When Chargers tackle Jared Gaither first developed back spasms in late July, coach Norv Turner said that his return was “day-to-day.” Month-to-month would have been a more accurate assessment. Nearly a month has passed since the back issue first cropped up and Gaither hasn’t been able to get back on the field for the team…
Shawne Merriman’s departure from the Bills opens a door for Kyle Moore and Jarron Gilbert. The Dolphins cut FB Ryan Mahaffey after he slipped behind Jorvorskie Lane on the depth chart. Looking at Patriots RB Shane Vereen’s night as the team’s starting tailback. P T.J. Conley doesn’t expect the Jets to bring in competition for…
When the Jaguars (actually, when playing in England we’ll be calling them the “Shaguars”) host the first of four games at Wembley Stadium in 2013, they’ll obviously be playing a team other than, you know, the London Sillynannies. So who will it be? According to the 2012 Official NFL Record & Fact Book, the Jaguars…
Yahoo!’s Jason Cole reports that as long as Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson don’t get sidelined with injury after Friday’s third preseason game, he hears that the Seahawks will trade QB Tarvaris Jackson on Saturday. The four teams he mentions on his Twitter are the Packers, Chargers, Vikings and Dolphins.
Green Bay back-ups Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman have struggled at times, but I think have shown enough potential that they would do fine if called on. Then again, the Packers won a lot of games last year by outscoring their opponents. They may want a QB who has a lot of NFL experience. The Packers haven’t had a vet back-up who had more than 1 game of starting experience since Doug Pederson in 2004.
The Chargers’ only back-up who is assured a roster spot, Charlie Whitehurst, has been relatively unimpressive in real-game action (1-3 with the Seahawks), compared to Tarvaris (17-17 with the Vikings and Seahawks).
The Vikings seem to be interested in a #2 vet/#3 developmental back-up plan behind Christian Ponder. McLeod Bethel-Thompson would be that #3 and Tarvaris would push Rosenfels and Webb for that #2, unless they believe Webb has more potential than Bethel-Thompson.
The Dolphins may feel like parting ways with David Garrard and going with a less injury-prone guy, though that would be surprising, as Garrard was their #1 before his injury. Given the low-round draft pick investment Tarvaris would probably be (a 6th rounder I’m guessing), maybe they just want to let him and Matt Moore duke it out for one spot.
Hit “Like” or the Facebook share button if you think Tarvaris could be a good back-up.
Though it remains to be seen whether a study of Junior Seau’s brain will reveal evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy, his body had no traces of alcohol or illegal drugs when he died. That was the outcome of the autopsy performed on Seau. The results were released by the San Diego County medical examiner on…
The Buffalo Bills, as it turns out, had four million reasons to not keep linebacker Shawne Merriman. Merriman was due to make a base salary of $4 million in 2012, which would have become guaranteed as a practical matter if he’d been on the Week One roster. ($3 million of it already was guaranteed for…
Plenty of owners have mused over the years about the possible return of the NFL to Los Angeles. When the owner who serves as chairman of the league’s stadium committee chimes in, it’s time to listen closely. Steelers president Art Rooney, II, whose pre-draft trip to Minnesota helped light a fire under the process of [...]
There’s nothing to see here. Keep moving. No cause for concern. That’s what the National Football League essentially is saying as it tries to hold together, with duct tape and dried-up glue, a collection of third-tier-and-worse replacement officials who have struggled at times through two weeks of preseason games. And it’s much more than bad…
Chargers wide receiver Vincent Brown had surgery to repair a broken ankle Sunday, and the team’s hoping he makes it back for the second half of the season. Brown suffered the injury in the third quarter of the preseason game against Dallas Saturday night. According to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego, the Chargers plan…
The Jets have made it widely known that they’ll be using the Wildcat this year. But what if they actually won’t be using it at all? They’ve hired former Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, who four years ago bedeviled the Patriots with the surprise unveiling of the NFL’s version of the alternative attack, which works best [...]
Chargers receiver Vincent Brown scored a touchdown in Saturday night’s preseason game, but it came at a significant price: Brown was hit in the end zone by Cowboys defensive back Akwasi Owusu-Ansah just after scoring and suffered a broken ankle on the play. Brown will have surgery and miss at least eight weeks, Kevin Acee [...]
On a night when the newest AFC West quarterback has thrown two interceptions, the longest-tenured AFC West signal-caller has tossed a pair of picks, too. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has completed nine of 11 passes. The two incompletions were picked off by the Dallas defense. One came when Rivers was trying to connect with receiver [...]
Apart from whether replacement officials will make mistakes between the snap and the whistle, the question becomes whether the Plan C and worse referees will know how to properly determine and administers penalties. And whether, even if they get it right, it takes too long to get there. It’s a point that was made Thursday [...]
What Needs Work
Chargers: Turnovers. The Bolts have had -6 takeaway/giveaway ratios each of the last two seasons, missing the postseason both years. They had +24, +4 and +8 ratios the first three seasons of Norv Turner’s regime, grabbing the AFC West crown each time. 3 turnovers were notched last week at home against the Packers (on the bright side, the Chargers got 4 takeaways.
Cowboys: Offensive line. They are having major issues protecting Romo, a problem that first surfaced early last season. The Cowboys allowed 2 sacks in Oakland on Monday, and are in the midst of a healthy battle at the #3 WR position.
Where to watch
Cowboys broadcast (Bill Jones, Babe Laufenberg):
KTVT 11 (CBS; Dallas)
KMYS 35 (MyTV; San Antonio)
KEYE 42 (CBS; Austin)
KWKT 44 (FOX; Waco)
KJTL 18 (FOX; Wichita Falls TX)
KTEN 10.3 (ABC; Sherman TX)
KFXK 51 (FOX; Tyler TX)
KBTV 4 (FOX; Beaumont)
KVCT 19 (FOX; Victoria TX)
KRIS 6 (NBC; Corpus Christi)
KRGV 5 (ABC; Harlingen)
KVTV 13 (CBS; Laredo)
KSAN 3 (NBC; San Angelo)
KRBC 9 (NBC; Abilene)
KWES 9 (NBC; Odessa)
KMYL 14 (MyTV; Lubbock)
KCIT 14 (FOX; Amarillo)
KFOX 14 (FOX; El Paso)
KOCB 34 (CW; Oklahoma City)
KOTV 6 (CBS; Tulsa)
KARK 4 (NBC; Little Rock)
KFTA 24 (FOX; Fayetteville AR)
KTAL 6 (NBC; Shreveport LA)
KARD 14 (FOX; Monroe LA)
KASY 50 (MyTV; Albuquerque)
Chargers broadcast (Dan Fouts, Billy Ray Smith)
KFMB 8 (CBS; San Diego) – tape delay
KCBS 2 (CBS; Los Angeles) – tape delay
KLAS 8 (CBS; Las Vegas)
KPSP 2 (CBS; Palm Springs) – tape delay
KBFX 58 (FOX; Bakersfield)
KKFX 11 (FOX; Santa Barbara)
KGMB 9 (CBS; Honolulu)
NFL Network (this usually features both broadcast teams)
Saturday, August 18th @ 10 PM ET
Hit “Like” or the Facebook share button if you think that the Cowboys, with Romo’s arm and the swagger on defense, will prove the haters wrong!
The Jets are still thinking about the day that the defense had 99 problems and the ability to tackle Victor Cruz wasn’t one. Dolphins WR Roberto Wallace, despite starting on Friday night, lived up to his “Ankle Weights” nickname when trying to get separation. Bills WR Donald Jones may have gotten some separation from T.J.…
When tackle Tony Ugoh retired after spending less than a week as a member of the Chiefs, Kansas City reached deep into the bag of available offensive tackles to find a replacement. They dug up Ray Willis, who hasn’t played in the NFL since starting all 16 games for the Seahawks in 2009. He had [...]
August is the month for unrealistic predictions, and a guy who has been making one since long before August is Dolphins running back Reggie Bush. Bush aims to lead the league in rushing. “I believe in setting the highest goals possible,” Bush said, via the Associated Press. “If you’re not setting the highest standards for [...]