The NFL is now littered with former Texas players from the Mack Brown era. It seems like every game involves a Longhorn in the starting lineup. The biggest impacts appear to be on both lines and in the secondary while linebacker is without a doubt the weakest position. Injuries affected a few of the players 2008 season, but the program should be proud of what these guys are accomplishing.
Justin Blalock – The Atlanta Falcon’s made the playoffs behind a great running game and solid quarterback play. The unsung unit on the team was the offensive line. Blalock has cemented himself as a starter on an upcoming team by starting all 16 games after playing in 14 last season. At Texas, Blalock played tackle, but in the NFL he has been able to slide back to his natural position of tackle. Blalock was even able to score a touchdown on a fumble recovery.
Tarell Brown – The forgotten member of the 2005 secondary has become a solid nickel corner in the NFL for the 49ers. Brown played in 15 games and started in one. He recorded 30 tackles and two interceptions.
Cedric Benson – The beginning of the season didn’t appear good for Benson. After being cut by the Bears it appeared no one would request his services. The Cincinnati Bengals fell apart and came calling four games into the season. Benson started 10 games, gained over 700 yards, and scored two touchdowns on the ground. He also added 20 receptions. “EL Ced” finished with two huge games; making the chance he is offered a longer deal by the Bengals a real possibility.
Tim Crowder – Crowder struggled with injuries and the depth chart all season. He played in six games, starting zero, and recording one tackle on the whole year.
Jamaal Charles – Charles had a rookie season that has to be seen as a success. Charles sits behind Larry Johnson on the depth chart, but made plays when given the opportunity. The speedster averaged 5.3 yards per carry and added 27 receptions. His only touchdown of the season came on a reception. If Johnson isn’t retained by the Chiefs, Charles may get a look as an every down back.
Leonard Davis – The offensive line for the Cowboys underachieved this season. Davis will go to another Pro Bowl but o-line selections are based on reputation more times than not. It was not all Davis’ fault but he did not perform at the level he did the previous year.
Phil Dawson - Dawson was once again a lone bright spot for the Cleveland Browns franchise. He went 30/36 with a long of 56. He was perfect on extra point, but the 18 attempts magnify the struggles of the Browns offense.
Derrick Dockery – Dockery is one of the higher paid linemen in the league, but is never as dominant as his salary would warrant.
Jermichael Finley – Finley had a hard time getting started this season. He ended up playing in 14 games while starting one of them. The rookie finished with 6 receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown on the season.
Cedric Griffin – Griffin has turned into a solid starting cornerback for the Vikings. He gets a lot of action playing opposite of Pro-Bowler Antoine Winfield but holds his own pretty well. Griffin plays with excellent enthusiasm and competitiveness which makes him an eager corner in run support. He played in all 16 games for the second straight season and recorded 91 tackles and a pick.
Mike Griffin – Michael Griffin had the type of year that have made many hail him as the best defensive back to come out of the 2005 group. Griffin is a Pro-Bowl alternate after recording seven interceptions and a sack on the year. He is quickly becoming one of the best safeties in the league. His play has allowed the Titan defense to become one of the best in the league. Griffin also returns kicks for the #1 seeded Titans.
Ahmard Hall – The former Marine has established himself as one of the last true fullbacks in the game. The Tennessee running game is one of the best in the league behind the duo of Chris Johnson and Lendale White. The two split carries with mirrored success, and the one constant is the presence of Hall. He has also become a weapon in the flat out of the backfield, recording two touchdown receptions this year.
Casey Hampton – Hampton had a tough season as he struggled to get on the field with health and conditioning problems. When Hampton can play he remains the best 3-4 nose tackle in the game. He recorded one sack in 13 games that he was rarely able to make it all the way through.
Michael Huff – The Thorpe award winner hasn’t lived up to his draft status so far in his career, but it is still early. Huff lost his starting job and didn’t record a sack, interception, or forced fumble on the year.
Quentin Jammer – Jammer had another great year in San Diego. He is one of the most physical corners in the league and continually gets matched up with the opposing team’s biggest and best receiver. Jammer recorded 88 tackles, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles for the playoff bound Chargers. It has been amazing to watch the turnaround of Jammer’s play after struggling for the first few years in the NFL. The pressure of being a high pick has subsided and Jammer’s play has risen.
Derrick Johnson – DJ has moved inside and performed well for the Chiefs. The knock on the former Texas star coming out was his unwillingness to take on blocks, and after a few years as a pro the criticism still exist. When playing in space he excels, but at the point of attack he has remained a liability. Johnson has been up and down, but has shown flashes of potential. He ended the year with 85 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and four forced fumbles. If/when the light turns on for DJ the sky is the limit.
Frank Okam – Okam may have earned himself a roster spot for next year with his play down the stretch. He lacks the motor and intensity most coaches want out of an interior defensive lineman, but he has the tools to become a solid player in the league if he ever turns it on.
Cory Redding – I feel bad for Cory Redding. I feel bad for any player, coach, trainer, and journalist (except Rob Parker) in Detroit. Redding was the heart and soul of their defense (if that is possible), and if he ever gets out of Detroit he may have a chance to make some noise. Until then, he’ll be rich in Detroit. He got three sacks on the year.
Brian Robison – Robison plays behind Jerod Allen so his snaps are limited. When he is on the field he shows up and makes plays. He managed 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 15 games.
Shaun Rogers – Shaun Rogers is the most disruptive interior lineman in football today. The guy is just huge and unstoppable when his motor is turned on. He took over games at points this season in spite of double and triple teams. Rogers will be in the Pro-Bowl again after turning in 76 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He has Hall of Fame type talent when it is all clicking for Rogers.
Aaron Ross – He may not be the best athlete in his marriage, but the Thorpe award winner has become a better than average cornerback in a tough place to play. Ross started in every game he played, 15, and grabbed 3 interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown. Ross has the ability to be a shutdown corner as his technique and confidence continue to grow.
Bo Scaife – Scaife has emerged as a very productive tight end even in the face of losing his quarterback and his team bringing in a big name free agent in Alge Crumpler. There were a few games where Kerry Collins completely forgot about Scaife, but he finished with 58 receptions and two touchdowns. Scaife has also become better as a blocker which allows him to stay on the field in all situations.
Lyle Sendlein – People tend to forget about Sendlein when discussing the better offensive lineman Mack Brown has put into the NFL. Sendein has started every game of the season for a playoff team. Not too bad.
Chris Simms – Simms is the number three quarterback on Tennessee’s roster.
Kasey Studdard – Studdard remains a reserve lineman for the Houston Texans. He hasn’t been able to crack the starting lineup.
Limas Sweed – Sweed is listed as the 4th receiver on the Steeler roster. One would think Sweed will contribute more after a full off season.
David Thomas – The Patriots use a lot of tight ends in their offense, so none of them have numbers that are going to blow you away. Despite that Thomas has been able to get on the field a lot so far in his career. He pulled in nine receptions for 93 yards, but was never able to reach the end zone.
Nathan Vasher – Injuries rendered the 2008 season a wasted one for Vasher. He played in eight games, recording one interception, before being placed on injured reserve.
Ricky Williams – The former Heisman trophy winner and league pariah has made his comeback has a productive back in the Miami system. He was one of the many bright spots on a team full of them this year. Williams is able to make plays without being relied on to carry the full load because of the presence of Ronnie Brown. Ricky scored four touchdowns on 659 yards rushing. He may have made his biggest impact as a receiver out of the backfield where he averaged over seven yards a catch on 29 receptions.
Roy Williams – The losing ways of the Lions followed Williams from Detroit to Dallas. Roy was never able to make an impact for the Cowboys for reasons that still remain unclear. He has proven to have the ability which leaves work ethic and injury as the two other reasons for his lack of production. Williams has unfortunately been criticized for both a lack of work ethic and inability to stay healthy in his career. He will need to have a huge year next year to justify the trade and contract Jerry Jones awarded him.
Selvin Young – Young was another Longhorn that struggled with injury. Denver is notorious for alternating backs, and with the addition of injuries Young was never able to stay on the field. When he was healthy he produced so it will be interesting to see what the new coach in Denver decides to do with Selvin.
Vince Young – 2008 was not a good year for VY. The greatest player in Longhorn history lost his job after one game and a knee injury, and never was even given the chance to win it back. It now appears Jeff Fisher made the right choice as Tennessee earned the #1 seed in the AFC. While they did it with defense and running the ball, Collins has done a good job in a Trent Dilfer type role. This season may end up being the best thing that has ever happened to Vince as a professional if he uses the experience in the right way.
Ricky Williams had his first TD of 2008
Slow week for former Longhorns in the NFL with many players on byes and several injuries as well. San Diego cornerback Quentin Jammer and Miami running back Ricky Williams had the best games of the weekend. Find out how the rest of the former Horns active this week performed below:
Tarell Brown - The forgotten member of the 2005 championship secondary has found a place as the nickel back in San Francisco. Tarell had two tackles and a pass breakup this weekend versus Philadelphia.
Cedric Benson - Benson had a slow game in his second game back in the league, only carrying the ball four times for six yards. He appears to be the most talented back in the Bengals backfield, but until he learns the playbook the snaps will be limited.
Justin Blalock - His Falcons continue to win, this time on a late second field goal against the Chicago Bears. Blalock and his fellow lineman have protected rookie Matt Ryan and opened holes for Michael Turner consistently this year. The combination of Blalock and rookie left tackle Sam Baker makes the Falcons left side of the line one of the better young groups in the league.
Tim Crowder - Crowder recorded no stats against Jacksonville.
Leonard Davis - The Cowboys and their running game continue to struggle. Davis had a personal foul penalty at the end of the loss against the Cardinals. The offensive line must play better for the Cowboys to win and Davis is a huge part of that.
Phil Dawson - Dawson went two for three on field goals with a long of 28 and three for three on extra points in the Cleveland win Monday night.
Jermichael Finley - Did not play this week for Packers.
Cedric Griffin - The corner recorded seven tackles in the ugly win against Detroit. The Vikings secondary played well, not allowing the Lions to record a touchdown.
Michael Huff - Huff’s Oakland secondary was torched by Drew Brees this weekend. The former Thorpe Award winner had three tackles on a day he’d like to forget.
Quentin Jammer - Jammer had a huge day in the Charger win over the Patriots. He recoded three tackles, an interception, and five pass defended while matched up most of the night against Randy Moss. Jammer has come on in the past few years becoming one of the more physical corners in the league.
Brian Robison - Robison didn’t record any stats in the Viking win over the Lions but he did get on the field on a good number of snaps.
Shaun Rogers - Rogers had his best game of his young Browns career on Monday night. He only recorded two tackles but clogged up the middle and applied pressure on Eli Manning all night.
Lyle Sendlein - Sendlein has found himself starting at center this year for the Arizona Cardinals. He had a decent day matched up against Cowboy nose tackle Jay Ratliff. His Cardinals pulled the upset in overtime on a blocked punt.
David Thomas - Thomas caught his first ball since week three. The catch went for 13 yards.
Nathan Vasher - Vasher missed another game with an injury.
Ricky Williams - Ricky Williams found the end zone for the first time this year on Sunday against the Texans. Ronnie Brown has taken over the number one running back spot, but Ricky has found a niche in the offense and should continue to get 10 plus carries a game. He finished the game with 11 carries for 46 yards and two receptions.
Roy Williams - Roy Williams and the Lions had a horrid offensive game against the Vikings. Williams had two receptions for only 23 yards. This has been a very disappointing season for Roy and the recent talk may have him being traded before the season is over.
Selvin Young - Selvin didn’t play this week for the Broncos. It is hard to know if it was actually for injury or due to play on the field.
Great week for Duane Akina’s former proteges in the NFL as Tarell Brown, Michael Griffin, and Nathan Vasher all had interceptions in week three. Ricky Williams also had his best performance of the year as he and backfield mate Ronnie Brown ran all over the New England Patriots. Meanwhile wide receiver Limas Sweed is still waiting to see the field for the first time as a pro out in Pittsburgh. Read on to see how the rest of the Longhorns in the NFL performed last week:
Tarell Brown - Two tackles and an interception in the loss to the Chargers.
Jamaal Charles - Seven carries for 38 yards rushing plus three catches for 24 yards. Jamaal also had his first NFL kickoff return for 21 yards.
Phil Dawson - 1/1 on field goals and on extra points.
Jermichael Finley - Finally saw the field for the Packers against the Cowboys but had no catches. He got in on special teams and managed to pick up an unsportsmanlike penalty in a brush with Martellus Bennett.
Cedric Griffin - Two tackles against Carolina.
Michael Griffin - Big game against the Texans with two interceptions. Also added two tackles.
Ahmard Hall - One carry for one yard.
Casey Hampton - No stats against Philly. Will miss the next game against Baltimore with an injured groin.
Michael Huff - Three tackles, two of them solos, against Buffalo.
Quentin Jammer - Recovered a fumble and returned it 23 yards, broke up two passes, and added three tackles in the Chargers blowout of the Fightin’ Brett Favres.
Derrick Johnson - One tackle in what may be one of 16 losses this season for the Chiefs.
Cory Redding - Two solo tackles for the lowly Lions against the 48ers.
Shaun Rogers - Had a solid game against Baltimore posting four tackles.
Aaron Ross - Five solo tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.
Bo Scaife - Three catches for 26 yards including a touchdown.
Limas Sweed - Still no playing time.
David Thomas - One catch for four yards in what will hopefully be one of many losses for the Patriots.
Nathan Vasher - Good performance for Nate versus Tampa Bay. Three passes defended including an interception, with four solo tackles added on.
Ricky Williams - Great game for Ricky and his counterpart Ronnie Brown as the Dolphins went back to the college game to get a little offensive firepower. He had 16 carries for 98 yards (6.1 average) and two catches for 21 more yards.
Roy Williams - Two catches for 18 yards in a loss to San Francisco. Roy has to be frustrated and already looking forward to 2009 somewhere other than Detroit.
Selvin Young - Very efficient game against New Orleans with 11 carries for 65 yards.
With Vince Young injured it wasn’t a very exciting week for ex-Longhorns in the NFL. Quentin Jammer and Selvin Young probably had the best weeks, while the complete absence of Jermichael Finley and Limas Sweed continues. Here’s how all the former Horns did in week two of the NFL season:
Jamaal Charles - Less busy after a good week one, only three carries for seven yards. The Chiefs only rushed the ball 19 times all game as a team. Charles also had a 15 yard catch and hurt Larry Johnson’s feelings.
Phil Dawson - Two of two on field goals with a long of 38 yards in a loss.
Jermichael Finley - Still looking for his first career catch. I’m not sure if he’s getting any snaps at all.
Cedric Griffin - Six tackles and one pass breakup against Peyton Manning and the Colts.
Michael Griffin - Picked up his first interception of the year off a tipped pass. Also added six tackles from his safety spot.
Ahmard Hall - Three carries for nine yards.
Casey Hampton - One tackle.
Michael Huff - Four tackles against KC and two passes defended.
Quentin Jammer - Posted 11 tackles and had a forced fumble in the Chargers’ controversial loss to the Broncos.
Derrick Johnson - Eight tackles, seven of them solo.
Cullen Loeffler - Inspired me to teach my kids to deep snap.
Cory Redding - Three solo tackles against the Packers.
Shaun Rogers - First sack of the 2008 season and added six tackles.
Aaron Ross - Four tackles.
Bo Scaife - Without Vince Young, just one catch for six yards.
Limas Sweed - Still no catches in his NFL career. Like Finley, looking at his game logs it appears he’s not even playing.
David Thomas - Picked up his first catch of the year against the Jets, a 14-yarder from Matt Cassel.
Nathan Vasher - Returned punts for the first time in a long while. Had three returns for a total of 21 yards. Added two tackles.
Ricky Williams - After an exciting preseason another ho hum game for Ricky. He had 11 rushes for 28 yards in the Dolphins’ blowout loss to Arizona.
Roy Williams - Just about the same performance as week one: three catches for 48 yards. Looks like Calvin Johnson has become the clear number one target in Detroit, maybe Roy can head down to Tennessee next year as a free agent.
Selvin Young - Was the Broncos’ leading rusher with eight carries for 78 yards, including a big 49-yarder. Also added one catch for eight yards.
Position Rating: C-
Starter: Blaine Irby
Reserves: Peter Ullman, Ian Harris, Greg Smith
Tight end was a position of concern headed into fall practice and Josh Marshall’s injury only makes things worse. When Jermichael Finley bolted early for the NFL it left the Longhorns without any proven pass catching threat at the position.
The top returning receiver and most important tight end this season is sophomore Blaine Irby. Last season as a true freshman Irby caught only two passes for 29 yards but Texas fans should be expecting better total numbers by week one this year. With no proven third wide receiver, quarterback Colt McCoy will need Irby to step up to provide him another option or the offense will struggle against better defenses.
Behind Irby the Longhorns have veteran blocker Peter Ullman. Ullman is expected to be the team’s second tight end in two tight end sets. He may accidentally find himself open and catch an important touchdown pass but mainly will be relied on as a sixth blocker on the line.
There’s not much behind the top two with Marshall out. Greg Smith was moved back to tight end last week but as a current/former tackle you know what to expect out of him. Redshirt freshman Ian Harris will be the first guy off the bench if the team needs a TE who can stretch the field a little. He’s 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds so he’s got prototypical size to play the position and block as well as catch the football. I don’t think you can expect much out of him this year but he’s a player to look out for in 2009.
Not much production from the starting slot and little depth make tight end one of the biggest holes going into the 2008 season. If Irby doesn’t show flashes of being the next David Thomas you’ll likely see a lot of four wide receiver and two back formations than in recent years.
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Posted August 14th, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Quick Hits
Tight ends hope to make an impact. Irby, Ullman teaming up to fill void left by departed Jermichael Finley.
Texas tight end Jermichael Finley was picked by the Green Bay Packers with the 28th pick of the 3rd round (91st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. This is a little higher than what most experts expected (including myself). There were thoughts that his inconsistency and poor blocking would drop him to the 4th or 5th round, but the Packers must have fallen in love with Jermichael’s great potential. In Green Bay he should be able to come in right away and compete to be the team’s second tight end.
Congrats to Jermichael, stay warm and good luck in Green Bay!
Update: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has posted Finley’s media conference call and a good discussion about him with assistant tight ends coach Ben McAdoo. Both interesting reads.
Most NFL mock drafts only include a round or maybe two, but just like last year ESPN’s Todd McShay has released his seven-round mock draft for your perusal (if you’re an ESPN Insider.) Getting one round is tough enough, but McShay actually did a decent job last year and even nailed Justin Blalock to Atlanta and Brian Robison to Minnesota last year.
Below is where McShay believes the Longhorns in the draft will go followed by my my thoughts on the picks:
Round 1
24. Tennessee Titans - Limas Sweed
This is best possible scenario for Texas fans. Titans need wide receiver help desperately and Sweed may be the best one in the draft. Getting him at #24 would be great for the Titans VY.
Round 2
43. Carolina Panthers - Jamaal Charles
Charles is the first running back taken in the second round. He’d actually have a chance to start for Carolina to, only has to beat out DeAngelo Williams.
Round 3
115. Philadelphia Eagles - Marcus Griffin
Nice spot for Marcus, interesting to see him going so high. I’ll be surprised if Griffin goes before Finley and Hills, simply because I believe those two have much higher ceilings. Great to see a former walk-on work his way into a mid-round NFL Draft pick.
127. Indianapolis Colts - Jermichael Finley
Jermichael might be a little disappointed by how far he falls but he’d be ecstatic to be picked up by the Colts. Pretty much the perfect situation for him. They use their tight end a lot, Peyton Manning to throw him the ball, they split the tight end out wide frequently, and most importantly the Colts throw work out of the shotgun a ton and Finley wouldn’t be asked to be down on the line run blocking much.
129. New England Patriots - Tony Hills
Another good situation. Hills would be given time with New England to develop and wouldn’t be asked to start right away. At the same time, there’s no young, highly regarded tackles on their roster so he’s got a chance to compete by year two.
Round 5
154. Washington Redskins - Frank Okam
Much lower slot than people expected out of Okam a few years ago but McShay may actually have him higher than the current opinion. I’m not sure what I think, I have a feeling he might go as early the fourth round if a team makes a pick based on potential but then I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go undrafted either.
Round 7
215. Baltimore Ravens - Derek Lokey
Imagine if Lokey had Okam’s build, the kid would be a first round pick. But he’s 6-foot-1 and a light 290 pounds which is considered very undersized for an NFL defensive tackle. I’d love to see Derek go to a team and be utilized as a goal line fullback and deep snapper as well as a defensive tackle who can give 15 - 20 snaps a game.
Position: Tight End
Height: 6-4.5
Weight: 243 pounds
Hometown: Diboll, TX
Strengths: Size and speed causes major match-up problems if you put a linebacker on him. Great hands and can go up and grab the football in traffic, fights off defenders well. Tons of upside that may cause a team to reach for him earlier than you expect.
Weaknesses: Can’t and/or won’t block anybody. Doesn’t show much desire to get physical down with the big boys and he can’t be a number one tight end if he’s a liability pass and run blocking. Has good height but is light for an NFL tight end, should be able to add more weight to his frame. Wasn’t a consistent contributor game in and game out for the Longhorns. Needed another year of experience to realize more of his potential.
Projection: 4th or 5th round
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Pro day, or pro timing day, is an NFL Draft prospect’s chance to show scouts what he’s got in a comfortable environment. They’re on their own campus, in their own gym, working out with their teammates and coaches. It also is a chance for the guys who weren’t invited to the NFL Combine to show their stuff. At Texas’ pro day Wednesday, sixteen players were weighed, measured, timed, and did position drills for 75 NFL personnel people.
Most of this information is cribbed from NFL.com, Orangebloods, and the Austin-American Statesman blog post on UT’s pro day. The numbers are inconsistent because they always are, everybody gets their times from a different source. Here’s how some of the Horns performed:
- Cornerback Brandon Foster - 5-7 5/8, 185, 10-8 broadjump. Ran a blazing 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash. He also showed athleticism with a 38-inch vertical jump. His performance might offset the fact that Foster was measured at 5-7.
- Running back Jamaal Charles - 5-11, 199 pounds. Elected not to run, allowing his 4.38 time that he posted at the combine to stand. Ran position workouts and looked good catching the football.
- Receiver Limas Sweed - 6-4 1/8, 210, 37 vertical. Ran a 4.40, shaving nearly a tenth of a second off of the time he ran at the NFL combine last month. 4.33 short shuttle, 7.14 cone drill. Ran position drills and looked good catching the ball.
- Tight end Jermichael Finley - 6-4 3/4, 240 pounds. Ran a 4.62, dropping his time from the combine by .24. His time is now the second fastest run by a tight end in workouts leading up to next month’s draft.
- Backup safety Drew Kelson - 6-0 1/2, 216, 10-9 broad jump. Posted a 41.5-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.45. We’re checking to see if any other player in the country has jumped higher in draft workouts.
- Defensive tackle Derek Lokey - 6-1 3/8, 293, 33.5 vert. Did 38 reps on the 225-pound bench press. He also worked out at fullback and deep snapper. 9-foot, 4-inch long jump, 4.37 short shuttle, 7.57 cone drill, 38 reps in the bench press, and ran position drills.
- Linebacker Scott Derry - 6-2 1/2, 221
- Tackle Tony Hills - 6-5, 307 lbs. 24 reps in the bench press, but could not run or do other drills due to an injury.
- Defensive tackle Frank Okam - 6-4 7/8, 27.5 vertical. Dropped 12 pounds since his weigh-in at the combine. He is weighing 335 right now.
- Safety Marcus Griffin - 5-10, 196, 37.5 vert. Ran a 4.5 40.
- Wide receiver Billy Pittman - 5-11, 195. Ran a 4.56.
- Also participated: safety Erick Jackson, wide receiver Nate Jones, linebacker Robert Killebrew, defensive tackle Thomas Marshall, punter Justin Moore, and former Longhorn safety Lee Jackson.
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Posted January 21st, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Draft, Football, Quick Hits
Replacing The 2008 NFL Draft Early Entries. Vondrell McGee replaces Charles and Blaine Irby has to step up for Finley.
In a surprising decision, tight end Jermichael Finley has declared for the 2008 NFL Draft and will forgo his final two seasons of eligibility at Texas. Only a redshirt sophomore, Finley is eligible for the draft since he has spent three years on campus.
In just two seasons for the Longhorns Jermichael quickly climbed into the UT record books for tight ends. He finishes his brief career third all time in career receptions (76) for the position and sixth in receiving yards (947). Finley finished the 2007 season with an impressive 45 catches for 575 yards.
From the official UT release:
“The NFL is every football player’s dream and when my NFL grade came back, it was encouraging and I felt like it was in my best interest to enter the draft,” Finley said. “I’ve worked really hard for three years at Texas to prepare for this and I think I’m ready for the challenge. Coach Chambers and all of the coaches have helped me improve and taught me so much that I can’t thank them enough.”
“I want to thank Coach Brown for the great opportunity he gave me and everything I learned from him. He’s a great man. Playing at Texas was the experience of a lifetime. Austin, the campus, every one in the football program and the fans have all treated me so well. It’s a first class place and I’ll really miss it. The win in the Holiday Bowl, getting another 10 wins and the team coming together capped off a great experience for me at UT.”
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to help out the younger guys, especially Josh (Marshall) and Blaine (Irby). They’re both great guys and will be great players so I look forward to watching them and all of the Longhorns. The future is bright at Texas and I’ll always be a Longhorn.”
Rumors this weekend were that Finley would be returning next season after reportedly only receiving a fourth or fifth round grade from NFL scouts. Without going into details, Jermichael had to weigh more than just his draft slot when making this decision. Though he might have improved his draft stock by returning for another season, he has apparently deciding that leaving now was ultimately in his best interest.
The mismatches his size and speed created will definitely be missed in next year’s offense. Blaine Irby played a good bit this year as a true freshman and looked promising, but with no other highly rated guys on campus or in this year’s recruiting class the position is definitely lacking quality depth. We might see a lot more four wide receiver sets or tight ends pass blocking than we did this year.
Good luck Jermichael.
I’ll be posting periodic updates, comments, and vulgarity as the game goes on. It’s kickoff time and I’m as fired up as I’ve been since early on in the season. Let’s see how the Horns respond to a little adversity.
First Quarter
- 2 seconds in to the game and it’s clear Brent Musberger didn’t do any preparation. Brutally mispronounces Chris Ogbonnaya’s name and then calls Lamarr Houston the name of some random walk on. Houston takes the very short pooch kick off and the Horns start the game off with the ball out at the 50.
- Looked like a bad read by Colt McCoy on the zone read. Picks up close to 10 yards though and the Horns have a 3rd and 3. Big play as the team really needs to get going early.
- 3rd and short run that the line did a terrible job blocking on but Jamaal Charles breaks it for a 15 yard game.
- Mack Brown is right. Charles was hit out of bounds down low and that should have been a penalty.
- Bad awareness by Nate Jones. He was wide open but let himself drift out of the back of the end zone. Announcers have good comment though about how the design of the end zone in the stadium could be confusing.
- Greg Davis is a gosh damn genius!!!!!!! WoooOoo! Touchdown Derek Lokey for the touchdown!!! That a boy! Bill Belichick would be proud.
Arizona State 0, Texas 7
- The team really looks fired up. Let’s hope that results in some inspired play, and no let down once that energy wears off.
- Jared Norton, Roddrick Muckelroy, and Scott Derry are the starters at linebacker. That might shut some Internet coaches up (for a few minutes.)
- And Norton is already hurt. Damnit.
- Defensive package on 3rd and long includes only 3 down lineman, Drew Kelson and Deon Beasley in there as extra pass defenders. Nice new look.
- Designed QB draw play. I don’t mind McCoy scrambling (in fact he’s been darn good at it this season) but not sure we should be calling too many first quarter QB runs in the huddle.
- As Musberger talks about Chris Hall I just noticed that freshman Kyle Hix is getting the start at right tackle and they’ve moved Adam Ulatoski to the left side.
- Quan Cosby on the reverse pass. Not really anybody open and Cosby does the smart thing and just throws it away. Or maybe it twas just a terrible throw. The play wasn’t blocked well and the receivers were all covered as well.
- Sergio Kindle in there on this series. Norton back in there as well.
- Fumble! Maybe. They called it a fumble on the field at least as corner Brandon Foster appears to rip the ball out as the ASU running back falls to the ground. Looks like he had it out before his knee was down and doesn’t look like there’s 100% evidence of the contrary. Replay confirms, Texas ball!
- Hot damn! Hey there John Chiles, I vaguely remember you buddy. The young dual threat QB is in there and on the first play Charles takes the zone read hand off close to 50 yards. On the very Next play Chiles keeps it on the same play off the left end for the touchdown! (Psst… where has this been all year?)
Arizona State 0, Texas 14
- In case you hadn’t noticed, yes I’m about 5 minutes behind live on the DVR. I’ll be caught up after one or two commercial breaks.
- Wonder what the wind situation is like. Hunter Lawrence’s kickoffs have all been pretty short.
- Has Roger Clemens hired investigator to “discredit Brian McNamee” or two prove that he didn’t take steroids? Those are two very different things.
- Not only did senior Robert Killebrew not get the start at linebacker but I haven’t seen him in on defense at all yet tonight. Two series in a row where it’s nothing but the young guys and Derry is off the field as well.
- Erick Jackson got really burned on a deep pass but gets back just in time because of the underthrown ball (and maybe a little early) and the ball is tipped up and safety Marcus Griffin has the ball come right to him for the interception.
- I like the fair catch trash talk by the ASU punt returner. “Did you see the way I waved my arm and caught the ball. You can’t handle this!”
- Killebrew, Derry, and Rashad Bobino in there for this series.
- Can Musberger get anyone’s name right? It’s Dick Tomey, not Toomey. Dufus.
- Finally. McCoy scrambles and throws deep on the run and get its to his open receiver Cosby for a huge 55 yard gain. That a boy Colt.
- And Charles runs tough and right through the Sun Devils’ defense for the 15-yard TD run. Heck of a run and refusal to get tackled by one guy. The Horns are now up 3 scores and it’s still the first quarter. Come on guys keep this up, don’t let an ASU score or anything swing this momentum.
Arizona State 0, Texas 21
- Veteran linebackers in for second series in a row. Henry Melton getting some early playing time at defensive end.
- Bobino shaken up. Now both middle linebackers have needed to be helped up by the medical staff but both were able to walk off on their own power.
- We’re bring multiple linebackers on every play and if we don’t start getting to Carpenter a step quicker we could be in trouble.
Posted December 18th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Draft, Football, Quick Hits
Sources say Jamaal Charles & Jermichael Finley file NFL draft paperwork. Doesn’t mean they won’t be back, just that they want to see what the scouts think.
Texas juniors underclassmen Jermichael Finley and Roy Miller both announced at the annual football banquet that they would be returning next year for their senior seasons. I hadn’t really heard much about Miller but there’s been rumors about Finley jumping early almost since the day he stepped on campus.
It’s still a long time before they have to make a final decision and as we saw with Vince things can change in a hurry, but it’s certainly good news that two of the team’s best players plan on being back for 2008.
(Source)
The Texas Longhorns held their annual football banquet Friday night (photos) where they honored team members for their accomplishments on and off the field. Though fans and recruits do attend, the event is definitely a night for the players to look back on the season and to honor the careers of the outgoing seniors.
Quarterback Colt McCoy and running back Jamaal Charles were deservedly named the team MVPs. McCoy didn’t have as good of a season as he did his freshman year but he definitely is the player that made this team go (when it went anywhere). Charles was also named Darrell K. Royal Most Valuable Offensive Player while the Mike Campbell Most Valuable Defensive Players were Brandon Foster and Marcus Griffin.
In a team vote Dallas Griffin, Tony Hills, and Derek Lokey were honored with the D. Harold Byrd Leadership Award. Also, in a shocking development quarterback McCoy was given the Outstanding Quarterback Award.
In a move that infuriated Internet Coaching and Motivational Experts Rashad Bobino, Scott Derry, and Robert Killebrew shared the honor of being the team’s Outstanding Linebackers. I’m not sure what else you can really do though as no linebacker really deserved the honor and it would be pretty embarrassing to not hand out an award for the position.
A list of all the award winners is after the jump.
Nothing gets me more fired up than watching Ducks Unlimited TV before a big Longhorn game. Do you think Versus would show a show about hunting and killing ducks if Oregon was playing instead of Texas and Baylor? That might be a little awkward.
If you’re not one of the many Texas fans who made the trip to Waco you’ll have to surf through about 1,000 channels before you’ll find Versus and you’re probably only getting it if you have satellite or digital cable. Versus is on channel 603 on DirecTV, channel 151 on Dish Network, and on 470 if you’ve got Time Warner digital cable in Austin.
Here we go…
First Quarter
- I like the straight zone run play with Jamaal Charles than the zone read or the counter. Gives Jamaal a chance to hit the hole fast and get going north/south quicker.
- I like that a professional football announcer doesn’t know the difference between the zone read and a counter. Not even run out of the shotgun is a zone read.
- Three attempts towards Jermichael Finley already. One good completion, one ball he should have caught, and one that he and Colt McCoy had a miscommunication on.
- And another pass towards Finley. Texas attempts a fake field goal after he goes out wide and uncovered but Jordan Shipley can’t get the play off quickly enough and then can’t get the ball out to him before the defense adjusted. Versus missed the whole play because we were zoomed in on kicker Ryan Bailey’s helmet.
- Erick Jackson has been serviceable at safety this season but he is absolutely awful at adjusting to the ball in the air. He was there in coverage on a terrible Baylor pass but couldn’t make a play on the ball. Looked similar to the unnecessary pass interference penalty he picked up last week.
- Baylor offensive lineman Dan Gay IV commits a holding penalty. How unfortunate is that last name? Especially with the IV after it. You can essentially put any noun after that and hilarity will ensue.
- I’m surprised how empty Floyd Casey Stadium is. Enough Texas fans normally make that trip to fill up the place a little better.
- Second time already that I thought the Baylor defensive back got there early on pass coverage. Quan Cosby doesn’t drop many passes, it looked like he got bumped early.
- Great punt but Jackson can’t down it before it bounces into the end zone. The only good thing to come out of the Kansas State game is punter Justin Moore.
- Versus really likes to use the camera angle from the roof of the press box. The damn thing is so high i can’t tell anybody’s number.
- John Chiles and the second team offense is in there for this series. I actually like the timing of this one better than last week. The first team offense didn’t have much momentum so it’s not really going to disrupt them.
- Chiles has to be more careful with the football. First downs are important but not as important as holding onto the football. Don’t stretch the ball out in traffic on your own 40 yard line.
- Smithson Valley sucks!
- Big run by Vondrell McGee up the middle. 18 yards on the carry is probably the second teamers biggest gain against first team defenses. I think as Chiles gains more experience running the zone read the whole offense opens up. Right now he looks a little like he’s keeping and handing off randomly and not doing a great job reading the defensive end. That’s a tough read and you can only really learn in live game situations.
- Set your feet before you throw John.
- Ryan Bailey nails the 46-yard field goal into the wind. Right down the middle.
Texas 3, Baylor 0
- How sad is Baylor that the announcers are talking about their defense getting a victory by holding the second team defense to only a field goal?
- Not sure if this is their first series or not, but the young group of linebackers are in there now for Texas.
- What did they rule that play on the field? I thought I saw an official pointing that he was down before the fumble. Looks to me like the ball is coming loose a little before the Baylor running back hits the ground.
- Not sure how they ruled he was down after reviewing that play. Looked pretty clear from one angle that the ball was loose before his butt hit the ground.
Posted April 11th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Quick Hits
Jermichael Finley is Rivals.com’s #8 tight end. Martellus Bennet is so overrated.
Great 2006 highlight video of Longhorn tight end Jermichael Finley from his redshirt freshman season (for some reason there’s about 20 seconds of dead air to start the video):
J-Mike had a great season last year and finished with 31 receptions for 372 yards and three TD’s. Texas fans are expecting big things from him in 2007.
Video originally created by HornFans member NEWhereButA&M. Great work.
The final score against Rice wasn’t close and the game was over by halftime, but picking guys as players of the game was surprisingly difficult. There were solid performances from multiple guys on both sides of the ball and most of the big guys only played about a half. As for the play of the game, with several big gainers in a game that got out of hand quickly I chose a play that could end up being a signal of what the offense is capable of.
Players of the Game
Offense - Jamaal Charles even with only eight carries put up the biggest game Saturday, 110 yards with an average of a whopping 13.6 yards per carry and a TD is a hell of a day. He even ripped off the team’s longest run of the year with a carry of 46 yards. The team had three runs of over 35 yards, hopefully the big plays continue against some stiffer competition.
Defense - Tim Crowder edges out a surprising Scott Derry. Crowder finished with seven solo tackles (eight total), seven tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and he recovered a fumble for his first career touchdown. You can’t ask for a much better day out of defensive lineman. He was in the Rice backfield on seemingly every play and was a big reason the Owls finished the game with -12 yards rushing. He’s been a consistent force all season.
Play of the Game
The most important play against Rice wasn’t the most explosive play of the day and didn’t result in points, but does tells us a lot about the future of this offense this season. Here’s this week’s play of the game:
On the play Colt McCoy hits freshman tight end Jermichael Finley for a 22-yard completion on the first pass attempt of the game. McCoy makes a good read and throw to Finley who is running a 15-yard out. McCoy drops the pass in nicely and Finley makes a leaping grab on a ball a little behind him. It was the first completion to a tight end of the season and something I hope to see a lot more of. It’s important that the young quarterbacks have solid tight ends to rely on. Hopefully this isn’t the last time this season we see these two hook up.
The 2005 Texas Longhorns will begin their season in less than one week against Louisiana-Lafayette. It won’t be long till we find out how this team compares with the nation’s best, we’ll know a lot about how good this team is the following week against Ohio State. But how does this year’s team compare to the Longhorns who went 11-1 and capped the season with a Rose Bowl victory last year? Here are my thoughts…
Offense
OL - Big improvement over last year. Best tackle tandem in the nation and a ton of attitude from the guards. We lose Jason Glynn but Lyle Sendlein should be a very capable replacement.
QB - Vince Young will be better in every facet, depth is much worse and scary as hell. Young must reduce his mistakes. If he can cut his interceptions in half this year (he had 10 last year), the Longhorns’ offense will be tough to stop.
TB - Pretty big drop off overall but I think statistically they’ll still be pretty good. Will they be able to get the difficult yards against the OSU’s and OU’s of the world? I expect big plays out of Ramonce Taylor and Jamaal Charles that could really break open some games.
FB - Worse at lead blocking and therefore will be de-emphasized. Still serviceable though. I think the position will be back next year (with Marcus Myers, Chris Ogbonnaya, and Michael Houston) and will be more versatile than we’ve seen in the past.
TE - Improved in single TE sets with David Thomas having an All-American season, and improved blocking when Neale Tweedie is in there. Pass-catching threat out of 2 TE sets will be down, especially early in the year as true freshman Jermichael Finley gets acclimated.
WR - Up a notch from last year’s group, but that isn’t saying all that much. All the young guys have improved (some obviously more than others, especially Billy Pittman) and the more time a QB and his WR’s get together the better. The additions of a hopefully healthy Jordan Shipley and a quickly improving Quan Cosby could be huge.
Defense
DL - A lot better if Larry Dibbles is with us (academic eligibility rumors are swarming) but I’m excited by the idea of a healthy Rod Wright and Frank Okam together. Starting ends should be improved and the backups should be able to contribute to the pass rush.
LB - Big improvement at two spots and an even bigger drop off at the other. More blitzing and more sacks, but fewer turnovers forced unless converted safety Drew Kelson goes INT crazy. You can’t expect to replace Derrick Johnson but overall I think we’ll all be very happy with the play out of these three spots this season.
DB - Corners are improved and safeties will be by the end of the year. Mike Griffin needs experience but he’s got the potential to be better than Phillip Geiggar was last year. We need sure tackling from the entire secondary and to limit our stupid decisions. More pressure on opposing QB’s from the front seven will make their job much easier. Depth is some of the best in the country.
Special Teams
FG/XP - Yikes, everyone has struggled this fall in practice. Whoever is doing the kicking needs to make a few kicks in the early weeks to build some confidence.
Kickoffs - A healthy Richmond McGee should mean more touchbacks and more kicks into the right zone. Better coverage because the overall depth of team means better athletes on the coverage teams. Hopefully all the talk of more emphasis on this facet from the coaching staff wasn’t just lip-service.
Kick Returns - Every kickoff should be exciting with Taylor back there. How much will Tarell Brown provide if teams kick away from Ramonce? Might see one of the younger guys back there deeper into the year. I expect Cosby to make an appearance at one of the return slots sometime early in the season and it’ll be interesting to see what he’s capable of.
Punting - McGee has gotten better every year and there’s no reason that should change. Hopefully he won’t have to do it very often.
Punt returns - Selvin Young back there should mean fewer fair catches and more big plays, but I’ll be worried about his health everytime too. I don’t want Ramonce back there right now, he scared the crap out of me everytime last year. Get him some returns in mop up time so he’s ready to tear it up next year. Anybody think Pittman deserves a chance to show what he’s got?
Final Thoughts
Almost every spot is either improved or equal to the talent we had on the field last year, so overall we should be a better team. You can’t lose guys like Cedric Benson and DJ and expect to hit the ground running the next season, but that doesn’t mean this team isn’t capable of big things. We’re relying on a lot of young talent and have a huge test early in the year, so the success of this team will hinge a lot on how quickly those guys can become ballplayers.
I’ll post my national and game by game predictions later this week.
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