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.