Knights in the NFL: Week 10 Recap

NFL week 10 had some excitement, especially for those who were able to watch the simultaneous endings to several early games on NFL red zone, at one of your local establishments, or on NFL Sunday Ticket.

Brandon Coleman and the Saints were involved in the first game decided Sunday. New Orleans trailed 3-0 and then exploded for 47 straight points. Buffalo tacked on a meaningless late TD, but not before the Saints lined up their 7th straight win. Coleman was mostly blocking once the game was out of reach but did add one catch for 30 yards.

Michael Burton, Marcus Cooper, and Andrew DePaola participated in what might have been the day’s best game. The NFL’s best rivalry was decided late when an old foe, Devonte Adams, made an awesome catch at the pylon for Green Bay to put them up 23-16. Chicago’s last drive crossed midfield but a key dropped pass could not be overcome, nor could the lateral-fest on 4th down.

Jason McCourty and Kenny Britt of Cleveland searched for their first win against Detroit’s Steve Longa. Britt silenced the Ford Field crowd with a touchdown to put the Browns up 10-0 in the first quarter, causing a panic on Twitter. Detroit clawed back and this game was almost as thrilling as the previous with the teams tied into the 4th quarter. Detroit scored two TDs, but Cleveland still had a chance just outside the two minute warning when Kenny Britt raced down near the red zone. After Britt was held to save a touchdown and the Lions flagged, on the ensuing play Detroit grabbed an interception to seal the deal, 38-24. Britt tallied two catches for 38 yards and the TD. McCourty had three tackles.

Logan Ryan (Titans) got the Bengals Clark Harris and Tyler Kroft in Nashville. This game was somehow better than the previous two as Cinci led 20-17 with less than a minute to go. Tennessee closed out a 73 yard touchdown drive with only 36 seconds to go in the game and Cincinnati’s Hail Mary attempt failed. The Titans threw more attention at Kroft than he had seen before, and Tyler managed just one catch. Harris added a tackle as the punting unit continues to impress. For the winners, Ryan had four tackles and a pass defended.

Mohamed Sanu and the Falcons hosted Dallas in a bout of disappointing NFC teams. Dallas scored first, but the home team put up 27 straight to close the game. Both teams now sit at 5-4 in a wide open NFC playoff chase. Sanu secured three catches for 29 yards after his nephew Mo Jabbie, had his first career catch for the Knights Saturday.

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Kevin Snyder of the Broncos returned to primetime for Sunday Night Football hosting Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon of the Patriots. This game started to get out of hand early as the Pats poured it on a reeling Denver team. McCourty (4 tackles, 1 TFL) and Harmon (2 tackles) were instrumental in keeping down the Broncos passing game. The Patriots now are just cruising along at 7-2.

Leonte Carroo’s Dolphins returned to primetime too, on Monday night in Carolina. Miami did what they have done all year, take a few punches but hang in there in hopes of a sneaky comeback. It was not to be in this one as Carolina continued to pour it on for a 45-17 final. Even down big, Miami did not deviate from their three receiver set with Carroo the odd man out. With their season slipping away, will the Dolphins change things up?

Bye: Eagles.

Local scores: Buccaneers 15, Jets 10 ... 49ers 31, Giants 21.

Practice squads: Andre Patton (Chargers), Carlton Agudosi (Cardinals)

Knights in the Pros flashback ... November 10, 1991.

If you talk to those who have been fans of Rutgers football for a long time, the most common player mentioned as the greatest linebacker in program history is Tyronne Stowe. Stowe arrived on the banks from Passaic High School and set several record including most career tackles (533), a mark that has not been seriously challenged yet. He had 22 tackles in one game against West Virginia in 1985 then added 27 against the Mountaineers the following year to prove it was no fluke. Despite the gaudy statistics, Tyronne was not drafted, but he caught on with the Steelers and played there for four seasons, starting seven games.

In 1991, the then Phoenix Cardinals had the deck stacked against them, as they continued to inhabit the NFC East (yes East) alongside four Super Bowl contenders. With a young team, they welcomed Stowe to shore up the middle of their defense. The Cardinals won four of their first eight games and were still in the playoff hunt when they hosted the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants at Sun Devil Stadium on a perfect, 74 degree afternoon.

The Giants struck first on a Jeff Hostetler 47 yard run, yes the quarterback. After that, it was a defensive struggle as the Giants were content to pound the ball with Rodney Hampton (24 carries for 99 yards), sprinkling in Maurice Carthon, and Super Bowl MVP Ottis Anderson in short yardage. Stowe was seemingly everywhere, as he tallied 14 tackles to consistently stop the Giants in the middle of the field. The Cardinals offense could not get it going themselves behind quarterback Tom Tupa (yes, the guy who became a full time punter). When the smoke cleared, neither team cracked 300 offensive yards and the Giants survived the Valley of the Sun for a 21-14 win.

Tyronne would play two more years for the Cardinals. After that he spent a year in Washington, DC playing for the Redskins then one more in the state of Washington with the Seahawks. He retired from the NFL and ended up back in Arizona as a pastor.

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