Local flavor to NFL playoffs

As always, even when the Bears aren?t in the playoffs there are plenty of postseason participants with Chicago and/or local connections in this weekend?s NFL playoff games.

The Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints have the heaviest influence of local products, which may or may not be an advantage.

Local players on the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers are not included here as those teams enjoy first-round byes this weekend. We?ll include those names next week.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Running back Cedric Benson was drafted in the first round by the Bears in 2005. He rushed for 1,593 yards in three injury-marred seasons in Chicago, where he mostly played behind Thomas Jones. He was cut by the Bears following two alcohol-related arrests for which he was never convicted. With the Bengals, Benson has rushed for 4,104 yards in four seasons, topping 1,000 yards in each of the last three seasons. But his Bengals career rushing average of 3.7 yards is less than impressive.

Backup guard Otis Hudson, a fifth-round pick in 2010 out of Eastern Illinois, is a graduate of Barrington High School, where he was a four-year letterman in football, basketball and track.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Naperville Central?s Owen Daniels, a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2006, has 299 receptions for 3,649 yards in his six-year career.

Free safety Danieal Manning originally was a second-round pick of the Bears in 2006 and led the NFL with a 29.7-yard kickoff-return average in 2008 before signing with the Texans as an unrestricted free agent before the 2011 season.

Backup wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias originally was a third-round pick of the Bears in 2009, but he was cut after one season and no catches.

Place-kicker Neil Rackers is a former Fighting Illini. The 12-year veteran set an NFL record with 40 field goals (on 42 attempts) that was broken this season by the 49ers? Fred Akers.

DETROIT LIONS

Backup wide receiver and special-teams ace Rashied Davis spent six seasons with the Bears, where he began his NFL career as a cornerback, before signing with the Lions for 2011. Because of injuries, Davis played as an extra defensive back against the Packers on Nov. 24 and made 2 tackles.

Rookie running back Mikel LeShoure, the Lions? second-round pick, rushed for 1,697 yards at Illinois in 2010, but he missed this season with a knee injury.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Coach Sean Payton graduated from Naperville Central and Eastern Illinois, where he threw for 10,665 yards, third most in NCAA history at the time.

Three Saints played their college football at the University of Illinois. Running back Pierre Thomas, a Lynwood native, graduated from Thornton Fractional South High School in South suburban Lansing. He rushed for 5,565 yards and 88 touchdowns at T.F. South. Signed as an undrafted free agent, Thomas has averaged at least 4.8 yards per carry in four of his five seasons with the Saints and also has caught 166 passes, including 50 this season. Backup rookie linebackers Martez Wilson and Nate Bussey both are Illini products. Wilson was all-Big Ten his final two seasons before he was drafted in the third round. Bussey, an undrafted free agent, started his last 18 games at Illinois. But neither has made much of an impact in New Orleans yet.

ATLANTA FALCONS

Powerful running back Michael Turner rushed for 1,340 yards this season on 301 carries, a 4.5-yard average. Turner, a Waukegan native, played at North Chicago High School and at Northern Illinois. He has rushed for 5,281 yards over the past four seasons, an average of 1,320 per year and scored 50 touchdowns. Seven-year veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who is on injured reserve, played at Illinois and at Hubbard (Chicago) High School.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Offensive left tackle David Diehl is a University of Illinois product, and running back Brandon Jacobs finished his collegiate career at Southern Illinois after transferring from Auburn, where he shared time with Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, both of whom were top-10 draft picks. Diehl graduated from Brother Rice High School in Oak Lawn. After being drafted in the fifth round, he started the first 120 games of his NFL career played at every O-line position except center. Jacobs, a fourth-round draft pick, is No. 1 in franchise history with 56 touchdowns. Seven-year veteran punter Steve Weatherford also is an Illini product.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Illinois and Niles West (Skokie) running back Rashard Mendenhall is on injured reserve with a knee injury. He had 928 rushing yards this season after going over 1,000 yards in the previous two seasons.

Backup O-lineman Trai Essex was drafted in the third round out of Northwestern in 2005. Running back Chad Spann from Northern Illinois rushed for 1,935 yards and 22 touchdowns, averaging 8.8 yards per carry as a senior, setting school records. Practice-squad defensive end Corbin Bryant was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Northwestern this season. He played just one season of football at Morgan Park (Chicago) High School.

DENVER BRONCOS

Assistant special-teams coach Keith Burns was a linebacker/special teams player for the Bears in 1999. Running backs coach Eric Studesville was the Bears? offensive quality-control coach from 1997-2000. He was the Broncos? interim head coach for the final four games of the 2010 season after Josh McDaniels was fired. The closest the Broncos have to local players are four Notre Dame products: quarterback Brady Quinn, safeties Kyle McCarthy and David Bruton and offensive tackle Ryan Harris.

Source: http://dailyherald.com/article/20120105/sports/701059676/

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