Week 5
10/6/06
- Let's give the national media a little reality check this
week. When the Tennessee Titans took quarterback Vince
Young with the third overall pick in the draft, the selection
received mostly negative reviews given that USC quarterback
Matt Leinart was still on the board and was clearly the better
passer of the two. Fast forward to this week and it's almost
like the media has forgotten what they wrote five months ago
despite witnessing the evidence (i.e. what everybody thought
has been confirmed). In his first start, Young went 14 for 29
yards for 149 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown, meaning
the Titans net points out of their offense for his first start
was seven points. That's not going to win many games in the
NFL. His completion percentage during limited playing time is
45.3%. He's rushed ten times for 27 yards. He's fumbled four
times and lost two. He's thrown three interceptions. Yet we're
now hearing how well he played and how he's only going to get
better. How he's looked good and made the right reads. Here's
what he's done. Almost nothing. He's still inaccurate and he's
found out that NFL defenses can easily neutralize his rushing
ability. He's not making big plays. He has two pass plays of
over 20 yards and his longest run is 12 yards. He might be good
someday - that day isn't anytime soon.
- Bucs running back Cadillac
Williams has had a tough year thus far and there aren't
any signs on the horizon that his fortunes are about to change.
The second year player has struggled with a bad back and ineffective
play along the team's offensive line. With quarterback Chris
Simms out for the year and his replacement rookie Bruce Gradkowski,
opposing defenses will likely play eight man fronts against
the Bucs on 1st and 2nd down. Add in that starting right tackle
Kenyatta Walker has been shut down for the year as a result
of recurring knee problems and that his replacement will likely
be a rookie (2nd round pick Jeremy Truelove) and it's not hard
to predict that Williams is likely to continue to struggle in
2006.
- Keeping with Walker, the frequently maligned 2001 1st round
pick might never reach the Pro Bowl but he was perhaps the team's
best offensive lineman. Walker has dressed for 75 of 83 games
since entering the league to go along with 73 starts. For all
the criticism he has received, Walker is a quality right tackle,
as evidenced by the Bucs decision to sign him to a five-year
contract extension in the off-season.
- After the acquisition of Ashley
Lelie from the Broncos, the Falcons were quick to point
out that Lelie would assume the role of the team's third wideout
with former 1st round picks Michael Jenkins and Roddy White
in the starting roles. However, look for this to change in the
near future. While Jenkins has played reasonably well, White
hasn't progressed as the team expected. Lelie started in the
team's week three loss to the Saints because White was banged
up but look for him to assume the starter's role over the next
few weeks. His deep speed and proven big play ability force
opposing defenses to play their safeties deeper than with White
in the line-up, giving the team's already explosive running
attack more opportunities to make big plays.
- Lions wideout Mike
Williams continues to garner a tonne of publicity but the
odds of him getting an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution
this year are almost zero. With Roy Williams the team's superstar
and unheralded Mike
Furrey playing consistently well, the team is set at the
starting positions. Az Zahir Hakim knows offensive coordinator
Mike Martz's offense from their time together with the Rams
and is ideal as a slot receiver, leaving only the fourth position
open. Tellingly, rookie Shaun Bodiford received all of the reps
ahead Williams during the Lions loss this week to St. Louis.
Add in that Scottie Vines, a surprising contributor last season,
will be eligible to come off the physically unable to perform
list after week six and it's clear Mike Williams is looking
at another lost season in 2006.
- It might be easy to dump on Packers general manager Ted Thompson
and this week we have further proof that's it's also easy to
dump on former Packers general manager Mike Sherman. With Thompson
finally deciding to cut the cord with cornerback Ahmad
Carroll, the Packers now have only two players remaining
on their roster from the 2004 draft. Chris White (7th round)
starts at center for the Pack while Corey Williams (6th round)
starts at defensive tackle. Carroll (1st round), cornerback
Joey Thomas (3rd round), punter B.J. Sanders (3rd round) and
defensive tackle Donnell Washington (3rd round) have now all
been shown the door, a pretty good starting point in determining
why the team's roster lacks talent.
- Jets coach Eric Mangini has done a wonderful job of turning
his team's fortunes around in his rookie year but he certainly
made an odd decision to let Leon
Washington make the team's final kickoff return during the
Jets loss this week to the Colts. With his team trailing by
three points and only 50 seconds on the clock, Mangini sent
Washington back to return the Colts kickoff although Justin
Miller had returned the previous kickoff for a touchdown. Washington
promptly botched the return, forcing the Jets to start their
final drive from the two-yard line. Mangini explained his decision
by suggesting Miller, also one of the team's starting cornerbacks,
was tired from playing defense on the Colts final drive. This
begs a couple of questions. One, if that's an issue, why is
Miller returning kickoffs in the first place? Two, if Miller
was so tired from playing defense for the first 58 minutes of
the game, where did he muster up the energy to make the kickoff
return touchdown? Here's some advice. When your team is down
by a field goal with little time left, you need field position
and that means putting your team's best return man out there.
Considering Mangini conducts tough practices, ostensibly so
his team can be in better shape than the opposition, it only
makes sense that Miller should have been out there.
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