Hoos In The NFL Week 3: Rodney McLeod Continues To Shine

Well that was quick. We’re already three weeks into the NFL season! Here’s a breakdown of how UVA’s football alumni fared last weekend.

The major contributors:

Branden Albert, Miami Dolphins – Albert is the starting LT for an offense that put up 30 points and over 400 yards in a Week 3 win against Cleveland. Ryan Tannehill was sacked just once, despite facing some decent pressure. The Phins didn’t run the ball all that well, but with Arian Foster out, the offense was focused on the pass. They did average 4.6 yards per carry.

Ahmad Brooks, San Francisco 49ers – For the 2^nd week in a row, San Francisco’s defense was unable to stop the opposing offense. The 49ers gave up 418 yards and 37 points in a loss to Seattle. Brooks had 3 tackles and a sack.

Eli Harold, San Francisco 49ers – Harold remains a starter at OLB, but once again had just a single tackle in the loss to the Seahawks. Lucky for him, San Fran’s roster is bare and there isn’t anyone pushing him for the starting gig. Harold’s young and talented, and the 49ers want him to develop.

Dontrelle Inman, San Diego Chargers – Inman started and had 3 catches for 32 yards in a loss to the Colts. Though he’s started all 3 games this year, Inman’s role hasn’t grown much in the absence of #1 WR Keenan Allen. Inman is a very good blocker, and a solid possession WR, but the Chargers may begin using the younger guys more and more as they develop.

Chris Long, New England Patriots – The Pats defense pitched a shutout in a Thursday night trouncing of the Texans. Long didn’t have a particularly noteworthy game. He had 2 assisted tackles, and knocked down a pass.

Rodney McLeod, Philadelphia Eagles – The revamped Eagles defense put on a clinic this week, completely shutting down the high-powered Steelers offense. Rodney was a big part of that, totaling 5 solo tackles, plus an INT and 2 passes defended. McLeod and his Eagles are flying high at 3-0.

Morgan Moses, Washington Redskins – Moses helped the Redskins amass over 400 yards in a win against the Giants. Though they weren’t overly successful running the ball, the OL largely kept Kirk Cousins upright, giving up just 2 sacks in nearly 40 dropbacks. Moses was flagged for a false start.

Austin Pasztor, Cleveland Browns – The Browns had a strong offensive showing for the 2^nd week in a row, and ran up 430 yards and 17 points in a loss to Miami. Starting at RT, Pasztor helped the team average 5.3 yards per carry and 5.8 yards per play, though they did give up 4 sacks. The Browns had 3 missed FGs, otherwise they may have come up with their first win of the season.

Versatile Contributors:

John Phillips, Denver Broncos – Starting at TE for the first time this year, Phillips had 2 catches and a touchdown in a win against the Bengals.

Brent Urban, Baltimore Ravens – Urban saw few snaps on defense but didn’t make the stat sheet in Baltimore’s win against Jacksonville. The Ravens defense was impressive throughout the game and helped push the team to a 3-0 record..

Special Teams Standouts:

Maurice Canady, Baltimore Ravens – Canady remains on all 4 return units and has performed well.

Anthony Harris, Minnesota Vikings – Harris continues to play well on the Vikings special teams units. He had 2 solo tackles this week in a win against the Panthers.

LaRoy Reynolds, Atlanta Falcons – Reynolds recovered a muffed punt early in the game, leading to the Falcons first TD of the game. With the win, the Falcons are 2-1 on the year.

Put Me In, Coach!:

Oday Aboushi, Houston Texans – Aboushi was inactive again for the Texans.

Luke Bowanko, Jacksonville Jaguars –Luke is on the PUP list after undergoing hip labrum surgery.

David Dean, Cincinnati Bengals – Dean remains on Cincinnati’s practice squad.

Matt Schaub, Atlanta Falcons – It doesn’t appear that Schaub saw any action against the Saints this weekend.

We’ll be following the progress of these former Hoos throughout the season. Stay tuned to Streaking The Lawn for a weekly rundown!