Deacons in the NFL - Week 6
10/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 20, 2010
By Currie McFayden, WakeForestSports.com
Week 6 of the NFL season saw the much-anticipated return of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger from his four-game suspension, the pro debut of former Texas QB Colt McCoy for the Browns, and a Monday night matchup that saw the backup quarterbacks for both teams receive extensive playing time. With so many close games, like Houston's furious rally in a 35-31 win over Kansas City and a 23-20 overtime win for the new-look Patriots over the Ravens, this could easily be considered the best week of the season to date.
For former Demon Deacons, it was another great week. Aaron Curry had his first sack of the season and continues to show signs of progression in Seattle's new defensive system and Fred Robbins played a huge role in the Rams' stunning upset of the Chargers. Overall, nearly every former Wake player performed well this weekend.
The number of former Wake Forest players on active rosters across the league held steady at fourteen this week, and John Russell remains the only former Deacon to be present on a practice squad. Chris Davis is also still Wake's only representative in the Canadian Football League.
Here is a player-by-player look at how the Deacons fared in Week 6.
LB Stanley Arnoux, New Orleans Saints
Arnoux remains a starter on the special teams unit for the Saints (4-2), but has seen only limited playing time at his natural linebacker position this season. He had one tackle in the 31-6 victory over Tampa Bay. He will likely continue to make one or two tackles per game because of his special teams coverage role.
OT Tyson Clabo, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons' offensive line seemed porous against the Eagles on Sunday in a 31-17 loss, giving up three sacks and forcing QB Matt Ryan to get rid of the ball quickly. Fortunately, Clabo was a bright spot on the line once again, giving Ryan great protection on the right side. With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 4-2 and are tied with the Saints for first place in the NFC South.
TE Desmond Clark, Chicago Bears
The veteran tight end was active for the Bears (4-2) again this week, but it appears that Mike Martz's system that limits the targets for tight ends is beginning to take effect. Neither Clark nor starter Greg Olsen were targeted in Chicago's 23-20 loss to the Seahawks.
LB Aaron Curry, Seattle Seahawks
For the first time this season, Curry was able to break through Chicago's offensive line and notch a sack of QB Jay Cutler. This was just the sort of progression that Coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks (3-2) wanted to see from the second-year player. For the season, he has 16 tackles and now one sack. Curry has also started each of the five games this season, showing just how important he is becoming to the Seahawks' defense.
OG Chris DeGeare, Minnesota Vikings
DeGeare was inactive for Minnesota's Sunday afternoon 24-21 win over the Cowboys despite an injury to starting center John Sullivan hurting the depth along the line. The Vikings (2-3) are attempting to make sure DeGeare remains healthy after an injury to his ankle that kept him out of practice last week.
CB Brandon Ghee, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals (2-3) were on a bye week during Week 6 and will return to face the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.
WR Kenneth Moore, Indianapolis Colts
After seeing his first game action of the season during Week 5 for Indianapolis (4-2), Moore had a difficult time in the return game in the Colts' 27-24 win over the Redskins this week. He had two fumbles and was unable to recover one of them. He finished 61 yards on three kickoff returns and 32 yards on three punt returns. Late in the game, he was replaced by Jerraud Powers and Justin Tryon on return duties.
FB Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta Falcons
In the Falcons' loss Sunday, Mughelli was again primarily used as a blocker. He did have one reception for two yards, but spent most of his day trying to defend against the strong Philadelphia pass rush. If the fullback records four more catches this season, he will have his most in a single season since having 21 with Baltimore in 2006.
LB Calvin Pace, New York Jets
While Pace's numbers were not as impressive as last week, he still managed to have three tackles in New York's controversial 24-20 win over Denver. The Jets (5-1) are almost certainly glad to have Pace back on the defense, as he brings veteran leadership and is a very talented player.
DT Fred Robbins, St. Louis Rams
Robbins played a critical role as the defensive leader for the Rams (3-3) in their 20-17 victory over the Chargers this weekend. He had two tackles, a sack, and broke up a pass from QB Philip Rivers in one of his best games this season. St. Louis, thanks to solid defensive play and the addition of QB Sam Bradford, now has as many wins this season as it had in the past two years combined.
CB Alphonso Smith, Detroit Lions
The former Bronco continued his great play in the secondary in Detroit's 28-20 loss to the Giants on Sunday. While his streak of three games with an interception was snapped, he did have five tackles and broke up one pass while being given yet another start at the cornerback position. As stated in the past few weeks, Smith is finally living up to his potential as a second-round pick despite not being with his original team.
OG Steve Vallos, Cleveland Browns
Again, Vallos saw no game action in Colt McCoy's debut as the Browns' quarterback. Cleveland was defeated, 28-10, by the Steelers and fell to 1-5 on the season.
LS Joe Zelenka, Atlanta Falcons
Kicker Matt Bryant hit one of two field goals on Sunday, his long coming from 26 yards. Zelenka may not receive a lot of credit for his role in the Falcons' special teams unit, but he continues to provide the necessary stability on field goal attempts and punts.
SB/WR Chris Davis, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
For the third game in a row, a 22-19 loss to the Montreal Alouettes, Davis was held without a catch. Interceptions continue to plague Winnipeg's passing game, as starting quarterback Steven Jyles threw two in Sunday's loss and backup Alex Brink tossed one as well.
Players on NFL Practice Squads
LB John Russell, Buffalo Bills
S Chip Vaughn, Indianapolis
Players Still Looking for Work
OL Steve Justice (last with the Carolina Panthers)
DT Boo Robinson (last with the Cleveland Browns)
CB Eric King (last with the Detroit Lions)
Players on Injured Reserve (out for the season)
LB Jyles Tucker, San Diego Chargers
