Just a couple of administrative issues before we get rolling... First, my footballguys.com e-mail address wasn't working too well until last week. So if you have ever sent me an e-mail in the past and I didn't get back to you, I more than likely never received it. Second, a quick thanks to the entire city of Pittsburgh for e-mailing me after I misspelled the name of the city belonging to their beloved Steelers. My apologies and, as you requested, I will not misspell Pittsburgh again... I will not misspell Pittsburgh again... Now for the News & Notes IN THIS ISSUE 1. Kennedy Suspended 1 game by the NFL 2. Texans Boselli done for this season 3. Jags Brackens out for the year 4. Jags Henderson placed on IR 5. Coughlin expects to have Brunell for Sunday 6. Fiedler out 6-8 weeks 7. Owens over the edge with Sharpie incident 8. Bengals need a change 9. Maddox and company are turning the Pittsburgh ship in the right direction 10. Indy and James continue to struggle on offense 11. No RB controversy in Tampa 12. Bulger to start for Rams on Sunday 13. Woodson may play Sunday for Raiders 14. Dunn's role expanding in other directions for Atlanta 15. A-Train is a hero off the field /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Kennedy Suspended 1 game by the NFL Clipped from espn.com from an article posted 10/15/02 Broncos' strong safety Kenoy Kennedy was suspended by the NFL for one game without pay Tuesday for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Miami receiver Chris Chambers. He will miss Denver's game next Sunday at Kansas City, but will not be fined. Sources told ESPN.com that Denver coach Mike Shanahan tried hard to keep the league from suspending Kennedy, including showing an NFL official a Broncos videotape from an angle not captured on the television cameras Sunday night. The view, Broncos officials contended, allegedly showed that Kennedy was pushed by Denver cornerback Denard Walker as he approached Chambers. The Broncos argued that Kennedy's initial target point was Chambers' chest and that the accidental contact with Walker lowered the safety's head, thus precipitating the helmet-to-helmet collision. Obviously, the league did not accept the Broncos' argument, and the video must not have supported the team's case. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The media here in Denver can't really decide whether they want to run Kennedy out of town or pat him on the back. Either way if you saw the hit, you were given a great visual of just how violent this game that we all love so much can be. Best wishes to Chris Chambers for a fast recovery. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Boselli done for this season Clipped from an article from the associated press posted on espn.com on 10/15/02 Tony Boselli expects to play football again, it just won't be this season. The Houston Texans placed Boselli on injured reserve Tuesday, giving up hope that the five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle could recover enough from three shoulder surgeries in the past year to help the expansion team this season. The Texans thought Boselli would be a cornerstone for the offensive line this season, blocking for rookie No. 1 draft pick David Carr, at the crucial left tackle spot. Although he hasn't played in more than a year Boselli insists his career isn't over. "I'm confident I'll be back out there," Boselli said. "Obviously it's not the timetable I wanted. If I thought there was no chance I'd play again, we'd quit and go a different direction but I'm confident I can play football still and that's the direction we're going in. "They want me out there and I want to be out there. We just have to wait a little longer." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] This is too bad for David Carr but not a huge blow to the Houston fantasy prospects from here on out. Obviously Tom Coughlin looks like a genius for letting Boselli go. Freeing up the cap room that he did by doing so has allowed the Jags to be competitive when most people left them for dead heading into this season. If Boselli returns next year at 100%, the Texans could easily have an offense capable of producing some fantasy starters and may even do so without him. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Jags Brackens out for the year Clipped from the staff article posted 10/15/02 on jacksonville.com The Jacksonville Jaguars lost their second player for the season as defensive end Tony Brackens was placed on injured reserve because of ongoing knee problems. Brackens, 27, their all-time sack leader will undergo surgery on the knee and will miss the remainder of the 2002 season, the Jaguars announced in a press release. "On Monday, Tony underwent an MRI on his knee for recent increased swelling, and last evening Dr. (Carlos) Tandron talked with me about the MRI," Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin said in the release. "The MRI revealed articular cartilage wear, which will require surgery. At this point, the prudent move is for Tony to go ahead and undergo surgery so the knee can heal. I met with Tony this morning, we examined the facts, and both agreed that now is the time to have the surgery." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Brackens was gutting it out like a prize fighter this season (he really looks like Lennox Lewis doesn't he?) but the pain was finally too much to bear. Although Brackens was playing at a fraction of his old ability because of his knee, he was still an emotional leader for a young defensive front four. This will certainly hurt the Jags Defense for the rest of the year. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Jags Henderson placed on IR Clipped from the Vito Stellino article posted 10/15/02 on jacksonville.com Offensive tackle Maurice Williams was placed on injured reserve Monday after suffering a broken leg during Sunday's game against Tennessee. Jaguars right tackle Mo Williams was placed on the injured reserve list yesterday due to a broken fibula, ending his season and making him the fourth offensive tackle the team has lost for at least half a season in the past three years. Williams, who'll undergo surgery tomorrow, was replaced on the roster by linebacker T.J. Slaughter, whose roster exemption from a steroids suspension ended yesterday. Williams was injured in Sunday's game against Tennessee and replaced by Todd Fordham. The Jaguars may sign another tackle, but coach Tom Coughlin said he hasn't decided on any moves. "I'll spend today and tomorrow thinking about what changes we need to make," he said. The Jaguars have the option of moving Zach Wiegert from left to right tackle and playing rookie Mike Pearson at left tackle. "Whatever they want to do, I feel I'm ready to go in there and give it a shot," Pearson said. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] One of the biggest knocks on Fred Taylor this year aside from his injuries was the offensive line that he was going to have to run behind. If that wasn't a concern after the first 6 weeks, it certainly is now. The Jags are clearly used to dealing with adversity on their offensive line, but this is going to be tough to work around. I would give Taylor a bump down for now, although I will concede that he's a back that can turn nothing into something as well as anyone in the league. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Coughlin expects to have Brunell for Sunday Clipped from the Vito Stellino article posted 10/15/02 on jacksonville.com It's not going to cure Mark Brunell's headache, but Mike Pereira, the NFL director of officiating, said yesterday that Tennessee Titans cornerback Samari Rolle should have been flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on the Jaguars' quarterback Sunday. Coach Tom Coughlin said that the Jaguars' doctors classified Brunell's second concussion in the last 12 1/2 months as "moderate" and added, "the doctor's pretty confident that Mark will be ready to go" Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] I know this is a lot of Jags news, but since Jimmy Smith, Fred Taylor, and Mark Brunell are starters for a lot of fantasy teams, I thought all of these were worth mentioning. The Jags are getting bit by the injury bug, and it's not even at the running back position this time. Without Brunell around for much of the game last week, the Jags managed 13 pass attempts for the GAME, 7 completions for 68 YARDS and 198 yards of TOTAL offense if you can call it that. The good thing for Jimmy Smith owners is that 49 of the 68 total passing yards came from Smith. Only 59 of the teams 130 total rushing yards came from Taylor. If Gerrard starts next week over Brunell, I would give the Jags skill position players a major bump down going into Baltimore. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Fiedler out 6-8 weeks Clipped from the Ethan Skolnick article posted 10/15/02 on miami.com The day after leading his eighth comeback drive as the Dolphins quarterback, Jay Fiedler was forced to begin another sort of comeback, one which will take six to eight weeks, rather than just 40 seconds. Monday, Fiedler had surgery to insert a screw in his right thumb, to stabilize a fracture suffered on the next-to-last Dolphins drive of their 24-22 victory at Denver. Fiedler, playing with what he thought was a bruise, completed two passes on the final drive to set up Olindo Mare's game-winning 53-yard field goal. With Fiedler out, seventh-year man Ray Lucas, who started in the preseason but hasn't started a game in three seasons, is the Dolphins' quarterback for the foreseeable future. "The guy [Fiedler] is playing fantastic football right now," Lucas said. "We're 5-1. I hope I can measure up to what he's done." Fiedler goes out with a 26-11 record as a Dolphins starter. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] For some strange reason, there seem to be some Miami fans that are happy about this. I realize that Fiedler isn't Marino, but he's been pretty good at putting wins on the board for the Dolphins. With Fiedler out and Chambers looking like he'll be out as well, I would look for a heavier dose of Ricky than normal this week against the Bills and their porous defense. Although the Bills will try to force Lucas to beat them with eight in the box, I still think Ricky will have a great game despite their attempts to stop him. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Owens over the edge with Sharpie incident Clipped from the Jose Miguel Romero article posted 10/15/02 on seattletimes.com The Seahawks were more than a little bothered by the 49ers' Terrell Owens, who topped off a six-catch, 84-yard night that included the winning touchdown by signing the football from the touchdown for a fan in an end-zone suite at Seahawks Stadium. Owens, following the 37-yard catch against the Seahawks' Shawn Springs, strutted to the end-zone seats. Pulling a pen from his sock, he signed the ball and handed it to the fan, who is Owens' and Springs' financial consultant. "It shows he has no class," Seattle defensive tackle Chad Eaton said. "People shouldn't disrespect us in our own stadium." Wide receiver Koren Robinson was also appalled by Owens, who once spiked the ball on the painted star in the middle of Texas Stadium during a 49ers' win over the Dallas Cowboys. "That's disrespectful," Robinson said. "Disrespectful to me, to my teammates. "To each his own, but I wouldn't do that." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] It's good to know that Koren "The Natural" Robinson is all about showing respect. Seriously though, as far as Owens is concerned, that was just way over the edge. This year, we have witnessed Owens pull a Sharpie out of his sock for a quick autograph during the game, David Terrell "count his money" against the goal post on one of his 7 career TD receptions, and Koren Robinson proclaim to be the "The Natural" after averaging 2.33 receptions per game half way through his second season. As for Owens and Terrell, I will withhold any further comments. As for Koren "The Natural" Robinson, Jerry Rice had nearly 2,500 yards and 18 TD's after his first 2 seasons. If Robinson beats those numbers by year end, we'll have something more to discuss. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Bengals need a change Clipped from the Lonnie Wheeler commentary posted 10/15/02 on cincypost.com Another Monday has passed, and our football team remains as it was. No coaching changes. No front-office shakeups. No public apologies. No wins. No hope. No clue. In this light, the Bengals make Democrats of us all. Since they won't address their own problems, it's obvious that big government needs to step in and do something about them. When it couldn't contract the Montreal Expos, for instance, Major League Baseball went in and took them over. Named its own manager and general manager and everything. When the season ended, the Expos actually had a better record than the Reds. It can work. Remember when Chrysler was going under and Jimmy Carter gave them a whole bunch of money, and then Lee Iacocca came up with this minivan idea and about that time soccer was invented? Of course, the Bengals don't need money. They have plenty of that, thanks to the salary cap, revenue sharing, and the good people of Hamilton County. What they need is a few new people occupying some of those lovely offices overlooking the river. But I've said that before, you've said that before, every football commentator in the country has said that before. The problem is that Mike Brown won't listen to anybody. See, he grew up with good, profitable, systematic football, and it was mostly his dad's doing, so nobody else can tell him anything... [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Money clearly isn't everything to the Bengal players. Corey Dillon has recently stated, "They better get it right or at the end of the season I've got a surprise for them." Takeo Spikes said, ""This is as worse as it's ever been...The attitude reflects leadership in everything. Not some things, not a few things, but everything starts from the top and you can make your own tree out of it. Everything starts from the top." What a disaster this franchise is year after year. Dillon finds a way to produce, but if you are in a keeper league, it may be wise to unload him after his next big game. He's a great back, but I just can't see Mike Brown letting him go somewhere where he could really produce up to his potential. I also don't see the Bengals making any major changes to how they run their team. This frustration could easily boil over and make the Bengals even worse, assuming that's possible. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Maddox and company are turning the Pittsburgh ship in the right direction Clipped from the Jerry DiPaola article posted 10/15/02 on pittsburghlive.com There's a new quarterback, improved execution in the passing game, fewer mistakes and a new sense of overall confidence among the Steelers. For sure, you must credit Tommy Maddox. He is the player directing the offense, putting the passes where they need to be and giving his teammates the feeling that almost anything is possible under his watch. But if you really want to pinpoint the reason for the Steelers winning two of their past three games and achieving the unlikely status of a first-place team, it's the blocking that's made much of it possible. The recent success of the 2-3 Steelers - as modest as it may be - appears to be nothing more complicated than big men pushing other big men out of the way so slightly smaller men can run free of obstructions. OK, if you must have a coach's cliche, it's this: The Steelers are merely putting a hat on a hat. Ouch! [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Maddox only had 1 TD with 2 Int's and 1 fumble, so I wouldn't jump to put him in your lineup just yet. At the same time, he's doing what some very good players always seem to do in making those around him better. Maybe it was just time for a change in Pittsburgh at QB whether that decision was based on pure talent or not. I like Maddox as a fill in starter if you are in need of a spot QB especially if the running game continues to roll. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Indy and James continue to struggle on offense Clipped from the Mike Chappel article posted 10/15/02 on indystar.com For five plays and nearly three minutes Sunday afternoon in the RCA Dome, all was right with the Indianapolis Colts offense. Edgerrin James rushed three times for 23 yards. Peyton Manning hooked up with Marvin Harrison on a 39-yard completion, then capped the game-opening drive against Baltimore by hitting Marcus Pollard with an 11-yard touchdown. Zip, zip, zip. Textbook stuff. Then, efficiency gave way to a puzzling inconsistency that has plagued the Colts offense throughout the early portion of the season. A unit that ranked no lower than third in total yards and fourth in scoring the past three seasons lost its rhythm and lost its way. "It's just mentally being sharp and being on top of things," coach Tony Dungy said Monday as his attention was directed to the erratic offense. "It's not having the critical penalty at the right time, not having a sack at the right time. "We kind of interrupted our flow. We just have to get a little sharper." It's not as if the offense can't get out of its own way, or rivals the expansion Houston Texans in efficiency and productivity. It ranks 11th in total yards and 14th in scoring. But the past three seasons have raised the standard of excellence, and expectations. No one questions that problems exist. And most were front and center Sunday: After picking up 23 yards on his first three rushing attempts, James managed just 20 on his next 14. The ground game churned for 247 yards the first two games, but has been in a steady retreat since: 88 yards at Houston, 87 versus Cincinnati, 60 on Sunday. "We're all to blame," said tight end Marcus Pollard. "We need to hold our blocks a little longer. Edge has got to do a little bit better job running." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Even in victory Indy has played pretty poorly. Wins of 28-25 over Jacksonville, 28-21 over Cincinnati, 22-20 over Baltimore, and a solid 23-3 win over Houston are not really that impressive. Having scored less than 30 points in every game this season, we are seeing anything but what we have come to expect from the Indy offense. Additionally, I have never seen James get hit so many times behind the line of scrimmage as he has in recent weeks. I must admit, I still am not in the "James looks slow" camp, but I am in the "James isn't getting it done for one reason or another" camp. I am giving Edge a bump down until I see him rip off some old school Edge runs that we all expect to see from a back of his caliber. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ No RB controversy in Tampa Clipped from the Katherine Smith article posted 10/15/02 on bucs.tbo.com Conspiracy theorists will point to Mike Alstott's numbers from Sunday's game as proof he should be the featured back. Others would point to a struggling Cleveland defense, a unit particularly weak against the run. Bucs coach Jon Gruden isn't buying into the controversy. "[Mike's] our starting fullback and Michael Pittman is our starting tailback," Gruden said. "There are some backfield sets where Mike becomes the tailback, but I'm not going to outline a specific plan at this time. We're going to try to be as creative as we can to utilize both of these backs." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Kind of puts any speculation to rest for those of us that like to speculate. For those that drafted Pittman high, he is clearly not living up to those expectations with just over 300 yards rushing and no TD's on the year. If you want to trade him, your best bet may come in three weeks after the Minnesota game. Until then, I think his value is just too low to put him on the market. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Bulger to start for Rams on Sunday Clipped from the Jim Thomas article posted 10/15/02 on stltoday.com "When a guy's played as well as he did. ... I think you just almost have to do that," Martz said. "You just go with him." "I got up today and I looked at the tape. Some of the plays that he made were pretty outstanding. It was a tremendous performance. This was a young man that has not started, let alone played in a regular-season game." So after completing 14 of 21 passes for 186 yards - throwing three touchdown passes and running for a fourth - Bulger has been handed the keys to the car. He has the opportunity to start the next five or six or more games until Kurt Warner's busted finger heals. "It's better than waiting a week," Bulger said of his starting assignment against the Seahawks. "But I'm not going to suddenly change anything. It'll be the same as last week." That includes his regular Friday-morning routine of buying breakfast for the quarterbacks. Bulger gets the "honor" because he's the youngest QB in the bunch. He even has to take care of newcomer Scott Covington, because Covington is 26; Bulger is 25. [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Man some guys just can't get a break. Bulger goes out and leads the Rams to their first win of the season and he's buying breakfast for Scott Covington? Bulger was solid in his first start with the Rams. I don't want to get a thousand e-mails because of this, but I can easily say that Bulger is worth picking up because of what Kurt Warner was able to accomplish in this offense when he was inserted as the starter. That said, he will more than likely not put up the numbers that Warner did. On the other side of the coin, he's throwing to Faulk, Holt and Bruce and could be doing so for up to another 5 weeks or as long as Warner is out. At the very least, I think he's worth a flyer waiver wire move. He may make a solid addition to your menu of quarterbacks if he can keep the ball rolling which is highly possible with his next 2 starts against Seattle and Arizona. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Woodson may play Sunday for Raiders Clipped from the staff article posted 10/15/02 on bayarea.com Cornerback Charles Woodson's injured right shoulder is healing as well as expected, and he might be healthy enough to play against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, coach Bill Callahan said Monday. Woodson sustained a broken bone in his right shoulder in the first half of Oakland's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 15. He played the rest of that game but missed the past three. Rookie Phillip Buchanon replaced Woodson in the starting lineup and played well at times, not so well other times. Still, Callahan said, Buchanon might replace Tory James opposite Woodson once Woodson returns in light of James' recent struggles. The initial prognosis called for Woodson to miss anywhere from three to six weeks. He is in his fifth week. "All indications, it appears he is going to be ready," Callahan said, "but we will have to see how it plays out this week. He was making tremendous progress as of last week. At this time, we have to find out a little bit more. It is uncertain where he is at relative to the game itself." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Love him or hate him, you have to respect Woodson's love for the game. After being expected to miss up to six weeks, it's impressive to see him return at the early end of what the doctors were originally expecting him to miss. Should he play, this more than likely will provide a nice lift to the Raider's defense after a demoralizing loss last Sunday. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Dunn's role expanding in other directions for Atlanta Clipped from the Ken Sugiura article posted 10/15/02 on accessatlanta.com The saga of Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett continued Sunday at Giants Stadium. This time, Dunn, the Falcons' big-money running back, made the bigger splash. Dunn, whose struggle to find his role has been a concern for the Falcons, burned the New York Giants with screen passes to help earn a crucial victory. "We continue to try each week to try to get him some plays," Falcons coach Dan Reeves said. "I thought he did a really good job with the new things we gave him." Dunn caught seven passes for 69 yards, including a 27-yarder and two catches for 22 yards on the Falcons' first touchdown drive. It was a team season-high for receptions. "The last few weeks, I really haven't got a lot of touches," said Dunn. "I think they gave me an opportunity to come out and make plays. That's all I was trying to do." Repeatedly, quarterback Doug Johnson delivered the ball to Dunn in places where he had space to run after the catch. "He makes guys miss; he's fast, he's elusive," offensive tackle Todd Weiner said. "That's Warrick. That's what he does." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] We kind of predicted a reduced role for Dunn in the coming weeks. When Vick returns, which may be this weekend, I think Dunn will still be an active part of the passing game as Vick's last resort prior to scrambling. I will say that Duckett was less than impressive with 36 yards on 16 carries however, so it is not inconceivable for Dunn's role to pick back up in the rushing game if Duckett were to continue that trend over the next few games. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ A-Train is a hero off the field Clipped from the Ken Sugiura article posted 10/15/02 on accessatlanta.com "The car was smoking at first, but it wasn't really on fire," Thomas said. "But when I got there and I pulled over, it sounded like, 'Boom,' and then a tire popped and a big fire blew out. "When you see a car fire you never know if it's going to blow up or not. So the main thing, I was trying to get the guy away from the car and get me and my wife away from the car." No one was injured. The Bears had a bye Sunday and play Detroit this week. "Good time to have a bye week, I guess," Bears coach Dick Jauron said. "I'm glad I gave him the time off. He was in the right place at the right time. "It doesn't surprise me. He's really a solid person. That's a great story." [[[[[[[[[[ DODSON'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Just a quick salute to A-Train for being a standup guy. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Comments are always welcome. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] Good luck next week! Dave Dodson