GT Pros Report 11/6/13

Since both Calvin and Demaryius had bye weeks, Sunday's NFL slate was, for the most part, uneventful. With the exception of Jonathan Dwyer, every offensive skill position player had a week to forget. Stephen Hill had the worst day out of the bunch, only receiving one target while getting the start. The Saints made it a goal to shut him down, but luckily for the Jets, they didn't need a major contribution from Hill.

Dwyer, while only receiving two touches the entire game, showed exactly why the Steelers still value him as a member of their offense. Dwyer took his only carry of the game for 30 yards, and caught a pass out of the backfield for 23 yards. While Dwyer may not have Chris Johnson's speed or Lesean McCoy's agility, he routinely gets the job done when the Steelers call his number. LeVeon Bell continues to play well for the Steelers, so Dwyer won't see too many touches going forward, but it's encouraging that he is still making the most out of the few opportunities he gets.

Continuing on his torrid pace, Daryl Smith dominated the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He finished the game with a final stat line of 9 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PD, and 2 QB hits. He is flying all over the field for the Ravens and his name is mentioned on nearly every play. As I said earlier in the season, he has a legitimate chance at a Pro Bowl and possibly comeback player of the year.

For the last couple of weeks we've been waiting for breakout games from Michael Johnson and Derrick Morgan. While Derrick Morgan struggled again Sunday, Michael Johnson had his best day of the season. He consistently applied pressure to the QB, recording a sack and two QB hits, while also getting two tackles for loss. The Dolphins offensive line is going through some very public issues at the moment, so there shouldn't be too much taken from his performance, but it's a good step for him and should build his confidence heading into next week.

Morgan Burnett and Philip Wheeler both had good days even though their teams came out on the losing end of their contests. Burnett led the Packers in tackles, while also recording a pass deflection. He continues to play at a high level for the Packers defense, and the team should start rolling when some key players come back from injury. Wheeler also had a better day last weekend. He saw the majority of the snaps on defense and was third on the team in tackles. While I don't think he's playing up to the contract he signed in the offseason, he's still playing well for the Dolphins. Their defense is definitely not the reason why they're losing.

Moving on to the NBA, Derrick Favors has started the season how many expected. He is still acclimating to his role as the go-to guy in the post, but has played well so far. He's nearly averaging a double-double, but needs to become more efficient with his shot selection and convert in the paint. A sub .500 FG percentage won't get it done in the NBA, and I expect that number to rise when he settles down.

Chris Bosh has surprised a lot of his critics with his play through the first week of the season. He's looked like a different player from last season, making more threes and shooting a higher percentage from the field. His efficiency numbers are up as well, and the Heat will be even heavier favorites if Bosh can contribute at this rate all season. The Heat are only 3-2, but they'll start to take off with Bosh, James, and Wade all playing well.

While subbing in for Brandon Jennings, Will Bynum balled out. In the first three games of the season, Bynum scored 17, 19, and 18 points respectively, while also dishing out 20 combined assists. His playing time has dropped considerably since Jennings' return, but Bynum showed he is still more than capable of filling in when needed. Georgia Tech's other NBA point guard, Jarrett Jack, has had a little more trouble getting going. He is playing below his career averages in most statistical categories, but I'll give him a pass for the first month or two, since he's on a new team that also added a number one pick and a former All Star center. Given time to mesh, Jack's numbers will increase.

Iman Shumpert has started the season off strong, shooting over .400 from behind the three and playing efficiently on offense. While his start is promising, I'm still curious to see if this is just a hot streak or a new Shumpert altogether. One player who has not surprised one bit, is Thaddeus Young. He continues to post numbers right around his career average and occasionally goes off for 20+ points. He's now the veteran presence on the 76ers, and the team will go where he takes them. And perhaps they won't completely suck after all. Michael Carter-Williams has played tremendously better than most people expected, given the depth on their roster.

The biggest story so far through the first week of the NBA season is undoubtably the play of Anthony Morrow, who has been lethal from beyond the arc. Morrow was irrelevant for the Hawks and Mavericks last year, but seems to have found his niche with the Pelicans. Averaging almost 19 minutes per game, Morrow has shot .615 from three this year, leading to a stat line of 8.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG and a 19.58 PER. Morrow will certainly cool off back to his career averages, but this is a great sign for a player who looked like he was on the decline.

Which Georgia Tech pro from the NFL has impressed you the most so far this season? Who are you expecting the most out of from the Georgia Tech NBA pros?