Across the Shield: Mike Vrabel Has Stones, Gareon Conley Takes One To the House, and Ezekiel Elliott Terrorizes the Lions

By David Wertheim on October 1, 2018 at 9:05 am
Mike Vrabel
Douglas DeFelice- USA TODAY Sports
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Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye. Across the Shield follows those who once wore Scarlet and Gray on their journeys through the NFL.

Ezekiel Elliott. Wow.

After an up-and-down performance last week which saw him fumble away the Cowboys' last chance for a comeback, Elliott dominated this game, terrorizing the Lions to the tune of 152 yards on 25 carries (6.1 avg), adding four catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, this impressive score which saw him weaving his way down the sidelines for 38 yards. 

Also, in a mini-milestone, Zeke became the 11th Cowboy in the history of the franchise to reach 3,000 yards. Only a quarter of the way into his third season, that's quite the feat.

THEEEE RAIIIIIDAAAAASSS

Sorry, Cleveland fans. I had to do it. The Oakland defense forced several turnovers, and former Buckeyes accounted for three of them.

First off, Johnathan Hankins was in the right place at the right time. A late signee by the Raiders, not being inked until September 13, Hankins recorded two fumble recoveries today that obviously were critical in a game that went to overtime. 

The play of the day, however, went to Gareon Conley. 

As you can see, Conley intercepted a pass tipped by Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway and took it to the house to give the Raiders an early lead.

Of course, Oakland would go on to win the game in overtime. The Browns dropped to 1-1-2, tied for last place, and looking up at the current first place Cincinnati Bengals, who are 3-1 after defeating the Atlanta Falcons behind the right arm of Andrew Gregory Dalton.

Mike Vrabel Has Stones

Wow. Incredibly, with the game on the line in overtime, Mike Vrabel says "screw the tie," and goes for it on a pivotal fourth down... and gets it. Why?

Vrabel's tenure as Titans head coach is off to a good start. The Titans are currently 3-1, and currently in first place in the AFC South with a 3-1 record after defeating the defending world champion Philadelphia Eagles yesterday.

Also from this game, Eagles punter Cameron Johnston had some kind words for former Buckeye assistant and now Titans assistant Kerry Coombs.

A Few Transactions

As we reported earlier in the week, former Buckeyes John Simon (New England Patriots) and Adolphus Washington (Cincinnati Bengals) were signed this week. 

Washington was inactive for the Bengals today, presumably as he continues to learn the playbook. Simon, on the other hand, was in there frequently for the Patriots, recording five tackles and a sack. 

Elsewhere, Mike Nugent was waived by the Raiders after a lackluster start to the season.

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