So, how’d they do?  We know there are only 6 active in the League and we know this number should increase considerably for 2009, but how did our current representatives do in 2008?  It’s a mixed bag.  Without further ado, and in alphabetical order:

Will Franklin.  The helicopter was grounded.  The Chiefs were not good in the first place, but at least Will was looking at being the #2 or #3 WR.  Then the Chiefs brought in the dreaded Sooner, Mark Bradley, and then Devard Darling inched out Will for field time.  Clearly, Thigpen was on three reads every play – where’s Gonzalez?, where’s Bowe? Where can  I run?….  Not a recipe for success for our guy.  His final stat line:  Seven receptions for 83 yards for an 11.9 avg.  No TDs.

Justin Gage.  A big dropoff in the number of catches from a year ago when he became Vince Young’s go-to guy – 54 catches in ’07 and 34 in ’08.  Still, he did a lot with the balls he caught averaging over 19 yards per.  He ranked third in the league in yards/catch.  He also scored 6 TDs, and happily did it all for one of the best teams in the league so we can watch him during the playoffs.  He’s the only Tiger in this year’s tourney.

CJ Mosley.  A backup DT for the Jets, he ended with similar numbers as ’07.  In 2008, he had 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks.  With a new Jet regime coming in, CJ may be looking for a new job for his fifth NFL season. 

Martin Rucker.  T-Ruck started out the year hurt and ended the year buried on the depth chart.  The new Brown regime may be a good thing for him, giving him a chance to get out from under Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden (32 year old out of South Dakota State), and Darnell Dinkins (31 year old out of Pitt).  Being that far down the depth chart was probably not something T-Ruck thought would happen.  Hopefully the new coach will want to take a look at the youngsters and a healthy Rucker can impress.  His final stat line was 2 catches for 17 yards.  Each catch was for a first down, so that’s something.  Also, I probably saw 3 minutes of Brown football all season, but lucked out and saw Rucker’s first NFL catch.  The announcer even mentioned Mizzou.  Hooray!

Brad Smith.  Oh, Brad.  After a nifty 2007 where he caught 32 passes, he only caught 12 in 2008 for just 64 yards.  Damn that Brett Favre.  Brad also only carried the ball 12 times, but for 113 yards.  Unfortunately, his 24 touches resulted in two fumbles, which may have led to a reduced role in the offense.  2009 will be his fourth year in the NFL – if he can’t find a productive niche soon, he will never get the chance. 

Justin Smith.  Another solid season for the second Jeff City kid on this list.  In his first year with the Niners, he tallied 7 sacks, 1 INT, and forced a fumble.  Even more impressively, he finished third in the league in tackles – 73 – amongst d-linemen.  He also makes more money than everyone else on the list.  He’s really good.  It’s too bad he has played for bad teams for the most part – not much pub for him.

Interesting that the two most productive NFLers are both from Jeff City. 

I’ll be sure to revisit this post a year from now to see how the new batch fares.  I’m hoping these six can hold serve and we can hit double digits in 2009.