FSUPros Week 17 NFL Recap: Mike Harris Finishes Rookie Season Strong For The Jaguars

AP Photo/Joe Howell

Yesterday was the finish of the regular season in the NFL and there were many former Seminoles that made their mark.  There is no better way to end the season than going out and playing your best football to set the tone for next season.  Both Lawrence Timmons of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Nigel Bradham of the Buffalo Bills had big weekend but none more than Mike Harris of the Jacksonville Jaguars.  He put a stamp on his rookie season as we will feature in our recap.

Mike Harris - Jacksonville Jaguars

His big moment came in the fourth quarter as the Titans were lining up to punt when he squeezed through the left side and blocked the punt, then picked it up and returned it for a touchdown the first of his career.  Harris started a corner for the fifth consecutive game and his sixth of the season.  He made four solo tackles and one assisted tackle.  During his rookie season he recorded 55 total tackles, one sack, six pass deflections and one interception in 15 games.

Q & A With Broncos CB Tony Carter

AP Photo/The Denver Post, John Leyba

  During his four years at Florida State, Tony Carter was a force on the defense.  He was a four year starter that always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.  His career numbers went as followed: 138 total tackles with 9 interceptions, 3 of which were returned for touchdowns.  Carter also had 31 career pass deflections during his 49 games at Florida State.

  Due to some injuries for the Broncos, Tony is finally getting a chance to prove his worth for the team.  He is being primarily used as their nickle corner.  Through week 15 he has played in all 14 games and recorded 27 tackles with 2 picks, 1 returned for a touchdown and 11 pass deflections.

  We recently caught up with Tony before his game with the Baltimore Ravens this past weekend and asked him some questions about his season with the Broncos.

FSUPros Week 15 NFL Recap: Sebastian Janikowski Kicks The Raiders To Victory

Jason O. Watson, Getty Images / SF

Each week former Florida State Seminoles make an impact for their team, and this week was no different.  There were many great performances but none more than Sebastian Janikowski as we will tell you in our recap below.

***

Sebastian Janikowski - Oakland Raiders

On a day when the offense could move the ball but not punch it into the endzone, Janikowski was there to help his team hitting 5/6 field goals scoring the only points.  The Raiders beat the Chiefs 15-0.  He was able to connect from 20, 50, 57, 41 and 30 yards.  His 57 yard field goal was his longest of the season.  The kick he missed was from 51 yards out and went wide left.

FSUPros Week 14 Recap: Lawrence Timmons Leads The Pittsburgh Steelers In Tackles

Source: Joe Sargent/Getty Images North America

Week 14 of the NFL had a lot of great performances by former Florida State Seminoles, with team highs in tackles and passing career milestones.  Lawrence Timmons was the standout Seminole among others that we will recap below.

Tony Carter - Denver Broncos

This week Tony played on Thursday against the Oakland Raiders and had six total tackles, four solo and two assisted.  He was also able to deflect one pass and recover a fumble.  The fumble recovery came during a punt when a Broncos player muffed the kick and Tony was there to pick it up.  His actions helped to not turn the ball over deep in their own territory and it led to a field goal.

Toney Douglas Leads Rockets Comeback Over Lakers

Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images

Toney Douglas has been struggling to find his shot with the Rockets.  He has come off the bench in every game and last night was no different.  He got his first minutes with five to play in the first quarter hitting a three pointer for his first shot.  When Toney can get in a rhythm he is a deadly shooter and tonight was his chance to prove it.  During the first quarter, he was 2/3 shooting with seven points.

FSUPros NFL Week 13 Recap: Anquan Boldin Plays Big For Baltimore

Source: Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America

  There were many standout performances by former Florida State Seminoles playing in the NFL this past weekend. No one played better than Anquan Boldin as we tell you in our recap below.

***

Patrick Robinson of the New Orleans Saints had two solo tackles and one assisted tackle in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons last Thursday night.  He also fair caught a punt during the game.

Brodrick Bunkley of the New Orleans Saints made one solo tackle and had one pass deflection during their loss.

Noles' In The NBA

MARK J. TERRILL, AP

Since our last update Bernard James has played in six out of the eight games for the Dallas Mavericks, who have won three and lost five.  During those games he has averaged 14.8 minutes of playing time.  James is averaging 4.8 points per game with 4.5 rebounds.

How The Seminoles Fared: Week 12 Of NFL

Ernie Sims of the Dallas Cowboys accounted for three solo tackles and one assisted tackle during their loss to the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving Day. Sims should receive the start next with an increased roll as the Cowboys lost another lineback to a season ending injury.

Antonio Cromartie of the New York Jets was unable to make a tackle against the New England Patriots.  This was the first time all season he was held without a tackle.

Letroy Guion of the Minnesota Vikings made one solo tackle and one assisted tackle in a loss to the Chicago Bears.

How The Seminoles Fared: Week 11 NFL

Nigel Bradham of the Buffalo Bills made his 5th consecutive start on Thursday against division rivals the Miami Dolphins. During the game he collected two solo tackles and one assisted tackle.

Garrison Sanborn of the Buffalo Bills was perfect on all of his snap attempts.

Shawn Powell of the Buffalo Bills made a major impact on special teams.  He had five punts land inside of the 20 yard line giving the Dolphins awful field position.  Powell averaged 45.3 yards for his seven punts.

Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals did all he could to try and knock off the Atlanta Falcons.  He finished with three solo tackles and had one pass deflection.

Recap Of Seminoles in the NBA

Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

With the second week of the NBA about to start, here is a recap of how the Seminoles have fared.

Chris Singleton of the Washington Wizards:  Chris has played in all five game this year for the Wizards and is averaging 13 minutes a game coming off the bench.  During that time, he is shooting 52.2% from the field and scoring 5.6 points per game.  Singleton is getting 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assist and 1 steal per game.  His numbers are a little skewed because in one game he played less than a minute.

How The Seminoles Fared Week 10 Of The NFL

Mike Harris of the Jacksonville Jaguars received playing time again this week as the nickle corner.  He recorded three solo tackles filling in for the injured Rashean Mathis.

Anquan Boldin of the Baltimore Ravens had a very quite afternoon during their blowout win over the Oakland Raiders.  He caught four passes for a total of 38 yards.  Joe Flacco hit eight different wide receivers during the game.  Boldin has not caught a touchdown pass since week 1 and has only gone over 100 yards once this year and that was week 4.

Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders was a perfect 2/2 on field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards.  He was also 2/2 on extra point attempts.

How The Seminoles Fared: Week 9 Of NFL

Tony Carter of the Denver Broncos had another good day on the field with two tackles and two pass break-ups.  He had one tackle in pass coverage and the other on special teams.  This makes his third game in a row with at least 2 pass break-ups.

Anquan Boldin of the Baltimore Raven had five catches for 57 yards.  Three of his catches came on the first drive of the game which led to a touchdown.  The rest of the game Boldin was only targeted three times, two catches for 27 yards and a two point conversion.  Joe Flacco and the offense sputtered much of the game as he tried and tried to hit Torrey Smith deep down the field.  Each possession Boldin caught a reception, the Ravens ended up scoring.

Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals looked like he finally put his early season injury behind him. Against the Packers, Dockett had two solo tackles and four assisted tackles including half of a sack.  His assisted sack came on the first play for the Packers for a loss of ten yards.

How The Seminoles Fared In Week 8 Of The NFL

Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings was 19/35 for 251 yards with one touchdown and one interception during their loss on Thursday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  His one touchdown pass was to Percy Harvin for 18 yards down the right sideline.  Also he was able to recover a fumble.  Ponder has been off of his game the past couple of weeks.  During the first four weeks of the season he did not throw an interception; in the past four games he has thrown seven.  He has been under a lot more pressure during this rough stretch, being sacked 11 times in these four games.  If his offensive line could get some better blocks on pass plays, Ponder could make better throws.

Letroy Guion of the Minnesota Vikings had one solo tackle.  His tackle was made on LeGarrette Blount as he tried to run behind the right guard for no gain.

Dekoda Watson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was out on special teams but did not record a tackle during their win against the Vikings.

Seminoles On The Pro Bowl Ballot

On Tuesday was the release of the Pro Bowl Ballot, and the Seminoles were well represented in the form of 16 players.  Here is the full list along with their season stats to go with it.  Go to NFL.com and vote for the Seminoles.

I have just updated the stats to the Seminoles on the Pro Bowl Ballot.  The voting will end Monday December 17.  So there is still time to help the Seminoles be well represented.

Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings -   251/401  2,396 yards   14 TDs   12 INTs  

Q & A With Xavier Lee

Over the past couple of years Xavier Lee has jumped from league to league and team to team.  We caught up with him in Las Vegas where he is a part of the Locomotives in the United Football League.
Lee was a star high school football player in the state of Florida.  He spent three years at FSU before deciding to forgo his senior year and become pro.
We talked to him about his struggles of trying to move from a quarterback to a tightend and how he can one day make it back into the NFL.

FSUPros - Why do you think every team that you play for wants to use you as a tightend/wide receiver other than quarterback?  Florida State, Baltimore and the UFL all want you to switch.

Xavier Lee - Its been a tough pill to swallow. I believe that most coaches see a lot of athletic ability in a position where there isn't much. It puts a defense in a bind to protect the pass threat

FSUPros - Are you more comfortable playing that position rather than quarterback?

Xavier Lee - I'm more comfortable playing quarterback. That's a position I've studied and loved since I was 7 years of age. Playing tight end has its upside as well. It's always good to learn something new to be a serious threat. Who knows. Maybe a tight end pass one of these days

FSUPros - With such a short stint in the NFL is there anything you can take from that experience?

Xavier Lee - I learned that the NFL stands for Not For Long. I also learned that the NFL isn't just a game anymore. It's a business and you have to take time to perfect your business which is yourself.

FSUPros - What aspects of your game do you feel you need to work on to get you back into the NFL?

Xavier Lee - I believe If I can work on my blocking ability on an every down basis it will heighten my chances of me making it back to the NFL. From what my coaches have told me I'm on the right path to doing so.

FSUPros - Along your stops from college to pros who do you feel has had the most impact on your game?

Xavier Lee - I have been my own Achilles heel. At times I've fallen out of love for the game. And at times I've loved it so much. It's has been an up and down venture but everything happens for a reason.

FSUPros - Greatest memory from your time at Florida State?

Xavier Lee - My greatest moment of being a Seminole would have to be me coming in late in the 2nd quarter to lead FSU to a victory over Alabama. That's a memory I will never forget. I remember coach Bobby Bowden telling me what a player I was after that game. With out a doubt a great memory.

How The Seminoles Fared In Week 7 Of The NFL

Leon Washington of the Seattle Seahawks only had two punt returns for an average of 2 yards with a long of 5 yards in their loss to the 49ers.  He also rushed twice for 4 yards.  One of his runs was up the middle for 2 yards and the other was around the left end for 2 yards. 

Kamerion Wimbley of the Tennessee Titans made four solo tackles and two assisted tackles including one sack.  During his sack on Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Wimbley was able to force a fumble that was recovered by the Titans.  The fumble set up a touchdown to give the Titans a 28-20 lead midway through the 3rd quarter.

Nigel Bradham of the Buffalo Bills made his second career start on Sunday.  During the game,  he had three solo tackles and one assist playing defense.  While playing special teams he also had a solo tackle.  Bradham's tackles on defense were made against Chris Johnson and one on Nate Washington. 

Garrison Sanborn of the Buffalo Bills was perfect on all of his snaps in the kicking game.

Shawn Powell of the Buffalo Bills had a quiet day punting as he only made one punt for 22 yards as it sailed out of bounds.  He was perfect on all of his holds on field goal and extra point attempts.

Anquan Boldin of the Baltimore Ravens only had 3 catches for 24 yards in their loss to the Houton Texans.  Boldin and quaterback Joe Flacco could not seem to get anything going against the Texans defense.  Flacco seemed to have his eyes on Torrey Smith who was targeted 13 times and only made 4 catches.  Flacco was also picked off twice going for Smith.  Boldin saw 8 passes thrown his way.

Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals made one tackle in their loss to the Minnesota Vikings.  His tackle was made as Christian Ponder tried to scramble up the middle only making a gain of 2 yards. 

Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings did not have his best day at quarterback but was able to lead his team to a win against the Cardinals.  He was 8/17 for 58 yards with one TD and 2 INTs.  Ponder did not have to do much as Adrian Peterson had a big day and the defense stepped up.  His touchdown pass was made to Percey Harvin out to the right side for 3 yards.

Letroy Guion of the Minnesota Vikings made 2 tackles and 2 assist.  Two of his tackles were made stopping the run and the other two were made stopping the pass.

Patrick Robinson of the New Orleans Saints made 7 total tackles and deflected one pass in their win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Most of the day he spend covering Mike Williams but he did make a couple of tackles in the run game. 

Antonio Cromartie of the New York Jets had one tackle and one pass deflection in the loss to the New England Patriots in overtime.  He had the duty of covering Brandon Llyod for much of the day who was held in check only grabbing one catch for 6 yards.  Cromartie did force a fumble that was overturned due to the runner being down by contact.  His tackle and pass defection were both made on the Patriots tightends.

Mike Harris of the Jacksonville Jaguars made one tackle and had 2 pass deflections against the Raiders.  His tackle was made on Marcel Reece and so were his two pass deflections. 

Sebastion Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders 4/5 on field goal attempts including the game winning 40 yard field goal.  He was also 2/2 on extra points.

Lawrence Timmons of the Pittsburgh Steelers led the team in tackles with 11 total; four were solo and seven were assisted.  He was all over the field during the first drive for the Bengals,  collecting six tackles.  Timmons was making tackles in the run and pass game it did not matter.

Geno Hayes of the Chicago Bear did not record a tackle in their win Monday night against the Detroit Lions.  Hayes was out on special teams and did see a little time as a linebacker.

Mister Alexander of the Houston Texans was out on the field for special teams but did not record a tackle in their blowout win over the Ravens.

How The Seminoles Fared: Week 6 NFL

Lawrence Timmons of the Pittsburgh Steelers had another productive week, with 2 solo tackles, 4 assisted, one pass deflection and an interception.  His pick came as the Titans crossed over midfield.  Matt Hasselbeck threw a pass over the middle and Timmons was there to catch it.  He returned it four yards before being tackled.

Kamerion Wimbley of the Tennessee Titans had one assisted tackle in the win against the Steelers.  His tackle was made on the goal line at the one yard line.  The Steelers tried to run up the middle, but Wimbley was there with his teammate to make the stop.  The Steelers did score two plays later.

Chris Hope of the Atlanta Falcons made one tackle coming on special teams.  His tackle was made as the Raiders tried to return to the kickoff and Hope was there to meet them at the 20 yard line.

Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders was 2/2 on field goal attempts with a long of 52 yards and he was 2/2 on extra points.  His field goal of 52 yards marked his 38 career field goal of 50 plus yards.  For the season, Janikowski is perfect on all attempts.

Anquan Boldin of the Balitmore Ravens had 5 catches for 98 yards and a long of 31.  He did not make his first catch until the game was inside of two minutes in the first half.  During that drive he caught 3 passes for 54 yards helping lead to a touchdown for the Ravens at the half.  Boldin caught two passes in the second half on the same drive.  One was for 13 yards and then on the next play he caught a 31 yard pass down to the Dallas 4 yard line setting up a touchdown again for the Ravens.

Antonio Cromartie of the New York Jets had 3 solo tackles, one assisted tackle, 2 pass deflections and one interception against the Indianapolis Colts.  He also had one kickoff return for 20 yards.  Cromartie had the job of covering Reggie Wayne this week and did a great job of containing him.  Wayne only had 3 catches for 32 yards with Cromartie.  The Jets new number one corner should have had two picks for touchdowns but one was called back on a personal foul, so the interception counted and the other was called back on pass interference, so the interception did not count.

Markus White of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was added to the game day roster on Saturday but was inactive for the game on Sunday.

Dekoda Watson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did get some playing time this Sunday but did not record a tackle.

Nigel Bradham of the Buffalo Bills got his first start of his short career this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.  He had 2 solo tackles and one assisted tackle.  On the first defensive possession for the Bills, Bradham was there to help make the tackle on the first play.  All of his tackles were made stopping the run.

Garrison Sanborn of the Buffalo Bills was perfect on all of his snaps including the game winning field goal.

Shawn Powell of the Buffalo Bills was extremely busy this Sunday having to punt 8 times.  His long was 62 yards and had two land inside the 20 yard line.  Powell had an average of 44 yards per punt and only two were returned for 20 yards and 25 yards.

Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals made one tackle and also deflected a pass in the loss Sunday to the Buffalo Bills.  His pass defection came at a critical moment in the game when the Bills had the ball on the Cardinals 35 on 3rd and 10 in overtime.  Ryan Fitzpatrick tried to throw out to the right flat but Dockett got his hand up to bat it down and force a punt.

Leon Washington of the Seattle Seahawks had one catch for 9 yards.  He also had the duties in the return game, two kickoff returns for an average of 20 yards with a long of 23 and two punt returns for an average of 14 yards with a long of 25.  His one catch was on a short pass to the right flat.

Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings had his highest output of the season.  He was 35/52 for 352 yards with two TDs, two Ints, and one fumble lost.  Ponder was also sacked four times during the game.  He hit Michael Jenkins and Kyle Rudolph for his two touchdown and then hit Rudolph for a 2 point conversion.  All of Ponders turnover were costly to the team.  He was sacked at his own 8 yard line and fumbled and the Redskins scored on the next play.  He had an interception returned for a touchdown. The last interception was made on the Redskins 3.  Although the score would not have mattered as the Vikings were down by 12 with 22 seconds left.

Letroy Guion of the Minnesota Vikings had five total tackles with three being solo and two assisted in the loss to the Redskins.

Mister Alexander of the Houston Texans had two solo tackles all coming on special teams in the loss to the Packers.

Richard Goodman of the San Diego Chargers had four kickoff returns for an average of 28 yards and a long 39 yards.  He ran the opening kickoff 39 yards until he was pushed out of bounds by fellow Seminole Tony Carter.  Goodman also got some snaps at wide receiver where he was targeted twice with one being over thrown and the other was deflected away.

Tony Carter of the Denver Broncos may not have got the start in the absence of Tracy Porter but he did show that he can make plays.  He had four solo tackles along with two pass deflections, one interception and one fumble recovery for a TD.  His interception was a perfect read, he knew he had help over the top so he cut underneath the receiver and grabbed the ball to return it 15 yards.  Carter scored his first career TD on his fumble recovery. It looked like a Bronco defensive lineman saw Carter running towards the fumble and batted it to him.  Carter held the ball out in front of him as he ran into the end zone.

Toney Douglas Ups Jermey Lin

At the beginning of last season, Toney Douglas was the starting point guard for the Knicks but ended up losing that job due to his poor shooting performance.  This past summer, Toney and Jeremy Lin were traded from the New York Knicks to the Houston Rockets.  With all the hype being behind Jeremy Lin, Toney was put on the back burner.

Yesterday was the start of preseason for the Houston Rockets, who had a bunch of new faces and a couple of rookies ready to contribute.  Jeremy Lin would get the start over Toney Douglas at point guard but in the end Toney would have the better game.  He ended his night leading the Rockets in assist with 7, grabbed 5 rebounds and only committed 2 turnovers.  Although he was held without a basket, he did get to the free throw line twice making all four attempts.

How The Seminoles Fared In Week 5 NFL

Anquan Boldin of the Baltimore Ravens made four catches for 82 yards in their win over the Kansas City Chiefs.  He was targeted ten times by Joe Flacco, two were deflected away and one was intercepted, which Boldin was there to make a tackle.  His first catch was over the middle for 16 yards, then two other catches were on slants to the left side for 14 and 9 yards.  The big play was a deep 43 yard pass in-between the seams to set up a field goal.

Lawrence Timmons of the Pittsburgh Steelers was all over the field in their victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.  He had a team high nine tackles with one being an assist and a forced fumble which they recovered. The forced fumbled happened as Vick tried to run up the middle as the pocket collapsed and Timmons chased him down from behind and stripped the ball away.  He also applied pressure on the quarterback four different times.

Chris Hope of the Atlanta Falcons had two tackles and one assist in their win over the Washington Redskins.  All of his tackles were on special teams.

Markus White of the Washington Redskins was inactive for their game.

Leon Washington of the Seattle Seahawks had two kickoff returns for an average of 22 yards with a long of 45 yards.  During his 45 yard return he did fumble the ball and the Panthers recovered it.  Washington also returned 5 punts for an average of 7 yards with a long of 17 yards.

Geno Hayes of the Chicago Bears had two tackles and one pass deflection in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The game was a blowout and Geno got a lot of playing time in the fourth quarter.  Both of his tackles were made on tight end Mercedes Lewis for a total of 6 yards.  His pass deflection came against Justin Blackmon as they tried to throw to the right side of the field.

Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings got another win for his team, as they beat the Tennessee Titans 30-7.  Ponder was 25/35 for 258 yards with 2 Tds and 2 Ints.  His 2 interceptions were his first of the year. During the game he hit eight different receivers.  Ponder also rushed 3 times for 31 yards.  His first interception was tipped multiple times before a Titans defender came up with it.  The second one was thrown into triple coverage as the linebacker read his eyes and dropped back into coverage.

Letroy Guion of the Minnesota Vikings had one tackle and one assist Sunday.  His one tackle was made against Chris Johnson as he stuffed him up the middle for no gain.  The assist was helping teammate Chad Greenway drag down a receiver after he made a gain of 15 yards.

Kamerion Wimbley of the Tennessee Titans made one assisted tackle in their loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He helped make a tackle on Adrian Peterson for a loss of one yard.

Shawn Powell of the Buffalo Bills was punting a lot against the San Francisco 49ers.  He had 6 punts for an average of 41.2 yards with a long of 59 yards.  Two of his six landed inside the 20 yard line.  Only two of his punts were returned for a total of 19 yards.  Powell was also the holder on the only points of the day for the Bills which was a field goal.

Garrison Sanborn of the Buffalo Bills was perfect on all of his snaps Sunday.

Nigel Bradham of the Buffalo Bills led the team in tackles with a career high six tackles.  The rookie linebacker was used mostly to stop the run as he had four tackles showing he could stuff the hole.  His two other tackles came in pass coverage as he dropped back to cover the tight ends.

Richard Goodman of the San Diego Chargers got a lot of work on kickoffs as this game was a high scoring affair.  He returned 5 punts for an average of 25 yards with a long of 38 yards.

Patrick Robinson of the New Orleans Saints was second in total tackles for the team during their win against the Chargers.  He made 7 total tackles with 6 being solo and one assisted.  The Chargers tried to pick on him throwing underneath routes which Robinson covered well not letting a Charger receiver gain yards after the catch.

Brodrick Bunkley of the New Orleans Saints made one tackle and one assisted tackle Sunday.  Both of his tackles were made on Chargers running back Ryan Matthews.  His solo tackle was on a run to the left side for only a gain of 2 yards.  The assisted tackle came on a pass to the left side as Bunkley helped push Matthews out of bounds.

Catching Up With Luke Loucks

Before the NBA draft this past June, Luke Loucks hoped his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA would be fulfilled.  Many draft experts did not project him going in the two rounds. 

Luke had to turn to plan B which was playing overseas in hopes that his ability will show and it will lead him into the NBA.

We recently caught up with Luke in Latvia where he is currently a part of VEF Riga and asked him about his FSU days, playing in Europe, and what former teammate has given him advice.

FSUPros -  How did it feel to get signed by the defending champions of the Latvian League, VEF Riga?

Loucks -  It is a dream come true to be able to continue my basketball career and be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play basketball professionally. VEF Riga has been very successful in the Latvian league, and they also play in two of the most competitive leagues in all of Europe: the Eurocup and the VTB league. My agent, my family and I felt that this was an excellent place to start my basketball career on the professional level. I am excited to learn and play along some great players that have much more experience than I do and have worked there way up to some of the top leagues in Europe.

FSUPros -  How do you think your game will translate to the European game?

Loucks -  I feel that my game will eventually translate well into the European game, but I am not naive and understand that the transition won't be easy. I have an opportunity to learn from many talented players on VEF Riga. I think that after hard work and learning the system that our coach has put in place, my skill set will be an asset to our team and help our team win games.

FSUPros -  What advice has former teammate Deividas Dulkys given you about the European game?

Loucks -  Deividas and I still talk frequently, and he has given me some great tips on the European style of play. The rules are different, the way they play defense is different, and everyones skill set is different so it  has been very helpful to pick Deividas' mind as he has had much more experience in Europe than I have. He can't give me too many tips though, since we are technically now opponents!

FSUPros -  What part of your game do you feel you need to work on to become a better player?

Loucks -  I feel that I need to improve my defense, cut down on my turnovers, and improve my constancy as a shooter to become an efficient professional player. I will have to guard many point guards over here that are much quicker and more athletic than I am so I have to be a smart defender and use my intelligence to my advantage so that I won't get in foul trouble or give the other team easy points. Our coach for VEF, much like Coach Hamilton, is very big on defensive pressure and intensity, so I really need to continue to improve this portion of my game in order to receive playing time and my teammates trust.

FSUPros -  While at Florida State, what was your greatest memory other than the ACC Championship win?

Loucks -  The ACC championship is definitely my greatest memory...but with that out of the equation I'd have to say my favorite memory was a tie between the game at Duke when we broke there home court win-streak with Snaer's shot at the buzzer and the UNC game at home when we won by 33. Both of those games stick out in my mind because they were against two of our toughest opponents and both of those games I feel that we exceeded expectations. I don't think anyone, even some of our own fans, expected us to beat Duke at Duke or blow out UNC at home.

FSUPros -  How much did coach Hamilton help you develop as a player?

Loucks -  Coach Hamilton did a great job helping me become the player I am. He has a great staff with Coach Jones, Coach Williams, Coach Gates, and Coach Enfield (now at FGCU) who are all excellent at skill development and Coach Hamilton is a master at developing players and molding them to fit into his system and contribute to the team in multiple ways. He had great patience with me while I fought through offseason injuries, inconsistency, and an up-and-down career but in the end it paid off as we were able to win a championship and accomplish many goals. I am only playing professionally now because Coach developed me and trusted me in pressure situations when the game was on the line.

FSUPros -  What are your thoughts on this season's Florida State basketball team?

   

Loucks -  I can't wait to see the team this year! It will be great to see Mike, Okaro, Ian, Terrance and the other upperclassmen lead the talented newcomers and all mesh together. I know all of us who are playing professionally, overseas and in the NBA, are all cheering them on and hope they can add a few more championship banners to the rafters!!!

How The Seminoles Fared In Week 4 Of The NFL

Anquan Boldin, wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, led the team in receptions and yards although he did not score.  Boldin was not targeted until the Raven second possession and when he was, it was intercepted in the endzone.  His first catch was on a pass short left and he gained six yards which came right before the two minute warning.  All of his work came in the second half when the Browns were unable to stop him.  On the first possession of the third quarter, Boldin had 3 catches for 60 yards.  Their next possession was the same, 3 catches for 24 yards.  He ended the game with 9 catches for 131 yards.

Antone Smith, running back for the Atlanta Falcons, was inactive for the game against the Panthers.

Chris Hope, defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons, helped with a tackle on special teams.  The Falcons kicked off and the Panthers caught the ball 4 yards deep in the end zone and returned it to the 23 yard line where they were met by Hope and R. James.

Shawn Powell, punter for the Buffalo Bills, had a great first start against the Patriots.  Powell was very active in the kicking game, having to punt on 5 different occasions.  He averaged 39 yards a punt with a long of 54 and 2 were placed inside the 20.  Only one punt was returned which went for 14 yards.

Garrison Sanborn, long snapper for the Buffalo Bills, was out there for every punt and field goal.  He did not miss a snap all game.

Letroy Guion, defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, recorded two tackles Sunday and both were sacks.  His first sack came early in the game as Stafford could not find a receiver and Guion hit him for a 6 yard loss.  The second sack was a bigger play as the Lions had the ball and was trying to drive down to score at the end of the game to tie it up.  Stafford dropped back again with 24 seconds left and was met by Letroy again for a -1 yard loss.

Christian Ponder, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, did not have his best game of the season.  In a game where special teams was the deciding factor, Ponder just needed to not make mistakes.  He was 16/26 for 111 yards and no turnovers.  On the first two possessions of the game he was 6/7 for 23 yards helping to one field goal.  In the second quarter the Vikings scored another field goal.

Mister Alexander, linebacker for the Houston Texans, was inactive for the game against the Tennessee Titans.

Richard Goodman, wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers, had two kickoff returns for an average of 26 yards and a long of 33.  He also had two tackles on special teams.

Antonio Cromartie, corner back for the New York Jets, was getting his first start of the season as the number one corner back.  Since Revis was lost for the season, Cromartie would get to face off against the other team's number one receiver.  The 49ers elected to stay away from him for the entire first half.  Cromartie ended up with 3 tackles; two were on run plays and the pass play went for 27 yards.  He also had two pass deflections on back to back plays to stop a drive.

Leon Washington, running back for the Seattle Seahawks, made a great return for 69 yards until he was pushed out of bounds.  He also had one run for 2 yards.

Darnell Dockett, defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals, was inactive for Sunday's game against Miami.

Greg Jones, fullback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, had four catches for 25 yards in the loss to the Bengals.  Jones was third on the team in receptions and fourth in yards.

Patrick Robinson, corner back for the New Orleans Saints, made two tackles, three pass deflections and one interception in the loss to the Green Bay Packers.  Aaron Rodgers tried to go deep on 1st down to Jordy Nelson but Robinson was there to make the interception.  The Saints ended up getting a field goal.

Markus White, linebacker for the Washington Redskins, was inactive for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dekoda Watson, linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, made one tackle on special teams.

How the Seminoles Fared In Week 3 Of NFL

Nigel Bradham, linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, had three tackles and one assist against the Cleveland Browns.  Two of his tackles came on special teams.  Near the end of the 1st quarter, Cleveland QB Brandon Weeden threw a short pass to Trent Richardson, their RB, out in the left flat and Bradham was there to help with the tackle stopping him for only a gain of 6 yards.  His solo tackle was on a run behind the right guard where he was able to stop the RB for a gain of 6 yards.

Mike Harris, corner back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, made four solo tackles against the Colts.  Three of his tackles came on special teams and two stopped big plays.  The Colts had a 40 yard and a 31 yard return until Harris was there to push the player out of bounds and make the stop.  His other tackle was on a pass over the middle where he meet the receiver right when he caught the ball to make the tackle.

Greg Jones, fullback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, had one run for one yard and two catches for 12 yards.  His run came in the third quarter on 3rd and 1 and he was able to convert the first down straight up the middle for one yard.  On the very next play, Jones caught a ball in the right flat and was able to gain 3 yards.  His other catch was on a check down to the left flat and this time he was able to bruise his way for 9 yards.  Jones was also targeted one other time but the pass fell short.

Antonio Cromartie, corner back for the New York Jets, made two tackles and had one pass deflection in the win against the Miami Dolphins.  His first tackle was made against tightend Anthony Fasano on a short pass to the right side for a gain of 17 yards.  Cromartie made a nice tackle against a wide receiver deep in Miami's territory keeping them pinned inside the 5 yard line.  The pass deflection was on first down when he got his hand in between the ball and the receiver.

Letroy Guion, defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, had two tackles and one assist in a win against the San Francisco 49ers.  His first tackle came when Frank Gore tried to run to the outside and he chased him down to push him out of bounds for only a four yard gain.  The second tackle was made on a short pass out to the left side where he chased down the receiver again.  Guion's biggest play of the game came on a field goal attempt by the 49ers where he got a great surge up the middle to block the 43 yard attempt with one minute to go in the first half.  The block setup the Vikings to get another field goal to take a 17-3 lead at halftime.

Christian Ponder, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, played like a veteran QB against one of the toughest defenses in the league.  During the opening drive of the game, Ponder leads the Vikings down the field 78 yards eating up the clock to score.  He was 6-8 for 49 yards and a 1 yard TD pass on fourth and goal.  The drive took up 7 minutes and 40 seconds.  He used his two favorite targets, Percy Harvin twice, and Kyle Rudolph four times.  The biggest play of the game came two series later when he drove the Vikings down the field again except this time he used his leg and took what the defense would give him.  Ponder rushed for 34 yards on the drive including a 23 yard TD rush when there were no receivers open and the pocket broke down he scrambled up the middle.  At the end of the third quarter he drove them down again eating up the clock for 7 minutes to throw a 2 yard TD pass to Kyle Rudolph again.  For the game, Ponder was 21/35 for 198 yards and 2 TDs also had 7 rushes for 33 yards and 1 TD.

Rodney Hudson, center for the Kansas City Chiefs, made his third start of the season against the New Orleans Saints.  Hudson did have one tackle as one of his teammates fumbled the ball and the Saints recovered it.  Hudson suffered an injury during this game.

Patrick Robinson, corner back for the New Orleans Saints, was all over the field and making a ton of plays. He ended the game with five solo tackles,three assist and three pass breakups.  Robinson had the difficult job of covering the big Dwayne Bowe and did a great job.  His three pass breakups were all against Bowe. 

Brodrick Bunkley, defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints, made one tackle and one assist in the loss to the KC Chiefs.  Both of his tackle were made on the speedy running back Jamaal Charles.

Kamerion Wimbley, defensive end for the Tennessee Titans, had just one tackle and one assist in the win against the Detroit Lions.  He made his tackles against the Lions running back M. Leshoure.

Darnell Dockett, defensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals, only had one tackle against L. McCoy as he chased him down from behind to stop the first down.  McCoy had only a gain of 8 yards.  Dockett was hurt later in the fourth quarter and did not return to the game.  The injury is not that serious and he should be able to return next week.

Chris Hope, defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons, made two tackles on special teams as the Falcons blew out the San Diego Chargers.

Richard Goodman, wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers, had one return for 31 yards in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Tony Carter, defensive back for the Denver Broncos, made one tackle in the loss to the Houston Texans.

Mister Alexander, linebacker for the Houston Texans, had one tackle on special teams.

Lawrence Timmons, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, made three solo tackles in a loss to the Oakland Raiders.  Two of his tackles were made in pass coverage and the other was a run by Darren McFadden.

Sebastian Janikowski, kicker for the Oakland Raiders, was perfect again this week.  He made all four extra points and going 2-2 on field goal attempts.  His last field goal was a game winning one for 43 yards with 3 seconds left.

Two Seminoles Back In NFL

Yesterday was a great day for former Seminoles Markus White and Andre Fluellen.  Both had started the preseason on NFL rosters and found themselves fighting for a spot on week 1 rosters.  In the end, both were cut to make way for veterans.

White was in his second season with the Redskins and had played in a total of two games and had not recorded a tackle.  In the preseason this year the linebacker started showing his speed as he was able to help on a sack and was in the backfield numerous times.  Although it was not enough to make the team, as the Redskins cut Markus.  After he was cut, he was added to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad where he spent a couple of weeks until the Redskins called again.  On Sunday the Redskins starting lineback Brian Orakpo was lost for the season with a pectoral injury.  Now he will be the third string linebacker waiting to get his chance.

Fluellen had spent four seasons with the Detroit Lions, the team that drafted him in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft.  While with the Lions, he played in 51games and started 5 of them.  The defensive tackle has 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.  This preseason was tough for Andre having to play behind one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.  When cuts came he was off the team and could not find his was to a practice squad.  He practiced for a couple of teams but was never added until yesterday when the Miami Dolphins called.  Fluellen took the place of DT Ryan Baker who was cut.

NFL Week 2 Full Of Seminoles

Richard Goodman, wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers,  had two kickoff returns for 37 yards a piece.

Kamerion Wimbley, defensive end for the Tennessee Titans,  made one tackle and one assist in a loss against the San Diego Chargers.

Lawrence Timmons, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, had three tackles, one assist and made a pass deflection.  Also Timmons was in the backfield pressuring Mark Sanchez on three different occasions. 

Antonio Cromartie, corner back for the New York Jets made two tackles and helped on another in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  All of his tackles were made against speedy Mike Wallace.

Leon Washington, running back for the Seattle Seahawks, had two returns in the kicking game.  On a kickoff he caught the ball on the 6 yard line and returned it 20 yards.  Then on a punt he returned it seven yards.  Washington also had four carries for 11 yards.

Anquan Boldin, wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, only had two catches for seven yards and one was for zero yards.  The Ravens just could not get the ball to their receivers as they only made five catches in the game. 

Preston Parker, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had a run on an end around for seven yards then he was pushed out of bounds.

Dekoda Watson, linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had a very productive day against the New York Giants.  He made two special team tackles, one coming on a kickoff and the other on a punt.  His third tackle came against Victor Cruz as he caught a pass over the middle.

Darnell Dockett, defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals, was in the backfield disrupting the quarterback again this week, this time it was Tom Brady.  During the first play for the Patriots, Brady dropped back and tried to throw a pass over the middle when Dockett got his arm up and tipped the pass that led to an interception.  He stopped 3 runs by himself against the Patriots running backs holding them to -5 yards.  Also, Dockett helped with another tackle for -1 yards. 

Sebastian Janikowski, kicker  for the Oakland Raiders, was perfect on the day going 2-2 on field goals with a long of 27 yards and 1-1 on extra points. 

Mike Harris, cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, made his first career tackle against the Texans.  The tackle came on the first kickoff of the game as the Texans returned the kick 30 yards and was meet by Harris. 

Mister Alexander, linebacker for the Houston Texans, did not have a tackle but was on the field for kickoffs and punts.

Christian Ponder, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, was 27-35 for 245 yards and 2 TDs.  Ponder started the game perfect going 6-6 in their first two drives and leading them to two field goals.  On their next possession, he fumbled the ball which led to a Colt field goal.  Ponder led his team to two touchdown in the second half going 12-15 for 89 yards in those drive.  The second TD tied the game with only 31 seconds left.  The Vikings defense could not stop the Colts who kicked a game winning field goal with 8 second to go.  Ponder gave it a shot going 2-2 for 29 yards as the time expired.

Letroy Guion, defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, had one assist in the loss against the Indianapolis Colts.

Patrick Robinson, corner back for the New Orleans Saints, had two tackles one assist and two pass deflections.  The Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith caught a pass out in the left flat for 3 yards and Robinson was there to help make the tackle.  Robinson made another tackle on Steve Smith and also one against Jonathan Stewart.  Robinson’s two pass deflections were huge; one was on third down to end a drive and the other was on a deep ball stopping Steve Smith again. 

Brodrick Bunkleym, defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints, helped on two tackles against the Carolina Panthers.  His first assist came when Cam Newton tried to scramble to the left end.  The second assist occurred in the fourth quarter as Carolina’s running back DeAngelo Williams tried to run behind the right guard for a gain of only 4 yards.

Nigel Bradham, linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, made two tackles and helped on another.  Bradham’s first career tackle came on punt coverage in the third quarter.  In the fourth,  Peyton Hillis tried to run around the right end only to be met by Bradham and D. Searcy for a gain of only 4 yards.  Then again in the fourth he made a tackle on a punt return. 

Rodney Hudson,  center for the Kansas City Chiefs, got his second start of the season. 

Buster Posey For NL MVP

Everybody can make a case for their favorite player or the best player on their favorite team to win the MVP.  All of that is subjective because its your team or player.  Here are the reasons that Buster Posey should win the NL MVP.

On August 14th the San Francisco Giants lose Melky Cabrera due to him testing positive for PEDs.  He was batting .346 with 84 runs which still leads the team after his 26 games absence.  On that date, the Giants were tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West lead.  Since then Buster has played in 24 games and has collected 32 hit with 12 being doubles and 2 HRs.  His batting average is a cool .340 and he is slugging .531.  Posey has scored 19 runs and drove in 13 runs during that time and has seen his Giants take a 7 game lead in the division.

No other player in the league has lost more and been able to keep his team afloat.  Buster is in only his second full season since he missed almost all of last year with an injury but he is playing a like a veteran, getting timely hits and just producing.  There were only 5 games he did not collect a hit but in 2 of them he did get walked and scored.

Great Start For Luke Loucks

Luke Loucks just finished his first preseason tournament with VEF Riga of the Latvian League.  In his first professional game, Loucks was just trying to get the feel of the Euro game.  He ended the game with five points and helped his team to the win.  During the second game of the tournament, the point guard was more aggressive on defense coming up with five steals.  Also, Loucks was able to improve his point total to seven this game.  In the final, the rookie stepped up even more.  With only seconds left in the game and his team trailing by three points, Luke came down and drained a three to tie the game.  The game went to overtime but VEF Riga was unable to get the victory.  Loucks scored 11 points, grabbed 5 rebound and had 2 steals.

Recap Of Sundays Seminoles

LB Geno Hayes of the Chicago Bears made a couple of great plays in the second half of Sunday's matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.  On the Colts second possession of the second half, Geno made a nice stop for no gain on Donald Brown the running back as he tried to bounce the ball to the left outside.  Then a couple of plays later, Geno was covering tightend Coby Fleener over the middle and stopped him from breaking away for a touchdown.  In all it was a great start for Geno Hayes with his new team.

QB Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings had a great start to his second season.  The first quarter and much of the second started out pretty slow for Ponder.  Then, with 2:28 to go the in half he led the Vikings down the field going 4-4 for 46 yards to put them on the Jacksonville 5 yard line. A couple of plays later, the Vikings were able to pound it in for a TD.  In the third quarter after a turnover, Ponder completed a 19 yard pass to Percy Harvin to setup a field goal.  In the second half he was 10-13 including a game tying drive with only 20 seconds left.  During overtime, Ponder was 3-3 for 28 yards to lead to a game winning field goal.  For the game he was 20-27 for 270 yards and only one turnover which was a fumble that he was unable to recover.

CB Patrick Robinson of the New Orleans Saints recorded his first sack of his NFL career by making the tackle on Robert Griffin III for negative 9 yards.  Patrick also had two other tackles and a pass deflection for the Saints.

DT Brodrick Bunkley of the New Orleans Saints helped with a tackle on Redskins RB Alfred Morris for only a gain of 2 yards.  Two series later, he got another tackle on Morris for only a gain of 2 yards.  In the fourth quarter Brodrick made his third tackle against Morris, this time stopping him for only a gain of 3 yards.

CB Antonio Cromartie of the New York Jets got his third career interception return for a TD against the Buffalo Bills to help secure a blowout win.  The pick came at the start of the third quarter when Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a short pass to WR D. Nelson and Cromartie read it perfectly jumping the route and taking it to the house even doing a little high stepping before the endzone.  Cromartie ended the day with 2 tackles and 2 assist.

DE Kamerion Wimbley of the Tennessee Titans had a nice sack against Tom Brady of the New England Patriots Sunday.  Brady tried to roll to the outside and did not see Kamerion coming from behind him to make the sack.  As he tackled Brady and was getting up, he kneed him in the face by accident.  Brady suffered a cut to his nose which was bleeding pretty badly.  Kamerion ended the game with 2 tackles and 2 assist.

DT Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals was unstoppable making 5 tackles with 4 being solo and 1 assist.  Dockett made the first tackle of the game, stopping Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch to 2 yards.  During the last series of the first half, Darnell made a tackle on former FSU RB Leon Washington.  Pretty much the DT was in the backfield disrupting the Seahawks as they were never able to get on track.

RB Leon Washington of the Seattle Seahawks almost broke two returns for TDs but was dragged down from behind.  Leon ran a kickoff back 83 yards only to be tackled just short of the endzone and then again on a punt return he made it 52 yards.  Both returns led to Seahawks points a TD and a FG.  Also Leon had 2 carries for 5 yards.

LB Lawrence Timmons was all over the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Timmons ended the night with 5 solo tackles and 3 straight in one drive.  Timmons showed his speed as the Broncos were trying to run out the clock with runs.  One run was to the right end and Timmons made the tackle on McGahee for only 5 yards.  The next run was McGahee right behind the left guard and Timmons stuffed it in the hole.  The last run was by Moreno this time behind the right guard and Timmons did the same thing again and stuffed the hole.

Ponder And Vikings Preview

Sunday will be the start of a new season for Christian Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings.  Ponder is coming off of his rookie season in which at times he showed great potential and at other times proved was a rookie.  He had to sit behind Donovon McNabb for the first six games then was given the starting position during week 7.

Ponder's best game statistically of his rookie campaign was against the Atlanta Falcons in week 12 when he was 17-25 for 68% with 186 yards and one TD.  He had a passer rating of 103.1 out of 158.3.  Then in week 13 he threw for a career high 381 yards against the Denver Broncos.  Last year the Vikings went 2-8 with Ponder as the starting quarterback.

Christian Ponder and the Vikings are still in the rebuilding process.  He will only have one wide reciever returning that caught over 50 passes last year and that will be Percy Harvin who caught 87 balls for 967 yards.  The Vikings signed receiver Jerome Simpson to help Harvin on the outside, but he is suspended for the first 3 games.  The team also signed two tightends in Kyle Rudolph and John Carlson to help over the middle and with blocking.  The team used their first round draft pick to sign offensive tackle Matt Kalil who will help an offensive line that gave up 49 sacks last season.

Then it all comes down to Adrian Peterson and how healthy he is and can stay.  Peterson is coming off of an ACL and MCL tear which required surgery to repair both.  He says that he is almost back to 100% but time will only tell.  He brings so much to the team and is a nightmare to opposing defenses.  If he can stay healthy he will take so much pressure off of Ponder that he will be able to develop into a better quarterback.  The game will be able to slow down because teams wont be able to blitz as much for the fear of a play action pass.

In all,  Ponder and the Vikings have a lot to work on to become a better football team.  With a little bit of help from different players, the Vikings should be able to improve their record from last season.  Its not unlikely for them to see 5 or 6 wins with improved stats.  

Seminoles Update In Milb Part 2

James Ramsey outfielder for the Palm Beach Cardinals:  James has had an up and down year for the Cardinals.  He was not placed into the short season affiliate as most college players are but instead he skipped to the high A team.  Since joining, James has batted .227 with 42 hits and scored 33 runs.  The Cardinals are 4.5 games out of 1st with two weeks to go.

Jayce Boyd infielder for the Brooklyn Cyclones:  Jayce has played in 45 games for the Cyclones since joining the team in July.  During those games he has batted .230 with 38 hits.  He has racked up 11 extra base hits with 7 being double.  The Cyclones are leading the wild-card by 2.5 games.

Devon Travis infielder for the Connecticut Tigers:  Devon was having a great year for the Tigers until an injury has sidelined him since the start of August.  Before the injury he was batting .280 in 25 games while collecting 26 hits.  On August 2nd, Devon was 4 for 5 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs while hitting a double and a HR.

Seminoles Update In Milb

Hunter Scantling relief pitcher for the Connecticut Tigers:  Hunter has had a stellar year for the Tigers pitching in ten games.  He has thrown 17 innings and only allowed two earned runs with opposing batters only hitting 0.075.  During those innings he has collected 15 strikeouts and gave up three walks.  The Tigers only have 10 games left in the season so Hunter may only pitch 1 to 2 more times.

Robert Benincasa relief pitcher for the Auburn Doubledays:  Robert has pitched great for the Doubledays during his first season.  He has pitched in 14 games throwing a total of 15.1 innings.  Only allowing five earned runs while giving up 19 hits.  Robert has forced 22 strikeouts and batters are hitting .302 against him. Right now he is on the 7-day DL and should be back around the 29th or 30th of this month.

Sherman Johnson infielder for the Orem Owlz:  Sherman has played in 44 games for the Owlz since turning pro back in June.  During those games he is batting .262 with 39 hits.  He has scored 31 runs and batted in 17 runners.  Johnson has been very consistent in the box taking what he can get.  He has drawn 37 base on balls while only striking out 30 times.  His on base percentage is a .413 almost 200 points better than his batting average.  Right now the Owlz are in first place trying to get a spot in the playoffs.

Check back tomorrow for the rest of the Seminoles in the Milb update.

Great Year for Mike McGee

Mike McGee has had an awesome year for the High Desert Mavericks, the Class A Advance affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.  He has played in 103 games this seasons and is currently batting .273 with 108 hits, 24 of which are double and 13 are home runs.

McGee has been all over the bases scoring 76 runs which is fourth best on the team.  He has played left field and batted 8th for the Mavericks who are currently in first place in the California League South.  The Mavericks also won the first half of the season.  

Caroline Westrup Finishes T-34

During the Ladies Irish Open at Killeen Castle on August 3rd - 5th, Caroline Westrup finished tied for 34th.  She had one round under par for the tournament and it was her opening round shooting 70, two under.  Caroline ended up shooting a 77 and 75 for her final two rounds giving her a +6 overall.  In her 54 holes of golf she had six birdies, 12 bogeys and 36 were pars.  Only six players shot under par for the weekend on the difficult course.

Caroline hit over 90% of her fairways in regulation for the tournament showing that she had total control of her driver.

Currently she is playing in the Ladies British Masters shooting a first round of 73, 1 over par.  Caroline is in the middle of her second round.  Check back later to see how she finishes her round.

Rafael Lopez Strong For Daytona Cubs

Since being called up to the Daytona Cubs, the Class A Advance minor league team of the Chicago Cubs, Rafael Lopez has played in 23 games.  During those games he is batting .298 with 84 plate appearances while collecting 25 base hits.  Lopez also hit his first two home runs of the season giving him 10 extra base hits since the call up.

 Lopez has played for two other minor league teams this year, the Arizona League Cubs and the Peoria Cubs.  During his time with the Peoria Cubs he was voted to the All-Star team.  For the season he is batting .292 scoring 33 runs and driving in 27 runs.  He has 63 base hits with 21 being extra base hits.

Tyler Holt Keeps Scoring Runs

Tyler Holt started off the year with the Carolina Mudcats, the advance class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.  He played in 81 games for the Mudcats scoring 48 runs on 83 hits and maintaining a batting average of .263.

Holt was moved up to double-A ball with the Akron Aeros on July 5th.  Since joining the new club he has played in 26 games batting .231 with 16 runs scored on 24 hits.  He has scored a total of 64 runs this season and is on his way to breaking his career best of 66 runs a season ago.

Tyler has showed off his speed this year collecting 21 stolen bases and also having eight triples.  He is a great lead off hitter able to get on base and make things happen for his team.

Hunter Scantling Still Rolling

Although Hunter Scantling gave up his first earned run on July 26th, he still has been light outs for the Connecticut Tigers.  The earned run didn't really hurt his ERA which now stands at a 1.00 for his nine innings of relief pitching.  Hunter is striking out a batter an inning during his stretch of outstanding relief work.  Batters have only gotten two hits against him which came during the July 26th game for an average of .071.

In last nights game against the Brooklyn Cyclones, Hunter threw one inning of scoreless relief with one strikeout.  His strikeout was against his former Seminole teammate Jayce Boyd.  The Tigers were unable to get the win as they could not comeback losing 3-2.

Jonas Blixt Keeps Rising

Former Seminole Jonas Blixt has played in 14 tournaments on the PGA Tour this year.  Making his first ever start this past January during the Sony Open in Hawaii where he finished T-54 shooting a total of -1 under par.

Jonas has only missed the cut in six of the 14 tournaments he has entered.  His best finish came during the HP Bryon Nelson Championship where he finished T-3 shooting -9 under par.  During the month of May this year he finished every tournament in the top ten.

He ranks number one in sand save percentage at 65.59% and third round scoring average at 68.56.  Jonas is the 160th ranked golfer in the world.

Bright Future For Barret Browning

Barret Browning spent seven years in the minor leagues with a career record of 29 wins and 27 loses before being called up to make his major league debut on June 30th.  Since then Barret has been lights out for the St. Louis Cardinals.  He has pitched in relief for the Cardinals throwing in 13 games with 10 innings pitched.  During those games he has only given up five hits and three earned runs with seven strikeouts.  Browning is only allowing batters an average of .139 against him.

Caroline Westrup On Tour

Caroline Westrup has been playing golf overseas this year since she received her European Tour Card in 2011.  She has played in eight events on tour and has only missed one cut.  During her 26 rounds of golf she has shot par or under in 13 of the rounds.  Her best finish of the year is a T-17 during the Sara Bay classic.

Last week she played with the Swedish National Team helping them to a seventh place finish.  Next up for Caroline will be the Ladies Irish Open at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland.  The tournament will be held on August 3rd-5th.  Also she has entered the LPGA qualifying event in October. 

During Caroline's time at Florida State she was a four year All-American and a four year All-ACC Selection making her the first female golfer to hold that honor.  

Link Jarret New Head Coach At UNCG

Link Jarret will become the new head coach at UNC-Greensboro.  He has spent the last three years as an assistant for the Auburn Tigers and before that he was at East Carolina and Florida State.  Jarret will bring in an offensive approach to the Spartans as he has done at every other stop.  Here is what he said about the opportunity at UNCG.

  "There is tremendous potential in our baseball program at UNCG and leading the charge toward fulfilling that potential is very exciting," Jarrett said. "This will take a unified effort within our staff, players and our proud alumni. With that vision and conviction, our future is really bright."

 During his time at Florida State as a player, Link Jarret was the starting shortstop from 1991-94 with a career batting average of .279.  He still holds the FSU record of consecutive games played 235 and at-bats 989.  Jarret was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 1994 and spent five years with the organization.

Deividas Dulkys To Lietuvos Rytas

Deividas Dulkys has had a great past two months as he was named to the Lithuanian National Team back in May and helped his team qualify for the Olympics.  Now he has signed a contract to play overseas in the Lithuanian Basketball League for Lietuvos Rytas who finished the season in second place last year.

Dulkys is a shooting guard that can get hot quick from behind the ark and is not afraid to let it fly.  He scored a career high of 32 points against North Carolina.  During the game he made 8 three pointers which is a record at Florida State.

The Lithuanian National Team will play in group A during the Olympics.  Their first game will be Sunday July 29th against Argentina at 10:15 pm.

Bernard James Signs With The Mavericks

After a strong showing in the Las Vegas Summer League where Bernard James averaged nearly a double-double, the Dallas Mavericks have signed the center to a contract adding him to their 15 man roster.  James scored 10.2 points and 9 rebounds a game while playing an average of 26.2 minutes.  He will be the backup to Chris Kaman and Elton Brand.

The Dallas Mavericks have now signed all of their draft picks from this years draft.  Jared Cunningham, Jae Crowder and Bernard James should all make contributions to the team as the Mavericks have decided to take size and athleticism to improve the team.

Anquan Boldin Back In The Seams

Since Anquan Boldin left the Arizona Cardinals after the 2009 season to become the Baltimore Ravens number one wide receiver, he has not lived up to the teams expectations.  The fault is not his own though since the Ravens have used Boldin as a big play guy trying to get him to run down the field.

In 14 games last year he averaged a career high 15.6 yards per reception.  Boldin does not have the speed to out run the top corner backs in the AFC.  He is an over the middle receiver who is not afraid to take a hit when making the catch.  We all know what happened to him in Arizona when he was knocked unconscious then had his mouth wired shut.

While he was with Arizona he had Larry Fitzgerald to stretch the field.  Last year he did get help with rookie Torrey Smith showing that he has the speed to get away from cornerbacks.  This year should be better for Anquan, as Smith will no longer be a rookie and the Ravens acquired Jacoby Jones, who also posses speed.  Boldin will now be able to move back into the seams for the Ravens.  

Devon Travis Update

Devon Travis of the Connecticut Tigers has had a great start to his minor league career.  After deciding to forgo his senior year at Florida State he has played in 16 games at second base for the Tigers.  He is currently batting .241 with a double, a triple and a home run while scoring nine runs and driving in five more. Travis had his biggest moment as a pro in a marathon game against the Vermont Lake Monsters last Tuesday. He camp up to bat in the bottom of the 18th inning and hit a walk-off home run to win the game for the Tigers.

Tonight they will play against the Tri-City Valley Cats the minor league affiliate of the Houston Astros.

Benincasa Is Settling In

Since recording his first save on July 11, Robert Benincasa of the Auburn Doubledays has been lights out.  He has pitched in three games throwing four innings of shutout baseball while striking out six batters.  Since his first outing when he gave up two earned runs in 1.1 innings pitched, he has lowered his ERA from 13.50 to 3.18.

Benincasa and the Doubledays will face off against the Batavia Muckdogs again tonight.

Great Year For Sean Gilmartin

Sean Gilmartin of the Mississippi Braves, the Double-A minor league club of the Atlanta Braves, is having a great rookie season.  He has been the starting pitcher for 19 games factoring into the decision in 13 of them. He has a record of five wins and eight losses, but that does not show how good he has been.  Three of his five wins are complete games helping him to a 3.59 ERA.  In 112.2 innings pitched he has 84 strikeouts allowing .248 batting average for opposing batters.

After his last complete game Gilmartin was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week.  Also he was named to the Southern League Mid-Season All-Star team in June.  

James Making A Statement

Bernard James has only played in three games for the Dallas Mavericks since being drafted a month ago and is already excelling on the court.  During the Summer League he has been very efficient shooting 65.2% on 23 shots which trails second year player Dominique Jones by 30 attempts. He might not be getting the touches inside but when given the chance he converts.  Also, James has been hitting the glass grabbing 29 total rebounds for a 9.7 average which is the highest on the team.  Of those rebounds, 22 are on the defensive end helping the team not give up second chance points.  His defensive rebounds alone are more than any other player's total rebounds.

Bernard James is a force for other centers/forwards to guard and box-out and he will only get better as he gets more comfortable playing in the NBA.