[ NFL ISLANDERS ]
Broncos from
isles are blue
There weren't too many NFL players with island ties feeling good about themselves after yesterday's games, including the threesome at Denver.
Second-year wideout Ashley Lelie (University of Hawaii/Radford High) started his third game of the season, but failed to get into the end zone as Denver lost a heartbreaker to Kansas City 24-23.
Lelie caught three passes for 36 yards, including a long of 21 to run his season totals to 12 receptions for 265 yards. He continues to have a team-best average of 22.08 yards per catch. Place-kicker Jason Elam (Hawaii) did his part by hitting field goals of 48, 29 and 21 yards.
The 48-yarder moved him past former Chiefs kicker Pete Stoyanovich for 20th place on the NFL's scoring list. A 53-yard attempt sailed wide left for Elam. It was his first miss of the season in 13 attempts. He's a perfect 38-for-38 on PATs.
On the defensive side, lineman Mario Fatafehi (Farrington/Kansas State) had two tackles to run his season total to seven. The third-year defensive tackle has not started a game this year for the Broncos.
Such is not the case for former University of Hawaii offensive lineman Kynan Forney. He started his fifth consecutive game for the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately for the big fella, Atlanta continued to struggle as the Falcons wait for Michael Vick to return under center. This week, Atlanta yielded only two sacks as a unit, but still lost to Minnesota 39-26.
Forney's teammate at UH, Adrian Klemm, missed his second consecutive game with an ankle injury, but unlike last week, the New England Patriots still managed to get a victory over visiting Tennessee. Speaking of wins, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally got one, much to the delight of starting offensive linemen Vince Manuwai (Farrington/Hawaii) and Chris Naeole (Kahuku/Colorado). Both started at their respective guard positions for a fifth consecutive week.
The Jaguars produced 123 yards on the ground, including 30 by Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala on the first carries of the season for the Saint Louis product, who played his college ball at Utah. Jacksonville did yield three sacks, but rookie quarterback Byron Leftwich threw for 336 yards in the win over San Diego.
Those weren't the only island boys celebrating their first wins. Chicago center Olen Kreutz was on the right side of the scoreboard for the first time in four games as the Bears upended the Oakland Raiders. Kreutz and his O-line mates helped produce 200 yards rushing and another 160 passing.
San Francisco got back on the winning track after three consecutive losses. That brought a smile to former UH linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, who is instructed by former UH coaches Dick Tomey and Greg McMackin. Ulbrich steered clear of Detroit center Dominic Raiola (Saint Louis/Nebraska) to finish with a team-high seven tackles. He also successfully defended a pass as San Francisco dropped Detroit, but eventually went out of the game with a concussion. Raiola's Lions managed only 84 yards on the ground, but didn't yield a sack.
Seattle tight end Itula Mili (Kahuku/BYU) also was on the losing sidelines yesterday. It was the first defeat of the season for the Seahawks. Mili didn't start as the Seahawks used a three-wide look to begin the game. It didn't fool Green Bay as the Packers won handily 35-13. Mili still managed four receptions for 31 yards.
New Orleans running back James Fenderson (Mililani/ Hawaii) wasn't nearly as active. He played in yesterday's Saints loss to Carolina, but had no carries or tackles on special teams. Pittsburgh fell to 2-3 yesterday after losing at Cleveland. Steelers defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen (Molokai/Boise State) had two tackles, including a sack.
