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Email Update 8/3/02 Volume 3 Issue # 50
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IN THIS ISSUE
1. Draft Dominator for Windows - Full Version
2. Cardinals Receivers Banged Up
3. Duckett Practicing in Goal Line Package
4. Ravens' Running Game Weak in Scrimmage
5. Ravens Strength to be Tight Ends?
6. Browns Struggle in Scrimmage with the Bills
7. Panthers Missing Two in Intrasquad Scrimmage
8. Kitna to Start in Scrimmage
9. Bears' Line Takes a Hit
10. Jamel White Making Plays
11. Dallas Defense Dominates Houston
12. Sayers Says TD's Day is Done
13. Favre Adjusting to New Receivers
14. Colts Expect Walters to Fill Wilkens Old Role
15. Jaguar Notes
16. Chief's Offense Struggles Against Vikings Defense
17. Quote of the Day
18. McKinnie Holdout Could Drag On
19. Testaverde Shakes Off Thumb Injury
20. Giants Line Banged Up
21. Eagles Lose Defensive Tackle
22. Tomlinson Has History of Ankle Sprains
23. Seahawks Receivers Play Hot Potato
24. Dilger - The Blocking TE
25. George Showing More Explosion
26. Redskins vs. 49ers
27. Abraham Sprains Knee
28. McAllister Nicked in Practice
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1. Draft Dominator for Windows - Full Version
If you liked the trial version, you are going to love the full
version. The full version allows you to use up to 30 teams, draft up
to 25 rounds, adds IDP and more.
What is the Draft Dominator?
The Draft Dominator is an electronic cheatsheet designed for the
Windows environment. It leverages our VBD Excel Spreadsheet that has
been so popular the last couple of years.
What kind of features does it have?
The Draft Dominator enables you to setup the Number of Rounds, Number
of Players and Pick Order for your draft.
The Draft Dominator enables you to keep track of all the teams as the
draft is taking place. It also shows you the next best player to take
broken out by position or best player overall based on calculations
from the VBD Excel App.
The Draft Dominator keeps track of the current Round, Pick, and Team
on the Clock.
The Draft Timer also counts down as the Draft is taking place. It
also shows you when your next pick is.
All in all the DraftDominator is meant to make the drafting process
easier both for the commissioners of the league and the individual
team owners.
The DraftDominator can save and print out the Teams when the draft is
complete.
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2. Cardinals Receivers Banged Up
Clipped from the article at official Arizona website
... on the sidelines was the top trio of Cardinals receivers, Frank
Sanders (finger), David Boston (hip flexor) and MarTay Jenkins
(fluid on the knee).
Head Coach Dave McGinnis remarked, "We came into camp knowing that
we would need to rest David at times so he sat out and MarTay has
some fluid on the knee. Obviously, we are limited but that is just
the wear and tear of camp."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
As McGinnis stated - they know they have to rest Boston. The fact
that the other players likely to see most of the time on the field
in this upcoming season are "resting" as well is not good news for
Jake Plummer. Further, Boston is "resting" because of a hip flexor
so the obvious question is "How is the knee doing?"
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3. Duckett Practicing in Goal Line Package
Clipped from an article at Yahoo! Sports
Duckett, who had not practiced since the Falcons ended minicamp
July 12, ran two plays from 2-yard line. On the first, he beat
linebacker Keith Brooking on a sweep, edging the ball in the end
zone, then, he was stopped on a run up the middle.
"He got initiated pretty quick," said Falcons coach Dan Reeves,
who agreed to let Duckett carry the ball after speaking with
running backs coach Ollie Wilson. "He looked pretty good with his
body lean and so forth."
"That's what we got him for -- goal-line situations," (QB Michael)
Vick said. "Give the ball to the big guy and let him roll."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Most of us figured Duckett was drafted to fill the Alstott role,
but this is the first real evidence we have of this. The fact that
Duckett had enough quicks to beat Brooking on a sweep says a lot,
as Brooking is pretty speedy himself.
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4. Ravens' Running Game Weak in Scrimmage
Clipped from the article at SunSpot.net
Ravens coach Brian Billick showed no sign of concern about a
completely ineffective running game in last night's intrasquad
scrimmage. Instead, he shrugged off the showing as something that
could have almost been expected.
"OK, who'd we have running?" Billick asked. "That's part of it,
too. We have some young guys who are working their way up the
charts."
... That left undrafted rookies Tellis Redmon and Dameon Hunter,
along with first-year player Derek Homer, to carry the ball. None
had a run of more than 6 yards, and Hunter (three carries, 9 yards)
was the only player to average more than 1 yard a carry.
Still, quarterbacks Chris Redman and Jeff Blake were able to
thrive. Redman completed seven of 10 passes for 83 yards and looked
especially sharp on the opening drive against the first-team
defense.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
If the Ravens can't run more effectively than they are showing in
this scrimmage (and remember - this is NOT the Ravens defense of
past years) then Redman could turn out to be a very decent sleeper
at QB. Opportunity begets success and if you can't run you HAVE to
throw. He shouldn't be counted on as your starter, but as a backup
he bears watching.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
We are with the coach on this one. All we know is that Tellis
Redmon, Dameon Hunter and Derek Homer can't run effectively. These
guys are clearly not a healthy Jamal Lewis. Oh that's right, we
don't know if Jamal is healthy. Greg could be right about Redman
though who is not getting any love this year. But until we see if
Jamal Lewis can play, we are not committing yet to move Redman up the
charts.
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5. Ravens Strength to be Tight Ends?
Clipped from the article at Ravens official Web Site
Question: "How about the tight ends?"
Billick: "Our tight end position is going to be a real strength for
us, I think."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
I already have Todd Heap at No. 9 on my TEs list. If he shows
anything in preseason games he will be moving up pretty quick.
Remember, Shannon Sharpe caught 73 passes for 811 yards in this
offense last year.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
We have Heap at number 5 and will be leaving him there. He does look
like he is primed for a huge season.
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6. Browns Struggle in Scrimmage with the Bills
Clipped from the article at Yahoo! Sports
With running back William Green sidelined and Tim Couch struggling
in the pocket, the Cleveland Browns sputtered during a two-hour
scrimmage against the Buffalo Bills.
"We just have to be patient and realize that this is the first
scrimmage of the season, and you're going to get better," Couch
said. "We know there's room for improvement, but we're not in panic
mode."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
According to reports Drew Bledsoe was extremely sharp in his stint
on the field (5-7 58 yards), Travis Henry busted at least one run
for good yardage and the Bills' defense dominated the Browns'
offense by forcing three turnovers (first team defense only). I
did find it somewhat incongruous that reports indicate the Browns'
offense played poorly when Couch completed 70% of his passes (7-10)
for 58 yards (he was intercepted and sacked three times though).
William Green was held out of this scrimmage but is expected to
return to practice next week.
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7. Panthers Missing Two in Intrasquad Scrimmage
Clipped from the article at the Charlotte Observer
First-round draft pick Julius Peppers did not practice Friday
afternoon, complaining of a headache after having been hit in the
head during the morning practice. Coach John Fox said a decision
on whether Peppers will practice today will be made today.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Also expected to miss the scrimmage is PK John Kasay who is dealing
with a hip flexor injury. Since this is early in the preseason,
not too much should be read into the Peppers injury. But the Kasay
one should be watched. He is a middle of the road kicker that will
wind up on someone's roster so be sure he is healthy before you are
the one that selects him.
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8. Kitna to Start in Scrimmage
Clipped from the article at the Enquirer
Today's intrasquad scrimmage will be the first live hitting for the
Bengals, and it's a chance for them to help themselves, not
necessarily hurt their chances.
"The cast of characters changes so quickly in that situation (a
scrimmage) that you have to be careful about total evaluation from
two or three snaps," coach Dick LeBeau said. "But if a player has a
particularly good series or shows a couple strong skills, that is
something you do credit."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
All four Bengal's QBs are expected to get the same number of snaps
in this scrimmage, but since the defensive personnel changes just
as quickly it will be all but impossible to determine whether Kitna
or Frerotte is ahead at this point in the game. For now the best
advice we can give you is to stay away from all Bengal's players
not named Dillon unless you are looking for some very deep sleepers.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
We are not ready to say draft no Bengals yet. Peter Warrick will
likely be very under-valued this year. A dinged up Michael Westbrook
also means that he will be drafted very low as well. Kitna and
Frerotte, if either could play the whole season, offer good value for
a very low price. OK Kellogg is close to saying get Dillon and pass
on the rest, but remember everyone has value at the right price.
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9. Bears' Line Takes a Hit
Clipped from the article at the Tribune
Bears starting right guard Chris Villarrial apparently fractured his
right thumb and wide receiver Ahmad Merritt fractured his right hand
during practice Friday morning.
Neither Villarrial nor Merritt, like safety Mike Brown, will be
ready for the early exhibition games and all will be limited in
what they can do in practice. X-rays still were being evaluated
late Friday for formal diagnoses, but coach Dick Jauron said the
club is not optimistic about Villarrial or Merritt.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Villarrial is only one cog in a pretty good offensive line but it
never helps to have one of your better linemen go down before the
games even start. The interior of the Bears line was dominating
in camps so we will need to watch how this effects the chemistry.
For now, I would drop Anthony Thomas a little bit but not much.
This also means that Jim Miller, and eventually Chris Chandler, are
likely to get hit a little more often.
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10. Jamel White Making Plays
Clipped from the article at the Plain Dealer
In the absence of live tackling, conclusions drawn about the
running game are dangerous exercises in projection. But the one
back consistently making plays in drills was Jamel White, No. 3
on the depth chart.
White's darting run for about 15 yards through the Bills'
second-team defense after a quick pitchout drew a positive
reaction from the pro-Browns faction in the crowd at St. John
Fisher College. Those watching the offense had little else to
applaud.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Green is missing practice time with a sore shoulder. While he is
expected to be the starter he has to prove he can pass protect
before I would annoint him to that role. Remember it is Tim Couch
who is the franchise - not William Green. Jamel White, with limited
opportunities last season, had 861 yards and six TDs. It would not be
that surprising to see him in the starter's role if Green continues
to miss time. And White is going totally unnoticed in most drafts!
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
We believe that William Green will be the starter on opening day, but
Greg makes a good point. Jamel White is getting no attention and
might be the better of the two backs at this stage of the preseason.
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11. Dallas Defense Dominates Houston
Clipped from the article at the Star Telegram
The defense, which was very good last season, has the potential to
be a very special unit. Even without one of its key additions -
linebacker Kevin Hardy, who was held out for precautionary reasons
- the defense was as dominant as expected against the expansion
Texans. Facing what is perhaps the league's fastest unit, Houston
and rookie quarterback David Carr managed no touchdowns and
garnered only three first downs. The Cowboys recorded at least five
sacks.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Quincy Carter struggled in the 11-on-11 (1-6) and Chad Hutchinson
completed a 46-yard TD pass to rookie Antonio Bryant. But don't
read too much into that. Hutchinson was 1-3 and Carter was very
good in the 7-on-7 drills (8-11 with a TD to Ismail). A couple of
things to note. I have seen many people take guys from the Texans
but bypass Raghib Ismail in drafts this year. Ismail should be
taken before Joey Galloway and any Houston player. Jonathon Wells
lined up with the first team. Not sure what to read into that
other than that James Allen's hold on the position is as tenuous
as some have suggested. I would not expect a lot out of any Texan
RB though.
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12. Sayers Says TD's Day is Done
Clipped from the article at the Post
Instead of carrying the football, as he once did in a way few other
running backs matched, former Chicago Bears running back Gale
Sayers is carrying a message the Denver Broncos would rather not
hear.
It is sobering. Sayers said the illustrious career of Broncos
running back Terrell Davis has been irreversibly derailed, just
as his was when he tore ligaments in his left knee in 1969 and
then suffered serious ligament damage in his right knee in '70.
Sayers limped away from the game. He expects Davis to do the same
soon.
"I know the doctors are hoping, I know he's hoping and I know
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is hoping that Terrell can be what he
was before. So am I. But it's not going to happen. It's just not
going to happen."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
While Sayers is obviously not a doctor, he does know a thing or two
about playing Pro Football after suffering a knee injury. Davis is
going entirely too early for my tastes. If he is there when it is
your turn to pick - just say no.
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13. Favre Adjusting to New Receivers
Clipped from the article at the News-Chronicle
Glenn assumed the No. 1 receiver spot, and Favre likes what he has
seen. "I can't be more pleased the way he's picked up the offense,"
Favre said. "He's a great route runner and has great hands."
As for Ferguson and Walker, both have received rave reviews so far
from reporters, but sometimes it's good to hear it from somebody
with first-hand knowledge.
"At this point, everything that has been said about them positively
has been accurate," Favre said. "The only question is inexperience.
The only way you get experience is to play."
The only holdovers on the receiving corps from 2001 are Driver,
who's been splendid so far, and Charles Lee, who has battled a
pulled hamstring.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Glenn returned to practice yesterday and showed no ill effects from
his knee injury. Favre is going fairly late in drafts and could be
one of those steals you get that make your season - a first round
player taken in the fourth round. The truly interesting thing is
the raves about Donald Driver.
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14. Colts Expect Walters to Fill Wilkens Old Role
Clipped from the article at the Star-News
Although the special teams depth chart still is shaking out, it's
conceivable (Troy) Walters will return both kicks and punts. In two
seasons with the Vikings, he averaged 23.3 yards on 48 kickoffs and
11.0 yards on 26 punts.
Walters' role on offense is less defined. The top three receiving
spots are locked up by Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Qadry Ismail.
Preseason competition will determine the rest of the pecking order.
Walters' size proved to be a detriment with the Vikings. His
two-year receiving total: one reception for five yards. That's 118
fewer receptions than Wilkins generated in three seasons.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
If your league rewards you for return yardage and scores, Troy
Walters might be a good guy to grab. If he gets on the field
enough he could put up 25-30 catches for 375-400 yards and a couple
of TDs to go along with his return numbers.
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15. Jaguar Notes
Clipped from the article at Jacksonville.com
One veteran under the microscope was running back Fred Taylor, who
ran against another team for the first time since he suffered a
groin injury in the second game last year. He suggested he wasn't
all the way back to making his trademark cutback runs when he
reviewed his performance.
"Some things you've just got to get back used to doing all over
again, like certain cuts. Even though they're instinctive, you
hadn't made that cut in a while. It might not be as explosive as
it used to be so you might not come out of it as hard as you
normally would," Taylor said.
"He looks pretty good to me. It's timing. It's been a long time
since he's been in the middle of the fray," (Head Coach Tom)
Coughlin said.
So far, Bobby Shaw, the free agent from Pittsburgh, is the only
receiver to separate himself from the pack. The battle for receiver
spots appears to be wide open.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
I suppose most folks are used to me being different. The vast
majority of pundits is high on Edgerrin James and fairly so on
Terrell Davis. Not me. I prefer Fred Taylor this season. I
know he is not without risk, but then so are James and Davis.
I just like Taylor's risk to reward ratio and the fact that he
is not coming back from ACL problems. The last paragraph is a
puzzling one for me. Shaw is barely mentioned in the article
and I had thought the Jaguars went after Scott because Shaw was
NOT separating himself from the pack. Time will tell, but I still
expect Jimmy Smith and Darnay Scott to lineup as the first two
receivers when the regular season opens and the third receiver
traditionally has not done much in a Coughlin offense.
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16. Chief's Offense Struggles Against Vikings Defense
Clipped from the article at the Star
The Chiefs did some good things offensively, particularly in the
passing game when the protection held up. Johnnie Morton went up
high on the sideline to make a leaping grab of a Trent Green pass.
Larry Parker turned a short catch from Todd Collins into a long
gain with a good move on a defender.
But those moments were too infrequent for the Chiefs, who mainly
learned they have plenty of work to do before they begin the
regular season Sept. 8 in Cleveland.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
When you run a vanilla offense with no shifts or motions against
even the poorest of NFL defenses you are likely to struggle. The
bigger concern is the fact that the Vikings defensive line seemed
to dominate the Chief's offensive line. Not a good sign of things
to come when you are drafting a RB in the first round (Holmes).
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17. Quote of the Day
Clipped from the article at the Herald
"It's evident that we're going to run the football. Somehow,
someway, we're going to run the football. If we can block these
guys, we can block just about anybody."
-- Dave Wannstedt, after watching Ricky Williams and Robert Edwards
run vs. the Titans.
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18. McKinnie Holdout Could Drag On
Clipped from the article at the Star-Tribune
The agents for first-round draft pick Bryant McKinnie have rejected
what the Vikings called their final offer late Thursday night, and
McKinnie's holdout could extend indefinitely.
"They told us we could either accept or reject but that it was
their final offer," said one of McKinnie's agents, Ben Dogra. "What
they're offering is simply below market value. They told us that if
we rejected it, they would simply move forward without him."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Some guys never learn. Get the paycheck and get in camp soon so
you can begin earning the millions the Vikings are going to be
giving you son. The agent is only looking out for HIS best
interests, not YOURS. The article points out that the Vikings
are one of the teams that actually mean it when they say an offer
is their last one - so McKinney needs to step up and take charge
or he is going to be watching games from the bench this season.
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19. Testaverde Shakes Off Thumb Injury
Clipped from the article at nj.com
Turns out Vinny Testaverde's sprained right thumb was much ado
about nothing.
The Jets quarterback, who smashed his thumb against the helmet of
rookie guard Jonathan Goodwin on the follow-through of a pass in
Tuesday's morning practice, returned to work yesterday and showed
no ill effects from the injury -- if you don't count a couple of
wayward throws. Testaverde sat out the afternoon session.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
When you know your team has another player at your position they
would love to get a look at it is amazing how quickly you can
recover from injury. The thumb is swollen and bled some after
practice so it would probably be a good idea for the coaching
staff to show some leadership and MAKE Testaverde take some time
off to heal the thumb. This would give Pennington some more time
under center which would be a good thing as well.
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20. Giants Line Banged Up
Clipped from the article at nj.com
The offensive line is in limbo because of the lingering hamstring
injury to right guard Jason Whittle, who is the chief backup at
center, and the continuing absence of center Dusty Zeigler, who has
yet to practice after off-season knee surgery. Right tackle
candidate Chris Bober will play center, Tam Hopkins is at right
guard and Mike Rosenthal has emerged as the favorite at right
tackle.
"With two starters out, and they are the center and backup center,
it really does cause havoc," Fassel said. "I want to work Bober at
some right tackle, but I'm just not able to do that right now. You
need linemen who are flexible to play other positions. We're a week
into training camp, and that's the case."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
So if I am reading this right, the Giants are about to play a
preseason game with their third-string center starting. Granted
it is against the Texans, but they need to get their line healthy
if they want to keep their QB and RBs that way (healthy).
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21. Eagles Lose Defensive Tackle
Clipped from the article at philly.com
Eagles defensive tackle Hollis Thomas has fractured his right foot
and is out indefinitely.
Coach Andy Reid said today that he did not know when Thomas would
return. This is the same injury that kept Thomas out of five games
last year.
Reid said Thomas hurt his foot during one-on-one drills yesterday.
Thomas was walking around later in the day without crutches and
drove himself from practice. Reid also said that the screw placed
in Thomas' foot after last year's injury remains intact.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
This is a defensive squad I had high hopes for coming into the
season. Thomas was solid in the middle of the defensive line last
year so the Eagles need to find someone to come up big to protect
the middle of the field now.
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22. Tomlinson Has History of Ankle Sprains
Clipped from the article at SignOnSanDiego.com
Tomlinson, who will wear a protective boot until the ankle heals,
said he has a history of ankle sprains. Last year he injured the
same ankle. He was slowed earlier in camp with a blister on his
right big toe and is hoping that the new injury isn't a sign of
things to come, not after all the hard work he put in during the
offseason.
"That went through my mind," he said. "I was like, 'Man, I can't
believe this.' I was just thinking: This is my breakout year, and
all of a sudden . . .
"But that's football. It happens. I can blame the blister on the
shoes. This is just football. Hitting it up in there, people
falling down ? it happens. I have sprained my ankle so many times."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Not something I want to hear from a first or second round pick. "I
have a history of sprains"? Tomlinson can be a special back but I
am sure there was a collective sigh of relief from a lot of places
other than San Diego when this turned out to be a sprain. I would
be worried about this though. The last thing any fantasy owner
needs or wants is his first or second round pick missing time due
to a sprained ankle.
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23. Seahawks Receivers Play Hot Potato
Clipped from the article at the Tribnet
Koren Robinson and Bobby Engram were the only Seattle Seahawks
receivers who didn't drop a pass Friday.
It helped that neither participated in practice.
Fret not, however: Tight ends Jerramy Stevens and Itula Mili
supplied a few extra drops during the Seahawks' final full
practice before their scrimmage at Seahawks Stadium, scheduled
for tonight at 8.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Not a good sign for those expecting great things from Dilfer, like
I do. A couple of players dropping passes is one thing but when
the entire team plays dropsies, well that can get frustrating real
quick for the QB.
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24. Dilger - The Blocking TE
Clipped from the article at the Times
Do not expect Shannon Sharpe. Do not even expect Dave Moore. Dilger
is a blocker first and a receiver second. He has proved he can be a
reliable pass-catcher, but he rarely will be a quarterback's first
option.
That Indianapolis running back Edgerrin James led the league in
rushing in 1999-2000 is not entirely coincidental.
The Bucs were a horrible run-blocking team last season and Dilger
is one of Gruden's remedies.
"I was joking with him that whenever I watched film of Indianapolis,
Marcus Pollard seemed to be catching all of the passes so (Dilger)
must have been a pretty good blocker," Gruden said. "But that's one
of the reasons we wanted Ken Dilger. He can block defensive ends in
this league."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
James has talent but having Dilger as a blocker going one-on-one
against NFL DEs was a tremendous advantage. This is the best news
I have heard concerning Michael Pittman in some time. And it is
also good to remember that Dilger has had some pretty good games
receiving the ball as well.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
We have been saying all pre-season that Dilger was brought in to
block. We do not expect big things from him as in year's past. We
believe he will be over-valued in virtually all drafts this year.
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25. George Showing More Explosion
Clipped from the article at the Tennessean
"He is hitting the holes hard, cutting explosively. He looks like
a totally different person," linebacker Keith Bulluck said.
Smith said he's also seeing more explosion, quickness and speed in
George's cuts.
"To me he is not Eddie George pre-surgery and all that; I think he
is running better than that," Smith said. "I don't think I am
seeing things. The guy is making some great cuts out there. He is
better."
[[[[[[[[[[[[[ KELLOGG'S VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
I've been pretty high on Eddie George all year. I don't believe
he is washed up and do attribute his poor season of a year ago to
the lingering toe problems which now seem to be cleared up. One
concern brought out in this article is the amount of carries the
Tennessee coaching staff plans on giving him this preseason. He
is a workhorse, but you don't want to tire him before the real
games start.
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26. Redskins vs. 49ers
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After a rough start (2-8 with a pick), Sage Rosenfels settled down
by completing six of his next eight passes and throwing for two
TDs. So the question of whether or not this offense would be able
to move the ball in the NFL can be answered in the affirmative.
Rod Gardner was the target on two of the first three passes,
catching one. The 'skins did not run the ball very much so it is
hard to determine how Stephen Davis will be used once the games
begin to count. One thing to remember is that most teams are very
vanilla on offense and defense in preseason games so don't read too
much into this success. Just be aware that even with substandard
receivers, there were guys open for the QB to find.
On defense the Redskins looked very strong. They could be one of
the best defenses in the league this year if the offense is able to
control the clock. They have tremendous speed at LB and their DBs
are also very strong. They will need an improved pass rush but
they were able to put some pressure on the 49er QBs.
For the 49ers, Owens, Hearst and Garcia did not get much playing
time and when they were in there they failed to score despite
taking a turnover and moving the ball down into easy FG distance.
Jeff Chandler, not Jose Cortez, was called on to attempt the kick
but a poor snap ruined that chance. Kevan Barlow looked pretty
good, but was facing the Redskins second team defense for the most
part. The broadcast team seems to feel Barlow will get more than
one third of the offensive carries this season and if he can stay
healthy he just might. Paul Smith, one of last year's preseason
golden boys, has been moved to second team FB.
Defensively the 49ers first team shut down the Redskins but this
was likely more due to the poor play by Rosenfels than great play
by themselves. The second team gave up two TDs including one long
pass where the receiver was wide open.
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27. Abraham Sprains Knee
Clipped from the article at Yahoo! Sports
New York Jets Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham sprained his
left knee during practice Saturday.
Abraham sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee when
another player rolled on him on a goal-line play during a mock
scrimmage. He's scheduled to have an MRI on Sunday.
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Not to be an alarmist, but a sprained knee is often the diagnosis
when there is ligament damage. The MRI will tell the tale but this
could be very bad for the Jets and anyone that has drafted Abraham
in an IDP league.
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28. McAllister Nicked in Practice
Clipped from the article at Yahoo! Sports
New Orleans Saints' running back Deuce McAllister left Friday's
afternoon practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars after he
injured his face on a helmet. The injury came on the first play of
the scrimmage, and McAllister spent the rest of the practice on the
sideline. "He got hit in the face with a helmet and got poked in
the eye," Saints' coach Jim Haslett said. "He was dizzy. It was a
head-on collision. He'll be all right." It is uncertain whether or
not McAllister will participate in tonight's scrimmage.
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While this injury is not serious, it is sure to start a buzz about
McAllister's durability. Don't buy into that. If it had been a
real game, he would have stayed in.
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and that will do it here,
Greg Kellogg
Komments.com
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