Owls in the Pros: NFL Edition at Completion of Regular Season

BOCA RATON, Fla. – As the NFL regular season has come to a close, three of the nine former Florida Atlantic University football players that were on team rosters on the league's final day will head to the playoffs with a chance to play in Super Bowl LIII.

Greg "Buddy" Howell (Houston Texans, below) and Cre'von LeBlanc (Philadelphia Eagles) will lead their respective teams in Wild Card round matchups this upcoming weekend. The Texans host the Indianapolis Colts this Saturday at 4:35 p.m., while the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles play at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, a 4:40 p.m. kickoff. Trey Hendrickson (New Orleans Saints), whose team earned a first round bye, awaits a Wild Card winner in the Divisional Round on the following Sunday, Jan. 13, at 4:40 p.m.

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All told, those three plus six more former Owls wrapped the 2018 regular season on an NFL roster. The others were: Trevon Coley and Greg Joseph (Cleveland Browns), Alfred Morris (San Francisco 49ers), Sharrod Neasman (Atlanta Falcons), Damian Parms (Carolina Panthers, but on the team's injured reserve) and Adarius Taylor (f/k/a Adarius Glanton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Here is more on each Owl in the NFL:

Trevon Coley, Defensive Tackle, Cleveland (with FAU from 2012-15)
* Started 14 of 16 games on the Browns' defensive line
* Had 39 tackles, four for a loss, and added a half-sack and a fumble recovery
* Along with Joseph (below), helped the Browns' turnaround, from 1-15 in 2016 and 0-16 in 2017, to 7-8-1 this season

Trey Hendrickson, Defensive End, New Orleans (with FAU from 2013-16)
* Appeared in five games in his second year in the pros
* Recorded eight tackles, including five versus Carolina in Week 17
* Saints posted a 13-3 record, tying for best mark in NFL, and earned the NFC's No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs

Greg "Buddy" Howell, Running Back/Special Teams, Houston (with FAU from 2014-17)
* In rookie season, was a special teams dynamo
* Had nine tackles in 15 games, and added a forced fumble and fumble recovery
* His Texans took the AFC South title with an 11-5 record, a seven-game improvement from the 2017 season

Greg Joseph, Placekicker, Cleveland (with FAU from 2014-17)
* Rookie kicker was signed and took over as Browns' starter before Week 3
* Immediately made an impact by going 2-for-2 on field goals and making his only extra point in the team's first win in 635 days, 21-17 over the New York Jets
* On the year, made 17-of-20 field goals, including the game-winner in Week 5 win over Baltimore, and went 25-of-29 extra points

Cre'von LeBlanc, Cornerback, Philadelphia (with FAU from 2012-15)
* Began season with Detroit, playing three games with the Lions, before becoming a key contributor in the Eagles' defensive backfield, with four starts in eight games
* Totaled 27 tackles, 24 with Philadelphia, and had one tackle for loss and one pass defended
* Led the Eagles to a 3-1 record when he started, and five wins in the last six games, to finish 9-7 and earn an NFC Wild Card slot

Alfred Morris, Running Back, San Francisco (with FAU from 2007-11)
* Seven-year NFL vet kept on churning out yards in his first year with the 49ers
* In 12 games, had 428 rushing yards and two scores on the ground
* Starred in the regular season finale with 111 yards on just 16 carries, and a touchdown, against the NFC's No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Rams

Sharrod Neasman, Defensive Back, Atlanta (with FAU from 2012-15)
* Played in 12 games in his third year with the Falcons
* Had 44 tackles, two for a loss, and defended four passes
* Against Carolina in Week 16, posted 11 tackles, second-highest on the squad

Damian Parms, Defensive Back, Carolina (with FAU from 2011-14)
* Unfortunately missed the season due to injury, after being on the Panthers' practice squad for the entirety of the 2017 campaign

Adarius Turner, Linebacker, Tampa Bay (with FAU from 2012-13)
* Started 10 of 15 games with the Bucs
* Tallied 60 total tackles, four for loss, and had a sack and a forced fumble
* Also recorded his first career interception, against New Orleans in Week 14

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