FIRST AND SHORT

Cream Puff Schedule: Area connections to every Week 1 NFL game

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com

The National Football League kicked off its season Thursday with a thrilling finish between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, in which a missed field goal by Graham Gano shortly before time expired left Denver with a 21-20 victory. It was the perfect introduction to another year of football.

The high-school regular season in Wisconsin, of course, is nearly half over. Let's have some fun and provide a Milwaukee-area connection for each one of the games on the docket. For example, Gano graduated from Florida State, where he was named MVP of the Champps Sports Bowl after his team staged a 42-13 win over ... Wisconsin, a unit that featured Oak Creek's Travis Beckum, West Allis Hale's Ricky Wagner, and a freshman transfer from Pewaukee named J.J. Watt, among others.

What about the rest of the schedule?

Packers vs. Jaguars: Oak Creek's Marwin Evans made the Packers in a thrilling underdog story, and Brookfield Central alumnus Brad Nortman signed a free-agent deal to punt for the Jaguars in the offseason.

Vikings vs. Titans: Whitnall product Joel Stave made the Minnesota Vikings practice squad after a tumultuous offseason for the Vikings at the quarterback position. The loss of Teddy Bridgewater prompted Minnesota to trade for Philadelphia's Sam Bradford, which meant Stave (the winningest quarterback at Wisconsin) didn't make the final cut as the backup to Shaun Hill.

Bears vs. Texans: It appears after serious concerns that Pewaukee's J.J. Watt would miss the start of the year after back surgery, he's now on track to appear in the opener. Which certainly pays dividends for Packers fans who want to see NFC North foes take one on the chin, as the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is obviously a force to reckon with.

Browns vs. Eagles: Waukesha West's Joe Schobert has been so impressive in camp that he's on the Cleveland depth chart as a starting linebacker after getting taken in the fourth round of last year's NFL Draft. Fellow Wisconsin product and Brookfield Central graduate Joe Thomas will be on the field, per usual, as perhaps the best starting left tackle in football. On the Philly side, Brandon Brooks of Milwaukee Riverside begins his first year with a new team, and Carson Wentz of North Dakota State, the No. 2 pick in the draft, will be starting at quarterback. I spoke with Mukwonago's Nate Tanguay, a starter on defense still at NDSU, about the prospect of his teammate getting taken so high last April.

Bills vs. Ravens: West Allis Hale graduate Rick Wagner has quietly built a nice little career and started all but one Ravens game as an offensive tackle the past two seasons. A Lisfranc injury in the offseason meant he spent most of the winter healing.

Rams vs. 49ers: Speaking of quietly building great careers, Whitefish Bay's Nick Bellore enters his sixth season in the NFL as a special teams aficionado for the 49ers. His team will face the newly relocated Los Angeles Rams, the recent subjects of HBO show "Hard Knocks." Sadly, Milwaukee King's Lance Kendricks got only brief screen time, at one point talking to practice visitor CC Sabathia about how he became a fan when Sabathia went on a rampage for the Brewers in 2008.

Bengals vs. Jets: Wisconsin Lutheran graduate Kevin Zeitler has developed a reputation for being one of the league's best guards, though there is some question as to whether Cincinnati will pony up for a contract extension. According to Pro Football Focus, Zeitler was the only right guard last year to play 500 snaps and not allow a sack.

Chargers vs. Chiefs: Both teams have some Milwaukee-area flavor, with Pewaukee's Derek Watt a rookie fullback on the San Diego roster blocking for former Kenosha Bradford running back Melvin Gordon. The Chiefs include Milwaukee Riverside's Eric Murray on the roster.

Lions vs. Colts: Milwaukee Vincent's DeAndre Levy played just 17 snaps last season because of injury after a Pro Bowl showing the year before, and the linebacker will look to resume his role as a disruptive force for the Lions.

Patriots vs. Cardinals: Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, a pair of LSU alumni and star players for the Arizona Cardinals, made a bet with Houston Texans star (and Pewaukee grad) JJ Watt about the outcome of last weekend's game against Wisconsin. It didn't go well.

Dolphins vs. Seahawks: Seattle star quarterback Russell Wilson has become a revelation in the NFL after one glorious season at the University of Wisconsin, where he led the 2011 Badgers to the Rose Bowl. Members of that team included the aforementioned Kevin Zeitler of Wisconsin Lutheran and Brad Nortman of Brookfield Central, among others. Zeitler was on the Outland Trophy Watch List that year.

Steelers vs. Redskins: Washington receiver Pierre Garcon won two NCAA Division III national titles at Mount Union, but not a third as a senior, when UW-Whitewater won the first of its six national championships in 2007. Garcon was limited to four catches for 30 yards that day, and one of the top defensive performers was Brookfield East alum Ben Farley (13 tackles, two forced fumbles), now head coach of the Spartans. Anthony White of Bay View also had a big day defensively. For the Steelers, Auburn alumnus Sammie Coates could be a breakout at wide receiver, but on Jan. 1, 2015, he was also held in check by the Badgers in the Outback Bowl, getting tackled by Joe Schobert of Waukesha West and Derek Landisch of Arrowhead in a pivotal overtime defensive stand (where Schobert went from great player to folk hero).

Buccaneers vs. Falcons. Two Falcons players played college ball at Minnesota -- rookie linebacker De'Vondre Campbell and third-year defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman. In 2013, both played on the same defense as Milwaukee Riverside's Eric Murray (now with the Chiefs) and Marquette's Cameron Botticelli, who finisehd that year with a sack and 5.5 tackles for loss for the Gophers.

Giants vs. Cowboys. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is out with injury, and the former Burlington High School standout has struggled staying healthy in recent years. As a senior, his team didn't make the playoffs, but as a junior, his squad reached Level 3, where it fell on a touchdown with 45 seconds to go to Cudahy, 16-15. That Cudahy team was piloted by sophomore quarterback John Navarre, who went on to have a record-setting career at Michigan and also played in the NFL with the Cardinals and Colts. The last time two future NFL quarterbacks met on a high-school field in Wisconsin?

Raiders vs. Saints. The Raiders have a punter named Marquette King. What's more Milwaukee-area than a guy named "Marquette?" Not to mention Marquette University High School is only seven miles from Rufus King High School.