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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Week 1 Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 1.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Week 1 results

Tennessee def. Denver (Anderson, Callahan), 16-14
Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. New York Giants, 26-16
Seattle (Willson) def. Atlanta, 38-25
Los Angeles Chargers def. Cincinnati (Covington), 16-13
Chicago def. Detroit (Fox), 27-23
Kansas City def. Houston (Gaines), 34-20
Baltimore def. Cleveland (Sendejo), 38-6

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was active for the team’s Monday Night Football game against the Titans. This was the first game he was active since signing with Denver last year. The Broncos visit the Steelers in Week 2.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

Pittsburgh had their way through the air against the Giants in Week 1. McDonald caught one of two targets for three years with most of the offense running through receivers Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson. The Steelers host the Broncos in Week 2.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Russell Willson connected with nine different pass catchers on Sunday but did not complete a pass to Willson. The Seahawks host the Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell connected on field goals of 36- and 41-yards against the Giants on Monday Night Football. He made two of three extra points with the miss hitting the right upright. Last season Boswell was a perfect 28-of-28 on point-after tries. The Steelers host the Broncos in Week 2.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan finished second on the team in tackles with eight in his debut game with Denver. Six of those were solo tackles. The Broncos visit the Steelers in Week 2.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington had three tackles in his Cincinnati debut, playing on 51 percent of the defensive snaps. Earlier in the week, he had this to say about learning the ropes with a new team:

The Bengals visit the Browns on Thursday Night Football in Week 2.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox shined in his NFL debut, blasting a 55-yard punt and a 54-yard punt, both of which were downed inside the 15-yard line. He also registered his first career tackle. The Lions visit the Packers in Week 2.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines saw all of his action on special teams in his 2020 debut with Houston, playing seven snaps on Thursday night against the Chiefs. The Texans host the Ravens in Week 2.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo finished fourth on the Browns in tackles in Week 1 with four. Fellow safety Karl Joseph was the only member of the Cleveland secondary who had more (five). The Browns host the Bengals in Week 2.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football: Jack Fox dazzles in NFL debut with Lions

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Jack Fox made Rice Football fans proud in his NFL debut, excelling as the starting punter and kickoff specialist for the Detroit Lions.

Former Rice Football punter Jack Fox kicked played in his first NFL game this weekend. He showed no signs of any first-game jitters, blasting the opening kickoff for a touchback to start the game. He would go on to excel in a variety of roles in his pro debut.

Fox tallied two other touchbacks, put six kickoffs into the endzone. He had two punts travel more than 50 yards, both of which were downed inside the 15-yard line. He also handled holding duties for kicker Matt Prater. If that wasn’t enough already, he registered his first career tackle on kick coverage.

“Honestly I think I built it up in my head leading up to the game,” Fox said. “When I got on the field it just felt like a normal football game. But still a cool experience.”

For Fox, it took a “redshirt” year to master the finer details of the punting profession. A season spent on and off practice squads combined with an offseason working out with fellow specialists in Birmingham (at what has been dubbed the Punter Conclave on Fox’s recent appearance on The Roost Podcast) ended in a heated battle for the starting job in Detroit. Fox won the job at the end of camp. He proved on Sunday he was more than deserving.

Despite Fox’s efforts, the Lions were unable to win the game. Running back D’Andre Swift dropped what would have been the go-ahead touchdown pass from in the closing seconds. Had he hauled it in, the Lions would have won and made Fox’s NFL debut that much sweeter. Even still, Fox had a stellar start to what continues to look like a promising professional career.

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL – Preseason Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s where each of the NFL Owls stand prior to the beginning of the season.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Week 1 schedule

Denver (Anderson, Callahan) vs Tennessee
Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) vs New York Giants
Seattle (Willson) vs Atlanta
Cincinnati (Covington) vs Los Angeles Chargers
Detroit (Fox) vs Chicago
Houston (Gaines) vs Kansas City
Cleveland (Sendejo) vs Baltimore

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson signed with the Broncos midway through last season but never saw game action. He’s back on the roster this year and listed as the backup to Garett Bolles at left tackle on the team’s first official depth chart.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald is entering his fourth season in Pittsburgh, the longest stint he’s had with any one team since entering the league in 2013. His 38 receptions last year were the second-most in his career, but his 273 receiving yards were below his the 610 he posted the season prior. With Big Ben back, McDonald’s impact on the offense should tick back upward.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson was brought back to Seattle for his blocking ability. He’s an excellent addition to protect quarterback Russell Wilson with the ability to slip out and catch a few passes as well. He caught eight balls in eight games with the Seahawks last season while grading out as Pro Football Focus’ 13th best pass-blocking tight end.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan missed the entire 2019 season with injuries but is back and ready to see his first snaps as a Denver Bronco despite signing with the team November of 2019. He had six pass breakups and two interceptions in each of his last two seasons with the Bears, encompassing a total of 25 games.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington signed with the Broncos this offseason as a free agent but didn’t spend much time in the Mile High City. He was traded to Cincinnati in the final days of training camp, reuniting him with fellow Owl James Casey, the Bengals tight ends coach. Covington is coming off a productive season in Dallas with six starts, one sack and a career-best 28 tackles.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines appeared in five games with the Texans last season after joining the team following brief stints with the Bills and Browns. An ankle injury ended his season prematurely and could impact his availability for the start of the 2020 season. He practiced over the weekend after missing some time the week prior.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo spent time with the Vikings and the Eagles last season, totaling four passes defended, three interceptions and 45 total tackles. He won the starting free safety job during camp and projects to start alongside Karl Joseph in the defensive backfield for Cleveland this year.

Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell connected on 28-of-28 extra points last season and 29-of-31 field goals. He was perfect from inside 40-yards. He entered 2020 with a career field goal percentage of 87 percent.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox beat out Auburn grad Arryn Siposs for the starting punting job in Detroit this offseason. When he takes the field on Sunday he’ll play in his very first regular season game after seeing some preseason action with the Chiefs last year.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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BREAKING: Jack Fox to be Detroit Lions starting punter

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Former Rice football punter Jack Fox has won his first pro punting job, beating out competitor Aaron Siposs to become the Detroit Lions punter.

It’s been a remarkable journey for former Rice Football punter Jack Fox. From high school football in Missouri to college ball in Texas, Fox has moved around the country and back again hoping for one of 32 coveted NFL jobs. After years of striving, those dreams have come true, Jack Fox has won the starting punting job for the Detroit Lions per Dave Birkett.

The Lions will likely cut punter competitor Aaron Siposs this week as part of their end of camp roster cuts. The team will have to trim down their roster to 53 prior to their season-opening game against the Bears of Sunday, Sept. 13. When Fox takes the field on that day, he’ll punt in a regular season game for the first time in his career.

Prior to settling in with the Lions, Fox signed with Kansas City following the 2019 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent. He was cut from the Chiefs’ practice squad and drafted by an XFL team before ultimately signing a futures deal with the Lions and entering their punting competition.

Fox spent this offseason training with current and former NFL specialists. In spite of the challenges of working out without a gym in the midst of a pandemic, he found a way to continue to push himself to improve. While with Detriot, he’ll likely handle kickoffs and holds for field goals, as well as his duties as the team’s primary punter.

Check out our recent interview with newly minted Lions punter Jack Fox who jumping on The Roost Podcast in late August to talk about the competition and his offseason. The interview begins at 22:34. He breaks down what it’s like to battle for a job in training camp, what he’s learned during the offseason and more.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 35 – James Casey on Rice Football and the NFL

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The Roost Podcast can’t go too long without returning to our Rice Football roots. James Casey stops by to reminisce and update us on his journey through the NFL.

After spending the last two shows on the NBA with former Rice Basketball guard Tamir Jackson and Star Wars with cross country runner Adolfo Carvalho, The Roost Podcast returns to Rice football talk this week with James Casey.

The former Rice standout has been busy since he last played ball at South Main. He gave us the rundown on his adventures since Rice and what life is like working in the NFL during a pandemic.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with James Casey on Episode 35.


Episode 35 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. Make sure you James Casey on Twitter and let him know if you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • James Casey joins the show — The first active coach to join the podcast, Casey recounts his career up to this point and some of his favorite moments along the way including:
    • His Rice experience joining the football team after playing minor league baseball
    • His favorite non-athletic Rice memories and the squirrels on campus
    • The trajectory of Rice football now under coach Mike Bloomgren
    • The decision to become a coach and his path to the Cincinnati Bengals
    • Joe Burrow and the impact great quarterbacks can have on a team

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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