Wild West

ProUtes made all sorts of noise in the AFC West training camps this year. Alex Smith held out and got the contract extension he wanted in Kansas City. Meanwhile Sean Smith was dropped to the second unit. Tenny Palepoi made the cut in San Diego, where the 53 man roster was a little light on defensive linemen. There wasn't enough room for Joe Kruger, however; he was cut by the Eagles as well as the Chargers. Over in Oakland they kept Tony Bergstrom and Keith McGill, but undrafted free agents Jake Murphy and Karl Williams were let go.

Miami is down to two ProUtes this season, with the departures of R.J. Stanford (cut by Cincinnati) and Paul Soliai (signed with Atlanta); Sam Brenner is back on the practice squad. Sealver Siliga secured a spot in New England, but L.T. Tuipulotu did not. Trevor Reilly will be the lone representative on the New York Jets after Caleb Schlauderaff was waived and Tevita Finau was sent back to the practice squad. Buffalo placed Stevenson Sylvester on injured reserve.

Tevita Stevens is on the practice squad in Washington, and Anthony Denham is on Houston's.    

Third String

It's tough not to give the ProUte of Week 15 to Alex Smith when he completes 17 of 20 passes for 287 yards and 5 touchdowns - really tough. That performance really belonged to Jamaal Charles, who scored on passes of 49, 39, 16, and 71 yards, however. Alex threw another touchdown to Sean McGrath, and, aside from losing a fumble, was nearly perfect with a rating of 158.3. He would walk away with the award if not for the sudden emergence of a third-string running back.

Due to injuries to Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, Matt Asiata got the start for Minnesota. He carried the ball 30 times for 51 yards, an average of just 1.7 yards per carry. His longest run of the day was 10 yards. Those numbers aren't exactly Quinton Ganther-like, but Asiata did punch the ball into the end zone again and again and again. He had two one-yard TDs and one from five yards out, as the Vikings demoralized the Eagles. Asiata added three receptions for 15 yards, giving him 66 yards on 33 touches to go with his 3 touchdowns. Matt Asiata busted through for his first ProUte of the Week Award!

Sealver Siliga and Sam Brenner started opposite one another, with Siliga recording a sack and two tackles for the Patriots.

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!

Three Technique

There were three significant games in week 11:

Miami 20, San Diego 16
The Dolphins are once again a 5 ProUte team, having promoted Sam Brenner from the practice squad to immediate starter. Miami's offensive line is in such disarray following the Incognito-Martin fallout and the injury to Pouncey that Brenner was called into action. He was part of the unit that surrendered four sacks, including one by Eric Weddle. The Dolphins' defense held the Chargers' offense in check, but none of the ProUtes on the squad came close to Weddle's 7 tackles, sack, and pass defensed.

Denver 27, Kansas City 17
Denver handed Kansas City their first loss of the season and took over the division lead in the process. The Chiefs lead the league in sacks, but they couldn't get to Peyton Manning and his fragile ankles. Credit Zane Beadles and the Broncos offensive line for giving their aging QB time to throw. Alex Smith threw the ball 45 times, but only completed 21 passes for 230 yards. He threw a touchdown at the start of the second quarter and another one at the end of the fourth quarter, when the outcome was already decided. He also ran 5 times for 52 yards, and recovered his own fumble. Sean Smith had 2 tackles and a PDef for K.C.'s D.

Carolina 24, New England 20  
This was the biggest game of the week, and it was played on the Monday Night Football stage. Cam Newton outplayed Tom Brady, Steve Smith owned Aqib Talib, and the Panthers came away with another impressive victory. Smith's stats (4 for 62) are on par with his season, but his diss on former rival Talib, telling him to "Ice up, son," sums it up. Not a lot will be said about Jordan Gross, but Carolina converted 8 of 11 third downs. More will be said about Star Lotulelei, who lined up at the 3 technique and blew right by the blocker to sack Brady. He also had 4 tackles and an assist. Prior to the game, Star topped the Making the Leap list on NFL.com; after his big showing, he is the ProUte of the Week!

All the Trimmings

Reggie Dunn was indeed waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers today, as teams trimmed down to final 53 man rosters. Much like Erroll Tucker in 1986, Dunn's fate hinged on one return. For Tucker it was a broken leg in the preseason finale; for Dunn it was taking a safety.

Joe Kruger injured his shoulder in the last preseason game and wound up on injured reserve; it looks like there will be the same number of Krugers in the league this year as there were last year.

Both Tevitas were cut, Finau by the Jets and Stevens by the Redskins. Sam Brenner was released by the Dolphins and David Rolf was cut by the Chargers as none of the undrafted free agents made a team this year. Also cut were Sealver Siliga (Seattle) and Brandon Burton (Minnesota). *Burton has since been picked up by Buffalo (B to the fourth degree).*

Derrick Shelby and R.J. Stanford both stuck with Miami for another season, and David Reed made the squad in Indy.

The AFC East now has six ProUtes, the most in any division in the league, followed by the AFC West with five. The NFC South will have three (all in Carolina) and the AFC South will have two. The AFC North and NFC North will each have one, while the NFC East and NFC West will be Uteless.

Two Weeks In

It's the second week of the NFL preseason, time to take a look at how the undrafted free agents are faring in their respective training camps. Dave Kruger (Browns) has one tackle, which is one more than his drafted brother Joe (Eagles) has to the Kruger name. First round pick Star Lotulelei hasn't recorded any tackles either, although he did knock down Nick Foles, the former University of Arizona quarterback. David Rolf (Chargers) doesn't have any stats as San Diego's offense has struggled early under new coach Mike McCoy. Sam Brenner (Dolphins) and Tevita Stevens (Redskins) aren't likely to record stats as rookies on the offensive line. Stevens and Reggie Dunn (Steelers) will be on opposite sidelines in their second preseason game Monday night. In week one Dunn had one reception for 10 yards and two punt returns for 22 yards (with a long of 19). Moe Lee (Ravens) had a nice outing in week one, with two tackles, a PDef, and an INT from Tampa Bay's third string QB. He followed that up with no stats against the Falcons in week two. Atlanta cut Sean Sellwood; DeVonte Christopher, Ryan Lacy, and Reggie Topps didn't make it to the preseason.

Chip Off The New Block

Joe (#99) and Dave (#44) Kruger

Joe Kruger was a 7th round selection of the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. Utah hasn't played Oregon yet in the new PAC-12, but new Eagles head coach Chip Kelly must have seen enough of Kruger to give him a shot. Kruger was selected #212 overall, almost exactly where WalterFootball predicted. Joe left Utah before exhausting his eligibility so he would have an opportunity to join his brothers Paul and Dave at the next level.

Dave is joining Paul in Cleveland's camp after signing as an undrafted free agent. Other players receiving tryouts include: Reggie Dunn (Pittsburgh), Ryan Lacy (New Orleans), David Rolf (San Diego), Tevita Stevens and DeVonte Christopher (Washington), Sam Brenner (Miami), Sean Sellwood (Atlanta), Moe Lee (Baltimore), and Reggie Topps (Arizona).