Hoos in the NFL Week 3: The Return of John Phillips

John Phillips (TE, San Diego Chargers), Season Stats: 4 Receptions, 35 Yards
Phillips made his debut for the Chargers in Week 3 as Antonio Gates remains suspended and Lardarius Green was injured. Phillips impressed in his inaugural appearance hauling in four passes for 35 yards and serving as one of the lone bright spots for a Chargers offense that struggled throughout the 34-14 loss to the Vikings. Phillips' had more receiving yards in this game than in his last two seasons combined and it was great to see him capitalize on his breakout opportunity. Perhaps most impressively, Phillips continued the recent trend of Virginia receivers making acrobatic one-handed catches with this grab over Minnesota linebacker Eric Kendricks:

Oday Aboushi (OG, Houston Texans)
Aboushi made a fast impression in his first week with the Texans, earning the start at left guard against the Buccaneers. Aboushi was a bright spot for a Houston offense that has been anemic throughout the season, helping clear the way for a rushing attack that gained 186 yards, despite having to go up against one of the league's best defensive tackles, Gerald McCoy. If he can continue to perform at this level, Aboushi could turn his one week start at guard into a permanent assignment.

Heath Miller (TE, Pittsburgh Steelers), Season Stats: 12 Receptions, 116 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Offense was hard to come by in the Steelers 12-6 victory over the Rams and Miller was no exception, grabbing just two catches for 17 yards on three targets. Miller, however, still ranks second on the team in receptions through the season's first three weeks. Steeler's QB Ben Roethlisberger sprained his MCL in the contest so Miller will be stuck catching passes from Michael Vick (boo) for the next six weeks. While this will almost certainly lead to a decrease in Pittsburgh's offensive output, Miller should have the opportunity to serve as a reliable safety valve for Vick during this transition.

Rodney McLeod (FS, St. Louis Rams), Season Stats: 19 Tackles, 2 Tackles for Loss
McLeod was active in the Rams slugfest loss to Pittsburgh, totaling seven tackles and one tackle for loss. McLeod has proven himself to be a sure tackler, especially in run support, though he still crashes down too hard on occasion which allows the running back to find openings to the outside. On the season McLeod ranks fourth on the team in tackles and third in tackles for loss, which is especially impressive given the quality of St. Louis' defensive line.

Morgan Moses (RT, Washington Redskins)
Thursday's 32-21 loss to the Giants was a bit of a mixed bag for Moses and the rest of the Redskins offensive line. On the bright side, they allowed only one sack and created running lanes that allowed Washington's stable of backs to rush for 4.4 yards per carry. Conversely, the line was ravaged by injuries in the game and Moses was no exception, suffering a hyperextended elbow and sprained MCL. He was able to play through the pain without missing a snap but was held out of the team's practice Monday.

Ahmad Brooks (LB, San Francisco 49ers), Season Stats: 7 Tackles
Brooks had only three tackles in San Francisco's loss at Arizona, though in his defense everyone on the Niners not named NaVorro Bowman appeared to forget that tackling was required. San Francisco was blown out 47-7, their second massive loss in a row, and they appear to be a team on the brink of disarray. Brooks is still searching for his first sack on the season.

LaRoy Reynolds (LB, Free Agent)
As you may have noticed from his title, Reynolds was released by the Jaguars the day before the team's loss to New England to clear room for a fifth wide receiver. Reynolds had served as a backup linebacker and special teams contributor for Jacksonville and hopefully he'll be able to catch on with another team shortly.

The following UVa players are on an NFL roster (or Injured Reserve) but either did not play or appeared only in limited action in Week 3: Branden Albert (LT, Miami Dolphins), Luke Bowanko (C, Jacksonville Jaguars), Chris Canty (DE, Baltimore Ravens) Eli Harold (LB, San Francisco 49ers), Dontrelle Inman (WR, San Diego Chargers) Chris Long DE, (St. Louis Rams), Eugene Monroe (OT, Baltimore Ravens), Austin Pasztor (OT, Cleveland Browns), Cedric Peerman (RB, Cincinnati Bengals), Matt Schaub (QB, Baltimore Ravens), Brent Urban (DE, Baltimore Ravens).