[ISLANDERS ]
Seahawks turn to
Mili in loss to Bengals
Seattle tight end Itula Mili has played a lesser role in recent weeks, due in part to the Seahawks' penchant for the three-wide.
Even yesterday, when Seattle returned to a more traditional set that included a tight end, the Kahuku High standout wasn't in the starting lineup. Granted, the Seahawks lost their second straight game, this time in Cincinnati, but it wasn't due to Mili.
He came off the bench to catch five passes for 80 yards, including two for touchdowns. Mili's 46-yard scoring catch from Matt Hasselbeck lifted Seattle to a 7-0 first-quarter lead and his 6-yard TD grab in the third gave the Seahawks a 24-17 advantage they couldn't hold.
For the season, Mili has 16 receptions for 178 yards and three touchdowns.
Other NFL players with local ties weren't quite as fortunate, including the trio for the Denver Broncos. Former Univeristy of Hawaii place-kicker Jason Elam managed a pair of short-range field goals in the Broncos' 26-6 defeat to the defensive-minded Baltimore Ravens.
Second-year wideout Ashley Lelie (Radford/Hawaii) got his fifth start of the season. He caught three passes for 28 yards, but wasn't able to find the end zone.
Denver defensive lineman Mario Fatafehi (Farrington/ Kansas State) had two tackles in the Denver loss.
Former UH linebacker Jeff Ulbrich managed six tackles in an OT game with Arizona, but like many of his former teammates, it was in a losing cause.
Things went a little better for rookie linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (Hawaii). He finished with three tackles, two unassisted in St. Louis' victory over Pittsburgh, running his season total to 30. Steelers defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen had a more productive day in a losing cause. He had four tackles overall, including two unassisted. The Molokai product, who played his college ball for Boise State, has 19 tackles in seven games.
Running back James Fenderson (Mililani/Hawaii) didn't have any carries or tackles on special teams in the Saints' OT loss to Carolina. Fellow island boys Chris Fuamatu-Maafala, Chris Naeole (Kahuku/Colorado) and Vince Manuwai (Farrington/Hawaii) were also on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
Naeole and Manuwai started for the seventh consecutive time at their respective guard spots and Fuamatu-Maafala had one carry for 6 yards, but it wasn't enough to help Jacksonville avoid its sixth loss in seven games. The Jaguars' O-line allowed only one sack.
Talented centers Dominic Raiola (Saint Louis/Nebraska) and Olin Kreutz (Saint Louis/Washington) started their seventh consecutive games for Detroit and Chicago. On this day, Kreutz's Bears got the better of Raiola's Lions. But Detroit's O-line yielded only one sack on 40 attempted passes, while Chicago gave up two.
