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| Denard Robinson, Chad Henne, Jordan Kovacs |
Despite the football program’s recent and not-so-recent struggles, Michigan continues to be well-represented in the NFL. Here’s a list by position group:
Quarterback
Tom Brady recorded an 87.3 quarterback rating, his lowest since 2003. Still, 4,343 yards and 25 touchdowns isn’t too shabby.
Chad Henne continued to show that he can be a valuable and reliable backup in the NFL. The only problem is that Henne played a starting roll for the Jacksonville Jaguars, which resulted in a 4-13 record. After the season, the Jags still locked up him for another two years. Henne finished the season with a 76.5 quarterback rating, 3,241 yards passing, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Ryan Mallett didn’t see game action backing up Tom Brady.
Running Back
Denard Robinson carried the ball 20 times for a total of 66 yards. Although that only amounted to a 3.3 yard average, he did have an impressive 24-yard run against the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, Robinson
fumbled at the end of the play–one of his three fumbles on the season–and the ball was recovered by Buffalo in the endzone for a safety.
Michael Cox recorded 43 yards on 22 rushing attempts in his rookie year for the New York Giants. He also operated as an on-again, off-again kick returner, registering a 56-yard return against the Detroit Lions late in the season.
Wide Receiver
Jason Avant is a “wonderful catcher of balls . . . and such a good receiver for all the Eagles, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,” or so
the song goes. He finished the season with 38 receptions for 447 yards and two touchdowns. Avant signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers at year’s end.
Junior Hemingway played in every game, and totaled 13 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded eight tackles, presumably on special teams.
Mario Manningham played in six games but did not accrue any statistics during his injury-plagued season for San Francisco. He later signed a one-year deal with his former team, the New York Giants.
Offensive Line
Jonathan Goodwin graded out as the second best center in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, and played in all 16 games for the 49ers. Despite that, he has yet to be re-signed by his team and is currently a free agent.
Jake Long started and played in 15 games for his new team the St. Louis Rams. He spent the previous five seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
Steve Schilling played in seven games as a San Diego Charger before signing with the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.
David Baas played in three games for the New York Giants. He is now a free agent.
William Campbell suited up for the New York Jets but did not see game action.
Patrick Omameh did not see game action with his team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
David Molk was not in the league during the 2013 season after being cut by the Chargers; however, he recently signed with Chip Kelly and the Eagles and is listed on the team roster.
Hit the jump for the defensive players.
Defensive Line
Alan Branch recorded 39 combined tackles for the Buffalo Bills, who extended his contract by two years at the end of the season.
Mike Martin started one game for the Tennessee Titans and played in 13 total. He finished with 15 combined tackles and one sack
Tim Jamison played in five games and recorded one tackle for the Houston Texans.
Craig Roh did not log any statistics after being signed by the Carolina Panthers approximately one year ago.
Linebacker
David Harris tallied 124 combined tackles for the New York Jets, which was good for 17th best in the NFL. He added two sacks and
a forced fumble
.
Brandon Graham converted to outside linebacker in the Eagles’ new 3-4 defensive scheme, but he didn’t seem too pleased with his new role. Despite totaling a combined 19 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble, Graham says, “I’ll probably end up in a 4-3 my next go-around.”
LaMarr Woodley racked up 36 tackles and five sacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Larry Foote played in one game and recorded eight tackles; he was released by Pittsburgh after the season. Although Foote “has a couple offers,” he says
he refuses to play for the league minimum.
Jonas Mouton just cannot catch a break. He tore his ACL before the season started and has played in only three games for San Diego after being drafted in the second round of the 2011 Draft.
Kenny Demens may or may not still be on the practice squad for the Arizona Cardinals.
Defensive Back
Charles Woodson returned to the Oakland Raiders at the free safety position, resulting in 97 tackles, two sacks and an interception.
Ryan Mundy tallied 77 tackles, an interception, a sack, and a
recovered fumble in his one-year stint with the New York Giants. Mundy
recently signed a new contract with the Chicago Bears.
Leon Hall picked off a pass and recorded 20 combined tackles for Cincinnati.
Jordan Kovacs played in nine games and recorded a tackle for the Miami Dolphins.
Stevie Brown, after recording eight interceptions in 2012, was
sidelined last year with a torn ACL. The Giants locked him up for
next season anyway.
Kicker/Punter
Jay Feely plays for the Arizona Cardinals. He attempted 36 field goals last year and made 30 of them
Zoltan Mesko is no longer a New England Patriot. His 42.5 yard average and 36.7 net were both career worsts during his year as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Mesko is now a free agent.
