Kylo Ren
10-11-2004, 04:39 PM
Oct. 11, 2004 Though the organization has given no indication of their intentions, sources in San Diego have reason to believe the Chargers have to be considering moving QB Drew Brees before the Oct. 19 trade deadline. But the longer they hang around in contention, the more difficult it will be to justify sending him packing. Cowboys SS Darren Woodson says he plans on returning to the playing field on Oct. 24 at Green Bay, but sources close to the team are not as optimistic. Although the natives are getting increasingly restless in San Francisco, don’t expect the Niners to pull the plug on Dennis Erickson any time soon. With three more years left on the beleaguered head coach’s contract at $2.5 million per year, we hear it’s highly unlikely that frugal team owner John York will swallow a contract that big. We hear the Cardinals could be getting close to agreeing on a contract extension for SS Adrian Wilson, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Our sources tell us Wilson, who has played well over the first quarter of the season, is a favorite of head coach Dennis Green. The Vikings are keeping their eye on a handful of veteran offensive linemen in case rookie Nat Dorsey struggles at right offensive tackle. Minnesota isn’t interested in making a trade but wouldn’t mind adding a veteran street free agent. We hear that Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson listened to his defensive players during the bye week and modified things, going back to more of a 4-3 base defense (the preferred defense of the D-line). The Patriots continue to take steps to preserve their championship nucleus, re-signing OLT Matt Light and special-teams star Larry Izzo to contract extensions recently. Light reportedly signed a six-year, $29 million deal with a $9 million signing bonus. We hear the next Patriot likely to sign an extension is PK Adam Vinatieri. The Dolphins will enter the offseason with the realistic possibility that they traded high second- and third-round picks for backup players (A.J. Feeley and Lamar Gordon). That’s why we hear Miami will go back to Feeley as the starter as soon as Miami is eliminated from playoff contention. Whether head coach Dave Wannstedt keeps his job or not, the Dolphins have to find out if Feeley can be an NFL starter. A noticeably smaller Ricky Williams reportedly attended the Chargers’ Week Four win over the Titans in his native San Diego. Observers noted that it looked as though Williams had lost a bunch of weight. There was some surprise when the Saints traded for disgruntled Packers CB Mike McKenzie because his attitude hasn’t always been great, which could have a negative impact on the Saints’ fragile chemistry. We hear the Saints have turned back to DT Johnathan Sullivan as their starter not because they felt he really earned the job, but because they felt he deserved a second chance with Howard Green hobbled by an ankle injury. Word out of Tampa is that ORT Kenyatta Walker’s stint on the bench behind veteran Todd Steussie humbled Walker, who now is starting again. Don’t look for the Bucs to trade QB Brad Johnson now that he has been demoted, because moving him wouldn’t be practical under the salary cap. Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall has started running again as he rehabs the injured right hip that has kept him out of the lineup all season, but he’s still weeks away from actually seeing any game action. There is some frustration on the Falcons’ coaching staff that RB Warrick Dunn keeps coming up with minor injuries during games this season, but Falcons coaches don’t believe it will be a big problem unless Dunn misses extended time with one of his aches and pains. One concern about Panthers RB Stephen Davis returning to action just three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair damaged cartilage is that he could struggle with soreness all season. We hear the Panthers’ coaching staff has been impressed with the leadership of QB Jake Delhomme, who is demanding that the blame fall on him and not his teammates for the team’s up-and-down start. Though he hasn’t found the creases to run through as often since the opener, we’re hearing Bronc0s RB Quentin Griffin might be battling a bit of a confidence issue as well. Bronc0s S Kenoy Kennedy on the improvements in the team’s secondary with Champ Bailey and John Lynch: “I can just kind of patrol things out there, looking to see if I can help. It used to be that I’d have to worry about trying to make a touchdown-saving tackle or something. Things are much more in control. It’s lovely.” With his coverage skills and tackling, backup S Hanik Milligan has made the absence of LB Carlos Polk bearable for the Chargers’ special teams. Much of the credit for the Chargers’ much-improved run defense should go to DT Jamal Williams, who has stood his ground in the middle of the new 3-4 scheme, and ILBs Randall Godfrey and Donnie Edwards, who have meshed well playing alongside one another. Look for Chris Horn to stay ahead of Dante Hall in terms of opportunities as the Chiefs’ No. 3 wide receiver. The Chiefs’ defensive line has shown a better ability to shut down the opposing running back’s cutback lanes in recent weeks. Part of the Chiefs’ problems covering kickoffs is believed to be from PK Lawrence Tynes’ inability to establish much hang time despite a strong leg. While he still needs to work on some technique and nuances of run blocking, Bronc0s second-year ORT George Foster has stood out in his pass protection. Seventh-round pick Courtney Anderson has shot up the Raiders’ depth chart at the TE position. What separates him from Doug Jolley and Teyo Johnson is his blocking ability, which the Raiders need considering Roland Williams’ injury history. The Eagles aren’t particularly concerned about their run blocking despite the loss of FB Jon Ritchie. They use one-back sets a majority of the time, but the offensive coaches are excited about the potential of Josh Parry, more of a true fullback than rookie Thomas Tapeh. The Titans have been terrible on kickoff returns, but head coach Jeff Fisher appears willing to stick with rookie Troy Fleming for the time being, saying Michael Waddell and others are out of the mix for now. Look for the Cowboys to use more fullback sets and fewer two-TE formations because of the loss of blocking TE Dan Campbell and the promising recent play of FB Darian Barnes. Bill Parcells has praised Barnes’ work in recent games for his blocking and receiving. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin would prefer defined roles for his running backs, but based on the skills each back has, there is no true short-yardage option. Tiki Barber handled that duty vs. the Browns, and Ron Dayne has done it when healthy, but neither is a great fit. Nor is No. 3 back Michael Cloud, who reportedly was cut by the Patriots because he was not good in short-yardage situations. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, talking to PFW about the progress of DE Jerome McDougle: “He’s gotten better. The first two games he played well. We didn’t play him quite as much (vs. the Giants), just because of the situation we got in. But he’ll be playing a lot more. He can play both end spots. I think he’s a better left end than right end.” Colts WR Brandon Stokley and TE Marcus Pollard would have to restructure their contracts to stay in Indianapolis next year. With WR Marvin Harrison and RB Edgerrin James hitting unrestricted free agency, and the Colts expected to ante up, there might not be much left over for the other veterans. Stokley’s not worried about it ... yet. “This is where I want to stay,” he told PFW. “I don’t want to get up and move again. I don’t like free agency. I also know this is a business, so you just have to kind of wait and see.” All the Bears will say is that DRE Alex Brown has been consistent. But team observers say there have been signs that Brown’s starting job is on the line this week, especially if Michael Haynes continues to show well. The Lions may give up more yards against the pass because they aren’t blitzing, but team observers have said speed is such a shortcoming that Detroit’s options are limited. The LB play hasn’t been great, especially against the pass, and the Lions don’t want to be overaggressive, further exposing that weakness. Second-year LB Boss Bailey began rehab last week and could return as early as November. The Lions expect Bailey to return at some point this season. Rather than setting a timetable, Detroit is allowing Bailey to proceed at his own pace. The Packers say they aren’t concerned about backlash for dumping LCB Mike McKenzie. McKenzie had become a distraction, creating unrest in the locker room and for the coaching staff. Even if the defense is drubbed on a weekly basis, Packers management believes the current 45-man roster is improved simply by deleting McKenzie. There is some concern in Jacksonville about Byron Leftwich’s play under center. Leftwich is more relaxed and poised in the shotgun formation. That was fine with a stable offensive line, but with OLT Mike Pearson gone, the Jaguars want Leftwich to get rid of the ball in a hurry. Ideally, we hear Cardinals head coach Dennis Green would like RB Emmitt Smith to carry the ball about 15 times a game and maybe catch three passes, with backup Troy Hambrick getting about 12 rushes and two receptions per game. We hear the Niners couldn’t be more pleased with DL coach Dan Quinn, whose time spent burning the midnight oil helped produce a rushing defense that was playing quite well until it ran into some problems vs. the Rams in Week Four. Daily observers of the Niners tell us Quinn has done an amazing job considering all the injuries he’s been forced to contend with. Word is Niners C Jeremy Newberry, who remains out with a knee injury, is champing at the bit to get back into action. Newberry is hoping to come back in the next 3-4 weeks, but we hear late November is a more realistic time frame for his recovery. We hear Cardinals LB Raynoch Thompson might have to get used to sharing time with James Darling, who was leading the team in tackles heading into Week Five and did a great job as the starter on the weak side when Thompson was hurt. We’re told head coach Butch Davis is making an effort to be more media- and fan-friendly this season. Browns team president John Collins is being credited with encouraging Davis to make strides in these areas. However, a source close to the team says Davis has generally been professional and polite to Cleveland media in his tenure. The way we hear it, the Browns will make a concerted effort to keep RB William Green involved in the offense. There is some speculation the team is worried about what a lack of work could do to Green’s psyche. A source close to the team says Bengals LB Kevin Hardy has disappointed with his play on the strong side. There is little doubt KR-RB B.J. Sams is the sort of playmaker the Ravens’ offense needs. In fact, we’re told the Ravens have designed a “Stallion” package of five plays designed to get Sams the ball. But the way we hear it, the team is worried about giving the 5-10, 185-pound Sams too many offensive snaps, lest he get worn out. The Ravens faced a similar dilemma in the days when the diminutive Jermaine Lewis returned kicks.