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Whispers from around the NFL


THE SIX KINGS
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Whispers from around the NFL

Updated: Oct. 30, 2006

 

Pro Footbal Weekly

 

LB Lance Briggs is essentially playing his final games as a Chicago Bear. We're told there's no way the Bears can afford to keep their Pro Bowl weakside 'backer with rising stars like DT Tommie Harris also nearing the end of their contracts. Briggs is in the midst of a third straight solid season and will almost certainly attract monster offers in free agency.

 

• Eagles WR Reggie Brown has impressed the team immensely this season, especially with Donte' Stallworth missing four games in a five-week stretch. Brown has shown an ability to separate from defenders, something that scouts questioned when he came into the league in 2005.

 

• The play of Tatum Bell in the featured-back role in Denver has impressed many around the league. "He looks like he's shot out of a rocket sometimes," one assistant coach told PFW. "He's exceptionally fast, but he's running up inside so much better than he used to. [He's] running with authority, not just relying on his burst."

 

• Panthers CBs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble both played at a Pro Bowl level in 2005. Our sources don't believe either starting cornerback is playing near that level this season. In fact, rookie CB Richard Marshall has outplayed the duo at times.

 

• Should the Cardinals decide to cut the cord with head coach Dennis Green before the season is over -- his dismissal during the team's bye week would hardly shock anybody -- we hear the most likely interim replacements would be either defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast or assistant head coach/linebackers Frank Bush. We're also told, though, that neither Pendergast nor Bush is likely to be seriously considered for the head-coaching job next season.

 

• Word is Patriots C-G Russ Hochstein could be out for a few weeks after injuring his knee. With their most versatile reserve interior lineman sidelined, the Patriots have been working Nick Kaczur at guard and have added Billy Yates from the practice squad to serve as the primary backup at center.

 

• With rookie Leon Washington beginning to establish himself as the Jets' lead back, we hear that veteran Kevan Barlow is growing frustrated that he is getting pigeonholed as nothing more than a physical, short-yardage back. If Washington proves worthy of the starting job, it won't be a surprise if the Jets decide to go with Cedric Houston, a cheaper option than Barlow, to fill the short-yardage RB role in 2007.

 

• Though the Dolphins still believe PK Olindo Mare is a valuable weapon on kickoffs, we hear his struggles this season on long-range FG attempts could lead the team to bring in a new placekicker next season.

 

• Word is Jets rookie CB Drew Coleman has earned a starting position over Justin Miller, a second-round pick in the 2005 draft, because Coleman is more dependable as a tackler and in coverage. We hear the team values Miller as a kick returner, but that may not be enough for him to keep his roster spot in 2007.

 

• Teammates and Raiders sources alike are gaining more respect each passing week with the progress shown by QB Andrew Walter. They find it striking how calm his demeanor is and how he's making more checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage and settles himself before his throws. It wouldn't come as a surprise if Aaron Brooks, barring injury to Walter, has taken his last snap in an Oakland uniform.

 

• Besides accuracy issues and pressing too much, one major flaw of Broncos QB Jake Plummer this season has been the way he has regressed at reading defenses and making adjustments on the fly.

 

• Chiefs DE Jared Allen's skills as a pass rusher and his knack for stripping the ball do not go unnoticed by league sources, but one trait that impresses as much as anything is how well he wraps up as a tackler. "There aren't many people who get away from him once he's in the vicinity," one AFC scout said.

 

• Erik Pears got first crack at replacing injured OLT Matt Lepsis for the Broncos. Pears, who went undrafted out of Colorado State and spent last season on the practice squad and last summer in NFL Europe, has good size, footwork and a long reach. But if it doesn't work out, veteran OT Adam Meadows or starting G Cooper Carlisle could enter the mix. Meadows, a former starter for the Colts, is back after two years of retirement, and Carlisle played tackle collegiately at Florida.

 

• The increased use of Justin Fargas in the Raiders' running game has really given the offense a boost. He provides the ability to hit the hole and the corner in a hurry, which is a key, given the club's OL problems and inability to hold blocks for long.

 

• Chiefs WR Samie Parker is doing a better job of working to get open in his third season, but we're told he still could stand to show more toughness and better concentration.

 

• Although the Redskins said they gave backup QB Jason Campbell two days' worth of snaps with the first team because of Mark Brunell's sore ribs, we hear Campbell could be named the starter if the Redskins don't win both of their next two games, against the Cowboys and Eagles.

 

• Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells recently hinted that a change of starters could be in order at an unknown position. He didn't reveal what that spot might be, but sources say ILB Akin Ayodele, who has shown little presence, might be the one on thin ice.

 

• The Giants are quietly confident about DE Mathias Kiwanuka's ability to fill in for Osi Umenyiora, should Umenyiora's hip flexor be a lingering problem. Kiwanuka has shown a good burst so far and better quickness than he did at the end of his Boston College career.

 

• The Titans' coaches have been pleased with the play of ORT David Stewart, who was inactive all 16 games in '05 and only entered the starting lineup this season because of injuries. Sources say the mild-mannered Stewart has harnessed a healthy aggressiveness without being flagged for penalties.

 

• Sources close to the Falcons tell us WR Ashley Lelie, acquired in a preseason trade with the Broncos, has played his way into the starting lineup with his big-play ability, ahead of second-year WR Roddy White. A 2005 first-round pick, White hasn't made the progress that the coaching staff expected this season. Too many dropped passes and a lack of focus were cited as primary reasons for White's drop down the depth chart.

 

• Sources tell us to keep an eye on the O-line situation in Charlotte. We hear that although C Justin Hartwig's groin is finally healthy, the high-priced free agent will remain on the bench until second-year C Geoff Hangartner, who has played well in his seven starts, falters.

 

• Word out of Tampa Bay is rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski and WR Joey Galloway are not on the same page. Sources tell us that's because the two haven't worked much together. We hear Galloway usually sat out the second practice in two-a-days during training camp, which was the time Gradkowski, a backup at that point, got most of his reps.

 

• We hear the biggest reason why Falcons RS Allen Rossum is playing like he did when he made the Pro Bowl in 2004 is his return to health and renewed confidence. Rossum battled hamstring injuries last season and struggled judging the ball in the air.

 

• We hear that while there has been no movement on extending Bears head coach Lovie Smith's contract, the Bears recognize a job extremely well done and have every intention of rewarding the 2005 NFL Coach of the Year. Smith's asking price has gone nowhere but up with the stellar start, but there's a sense that Smith has no interest in walking away from Chicago.

 

• Packers PK Dave Rayner -- who had a potential franchise-record 55-yard field goal nullified in Week 7 -- has turned heads with a nice start, but the second-year kicker has to prove he can handle the inclement conditions to come in the second half.

 

• Vikings WR Marcus Robinson is expected to miss two games with a lower-back injury, but we hear it will not require surgery and isn't related to the problems that have plagued him throughout his career.

 

• After their Week 8 bye, the Lions expect to have ORT Rex Tucker (knee) and OLG Ross Verba (hamstring) back in the starting lineup, meaning they will be as healthy up front as they've been all year.

 

• The way we hear it, the buzz around Bengals headquarters was that WR Peter Warrick, the fourth player selected in the 2000 draft by Cincinnati, wasn't in the greatest of shape when the team brought him in for a workout last week. Injuries have hurt the Bengals' depth at wide receiver -- so much so that rookie S Ethan Kilmer is working with the receivers. Kilmer was a wide receiver at Penn State.

 

• According to one source close to the Steelers, Falcons TE Alge Crumpler's success vs. Pittsburgh's secondary in Week 7 further drove home the point that the Steelers don't match up well with big, athletic tight ends.

 

• The Texans' secondary got a major lift from the return of CB DeMarcus my sweetgins in Week 7. A source close to the club says my sweetgins' return is allowing top CB Dunta Robinson to play with more confidence.

 

• Ravens head coach Brian Billick is running the Baltimore offense, and we hear he's emphasizing that offensive players learn not only their assignments, but also those of positions they may play. For instance, wide receivers are learning all of the receiver positions. We're told it's hoped this will help the Ravens have a little more in-game strategic flexibility.

 

• Even though the Seahawks were well-prepared to play without starting ORT Sean Locklear after he missed most of practice last week with an ankle injury, we hear they were definitely caught off guard when the league announced two days before Seattle's game in Kansas City that it had issued a one-game suspension to Locklear for violating its personal-conduct policy stemming from a domestic-violence charge for assaulting his girlfriend in January. Head coach Mike Holmgren said he "had an inkling" Locklear could be suspended at some point this season, but added that he was surprised by the timing of the penalty.

 

• Not only has Colts LB Cato June been playing extremely well as of late, racking up double-digit tackles on a pretty regular basis, we're also told he has become much more of a vocal leader on the field, especially since the team's other more vocal defenders, S Bob Sanders and DT Montae Reagor, have been out with injuries.

 

• One of the many problems with the Niners' porous defense this season that hasn't been talked about much is the increase in missed tackles by ILB Derek Smith because of a vision problem in his left eye. Smith, who has exceeded 100 tackles in nine straight seasons, was fitted last week with a clear visor above his face mask in an effort to correct the problem.

 

• While free-agent addition Will Witherspoon and newly re-signed Pisa Tinoisamoa have been getting most of the credit for the major improvement in the Rams' LB corps, team insiders tell us SLB Brandon Chillar has also been doing his part this season after being a liability more often than not last season. No longer on the field in nickel situations, as he had been under Larry Marmie last season, Chillar has seemed a lot more comfortable playing primarily up on the line in new coordinator Jim Haslett's more aggressive scheme.

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They are dead on with Briggs.

 

Quoting Hawk Harrelson......"HE GONE".

 

 

It'll be interesting to see where he goes, what he gets paid and how he'll perform elsewhere. I think the Trib had something earlier in the year talking about how some in the league his abilities are perfect for Cover2, and question how he'd perform in another system. I'd like to see how he performs with the Brian Urlacher Monster helping him out as well. Colvin and Holdman were awesome on this team and have done little since leaving.

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It'll be interesting to see where he goes, what he gets paid and how he'll perform elsewhere. I think the Trib had something earlier in the year talking about how some in the league his abilities are perfect for Cover2, and question how he'd perform in another system. I'd like to see how he performs with the Brian Urlacher Monster helping him out as well. Colvin and Holdman were awesome on this team and have done little since leaving.

 

 

Fundamentally, he is as strong as there is at his position. I believe he's playing the same position with the somewhat "same" responsibilities that Will Witherspoon had with Carolina.

 

Look what that guy is doing now in St. Louis.

 

Briggs won't fall down when he leaves the system.

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A 2005 first-round pick, White hasn't made the progress that the coaching staff expected this season. Too many dropped passes and a lack of focus were cited as primary reasons for White's drop down the depth chart.

I was at a few of the Falcons TC's this summer and after watching White, really expected big things from him this year.

 

I guess he's one of those players who looks great in practice, but once it's game on, he tries too hard? :D

 

What really blows me away though, is the guy who has moved past him. If anyone had tried to tell me that Lelie would be taking Roddy's spot, because he has proved to have better hands, I would've laughed in their face. Lelie couldn't catch a cold last year. I guess Shanny shipping him out of Denver served as a wake call. Guy has impressed me these last few games by making the catches...& over the middle no less.

 

I had always thought his full name was Ashley "Soft" Lelie.

 

Good move by the Falcons scouting department to identify Norwood & then Rich McKay to draft him. The drafting of Norwood is what allowed the Falcons to basically trade TJ Duckett for Lelie.

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Hmmm. There are players that will settle for less than they could get in FA because they like the area, their families like the area and their kids are settled in school, they own local businesses, have friends there.....you get the picture. Some even like the team and their team mates. Not saying this is the case with Briggs but when you already have millions in the bank, other factors come into play sometimes.

Edited by Ursa Majoris
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