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.
The talk of the nation was the Dallas Cowboys collapse to the Green Bay Packers, but an overlooked storyline was the play of rookie center Travis Frederick and how he stood out among the Badgers in the NFL.
1.) Dallas Cowboys C Travis Frederick
Badgers Tenure: 2009-12
Week 15 Play: “Center Travis Frederick was particularly sharp, especially early in the game moving Ryan Pickett, having little trouble even when he had to reach. The rookie did have a couple of issues in pass protection, but otherwise continued his strong first season, following up his big game a week ago with a +2.4 here.” – PFF’s Analysis of the Cowboys’ 37-36 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
– Frederick remains on the “Five to Watch” in PFF’s Race for Rookie of the Year: “I feel a little guilty leaving him off the list. Things aren’t great in Dallas at the moment but they did nail this draft pick.”
2.) Cleveland Browns OT Joe Thomas
Badgers Tenure: 2003-06
Week 15 Play: “Well, not quite, but the duo of Mitchell Schwartz and Joe Thomas combined to allow just a single, solitary hurry on 82 combined pass blocks. That hurry was a marginal one as well, with Schwartz having a perfect day in pass protection, his first for the season. Thomas continues to underline his dominance as the single best pass-blocking tackle in football, controlling his side all game long, and making a few impressive blocks in the run game.” – PFF’s Analysis of the Browns’ 38-31 loss to the Chicago Bears.
*Thomas and Schwartz split PFF’s Game Ball in a losing effort.
3.) Buffalo Bills S Jim Leonhard
Badgers Tenure: 2001-04
Week 15 Play: “Jim Leonhard only played 10 snaps, but graded at +2.1, picking up a stop in run defense and a pass defense on his single target in primary coverage.” – PFF’s Analysis of the Bill’s 27-20 win over Jacksonville Jaguars.
– Atlanta Falcons OG Peter Konz (2009-11) finally had a positive performance in a 27-26 win over the Washington Redskins: “With a combined five years of experience between them the right side of the Falcons’ line featuring Joe Hawley (+1.8), Peter Konz (+1.7) and Ryan Schraeder (+1.3) is going to take time to grow together. This was by no means the toughest test but it at least has them pointed in the right direction after a few tough outings this year.”
– Arizona Cardinals OLB Matt Shaughnessy (2005-08) came up with a crucial sack in the fourth quarter of the Cardinals’ 37-34 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
– Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt (2009-10) had a positive day, but nothing like his usual dominant self in a 25-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts: “Not the typical J.J. Watt outing; he graded at ‘only’ +1.2, the fourth time he’s graded below +2.0 since the start of the 2012 season.”
– Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (2011) led the Seahawks in rushing in the Seattle’s 23-0 win over the New York Giants.
– Buffalo Bills OG Kraig Urbik (2005-08) was able to help pave the way for the Bills’ 200 yards on the ground in a 27-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
– Dallas Cowboys DT Nick Hayden (2004-07) struggled in run defense as the Cowboys gave up 141 rushing yards to the Packers’ Eddie Lacy. Hayden was also dishonorably mentioned for PFF’s ‘Had a Bad Day’ Team Week 15.
For an extensive list on all the Badgers in the NFL, check out the Badgers in the NFL page at UWBadgers.com
Have you taken notice of the Cowboys Frederick? Was he worth the number one pick they spent on him? 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 zimbio.com.