Letters from Training Camp

Baltimore - David Reed suspended for the first game; Kelly Talavou released.
Buffalo - Quinton Ganther released.
Dallas - Justin Taplin-Ross released.
Green Bay - Caleb Schlauderaff traded to the Jets; Shaky Smithson placed on injured reserve.
Minnesota - Matt Asiata and Freddie Brown released; Brandon Burton made the cut.
New England - Christian Cox waived, placed on injured reserve.
New York Jets - Zane Taylor released; acquired Caleb Schlauderaff for an undisclosed conditional draft pick.
San Francisco - Sealver Siliga released; Barry Sims not re-signed; Alex Smith named starting quarterback.
St. Louis - Eddie Wide waived, placed on injured reserve.
Tennessee - Robert Johnson and Brett Ratliff released.

In Hot Water

David Reed has resolved his possession of marijuana case, according to the National Football Post. Rather than having a trial yesterday Reed entered a plea other than guilty or not guilty and the case was closed last week. The Ravens have not disciplined him, and it is unlikely that the NFL will level any punishment.

I have been unable to find an update on Quinton Ganther's DUI case, which was to be continued on Sept. 1st, 2010. Legal trouble did not prevent him from signing with the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 8th; he finished out the season and remains on the active roster.

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.

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!

Off Season

It's been a disappointing off-season for three ProUtes: Freddie Brown, Martail Burnett, and Quinton Ganther. Brown was waived by the Bengals at the end of July, then signed by the Vikings to take some reps while other receivers recover. Burnett injured his left knee and was waived by the 49ers. The team placed him on injured reserve once he cleared waivers. Ganther, pictured here being tackled by a former Tennessee teammate in a recent preseason game, followed his running backs coach from Washington to Seattle. The running back position is still unsettled in Seattle, with LenDale White (another of Ganther's former Tennessee teammates) getting released by his old college coach, Pete Carroll. Ganther was arrested for DUI in Sacramento this summer. He had a hearing on Wednesday, which did not prevent him from playing this weekend. He may yet make the team, pending any legal or league-imposed discipline.

Free Agent Moves

The Carolina Panthers parted ways with one of their defensive linemen yesterday. I'm talking about ProUte Ma'ake Kemoeatu here, not Julius Peppers. The latter is leaving Carolina for Chicago as a free agent, but the former was released yesterday along with quarterback Jake Delhomme. Kemoeatu ruptured his Achilles tendon during the first 30 minutes of training camp last summer and complications have required multiple surgeries, the Charlotte Observer reports. Kemoeatu is a casualty of injury as much as salary cap changes this upcoming season.

Spring training has already opened for the upcoming MLB season, and ProUte Chris Shelton is in camp with the Houston Astros. Shelton signed a $500,000 Minor league contract in December. He had a tremendous spring camp with Seattle in 2009, and now he has a chance to show Houston what he can bring to the Astros.

ProUtes in the Playoffs

Jonathan Fanene had more tackles (4) than Sione Pouha (1 assist), but the Bengals lost to the Jets in their AFC wildcard game. It was the second straight weekend that the Jets celebrated a convincing victory over the Bengals. The Jets get a new opponent this week, and it's a formidable foe: Eric Weddle and the Chargers.

Paul Kruger and Kelly Talavou did not record any stats in the other AFC wildcard game, but the Ravens beat the Patriots and moved on to face the Colts. That means Kruger may get another shot at that [to borrow a phrase from The Office] "arrogant and smudge" Austin Collie!

Over on the NFC side there are no ProUtes in the playoffs. Although the AFC only holds a 10-7 advantage in the number of ProUtes, it's a matter of distribution. There are 7 AFC teams with ProUtes on their rosters, whereas there are only 3 in the NFC (and that's after the Redskins signed Quinton Ganther). The 49ers and Panthers each have 3 ProUtes on the payroll, but the rest of the conference has shown little interest in players from the University of Utah. As a result I have little interest in the NFC playoffs.

Ganther Gets A Chance

Quinton Ganther got a chance to start last Sunday, filling in for injured running backs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. A recent addition to the Redskins, Ganther capitalized on his opportunity with the capital's team, gaining 50 yards on 14 carries and scoring the first two touchdowns of his career on tough 1 yard runs. He also caught three passes for 43 yards in netting nearly 100 total yards from scrimmage. Ganther also netted the ProUte of Week 14 award for his breakout performance!

Ganther Back In, Gross Out

Quinton Ganther is healthy and playing in the NFL again, now as a member of the Washington Redskins. With Clinton Portis injured Ganther saw a few plays in relief of Ladell Betts, carrying three times for four yards and catching one pass for 18 yards. Those stats weren't enough to warrant a nomination for ProUte of the Week 10, but still worth mentioning! Ganther had a better week than Jordan Gross, who suffered a broken ankle when another player fell on his leg. Gross joined fellow ProUte Panther lineman Ma'ake Kemoeatu on the injured list. I regret predicting an outcome like this in a preseason post on Aug. 12th. Gross has been a stalwart tackle for the Panthers and a generous donor to the University of Utah; it's a shame to see his season end this way.

In addition to Ganther two other ProUtes have resurfaced in the league: Freddie Brown with the Bengals and Martail Burnett with the 49ers. They are members of the practice squads of those respective teams.

Final Cuts

Running back Quinton Ganther posted 10 rushes for 18 yards and 3 receptions for 49 yards during the preseason before he injured his right calf in the final preseason game. Tough luck, poor timing, and a crowded backfield resulted in his being waived-injured by the Tennessee Titans. Also casualties of the final 53-man roster cut were wide receiver Freddie Brown (Bengals) and defensive end Martail Burnett (Vikings).