Brodney Pool

The two engaged in a rather violent collision last night when Vince Young delivered a deep ball to Cooper.  On his way towards meeting the ball in the air, Cooper was drilled by the shoulder of Pool, causing his helmet to pop off his head.  Replays of the incident make it appear as though Pool made a perfect shoulder-to-chest hit, but the officials felt otherwise, as the Jets’ safety was flagged for unnecessary roughness.  Young made them pay on the very next play, connecting with Chad Hall for a 16-yard touchdown.

While no one will likely remember the ensuing touchdown or the final score of this game, you can bet opposing receivers will remember the hit whenever they find themselves on the field with Pool.  However, as a second-string safety, that may not be a concern opposing wideouts are faced with all that often.

Here is another look at the hit.

The unheralded rookie out of UMass opened some eyes last night with his stellar performance.  The young wide receiver caught 6 of the 7 passes thrown in his direction and accumulated 145 yards in the process.  He also caught 3 touchdown passes with his longest reception being a 64 yard bomb.  The highlight of the night, however, was his one-handed catch.  With a Giants defender draped all over him, Cruz reached out with his left hand and made a spectacular catch that left the crowd and viewers in awe.

The thing about the NFL preseason is that it is a terrible predictor of how a team will do in the regular season.  While the Giants 31-167 victory may not mean a whole lot, it looks like this Cruz kid may have some staying power.  Only time will tell if he is for real, but for now his performance earned him “The Stat Line of the Night”.

So what does that mean for former first overall pick (and perhaps the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf), Alex Smith?

It looks like it will be another year on the bench for Smith, but while he failed to impress coaches with his arm, he may have turned some heads with his blocking.

During the 49ers preseason game against the Oakland Raiders this past weekend, Smith was unable to complete much, so when your QB can’t get anything going through the air, you team is forced to try something different in order to get the offense going.  San Fran’s coach, Mike Singletary did just that, and must have been impressed with what he saw from Alex.

With the reverse taking form, Smith found himself out in front of the ball carrier, and like any good teammate, he was looking for something to block.  That something came in the shape of a 6-6, 265 pound Greg Ellis.

Smith was clearly looking to prove something and win a starting spot on the roster as he laid out the Raiders’ large defensive end with a vicious hit.  It may not have earned him the starting quarterback position, but don’t be surprised to see Smith making blocks for running back Frank Gore as the team’s new fullback.

Hat Tip Video – [Second-String Fullback]