Deacons in the NFL - Week 3
9/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 29, 2010
By Currie McFayden, WakeForestSports.com
In Week 3 of the NFL season, everything seemed to be about the upsets. The Falcons' win over the Saints at the Superdome, St. Louis's near-domination of the Redskins and Seattle's defeat of the Chargers were the highlights of the weekend.
Former Wake Forest players also had a great weekend, with Desmond Clark catching his first pass of the season and Alphonso Smith getting the first start and interception of his career in the same game.
Once again, the number of former Deacons on active rosters held steady at thirteen. Safety Chip Vaughn was recently cut from the Eagles' practice squad, making rookie linebacker John Russell the only former Deacon on an NFL practice squad.
Here is player-by-player look at how the Deacons fared in Week 3.
LB Stanley Arnoux, New Orleans Saints
A week after seeing his first professional regular season action, Arnoux was once again active but participated only on special teams coverage. The Saints (2-1) were defeated 27-24 in overtime by the Falcons in one of the best games of the year so far in the NFL.
OT Tyson Clabo, Atlanta Falcons
If ever there was a perfect definition of consistency, it would be Clabo. He just kept rolling along this weekend in the Falcons' (2-1) victory over the Saints, notching his 35th straight start while providing great protection for former Boston College QB Matt Ryan.
TE Desmond Clark, Chicago Bears
In a departure from the first two weeks of the season, the Bears utilized both of their tight ends extensively in their 20-17 victory over the Packers on Monday Night Football. While Greg Olsen put up the better numbers, Clark also had his first catch of the season for 12 yards--perhaps a sign of things to come following the outcome of Monday night's game. The Bears (3-0) are now the lone undefeated team in the NFC.
LB Aaron Curry, Seattle Seahawks
Curry continues to show flashes of greatness during his time on the field this season, posting two more tackles in the Seahawks' impressive 27-20 victory over the Chargers. His total now stands at 11 tackles through three games. Curry and the Seahawks (2-1) have enjoyed a surprising start under new head coach Pete Carroll.
OG Chris DeGeare, Minnesota Vikings
In the third game of his career, DeGeare was finally active and saw some game action as the Vikings (1-2) defeated the Lions, 24-10. Minnesota may be trying to work the rookie into their plans slowly to ensure that he does not get injured, as he clearly seems to be a future starter along their offensive line.
CB Brandon Ghee, Cincinnati Bengals
For the third week in a row, Ghee was inactive for Cincinnati (2-1) as they defeated the Panthers, 20-7. As stated in the past couple of weeks, he will likely not see any game action unless there is an injury to one of the cornerbacks ahead of him on the depth chart or to a special teams coverage member.
FB Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta Falcons
Mughelli, like Tyson Clabo, played a major blocking role in the Falcons' win over the defending Super Bowl champion Saints. After getting five carries last week, he settled right back into his status as a blocker and was seemingly rewarded with two catches for 29 yards, an oddity for a fullback.
LB Calvin Pace, New York Jets
Pace seems to be on track to return to the Jets (2-1) for their Week 4 matchup against the Bills after some unorthodox recovery methods used by team doctors to help him recover from his broken foot. "Simple stuff like picking up marbles with my feet, just try to work those muscles back," Pace said when talking about his rehab. He has also done training in the water to aid his recovery and return, which will come at a great time after the Jets gave up 363 passing yards in their Week 3 victory over the Dolphins, 31-23.
DT Fred Robbins, St. Louis Rams
The 11th-year defensive tackle had a quiet game in the Rams' 30-16 upset of the Redskins this week. He did not have any tackles but did break up one pass thrown by QB Donovan McNabb. While he is not at an elite level among defensive tackles, Robbins is a solid starter for the Rams (1-2) this season.
CB Alphonso Smith, Detroit Lions
The former Denver Bronco had the standout game of any former Demon Deacons this week, still riding the momentum of his new start in Detroit. He made the first start of his career and finished the game with three tackles, a pass breakup, as well as the first interception of his career off of QB Brett Favre in the 24-10 loss. This was finally the type of game that the former second-rounder was expected to deliver, and after this performance, it would be hard to imagine him not being included in the Detroit (0-3) starting lineup for at least the next few games.
LB Jyles Tucker, San Diego Chargers
The situation for Tucker in San Diego could take a turn for the better in the upcoming weeks. With starting linebacker Shawne Merriman yet to play a full game in the first three weeks, trade rumors are beginning to take root again. If the Chargers (1-2) do pull the trigger on a deal, Tucker would instantly move up on the depth chart. In Week 3, he was a non-injury related inactive in the team's 27-20 loss to the Seahawks.
OG Steve Vallos, Cleveland Browns
The three-year veteran was once again held out of game action this week as the Browns fell, 24-17, to the Ravens to drop to 0-3 on the year. Vallos seems to be playing the role of the primary backup to starting center Alex Mack, who has started nineteen straight games dating back to last season.
LS Joe Zelenka, Atlanta Falcons
Zelenka's steady play has to be credited as playing a major role in the Falcons' upset of the Saints in Week 3. In overtime, Matt Bryant's potential game-winning field goal was blocked, but Zelenka heard the referee's whistle blow just before the play was snapped because of Saints coach Sean Payton calling a timeout. With a second chance at the kick, Bryant sent it straight through the uprights for the win.
SB/WR Chris Davis, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
So far, Davis has enjoyed the second-best season of his career in the CFL, registering sixteen catches for 184 yards and a touchdown. In Week 11's defeat of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Davis had six catches for 88 yards and his lone touchdown, marking his best game as a pro. Entering Week 14, the Blue Bombers are 3-9 despite scoring the fourth-most points in the league.
Players on NFL Practice Squads:
LB John Russell (Buffalo Bills)
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 Carolina Panthers)
DT Boo Robinson (last with the Philadelphia Eagles)
S Chip Vaughn (last with the Philadelphia Eagles)
