Tuesday Football

• Holy injury cows.
  All out for the season:
  Rodney Harrison - Chad Pennington - Takeo Spikes -
  Rashaun Woods - Fernando Bryant - Willie Offord - Jay Bellamy
  
  Then there’s:
  Ahmed Plummer - Junior Seau - Aaron Stecker -
  Champ Bailey - Kurt Warner - Darwin Walker - Willie Anderson,
  all could be or are out for this week.


• A few highlights from the quotes on Len Pasquarelli’s Morning After column this week:

  One reason that [Seattle quarterback] Matt Hasselbeck has been steadier this year is because they are starting [wide receiver] Bobby Engram now. He’s always been a great slot receiver, but the guy is making plays on the outside, and he’s a great double-move receiver. And he isn’t nearly as schizophrenic as [deposed wide receiver] Koren Robinson was.”

  “The Browns need to keep [veteran wide receiver] Antonio Bryant away from the kid, [first-round wideout] Braylon Edwards. Bryant has become a good player but he’s still immature and he and Edwards both drew [taunting] flags Sunday that really hurt the offense. If Bryant ever grows up, he could be a good player, but he does [stupid] stuff, and you don’t want it rubbing off on Edwards, believe me.”

  There are a lot of tailbacks being shopped around the league right now. In addition to Michael Bennett (Minnesota) and Lee Suggs (Cleveland), Dallas would send Anthony Thomas somewhere for the right price and Houston might deal Tony Hollings if anyone is interested.

• Jon Gruden on Carnell Williams:

  “We wouldn’t be putting him in these situations if we didn’t think he could do it,” Coach Jon Gruden said today. “”It’s not a coincidence that he’s playing his best football late in games, so as long as he can take it, we’ll continue to give him these opportunities.”

  If Carnell’s body looked anything like his uniform did on Sunday, he was pretty torn up. Williams is on pace for 2314.66 carries this year. Yes carries. I swear it.


• The Texans are excited about new offensive coordinator Joe Pendry.


• Trevor Pryce thinks Priest Holmes is playing injured.


• Talk of the Raiders’ stalled running game.


• Pro Football Weekly’s site is down for maintenance, so I will link the rest of the material I have when it comes back up.

• From PFW’s The Way We Hear It:
  
  
  • MIA- The Dolphins also believe that the return of Ricky Williams, who will take over the starting role in Week Six, will bring out the best in both players (Ronnie Brown).
  • CLE- One of the biggest beneficiaries in offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon’s attack has been TE Steve Heiden, who caught nine passes in the first two weeks. With Aaron Shea out of the lineup for the time being, Heiden has become the team’s best target at the position… Expect Heiden to continue being a big part of the passing offense; Dilfer has stressed from the beginning that he’ll look for the tight end, according to Heiden.
  • BAL- Can FB Alan Ricard help the Ravens’ sagging rushing attack return to form? Expect Ricard to play a bigger role in the offense in the weeks to come. Ricard was demoted in the Ravens’ first two games, with the team electing to go away from the I-formation. The decision may have played a role in RB Jamal Lewis’ struggles in the first two games; without Ricard, an effective lead blocker for Lewis the previous three seasons, Lewis managed only 57 yards on 26 carries.
  • MIN- Much of Culpepper’s past routine that set him in a comfort zone — namely, four days of detailed film breakdown, play rehearsal and written tests on Saturday with Linehan — was shattered by the coach’s departure to Miami. By the same token, C Matt Birk was a constant in many of those meetings and had a special session with Culpepper after game-plan installation on Wednesdays. In an attempt to remedy the situation, head coach Mike Tice now sends play calls directly to Culpepper’s ear — as opposed to having the orders relayed from the coordinator through the backup quarterback to Culpepper, as they were last year and in the first two games of ’05. Tice also will take extra steps during the week to aid in the preparation of the quarterback. His new strategy paid off in Week Three, as Culpepper responded with a big game and the Vikings notched their first win of the year.
  • DET- Two changes on the offensive line — ORT Kelly Butler, who didn’t play a snap as a rookie, replaced Stockar McDougle, and OLG Rick DeMulling, a free-agent signee who left the Colts, is starting — have contributed to slowing down RB Kevin Jones. Jones averaged 4.7 yards per carry as a rookie, and that was with ORG Damien Woody carrying too much weight and C Dominic Raiola struggling. But Jones’ current average of 3.3 yards (33 carries for 109 yards) is poor, and the coaches expecting better. The return of FB Cory Schlesinger (broken leg) in October should help, but the Lions are preaching to their receivers and linemen about finishing blocks to create bigger gains.
  • NO- Once known only for his prima donna antics, including his infamous cell-phone celebration during a nationally televised game, Saints WR Joe Horn has become a team leader on and off the field as the Saints deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We hear that before the season began, Horn told media members that he would only be available for interviews on Fridays. But since the Gulf Coast tragedy, Horn has become the face of the team, respectfully handling media requests on an almost daily basis.


• And from this week’s ‘Whispers’:
  • Don’t be shocked if Tyson Thompson and Marion Barber move ahead of Anthony Thomas on the Cowboys’ RB pecking order. Bill Parcells likes Thompson’s special-teams impact and could reward him with more carries, and he thinks Barber can handle kickoff coverage after failing there in the preseason.
  • Our Seahawks sources said newly acquired WR Peter Warrick came up with three one-handed catches in practice leading up to the team’s game vs. Arizona that had to be seen to be believed.
  • There is a feeling among some close to the Ravens that the defense would be better-served using a simpler approach coming out of the bye. Word is the defense’s frequent pre-snap movement and adjustments could be more of a hindrance than a help at this point.
  • At least one veteran Baltimore observer claims to have never seen head coach Brian Billick as shaken as he was after the team’s Week Two loss at Tennessee.
  • Barring a series of poor outings, the Vikings plan to stick with Mewelde Moore as their No. 1 running back
  
  The first of the Targets stuff will be up later tonight