With the recent rise of the Wisconsin college football program the Badgers in the NFL have had a similar uptick.
More and more guys are beginning to have a splash in the league and the guys over at Pro Football Focus (PFF) have an eagle eye on each one of them. If you’re not familiar with PFF, you’re living in the stone age of modern football analysis. Here at The Sports Bank, we’re big supporters of what they do, so we’ve oriented our weekly check-up around what they’re saying about Badgers in the NFL.
Leading the Badgers in the NFL in week 7 was Russell Wilson who notched his 18th career win in just one-and-a-half years.
1.) Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
Badgers Tenure: 2011
Week 7 Play: “We haven’t seen the best of Wilson the passer this season, thanks in no small part to the play of his (injury riddled) offensive line up front — pressured on nearly 50% of his drop-backs this season — but this week we saw him overcome that and highlight his ability as a passer even when the opposition gets to him.” – PFF’s analysis of Seattle’s 34-22 win at the Arizona Cardinals
****Wilson earns PFF Game Ball – “Back where it all started as a rookie last September, Russell Wilson produced his best display of the season to overcome the pressure in his face and lead the Seahawks to victory.”
– “Even with the fumbles there was no stopping Wilson who was exceptional at times despite facing an inordinate amount of pressure.” – PFF’s Team of Week 7
– PFF was also gracious enough to break down Wilson and the scramble drill.
2.) Cleveland Browns OT Joe Thomas
Badgers Tenure: 2003-06
Week 7 Play: “This was the first clean sheet (no pressures) for LT Joe Thomas, who’s our 2nd-highest graded offensive tackle.” – PFF’s analysis of the Browns’ 31-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
– “There are few things certain in life. One of them is that Joe Thomas is going to show up on a Sunday and deliver as he always does. Perfect in pass protection the only blot on his game was a penalty.” – PFF’s Team of Week 7
3.) Seattle Seahawks LB O’Brien Schofield
Badgers Tenure: 2006-09
Week 7 Play: “Nine Seahawk defenders rushed the passer 10 times or more last night, with every single one of them, including former Cardinal O’Brien Schofield (1 Ht, 3 Hu) grading positively as a pass rusher. Just to emphasize the dominance of the Seattle pass rush, they recorded a combined 40 pressures (8 Sk, 6 Ht, 26 Hu) with another two hurries nullified by penalties.” – PFF’s analysis of Seattle’s 34-22 win at the Arizona Cardinals
4.) Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt
Badgers Tenure: 2009-10
Week 7 Play: “Not mentioned above, defenders JJ Watt for Houston and Mike Devito for Kansas City led their teams in overall grades, Devito doing so in just 39 snaps.” – PFF’s analysis of Houston’s 17-16 loss to the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs
“Watt was the slam dunk pick as he got back on track with a blistering showing against the Chiefs that included a sack, hit, two hurries and a batted pass (and some excellent work against the run).” – PFF’s Team of Week 7
5.) Cincinnati Bengals OG Kevin Zeitler
Badgers Tenure: 2009-11
Week 7 Play: “Among the four players grading at -1.0 or worse in run blocking were guards Clint Boling and Kevin Zeitler, surprising given that both have fared well at the point of attack this season. At right guard Zeitler had a bit more trouble facing Ndamukong Suh (and at 3Q, 2:02 it was Stephen Tulloch who got him), but as was the case with his teammate, there was nothing too egregious.” – PFF’s analysis of Cincinnati’s 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions
6.) Dallas Cowboys C Travis Frederick
Badgers Tenure: 2009-12
Week 7 Play: “A big step back as his run blocking got exposed by the Eagles’ front.” – PFF’s Race for Rookie of the Year, Week 7
7.) Dallas Cowboys DE Nick Hayden
Badgers Tenure: 2004-07
Week 7 Play: “Hayden is struggling right now and it may be what prompted the team to take a gamble on Marvin Austin.” – PFF’s ‘Had a Bad Day’ Team Week 7
– Buffalo Bills safety Jim Lehonard (2001-04) made dishonerable mention for PFF’s ‘Had a Bad Day’ Team Week 7
For an extensive list on all the Badgers in the NFL, check out the Badgers in the NFL page at UWBadgers.com
What did you think of the notable former Badgers in week 7? Is Russell Wilson really this good? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys sharing Fantasy Advice and pretends to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
*Pictures obtained from seahawks.com.