week of the DB in the NFL, as Brice McCain racked up another 5 tackles against Indy, Sean Smith had a tackle, defended two passes, and snagged the first interception of his career, and Eric Weddle had 11 tackles and defended a pass. Even the offensive players turned DB, as Quinton Ganther and Chris Kemoeatu each had a tackle after an interception. You voted and Sean Smith takes the award for his takeaway (see the video here)! Now he and Koa Misi each have one of their own to go with the one they shared.

Steve Smith did all he could to help his team, even returning a punt 8 yards to go with 9 receptions for 85 yards. Maybe he can play a little DB as well (Carolina throws enough interceptions Smith could have plenty of tackles)!

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.

Interception!

Paul Kruger does it again! His INT in OT against the Steelers looked a lot like his INT against BYU a year ago. Kruger is a play maker, and he should get more playing time with the Ravens after this terrific pick. Kruger wins the ProUte of Week 12, prevailing over fellow rookie Brice McCain, who also snagged his first INT off of Peyton Manning, and Alex Smith, whose performance was defined by a lack of INTs. Kruger also had two tackles and a pass deflection before his game-changing interception.

2009 NFL Draft Results

Four Utes from the 13-0 Sugar Bowl Champions were drafted by NFL teams in April:

#57, Baltimore Ravens, Paul Kruger, de
#61, Miami Dolphins, Sean Smith, db
#188, Houston Texans, Brice McCain, db
#252, Cincinnati Bengals, Freddie Brown, wr

More Utes were drafted in 2005, following the team's first BCS busting season, including the number 1 overall pick:

#1, San Francisco 49ers, Alex Smith, qb
#88, New York Jets, Sione Pouha, dt
#204, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chris Kemoeatu, og
#225, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Paris Warren, wr
#233, Cincinnati Bengals, Jonathan Fanene, de

With the exception of Warren (now with the New Orleans Saints), all of those players are still with the teams that drafted them four years ago. Smith has had a rocky start to his career with the Niners, but the team has re-signed him to a restructured contract, demonstrating a continuing commitment to the former top pick. Kemoeatu was a starter for the Steelers this year, demonstrating that Utes can win bowl games at every level!