In week 9, we saw the first representative from the secondary which is a CB won the rookie of the week award. Arizona Cardinals #39 big CB Brandon Browner with his 6 deflections performance beat Green Bay Packers TE Heath Miller in the voting by collecting 45% of the votes while Miller only managed to collect 31%. How about for week 10? Will we see new faces making the nomination? Or will we get another familiar face again to win it this week? So, without further ado, here are the five nominees for SFL 2005 Week 10 Rookie of the Week!
WR Matt Jones (DEN) 5 REC 139 YDS 2 TD 0 DROP Lost 14-23 at Raiders Jones was the second overall pick in 2005 SFL Draft. The Arkansas graduate boasts 6'6" 220 lbs. stature with more than enough speed and quickness inside the perimeter. This is the second time Jones be nominated for the rookie of the week. He was also nominated in week 3 when he scored his first career touchdown. This week he recorded 2 touchdowns. Even though that was not enough to avoid the Broncos from their 8th loss of the season, his individual performance was worth some recognition. Playing opposite of Anquan Boldin, he probably has formed one of the most dangerous wide receiving tandems in the league for the Broncos for years to come.
WR Braylon Edwards (DET) 4 REC 125 YDS 1 TD 0 DROP Won 20-16 vs. Cardinals Edwards was drafted as the 4th overall pick of the 2005 SFL Draft. The Michigan University graduate has got an ideal size and stature for a wide receiver at 6'3" 209 lbs. He is also quite athletic and fast. No wonder the Lions did not let him slip past them in the draft. This is his third time being nominated for rookie of the week. He previously was also nominated in week 4 and in week 8 but lost in the voting. He has become the second most favorite target for Michael Vick in Detroit behind veteran Derrick Mason. He has also become the reliable hands for the Lions. Up until this week, he has not dropped a single ball thrown to him. He is probably the only starting WR to do so. This week he showcased his big plays ability in a win against the Cardinals even with only 4 catches.
K Shaun Suisham (SF) 4 FGM 4 FGA 4 XPM 4 XPA 9 KO 0 TB Won 42-17 at Bears Suisham was drafted with the 26th pick in the 6th round of 2005 SFL Draft. The 6'0" 199 lbs. Bowling Green alumnus has quite strong and accurate legs for a rookie. He becomes the first kicker/punter who made the 5-nominees list for rookie of the week and he has made it twice so far this season. He was firstly nominated in week 7 where he lost in a quite close voting to Bears QB Alex Smith. That week he scored 16 points in 49ers win against the Redskins. This week he scored another 16 points in another win this time against the Bears, the team where Alex Smith is currently playing for. Sweet revenge, isn't it? Those 16 points came from 4 field goal and 4 extra point attempts. It shows how consistent he was throughout the game.
SS Jerome Carter (KC) 1 TKL 2 INT 1 DFL 0 CTHA Won 56-35 at Bills Carter was drafted with the 2nd pick in the third round of 2005 SFL Draft. The 5'11" alumnus of Florida State University is actually a little bit undersized for a safety but he has bulky posture with his 219 lbs of weight. That can help him in making powerful tackle especially when going up against bigger opponent. This week he helped the Chiefs to torture the Bills on their own turf in a 56-35 shootout. It looks like the new GM in charge in Kansas has found a way to win even though their season seems almost sailed but there is still little chance they could turn their season around with the help of Carter performing like this week in and week out.
FB Leonard Weaver (SEA) 5 CTH 67 YDS 2 TD 1 DROP 3 PANCAKES 0 SACK ALLOWED Won 41-27 vs. Rams Weaver was drafted with the 7th pick in the second round of 2005 SFL Draft. The alumnus of Carson-Newman University has quite the athleticism for a fullback running and bulldozing at 6'0" 242 lbs. He has been playing consistently for the Seahawks since day 1. This week he helped the Seahawks dismantled one of their division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers in a convincing win at home. Two receiving touchdowns from a fullback is rarely seen in football. Thus it was something special to cheer about. Even more special that the one who did it is still a rookie.
Those are the five nominees for SFL 2005 Week 10 Rookie of the Week. As usual, the voting will be open for 1x24 hours. So, please participate here by casting your vote before 7:00 AM 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: SS Jerome Carter (KC)
Kansas City Chiefs #20 strong safety Jerome Carter has won the SFL 2005 Rookie of the Week Award for his Week 10 performance against the Buffalo Bills. The SS becomes the second rookie from the secondary position to win the award. Carter got 39% of the votes from the league members to defeat other nominees such as Broncos WR Matt Jones (30%) and Seahawks FB Leonard Weaver (21%) in the voting race. Carter 2 interceptions in a shootout game against the Bills was something special to account for the award. Thus he deserves to be named our rookie of the week. Even though playoff seems out of reach now, Carter's achievement winning this award could be an extra motivation for the Chiefs GM to keep finding the best way to tally as many wins as possible in his first season in the league. Congrats and well done, Riley!
