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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Five rookies look to make NFL impact
DREW HARMS
dharms@kansan.com
The most rookie quarterbacks to ever debut in a NFL season opener was three, and that was back in the 1960s. This year it has been announced that five rookie quarterbacks will get the starting job for their given teams. In the past, coaches and management believed that rookie quarterbacks couldn't just come straight into the league out of college and start. This method has changed lately with the success of Cam Newton and Andy Dalton last year. This leaves the question: If a quarterback demonstrates talent out of college, understands the new system and is able to read defenses, why not start the rookie?
HERE ARE THE FIVE ROOKIES
THAT ARE GOING TO START
THIS YEAR:
1. Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts) — Luck has been one of the most talked about quarterback in the last decade and has sky-high potential. Luck was taken by the Colts as the first overall pick in this year's 2012 draft. He replaces the legacy of the great Peyton Manning as he tries to build his own legacy now. It should take some time for Luck and the Colts to rebuild from last year's disappointing 2-14 team, but Luck looks to be the new face of the Colts, and we'll see how he's developed later down the road. Luck's first game as a pro will be quite a test as the Colts take on the Chicago Bears this Sunday.
2. Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins) - Griffin won the Heisman last year, and he is the player featured on multiple commercials this offseason. He won the starting job for the Redskins this year Griffin hopes to display all of his talents as the Redskins take on the New Orleans Saints this Sunday.
3. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) — Wilson, who played his college ball at Wisconsin, won the starting job for the Seahawks this year. Wilson is probably the biggest
underdog on this list because not many believed he would earn the starting role this year. Many people thought Matt Flynn, who got a 3-year, $26 million deal this off-season, would get the nod, but the undersized 5-foot-11 Wilson outperformed Flynn. Wilson's talents were overlooked by many NFL teams as he fell deep into the third round of the 2012 draft. In college Wilson was unstoppable and looks to be sharp at the next level, too. In the preseason games, Wilson has shown his versatility as he was able to make plays with his feet when a play broke down and with his ability to throw the ball with accuracy on the run. The Seahawks' first game is this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
4. Brandon Weeden (Cleveland Browns) — The 28-year-old Weeden will get the start for the Cleveland Browns after beating out Colt McCoy. Weeden, who is from Oklahoma State, was drafted by the Browns second after taking Alabama's Trent Richardson as the 3rd overall pick. This look to be a rebuilding year for the Browns, but hopefully Weeden and Richardson will prove to be an effective duo for years to come. Weeden and the Browns kick off the season this Sunday against the tough Philadelphia Eagles.
5. Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins) — Tannehill, who came out of Texas A&M, looks to lead a depleted Dolphins team that had a 6-10 record in 2011 and will most likely have a worse record in 2012. Tannehill will not have star wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who was traded to the Bears, and the Dolphins recently cut Chad Johnson. Tan. chill will most likely struggle in his first year with a weak receiving core and bad defense. Look for the Dolphins to get blown out in their first game of the season, which is this Sunday against the Houston Texans, who some experts think could make the Super Bowl this year.
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
BASEBALL
Brewers beat down Marlins 8-5
MIAMI — Rickie Weeks homered twice and drove in four runs to help Wily Perala trophy his first major league start and lead the surging Milwaukee Brewers over the Miami Martins 8-5 on Wednesday night.
Corey Hart also homered and drove in four runs for Milwaukee, which has
won 13 of 16 to climb within 6 1/2 games of St. Louis for the second NL wild card spot.
Milwaukee (67-69) also trails the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh, with Atlanta currently on top of the wild card standings.
Peralta (1-0) pitched six innings, allowing three runs and five hits. The 23-year old right-hander struck out three and walked four.
NFL
Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) carries the ball as Miami Dolphins defensive back Nolan Carroll (28) holds on during the second half of an NFL preseason football game on Aug. 24 in Miami.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gonzalez going back to Kansas City
ASSOCIATE PRESS
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Tony Gonzalez's phone blew up as soon as the NFL schedule came out.
There it was, for everyone to see — the very first game of what he expects will be his final season.
Gonzo is going home.
The likely Hall of Famer, one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, spent the first 12 years of his record-breaking career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Come Sunday, Gonzalez will be lining up at Arrowhead Stadium as an opponent, trying to lead his current team, the Atlanta Falcons, to a victory over the franchise where he made his name.
But there will always be a big part of him in Kansas City.
"I guess it all worked out," Gonzalez said.
Indeed, there's a symmetry to the schedule. He's already said this, his 16th season, will likely be his last. It's only appropriate that Gonzalez gets a proper send-off from those who cheered him for so long but didn't really have a chance to say goodbye when he was dealt to the Falcons in 2009.
"Obviously, I've been thinking about it," Gonzalez said Wednesday. "When the schedule first came out, obviously, it popped out. Right then and there, my phone lit up with everybody calling me: my family, people that I'm still friends with from the organization, and the friends I made while I was up in Kansas City. It's going to be special."
And, he conceded, "a little weird?" Those guys in the locker room are now the ones he's trying to beat. He'll be the one wearing a visiting uniform.
Gonzalez has admittedly spent a lot of time reminiscing about his time with the Chiefs, focusing on
the good times. He remembered his first coach, Marty Schottenheimer. He thought about the explosive 2003 team, coached by Dick Vermeil, which won the AFC West and scored more points than any team in the league.
"I've been lucky enough to accumulate a bunch of really, really good memories," Gonzalez said. "It's funny, because these are the things you actually think about, things I thought about when I saw the schedule, and just looking back on my career there, it was all really memorable. Obviously, the losing seasons, you try to forget about those. But winning, that's what really popped out to me. It was just a great experience out there."
The only thing missing from Gonzalez's record is a playoff victory. Not even one. That's largely the reason he was traded by the Chiefs, who were about to go through another major rebuilding job when they agreed to deal their most notable player to a franchise on the way up.
Still, even though the Falcons have made the playoffs the last two years, Gonzalez's postseason drought has carried on. Atlanta was one-and-done both times, adding an extra bit of urgency to this season. He decided to come back for one more try.
"That was another reason that went into me coming back for this year" Gonzalez said. "That's the goal. That's my 'why' for this year. That's the reason you go out there and put it all on the line."
He truly believes this is the team that can give him not only his first playoff win, but a Super Bowl ring to end his career on.
"We've got a really good football team, there no doubt about that," Gonzalez said. "It's not just false chatter. We've got a really, really good team from top to bottom, offensively and defensively. I realize that we have an opportunity to go to the playoffs, win a playoff game, and that's what I want. That's why I've been playing this game my whole career, to hopefully get a chance at That Super Bowl. I feel like we've got as good a chance as anybody."
The Falcons realize this is a special game for Gonzalez, but they know he shares their bigger goal. They expect all the sentimentality to fade away as soon as the ball is kicked off.
"One thing I've noticed about Tony in the time he's been with us is he's extremely consistent," Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. "Week in and week out, he brings his best game. I expect the same from him. I expect what he normally brings to the game. This guy has a pretty level head. I'm sure it will be different for him going back there. But once we get out there, I'm sure he'll let all those things go to the side and just focus on doing his job and trying to play his position the best he can."
There's hardly anyone left from Gonzalez's time in Kansas City. Most of the roster has turned over. Romeo Crennel is heading into his first full season as the coach. But that doesn't lessen anyone's appreciation of what Gonzalez accomplished with the Chiefs.
"He probably was the leading edge of that transition to passcatching tight ends and being able to flex them out and use them almost like a wide receiver," Crennel said. "To do that, you've got to have that ability. You've got to have that tremendous ability: hand-eye coordination, great hands, that savvy about reading coverages and knowing how to get open.
"Tony has all of that."
Gonzalez kept his home in Kansas City for a while, perhaps thinking deep down he might return someday. He finally sold it last year.
Even so, he still has deep ties to the community. His brother, Vince, lives in Kansas City. So does his cousin, Dennis, who took over a cleaning business the player once owned.
"My ties are just the people," Gonzalez said. "Obviously, there aren't too many people on the team or in the front office because they came in there and cleaned house after I left."
Arrowhead can be one of the league's most imposing stadiums for a road team.
Gonzalez has tried to prepare the Falcons for what they'll face.
"Be prepared," he told them. "You're going to hear the coolest national anthem you've ever heard at the end of it, when instead of yelling 'Home of the Brave' they yell 'Home of the Chiefs'. After every first down they yell 'That's another Chiefs first down' and the whole crowd yells it. They're going to be crazy."
He's also got a message for the people of Kansas City.
"I would first of all say 'thank you,' Gonzalez said. "The way they accepted me, the way they stuck with me throughout the years, the appreciation that they've shown me. I want to give it right back to them. They made my time in Kansas City a wonderful experience."
Crennel hopes the return won't be quite as wonderful.
lokingly, he said the Chiefs hope to prevent the 6-foot-5 Gonzalez, who played basketball in college, from doing one of his signature moves after a touchdown — dunking the ball over the crossbar.
Ryan perked up when he heard that.
"I do want to see it!"
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