Deacons in the NFL - Week 7
10/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 27, 2010
By Currie McFayden, WakeForestSports.com
Week 7 of the NFL season continued to show parity across the league, with many once-strong teams being bested by up-and-comers through upsets. The Browns took down the Super Bowl champion Saints in the most obvious of these matchups, and the Saints are now third in their own division behind the Falcons and Buccaneers. Both the Chargers and the Cowboys, preseason Super Bowl favorites, had their woes continue. The Chargers had several miscues in a 23-20 loss to New England, and Dallas lost QB Tony Romo, possibly for the season, due to a broken collarbone.
It was yet another strong week for former Wake Forest players in the NFL. The blocking by Ovie Mughelli and Tyson Clabo set up the Falcons' huge offensive day, and Fred Robbins continued his solid play on the interior of St. Louis's defensive line.
The number of former Deacons in the league remained at 14 this week. Kenneth Moore was released by the Colts after two fumbles in their Week 6 victory, but second-year safety Chip Vaughn was signed by the Colts to help their injury-plagued secondary.
Wide receiver D.J. Boldin was signed to Toronto's practice squad in the Canadian Football League. Chris Davis remains Wake's only player on an active roster in Canada.
Here is a player-by-player look at how the Deacons fared in Week 7.
LB Stanley Arnoux, New Orleans Saints
Statistically, Arnoux had the best game of his career in Sunday's stunning 30-17 loss to the Browns. While he only had one tackle, he also had the first forced fumble of his career on kickoff coverage. The well-timed hit on kick returner Josh Cribbs knocked the ball loose, but it was ultimately recovered by Cleveland. With an impressive hit like that, Arnoux went a long way toward justifying his spot on the roster as a special teams player for the Saints (4-3).
OT Tyson Clabo, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta's offensive line was much improved from their performance in the past few weeks. They gave up no sacks, and because of their great protection, QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner were able to total over 400 yards against the Bengals in the 39-32 victory. Clabo's play on the right side contributed greatly to the effort as he kept defensive end Robert Geathers in check throughout the game. With the win, the Falcons (5-2) are now tied with the Giants for the best record in the NFC.
TE Desmond Clark, Chicago Bears
Once again, Clark was inactive for the Bears' 17-14 loss to the Redskins. He has now been active in only four of the team's seven games, and appears to be fourth on the depth chart behind Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis and Brandon Manumaleuna. Without Clark's blocking skills, QB Jay Cutler has been battered, taking 27 sacks in just 22 quarters of play so far this season. This has helped to drop the Bears, once undefeated, to 4-3 on the year.
LB Aaron Curry, Seattle Seahawks
Building on his consistent play from the last few weeks, Curry again got the start and had three tackles against the division rival Cardinals. While his numbers are projected to be slightly lower this season than they were last year, this may be attributed to the improvement all-around on Seattle's defense. The Seahawks (4-2), with the 22-10 win, are now in control of the NFC West and have the potential to make the playoffs if they can continue their current run.
OG Chris DeGeare, Minnesota Vikings
The rookie continued to be inactive for this weekend's 28-24 loss to Green Bay while still trying to heal from his ankle injury that has kept him out of practice. With the Vikings' season nearly a lost cause at 2-4, DeGeare may see playing time when he returns as the team attempts to get him ready for a potential starting role next year.
CB Brandon Ghee, Cincinnati Bengals
After his solid showing on special teams before the Bengals' bye week, Ghee was given another shot this weekend against the Falcons and did not disappoint. He had two more tackles, bringing his total to three for the season, and looked comfortable in his new role. With these two performances in back-to-back games, expect to see the rookie in special teams coverage each week for the rest of the season, barring injury. With Sunday's loss, the Bengals fell to 2-4 on the season.
FB Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta Falcons
While Mughelli did not have any individual stats in Sunday's win, he contributed to the great overall blocking effort that allowed RB Michael Turner to rush for two touchdowns and WR Roddy White to notch 11 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns. He will look to continue that trend in two weeks, when the Buccaneers come to Atlanta following their bye week.
LB Calvin Pace, New York Jets
The Jets (5-1) were on a bye during Week 7 and will return to action on Sunday afternoon when they host Green Bay at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
DT Fred Robbins, St. Louis Rams
The veteran's stats were not very impressive this week with only one tackle, but he did a solid job of pressuring QB Josh Freeman in the 18-17 loss to Tampa Bay. The Rams fell to 3-4 as a result of the loss but are still within striking distance of the Seahawks for the NFC West lead.
CB Alphonso Smith, Detroit Lions
The Lions (1-5) were on a bye during Week 7 and will return on Halloween afternoon to face the Redskins at Ford Field in Detroit.
OG Steve Vallos, Cleveland Browns
Vallos was held out of action for the seventh time in as many weeks as the Browns (2-5) stunned the Saints this weekend. He is still listed as the backup to starting center Alex Mack on Cleveland's official depth chart but is yet to see any playing time this year.
S Chip Vaughn, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts officially announced Vaughn's signing to the active roster on October 26. After being drafted by and playing for the Saints last season, the safety was released in the final preseason cuts. He was signed to the Eagles' practice squad earlier this year but was then cut. In Indianapolis, whose safety position has been decimated by injuries to Bob Sanders, Melvin Bullitt, and Brandon King, Vaughn will be coached by former Wake Forest head coach Jim Caldwell. Expect to see the second-year player begin as a member of the kickoff coverage team and possibly get some playing time in the secondary if he performs well.
LS Joe Zelenka, Atlanta Falcons
The veteran presence of Zelenka as their long snapper continues to pay dividends for the Falcons. In his only attempt on Sunday, kicker Matt Bryant nailed a try from 45 yards out and converted four extra point attempts.
SB/WR Chris Davis, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
Davis did not see any game time during Winnipeg's 27-8 loss to the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday. The Blue Bombers' quarterback situation continues to be in total disarray, as Joey Elliott received the most snaps during the game over both Steven Jyles and Alex Brink. Until there is a resolution at quarterback, Davis's stats will likely be minimal.
Players on NFL Practice Squads
LB John Russell, Buffalo Bills
WR D.J. Boldin, Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
Players Still Looking for Work
OL Steve Justice (last with the Carolina Panthers)
CB Eric King (last with the Detroit Lions)
WR Kenneth Moore (last with the Indianapolis Colts)
DT Boo Robinson (last with the Cleveland Browns)
Players on Injured Reserve (out for the season)
LB Jyles Tucker, San Diego Chargers
