/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Footballguys.com In-Season News and Notes September 9, 2002 /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ IN THIS ISSUE 1. K Brett Conway on the way out in Washington 2. Titan's Jevon Kearse out for 6-8 weeks with broken foot, surgery on Monday 3. Titan's Eddie George: I Feel Great! 4. Titan's Derrick Mason: A concussion, but still finished the game 5. Bill's Moulds and Price: Now THIS is fun! 6. Cowboy's Meltdown aftereffects 7. Cowboys Dat Nguyen out for 6-8 weeks; WR Darnay Scott a 'Boy now 8. Dolphin's Rookie TE McMichael the real deal 9. Eagle's McNabb: Battered and Frustrated 10. Redskin's Davis, Matthews look strong on Sunday 11. Jet's TE Anthony Becht: Breaking out? 12. Holy Special Teams, Batman! Who is that speeding Jet? 13. Bear's D not pleased with performance in win 14. Raven's Jamal Lewis: Knee passes first test 15. Corey Dillon: Hey there Mr. Nowhere Man 16. Lions: Team needs RB James Stewart back! 17. Brown's Rudd: I didn't lose the game all by myself 18. Packer's D: lucky to be on the winning team. 19. Packer's Receivers: An explosive mix. 20. Viking's Culpepper: This one's on me 21. The Big D in Texas is the Texans Defense 22. Atlanta: Out of the loss with little damage to team personnel 23. Colt's Edgerrin James: He's Baaack! 24. Panthers: D won it for us. 25. Jag's Fred Taylor: A capable performance in the Loss 26. Saint's Deuce McAllister: carrying the Team 27. Buccaneers: The O is low Octane in loss 28. Broncos handle Rams: Griese comes back from doldrums to spark offense 29. Rams: Marshall corralled by Bronco's D, No TD's for Warner - Power outage? 30. Cardinals: Another year, same rushing attack 31. Raiders: Injury to RB Crockett mars Victory 32. Seahawks: This one was on the D, not Hasselbeck 33. Seahawks injury news: Dilfer says he's ready for AZ 34. Chargers Dominate Bengals /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ K Brett Conway on the way out in Washington Clipped from the Mark Maske article posted on washingtonpost.com 9/9/02. "The Washington Redskins will sign a place kicker soon, Coach Steve Spurrier said, after Brett Conway was hindered yesterday by a strained quadriceps muscle and the team was forced to use backup quarterback Danny Wuerffel as an emergency kickoff specialist during a 31-23 season-opening triumph over the Arizona Cardinals. Team officials were sorting through a list of possibilities that included James Tuthill, Jamie Rheem, Tim Seder, Jon Hilbert and Danny Kight. "That's dumb of us to not really test [Conway] out thoroughly," Spurrier said. "We'll have another kicker in here next week and go from there." Conway was bothered by a hip flexor injury and sat out the final three exhibition games, but Redskins officials believed he was healthy after a kicking test eight days ago. After Conway made a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter, however, his leg began to bother him. "It moved from my hip to my quad," Conway said. "It happened on the first field goal. I had a good warmup. I hit some bad ones, but I had a lot of good ones. My strength was there. But for some reason, that's where it [the injury] chose to go." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] If Conway is one of your squad's kickers, you'll want to keep an eye on this situation as it plays out. Right now, it looks like he's on the way out. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Conway is done and it could be career ending. Washington will be trying out kickers soon and could be a decent gem to add to your roster via free agency. More as we know it. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ IDP/Team D Alert: Titan's Jevon Kearse out for 6-8 weeks with broken foot, surgery on Monday Clipped from the Jeff Legwold article posted on tennessean.com 9/9/02. "The season was just two plays old when Jevon Kearse took a knee, reached down and grabbed his left foot. After a quick exam on the field, he was said to have a sprained foot. A trip to the locker room for X-rays, however, revealed more disturbing news: Broken bone. Kearse will have surgery today and miss the next six to eight weeks, Coach Jeff Fisher said. ''I don't know. I hope not,'' Kearse said. ''I'm a fast healer.'' The three-time Pro Bowl selection fractured the fifth metatarsal (the long bones in the feet just below the toes) in his left foot. He will need at least one pin or screw inserted in the bone to aid the healing. ''Jevon means so much to this defense and especially to this defensive line,'' said fellow end Kevin Carter. ''What it means is we're going to have to rally as a group and the young guys are going to have to play and be productive.'' � The injury is a huge hit to a defensive line that left training camp already limping. Defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth, Thornton and Ford are all struggling with the ankle injuries, and Ford hadn't practiced much the last two weeks. Rookie Carlos Hall, who was expected to get only a handful of plays each game, will be pushed into full-time duty. He answered the challenge yesterday with three sacks and a forced fumble" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Obviously a huge blow to the Titan's D and to any fantasy squad that played Kearse as one of their IDP's. The D line was already thin and hurting, this will only worsen the problem for the Titans. Carlos Hall would be one possible move to fill the hole on your roster, he played very well on Sunday and would have scored a ton in most league's scoring systems /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Titan's Eddie George: I Feel Great! Clipped from the Jim Wyatt, Jeff Legwold and David Climer compilation on tennessean.com 9/9/02. "The numbers may not show it, but Eddie George said he felt like his pre-2001 self yesterday. He finished with 42 yards on 18 carries (2.3 average) and he also scored twice, including the touchdown and two-point conversion to cap Tennessee's game-winning drive. George didn't get many carries in the second half, when the Titans were playing catch-up primarily through the air. ''The Eagles did an outstanding job against us defensively and we just had to settle down and make plays and we did,'' George said. George struggled with toe and ankle injuries on his right leg all of last season and finished with a career-low 939 yards rushing. ''This game is definitely a building block as far as confidence goes,'' George said. ''We have to learn from it in a lot of ways.'' [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Excellent news for the Titans - George is central to their attack. They are a different team with him on the field. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Titan's Derrick Mason: A concussion, but still finished the game: McNair toughs it out too Clipped from the Jim Wyatt, Jeff Legwold and David Climer compilation on tennessean.com 9/9/02. "Wide receiver Derrick Mason suffered a concussion, but finished the game. Quarterback Steve McNair was kicked in his left leg and suffered some numbness as well as a loss of strength, but finished the game" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] If you have either of these players on your squad, watch and see how they feel later in the week. The Mason concussion is especially worrisome, as the after-effects can pop up days later and linger after that /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Bill's Moulds and Price: Now THIS is fun! Clipped from the editorial by Allen Wilson posted on buffalonews.com 9/9/02. "Moulds finished with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Price added seven receptions for 80 yards. "Peerless and I have always said that if we get opportunities to catch the ball we can make plays," said Moulds, who had only two 100-yard games last year. "It helps when your quarterback is looking for you and trusts you to make those plays." Indeed, quarterback Drew Bledsoe looked for Moulds and Price early and often. Price was Bledsoe's primary target early as the Jets focused their coverage on Moulds. But Moulds showed why he could be primed for a Pro Bowl season by catching four passes for 95 yards in the fourth quarter. His 29-yard touchdown forced overtime. "I knew that they would try to come and take me out of the game," said Moulds, whose 17th 100-yard game broke a tie with Elbert Dubenion for second place on the Bills' all-time list. "I just had to be patient. I guess I'm getting a little older now; I'm getting more patient. I knew when it's game time and it's in the clutch, Drew would find me. And we made plays down the stretch." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] This tandem looked impressive in the opener. With two viable threats in the opposing secondary for Bledsoe to utilize, and Travis Henry looking ready to break out in 2002, Moulds and Price should warrant consideration to start every week for the squads lucky enough to have them in 2002. The Bills need to cut down on the number of sacks they surrender, though. 4 sacks were 4 too many for Bledsoe to have to endure week one. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Cowboy's Meltdown aftereffects Clipped from the Kevin B. Blackistone editorial posted on dallasnews.com 9/9/02. "�This was, unquestionably, the most embarrassing loss in recent Cowboys history, more so than the Cowboys' veterans losing to Washington's scabs during that strike season two decades ago. But such ignominy alone won't topple the Campo regime. What will is that there is no apparent way to rescue it, no way to shore up whatever is left of the foundation. This was the start of a great avalanche from which he and much of his staff probably won't be able to dig out of. Next week comes Tennessee. Then comes a trip to Philadelphia. Then a trip to St. Louis. Then a visit from the Giants. After the debacle at Reliant Stadium, that sounds like an 0-5 start to me If Campo & Co. aren't in a heap of trouble yet, they soon will be. So much for that winning preseason record. It was nothing more than fool's gold. The offense was anemic. The defense broke. The special teams were anything but. The entire outfit looked sloppy. To be sure, for much of the first half, the team had more penalty yards than it had offensive yards. Someone probably will have to pay for such a calamity. It will not, however, be the general manager. He is immunized from such disaster no matter how much he had to do with assembling the talent that didn't measure up to that of a team playing its first game. No, this will fall on the guy and guys who are saddled with coaching these Cowboys. And if they don't get it right in a hurry, the next thing to fall will be their heads [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Well, that about sums up the game. How the 'Boys bounce back against a game Tennessee club this Sunday will tell us a lot about what fantasy prospects we can expect from Emmitt Smith, Joey Galloway and Antonio Bryant this season. The early indications aren't too good, though /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ IDP Alert 'Boys Dat Nguyen out for 6-8 weeks with wrist injury; WR Darnay Scott a 'Boy now Clipped from the AP article posted on espn.go.com 9/9/02. "Already reeling from a loss to expansion Houston, the Dallas Cowboys got another blow Monday when linebacker Dat Nguyen underwent surgery to repair a broken right wrist. He's expected to be out six to eight weeks. Nguyen, who led the team in tackles last season with 172, the second-most in team history, was injured during a 19-10 loss to the Texans on Sunday night. He continued to play, though, and even tied for the team lead in tackles with seven and had a sack. Also Monday, the Cowboys signed receiver Darnay Scott and cleared room for him on the roster by releasing offensive lineman Char-ron Dorsey. Scott is expected to be a third or fourth receiver starting Sunday against Tennessee. Because Nguyen should be back around midseason, the team does not plan to put him on injured reserve. ``We'll get him back whenever he's healthy,'' coach Dave Campo said. ``Dat is very instinctive, a guy who makes plays. We'll miss him.'' Keith Adams, who played in four games as a rookie last season, mostly on special teams, likely will replace Nguyen at middle linebacker. Campo said he's not inclined to move outside linebackers Kevin Hardy or Dexter Coakley to the middle; he also prefers keeping Markus Steele as a backup on the outside. Scott is a good fit because he played for Cowboys offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet in Cincinnati. He signed with Jacksonville in the offseason and was released Sept. 1 when the Jaguars re-signed Jimmy Smith. Shoulder injuries limited Scott in training camp, and he barely practiced. He finished the preseason with three catches for 59 yards. ``I know the playbook in and out,'' Scott said. ``I hope I can come in and contribute. I'm not coming in to take anybody's job. I came in to help the team win.'' Campo said Scott will be part of the rotation backing up starters Joey Galloway and rookie Antonio Bryant" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] A huge loss for the 'Boy's defense and the fantasy owners who were depending on Nguyen this season. Darnay Scott won't help Quincy Carter throw any better, will he? Seriously, though, Scott was very limited for the Jaguars due to injuries so wait and see how fit he is before trying to acquire him. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Dolphin's Rookie TE McMichael the real deal Clipped from the miam.com article by Bob Emanuel Jr. posted on 9/9/02. "McMichael, however, impressed coaches during training camp and the preseason to earn a starting assignment for Sunday's opener. And he didn't disappoint, making a stellar NFL debut in Miami's 49-21 victory over Detroit at Pro Player Stadium. ''For a rookie, and I have said this all along, he is mature and ready to play,'' Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said. ``He made some great plays today.'' Early in the second quarter, McMichael made perhaps the play of the day. On the first play of the series, Jay Fiedler's pass was slightly overthrown, and a Lions defender was closing in for a potential interception. McMichael threw up his left hand, secured the ball by its tip, and pulled it in for a 22-yard gain to the Lions' 42. Six plays later, Fiedler rolled to his right and found McMichael streaking across the middle. McMichael cradled the ball at the 3, strolled into the end zone and did a celebratory shimmy Randy McMichael continued to excel after the touchdown and finished with four receptions for 73 yards -- more than any Dolphins tight end produced in a game last season. His receiving yards were also the most by a Miami tight end since Troy Drayton had 80 yards on Oct. 5, 1997" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] If you need a TE and he's still available (unlikely, but possible) grab him. If he's on your team already, pat yourself on the back and start him. McMichael looks like the sky's the limit /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Eagle's McNabb: Battered and Frustrated Clipped from the Frank Fitzpatrick column posted on philly.com 9/9/02. "...Sacked six times, harried, hurried and harassed on several other occasions, McNabb seldom had time to hang anywhere. A fearsome Titans rush came at him from angles and directions the Eagles hadn't discerned on film. That's why his postgame posture was that of a beat-up quarterback, a rather frightening vision in Week 1 for an Eagles team that has been built on and around McNabb. "We can't do that all year," said tight end Chad Lewis of the pounding the offensive line allowed McNabb to endure. "We've got to protect him a lot better than that. We can't be exposing our best player to those kinds of hits." From the Eagles' first offensive play (a sack by Henry Ford and Kevin Carter) to their last (a McNabb fumble caused by a Carlos Hall sack), McNabb was a disturbingly easy target - despite the fact that Tennessee lost all-pro defensive end Jevon Kearse to a broken foot on the game's second snap. "I'm fine," McNabb insisted afterward. "That's why I concentrated so much on my conditioning this off-season." But can he remain fine if he is forced to go through a few more weeks as a tackling dummy?" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Obviously, 6 sacks surrendered in one game is an unacceptable performance by the Eagle's offensive line. The good news is that McNabb was not injured due to the pounding. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Redskin's Davis, Matthews look strong on Sunday Clipped from the Mark Maske article posted on washingtonpost.com 9/9/02. "Davis was the forgotten man while the Redskins were throwing the ball more than twice as often as they ran it during their five exhibition games, but Spurrier certainly utilized the two-time Pro Bowl tailback yesterday. Davis got 26 carries and ran for 104 yards and a touchdown, and added seven catches for 46 yards. Matthews completed 28 of 40 passes for 327 yards. He threw a tipped-ball interception that led to Arizona's first touchdown, but rebounded with touchdown passes to three different wide receivers -- 26 yards to Kevin Lockett, 43 yards to Rod Gardner and 17 yards to Derrius Thompson. The Cardinals led 13-10 at halftime, but the Redskins scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half and held on, finally sealing the triumph on cornerback Champ Bailey's interception with less than a minute to play" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] A tougher test against the Eagle's defense looms on the horizon (next Monday), but for now give Spurrier his props - the 'Skins started strong out of the gates. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Jet's TE Anthony Becht: Breaking out? Clipped from the Shaun Powell article posted on newsday.com 9/9/02. "�A cynic might have wondered if the Jets even had a tight end before yesterday. That's when Anthony Becht had the biggest performance of his 32-game career. It wasn't just that Becht caught four passes for 36 yards - including a touchdown - and a two-point conversion, it was the way he did it. Becht caught balls in heavy traffic. And his best statistic of the afternoon? Zero drops. "That's the Anthony that I know can make the plays," quarterback Vinny Testaverde said. "That's the guy I want to show up every week, and that's the guy who I'm going to keep throwing to." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The big day was great - also, from the fantasy perspective the vow by Testaverde to "keep throwing to" Becht is the most promising element of this report. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Holy Special Teams, Batman! Who is that speeding Jet? Clipped from the nytimes.com article by Judy Battista, posted on 9/9/02. "�So much of the Jets' preseason optimism was based on their dynamic offense and rebuilt defense. But Edwards, on the night before the season opener, suggested that the Jets might need a return for a touchdown to beat the Bills. In a meeting, the special teams coach, Mike Westhoff, challenged his players, suggesting a possible role in a Jets victory. Westhoff issued an overtime challenge to returner Chad Morton: "Break one." Morton responded with a 96-yard return for a touchdown and a 37-31 season-opening Jets victory, a result Westhoff envisioned as the team struggled late in the fourth quarter. The Jets' defense bit on a double-pump fake by Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe, leaving receiver Eric Moulds alone in the end zone for the tying touchdown. And after the Jets failed to move into field-goal range as regulation expired, Westhoff gathered his kick-return unit again. "I said `We'll win it right here,' " Westhoff said. He had reason to believe. Morton, whom the Jets traded for last season after Santana Moss was injured, had returned one kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter, giving the Jets their first points�" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Whew, if that game was any indication, the Jet's special teams will tear it up in leagues that feature a ST position or where the special teams are an important element in defensive team scoring. With a return threat like this kid Morton, you may want to play the Jet's ST often� /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Bear's D not pleased with performance in win Clipped from the chicagotribune.com article by Melissa Isaacson posted on 9/9/02 "�The truth is, with a few notable exceptions, the top-rated scoring defense in the NFL last season did not acquit itself very well in the Bears' season opener Sunday against Minnesota� And yeah, yeah, the Bears won 27-23. But the thing about respectability is that you can't be truly happy about such things. Not if you expect to win more than two or three more games. And not if the reputation you worked to build last season is legitimate. "We know the way we played--not to say anything bad about Minnesota--but we can't get away with that against a Green Bay," Robinson said. The Bears were particularly distressed about Minnesota's 272 yards in total offense in the first half and about a run defense that yielded 4.3 yards per carry on runs that went for more 10- and 12-yarders than the Bears gave up in any five games last season. Only one team last year--the Packers--rushed for more than the Vikings' 136 yards Sunday. Only five Bears opponents rushed for more than 100 yards in 2001, and three of those went for 100, 103 and 104�" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The Bear's D did not look good at all. If they are one of your defensive teams, you may want to sit them until they show they've worked the kinks out. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Raven's Jamal Lewis: Knee passes first test Clipped from the Aaron Wilson column posted on zwire.com 9/9/02. "�More important, though, the Ravens' running back didn't experience flashes of pain Sunday in his first regular-season game since tearing ligaments in his left knee last August. Lewis said he got a bit tired far into a 10-7 loss at Ericsson Stadium. Although Carolina defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio acted on knowledge gleaned from his days as the Baltimore linebackers coach to limit the burly runner's impact, Lewis still rushed for a team-high 64 yards on 17 carries. "Actually, I feel great," said Lewis, returning from his second reconstructed knee after injuring his right knee in college. "It's not aching at all. It's not swollen at all. It held up pretty good during the whole game. That was a real test for me." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] This is one bright spot to emerge from the loss to the lowly Panthers. If Lewis is on your team, he might be worth some spot starts as the season progresses - depending on Chris Redman and the passing game's development. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Corey Dillon: Hey there Mr. Nowhere Man� Clipped from the Mark Curnette and Shannon Russell article posted on bengals.enquirer.com 9/9/02. "Bengals running back Corey Dillon endured his third consecutive poor game against the San Diego Chargers, rushing nine times for 10 yards in Cincinnati's 34-6 loss Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. It was Dillon's worst showing since Sept.24, 2000, at Baltimore, when he rushed 12 times for 9 yards. Dillon had no yards on five second-half carries in last year's Bengals-Chargers game in San Diego. He finished with 46 yards on 15 attempts. In the Chargers' 34-7 victory in the Bengals' 1999 home opener, Dillon ran 12 times for 37 yards. His three-game total against San Diego: 36 attempts, 93 yards. "Corey's inability to run was because there was no place for him to run," Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said. "Name any back you want, if there's not some blocking and holes to run through, you're not going to gain anything. We didn't block well enough for him to run." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Well, that was a rude awakening for the Bengals. They thought the offense had improved, but the Chargers sure made them look bad. Facing Cleveland's D in week 2 will probably help restore confidence to the team, if the Chiefs game was any indication, though. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Lions: Team needs RB James Stewart back! Clipped from the freep.com article by Bill Roose, posted on 9/9/02. "�Stewart, who averaged 4.8 yards a carry last year, gives the Lions a fighting chance to move the ball. Without him, Lamont Warren, Aveion Cason and fullback Cory Schlesinger did little to put fear into the Dolphins, who held the Lions to 51 yards rushing and 257 yards of total offense. Stewart said he would be ready for Sunday's game at Carolina�" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The first game was a train wreck for the Lion's rushing offense. Hopefully, they will have Stewart back for week 2 as he promises, otherwise it will be a long day again for the beleaguered Lions. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Brown's Rudd: I didn't lose the game all by myself Clipped from the Mary Kay Cabot article posted on cleveland.com 9/9/02. "Browns linebacker Dwayne Rudd held his head high in the Browns' locker room and refused to blame himself for yesterday's bizarre 40-39 loss to the Chiefs on opening day. "It broke my heart to lose, but I don't think I let the guys down," he said. "We dressed 40-some guys and not one play lost the game for us. Everybody's hurt, but we don't point fingers." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Maybe the Brown's team doesn't point fingers, but I do. Rudd cost the Browns a "W" with that bone-headed penalty. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Packer's D: lucky to be on the winning team. Clipped from the Rob Demovsky article posted on packersnews.com 9/9/02. "�A retooled Packers defense that included free-agent pickups Joe Johnson at defensive end and Hardy Nickerson at middle linebacker allowed Atlanta's young yet effective quarterback Michael Vick to direct six scoring drives in 10 possessions. The speedy Vick kept the Packers off-balance with a mix of play-action passes, quarterback keepers and wise decisions. If not for costly drops by tight end Reggie Kelly and receiver Brian Finneran - both of which were sure touchdowns - the Packers might not have escaped with a win. The Falcons averaged 6.6 yards per play, had 180 yards of rushing offense and were taken to third down only nine times on a 374-yard offensive day. "It really looked like we didn't watch any film or study," linebacker Na'il Diggs said. "We've got to do a better job as a defense of doing that. They were running plays that we knew they had, but we weren't defending them. I hate to use the word 'lucky,' but I felt like it was a rough win, a hard win." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The Packer's D looked confused and tentative. They need to improve dramatically, quickly. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Packer's Receivers: An explosive mix. Clipped from the Christopher Walsh column posted on packersnews.com 9/9/02. "When the Green Bay Packers traded for wide receiver Terry Glenn in March, they did so with the intent that he would be quarterback Brett Favre's go-to target this season. Sunday afternoon, he was for the first five offensive plays. On his first regular-season reception in a Packers uniform, Glenn sustained a mild concussion after being tackled by Atlanta safety Gerald McBurrows following an 18-yard gain. Glenn returned and had a 42-yard reception, his second and last of the game. But it was the rest of the receiving corps that had to carry the Packers during the 37-34 overtime win. "Everyone was the go-to guy," said Donald Driver, who led all receivers with seven catches for 78 yards. "They didn't know who was going to get the ball." Eight Packers did, with rookie Javon Walker recording his first career touchdown and finishing with four catches for 56 yards, in addition to an 11-yard reverse" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Donald Driver looks like the go-to guy, not Terry Glenn. If Driver is available in your league, picking him up could be a huge move for your squad. Javon Walker also looked good. Favre did not lack for targets on Sunday - only Bubba Franks had a quiet day. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Viking's Culpepper: This one's on me Clipped from the Kevin Siefert and Kent Youngblood story posted on startribune.com 9/9/02. "�quarterback Daunte Culpepper misread the defense, threw into triple coverage and was intercepted by safety Mike Brown. Brown returned the ball to the Bears' 49-yard line with 2:34 remaining and they soon scored the winning touchdown in their 27-23 victory. Culpepper said he believed he cost the Vikings a victory. "We were playing a really good game until that very poor decision by me," Culpepper said. "I accept that, and I really feel I owe the team one. . . . They say one play doesn't decide a game, but I don't believe that. "That was very uncharacteristic of me, to make a very errant throw like that. I'm going to keep playing that in my mind over and over. I don't think I do that but maybe once in 100 times." Culpepper completed 16 of 29 passes for 234 yards. He passed and ran for touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions and took a 5-yard loss on a third-down bootleg in the fourth quarter" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Good to see Culpepper being a leader and deflecting blame from his team-mates. He still had a solid day, fantasy-wise, and the Viking's offense looked very impressive at times. 2002 looks bright for the Viking's skill position players. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ The Big D in Texas is the Texans Defense Clipped from the Brian McTaggart article on chron.com 9/9/02. "It was part instinct and part preparation. And when you put them together, you got a brilliant performance by the Texans' secondary, especially cornerback Aaron Glenn. Glenn and fellow cornerback Marcus Coleman were a couple of reasons the Texans stunned the Cowboys 19-10 on Sunday night at Reliant Stadium, holding their Interstate 45 rivals to just 112 yards passing Although the Texans seldom blitzed the Cowboys, they managed to get good pressure on Carter and force him into making bad passes. And when he did, the Texans' secondary was up to the challenge" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Although part of the Cowboy's loss was self-inflicted by Carter's poor passing, the Texans D looked very good - and not just "good for an expansion team". They played solid defense with good tackling and few errors. The Texans are better than almost anybody gave them credit for. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Atlanta: Out of the loss with little damage to team personnel Clipped from the Matt Winkeljohn article posted on accessatlanta.com 9/9/02. "�Atlanta came out of the game in fairly good shape. Linebacker John Holecek and cornerback Buchanan sprained their right shoulders, reserve cornerback Juran Bolden suffered a strained hamstring, and linebacker Matt Stewart has a bruised knee. Several players, most notably linebacker John Thierry, battled cramps and dehydration Backup flanker Willie Jackson replaced split end Shawn Jefferson in the starting lineup. Team officials listed ankle and back injuries to Jefferson as the reason. Jackson, who lost a fumble in the second quarter, entered the game with little or no experience at split end, but the backup on the depth chart is recently acquired Trevor Gaylor, who was not in uniform" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Squads that play Shawn Jefferson should look out for his status in the coming week - Willie Jackson looked strong in this game, so who knows who the starting split end may be next week? Vick and Dunn were great in the running game, and the team fought hard. This team looked more polished and explosive in week one than at any point last season, IMO /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Colt's Edgerrin James: He's Baaack! Clipped from the indystar article by Phil Richards 9/9/02. "�A 1-yard loss with 2:18 to play prevented James from producing his fourth 100-yard game in as many NFL season openers, but in all other regards, his day was a smashing success. James was playing for the first time since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Oct. 25 at Kansas City. He had reconstructive surgery in November. James carried 26 times Sunday. He caught two passes for a total of 11 yards. His speed and effort looked the same as always. As might be expected, said Colts coach Tony Dungy, his cuts and his timing were a little off, and James fumbled once, a turnover at the Indianapolis 22-yard line. James had nothing to say about any of it. He was not available for interviews. "I think Edgerrin and our coaching staff feel like he'll get sharper as we go," said Dungy. "He just kind of lost his footing a couple of times on runs that I know in four or five weeks he'll make and come splitting out of there. "It's about what we thought he would do. We kept telling people all along that he was right on schedule and he sure looked like it today." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] James was not the only Colt looking good in this game. Qadry Ismail was a credible #2 across from Marvin Harrison (finally!) and Peyton Manning looked very sharp. The downside to this performance came in the form of an injury to Marcus Pollard, the Colt's TE. He left the game with sore ribs, (but no knee injury, as had been reported earlier. (http://www.indystar.com/article.php?cnotes09.html)). /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Panthers: D won it for us. Clipped from the John Delong report on journalnow.com 9/9/02. "�Instead of getting caught up in past failures or current controversies or anything else on the periphery of this NFL rat race, the Panther defense remained true to its goal of shutting the Ravens down. They held the Ravens to one early touchdown, shut them out during the final three quarters, and wound up allowing just 289 net yards. Morgan capped it with an interception in the final two minutes that sealed the victory" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] A suprisingly strong performance against a weak offense. The Panthers looked better than last year's edition - they gained 145 yards on the ground, led by Lamar Smith's 84. They played strong defense. However, nobody on this squad looked like a fantasy star on Sunday, unless you have IDP's in your league. Dan Morgan was impressive at line-backer. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Jag's Fred Taylor: A capable performance in the Loss, along with team-mate Jimmy Smith Clipped from the Gary Smits article on jacksonville.com 9/9/02. "�Taylor gained 83 yards on 24 carries and scored his first touchdown since the final game of the 2000 season (Dec. 23 against the N.Y. Giants) on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter. It also was his first TD at Alltel Stadium since a Dec. 10, 2000 game against Arizona. The former University of Florida star added four pass receptions for 35 yards" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Taylor, Brunell and Smith left it all on the field against an improving Indy defense. None had a career day, but they were very effective in the loss. Smith added 108 yards and a 2-pt conversion to Taylor's effort. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Saint's Deuce McAllister: carrying the Team Clipped from the Don Hammock article posted on sunherald.com 9/9/02. "Deuce McAllister has a message for the NFL. He may be thought of as a flash-and-dash guy whose blazing speed can eat up big chunks of yardage, but he wants folks to know he can run between the tackles. "A lot of people don't think I can be a grinder or a pounding guy, but I can play that, too," the former Ole Miss star said. "My forte is speed, but I'm 230 (pounds) so I can deliver a blow or two when I have to. If that's the way the game is dictated, then let's go." McAllister ran for 109 yards on 31 carries and his longest run was only 14 yards" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] However, McAllister ran to convert crucial downs and generally proved he was a tough runner in the season debut. He helped Aaron Brooks and co. have success in the passing game. Donte Stallworth also had an impressive debut in his first NFL game, snagging a pass for a 41 yard TD and 4 for 63 overall across from Joe Horn's 108 yards on 8 catches. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Buccaneers: The O is low Octane in loss Clipped from the Roger Mills article posted on sptimes.com 9/9/02. "�through the first half of Sunday's opening 26-20 loss to the Saints, Tampa Bay's offense looked eerily similar to that which new coach Jon Gruden supposedly exorcised. The demons, apparently, were back. The Bucs could run the ball but could not convert third downs or keep quarterback Brad Johnson from scrambling or being forced to throw the ball away. "I must have thrown the ball away 15 or 20 times," said Johnson, who was 28-for-52 for 278 yards and two touchdowns. "I probably set an NFL record for throwing the ball away." But in the second half, especially the fourth quarter, something happened. An offense that could do nothing right seemed to do nothing wrong. Trailing 20-10 with five minutes left, the Bucs produced two lengthy drives and 10 points to send the game to overtime. "I think we just kind of calmed down a little bit," said receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who finished with five catches for 76 yards. "We made up our minds that we wanted to play a certain way and we said to ourselves, "We have to come out and relax and we can't keep pressing.' ... We were trying too hard. We just calmed down a little bit." With the crowd roaring, Tampa Bay won the toss and looked poised to open the Gruden era, an era brimming with promise of offensive efficiency, with a victory. The demons returned. The Bucs' three overtime possessions resulted in two punts and an errant fourth-down pass from Tom Tupa to John Howell that was intercepted and run back for a touchdown by linebacker James Allen" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Neither Pittman nor Mike Alstott looked sharp running the ball. Keenan McCardell and Keyshawn Johnson had too many drops. Back to the drawing board in Tampa Bay for Gruden and co. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Broncos handle Rams: Griese comes back from doldrums to spark offense "�On Sunday, as Griese short-armed his way through the third quarter (4-for-7 passing for 36 yards with two interceptions), he was the one who nearly got the hook. With a little over 10 minutes remaining and Denver clinging to a 16-13 lead over St. Louis, Steve Beuerlein was told to warm up and get ready to take over the offense. "Thoughts went through my mind," Shanahan said. But, on second thought, the head coach decided to stick by his overpaid huddle-breaker. After Jeff Wilkins' potential tying field goal sailed wide, Shanahan figured it was still Griese's game to lose. And No. 14 responded with an eight-play, 71-yard drive capped with a 23-yard touchdown pass to old reliable Ed McCaffrey. Broncos 23, Rams 16. Griese 1, Beuerlein 0. "You've got to make some tough decisions as a head coach, and Brian showed the poise to keep me out of that one," Shanahan said. "I'm really pleased with the way he handled that type of pressure." The decisive drive appeared to have bogged down, but Shanahan boldly elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 38. Rookie running back Clinton Portis, who didn't get the start and carried the ball only five times, took the quick pitch around the left corner for 15 yards. "I went with a gut feeling," Shanahan said. "Luckily, it worked or I'm sure I would be getting second-guessed right now. I thought we needed it and I'm glad the players bailed me out on a bad call." Then Griese bailed himself out with some help from his football friends. Shannon Sharpe grabbed a pass for 14 yards, Rod Smith added an 11-yard reception on the next play and McCaffrey celebrated his remarkable return with the clinching score" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Griese barely held off Beuerlein on this particular day. However, if he doesn't start playing more consistently, he will end up on the bench rather than under center. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Rams: Marshall corralled by Bronco's D, No TD's for Warner - Power outage? Clipped from the editorial by Bryan Burwell posted on stltoday.com 9/9/02 "�it was fairly clear that the St. Louis sideline was loaded with far too many questions, and not nearly enough answers. "Pretty much all game long we were having these conversations with each other and with the coaches," said wide receiver Tory Holt. "It was like, 'Oh man, we were sooo close on this (play) . . . Oh, we were sooo close on that (play).' But we just couldn't come together as an offense." The Rams had come into Denver hellbent on showing the entire football world that that Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots was a fluke. This was supposed to be the game that dismissed all those folks who believed that that the Greatest Show on Turf had been exposed, that everyone now knows that it can be stopped. But Sunday's loss did nothing to stop that talk. Instead of delivering a definitive statement that all was fine and dandy in Mike Martz's wonderful world, the Rams fueled more talk, more nervousness, more doubt - and perhaps just a little negative overreaction - on the homefront, and a lot of chest-thumping and back slapping from another defense that believes it had the antidote to all the Rams' offensive magic. On Sunday, I kept finding myself repeating this nervous mantra: "Relax, it's only one game. They're rusty, that's all. This is not, I repeat, is not a trend." Then just as quickly, that other little voice - you know, that perennially pessimistic, the "glass-is-half-empty" voice - kept whispering in my other ear, "Get used to this, baby, because you're gonna see this all season long. The rest of the league has finally figured these guys out." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] It's too early to panic and declare that the Rams have lost the offensive magic, but they clearly weren't on top of their game on Sunday. The team is too potent to not start the Rams that you may have on your roster. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Cardinals: Another year, same rushing attack Clipped from the Kent Somers article posted on azcentral.com 9/9/02. "Scoring touchdowns in the red zone, a Cardinals weakness last year, continues to be an elusive concept. With the score tied at 10 late in the second quarter, the Cardinals drove to the Washington 3, where they had a first down. A running play to Thomas Jones lost a yard. On second down, quarterback Jake Plummer threw incomplete to fullback Joel Makovicka, not seeing tight end Freddie Jones, who was open in the back of the end zone. On third down, Plummer dumped the ball to Thomas Jones in the flat, and he was tackled by cornerback Champ Bailey. The Cardinals settled for a 20-yard field goal from Bill Gramatica. "We moved the ball well," quarterback Jake Plummer said. "We just didn't finish the drives. We have to find an answer to that." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Thomas Jones still doesn't look like the answer. For now, it's the David Boston/Jake Plummer show in Arizona once again in 2002. Boston owners should be the main beneficiaries of the punchless rushing attack. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Raiders: Injury to RB Crockett mars Victory Clipped from the Steve Corkran article posted on bayarea.com 9/9/02. "A neck injury to running back Zack Crockett put a damper on an otherwise glorious day for the Raiders in their season-opening victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Network Associates Coliseum The Raiders announced a short time later that an ambulance transported Crockett to a local hospital and that he had movement in his extremities. "He has been X-rayed, and they are negative," coach Bill Callahan said. "He is undergoing a CAT scan." Crockett's condition will be updated today." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Other than the scary moment with Ray Crockett, the Raiders hit on all cylinders Sunday. Tim Brown and Gannon were on, and Garner and Wheatley trampled the Seahawks. Jerry Rice was quiet, but other than that the Raiders were a fantasy point machine Sunday. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Seahawks: This one was on the D, not Hasselbeck Clipped from the Steve Kelly editorial on seattletimes.newsource.com 9/9/02. "The defense fell over like so many tackling dummies. It toppled like ten pins. It was a defense with a glass jaw. A defense that dropped, like Mike Tyson in Vegas, on almost every Raider running play. On the first day of a brand-new season, the Seahawks played a game in September that belonged in early August The Seahawks can't tackle. They finished next-to-last in rushing defense in the exhibition season and allowed 221 more rushing yards to Oakland yesterday. They turned Charlie Garner into Gale Sayers. He broke through an Isaiah Kacyvenski arm tackle for a 28-yard run in the first scoring drive. He blew through the left side of the Hawks defensive line for on a 13-yard run on the second scoring drive. And when Garner took a rest, Tyrone Wheatley pounded for yardage up the middle. Even Randy Jordan busted tackles like Jim Taylor and scored on a 12-yard run. Two hundred twenty-two rushing yards. "Demoralizing," said defensive end Chad Eaton. Those in Seattle who still cared spent all summer worrying about the Seahawk offense. How can they win without quarterback Trent Dilfer? How can they win if they don't sign left tackle Walter Jones? But Joe Montana couldn't have helped this defense. The offense could have had a young Tony Boselli protecting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the Hawks still would have lost. Sure, they missed injured defensive lineman John Randle. And they lost linebacker Anthony Simmons on the Raiders' first touchdown. But maybe the player they missed most was linebacker Levon Kirkland, who was too fat to play in Seattle and took his extra girth to Philadelphia" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] It was an ugly game for the Seahawks. They were dominated by the Raiders in all phases of the game - even Shaun Alexander struggled mightily. The good news is they don't play the Raiders again in the regular season for many years, now that the Seahawks are in the NFC West. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Seahawks injury news: Dilfer says he's ready for AZ, IDP star LB Anthony Simmons is nursing sprained ankle Dilfer story link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/86174_hbok09.shtml Clipped from the Angelo Bruscas article on seattlepi.nwsource.com 9/9/02. "The best news for the Seahawks yesterday came in the pregame warmups, when Trent Dilfer showed up in full pads and took part in passing drills before watching from the sideline as the third-string inactive quarterback. If he has anything to say about it, the veteran, who has a 15-game winning streak as starter, will be ready again Sunday for the team's home opener against Arizona." Simmons story link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/86181_clare09.shtml Clipped from the Clare Farnsworth article posted on seattlepi.nwsource.com 9/9/02. "�on the eighth play of the game, the Seahawks lost linebacker and leading tackler Anthony Simmons with a sprained ankle." [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Dilfer intends to enter practice this week as if he were beginning training camp again. Simmons went down in the first quarter of the loss and never returned to the lineup. Both are critical to the Seahawk's chances for winning in 2002. Check later in the week for Simmon's status, sprained ankles have a way of lingering /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Chargers Dominate Bengals Clipped from the Jim Trotter article on signonsandiego.com 9/9/02. "�it was the Chargers who came out of the dark, handing Cincinnati the worst home-opening loss in its history. The Chargers marched up and down the field on offense and dominated on defense, outgaining the Bengals 401-203 in net yards and holding a 15:36 edge in time of possession. The victory was so thorough that Cincinnati kicker Neil Rackers celebrated a 54-yard field goal that made it a 28-point game with just under six minutes to play. "Wow!" linebacker Junior Seau said. "One of the keys to this, obviously, was defense. We feel like we have a pretty good defense and we went in there and stopped the run. "But for the most part the offensive line did a great job of handling the game. I've never been part of a team where the offensive line was just so dominant. We got a lot of rest on defense." Which was a good thing considering the temperature on the field hovered around 100 degrees all afternoon. The Bengals thought the heat would be to their advantage against an opponent that conducted training camp in La Jolla. What they didn't count on was a cool Brees. Second-year pro Drew Brees was sensational in his first pro start. The former Purdue quarterback was an efficient 15-of-19 passing for 160 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. His QB rating? An eye-popping 136.8. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson was no less impressive, rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown in the first half and 114 for the game. The Chargers were so in control they didn't play Tomlinson in the third quarter and still finished with 241 yards rushing on 45 carries" [[[[[[[[[[ WIMER'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The above says it all. The Chargers absolutely whipped the Bengals. LaDainian Tomlinson could have easily gone over 200 yards. Drew Brees looked like a seasoned pro. All this, and the O-line lost Toniu Fonoti to a sprained shoulder in the first quarter. The guys in the trenches never missed a step as Mike Keathley filled in with no drop-off in performance. Quarterback Drew Brees compared the holes opened for Tomlinson to the parting of the Red Sea in the Old Testament. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ You can never get enough information in fantasy football! See you next week, Mark Wimer