NFL Rookie Report Week 4

Offense:
The rookies who have made an impact in these first weeks of the young season mostly continued to do so in Week 4. Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson is slowly but surely turning into one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NFC East as he recored 35 yards on two carries and 71 yards on 5 receptions and a touchdown. He lost a fumble though which is his second mental mistake in as many weeks and something he has to work on. Eddie Royal has been very impressive so far for the Denver Broncos. The speedy wideout is a true playmaker as he showed in the Broncos' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Royal caught 9 balls for 104 yards and added a long pun return for 36 yards. The Broncos look to be in great shape at the wide receiver position for many years to come with Royal and teammate Brandon Marshall. Steve Slaton of the Houston Texas is taking advantage of the vacated backfield in Houston and is making the best out of his new found playing time. Though he only gained 33 yards on 10 carries against a stout Jacksonville front, he managed 83 yards receiving yards including a touchdown. Jonathan Stewart for the Carolina Panthers is more of a bruising type of runner. He splits carries with DeAngelo Williams but had a solid game on Sunday as he finished with 52 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. It was already his fourth score in as many games. Chicago's rookie runner Matt Forte wasn't fortunate enough to get a touchdown in his team's win against Philly but once again showed off his impressive versatility out of the backfield. Subpar on the ground with 43 yards on 19 touches, he helped his team with 42 receiving yards and continues to give quarterback Kyle Orton a nice security blanket on short passing situations. Another star among this year's rookie class is Tennessee's Chris Johnson. He tallied in 61 solid yards on 17 carries against devastating Vikings defensive front, reached the endzone twice and helped his team to remain unbeaten. Such joys are far away for the Rams' Donnie Avery as his team continues to wait for their first victory of the season. If they get it though, you figure that Avery might be a reason for it. On Sunday he rushed for a 37 yard touchdown on an end around and added 3 receptions for 22 yards. Not special numbers but a welcomed sign for a squad that desperately needs new life. Other receivers were rather quiet this week, yet Jordy Nelson (Green Bay) and Dustin Keller (New York Jets) have solidified their roles on their respective teams. Nelson caught 4 passes for 31 yards and Keller caught Brett Favre's career high setting 6th touchdown against the Cardinals. Not bad for your only catch of the day!

In the trenches some of the young big guys continue to look real impressive. Jeff Otah starts at right tackle for the Carolina Panthers and does a fine job in both pass protection and run blocking. Same can be said for Duane Brown of the Houston Texans who looked outstanding against Jacksonville in passing situations. He needs to develop quicker feet but used his arms very well to fight off pass rushers. Carl Nicks got his first NFL start for the New Orleans Saints at left guard and did a very good job. He got through the game without commiting a penalty and got a great push in the run game, using his massive size and quick feet to open holes for his running backs. Branden Albert played well for Kansas City against Denver but got injured in the second quarter. Joe Flacco had a very solid performance on the first Monday Night Football game ever for him. Even though he couldn't lead his team to victory against the Steelers, he showed toughness on the road throughout the game and threw the first touchdown of his NFL career. Rashard Mendenhall replaced Pittsburgh's Willie Parker in the lineup but his first career start was cut short. He injured his shoulder on an inside run in the third quarter and didn't return. Best wishes to him!

Defense:
The linebackers among this rookie class continue to impress. Curtis Lofton once again racked up a high number of tackles for the Atlanta Falcons (7 solo stops, one assist) and looked good against the run. Former USC standout Keith Rivers has owned a starting spot at outside linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals and he thanks his coach for the confidence with solid performances. In the "Battle of Ohio" against Cleveland he recorded a total of 8 tackles. Both players not only continue to play heavy minutes, they also pay back by being very active on the field and playing very solid for first year players. Another linebacker who starts to burst onto the scene is Alex Hall from the Cleveland Browns. The 7th round pick from tiny St. Augustine College got a lot of snaps for the second week in a row and contributed with a tackle, a forced fumble and a sack. He already got to the quarterback the week before against Baltimore and looks to be a nice shot in the arm for an overall struggling Cleveland Browns defense.
The New Orleans felt a big boost this weekend by finally seeing Deuce McAllister run hard again. But on the defensive side of the ball they continue to get contribution from two first year players that fill important holes for the newly constructed Saints D. Tracy Porter is emerging as a true playmaker in the secondary and filled up the stat sheet pretty nicely against the 49ers. The aggressive corner from Indiana had 3 tackles, his first NFL sack, defended a pass and also got the first interception of his young career. He might have openend a little bottle after that game! And if he did, I'm sure Sedrick Ellis joined him. The strong defensive tackle looked stout in the middle by occupying blockers and he also recorded his first sack in the pros. There are a number of other players who got their big debut play this weekend. Hilee Taylor, defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, got his first sack and might continue to take advantage of the double teams against his teammate Julius Peppers. Taylor went to college at North Carolina by the way, just like Peppers. Buffalo's cornerback Leodis McKelvin finally got some extended playing time in the Bills' win at St. Louis. He immediately made an impact by forcing a fumble and recovering the loose ball. Brandon Flowers also recovered a fumble to set up a score for Kansas City, who not only got their first win of the season but also played a lot of first year players all around the gridiron. Flowers finished with 7 tackles and batted down 2 passes while his teammate in the secondary Brandon Carr managed his first career interception. Beside the pick he also defended 3 passes, recovered a fumble and added 2 solo tackles. And there was another rookie for the Chiefs who got his first highlight in the pros. Defensive end Brian Johnston sacked Denver quarterback Jay Cutler, rounding out the overall impressive performance by the Chiefs rookie defenders. Jets corner Dwight Lowery collected 9 tackles and forced a fumble against Arizona in a lopsided victory for his team.

In Tampa Bay the Buccaneers got solid contribution from two rookies in their secondary. The athletic Aqib Talib had 3 tackles (after only having one throughout the first weeks) and his rookie teammate Elbert Mack (undrafted out of Troy) also chipped in with 4 stops. Both might have a chance to take away some snaps from the aging and struggling Ronde Barber, even though this is hard to imagine considering Barber's resume in the league. Someone who is also working on such a storied legacy is Chris Horton, starting safety of the Washington Redskins. So far, he is doing a tremendous job. In Washington's impressive road victory at Dallas he had 3 tackles and an interception, giving him 3 for the year. He possesses good speed, gets quickly to the line of scrimmage and stays tight in coverage (he had a great tackle against Jason Witten on a crossing route). The other Redskins rookie safety, Kareem Moore out of Nicholls State, also had a solid showing with 3 solo tackles and adds to an already good depth in Jim Zorn's secondary.

Special Teams:
Well, let's also give the kickers and special teamers some props. We didn't have an impressive highlight reel return this weekend, atleast not from a rookie, but for the first year players the special teams are always a great opportunity to raise a few eyebrows. So did Washington's punter Durant Brooks. With two of his four punts he pinned the Cowboys inside their own 20 yard line and averaged 46.3 yards for the night, putting his defensive in good position numerous times. Tyvon Brach had a highlight tackle against San Diego's mighty mouse Darren Sproles, as he brought him down immediately after a catch. Branch is starting to become a star special teamer for the Raiders and his coaches love his contribution in this part of the game. Brian Witherspoon is propably getting similar reviews from his coaches in Jacksonville. Evn though he hasn't made the big splash with a touchdown, his returns have been a nice spark for the at times offensively challenged Jaguars. Against Houston on Sunday, Witherspoon averaged a solid 26 yards on kickoff returns but added an impressive 21.5 yard average on his punt returns. Another player who got his work in on special teams was Vernon Gholston for the New York Jets. He struggled so far on defensive snaps but his contribution on kicks and punts this week (4 tackles) earned him coach Eric Mangini's "Special Teams Player Of The Week" Award.