Category: NFL (Page 642 of 1282)

      Chad Pennington’s season likely over

      September 28, 2009 /

      ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington’s season is likely over after he suffered a torn capsule in his right throwing shoulder in a loss on Sunday to the Chargers. Pennington is seeking a second opinion, but it looks like Chad Henne will be the full-time starter now in Miami.

      The team has not yet confirmed the severity of the injury. But Dolphins TE Anthony Fasano told the AP earlier the team was preparing to move on with backup Chad Henne.

      “We’re going to have to go out there with Henne, who is a lot less experienced,” Fasano said. “There is definitely going to be a learning curve for Henne. He can learn as much as he wants in a classroom, but until he’s out on the field, in-game experience he’s not going to learn.”

      Rookie Pat White, who’s seen action in the Dolphins’ Wildcat package thus far, is the only other QB on the roster.

      White would be an intriguing option to start, but he doesn’t have any experience running a pro style offense because he played at West Virginia, which ran a spread option attack. So the Dolphins are essentially forced to start Henne and keep using White in the Wildcat.

      This is a massive blow to Miami’s season. Pennington was limited as a passer, but he’s one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the game just based on his ability to read defenses and get the ball out of his hands quickly.

      Unless Henne turns out to be the next Tom Brady off the bench, the Dolphins are going to struggle to even going .500 this year. They’re already 0-3 and play in one of the toughest divisions in football.

      NFL

      Smith needs to fix the Falcons’ defensive woes

      September 28, 2009 /

      Putting aside their lackluster effort Sunday in New England, the Atlanta Falcons have more than enough offensive talent to reach the Super Bowl. They have a rising superstar at quarterback in Matt Ryan, a solid back in Michael Turner and two excellent receiving weapons in tight end Tony Gonzalez and wideout Roddy White.

      But the Falcons aren’t going anywhere unless Mike Smith fixes the issues on the defensive side of the ball.

      Atlanta’s game plan in its loss to New England on Sunday was befuddling. They often only rushed four down linemen and allowed Tom Brady to stand back in the pocket for seconds, minutes and even hours (maybe not hours, but it sure seemed like it) on end. What should frustrate the Falcons is that Brady wasn’t very good, especially in the first half. He routinely overthrew his receivers and often failed to hit them in stride despite having loads of time to get the ball out of his hand.

      I want to meet the person for the Falcons that watched the tape of the Jets’ win over the Patriots last week and decided not to attack Brady with multiple defensive fronts. I get that Atlanta didn’t want to be burned deep by Moss and was getting beat by New England’s screen passes in the first half, but why the Falcons didn’t get more aggressive in the second half is beyond me.

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      NFL

      Johnson to replace Letwich as Bucs’ starter

      September 28, 2009 /

      Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris said on Monday that Josh Johnson will replace Byron Leftwich as the team’s starting quarterback.

      From the St. Petersburg Times:

      “He provides us more options,” Morris said of Johnson. “We evaluated this morning, looked at the tape, and made the decision today. He gives you the dynamic that you all know about. He creates a better chance to break out of the pocket and make a play with his feet.”

      By going with Johnson, the Bucs seem to be looking for a spark without sacrificing the future development of Freeman, their prized first-round draft pick.

      Of Leftwich, Morris added: “I hate to make this about Byron…He missed a few throws, he didn’t give us the accuracy we wanted.” But at the same time, Morris said, Leftwich “didn’t jump offsides on the second play of the game” and “he didn’t drop passes. So it’s not all about Byron. But that position is usually — just like the head coach — the guy who gets the blame. I talked to Byron this morning and he lookedme right in the face and said, ‘Hey, I knew I had to get some wins early.’ And we’re moving on.’

      Unless Johnson can play defense for the Bucs, I don’t see this change making much of a difference. He has some raw talent, but Tampa’s receiving corps is banged up and it would be unfair to think that Johnson will enter the starting lineup and rescue a sinking team.

      As for Leftwich, this has to be his final opportunity to be a full-time starter. He’s proven countless times that he’s too inconsistent to hold onto a starting job for a full season (or even half a season) and he’s too mistake prone. He’s much better in a limited role and would be a better back up than starter. (See last year in Pittsburgh as an example.)

      NFL

      49ers will learn from loss to Vikings

      September 28, 2009 /

      The 49ers’ loss in Minnesota on Sunday is the kind of defeat that can deflate a team. But with Mike Singletary in charge, I don’t foresee that happening.

      San Francisco flat out blew a win yesterday. Had the Niners not been in a base defense when Greg Lewis got past coverage and Brett Favre found him in the back of the end zone with only seconds remaining, the 49ers would still be undefeated. (And with another win against the Rams coming in Week 4.)

      While addressing the media following the loss, Singletary said: “There’s nothing to look at the floor for. We’re gonna get better. We will see them again in the playoffs.”

      Singletary isn’t going to allow a good Niners team to dwell on this loss, especially when San Fran clearly has enough talent on its roster to make the playoffs. While losing running back Frank Gore to an injured ankle will hurt, the Niners did a nice job building depth this offseason when they drafted Glen Coffee.

      The Niners had several positives come out of their game yesterday, including quarterback Shaun Hill proving that he can make plays in the passing game. The defense is already good enough to hang with most opponents on Sundays and in Singletary, San Fran has a head coach that has instilled hard work and focus into his team.

      Ironically, the Niners are probably the class of a weak NFC West considering the Seahawks and Cardinals look vulnerable and the Rams are, well, the Rams. The division is there for the taking and something tells me that San Fran’s loss in Minnesota will only motivate them.

      NFL

      NFL Morning After Reactions: Rams, Jets, Redskins & more

      September 28, 2009 /

      Here’s a look at what local NFL beat writers and columnists have to say following their teams’ performance on Sunday.

      – Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that the Vikings got their first glimpse of Brett Favre’s legend in Minnesota’s last-second win over San Francisco.

      – After 19 straight losses, Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press says that there’s finally relief for the lowly Lions.

      – After getting a taste of action in a win over the Chiefs on Sunday, Ashley Fox of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Michael Vick is fine with his role with the Eagles, for now.

      – Steve Serby of the New York Post says that Jets’ rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez uses his head to make history.

      – Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe notes that the 2-1 Patriots are still a work in progress despite their 26-10 win over the Falcons at Foxboro.

      – David Climer of the Tennessean says that the 0-3 Titans buried their playoff hopes with a loss to the Jets on Sunday.

      – Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes that the Redskins’ focused disappeared long ago.

      – Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ably points out that the brutal Rams are now the new Lions.

      – David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes that Johnny Knox and the Bears’ wideouts are making quarterback Jay Cutler look good.

      – Will Leitch of the New York Magazine says that the contract extension Eli Manning signed in the offseason might be a bargain with how well he’s playing so far this season.

      NFL

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