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.
This week’s Badgers in the NFL is dominated by Russell Wilson who has the 11-1 Seahawks primed for a playoff run. Watch out for the Broncos’ rookie Montee Ball who notched his first 100 yard game.
1.) Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
Badgers Tenure: 2011
Week 13 Play: “Plenty efficient against a base pass rush (16-of-24, 194 yds, 2 TD) Russell Wilson made the Saints pay on the rare occasion that they did send extra rushers (6-of-6, 116 yds, 1 TD).” – PFF’s Analysis of the Seahawks’ 34-7 win over the New Orleans Saints.
– Wilson was also named the quarterback for PFF’s Team of the Month for November.
2.) Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt
Badgers Tenure: 2009-10
Week 13 Play: “After three straight double-digit positive grades (a PFF record), J.J. Watt was held to “only” a +5.8 grade that included three QB hits, a batted pass, and three stops in the running game.” – PFF’s Analysis of the Texans’ 34-31 loss to the New England Patriots.
– Watt was a lock in PFF’s Team of the Month for November.
3.) Denver Broncos RB Montee Ball
Badgers Tenure: 2009-12
Week 13 Play: “As Moreno struggled to find room against Kansas City’s front, Ball had a breakout game picking up 117 yards on 13 carries to go with a +3.0 rushing grade. He showed an ability to make the first man miss, as he did on his 45-yard run at the 5:01 mark of the third quarter.” – PFF’s Analysis of the Broncos’ 35-21 win in Kansas City.
– Dallas Cowboys C Travis Frederick (2009-12) is oh so close to making the list for the Race for Rookie of the Year: “Close to making the list. Our seventh-ranked center on the year.”
– Cleveland Browns OT Joe Thomas (2003-06) was honorably mentioned for PFF’s Team of the Month for November.
– Atlanta Falcons OG Peter Konz (2009-11) moved from center to right guard and had all sorts of trouble against the Buffalo Bills defensive line.
– Houston Texans TE Garrett Graham (2006-09) didn’t have a great week as he made the ‘Had a Bad Day’ Team Week 13: “Negatives in every area of the game as the team remembers the good old days with a healthy Owen Daniels complemented by Joel Dreessen. Memories…”
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 13? Is Wilson emerging as one of the NFL’s best? 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