Final pre-season game - cut week

The final pre-season game was a week off for many of the our NFL DuvALUMNI - but some were fighting for a roster spot.
Tim Tebow (Nease)  threw 2 touchdown passes to hopefully impress the Pats to keep him. He was 6 for 11and had his customary 30 yards rushing as well. Rusty Smith (Paxon/Sandalwood) played a good portion for the Titans, going 13-21 with a touchdown pass. Nigel Carr (First Coast) started for the Ravens and had four combined tackles. Shaun Chapas (Bolles) started at fullback for the Lions, carrying 3 times for 11 yards. Jawan Jamison (Bolles) got his most playing time of the pre-season for Redskins, running for 34 yards and catching a pass. Ryan Seymour (Camden Cty) played on the O-line for the Seahawks. Xavier Brewer (St. Augustine) had 2 tackles for the Cowboys. Rashard Hall had 2 tackles.

Sam Barrington (Parker) had 6 total tackles including a sack for Green Bay in his most productive game of his rookie year. Darius Slay (Camden) started at CB for Detroit and has been impressive this pre-season. Caleb Sturgis (St. Aug) has won the kicking job in Miami and continued his perfect preseason, going 3 for 3 in field goals with a 44 yard long. A.J. Jenkins (Parker) had two catches for his new team in KC. Leon Washington (Jackson) had a few catches and continued his punt return duties for New England.

All NFL teams must be down to 53 players by Saturday August 31 at 6pm.

Summers cut by Vikings

Wide receiver Chris Summers (Ribault) was the only DuvALUM cut on Tuesday. The Liberty University grad had signed with the Minnesota Vikings, catching two passes in game two but collecting no other stats in the other two preseason games. Bolles alum Jason Spitz was released last week by the Jaguars, joining Summers as the only DuvALUMNI cut so far this preseason. Final cuts down to 53 are Saturday.

NFL Preseason Week 3

With only one more pre-season game to go, the DuvALUMNI have 21 players on active rosters in the NFL. A few didn't play due to injuries this week: Denver CB Champ Bailey (Charlton Cty) was, as Al Michaels would say, "out with a foot" and Atlanta LB Stephen Nicholas (Lee) will be out for the remainder of the preseason. Seattle's Cliff Avril (Clay) and Ryan Seymour (Camden Cty) sat out with injuries. Others not seeing action (not injury-related) were Washington RB Jawan Jamison (Bolles) and New England QB Tim Tebow (Nease). Rosters must be down to 53 players by this Saturday.

The rest saw action this week: Minnesota DL Letroy Guion (Bradford Cty) started without collecting any stats. Others who got "played/no stats" status were Baltimore LB Nigel Carr (First Coast), Tennessee QB Rusty Smith (Paxon/Sandalwood), Minnesota WR Chris Summers (Ribault), Kansas City WR A.J. Jenkins (Parker), and Detroit RB Shaun Chapas (Bolles).

Stat grabbers for the week: Buffalo RB C.J. Spiller (Union Cty) started, with 8 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown. Denver CB Tony Carter played with 1 tackle and 1 pass defended. Detroit CB Darius Slay (Camden Cty) started and had 4 tackles. former Jag Rashean Mathis (Englewood) played his first game as a Detroit Lion and had 1 tackle and 1 pass defended. Green Bay LB Sam Barrington (Parker) had a tackle for loss. Miami K Caleb Sturgis (St. Augustine) was 3 for 3 in field goals. Miami DB Nolan Carroll (Clay) had a tackle and a PD. 

Running backs Daniel Thomas (Miami/Hilliard) and Leon Washington (New England/Jackson) had 15 and 16 total yards respectively.

yada yada this past week about our guys:
Rashean Mathis
Ryan Seymour
Rusty Smith
Tim Tebow - I know he just doesn't get enough coverage

Jaguars release Bolles Alum Jason Spitz

Offensive lineman Jason Spitz (Bolles) has been released from the Jaguars. He joined the Jags in 2011, playing sparingly, including time on injured reserve. He joins a list of other players released by the Jags. More here

MLB DuvALUMNI UPDATE

With a little over a month left in the 2013 season, here is the latest on our local baseball heroes. (click on their names to get to their stat page on mlb.com)

Jonathan Papelbon - 2013 marks the ninth MLB season for the Bishop Kenny grad, his second with the Phillies after 7 seasons with the Red Sox, 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA 21 saves

Brett Myers -  Indians pitcher Brett Myers (Englewood), who has been sidelined with a right elbow ailment since late April, continues to feel discomfort in his arm when throwing off a mound.

Manager Terry Francona said Myers, signed to a one-year contract worth $7 million this winter to be Cleveland's No. 3 starter, feels no pain while playing catch on flat ground. "To his credit, he keeps trying," Francona said. "I think he feels like he signed his contract and he wants to play it out. As long as he wants to try, we appreciate it. He's giving it everything. He keeps trying. It just keeps getting to that point where he gets on the elevated part and it hurts."

Howie Kendrick: (West Nassau High) An MRI on Kendrick's left knee revealed no structural damage, prompting the club to give the 30-year-old an extra four to five days to see how he responds. But, as Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, "He's still sore." Kendrick, with a .301/.341/.437 slash line on the season, traveled with the team to Cleveland, but was getting treatment all day and didn't go on the field for workouts. His likely DL stint -- his first since May 2011 -- would be retroactive to Tuesday, allowing him to return as soon as Aug. 21

Jake Dunning: Dunning (Clay High) has appeared in a couple of games so far his rookie season for the San Francisco Giants. He was sent down to AAA in July. According to MLB.com "Manager Bruce Bochy said Dunning's demotion was not a result of his performance -- he had a 2.84 ERA in 20 games since joining the Giants. He said the Giants needed a full bench and that Dunning would have been unavailable the next day or two after pitching on four consecutive days earlier this week. "He did really a terrific job," Bochy said. "He came up ahead of schedule and I loved the way he handled himself and his poise."

Darren O'Day: O'Day (Bishop Kenny) O'Day, in his 6th season in the bigs is 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA in his set-up job with the Orioles.

Billy Butler The Wolfson graduate is the star of the Kansas City Royals in his seventh season with another solid season and has led the Royals to their best record at this time of the season in over a decade. Butler has been absolutely mashing over his past 15 games, hitting safely in 13 of them and batting .379 (22-for-58) with four doubles, three long balls and nine RBIs over that span. That hot hitting has boosted his season average from .275 to its current .289.

Daniel Murphy: Murphy (Englewood) has had a solid season at second base for the Mets with 10 hr 57 rbi and batting .275.

Michael Kirkman: The Lake City Columbia High grad has spent portions of the past three seasons in the big leagues. This year he was forced on the DL due to a battle with skin cancer. here's the story

Adam Wainwright: Wainwright (Brunswick) Another stellar year for Wainwright, 14-7 with a 2.66 ERA for the Cards.

Mat Gamel: Sadly, another injury -- this time a torn ACL -- that has kept Gamel (Bishop Kenny) out for the entire 2013 season.

NFL DuvALUMNI Preseason Week 2 Results

Stephen Nicholas (Lee) Atlanta Falcons - starting LB (2 total tackles) 

Nigel Carr (First Coast) Baltimore Ravens - LB (2 tackles) 

C.J. Spiller (Union Cty) Buffalo Bills - starting RB (7 carries 27 yards) 

Champ Bailey (Charlton Cty) Denver Broncos - starting CB (2 tackles 2 assist) 

Tony Carter (Mandarin) Denver Broncos - CB (1 pass defended) 

Rashean Mathis (Englewood) Detroit Lions - CB just signed with Detroit (8/17)

Darius Slay (Brunswick) Detroit Lions -{ROOKIE}  CB (2 tackles) Battling for a starting job for the Lions

Shaun Chapas (Bolles) Detroit Lions - FB (played, no stats) 

Sam Barrington (Parker) Green Bay Packers - {ROOKIE} LB (2 tackles, 1 pass defended)

Jason Spitz (Bolles) Jacksonville Jaguars - OL (played) UPDATE: Has been released by the Jaguars (8/19)

Caleb Sturgis (St. Augustine) Miami Dolphins - {ROOKIE} K (2 for 2 FG 44 yard long)  Sturgis beat out incumbent Dan Carpenter for the kicking job in Miami with a solid training camp and field goal perfection so far in the pre-season.

Nolan Carroll (Clay) Miami Dolphins -  DB (2 tackles) 

Daniel Thomas (Hilliard) Miami Dolphins - RB (4 carries 25 yards; 1 catch 27 yards)

Letroy Guion (Bradford) Minnesota Vikings - starting DL (no stats) 

Chris Summers (Ribault) Minnesota Vikings - (2 catches 23 yards).

Tim Tebow (Nease) New England Patriots - (passing 1 for 7, for -1 yards and an interception; running 6 carries for 30 yards)

Leon Washington (Jackson) New England Patriots - RET/WR - (1 PR 6 yards, KOR 1 -26 ) 

Ryan Seymour (Camden) Seattle Seahawks - {ROOKIE} OL (played no stats) 

Cliff Avril (Clay) Seattle Seahawks - DE  Seahawk free agent signee Avril has been hampered by a hamstring injury that has had him out of much of training camp. Coach Pete Carroll said he could be out a couple more weeks.

A.J. Jenkins (Parker) Jenkins had no stats in his final game as a 49er. He has been traded to the Chiefs. 

Rusty Smith (Paxon/Sandalwood) Tennessee Titans - QB (4-8 25 yards passing) 
Jawan Jamison (Bolles) Washington Redskins - {ROOKIE} RB (5 carries 20 yards) 

A.J. Jenkins traded

The questions about A.J. Jenkins (Parker) time with the 49ers has been answered. He was traded. NFL.com has more

Report: Rashean gets a team

From the roar of a Jaguar to a roar of the a Lion, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that DuvALUMN Rashean Mathis (Englewood) has signed with the Detroit Lions. The Lions were lit up in the secondary Thursday night against the Browns, certainly giving them worry about their defensive backfield. Getting Mathis in camp cannot hurt. Mathis made the Pro Bowl for the Jags in 2006, but injuries have kept him out for parts of the season for most of the past few years. The Jaguars let Mathis go back in March. He turns 33 in a couple of weeks. Mathis joins fellow area player Darius Slay, a rookie from Brunswick, in the secondary for the Lions.

What will the Cubs do with Baez?

Shortstop Javier Baez (ACD) is a quickly rising through the Cubs minor league system. The problem is the Cubs have a young shortstop already in the bigs in Starlin Castro who could be there for a while. What are the Cubs thinking now for the former Arlington Country Day Apache? The latest here

Expect more playing time for Daniel Thomas; Jenkins struggling

Miami Dolphins Running Back Daniel Thomas (Hilliard) is currently 2nd on the depth chart, but look for more of him this year. Miami Herald article here.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/13/3558853/miami-dolphins-expect-big-things.html

A.J. Jenkins (Terry Parker) struggling through Niners camp this year. the latest here

NFL Pre-season: who is where?

Now that we've had a full week of pre-season under our belt, let's see where the DuvALUMNI have landed for this year's season. As of now there are 26 area players on NFL rosters. A few of the stalwarts have moved on such as Brian Dawkins (Raines, retirement). Here are the twenty-six as they stand right now (and their game participation for the first full week of the preseason ). As always if I've left someone out, holler!

Stephen Nicholas (Lee) Atlanta Falcons - starting LB (1 assist) Nicholas is entrenched as a starter and did not see much action this week.

Nigel Carr (First Coast) Baltimore Ravens - LB (4 tackles) Carr finished the 2012 season on the Ravens' practice squad, trying again to make the final cuts.

C.J. Spiller (Union Cty) Buffalo Bills - starting RB (4 carries 36 yards) 1,000 yard rusher last year, this looks to be the major breakout year for Spiller.

Champ Bailey (Charlton Cty) Denver Broncos - starting CB (1 assist) The future Hall of Famer is back for another year with the Broncos.

Tony Carter (Mandarin) Denver Broncos - CB (played, no stats) Carter worked his way onto the Bronco roster last year, hopefully seeing more playing time in 2013.

Rashean Mathis (Englewood) Detroit Lions - CB just signed with Detroit (8/17)

Darius Slay (Brunswick) Detroit Lions -{ROOKIE} starting CB (no stats) The rookie started the game this week for the Lions, impressing the staff with his speed and athleticism so far through training camp. He was applauded for playing "relatively mistake-free football" in his debut, where he played 44% of the defensive snaps.

Shaun Chapas (Bolles) Detroit Lions - FB (1 reception, 1 yard) Chapas finished last season on the Lions' practice squad, hoping to make the roster this year.

Sam Barrington (Parker) Green Bay Packers - {ROOKIE} LB (3 tackles, 1 assist) Late-round draft pick out of South Florida, Barrington saw time and contributed on defense and special teams in his debut

Jason Spitz (Bolles) Jacksonville Jaguars - OL After missing all of 2012 on the IR, Spitz played 39 snaps for the Jags Friday night.

Caleb Sturgis (St. Augustine) Miami Dolphins - {ROOKIE} K (2 for 2 FG 58yard long)  Sturgis looks to win the job as kicker for the Dolphins, catching the attention of the NFL with a 58 yarder at Everbank Field Friday night.

Nolan Carroll (Clay) Miami Dolphins -  DB (4 tackles 1 pass defended) Carroll has worked himself into a mainstay on the Dolphins defensive backfield rotation.

Daniel Thomas (Hilliard) Miami Dolphins - RB (4 carries 19 yards) Thomas is fighting for a starting role with Lamar Miller, but should see plenty of time on the field this year.

Letroy Guion (Bradford) Minnesota Vikings - starting DL (1 tackle) Guion is an anchor in the middle for the Vikes.

Chris Summers (Ribault) Minnesota Vikings - The tall (6'5") Wide Receiver from Ribault via Liberty University played and was targeted for a pass once, but no stats.

Tim Tebow (Nease) New England Patriots - QB (4-12 55 yards passing; 31 yards rushing) Tebow came in earlier than expected when second-string QB Ryan Mallette went down with an injury. Tebow showed the inconsistencies he's been known for in his NFL career, as well as the shining moments that still give people hope.

Leon Washington (Jackson) New England Patriots - RET/WR - (1 catch 15 yards, KOR 20 avg.) The veteran's debut with the Pats was solid, contributing out of the backfield as well as returning punts and kickoffs.

Ryan Seymour (Camden) Seattle Seahawks - {ROOKIE} OL (played no stats) Rookie debut for the Seahawks.

Cliff Avril (Clay) Seattle Seahawks - DE  After monster years with the Lions, Avril has been hampered by a hamstring injury that has had him out of much of training camp. Coach Pete Carroll said he could be out a couple more weeks.

A.J. Jenkins (Parker) San Francisco 49ers - WR (1 catch 11 yards) With injuries depleting the Niners' receiving corps, Jenkins had his opportunity to shine in 2013, but unfortunately has had a bumpy go of it in camp, losing a fumble and only catching one ball for 11 yards in the game.

Rusty Smith (Paxon/Sandalwood) Tennessee Titans - QB (7-10 75 yds., 1 TD) Smith had the stats this week, 7 for 10 passing with a Touchdown, giving him a heft QB rating of 125. Smith has been mainly used as the emergency QB for the Titans, often not on the game day roster. More games like this could get the attention of the other 31 teams looking for a solid number 2 QB.

Jawan Jamison (Bolles) Washington Redskins - {ROOKIE} RB (played, no stats) Jamison was the last player by the Redskins, hoping to make the roster. The website The Bleacher Report had a nice write-up on him earlier this year.

Gary Barnidge (Middleburg) Cleveland Browns TE - signed with the Browns as an unrestricted free agent this spring.

Ricardo Mathews (Parker) Indianapolis Colts DE - begins fourth year with the Colts

Leodis McKelvin - the two-time All Pro from Waycross begins is 6th year with the Bills

Kion Wilson  (Raines) LB Wilson signed with Pittsburgh this year.


College football cranks up in a few weeks! Over 100 DuvALUMNI grace FBS rosters and another 100+ are on FCS school teams. We will keep you updated on them throughout the season.

Former Trinity star in legal trouble

Since Jamie Harper (Trinity) was released by the Tennessee Titans other NFL teams haven't shown much interest. This isn't going to help his chances. Read more here.