Stiff Arm

Paul Kruger is the ProUte of the Week, on the strength of his two sacks, but Steve Smith, Sr. had the Play of the Day on the strength of his stiff arm!

3rd & 14 was the key number for both players; Kruger's first sack came in the red zone, forcing Pittsburgh to settle for a field goal on 4th & 18. Smith's statement also came on 3rd & 14, as he drifted behind the coverage. Do defensive backs not realize that Flacco can bomb it? Smith the savvy veteran realizes it and made the play, stiff-arming Adam Jones to the ground along the way! He finished with 7 catches for 118 yards and a TD in his first game in Baltimore.

Ben Roethlisberger is not an easy take down, but Kruger got to him twice. The second time was in the third quarter, on 3rd & 11. Roethlisberger lost the ball, and, by the time he recovered it, Kruger covered him. The Steelers were forced to punt on 4th & 24. Kruger had five tackles to go with his two sacks and wins the first award of 2014.

Paul's Haul

A pair of Pauls and a pair of Smiths make up the candidates for the ProUte of Week 14. Paul Kruger and Paul Soliai both had sacks, Alex Smith had a 122.3 rating, and Steve Smith made a fierce touchdown grab. Steve's score came at the end of a rout by New Orleans, ending Carolina's win streak. Alex threw 20 passes, completing 14 for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns in the snow. Soliai had a sack, a tackle, an assist, and a PDef.

Kruger doubled him up with two sacks, two tackles, two assists, a PDef, and a forced fumble. It was his best game in a Browns uniform, and it got him his first ProUte of the Week Award this season.

Sealver Siliga got his first start for the Patriots, and came up with 6 assists in the comeback victory.

R.J. Stanford was placed on injured reserve by the Dolphins.

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. 

Just Win

Alex Smith eludes Paul Kruger on this running play.

Kansas City defeated Cleveland, 23-17, to remain the league's only unbeaten team. The Chiefs didn't dominate, but they won. Again. When asked about getting every teams best shot, Smith said "We love it. You want the stages to get bigger. That's why you put all the work in. You want this opportunity. You want that honor." Sounds like a quote from 2003 to me!

Alex threw his first touchdown pass of the month, and it was the first of fullback Anthony Sherman's career. Alex also threw a 28-yard TD to Dexter McCluster. He was 24/36 for 225 yards and no interceptions. Smith added 40 yards rushing on six carries. That about offset being sacked six times, including once by Paul Kruger. Smith keeps winning games and ProUte of the Week Awards!

Honorable mention goes to Jordan Gross, who was praised for his run blocking by Mel Kiper, Jr. In roster moves, Brandon Burton was released by Buffalo, while Sealver Siliga was signed to New England's practice squad. At the trade deadline New England acquired Isaac Sopoaga from Philadelphia, so that may limit Siliga's chances of making the active roster.

Ute Chief

It was a big opening week for several ProUtes! Zane Beadles and the Broncos started the season by beating the defending Super Bowl champs (a team that needed a huge play to knock Denver out of the playoffs last year), and then ol' Zane got a mention on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon! How many offensive lineman can say that?

Star Lotulelei has been recognized for his solid play on the defensive line, and we want to recognize a couple more: Derrick Shelby and Paul Kruger. Playing for opposite sides in the same game, both Shelby and Kruger made two tackles and a sack. Shelby's sack forced a fumble, while Kruger also added two assisted tackles. Eric Weddle had two assists to go with his nine tackles and a pass defensed, but Brice McCain (one tackle on special teams) and the Texans came back to beat the Chargers. Star's teammate Steve Smith was once again the star of Carolina's offense, scoring their only touchdown on one of his six receptions for 51 yards.

We've got to give the game ball (i.e. ProUte of the Week) to Alex Smith, who made a memorable debut with Kansas City. His numbers weren't that auspicious - 21/34 for 173 yards and 2 TDs, plus 25 yards rushing - but the final score of 28-2 has never been seen in the NFL before. His first game didn't start well, as a three-and-out resulted in a safety (one of four in week one) on a blocked punt out of the end zone, but that 2-0 lead wouldn't last for the Jags. Alex didn't put on the best performance of a quarterback in the NFL in week one, but it was one of the better performances by a quarterback in Kansas City in quite some time!

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.

Super Kruger

Paul Kruger has had some big games in the Super Dome: first the Sugar Bowl victory in 2009 that launched his pro career, and now a Super Bowl victory that will assure him a big contract in free agency. Kruger had 3 tackles (one for a loss) and 2 sacks on the NFL's biggest stage. Both of his sacks came in the red zone and helped limit the 49ers to field goals. He won't get a deal as large as QB Joe Flacco's, but he earned a big pay increase after leading Baltimore in sacks. He had 9 in the regular season and half that amount in the playoffs.

Kruger's two sacks of Kaepernick were not enough to bring Alex Smith into the game, unfortunately. In 2005, Alex and the Utes rolled over Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl as Flacco watched from the sideline. In 2013 the positions were reversed, with Alex relegated to San Francisco's sideline. He will likely be traded this off-season after what had been the best year of his career.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu was out of the league for a year but came back at the right time and with the right team. He had one tackle in the Super Bowl, becoming the second Kemoeatu brother to get a ring. Maybe next year Chris will return to the NFL as well.

David Reed caught a touchdown pass in the Sugar Bowl but wasn't as involved in the Super Bowl. He played on special teams, as he has since he was activated in November. He won't get his kick returning duties back after the performance Jacoby Jones has had in that role and may be looking for another team that could use his services.

Congratulations to Paul Kruger, Ma'ake Kemoeatu, and David Reed on being Super Bowl champs!

Dogpile

Paul Kruger and Zane Beadles fought for a fumbled football and Kruger came away with it. The Ravens upset the Broncos in the longest and coldest playoff game in quite some time, 38-35 in double overtime. Kruger had three tackles and two quarterback hits to go with his fumble recovery. He has been a bear in the playoffs: he had two and a half sacks and a strip of Andrew Luck in last week's win. Kurt Kragthorpe wrote a nice piece about Kruger emerging at the right time - both the playoffs as well as impending free agency - for the Salt Lake Tribune.

Kruger's compadre Ma'ake Kemoeatu also had three tackles against Denver; receiver David Reed has no catches thus far in the playoffs.

Direct Snap

Once again Weddle took a direct snap and successfully executed a fake punt. Last time it didn't surprise Utah fans, but this time it shouldn't have surprised anybody. Don't the Raiders watch game film? If they watch the film from week 17 they will see Weddle making eight tackles and getting behind his blockers for a 6 yard gain and a first down. We're going to direct snap the ProUte of the Week Award to Weddle; we trust he knows what to do with it.

Lining up across from Weddle and the Chargers defense was Tony Bergstrom, making his first start for the Raiders. San Diego beat Oakland, 24-21.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Paul Kruger both sacked former TCU quarterback Andy Dalton; Kemoeatu also had 4 tackles, while Kruger had one tackle and one pass deflection. David Reed also caught 3 passes for 44 yards, but Cincinnati got past Baltimore, 23-17. Both teams are headed to the playoffs, so there wasn't much at stake in this meeting.

Ten Pin

Eric Weddle made ten takedowns, but Steve Smith got by him for a diving touchdown. That made the score 31-0 in favor of Carolina; the Panthers would go on to win 31-7. Carolina and San Diego both stand at 5-9 for the season, which will not extend into the playoffs for these two teams. Smith had 6 catches for 57 yards and a rush for 15 more. He takes home the ProUte of the Week Award for Week 15.

Zane Beadles and got the better of Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Paul Kruger as Denver defeated Baltimore, 34-17. David Reed caught two passes for 22 yards in his first action for the Ravens this season.

Ma'ake the Play

This could end up being our Play of the Year: Ma'ake Kemoeatu forces the fumble and Paul Kruger recovers it! It may not have been a big return on the play, but that is some excellent teamwork by the ProUtes! Kemoeatu had 2 tackles and a PDef to go with his FF, while Kruger had 7 tackles and 1.5 sacks in addition to the FR. Kruger is the ProUte of the Week, but big Ma'ake made the big play!

Eric Weddle had 5 tackles, 2 PDef, and converted a fake punt. On 4th-and-2 from their own 28 the Chargers put the ball in Weddle's hands with a direct snap. He ran around the end for a 4 yard gain and a first down. No surprise to Utah fans who recall Weddle's success running the Wildcat in college, but it must have caught Washington off guard!

Steve Smith caught 7 passes for 109 yards as Carolina beat division-leading Atlanta, 30-20. The Associated Press reported:

It was all Carolina in the first half, beginning with the coin toss.

The Panthers hadn’t won a coin flip all year until Sunday, causing team captain Jordan Gross to exalt at midfield by thrusting both arms into the air. Including overtime, the Panthers were 0-13 on coin flips.

“I’ve never seen people cheering so loud for a coin toss,” Gross said with a laugh.
 

Haul It In

Steve Smith hauled in this touchdown pass, and with it the ProUte of the Week Award. Smith caught 5 passes for 120 yards, including a 23 yard TD and a 53 yard Hail Mary on the last play of the game. An emotional Kansas City team stopped the Panthers short, but Smith has never let his lack of size stop him from coming down with the ball.

Koa Misi had 5 tackles and sacked Tom Brady, as did his teammate Paul Soliai (2 tackles). Paul Kruger also got another sack, although his penalty for roughing the passer after the two minute warning helped the Steelers move into field goal range. David Reed was activated from the physically unable to perform list for the first time this season, but did not play.

The Wedd Head

Eric Weddle became the latest ProUte to suffer a concussion on Sunday. He was coming up to make a tackle on Ravens RB Ray Rice when he got blocked in the back by WR Anquan Boldin. The cheap shot propelled him head first into Rice, and Weddle sustained a concussion on the play. For all of the league's talk about protecting receivers from headhunting defenders, where is the penalty/suspension/fine for Boldin on this dirty play? Weddle left the game, Rice converted a 4th-and-29, and the game went to overtime, where Baltimore prevailed. Before he was knocked out of the game Weddle had 7 tackles, 2 PDefs, and a near interception that would have iced it for the Chargers. Instead the Wedd Head is on ice. Another ProUte of the Week Award won't ease his symptoms, but he deserves it.

Paul Kruger got after Philip Rivers using his quick hands, sacking the quarterback once. Kruger now has 5.5 sacks, matching his total from last season. He also had four tackles. Koa Misi made 7 tackles against the Seahawks, but it was teammate Paul Soliai who got to the quarterback for half a sack.

Alex Smith was cleared to play following his concussion, but Coach Harbaugh went with Colin Kaepernick instead. He looked good leading the Niners to a win in the Superdome, so Smith, the 5th highest rated passer in the league, finds himself embroiled in a quarterback controversy.

Picked Clean

Marcus Gilchrist made the leaping deflection, Eric Weddle made the interception, and Peyton Manning made a weak attempt at keeping him out of the end zone. Weddle took it back 23 yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Manning's attempt was halfhearted but heady, as he stayed in the game and threw three touchdown passes to his own teammates. San Diego was able to sack him for a safety in the second half, as the Chargers defense put 9 points on the board before the offense got in gear. Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes but he also threw two interceptions and lost one of his three fumbles. Weddle might have to step into the backfield to protect his own quarterback, as Rivers was sacked 4 times (3 by Von Miller). As it is Weddle had 6 tackles, a PDef, and the pick six. San Diego wasn't good enough for the win or the division lead, but Weddle was certainly good enough to capture the ProUte of the Week Award, his first of the season.

Paul Kruger followed up his award-winning performance with another solid outing against the Steelers. He had two tackles, a sack, a PDef, and forced a fumble. Koa Misi had 4 tackles and a sack, while Sean Smith had 6 tackles and forced a fumble.

Big Bird

Give me that ball, dang you!

Paul Kruger showed off his wingspan and his reaction time, batting down a Carson Palmer pass and catching it for an interception. Kruger also sacked Palmer twice (credit for one is due to Mike Brisiel for stepping on Palmer's foot on fourth-and-one - good thing it wasn't Tony Bergstrom!) and had six tackles as the Ravens walloped the Raiders, 55-20. Kruger wrapped his big mitts around the ProUte of the Week as a result.

Alex Smith was knocked out of the game with a concussion after taking a hard hit to the back of the neck. He stayed in the game and completed 5 passes including a TD while experiencing blurred vision. When his vision didn't clear up he stayed on the sideline. He was 7-8 for 72 yards and the TD when he left. The game ended in a 24-24 tie with St. Louis, as both kickers missed field goal attempts in overtime.

Sione Pouha suited up in Seattle a day after the Utes were defeated there by the Huskies. His Jets were also defeated, but Pouha had 6 tackles, a season-high, as he has been limited by back problems. 

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!

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.

Misi Me?

Koa Misi re-introduced himself to Tim Tebow on Sunday. When they met in the Senior Bowl Misi forced Tebow to fumble. They met again when Tebow was in Denver, and now that he's in New York they will meet up twice a year.

Misi made 8 tackles against the Jets and is our ProUte of Week 3. It was all defense in the third week, with Misi's 8 topping Weddle's 5, Kruger's 3, and Pouha's 3.

Alex Smith and the 49ers faltered at Minnesota, as his streak of consecutive passes without an interception came to an end (it wasn't Brandon Burton who picked it off). Smith also lost a fumble.

Steve Smith caught four balls for 86 yards, then went after his quarterback for sulking after throwing multiple interceptions.

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.

Team Leader

Smith's terrific season ends.

Alex Smith led the 49ers, even in defeat. Rather than pinning the overtime loss on Kyle Williams for his fumble on a punt return, Smith kept the blame squarely on his own shoulder pads. "It's not on him. I look at the one for 13 on third downs. I know he's going to feel bad, but he's still part of our team. We didn't lose the game there. We lost it across the board offensively. We just couldn't get it done." That was the type of leadership I expected from the full-fledged QB of the Niners. It wasn't Alex's best game: 12-26, 196 yards, 2 TDs and a 97.6 rating. Smith spent most of the game scrambling, and he did gain 42 yards on 6 carries. In the end the offense could not sustain a drive when it needed to, with plays like Vernon Davis catching an 11 yard pass on 3rd-and-12. San Francisco needs to discover a receiver like Victor Cruz who can exploit the gaps when Davis is double-covered.

Paul Kruger led the Ravens in sacks with one. Out of context that may not seem too impressive, but consider the situation. The Patriots had a first down at Baltimore's 11 yard line in the first quarter when Kruger came charging around the left end to sack Brady for a 5 yard loss. The Ravens held the Pats to a field goal as a result, keeping the game within reach. The missed field goal at the end decided it, but the defense held New England to 23 points, and it started in the first quarter. Kruger had two tackles in the effort.

A Super Bowl rematch of New England and New York features no ProUte players, as Christian Cox has been on IR since the first game of the preseason.