Several significant injury notes to tell you about here. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Charles Woodson to Miss 3-6 Weeks With Broken Shoulder Oakland's Cornerback Charles Woodson will miss 3-6 weeks after being diagnosed with a broken right shoulder according to Coach Bill Callahan. "He will be missed," Callahan said. "It's a blow, because he's a four-time Pro Bowl player. When you have a quality corner of Charles' caliber, who's played at an all-star level, that's hard to replace. It's something we have to overcome." Evidently, Woodson broke the shoulder in the 2nd quarter on a play where Woodson was flagged for interference on Pittsburgh WR Plaxico Burress. "If I know Charles, he'll be back sooner than later," quarterback Rich Gannon said. "Not many guys would play through the pain he did the other night." [ [ [ [ [ [ JOE'S VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] First thing, tough guy kudos go out to Woodson. 2 � quarters with a broken shoulder is amazing. 2nd thing - the #1 WRs in the league just took a deep breath. Especially Derrick Mason (TEN - week 4), Eric Moulds (BUF - week 5) and Torry Holt (STL - week 6) Woodson is the epitome of a shut down Cornerback and all of those WRs above will have a much easier time with Woodson on the sideline. Look for rookie Phillip Buchanon and 8th year man Terrance Shaw to fill in. Buchanon at 5' 10 - 190 is a 1st round pick from Miami and many felt he was a steal where the Raiders drafted him. He's talented but he's still a very green corner back and look for teams to test him early if he's in there. Shaw at 5' 11" - 201 is a free agent acquisition from New England and is the steadier player. Both are gigantic downgrades from Woodson though. Talking with one of our Footballguys.com Staff Docs, Dr. Michael Green, MD about the injury and right now there just aren't enough details to make a good call. First off, you don't break your "shoulder" You break either the scapula (shoulder blade) or the clavicle (collar bone) And "break" can have a great many shades of meaning. It could be a hairline fracture that is not a huge deal. Or it could be something more serious. Dr. Green's concern was the proximity of the fracture and how close it was to the joint where the upper arm bone (humerus) joins. That's a very complicated joint with the different ligaments and tendons and that could be a concern. Although at this point, we just don't know. Dr. Green thought 3 weeks was on the short side of how something like this might heal and be ready but honestly, with so little information, that's just an educated guess. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Carolina PK John Kasay OUT With Groin Injury Panthers PK John Kasay re-injured his groin in practice Wednesday and will be out for Sunday's game against the Vikings. "We will probably bring in a couple of kickers as early as (Wednesday) tonight or as soon as we get any kind of information on the degree of his (Kasay's) injury," head coach John Fox said. [ [ [ [ [ [ JOE'S VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] Look for the Panthers to bring in Jaret Holmes who they had in camp already this Summer. Tim Seder will likely get a shot. Plus there are a dozen Matt Bryant type guys working regular jobs around the country that are one phone call away from suiting up. Too early to tell here on Wednesday night but definitely find yourself a backup for Kasay if he's your guy. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Chicago DT Ted Washington to Miss 10-12 Weeks The Bears Website is reporting veteran Defensive Tackle Ted Washington will miss 10-12 weeks with an injury to his left foot and leg. It's reported he tore the Lisfranc ligament in his foot and will undergo surgery Thursday to have a screw inserted to stabilize the area. He also has a hairline fracture of his fibula. [ [ [ [ [ [ JOE'S VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] This is a huge blow to an already depleted Chicago defense. Defensive end Phillip Daniels and cornerback R.W. McQuarters are already out. Washington is a superb run stopper. A Lisfranc injury is a very serious deal. I'll have to check into this more deeply but it could be similar to the injury Eagle RB Duce Staley. The difference with Washington of course is that at 365 pounds, he has quite a bit of force on that foot and leg. Alfonso Boone will start in Washington's place. He's a 2nd year man at 6' 2" and 328 pounds who will be a significant drop-off in talent from Washington. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Still No Official Word on Tim Couch Starting Cleveland Coach Butch Davis liked what he saw from QB Tim Couch in Wednesday's practice "He went out and threw as if he wasn't gone a minute," Davis said. But he would not commit to naming Couch the starter for this week's game saying "I wish I could" "I think he had a good practice," Davis said. "As I said 3� weeks ago, this is going to be a work in progress. There'll be a day when he'll walk in and there won't be anything wrong. Maybe today was that day." Tim Couch sounds much more confident after resting his arm. "I'm excited about hopefully getting back out onto the field," he said. "I think everyone is going to be fine with the arm. It's been a long two weeks." Coach Davis said the key factor would be how well Couch's arm responds after a day of solid workouts: "We'll just have to see if he continues to respond positively, as he has the last couple weeks," Davis said. Meanwhile, Kelly Holcomb is ready to go: "If something happens this week and Tim can't play, I've got to be ready," Holcomb said. "It's been great getting out there and playing. There are some things I could have done better. But I gained confidence." [ [ [ [ [ [ JOE'S VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] Don't know about you, but Davis' "I wish I could" answer to whether he could name Couch the starter doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement to me. I'd say he really does want to see how the arm responds to a normal workout and if Couch is good to go on Thursday, I'd expect you'll see Davis dub him the starter. This is no done deal though. Holcomb showed himself to be a capable QB. I'm far from saying it'll happen but you can't deny this has the ingredients for Holcomb to be this year's Tom Brady. I'm sure Cleveland fans would like to take that analogy to the fullest and see their Browns as World Champs� More on this later this week. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Eddie George and Steve McNair Miss Practice The two key components of Tennessee's offense missed practice Wednesday as Steve McNair and Eddie George sat out. McNair has a sore neck and shoulders stemming from the run in he had with the equipment trunk on the sidelines. He suffered a mild concussion but did return to the game. Coach Jeff Fisher said he was just sore. Eddie George did not even come outside. He's got pain in his left foot that some have believed to be caused by taping too tight. "The swelling is causing the discomfort," coach Jeff Fisher said. "It doesn't make any sense to have him on the field standing. We kept him inside with the foot elevated, and we treated him through practice." "He's still having some difficulty walking today. If he can walk and run tomorrow (he'll practice). If he can't, we'll wait until Friday," Fisher said. Fisher indicated the swelling is creating pressure on a nerve and once the swelling subsides, things will be ok. George has had the problem before but it did not last this long. "Once we get the swelling out of it, it'll be over, a done issue," Fisher said. "It's not something that has the potential to hurt farther or lose playing time down the line." [ [ [ [ [ [ JOE'S VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] For McNair, this probably isn't a huge deal. He's one of those guys that seems to be nicked every week but goes out and plays well on Sundays. For Eddie George, you can sugar coat this however you like but I think this lands squarely in the "not good" department. George is hobbling around the Titan's complex on crutches with his foot in a protective walking boot. He's a tough guy and we all saw last year he can play through pain. But he didn't play very effectively though that pain. Let's hope the swelling subsides and he's back to normal but I have to admit I'm more than a little concerned. If George can't go, John Simon and Mike Green will carry the load. Simon is a 5' 11 - 202 rookie from Louisiana Tech. Green at 6' 0" - 250 is a little more suited to Fullback although he is familiar with the offense and filled in for George last year a bit. More as we hear stuff. Joe