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Duke in the NFL Update
DURHAM, N.C. - Eight former Duke football players are on NFL rosters entering training camp in 2009. From an 11-year veteran to three rookies, the former Blue Devils are looking to make their mark during preseason games.
Patrick Mannelly is the longest tenured former Blue Devil in the NFL. Entering his 12th season as the long snapper for the Chicago Bears, he is the second longest tenured long snapper with their current team. He is also tied with Olin Kreutz for the most experience on the Bears' roster. Chicago lost to Buffalo, 27-20, in the 2009 preseason opener. Mannelly
Ryan Fowler, a 2003 Duke graduate, begins his sixth NFL season and third with the Tennessee Titans. The linebacker has played in 62 career games with 20 starts and has 132 career tackles. He has helped lead the Titans to a pair of preseason wins. They defeated the Bills 21-18 in the Hall of Fame game and won 27-20 against Tampa Bay. He has two tackles and has started both games.
Orrin Thompson begins his fifth year as an offensive lineman in the NFL and first with the New York Giants. He will play in his first preseason game tomorrow against the Carolina Panthers.
Ben Patrick graduated from Duke in 2005 and is in his third season with the Arizona Cardinals. He has played in 18 games with six starts. He has 18 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns in his career. He caught one pass for 17 yards in the preseason opener against Pittsburgh, a 20-10 loss.
Patrick Bailey, who played at Duke from 2004-07, enters his second year as an outside linebacker with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a rookie he played in 12 regular season games and earned the Joe Greene Great Performance Award as Steelers' Rookie of the Year. He was tied for third on the team with 12 special teams tackles. He had one solo tackle on special teams in the Steelers' 27-23 Super Bowl win over the Arizona Cardinals. He helped Pittsburgh defeat Arizona, 20-10, in the 2009 preseason opener.
Three former Blue Devils are rookies trying to make NFL squads. Duke 2009 graduates Cameron Goldberg, Eron Riley and Michael Tauiliili all signed free agent contracts this past spring.
Goldberg, an offensive lineman who signed with the Chiefs, played his first career NFL game on Saturday night as Kansas City lost to Houston, 16-10.
Riley is trying to make the Baltimore Ravens' squad and made his NFL debut on Thursday night against the Redskins. He had one catch for 10 yards as Baltimore earned a 23-0 shutout win.
Tauiliili had a great debut with the Indianapolis Colts on Friday night. He finished fourth on the team with five tackles to go along with a team-high three special teams tackles. The Colts lost to Minnesota, 13-3.
