· Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was less than pleased with wide
receiver Chad Johnson for showcasing a pre-printed sign to celebrate
his touchdown during this week's game against the 49ers. Lewis felt
Johnson was copying the 49ers Terrell Owens Sharpie pen incident
and that Johnson should be his own person.
· Keeping with moronic behavior, Saints coach Jim Haslett
offered up a couple of criticisms of his own regarding Joe Horn's
cell phone stunt during Sunday night's game against the Giants.
Haslett said he didn't need to discipline Horn because the league
would and criticized Horn for putting himself before the team with
his selfish behavior. Horn, who we can now say doesn't get it and
never will, didn't see a problem with what he did and said he'd
do it again.
· Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has taken a fair amount of
criticism for putting running back Clinton Portis at risk by going
for a touchdown in overtime against the Browns instead of kicking
a field goal. However, it says here he made the right decision.
Why not continue pounding the ball against a defense that was not
able to stop the run? Field goals can get blocked, bad snaps or
holds can happen.
· Is anybody else out there sick of hearing about Peyton
Manning's MVP-caliber season being the result of kicker Mike Vanderjagt's
off-season comments about the quarterback's apparent lack of leadership
and heart? Have we forgotten this is Edgerrin James' second season
after his ACL injury (traditionally it takes running back's two
year's to fully recover from this surgery) and, more importantly,
the dramatic improvement in the team's defensive unit?
· The Dolphins late season swoon is in full swing again and
their performance against the Eagles was particularly dreadful.
Some of the lowlights: allowing the Eagles four scoring drives in
six 1st half possessions, ridiculously poor tackling, dropped passes,
bad throws as well untimely and unexplainable penalties (Jamie Nails
holding Brian Dawkins on a running play, Sammy Knight's unsportsmanlike
penalty that allowed the Eagles to get in field goal range). For
what seems like an eternity this team has looked like a Super Bowl
contender but now it appears they should be broken up.
· Keeping with that game, for all the praise the Eagles received
for going into Miami and winning, and indeed that is impressive
at first glance, this team has a number of problems that need to
be fixed before the playoffs start. It's unlikely their playoff
opponents will tackle as poorly as the Dolphins did in this game,
trick plays will only take a team so far and their run defense remains
porous.
· An unrestricted free agent at season's end, Seahawks cornerback
Shawn Springs has picked a very inopportune time to have what is
likely his worst season other than 2001 when he missed eight games
due to injury. With the team having invested high draft choices
on Ken Lucas and Marcus Trufant in recent season, don't look for
Springs in a Seahawk uniform in 2004 unless he is willing to return
as the team's nickel back, an unlikely scenario considering some
team will likely offer him a reasonable salary to be a starter.
· Keeping with the Seahawks, wouldn't it be nice to be a
fly on the wall in coach Mike Holmgren's office when he makes the
inevitable call to the NFL's Director of Officiating Mike Pereira
regarding back judge Greg Steed's stumble into the path of Bobby
Engram late in the Seahawks loss to the Rams on Sunday? This will
be Holmgren's second rant in recent weeks, the first being over
the Ravens "extra timeout" in their win over the Seahawks.
· Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith has been mentioned
as a head coach candidate in Arizona and Chicago, however Smith's
best opportunity likely will be with the Falcons. Smith was the
Bucs linebacker coach prior to joining the Rams and has a history
with former Bucs and new Falcons GM Rich McKay.
· Look for the Chargers to again attempt to upgrade the wide
receiver position during the off-season. Reche Caldwell, one of
their 2nd round picks in the 2002 draft, hasn't been able to beat
out Tim Dwight or Eric Parker, an undrafted player who looks good
when he plays but can't stay healthy. Kassim Osgood has taken over
for Caldwell in the starting line-up recently but it's doubtful
the team feels that he is the long-term answer at the position.
· It must have been tough to be Browns coach Butch Davis
this weekend. Davis got to watch his team blow their game against
the Broncos and Clinton Portis run the ball effectively in overtime.
Portis, you may recall, was Davis' running back at the University
of Miami and a player the purported great talent evaluator passed
over in the 1st round of the 2002 draft in favor of William Green,
currently out with a drug suspension and nowhere near being in Portis'
caliber as a player. Not only that, with Kelly Holcomb looking more
like a back-up with every game he starts and Tim Couch looking like
next year's starter, it is now clear to everyone that Davis made
the wrong decision in making Holcomb as the club's starter out of
training camp. Couch, by the way, let it be known that he would
be willing to restructure his contract during the off-season to
stay in Cleveland.
· Keeping with the Browns, don't look for Jamel White to
be back with the team in 2004. Despite being signed prior to the
season to a four-year deal, $6.5-million contract that included
a $1.3-million signing bonus, White did not see the field much this
year until William Green (suspension) and James Jackson (injury)
were forced out of the line-up. Davis is apparently still miffed
at White for his actions during contract negotiations and it's widely
known the coach has a long memory.
· The Bills have been encouraged by the recent play of back-up
offensive linemen Marques Sullivan and Ross Tucker. Sullivan, who
has been filling in for Jonas Jennings at left tackle, now has starting
experience at guard and both tackle spots and looks to be the team's
top back-up tackle for the foreseeable future. Tucker has taken
over for Mike Pucillo at right guard and has shown enough that it's
possible the team may now view him as the successor at left guard
for Ruben Brown when the perennial Pro Bowler decides to hang up
his cleats.
· The Patriots brought back punter Ken Walter after jettisoning
him for a week but there's no guarantee that he will retain his
job unless he picks up the pace. Coach Bill Belichek won't go into
the playoffs with a rookie punter but won't think twice about dumping
Walter and bringing in an experienced veteran.
· Take note Minnesota fans that although Green Bay is currently
listed as the division leader in the NFC North, the Vikings will
claim the division title based on a better conference record should
each team win their remaining games. Also, because of their win
over Seattle last weekend, Minnesota also has the tie-breaking advantage
over the Seahawks should the two teams finish tied for a wild-card
berth.
· After being placed on injured reserve this past week, it
looks like the career of Dolphins defensive end Rob Burnett has
come to an end. The former Brown and Raven was a pass rushing force
for a number of his 14 years in the league during which he accumulated
73 sacks and will likely be best remembered for his contribution
(10.5 sacks) to the 2000 Ravens defense that allowed the fewest
points (165) in a 16-game season.
· The Steelers are very disappointed in the performance of
2003 2nd round pick linebacker Alonzo Jackson, who hasn't dressed
since the team's second game of the season. Drafted for his pass
rushing skills, the team hoped Jackson would apprentice this year
behind Jason Gildon and develop such that the team would at least
have the option of removing Gildon and his large salary cap number
from the team for the 2004 season. However, it now appears that
Clark Haggans is the team's top option to replace Gildon should
he be jettisoned. Of course, Haggans is also an unrestricted free
agent proving that the best-laid plans can always go awry.
· The Panthers are concerned about middle linebacker Dan
Morgan's ability to recover from his latest injury. The oft-injured
3rd year player suffered a concussion three weeks ago against Philadelphia
and hasn't dressed since. At this point, it's unclear when he will
dress again.
· The Packers are pleased with the recent play of Aaron Kampman
and it appears the team may view the 2002 5th round pick as a long-term
starter at defensive end. Sort of a poor man's Grant Wistrom, Kampman
doesn't have great size or speed but plays the run well and is a
decent pass rusher.
· Poor Dan Snyder. First, Champ Bailey won't take his money
and now LaVar Arrington won't either. It appears Snyder and coach
Steve Spurrier are in a bit of a quandary because Bailey wants defensive
coordinator Hue Jackson retained while Arrington wants a new scheme
installed that will allow him to freelance and rush the passer more
frequently. Of course, plenty of greenbacks could rectify the situation
for each player. Note that middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter's
skills are also wasted in Jackson's defense because his job is to
react rather than play aggressively and management will likely consider
this in determining whether Jackson should be retained.
· The Giants drafted wide receiver David Tyree in the 6th
round of the 2003 draft with the hope he would be a special teams
demon for a unit that had been lacking in recent years. Tyree has
come through on that count but has also proven his worth as a receiver
because of injuries to Ike Hilliard, Ron Dixon and Tim Carter. With
Dixon not expected back and Carter in the doghouse for displaying
bad hands and not being able to utilize his strength and speed,
it won't be much of a surprise if Tyree enters 2004 as the team's
third receiver.
· Look for the Jaguars to bite the bullet and release defensive
end Hugh Douglas in June of next year. Douglas' has lost his speed
and the team has invested heavily in their defensive line so it's
likely they will release him in June to spread the salary cap hit
over the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
· Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse caused a bit of a stir
prior to his team's game against Buffalo this week when he let it
be known he wouldn't be opposed to playing for Bills coach and former
Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams after he becomes a free
agent in 2004. Of course, Kearse might want to check with Bills
GM Tom Donahoe to see if Williams will still be around.
· Fox announcer Cris Collinsworth after Rams fullback Joey
Goodspeed dropped a pass in the flat, "Good speed, bad hands."
I guess former Bengals need to have a sense of humor.
· With a number of teams eliminated from post-season contention,
it's time to start keeping an eye on which young players see their
playing time increased. If mid-level draft picks from the last few
years don't see their playing time increased at the expense of journeyman
veterans, it's a strong indication the team doesn't view them as
potential starters.
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