Former Cats in the NFL, week 6 edition
By Staff
NFL Week 6 saw more of our former UK football players take action, with Wesley Woodyard and the Denver Broncos leading the charge of most exciting games. As the year rolls on, we are getting to watch players get more playing time or wonder where in the hell could they be? Let’s take a look at the action:
Wesley Woodyard (Broncos): I start with Woodyard because unlike many of the other players on this list, he is on a great team and is getting to play! Woodyard once again got to see the field for the Broncos on Monday Night Football, which was one of the better night games this year. The Broncos defeated the Chargers to a tune of 34-23, with the Chargers “charging” down field to make it interesting with a minute left. I was actually surprised Woodyard didn’t see the field as much as I thought he should have. He has played more minutes in previous games but Monday’s game was kind of odd because of the fact that just a week earlier, he was one of the team’s leading tacklers in a victory over the New England Patriots. This week, Woodyard garnered one solo tackle on special teams and a pass deflection. He was extremely close on two plays where the Chargers players fumbled the play, but someone else ended up recovering it for the Broncos. I don’t expect Woodyard’s minutes to vary that often, but like I said, this week wasn’t what I expected for Woodyard.
Keenan Burton (Rams): Oh Keenan and the poor St. Louis Rams. Everyone actually thought they had a chance to pull out their first victory in over a year, but it was all for not as the Jaguars squeaked out a victory by the tune of 23-20. Burton’s expected production has increased week by week, as Burton becomes more integral in the Rams offensive scheme. With five receptions for 37 yards wouldn’t cue in on the idea of getting more production, but you have to understand that the Rams are TERRIBLE this season. It is certainly nice to see that Rams quarterbacks Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller are targeting Burton more (6 this week) and more because Burton is taking advantage of it. Let’s be realistic however. The Rams aren’t good, Burton is still developing as a receiver in the NFL, so we shouldn’t expect too much more from the second year wide-out. He’s still looking for his first touchdown of the year and but don’t look for it to come next week against the (5-0) Colts. The Rams play the Lions in two weeks, so let’s see if Burton can take advantage of that matchup.
Stevie Johnson (Bills): If there is a common trend for our former UK players, it is that many of them aren’t playing on good football teams. Johnson, much like Burton, is on a team that is only running in place. In some instances, players on below-average teams would get some reps and opportunities to play but that isn’t the case with Johnson and the Bills. Whatever the Bills game plan is, is clearly not working and the current wide receivers playing aren’t getting it done. For what seems to be the third or fourth week in a row, I’ll ask this question again. Why doesn’t Steve Johnson play? Is he that bad that he can’t even get one minute of playing time? If that’s the case, then they should waive the young man and let him pursue his NFL dream on a different team. If Johnson is put into the right situation, I think he can do exactly what Burton is doing if not more. Even though they did win (16-13) over the Jets on Sunday, the Bills passing game has been putrid since the NFL season started. I don’t foresee Johnson getting any playing time soon.
Jeremy Jarmon (Redskins): The Redskins lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday (14-6), but Jarmon wasn’t really in on much of the action in the defeat. He only had one tackle, but that is now four straight games with a recorded tackle. That’s good for Jarmon as his NFL progression is still in motion. I like the fact that Jarmon is gradually seeing more time on the field, becoming accustomed to the speed and strength NFL players possess. With such a stark contrast between the NFL and college level, Jarmon is doing a nice job of adapting to life in the NFL. I think that is one of the biggest things to take away from Jarmon’s rookie season, as he didn’t intend on being in this position just yet. I think Jarmon has one of the brighter futures of any of the former UK football players, much like Woodyard.
Myron Pryor (Patriots): If there is anyone who should have seen more time on the field this week, it definitely should’ve been Pryor. The Patriots manhandled the Tennessee Titans (59-0) in NFL Week 6, all the more reason for Pryor to see mop up duties. That was the case on Sunday as Pryor had one of his best NFL games of his young career. He recorded three tackles all of them being solo. I also learned something new as Pryor had two “STF’s” on the day. For all of you who don’t know what an STF is, it is technically called a “stuff” according to NFL standards. A stuff is much like a tackle for a loss, while an STFY accounts for how many yards were lost during that stuff. Pryor had two stuffs and a total of 12 yards lost with those tackles. I know, it’s whacky and I don’t understand why they don’t just called them tackles for losses. Either way, Pryor also racked up a forced fumble, his first of the season. Much like at Kentucky, I like Pryor’s game a lot. He’s big, quick, and can get by offensive lineman with strength. I expect him to be around for a long time in the NFL.
Jacob Tamme (Colts): Tamme and the Colts had the week off, so there isn’t much to report on Tamme. I don’t expect him to get much playing time throughout the season. If that weren’t the case, he would have already seen the field more during the first six weeks of the season. The Colts have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL and I don’t foresee it changing for the rest of the season. Tamme is still a very talented tight end and will see more playing time at some point in his career. It may not be with the Colts, but if it is, I think the Colts have a player in the mold of Dallas Clark with Tamme on their team. I think the Colts would be best served utilizing him as much as possible to avoid any lack of production if an injury were to take place to a guy like Clark.
Garry Williams (Panthers): Williams continues to see more time on the sidelines rather than on the field. Offensive left-tackle Jordan Gross has a firm grasp on the position, so I wouldn’t expect Williams to see too much time unless an injury occurred to Gross or someone else on the offensive line, causing Williams to move to a different position, i.e. right-tackle instead of left.
Braxton Kelley (Broncos): practice squad
Andre Woodson (Redskins): practice squad
Glenn Pakulak (Redskins): practice squad
Rafael Little (free agent)
Ventrell Jenkins (free agent)
Johnny Williams (free agent)
Andrew Hardison is a recent UK alum and a frequent contributor to the Wildcat Blue Blog
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans