Week 3
9/23/05
- After his team's disappointing loss to the Bucs last Sunday,
Bills coach Mike Mularkey lashed out at running back Willis
McGahee over his tentative performance. Mularkey felt McGahee
wasn't running hard into the hole and had missed a number of
reads, basically trying to run sideline to sideline rather than
cutting upfield on a number of plays. Granted, McGahee did look
tentative against the tough Bucs defense but there's another
reason Mularkey singled out McGahee and that's because he didn't
want to single out quarterback J.P. Losman. The Bucs defensive
strategy on Sunday was to commit to stopping McGahee, forcing
Losman to move the ball through the air. Losman clearly failed
in that regard and Mularkey felt it wise to single out McGahee,
thereby taking some heat off his first-year starting quarterback.
Look for future Bills opponents to use the Bucs blueprint in
attempting to slow down the Bills offense.
- Vikings coach Mike Tice was at it again this week, speaking
out of both sides of his mouth and sending as mixed a message
as possible. After starting running back Michael Bennett fumbled
twice during the first half of the Vikings loss to the Bengals,
Tice benched him in favor of Mewelde Moore. This week, Tice
came out in support of Bennett saying that he's never lost confidence
in his abilities. Which begs the question - if that's indeed
the case, why did you bench him?
- Things are getting interesting in Washington with Redskins linebacker Lavar Arrington. The team is apparently concerned about Arrington's recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery last September and have severely cut back on his playing time. After opening the season behind Warrick Holdman, Arrington was inserted into the starting line-up this week against the Cowboys only because the team came out in a 3-4 set and, to his dismay, spent most of the game on bench. For the most part, Arrington has kept quiet about the situation, however he has criticized this coaching staff in the past and it will be no surprise if he speaks out if his playing time is not increased after the team returns from their bye week.
- Here's what you need to know about the Packers options at
the starting cornerback position opposite Al Harris. Ahmad Carroll,
the team's 2004 1st round pick, started the season opener but
was bench after a four-penalty performance. He was replaced
in week two by Joey Thomas, the team's 2nd round pick in 2004.
Thomas proceeded to give up an 80-yard touchdown to the Browns'
Braylon Edwards. Now defensive coordinator Jim Bates is considering using
rookie 5th round pick Mike Hawkins or former undrafted free
agent Jason Horton.
- There are basically two schools of thought on the disappointing
play of Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. One, with Randy
Moss in Oakland, the team's remaining receivers are facing tighter
coverage and not getting enough separation, leaving Culpepper
to attempt to force throws into coverage. Two, Culpepper is
pressing in his attempt to prove that he was the main reason
for the Vikings offensive success, not Moss. It says here Culpepper
is pressing and his performance will improve in short order,
although it's worth noting he has thrown eight interceptions
in two weeks after throwing only 11 in 16 games last season.
- After being run out of Denver by Mike Shanahan, cornerback
Deltha O'Neal has seven interceptions in 14 games with the Bengals
and is a major reason for the improved play in the team's secondary.
Better yet for Bengals fans, O'Neal has become a much more willing
participant in making tackles in the running game.
- It's hard to criticize Denny Green's given his successful
past. After spending a 2nd round pick on running back J.J. Arrington
and having a serviceable backup in Marcel Shipp, Green is apparently
interested in Vikings running back Michael Bennett. Given the
team's porous offensive line and its inability to create holes
in the running game or pass protect decently, it would seem
that upgrading this unit would be a much better option than
acquiring an injury-prone running back. What is clear is that
rookie 4th round pick Elton Brown is clearly overmatched at
this point and needs to be replaced before he misses a block
that leads to quarterback Kurt Warner being injured. However,
upgrading the offensive line would leave Green open to criticism
given his decision to release former starting offensive linemen
Pete Kendall, L.J. Shelton and Anthony Clement.
- Keeping with the Cardinals, look for recently acquired tight end Teyo Johnson to make his way into the starting lineup around midseason. Although Green is talking up Eric Edwards and Adam Bergen, neither player has Johnson's physical skills. A former 2nd round pick of the Raiders, Johnson frequently found himself in coach Norv Turner's doghouse because of his poor blocking skills.
- The Ravens took a lot of heat in the off-season for their
decision to match the Cleveland Browns offer sheet of $3-million
for one year to backup running back Chester Taylor. That decision
is looking very sound now given Jamal Lewis' production over
the first two games of the season - 57 yards rushing on 26 carries.
- It appears that the Steelers Ike Taylor has won the starting
cornerback position opposite Deshea Townsend. Expected to compete
with Willie Williams and Ricardo Colclough for the position,
Taylor won out partly because the team wants more speed at the
position, something the veteran Williams lacks at this point
in his career. Nonetheless, it won't be a surprise if Taylor
loses the position given the lack of consistency he has displayed
over much of his career.
- LaDainian Tomlinson has 38 rushes and three touchdowns over
the team's first two games but it's quite clear the star running
back needs more touches for the team to succeed. Tomlinson's
receptions dropped from a career high of 100 in 2003 to 53 last
season (a career low) and he has yet to catch the ball in 2005.
Given their 0-2 start, look for the team to start feeding the
ball to Tomlinson on a much more regular basis.
- With their win over Houston, the Steelers have now won 16
straight regular season games. Their last loss was a week two
road loss last season to the Baltimore Ravens.
- The Packers offensive line has taken a fair amount of criticism
early in the season with most analysts blaming their poor play
on the loss of guards Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera. Replacements
Adrian Klemm and Will Whitticker, a rookie 5th round pick, haven't
played at a Pro Bowl level, however it should be noted that
the best offensive lines in the league typically have starters
that have played together for a number of years so it's possible
the line could come around. What should be more disconcerting
to Packers fans, and which should also be pointed out when discussing
the line's effectiveness, is that running back Ahman Green has
now gone nine straight games without hitting the 100-yard rushing
mark.
- Although the Seahawks trio of Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram
and Joe Jurevicius have put up good numbers during the team's
first two games, look for Peter Warrick to make his way into
the mix very soon. Warrick needs to learn the team's playbook
but he is a dangerous receiver out of the slow, a virtual 1st
down machine when healthy, and is likely the team's second most
talented receiver behind Jackson. Head coach Mike Holmgren knows
how to utilize the weapons at his disposal and he will find
a way to get Warrick into the mix.
- Don't be surprised if the Chargers put 2nd round pick Vincent
Jackson on injured reserve early in the season. The rookie wideout
has missed significant time due to a calf injury and it's unlikely
the former Division II player will make any contribution this
season.
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