New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was 28/44 for 317 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 23-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Honorable mention: New York Jet David Harris had 9 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 30-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson had 10 carries for 30 yards before suffering a foot sprain that will cause him to miss the final three games of the season; the Jaguars lost to the Houston Texas, 27-13. Oakland Raider Charles Woodson made 8 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup in a 24-13 win over Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers.
Charles Woodson sacked Alex Smith on Sunday evening
Charles Woodson made 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry in the Oakland Raiders' 24-20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He also returned 1 punt for 5 yards.
Honorable mention: Tom Brady was 38/53 for 349 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in the New England Patriots' 34-9 win over the Detroit Lions. Chicago Bears safety Ryan Mundy made 8 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup in a 21-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett didn't have a good week, but I thought it would be worth mentioning that after going 21/45 for 189 yards and 1 pick in a 22-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns, he was diagnosed with a torn pec and will miss the rest of the season. That was his second career start after being acquired from the Patriots, an unfortunate turn of events for the former Wolverine (and Arkansas Razorback).
Denard Robinson had 15 carries for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 2 catches for 10 yards, in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 31-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Honorable mention: New York Giants running back Michael Cox tallied 4 carries for 33 yards, 2 catches for 9 yards, and 6 kickoff returns for 121 yards in their most recent losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks, but he broke his leg on Sunday and will miss the rest of the year. Arizona Cardinals linebacker Larry Foote made 7 tackles in a 31-14 win over the St. Louis Rams, which puts the Cardinals at 8-1 on the year. Chicago Bears safety Ryan Mundy made 11 tackles and 1 fumble recovery in a 55-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, in which Aaron Rodgers had 6 touchdown passes in the first half. Charles Woodson made 10 tackles, but the Oakland Raiders lost to the Denver Broncos by a score of 41-17.
Tom Brady was 33/53 against the Denver Broncos for 333 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 43-21 win. This season he is completing 64% of his passes for 22 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions.
Honorable mention: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson carried the ball 17 times for 94 yards and 1 touchdown, and added 2 catches for 10 yards in a 33-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Robinson has the second-most rushing yards in the NFL over the past three weeks, behind only Dallas's DeMarco Murray. Robinson is averaging 5.0 yards/carry on the year and has scored 2 touchdowns.
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.
Tom Brady had his best game of the year so far when he went 27/37 for 361 yards and 4 touchdowns in New England's 37-22 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Honorable mention: Carolina Panther Jason Avant caught 5 passes for 47 yards in a 37-37 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals. Michael Cox was called up from the practice squad to return 2 kicks for 53 yards in the New York Giants' 27-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles; on the other side, Brandon Graham made 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. Taylor Lewan made his first career start, which was at left tackle in the Tennessee Titans' 16-14 win over Jacksonville. In that same game, Denard Robinson had 5 carries for 22 yards and 3 catches for 14 yards on the losing side.
In his first year with the Chicago Bears, safety Ryan Mundy made 2 tackles against the New York Jets and then picked off a Geno Smith pass, which he returned for a 45-yard touchdown in Chicago's 27-19 victory.
Honorable mention: Tom Brady was 24/37 for 234 yards and 1 touchdown as the New England Patriots beat the Oakland Raiders. In that same game, Charles Woodson made 4 tackles and broke up 2 of Brady's passes for the Raiders. Tim Jamison made 5 tackles for the Houston Texans, but they lost to the New York Giants by a score of 30-17.
Larry Foote - who seemed on the verge of retirement - is now starting at inside linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals, and he's doing a pretty good job there. In their 25-14 win over the New York Giants, he had 8 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup. That's his second straight game with 8 tackles and a pass breakup, and he added the pick this week. That's a great start to the 2014 season. In that same game, teammate Kenny Demens made 2 tackles on special teams and forced a fumble.
Honorable mention: Carolina Panther wide receiver Jason Avant caught 5 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown in a 24-7 win over the Detroit Lions. Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall made 6 tackles, 1 interception, and 2 pass breakups in a 24-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Oakland Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson made 8 tackles, but they lost to the Houston Texans, 30-14.
Chad Henne started the season opener for the Jaguars over this year's first round pick, Blake Bortles. Henne went 24/43 for 266 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. The Jags jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but they gave up 34 unanswered points in a 34-17 loss. In that same game, Denard Robinson had 3 carries for 8 yards and 1 catch for 3 yards. On the other sideline, Brandon Graham had 4 tackles and 2 tackles for loss.
Honorable mention: Charles Woodson of the Oakland Raiders had 9 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup in a 19-14 loss to the New York Jets. Arizona Cardinal linebacker Larry Foote had 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 pass breakups in an 18-17 win over the San Diego Chargers on Monday night. New York Giants free safety Stevie Brown had 9 tackles in a 35-14 loss to the Detroit Lions. Tom Brady was 29/56 for 249 yards and 1 touchdown in a 33-20 Patriots loss to the Miami Dolphins.
In a 34-14 loss to the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raider Charles Woodson had 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry.
Honorable mention: The Jacksonville Jaguars' Chad Henne went 30/51 for 331 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in a 30-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The Philadelphia Eagles' Jason Avant caught 3 passes for 45 yards in a 24-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Kansas City Chief Junior Hemingway had 5 catches for 45 yards in a 27-24 loss to the San Diego Chargers. Tom Brady completed 14/24 passes for 122 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in a 34-20 Patriots win over the Buffalo Bills.
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.
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.
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.
Tom Brady had a 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, completing 20/31 passes for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns. His New England Patriots are 4-0.
Honorable mention: Jay Feely hit the game-winning field goal for the Arizona Cardinals in a 13-10 win. LaMarr Woodley had 3 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble but his Pittsburgh Steelers lost a 34-27 game to the Minnesota Vikings. Oakland Raider Charles Woodson had 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry in a 24-14 losing effort against the Washington Redskins.
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.
The pickings are pretty slim this week, but Jay Feely was 4/4 on field goals and 1/1 on extra points as the Arizona Cardinals beat the Detroit Lions by a score of 25-21.
Honorable mention: Ryan Mundy had 8 tackles and 1 fumble recovery, but his New York Giants lost to the Denver Broncos by a score of 41-23.
New York Giants free safety Ryan Mundy had 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 interception that he returned 91 yards for a near touchdown. Unfortunately, the Giants lost by a score of 36-31 to the Dallas Cowboys. Mundy had 86 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 interceptions, and 1 pass breakup at Michigan from from 2003-2006 before transferring to West Virginia for his senior year in 2007.
Honorable mention: Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley had 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry in a 16-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans; teammate Zoltan Mesko, previously released by the New England Patriots, averaged 44.1 yards on 7 punts in the loss. Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall had 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 pass breakups in a 24-21 loss to the Chicago Bears. And in case you were wondering, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson had 2 carries for 1 yard in a 28-2 loss to Kansas City (which featured Junior Hemingway on a 3-yard touchdown reception).
Jake Long visited St. Louis, took a physical, and entered into contract negations with the Rams, but he left without inking a deal. Long was reportedly asking for more than $10 million per year, which now appears unlikely to happen. The five year veteran and four time Pro Bowler is expected to either sign with the Rams or stay in Miami.
The New York Giants ponied up over $2 million to put restricted free agent Stevie Brown on a one year, second-round tender. That means that the Giants would receive the second-round draft pick from any team that outbids them for Brown's services. Still, the Giants continue looking for more help at safety and might even strike a deal with Ryan Mundy during his scheduled visit.
Larry Foote re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after flirting with the Arizona Cardinals. The three-year deal comes on the heels of a season that saw him rack up 113 tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles. Teammate LaMarr Woodley restructured his contract the same day to free up over $4 million in cap space.
49er safety free agent Dashon Goldson landed a big deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that left the door open for Charles Woodson. The '97 Heisman winner returned to the Bay Area--where he spent the first eight years of his career as an Oakland Raider--in order to meet with the 49ers. Woodson has expressed a strong desire to play for a Super Bowl contender during his 16th NFL season, and might be available at a discount to the right team.
Steve Breaston's sudden drop in production last year can probably be chalked up to knee inflammation and early arthritic symptoms. Breaston contemplated a knee procedure, but has decided to forgo the surgery as he tests his value on the free agent market. Breaston visited the Steelers and Browns this week, but walked away without signing a contract. While waiting for a new deal, Breaston is staying busy by passing out free iPads to kids at his former high school.
Jim Harbaugh played a long time ago, and I don't have any memories of his time at U of M. People tell me he was fairly good.
What I do remember are the disparaging remarks that he made about Michigan academics right around the time I began packing my bags for Ann Arbor. Those comments did not endear him to me.
But regardless of anyone's feelings toward Harbaugh, he is a second generation Michigan Man and a former three-year starting quarterback who had a "special relationship"* with Bo Schembechler. Harbaugh's Michigan roots run deep, and his experience as a Wolverine can arguably be called the single most important factor in his development as a coach. And everyone agrees that Harbaugh is a good coach.
After defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 27-24, in the NFC Championship Game, Harbaugh and his 49ers open as 4.5 point favorites against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.
I'll be rooting for him.
*Freep article
Honorable mention: Center Jonathan Goodwin anchored a 49er offensive line that paved the way for 149 rushing yards while giving up only one sack. Goodwin already has one Super Bowl ring as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Brady wearing an Ohio State jersey after losing a bet on The Game to teammate Mike Vrabel
A Michigan Man now holds the NFL record for most playoff wins by a starting quarterback. The 41-28 Brady-led victory over the Texans on Sunday earns him a 17th playoff victory and a #1 spot in the record books directly above Joe Montana. Brady's three touchdown, 344-yard performance also elevates him to third place for most touchdowns thrown in the playoffs and extends his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 48. Only Drew Brees has more (54). Brady's work is not yet finished this year, of course, as he and the Patriots are scheduled to take on the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game this weekend.
Honorable Mention:
Zoltan Mesko booted two 60-plus yard punts.
Jonathan Goodwin helped pave the way for 323 rushing yards and a 49er win, and in his second year in the league, Coach Jim Harbaugh leads his team to the Conference Championship Game.
Miscellaneous:
Charles Woodson and Alan Branch end their seasons as the Packers and Seahawks lose in the Divisional Round.
