Month: August 2006 (Page 3 of 16)

The New York Jets have officially named Chad Pennington as starting quarterback for the 2006 season.

Pennington, who was in a preseason battle with former Redskins’ backup Patrick Ramsey for the No. 1 spot, only played in three games last season before having to undergo his second shoulder surgery in two seasons.

In a related topic, the Jets also put running back Curtis Martin on the physically-unable-to-perform list with a knee injury that has caused him problems since the second half of last year.

Martin being put on the PUP list shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone considering the Jets just recently traded for former 49ers’ RB Kevan Barlow. I guess neither should the crowning of Pennington as their starting quarterback.

He took a salary cut to stay in New York through this season, but with two shoulder surgeries in just an eight-month span, the writing is on the wall for Pennington.

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying this will be Pennington’s last year in green and white if he doesn’t produce early and often this season.

The status of Domanick Davis is in serious question. HC Gary Kubiak is inferring that Davis may not make the 53-man roster. This would leave Wali Lundy as the starter with Vernand Morency hot on his tail. It would be wise to handcuff the two, but fantasy owners might have a RBBC on their hands. I wonder if the team regrets passing on Reggie Bush…Carson Palmer tested his knee on Monday night, throwing for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He’s expected to start Week 1. His presence is a boost to Rudi Johnson, Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh…Philip Rivers’ shoulder is bruised, but the quarterback said that he could play if it were game day. That sound you hear is LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates owners breathing a sigh of relief…Ahman Green looked pretty good on Monday night, but the Green Bay offensive line didn’t really open any holes for him. One of the first decisions GM Ted Thompson made when he took the job in 2005 was to let guards Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera become free agents. The Packers quickly went from having one of the best offensive lines to one of the worst…In other news, the Raiders signed 38 year-old Jeff George. Let me repeat that: the Raiders signed 38 year-old Jeff George. This guy wasn’t very good ten years ago.

ESPN.com is reporting that the Tennessee Titans have reached an agreement with quarterback Kerry Collins on Monday.

The move suggests that the Titans are not thrilled with current starter Billy Volek and instead of baptizing rookie Vince Young by fire, they opted to sign Collins, even though the regular season is a mere 14 days away.

Anybody that happened to catch Tennessee’s game with Atlanta Saturday night saw an offense that didn’t take many shots down field. Volek relied on tight ends and backs to make most of the catches and when he did complete a pass, it wasn’t for more than 10-yards. Collins is definitely a guy that can throw the ball vertically and maybe offensive coordinator and/or head coach Jeff Fisher feel that Collins is the better man for their offense.

Regardless, this move is puzzling on a couple of levels. First off, Collins is 33-years old and despite throwing for 20 touchdowns last year, he didn’t finish the ’05 campaign practically well.

Collins isn’t the future, Young is. And the Titans can’t honestly think they are on the brink of a playoff berth, but this move insinuates that Collins is somewhat of a missing link to the stagnant offense.

What this move spells out to me is that Fisher is extremely worried about his job and he thinks that Collins might be the answer to get him at least one more season and propel him into Vince Young-future.

Side Note:

Staying on topic with quarterbacks, Carson Palmer makes his preseason debut tonight against the Green Bay Packers (ESPN, 8pm Eastern).

Although it’s only his first game and head coach Marvin Lewis will probably play it safe, it’s going to be interesting to tune in to see how Palmer moves around on his surgically repaired knee.

The Eagles have traded an undisclosed future draft pick and reserve linebacker Mark Simoneau to the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth.

Though it’s not news that the Eagles have wanted to upgrade their receiving corps, the timing of this trade is a bit surprising. From a fantasy perspective, this helps Stallworth’s long-term value as the Eagles’ offense is more pass friendly than the Saints’. However, it will take some time to acclimate, so don’t expect him to contribute immediately.

On the other side, the effect on Reggie Brown will be mixed. He’ll benefit from the extra attention Stallworth will demand, but he’ll also lose a few targets, so right now I see this as a short-term wash, making me a little leery of drafting either guy too early until things shake out.

From a QB perspective, this move certainly helps Donovan McNabb while hurting Drew Brees.