Mike Iupati, LG Underpaid San Francisco 49er

Mike Iupati has been nothing but rock solid since arriving in San Francisco in 2010.

The 49ers drafted the former Idaho Vandal 17th overall in hopes that they could transform the 6'5", 331-pound mauling guard into an All-Pro-caliber force on the gridiron.

After just two seasons, Iupati is heading firmly in that direction.

Iupati is already one of the nastiest and most effective run-blocking guards the NFL has to offer. B/R's Matt Miller ranked him as the second-best left guard in the league for the 2011 season.

Bonuses aside, Iupati will earn a measly base salary of $703,500 and ranks as just the 45th highest-paid guard in the NFL.

Surprisingly enough, he's just the second-most underpaid 49er on the current roster.

Can you guess who's No. 1? You'll find out soon enough.

IFAF ANNOUNCES U-19 ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

IFAF / Michael Preston on 07/08/2012


Sweden running back Oscar Nevermann

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has selected the All-Tournament team for the 2012 IFAF Under-19 World Championship played at Burger Stadium in Austin from June 30 to July 7.

American Samoa head coach Taase 'Pooch' Suaese was named Coach of the Tournament having taken his team from their eighth seed ranking to a final fifth placing. The first-time entrants on the international stage became the first team to score a touchdown in four U-19 tournament games against the United States in a first round 27-6 loss, then bounced back to defeat Panama 51-0 and France 27-14 to finish fifth overall.

"I am kind of surprised," admitted Suaese. "I assumed Canada's coach would win. I thank our assistants and all of our players. Their effort made this happen. It's also special with our governor being here tonight.

"Our experience here means a lot because the community back home went through a lot of effort to finance the trip to make it possible for us to be here. The players had to work through a lot to be here. They had to work hard.

"We're getting ready for 2014 and we're already getting emails from people interested in playing for us. American Samoa players are scattered everywhere and they want to participate in 2014 so it's going to get better."

Canada Defensive Back Kevin McGee was named Tournament MVP on a night when his two interceptions helped to shut down the United States as Canada won the Gold Medal.

"I didn't think I'd even be a game MVP let alone the tournament MVP," said McGee. "It's unexpected. They'll be really happy and really proud of me back home (at Champlain College in Sherbrooke, Quebec). I'm pretty happy.

"Everybody expected the Americans to win and we shocked the world. Hopefully everybody realizes we're not just a hockey nation, we're a football nation."

McGee led the tournament with 4 passes defended and had 2 interceptions and recorded 12 tackles.

The all-tournament team featured 24 players in total with 9 from the United States, 8 from Canada, 2 from American Samoa and Japan and one each from Austria, France and Sweden.

Canadian quarterback Will Finch, who completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns, was joined by his favorite receiver Doug Corby, who had 12 receptions for a tournament-high 290 yards and 2 touchdowns.

American running back Tarean Folston who had 26 carries for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns and a third score receiving, was joined by USA teammate Demarcus Ayres, who had 12 receptions for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. Durham Smythe from USA, who caught 7 passes for 55 yards won the vote at the tight end position.

American Samoa running back Ietiaia Manu completed the all-tournament backfield in recognition of his tournament-best 27 carries for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns.

USA had Hunter Bivin and Logan Tuley-Tillman selected for offensive line honors alongside Louis-Gabriel Beaudet from Canada, Daniel Feichter of Austria and Japan's Kenzo Shimano.

On the defensive side of the ball, Canadian defensive linemen Edward Godin-Gosselin and Charles Remi-Sarrazin were joined by Dakota Jackson of the USA and DL/LB Justus Faaiu from American Samoa. Faaiu led the tournament with 3 sacks and was second with 4.5 tackles for a loss

Eric Beisel and Reggie Chevis from USA were joined by Canada's John Rush as the linebackers honored. Rush was the tournament's third-leading tackler with 14.5 and was Canada's MVP in the semi final win over Japan, while Beisel posted 3.5 tackles for a loss and Chevis 3 among their stats.

Four different nations were represented in the defensive backfield. Tournament MVP Kevin McGee from Canada had 4 pass break ups, closely followed by Cameron Walker from USA with 3 and Yuta Shimozuru from Japan and Carl Tembo from France who each recorded 2.

Two players were honored as specialists. Canada kicker Louis-Phillipe Simoneau made 4 of 5 field goals with a long of 37 yards, 8 of 10 extra points and punted 8 times for 309 yards and a 38.6-yard average.

Swedish running back Oscar Nevermann scored a tournament-record five touchdowns in his team's seventh-place win over Panama and led the tournament in points scored with 30. He also led the all-purpose yardage with 445 total yards.

All-tournament selections:

Offense
Country
No.
Pos.
Name

CAN
12
QB
Will Finch

USA
10
RB
Tarean Folston

AMS
12
RB
Ietiaia Manu

USA
16
WR
Demarcus Ayres

CAN
23
WR
Doug Corby

USA
88
TE
Durham Smythe

USA
70
OL
Hunter Bivin

USA
72
OL
Logan Tuley-Tillman

AUT
62
OL
Daniel Feichter

JAP
75
OL
Kenzo Shimano

CAN
69
OL
Louis-Gabriel Beaudet


Defense
Country
No.
Pos.
Name

CAN
55
DL
Edward Godin-Gosselin

CAN
97
DL
Charles Remy-Sarrazin

USA
44
DL
Dakota Jackson

AMS
42
DL/LB
Justus Faaiu

CAN
25
LB
John Rush

USA
28
LB
Eric Beisel

USA
13
LB
Reggie Chevis

USA
3
DB
Cameron Walker

JAP
11
DB
Yuta Shimozuru

CAN
21
DB
Kevin McGee

FRA
3
DB
Carl Tembo


Specialists
Country
No.
Pos.
Name

CAN
14
K
Louis-Phillipe Simoneau

SWE
4
All-Purpose
Oscar Nevermann

USA 27 AMERICAN SAMOA 6

Todd Bell on 07/01/2012


Running back Lorenzo Woodley in action for the USA

The United States survived a fierce American Samoa effort to win its IFAF Under 19 World Championship opener 27-6 and earn a fourth of July semi final clash with Austria, 40-0 winner over Panama earlier today.

Team USA opened the game with a record 77-yard touchdown run and followed that with touchdowns on its first two possessions en route to a 27-6 win over American Samoa in Game 4 of the 2012 IFAF U19 World Championship at Burger Stadium in Austin, Texas.

"They were quick, they played awful hard, they had a great scheme, they played up-tempo," said USA coach Steve Specht of his team's opponent. "That's a good football team. I told Pooch (Taase, American Samoa coach) afterwards, ‘you ought to be proud of your kids. They played their hearts out.'

"We had way too many stupid penalties but it was the first time we've played together so we've got things to clean up but we'll get better. I was proud of our kids' effort. They played hard. We've just got to get better."

Jesus Wilson opened the scoring for Team USA with an electrifying 77-yard scamper to give the United States a 6-0 lead 13 seconds into the game.

American Samoa drove to the US 39-yard line on its opening drive before the USA defense forced a punt. The USA offense took over at their own 20 and marched 80 yards in nine plays to extend the lead to 13-0 on a one-yard run by quarterback Brayden Scott. The big play on the drive was a 43-yard pass from Scott to DeMarcus Ayers to put the ball at the one.

American Samoa again drove deep into US territory before linebacker Cory Jasudowich forced a fumble by American Samoa running back Faafounia Sitagta that was recovered by Reggie Chevis to end the threat at the US 16-yard line.

Scott then directed an 84-yard, 15-play drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Scott to Ayers for a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.

"It felt really good to be out there," said Scott. "It's kind of funny playing a game in the summer but representing my country is something I'd if it was 100,000 degrees. I love representing my country and wearing USA across my chest. Give the credit to our offensive line and our defense. They did a really good job today."

American Samoa's next drive found the end zone as quarterback Ben Langford deftly directed his team's option offense on a 66-yard drive that chewed up four minutes on the clock before Howard Tautu scored from a yard out. The two-point conversion failed and the US lead stood at 20-6 with 5:45 left in the half.

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate Coach Specht and Team USA," said American Samoa coach Pooh Taase. "We learned a great lesson tonight. They just stopped our rhythm and did a great job getting us out of sync. I just told our kids now, learn from this and let's come back and play them again in a couple of years."

Buoyed by the score the American Samoa defense stiffened and forced a USA punt. The Samoans then drove to the US 39 before US defensive back Cameron Walker ended the drive with an interception at the 15-yard line with 1:04 in the half.

American Samoa looked to have turned the momentum late in the third quarter when punter Shalom Luani broke loose on a 25-yard run on 4th and 12 from the American Samoa 15 to turn the field position around. The Samoans stayed on the move into the fourth quarter before the USA defense stiffened and held American Samoa on downs at the USA 26.

"Shalom saw them all commit and he took off," explained coach Taase. "We talked about it all week and he knew what to do when he saw it.

"I think Shalom and Vincent Taala did a great job tonight. Vincent chased guys from side to side and they both played on both sides of the ball."

After an exchange of punts the USA took over at its own 14 with 8:09 to go in the game. Needing a score to put the game away, Scott completed four of five passes for 81 yards before Tarean Folston plunged the final yard to up the lead to 27-6 with 4:38 left in the game.

Wide receiver DeMarcus Ayers earned USA Team MVP honors with seven receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive back/punter Shalom Luani was named American Samoa Team MVP after averaging 35.5 yards per punt and recording four tackles along with his first down run on the fake punt.

The United States will face Austria in the semifinals of the IFAF U19 World Championship on July 4. American Samoa will meet Panama in the consolation round on July 3.

AMERICAN SAMOA 51 PANAMA 0

Todd Bell on 07/04/2012


American Samoa rushed for an IFAF Under-19 World Championship record 432 yards and limited Panama to a record minus 46 yards on the ground to roll to a 51-0 consolation round victory on Tuesday night at Burger Stadium in Austin, Texas.

American Samoa finished with 606 yards in total offense, the second-highest total in tournament history, and limited Panama to eight yards of offense, the second-lowest total in tournament history.

"We haven't played our best yet, from Saturday to today," said American Samoa head coach Pooch Teaase. "It's great that we have one more game against France. We haven't played our best and I think they pitched a shutout today too so we've got to play our best game against France for the final game to get us home.

"We're at .500 now, 1-1, so we've got to get one more game and that's the beauty of this tournament."

Bruce Scanlan rushed for 121 yards on six carries and two scores to pace a Samoa ground attack that found the end zone six times on the night. Quarterback Ben Langford threw for 159 yards and a touchdown.

After forcing a Panama punt on its first series, Scanlan opened the scoring with a 53-yard touchdown run on the Samoan's first play from scrimmage, taking a pitch on a counter play from Langford and streaking untouched down the left sideline.

"This took focus and working through the team," said Scanlan. "After our recent loss it's all been about teamwork and sticking together.

"This win means a lot to us. Most of us were feeling down so it motivated the team to perform better and tonight we showed our talent."

Kicking from its own 45 due to a Panama personal foul on the scoring run, American Samoa squibbed the kickoff and recovered the ball at the Panama 41. Four plays later Scanlan found the end zone again, this time from 8 yards out and American Samoa led 14-0 with 8:05 to go in the first quarter.

American Samoa upped its lead to 20-0 on a 16-yard touchdown run by Langford and a failed two-point conversion attempt early in the second quarter.

Leading 20-0 midway through the second quarter, punter Shalom Luani scampered 36 yards on a fake punt to set American Samoa up at the Panama 21 but Joel Doiny ended the threat with an interception in the end zone two plays later.

On first down on the ensuing series Panama quarterback Ernesto Calvo found Adrian Flores for a 36-yard gain into American Samoa territory. A personal foul on the Samoans put the ball at the 29-yard line but the Panamanian offense stalled and American Samoa took over on downs.

Langford then moved the Samoans 71 yards in eight plays to up the lead to 26-0 on a seven-yard touchdown run by Ietiaia Manu and end the first half scoring.

American Samoa wasted little time getting on the board in the second half with Manu capping a five-play 94-yard drive with a 36-yard touchdown run for a 33-0 lead. The lead moved to 40-0 with 2:01 to go in the third quarter when Langford connected for this first scoring pass of the night with wide receiver Jamie Tago.

American Samoa continued to grind out yards on the ground, passing the 400-yard rushing mark early in the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 48-0 on a 7-yard touchdown run by back-up quarterback Fagalilo Oa and a two-point conversion tally by Tago.

Luani tacked on a 23-yard field goal with 1:46 to go for the final margin.

Scanlan earned MVP honors for American Samoa while linebacker Alejandro Boyd earned MVP honors for Panama with 13 tackles.

American Samoa will play France in the 5th place game on July 6, while
Panama will meet Sweden in the 7th place game on July 6.

"They knew we were going to play a very tough team," said Panama head coach Raul Arosemena of his team. "We saw them play the U.S. They are active, disciplined. They were a little overpowering in the beginning, but we fought.

"We have to elevate our game, be more dedicated to football and get people to support us back home. It's been a learning experience all the time. We are going to put our best effort in the next game, and hopefully someday be better."

AMERICAN SAMOA 27 FRANCE 14

Todd Bell on 07/07/2012


American Samoa with Coach Pooh Taase

After spotting France a 7-0 lead, American Samoa scored three unanswered touchdowns to take a 21-7 halftime lead then held on for a 27-14 win in the fifth place game at the International Federation of American Football Under-19 Championship at Burger Stadium in Austin, Texas on Friday night.

American Samoa quarterback Ben Langford threw for a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass to earn team MVP honors.

France linebacker Etienne Roudel earned team MVP honors for his squad with 15 tackles and a forced fumble that set up France's first touchdown.

"We talked about ripping the ball loose whenever possible and it worked pretty well there," said Roudel. "We had to adjust our approach for this game and it worked pretty well. We stopped the run but got tricked on the trick play.

"I think we are more prepared. We are better athletes. Stronger, faster, bigger and we prepared very well. It was very good work by our coaches to make us a better team."

American Samoa's opening drive ended when Roudel forced a fumble by Aloese Sua that was recovered by defensive lineman Adrien Baudard at the Samoa 43. Mathias Soler put France up 7-0 four plays later when he connected with Maxime Durand Gasselin on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 8:13 left in the first quarter.

A bad snap on a French punt attempt gave American Samoa the ball at the French 42 late in the first quarter. Eight plays later running back Faafouina Sitagata pulled up on a toss sweep and threw back across the field for an eight-yard touchdown pass to Langford to tie the game 53 seconds into the second quarter.

Heavy pressure by the Samoa punt coverage team resulted in a five-yard punt by France from its own 26 on the next series. The punt was returned 10 yards to the 21 by Mola Tagaloa and set American Samoa up deep in France territory again. Langford found Sione Latu alone in the end zone from nine yards out to give the Samoans a 13-7 lead following a failed two-point conversion attempt.

Samoa began their final drive of the half at their own 20. Langford directed an 11-play drive that used 3:39 before the quarterback carried the final 10 yards for his second score of the day. Shalom Luani carried three yards for the two-point conversion and American Samoa led 21-7 with 1:20 left in the half.

France cut the lead to 21-14 on the opening drive of the third quarter as Soler found Anthony Mahoungou open down the right sideline from 34 yards out. The drive started at the France 40 after American Samoa's third quarter kickoff went out of bounds.

American Samoa looked poised to extend the lead early in the fourth quarter following an interception by Shalom Luani that set the Samoans up at the France 19 but the French defense held and Luani missed on a 37-yard field goal with 9:07 to go.

France set up to punt from its own 42 on the ensuing series but Remi Bertellin attempted to pass for the first down on fourth and seven and the ball fell to the turf incomplete. Langford then drove American Samoa 42 yards for the clinching score as Sitigata scored from nine yards out for a 27-14 lead following a blocked extra point.

France refused to quit as Soler drove the team to the American Samoa eight-yard line before turning the ball over on downs with eight seconds left.

"We lost the game on details," said France head coach Olivier Moret. "It was not that we weren't prepared. We just aren't at the level we need be to beat teams like this. We need to work all year long.

"My first aim coming here was to show we can play football in France. The key is the next generation. If we want to be in the top three we have to work more. That's the message I want to send to all the teams and players back home. Improving the level of play in France is our goal. That's how we get better at the international level."

Can Irish LB Te'o keep top-40 projection?

Notre Dame senior LB Manti Te'o will try to live up to his top-40 pick projection throughout his final season.
Many felt Te'o would have been a first-round pick if he had declared early, but the Irish's defensive leader quickly made up his mind on returning for the 2012 season. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler highlights Te'o's rangy and active play style after trusting his read to quickly attack the ball carrier. Brugler would like to see Te'o improve his strength at the point of attack to finish more consistently, but credits the linebacker as Notre Dame's top draft-eligible prospect. Jul 4 - 4:51 PM

Ignition Athlete of the Week: Rey Maualuga

Polamalu wants his sons to play football

Jamison Hensley | ESPN.com


Troy Polamalu holds his two sons, Paisios, right, and Ephraim during a benefit for FOCUS North America sponsored by the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church Community Center in Mt. Lebanon.

Few in the NFL are more familiar with head injuries these days than Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

Last season, Polamalu left two games because of head trauma. This is only a small portion of his history with concussions.

Polamalu reportedly had at least three concussions while at USC and two while playing high school football. But Polamalu wouldn't dissuade his sons from playing football. In fact, he would "absolutely" want them to play the game.

Polamalu has two sons, Paisios (3 years old) and Ephraim (who will turn 2 in September).

"This game has provided me with a lot of beautiful life lessons, and I definitely would like my son to learn that," Polamalu told The Fan in Pittsburgh, via SportsRadioInterviews.com.

"Because you’re not faced with the same type of situations in other sports as you are in football.” Polamalu said he doesn't know whether concussions will shorten his career. He does acknowledge that it has changed his view on football.

"Football has taught me and I’ve had this, I guess maybe kind of growing motto in my life, is to live day-to-day and never to take anything for granted," he said. "I’ve been injured, I’ve missed large parts of football seasons and sometimes you get caught up in, ‘Oh man, OTAs or all this practice,’ but when it’s taken away from you, you realize how much you miss it. …

Whether this concussion issue is really as big as it may seem to be, I don’t think it would really change my view on anything.”

Falcons Got a ‘Monster’ in Lofa Tatupu

by Knox Bardeen on June 29, 2012


LB Lofa Tatupu (Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons)

ATLANTA – Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill spent time this week in Atlanta at the 2012 New Era Football Camp presented by France AllPro Athlete Management, a four-day event for area kids.

Hill and new Atlanta Falcons linebacker Lofa Tatupu were drafted by the Seahawks in 2005, Tatupu in the second round and Hill in the third. Hill shared some insight on just what Tatupu can bring to the table in Atlanta.

“They’re getting a monster,” said Hill. “They just don’t know it. [They're getting] a leader, a guy that’s going to be where he’s supposed to be every single play, a guy that doesn’t make mistakes, that makes tackles, he’s a complete linebacker. Losing him obviously hurt a couple of years ago, but the Falcons are getting a hell of a player.”

Hill and Tatupu still keep in touch regularly and Hill reported that Tatupu said OTAs and minicamp went well.

After arthroscopic surgeries on both knees, Tatupu sat out the 2011 season, but the reason wasn’t entirely injury related. The Seahawks wouldn’t restructure his contract—Tatupu took a hard-line stance.

After sitting away from the game for a season, Tatupu will battle with second-year player Akeem Dent for the middle linebacker position. Hill feels the decision could all boil down to health.

“We’ll see in training camp and preseason how he’s really feeling,” said Hill. “ If he’s healthy, he’s an All-Pro player.”

Webb-Helu football camp a hit

Posted: Monday, July 2, 2012 8:00 pm | Updated: 2:00 am, Tue Jul 3, 2012.

By Danny Haines Times Staff Writer | 0 comments

As the four-day Lardarius Webb/Roy Helu Football Camp came to a close Monday afternoon at McDaniel College, instructors and pro football players alike agreed it was a success for the developing football players.

Camp instructor Jerry Pannoni talked before the last day of practice about what he saw.

“These kids have gotten much better football-wise and also in terms of learning how to respond to coaches,” Pannoni said.

Dante Jones, another instructor at the camp, completed his eighth year with Monday’s finale. This year he worked exclusively with kids in the 7-to-12-year-old age range and said he likes coming back each year.

“Just the enjoyment of being around kids teaching them good football and the fun and learning that we have going on at the same time,” Jones said. “At most camps you don’t get this much instruction and a lot of attention to detail, when you have a lot of quality coaches and supportive parents then it’s going to be a successful camp.”

The campers weren’t just receiving instruction from their coaches.

Webb, a starting cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens, was on hand for much of the camp to instruct and give advice to the young players while being surrounded by ecstatic campers wanting autographs or pictures.

Webb was happy to oblige the kids and he shared some focal points Monday about what he said to them. His message had more to do with life than football.

“I told them first that you always need to get on your knees, you know, prayer is No. 1,” Webb said. “No. 2 is the homework, and how important it is to do well in school and having good study habits.

“No. 3 is that you can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it and that you don’t have to play football to be successful. There are plenty of things you can do out there to be successful so if you don’t make it playing football don’t think that you can’t be successful.

“So I just stick to those ideas and let them know that they have to be responsible for themselves.”

Webb came to sign autographs at the camp last year and was asked to be one of the sponsors this summer. And he sounds excited to have the opportunity to do so again in the future.

“Yes, yes, I hope they pick me again. I told them I’ll be available so please pick me,” said Webb. “So hopefully we can make this a long time thing. I like it.”

Pannoni said Helu, a Washington Redskins running back, also came by Monday morning and spoke to the campers about working hard and staying persistent.

Some of the campers are returning from previous positive experiences at the camp, but there are also a large number of players attending the camp for the first time.

Kyree Henderson, 14, is one of those first-time attendees as he worked out at running back and linebacker to prepare for the upcoming football season at National Academy Foundation High School in Baltimore City. Henderson is included in the group of campers that were excited by meeting and hearing from pro players.

“It was the best, that’s all I can say,” said Henderson with a smile on his face. “They were teaching us that swag isn’t about what you wear, it’s about confidence and that we have to keep our heads in the books.

“This camp has boosted up my skills and has made me a better player. I hope that I can come back and attend this camp again in the future.”