These NFL players are Manatee/Sarasota Hometown Heroes

The NFL’s Week 15 slate culminated with three more teams clinching playoff berths. That brings the total to five securing postseason privileges.

One of those teams possesses a player from the Manatee/Sarasota County area.

For other area Hometown Heroes, they’re inching closer to the end of the 2017 season.

Here’s a look at how each performed in Week 15:

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: A difficult and contentious 2017 campaign continued with another close call Sunday for the New York Giants. DRC, a Lakewood Ranch High alumnus, tallied two tackles in a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The G-Men held a 20-7 lead early in the second quarter before things unraveled. New York stumbled to a 2-12 mark in a season that saw DRC leave the team due to a reported conflict with former head coach Ben McAdoo, then rejoin the team after a meeting with McAdoo a few weeks before McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were fired. Their firings came shortly after longtime starting quarterback Eli Manning was benched.

The Giants have lost seven of their 12 games by a combined 42 points.

Austin Reiter: Another Lakewood Ranch High alumnus in the NFL, Reiter suffered a heart-wrenching anterior cruciate ligament tear last season in his first NFL start. Now listed as a backup center in Cleveland, the former University of South Florida offensive lineman is on the unfortunate side of a particular streak. The Browns have lost 15 straight games dating to last season. Cleveland’s last victory came against the San Diego Chargers on Dec. 24, 2016. When the Browns play at the Chicago Bears this week, the game falls on Christmas Eve. Reiter, who the Browns signed off Washington’s practice squad in September 2016, returned from his torn ACL to play in all 14 games this year.

Brian Poole: While the playoffs aren’t possible for DRC or Reiter, they are within reach for Brian Poole. The former Southeast High star, who played collegiately at the University of Florida, is in his second season for the Atlanta Falcons and has a homecoming of sorts when Atlanta visits Tampa for “Monday Night Football.” Poole has four pass breakups, a sack and 38 tackles in 12 games this season. He’s started twice and missed one game with an injury, which occurred the last time the Falcons and Bucs played.

Sharrod Neasman: Also getting a homecoming is Sharrod Neasman, who is a backup defensive back with the Falcons. Neasman played college football at Florida Atlantic University, but cut his teeth in the high school scene around Manatee County at Braden River High. Neasman, who has played in eight games this season, was a member of Atlanta’s Super Bowl team last year, which also included Poole.

Trey Burton: The former University of Florida and Venice High star began his career as a quarterback prior to switching around a bit with the Gators. Eventually, he became a fit with the Philadelphia Eagles as a tight end and he’s excelled since Zach Ertz suffered a concussion in Week 13. Burton’s tallied 11 catches for 128 yards in the three games since Ertz’s concussion, and he grabbed a 13-yard touchdown that featured a nifty celebration in the victory over the Giants.

Did we miss someone?

Email us at sports@bradenton.com with any Hometown Hero playing in the NFL that we may have missed.

This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 11:40 AM with the headline "These NFL players are Manatee/Sarasota Hometown Heroes."