Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/440225
IRISH IN THE PROS Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah was fined $22,050 for the helmet‑to‑helmet hit that knocked Clausen out of the following week's matchup. With the regular season over and the Bears not in the playoffs, Clausen will become a free agent, hoping to once again get an opportunity to start. It's been a while since a Notre Dame quarterback thrived in the NFL. The other Irish signal‑caller to be chosen in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft this century, Brady Quinn, retired in August and now serves as a game ana‑ lyst for FOX Sports. NFL NOTES Through Dec. 29 • During the regular season, a total of 33 former Notre Dame players were active for NFL teams at some point this year. Sixteen former Irish players were represented on the 12 teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs, including four (Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, Baltimore Ravens defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, Arizona Cardinals tight end Troy Niklas and Detroit Lions wide receiver TJ Jones) that will not participate due to injuries. The top two seeds in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, are the only two squads without a Notre Dame player. The Cardi- nals boast the most, with four. • Minnesota Vikings de- fensive back Harrison Smith (2007-11) finished another strong season with 93 tackles, nine passes defended, five in- terceptions (including one re- turned for a touchdown) and one forced fumble. • The Carolina Panthers (and former Irish long snap- per J.J. Jansen) reached the playoffs for the second consecutive year, but this time as the second team in league history to win their division with a losing (7-8-1) record. • Running back George Atkinson (2011-13) was activated from the Oakland Raiders' practice squad for the final five games and handled the team's kickoff returns. The other two Notre Dame players to declare for the NFL Draft following their junior seasons in 2013 were Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt (17 tackles and one forced fumble in 16 games) and Arizona Cardinals tight end Troy Niklas (season ended prematurely due to injury after catching three passes for 38 yards in seven games). • It didn't take long for the NFL to realize what Notre Dame fans did for four years and 52 starts of offensive lineman Zack Martin's career: He's pretty good. Martin was the lone rookie on offense elected to the Pro Bowl after a stellar inaugural campaign with the Dallas Cowboys. Martin is the first rookie from Notre Dame to reach the Pro Bowl since running back Jerome Bettis did so in 1993. The lineman became the ninth Irish rookie in history to reach the NFL's all-star game. Fellow rookies Aaron Donald (St. Louis) and C.J. Mosley (Baltimore) were later added as injury re- placements on defense. • San Diego Chargers second-year linebacker Manti Te'o is officially tired of girl- friend jokes, nearly two years after Deadspin.com revealed her to be nothing but a hoax. F o l l o w i n g a D e c . 2 0 matchup, San Francisco 49ers lineman Anthony Davis told the media Te'o "snapped" after Davis made a girlfriend joke on the field. "I got harassed a few times last year [on the field]. I ex- pected that. But this year? I told him, 'Find a new joke,' " Te'o told the San Diego Union- Tribune. ✦ Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin became the first rookie from Notre Dame to be elected to the Pro Bowl since running back Jerome Bettis in 1993. PHOTO BY JAMES D. SMITH/DALLAS COWBOYS FOOTBALL CLUB