Week 7
10/22/05
- Was anybody else wondering what Bill Cowher was thinking
during the Steelers overtime loss to the Jaguars this weekend?
Quincy Morgan returns the overtime kick-off to the Jaguars 26-yard
line - that's Steelers football. Running back Willie Parker
then fumbles for a three-yard loss and quarterback Tommy Maddox
follows that up by fumbling the snap and losing the ball to
Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward - not Steelers football.
Steelers hold the Jags to three and out - Steelers football.
Steelers get the ball back and after an incompletion, Maddox
telegraphs a pass to Quincy Morgan that Rashean Mathis intercepts
and returns for the game-winning touchdown - not Steelers football.
- Why exactly was Willie Parker in the game in overtime and
not Jerome Bettis? Had he earned the touches after averaging
2.5 yards per carry during regulation time? It says here that
Duce Staley will get another shot soon and Parker will go down
as a two-game wonder. Those two games were against Tennessee
and Houston, in case you were wondering.
- Speaking of curious decisions, what about Giants coach Tom
Coughlin's decision to put the hands in rookie wrecking ball
Brandon Jacob's hands with the game on the line during the Giants
key division match-up against the Cowboys? With a little more
than a minute remaining in regulation time, his team down by
a converted touchdown and facing a 2nd and one from the Cowboys
three-yard line, Coughlin put in Jacobs who promptly fumbled
when hit by Cowboys safety Roy Williams with Williams recovering.
The Giants got the ball back and scored quickly to tie the game
before losing in overtime but that shouldn't put Coughlin off
the hook. Jacobs has been impressive as a short yardage specialist
and starter Tiki Barber does have a history of fumbling but
it says here the veteran should have been in the game under
the circumstances.
- Keeping with the Giants-Cowboys match-up, can anyone explain
how Jeremy Shockey was that wide open on a crossing pattern
that he turned upfield for the tying touchdown? When the opposition's
main receiving weapon attracts no attention from the defense
during the game's waning moments for such a key score, there's
plenty of blame to go around. Are the Cowboys defensive coaches
so clueless they neglected to mention that the de fence should
watch Shockey? Or are the players so clueless they actually
had to be told to look out for Shockey? Remarkable.
- With Isaac Bruce's return to the Rams line-up from a turf
toe injury imminent, there has been plenty of speculation that
Kevin Curtis' touches will be reduced. Don't look for that to
happen. Bruce was targeted an average of seven times per game
when healthy while Curtis was targeted an average of nine times
per game during those two games. Since then, Curtis has been
targeted almost seven times per game. Expect Shaun McDonald
and the team's tight ends to suffer more as a result of Bruce's
return than Curtis.
- How far has Detroit quarterback Joey Harrington fallen? So
far that head coach Steve Mariucci is apparently considering
moving Jeff Garcia from the inactive list (the result of a broken
leg suffered during the preseason) straight into the team's
starting line-up. When a 35-year old coming off a broken leg
gets a chance to improve on your production, the writing's clearly
on the wall. Look for general manager Matt Millen to finally
bite the bullet on Harrington and cut him loose during the upcoming
off-season.
- With only four pass plays of greater than 20 yards, the Bills
haven't been getting any big plays out of their wide receivers
and this is clearly not helping Willis McGahee and the team's
running game. Eric Moulds clearly isn't the big play receiver
he was but the performance of second-year player Lee Evans has
puzzled the team's coaches (here's a hint - Losman's was throwing
to him for most of the year). Unless Evans comes around, there's
a slim chance the team will use cornerback/kick returner Terrence
McGee for a select number of plays at wide receiver.
- What's going on down in K.C.? Tight end Tony Gonzalez has
disappeared from the team's playbook. This might make some sense
given the double team coverage Gonzalez typically receives but
the offence is regressing because quarterback Trent Green is
looking far too quickly to secondary receivers like Dante Hall
and Samie Parker. Parker has shown some big play ability but
can't be relied upon on intermediate routes (can you say Ashley
Lelie clone?) while Hall has never shown much acumen as a receiver
because he dances too much after making a catch. Coming off
the bye week, look for Gonzalez's touches to increase because
the coaches will have spent the extra time finding ways to get
Gonzalez more involved.
- Cowboys receiver Peerless Price got a new lease on his football
life as a result of the ankle injury suffered by fellow wideout
Patrick Crayton. With Crayton having impressed in training camp
and early in the season, he had cemented his position as the
team's third wideout behind starters Keyshawn Johnson and Terry
Glenn, leaving Price on the sidelines, either in civvies or
holding his helmet. Given the production of Glenn and Johnson
and Parcells desire to keep tight end Jason Witten heavily involved
in the passing offence, it's a longshot that Price will produce
big numbers as the team's third receiver. Nonetheless, it's
only two and a half years since Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe
and Price were hooking up regularly for the Bills. If Glenn
can have a renaissance with Bledsoe, there's at least a slim
chance Price could as well.
- Poor little Pacman Jones doesn't have any friends in Tennessee.
Interesting to watch this week as Jones was lit up by Bengals
wideout Chad Johnson and could do little to stop him, even when
called for pass interference. With Jones' frustration evident
to anyone that was paying attention, it was readily apparent
that either Jones' defensive teammates weren't paying attention
or didn't care about the rookie's struggles. After a pathetic
series in which Jones was called for pass interference twice
and gave up a touchdown to Johnson, he was seen with his head
down on the bench, tellingly sitting in front of defensive leader
Keith Bulluck. Not one player came to pat Pacman on the back
and offer him encouragement. Clearly, Jones has yet to endure
himself to his teammates after slagging Bulluck during his training
camp holdout.
- Jaguars 2nd round pick Khalif Barnes has won the team's starting
left tackle position from incumbents Mike Pearson and Ephaim
Salaam. The team had hoped Pearson would regain his previous
form after suffering through a serious knee injury last season
but it now appears the 2002 2nd round pick's future with the
team is in doubt. As for Salaam, the team was underwhelmed by
his performance last season and nothing has changed in 2005.
The team would also like to see 2003 3rd round pick Vince Manuwai
pick up his play at left guard but there is little the team
can do to improve the situation there because there are no viable
candidates to replace Manuwai amongst the team's back-up offensive
linemen.
- The Seahawks entered training camp with a pile of candidates
to play linebacker but without a clear picture as to how the
situation would play itself out. The thinking was the team would
put the best three linebackers on the field and suffer the consequences
while the unit came together. However, that has happened much
sooner than expected. Rookie 2nd round pick Lofa Tatupu has
excelled in the middle, veteran Jamie Sharper has been a steadying
influence at one outside spot and D.D. Lewis has played well
at the other outside spot. If that weren't enough, the team
is very high on rookie 3rd round pick Leroy Hill and he could
be inserted into the starting line-up in place of Lewis, not
because Lewis has played poorly but because of Hill's ample
pass rushing and playmaking abilities. In limited playing time
in five games, the rookie has already generated two sacks and
his playing time will almost surely increase as the season wears
on.
- With the blockbuster trade of A.J. Feeley and a 6th round
pick going to the Chargers and Cleo Lemon heading to the Dolphins,
speculation immediately began that this was a clear signal the
team would either trade Philip Rivers in the off-season or put
the franchise tag on Drew Brees and then trade him. First of
all, it made no sense that the Dolphins had to give up Feeley
and a 6th round pick to get Lemon. As big a bust as Feeley has
been in Miami, he's still more valuable than Lemon. However,
when you looked a little closer, the Chargers got the 6th round
pick because Feeley's due $3.5-million next year which he clearly
won't get. This little episode tells you two things. One, Feeley's
arrival means nothing in regards to the Chargers quarterback
situation in 2006. Two, not enough folks are giving Chargers
general manager A.J. Smith the credit he deserves. Smith transformed
the Chargers from doormats to title contenders in two years
and yet people were immediately rushing to the judgment he was
picking up Feeley to be his back-up quarterback next season.
There's no way Feeley's going to enter 2006 as the Chargers
back-up quarterback unless he's in a battle with a high round
draft pick or a solid veteran.
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