Here are the Pack alums' performances (sporadically infused with random bits of other goodies) from week 12 of the NFL season. Players are listed in alphabetical order as not to offend anyone; please hold your applause until the end of the presentation.
Zach Allen (‘13/UDFA): Welp. The dream of playing in the NFL with his former college roommate, Russell Wilson, didn't last long. After a couple weeks on the practice squad, Allen was unceremoniously let go in a two-sentence press release.
David Amerson (‘13/2nd): Amerson made just one tackle as the Redskins' season swirled further down the toilet in a 27-6 loss to the 49ers (7-4). Washington (3-8) is in the midst of its second three-game losing streak of the season and appears destined for its fourth losing season out of the past five.
Andre Brown (‘09/4th): Dan Bailey's 35-yard field goal as time expired sunk New York's hopes of getting back in the NFC East race and lifted Dallas (6-5) to a 27-24 win. The Giants (4-7) lost despite a huge day from Brown, who ran for 127 yards on 21 carries and added 11 yards on four receptions. Brown has eclipsed 100 yards in two of three games since his return from a broken leg and has 308 rushing yards in total. He is the only back in the NFL averaging over 100 yards per game.
Audie Cole (‘12/7th): Forget the old adage that a tie is like kissing your sister. Win, lose, or draw, this was a huge coming out party for Cole, who had been waived at one point earlier in the year but found himself getting his first career start Saturday after Erin Henderson left the team for personal reasons. Cole made the most of it, leading all tacklers in the game with 13, including two for a loss. He sacked Scott Tolzien on his very first play from scrimmage and got a total of three licks on Packers' QBs. The Packers (5-5-1) actually picked up half a game on the Bears (6-5) and Lions (6-5), both losers Sunday, as they tread water waiting for the return of the Discount Double Check. Minnesota, er, improved to 2-8-1 in the 26-26 final, the first tie of the season in the NFL.
Jerricho Cotchery (‘04/4th): Every time I try to write off the Steelers (5-6), they creep back into the muddled AFC wild card race. They dominated the Browns (4-7), keeping them out of the end zone until the 3:13 mark of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Cotchery had little impact in the 27-11 blowout, going without a reception for the second time this season after grabbing at least one TD in three straight games. He was targeted just once in the game; my apologies if my recent glowing reviews of his resurgence caused you to add him to your fantasy roster.
Mike Glennon (‘13/3rd): It may be time to add Glennon to your fantasy team, as he continued to efficiently carve his way into ROY conversations while climbing the QB rating ladder. Glennon's 14-for-21, 247-yard, two-TD performance helped the Bucs (3-8) win their third in a row and first road game, and they did so against a 6-5 Detroit team that is in the middle of a playoff hunt. So what if the Lions held a 25-10 first down advantage, Glennon took care of the ball and Matthew Stafford (four picks) didn't, thus paving the way for the upset. As noted by WOTH in a recent fanshot, Glennon now ranks ninth in the NFL with a 91.6 passer rating, joining Wilson and Philip Rivers to give the Pack three alums in the top nine. That deserves a wow.
T.J. Graham (‘12/3rd): Da Bills (4-7) had da bye week.
Leroy Harris (‘07/4th): Harris kept his inactive streak alive Sunday.
Steven Hauschka (‘08/UDFA): Seattle (10-1) also sat the weekend out, conspiring with equally-N.C. State-loaded Buffalo to make this the shortest "Pack in the Pros" of the season.
Nate Irving (‘11/3rd): The who's the best in the AFC conversation has gotten quite confused over the last two weeks with Kansas City's Rivers-aided two-game slide and Denver's 34-31 overtime loss at New England (8-3). The Broncos (9-2) still have the edge for the all-important home-field advantage but the Pats have a much easier final five weeks, and the Chiefs (9-2) can't be counted out. Denver has to be concerned by a hobbled Peyton Manning's worst performance of the season. He threw for just 150 yards on a 4.2 average per attempt and was picked Sunday night.
Irving, slowed by a shoulder injury that kept him out last week, made just one tackle.
Markus Kuhn (‘12/7th): Kuhn was inactive again Sunday.
Ted Larsen (‘10/6th): Larsen has played in every game and made three starts, but more importantly, he and his line mates team up to give the less fortunate something to be thankful for (see #3 in the link).
Manny Lawson (‘06/1st): Bills on the bye.
Terrell Manning (‘12/5th): Manning remains on the Bolts' practice squad.
Tobais Palmer (‘12/UDFA): Manning has company on the Bolts' practice squad, as apparently Palmer impressed enough in his workout a few weeks back to latch on with the Bolts (hat tip to whoever tweeted me this or posted it in the comments...I forget which and I forget who...beer). San Diego is now tied for the league lead in former Pack players with three, joining Seattle (which oh so briefly had four) and Buffalo.
Philip Rivers (‘04/1st): You lose Seyi Ajirotutu at your own risk. KC lost him and Rivers found him for just his third grab of the season, a 26-yard score that put the Bolts (5-6) up 41-38 with just 24 seconds to play. Rivers' third touchdown of the game capped a wild second half that saw San Diego and KC combine for 55 after-intermission points. Rivers also had a 60-yard scoring strike to Ladarius Greene in the fourth quarter en route to a 392-yard day through the air. Phil is up to 3,381 yards, fourth best in the league, and should eclipse 4,000 yards for the fifth time in his Hall of Fame career. Rivers' big day snuck him past idle Wilson for fifth in the NFL in passer rating. Wilson, who ranks sixth, trails his elder 105.1 to 106.6.
J.R. Sweezy (‘12/7th): The shore birds were nesting Sunday.
Stephen Tulloch (‘06/4th): Tulloch had a team-high 10 stops, one for a loss, in the Lions' disappointing loss to the Bucs.
Mario Williams ('06/ 1st): Bills' bye means no sacks for the Super.
Adrian Wilson (‘01/3rd): Wilson is still languishing on the Pats' IR, so he took no part in the largest comeback of Tom Brady's career. #freeadrian
Russell Wilson (‘12/3rd): Seattle managed to make headlines despite the loss, some good and some bad.
C.J. Wilson (‘13/UDFA): Wilson remains on the Bears' practice squad. He was a good luck charm when active, apparently, as the team has gone just 3-5 after a 3-0 start. The Bears and Lions alike will likely rue not having taken advantage of Aaron Rodgers' injury to run away from the Packers in the NFC North.
Earl Wolff (‘13/5th): The Eagles (6-5) were off this weekend, but Wolff, who is nursing a knee, probably wouldn't have played anyway. Perhaps he'll return for Philly's faceoff with suddenly relevant Arizona (7-4), winners of four straight.
Willie Young (‘10/7th): Young got after Glennon pretty good Sunday, including hauling him down for his third sack of the season. His three sacks are good for fourth on the team. His 38 tackles rank seventh, which is actually pretty impressive for a reserve defensive lineman. I think he gets a nice free agent deal and a chance to start somewhere next year.
AND NOW THE MUCH ANTICIPATED ALWAYS APPRECIATED ALL CAP INTRODUCED ANDRE BROWN LIVING MEMORIAL GAME BALL OF THE WEEK GOES TO...
Brown, the NFL's leading rusher on a per-game basis, would make an excellent choice for the eponymously-dubbed Andre Brown Living Memorial Game Ball of the Week, and Glennon's performance is worthy of making the rookie a multi game ball award winner. And Phil. Just...damn, Phil.
But while the BTP editorially board is loath to hand out game balls to a losing player, nobody never said nothing about ties. Audie Cole, you and your out-of-nowhere 13-tackle performance garner the inimitable distinction of the Andre Brown Living Memorial Game Ball of the Week. Don't spend all of this acclaim in one place.