Part two of GameDay's three-part look at Badgers who have journeyed to the NFL focuses on former Badgers who have some \skills."" Skill players from Wisconsin have not fared all that well in the NFL. With his grind-it-out style of offense, head coach Barry Alvarez and the Badgers are known for producing great college running backs. Unfortunately, high-drafted running backs like Ron Dayne and Michael Bennett have not found the same success in the NFL that they did in college. Where NFL Badgers have found success, ironically, is at wide receiver, and to some degree, at quarterback. The following players have enjoyed varying degrees of success in the NFL.
Hall has been a solid kicker for both the New York Jets and the Washington Redskins. During his career with both teams, Hall has made 185 out of 250 field goals and is 244 of 250 on extra points. Hall has also punted five times for an average of 41.2 yards. As long as Hall can kick the air out of a football, he will have a spot on an NFL team.
The former Heisman winner has done little in the NFL that resembles the Ron Dayne that played for the Badgers. Dayne had some success in his first two seasons, rushing for 770 and 690 yards. But the continued success of Tiki Barber, along with the constant rumors of poor work ethic and coach problems, has sent ""The Great Dayne"" to Denver. Unfortunately, Denver is going with the ""running back by committee"" approach, and Dayne will have trouble getting carries.
After being a somewhat surprising 27th pick overall in the 2001 draft, Bennett has had an up-and-down career with the Minnesota Vikings, mainly due to injuries. Bennett has only been fully healthy for one of his five NFL seasons-2002, in which he ran for 1,296 yards and five touchdowns. Bennett is not the Vikings' starter this year and has only had 15 carries for 43 yards. Unless Bennett makes some significant strides, he will remain a great Badger with a lackluster NFL career.
Chambers has definitely enjoyed the most success in the NFL of any of his fellow Badgers. He quickly became a deep threat and playmaker for the Dolphins. Chambers has basically been Miami's number one receiver ever since he arrived in the league in 2001. Chris had his best season in 2003, with 64 catches for 963 yards and 11 touchdowns. While the Dolphins team has struggled, Chambers has always been a bright spot.
Bollinger has always had to prove himself to his critics and fans. He did that here at Wisconsin but has had a harder time accomplishing this feat in the NFL. Bollinger got his chance in week four after the New York Jets lost both their first and second string quarterbacks. The South Dakota native responded by going 14 of 28 for 159 yards. Unfortunately for Bollinger, the ageless wonder Vinny Testaverde has been brought in and is now the starter, returning the former Badger to the sidelines.
Evans had an excellent rookie season last year, with 48 catches for 843 yards and nine touchdowns. Many people expected Evans to pass Pro Bowl wide receiver Eric Moulds as number one on Buffalo's depth chart, but the change from Drew Bledsoe to J.P. Losman and now Kelly Holcomb at quarterback has hindered Evans' progress. This year, Evans only has 14 receptions for 201 yards. Until a solid play-caller is found to get Evans the ball, he will be at the mercy of whoever is behind center.
Sorgi has what some people would consider the NFL dream-getting paid to be Peyton Manning's backup. Sorgi has done well in his brief career coming off the bench once Manning gets the Colts a huge lead. Sorgi is 17 of 29 for 175 yards and two touchdowns. With Manning setting NFL records every year, it seems doubtful that Sorgi will see much playing time unless Manning gets injured.
