National Football Post Diner News

18 SEPT 2008

QUOTE OF THE DAY:  “The only things a player an control at golf is his own game; so concern about what other competitors may or may not be doing is both a useless distraction and a waste of energy.”  — Jack Nicklaus

FROM PATRICK RUESSE OF THE MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL TRIBUNE... This week's pressures from above on Vikings coach Brad Childress were not expressed publicly, but you would have to be very naive to believe what we saw Wednesday was anything less than a response to ownership's unhappiness with an 0-2 start in this season of high expectations -- and high expenses. The response came with Childress' announcement at his midweek news conference that Frerotte will start Sunday against Carolina and for as long as he stays healthy this season. Tarvaris Jackson goes back to the learning mode of his rookie year in 2006. Frerotte was 26 and had made 44 starts in four seasons when he went on injured reserve with that broken hip in December '97 and basically became a career backup. Jackson is 25, has made 16 starts in three seasons and could be looking at the same fate. What was verified with Wednesday's announcement was something that has been suspected all along:  Suddenly, with a blackout looming for Sunday's home game with Carolina, Childress decides to make a Wednesday announcement that he's going with Frerotte, the people's choice from five years ago, and will dump Jackson, the people's target last Sunday. I smell a Zygi in this decision.

Patrick has always been one of my favorite writers.  He always has a different twist and view of the situation.  In this article, I think he presents a very compelling case that the front office might have interjected their thoughts.  The reality is, unless they missed seeing the first two games, this was not a difficult decision.  When a team's progress and talent level is THAT far ahead of the quarterback's progress and talent level, you have to do something to close the gap.  I'm sure they hoped the quarterback would improve in the offseason and by playing in a few games, that he himself would close the gap.  When that did not occur, it became evident that Minnesota had to do something.  Whether the owner or the GM forced the coach to make the call, it was one that had to be made to save the season.  Now, I still believe that the Viking offensive coaches have to expand their package and help their offense.  They need to find a way to improve in the red zone, as they are throwing for 38% completion percentage down there.  Eight trips inside the red zone and one touchdown are not going to help them.  They need better execution down there. 

FROM SAL MAIORANA OF THE BUFFALO NEWS... It didn't faze me when they picked up Marcus and Spencer," Williams said Wednesday. "Coach Jauron called me and told me it had nothing to do with me and that we just needed to add some more guys to be able to do what we've wanted to do with rotating guys on the defensive line. But either way, I'm here to compete and play as hard as I can and make this team as good as I can." That's all Williams has ever done, starting in high school in Ruston, La., where he was rated one of the nation's outstanding defensive line prospects; continuing in college at LSU where he earned first-team all-SEC accolades; and now for the first two-plus years of his tenure with the Bills where the fifth-round draft pick has bucked the odds and started 29 of his 34 NFL career games. Buffalo is a blue-collar town, and Williams is the quintessential blue-collar player, a no-nonsense, motor-never-stops firebrand in the middle of the Bills' defensive line who beat out Johnson and former Buffalo first-round draft pick John McCargo for the right to start next to Stroud. "When we drafted Kyle, you watched him play in college and he just made plays, all the time, every game, no matter who they played," Jauron said. "And then when he came to us we said the same thing. It looks like the same player we saw in college, it doesn't look like he's overmatched in the NFL and he was never overmatched in the college game, major college football, and that's still how he plays."

If you watch tape of Buffalo from last year, you see that they were so small on all three levels that they could easily be pushed around.  This year they have improved their size with new additions Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell, and also have back a healthy Paul Posluszny.  The one guy who makes a ton of plays for them and is really effective in their scheme is Kyle Williams.  He has excellent quickness, good balance, and plays the game with great passion and intensity.  He has improved greatly and has been a big part of the Bills ability to play the run.  Williams is the unsung hero of the front, but when a team gets ready to play him, his quickness and intensity is something for which they will have to account.

FROM MIKE TULUMELLO OF EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE... Take Anquan Boldin, who spouted off against Cardinals management at both the start and near the end of training camp. Boldin believed he'd been promised a new contract, even saying team officials "lied" to him. But he promised to be a pro once the season started. And so he has. Boldin has played as well as ever while - as he'd vowed even during his anti-management rants - proving to at least be a neutral force in the locker room while saying little about his contract. Asked about the difficulty of suppressing his feelings, Boldin turned the tables in a Socratic way, asking his own questions. "Does it seem like it's difficult? I told you (earlier) how I feel about it. I told you it wouldn't be a distraction. "From the outside looking in, does it seem like it's a distraction?"  Boldin said his dicey contractual situation was a matter of fact "as soon as I stepped on the field. "I don't feel the need every week to discuss how I feel. I did that in camp. Now, I'm here to play football. That's what I'm focused on. "I'm not even worried about what people say or think. The only thing I'm worried about is the guys in the locker room. They worked too hard this offseason for me to come in and be a distraction to this team. "I refuse to be a distraction. I won't be a distraction."

This guy is just a great pro and fantastic player.  He shows that football is important to him and proves the point that balance, explosion, and power can offset bad timed speed.  In the Hotel we would have never consider Boldin because of his 40 time and one among many things that I did learn in the Hotel was that speed for wide receivers is a good tool, but not the final word.  Balance, the ability to run with explosive power, and the quick hands are just as important.  When you see a player like Boldin who may have the strongest hands and wrists in the NFL you know that is very rare.  Like the touchdown he had in the end zone last week, he never put his hands up until the ball was almost there and once the ball hit his hands, it froze.  When Norv Turner first came to the Raiders, he was telling me about his days in Miami and how much they wanted to draft Boldin.  The defensive coaches lobbied and won, selecting Eddie Moore the linebacker.  All because of the lack of Boldin's time speed. 

RICK DEAN OF THE TOPEKA CAPITOL JOURNAL... Within moments after telling reporters Wednesday that Thigpen — Kansas City's inactive No. 3 quarterback just two weeks ago in the season opener — would start instead of veteran backup Damon Huard, Edwards began fielding questions asking if his desire to develop a young quarterback was not giving his team its best chance to win. "He's a guy we want to take a look at, see where he's at," Edwards said of Thigpen. "If he struggles a lot, if it's too big for him, Damon can always come in off the sideline and get the team going. He's used to that. "We're trying to look at young players, and this is part of that process," Edwards added. "Is he a (No.) 2? Is he a 1? Will he always be a 3? We've got to let him play and find out. "We're trying to grow a quarterback, and you can't do that unless they play. When you look at where we're at, we've got a lot of young players playing. We've got to try to get them better, and we've got to try to win with them." The Chiefs now will have a third different quarterback in their third game this season. The change is not health related, as Edwards said Huard is capable of playing this week.

I am amazed every time I read a Herman Edwards transcript of a press conference.  What is he saying?  If the game is too big for him, we will make a move?  Don’t you think BEFORE you put Thigpen into the game, don't you KNOW whether the game is too big for him?  I mean this is the NFL, the highest level of football in the world, and people’s careers are at stake with EVERY decision.  We are trying to look at young players?  In thought this was the man who coined the phrase, “You play to win the game.”  Herm, you need to play to win, not play young players.  When you have not won a game since last November, then you better find a way to win.  I suspect there are going to be a ton of no shows in Arrowhead this November. 

LES BOWEN OF THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS... The play had no effect on the Eagles' 41-37 loss at Dallas, since the Birds were awarded the ball on the Cowboys' 1, after officials signaled a touchdown, ending the sequence prematurely. Brian Westbrook then scored the touchdown that should have been Jackson's first. Afterward, Jackson seemed less chastened than fans might have preferred, given that he is a rookie who had just made a high-profile, potentially disastrous mistake. "Things happen," Jackson said. "It was just one of those things. I was just overexcited, just trying to have some fun. I'm young, but I'm kind of mad at myself. I could have had a touchdown."  I'm not going to get into all that," Reid said, when asked whether he had spoken with Jackson, the first NFL rookie since 1940 to start his career with a pair of 100-yard receiving games. Asked whether veteran players spoke with Jackson, Reid said: "They took care of it. He'll be fine. He'll be fine."

I think DeSean Jackson is one of those guys who plays much faster than his forty time.  He looked like he was at one speed the other night and the Cowboys secondary was at another.  Regardless of his skill, that ball drop was one of the dumbest plays I have ever seen.  Scoring points in the NFL is hard and to just drop the ball before crossing the goal line is not very smart.  I am certain he has been told in no uncertain terms to never do it again.  And why can’t players just celebrate after they score?

FROM MARY KAY CABOT OF THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER... The Browns have been eagerly awaiting the return of receiver Donte' Stallworth from a pulled quad muscle, but he made no promises Wednesday that he'll be ready for the Ravens game.  "I'm hoping that I can get out there [Sunday], but I don't want to be out there and let my pride get in the way of me thinking I can go out there and can't, and in reality hurt the team more than I'd like to," he said. "It's a matter of me being able to contribute as opposed to being out there and injuring myself again or hurting the team at all."   The Cleveland people haven't seen him yet at his best this year," Harbaugh said Wednesday in his news conference. "He's an explosive, powerful guy who's really hard to tackle when he catches underneath routes and obviously is a vertical threat."

One of the reasons Stallworth struggled to get a big deal from New England and Philly is his inability to recover and deal with CONSTANT pulls.  And now they show up here in Cleveland.  The Browns really need him to be on the field.  They have a quarterback who is never going to be a high percentage passer and he needs players around him that can make plays down the field.  The Browns need to make big pass plays, they have only one over 25 yards thus far.  They must get Stallworth back and really need his speed to help their offense stretch the field.  Big plays are what will open up the offense for the Browns and they need speed to make this happen, especially against a team like the Ravens. 

MIKE SULLIVAN OF THE NORTH COUNTY TIMES... Philip is playing at as high a level as I've seen him play," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. Rivers has thrown three touchdown passes in each of the Chargers' first two games and also ranks among the top five in quarterback rating (third at 122.5) and passing yards (fourth with 594). He has completed 63.3 percent of his passes and his one interception was the disputed one in which Denver's Champ Bailey was ruled to have tugged the ball out of Chris Chambers' grasp.  So why such a fast start? Even Rivers struggles to fully explain it. "I don't think there's any mystery to it or any magic answer I can give you," Rivers said Wednesday. "I think having a good offseason and I think finishing the season playing pretty consistent last year has carried over. "More than anything, I think the comfort level with what we're doing is a year better." Rivers looked extremely comfortable in the shootout loss to Denver, throwing for a career-best 377 yards. Receiver Vincent Jackson and running back LaDainian Tomlinson both mentioned the name of veteran receiver Chris Chambers as part of the reason for Rivers' success. Chambers, who has already caught three touchdown passes this season, didn't join the Chargers last season until the campaign was six games old.

I cannot think of a player in the NFL who is playing better right now and with Darren Sproles in the mix, they seem to be even more explosive.  Adding Chambers was a great move, but what is clear to me is that Rivers is very comfortable in this offense and he has been getting better doing the same things over and over again.  The Chargers have a real identity and it is evident that they can become a passing team that adds in LT as opposed to a running team that hopes Rivers plays well.  Teams have to defend Rivers and this passing game now, which should make the Chargers and their run game even more dangerous.  What the Chargers have now is similar to what the old Cowboys had under Norv — a quarterback who has many weapons around him and can attack a defense in several ways.  They just need to figure out how to get some pass rush. 

DANIAL BROWN OF THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS... Jennings has a shoulder injury and the 49ers, as per their new custom, are being vague about the nature of the injury and the timetable for a return. Coach Mike Nolan said all he knew is that "it's a shoulder" and that any estimate about how much time Jennings would miss "would just be speculation." Sims said he doesn't need to know. "I'll start until they tell me I'm not starting anymore,' he said. The 49ers gave the former Raiders tackle two years and $4.2 million, including a $600,000 signing bonus. And this weekend shows why. Sims has experience at both guard and tackle positions and started all 16 games for the Raiders a year ago. "Scot (McCloughan) did a great job on that one,' Nolan said of the general manager. Others aren't so sure. Sims tied for the NFL lead with 10 false-start penalties last season. He also committed four holding penalties. Still, Sims is an experienced commodity. The 49ers wanted protection for Jennings, who has missed 27 starts and parts of six other games (out of 50) since arriving in 2005. Sims replaced Jennings after halftime of the Seattle game.

It's hard to win any games in the NFL without a quality left tackle.  I am not sure J.T. O’Sullivan can hold up getting sacked 12 times in two weeks, but at least with Barry Sims, the 49ers have someone who can function and play well.  Had they been playing the Lions this week in Detroit, with crowd noise causing it to be difficult to hear, Sims might have a problem, but outdoors in SF he will be effective.  One of the reasons the 49ers have been sacked so often is their willingness to throw the ball down the field.  They are second in the NFL in big pass plays.  I suspect Sims will be the starter for a while. 

FROM JEFF DARLINGTON OF THE MIAMI HERALD... "I just know [Cassel] is not a Tom Brady,' said Porter, when asked how difficult it will be to prepare for a quarterback he has never seen. ``If it's not Tom Brady, it shouldn't be that hard. . . . They won last week, but it's not like they were putting up the crazy 40 points they were when they had Tom. ``So, it's a different offense, it's a different team without Tom there. I don't care what anybody says. It's not the same team without Brady.' 'We're going to try to attack them the best way we know how to try to get after him,' Porter said. ``We're going to come after the guy. I don't want to say something that'll come back to bite me. It'll be good to go out and get our first victory.'

I am sure some of this tone is not as strong as it appears, but when you play on a defense that allows over 70% completion and a high quarterback rating, the best thing you might want to do is just be quiet.  Porter is a passionate player and does not know how to bite his lip.  I am very sure the Dolphins are all over him today to keep his thoughts to himself.  Yes, the Pats will be different, but when you have played as badly as the Fins have in the secondary, you might be able to make anyone look good. 

FROM PHIL RICHARDS OF THE INDY STAR... Coach Tony Dungy came up with something different Wednesday. He had good news on injuries for Indianapolis Colts fans, and it went beyond Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark both practicing. "If I were guessing," Dungy said, "I would say they were going to play. Jeff is ready to go and kind of felt like he was ready to go last week. Dallas is going to practice and if everything goes well, I think he'll play as well, but we really need to see Dallas practice this week. "Their return would be a big boost for the Colts (1-1) with desperate Jacksonville (0-2) coming to Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. Saturday is a Pro Bowl center whose presence would bolster a line battered by injuries. He hasn't played since suffering a knee injury in an Aug. 24 preseason game. Dungy said left tackle Tony Ugoh (groin), offensive lineman Mike Pollak (knee) and tight end Jacob Tamme (ankle) were "doubtful" for Sunday's game. He added that Roy Hall, who went on the injury report last week with a hamstring problem, has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery. The Colts' bye comes early, next week, and it will be welcome. "We were complaining about it when the schedule came out, but maybe it's the Lord's way of looking out for us and taking care of us," Dungy said.

Getting Saturday back is huge. He can help the inside of the line and take some of the communication burden away from Peyton.  They will struggle at left tackle all season.  It doesn't really matter that much that Ugoh is on the injury report.  It is not as if he is that much better than Charley Johnson, who filled in last week when Ugoh went down.  Ugoh is too soft and has not progressed as much as I am sure the Colts would have liked.  The Colts are a resilient group in the offensive line, though, and always seem to play well, due in large part to their coach Howard Mudd. 

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