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 [tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] and Miami running back [tag]Ricky Williams[/tag] had the best games of the weekend. Find out how the rest of the former Horns active this week performed below:
[tag]Tarell Brown[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Cedric Benson[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Justin Blalock[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Tim Crowder[/tag] – Crowder recorded no stats against Jacksonville.
[tag]Leonard Davis[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Phil Dawson[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] – Did not play this week for Packers.
[tag]Cedric Griffin[/tag] – The corner recorded seven tackles in the ugly win against Detroit. The Vikings secondary played well, not allowing the Lions to record a touchdown.
[tag]Michael Huff[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Brian Robison[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Shaun Rogers[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Lyle Sendlein[/tag] – 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.
[tag]David Thomas[/tag] – Thomas caught his first ball since week three. The catch went for 13 yards.
[tag]Nathan Vasher[/tag] – Vasher missed another game with an injury.
[tag]Ricky Williams[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Roy Williams[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] – 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.
Watch Peter King talk out of his ass.
Watch this video of SI’s Peter King then read my rant below…
Somehow the various talking head NFL experts have somehow gotten it into their head that Kerry Collins is the solution at quarterback in Tennessee. Peter King in the linked video is just the latest example of these guys speaking as if Collins is having some great season and [tag]Vince Young[/tag] is a chump. That argument isn’t sound and fails under the least bit of inspection.
Collins isn’t actually playing well. I’m not sure what games anyone is watching or box scores they’re looking at that say he is.
Until this week he was doing a MUCH better job of not turning the ball over than Vince but otherwise he’s been mediocre. Collins has completed just over 50% of his passes and is throwing for less than a touchdown per game. How is that good? His completion percentage is almost seven points lower than Vince’s was last year. Oh, and Collins’ yards per attempt this year are also lower than Vince’s in 2007.
If you take Collins’ numbers over four starts and assume he started 15 games (the number Vince played in last year) and he’d have 11.25 touchdowns and 11.25 picks over the course of the season. Is that really that much better than Young’s 9 and 17 last year? Last stat: Young’s QB rating in 2007 was 71.1 and Collins’ this year is only two points higher at 73.1.
2007 was an admittedly bad season for Vince but somehow the same numbers are good for Collins? How’s that logic work again?
So after all that… you are seriously going to tell me the Titans are going to cut their future and take a big hit on the salary cap because of VY’s bonus, so they can pay and play a 36-year old QB who isn’t very good? Give me a break. Peter King is talking out of his butt on this one.
Coach him up, get his head right, and help him understand he doesn’t have to make a huge play every time. If you cut down on INT’s and then there’s absolutely no facet of the game Collins is better than Vince. Vince was not good last year, but he has a future and a ton of potential. Let Collins be the backup or go be average somewhere else.
Cedric Benson made his debut for the Bengals
Another good week for Michael Griffin and a big day for Cedric Griffin but the biggest news was a couple of former Horns returning to the field. Titans’ QB Vince Young returned to the practice field and RB Cedric Benson hit the field for the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time since his signing earlier in the week.
Read on to see how the Texas Exes performed this Sunday:
[tag]Cedric Benson[/tag] – Benson made his Cincinnati Bengal debut this weekend verse the Cowboys. His first run went for seven yards, but he didn’t get much done after that finishing the day with 30 yards on 10 carries.
[tag]Justin Blalock[/tag] – Blalock is going to become one of the better inside lineman in the NFL. His Atlanta Falcons pulled an upset over Green Bay, and the offensive line play has been a good surprise for the up and coming team.
[tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] – The rookie played well when he got the chance but the combination of playing behind Larry Johnson and his team being down big limited his snaps. He had four carries and four receptions for a total of 40 yards.
[tag]Leonard Davis[/tag] – It appears getting out of Arizona was just what the big man needed. He is not alone in that regard. Davis is still the biggest man I’ve ever met in person, and appears to engulf most defensive players unfortunate enough to lock up with him.
[tag]Cedric Griffin[/tag] – Griffin played his best game of the season in the victory over New Orleans on Monday Night Football compiling 10 tackles. The highlight of the game came when Griffin laid out a Saints tight end late in the game.
[tag]Michael Griffin[/tag] – Michael Griffin had an interception in the Titans win over the Ravens. His play has helped Tennessee move to 5-0 on the young season.
[tag]Ahmard Hall[/tag] – Ahmard is playing at a high level even though the Titans struggled on the ground against a stout Baltimore defense. Tennessee even gave him a touch on an eight yard reception.
[tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] – Jammer had a quiet day as his Chargers lost to the Dolphins. Teams seem to be avoiding his side of the field which is a huge compliment in the NFL. He recorded four tackles on the day.
[tag]Derrick Johnson[/tag] – The light has finally come on for DJ in the NFL. He backed up last week’s stellar performance with a nine tackle day. His team is awful and I hope he doesn’t have to play there his whole career because it will be a waste.
[tag]Brian Robison[/tag] – Robison didn’t record any stats Monday night, but was on the field more than he had been in previous weeks. He is stuck behind All-Pro Jared Allen.
[tag]Bo Scaife[/tag] – Scaife finally seems to be getting on the same page as new quarterback Kerry Collins. Scaife had a huge day, catching seven balls for 72 yards in a Titan win.
[tag]Ricky Williams[/tag] – Ricky is now the clear number two back in Miami behind Ronnie Brown. The Heisman trophy winner finished the game with 39 yards on 13 carries.
[tag]Roy Williams[/tag] – Roy had a good day when it comes to stats, catching a team high seven passes for 96 yards. However, his antics on the sideline rubbed a few fans and teammates the wrong way. Williams could be acting out to help get out of Detroit and avoid the franchise tag in the off season. If that is the case, I say God bless him. Would you want to play anything in Detroit?
[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] – Selvin finished the game with 38 yards on 10 carries, adding one reception. The Broncos play musical chairs with their tailbacks so it is no surprise Young’s production has dropped each week.
[tag]Vince Young[/tag] – Back at practice but still not full strength and not starting. He was the backup to Kerry Collins in Sunday’s game against Baltimore.
Former Longhorn running back [tag]Cedric Benson[/tag] has signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Last week two separate Travis county grand juries decided not to indict Benson and less than a week later he’s found a team that needs his services enough to take a chance on him. He had worked out for several teams since being released by the Bears but the lingering legal issues made teams reluctant to sign him.
Benson will come in and back up Chris Perry who is averaging only 2.9 yards per carry so far this season for the Bengals. If he picks up the offense quickly, he should be able to compete for carries and possibly the starting spot.
From the official Bengals website:
With running back DeDe Dorsey out for year, the Bengals turned to a star-crossed former first-round pick in Cedric Benson to back up Chris Perry Sunday in Dallas.
Benson joins the Bengals five days after two Travis County grand juries declined to indict him on charges of boating while intoxicated, resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated. in two spring-time incidents that spurred his release from the Bears.
Dorsey went to season-ending injured reserve with a hamstring injury while Perry’s other backup also nurses a hamstring problem. Kenny Watson, inactive last Sunday, appears to at least be questionable for the Cowboys, leaving only Perry and fullbacks Daniel Coats and Reagan Maui’a as healthy in the backfield.
The most interesting part of the story isn’t that Benson signed with an NFL team so quickly, it’s that the Bengals took another chance on a player with off-field issues. Bengals players over the last several years have repeatedly had run-ins with police and the team is on thin ice with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the issue. The team talked big back in April about community standards when they released WR Chris Henry and then re-signed him four months later. The signing of Benson makes football sense for the team but will likely have public relations repercussions in the city of Cincinnati.
Derrick Johnson forces a fumble
A few players on bye weeks plus a few more injured made it a slow week for the ex Texas Longhorns in the NFL. The biggest performance this week came from Kansas City linebacker [tag]Derrick Johnson[/tag] who did a little of everything in the Chiefs win over the Broncos. Here is a look at how those who played faired:
[tag]Justin Blalock[/tag] – The former Texas tackle has been a fixture for the Atlanta Falcons this year at left guard. Running back Michael Turner continues to be very impressive this year, and a lot of his runs come behind the ex UT star.
[tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] – The rookie continues to be a third down back for the Chiefs. Charles had 7 yards on 2 carries while adding 2 receptions for only a yard. His team won their first game of the season.
[tag]Phil Dawson[/tag] – The Browns kicker helped win them win their first game by going 2 for 2 on field goals and extra points.
[tag]Cedric Griffin[/tag] – Cedric got picked on all night by a weak Tennessee Titan wide receiver group. Offenses have continued to choose to pick on Cedric every week and will continue to until he makes some plays.
[tag]Michael Griffin[/tag] – Michael is quickly becoming the best player out of the great secondary on UT’s 2005 championship team. Griffin’s defense continues to be one of the best in the league. He contributed 3 tackles and a pass break up in the Titan win over the Vikings.
[tag]Ahmard Hall[/tag] – One of the only true fullbacks left in the league. The ex Marine had a great block on a touchdown run by rookie Chris Johnson.
[tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] – Jammer had 3 tackles and 2 pass breakups against a weak Oakland passing attack.
[tag]Derrick Johnson[/tag] – The former Longhorn star was the defensive MVP for the Chiefs adding 6 tackles and interception while being all over the field. As he did frequently while at Texas he also had a forced fumble that led to a one-play scoring drive for KC’s first win of the season.
[tag]Brian Robison[/tag] – In his second game back, Robison recorded 2 tackles in a reserve role.
[tag]Shaun Rogers[/tag] – Rogers was at his all pro level on Sunday, compiling a sack and clogging up the middle in a Cleveland win.
[tag]Bo Scaife[/tag] – Scaife has been slow to build chemistry with replacement quarterback Kerry Collins. He had 3 catches for only 17 yards in the game.
[tag]Nathan Vasher[/tag] – “ESPN” 3 had three tackles and three pass breakups in the Bears big win over the Eagles.
[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] – Selvin had an average day, rushing 11 times for 49 yards. The Broncos never got anything going in the upset loss to the Chiefs.
Cedric Benson
Benson has not commented today but Sam Bassett, Benson’s Austin-based attorney did speak to several media outlets. “I hope that this situation reminds us all that not every person who is arrested for a crime is guilty,” Bassett said. “This means that there was a finding by the grand juries that there was no probable cause to believe that Cedric Benson was guilty of a crime.”
Now that his legal matters are behind him Cedric will continue to try to get back into the NFL. He has worked out for several teams over the last several weeks but with two sets of criminal charges hanging over him NFL GMs were appropriately cautious. He hasn’t lived up to his billing so far, but he’ll get his second chance somewhere to make the most of his career and more importantly his life.
Billion dollar bailouts and fighting in Washington, DC got you down? Retirement savings so low you’ll have to work until you’re 80? Don’t worry, [tag]Chance Mock[/tag] has a plan for you. “The Mock Plan” from Triton Financial will somehow in some unclear way help you thrive in uncertain times. Watch below:
I’m not sure what, if anything, he’s selling. For all I know “The Mock Plan” involves stuffing money under the mattress or making it rain with Pacman Jones. I do however love watching that last minute TD pass from Chance to [tag]Roy Williams[/tag] against Tech… so where do I send my check? (via)
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:
[tag]Tarell Brown[/tag] – Two tackles and an interception in the loss to the Chargers.
[tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] – Seven carries for 38 yards rushing plus three catches for 24 yards. Jamaal also had his first NFL kickoff return for 21 yards.
[tag]Phil Dawson[/tag] – 1/1 on field goals and on extra points.
[tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Cedric Griffin[/tag] – Two tackles against Carolina.
[tag]Michael Griffin[/tag] – Big game against the Texans with two interceptions. Also added two tackles.
[tag]Ahmard Hall[/tag] – One carry for one yard.
[tag]Casey Hampton[/tag] – No stats against Philly. Will miss the next game against Baltimore with an injured groin.
[tag]Michael Huff[/tag] – Three tackles, two of them solos, against Buffalo.
[tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Derrick Johnson[/tag] – One tackle in what may be one of 16 losses this season for the Chiefs.
[tag]Cory Redding[/tag] – Two solo tackles for the lowly Lions against the 48ers.
[tag]Shaun Rogers[/tag] – Had a solid game against Baltimore posting four tackles.
[tag]Aaron Ross[/tag] – Five solo tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.
[tag]Bo Scaife[/tag] – Three catches for 26 yards including a touchdown.
[tag]Limas Sweed[/tag] – Still no playing time.
[tag]David Thomas[/tag] – One catch for four yards in what will hopefully be one of many losses for the Patriots.
[tag]Nathan Vasher[/tag] – Good performance for Nate versus Tampa Bay. Three passes defended including an interception, with four solo tackles added on.
[tag]Ricky Williams[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Roy Williams[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] – Very efficient game against New Orleans with 11 carries for 65 yards.
Former Texas defensive tackle [tag]Frank Okam[/tag] got his first action of the season this Sunday against the Titans. He only logged one tackle but he played well and held up pretty well in the middle of the Texans’ defensive line. Houston sports radio personality Lance Zierlein had the following to say on Okam:
I was relatively happy with the play of NT Frank Okam. He held up at the point of attack better than Travis Johnson has this season and I expect him to start getting more snaps as the season progresses.
As we’ve always said with Frank it’s all about motor and effort. Hopefully a taste of success will motivate him and he can continue to get more and more playing time. After an 0-2 start, the Texans could certainly use him.
With [tag]Vince Young[/tag] 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:
[tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Phil Dawson[/tag] – Two of two on field goals with a long of 38 yards in a loss.
[tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] – Still looking for his first career catch. I’m not sure if he’s getting any snaps at all.
[tag]Cedric Griffin[/tag] – Six tackles and one pass breakup against Peyton Manning and the Colts.
[tag]Michael Griffin[/tag] – Picked up his first interception of the year off a tipped pass. Also added six tackles from his safety spot.
[tag]Ahmard Hall[/tag] – Three carries for nine yards.
[tag]Casey Hampton[/tag] – One tackle.
[tag]Michael Huff[/tag] – Four tackles against KC and two passes defended.
[tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] – Posted 11 tackles and had a forced fumble in the Chargers’ controversial loss to the Broncos.
[tag]Derrick Johnson[/tag] – Eight tackles, seven of them solo.
[tag]Cullen Loeffler[/tag] – Inspired me to teach my kids to deep snap.
[tag]Cory Redding[/tag] – Three solo tackles against the Packers.
[tag]Shaun Rogers[/tag] – First sack of the 2008 season and added six tackles.
[tag]Aaron Ross[/tag] – Four tackles.
[tag]Bo Scaife[/tag] – Without Vince Young, just one catch for six yards.
[tag]Limas Sweed[/tag] – Still no catches in his NFL career. Like Finley, looking at his game logs it appears he’s not even playing.
[tag]David Thomas[/tag] – Picked up his first catch of the year against the Jets, a 14-yarder from Matt Cassel.
[tag]Nathan Vasher[/tag] – Returned punts for the first time in a long while. Had three returns for a total of 21 yards. Added two tackles.
[tag]Ricky Williams[/tag] – After an exciting preseason another ho hum game for Ricky. He had 11 rushes for 28 yards in the Dolphins’ blowout loss to Arizona.
[tag]Roy Williams[/tag] – 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.
[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] – Was the Broncos’ leading rusher with eight carries for 78 yards, including a big 49-yarder. Also added one catch for eight yards.
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