Since Eleven Warriors helped ignite the "Bosa Shrug" phenomenon, it has swept the nation.
Men, women, children, babies, pumpkins, "The Situation" and – my personal favorite – Big XII Commissioner Bob Bowlsby have all embraced Bosa's signature celebration. With only three full weeks left in the year, I'm ready to declare the "Bosa Shrug" as the 2014's hottest move. Sorry, Bobby Shmurda.
It will be a couple years before Bosa is able to hit the shrug at the NFL level, so it's up to someone else to keep his seat warm. That someone is Brian Hartline:
The Program. The Tradition. The Excellence. @jbbigbear @brianhartline pic.twitter.com/qKk4BpbhMs
— WE WANT BAMA (@DawgPoundDSGN) December 7, 2014
Bosa responded, either in kind or with a veiled threat for a copyright infringement lawsuit:
@brianhartline I see you
— Joey Bosa (@jbbigbear) December 7, 2014
Hawk's Diminishing Role
Green Bay's victory over New England, last week, may be the NFL's most impressive win of the season. In a strong Packers defensive performance, it also marked a significant shift in snaps at linebacker.
A.J. Hawk has either led the team or finished second in tackles in six of his first seven seasons in Green Bay. This year, he is only behind Morgan Burnett for the highest tackle total on the squad. At this rate, Hawk figures to slip a little further behind Burnett.
Linebacker Sam Barrington has seemingly usurped Hawk for his inside linebacker spot:
Interesting development at ILB - Sam Barrington with 49 snaps and AJ Hawk with 27
— Bryan Hall (@PFF_BryanHall) December 1, 2014
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers will adjust Hawk's role depending on the game. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is a matchup nightmare for anyone, but especially if Hawk tried to shadow him. Instead of dealing with that headache, Capers put Barrington on the field.
Moving forward, Hawk's role isn't necessarily defined.
"I would say it would vary from week to week," Capers said, via ESPNWisconsin.com. "Again, based off what our opponent is doing, you’ll see different personnel groups and different people involved in those. It could change from one week to the next based on your injury situation, who’s available. The purpose is to try to get your best 11 people against who they put out there and the match-ups."
Play of the Week
This article led off with Hartline's touchdown celebration, but failed to show how he got to the end zone.
Well, here it is – Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill squeezes a pass to Hartline inside the five yard line:
How They Fared in Week 14
Player | team | position | stats/Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Mike Adams | Pittsburgh Steelers | OT | Not his best day, but Steelers still beat Bengals |
Will Allen | Pittsburgh Steelers | S | 1 tackle in win over Bengals |
Alex Boone | San Francisco 49ers | OL | 49ers with only 248 yds of total offense in loss to Raiders |
Philly Brown | Carolina Panthers | WR/KR/PR | 3 receptions, 42 yards and injured shoulder in win over Saints |
Chimdi Chekwa | Oakland Raiders | CB | Bumped up to No. 3 corner, 1 pass defended in win over 49ers |
Kurt Coleman | Kansas City Chiefs | S | 1 tackle, 1 pass defended in loss to Cardinals |
Nate Ebner | New England Patriots | DB/ST | 1 tackle in win over Chargers |
Ted Ginn Jr. | Arizona Cardinals | WR | 1 reception, 8 yards, 2 kick returns, 64 yards in win over Chiefs |
Johnathan Hankins | New York Giants | DT | 1 tackle, 1 QB hit in win over Titans |
Brian Hartline | Miami Dolphins | WR | 2 receptions, 11 yards, 1 touchdown grab in loss to Ravens |
A.J. Hawk | Green Bay Packers | LB | Plays tonight vs Falcons, although some don't want him to |
Boom Herron | Indianapolis Colts | RB | 8 carries, 26 yards, 4 receptions, 45 yards in win over Browns |
Cameron Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers | DE | 4 tackles, 1 sack matches career high for season |
Carlos Hyde | San Francisco 49ers | RB | 2 carries, 4 yards, 1 reception, 8 yards in loss to Raiders |
Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles | S | 5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 dropped INT in loss to Seahawks |
James Laurinaitis | St. Louis Rams | LB | 6 tackles, one sack and a half sack in win over Redskins |
Corey Linsley | Green Bay Packers | C | Plays tonight vs Falcons |
Nick Mangold | New York Jets | C | Geno Smith tried to do something with this low snap |
Jake McQuaide | St. Louis Rams | LS | Downed a punt on the one yard line on his birthday |
Jack Mewhort | Indianapolis Colts | OL | Colts o-line struggles, but TY Hilton's TD seals win over Browns |
Andrew Norwell | Carolina Panthers | OL | Panthers destroyed Saints in New Orleans |
Mike Nugent | Cincinnati Bengals | K | 3 XPs in loss to Steelers |
Ryan Pickett | Houston Texans | DT | 2 tackles in win over Jaguars |
DeVier Posey | Houston Texans | WR | Inactive again, might not be next week due to Andre Johnson's concussion |
Bradley Roby | Denver Broncos | CB | 9 tackles, 1 forced fumble in win over Bills |
Dane Sanzenbacher | Cincinnati Bengals | WR | Inactive for loss to Steelers |
Ryan Shazier | Pittsburgh Steelers | LB | Active but did not play much in win over Bengals |
John Simon | Houston Texans | LB | "The pickup of the year for the Texans" |
Rob Sims | Detroit Lions | OG |
Lions |
Donte Whitner | Cleveland Browns | S | 6 tackles, hints the Browns aren't a playoff team |