I've written these weekly NFL recap pieces for the last two years and always noticed the Bengals or Browns fans in the comments section complain about how many Buckeyes are on the Steelers.
It's a valid complaint; I'm not overly fond of the Steelers, either. So, allow me to introduce a Buckeye-laden alternative for you Pittsburgh haters: the Carolina Panthers. Four Ohio State products now start for Carolina, tied with the Steelers when Mike Adams is healthy.
Good news for Buckeye fans, bad news for Panthers fans: Philly Brown and Ted Ginn are Cam Newton's top two options at wide receiver following Kelvin Benjamin's season-ending knee injury. Brown struggled with numerous drops in the preseason while Ginn didn't exactly impress anyone in week one. But, it's not like head coach Ron Rivera has better options – the inexperienced Devin Funchess and aging vet Jerricho Cotchery are next in line on the depth chart.
Up front, Andrew Norwell is still holding down the starting left guard spot and the newly acquired Kurt Coleman took over at free safety for week one. A change of scenery suited Coleman well, as he reunites with his former defensive coordinator.
Coleman fits in well after bouncing from Philadelphia to Kansas City the previous two seasons.
"His maturity level and the fact that he was comfortable in the system – he had played for (defensive coordinator) Sean (McDermott) in Philly," general manager Dave Gettleman told Panthers.com. "And he’s just one of those guys – guys like him know how to play the game. They understand the game, they know what they’re doing. And in this league, more games are lost than won. Teams beat themselves, and Kurt doesn’t beat himself."
Pryor Looks for Suitors
He was hoping it would be a career renaissance in a familiar state. Instead, Terrelle Pryor found out life as a wide receiver in the NFL isn't any more pleasant than when he was a quarterback.
The Browns waited all training camp for Pryor to recover from a hamstring injury and show he's capable of playing receiver. That didn't happen, but Cleveland placed him on the 53-man roster anyway. Then, four days after the league's deadline for roster reductions and while teams were deep in preparation for their week one opponents, the Browns waived Pryor. It cleared space for Cleveland to claim injured running back Robert Turbin.
Naturally, Pryor did not take it in stride:
#Browns Terrelle Pryor confirms for http://t.co/o11vJSOExu that he's been waived. "This will be a mistake by them,'' he said.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 10, 2015
According to ProFootballTalk, Pryor scheduled workouts with two NFL teams this week.
Play of the Week
Unless you're a diehard fan of offensive-line play, hardly anything the Browns do can ever be described as "spectacular." This one-handed grab from Brian Hartline is an exception:
How They Fared in Week 1
| Player | Team | Position | Stats/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Adams | Pittsburgh Steelers | OT | On PUP list (out until Week 7, at the earliest) |
| Will Allen | Pittsburgh Steelers | S | 8 tackles, 1 sack in Thursday's loss to Patriots |
| Michael Bennett | Jacksonville Jaguars | DT | 1 tackle in loss to Panthers |
| Alex Boone | San Francisco 49ers | OL | Plays tonight vs Vikings |
| Philly Brown | Carolina Panthers | WR/KR/PR | 2 receptions, 13 yards in win over Jaguars |
| Kurt Coleman | Carolina Panthers | S | 3 tackles in win over Jaguars |
| Nate Ebner | New England Patriots | DB/ST | 1 tackle in win over Steelers |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | Carolina Panthers | WR | 2 receptions, 54 yards and this bad drop |
| Johnathan Hankins | New York Giants | DT | 3 tackles in wild, come-from-ahead loss to Cowboys. |
| Brian Hartline | Cleveland Browns | WR | 2 receptions, 20 yards in loss to Jets |
| A.J. Hawk | Cincinnati Bengals | LB | 4 tackles in win over Raiders |
| Cameron Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers | DE | 4 tackles in loss to Patriots |
| Carlos Hyde | San Francisco 49ers | RB | Plays tonight vs Vikings |
| Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles | S | Plays tonight vs Falcons |
| James Laurinaitis | St. Louis Rams | LB | 7 tackles in OT win over Seahawks, also called out Bert |
| Corey Linsley | Green Bay Packers | C | Packers rushed for 133 yards, allowed no sacks in win over Bears |
| Nick Mangold | New York Jets | C | Jets ran for 154 yards, Mangold temporarily exited win over Browns due to a shoulder stinger |
| Jake McQuaide | St. Louis Rams | LS | Rams kick two field goals, one of which was a game winner against Seahawks |
| Jack Mewhort | Indianapolis Colts | OL | Was the Colts offensive line ready for the Bills front? Didn't look like it in loss |
| Andrew Norwell | Carolina Panthers | OL | Panthers offense wasn't impressive, still won comfortably |
| Mike Nugent | Cincinnati Bengals | K | Kicked two field goals, missed an extra point in win over Raidgers |
| Bradley Roby | Denver Broncos | CB | 1 tackle, slightly deflected potential game-winning touchdown in win over Ravens |
| Ryan Shazier | Pittsburgh Steelers | LB | 7 tackles, 2 for loss in loss to Patriots |
| John Simon | Houston Texans | LB | 4 tackles, started at outside linebacker while Jadeveon Clowney works his way back from injury |
| Devin Smith | New York Jets | WR | Practiced during the week, inactive for game due to rib injury |
| Donte Whitner | Cleveland Browns | S | 10 tackles, harassed on social media due to one missed tackle in loss to Jets |
