NFL 2009: Week One Fall Out and MNF Quick Hits
Week one of the NFL season is officially in the books and the Pickle is here with some impressions on two surprisingly entertaining Monday Night Football games and other news from around the league. The Bills let one slip through their fingers, the Raiders actually showed some semblances of an being actual football team, Urlacher is done for they year, McNabb is doubtful for week two, and more.
Urlacher Out For Year
The biggest news yesterday was the revelation that Chicago Bears All Pro linebacker Brian Ulracher suffered a dislocated wrist Sunday night against the Packers and will be out for the season. He had surgery on Monday where doctors inserted pins into the wrist to stabilize it. Some questioned why he could not put a cast on it and play but it is being reported that his wrist will be in a cast for 10 to 12 weeks followed by 4 to 6 weeks of rehab. Doctors said he needed to have the surgery and playing with the injury would have been career threatening.
This is a huge blow to the Bears as Urlacher is generally viewed as not only the heart-and-soul of the Bears aggressive defensive front but as one of the leaders of the team as a whole. Urlacher makes the calls on defense and is generally considered one of the best in the league at his position.
There were rumors floating around that the Bears were talking to Derrick Brooks but, instead, chose to sign Tim Shaw and go with Hunter Hillenmeyer instead. It makes one wonder what the story with Brooks is. He had a workout with the Saints a few weeks ago when they suffered a season ending injury to one of their starting linebackers but did not sign with them at that time and now the Bears are reportedly passing. It makes one wonder if Brooks is only willing to play this season for the right amount of money or a multi-year deal. He would have been a good fit for the Bears given his familiarity with Lovie Smith’s system on defense.
McNabb Doubtful
The current speculation is that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will not play this week and could miss the next two or three games as he recovers from a broken rib suffered in the third quarter of Sunday’s game with the Panthers. McNabb’s injury left the Eagles with just one healthy, eligible quarterback for their upcoming game with the Saints. Head Coach Andy Reid said that McNabb was going to do everything possible to be able to play on Sunday, but, Kevin Kolb would be practicing with the first team offense this week. This development led to the Eagles bringing veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia back into the fold to theoretically back Kolb up.
Opting to bring Garcia on board instead of A. J. Feeley whom the Eagles recently cut in favor of Kolb and Vick is an intriguing one. During the pre-game shows on Sunday it was mentioned that once Michael Vick’s suspension was up he would be the #2 quarterback with Kolb sinking to third on the depth chart but it came with a qualifier. If McNabb were to suffer an injury that knocked him out of action to the point where he could not start then Kolb would be the starter. The general consensus on Vick is that he is still several weeks away from being able to run the team from start to finish. The sole reason for listing him as the backup quarterback is so they can get him into the game for some gimmick plays. Once a team plays its #3 quarterback, or emergency QB if you will, then the other two quarterbacks are not allowed to re-enter the game unless the third quarterback suffers an injury that knocks him out of the game.
Some are saying that Garcia will only be around until McNabb is good to go and then he will be back out on the street again. One cannot help but wonder if something else is afoot here. It definitely begs the question as to why the team grabbed the more accomplished Garcia as opposed to Feeley if they are just going to cut him loose again in three weeks. It also leads one to wonder why Garcia would agree to coming to Philly if it were only for a couple of weeks and he did not think he would get a chance to play.
If the Eagles are concerned about just having a warm body behind Kolb then why not simply re-sign Feeley? One has to truly wonder whether the Eagles are starting to seriously question whether Kolb has the chops to be anything more than a backup quarterback in the NFL. He certainly did not do anything to inspire confidence during the preseason and his performance against Carolina left a lot be desired. He took a pair of sacks and put the ball on the ground twice and when he threw the ball down-the-field it was either under thrown or off target.
One cannot help but think this Sunday could be Kolb’s make-or-break performance. If he does not deliver the goods are the Eagles going to cut ties with him? The team thinks they have the goods to win it all this year and they are not going to screw around with a guy like Kolb if he is not going to bring it week-in-week-out. The Eagles are reaching the point where they need to make a decision on Kolb’s future with the team and have yet to offer him any kind of a contract extension which is something the team typically does with young players they are high on. He simply does not look like a player who is improving as time goes on. This week’s game will go a long way in telling the team whether Kolb will play again this year.
There is a very real possibility that Kolb gets one, and only one, chance to impress Reid before he opts for Garcia who has a wealth of experience in the West Coast flavor of offense that Reid favors, and, he has proven he can win playing in Reid’s offense in the past. Reid knows he needs to win now and do not think for a second that he will not pull the plug on Kolb if he fails to deliver this Sunday. To be honest it may not even make it that far. If Kolb does not look sharp in practice this week it would not shock me to see Garcia get the start this Sunday.
Delhomme Safe For Now
Head Coach John Fox stated that embattled quarterback Jake Delhomme will start this Sunday when the Panthers travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. Delhomme was yanked in the second half of the Panthers’ blow out loss to the Eagles on Sunday. The game represented the second straight game in which the Panthers were blown out on their home field and where Delhomme looked like he had no business being a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Fans are outraged and want Delhomme benched for good. The local talk shows have been abuzz with who the team needs to go out and get now to replace Delhomme. Everyone from Jeff Garcia to Derek Anderson to Vince Young is being mentioned as possible replacements. Garcia was the top choice since he is a free agent and teams rarely deal quarterbacks once the season starts, but, the Eagles grabbed him before the Panthers had a chance. The Panthers did sign Eagles cast-off A. J. Feeley.
Now this does not mean Delhomme’s job is even remotely in danger. Feeley was signed as a result of the team deciding to place backup Josh McCown on Injured Reserve after they learned the knee and ankle injuries suffered against Philadelphia were bad enough to put him out of action for at least a month. Matt Moore will likely serve as Delhomme’s backup while Feeley learns the offense and gets his feet under him.
Bills-Pats Quick Hits
Bills head coach Dick Jauron has to be sick to death this morning about his team letting that game slip through their fingers. After taking a 24-13 lead with 5:32 to go the Bills appeared poised to pull off the biggest upset of opening week, but, the Pats battled back and capitalized on a Leodis McKelvin fumble on a kick off return to snatch the game from the jaws of defeat sending the Bills home disappointed.
Trent Edwards played well completing 15 of 25 passes and throwing a pair of scoring strikes to Shawn Nelson and Fred Jackson.
Fred Jackson played like a guy trying to take Marshawn Lynch’s job away from him rushing for 57 yards on 15 carries and catching five passes for 83 yards.
Terrell Owens caught just two passes which will not sit well with him given the outcome of the game.
Aaron Schoebel seemed to be re-energized out there with a sack, two knockdowns, two passess defensed, and a tackle-for-loss.
To think Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson, 6 catches for 77 yards and a pair of scores, was rumored to be on the chopping block two weeks ago.
The Pats struggled to run the ball as their backs gained just 64 yards on 22 carries for a paltry 2.9 yards per carry.
Raiders-Chargers Quick Hits
Surprisingly enough the Raiders gave the Chargers a game and actually looked like a football team at times last night.
JaMarcus Russell still looks like he is learning on the job. He was locking onto receivers last night and struggles with his accuracy down the field. He reminds me of a bigger less mobile version of Michael Vick who just winds up and lets it fly hoping he hits the target down field. Russell completed just 12 of 30 passes and threw a pair of picks but somehow managed to keep the Raiders in the game up until the end.
Darrius Heyward-Bey keeps looking more and more like a guy who had no business being a first round pick let alone the 7th pick in the draft last April.
Louis Murphy looked like the first round pick catching four passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.
The Raiders look like they have a nice one-two rushing punch of their own with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush combining for 123 yards on 29 carries. Bush looks healthy and was punishing the Chargers between the tackles.
Tight End Zach Miller continues to shine catching six passes for 96 yards.
Richard Seymour was dominant in his Raiders debut registering two sacks and two tackles-for-loss.
Chargers tight end Antonio Gates appears to be fully recovered from his injuries catching five passes for 83 yards. Gates is looking like he did before the injuries started catching up with him.
The Chargers defense front struggled to generate any pressure on Russell knocking him on his back just one time and allowed 4.6 yards per rush. It appears that the mere presence of Shawn Merriman is not going to fix all of their ills.
The offensive line struggled as well as the Chargers managed only 77 rushing yards on 23 attempts and the Raiders got to Rivers for three sacks.
LaDanian Tomlinson ran for just 55 yards on 12 carries but one wonders if his lack of production is due to shaky line play as much as him losing a step.
Random Quick Hits
The Eagles placed ailing offensive lineman Shawn Andrews on IR this morning making room for Garcia on the active roster. It was being reported last night the Eagles were trying to move Hank Baskett to make room for Garcia. This is also leading to speculation that the Eagles also may bring Jon Runyan back to give them some added depth to the line.
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will not need surgery on his injured knee and is still expected to miss the next three to six weeks.
Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward was lost for the season on Sunday with a broken leg.
There is some speculation that Chiefs running back Larry Johnson needs to step up his game or face losing his job to Jamaal Charles.
