TrojanWire - Fred Davis

Trojans in the NFL: Week 11

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:28:48 -0800

Troy Polamalu (S, Pittsburgh) had one of the crazier weekends in the NFL. His three tackles (one for a 4-yard loss) and 4-yard interception return were pretty typical. His broken-up lateral returned for a touchdown was not. Referees incorrectly overturned the play, and later admitted their mistake. The Steelers pulled out a 11-10 victory over San Diego, the first NFL game to finish with that score.

Matt Cassel (QB, New England) had the biggest game of his career and was impressive even in defeat. Call it a moral victory. He piled up 400 yards on 30-of-51 passing with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 62 yards on 8 carries, making him the first NFL player to gain 400 yards throwing and 60 yards receiving in the same game. He led the Pats back from an 18 point deficit at halftime, but they eventually fell 34-31 in overtime. No worries. The best game of his career was enough to win over the Sports Guy.

Lofa Tatupu (LB, Seattle) made 9 tackles in a 26-20 loss to Arizona.

LenDale White (RB, Tennessee) carried 14 times for 52 yards in a 24-14 victory over Jacksonville.

Terrell Thomas (CB, NY Giants) had a career-high 5 tackles, one for a loss, in a 30-10 win over Baltimore.

Justin Fargas (RB, Oakland) carried 17 times for 57 yards in a 17-15 loss to Miami.

Willie McGinest (LB, Cleveland) made 5 tackles in a 29-27 Monday night victory over Buffalo.

Steve Smith (WR, NY Giants) caught passes for 12 and 5 yards in the victory over Baltimore.

Frostee Rucker (DE, Cincinnati) made 4 tackles in a 13-13 tie with Philly.

Mike Patterson (DT, Philadelphia) assisted on a pair of tackles in the tie with Cincy.

Brian Kelly (CB, Detroit) had 2 tackles in a 31-22 loss to Carolina.

Shaun Cody (DT, Detroit) made a tackle in the loss to Carolina.

Sedrick Ellis (DT, New Orleans) had a tackle in a 30-20 win over Kansas City.

Lawrence Jackson (DE, Seattle) assisted on a tackle in the loss to Arizona.

Also played: Fred Davis (TE, Washington), Sammy Knight (S, NY Giants), Billy Miller (TE, New Orleans)

Matt Leinart (QB, Arizona) didn't play, as usual. Does it strike anybody else as strange that after he got in for a few minutes in week two, he hasn't even been used in garbage time during three different games decided by 21+ points?

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Luc Leclerc/US Presswire

Trojans in the NFL: Week 2

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:39:27 -0800

Matt Cassel (QB, New England) was the most watched Trojan in week two. Nothing spectacular, no mistakes, it was a simply a solid performance that got the job done. He completed 16-of-23 for 165 yards and picked up 7 yards on 2 carries. As he pointed out in a post-game interview, all that matters are W's. He earned one in his first start since high school, 19-10, over the Jets (and some guy named Favre).

Reggie Bush (RB, New Orleans) is still a human highlight reel, but also still not an every down back. He returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown with ridiculous speed -- and a taunting wave. On offense he ran 10 times for 28 yards and made 7 receptions for 63 yards. The Saints lost to Washington, 29-24.

LenDale White (RB, Tennessee) split carries with Chris Johnson, but touched the rock 18 time for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Lawrence Jackson (DE, Seattle) had a big day. The rookie made 5 tackles, but, most impressively, had two sacks in a 33-30 overtime loss to San Francisco.

Troy Polamalu (S, Pittsburgh) overcame hamstring trouble to make 4 tackles and an interception in a 10-6 victory over Clevelend.

Keith Rivers (LB, Cincinnati) made 8 tackles in the loss to Tennessee.

Carson Palmer (QB, Cincinnati) doesn't seem his old self. After a lousy game last week, he was only 16-of-27 for 134 yards and 2 interceptions in a 24-7 loss to Tennessee. He also injured his ankle in the second half.

Justin Fargas (RB, Oakland) have 97 yards in week one and was holding off rookie Darren McFadden pretty well. Then he pulled his groing in the second quarter this week against Kansas City and McFadden had a great day. Before leaving, Fargas had 43 yards on 9 touches in a 23-8 victory.

Lofa Tatupu (LB, Seattle) made 5 tackles in the loss to the Niners.

Steve Smith (WR, NY Giants) made catches of 11 and 8 yards, as well as a tackle after a turnover. New York won 41-13 over St. Louis.

Matt Leinart (QB, Arizona) saw mop-up duty in a 31-10 victory over Miami. He completed a 15 yard pass on 2 attempts. Kurt Warner seems to have the job on lock for now.

Fred Davis (TE, Washington) saw the first pro action of his career and made a 6 yard catch in the victory over New Orleans.

Frostee Rucker (DE, Cincinnati) made 5 tackles in the loss to the Titans.

Sedrick Ellis (DT, New Orleans) made 4 tackles in the loss to Washington.

Brian Kelly (CB, Detroit) had three tackles in a 48-25 loss to Green Bay.

Willie McGinest (LB, Cleveland) made one tackle in the loss to Pittsburgh.

LaJuan Ramsey (DE, Indianapolis) had a tackle in an 18-15 win over Minnesota.

Also played: Sammy Knight (S, NY Giants).

Monday Night Football: Mike Patterson (DT, Philadelphia) will be playing against Dallas.

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Rich Kane / US Presswire

Tight ends still integral to Trojan offense

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:14:48 -0800

The numbers were impressive last year: 62 catches, 881 yards, eight touchdowns. The statistical hauls were the best on the team in all three categories.

Fred Davis dominated as a clutch performer and a go-to receiver in all situations. John David Booty and Mark Sanchez counted on him time and time again to deliver, and he did.

USC's Blake Ayles catches on quickly at tight end

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:37:33 -0800

Freshman from Orange Lutheran is 'going to help us,' Coach Pete Carroll says.

Fred Davis set a new standard for USC tight ends last year when he led the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns and became the first Trojan to win the Mackey Award, presented annually to the top college football player at the position.

Brennan's Crew

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:02:11 -0800

Replacing senior leadership is never easy; and while the development of Mark Sanchez gets the majority of the attention during USC's fall camp, matching the production that Fred Davis' departure left at tight end cannot be overlooked. Tight Ends coach Brennan Carroll, however, looks at this loss as an opportunity

McCoy hoping to step in at TE

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:30:26 -0800

When the USC offense needed a big reception last season, more often than not, it looked in Fred Davis' direction. Without its top receiver this year, though the Trojans might have to look elsewhere. If junior Anthony McCoy has his way, the Trojan quarterbacks won't have to look far. Go inside for the stor

Monday Hot Links

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:23:12 -0800

It's all football this morning ...

There are some tickets left for the games against Oregon, Washington and Cal. Everything else appears to be sold out. [USC]
Matt Calkins has a great article about early recruiting. [Riverside Press-Enterprise]
According to Forbes, USC is the 15th most valuable college football team in America. [Bleacher Report]
Playing fantasy college football this year? Check out this full preview of the Pac-10. [Athlon]
Fred Davis signs a 4-year deal for $5.3 million with the Redskins. [Washington Post]
Carson Palmer hates the Buckeyes and is talking some smack. Click here for audio. [AM 570 KLAC]
Ted Miller's doing more Pac-10 preseason position rankings. Anthony McCoy sits at ninth among tight ends (no guarantees about his starting spot), while the offensive line is fourth in the league. [ESPN]
USC is easily 1st overall in the Pac-10 according to EA Sports' ratings. [ESPN]

The Trojan Beat

Wed, 21 May 2008 09:52:34 -0800

After sweeping last week's three-game series against two-time defending national champion Oregon State, the Trojan Baseball team (27-26, 10-11) needs to close out their regular season with convincing wins at Washington State this weekend, in order to gain an outside chance for an NCAA tournament berth. "The Trojans can use their strength-of-schedule as an arguing tool as Boyd's World.com credits USC with the fourth-toughest schedule in the nation."

Fred Davis apologized for missing his last day of mini-camp before a Redskins press conference saying "It felt like I was about to go to the principal's office or something."

USC is planning to tell the NCAA it was unaware of any improper exchange of money/gifts between promoter Rodney Guillory and Trojan basketball star OJ Mayo. In addition "USC will emphasize to the NCAA that it had banned Guillory from receiving tickets to USC games in order to avoid any accusations of impropriety involving Mayo."

The USC women are "keeping it querque" taking an early 5-stroke lead in the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. And they're right on top of #2 UCLA...where they belong.

Surprise, surprise

Mon, 05 May 2008 10:22:43 -0800

Tight end Fred Davis is off to a rousing start with the Redskins after failing to appear for practice, which forced the team to call in its security until they learned he overslept.
``He just had a setback," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said of Davis. "Hopefully everybody will learn from the lesson that he is having right now about what it is going to take to get to a place on time, to be responsible.''
Davis was suspended two games his freshman year at USC for coming back to L.A. late from his home in Ohio. It might be worth following the Redskins blog.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider

Your USC NFL Draft Briefing

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:48:40 -0800

This Year: USC had another huge draft weekend with ten players getting selected overall -- the most of any school. They also led the way with four first round picks.

Historical Perspective: USC has sent 446 players to the League via the draft. 42 have been picked in the 7 years since Pete Carroll arrived, including 11 in the first round.

No Rush: For four USC draft picks, an extra year in school may have rewarded them with a big payday. Gary Klein explains in Sunday's LA Times.

No Hype: An interesting forum post found that 10 first rounders in this draft were given two stars or fewer coming out of high school (by at least one of the top recruiting services).

The Trojans:

Sedrick Ellis (DT) - New Orleans - 1st round, 7th pick
- Times-Picayne's blog story
- The Saints traded up to get Ellis
Keith Rivers (OLB) - Cincinnati - 1st round, 9th pick
- Enquirer article
- Enquirer video interview
Sam Baker (OT) - Atlanta - 1st round, 21st pick
- Journal Constitution article
- The Falcons traded up to get protection for new quarterback Matt Ryan
Lawrence Jackson (DE) - Seattle - 1st round, 28th pick
- Post-Intelligencer article
- The Seahawks actually traded down from 25th
Chilo Rachal (OG) - San Francisco - 2nd round, 8th pick (39th overall)
- Chronicle article
- Transcript of Chilo's conference call
- Local reaction is that the 49ers had a boring draft
Fred Davis (TE) - Washington - 2nd round, 17th pick (48th overall)
- Post article
- The Redskins got two receivers as well as pass-catching Davis
Terrell Thomas (CB) - New York Giants - 2nd round, 32nd pick (63rd overall)
- Post blurb (seriously, this was the best coverage we could find in the New York press)
John David Booty (QB) - Minnesota - 5th round, 2nd pick (137th overall)
- Star Tribune article
- LA Times article
- Booty slipped lower than some though he might, but the Vikings traded up in the 5th round and now it's a great match.
Thomas Williams (OLB) - Jacksonville - 5th round, 20th pick (155th overall)
- Times-Union article
Chauncey Washington (RB) - Jacksonville - 7th round, 6th pick (213th overall)
- Times-Union article

NFL Draft Breakdown By Trojan

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:09:44 -0800

Draft footage of USC first-rounders: Ellis, Rivers, Baker and Jackson

USC had a phenomenal draft. Nearly 13% of picks drafted in the first round were USC Trojans. USC owned 11% of picks through the end of the second round. USC had 10 draft picks overall, the most out of any school, including four in the first round (also the most out of any school). Here's the draft breakdown by Trojan player.

Sedrick Ellis - 1st round, 7th pick to the New Orleans, Saints.
Keith Rivers - 1st round, 9th pick, to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sam Baker - 1st round, 21st pick - to the Atlanta Falcons
Lawrence Jackson - 1st round, 28th pick - Seattle Seahawks

Chilo Rachal - 2nd round, 8th pick - San Francisco, 49ers
Fred Davis - 2nd round, 17th pick - to the Washington Redskins
Terrell Thomas - New York Giants - 2nd round, 32nd pick (63rd overall)

John David Booty - 5th round, 2nd pick - Minnesota Vikings
Thomas Williams - 5th round, 20th pick - Jacksonville Jaguars

Chauncey Washington - 7th round, 6th pick Jacksonville Jaguars

McCoy getting first crack at being the starting tight end

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:12:07 -0800

Fred Davis was so good last year — and the other receivers were so shaky — that tight end went from a bit part to a leading role in USC’s offense. With Davis gone, is it time for Anthony McCoy’s close-up? McCoy will get first crack at the starting job for next season, though redshirt freshman Rhett Ellison is pushing him this spring and Blake Ayles of Orange Lutheran figures to get a long look when he arrives this fall.

Titans Eyeing Davis

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:28:33 -0800

(Photo by MARK J. TERRILL / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Titans pick 24th overall and need a two-way tight end that can stretch the middle of the field and become a safety valve for quarterback Vince Young.

Two NFL execs that don't need a TE were very high on him.

"He's a special player," said Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Steelers. "His receiving ability, it's special."

"I'm very impressed with him," 49ers GM Scott McCloughan said. "The receiving skills, the athleticism and the speed are all there. I think he'll go pretty quick."

Fred Davis hopes to join Greg Olsen, Vernon Davis, Heath Miller, Kellen Winslow, Dallas Clark, Jeremy Shockey, Todd Heap and Bubba Franks as tight ends who were first off the board.

Tight end may attract Titans [The Tennessean via Music City Miracles]

New Rivals NFL Mock Draft

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:48:20 -0800

From Rivals.com:

4. Oakland (4-12)
The Pick: Sedrick Ellis, DT, Southern Cal
The buzz: Veteran tackle Warren Sapp has joined the retirement list, and Ellis is flying up the charts.

9. Cincinnati (7-9)
The Pick: Keith Rivers, LB, Southern Cal
The buzz: The Bengals defense has struggled with young linebackers, and Rivers is a proven playmaker.

19. Philadelphia (8-8)
The Pick: Lawrence Jackson, DE, Southern Cal
The buzz: A pass rusher like Jackson would allow the Eagles to solidify their front seven on defense.

Surprising how fast Fred Davis/Sam Baker have fallen off draft boards.

Hazelton Undergoes Surgery

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:36:55 -0800

Hazelton makes a one-handed grab in the 2007 opener. Frank Bellino/Riverside Press-Enterprise

Sophomore Vidal Hazelton, who hauled in 50 receptions for 540-yards in 2007, has undergone stomach surgery to repair two muscle tears - according to Press-Telegram. The lanky, 6-3 wide-receiver was sometimes criticized for a lack of explosive speed during his breakout season, despite averaging 10.8 yards per catch. But whatever perceived "deficit" he may have had, it was likely caused by a nagging internal injury. And somehow despite the pain, Hazelton managed to man-up, play through and make major contributions to the Trojan offense.

Hazelton played last season with what was believed to be a groin injury but it turned out to be multiple stomach tears. He is expected to be fully recovered for spring practice, which begins next month.

Hazelton finished the 2007 season third on the USC's receiver-roster in total yards, only behind TE Fred Davis (881 yds) and Patrick Turner (569 yds). With Fred Davis likely to go first round in the NFL draft, a healthy Hazelton will likely factor in as a strong component in the Trojans' 2008 receiving-strategy. Expect another grab like the one pictured above in the '08 opener against Virginia.