Joe Thomas Leads Resurgence In Cleveland » Brats & Beer

October 1, 2007
posted under: Badgers football, Badgers in the NFL, Jim Leonhard, Joe Thomas, Lee Evans, Owen Daniels

This week’s roundup of Badgers playing in the NFL starts with first round draft pick Joe Thomas, who is helping to put winning football back on the menu in Cleveland. The Browns on Sunday defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-13 to advance to 2-2 on the season, and a lot of the credit goes to Thomas and the offensive line. Quarterback Derek Anderson has been sacked just twice in previous games and the vaunted Ravens defense was never able to lay a glove on the guy. The Browns also rushed for 99 yards, with Jamal Lewis scoring a touchdown.

Unfortunately things didn’t work out for Owen Daniels and the Houston Texans. The former Badgers tight end had five catches for 69 yards but Houston fell to the Falcons 26-16. Ron Dayne also saw significant playing time because Ahman Green was inactive with a knee injury. The Great Dayne ran for 62 yards on 15 carries, but he also bobbled a pitch on a third and goal play from the one-yard line. Cornerback Jamar Fletcher had three tackles in that game.

The only other Badger to put up significant stats this weekend was Lee Evans, who had six catches for 72 yards in Buffalo’s 17-14 win over the Jets. The former Wisconsin wide receiver had been nearly invisible the past three games, with just five catches for 29 yards. However, safety Jim Leonhard was injured in the game after recording five tackles. No word on the severity of the injury, but he was taken for x-rays after hearing something pop.