Week IV

Score one for the defense… For the second week in a row, picking a winner of the GBN “Rookie of the Week’ award wasn’t easy. However, unlike the previous week when outstanding performances by members of this year’s rookie class were few and far between, this week there were quite a number of solid outings by first-year players. Also unlike previous weeks when offensive rookies were far more prominent than their defensive counterparts, this past week was characterized by a number of outstanding efforts by rookies on the other side of the ball. New Orleans CB Tracy Porter, for example, was all over the field in the Saints’ 31-17 win over San Francisco. Porter, a second-round pick at the 2008 draft, had two impact plays - an interception and a sack - as the Saints evened their record at 2-2. Porter was also more than solid in coverage ands helped the Saints hold the 49ers to just a 50% completion rate. And that was just enough to win Porter this week’s rook of the week’ award. In fact, it was a good week all around for the Saints’ rookie class as DT Sedrick Ellis, New Orleans’ first round pick this year, had his first career sack in the win.

There is no ’I’ in ’team‘… While New Orleans got a nice team effort from its top picks at the 2008 draft, no rookie class had a bigger collective impact this past weekend than Kansas City, which ended a 12-game losing streak with a huge upset win over previously unbeaten Denver. DB Brandon Carr, a 5th round pick this year, had an interception and a fumble recovery, while CB Brandon Flowers, the Chiefs‘ second rounder, also recovered a fumble. The duo also combined on 9 tackles and 5 pass break-ups. Meanwhile, unheralded DE Brian Johnston, a 7th round pick from Gardner-Webb had a sack, while first round DT Glenn Dorsey, the 5th player selected overall this past spring, did a nice job clogging up the middle of the defensive front. And just for good measure, RBs Jamaal Charles, a third rounder, and undrafted rookie free agent Dantrell Savage both had long KO returns to give the Chiefs good field position. If there was a negative for the Chiefs’ rookie class, it was that OT Branden Albert, the 15th player selected at the 2008 draft who is KC’s starting LT, suffered a dislocated ebow and had to leave the game.

Speaking of defense, Washington safety Chris Horton, almost an afterthought as a 7th round pick this year, had his 3rd interception of the year to help the Redskins stun the Cowboys right in Dallas. Meanwhile, a pair of rookie DEs taken at opposite ends of the draft both ad their second sacks of the season. Chris Long, chosen second overall by St. Louis, had a sack in the Rams’ loss to Buffalo, while Alex Hall of Cleveland, another 7th rounder, had his second sack of the season to help the Browns to their first win of the season over Cleveland.

At the same time, there were some interesting productivity from this year’s offensive rookies although in the end nothing was easy. Denver WR Eddie Royal, a second round pick who was the first weekly winner of this year’s rookie award, had 9 receptions for over 100 yards, but also lost a fumble in the Broncos upset loss in Kansas City. Meanwhile, Tennessee RB Chris Johnson, the 24th pick this year, helped the surprising Titans to their 4th straight win scoring 2 TDs in a 30-17 victory over Minnesota. For the day, Johnson had 61 yards rushing, but actually only averaged about 3.6 yards per carry. RBs Matt Forte of Chicago and Houston’s Steve Slaton, also struggled to make a lot of headway on the ground in their team’s games, but both did some damage through the air. Forte, a second round pick who currently leads all rookies in rushing so far this fall, had only 43 yards on 19 carries in the Bears’ gritty win over Philadelphia on Sunday evening, but did have another 40-plus yards on 5 receptions. Similarly, Slaton, a 3rd round pick this past April, was held to 33 yards on 10 carries in the Texans’ disheartening overtime loss in Jacksonville, but had 83 yards and a score on 8 receptions. Meanwhile, Carolina RB Jonathan Stewart, the 13th player taken at the 200 draft, had 52 yards on 14 carries in the Panthers’ win over Atlanta.

Previous weekly winners:

Week I - Denver WR Eddie Royal
Week II - Oakland RB Darren McFadden
Week III - Dallas RB Felix Jones

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