9/23/08
- Off the top, here's to sore losers Mike
Vrabel and Rodney Harrison of the Patriots. Vrabel jumped
Dolphins running back Ricky
Williams after Williams threw an admittedly unnecessary
cutblock on Ronnie
Brown's fourth quarter 62-yard touchdown run. After the
game, Harrison said there's no place in the game for such a
play. Certainly Vrabel's actions and Harrison's words make them
come off as hypocrites given their reputations as players who
play up to the whistle and in many cases beyond, especially
in the case of Harrison who is known as being the dirtiest player
in the league.
- Look for the Panthers to move Jonathan Stewart into the starting
line-up ahead of DeAngelo Williams in the near future. Stewart
is averaging just under five yards per carry and is a more physical
runner than Williams, something head coach John Fox values.
Williams is also the better receiver of the two and better suited
to fill the third down role. One thing to keep an eye on is
the health of left guard Travelle Wharton who went down with
a knee injury during the Panthers opening week win against San
Diego. Wharton and left tackle Jordan Gross form a physical
and atheltic left side of the line and should be able to exploit
the Falcons this week provided Wharton returns as is expected.
- With Saints tight end Jeremy
Shockey out four to six weeks with a sports hernia, the
team will look to recently re-signed Billy
Miller to fulfill the role as the team's top receiving threat
at the position. Miller is a solid receiver and the team is
unlikely to experience much of a drop off at the position in
the passing game. However, he is a poor blocker and Shockey's
absence leaves the team with only two tight ends for short yardage
- Miller and Mark
Campbell, who has been out with a hamstring injury. The
team struggled in short yardage this week against the Broncos,
coming up empty on five attempts at gaining a yard including
three at the Broncos one-yard line. Backup running back Pierre
Thomas has looked solid other than in short yardage but
look for the team to insert Deuce
McAllister into the short yardage role next week against
San Francisco.
- Keeping with the Saints, look for David Patten (groin) to
see increased opportunities with Shockey and wide receiver Marques
Colston out.
- Don't expect the roles in the Broncos running back platoon
to change anytime soon. Head coach Mike Shanahan is alternating
Selvin Young and Andre Hall after five offensive plays with
Michael Pittman being inserted for short yardage work. Shanahan
has expressed his confidence in the current arrangement so it's
not likely he will change it provided the team continues to
run well.
- Steven Jackson's owners should take note that, although the
offense continued to struggle against Seattle, the offensive
line played well and the team missed plenty of offensive opportunities
due to the poor play of quarterback Marc Bulger. Despite decent
pass protection, Bulger played with happy feet and displayed
poor mechanics on many of his passes resulting in the team not
being effective on third down. The team gave up one sack against
a solid Seahawks pass rush and that was the result of a poor
block by fullback Dan Kreider. With the team's top free agent
acquisition, left guard Jacob Bell, expected to return this
week, perhaps Jackson will finally get it going.
- Keeping with the Rams, Antonio Pittman, Jackson's handcuff,
is expected to miss four to six weeks with a cracked bone in
the lower part of his leg. The Rams will likely split the backup
duties between Travis Minor and Brian Leonard, who has yet to
dress for a game.
- Michael Turner owners - sell high. Here's what's coming up
for the Falcons - on the road against Carolina and Green Bay
followed by a home against Chicago and then back on the road
to face Philadelphia and Oakland.
- Roddy White owners - see above although he could be good
for some points in garbage time.
- Larry Johnson owners - sell high. He still looks awful and
he may have had his best game of the season this week against
the Falcons, courtesy of a 48-yard run and a one-yard touchdown
plunge.
- Hard as it may be to believe, there's a decent chance that
Bears wide receiver Brandon Lloyd could be in line for a decent
season. Lloyd's chief competition at receiver is the currently
injured and still learning Devin Hester, journeyman Rashied
Davis and an aging Marty Booker. Davis has had a case of the
dropsies this year with a key drop on third down during overtime
of the Bears loss to the Bucs this week. Booker is clearly past
his prime and unable to create separation on a regular basis
against starting cornerbacks. Throw in that tight end Gregg
Olsen does not appear ready for a breakout season and is splitting
time with Desmond Clark and there is ample evidence that Lloyd
will be the main receiving threat in Chicago this season.
- Eagles wide receiver Reggie
Brown saw his first action this past week and went without
a catch against the Steelers. With Brown returning from a hamstring
injury and the team in control of the game, head coach Andy
Reid kept Brown mostly on the sidelines. Look for that to change
this week against Chicago although Brown certainly won't be
a major part of the game plan due to the success of the team's
other receivers.
- Keeping the above in mind, look for the Seahawks to be cautious
with their injured wide receivers, Deion Branch and Bobby Engram,
when they are ready to return to the lineup.
- The Texans are going with Steve Slaton as their starter at
running back. Slaton has put up good numbers over the team's
first two games against solid defenses (Steelers and Titans)
but a closer look reveals Slaton's production may be a bit misleading.
He's averaging 5.1 yard per carry but that figure is a bit inflated
due to the number of carries he has in garbage time as the Texans
have not been able to keep pace with their opponents.
- The Steelers are going to be without running back Willie
Parker for at least a week and maybe more, courtesy of a sprained
left knee. Rashard Mendenhall, the team's 1st round pick this
year, will replace Parker in the starting lineup. Mendenhall
was a fumbling machine in the preseason and has not received
a single carry since getting 10 carries in the team's opening
week blowout win over the Texans. Don't be surprised if the
Steelers open up the passing attack and get Mewelde Moore more
involved in a pass-receiving role.
- 49ers wide receiver Isaac Bruce has put up a couple of decent
games and figures to finish the season with 750-900 yards but
the receiver the team is high on is former Cardinal Bryant Johnson.
Johnson is more physical and has more top end speed than Bruce,
although Bruce still possesses the ability to create separation
on slant routes. Bryant missed much of training camp and isn't
as far advanced in the playbook as Bruce so look for the team
to get Bryant more involved as the season progresses.
- In the second quarter of their third game, the Rams ran their
first play in the red zone.
- Bills quarterback Trent Edwards has been impressive and is
perhaps the main reason why the team looks ready to contend
for the AFC East title for the first time in a decade. Edwards
completion percentage stands at 67 percent and he has passed
for 733 yards and three touchdowns against only one interception
in the teams first three games. Better yet, Edwards pulled off
his first big comeback this week in helping the Bills tally
17 points over the final eight minutes in the team's come from
behind 24-23 victory over the Raiders. Not bad for the team's
3rd round pick from the 2007 draft.
- The first player chosen in the 2007 draft? That would be
the Raiders JaMarcus Russell, the quarterback that was badly
outplayed by Edwards.
- Keeping with the Raiders, with the way Michael Bush is playing,
maybe drafting Darren McFadden with the 4th overall selection
in the draft wasn't such a no-brainer. With Justin Fargas coming
off a 1,000 yard season and Bush in the fold, it says here the
Raiders would have been better served using that pick on an
offensive lineman.
- More Raiders - we keep hearing that head coach Lane Kiffin
needs to win each week to keep his job. What about defensive
coordinator Rob Ryan? All his defense did was collapse in the
fourth quarter this week against a slightly above average Bills
offense. Maybe owner Al Davis should can Ryan.
- The NFC East is a combined 10-2 with the only two losses
coming in interdivisional play when the Giants beat the Redskins
and the Cowboys beat the Eagles.
- The Browns apparently could have received 1st and 3rd draft
picks in exchange for one-year wonder Derek
Anderson prior to this year's draft. However, they instead
signed him to a three-year contract for $24-million that has
$14-million in guarantees. Now they're giving first team reps
to 2007 1st round pick Brady
Quinn, the player Anderson beat out for the starting job
last season. And fans wonder why the Browns can never get it
together.
- Could be worse, however, for Browns fans. Say your team had
signed Anderson to a 6-year, $60-million contract like the Rams
did for Marc Bulger, who will find himself on the bench this
week when the Rams face the Bills.
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