As you all know, my last two picks have gotten injured towards the beginning of the game and couldn’t finish. The most recent, running back DJ Harper, is out for the season with a torn ACL. I feel personally responsible for this happening and so this week I am going to try something different. In fact, I am going to attempt to fake out the curse and deflect it elsewhere. We will see how it goes. This week’s player to watch is... Boyblue Aoelua!
Actually, this guy isn’t even a starter. I just went down the roster for the New Mexico State Aggies and picked out the guy with the coolest name. His picture is pretty awesome as well! Aoelua is a linebacker hailing from Fagaitua High School in American Samoa. He is a sophomore and followed his older brother, A.T. to New Mexico State. Boyblue played in nine games last season and tallied two tackles, both on special teams. He is majoring in Geography. Just for good measure, here is a picture of A.T.
So there it is! This week's PTW! Moving on...
This week’s player NOT to watch…
Brandyn Thompson!
I figured since the Broncos have had a hard time forcing turnovers thus far this season, they are ripe for a huge game! I am guessing that with a pass happy offense (not by choice, New Mexico State has absolutely no rushing game), there will be a few interceptions to go around. Thompson, being an experienced senior, should have no problem finding his hands wrapped around a couple of errant passes and possibly even taking one in for a house call. But again, do not watch for him. He is just another player on the field. Watch Boyblue out there!
Brandyn is from Franklin High School in Elk Grove, California. He was an outstanding three sport athlete in high school, playing both ways in football and killing it! He was only rated a two star athlete and his only offer was from Boise State. He was named to BCS’s all bowl team after the Fiesta Bowl in January. Here is the picture of Thompson CBS put up while talking to him on the phone:
After receiving the honors for defensive MVP in the Fiesta Bowl last year, a lot was expected from Mr. Thompson in this his senior year. However, his play has been inconsistent, with a few bad plays and a few good plays mixed in there. Against Virginia Tech, he lazily “tackled” some receivers, allowing them to score or get huge gains. He was out of position a lot and that hurt what otherwise was a good defensive performance against the Hokies. One of the last plays of the game was him furiously running back into coverage and finger-tip batting a Tyrod Taylor pass to the ground to help seal the Broncos’ win. Against Wyoming, he never got a chance to show his improvement as their QB found himself on the ground with the ball in his hands frequently. The Oregon State game was by far his best. He blanketed the Beavers’ star receiver James Rodgers, limiting him to two catches for 11 yards. It was a great performance, though he was not able to snag an interception. Like I said, I think he is ripe for one or two (or three) against the Aggies.
Brandyn Thompson snags an Andy Dalton pass for an INT (Horned Frog receiver behind him)
Brandyn Thompson’s best game came two years ago when he picked off 3 passes in one game against Hawai’i. That season he finished with only 4, so it was obviously one of his greatest performances. In 2009, he led the team with 6 interceptions and had one heck of a time playing alongside future NFL first round draft pick Kyle Wilson. Wilson was a great leader and taught Thompson many things. In a defense that lacks a true leader in the secondary, Brandyn must step up and make some plays. As inconsistent as he has been this year, he makes huge plays when he has to. Expect more of that. As mentioned, Brandyn Thompson is not this week’s player to watch. Boyblue Aoelua is and please do so. Thompson is the player not to watch. Do not watch him do something like this against the New Mexico State Aggies:
House call!
So there we have it! Our Weekly PTW! Check back in and see my review of the weekend's action either Sunday or Monday.
*Disclaimer: I am in no way wishing bad luck or injuries upon Mr. Aoelua or his older brother. I hope they have a great game and make some plays. Brandyn Thompson is the player NOT to watch this week. My little sister would kill me if I was the one responsible for getting her favorite player injured. Don’t watch him…wink wink…
No comments:
Post a Comment