Former Defensive Standout Karl Klug is Honorary Captain

Karl Klug scored his first NFL touchdown earlier this season with a recovered fumble.

October 24, 2013

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Former University of Iowa defensive lineman Karl Klug will serve as honorary captain when the Hawkeyes hosts Northwestern Saturday in Kinnick Stadium (11:01 a.m., BTN). Klug currently plays for the NFL's Tennessee Titans, who have an open date on their schedule this weekend.

Klug is a native of Caledonia, Minn., who was a three-year letterman as a defensive tackle from 2008-10. He started all 26 games over his final two seasons while helping the Hawkeyes post a three-year record of 28-11. During his career, Iowa concluded the 2008 season with a 31-10 win over South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, defeated ninth-ranked Georgia Tech 24-14 in the Orange Bowl following the 2009 season and beat 12th-ranked Missouri 27-24 in the 2010 Insight Bowl.

He was a permanent team captain as a senior and was Iowa's defensive Most Valuable Player. He earned second team all-Big Ten honors from league coaches and media. Klug was selected to compete in the East-West Shrine game following his senior season. He was a fifth round NFL Draft selection of the Tennessee Titans, one of six Hawkeyes selected in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Now in his third season with the Titans, Klug has played in all seven games this season, with one start, and has played in all 39 games in his NFL career. He forced and recovered a fumble earlier this season in a win over the New York Jets, scoring his first career touchdown with the recovery. Klug recorded 10.5 QB sacks in his first two seasons, most among Titan defenders in those two seasons.

At Iowa, Klug totaled 57 tackles as a senior, leading the Hawkeyes in both tackles for loss (13-67) and QB sacks (5.5-47). He earned the Iron Hawk Award and the Hayden Fry "Extra Heartbeat" Award as a senior. He amassed 140 career tackles, including 31 tackles for loss (126 yards) and 9.5 QB sacks (76 yards).

Klug will accompany the Iowa captains to the center of the field for Saturday's pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game, and on the sidelines during the contest.

Ted Ginn Jr. is a nice surprise for the Carolina Panthers

By Randy Inman
October 21, 2013

Ted Ginn Jr. has been the best free agent pickup by the Carolina Panthers this season. When I heard Ginn had signed with the Panthers my first thought was the kick return game just got better. Ted Ginn Jr. had other ideas such as becoming a solid wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers.

Ted Ginn Jr. was a very good college football player at Ohio State with 135 receptions and 27 all purpose touchdowns in three seasons. The Miami Dolphins picked Ginn with the 9th pick of the 2007 NFL draft.

Ted Ginn Jr. didn't ever quite get it done in Miami mostly due to poor quarterback play in my opinion. In three seasons with the Dolphins Ted Ginn caught 128 passes and had five receiving touchdowns. He did make a reputation for himself as a top notch kick and punt returner.

After joining the San Francisco 49ers Ginn slipped even farther off the radar as a wide receiver. The 49ers never seemed to use Ginn as much more than a returner and his reputation was as a wide receiver bust for such a high draft pick by the Dolphins.

But the Carolina Panthers needed a returner and also have been looking for wide receiver help ever since Mushin Muhammad retired. During training camp the Wolford Warrior Armanti Edwards got all the press while Ginn bided his time.

Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell really needed a third guy to help them out and Ted Ginn Jr has done that very well. Coming into the Rams game Ginn had 13 receptions, two touchdown catches and was averaging over 18 yards per catch. Ginn has also thrown some crushing blocks to help spring lose other players who had the ball.

Ted Ginn Jr signed a one year contract with the Carolina Panthers to prove he can play wide receiver and get a bigger contract with a team next year. I am sure Ginn would like to stay in Carolina if they are willing to pay him. Cam Newton is the best quarterback that Ginn has played with and that makes a difference.

I am a fan of Brandon LaFell but I think he would be a good number three wide receiver. I would like to see Ted Ginn Jr. starting opposite of Steve Smith or at least get more playing time for the Carolina Panthers. So far Ginn is without a doubt the best free agent pickup made by Dave Gettleman.

Punter Dave Zastudil and cover man Justin Bethel flip the field for Arizona Cardinals

By Kent Somers

October 9, 2013

When it comes to sexiness, punting is the flannel pajamas and pounding headache of football.

No one yells at the spouse and kids to run to the TV room because the punt team is running on the field.

But it’s an important part of the game, especially for a team with a terrible offense and a stout defense.

That’s why what punter Dave Zastudil and cover man Justin Bethel are doing is so important to the Cardinals. They have flipped field position when the offense hasn’t and are a big reason the team isn’t worse than 3-2.

“It started last year, really,” Bethel said. “Trusting — I trust he’s going to put the ball where he says he’s going to put it, and he trusts me to get down there and make the tackle. It’s a great combination.”

Zastudil has put 16 punts inside the 20-yard line, the most in the NFL this season. Of those 16, 10 have been downed inside the 10-yard line.

Last year, Zastudil set an NFL record with 46 downed inside the 20.

The Cardinals, of course, would prefer to see less of Zastudil and more of quarterback Carson Palmer and receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Zastudil’s heavy workload is a result of the Cardinals’ anemic offense. He punted 112 times in 2012, 21 more than the second-hardest-working man in the NFL punting business.

He’s punted 28 times this season, which means more than half of his kicks have been downed inside the 20 and 36 percent inside the 10.

This season, coach Bruce Arians has spent Mondays trying to explain what went wrong offensively the day before. That was true this week, too.

Until the offense can do more than “scratch some points out,” as Arians put it, the Cardinals will rely on defense and special teams.

That’s what they did last Sunday against the Panthers. A 56-yard punt by Zastudil from the Cardinals 29 contributed to Carolina starting a possession at their 21.

The defense sacked Cam Newton, and after a punt the Cardinals took over at their 46.

The offense didn’t do much but the Cardinals did get a field goal to tie the game at 3.

That’s scratching out points.

It isn’t attractive, and it probably won’t be enough to beat good teams. But it’s a big reason the Cardinals have more victories than 10 of the other 15 NFC teams.

What’s remarkable about Zastudil is that he missed half of the 2009 season and all of 2010 because of a severe knee problem. He was 32 and thinking that maybe his career was over when the Cardinals called in 2011.

Zastudil beat out Ben Graham for the job then and learned something in the process, too. Graham, who had played Australian Rules Football, was deadly at getting the ball to die deep in opponents’ territory.

He used the “Aussie kick,” which was brought to the NFL by former Chargers punter Darren Bennett. Zastudil watched how Graham did it and started to work on it.

“You drop the nose straight down and try to hit toward the bottom and middle of the ball,” Zastudil said.

The kick is even more effective when a team has a gunner with Bethel’s speed.

“Justin is one of the elite gunners in the league,” Zastudil said, “and the crazy thing is he’s getting better.”

Both Bethel and Zastudil know they aren’t going to receive much attention unless something goes wrong. Their names aren’t likely to show up in scoring summaries, but through five games, they have been the Cardinals’ most consistent offensive tool.

“I love doing what I do,” Zastudil said. “Coach Arians always says, ‘Know your role.’ I love doing my role. I’m just trying to get better. I still don’t think I’m hitting the ball exactly where I want to yet.”