Earnest Graham may be done for season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Minnesota Vikings yesterday 19-13, but they may have lost Earnest Graham for the remainder of the season. On his only rushing attempt, a 3-yard gain, Graham injured his ankle.

"His status for the rest of the season is very much in question right now," Gruden said Monday. "I don't have the exact medical terms, but I will say right now, it doesn't look like he'll play anytime soon."

"Obviously we brought Cadillac up with the understanding he's ready to go," Gruden said. "We're very disappointed for Earnest. He means a lot to us. He's done so much for us here in the last couple of years. He a key reason why we are where we are."

Warrick Dunn handled the rushing duties and had 118 yards (rushing and receiving combined) against the Vikings.

Cadillac Williams, who hasn't played since September 2007, was inactive last week, but will be activated for this week's game against the Lions.

"I am ready to go," Williams told the Tampa Tribune. "I have put in a lot of work. I feel confident. I'm mentally ready and physically ready. I just hate the situation had to come like this with E.G. going down, but that's football. I'll make the best of the opportunity."

Fortunately for Cadillac, he faces a Lions defense that is the worst in the NFL against the run and that gave up 264 yards against the Carolina Panthers, which was a Panthers' franchise record. Every back should be so fortunate to play the Lions in their first game of the season.

On the season, Earnest Graham has 563 rushing yards on 132 attempts. He has 4 rushing TDs.

Jaguars Mike Peterson sent home again

In a team meeting where Del Rio was calling out players, he wanted no feedback from players. He wasn't happy with Peterson's muscle-flexing celebration after a sack when the Jaguars were losing 21-3 in the 3rd quarter to the Bengals.

When Peterson tried to defend himself, Del Rio kicked him out of the meeting.

"That's the first time I've seen a coach and player just disagree in front of everybody to the extent that they did," defensive end Reggie Hayward said Thursday. "It's extremely surprising, but this is a business and when things aren't going right, tempers flare.

It's still unknown whether Peterson will be inactive for Sunday's game or suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.

Peterson is in the last year of his 6-year contract.

Kolby Smith done for year in Kansas City

Kolby Smith is done for the season. And LJ is suspended for the week 10 game vs San Diego.

Looks like Jamaal Charles will have plenty of opportunities to have a solid fantasy football day. Considering the Chiefs are 1-7 and in last place in the AFC West, there isn't much to look forward to in Kansas City except for fantasy football.

On the season, Charles is averaging 5.7 ypc and had his 100-yard rushing game of his career last week vs Tampa Bay.

The Chargers have been run-of-the-mill vs the run this season giving up 106.5 ypg, 4.0 ypc and 6 TDs.

Mike Singletary moons team

Mike Singletary, who replaced Mike Nolan a week ago, has had an eventful first week as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

Everyone (unless you've been living under a rock) has heard about or seen Mike Singletary's post-game interview following the 49ers embarrassing 34-13 ass-whooping by the Seattle Seahawks. Some think that a public forum might not have been the appropriate outlet for the rant. But what he did at halftime was hilarious. He mooned his team.

"I used my pants to illustrate that we were getting our tails whipped on Sunday and how humiliating that should feel for all of us. I needed to do something to dramatize my point; there were other ways I could have done it but I think this got the message across. I am excited about having the team back at practice on Monday so we can get back to work."

What's interesting is Vernon Davis, after getting mooned by his head coach at halftime, thought it would be a good idea to slap Brian Russell in the head. If he (the team) received that halftime talk, he should have known that he (and the team) was on thin ice.

Mike Nolan fired

Today, the San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan and replaced him with Mike Singletary. Some reports surfaced that Nolan was going to be fired after Sunday's game vs Seattle since the team has a bye the following week.

Mike Nolan is now the third head coach to be fired in 2008. Scott Linehan and Lane Kiffin were fired by the Rams and Raiders. In both instances, they were replaced by coaches that were already on the staff.

Nolan was 18-37 in his coaching tenure with the Niners.

Plaxico doesn't "have any regrets"

Despite playing without suspended Plaxico Burress, the New York Giants beat the Seattle Seahawks convincingly. However, Plaxico isn't showing any regret over his decision.

"It was just a situation I had to deal with that morning, and I made the right decision," Burress said during a conference call that lasted about 20 minutes. "I don't have any regrets about the decision I made at all."

"That was the decision they chose to do. I'll take it at that. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I got me some rest and was able to get away for a while and chill out and relax. Things like that happen. I'll keep moving forward and get back to doing what I do: catching footballs, scoring touchdowns and get back to work."

With Plaxico Burress' indifference, my guess is that this issue will re-surface at some point in the season. Stay tuned...

Texans Blow 17-point 4th-Quarter Lead to Colts

The Houston Texans today blew a 17-point lead with less than 5 minutes to go vs the Indianapolis Colts today. That was a record that the Texans wish they did not own.

“We were just trying to run the ball,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We had a nice boot there. We told him (Rosenfels) if he didn’t have anything, just run it and we’ll punt it. They’ll be out of timeouts, and we’ll make them work. He made a great effort, but the ball came out.”

“I’m in shock,” middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. “I still can’t believe what happened. It’s unbelievable.”

After the struggles post-Hurricane Ike and a heart-breaking loss today, it will be interesting to see how the Texans rebound. They have played well against Jacksonville and Indianapolis in back-to-back weeks. And they now play Miami, Detroit and Cincinnati, which are 3 winnable games.

Ronnie Brown - 5 TDs

Ronnie Brown rushed for 4 TDs and passed for another today against the Patriots. He also rushed for 113 yards.

In 2007, he rushed for 32 and 33 yards in games 1 and 2. He then went off for 4 weeks straight rushing for over 100 yards each week and scoring 6 TDs in those 4 games before getting hurt the following week.

In 2008 so far, he rushed for 32 and 33 yards in weeks 1 and 2. Game 3 he goes off for 113 yards and 5 TDs.

Coincidence?

Joey Porter at it again?

Porter doesn't learn from his own mistakes. Remember last year after starting 0-3, Porter said this "...Write it how you want to write it: we will win on Sunday.''

How did that work out? Raiders 35, Dolphins 17

"I just know he's not a Tom Brady," Porter said. "So if it's not Tom Brady, it shouldn't be that hard." (insert your own joke here)

Yet Porter said "It'll be good to go out there and get our first victory."

"You treat him like you treat a backup," Porter said. "How do you prepare for a backup? He don't get that many snaps, right? So you throw the kitchen sink at him. That's what we're going to do."

"He's a guy we'll prepare for, but that was his first start since high school," Porter said. "So you can take all the reps you want to. This is a totally different game, a totally different league. He's only had one start in the NFL. Take that for what it's worth. He won it, but if you compare him to Brady, there's no comparison.

Yes Joey, Cassel has only started 1 game in his career and won 1 game. The Dolphins have played 18 games since Porter has been in Miami and won 1 game.

LJ - "Not mad at the world"

Larry Johnson's mother Christine says that LJ is "not mad at the world" but rather "misunderstood".

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a reporter or a banker or a football player, everyone is a human being, too, and has a private side. I don’t think anyone would like to have to live in a fishbowl, but that’s what it’s like being a football player. I know I wouldn’t want people peering inside my window all the time, but that’s what they have to go through.”

I can understand what Larry Johnson's mother says. I would expect every parent to stand up for their child just as I would for mine.

But the scrutiny is part and parcel of the profession as it is for some other professions (actor, musician, politician, etc.). Every player should weigh whether they are willing to accept that along with the fame, fortune and ability to play a game they love for a living. If not, they are not forced to play football. Retire and you'll see how quickly people lose interest in your private life.

It's not any different than someone who took a security job in Iraq to earn extra money but had to be away from their family and exposed to the risks to their life.

Shawne Merriman done for season

Shawne Merriman decided to play football against the wishes of 4 separate recommendations from doctors. While he should be able to do whatever he wants with his own body, many viewed it as a mistake.

Well, Merriman has changed his mind.

"Shawne informed me he did not feel right [on the field] and thought it best to shut it down," said Chargers general manager A.J. Smith. "The road to winning the AFC West just got more difficult, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Shawne is a great player and an inspirational leader. He will be missed. We wish him a successful surgery and a speedy recovery."

I think it's better to change course of action if he believes it would be a mistake to play. Some times a person will stick to a decision because the commitment made or word given even when it's a mistake. I believe it's better to be safe than sorry.

Chad Johnson to play with torn labrum

Chad Johnson has a partially torn labrum and has decided to play through the injury.

"I've talked to a lot of people who have played with this injury," said Johnson, who wears a protective harness on the shoulder. "They didn't get surgery, and they played and had a successful season. So I'll be fine."

Johnson said he lobbied coach Marvin Lewis to let him play against the Colts, but was turned down.

"I asked Marvin to play Thursday, not to prove a point but to show that I'm ready to go," Johnson said. "And he told me no, there's no need. I already got hurt in one preseason game, there's no reason for another. I will be ready for the opener."

Last year, Kellen Winslow Jr. played with the same injury and wore a harness. Winslow finished 2007 with 82 receptions and 1,102 yards.

I admire (yes, admire) Johnson for his toughness and grit to play through the pain. Although he claims to have asked Lewis to play in a meaningless pre-season game to show he's "ready to go", I wonder if the injury is a little more severe than is being reported since the Bengals are reportedly shopping Rudi Johnson for a "real receiver." As always with Ocho Cinco, stay tuned...

Shawne Merriman - season over?

Having torn his posterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments, Shawne Merriman has been advised by doctors to have season-ending surgery. Or, he could play. However, if he plays on the injured knee, he faces the risk that his career (not season) would be over.

“It could be career-threatening if I did (play),” Merriman said. “It’s a possibility. That possibility is still open.”

“They’ve all said the same things about the injury,” Merriman said. “(They’re) kind of surprised that I’ve been playing with it up to this point.”

I admire players that battle pain and play through it. However, if the players' career (or, more importantly, their health) is on the line, it makes no sense to risk it.

Granted, if Merriman has season-ending surgery, he may have some regrets wishing he were on the field. Especially since this could be the Chargers year.

But if he doesn't have surgery and he damages his knee to the point that it ends his career, he'll definitely regret that much more.

Anquan Boldin asks for trade

One of my pet peeves is NFL players asking for new deals when they have multiple years left on their contracts. What's the point in negotiating long-term contracts if you want to rip them up and start over if it's not in your favor? In any event, Anquan Boldin now wants to be traded because he's not happy about the final 3 years of his 4 year contract.

Boldin said..."he doesn't feel his situation can be resolved and declaring he has no relationship with coach Ken Whisenhunt."

Whisenhunt sounded puzzled when discussing reports that Boldin had said he was no longer speaking to the coach.

"We've been communicating," he said. "If communicating is talking, that's what we have been doing at practice. As we go forward, I don't know. I don't foresee anything changing. If it does, it's in his court."

Asked if he believes his standoff with Arizona can be resolved, Boldin shook his head and simply said, "No."

If the contract was such an issue, why didn't Boldin sign a 1-year contract? He's only 1 year of current 4-year deal. He couldn't see this coming?

Farve, Packers to create long-term deal when Favre is done?

Over the past several months, much has been done to tarnish the reputation of the Green Bay Packers and the legacy of Brett Favre. The Packers tried to convince Favre to stay retired with a reported $20 million "marketing" offer.

And while Favre turned down the deal in favor of returning to play and was traded to the New York Jets last week, the Packers are expected to offer him a similar agreement once he retires for good.

"We do want to have a long-term relationship with Brett," Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said in a news conference after Favre was traded last week. "He will always be a Packer and he's very important to this organization."

I think it would be a good move by both and help to repair the damage that was done over the past few months.

Tom Coughlin - Extortion/Blackmail Victim

Quick: Imagine an NFL Head Coach having a sex scandal. Now, was the coach that first popped into your head Tom Coughlin? Probably not.

Well, Herbert Albert Simpson is being charged with sending two threatening letters to Coach Coughlin. He faces up to 2 years in prison, $250k fine, 2 years of "supervised release" and a $100 special assessment.

The first letter claimed the encounter happened while the Giants were in Philadelphia and it threatened to expose the fictional event unless Coughlin paid between $20,000-$30,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Simpson's letters also threatened that if Coughlin did not pay the money, his life would be made "a living hell by doing something to [his] family," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The women named in the letters told federal investigators the handwriting was Simpson's. He was a former co-worker.

Authorities said Simpson wanted revenge against the two women over a work-related issue and never thought the coach would get the letters.

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyways. This guy is a moron.

Steve Smith, Ken Lucas brawl

According to Carolina Growl, Panthers WR Steve Smith and DB Ken Lucas got into a fight at camp. Not sure how Steve Smith looked after the fisticuffs, but he might have said "if you think this looks bad, you should see the other guy."

Lucas left the field bloodied and with an ice pack over his left eye.

The two men were on the sidelines while other members of the team were working through special teams drills when the fight broke out. They exchanged several punches before teammates and coach John Fox charged in to break up the fight. Linebacker Jon Beason had to pull Smith away from Lucas. It took several people to restrain the men and restore order.

Dwayne Jarrett better be careful. He's next...

Shortly after the fight Smith came over, with Muhsin Muhammad and another coach by his side, and appeared to try and reconcile with Lucas. The two men briefly exchanged a hug. Smith left and later came back to check on Lucas again.

This kind of things always seem to happen at camp. Tempers flare with the grind of camp and the hot summer temperature. Good to see they kissed and made up.

"Housh your mama...Championship"

As I start to get ready for my fantasy football drafts, I couldn't help but to think about this classic NFL.com fantasy football commercial:



But I recently saw this commercial on NFL Network:



After seeing that video, you must be crazy not to "pick" Campbell (but, of course, as your 14th-round back-up QB).

Jeremy Shockey: Traded to the Saints

Today the New York Giants traded Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints for 2 draft picks next year (a 2nd- and 5th-rounder). Once Jerry Reese and the Jeremy Shockey had their shouting match last month, it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before the G-Men moved their talented but tantrum-throwing TE.

On the surface, this seems like a win-win. Shockey played for Saints Head Coach Sean Payton in his rookie season. That was actually his most productive season - 894 receiving yards. Since then, he came very close to that total in 2005 with 891, but his third best season was 666 yards.

With all of the Saints weapons (Brees, Colston, Bush, McAllister, etc.), Shockey should find himself open in the middle of the field and deep downfield often. I think this move benefits Shockey's fantasy football value, but also that of Drew Brees directly and Marques Colston indirectly.

The Giants, on the other hand, move on without the possibility of the disgruntled Shockey derailing their run for a title defense. And although there's no doubt that Shockey is talented, they have already proved that they can win without him.

I expect Shockey to explode with his most productive season numbers wise. The question to-be-answered though is will Shockey's presence in the Saints locker room become destructive if the Saints don't give him more money as he seeks...