Tuesday Tidbits: Week 7 Recap

Week 7 was a good week for Delone Carter. He was slowed by injuries earlier in the season and this week he finally got significant playing time. He had 11 carries on Sunday. This is what Carter and the rest of the Syracuse Pros did this week:

Indianapolis 17 Cleveland 13
-Delone Carter saw substantial playing time this week and helped the Colts control the clock. He had 11 carries for 41 yards. Dwight Freeney had 1 tackle, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 quarterback hit.

Houston 43 Baltimore 13
-In the blowout loss Arthur Jones also had some significant playing time. He ended the day with 6 tackles. Jameel McClain had 4 tackles.

Green Bay 30 St. Louis 20
-Guard Quinn Ojinnaka did not start this week, but did have some action on the field in the loss.

New Orleans 35 Tampa Bay 28
-Receiver Mike Williams had 4 catches for 36 yards in the loss for Tampa Bay.

New England 29 New York Jets 26
-Chandler Jones was blocked very well this week as teams are beginning to account for him on every play. He was only able to make 4 tackles this week. Safety Steve Gregory was inactive with an injury.

Montreal 34 Saskatchewan 28
-Receiver Taj Smith continued his great play as the Roughriders nearly had a great comeback late in the game. Smith was the leading receiver for the Roughriders with 4 catches for 52 yards.

-Note: Doug Hogue was released by Detroit and picked up by Carolina. The Panthers were the first team that had the opportunity to claim him.

-Curtis Brinkley and the Chargers had a bye this week.

Tuesday Tidbits: Week 6

     Mike Williams had a big week against the Chiefs this week. He had a 62-yard touchdown catch from Josh Freeman in the first quarter to put the Bucs up 7-0. He ended the day with 4 catches for 113 yards. Here is what the rest of the Syracuse Pros did this week:

Tampa Bay 38 Kansas City 10
-Receiver Mike Williams had a huge day with 4 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown in the rout of the Chiefs.

Baltimore 31 Dallas 29
-Jameel McClain had 8 tackles and Arthur Jones had one tackle as the Ravens squeaked by with a victory.

New York Jets 35 Indianapolis 9
-Delone Carter saw his first carries of the year this week. He had 4 carries for 13 yards. Dwight Freeney had one tackle in the loss.

Detroit 26 Philadelphia 23
-The Lions kicked a field goal in overtime to win the game. Linebacker Doug Hogue played for the Lions, but did not record a tackle.

Seattle 24 New England 23
-Chandler Jones continued his great play. He was all over Russell Wilson all day, including forcing a fumble. He ended the day with 9 tackles and 2 sacks. Safety Steve Gregory was out with an injury.

Denver 35 San Diego 24
Running back Curtis Brinkley was back in action this week, but did not have a carry.

Miami 17 St. Louis 14
-Quinn Ojinnaka started at left guard for the Rams.

Smith Shows Big Play Ability In Roughriders' Win

     Some players just flat out have a knack for big plays. One of the Syracuse Pros that we follow shows that big play ability just about every week. Taj Smith has had a fine season for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders. He has had catches of 56 yards and 74 yards this year. His 14.7 yards per catch is one of the best on the team. He has 30 catches for 441 yards and 2 touchdowns up to this point in the season. His big play ability set the Roughriders on fire in yesterday's game.

     After the Riders kicked a field goal, they forced the Toronto Argonauts to punt. The Riders took the field for their second possession and that is where Smith came in. Quarterback Darian Durant hit Smith in stride on the sideline for a 56-yard catch. This left the ball at the Argonauts' 3 yard line. Backup quarterback Drew Willy later scored on the possession to make the score 10-0. The Riders never let up winning 36-10. Smith ended the game with 4 catches for 79 yards.

     The Roughriders have a 3-game winning streak, which brings their record to 8-6 on the season. They face Edmonton this Saturday.

   

Tuesday Tidbits: Week 5 Recap

      It is now week 5 of the NFL season and injuries are starting to mount. Patriots safety and Syracuse alum Steve Gregory was inactive this week with an injury he sustained in last week's game. Other Syracuse alumni who did not see action were Curtis Brinkley (Chargers-inactive), Mike Williams (Buccaneers-bye), and Doug Hogue (Lions-Bye). Here is what the rest of the Syracuse Pros did this week:

Baltimore 9 Kansas City 6
-The Ravens defense had one of its most stout performances of the year. Jameel McClain had 7 tackles, including 2 for loss for the Ravens. Arthur Jones had his best game of the year with 3 tackles and he also forced a fumble.

Indianapolis 30 Green Bay 27
-Dwight Freeney returned from injury and had 2 tackles. He also had a nice sack of Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Delone Carter also returned to action, but did not record a carry.

St. Louis 17 Arizona 3
-Quinn Ojinnaka started at guard again for the Rams and made some key blocks to help the Rams win an important division game.

New England 31 Denver 21
-Chandler Jones had a busy day for the Patriots. He made just one tackle, but had 2 hits on the quarterback and even had a pass defensed in the victory.

Tuesday Tidbits: Week 4 Recap

    In week 4 of the NFL season the New England Patriots were able to redeem themselves. After falling behind Buffalo at the beginning of the third quarter, New England went on a tear and destroyed the Bills 52-28. Chandler Jones had another fine game. Here is what Jones and the rest of the Syracuse Pros did this week:

New England 52 Buffalo 28
-Chandler Jones had 5 tackles and 1 sack bringing his sack total to 3 for the season. Steve Gregory added 4 tackles for the Patriots.

Baltimore 23 Cleveland 16
- Jameel McClain had 5 tackles and Arthur Jones added 1 tackle in a fine defensive effort by the Ravens.

Minnesota 20 Detroit 13
-Doug Hogue played on special teams for the Lions, but did not make a tackle.

San Diego 37 Kansas City 20
-In a game the Chargers dominated, running back Curtis Brinkley was inactive.

St. Louis 19 Seattle 13
-Quinn Ojinnaka started at guard for the third straight game in the Rams' win.

Washington 24 Tampa Bay 22
-Mike Williams had 4 catches for 115 yards in the loss. Williams caught a 65-yard bomb from Josh Freeman in the game

The Indianapolis Colts had a bye. (Dwight Freeney and Delone Carter)

Tuesday Tidbits: Week 3

     Week 3 of the regular season has passed and we wanted to take a minute to feature one of the former Syracuse players making noise in the Canadian Football League. Taj Smith's final year in Syracuse was a fine one. In the 2007 season he had 44 catches for 822 yards and 5 touchdowns. He now finds himself in the Canadian Football League playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Here is what Taj Smith and the rest of  the Syracuse Pros in the NFL did this week:

Saskatchewan 30 Calgary 25
-Quarterback Darian Durant found Taj Smith for a beautiful 30-yard touchdown strike in what was a huge 3rd quarter for the Roughriders. Smith ended the game with 3 catches for 55 yards.

Dallas 16 Tampa Bay 10
-In a game dominated by the defenses, wide receiver Mike Williams had 2 catches for 33 yards.

Jacksonville 22 Indianapolis 17
Blaine Gabbert threw an 80 yard touchdown strike to give the Jags the win. For the Colts, Dwight Freeney (injury) and Delone Carter (coach's decision) were both inactive.

Tennessee 44 Detroit 41
-An impressive offensive output by both teams, but the Titans had just a bit more. Linebacker Doug Hogue played for the Lions, but did not record a tackle.

Atlanta 27 San Diego 3
-Atlanta dominated the undefeated Chargers. Running back Curtis Brinkley had his playing time cut down with the return of Ryan Matthews. Brinkley ended the day with 1 carry for 5 yards and 2 catches for 12 yards.

Chicago 23 St. Louis 6
-Quinn Ojinnaka started his second game at guard for the Rams.

Baltimore 31 New England 30
In a matchup of the Jones' brothers, the Ravens were able to squeeze by with a one-point victory. Chandler Jones ended the day with 2 tackles for the Patriots. Brother Arthur Jones played for the Ravens, but did not record a tackle. Jameel McClain had 2 tackles for the Ravens. Steve Gregory had 4 tackles for New England. Gregory also recorded an interception of Joe Flacco and returned it 36 yards to give the Patriots great field position.

NFL Season Week 2: Tuesday Tidbits

     Week 2 of the NFL season was a productive one for former Syracuse players. Players like Curtis Brinkley and Mike Williams made significant contributions to their teams. Here is your team by team recap of the week:

San Diego 38 Tennessee 10
-Curtis Brinkley touched the ball 22 times in the victory. He ran the ball 18 times for 43 yards and caught 4 passes for 23 yards.

New York Giants 41 Tampa Bay 34
-Receiver Mike Williams made 3 catches for 59 yards. The Bucs wideout made one of the best grabs of the year on a 41 yard bomb from Josh Freeman for a score. Williams dropped one pass in crunchtime that would have put the Bucs in the red zone. The play was initially ruled a catch and after further review it was determined incomplete.

Indianapolis 23 Minnesota 20
-Dwight Freeney was out with a high ankle sprain and Delone Carter was inactive for the second straight week.

Arizona 20 New England 18
-In what may have been the upset of the week the Cardinals pulled out a big win in Foxboro. It was not for a lack of effort by Chandler Jones though. Jones had another exceptional game for the Patriots forcing a fumble and ending the day with 5 tackles. Steve Gregory started at safety and recorded 5 tackles.

Philadelphia 24 Baltimore 23
-The Ravens had a chance to win, but the Eagles' defense held strong in the final minutes to take the win. The Baltimore defense played well, including Jameel McClain who had 5 tackles. Arthur Jones played, but did not record a tackle. Jones was involved in a pregame scuffle with DeSean Jackson after Jackson got in the face of a teammate.

St. Louis 31 Washington 28
-RG III could not propel the Redskins to a victory again this week. Quinn Ojinnaka was brought back by the Rams after being cut just before the regular season. He started at guard for the Rams.

San Francisco 27 Detroit 19
-Doug Hogue made a great special teams tackle for the Lions, but it was not enough as Detroit took the loss. Hogue ended the game with 2 tackles.