IN THIS ISSUE 1. Bears D takes another blow 2. McNabb getting sacked, and sacked, and... 3. Wuerffel likely to start on Sunday 4. Harrington begins to impress 5. New Orleans wide receiver updates 6. Warner's surgery details 7. Bronco meltdown 8. Jags out of balance 9. Trent Green in the zone...end zone that is 10. Seahawk's Hutchinson to miss at least 8 weeks 11. Buc's Gruden likes what he sees so far 12. Indy Defense looks to shut down Cincinnati 13. Martz is in over his head 14. Good Driver... not Randy, Donald /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Bears D takes another blow Clipped from an article from the associated press posted 10/1/02 on ESPN.com Chicago Bears linebacker Warrick Holdman will miss the rest of the season after having surgery Monday to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. Holdman, the Bears' second-leading tackler this season, was hurt during the first quarter of Sunday's overtime loss in Buffalo. He will need three months to recover, coach Dick Jauron said. Holdman is the fourth Chicago defensive starter knocked out by injuries so far: tackle Ted Washington could be out for the season after rupturing a ligament in his left foot in the second week against Atlanta. End Phillip Daniels (ankle) and defensive back R.W. McQuarters (knee) haven't played since the season opener, but they're expected back sometime in October. Mike Caldwell will replace Holdman. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Probably not huge news for most of you, but this is worth talking about. Holdman is considered by many to be as integral a part of the Bear's Defense as Brian Urlacher. Add Holdman to the list that already includes Phillip Daniels, Keith McKenzie (playing but hurting), R.W. McQuarters, Bryan Robinson and Ted Washington and you have one banged up unit. I don't see how they can take any more losses on Defense and still make a make a playoff run. They gave up 29 to New Orleans and 33 to Buffalo in their last 2 games. Fortunately, if they can pull one out this week against Green Bay, Chicago gets a bye week 6 and then Detroit and Minnesota to help get their defense in order. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ McNabb getting sacked, and sacked, and... Clipped from the Phil Sheridan article posted 10/1/02 on philly.com It's one number that just doesn't add up. Through four games, the Eagles have the most productive offense in their long history. They are averaging 35 points a game, and have won their last three games by an average margin of 26 points. But the number that doesn't compute is 14. That's how many times quarterback Donovan McNabb has been sacked. Only Houston's David Carr, a rookie playing for an expansion team, has been sacked more than McNabb. The Eagles are tied with two other teams in allowing 14 sacks. Those teams, Cincinnati and Minnesota, have a combined record of 0-8. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The good thing is he's a young man that can take plenty of hits. That bad thing is if he's your franchise player, it's not all that much fun watching him get slammed around week after week. I don't want to read too much into this after 4 games, but it's something to keep an eye on. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Wuerffel likely to start on Sunday Clipped from a staff article posted 10/1/02 on washingtonpost.com Coach Steve Spurrier began his promised reshuffling of the Washington Redskins' offensive lineup yesterday, naming Kevin Lockett a starter ahead of Derrius Thompson at wide receiver and saying he plans to list Shane Matthews as the team's inactive third quarterback for Sunday's game at Tennessee. Sources said barring an injury or last-minute reversal, the Redskins plan to start Danny Wuerffel at quarterback Sunday, with rookie Patrick Ramsey as his backup. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Hopefully you weren't relying on Mathews to lead your team to the promise land this season. After putting up 31 points week one against Arizona, the fun-and-gun has looked pretty tame scoring only 17 total points in its last 2 games. I don't think Weurffel is worth a start this week as it appears his leash is going to be extremely short so his benching risk is very high. Avoid this QB situation for now unless you are desperate for a QB. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Harrington begins to impress Clipped from the Mike O'Hara article posted 10/1/02 on detnews.com Coach Marty Mornhinweg can see Joey Harrington's bandwagon starting to roll faster and pick up passengers. He's not particularly worried about it getting overloaded, or the Lions' rookie quarterback veering off course. Mornhinweg expects Harrington to handle the attention that is bound to come his way in the same cool, efficient manner he displayed Sunday in leading the Lions to a 26-21 victory over New Orleans. Part of Mornhinweg's plan for Harrington includes a guiding hand in how to handle success and failure, and the spotlight that comes with playing quarterback in the NFL. "We've seen quarterbacks start out well and have a little dip there," Mornhinweg said. "I wouldn't expect that. I would expect him to keep himself above that." Harrington hasn't acted like a star-struck rookie at any point this year. Going back to his predraft workouts at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, he has carried himself with an air of purpose and self-assurance. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] I am pretty impressed with Harrington so far. He throws a great deep ball and is showing the leadership characteristics that a lot of rookies just don't have. It also appears that he is capable of doing something that all great quarterbacks do, that is making those around him better. I don't think he has much value in redraft leagues as of yet, but for keeper and dynasty leagues, he may be worth getting your hands. He also may force the defense to respect the passing game enough for James Stewart to have some nice games as the season progresses. That is if he can quit getting nicked. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Horn and Stallworth Updates Clipped from the staff article posted 10/1/02 on sportingnews.com Saints first-round draft pick Donte Stallworth is expected to miss next week's game against Pittsburgh because of an injured left hamstring. Coach Jim Haslett said the rookie's hamstring wasn't torn, but he didn't expect Stallworth to play. Stallworth said he hurt himself while stretching before the second half of the Saints' 26-21 loss at Detroit. "I was stretching, and I stretched a little too far," Stallworth said. Stallworth also missed 2 1/2 weeks of training camp with a pulled right hamstring. Receiver Joe Horn as a sore left knee, and receiver Jake Reed has dislocated his right ring finger. Both are expected to play this weekend. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Good news and bad here. First of all, Joe Horn is having a great season, so it's nice to hear that his knee will be fine. I wouldn't bump him down this week because of this injury. If you watched him limping around on Sunday, it's pretty apparent that this guy is a gamer. Keep him in your lineup. As for Stallworth, this isn't good news. If this was his first hammy pull, then I wouldn't be alarmed. Considering he hurt it stretching "a little too far" after already playing the entire first half as a follow up to missing 2 � weeks in training camp with the same injury, you have to be a little concerned here. Sitting him out this week is a smart move for New Orleans. We'll keep watching this one for you. As a result of Stallworth going down, expect Horn to get more looks and for Jerome Pathon to be a serviceable WR for those of you in a pinch. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Warner's surgery details Clipped from an article from the AP posted 10/1/02 on stltoday.com Rams quarterback Kurt Warner successfully underwent surgery today to stabilize the broken little finger on the two-time MVP's throwing hand and will be sidelined at least two months. ``He'll be gradually introduced to football-related activities,'' said Dr. Matthew Matava, the Rams' head team physician who assisted in the surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. ``When we say eight to 10 weeks, we're speaking about him being back to playing competitively.'' During the 55-minute procedure, surgeons inserted four pins to stabilize the broken pinkie, which Warner injured in the first quarter of Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Warner is wearing a bulky splint to protect and immobilize the finger for roughly four weeks, after which time he will begin therapy to restore strength and range of motion. The pins will be removed in five to six weeks, the Rams said. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] As you probably know, this all but kills Warner's value for this fantasy season. I didn't say "totally" kills his value however given that he could come back somewhere around weeks 12-14. If you're in the hunt for a title, you are probably not going to want to pop a rusty Warner into your playoff lineup until you have seen him play at least 1 game. Maybe that's too long for you to wait on him. However, with games at home against Arizona week 15 and at Seattle week 16, he may very well be worth a roster spot if you can afford to keep him idle on your roster for the next couple of months. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Broncos meltdown Clipped from the Dave Krieger article posted 10/1/02 on rockymountainnews.com In theory, when you return to Earth from deep space orbit, you want to do it with as gentle a trajectory as possible. The Denver Broncos might need to recalibrate their instruments. Unless you were expecting an undefeated season, they were coming back eventually. The Super Bowl champions just did, so there's no shame in the splashdown, but it's important to avoid the Gus Grissom method if you can. The Broncos lost for the first time this season because of stupidity. Over time, we will learn whether it was momentary brainlock or the revelation of a fatal flaw. The Broncos had 30 first downs to the Baltimore Ravens' 14. They had 403 total yards to Baltimore's 230. And they were stomped silly. "I mean, I didn't expect it," said lineman Lional Dalton, as if in shock. "We came in with the No. 1 defense. Maybe we needed this." Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was mostly making excuses for his players afterward. This might be the way to keep the team together, but for the sake of the season, it should not be the message he delivers in private this week. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] As usual, the media in Denver like to place the blame for this loss on Brian Griese. I put this one on Shanahan however. If you can't get your team up for Monday Night Football for a rematch against a team that knocked you out of the playoffs one has to wonder. In addition to what appeared to be a lack of preparation and enthusiasm by his squad, Shanahan also may have failed to take note of Gary's whiffs on 2 separate attempts to block an incoming rusher while at the same time averaging 3.6 yards per carry. All of us were watching however, and we have seen Portis has averaged 6.8, 3.0, 5.7, and 6.9 yards per carry in four games this season without fumbling. One would think that after Monday Night, Portis will have to emerge as the starter before long. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Jags out of balance Clipped from the Bart Hubbuch article posted 10/1/02 on jacksonville.com The Jaguars made franchise history by running the ball 40 times and throwing just 15 passes in Sunday's 28-3 rout of the New York Jets. The 25 more runs than throws marked the biggest difference in play calls in any regular-season game under coach Tom Coughlin, who has always openly favored the pass. Coughlin's commitment to the run Sunday paid off with 142 yards from Fred Taylor and 223 yards rushing overall, the third-most in team annals. "I felt like I was back at Nebraska," offensive tackle Zach Wiegert said, referring to his alma mater's famous ground attack. Don't get used to it, Coughlin warned yesterday. "We still think we're going to be a balanced offensive football team," said Coughlin, whose team is fourth in the NFL in rushing offense and 11th in passing offense this season. "You have to have balance, and that will come." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] A total of only 15 pass plays led me to be a little stunned by Jimmy Smith's performance on Sunday that's for sure. He did drop an easy pass that hit him in the chest, another harder but catchable touchdown, and was missed by Brunell as he was wide open in the end zone for another touchdown. Last year his lowest total number of receptions in a game was 5, which he managed in 3 different weeks. I will take this game (given the offenses lack of need to rely upon the pass) as a total aberration in what we can expect to see from Smith this season. I wouldn't bump him down at all. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Trent Green in the zone...end zone that is Clipped from the Rick Dean article posted 10/1/02 on chiefszone.com "I told people on the sideline, 'He's in a zone, let's take advantage of it,' " the Chiefs coach recalled Monday. Today, no one can promise when, or if, Green will revisit The Zone anytime soon. But, if his receivers keep stepping up the way they did Sunday, there's no reason Green can't have more days approaching his stunning 24-of-34, 328-yard, five-touchdown, no-interception, 145-point rating Dream Day. It's not like he hasn't been there before. Just a year ago in the season's third game, Green amassed a career-high 154-point rating when he hit 21 of 26 passes for 307 yards and three TDs without throwing a pick in the 45-13 rout of a struggling Washington team. People justifiably got very excited about that. This is the Trent Green I traded a first-round draft pick to acquire, Vermeil proclaimed. Whereupon Green promptly went out the following week and threw four picks -- single-handedly buying Deltha O'Neal's ticket to Hawaii -- in a 20-6 loss at Denver. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] That was a pretty amazing day for Green and the Chiefs to say the least. As Mr. Dean so eloquently points out, Green followed up a near flawless effort last year with a less than memorable 4 interception effort the very next week. Right now, Green has 10 TD's and 5 Int's on the season letting us know just how helpful that 5 TD game was to his stats. If Vermeil can figure out a way to keep Green in the zone until Sunday, he may be worth a start against the Jets. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Seahawk's Hutchinson to miss at least 8 weeks Clipped from the Jose Miguel Romero article posted 10/1/02 on seattletimes.nwsource.com Left guard Steve Hutchinson will need more than a couple of weeks to get healthy after breaking the fibula (lower leg bone) in his right leg Sunday in the Seahawks' 48-23 win over Minnesota. Hutchinson, a 6-foot-5, 313-pounder in his second season, is expected to miss eight weeks following surgery to repair a crack in the fibula late Sunday night. Team doctors inserted three screws to keep the bone in place, the procedure presumably enough to keep Hutchinson from missing the entire season. "For something that was bad, it could have been worse," Holmgren said. "It is really a shame ... We will get him back, but yeah, he and Walter (Jones) make a very formidable left side of our line." "I am pretty devastated by it," quarterback Trent Dilfer said. "He has that warrior mentality to him, and I think that feeds into everybody else. It is a tough loss, and it will be tough to overcome it, but we have no choice but to. I would be lying if I said we could just move on, because you can't just move on when you lose a guy like that." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Hutchinson was a 4 year starter at Michigan, a 16 game starter as a rookie with Seattle and what many of his teammates considered to be the heart and soul of the offensive line. That said, this is obviously a big loss to the Seattle offensive. Will it affect Shaun Alexander? I think it has to at least marginally. Luckily the line will get some time to work out the kinks with Seattle on bye this week. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Buc's Gruden likes what he sees so far Clipped from the Rick Stroud article posted 10/1/02 on sptimes.com If it is the month of the Fall Classic, it must be time for the Bucs' classic fall. Tampa Bay has started 3-4 each of the past five seasons, under-achieving that mark largely due to an annual collapse in the second month of the regular season. Since 1996, the Bucs are 7-14 in October. And the schedule is not very kind this season. Three of Tampa Bay's next four games are on the road and two are against NFC South opponents, staring Sunday at Atlanta. After hosting Cleveland on Oct. 13, the Bucs visit Philadelphia and division foe Carolina. The Eagles have won three straight against the Bucs, eliminating them from the playoffs in the wild-card round the past two seasons. But one-fourth of the way through the schedule, Gruden likes the Bucs' position. "We break the season down into four-game segments and we finished the first quarter with a 3-1 record, a three-game winning streak, we won two games on the road," he said. "Those are positive things. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] All this and Keyshawn is on pace to break his record low touch down total of 1 from last year. You have to like what you see so far if you are a Bucs fan. The Bucs have scored more than 20 points in all four of their games this season and are 3-1 with plenty of winnable games coming up. However, the fantasy star on this roster is clearly their defense as of this point, but I wouldn't give up on Gruden and his offensive prowess just yet. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Indy Defense looks to shut down Cincinnati Clipped from the Mike Chappel article posted 10/1/02 on indystar.com Tony Dungy's preparation for his next game with the Colts will be assisted by his old team, Tampa Bay. While Dungy and the Colts were enjoying their bye week, the Bucs were pounding the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday 35-7. The Colts return to action in the RCA Dome Sunday against the Bengals. The Bucs continue to run Dungy's Cover-2 defense, and the Colts coach will be an interested viewer of the Tampa Bay-Cincinnati videotapes. "We'll see how (the Bengals) tried to attack Tampa," Dungy said after Monday afternoon's two-hour practice. "Obviously, a lot of the things will be the same." The Colts can only hope the results are similar. Cincinnati's saw its record dip to 0-4 and its offense go nowhere against the Bucs. The Bengals, who turned to No. 3 quarterback Akili Smith, managed just 168 net yards on offense. Their only scoring was supplied by linebacker Brian Simmons, who returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Looking for a 1 week wonder defense this week with the potential for future use? Indianapolis may just be your meal ticket. What more can you ask for than giving a defensive guru like Dungy an extra week to prepare for the Bengals while getting to see the Bengals play against that his old team and current defensive scheme. Of course Indy doesn't have Sapp, Lynch and Brooks, but they do run the same defense and have played pretty well so far this year. In fact, Indy ranks 9th this year in total defense which should be good enough to put a whooping on a struggling Cincinnati offense. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Martz is in over his head Clipped from the Jeff Gordon article posted 10/1/02 on stltoday.com The football world is reaching its conclusion on Mike Martz. Great offensive mind. Terrific coordinator. Not ready to become a head coach. Huge ego renders him an accident waiting to happen. The skeptics of Rams Nation have been beating this drum since his regime began. As a rookie head coach, Martz scuffled and his team barely reached the playoffs amid a total defensive collapse. His critics kept on complaining last season, when the Rams won ugly early in the season and then got tooled in the Super Bowl. The Rams' 0-4 start has turned the steady anti-Martz drone into a roar. Under his command, or lack of it, the defending NFC Champions have already fallen out of playoff contention. Their goal of returning to the Super Bowl is no longer attainable. Instead, Martz has to focus on salvaging his regime and proving that he really IS head-coaching material. This is a wonderful opportunity for him. The whole football world believes he's in WAY over his head as a head coach. He is working under merciless scrutiny. He is accountable for all the calamities that befall his team. He can't order a sandwich without getting second-guessed. "Tuna?" somebody somewhere is thinking, "How could he not order chicken salad? Vermeil would have ordered the tuna. What an idiot!" [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] I don't think there are too many folks out there that will feel sorry for Martz given his "warm and fuzzy" personality. Will he be able to turn it around and salvage a winning record for St. Louis this year? Would you have drafted Warner and Faulk with the top picks in the draft had you known that asking that question would even be a possibility? Probably a hearty "NO" for both from a lot of you. I think you have to give the Rams skill players another bump down this week. I know that the Cowboys have a good defense, but Houston, Tennessee, and Philly all managed to put more points on the Cowboys than the Rams could muster. Now that's something to think about! /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Good Driver... not Randy, Donald Clipped from the Pete Dougherty article posted 10/1/02 on packersnews.com With Driver off to a strong start in his first year as a starter, Sherman second-guessed himself for not playing the fourth-year pro more last year. Driver shared the No. 3 receiving job with Corey Bradford in 2001, though Bradford generally got more of the playing time. Driver is a starter this season and leads the team with 16 receptions, including two for touchdowns. "Donald has risen, really grown into himself this year," Sherman said. "You watch him practice and watch him play (games), he always does it the same way. He's a lot like Brett (Favre) in that way, he practices the way he plays on Sunday. I love players like that." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The way Terry Glenn is "playing" this season, I think you can continue to expect huge games from Driver. Why not? Favre has to throw it to someone and the chemistry is certainly there and getting stronger. Although Driver has yet to have a 100 yard receiving game, he's been within 10 yards twice and one can assume that the century mark is right around the corner. Keeping starting Driver until he gives you a reason not to. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Feedback is always welcome. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] As always, good luck next week! Dave Dodson