We are now already in the first progression week of SFL 2005 regular season. Who is excited to boost some points to your rookies? Some of the rookies have been performing well and become impactful parts in their own teams. These rookies deserve some recognition for their performances. So far we have awarded 4 rookies for the past 4 weeks. Let's take a look back at who were those previous rookie of the week winners.
Week 1: Chicago Bears QB Alex Smith Week 2: San Francisco 49ers QB Kyle Orton Week 3: Jacksonville Jaguars MLB Jordan Beck Week 4: St. Louis Rams MLB Odell Thurman
As you can see, so far there have been only 2 positions winning the award, which arguably are the most important position in each offensive and defensive side of the ball. How about for the next weeks? Will this be the trend until week 17? Only time will tell. For now let's turn our attention to which rookies are nominated for week 5. So, without further ado, here are the five nominees for SFL 2005 Week 5 Rookie of the Week!
MLB Barrett Ruud (CHI) 12 TKL 3 TFL 1 CTHA Won 31-24 at Browns Ruud was drafted with the 15th pick in the second round of 2005 SFL Draft. The Nebraska graduate has quite ideal size for an inside linebacker at 6'2" 241 lbs. However, he slipped all the way to the mid second round due to showing lack of speed in the scouting combine. This is the third time Ruud being nominated for rookie of the week as he was previously nominated in Week 1 and Week 2 but lost both in the voting. That shows how consistently great he is especially for a mid second round rookie.
LT Wes Sims (BUF) 9 PANCAKES 0 SACKS ALLOWED Won 23-15 vs. Dolphins Sims was drafted as the 5th overall pick in 2005 SFL Draft. At 6'6" 330 lbs., the Oklahoma graduate is a perfect specimen to man the LT position in the Bills offensive line for he is also quite nimble for a big man. No wonder he made the top 5 pick and thus became the first lineman taken in the 2005 draft. Such combination of size, speed and power is quite rare to find. Up until the 5th week this season, he has been playing really well for the Bills by not allowing any single sack come from his blocking assignment. This week he also successfully kept McNair safe while pancaking any defender that came his way. With Sims guarding McNair's blind side, the Bills could air it all out throughout the season and possibly save their GM's job in Buffalo.
HB Cedric Benson (GB) 10 CAR 94 YDS 1 TD 1 CTH 7 YDS Won 27-14 vs. Saints Benson was drafted with the 6th pick in the second round of 2005 SFL Draft. The Texas graduate has good size for a running back at 5'10" 220 lbs., despite not the fastest or strongest guy on the backfield. He has been playing quite well as the second HB in the Packers depth chart for the first five games this year. This week, spelling for starter Ricky Williams, Benson showed his peak and what he could do for the team when given a chance by recording an average per carry of 9.4 yards from just 10 totes. With their one-two punch backfield in Williams and Benson, the Packers could take some burden off of Brett Favre to carry the team into the playoffs.
CB Justin Miller (IND) 7 TKL 1 INT 1 TD 1 DFL 2 CTHA Won 28-14 at 49ers Miller was drafted as the 29th overall pick in 2005 SFL Draft. The Clemson graduate is probably considered by some as a little bit undersized for a cornerback at 5'10" 201 lbs. But that does not stop him from making impact plays for the Colts like he did this week. Recording an interception is already something special for a rookie cornerback, even more if it is a pick-six.
WR Craig Bragg (DAL) 6 REC 117 YDS 2 TD 0 DROP Won 37-17 vs. Eagles Bragg was drafted with the 9th pick in the second round of the 2005 SFL Draft. The UCLA graduate has got a quite ideal size and stature for a wide receiver at 6'1" 190 lbs. He also has quite good speed and acceleration. Lining up on the other side of Cowboys great WR Andre Johnson, Bragg has been performing consistently for the past 5 weeks even though he did not score a single touchdown in his first four games. But this week he scored 2 touchdowns to help the Cowboys beating their division rival the Eagles. He is also the primary man in kick and punt return duties for the Cowboys. This shows how versatile he can be and how dangerous this WR duo could be in the near future as both Bragg and Johnson are still under 25 years of age.
Those are the five nominees for SFL 2005 Week 5 Rookie of the Week. As usual, the voting will be open for 1x24 hours. So, please participate here by casting your vote before 9:00 PM EST tomorrow. If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to leave those below. Thanks in advance for your participation. GO ROOKIE...GO!!!
AWARDEE: WR Craig Bragg (DAL)
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Craig Bragg has won the SFL 2005 Rookie of the Week Award for his Week 5 performance in a division rivalry game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The WR got 42% of the votes from the league members. This marks the first time a WR won the award. By helping the Cowboys to get their first win this season with his 2-touchdown performance against the Eagles, he deserves to be well recognized. Currently sit at 1-4, it is now or never if the Cowboys want to start turning things around in their 2005 season campaign with Bragg and their offense seem starting to click now. Best of luck, Will!
