LeGarrette Blount, one of the mainstays on this list, sat out with a knee injury this week in a win over the New Orleans Saints. Luckily, for the sake of this post, other former Ducks stepped up on Sunday, including a couple of standout safeties.
Patrick Chung; Safety; New England Patriots: 10 tackles, 3 solo in a 20-16 victory over the Dallas Cowboys
Chung has turned himself into a solid player for Bill Belichick and co. Sunday marked the third time this season that he has recorded at least nine tackles, and he ranks third on the team with 37 takedowns on the year. Flashing the versatility he was known for at Oregon, Chung is also the only Patriot with both an interception and sack on the year.
T.J. Ward; Safety; Cleveland Browns: 8 tackles, 6 solo in a 24-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders
The Browns dropped a close game to the suddenly competent Raider, but they certainly can’t blame their second year safety. Ward’s 8 tackles ranked only behind linebacker D’Quell Jackson, and he also added one tackle for a loss. It was one of Ward’s better games of the year, though he is on pace for just 83 tackles this year after recording 123 in his rookie season.
Haloti Ngata; Nose Tackle; Baltimore Ravens: 8 tackles, 6 solo, one sack in 29-14 victory over the Houston Texans
I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that Ngata will make this list every week until the season ends. He may be the best defensive player on the Ravens, who are 4-1 this year, and is a virtual guarantee to disrupt opposing backfields week in and week out. Ngata also returned to Oregon two weeks ago when the Ducks took on California, with fellow Duck Ed Dickson tagging along as well.
Casey Matthews; Linebacker; Philadelphia Eagles: N/A
If Philadelphia’s “dream team” hasn’t exactly worked out as planned, neither has Matthews’ rookie season. After a pedestrian first three games as a starter, Matthews was benched and replaced by fellow rookie Brian Rolle (an Ohio State alumnus, to add insult to injury). The former Oregon standout hasn’t recorded a tackle since a week three matchup against the New York Giants, and the Eagles themselves are trudging along at 2-4.
It’s a shame to see Matthews benched early on, but it was surprising to see him starting for a Super Bowl contender in the first place. He’s a rookie, after all, and the learning curve for any NFL position is steep. If his time at Oregon is any indicator, odds are that we’ll see Matthews back out there sooner rather than later.
Ducks in the NFL: Two former safeties stand out; Matthews benched
Daily Emerald
October 17, 2011
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