Badgers in the NFL Update
December 06, 2006 | Football
Below is UWBADGERS.COM's weekly look at how some former Badgers fared in their NFL games. For a complete list of former UW players in the NFL, please click the "Badgers in the NFL" link on the right-hand side of the main football page.
Dayne Gets Back on Track
After seeing limited carries in recent weeks, Houston running back Ron Dayne played a major role in the Texans' 23-14 victory Sunday in Oakland.
With Houston's passing offensive completely ineffective (quarterback David Carr finished 7-of-14 for 32 yards), the burden was on Dayne to shoulder the offensive load in the second half. He did just that by gaining 82 net yards to account for 115 percent of Texans' offensive total in the half.
"Ron bailed us out," tight end Mark Bruener told the Houston Chronicle after the game. "You could see how determined he was in the way he ran the ball. I was very impressed with what he was able to do.'
For the game, Dayne gained 95 yards on 18 carries, the fourth-highest total of his career. He also caught a pass for five yards. On the season, Dayne has 278 yards on 80 carriers.
Chambers Sets Season Highs
Winners of their previous four contests, the Miami Dolphins ran into a stingy Jacksonville defense Sunday and saw their playoff hopes take a major hit in a 24-10 loss.
With starting running back Ronnie Brown inactive with a hand injury, the Dolphins ' offense found little success on the ground and quarterback Joey Harrington was forced to attempt 42 passes, completing 27, in an effort to move the ball. Wide receiver Chris Chambers found himself on the receiving end of eight of them, good for 121 yards, both season highs.
Chambers also recovered an onside kick in the defeat.
Bollinger Shines in Brief Play
After watching quarterback Brad Johnson struggle for more than three quarters against Chicago's second-ranked passing defense (11-of-26 for 73 yards and four interceptions), the Minnesota coaching staff pulled the starter in favor of backup Brooks Bollinger.
In his first drive, Bollinger led the Vikings on an 89-yard march down the field that ended in a four yard touchdown run by running back Ciatrick Fason.
However, on the Vikings' next possession Bollinger was forced to leave with a shoulder injury after being sacked by Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye.
For the game Bollinger was 7-of-9 for 70 yards.
Weekly Roundup
Buffalo wide receiver Lee Evans had five catches for 45 yards in a 24-21 home loss to San Diego ' Evans-teammate, safety Jim Leonhard, also had a 32-yard punt return and one tackle in the game ' Detroit linebacker Alex Lewis notched a career-high 10 tackles as the Lions nearly upset New England in a 28-21 road defeat ' Jacksonville linebacker Nick Greisen had three tackles in the Jaguars' 24-10 victory at Miami ' Greisen's teammate, cornerback Scott Starks, also had a tackle in the win ' Kansas City running back Michael Bennett carried three times for 14 yards and caught four passes for 33 yards in a 31-28 road loss at Cleveland ' Minnesota defensive tackle Ross Kolodziej had two tackles in the Vikings' 23-13 loss at Chicago ' San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Williams returned two punts for eight yards in the 49ers' 34-10 loss in New Orleans
