10/16/04
- With outside linebacker Julian Peterson out for the season with an Achilles'
tendon tear, the 49ers will be forced to use Saleem Rasheed
and Brandon Moore at the position. Rasheed has been a disappointment
since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft while
Moore is a former undrafted free agent. However, look for Jamie
Winborn to take over at the position once middle linebacker
Derek Smith returns to the line-up. Winborn has been filling
in at Jeff Ulbrich's outside spot while Ulbrich covers for Smith
in the middle. Considering the team's injuries and lack of depth
along the defensive line and the situation at linebacker with
players playing out of position, the team will likely have trouble
stopping the run.
- Keeping with Peterson, it certainly appears he has cost himself
by not accepting the team's long-term contract offer during
the off-season. Rather than accept a six-year, $38-million contract
that included a $15.5 signing bonus, Peterson chose to sign
a one-year franchise tender. Certainly the 49ers won't make
such a lucrative offer now considering the severity of the injury
and the likelihood Peterson won't be his former self for the
2005 season. With Peterson unlikely to accept less than what
was previously offered, look for the team to again place the
franchise tag on him in 2005. If this happens, the 49ers will
be forced to pay Peterson a minimum 20% increase over this year's
tender, making Peterson's 2005 tender approximately $7.3-million.
- After taking some reps with the 2nd team defensive unit during
last week's practices, Vikings tackle Chris Hovan recorded his
first sack of the season during the team's win over the Texans.
Head coach Mike Tice moved Steve Martin up to the first unit,
prompting Hovan to question the coach after practice on why
the move was made. As noted here previously, Hovan is one of
the most overrated players in the league. Tice likely made the
move to light a fire under the underachieving Hovan, who is
an unrestricted free agent after the season.
- The Jets offensive line could be a problem for the team over
the next couple of weeks. Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae is playing
with a broken bone in his right hand while starting guards Pete
Kendall and Brandon Moore are out with minor injuries. Jonathan
Goodwin, a 5th round pick in 2002, and journeyman veteran Brent
Smith, a starter in 2003, step into the starting line-up. With
Curtis Martin clearly a between the tackles runner at this stage
of his career, the injuries to the interior of the Jets line
will make it difficult for him to maintain his current output.
- Keeping with the Jets, the team is very disappointed in the
play of tight end Chris Baker. The team thought the 2002 3rd
round pick was ready to emerge as a weapon in the passing game
but he hasn't shown consistent hands and had a key fumble against
the Bills. Nonetheless, no matter how disappointed the team
is, Baker certainly has more potential as a receiver than incumbent
starter Anthony Becht.
- While Titans safety Lance Schulters has been out with a foot
injury, his replacement Lamont Thompson has impressed the club
with his reads in the passing game and his hitting ability.
In the last two games, Thompson has two interceptions, a forced
fumble and three passes defensed. Add in an interception return
for a touchdown in the season opener against the Dolphins and
Thompson looks like a future playmaking force at safety for
the team. With Schulters starting to show some wear and tear
after six years in the league and his playmaking ability on
the wane (no interceptions in 2003), look for the team to jettison
him after the season, opening up the position for Thompson in
2005.
- The Rams' 17-point comeback against the Seahawks last Sunday
was the second largest comeback in NFL history with six minutes
or less left in a game. Only the 21-point Colts win over Tampa
Bay last season was larger.
- Keeping with that game, the Seahawks dropped between eight
and ten passes, with wide receiver Koren Robinson the biggest
culprit due to a number of drops made with no defenders in the
area. Kudos to the Fox announcers, who pointed out early in
the contest before the dropfest began that the biggest difference
between the Seahawks and the other Super Bowl contenders was
their receivers tendencies to drop catchable balls.
- With 43 penalties already this season, the Dolphins are on
pace to break their team record of 115 set in 2000.
- Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is riding a four-game losing streak.
So what, you say? This is Gibbs' longest losing streak since
starting the 1981 season at 0-5. That was his first year as
a head coach. In addition, the Redskins have now lost 14 of
their last 17 games over the last two seasons.
- How bad is the Packers defense? Try 31st in total yards allowed
at 384 per game, 30th in rushing yards allowed at 150 per game
and 29th in average yards allowed per rushing attempt. In the
big play categories, they have seven sacks, three interceptions
and two forced fumbles. However, the biggest concern has to
be the rushing defense where the statistics prove the age-old
adage that if you can't stop the run, you can't win.
- Keeping on the topic, the talking heads keep telling us how
much the Packers miss Grady Jackson at defensive tackle. Perhaps
they're telling us Jackson will fix all this, but it says here
if you're relying on Jackson, you're relying on the wrong guy.
- Staying with the Packers, what does a five-year, $10.9-million
contract with a $3.5-million signing bonus get you? If you guessed,
Robert Ferguson, eight catches, 101 yards and a touchdown, you
guessed right. Let this be the first installment of why Mike
Sherman is a lousy talent evaluator.
- If Ravens coach Brian Billick weren't so stubborn, he might
make a critical examination of the performance of quarterback
Kyle Boller. In the team's more or less short yard passing attack,
Boller is hitting on 56.9% of his attempts. This is up from
51.8% last season, both numbers a far cry from what would be
considered even mediocre in Billick's offense.
- Things are getting tense in Miami. Defensive end Jason Taylor
spoke out against safety Sammy Knight over an unsportsmanlike-conduct
penalty Knight took in the first half that helped New England
march down the field for a touchdown. Last week, cornerback
Sam Madison was apparently close to tears after the team's loss
to the Jets. Thrown in Madison's comments about the offense's
contribution a few weeks ago and it's apparent things are unraveling
in Miami.
- Bucs coach Jon Gruden can try to make quarterback Brad Johnson
the scapegoat for the team's offensive struggles thus far in
2004 by benching him for Chris Simms, however he wouldn't be
looking for a scapegoat had he and general manager Bruce Allen
not overdosed on aging, injury prone, unproductive wide receivers
and running backs in the offseason. Gruden contends injuries
and holdouts have played a factor with Joey Galloway, Charlie
Garner, Joe Jurevicius, Edell Shepherd, Rickey Dudley and Keenan
McCardell missing time. However, of the four, only McCardell
is a legitimate difference maker and Garner has big play ability
but was brought in to be a part time player. The bottom line
is you can't win in this league without some speed on offense
and Gruden and Allen's off-season acquisitions didn't bring
much speed to the team.
- The Chargers are concerned about the play of cornerback Sammy
Davis. At this point, the 2003 1st round pick is beginning to
look like a bust and could be replaced in the starting line-up
before his confidence is shattered. Davis' play has contributed
to the Chargers having one of the worst passing defenses in
the league.
- The Titans escaped a serious problem when right guard Benji
Olson's MRI exam revealed his groin injury wasn't as bad as
originally thought. With left guard Zach Piller already out
for the season, the team could ill afford to lose Olson, despite
rookie 4th round pick Jacob Bell's respectable performance in
Piller's absence.
- The Rams beleaguered defense received some good news this
week with cornerback Travis Fisher and defensive tackle Jimmy
Kennedy back on the practice field, although neither player
is expected back in the immediate future.
- The Bengals are disappointed in the lack of production from
wide receivers Kelley Washington and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in
Peter Warrick's absence. Their ineffectiveness has allowed opposing
defenses to consistently double team Chad Johnson, reducing
his effectiveness, particularly in making big plays, and is
a large reason why Johnson has just one touchdown this year.
Warrick takes a beating in the press for being a failed draft
pick because he was taken so high (4th overall), however the
offense is clearly struggling with him out of the line-up.
- Although Marcus Stroud was silent on his move from defensive
tackle to defensive end for last week's game against the Chargers,
it says here head coach Jack Del Rio made a big mistake in making
the move. Stroud and fellow tackle John Henderson make such
an imposing presence in the middle of the field that teams are
unlikely to have any success running up the middle, allowing
the ends and linebackers to concentrate on the area outside
the offensive tackles. Moving Stroud to end may help the outside
pass rush, but the move takes too much away from the team's
run defense.
- Kevin Curtis has moved ahead of Dane Looker into the third
receiver role in the Rams offense and quickly impressed with
his long, 4th quarter touchdown reception this week against
the Seahawks. However, Looker and Shaun McDonald line up in
the four-receiver set, with Curtis on the bench.
- Keeping with the Rams, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry
Holt have scored 159 touchdowns since the start of the Rams'
1999 Super Bowl championship season. Prior to the team's win
over San Francisco, the trio had scored at least one touchdown
in 24 consecutive games. However, the trio did not score a touchdown
during the team's last two games.
- Browns coach Butch Davis is back to his old habit of blaming
just about everybody but himself for the team's problems. This
week, quarterback Jeff Garcia was Davis' target, with the coach
calling his quarterback for being skittish in the pocket and
missing open receivers in key situations. Easy for the coach
to say when he isn't the one dodging bullets behind an offensive
line that has required attention for years but hasn't received
it because Davis was wasting cap space on unproductive veteran
free agents and blowing draft picks on wide receivers, centers
and linebackers.
- Keeping with Davis, not only did he hear back from Garcia after calling him out, but it's unlikely he missed fullback Terrelle Smith's comments about his lack of use. Smith feels the team should utilize his blocking skills more in the red zone, which begs the question: if Davis didn't get Smith to use him in the red zone (the Browns have been pathetic in short yardage situations during Davis' tenure), then why did the coach shell out big bucks to sign Smith in the off-season when every other team is using a minimum salaried player at the position?
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