Hey, there is a lot of criticism directed at quarterbacks, white and black, but Donovan McNabb is not right. I mean, physically he doesn't look right on the field. OK, he played a little better in the fourth quarter against the Redskins, but if you watch him closely he's not bending his left front leg and it's causing his throws to sail high and wide.
The only conclusion is that maybe his right leg, which suffered a torn ACL, isn't totally healed. Or that McNabb is still very much worried about his legs getting hit in the pocket. As good as McNabb was in the past, he's not playing very well right now and the NFL is a bottom line business. How many losses can the Eagles stand until McNabb is good again?
If they lose this Sunday to the Lions, Eagles coach Andy Reid might be tempted to play rookie Kevin Kolb, the second-round pick that so infuriated McNabb when he was drafted last April.
McNabb can say that he doesn't have a home-run hitter at wide receiver (remember what he and Terrell Owens accomplished during that Super Bowl season?), but that's the way it has always been in Philadelphia. Teams are going to jam his receivers because right now there is no fear of McNabb scrambling and making a lot of plays with his feet.
In two games, McNabb has completed just two passes that have gained more than 20 yards. Both came in Green Bay. He had none against the Redskins Monday night. By comparison, last season at this time, when McNabb was playing like a potential MVP, he had 12 passing plays of 20 yards or more, four of them good for touchdowns.
Evil Ernie
Of the terms being bandied about during Videogate or Spygate, is the "plausible deniability" line that Patriots coach Bill Belichick could invoke with commissioner Roger Goodell. What that means is that Goodell could interview players and coaches on the Patriots and all of them could answer honestly that they had no idea about Belichick's video methods.
However, there is one employee, Ernie Adams, that some rival coaches and general managers are pointing a finger at, claiming that Adams and Belichick cooked up this scheme together and that Adams, a veritable football genius, was the one who broke down the taped coaching signals and ascertained what plays would be beneficial to Belichick and his offensive strategy. Adams has been with Belichick since the two worked for the New York Giants. His title is football research director and his job duties include statistical evaluations and film coordination.
"I've know Ernie most of his career and I don't believe he is G. Gordon Liddy, the Watergate burglar," said a friend who works with another team. "He is an honest guy who I don't think would condone cheating. I just don't see him being a party to any of this."
Better than Curly
This is Brett Favre's 17th season in the NFL and what's impressive about his 149-82 won-lost record in the regular season is that it is a better record than coaches like Washington's Joe Gibbs and the recently retired Bill Cowher and Bill Parcells. Gibbs is a Hall of Famer. Another interesting point is that Favre's winning percentage of .645 is also better than Curly Lambeau, Green Bay's legendary coach. Curly was .631.
Texans in trouble
With the loss of superstar receiver Andre Johnson with a sprained knee, the Houston Texans and Matt Schaub will have to rely heavily on Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels this Sunday against the Colts, who were able to defeat Vince Young while minus two starting linebackers.
Walter and Owens have a total of eight receptions in two games. There is even a chance that Texans coach Gary Kubiak will start Andre Davis, who was inactive last Sunday against the Panthers. Davis, though, has the most NFL experience (104 career receptions) on a relatively young receiving corps. In two games, Johnson had 262 receiving yards, or 212 yards more than the team's other wide receivers combined.
Adam off-target
Last Sunday might have been the worst game of Adam Vinatieri's pro career. He had an extra-point attempt blocked, a field-goal partially blocked and he pulled a 36-yard field goal attempt wide left. This stuff has happened before but not all in the same game. Since the 1999 season, Vinatieri has had only four out of 494 kicks blocked. Colts coach Tony Dungy blamed Vinatieri, too, saying that his kicks were too low and that's why they were blocked.
Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris told his teammates on Monday that he was simply kidding around when he said friend Donovan McNabb would win a Super Bowl if he was playing in Chicago. Harris is probably right; McNabb would make a big difference in the Chicago offense.
When players get caught speaking their mind, like Harris did, they always have to face the music. Harris reportedly explained himself to Rex Grossman, Chicago’s starting quarterback. The bottom line, whether he was kidding around or not, Harris most likely was speaking the truth.
Defensive players are very much like the fans. Harris knows that Brian Urlacher and friends put the Bears in the Super Bowl. McNabb would be an upgrade over Grossman. That’s simply the facts, based on NFL experience and production to this point in their careers.
Pacman can't steer clear of trouble
Strip clubs and friends with guns. Adam “Pacman” Jones can’t seem to steer clear of either.
Pacman’s latest incident, in which DeKalb County police (outside Atlanta) want him to identify who in his group was packing a gun, once again shows his utter recklessness and his total disregard of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s ultimatum to stay clean and off any police blotter while serving his one-year suspension.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that the Tennessee Titans and coach Jeff Fisher have moved on without their talented cornerback. I’d be shocked if we ever see Pacman in Titans’ uniform ever again. And what a waste of talent that is!
I also say one more strike and the NFL should ban Pacman for life. The league doesn’t need young men like him. He’s had plenty of second chances, plus there are plenty of cornerbacks in America who would love his roster spot and don’t have an arrest record attached to their resume.
Can someone please tell me why does Pacman need to hang with guys that need to shoot it out after there is some argument (fight?) over some stripper? It happened in Las Vegas and now in Atlanta. There must be a better way to have a little fun in the midnight hours.
Speaking of Titans
The signing of running back Chris Brown by Tennessee -- the Bears were once again slow to react -- reveals that young backs LenDale White and Chris Henry (second round pick) haven’t secured anything.
In fact, White still has weighty issues and few are convinced Henry can be a 200-carry runner. Brown has ability. He simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy, either, or prove he can be the every-down back. The Titans need one of these backs to emerge if they are going to make any playoff run.
Badge of honor
I have never been a huge fan of organized team activities (OTAs) because I think football players need a pronounced rest from their season-long pounding. But a lot of coaches and NFL teams believe these sessions are the only way to keep their players out of trouble and in good physical shape. With the money they earn these days, it’s pretty rare to see a NFL player drastically out-of-shape.
There is no doubt that many coaches have abused the OTAs and mini-camps with too much physical contact. Heck, it is football! But there have always been enough whistle-blowers to get coaches and teams reprimanded, causing them to lose some of these unnecessary practice days.
But in the case of the Raiders and rookie head coach Lane Kiffin, it was good news to any Oakland fan that his OTAs were tough and that his practices were very up-tempo. But this style of practicing cost the Raiders one entire week of OTA drills because they broke the rules.
Still, I find this good news compared to last season when the Raiders were in hibernation; their practices were dreadfully slow and excruciating long under Art Shell. Kiffin may have been a little rough on these Raiders, but Oakland fans probably believe it was necessary and definitely deserving. All you have to say is one win in their last 24 AFC West games.
You have to wonder what Chris Simms is thinking. You can bet that his father, Phil Simms, isn’t too happy with head coach Jon Gruden after the Bucs gave Jeff Garcia the same contract ($7 million for two seasons) that Simms is playing for while also securing the rights to former Denver starter Jake Plummer.
Tampa Bay should have a healthy quarterback competition this summer.
Yes, Plummer has announced he plans to retire rather than play in Tampa Bay. But the Bucs and Broncos wrote a pretty interesting contract before the NFLPA got wind of what was happening. If Plummer reports this month to the Bucs, Denver receives a fourth-round pick. But if Plummer doesn’t report in March, the compensation is a seventh-rounder.
This is a very interesting trade language, and one designed to prevent Plummer from simply asking to be released from Denver and then signing with the Houston Texans, where his former offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, is the head coach. That is what Plummer wanted to do and exactly what the Broncos wanted to prevent.
Basically, the Bucs will own Plummer’s rights and if he doesn’t report, they will place him on the reserve list. If Plummer ever wants to play in the NFL again, he will have to deal with the Bucs, who could either activate him or trade him.
Believe it or not, the Bucs have enough salary-cap room to keep all three quarterbacks. They currently plan to do exactly that and see what happens before considering a trade later in the year.
For Simms, he now knows for sure that the Bucs like Garcia based on what he was paid and that maybe he shouldn’t have signed that extension late last season. I mean, Simms is hardly guaranteed anything now except for a lot of competition for the starting quarterback spot.
Quality of life influences Dielman
The Chargers kept guard Kris Dielman, who settled for a $6.5 million average after rejected a $7 million average from the Seattle Seahawks. Basically, Dielman decided he’d rather live and play in San Diego than in Seattle, and who can argue with that reasoning when the money was so close.
Still, what’s fascinating is that Seattle was going to pay Dielman more money than it was willing to pay All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson last season. Seattle completely misjudged how much room they would have this season and where the salary numbers for offensive linemen would be in 2007. It was horrible planning and cap management by the Seahawks and magnified by the club’s pursuit of Dielman.
Small market?
There are a few NFL teams wondering how can Bills owner Ralph Wilson continue to complain about his small-market stature and his desperate need for revenue sharing after his team pays two offensive linemen, Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery, a total of $70 million. Walker, who would have been paid the minimum by many NFL teams, received a $10 million signing bonus from the Bills.
Dockery is a very good run blocker, but Walker, a right tackle, was a full-time starter on an offensive line that allowed 72 quarterback sacks last season.
The Cleveland Browns gave former Bengals guard Eric Steinbach a better contract than what Hutchinson received last season, including $17 million guaranteed. It’s difficult to believe all these guards are as good or better than Hutch.
Serious upgrade
The Patriots have definitely improved their defense with the multi-talented ex-Baltimore linebacker Adalius Thomas. Thomas chose New England over San Francisco, believing the Pats have a better chance of reaching the Super Bowl than the 49ers. That makes sense.
The Patriots also signed Jacksonville tight end Kyle Brady, who they believe remains a top five blocker at his position. If they can pry Wes Welker away from the Dolphins, it will be a great acquisition. Welker is an excellent special teams player, but also has a chance to be a full-time receiver. There aren’t many tougher all-around players in the NFL than Welker.
When I telephoned Jimmy Johnson this morning he was out fishing, which is his daily routine down in the Florida Keys.
Yes, Jimmy and Chargers owner Dean Spanos are good friends and if Jimmy wanted to coach, Dean would probably hire him in a New York second. But like Rhonda, Jimmy’s wife told me, Johnson is through with coaching. Jimmy has told me that a thousand times even though we both have laughed at all the money he’s turned down through the years.
Before the late John Butler hired Marty Schottenheimer, Spanos and Butler flew to the Keys to woo Jimmy and try to convince him to coach the Chargers. That was five years ago and, believe me, nothing has changed with Jimmy. He said no then and he knows that the daily NFL grind is too much to handle now, even if offered $10 million a year.
What Spanos and general manager A.J. Smith did yesterday, firing Schottenheimer, ranks as one of more bizarre front-office cases in recent NFL history.
Smith and Schottenheimer haven’t spoken to each other in more than a year. I wrote Schottenheimer was history if he lost in the playoffs, but the San Diego brain trust changed its mind and kept him for one final lame-duck season. What is so weird is that this relationship didn’t suddenly change simply because Marty wanted to hire his brother, Kurt, as defensive coordinator. And, who knows, Marty may have wanted to force their hands, knowing that being fired (and collecting his $3.7 million) might have been the result of trying to hire Kurt while also allowing so many good assistant coaches to take jobs elsewhere.
I mean, the 2007 season wasn’t going to be the greatest in Schottenheimer’s career, considering his relationship with Smith and the odds against actually winning 14 games once again.
This is why Spanos made a huge mistake in retaining Marty. He should have terminated Marty so that Smith could have elevated Wade Phillips into the job before Wade left last week to become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, what a lost opportunity that was.
Remember, Smith was the one who hired Phillips and made him the defensive coordinator in San Diego, not Marty. Smith wanted to do the same thing as Schottenheimer attempted to put together a new staff, having lost his top four assistants.
There is no doubt that this could be one of the best jobs in the NFL -- if you can co-exist with Smith -- because the Chargers have three young stars in LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers and Shawne Merriman. Plus, who doesn’t want to work in San Diego. Schottenheimer just loves his ocean-view home there. And no matter your opinion of Smith, he and Buddy Nix rank among the top five personnel evaluators in the league right now. Heck, they could be No. 1.
Rex Ryan, Baltimore’s talented defensive coordinator, should top Smith’s list. Despite his background with a 4-3 defense, Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera should also be on the interview list, considering his background in Buddy Ryan’s complicated and masterful 4-6 defense. The Chargers have a lot of talented defensive players and they should hire a defensive guy.
Good luck to Andy
Eagles coach Andy Reid, one of the real good guys in this game, is taking a leave of absence to deal with his two sons, Garrett and Britt, who both were stopped by police two weeks ago. Both sons apparently have drug problems, plus Britt was accused of pointing a gun at another driver after a traffic accident.
In situations like these, people want to point a finger at Reid for being an absentee father. But that isn’t the case; Andy has been active with his children. If he is guilty of anything, it is probably being too generous with his children, giving them freedom and not depriving them of anything. A lot of people in the league are hoping something very good comes out of Reid’s time at home.
Giant mess
We realize the Giants had to cut linebacker LaVar Arrington and left tackle Luke Petitgout loose on Monday for salary cap reasons. But doesn’t this team need Petitgout? When he wasn’t committing a dozen false start penalties in Seattle, Petitgout was a consistent blocker. Coming off an Achilles injury, Arrington might struggle. At least his future ability is cloudy at best.
But the bigger issue is how many free-agents want to come to New York with Tom Coughlin in a win-or-else situation? The Giants remain really close to reaching the Super Bowl if you believe in Eli Manning, but they need to replace these veteran players with proven talent, too.
Reinfeldt & personnel
Tennessee’s new general manager, Mike Reinfeldt, has been more of a salary-cap man and contract negotiator in his 20-plus years in the NFL. It remains unknown if Reinfeldt is going to have personnel power over head coach Jeff Fisher like Floyd Reese did in the past. But there is no question that Reinfeldt wants the personnel authority with the Titans based on his overture to Vincent Marino of the NFL’s Management Council to serve as his salary-cap man.
In Green Bay and Seattle, Reinfeldt never had the final say on any personnel matters. He is embarking on a new career, so to speak, and it will be interesting to see what unfolds in Tennessee. If he and Fisher can work together, it may all work out. But if Fisher still doesn’t have control over his 53-man roster why would he stay and sign a long-term contract?
Remember, outside of Bill Cowher, Fisher ranks as the most appealing of head coaches to a majority of NFL owners. Fisher would be a hot commodity on the open market next year.
Cowboys & Jerry
There is no question that the media support for Norv Turner in Dallas didn’t help his cause with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. I think Jones was nervous about hiring Turner, who was close with Fort Worth columnist Randy Galloway and long-time Channel 8 sportscaster Dale Hansen. Both of these men have been covering the Cowboys since the days of Tom Landry, so they’ve seen it all.
New head coach Wade Phillips, like Turner, is being asked to retain several Cowboy assistant coaches from the Bill Parcells’ regime. This is never a good thing for a new head coach because those coaches, when trouble or controversy starts, tend to run to the boss, in this case Jerry Jones.
Their allegiances usually are to the owner who kept them employed, not the new head coach who was basically forced to keep them. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is within any coaching staff. Every assistant’s loyalties should be to the head coach, not the owner.
I believe that there is a chance that Bill Parcells will return as coach of the Dallas Cowboys next season regardless of Terrell Owens’ employment status with owner Jerry Jones.
T.O. coming back to Big D may not drive Parcells to retirement in Saratoga, N.Y., but a team that can’t win the big game just might. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Dallas playoff-bound team be embarrassed in consecutive home games by the likes of Drew Brees and Jeff Garcia. The score count in those two losses: 65-24.
The New Orleans Saints, once the laughingstock of the NFL for their general incompetence, humiliated the Cowboys in Texas Stadium. Now, the “no-shot Eagles,” like Jimmy Johnson likes to say, were beaten by a quarterback Owens once outted as an unmanly man.
Several things doomed the Cowboys from having a merry Christmas:
One, Marion Barber finished with negative yards in three goal-line carries late in the first quarter. Hey, Parcells loves going for it on fourth down and Barber is one determined running back. But when the kid can’t gain a foot in two attempts against a supposedly porous Philadelphia run defense maybe a light should go on and say, ‘Hey, these Eagles may know our run calls better than we’re blocking right now.’ If Dallas kicks the field goal, the Eagles don’t gain street cred for being Christmas bullies.
Two, Tony Romo didn’t look like a Pro Bowl quarterback. Granted, the NFC doesn’t have many good quarterbacks this season, but Romo struggled with Philadelphia’s blitz pressure and misfired, completing less than 50 percent of his attempts for 142 yards and had two interceptions against a rejuvenated Eagles’ secondary.
Three, Owens dropped another huge third-down ball down the left sidelines, with the score 16-7 and the Cowboys in desperate need of a big play. Owens said the defender interfered with him and then complained about not seeing enough passes his way early in the game. The thing about Dallas is that Romo is going to the open man and not every Dallas play, based on his 16 dropped passes this season, can be earmarked for Owens.
Packers need computer error
Supposedly, the Packers have a chance at the final NFC wild-card berth even if the New York Giants beat Washington this Saturday and the Packers upset division rival Chicago. I don’t see how. I mean, there would have to be a computer glitch or something.
Right now, the Giants have beaten seven teams who have won 46 games. The Packers have beaten six teams (Minnesota twice) who have won 33 games. And this is when the so-called strength of victory category that will come into play. Even by collecting 13 wins by beating the Bears, the Giants will collect 5 more wins by beating the Redskins. They’ll collect another win when Philadelphia and Atlanta play (they’ve beaten both of those teams) and there’s no way that Dallas will lose to Detroit. The Eagles swept the Cowboys.
To me, the Giants are in — even though I'm not sure they deserve to be going anywhere but home at the end of the season — by simply beating the Redskins.
One more year
It is looking more and more like Lions GM Matt Millen will return for one final season. Owner William Clay Ford hasn’t tipped his hand or said anything publicly on the subject, but Millen’s fate is probably hinged to head coach Rod Marinelli. Ford likes Marinelli and his no-nonsense approach to the players. Millen hired Marinelli and Ford probably thinks that it’s too early to dump Marinelli, who does have confidence in Millen.
One more year for Millen may make the rest of the NFL jealous of his status and salary, but that’s the way it goes in Motown.
Christmas Day afterthoughts
Please give safety Brian Dawkins as much credit as Jeff Garcia for this Philadelphia surge down the stretch.
Eric Mangini, the shocking hire of the season, proved not to be a youthful experiment by the Jets and transformed a winless road team into a 6-2 team this season. Simply amazing. Mangini should be the No. 1 challenge to Sean Payton for Coach of the Year.
No wonder Bill Parcells didn’t totally endorse Tony Romo’s Pro Bowl selection. The first-year starter is suddenly looking like an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois.
Despite what Charles Barkley said on ESPN last night, Denny Green's career in Arizona moved to earthquake status in the shaky-ground department after the Cardinals' collapse to the unbeaten Chicago Bears. Barkley is right that Green had put a positive face on the franchise for the first time in awhile, but he obviously hasn't fixed whatever curse is lurking over his offensive line.
The Cardinals have this brand new stadium in Glendale, Arizona and actually had a full house and a crowd giving them home-field advantage for the first time ever and they still couldn't protect a 20-0 lead? This is weird stuff, quoting Edgerrin James, befalling the Cardinals.
Not only did the O-line not give rookie quarterback Matt Leinart enough protection at times, but rarely did James have room to run. Then kicker Neil Rackers, who was virtually automatic last season, still hasn't made a game-winning kick in two seasons. He missed poorly on a 41-yarder that would have won last night's game and he also missed a 51-yarder the week before that would have sent the Chiefs game in overtime.
Green was right about one thing. The Bears were never going to score an offensive touchdown. Rex Grossman played poorly, accounting for six turnovers. Chicago won, though, because linebacker Brian Urlacher and the defense scored two touchdowns and then Devin Hester returned a punt for a touchdown. Hester was another great draft pick by GM Jerry Angelo.
Green was definitely right about switching to Leinart at quarterback. The Hollywood Kid has a bright future and whenever Larry Fitzgerald returns, the Cardinals will be very scary on offense.
End of a friendship
This usually happens in sports when you hire an unemployed friend.
Ravens coach Brian Billick, who is fighting for his own job in Baltimore, tossed his former good friend, Jim Fassel, under the bus today, firing his offensive coordinator with two years left on his contract. In Billick's case, it is always easier to point fingers at someone else when the offense isn't working.
Such a firing could prove to be the end of Fassel's NFL career. I mean, how many teams or coaches will be willing to hire a guy who was dumped by a close friend?
The interesting thing is that Fassel saved the job of quarterbacks coach Rich Neuheisal in the off-season.
Reid admits to problems
Eagles coach Andy Reid admitted that he has had problems communicating play calls into quarterback Donovan McNabb in the past and also last Sunday in the Superdome that basically cost his team two timeouts, preventing it from saving some time at the end of the game prior to John Carney's game-winning field goal. The Eagles had to stand around helplessly in the final two minutes and simply watch the Saints run off the time before Carney's kick won it.
Reid had this same problem during the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. He took way too much time in the fourth quarter when the Eagles should have been in a hurry-up mode. The Saints might be for real, but the Reid and the Eagles blew a game they should have won. Or, at least, should have had a chance to win had Reid simply saved his timeouts.
Bengals upset
How would you like to watch NFL games with all the best quarterbacks sitting on the sidelines? I wouldn't and that's why I am in referee Mike Carey's corner on the Justin Smith sack of rookie Bruce Gradkowski last Sunday.
Gradkowski fumbled when sacked by Smith and the Bengals recovered. Had the play stood, the Bengals probably wouldn't have been upset by the Buccaneers. But when Smith hit Gradkowski, the quarterback's head did get smashed into the ground. Carey called roughing the quarterback, negating the fumble.
Hey, quarterbacks need protection back there. To some, Carey erred on the call. But I don't think so because Carey thought the tackle was unnecessary.
Granted, fans like to see quarterbacks get blown up, but pro football would really be awful to watch if the best quarterbacks were always hurt. I know the battle cry that this is football – Hall of Famer Jack Lambert said it best when he famously suggested quarterbacks wear skirts – but the NFL has crossed the line and the game is also entertainment. That's why fans are paying over $100 or more every Sunday to watch in person.
Compare it to attending a Broadway play. Nobody likes to pay good money and then end up watching the understudy instead of the marquee star.
The Cowboys are too good to be 2-2. That’s what I believe, anyway.
But you have to tip your hat to the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff and to quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Eagles out-schemed the Cowboys and McNabb performed marvelously under pressure and made touchdown throws to virtual unknowns that many thought were not possible.
McNabb correctly predicted the cornerback blitz on Sunday, a Dallas defensive play that isolated rookie receiver Hank Baskett on a safety. McNabb bought himself enough time in the pocket to complete a 50-yard throw. It was the play of the game, second only to McNabb’s earlier touchdown throw to Reggie Brown, who was covered by both Dallas safeties. Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams lost the flight of the ball because he basically did a 180-degree turn, the unnecessary movement just enough to get him out of position and prevent him from either intercepting or tipping the ball away.
Jim Johnson’s defense shot both center-guard gaps to get into Drew Bledsoe’s face all game long. Bledsoe was under siege most of the time. Still, Bledsoe made the big throw that had the Cowboys in position to tie the game at the end. Eagles safety Michael Lewis admitted he had no choice but to drag the intended receiver down for a 57-yard pass interference penalty.
This is partly why Bill Parcells is sticking with Bledsoe. Yes, maybe Tony Romo could have escaped some of Philadelphia’s pressure. But would he have made all the throws and won the game?
The bottom line in Dallas is that Parcells knows that if he rushes now to bench Bledsoe, the old quarterback may retire on the spot. I mean pack his bags and retire and with his wife and kids. He doesn’t need the money.
Bledsoe is a good man and he deserves every opportunity. If he can’t get the job done, he’ll realize it when Parcells does. The fans in Dallas, starting with Terrell Owens, believe Bledsoe has had bad games in the two Dallas defeats.
We are assuming Bledsoe will beat the Texans on Sunday. His deciding game will be Monday night at home against the Giants. He and the Cowboys must beat the Giants.
Protecting Rex
Yes, the Bears sure do look unbeatable. And there are some interesting statistics to support their 5-0 start.
First, quarterback Rex Grossman has been sacked the fewest times, or 2.6 percent of the time he drops back to throw. With the protection, Grossman has delivered. The Bears are converting 48 percent of their third-and-long plays or second-best in the NFL thus far. They trail only Peyton Manning and the Colts. Last season, despite winning 11 games, they were next-to-last in the league on third-and-long. Only the 49ers were worse.
Speaking of third-down conversions, the Carolina Panthers are 11 of 48 on the season after going 0-for-11 against mighty Cleveland on Sunday. Only – guess who? – the Raiders are worse.
Moss on the move?
Ok, the Raiders have had internal discussions about trading unhappy receiver Randy Moss, who is simply frustrated with offensive coordinator Tom Walsh’s offense. But it doesn’t look like Moss will be traded because the Raiders need to get more than simply a first-round draft pick as compensation.
But you have to wonder if the Seahawks and Falcons wouldn’t rather have Moss than Deion Branch and Ashley Lelie, respectively. The one team that Moss would help immediately is the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would open up that offense and definitely help Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben is currently on his worse streak as a pro, losing three straight while producing zero touchdown passes with seven interceptions.
Former Vikings coach Mike Tice has pointed out those same possibilities to the people in Jacksonville. Moss does force teams to account for him everywhere, whether he’s giving effort or not. But teams like the Steelers don’t make trades like that. Neither do the Chicago Bears.
Bargain shoppers
Without a salary-cap hit, the Broncos simply went with the cheaper punter in Paul Ernster, whose salary is $302,590. Todd Sauerbrun’s salary for this season is $1.39 million or $82,059 every week over the course of a 17-week season. Even if Sauerbrun needed steroids or some other illegal supplement to help heal some injuries, how many teams want to risk a punter with two strikes against him?
Jets groaning
When you lose 41-0, like the Jets did on Sunday, there’s going to be a lot of moaning and groaning. Well, Laveranues Coles popped off Sunday about his lack of playing time and the face he only had three receptions for 19 yards. He entered the game against Jacksonville tied for the NFL receptions lead with 30. But how can you have any sympathy for Coles, who has had 50 passes thrown his way in five games? That’s the third-highest amount in the NFL behind only Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison.
Birthday boy
Happy Birthday to Brett Favre, who turns 37 today. But probably feels like 47, what with the pinched neck nerve and those four losses. Plus, Coach Mike McCarthy isn’t giving his players the week off like Mike Holmgren did last week in Seattle.
By Sunday we will be tired of hearing about T.O.’s return to Philadelphia, but what really matters is what kind of team is Philadelphia going to put on the field to face the vastly-improved Dallas Cowboys?
Believe me, the Eagles will be hard-pressed to beat the Cowboys if cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Rod Hood are sidelined once again. It's one thing stopping the Green Bay Packers with NFL Europe star Joselio Hanson and Dexter Wynn playing in the secondary and quite another asking those guys to shutdown Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn.
Yes, the Eagles have scored 24 or more points in four consecutive games, but do you think they can hit that magic number once again without Brian Westbrook, Donte Stallworth and Reggie Brown? I mean, there is nobody in the Green Bay secondary that could start for the Cowboys. Well, maybe safety Nick Collins.
Westbrook’s inflamed right knee kept him on the sidelines Monday night and Stallworth left the game with a sore hamstring. Brown has a bruised shoulder.
The good news is that Greg Lewis, a former buddy of T.O.’s in Philadelphia, snapped out a slump with touchdown catches of 45 and 30 yards to break open a tight game with Green Bay in the third quarter. Eagles coach Andy Reid has had high hopes for Lewis and he finally delivered. Who knows if Lewis will play under control on Sunday?
Considering this game is as much about Donovan McNabb as it is Owens, fans should recognize that McNabb has played pretty well (138 attempts without an interception and second-lowest --2.17 -- interception ratio in league history) this season. Can McNabb, who definitely was questioned by some teammates over the feud with Owens, win this grudge game without a full complement of receivers, primarily Westbrook?
The word in Philly is that Westbrook rested Monday in order to give himself a chance to play the Cowboys.
Colts' special teams woes
Colts coach Tony Dungy needs to fix his special teams, but regardless of those concerns his team has showed a remarkable grittiness considering how many starters are ####ed up on defense.
Internally, though, the club is scratching its head on why defensive tackle Corey Simon, who was paid a ton of money to leave the Eagles, hasn’t dressed since arthroscopic left knee surgery almost two months ago. Simon continues to have more tests while Colts GM Bill Polian continues to say, “We just don’t know when he’ll be back.”
The Colts aren’t even sure he’ll play in three or four weeks in conference showdown games with Denver and New England. Believe me, there is some impatience in the front office with Simon.
Speaking of the Colts, New England running back Laurence Maroney was the player Polian wanted to draft in the first round and then the Colts tried to make a deal with Chicago (the Bears eventually traded with Buffalo) for its first-round pick, eyeing Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams. Maroney is off to a tremendous start in New England; just think how good he’d be in Indianapolis.
Kudos to the new commish
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deserves high marks for suspending Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth for five games without pay. His loss will further hurt the winless Titans while leaving the player short $190,000, an unprecedented amount and time for an on-field incident.
I said Sunday night that the financial punishment should start at $150,000, so Goodell went beyond that. The union and Haynesworth may appeal the punishment, but the league will vigorously defend its case against the player. Goodell and the league won’t back down.
There are enough physical traumas on the football field with injuries and concussions – just look at Chris Simms and Trent Green and Dan Morgan -- without condoning one player assaulting a defenseless player, which was exactly the case in Tennessee on Sunday.
Moss just doesn't care
Who knows what’s really going in Oakland, but Randy Moss sounded like he couldn't care less about the Raiders’ sad state of affairs on his weekly Fox Sports radio show. Moss was criticized by reporters for failing to make an effort on a deep pass and again for not contesting two other throws during Sunday’s loss to Cleveland. Moss basically said that he isn’t the only unhappy soul in the Raiders’ locker room, which makes you start wondering if the team shouldn’t make some trades and clean house a little.
Everyone’s heard that the Raiders might be interested in Chris Simms if the Bucs don’t sign him to a free-agent contract, but who says Simms would want to be in Oakland?
Mario gets his sack
It was great seeing No. 1 pick Mario Williams finally get a sack in the NFL and get excited. In fact, Williams finished with 1 ½ sacks of Daunte Culpepper last Sunday. But both plays were simply hustle plays by Williams. It wasn’t like he whacked an offensive tackle off his stride or put a Julius Peppers-like move on a Miami blocker. After neither play did I hear anyone say, "Wow, look at that!"
When I first saw Miami coach Nick Saban attempt to toss the red challenge flag after TV replays appeared to show Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller was out-of-bounds prior to scoring the game-winning touchdown, I thought he was concerned with style points. He looked tentative and unsure before tossing the flag on the field, nowhere near any official. Hence, no one saw the red flag.
"It looked to me like he wasn't or his coaches upstairs weren't totally sure that they should be challenging the call," Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said Friday. "One time I must have thrown that thing 50 yards, right into the other team's huddle. That's what you have to do. Even when we had the buzzer system, I never used that. I always threw the flag and made sure the referee saw it. They allow you to leave the (sideline) box and run onto the field just to make sure."
That was basically what Mike Pereira, the league's head of officiating, said after Thursday night's botched instant replay challenge by Saban. The buzzer system went bye-bye two years ago.
Had the roles been reversed on Thursday night, everyone knows that Bill Cowher would have run onto the field and hit the referee with it.
It's impossible to say that the failed challenge cost Miami the game, but Saban's weak attempt helped every head coach in the league prepare for their next challenge. No one will make the same mistake this weekend when the remainder of the regular-season opens. The refs better duck.
Plenty of room
With the salary cap raised to $102 million this season, it was no surprise to see that most NFL teams have a lot of cap room heading into the season. In fact, 10 teams, lead by Jacksonville, have at least $8 million or more in salary-cap space. The Jaguars are $12.7 million under the cap.
New Orleans has $11 million, Arizona $10.5 million and Minnesota, Houston and New England each have $10.3 million. I guess that means that the Patriots could pay Deion Branch if they wanted to and still have plenty of room. It has to be worrisome to the NFL Players Association that teams like New England and Houston, two of the clubs worth more than $1 billion and both generating revenues among the top 10 in the league, would be keeping the cap money and not spending it.
The teams with the least amount of space are Miami ($550,452), Atlanta ($897,916) and Oakland ($1.127 million).
Turn, turn, turn
There has been a lot of turnover in the league the last couple of years. Green Bay is obviously rebuilding and retooling its roster. But the Philadelphia Eagles are considered a playoff contender, and they've had major turnover. Two years ago, the Eagles were in the Super Bowl. Well, since that game, the Eagles have only 22 of the 53 players who were in Jacksonville. They have only 13 of the 22 starters who played New England in that championship game.
Big savings
David Givens, who signed a big free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans in the off-season, saved himself $20,000 this summer. How's that?
Well, Givens first offered Titans receiver Tyrone Calico $10,000 for his jersey No. 87. Calico said no, and Givens was forced to wear No. 89.
Later, Givens, who wore No. 87 in New England, offered Calico $20,000 for the number. Again, Calico said no.
But Givens will be wearing his customary No. 87 this Sunday against the New York Jets.
How's that? Givens got the number for free when Calico was cut by the Titans last weekend.
Good seats still available
We all know that the Minnesota Vikings have traded away their star power and it's starting to show at the ticket window. From the day they drafted Randy Moss, the Vikings have had 86 consecutive Metrodome sellouts. Well, the record is in danger this season.
The Vikings claim to have 1,000 tickets available for next Sunday's home opener against the Carolina Panthers. In fact, they have tickets available for all eight of their home games. To help sell those Carolina tickets, the Vikings have announced that Packer fans who want to purchase tickets to the Green Bay game in Minneapolis must also purchase Carolina tickets. How's that for ticket blackmail?
Minnesota's average ticket price is $71, the sixth-highest average in the league.
Those close to the Cowboys can’t remember owner Jerry Jones being this visibly upset as he was over the leak of the Terrell Owens’ fine. Jones has a great relationship with the local and national media, but he sure was mad about the Dallas Morning News’ story that the club fined T.O. for being late for a meeting and his rehab work. Most of his employees are shaking in their sneakers about talking to the media now.
The Owens saga simply won’t die. He’s missed 21 practice days now with a sore hamstring and he will miss the entire preseason. The next important story will occur next week. Will he practice? If he practices, I’m sure coach Bill Parcells will play him in the season opener in Jacksonville.
But if he doesn’t practice, there’s a very good chance Parcells won’t play him even if Owens says he’s fit to go. Jones went on record last weekend that he thought Owens could play even he didn’t practice.
My considerable gut says that Parcells might simply be reluctant to play Owens for fear of further damaging the hamstring. Every player wants to be close to 100 percent on Sundays. We all know that Owens will be trying to make a statement if he plays and by exerting a lot of effort, he could damage the hamstring. I mean, who sees Owens simply not trying hard against the Jaguars?
If Parcells had a history with Owens, he would be more apt to play him without practicing him. But what coach takes a risk with such a star player without really knowing his physical limits?
Nice move by Eagles
The salaries are a wash, the numbers virtually identical, and that’s why the Eagles acquisition of Saints receiver Donte Stallworth in exchange for undersized linebacker Mark Simoneau was a good move.
Should Philadelphia be able to sign Stallworth to a long-term contract, the Eagles will owe the Saints a third-round pick next season. It’s a solid deal for both teams, considering the Eagles can find out if they really like Stallworth and how he fits into their offense. If he doesn’t, they can move on and so can the former first-round pick.
However, the most important part of the deal is that Stallworth comes a whole lot cheaper than spending a first-round pick on holdout Deion Branch, who also wants more than $6 million a season.
Browns draft success
Heading into the final preseason games, the Cleveland Browns appear to have had a quality draft this season. Most scouts are talking about second-round linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, who definitely will be a starter.
But how about running back Jerome Harrison, a fifth-rounder from Washington State? Harrison has scored two touchdowns and has averaged 7.1 yards per touch in three games. He should be the backup to starter Reuben Droughns.
Good calls
So far so good.
Mike Pereira, the NFL’s director of officiating, wanted his crews to focus on reducing the number of false start penalties this season. Last season, a record 852 false starts were called or an average of 3.33 per game. After 49 preseason games, the average has dropped to 2.65 false starts per game. Offensive holding is also down this preseason to 2.96 penalties per game compared to 3.44 calls per game during the 2005 regular season.
There are two new referees this season. After three games, Gene Steratore’s crew has called the most penalties (60) and Jerome Boger’s crew ranks fifth overall with 42 penalties.
Grossman not that bad
I realize it isn’t a big mathematical sampling, but three scouts who have attended Chicago games this summer have told me that quarterback Rex Grossman hasn’t played that badly. Or, at least, not as poor as the Chicago writers are reporting.
It apparently is unanimous among the Chicago columnists that Brian Griese should be the starting quarterback in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Raiders get George
The Raiders are unbeaten in the preseason, but they have played two of the weakest teams in the league this summer in San Francisco and Detroit.
With the signing of Jeff George, the Raiders may be forced to release quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, who has struggled adjusting to having four different offensive coordinators in six seasons. At one time, Tuiasisopo was a favorite of Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, but don’t expect Tampa Bay to be interested this time around.
The last time George played in a regular-season game was with the Washington Redskins. Then head coach Marty Schottenheimer had seen enough of George, who was a player signed and liked by owner Dan Snyder.
The Redskins lost those two games by a combined score of 67-3. Schottenheimer turned to Tony Banks and finished the season 8-8 after starting 0-5. It was one of his best coaching seasons. Of course, George has a history in Oakland — he led the NFL with 3,917 passing yards in 1997.
He also threw a few touchdowns to Randy Moss when the two were employed in Minnesota in 1999. The signing, though, probably says that backup Andrew Walter is a no-go (sore shoulder) in Thursday night’s preseason game in Seattle.
Anyone watching a couple days of Green Bay practices will tell you that quarterback Brett Favre hasn’t looked very sharp. One local reporter said he’s been completing about 53 percent of his throws in 7-on-7 drills and in team drills. He went one stretch on Wednesday where he completed only one of five passes, including one batted down at the line of scrimmage.
“Brett and the offense really isn’t in rhythm right now,” said first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. “We’re installing plays into our offense while the defense has been playing a lot of man coverage. What I mean is that we’re not running plays to beat what the defense is throwing at us and so they’ve looked better a lot of times. But it’s way too early to be jumping to any conclusions about Brett and the offense.”
The Packers have been holding Ahman Green out of drills and expect to keep it that way for another week or so. GM Ted Thompson said he hopes that Green can see some live action in the third preseason game, Aug. 28, in Cincinnati against the Bengals.
Meanwhile, Samkon Gado and Noah Herron are receiving the bulk of the work in camp. Gado even got drilled by No. 1 pick A.J. Hawk near the sidelines and took a few seconds to gather himself.
A very young team, Green Bay appears to have had an excellent draft when you consider that two rookies, Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz, are projected to be the starters at left and right guard, respectively. I realize it is early but second-round pick Greg Jennings from Western Michigan looks as good as any returning veteran at wide receiver. He may end up being the best receiver in this year’s draft.
On the downside, special teams could be looking for a kicker. Billy Cundiff hasn’t impressed anyone and there’s a very good chance that Jon Ryan from Regina, Canada could beat out former third-round pick B.J. Sander for the punting job.
Bears players like Jones
The Chicago Bears are the cream of the NFC North based on their 13 wins last season. They won with defense and Thomas Jones rushing to career numbers last season because they had a rookie quarterback in Kyle Orton. The defensive guys love and respect Jones, who feels he is underpaid and is currently nursing a sore hamstring. Jones may miss another week of practice.
With all the heat in the Midwest during the first week of training camp, head coach Lovie Jones has switched almost all of his one-a-day practices to the evening. But when the Bears work, they give it their all. And it seems like the defenders aren’t holding back on running back Cedric Benson. No love taps for him during live drills.
Could it be that the players prefer Jones to Benson, who loves to talk about rushing for 1,700 yards this season and finally being the starter after a messed up rookie season? Or, are the Bears simply enjoying toughening up Benson?
When to rest and when to retire
It makes perfect sense in New England that Tom Brady takes a couple days off from practicing (and throwing) to rest his arm. The Patriots would probably be finished if they ever lost Brady, the game’s best quarterback. Matt Cassell needs all the work he can get, considering he couldn’t even start at USC.
All those who believe that Priest Holmes will play this season for the Kansas City Chiefs raise their hands? The acquisition of Michael Bennett, who was coveted by Rams coach Scott Linehan, by the Chiefs virtually clears the way for the Chiefs to allow Holmes to retire. And speaking of retirements, guard Will Shields is pretty unhappy that teammate Willie Roaf hung it up, considering the two made a vow at this year’s Pro Bowl that they both would return this season. Roaf, though, had to go back on his word once he re-injured a bothersome hamstring during mini-camps. When you’re a big man like Roaf, it’s virtually impossible to get into playing shape when you can’t run.
Extra money for vets
There is going to be a lot of extra millions under the salary cap this season – one executive told me there could $200 million left once all the rookies are signed league-wide – and players are wondering if owners will spend it, securing valuable veterans for the future. Well, the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Bucs have done exactly that, showing the money to Roy Williams and Ronde Barber, respectively, with big bonuses and long-term deals.
New quarterback Daunte Culpepper appears to be ahead on his rehabilitation and could be ready for the start of training camp. Maybe he won't be ready to get hit, but Culpepper should be ready to participate in most drills. He looks super. That's the word.
Where's Air?
There is a very good chance that the Titans will lose the hearing regarding quarterback Steve McNair's status, thus forcing them to make a decision. A decision on the hearing is due by June 1. Either they will allow him to return to their practice facility (and cross their fingers regarding him getting hurt, thus being liable for his huge contract) or cut him loose. If McNair wins, the Titans most likely will trade him to Baltimore. He already has a deal done with the Ravens.
Rushton to glory
Ruston Webster, Tampa Bay's director of player personnel, apparently is headed to Seattle to join former Bucs' buddy Tim Ruskell, who is the general manager. Webster was the leading candidate to replace Charlie Armey with the Rams, but the Rams apparently weren't willing to give Webster control of personnel. If he's going to be No. 2, he'd rather work with Ruskell. Besides, the money is always better with billionaire Paul Allen.
Not so fast
We have written about Arizona rookie quarterback Matt Leinart and his Hollywood friends, from Paris Hilton to Nick Lachey. We can't help that some NFL teams interpreted Leinart's association with the stars as "going Hollywood." However, some national writers have incorrectly mentioned that Leinart should have opted out of USC after his junior season, the year he won the Heisman Trophy. The opinion is that he would have been the first overall choice, ahead of Utah's Alex Smith. What everyone is forgetting is that Leinart needed surgery on his throwing elbow and he never would have been
The only conclusion is that maybe his right leg, which suffered a torn ACL, isn't totally healed. Or that McNabb is still very much worried about his legs getting hit in the pocket. As good as McNabb was in the past, he's not playing very well right now and the NFL is a bottom line business. How many losses can the Eagles stand until McNabb is good again?
