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| Jay Feely |
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.
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| Ryan Mundy |
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).
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| Larry Foote re-signed with the Steelers |
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.
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| 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:
Miscellaneous:
