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Former UMass standout Jeremy Cain signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this week. Cain has played for Chicago, Tennessee and Jacksonville over the course of his NFL career as a long snapper and linebacker over eight seasons.
Matt Vautour of the Daily Hampshire Gazette has a story on former Minuteman James Ihedigbo making the New England Patriots 53-man roster along with four other Minutemen making NFL rosters. Jeremy Horne was cut, but later signed to the practice squad - the same being expected for John Griffin soon.
Former University of Massachusetts and Amherst Regional standout James Ihedigbo made the New England Patriots final roster as the Patriots cut two-time Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather to trim their roster to the limit of 53 on Saturday.
Ihedigbo was one of five Minutemen to survive cutdown day. Victor Cruz, who is expected to see regular playing time in the New York Giants wide receiver rotation after missing most of last year with an injury, made the roster out of camp for the second straight season. Jeromy Miles, who started last year on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad before being elevated during the season, made the 53-man roster out of camp this year.
Jeremy Cain starts his sixth NFL season and his third with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's primarily a long snapper.
Vlad Ducasse begins his second season as a reserve guard for the Jets.
With the NFL lockout still continuing, articles pop up everywhere about groups of players gathering to hold informal summer workouts. Tania Ganguli of The Florida Times-Union has a story on several Jacksonville Jaguars, including UMass' Jeremy Cain, and how their player workouts have been going.
Cain missed this particular practice, however, because he was out of town.
Normally, long snapper Jeremy Cain drives up from Fort Lauderdale to practice with them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but this week Cain is on his honeymoon in Hawaii.
The Jaguars signed long snapper and UMass alum Jeremy Cain to a new contract on Thursday. Cain was set to become a free agent once a knew collective bargaining agreement exists.
Cain is the second potential free agent the Jaguars locked in for next season. On Wednesday the organization applied the franchise tag to tight end Marcedes Lewis. Since the tag is non-exclusive, Lewis can still negotiate with other teams, but another team would have to give the Jaguars two first-round draft picks to sign him.
Cain has been with the Jaguars for two seasons after being claimed off waivers from Washington in 2009. He played in all 32 games in the past two seasons.
This is Cain's fifth year in the NFL. He began his career as a rookie free agent whom Chicago signed in 2004.
• Jaguars.com: Jaguars place franchise tag on Lewis
• National Football Post: Jaguars sign long snapper Jeremy Cain into contract
• Victoria Advocate: Jaguars sign long-snapper Cain
With the final day of the NFL regular-season here, UMass alum Vladimir Ducasse is expected to see the most playing time of his young career with the New York Jets as they take on the Buffalo Bills with a playoff spot secured. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Fellow Jet and UMass alum James Iheidgbo is out with an injury. Here are a few stories mentioning Ducasse and his additional time on the offensive line.
Other UMass alums in action including Jeromy Miles with the Cincinnati Bengals in their final game against the Baltimore Ravens. Miles could see more time in the secondary in addition to his duties on special teams.
Also, Jeremy Cain will snap for the Jaguars against Houston in their finale at 4:15 pm. The Jags could clinch a playoff berth with a win and a Colts loss to the Texans earlier in the day.
Here's a look at UMass' alums in action in the NFL over the holiday weekend.
- With the New York Jets, James Ihedigbo suffered an ankle injury in a 38-34 loss to the Chicago Bears and is expected to miss next week's game vs. the Buffalo Bills. Ihedigbo did not make a tackle in his limited action before the injury. Vladimir Ducasse dressed as a back-up lineman, but didn't play. The Jets clinched a playoff berth despite the loss as the Jaguars lost putting Gang Green into the postseason.
- In the Bengals' 34-20 win over the Chargers, to end their playoff hopes, Jeromy Miles played on special teams for the Bengals, and downed a punt.
- Jeremy Cain snapped 11 times on punts and kicks for the Jaguars in a heartbreaking 20-17 loss to the Redskins, which ended the Jags' hopes of a postseason berth.
- UMass' other NFL products didn't play: Victor Cruz on injured reserve with the Giants, Matt Lawrence on physically unable to perform list with the Ravens and Jeremy Horne on the practice squad with the Chiefs.
Check out UMass' alums in action in the NFL on Sunday.
• James Ihedigbo returned to action in the Jets' 22-17 huge win at the Steelers, after missing a game with a leg injury. Ihedigbo had a tackle on defense and played his usual impact role on special teams. Vladimir Ducasse dressed for the game for the Jets, but didn't play.
• In the Bengals' 19-17 win over the Browns, Jeromy Miles was in on a tackle that resulted in a forced fumble on kickoff.
• With Jaguars, in a 34-24 loss to the Colts, Jeremy Cain snapped seven times for the Jags on punts and kicks.
• UMass' other alums are not active at this time, with Matt Lawrence on the PUP list with the Ravens, Victor Cruz on the Giants' Injured Reserve. Jeremy Horne is on the Chiefs practice squad.
Here's your weekly look at UMass' pros in football:
In the NFL
• The Jets won their third game in a row in dramatic last-second fashion, beating the Texans 30-27. James Ihedigbo had four tackles for the Jets on defense and special teams. Vladimir Ducasse was inactive again.
- With the Jaguars, Jeremy Cain snapped six times in a 24-20 win over Cleveland.
- Matt Lawrence continues to be on the physically unable to perform list with the Ravens. Victor Cruz is on injured reserve with the Giants. Jeremy Horne is on the practice squad with the Chiefs as is Jeromy Miles with the Bengals.
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In the CFL
- Brandon London will have a chance to win the Grey Cup next weekend with the Montreal Alouettes, as they beat the Toronto Argos 48-17 in the Eastern Final on Sunday. London didn't play in the win, as he's injured.
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In The UFL
- Marcel Shipp will have a chance to win the UFL title next weekend, on Saturday at 11 a.m. He played close to his college home in Hartford with the Las Vegas Locos, in a 27-14. Shipp had just 12 yards on 11 carries for the Locos.
Checking in on UMass products in the pro football ranks.
IN THE NFL
- In the Jacksonville Jaguars' miracle win of the Houston Texans, 31-24, Jeremy Cain snapped 10 times on kicks and punts for the Jags.
- In the New York Jets' second straight road OT win, 26-20 at Cleveland, James Ihedigbo had three tackles including a 6-yard sack on Colt McCoy. Vladimir Ducasse was inactive for the Jets.
- Matt Lawrence remains on PUP with the Ravens, who lost to the Falcons, 26-21. Victor Cruz' Giants lost to Cowboys, 33-20 in Jason Garrett's debut as Cowboys head coach.
- Jeremy Horne remains on the practice squad with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jeromy Miles on the PS with the Cincinnati Bengals.
IN THE CFL:
- In the CFL Western Semifinals, the BC Lions dropped a 41-38 OT game to Saskatchewan. UMass' Keron Williams had a huge game with three sacks and four tackles for BC and Anton McKenzie also made four tackles but BC's season ended.
- In the CFL Eastern Semifinals, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with Shannon James lost to the Toronto Argos 16-13. James didn't make a play and finishes with the season with 11 solo tackles.
- UMass' other CFL player Brandon London, plays for Montreal, which had a bye into the Eastern Final as the Alouettes will play Toronto next weekend.
IN THE UFL
- Steve Baylark scored a touchdown and ran for 30 yards as the Sacramento Mountain Lions crushed Omaha, 41-3.
- The Las Vegas Locos and Marcel Shipp had a bye week.
Here's an update on UMass alums in the pro football ranks.
In The NFL:
- With the Mew York Jets, James Ihedigbo played a bunch on defense and special teams with one tackle and called a key timeout for the Jets in their comeback 23-20 OT win over the Detroit Lions. Vladimir Ducasse was inactive.
- New York Giants WR Victor Cruz took time out while on injured reserve to come to UMass' win over Maine on Saturday at McGuirk Stadium.
- Matt Lawrence is close to returning to action with the Baltimore Ravens, as his team pulled off a 26-10 win over Miami Dolphins. Lawrence will practice for the first time Monday, coach John Harbaugh said.
- Jeremy Cain and the Jaguars had a bye week.
In The CFL:
- Three UMass products saw action as the BC Lions beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 23-21. Anton McKenzie made four tackles for BC while Keron Williams didn't have any stops. Shannon James didn't have a tackle for the Ti-Cats.
- Brandon London made his CFL debut with the Montreal Alouettes as his team suffered a 30-4 loss to the Toronto Argos. London didn't have a catch but made a tackle on special teams.
- In The UFL:
- UMass' all-time rushing leaders matched up as the Sacramento Mountain Lions beat the Las Vegas Locos, 27-24. Las Vegas clinched a berth in the UFL Championship in last week's win at Omaha, but Sacramento dominated play throughout the opening half. Marcel Shipp had four carries for 10 yards and a catch for nine yards. Steve Baylark had a carry for Sacramento.
Here's our weekly look at UMass products in pro football.
NFL:
- In the Jaguars' 35-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Jeremy Cain snapped 10 times on kicks and punts.
- In the New York Jets 9-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers, James Ihedigbo made the game's opening tackle on a the Jets kickoff. He also played in some secondary packages. Vladimir Ducasse was inactive, but was visible on the sidelines.
- UMass also has alums on practice squads: WR Jeremy Horne with the Kansas City Chiefs and DB Jeromy Miles with the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Additionally WR Victor Cruz is on the injured reserve list with the New York Giants while RB Matt Lawrence is on the physically unable to perform list with the Baltimore Ravens.
CFL:
- The BC Lions picked up a 23-17 win over Saskatchewan as both UMass alums Anton McKenzie and Keron Williams each had three tackles. The Lions are making a push for the postseason.
- With the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a 55-24 loss to Calgary, Shannon James played for his new team the Ti-Cats vs his old team, the Stamps.
- Brandon London continues to be on the Montreal Alouettes practice squad.
UFL:
- All-time leading rusher Marcel Shipp scored his UFL-best fifth TD as the Las Vegas Locos beat Omaha, 24-10. Shipp had 30 rushing yards.
- Steve Baylark didn't carry the ball for the Sacramento Mountain Lions in a 27-26 loss to Hartford.
Here's a recap of UMass products in action in pro football this past weekend:
In the NFL:
- In the New York Jets huge comeback win over the Denver Broncos, 24-20, James Ihedigbo played defense and on special teams. Vladimir Ducasse was not active, but got plenty of TV on the sidelines.
- In the Kansas City Chiefs' 35-31 loss to the Houston Texans in a thriller, Jeremy Horne played on special teams and made the first tackle of the second half on the opening kickoff. He also had one pass thrown his way, that was incomplete.
- On Monday night football, Jeremy Cain snapped on all punts and kicks for the Jaguars in their loss to the Tenneesse Titans.
- If you missed it Victor Cruz was played on injured reserve by the Giants and Matt Lawrence remains on physically unable to perform for the Ravens.
In the CFL:
- Two alums were part of the BC Lions narrow 31-28 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos. Anton McKenzie had five tackles and Keron Williams made two stops.
- With the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, alum Shannon James had a tackle in a 30-3 win over the Toronto Argos.
- Brandon London is on the practice squad with the Montreal Alouettes, who beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 22-19.
In the UFL:
- UMass' top career rushers faced off and Marcel Shipp's Las Vegas Locos got the best of Steve Baylark's Sacramento Mountain Cats, 26-3. Shipp scored the game's only offensive touchdown on a five-yard run up the middle in the fourth quarter. He finished with 15 carries for 69 yards. Baylark has his best game to date with 46 yards on four carries including a long of 29 yards.
2003 UMass football All-American Jeremy Cain and his Jacksonville Jaguars picked up a 36-26 winover the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The NFL long snapper, snapped eight times on five Josh Scobee field goals and three extra points. The Jags are now 3-2 overall.
In other NFL action, UMass' Victor Cruz and Jeremy Horne were both in active for the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.
On Monday night, UMass grads James Ihedigbo and Vladimir Ducasse will be in the action with the New York Jets against the Minnesota Vikings on ESPN.
Week 5 of the NFL season is sure to be an exciting one. Most fans in New England will have a chance to watch a pair of 2009 UMass wide receivers in the 1 p.m., games on Sunday. On CBS, the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs (with Jeremy Horne) take on the Indianapolis Colts. On FOX, the New York Giants (with Victor Cruz) battle the Houston Texans.
Other UMass alums will be in action as the Jacksonville Jaguars with long snapper Jeremy Cain play the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m.
On Monday night, the Jets duo of UMass alums James Ihedigbo and Vladimir Ducasse, will be in action against the Minnesota Vikings on ESPN.
Lots of action for the UMass alums in the NFL during Week 4.
- Victor Cruz is expected to play a key role for the Giants against the Bears in Sunday Night Football on NBC at 8:20 p.m.
- In the Jets' 38-14 win over Buffalo, James Ihedigbo made two tackles and had a sack of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse played most of the fourth quarter in the blowout.
- In the Jaguars' 31-28 win over the Colts, Jeremy Cain snapped nine times on punts and kicks in the win.
- Jeremy Horne and Chiefs have a bye week.
Here's your rundown of UMass' products in NFL action on Sunday.
- At 1 p.m., Victor Cruz (No. 80) and the New York Giants host the Tennessee Titans on CBS.
- On Fox, Jeremy Horne (No. 11) and the Kansas City Chiefs play host to the San Francisco 49ers.
- At 4:05, Jeremy Cain (No. 48) and his Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the Philadelphia Eagles on FOX.
- Tonight on NBC, Vladimir Ducasse (No. 62) will be active along with James Ihedigbo (No. 44) as the New York Jets play at the Miami Dolphins.
- Jeromy Miles is on the practice squad with the Bengals, who play at the Carolina Panthers on CBS at 1 p.m.
- The Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. Matt Lawrence continues to be on the PUP list for the Ravens. Alum and Sunday's feature item in the Springfield Republican Clarence Brooks coaches for Baltimore as well.
- In the Chiefs' 16-14 win over the Browns, WR Jeremy Horne made hi on-field NFL debut in No. 11 and made a tackle on special teams in the fourth quarter.
- DB James Ihedigbo played great on special teams in the New York Jets' 28-14 win over the Patriots. OL Vladimir Ducasse was inactive for the second week in a row.
- LS Jeremy Cain snapped three times all on kicks in the Jaguars' 38-13 loss to the Chargers. Interestingly, the Jaguars never punted in the game as they scored, fumbled, were intercepted or failed on a fourth down conversion.
- With the Giants, in their game against the Colts, WR Victor Cruz is active in place of WR Ramses Barden, who wasn't much of a factor in Week 1 and had a ball bounce off his hands for an interception.
- In the CFL, the BC Lions beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 35-31 as a trio of UMass alums saw action. For BC, LB Anton McKenzie racked up five tackles and DE Keron Williams made three tackles. LB Shannon James didn't have a tackle for Hamilton.
- In the UFL, the Sacramento Mountain Lions lost to the Hartford Colonials 27-10. TB Steve Baylark didn't have a carry for the Mountain Lions.
- The Las Vegas Locos lost to the Florida Tuskers 27-20. RB Marcel Shipp had 13 carries for 48 yards for the Locos.
UMass alum Jeremy Cain snapped eight times on punts and kicks for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who beat the Denver Broncos 24-17 on Sunday.
Victor Cruz was inactive for the Giants as they beat the Carolina Panthers 31-18.
Two UMass alums will be in action on Sunday as the NFL regular-season gets underway.
Preseason sensation VIctor Cruz will make his debut, wearing No. 80 with the New York Giants as they take on the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. Follow the game on NFL.com or on FOX .
Also, long snapper Jeremy Cain begins his fifth NFL season, with the Jacksonville Jaguars as they take on the Denver Broncos at 1 p.m. Follow on NFL.com or on CBS.
Here's a look at former Minutemen in action in the NFL Preseason on Thursday night as roster cutdown are coming soon.
- In the Bengals' 30-28 win over the Bills, Jeromy Miles had one tackle.
- In the Giants' 20-17 win over the Patriots, Victor Cruz had three catches for 46 yards.
- In the Jaguars' 13-9 win over the Falcons, Jeremy Cain snapped for the Jags.
- In the Steelers' 19-3 win over the Panthers, Brandon London played receiver, but didn't have any catches.
- In the Jets' 21-17 win over the Eagles, James Ihedigbo had four tackles while Vladimir Ducasse had several nice blocks on the offensive line.
- In the Chiefs' win over the Packers, Jeremy Horne had a catch for minus-12 yards.
HUGE NIGHT IN FOOTBALL!
Here's your rundown of UMass Alums in action in the NFL Preseason as these players hope to secure spots on rosters for the regular season:
- Jeromy Miles and Bengals vs. Colts at 7 p.m.
- Victor Cruz and Giants vs. Patriots at 7 p.m.
- Brandon London and Steelers vs. Panthers at 7:30 p.m.
- Vladimir Ducasse and James Ihedigbo with the Jets vs. Eagles at 7:30 p.m.
- Jeremy Horne and Chiefs vs. Packers at 8 p.m.
- Jeremy Cain and Jaguars vs. Falcons at 7:30 p.m.
- Matt Lawrence is hurt, but his Ravens play the Rams at 8 p.m.
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In the CAA, Maine hosts Albany at 7 p.m.; Delaware hosts West Chester at 7 p.m.; Rhode Island plays at Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. and Towson plays at Indiana at 7:30 p.m. We will have updates here on JTAM throughout the night.
Here's the quick rundown for Saturday's NFL gams featuring UMass products.
Jeromy Miles looks to continue his solid play with the Cincinnati Bengals in hope of earning a roster spot as they take on the Buffalo Bills at 6:30 p.m.
Long snapper Jeremy Cain and the Jacksonville Jaguars play at the Tampa Bay Bucs at 7 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m., Victor Cruz and his New York Giants travel to the Baltimore Ravens to play against Matt Lawrence and his team. Lawrence is still out with a knee injury.
With Week 2 of the NFL Preseason underway, here's a look at the Minutemen in action with some stories.
- Jeromy Miles and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-9 on Friday night. Miles had a tackle playing in the secondary as well as special teams.
- UMass alums match-up as the Steelers plays at the Giants on Saturday. Receivers Brandon London and Victor Cruz will be in action. Sports Illustrated's Peter King mentions London as the upstart guy Mike Tomlin is trying to keep on the roster. In addition to the ESPN New York feature on Cruz from Friday, the Associated Press has a story on Cruz and his instant success.
- The New York Jets with James Ihedigbo and Vladimir Ducasse play at the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night.
- Jeremy Cain and his Jacksonville Jaguars host the Miami Dolphins.
- Jeremy Horne looks to improve his stock with the Kansas City Chiefs as they play Tampa Bay.
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- Matt Lawrence (knee) is still injured as his Baltimore Ravens face the Redskins in local rivalary.
Check out Jeff Thomas' story on UMass' connections with the NFL in the Springfield Republican. It includes the eight UMass alums on NFL rosters in preseason along with a mention of some current assistant coaches that played at UMass. Jeremy Cain is joined in Jacksonville by a pair of former UMass captains in Joe Cullen and Ben Albert. Cullen is the defensive line coach and Albert his assistant.
2003 UMass alum Jeremy Cain looks to be on solid standing with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In last night's 28-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Cain snapped 12 times on punts and kicks for the Jaguars and also made a tackle on special teams.
Check out a great new Photo Gallery of former UMass football players in the NFL. The gallery includes all eight UMass players in NFL camps this summer: Jeremy Cain (Jaguars), Victor Cruz (Giants), Vladimir Ducasse (Jets), Jeremy Horne (Chiefs), James Ihedigbo (Jets), Matt Lawrence (Ravens), Brandon London (Steelers) and Jeromy Miles (Bengals).
With NFL Camps underway, here are some mentions of UMass products in the preseason.
- According to Arrowhead Pride, Jeremy Horne had a nice route against Jackie Bates. It was a one-on-one and Horne put on a nice stutter step to snag the deep ball.
- Steelers Today has a bit on Brandon London, being a tall target.
- JagNation has a look at Jeremy Cain, the Jaguars' starting long snapper.
Here's a look at UMass products in NFL Training Camps, which open this weekend across the U.S.
- Baltimore Ravens: Matt Lawrence - in Westminster, Md.
- Cincinnati Bengals: Jeromy Miles - in Georgetown, Kentucky
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Jeremy Cain - in Jacksonville
- Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremy Horne - in St, Joseph's Missouri
- New York Jets: Vladimir Ducasse, James Ihedigbo - in Cortland, N.Y.
- New York Giants: Victor Cruz - in Albany, N.Y.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Brandon London - in Latrobe, Pa.
Jaguars.com has a feature story on UMass alum and former All-American Jeremy Cain, who enters his second seasons as the Jags long snapper. Cain made tackles, nine of them to be exact. Only Rich Griffith in 1999 totaled more tackles as a Jaguars long snapper. Nine tackles doesn't seem like a lot but remember the snapper has to get ball to the punter and block before thinking about getting downfield.