The Wolfpacker

July 2014 - Football Preview

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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158 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ PACK PROS These former Wolfpack standouts had the best NFL seasons last fall. 1. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks — Our list is topped by the Super Bowl champion quarter- back, of course, and it was a special season from beginning to end for the second-year signal-caller. Wilson led the Seahawks to their first 4-0 start in fran- chise history. By the end of the regular season, he had set the NFL record for wins by a starting quarterback in his first two years with 24; the number grows to 28 including playoff victories. He also joined Dan Marino and Peyton Manning as the only field generals to tally at least 50 scor- ing throws in their first two seasons. Wilson slightly improved on most of the outstanding statistics from his rookie campaign while Seattle won the NFC West crown and tied for the league's best record at 13-3. The signal-caller completed 63.1 percent of his 407 attempts for 3,357 yards with 26 touchdowns against just nine interceptions for a passer rating of 101.2, which set a career best and ranked seventh in the league. He also bettered his rookie rushing output with 539 yards and a score on the ground en route to his second straight Pro Bowl honor. In the playoffs, he continued to perform beyond his years. In the Seahawks' three games, he completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 524 yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions for a rating of 101.6. He had his best postseason performance in the Super Bowl, where he went 18-of-25 passing (72.0 percent) for 206 yards with two scores and no picks for a rating of 123.1, and led his squad to a dominating 43-8 victory. The 25-year-old Wilson became the third-youngest quarterback to ever win the big one, behind Ben Roethlisberger (23) and Tom Brady (24). 2. Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers — The 2013 NFL Comeback Player of the Year entered the season with a new offensive coordinator and head coach, while the previous two campaigns had been plagued by interceptions, sacks and a playoff drought that dated back to 2009. The change turned out to be exactly what Riv - ers — who had given up 47 turnovers, second most in the league, and was sacked 79 times from 2011-12 — needed. The quarterback enjoyed four consecutive 4,000-yard passing campaigns from 2008-11, but the number of his passing yards and touchdowns had decreased every year since 2010. Enter new head coach Mike McCoy and offen - sive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who utilized an offense more similar to what Rivers ran at NC State than what he previously did with San Diego. The Chargers went from 31st in the league in total offense to fifth, while reaching the divisional round of the playoffs. Rivers also got back on track. He set a career high and led the NFL by completing 69.5 percent of his passes for 4,478 yards with 32 touchdowns and just 11 intercep- tions. His quarterback rating of 105.5 tied his career best as a starter, and he ranked among the league's top 10 in touchdowns (fourth), passer rating (fourth) and passing yards (fifth). NFL.com ranked him as the second-best quarterback in the league in 2013, and Rivers was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl. 3. Mario Williams, DE, Buffalo Bills — Williams' tackles total went down from his debut campaign in Buffalo — from 46 to 38 — but he was brought in to terrorize opposing quarterbacks, and his sack total increased from 10.5 in 2012 to 13 last fall. Williams ranked fourth in the league in sacks and en - joyed his highest total since the 2007 campaign, when he set a career high with 14. It also gave him back-to-back double-digit sack seasons for the second time in his career. The former No. 1 overall pick was selected to his third Pro Bowl and was tabbed as a second-team All-Pro. 4. Jerricho Cotchery, WR, Pittsburgh Steel- ers — Speaking of turn-back-the-clock performances, Cotchery's 2013 campaign was a remarkable renaissance year for the veteran. In addition to recording the most catches (46) and receiving yards (602) since his 2009 campaign with the New York Jets, the wide receiver set a career high with 10 touchdowns. Cotchery tied for 10th in the league in receiving touch - downs, in addition to ranking third on his team in receiving yards and fourth in receptions. Cotchery parlayed that success into a two-year free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers, where the 32-year-old immediately becomes the team's most accomplished receiver. t5. Stephen Tulloch, LB, Detroit Lions — Tull - och may not produce a ton outside of the tackle column on the statistics sheet, but the middle linebacker made stops at a breakneck pace last season. He finished the year with 135 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three passes defended and an interception. The veteran ranked 10th in the league in solo tackles (93), while his total number of stops tied for eighth. He recorded at least 10 stops in six games, and started all 16 contests for the fourth straight campaign. The iron man has never missed a game during his NFL career. t5. Steven Hauschka, K, Seattle Seahawks — We might be stretching the rules a little bit here, but it's hard not to recognize Hauschka for his stellar season with the Super Bowl champs. He missed only two kicks the entire year and was perfect in the playoffs, which lead to his teammates dubbing him, "Hausch money." He kicked a pair of overtime game-winners and was an incredible 14 of 15 on tries from more than 40 yards. He converted on 94.3 percent of his kicks to rank second in the league, while his franchise-record 143 points scored ranked fourth. The Seahawks rewarded Hauschka with a three-year contract in March that made him one of the league's best paid kickers. He has eclipsed 100 points in each of his three campaigns with the club. ■ Top Five Seasons In 2013 ■ BY THE NUMBERS: Jerricho Cotchery 5 Players in ACC history that have recorded 200 catches and 3,000 receiving yards — Florida State's Peter Warrick, Duke's Conner Ver- non, Clemson's Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hop- kins, and Cotchery. 10 Touchdowns caught last year by Cotch- ery with the Steelers, which set a career high and tied for 10th in the NFL. His 60 points scored were more than the previous three seasons combined. 31 Playoff receptions, which have gained 471 yards and three touchdowns, in 10 ap- pearances. 78.3 Percent of his receptions in 2013 that went for a first down, which ranked fourth in the league. 82 Will be the wideout's number in Carolina this fall. He has been No. 89 for nine of his previous 10 years in the league, but did not want to take the number of legendary former Panthers receiver Steve Smith. He also wore No. 82 in 2011, his first year with Pittsburgh. 108 He was selected in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, 108th overall, by the New York Jets after breaking Torry Holt's school records for career receptions (200) and 100-yard games (15). 1,130 Receiving yards is Cotchery's single-season best, which he set with the Jets in 2007; it marked his second of consecutive 82-catch campaigns. 5,558 Career receiving yards for Cotchery, which ranks 25th among active players and 197th in league history. His 437 career receptions rank 24th among active players and 164th in NFL annals. Cotchery, who has posted 5,558 career receiving yards in the NFL, has previously played with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, and this season he has joined the Carolina Panthers. PHOTO BY AL PEREIRA/COURTESY NEW YORK JETS 156-158.Pack Pros.indd 158 6/26/14 3:36 PM

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