Preseason - August
8/10/06
- Okay, back for another year. Let's get going in Minnesota
where new head coach Brad Childress appears to be enamored with
his new number one receiver, Koren Robinson, and his ability
to generate yards after the catch. Not only that, Childress
seems to think his team is stacked at wide receiver with Robinson,
Troy Williamson, Travis Taylor and Marcus Robinson. In case
you're wondering, this new version of the Fearsome Foursome
has combined for two 1,000 yard receiving seasons - Marcus in
1999 and Koren in 2002. If that's not enough to make you worry,
we won't mention Koren's numerous run-ins with authority figures,
arrests and substance abuse issues. Perhaps the team can negate
their wide receiver issues by trotting out a quarterback in
his prime but that might be difficult considering that position
will be manned by the soon to be 38-year old Brad Johnson, he
of the questionable arm strength. Now you know why Childress
is looking for some yards after the catch from his receivers.
At least, the team is set at the backup quarterback position
with the athletic Mike McMahon. West coast offense, you say?
Well, perhaps McMahon and his career 44.5% completion percentage
might not be a great fit but that's only a guess. Nonetheless,
all is well in the running game where newly signed offensive
guard stud Steve Hutchinson will open up holes for the team's
running backs. At running back, the team will trot out newly
signed Chester Taylor and third year player Mewelde Moore. Combined
1,000 yards rushing seasons, you ask? None. Taylor's career
best of 741 yards came in 2004 and Moore rushed for a career
best 662 yards last season. Sleeper team of the season? Maybe
not.
- There seems to be a tremendous amount of discussion regarding
the Broncos decision to elevate rookie free agent Mike Bell
to the top of the running back depth chart ahead of incumbents
Ron Dayne and Tatum Bell. However, it says here the team's starting
running back to open the season isn't currently on the roster.
With wide receiver Ashley Lelie pouting and wanting out via
trade and the team having a Super Bowl contending roster and
wanting to win now before they begin the process of grooming
Jay Cutler, this year's 1st round pick, to be their quarterback
of the future, look for the team to move Lelie and a mid to
low level draft pick for either Thomas Jones of the Bears or
Chris Brown of the Titans, two players that have voiced their
displeasure with their current situations. The Bears are desperate
for a big play threat to play alongside Muhsin Muhammad and
may not want to pin their hopes on Bernard Berrian or Mark Bradley,
the team's 2005 2nd round pick recovering from offseason knee
surgery. The Titans have plenty of young receivers to pair with
David Givens and Drew Bennett but Lelie also makes sense here
because of his big play ability.
- Keeping with the Broncos running back situation, don't expect
the team to go after Falcons running back T.J. Duckett. Shanahan
hasn't built his reputation on being stupid so he's not about
to pick up a guy that hasn't been successful with a team that
employs the same zone blocking scheme he uses. There has been
some speculation the Falcons may move Duckett because of the
play of rookie 3rd round pick Jerious Norwood but this makes
little sense because it would rob the team of its best short
yardage runner, an area Warrick Dunn has never excelled in and
the team is unlikely to use a rookie, 210-pound back.
- Bengals offensive guard Eric Steinbach became the team's
fifth player to face criminal charges after being charged with
boating under the influence. Bengals team officials declined
comment on the case, noting they generally do not comment on
players' arrests. We note they wouldn't have much time for anything
else if they did comment on players' arrests.
- First the Browns lost marquee free agent addition LeCharles
Bentley for the season due to a torn patellar tendon. Now they
appear to have lost Bob Hallen, Bentley's replacement at center,
for personal and medical reasons. Browns coach Romeo Crennel,
from the Bill Belichick school of "don't say anything, even
if it will mean nothing" thought, won't say what these issues
are but he has made the issue public so it's safe to assume
Hallen won't be suiting up for the Browns in 2006. Alonzo Ephraim,
at one time the Eagles center of the future, was recently signed
and the team also picked up journeyman Ross Tucker from the
Patriots for a conditional draft pick. Here's how the team's
offensive line would look if the season started today, left
to right: Kevin Shaffer, Joe Andruzzi, Ephraim, Coleman, Kirk
Chambers. Pitiful. Once he recovers from surgery to clean up
torn cartilage in his left knee, Ryan Tucker will take over
at right tackle for Chambers. The backups entering the season
will likely be Chambers, Tucker, tackle Nat Dorsey and 2006
4th round pick Isaac Sowells. Running back Reuben Droughns has
legal issues while wide receiver Braylon Edwards and tight end
Kellen Winslow are coming off surgery to repair a torn anterior
cruciate ligaments. Just a thought but it might be time to drop
all Browns players way down on your cheatsheets.
- It appears the career of 49ers center Jeremy Newberry has
reached the end of the line after recent tests revealed his
left knee has deteriorated much the same way his right knee
did and he may require microfracture surgery on the left knee.
After undergoing the surgery on his right knee during the offseason,
Newberry planned on resuming his Pro Bowl career along the team's
offensive line. However, it appears he will be forced to retire
and his loss will force the team to move Eric Heitmann into
the starting line-up. Heitmann was going to be team's backup
interior offensive lineman so his insertion into the starting
line-up depletes the team's depth in that area, leaving unproven
2005 2nd round pick David Baas as the team's best option to
fill the role.
- Don't believe the hype that the Falcons are actively pursuing
the Raiders' Joey Porter and the Broncos' Ashley Lelie in their
quest to replace Brian Finneran, out for the year with a knee
injury. Falcons management shied away from going after Terrell
Owens despite the eccentric wide receivers public comments about
wanting to play with Michael Vick. With management putting a
premium on acquiring players with solid character and given
their oft stated comments that their two starting wide receivers
will be former 1st round picks Michael Jenkins and Roddy White,
it is doubtful they will pursue Porter or Lelie given their
checkered pasts that would almost guarantee each player not
accepting a role as the team's third wideout.
- Unless you were on assignment in Cambodia last year, you
are aware of the trying times the Cardinals offensive line went
through as the team amassed only two rushing touchdowns all
year. Although it seemed fairly obvious the team would address
the line in the offseason, their biggest moves were the signing
of unrestricted free agent guard Milford Brown (he of the 16
career starts) and drafting Deuce Lutui in the 2nd round. Suffice
it to say the offensive line is ill-prepared to deal with losing
starting right tackle Oliver Ross to a torn meniscus in his
right knee for six-to-ten weeks. Barring a free agent signing,
converted defensive lineman Fred Wakefield and journey Jeremy
Bridges will take over for Ross. You may want to reconsider
if you were thinking about picking up Edgerrin James in your
fantasy draft.
- With the Saints' Joe Horn on the downside of his career,
it was expected this might finally be the season Donte Stallworth
emerges as the team's top threat at wide receiver. However,
Stallworth has done his best to disappoint the new coaching
staff. First came a charge of arresting arrest without violence
after being pulled over for driving with an expired tag on his
car and now he has spent the initial part of training camp running
behind 2004 2nd round pick Devery Henderson, another perennial
disappointment thus far in his young career. The moral of the
story here might be that some guys will never get it.
- With Marshall Faulk out for the year and maybe his career
over, the Rams were scrambling to address the backup running
back position behind starter Steven Jackson. Tony Fisher had
been signed from the Packers early in the offseason to compete
for a spot as a pass catching back and play on special teams
but was not viewed as backup running back material. The team
did sign former Viking Mo Williams recently but word out of
camp is that Fisher has clearly emerged as Jackson's backup
and the team is confident he will produce if called upon to
replace Jackson, who has had injury issues his first two years
in the league.
- With the Giants offence expected to tantalize in 2006, the
offseason focus has been on what 1st round pick Sinorice Moss
will add to the team's production at wide receiver. However,
the diminutive Moss has been sidelined with a strained quadriceps
and everybody knows that head coach's Tom Coughlin makes players
earn their spots on the practice field. In Moss' absence, fourth
year wideout Tim Carter has been making plays and displaying
the ability the team felt he had when they picked him in the
2nd round of the 2002 draft. Provided the oft-injured Carter
stays healthy, Moss will likely be no better than the team's
fourth wide receiver entering the season.
- You have to love Lions general manager Matt Millen. He ensures
we all have healthy neck muscles because he makes us shake our
heads so much. After hiring a no-nonsense, disciplinarian in
head coach Rod Marinelli, Millen and Marinelli convinced former
Rams head coach Mike Martz to join the team as its offensive
coordinator. Both astute moves given the team's lackadaisical
approach last season under Steve Mariucci. However, Millen then
failed to move 2005 1st round pick wide receiver Mike Williams
in a trade. Here's why this doesn't make sense. Marinelli can't
have respect in the locker room if he doesn't cut players that
don't work hard in practice and are late for team meetings,
sins that Williams has committed numerous times under the old
and new regimes. On top of that, Williams is an extremely poor
fit for Martz's offense where the receivers must be fast and
committed to learning his ridiculous extensive and complex playbook
where receivers adjust their routes based on where the cornerback
is playing them. With the Lions currently listing Roy Williams
and Eddie Drummond as their starting wide receivers, Scottie
Vines likely to make the team based on his contribution last
season, return specialist Eddie Drummond is a lock to make the
team, Mike Furrey a strong possibility considering his knowledge
of the offense from his tenure with the Rams, Williams is competing
to be the team's sixth receiver with 2003 1st round pick Charles
Rogers and Glenn Martinez, who has looked good in camp. So,
rather than trade Williams (and Rogers for that matter) earlier
when he may have been able to get a decent return for him, Millen
has dithered and will likely be forced to take 50 cents on the
dollar in a trade sometime this month or Williams will simply
be released.
- Texans coach Gary Kubiak apparently isn't concerned about
the continued swelling in running back Domanick Davis' knee
but fantasy owners should take note. Davis might seem like a
decent bet given Kubiak's background in Denver where the Broncos
seemed to be able to pull 1,000 rushers out of a hat. However,
the Texans offensive line isn't remotely in the same league
as Denver's, Davis has never played an entire 16-games schedule
and is constantly battling injuries and it doesn't help that
the handcuff situation is unresolved given the battle between
2005 3rd round pick Vernand Morency, Antowain Smith and rookie
6th round pick Wali Lundy.
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