Buckeye NFLer of the Week: 11
A little foreshadowing for the weekend? Antonio Pittman is finally getting his chance in the pros.For the first time in a few weeks, this was actually a tough decision, as a handful of Buckeyes had performances that would win the award in other weeks.
Perhaps they sensed it was Michigan week. I know I started to get pumped on Sunday morning knowing that school was coming down to Cbus and Ohio State had a chance to send them to a 3-9 season.
Keeping the party going in Carolina was Chris Gamble and Na’il Diggs, as the defense clamped down when they had to en route to a 31-22 win over hapless Detroit. Gamble has become a tackling machine, getting credit for 10 tackles, 9 of which were the solo variety, while Diggs was in on 5 tackles and got his first interception since 2003. Carolina is now 8-2, good for second in the NFC.
Not be outdone on the defensive side, Nate Clements had 6 tackles and a pick in San Fransico’s 35-16 victory over St. Louis. Wil Smith had 7 tackles and a sack in the Saints 30-20 win in Kansas City, while Jay Richardson’s two tackles and a sack for a safety couldn’t help the Raiders upset the Dolphins.
Antoine Winfield had 8 tackles in their 19-13 loss to Tampa Bay and A.J. Hawk teamed up with Ryan Pickett for 9 tackles in their 37-3 smackdown of the Bears. The win by Green Bay put them in a tie with the Bears and Vikings atop the NFC Norris.
The wide receivers were also feeling the extra juice from Michigan week, turning in perhaps their best collective effort all year. The least compelling performance was from Gonzo, who had only 2 catches for 35 yards in the Colts victory, but you can’t expect too much when Marvin and Reggie combine for 16 grabs.
Santonio Holmes snagged 5 catches for 63 yards on a snowy Heinz Field, including a 13 yarder to put Pittsburgh in field goal position late in the fourth, in their 11-10 win. Michael Jenkins continued his steady improvement, hauling in 5 for 55, his fifth straight game with at least 50 yards receiving, in Atlanta’s 24-20 loss to Denver. Jenkins is 83 yards away from his career high in yards, as he sits on 450 yards for the season.
I told you it was a tough task this week, as either one of the last two could have won it. Ted Ginn continued his strong play in Miami’s 17-15 win over Oakland, leading the Dolphins with 4 catches for 51 yards and adding a slick 40 yard touchdown run. Ginn has now scored in back to back weeks, after not crossing the goal line in his first 8 games.
But when the dust settled, I had to go against by normal winning parameters and give some love to one of my all-time favorite Buckeyes, Antonio Pittman. There is no written tie breaker rule here, so I guess my bias wins out. Pitt brought Ohio State’s rushing game back to life after the Maurice Clarett and Lydell Ross debacles, averaging 5.2 yards a carry in his Buckeye career and leaving school as the eighth leading rusher.
As mentioned, St. Louis went down to the 49ers and Pitt may not have reached the endzone, but he did turn in a career high 95 yards on 14 carries. There is no doubt the Rams need Stephen Jackson, losing the last four without him, but Antonio has stepped in and given two admirable games in that span and now has rushed for 224 yards on 57 carries. He has yet to sniff the end zone in his career, so winning this award should boost his confidence and carry him to a 500+ yard season.
Buckeyes, as a whole, had a pretty solid NFL week. They’ve picked up their games for Michigan week, apparently.
Rightfully so
Teddie was robbed!
I like the pittman pick, huzzah.
LOL @ Ginn Sr.
But Sir, you said that Ray “Ghost” Small was better than Teddie, and we all see how that worked out….you sir are…..dumb
For a cool $7500, you can have Ginn Sr. come speak at your function.
http://tedginnsr.com/speaking_fees.php?function=start&mo=11&day=18&year=2008
I wonder if anyone has actually signed up for that.
Anyway, word from TSUN is that McGuffie and others are transferring, with others possibly jumping ship too. I’m seriously wondering how much worse is it going to get before it gets better for them.
McGuff can’t hack it in the big 10, it’s hazardous to his health, he’s better off doing gymnastics and backflips in the big 12 or big east.
Everyone! Dont look now but another recruit has decommited……
I heard that the team is forfeiting Saturday just to save the trip LOL
Saw on ESPN that if Tennessee loses to either Vandy or Kentucky this weekend, Ohio State will be the only FBS team to have never lost 8 games in a season. Michigan also had never lost 8 games, but Northwestern (or Rich Rodriguez, depending on your perspective) took care of that.
Amen on the Pittman Love. Easily the most underated player on that team. Easy to be overshadowed by Troy, Teddie, and Gonzo, but AP came to play every down. He blocked well, and ran with a passion.
mark dantonio don’t give a shit
may the frowny one prosper forever
Mark Dantonio is rooting for the Bucks this weekend even though a loss would benefit the Spartans.
My take: He secretly wants back into the 614. COME BACK COACH!
please, God…be with Dantonio…help him bleed out that white out with a fair share of green and may he prosper in the defeat of the “Diaper” dandies up in Pennsylvania…Oh, and may i not die from being too drunk on saturday which i just happened to have off from work b/c it was written in the stars that saturday is going to be a good day. Amen
A little help here? I need a good photo of the Shoe from the ground, not the air. In the interest of transparency, it’s for some photshop Snark, and I figured you guys would be the experts.
McGuffie isn’t playing in The Game.
I was writing something to the extent that his absence, death in the family or not, says enough about his status with Michigan.
Poe: He’s transferring. Per multiple sources.
Ninja, I wouldnt give you water if you were dying of dehydration
And I wouldnt piss on you if you were on fire!
i would shit in your pillow case if i knew where you lived..then coat your first born child in unwashable scarlet and silver paint and tattoo it’s ass with a buckeye
Ah, you guys are so easy to play.
Guys, I just wanted to apologize for my earlier attempts to play you. It was way out of line, I’m just a little upset about the season Michigan has put together. I know, I know, it’s a rebuilding year, but it’s difficult nonetheless. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about hanging up the Maize and Blue for a while and just getting away from Michigan football. But it hasn’t come to that yet. Good luck on Saturday; I know I give Ohio State a lot of crap, but I really do respect your program, Jim Tressel, and the alumni base. Go Blue!
^^^ It’s a trap.
yeh ninja go fuck yehself we don’t need your respect for our program, we already know its the balls
PS: It’s been 4 years, 11 months, 28 days since Michigan last beat Ohio State in college football. PWNDDDDDD !!!111!!1!!! !1!1!!!1 OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG okay i’m done.