QB CAROUSEL CONTINUES, DAVIS GUARANTEES A WIN OVER CHIEFS, EDWARDS UNAPOLOGETIC & 1 COMMON EMAIL FROM 12 READERS
The Jason Campbell era in Oakland has ended rather abruptly, he's out & Bruce Gradkowski will start for the Raiders in their game with Arizona. Campbells got just 6 quarters before Tom Cable pulled the plug at halftime last week. Rookie Jimmy Clausen will start for the Panthers in their game with Cincinnati. The Eagles will start Michael Vick against Jacksonville & that move got the phones ringing in Philadelphia. The Cleveland Browns called inquiring about Kevin Kolb, now benched in favor of Vick. Supposedly the Eagles fielded calls from two other teams as well. They made it clear they have no intention of trading Kolb.
North Carolina will lose two defensive starters to NCAA suspension. The sanctioning body investigated numerous alleged violations of Tar Heel Players & agents. Safety Deunta Williams will miss the next 4 games & cornerback Kendric Burney is lost for the next six. There could be more suspensions handed down within a week.
Here's a weird stat, Cal is 3-11 as a ranked team & 17-2 as an unranked team in their last 33 games. Wish I'd seen that one before I took the Bears last Friday night against Nevada. The Wolfpack smoked Cal 52-31.
Fantasy owners take notice, Charger running back Ryan Mathews has a high ankle sprain & is doubtful for Sunday's game at Seattle. It should also be noted Mathews has already fumbled in both games.
Tampa Bay safety Tanard Jackson has been suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the leagues policy on controlled substances. He was suspended last season for the first four game & promised everyone within earshot, he was going to change his life & the Bucs & their fans wouldn't have to worry about him ever again. So much for that promise. Jackson started every game since he was drafted in 2007, except for the games he was suspended.
You had to know it was comin', especially after losing the way they did Monday night, but a Niner has guaranteed victory on Sunday in Arrowhead. Tight end Vernon Davis said "we have to win this game, we will win this game. We will win this game, we have the team to do it." This comes from the guy coach Mike Singletary ran off his sideline two season ago, ordering him to the locker room. Davis has been one of the league's best tight ends since that embarrassment. Is he trying to fire up his team or is he stupid enough to call out a 2-0 team playing in a stadium that's always been a nightmare for visiting teams? I think it's the former, but I'm sure his comments will become bulletin board material in the Chiefs' locker room.
The deadline to trade Charger holdout wide receiver Vincent Jackson came & went this afternoon with no deal. Had he been traded before 4 PM, his pending 6-game suspension for multiple DUI's would have been reduced to 4 games. The Chargers received several trade offers but in the end, it was said they wanted too much. I don't see Jackson ever playing for San Diego & their inability to make a trade seemed personal, they wanted to put the screws to this guy. Right now, if Jackson signed his tender offer, he'd have to sit out a 6-game suspension before he could start working out with the team. That would be in week 9 when the Chargers play at Houston. The following week is the bye, so there's little urgency.
Braylon Edwards, fresh off his DUI arrest, said today he was "just one of numerous distractions so far this season for the Jets." That's an interesting way to frame it. He never admitted to driving under the influence or even doing anything wrong. He wouldn't acknowledge questions about partying with Donte Stallworth the night Stallworth struck & killed a pedestrian. Worse than Edwards' lack of accountability was New York Jet management who refused to deactivate the receiver for Sunday night's game in Miami. Apparently, beating the Dolphins is more important than acknowledging what Edwards did Monday night. I guess if he didn't kill anybody, no harm done.
I have been besieged with emails from a lot of Chiefs' fans, all with essentially the same two questions/complaints, Matt Cassel's ineffectiveness & Jamaal Charles' limited touches. I remember back in the golden era of the Chiefs, the 60's, when they won three AFL Championships & went to 2 of the first 4 Super Bowl. Not a week went by I didn't hear 20 people complain about Len Dawson. They used to boo him at old Municipal Stadium, almost weekly. Kansas City had a winning team, a championship team & yet Chiefs' fans were unhappy with their quarterback. I'm not comparing a Hall of Fame QB to Matt Cassel, the point I'm trying to make is that regardless of how many games the Chiefs win, it will never be enough to satisfy a large percentage of fans. People, get this thru your heads, the Chiefs won a road game without scoring an offensive touchdown, that doesn't happen very often in the NFL, much less by a team that's won only 10 games in 3 years. Kansas City was an underdog in both games & they're 2-0. What do you want? Blowouts? That's not going to happen right now, they simply do not have the personnel to line up & run over teams by 20 points. I told you during our trip to training camp, Matt Cassel isn't an accurate passer on most patterns further downfield than 20-yards & nothing that's happened so far this season contradicts that opinion. If Charlie Weis can in fact, "fix the quarterback" as he claimed when he was hired, the Chiefs should have a dependable QB. Not a pro bowl QB, but hopefully a serviceable NFL quarerback who will rank somewhere near the middle of the pack. I can't see him being better than that. This team should have expended one of their high 1st round picks on a quarterback long ago & stop trying to pluck the next Len Dawson off someone else' roster. Over the past 30-years, the Chiefs have had one truly good QB, other than the nearly retired Joe Montana & that was Trent Green. He was worth the 1st round pick we traded for him & every cent of salary he was paid. Other than that Arrowhead has been a revolving door for has-been & wannabe quarterbacks.
Let's examine Kansas City's history of drafting quarterbacks with a premium pick(rounds 1-3) over the past 30-years. Todd Blackledge(1st in '83), Mike Elkins(2nd in '89), Matt Blundin(2nd in '92) & Brody Croyle(3rd in '06). That's it. So let's say they didn't draft any of those guys, who might they have taken instead? The list is both extensive & impressive, I'm only counting players selected with a premium pick. Jeff Hostetler, Boomer Esiason, Randall Cunningham, Bernie Kosar, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco & Matt Schaub. Seems like other teams do it better than the Chiefs when it comes to drafting elite quarterbacks. This is how you end up with Matt Cassel, Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac etc. etc. etc.
As for Jamaal Charles & his limited touches so far this season, relax, it's just two games. But if his touches don't go up considerably, this could be a real problem. Charles is this offense's homerun threat, end of story. He needs to get 20-24 touches a game. Why isn't he getting the touches? Is his surgically repaired shoulder completely healed? Has Todd Haley, Maurice Carthon or Charlie Weis bannished Charles to the doghouse? I gotta believe it's one of those options. Frankly, there's no other option that makes any sense. I can't see any strategic value in keeping him standing on the sideline while Thomas Jones grinds out 3-4 yards a carry. Charles is obviously the most potent weapon this offense has, so let's get him the touches he should have. That way Chiefs' fans can channel all their griping on the quarterback.
North Carolina will lose two defensive starters to NCAA suspension. The sanctioning body investigated numerous alleged violations of Tar Heel Players & agents. Safety Deunta Williams will miss the next 4 games & cornerback Kendric Burney is lost for the next six. There could be more suspensions handed down within a week.
Here's a weird stat, Cal is 3-11 as a ranked team & 17-2 as an unranked team in their last 33 games. Wish I'd seen that one before I took the Bears last Friday night against Nevada. The Wolfpack smoked Cal 52-31.
Fantasy owners take notice, Charger running back Ryan Mathews has a high ankle sprain & is doubtful for Sunday's game at Seattle. It should also be noted Mathews has already fumbled in both games.
Tampa Bay safety Tanard Jackson has been suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the leagues policy on controlled substances. He was suspended last season for the first four game & promised everyone within earshot, he was going to change his life & the Bucs & their fans wouldn't have to worry about him ever again. So much for that promise. Jackson started every game since he was drafted in 2007, except for the games he was suspended.
You had to know it was comin', especially after losing the way they did Monday night, but a Niner has guaranteed victory on Sunday in Arrowhead. Tight end Vernon Davis said "we have to win this game, we will win this game. We will win this game, we have the team to do it." This comes from the guy coach Mike Singletary ran off his sideline two season ago, ordering him to the locker room. Davis has been one of the league's best tight ends since that embarrassment. Is he trying to fire up his team or is he stupid enough to call out a 2-0 team playing in a stadium that's always been a nightmare for visiting teams? I think it's the former, but I'm sure his comments will become bulletin board material in the Chiefs' locker room.
The deadline to trade Charger holdout wide receiver Vincent Jackson came & went this afternoon with no deal. Had he been traded before 4 PM, his pending 6-game suspension for multiple DUI's would have been reduced to 4 games. The Chargers received several trade offers but in the end, it was said they wanted too much. I don't see Jackson ever playing for San Diego & their inability to make a trade seemed personal, they wanted to put the screws to this guy. Right now, if Jackson signed his tender offer, he'd have to sit out a 6-game suspension before he could start working out with the team. That would be in week 9 when the Chargers play at Houston. The following week is the bye, so there's little urgency.
Braylon Edwards, fresh off his DUI arrest, said today he was "just one of numerous distractions so far this season for the Jets." That's an interesting way to frame it. He never admitted to driving under the influence or even doing anything wrong. He wouldn't acknowledge questions about partying with Donte Stallworth the night Stallworth struck & killed a pedestrian. Worse than Edwards' lack of accountability was New York Jet management who refused to deactivate the receiver for Sunday night's game in Miami. Apparently, beating the Dolphins is more important than acknowledging what Edwards did Monday night. I guess if he didn't kill anybody, no harm done.
I have been besieged with emails from a lot of Chiefs' fans, all with essentially the same two questions/complaints, Matt Cassel's ineffectiveness & Jamaal Charles' limited touches. I remember back in the golden era of the Chiefs, the 60's, when they won three AFL Championships & went to 2 of the first 4 Super Bowl. Not a week went by I didn't hear 20 people complain about Len Dawson. They used to boo him at old Municipal Stadium, almost weekly. Kansas City had a winning team, a championship team & yet Chiefs' fans were unhappy with their quarterback. I'm not comparing a Hall of Fame QB to Matt Cassel, the point I'm trying to make is that regardless of how many games the Chiefs win, it will never be enough to satisfy a large percentage of fans. People, get this thru your heads, the Chiefs won a road game without scoring an offensive touchdown, that doesn't happen very often in the NFL, much less by a team that's won only 10 games in 3 years. Kansas City was an underdog in both games & they're 2-0. What do you want? Blowouts? That's not going to happen right now, they simply do not have the personnel to line up & run over teams by 20 points. I told you during our trip to training camp, Matt Cassel isn't an accurate passer on most patterns further downfield than 20-yards & nothing that's happened so far this season contradicts that opinion. If Charlie Weis can in fact, "fix the quarterback" as he claimed when he was hired, the Chiefs should have a dependable QB. Not a pro bowl QB, but hopefully a serviceable NFL quarerback who will rank somewhere near the middle of the pack. I can't see him being better than that. This team should have expended one of their high 1st round picks on a quarterback long ago & stop trying to pluck the next Len Dawson off someone else' roster. Over the past 30-years, the Chiefs have had one truly good QB, other than the nearly retired Joe Montana & that was Trent Green. He was worth the 1st round pick we traded for him & every cent of salary he was paid. Other than that Arrowhead has been a revolving door for has-been & wannabe quarterbacks.
Let's examine Kansas City's history of drafting quarterbacks with a premium pick(rounds 1-3) over the past 30-years. Todd Blackledge(1st in '83), Mike Elkins(2nd in '89), Matt Blundin(2nd in '92) & Brody Croyle(3rd in '06). That's it. So let's say they didn't draft any of those guys, who might they have taken instead? The list is both extensive & impressive, I'm only counting players selected with a premium pick. Jeff Hostetler, Boomer Esiason, Randall Cunningham, Bernie Kosar, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco & Matt Schaub. Seems like other teams do it better than the Chiefs when it comes to drafting elite quarterbacks. This is how you end up with Matt Cassel, Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac etc. etc. etc.
As for Jamaal Charles & his limited touches so far this season, relax, it's just two games. But if his touches don't go up considerably, this could be a real problem. Charles is this offense's homerun threat, end of story. He needs to get 20-24 touches a game. Why isn't he getting the touches? Is his surgically repaired shoulder completely healed? Has Todd Haley, Maurice Carthon or Charlie Weis bannished Charles to the doghouse? I gotta believe it's one of those options. Frankly, there's no other option that makes any sense. I can't see any strategic value in keeping him standing on the sideline while Thomas Jones grinds out 3-4 yards a carry. Charles is obviously the most potent weapon this offense has, so let's get him the touches he should have. That way Chiefs' fans can channel all their griping on the quarterback.
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