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irish in the nfl Top Five Single-Game Performances 1. Michael Floyd, WR, Arizona Cardinals — Setting the tone for 2013, Floyd's final game of his rookie campaign was one to remember. Notre Dame's most prolific receiver in history had season highs in receptions (eight) and yards (166) while scoring his second touchdown of the season in 27-13 loss at San Francisco Dec. 30. 2. Harrison Smith, S, Minnesota Vikings — Seven weeks after returning an interception 31 yards for his first career touchdown (college or NFL) in a victory over Arizona, Smith took another pick 56 yards to the house in a critical win over NFC North Division foe Chicago with three regularseason games remaining. 3. Golden Tate, WR, Seattle Seahawks — In the third game of the season, Tate hauled in three passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns against visiting Green Bay. His 24-yard touchdown snag in Seattle receiver Golden Tate's the final seconds secured a Monday Night Football last-second touchdown catch victory. against Green Bay in September 4. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings — Ruhelped bring an end to the NFL's dolph pulled in five receptions for only 36 yards, but two of them went for touchdowns in a 24-13 referee strike. photo courtesy seattle seahawks victory over vaunted San Francisco Sept. 23. 5. Golden Tate, WR, Seattle Seahawks — This time Tate was on the opposite end of an exciting touchdown throw. On Nov. 11 against the visiting New York Jets, Tate — who made a touchdown snag in the first quarter — received a quick pitch and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice in the fourth quarter to cap a 27-7 win. Top Five Memorable Moments 1. Golden Tate, WR, Seattle Seahawks — OK, so his winning catch against Green Bay was really an interception by Packers safety Melvin Jennings. Plus, Tate should have been called for offensive pass interference on the Hail Mary hurl by quarterback Russell Wilson. That didn't stop Seattle fans from going bonkers in celebration or football fans in general from coming unglued on the replacement officials that tried their best to ruin the first half of the 2012 season. Sports Illustrated ranked the play as the most memorable in sports in 2012. 2. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings — Rudolph became one of seven Vikings to play in the 2013 Pro Bowl — and the third selected to the game as a replacement — after veteran Tony Gonzalez pulled out due to an injury. Rudolph went on to win game MVP honors, catching five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in the NFC's victory. 3. Jordan Black, OT, Kansas City Chiefs — Jordan Black retired after the 2010 season, sat out 2011 and then came back with the Washington Redskins underweight at 270 pounds. He worked hard to work his way back into a reserve role in 14 games before being suspended in December for four games after a failed drug test. He insisted it was a prescribed medication the NFL knew about, some reports saying it was for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He lost an appeal and missed the final two games of the regular season. Black is currently a free agent and would have to sit the first two games of 2013 if he were to return. 4. Ian Williams, NT, San Francisco 49ers — Though he didn't play in the Super Bowl against eventual winner Baltimore, Williams got an NFC championship ring in just his just his second pro season after going undrafted in 2011. 5. Brady Quinn, QB, Kansas City Chiefs — The days after Kansas City linebacker Javon Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend and then took his own life, Quinn led the Chiefs to a 27-21 victory over visiting Carolina Dec. 2 . It was the team's second win of the year after losing 10 of its first 11, and it was Quinn's first victory as a starting QB since Dec. 10, 2009, when he was with Cleveland. Top Five Players of 2012 1. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings — In his second season, Rudolph hauled in 53 passes for 449 yards and helped the organization reach the playoffs with a 10-6 regular-season mark following a dismal 3-13 record in 2011. For his efforts, the second-year player was selected as an alternate to the 2013 Pro Bowl, in which he was named Most Valuable Player. 2. Harrison Smith, S, Minnesota Vikings — Whether it was making plays on the ball (two interceptions returned for touchdowns) or delivering crushing hits (just ask Detroit's Calvin Johnson about that), the aggressive Smith proved he was worthy of being selected in the first round last year. He blew away rookie statistical averages of the 20 safeties taken in the first round since 2002. His 17 total starts were nearly five more than the average and his 112 tackles (104 in the regular season and eight in the playoffs) were 44 more than the mean. 3. Golden Tate, WR, Seattle Seahawks — Entering his third year, Tate flapped his wings often in 2012. He set career highs in every category and was a favorite target of rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, who connected with the former Irish star from the start. Tate's eight touchdown receptions (a total that includes the two he had in the playoffs) nearly tripled his output from his first two seasons, and he averaged 15.3 yards per catch in the regular season. He also threw for a touchdown on a trick play in a win over the Jets Nov. 11. 4. Trevor Robinson, C, Cincinnati Bengals — After being asked to move from guard to center to back up Kyle Cook and fellow former Notre Dame product Jeff Faine, the undrafted rookie Robinson moved to the top of the depth chart and started seven contests at the end of the year when injuries sidelined the veterans. The Bengals already have one of the strongest offensive lines in the league, and most experts believe Robinson will be named a starter for 2013. The team went 5-2, averaged 19.3 first downs and converted 41.6 percent of its third downs in Robinsons' seven starts. Cook returned for the final three games (including a playoff loss to Houston) and those numbers dropped significantly. 5. Justin Tuck, DE, New York Giants — It wasn't Tuck's best season. In fact, it was a pretty miserable campaign for the Giants in general after winning a Super Bowl the previous year. New York went 9-7 and missed Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph won the Pro Bowl's MVP award to cap off a successful the postseason. A rash of injuries slowed Tuck down in 2012, but he still second season in which he made 53 catches for 449 yards. Photo courtesy minnesota vikings managed to record 45 tackles and four sacks. Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview ✦ 139 136-139.Irish In The NFL.indd 139 6/25/13 2:46 PM