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.
In another installment of Badgers in the NFL; superstars Joe Thomas and J.J. Watt both made a splash in losing efforts in week 12.
1.) Cleveland Browns OT Joe Thomas
Badgers Tenure: 2003-06
Week 12 Play: “LT Joe Thomas also deserves a tip of the cap for his quietly productive work grading at +4.0 in pass protection as he surrendered only one hurry on 58 attempts. He remains the top pass blocking offensive tackle in the league at +21.5.” – PFF’s Analysis of the Browns’ 27-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
– Thomas was also elected to PFF’s Team of Week 12: “The Browns asked Thomas to do an awful lot of pass protecting as they chased the Steelers. The end result? Another day at the office for the ever excellent Thomas who gave up just the one hurry.”
2.) Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt
Badgers Tenure: 2009-10
Week 12 Play: “Is it reaching the point where J.J. Watt producing a spectacular performance is no longer a “Performance of Note”? Possibly, just a +11.6 overall grade this week with six pressures (1 Sk, 5 Ht) and eight stops against the run.” – PFF’s Analysis of the Texans’ 13-6 loss to the Jaguars.
– Watt always gets an honor along with the Bucs’ Gerald McCoy and was added to PFF’s Team of Week 12: “These two are both becoming fixtures at these positions as I get a strange feeling of déjà vu trying to explain just how good they’ve been. Six QB disruptions and eight defensive stops in the run game for Watt, while McCoy managed eight hurries of his own.”
– Atlanta Falcons’ C Peter Konz (2009-11) continues to struggle on the right side of the offensive line in a 17-13 loss to the Saints.
– Green Bay Packers’ QB Scott Tolzien (2009-10) had an impressive TD run and made his second career start, but was pulled for back-up Matt Flynn in the Packers’ 26-26 tie with the Vikings.
– Dallas Cowboys’ DT Nick Hayden (2004-07) remains a weak-spot on the defensive line in the Cowboys’ 24-21 win over the New York Giants. He was also added to PFF’s ‘Had a Bad Day’ Team Week 12.
– Cowboys’ C Travis Frederick remains in the Race for Rookie of the Year: “Our ninth-ranked center on the year had his problems in pass protection versus the Giants, but earned another positive grade in the run game.”
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 Badgers in the NFL in week 12? 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 lombardilive.com and utsandiego.com.