Two Former Players Named To Pro Bowl

San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers the starting quarterback of the San Diego chargers was named to his fifth Pro Bowl in his eighth season in the league. This year Rivers has passed for 4314 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 89.6. While being voted to the Pro Bowl this has been a down year for Rivers throwing 19 interceptions the most of his career, and his team the San Diego Chargers has been eliminated from the playoff contention.

Arizona Cardinals

In his eleventh season in the league Adrian Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals has been voted to his sixth Pro Bowl.  The strong safety for the Arizona Cardinals has tallied 62 tackles, 1 forced fumbles, and 1 interception so far in a season that will see the Cardinals miss the playoffs. Wilson has been the leader of the Cardinals defense since becoming a starter in his second season and in 2009 Wilson helped led the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII.

Jerricho Cotchery To See More Snaps Saturday for Steelers

Photo by the AP’s Tony Tribble

  Jerricho Cotchery is in his first season with the Steelers after spending the first seven seasons of his career as a New York Jet. The former Wolfpack star currently sits as third on the Steelers' depth chart at wide receiver, but due to injuries, he will see more playing time.
  Last week in the loss to the 49ers, Cotchery was Ben Roethlisberger's target on 6 passes catching 5 for 93 yards. For the season, Cotchery has 13 receptions for 209 yards.
  Going into the last two weeks of the regular season, Emmanuel Sanders may rest his ailing foot, allowing Cotchery to see more playing time.
  The Steelers are at home against St. Louis on Saturday and finish the regular season at Cleveland.

Former NC State Players in the NFL

Heading into the NFL weekend here is a list of former Wolfpack players to keep your eyes on and follow their progress.



       Player              Yrs. at NCSU     Current Team



Andre Brown              2005-08           New York Giants



Jerricho Cotchery        2000-03           Pittsburgh Steelers



Leroy Harris                2003-06           Tennessee Titans



Steven Hauschka        2007               Seattle Seahawks



Anthony Hill               2004-08           Indianapolis Colts



Scot Kooistra              2000-02           Minnesota Vikings



Ted Larsen                  2006-09           Tampa Bay Buccaneers



Manny Lawson            2002-05           Cincinnati Bengals



Sean Locklear              2000-03           Washington Redskins



Philip Rivers                2000-03           San Diego Chargers



Stephen Tulloch          2003-05           Detroit Lions



Brian Williams            1998-01           New York Giants



Mario Williams            2003-05           Houston Texans



Adrian Wilson             1998-00           Arizona Cardinals



Willie Young               2006-09           Detroit Lions

Hickson Home Sick

Photo: Bnei HaSharon, Jonathan Santiago

The NBA lockout now going into its 142 day many players are searching for other places to display their skills.  Some players have turned to playing basketball in foreign leagues to earn money and keep their skills honed. One such player is former NC State standout JJ Hickson currently of the Sacramento Kings.

Hickson a 6’9” power forward signed who in October 2011 signed with Bnei HaSharon, which plays in Ligat HaAl, the top division of Israeli basketball. The experiment lasted only one game with Hickson scoring 20 points, 5 assists in 32 minutes of play in a 119-80 defeat. After the game he meet with team officials to tell them he was home sick and he was later granted his release.

Hickson was a highly recruited player out of Marietta, GA before committing to NC State. He played one season, 2007-2008, with the Wolfpack earning honorable mention All-ACC and unanimous All-ACC Freshman Team. He was then a first round draft pick by the Cleveland Cavilers.

Sad Time For Wolfpack Nation

  Heading into an important game this Saturday against hated rivals UNC Chapel Hill Wolfpack fans everywhere head into the games with heavy hearts. The son of former NC State quarterback Erik Kramer was found dead Sunday morning in Agoura Hills, California. Griffen Kramer, 18, was a senior at Thousand Oaks High School where he was the backup quarterback for the football team.
  Griffen Kramer was discovered dead in his sleep at a friend's house early Sunday morning. After their initial investigation police do not expect any criminal activities and believe the cause of death to be alcohol poisoning.
  Erik Kramer attended and played football for NC State from 1985 - 1987 were he made All-ACC in 1985. After a successful college career Kramer went on to have a 10 yr NFL career achieving the most success with the Detroit Lions leading them to an NFC championship game in 1991 and then playing for the Chicago Bears from 1994 -1996.

Phillip Rivers Has "Worst Night Ever" Against Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 31: Philip Rivers(notes) #17 of the San Diego Chargers looks on prior to playing theKansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 31, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

  Phillip Rivers threw two interceptions in the 1st quarter that kept the Chargers from getting off to a quick start against the Kansas City Chiefs. Rivers ended up throwing for 369 yards against the Chiefs in the game, but struggled to get the ball into the endzone while being able to move the ball well against the Chiefs defense.
  Late in the 4th quarter, the Chargers drove to the Chiefs 15-yard line and were in position for Nick Novak to potentially kick the game-winning field goal. On first down at the 15, Phillip Rivers fumbled the snap, and the Chiefs recovered the ball.
  The Chiefs ran out the clock, sending the game to overtime. The Chiefs won the game on a Ryan Succup field goal in OT to make the final score 23-20.
  Near the end of the game, a shot of a dejected Rivers was shown on the sideline, and it looked like he said, "Worst night ever."
  After the game was over, here is what Rivers had to say about the fumble:

"I haven't had one in years," Rivers said. "It's unfortunate. I dropped it. This one is rough. You blow it on a play that never should have happened."

  The Chargers are now 4-3 on the season, and Rivers leads the league in interceptions. The team is known for having slow starts but finishing seasons strong.