Big Debut For Daniels and Dobbins » Brats & Beer

August 17, 2006
posted under: Badgers in the NFL, Brian Calhoun, Jim Leonhard, Owen Daniels, Tim Dobbins

The first round of pre-season games last weekend made the perfect stage for a couple rookies from Iowa State and Wisconsin to make their professional football debut. Linebacker Tim Dobbins had a great first outing (unfortunately) for the Chargers against the Packers Saturday night. The fifth-round pick out of ISU recorded four tackles and sacked Aaron Rodgers in San Diego’s 17-3 win over Green Bay. Meanwhile, former Badgers tight end Owen Daniels, who went to Houston in the fourth round of the draft, led the Texans with four catches for 29 yards in their 24-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

A couple other rookies from ISU also garnered some stats in their first NFL game. Tony Yelk kicked off a couple times and made an extra point during Atlanta’s 26-23 win over New England, while Tyson Smith recorded a tackle and a sack for the Giants in a 17-16 victory over Baltimore.

Rookie running back Brian Calhoun, however, didn’t see a snap in the Lions debut against Denver. The former Badger standout, who went to Detroit in the third round of the draft, is hopeful he’ll see some playing time Friday when the Lions meet the Browns. A couple other former UW players were cut prior to pre-season action, including fullback Matt Bernstein (Lions) and corner Levonne Rowan (Eagles).

Among NFL veterans seeing playing time, Scott Starks had four tackles and an assist for the Jaguars, both Alex Lewis and Anttaj Hawthorne had three tackles for the Lions and the Raiders, respectively, and Ron Dayne gained 12 yards on 5 carries for the Broncos. Erasmus James and Ross Kolodziej each had a tackle and a sack for the Vikings, Jim Leonhard had a tackle and recovered a punt for the Bills, and John Hall made a 38-yard field goal for the Redskins. Both James Reed and Jordan Carstens from ISU saw playing time with their respective teams, the Chiefs and the Panthers.

I was very impressed watching Sage Rosenfels in the Houston-Chiefs tilt. The former Cyclone star is really looking like a very solid backup QB now in his sixth season in the league. He completed 10 of 18 passes for 78 yards and ran for a five-yard touchdown at the end of the first half. Another ISU alum, Senecca Wallace, put up good numbers for the Seahawks, completing 11 of 17 for 117 yards, although Seattle lost to the Cowboys 13-3. Jim Sorgi, meanwhile, struggled to complete 7 of 17 passes for 64 yards in the Colts opener.