The Pick Is In

The pick for ProUte of Week 13 is in, and it's Eric Weddle. He caught his first interception of the season, which he returned 21 yards. He recovered a fumble, which he returned 27 yards. He had six tackles, an assist, and a pass defensed. That's a Weddle performance worthy of the ProUte of the Week Award.

Alex Smith played well against the Broncos, but not well enough to win the game or the week 13 award. He completed 26-42 passes for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns with one interception. He also ran 4 times for 46 yards.

Sean Smith had 5 tackles and a PDef in the loss; Koa Misi had 3 tackles and a sack in a win over the Jets.

Sealver Siliga was signed from the practice squad and played for New England, registering one tackle and one assist. David Reed was waived mid-week by Indianapolis.

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!

Miami Vice Grip

The offensive linemen got their due last week, so let's move over to Miami's defense in week five. Prior to the game Baltimore re-committed to make Ray Rice the centerpiece of their offense, and Miami was ready for him. The Dolphins' D limited Rice to 74 yards on 27 carries, less than 3 yards per carry. His longest run of the game was 7 yards. He also had 6 receptions for 28 yards, with a long of 9 yards. Rice had more than 100 yards of offense and 2 touchdowns, but it took 33 touches to get there. He also lost a fumble, forced by our own Paul Soliai!

Baltimore was 6/16 on third down conversions and 2/3 in the red zone. The Ravens had 384 net yards and won the game on their fourth field goal. Miami won the turnover battle 2-0 with Rice's fumble and Joe Flacco's pick six returned by Reshad Jones to tie the game at 23 in the fourth quarter. Miami's defense did all they could to stay in the game, but Miami's running game couldn't get it done.

The ProUte of the Week could go to the entire defense, but one player stood out: Koa Misi. Misi was all over Rice and Flacco, making 7 tackles (three for a loss) and an assist, plus a sack for an 11 yard loss and a quarterback hurry. Soliai had 4 tackles along with the forced fumble, and Derrick Shelby and R.J. Stanford each contributed 3 tackles apiece. It was a solid performance all around, but Koa Misi is the clear cut ProUte of Week Five.

Good Sign

Koa Misi signed a four-year extension with the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Instead of entering the final year of his rookie contract, Misi is now signed through 2017. Miami may have lost Sean Smith, but they won't miss out on Misi in free agency! Miami plays at Cleveland (new home of Paul Kruger) to open the season tomorrow.

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.

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.

#1 in Week One

Alex Smith outplayed Aaron Rodgers in Week One, earning our first ProUte of the Week Award in 2012. In terms of career Rodgers has gotten the better of Smith, but the former #1 overall pick won this round. In a potential playoff preview, San Francisco traveled to Green Bay. Playing at Lambeau didn't faze Smith, who went 20/26 for 211 yards and 2 TDs. Rodgers had more completions and yards, but it took him a lot more attempts to get there. Playing from behind, the Packers QB threw 44 times, completing 30, for 303 yards and 2 TDs. He also threw a costly pick in the rally effort. Granted, Smith has the better defense on his side, but there is another stat worth noting: average yards per pass play. Alex was good for 6.4, while Aaron hit 5.9. The ProUte also broke a former Cougar's franchise record for most consecutive passes without an interception. Still think he's just a game manager? Then ask Aaron Rodgers why he's wearing an Alex Smith jersey!

Koa Misi posted 11 tackles to lead Miami, Eric Weddle had 7, and Steve Smith caught 7 passes for 106 yards. Robert Johnson got his first start for Tennessee and finished with 5 tackles. Peyton Manning won his first start in Denver, but he had plenty of help. Demaryius Thomas did most of the work on this 71 yard TD, but look who's out there clearing the way: big Zane Beadles!

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.

Hit the Sack

Koa Misi bringing down Tom Brady last season.

Koa Misi's second season with the Miami Dolphins (0-5) has not started as well as his rookie season did. The former second round pick has been in a sack slump, according to this article by Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That changed on Monday, when Misi sacked Mark Sanchez. It's a bit of stretch to name him the ProUte of the Week for his three tackles, one sack in a 24-6 loss to the Jets, but any hit on Sanchez is worth mentioning.

The article by Jackson also mentions the struggles of Sean Smith, another second round pick now in his third season. He did not break out of his slump against the Jets, but Paul Soliai contributed three tackles for his franchise tag.

This week the Dolphins will host Tim Tebow on "Gator Day," no less. Hopefully he will receive a warm welcome from Koa and crew.

4x4x4

Week 13 in the NFL was a tough one. Six ProUtes played tough defense in tough losses. Naming the ProUte of the Week is a tough call as a result. Do we recognize Sione Pouha's individual effort leading the Jets with 8 tackles in a 45-3 loss to the Patriots? Or do we go with the overall team effort Miami got from Koa Misi, Sean Smith, and Paul Soliai (4 tackles apiece) in a 13-10 loss to Cleveland?

Eight tackles is a rare feat for an interior lineman like Pouha, but the Patriots broke the century mark in rushing yards and had two rushing TDs. The Dolphins held Peyton Hillis and the Browns to 52 yards rushing and no scores on the ground. If not for Chad Henne's 3 INTs and a blocked FG in the first quarter Miami could have come away with a win. Mark Sanchez also threw 3 INTs for New York, but that was forcing the ball downfield under duress.

Pouha tallied as many tackles as Misi and Soliai combined, but throw in Smith's tackles and the 4x4x4 gets the job done. This marks the second time this season Miami's trio has shared the award. Eric Weddle (6 tackles) and Ma'ake Kemoeatu (5 tackles) were also in the running.

Pickin' 'Em Up and Puttin' 'Em Down

Eric Weddle picked up another ProUte of the Week award in week 9. Weddle wraps up these awards like he wraps up ball carriers (8 tackles). He deflects all challengers like he defends passes (2 PDef). This week's poll had five other candidates, but none of them could get by Weddle to reach paydirt. It would take Sione Pouha (4 tackles, PDef) and Sean Smith combined (5 tackles, PDef) to surpass Weddle's numbers. Koa Misi had 6 tackles while Paul Soliai registered 3 tackles and a sack - that might win the award during Weddle's bye week, but not this week. There was a surprise contender on the offensive (and special teams) side: David Reed saw his first action this season. He rushed once for 15 yards and returned two kicks for 44 yards. That's an average of 19.66 yards per play, not bad for a rookie. But no ProUte makes more plays on the field than Eric Weddle.

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).

Triple D

Two teammates will share this week's ProUte award as Koa Misi (1 tackle, 1 sack) and Sean Smith (5 tackles) tied in the voting. Although the Dolphins lost to the Patriots 41-14, the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Miami's defense only allowed two touchdowns, held Randy Moss without a catch, and limited Tom Brady to 146 net passing yards. Paul Soliai also contributed a tackle for the Dolphins D.

Miami is the only team in the league with three active ProUtes, all on the same side of the ball. Carolina has two active players (although Steve Smith is out with a high ankle sprain) and one on the practice squad, while Baltimore and San Francisco both have two active and one on injured reserve.

Sylvester Sets the Tone

Stevenson Sylvester set the tone for the Steelers on Sunday, forcing a fumble on a kick return. It was the first of seven takeaways in the game, a 19-11 win over the Titans. Sylvester, a rookie third-string linebacker (who wears #55 now), made the most of his time on the field, collecting three tackles to go with his FF. Sly also collected the ProUte of the Week Award!

His forced fumble may not have been as high profile as Koa Misi's fumble recovery for a touchdown, but Misi (another rookie LB who wears #55) was the beneficiary of that play. Sylvester caused the fumble. And he had three tackles to Misi's two, despite playing fewer downs than Misi. To see the video replays of their exploits, see Monday's post titled Fumble!

Also in the running for week two's award were Sione Pouha (6 tackles to lead the Jets), Steve Smith (3 rec., 66 yards, TD), and Eric Weddle (5 tackles and .5 sack).

Fumble!

Utah had no trouble handling New Mexico on Saturday, but they did have some trouble handling the ball. They had four fumbles in the game and lost three, one of which was returned for a TD. Against an opponent like New Mexico that isn't too costly, but against a team like Air Force or TCU it could be devastating.

A pair of rookie ProUtes were on the other side of fumbles this weekend. Stevenson Sylvester made the most of his time on the field, forcing a fumble on a kick return. Pittsburgh had seven takeaways in their 19-11 win over the Titans.

Koa Misi fell on a Favre fumble in the end zone, resulting in a touchdown that ultimately proved to be the difference in Miami's 14-10 upset of Minnesota.