Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons in the NFL - Week 8
11/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 2010
By Currie McFayden, WakeForestSports.com
Week 8 of the NFL season continued the trend of the traditionally lowly teams staking their claim for potential playoff spots later in the season. The Rams, Buccaneers and Raiders all made strong statements this week, and each team is now either at or above .500 for the year.
On the other side of things, some traditional powers still have a strong hold on top of the standings. New England has the best record in the NFL at 6-1, Indianapolis grabbed the AFC South lead back from Houston and both Pittsburgh and Baltimore remain entrenched as the two dominant forces in the AFC North.
Several former Wake players impressed this past weekend, not the least of which was Alphonso Smith as he continues to prove the Broncos wrong for trading him. Chip Vaughn, after spending all of last season with New Orleans before being signed by the Colts last week, had his first professional tackle, and Brandon Ghee moved closer to a possible starting cornerback spot as injuries continued to plague Cincinnati's secondary.
The number of former Deacons on active rosters in the NFL remained at 14 this week, as no players were released or signed. John Russell also remained Wake's lone representative on NFL practice squads.
In the CFL, Chris Davis is still Wake's only player on an active roster, and D.J. Boldin is the sole Wake player on a practice squad.
Here is a player-by-player look at how the Deacons fared in Week 8.
LB Stanley Arnoux, New Orleans Saints
The former Wake linebacker was active for New Orleans' season-saving 20-10 win over the Steelers on Sunday, but for the first time in three weeks did not have a tackle. The Saints (5-3) will continue to use him as a kickoff coverage specialist despite the off game, and with the momentum that Arnoux currently has, it would be difficult to believe that he will not bounce back from this game.
OT Tyson Clabo, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons (5-2) were on their bye during Week 8 and will return to action at the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon when they host the Buccaneers, with the winner of that game moving into first place in the NFC South.
TE Desmond Clark, Chicago Bears
The Bears (4-3) and Clark had their bye during Week 8, and will travel to Toronto to face the winless Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
LB Aaron Curry, Seattle Seahawks
In Sunday's humbling 33-3 loss to the Raiders, Curry had three tackles and did his part to keep Oakland's offense contained. For the season, the second-year linebacker now has 22 tackles and a sack and has started every game at the outside linebacker position. While he has not had any explosive plays, he has shown consistency from week to week and has put up solid numbers in doing so. The Seahawks (4-3) remain a half-game ahead of the Rams for first place in the NFC West.
OG Chris DeGeare, Minnesota Vikings
With all of the controversy surrounding Randy Moss's abrupt exit from the organization and rumors swirling that head coach Brad Childress could be in danger of losing his job, DeGeare's role on the Vikings could be easily overlooked at this point. He was active for Sunday's 28-18 loss to the Patriots that left the Vikings (2-5) tied with the Lions for last place in the NFC North, but he did not get onto the field for any game action. Should there be a head coaching change in Minnesota, it has the potential to drastically alter the rookie's role with the team.
CB Brandon Ghee, Cincinnati Bengals
After becoming a fixture on the kickoff return coverage team for the Bengals (2-5) in the past two games, Ghee was once again in that role during Sunday's 22-14 loss to Miami. He had yet another tackle, extending his streak to three games with at least one tackle. With Adam "Pacman" Jones being placed on injured reserve, Ghee's chances of seeing playing time in the secondary became much better. Cincinnati's stable of cornerbacks have been hit hard by injuries, leaving the rookie the only fully healthy player at the position during practice last week.
FB Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta Falcons
Mughelli and the Falcons were on their bye during Week 8 and will return to action on Sunday against the Buccaneers.
LB Calvin Pace, New York Jets
In what became an unexpected defensive slugfest, the Packers outlasted the Jets (5-2) in a 9-0 victory on Sunday. Pace, in his third game back from injury, notched four tackles and was able to pressure QB Aaron Rodgers on several key plays but did not come away with a sack. Pace will have a chance to pad his 1.5 sacks in a showdown with the Lions at Ford Field this Sunday.
DT Fred Robbins, St. Louis Rams
For the second week in a row, the veteran did not have an impressive statline (just a single pass deflected) yet he anchored the defense in a swarming effort against Panthers QB Matt Moore in the 20-10 victory. The Rams' defense had three sacks and forced Moore into throwing three interceptions as well. Suddenly, the Rams (4-4) could be in contention for the NFC West lead with a win next week, and if their consistency keeps up, a potential playoff spot.
CB Alphonso Smith, Detroit Lions
Smith continues to have a breakout season after his trade to Detroit (2-5) just before the season. In the Lions' 37-25 victory over the Redskins, he had three tackles, two passes broken up and his fourth interception in the last five games. The second-year player, who underperformed in his rookie year, now has 24 tackles, six pass breakups, and the four interceptions along with a touchdown in only seven games this year.
OG Steve Vallos, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland (2-5) was on a bye week during Week 8 and will return to action on Sunday afternoon as they host the Patriots, who currently hold the NFL's best record.
S Chip Vaughn, Indianapolis Colts
Like fellow second-year player Stanley Arnoux earlier this season, Vaughn had the first tackle of his NFL career for the Colts in Monday night's 30-17 win over the Texans. Signed only last week, it appears that he will be thrown directly into the team's game plans, which bodes well for Vaughn knowing the success of the organization.
LS Joe Zelenka, Atlanta Falcons
Like Clabo and Mughelli, Zelenka was on a bye week with the Falcons and will return to action on Sunday afternoon against the Buccaneers.
SB/WR Chris Davis, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
Once again, Davis saw no playing time in Winnipeg's 16-13 loss to Edmonton this week. The quarterback carousel continued spinning for the Blue Bombers, who started a third different QB, Joey Elliott, after the setbacks to Steven Jyles and Alex Brink in the past couple of weeks.
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
