Monday ProCanes Report: Graham Shakes It Up
The Monday Morning #ProCanes report will weed through all the NFL highlights and news to bring you the information you care about the most… what the former University of Miami Hurricanes did during the week prior. It took the force of a Hurricane to knock off the Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium – one that came in the form of Carolina tight end Greg Olsen. The Panthers’ seventh-year offensive star hauled in a touchdown pass from quarterback Cam Newton with less than one minute remaining in regulation to knock off host Miami 34-31 Sunday. And after another dominant showing from Jimmy Graham in a victory over divisional rival Atlanta, it’s safe to say the moniker “Tight End U” rang true in Week 12.
Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) – five catches, 100 yards, one touchdown
The Saints’ Pro Bowl tight end added another league record to his resume in a Thursday night win over Atlanta. Graham hauled in five passes for 100 yards, tying the single-season record for 100-yard games by a tight end with his sixth such performance of the season. Graham is the only tight end ranked among the top 20 in receiving yards in the NFL, and is just 54 yards away from his second career 1,000-yard season (946). Perhaps most impressive was Graham’s celebration of his 11th touchdown of the season, which matched a career-high total and shook the goalposts at the Atlanta Dome.
Video Highlights: 44-Yard Touchdown | Rocking the Goalposts
Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers) – five catches, 34 yards, one touchdown
While his numbers were by no means eye-popping, Greg Olsen delivered the knockout blow for visiting Carolina in a comeback win over Miami. Olsen’s one-yard touchdown grab from Cam Newton with 43 seconds remaining sent the Panthers to their seventh straight win, and helped continue an impressive streak for the standout tight end. Olsen has at least five touchdown receptions in six straight seasons, and is just three scores shy of his career-high eight set back in 2009 with Chicago. He now has 45 catches for 526 yards, good for an average of 11.7 yards per reception this season.
Video Highlights: Gamewinning Catch
Antrel Rolle (New York Giants) – six tackles, one interception
Though his team fell to divisional rival Dallas, veteran safety Antrel Rolle delivered another impressive performance for the New York Giants. Rolle, who recorded his fifth interception of the season with a first-quarter pick of Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo, tied for the team lead with six tackles on the afternoon. With his league high-tying total of five interceptions, Rolle has matched a personal best for picks in a season – set back in 2007 while playing for Arizona – with five more games to play. The Homestead, Fla., native is on pace for his third straight 90-tackle season for the Giants.
Video Highlights: Career Pick #22
TheUFootball.com #ProCanes Interview: Santana Moss
(interview conducted by Max Strauss)
HurricaneSports.com: Even with your busy schedule in the NFL, do you still follow the Hurricanes on Saturdays?
Santana Moss: “I’ve followed them ever since I have been in the league. I might not be able to watch every game, but I follow all of the scores and highlights. When I first left college, I wasn’t a big fan of watching college football. I don’t know. I missed it so much I didn’t want to watch it. It was crazy. But two or three years later, I started watching it like crazy because it is the most exciting football to watch. It is way more exciting watching than watching the pros play. Every Saturday I’m tuned in with the college ticket, so I get to watch all of our games.”
HS.com: Are there former Hurricanes teammates that you are still close with and speak with on a regular basis?
SM: “Reggie Wayne, Ed Reed, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis are guys that I see a lot. I bumped into Bubba Franks this offseason. I normally see him a lot too. I see a lot of the guys.
“The one thing about the family that we have out there – no matter how often you see each other or how many times you speak to each other, when you do see each other, you are definitely going to greet each other and treat each other like family. That’s what we do.
“It doesn’t matter where I have been. When I saw Ray Lewis this season, even though he was on the desk with ESPN for our first game of the season, it just how he greets me. From day one, when I was in college he came back and showed love. All of those guys. Michael Irvin too. They passed down the way to be a Cane, the way they played the game, and how to carry yourself off of the field when it came to our brotherhood. We all share a tight bond and that is something we will never let go.”
HS.com: What does the #NFLU mean to you?
SM: “It just shows that we have a bunch of guys coming from where you came from, that you are representing your school. Everyone wants to make it to the NFL, but to be the guy that everyone talks about on your team, or be the guy in the NFL at your position, that is different than just making it into the league. If you are considered one of the best that ever played that game, trust me, it’s not easy. There are a lot of guys from all over that make it to the NFL. Once you’re on this level, you’re not playing against guys that shouldn’t be on your level. You’re playing against everybody that should be there. When you have a lot of guys that come from where we come from, The U, and we’re playing at the top level of the NFL, it just shows what the school is about.
“I remember when I first got here to the Washington Redskins, one thing Dan Snyder would ask me: ‘Who is coming out of Miami that we should go get?’ He can count on a University of Miami guy being a great player and a great teammate. That’s one owner talking about us, I’m pretty sure all of the other owners have that same mentality. You can look on any NFL roster, and no matter what round the guy from the University of Miami was picked in, he is one of the guys that is talked about well on that team. The things that have been installed in him through the preparation part and the practice part of it, in college that has carried over to his game in the NFL.”
HS.com: How do you think being a Miami Hurricane has prepared you for life in the NFL?
SM: “When I was there, the offense we ran was an NFL offense. Our head coach Butch Davis brought in the offense that the Dallas Cowboys ran. People take for granted some of the goals that we accomplished as student-athletes as Miami Hurricanes. A lot don’t know that a lot of us graduated. We might have been preparing ourselves for football and what we’re doing after leaving the University of Miami. There were a lot of us who played in college and got our degrees, and when you put that into the bundle of everything else that you learned as a player, you are ready for whatever challenge is out there for you.
“I think playing in the NFL is almost like playing back in college. The stuff that you go through is not even on the same scale – I think we went through tougher things in college than we do in the league, since I’ve been in the league and I’m 13 years in. I still remember some of the practices and some of the summers getting ready for the season. I remember what Coach [Andreu] Swasey put us through in the weight room, and it doesn’t compare to stuff we do on the pro level. I think we’ve prepared well to come on this level and shine and be a force to be reckoned with.”
HS.com: Do you have any favorite memories from your time as a Hurricane?
SM: “Some of my favorite memories were beating UCLA the year they were supposed to go to the National Championship and beating Florida State my senior year. Those two memories stand out more than any memory. We really went out there and did some things that people didn’t think we were going to do. That brought us back to where we wanted to be. Those are two of my favorites.”
