Family Men

A couple of positive examples set by ProUtes this week:

As a husband, father and player I'm embarrassed to be associated with the NFL right now!
— Eric Weddle (@weddlesbeard) September 11, 2014

Weddle was also a guest on the Grantland NFL podcast with Robert Mays and Bill Barnwell. Over on CBS Sports, a pair of former ProUtes were profiled:

What a story: Ex-Raven quit football to donate kidney to ex-Steeler younger brother http://t.co/2Ev47rHSzT pic.twitter.com/pDREl3hUeO
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 18, 2014

Remember Me?

Sione and Keite Pouha have donated $50,000 to the Invest in Excellence campaign, and the alumni locker room in the new football facility will be named for Pouha in gratitude. Memorial Day weekend is a fine time for an announcement like this! New OC Brian Johnson and his fiancée Ashley Chapman also donated $50,000 to the campaign earlier this month.

In free agent news, a Kemoeatu has re-signed with his former team. Remember Ma'ake? Apparently the Ravens do, as they have signed the defensive lineman who didn't play in 2011. Too bad he won't be able to line up against his brother Chris in the annual Ravens-Steelers grudge matches; Chris has not signed with another team since being released by the Steelers. Zane Taylor has signed with the Colts after being released by the Eagles.

Down the Line

The Jets have locked up Sione Pouha for another 3 years, adding stability to their defensive front. The Steelers have cut Chris Kemoeatu from their unstable offensive line in an attempt to clear more cap space. The Dolphins used their franchise tag on Paul Soliai a year ago, but the two sides never reached a long term agreement. This year Miami is transitioning from a 3-4 look to a 4-3 front, which reduces the importance of a massive run stopper. Will he capitalize on his Pro Bowl appearance and take his girth to another team that will appreciate a man of his stature, or will he stay with Koa Misi and Sean Smith in South Beach? Alex Smith is likely to stay in San Francisco, signing a new deal that will keep him (not Peyton Manning) as the starting quarterback for the 49ers. The Panthers tendered R.J. Stanford, an exclusive rights free agent.

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.

Back It Up

A late hit after Steve Smith crossed the goal line led to a scuffle.

Even after Alex Smith led the 49ers to a comeback victory over the Eagles, not everyone was sold on his performance. At least one detractor predicted he would follow it up with a 3 INT game the next week. Instead Alex turned in the most proficient performance by an NFL quarterback this season, posting a rating of 127.2 and a total QBR of 98.2. Granted he only threw for 170 yards, but that was because San Francisco got out to an early lead. Alex opened the game 6-of-7 and finished 11-of-19 with 3 TDs and no turnovers. He has been a stud in back-to-back weeks and has earned back-to-back ProUte of the Week awards. Alex has earned two awards in each of the past three seasons, but this is the first time he has won it back-to-back.

Honorable mention goes to Steve Smith for his three catches, 79 yards, and a TD, and to the O-Line: Caleb Schlauderaff (first start with the Jets), Jordan Gross (162 yards rushing, 1 sack, 58% conversion on third down), and Zane Beadles (162 yards rushing, 0 sacks). Chris Kemoeatu did not play in one of the better performances by Pittsburgh's o-line (174 yards rushing, 1 sack, 58% 3rd down conversions).

Empty-Handed

Two ProUtes came away empty-handed from Super Bowl XLV. Stevenson Sylvester almost recovered a fumble on Pittsburgh's first punt, but the Packers held onto it. Sly played on special teams but didn't make a tackle. Chris Kemoeatu missed this tackle on Nick Collins as he returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, putting Green Bay up 14-0. Kemoeatu also missed his block on the play as Howard Green struck Ben Roethlisberger on his release, resulting in the interception. Kemoeatu made a couple of key blocks later in the game: one was a block in the back, which drew a 10 yard penalty, and the other was pulling to open the hole on Rashard Mendenhall's 8 yard TD run in the third quarter. Pittsburgh's O-line played pretty well without injured center Maurkice Pouncey, as the Steelers outgained the Packers in net yards (387 to 338) and rushing yards (126 to 50). They only gave up one sack and converted 53% of their third downs, but they could not sustain the drive in the final two minutes.

Key Matchup

Chris Kemoeatu got the upper hand on former teammate Sione Pouha as Pittsburgh's injury-depleted offensive line took control in the first half of the AFC Championship Game. Running back Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 95 yards and a TD as the Steelers rolled to a commanding 24-0 lead. An injury to rookie center Maurkice Pouncey caught up to Pittsburgh in the second half, as a fumbled snap resulted in a safety, Mendenhall was limited to 26 yards, and the Steelers were held scoreless. Pouha came away with 6 tackles and was in pursuit of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he scrambled to hit Antonio Brown for the first down that clinched it.

Pouha and the Jets lost in the AFC Championship Game for the second straight year, while Kemoeatu will play in his third Super Bowl and rookie Stevenson Sylvester will play in his first.

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)!

Misi Mixes it Up

Koa Misi won't have to share the ProUte of the Week award - this time it's all his! He seems to be a contender for the award each week and week 7 belongs to him. Misi isn't putting up huge numbers in a single category, but he has been filling up the stat sheet. Against the Steelers he had 2 tackles, half a sack, and a fumble recovery. In his first six games as a pro he has 14 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 fumbles recovered. This photo shows his first sack on Trent Edwards; he has also brought down Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers, and Ben Roethlisberger. He recovered a Brett Favre fumble for a touchdown and in this highlight he beats fellow ProUte Chris Kemoeatu to the inside, takes on another blocker, and still falls on the ball after Roethlisberger drops it to the turf (of course the story of the game was the Roethlisberger fumble that Miami didn't recover in the end zone). In a league known as the Not For Long the rookie Misi is making some memorable plays! He wins the award over veterans Jordan Gross, OL (379 net yards, 1 sack allowed), Sean Smith (4 tackles), and Eric Weddle (5 tackles).

In other news, Quinton Ganther is back with the Seattle Seahawks following an injury to fullback Michael Robinson. Gabe Long is back with the Las Vegas Locos, but Josh Savage was released by the Omaha Nighthawks, despite leading the team with 1.5 sacks. He was slowed by a back injury, so they replaced him with Reynaldo Wynn. The Locos and Nighthawks will square off for first place in the UFL.

Weddle Gets His Groove Back

Eric Weddle finally got back to posting the numbers (12 tackles, one pdef) we're used to seeing from the ultra-productive safety in week 6. Weddle got his groove back, even if the Bolts are still looking for the Lightning Thief. This is his first ProUte of the Week award of the season, to go along with the four he won last year.

Four other candidates had noteworthy games: Chris Kemoeatu, OL (378 net yards with no sacks allowed), Koa Misi, LB (3 tackles, 1 sack), Sione Pouha, DL (4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pdef), and Alex Smith, QB (16-33, 196 yards, 2 TDs, and zero turnovers).

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!

Knee Trouble

Eric Weddle is expected to miss the next two games with a sprained ligament in his knee, multiple sources are reporting. See the North County Times for more details. Chris Kemoeatu sprained the MCL in his right knee and missed last week's game, but he's testing the knee in practice and hopes to return to the starting lineup this week, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Got to Hand it to the O-Line

It's not often that offensive linemen get singled out for anything besides a holding penalty, so I'm stoked about Chris Kemoeatu winning the ProUte of Week 4 award! Kemoeatu's blocking paved the way for the Steelers to rack up 177 yards rushing and 320 yards passing against the Chargers. Even more impressive was the 40:20 time of possession! That points to domination at the line of scrimmage, so hats off to Kemoeatu. He beat Eric Weddle (on and off the field), Sean Smith, and Paul Kruger, who recorded his first career tackle.

Conflicted

I've got to say I'm a bit conflicted over tonight's season opener. I'd like to see a good showing by offensive lineman Chris Kemoeatu, but I've got the Titans defense on my fantasy team. Last year the Titans sacked Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger five times, and I wouldn't mind seeing a repeat performance tonight. As long as it comes off the outside edge and not up the middle it will be a win-win!