Starting linemen, Peyton's spotlight and another injury

Week 10 update: Mormons in the NFL

Two defensive linemen from Utah's Fiesta Bowl team are now entrenched in their teams' starting lineups, while a rookie receiver keeps catching a piece of the wide spotlight cast on a superstar quarterback.

New York Jets defensive tackle Sione Pouha, Cincinnati defensive end Jonathan Fanene and Indianapolis receiver Austin Collie, three of 35 Latter-day Saints currently on active NFL rosters, are foremost among Mormons making headlines in professional football 10 weeks into the season.

Other story lines involve bizarre injuries, a fine and "Take a Player to School" Day.

__IMAGE1__Pouha and Fanene, who both began the season as reserves, now occupy starting spots and are being recognized for their play. The two linemen were on the same defensive front for the 2004 Utes.

In his fifth season with the Jets, Pouha has started seven games and been charged recently with filling in for injured tackle Kris Jenkins, a 6-foot-4, 360-pound Pro Bowl performer.

"The best thing that I can do is not become a Kris Jenkins, but become the best Sione that I can be," Pouha was quoted in The Record. "The only thing that I will try to parallel or mirror of Kris Jenkins is his effect in the middle, his ability to clog the middle, be disruptive, strike and to get off and re-establish the line of scrimmage.

"That outcome is definitely what I want, but to do it like Kris Jenkins does, manhandling people, I'd have to stay in the diner a little bit more and stay in the weight room a little bit more."

Pouha's increased role was featured in a lengthy Newsday article that mentioned his LDS Church mission. Pouha attended East High School in Salt Lake City before his career at the University of Utah.

__IMAGE3__His former college teammate, Fanene, helped the surprising Bengals overpower the Super Bowl champion Steelers in one of the NFL's showcase games of Week 10. He had six tackles and two sacks in an 18-12 win over Pittsburgh — a performance rotoworld.com called a "monster game." He has five total sacks and has started the past three games, taking over for the injured Antwan Odom.

A recent article on the team's official Web site, Bengals.com, described Fanane as "one of the nicest people in a Bengals locker room that has always admired and respected his quiet tenacity and toughness as he learned the NFL game while also helping people along the way."

In Indianapolis, rookie Austin Collie's successful start continues to be a frequent side note in stories about Peyton Manning's especially productive season.

An anecdote about Collie attending the Manning Passing Academy in 2008 and essentially being ignored led a Sports Illustrated story about the Colts quarterback. Collie and Pierre Garcon are two young receivers whose success has been highlighted in lauding Manning's abilities.

Collie had six catches against New England on Sunday. The returned missionary and BYU product has 401 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season. A New York Times article said Collie "may be the next Brandon Stokley in the slot."

__IMAGE2__Another LDS receiver and returned missionary, Utah State product Kevin Curtis, is one of several Mormons who have struggled with injuries this season. Curtis had surgery on his knee in late October and is not expected back anytime soon.

Ravens tackle Haloti Ngata has missed two straight games with a sprained ankle, while Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga and Bears safety Al Afalava also have missed time.

And though Denver linebacker/fullback Spencer Larsen has returned from what he called his "very weird" slip-and-fall injury, Minnesota fullback Naufahu Tahi became the second LDS player to miss time this year because of a locker-room mishap. The former BYU running back sat out a game against Green Bay with his own unusual injury, suffered while wrestling star running back Adrian Peterson.

Elsewhere around the league, Chargers safety Eric Weddle appealed a fine he received for a helmet-to-helmet hit, while Ravens tight end Todd Heap was featured in the Baltimore Sun for participating in the NFL's Take a Player to School contest.


E-mail: ashill@desnews.com


Mormons in the NFL

*Al Afalava, DB, Bears, Oregon State
C.J. Ah You, DL, Rams, Oklahoma
John Beck, QB, Ravens, BYU
#Ryon Bingham, DL, Chargers, Nebraska
#Stewart Bradley, LB, Eagles, Nebraska
Kirk Chambers, OL, Bills, Stanford
Austin Collie, WR, Colts, BYU
*Chris Cooley, TE, Redskins, Utah State
Kevin Curtis, WR, Eagles, Utah State
*John Denney, LS, Dolphins, BYU
Ryan Denney, DE, Bills, BYU
*Jonathan Fanene, DL, Bengals, Utah
Aaron Francisco, DB, Colts, BYU
#Devin Frischknecht, TE, Packers, Washington State
David Hale, OL, Ravens, Weber State
*Todd Heap, TE, Ravens, Arizona State
*Eric Heitmann, OL, 49ers, Stanford
Chris Hoke, DL, Steelers, BYU
Bryan Kehl, LB, Giants, BYU
*Brett Keisel, DL, Steelers, BYU
#Maake Kemoeatu, DL, Panthers, Utah
Paul Kruger, DL, Ravens, Utah
Spencer Larsen, FB, Broncos, Arizona
*Deuce Lutui, OL, Cardinals, Southern California
Brandon Manumaleuna, TE, Chargers, Arizona
Fili Moala, DL, Colts, Southern California
Shawn Murphy, OL, Buccaneers, Utah State
*Haloti Ngata, DL, Ravens, Oregon
Brady Poppinga, LB, Packers, BYU
*Sione Pouha, DT, Jets, Utah
Cory Procter, OL, Cowboys, Montana
#Derek Schouman, TE, Bills, Boise State
*Naufahu Tahi, FB, Vikings, BYU
Fui Vakapuna, RB, Bengals, BYU
*Eric Weddle, DB, Chargers, Utah

* Starter
# Injured reserve

Are we missing anyone? Let us know by sending an e-mail to mormontimes@desnews.com.