Ducks in the NFL: Paulson comes alive, Masoli surfaces

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David Paulson grabbed a first quarter pass from Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger down the left sideline for 26 yards in the Steeler’s 24-13 loss to Washington on Monday night. Shoved out of bounds at the 16, the grab set up a field goal, the only points generated by Pittsburgh’s first team offense as they fell to 0-2.

Helmet-to-helmet: David Paulson exchanges a congratulatory bump from a teammate in a game last season (steelersgab.com photo).


The Steelers were just 1-13 on third down conversions in the game, so it’s clear they need to find the reliable Duck tight end more often in a woeful offense. Paulson, who had 7 receptions for 51 yards and no touchdowns in his rookie season, seems a solid bet for more playing time as a second-year player. He was targeted twice in the game, the second time on a short pass in the left flat by reserve quarterback Bruce Gradowski just before half.

The NFL regular season begins September 5th with a Thursday night game, Baltimore at Denver. Clubs must reduce their rosters to the 53-man limit by August 31st.

Jeremiah Masoli has surfaced as the third-string quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football league, behind veteran starter Henry Burris and Dan Lefevour of Central Michigan. Masoli told Don Caputi of the Toronto Sun, “I’m just preparing myself like I’m going to be playing and my attitude’s not going to change the whole season. Whether I’m the starter or the third-string quarterback, I’ll just be preparing like I’m going to be playing next week.”

Masoli beat out former Louisville Cardinal, Buffalo Bill and Green Bay quarterback Brian Brohm for the third-string job. The Tiger-Cats value him as a practice player, because of his ability to give them looks in the zone-read, a trend that’s making inroads in the Canadian game as it is in the NFL. Hamilton is 3-4, currently in 2nd place in the CFL’s East Division behind Toronto.

Masoli was 6-13 passing for 88 yards and no tds in the team’s four exhibition games. In 2011 he got picked up by the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL and threw for over 800 yards.

 

 

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