The All-Wahoos

The NFL Combine is upon us, and with that comes the talk of who is improving their stock the most for the Draft on April 25th and 26th. Once again, UVa will be well represented on the first day, with Eugene Monroe and Clint Sintim projected to go in the first two rounds. Even with sometimes mediocre performance on the field, Virginia continues to send high quality personnel to the League. That got me day dreaming about what an all-Wahoo NFL team would look like. The result is fairly impressive. To make the team better, I have included players who will likely be in the NFL next year (Monroe, Sintim, and Kevin Ogletree).

Offensive Line
D’Brickashaw Ferguson
Branden Albert
Brad Butler
Elton Brown
Eugene Monroe

Like the collegiate Cavs, offensive line would be a major strength of the All-Wahoos. The group includes 3 first round picks (Ferguson, Albert and likely Monroe) that maul the opposing team at the line of scrimmage. Brown is an excellent pulling guard who would create nice holes on pitches and screens. Butler is a dirty enforcer (just ask Mathias Kiwanuka) who ads toughness (and a white guy) to the line. Despite none of these guys having been in the NFL before 2005 (and Monroe not having played a game), the group has 106 starts between them. This young but experienced line would be a force together, especially with Heath Miller joining them at tight end.

Offensive Skill Positions
Matt Schaub
Thomas Jones
Jason Snelling
Heath Miller
Kevin Ogletree
Marques Hagans

Schaub has proven that he can be a good NFL quarterback if he can stay on the field. He looks to be injury prone though, which is why it is vital that he would have such a good offensive line protecting him. He has started in only 11 games in each of his two years in Houston, but has averaged 240 passing yards per game with a stellar 66% completion percentage and a 90 quarterback rating.

Thomas Jones would be counted on to be the workhorse of this offense, both with the stellar offensive line and deficiencies at wide receiver. He is up to the challenge however, as he showed this past year while running for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns while maintaining a healthy 4.5 yard average.

Jason Snelling would be the perfect bruising fullback in this offense. He is meant to hit people, not carry the load. Snelling struggled his senior year at UVa being the full time running back, but he was perfect his junior year when he paved the way for Wali Lundy. That year (2005), Snelling not only opened holes for his back, but he averaged 5.6 yards per carry as changeup in the running game with only 58 carries. He has done the same thing in Atlanta with Michael Turner, and would do the same with Jones for the All-Wahoos.

Heath Miller would be Schaub’s primary aerial target due to the lack of a good wide receiver. Because of this (and the offensive line being so good), as coach of this team I would send Miller out as a receiver much more often than he does currently in Pittsburgh. The former Mackey Award winner already has two Super Bowl rings.

Wide receiver is the glaring weakness of this team. Hagans, Ogletree and Billy McMullen would compete for time on the field, but none show much promise, except maybe Ogletree. As coach, I would mix things up by running the CatFish, with Hagans taking snaps directly from center as he can throw the ball serviceably as well as dance around in the open field. The Magician, as Doc Walker so eloquently dubbed Hagans, would have to keep opposing defenses off balance. I would also run lots of Jumbo sets, replacing a receiver with another tight end in Tom Santi (10 catches as Dallas Clark’s backup in Indy last year). The running game would be the focal point of this offense.

Defensive Line
Patrick Kearney
Chris Long
Chris Canty

The All-Wahoos would play a 3-4 base defense, both out of need and skill packages. These 3 guys up front would no doubt get pressure on the opposing quarterback, especially with the help of a solid linebacking core. We all know how dominant Long can be, both sacking the quarterback and going sideline to sideline to tackle the ball carrier. Canty has quietly become an integral part of the Cowboys defensive line, playing in all 16 games in each of his 4 years in the NFL, and starting every game for the past two seasons. Even as a d-linemen meant to eat up blocks, Canty has had between 20-30 tackles every year. He would be counted on to do the same on this team. Kerney is a monster up front, with 77.5 career sacks in 10 seasons. The two-time Pro Bowler would be a great mentor for the younger Long and Canty.

Linebackers
James Farrior
Ahmad Brooks
Daryl Blackstock
Clint Sintim

This group of linebackers is solid but not spectacular. Farrior would be to these backers like Kerney would be to the d-line, a mentor and a motivator. This role would be especially important when dealing with the uber-talented but character-challenged Brooks and Blackstock. Sintim is a beast and also an upstanding citizen, who undoubtedly listen to all of Farrior’s advice. As coach, I would let Farrior coach these guys himself. He has been a pupil of the Steelers defensive system for the past 7 years, and I would want him impact every ounce of this knowledge with the team. Also a 2-time Pro Bowler like Kerney, Farrior would be an anchor of the defense.

Secondary
Ronde Barber
Marcus Hamilton
Jamaine Winborne
Billy McMullen

This is where things get dicey. Barber is obviously a stud, being a 5-time Pro Bowler and 3-time first team All Pro (one of the two best corners in the league). The problem is, no opponent would ever throw his way because the rest of the secondary is so weak. Hamilton was a nice college player but is overmatched in the NFL. Winborne is a seldom used corner who would have to move to safety on the All-Wahoo team simply out of need. He also missed all of 2008 with injury. The last safety spot is a real stretch. McMullen is a receiver, but has had trouble catching the ball in the pros…so lets put him at safety! He just needs to get his hands on the ball there, not catch it. This team would need the front seven to put monumental pressure on the opposing quarterback to avoid the weakness of the DB’s. They are certainly capable of doing that, and Barber can pick up a lot of the slack, but this is where the team would be won or lost.

So there you have it; the Oceanliner’s All-Wahoo NFL team. I think it’s pretty solid, but have no idea how it would do against all star teams from other schools…mainly because that would be too much work. If I have not included some glaring omissions, please let me know and we will make the team better. Wahoowa.