Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Denard Robinson

Denard Robinson (image via blackandteal.com)

In Denard Robinson's third start for the Jacksonville Jaguars this year, he carried the ball 22 times for 127 yards and 1 touchdown. Jacksonville won the game against the Cleveland Browns by a score of 24-6.

Honorable mention: Oakland Raider Charles Woodson made 7 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 interception, which he returned for 30 yards; Oakland lost to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 24-13; on the other side, linebacker Larry Foote made 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack. Linebacker David Harris notched 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry in the New York Jets' 27-25 loss to the New England Patriots; Patriot quarterback Tom Brady completed 20/37 passes for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns.. Stephen Schilling made his first career start for the Seattle Seahawks at center, but it was a 28-26 loss to the St. Louis Rams. New York Giants running back Michael Cox returned 3 kickoffs for 87 yards (29 yards/return) in a 31-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Tom Brady

Tom Brady

The Tom Brady of old is back! Brady was 23/33 for 432 yards and 4 touchdowns. His Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score 55-31.

Honorable mention: The Steelers' LaMarr Woodley had 8 total tackles and 1 fumble recovery in the loss. David Harris had 10 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in the New York Jets' 26-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: David Harris

David Harris

New York Jets inside linebacker David Harris had 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry in a 19-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. On the season, he has 51 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 quarterback hurries.

Honorable mention: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was 25/43 for 269 yards, 1 interception, and 1 game-winning touchdown in a 30-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Alan Branch had 6 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in the Buffalo Bills' 27-24 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley had 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 2 quarterback hurries in the Steelers' win over the Jets. Oakland Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson had 3 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in a 24-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Charles Woodson

Charles Woodson

Charles Woodson had 4 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup, and a fumble recovery that he returned 25 yards for a touchdown as the Oakland Raiders beat the San Diego Chargers by a score of 27-17.

Honorable mention: New York Giants free safety Ryan Mundy had 15 tackles and 2 tackles for loss in a 36-21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. New York Jets inside linebacker David Harris had 14 tackles in a 30-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Jason Avant

Jason Avant (#8) with Steve Breaston, Matt Gutierrez, and Braylon Edwards (left to right)

Avant had 5 catches for 87 yards and 1 touchdown while his Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 26-16.

Honorable mention: Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall had 4 tackles, 1 interception, and 3 pass breakups in a 34-30 victory over the Green Bay Packers. New York Jets linebacker David Harris had 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry in a 27-20 victory over Buffalo. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson had 1 carry for -2 yards and 2 kickoff returns for 54 yards in a 45-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Leon Hall

Leon Hall scores a touchdown on an interception

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall picked off his second pass of the year when he stepped in front of a pass from Ben Roethlisberger and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown.  Hall also broke up 1 pass.  The Bengals beat the Steelers, 13-10.

Honorable Mention

• The New England Patriots' Tom Brady completed 24/41 passes for 267 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in a 23-16 win over Chad Henne's Jacksonville Jaguars.  Henne finished 29/51 for 348 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions.
• Philadelphia Eagle Brandon Graham made 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass breakup in a 27-20 loss to the Washington Redskins.
• New York Jet linebacker David Harris made 10 tackles and 1 pass breakup in a 27-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers.
• San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mario Manningham tore his ACL and MCL when he caught his first pass on Sunday, so he'll miss the rest of the season.
• Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Mike Martin made 3 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for loss, but the Green Bay Packers won in a blowout, 55-7.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Jason Avant

It was a strong week for our former Michigan athletes, but no one had a more eye-popping performance than Philadelphia Eagle Jason Avant. His team won 23-21 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he finished with seven receptions for 133 yards, including one of the most impressive one-handed grabs you'll ever see. Avant has 38 receptions for 495 yards through 13 games, and his play looks to be improving alongside that of QB Nick Foles.  Teammate Brandon Graham had two tackles in the win.

Honorable mention:  Stevie Brown picked off Drew Brees twice as his Giants routed the Saints; he returned the two interceptions a total of 91 yards.  Brown is now second in the NFL with seven interceptions and is also the Giants' new single-season record holder for most interception return yards with 259.  In addition to the picks, Brown had eight tackles, 2 pass breakups, and a forced fumble in the game.

Miscellaneous: 

• Tom Brady and the Patriots beat up on the one-loss Texas by a score of 42-14.  Brady threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns and torched the Texans on play action.  He is quietly having another MVP-caliber season.
• David Molk, banged up after nearly a full NFL season, was placed on the Injured Reserve for the Chargers.  The move cleared up a roster spot that was filled by a healthy lineman, fellow Wolverine and current teammate Stephen Schilling. 
• After being released by the Seahawks, Braylon Edwards re-signed with one of his former teams, the New York Jets.
• Martell Webb was released from the Colts' practice squad.
• Cam Cameron, who coached at Michigan from '83 to '93, was fired as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.
• David Harris recorded 10 tackles and a sack in a win over the Jaguars.  He has a team-leading 101 tackles through 13 games.
• Steve Hutchinson was placed on the Injured Reserve for the Titans due to a knee injury.
• Jonas Mouton recorded his first career tackle against the Bengals earlier in the month.
• Chad Henne went a dismal 21/43 passing with zero touchdowns and two interceptions in his third start of the year.  Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville's starter to begin the season, was recently placed on the IR, so Henne should get a few more games to prove he's starter-quality.   

Wolverines in the NFL: 2011 Regular Season Statistics

David Harris racked up 85 tackles and made 4 picks in 2011

Offense

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady:  5235 yards, 65.6 completion percentage, 39 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 105.6 QB rating

Chad Henne:  868 yards, 57.1 completion percentage, 4 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 79.0 QB rating

Ryan Mallett:  Did not accrue any statistics in 2011

Running Backs

There aren't any former Michigan running backs who play in the NFL.  (Don't be in a rush, Fitz.)

Wide Receivers

Steve Breaston:  61 receptions for 785 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 carry for 25 yards

Jason Avant:  52 receptions for 679 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 fumbles lost

Mario Manningham:  39 receptions for 523 yards, 4 touchdowns

Braylon Edwards:  15 receptions for 181 yards

Adrian Arrington:  2 receptions for 31 yards, 4 games played

Offensive Linemen

N/A (Jake Long, Stephen Schilling, David Baas, Jeff Backus, Steve Hutchinson, Jonathan Goodwin)

Defense

Cornerbacks

Charles Woodson (also played safety):  74 tackles, 7 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 17 pass deflections

Leon Hall:  32 tackles, 1 fumble recovered, 2 interceptions, 7 pass deflections

Morgan Trent:  16 tackles, 1 fumble recovered, 2 interceptions, 4 pass deflections


Safeties

Ryan Mundy:  37 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection

Stevie Brown:  5 tackles


Linebackers

David Harris:  85 tackles, 65 solo, 5 sacks, 4 interceptions

Larry Foote:  47 tackles, 1.5 sacks

LaMarr Woodley:  39 tackles, 9 sacks, 1 interception

Prescott Burgess:  3 tackles, 3 games played

Jonas Mouton:  Did not accrue any statistics (Injured Reserve)


Defensive Linemen

James Hall:  50 tackles, 6 sacks

Alan Branch:  34 tackles, 3 sacks

Tim Jamison:  19 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 fumble forced, 1 fumble recovered

Brandon Graham:  4 tackles, 3 games played

Special Teams

Zoltan Mesko:  46.5 average, 41.5 net (third in NFL), 65 long, 24.1% inside the 20

Jay Feely:  19 field goals made out of 24 attempted (79.4%), 33 for 33 on extra points 

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: David Harris

The New York Jets have a damn good defense, and David Harris is a damn good New York Jets defender. Four years removed from trading up in the second round of the draft to acquire Harris, the Jets must be satisfied with the return on their investment: the 6-2, 250 lb MIKE linebacker has started every game in which he has participated dating back to his rookie season.

On Sunday, Harris helped his team defeat the Buffalo Bills and move into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East by recording 5 tackles, a pass break-up, a QB hurry and a diving interception. Harris picked off the pass (highlight here) with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter, allowing the Jets to maintain their 3-0 lead headed into halftime. The Bills, who were averaging 30.1 points per game entering the contest, were far less successful against Harris and his defense in their 27-11 defeat. "It's huge to be back in the mix," said Harris. "That was a huge test for us..."

Honorable Mention: Manningham took the lead for the Giants with 4 minutes remaining against the Patriots when he caught a 10-yard score. But then Tom Brady did what Tom Brady does, putting together a two minute comeback touchdown drive. Not to be outdone, Eli Manning did the Patriots wrong--again (see Super Bowl 42). In the game, Manningham scored a touchdown and gained 33 receiving yards. Tom Brady put up 342 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, but turned over the football three times. So I'll go with Manningham for Honorable Mention, especially sine his team won, 24-20.

2002 Offer Board

70 total offers

QUARTERBACK (6)
Matt Gutierrez - Concord, CA (Michigan)
Chris Pazan - Chicago, IL (Illinois)
Drew Stanton - Farmington Hills, MI (Michigan State)
Tyler Palko - West Allegheny, PA (Pittsburgh)
Trent Edwards - Los Gatos, CA (Stanford)
James Banks - Indianapolis, IN (Tennessee)

RUNNING BACK (9)
Darnell Hood - Harper Woods, MI (Michigan)
Pierre Rembert - Cudahy, WI (Michigan)
Thomas Clayton - Alexandria, VA (Florida State)
David Horne - Omaha, NE (Nebraska)
Maurice Clarett - Warren, OH (Ohio State)
Chris Wilson - Baltimore, MD (Penn State)
Kenny Irons - Dacula, GA (South Carolina)
Gerald Riggs, Jr. - Chattanooga, TN (Tennessee)
Erick Phillips - Hilliard, OH (West Virginia)

WIDE RECEIVER (10)
Jason Avant - Chicago, IL (Michigan)
Steve Breaston - Pittsburgh, PA (Michigan)
Carl Tabb - Ann Arbor, MI (Michigan)
Jemalle Cornelius - Fort Meade, FL (Florida)
Akieem Jolla - New Orleans, LA (Miami)
Matt Trannon - Flint, MI (Michigan State)
Roy Hall - Lyndhurst, OH (Ohio State)
Jejuan Rankins - Windsor, NC (Oklahoma)
Maurice Stovall - Radnor, PA (Notre Dame)
Marquis Johnson - Champaign, IL (Texas)

TIGHT END (3)
Kevin Murphy - Grand Rapids, MI (Michigan)
Curtis Justus - Perry, OK (Miami)
Aaron Kirkland - Fayetteville, NC (Tennessee)

OFFENSIVE TACKLE (4)
Mike Kolodziej - Joliet, IL (Michigan)
Chris Felder - Oelwein, IA (Iowa)
Stephon Heyer - Snellville, GA (Maryland)
Nathan Rhodes - Bakersfield, CA (Washington)

OFFENSIVE GUARD (6)
Tom Berishaj - Sterling Heights, MI (Michigan)
Rueben Riley - Grand Rapids, MI (Michigan)
Shadu Moore - Paterson, NJ (Boston College)
Mark Farris - Pittsburgh, PA (Penn State)
Cody Douglas - La Marque, TX (Tennessee)
Justin Blalock - Plano, TX (Texas)

CENTER (1)
Mark Bihl - Washington Court House, OH (Michigan)

DEFENSIVE END (13)
Rondell Biggs - Southfield, MI (Michigan)
Jim Unis - Gloucester, MA (Boston College)
Elvis Dumervil - Miami, FL (Louisville)
Clifton Ryan - Saginaw, MI (Michigan State)
Andrew Wicker - Clinton, LA (Mississippi)
Markell McKinley - Weir, MS (Mississippi State)
Chris Frome - Newhall, CA (Notre Dame)
Travis Leitko - The Woodlands, TX (Notre Dame)
Calvin Thibodeaux - Houston, TX (Oklahoma)
Edwards Johnson - Detroit, MI (Penn State)
Tim Shaw - Livonia, MI (Penn State)
Julian Jenkins - College Park, GA (Stanford)
Brian Pickryl - Jenks, OK (Texas)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (5)
Larry Harrison - Detroit, MI (Michigan)
Gabriel Watson - Southfield, MI (Michigan)
Brandon Greeson - High Point, NC (Nebraska)
Greg Jones - Jonesboro, AR (Tennessee)
Lyle Sendlein - Scottsdale, AZ (Texas)

LINEBACKER (7)
David Harris - Grand Rapids, MI (Michigan)
Obi Oluigbo - Alexandria, VA (Michigan)
Brian Thompson - Saginaw, MI (Michigan)
Jeremy Van Alstyne - Greenwood, IN (Michigan)
Chris Hollis - Aurora, CO (Colorado)
Reggie Dent - Riviera Beach, FL (Florida Atlantic)
Mike D'Andrea - Avon Lake, OH (Ohio State)

CORNERBACK (3)
Quinton McCoy - Chandler, AZ (Michigan)
Sammy Joseph - Marrero, LA (Colorado)
Vernon Russell - River Ridge, LA (LSU)

SAFETY (2)
Willis Barringer - Toledo, OH (Michigan)
Michael Hinton - Burlington, NC

KICKER (1)
Keith Andrews - Monroe, LA (Mississippi State)

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Rich Rodriguez

Former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez led the team onto the field in 2008

Okay, Rich Rodriguez never played football at Michigan.  But he was Michigan's coach, and he did a very nice thing for charity and the people around Ann Arbor.  Rodriguez donated over 400 items to the Salvation Army to be auctioned, and the proceeds total almost $13,000.  Kudos to Coach Rodriguez.  I was not a fan of his hiring and he frustrated me at times when he was in Ann Arbor, but he seems like a guy who got a raw deal in many ways.  I will be rooting for him to succeed wherever he ends up, whether it's this year or next.

Honorable mention: New York Jets inside linebacker David Harris had 12 tackles, 1 pass defensed, and 1 interception returned for 58 yards in a 28-21 victory over the New England Patriots.  The win advances the Jets to the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I hate the Jets and despise their coach, but Harris played a good game.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Tom Brady

New England Patriot Tom Brady completed 21 out of 27 passes for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 45-24 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

Honorable mention: Zoltan Mesko, the punter for the Patriots, averaged 51 yards on three punts in that same game.  Also, New York Jets inside linebacker David Harris had 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 quarterback hurry in a 26-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving.

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Jonathan Goodwin

"WTF are you lookin' at?"

For the first time this year, an offensive lineman gets the call. Goodwin played center for the New Orleans Saints as they advanced to the Super Bowl with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 31-28. He helped Drew Brees, who was only sacked once by Minnesota's all-star defensive line, to throw 3 touchdowns.

Honorable mention: Braylon Edwards of the New York Jets had 2 catches for 100 yards and 1 touchdown, including an 80-yarder. David Harris, also of the Jets, had 11 tackles and 2 sacks. But both of those players lost this weekend to the Colts, so they're runners-up this week.