NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Senior writer jclombardi highlights Packers headlines.

Packers vs Jets–opposite approaches to team building: Ted Thompson, the Packers' general manager, is the most free agent-and-trade-averse man running an NFL club today. If he wouldn't trade a third-round draft pick for Marshawn Lynch, he's never going to do a meaningful in-season deal. It is and always will be all draft and develop as long as Thompson is calling the shots. Jets coach Rex Ryan and GM Mike Tannenbaum have swung big trading for and signing seven accomplished players who were character, contract or age risks in pursuit of the Super Bowl. The Jets aggressively filled weak areas via trades and free agency, a mindset encouraged by Super Bowl visions after their unexpected 9-7 playoff season in '09. In that time, they've acquired seven veterans of note and three players via trades that carried substantial risk because of character and contract issues. Over the same time, Thompson's only trade was swapping some picks on draft day. He signed no unrestricted free agents. Thompson is highly sensitive to locker room and organizational harmony, puts forward possibly the most bland public face of any GM in the NFL and is a stoic of the highest order. Ryan, on the other hand, is brash in a league in which boring and uninformative are art forms among the men who front for their organizations. He appears to embrace confrontation and chaos.

Jets scouting report: Run offense–Jets have one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL (193 runs and 188 passes), and the key to their offense is their line which is among the best in the NFL and the backbone of the No. 4-ranked scoring offense in the league. Tomlinson and Greene share the workload for the NFL's second-ranked run game. Pass offense: Offensive coordinator Schottenheimer does all he can with play calling to help quarterback Mark Sanchez play it safe and manage games (nine touchdown passes, two interceptions). The Jets have a good array of weapons with receivers Edwards, Cotchery and Holmes, along with dangerous tight end Keller. Sanchez has a good skill set and has become an improved manager of the offense in his second season in the league. But he can be thrown off-kilter if teams pressure him. Run defense: The Jets don't have dominant personnel in their front seven but rank No. 7 in run defense and No. 4 in scoring defense because they play coach Rex Ryan's aggressive 3-4s scheme well. Pass defense: The Jets probably have the best cornerback duo in Revis and Cromartie. "They really don't have any true four-down pass rushers," a scout said. "It's more about scheme and it's more about numbers, and they do a good job of that. But if you can protect the passer, they'll put their corners on the island and they'll force those corners to play man-to-man, and they'll put their safeties and linebackers in some man-to-man situations. If you can protect the passer, you have an equal chance to make plays as their defense has to make a play in the downfield passing game.

Capers working wonders with thin defense unit: A series of injuries has forced defensive coordinator Dom Capers to come up with creative adjustments, but the craziness reached new heights Sunday when end Cullen Jenkins strained a calf muscle during pregame warm-ups and couldn’t play. Then, early in the game, end Ryan Pickett aggravated a sprained ankle and could go just seven snaps before heading to the sideline for good. That left Capers with three healthy defensive lineman including rookie DE Wilson and DE Jarius Wynn. Though the Vikings gashed the Packers for 196 rushing yards, Green Bay’s defense came up with three game-changing interceptions of Brett Favre in the second half and survived a late Minnesota drive to win. Capers, ”Those three (ends Wilson and Wynn and nose tackle B.J. Raji) played an awful lot and I’ll give credit to those young guys. They fought their tails off in there.” It’s also a credit to Capers whose coordinating skills have been put to the test.

Two linebackers bolster defense: The Packers put outside linebacker Brady Poppinga and rookie defensive end Mike Neal on season-ending injured reserve. Plus, they released inside linebacker Maurice Simpkins. The Packers signed two players to fill those three spots: veteran inside linebacker Matt Wilhelm and outside linebacker Diyral Briggs. That leaves one spot, which presumably will be used to activate Harris or Bigby. To bring back both, another move will need to be made.

Rookie Bulaga making giant strides: No player is learning more about life in the NFL than Bulaga. And no player's progress is scrutinized more by the coaches, and the media. I stood at Bulaga's locker for 10 minutes one day last week among a group of reporters who drifted in and out during a team interview session, and he was asked four different times, "How do you think you're doing?" Bulaga said. "Every week I'm going to be making improvements on things and getting more comfortable with doing things on the right side." Then I asked, somewhat sympathetically, "Is it tougher than you thought it would be?" Bulaga smiled, "I think I'm doing an okay job. Obviously, things are a lot different, speed-wise and player-wise. I just need to improve every week, get better at the small things and if I can keep doing that, I'll be alright." Edwards and the Vikings didn’t lay a finger on Rodgers Sunday night, and the Packers won. “Alright” is clearly good enough for now.

League admits to two touchdown errors in Sunday night game: The availability of replay review is no substitute for getting it right in the first instance.  On two separate occasions with scoring plays on the line, the officials got it wrong. On the third occasion, referee Scott Green simply botched the replay review. And all three calls worked against the team that lost by four points.  On the second play of the second quarter, a touchdown pass from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to tight end Andrew Quarless should have been ruled an incompletion.  Quarless bobbled the ball after he landed out of bounds. Though Vikings coach Brad Childress inexplicably failed to throw the challenge flag, the officials should be expected to be in position to see whether or not a pass is complete, especially in the end zone. Later in the quarter, Vikings tight end Shiancoe made a diving catch in the end zone, after running back Adrian Peterson bought time for quarterbackBrett Favre with a crushing block on a blitzing linebacker.  Though the ball hit the ground, the ball never moved.  The call on the field was correct. The Packers challenged, and referee Scott Green took away the touchdown, explaining that Shiancoe had "used the ground to help make the catch." Whatever that means. The league office apparently doesn't understand, either.

Commentary: As Steinfeld would say, “That’s a shame.”   Lol.  Sometimes it is better to be lucky than very good!  Go Pack!

Tim Hightower may have lost more than just possession of the ball with his latest fumble.  He may have lost the seemingly infinite faith that Ken Whisenhunt has shown him and maybe even his starting job.  With the offense struggling mightily to produce, Hightower's stock must have plummeted as his turnover cost the Cardinals dearly in their loss to Seattle.

Darren Urban commented on Tim Hightower's status immediately after the loss to the Seahawks, a game in which Hightower fumbled on Seattle's 28 yard line while the Cardinals were swinging the momentum back in their favor.  Urban explained that "the fumble cost Tim Hightower playing time [in the Seattle game].  But not only did Whisenhunt say it was too early to talk about whether Hightower's playing time would be cut going forward (or even possibly losing his starting job) because he had yet to watch the tape with the team, it was too early to even comment on the entire situation for now."  Hightower's fumbling is nothing new and Whisenhunt knows it.

Whisenhunt's reluctance to pull the plug on Hightower likely stems from the fact that when Tim is able to hang onto the ball he produces.  Hightower has gained 298 yards on 52 carries for a 5.73 average so far this year.  He's also a viable receiving target and is much further along as a blocker than Beanie Wells, an important skill which Wells has been drastically slow in developing.

Hightower, unfortunately, leads the NFL in fumbles for a second consecutive year with three in only six games.  Although Tim shares the lead with five other running backs, Hightower has fewer attempts than all of those other running backs.  In fact, no one is even close except for Chris Ivory of the Saints, a rookie, who has three fumbles on 59 carries.  The other four backs (Cedric Benson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Frank Gore, Peyton Hillis) with three fumbles each have more than 100 carries.

Whisenhunt has always stuck by his policy that the player that gives the team the best opportunity to win is the player that will make it onto the field.  Knowing that, it's difficult to believe that Whiz has a particularly affinity to Hightower.  That being the case, perhaps it's time to start looking at other options because as Whisenhunt put it, "We can't live with [Hightower's fumbles] going forward."

If the Cardinals decide to move away from Hightower, they would have to come up with a new mix in the backfield.  Beanie Wells and Hightower could simply swap places, giving Wells the majority of the carries and Hightower would take a more limited role in the offense.  It's questionable, however, whether limiting Hightower's touches would really solve his fumbling issues because it only takes one touch to turn the ball over.  I don't think any coach has the prescience to say "it's okay, he won't fumble on this carry."  Installing Wells as the feature back, however, doesn't seem to be a likely option because Whisenhunt has already expressed that he doesn't believe Wells is quite ready for that yet.  It's for precisely that reason Hightower is starting in the first place.  A compliment to Wells is needed.

Enter LaRod Stephens-Howling.  There is no doubt that Hyphen is a weapon as a kick-off returner.  He's speedy, smart, has great hands and obviously terrific vision.  Sounds like a skill set that would translate well to the offense.  In limited action as a back, Hypen gained 53 yards on 9 carries for a 5.9 average this season.  He's clearly undersized at 5?7?, 185 pounds, but he could at least split carries with Wells and be an effective third down option, a role that Hyphen already fills to a small extent.  Stephens-Howling is an equally adept receiver and he has a lot of heart, which makes up for some of his undersized frame.

Cutting Hightower out completely seems a little drastic, though.  It doesn't appear likely that Whisenhunt would demote Hightower from starter to bench warmer in a week.  A mix, therefore, of Wells, Stephens-Howling, and Hightower could be possible, with Wells getting the majority of the touches on first and second down with Stephens-Howling and Hightower getting the snaps on third and mid/long situations.

There's no doubt that the optimal situation would be for Hightower to somehow fix his fumbling issues, but there just doesn't appear to be any reason to believe he will.  He struggled with it all last year and it has continued this season.  Hightower refuses to put two hands on the ball even when heading into traffic and fighting for extra yards.  When there are bodies, arms, and hands flying everywhere, carrying the ball high and tight doesn't matter.  You must put two hands on the ball and cover it up.  Hightower just doesn't do it and it appears he never will.  With all the offensive struggles the Cardinals are currently facing there is no way they can survive with Hightower turning the ball over on a regular basis.

While not much went right for the Cowboys in last night’s game against the New York Giants, one thing that had to give Cowboys fans a glimmer of hope for the future is the play of rookie WR Dez Bryant. Bryant had a great game and showed his playmaking ability numerous times as he found the end zone 3 times in all.

Bryant started his scoring spree with an explosive 93-yard punt return that showcased his great speed and vision with the ball. Bryant made a great over the shoulder grab on the Matt Dodge 65-yard punt that out-kicked his coverage. Bryant spun around and made a couple of shifty moves before turning on the afterburners and blowing everyone away.

Bryant also had a decent night on offense finishing with 4 catches for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns. It just seemed like the rookie was the only one that refused to give up on the game. On a night that saw star wideout Miles Austin struggle and Roy Williams become invisible, not too mention the running attack was lost, Bryant impressed. His two 15-yard touchdown receptions were also a great demonstration of the talent this kid has.

One of the most impressive things that I saw out of Bryant last night, was when Romo went down and was lying on the turf, for the longest time it was only Dez Bryant standing over him seeing if he was okay. Bryant showed some genuine concern for his fallen leader and who knows, maybe he is turning into a leader himself.

Things I know.

Brett Favre's 2009 performance is the Vikings problem. Don't forget that the Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North division at 10-6 the year before Favre showed up.  And the year before that they were 8-8 and just missed the playoffs (mainly due to the Favre led Packers beating them twice on the way to 13-3).  Favre could do lots for the Vikings this year and did last year when he wasn't scheduled to carry the team.  The problem is that Favre was SO good last year that the team started to think they needed Favre to carry them for the team to be great.  If they just performed like they did the 2 years prior to Favre showing up and hoped for some extra magic and luck here and there, they'd be a better team.

Jon Gruden has greatly improved Monday Night Football. Since Jon Gruden joined the Monday Night Football crew, the game has become so much more enjoyable to watch.  Prior to Gruden, ESPN tried several different booth creatures to fill the void of the third seat.  Unfortunately, they were failures.  Most fans wanted to turn down the volume and watch the game silent than listen to the booth trio.  Whether it's the chemistry, the personalities or the excitement of the three there now, it's better.  ESPN, pay the man enough to keep him from going back to coaching!

Chicago is where QBs go to die. Quick!  Name the Bears full-time starting QB in the modern era that finished any season with a 100+ QB rating.  Struggling?  That's because there's never been one.  In fact the only 90+ one was Erik Kramer in 1995, and that's it.  Kyle Orton is a lucky man.  When the Bears traded Orton to Denver for Cutler and cut Grossman, many thought the Bears QB problems were solved.  Then a strange thing happened.  Cutler regressed.  There has to be a curse on the Bears.  Really.  A curse.  Cutler is 7-7 on TD-INTs and has an 84 QB rating on the year (69 and 54 in the last two games).  You can blame it on whatever you want, but the Chicago curse is killing another QB.

Things I think I know.

The NFL's new player protection rules will not prevent injuries overall. There is no doubt that the new player protection rules will change the way that players react and hit.  That's the intent.  The problem?  It only means that players will go lower.  Expect more knee injuries and Dr. Andrews to make more money.  It was clear that secondary players were hesitating last week to hit the receivers.  But as they begin to adjust to the new head protection rules, the hits will just come lower.  Some players have adjusted already and several receivers were seen getting their knees checked out because of low hits after a reception.

Offense and defense yards are overrated statistics. This one can also be named "Mistakes make losers."  The Cowboys and Chargers are top 5 in both offense and defense for the year, yet they have a combined 3-10 record.  Why?  The Chargers are -7 in turnover margin, the Cowboys are -5 and the Cowboys are also 6^th in penalties and 6^th in total penalty yards.  In fact none of the bottom 5 in turnover margin have a winning record and are a combined 10-23.   The Titans high penalty count helps the bottom 5 of penalties to a combined record of 14-20.  Only three teams are in the bottom 10 of both categories:  Cowboys, Vikings and 49ers.  Combined record?  4-15.

Besides the triplets, what has Cowboys owner Jerry Jones done? The Herschel Walker trade was a blockbuster and made the Dallas Cowboys three time Super Bowl winners, but was that luck?  Jerry Jones record with the triplets (and extra draft picks from the trade):  101-59.  Without: 84-97.  Playoff wins with:  12.  Playoff wins without:  1   So unless Jerry can make some big headway in the next several years, he may go down as a lucky owner who took advantage of the Vikings, and not the football genius that he started his career out as.

Things I know I don't know.

Is the AFC West improving? Both the Raiders and the Chiefs blew out opponents on Sunday.  The Chiefs lost two tough games to the Colts and Texans, but they rebounded well this week.  Jax isn't a great team, but a 20 point win is hard to do in the NFL.  Yes the Raiders have lost to Arizona and San Francisco, yes, yes.  However, they seem to be improving and they haven't played KC, the only team in front of them in the division.  If they beat them twice, they take the lead in the lowly West division.  I'm still trying to soak this in… Did Oakland really beat Denver that bad on Sunday?  Or was that a dream?

What is Eagles coach Andy Reid doing? OK, the original switch to Vick after his great play was easy.  And understanding staying with Kolb to give him a chance is easy, but now switching back to Vick?  Kolb and Vick are going to have nightmares about a call from Andy.   This QB carousel appears to be going from a good situation to possibly a bad one.  Anyone remember who originally said, "When you have two starting quarterbacks, you have none."…   I can't remember??  Anyone?

What's wrong with Drew Brees? Last week Drew looked like he was coming out of the slump he's been in all season, but then this week he had another terrible game.  Yes, one of the four picks by Drew was a long shot down the field at the end of the 2^nd quarter, but there were at least two, maybe three dropped interceptions that was well off the mark and went right through the hands of defenders.  Yes that happens to quarterbacks, but not to Drew Brees.

All the talking that Vikings coach Brad Childress has done recently has not only stirred up a lot of issues with his players, but also now is emptying his own pocket book.

Childress is going to owe the NFL quite a bit of cash for saying the the Sunday night Vikings-Packers game was “the worst officiated game I’ve seen.” For those words, the NFL fined Childress $35,000 for “criticizing officials and disclosing confidential conversations with the officiating department.”

The Viking coach was mostly upset it seemed with a replay reversal of a touchdown catch by Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. He was also upset by a facemask call against right tackle Phil Loadholt and no call on a hold on Jared Allen that allowed Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to scramble for a first down.

Childress first rebuked the officials on the postgame radio show on KFAN. He continued his criticism in his postgame news conference, saying “50 drunks in a bar” would have made the correct call on Shiancoe’s catch.

Childress then said Monday to the media that he spoke to Carl Johnson, the league’s vice president of officiating, about the call on the TE. “I was told this morning that that was a touchdown by Carl Johnson,” Childress said. “He was disappointed to see that reversed.”

An NFL spokesman said he was fined “for violating long-standing league policies that prohibit public criticism of officiating and the disclosure of confidential conversations with the head of the NFL officiating department.”

It all seems to be going downhill for Childress and the team, and now all they have to do is go play the Patriots in New England on Sunday. Ouch.

Last year, I had to plant my foot squarely in my own mouth when I wrote a series of opinion pieces about how signing Favre was going to end up being a business decision that negatively affected this team on the field.

It is beginning to look like my hack blogger prophecies are beginning to come true, albeit a year later than expected.  But believe me when I say I enjoyed being proven wrong last year, as the Vikings were wildly successful, and I find Favre's ill timed decline incredibly frustrating and unfortunate.

The honeymoon is over when it comes to Brett Favre, whether you are a fan of his or not.  Favre has turned the ball over 14 times in the first six games on the way to a 2-4 record.  The four losses were decided by an average of 5.5 points per game, and each was within reach.

Favre currently has a quarterback rating of 68.0 which is good for only 30^th in the league.  Six players with higher quarterback ratings have, at some point in the season, been on the bench because they were deemed not good enough to start by their coaches.

Now, news comes out that Favre was indeed NOT faking an injury on Sunday night and that he is injured.  He now has two fractures in his surgically repaired left foot.  This can be added to an injury list that includes both tendinitis and hyperactive tear ducts.

Just like two weeks ago when I suggested Favre met any and all criteria for why a coach should bench a player, Childress is again presented with an opportunity to make a change at quarterback without public scorn, thanks to the latest news of Favre's extensive injury.

Believe it or not, a week from today, we might just be breaking down Tarvaris Jackson's performance against the Patriots instead of Brett Favre's.

And that might be a good thing.  After all, Favre's only two wins came against teams that are both currently 1-5.

The season is over for Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, as he has a neck injury that might require surgery. The Bengals placed Jones on injured reserve Tuesday with a herniated disk in his neck.

The CB was hurt in the teams Sunday loss to the Falcons 39-32. He was examined by a doctor who indicated that surgery was needed, agent Tom Hunter told The Associated Press. Jones will see other specialists before deciding whether to have surgery, Hunter said. An operation wouldn't necessarily end his career.

"It looks very promising for him," Hunter said. "Do not ever count this man out. He is going to be back."

It was the comeback season for Jones, who spent the entire 2009 season watching after Dallas let him go. The Bengals gave him what amounted to a last chance, signing him to a two-year deal in the offseason.

Jones played well in preseason, winning the job as the third cornerback behind Leon Halland Johnathan Joseph. He also returned punts and kickoffs.

He missed one game with a shoulder injury. With Joseph sidelined by an ankle injury, Jones started against the Falcons and had one of the game's pivotal plays, stripping receiver Roddy White after a catch and returning the ball 59 yards for a touchdown that put the Bengals ahead 25-24.

“Big time players make big time plays in big time games”- Santana Moss


1. Matchup: #6 LSU vs #4 Auburn
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: For the second week in a row, and fifth time this season, Newton rushed for over 150 yards and added two touchdowns on the ground. It was a crucial win for Auburn’s chances to win the Southeastern Conference, and puts Cam Newton atop the Heisman Trophy watch list. He finished the game 10-of-16 passing for 86 yards with 28 carries for 217 yards and two scores.

2. Matchup: #16 Nebraska vs #14 Oklahoma St.
Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska: Freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez played like a seasoned veteran on the road against the Oklahoma State Cowboys; making key throws all over the field. He shook off a poor performance from a week prior against Texas, going 23-of-35 for 323 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 112 yards on the ground. Martinez had a stellar performance and reminds me of a more athletic version of former Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie.

3. Matchup: #22 Kansas State vs Baylor
Jay Finley, RB, Baylor: Though this game had little significance in the overall picture, it was a huge win for the Baylor Bears who have become bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. Jay Finley set a school record with 250 yards on 26 carries with a long run of 82 yards and two scores. Teammate and quarterback Robert Griffin  also gave a career effort going 26-of-38 with 404 yards and four touchdown throws.

4. Matchup: Iowa State vs #19 Texas
Alexander Robinson, RB, Iowa State: Robinson ran with a purpose all day long against the Texas Longhorns, going for a season high 120 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. The Cyclones had not defeated a ranked team on the road since 1990.

5. Matchup: #6 LSU vs #4 Auburn
Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn: Fairley’s stat line was good, 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, but doesn’t tell the whole story. Fairley was unstoppable against the run, drawing constant double teams and holding two gaps inside to clog running lanes for the entire sixty minutes, while adding consistent pressure on both LSU quarterbacks. Extremely impressive.

Honorable Mention: Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon 22-31 308yds 3td. Allen Bailey, DT, Miami 3.5 sacks. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri, 30-42 308yds 1td,

Where did that come from? Earlier in the year, I made it clear that this Raiders team had the potential to beat any team, and to lose to any team. That's the kind of squad that drives a fan crazy, and usually costs a coach his job, because at times, they can look spectacular. And at times, they can look lousy(see 49ers).

On Sunday, you could argue that the Raiders played about as perfect a game as one could possibly play. It was 21-0 midway through the first quarter. In fact, I was out with the family, and when I first saw a score, I thought it said 38-14 Oakland, but it was from a little bit of a distance, so I just assumed I saw wrong, and that it must have actually read 14-3 Denver in the 3rd quarter.

As I walked to the car, I thought, This is going to be a boring game to catch up on later this evening. 4 field goals in the last 6 quarters. Staring at a record of 2-5, I was all ready to put the finishing touches on another Raiders eulogy.

And can you blame me? I mean, 38 points from this Raider offense a week after what we saw against San Fran when they actually played like a bunch of dead men walking is truly shocking. I was never more in favor of the death penalty than after that embarrassment against their Bay Area rivals.

Keep in mind that against the Chargers, they tallied 35 points, but 9 of those came off two blocked punts and another 7 on a fumble return late in the game.

Not that those don't count, but yesterday's score was more indicative of the offense getting their act together. And it all starts with the quarterback. A week after Jason Campbell was given last rites after the worst showing of his career, he was given CPR and revived in Denver. Someone should check his DNA. Actually, don't.

And with Jason making plays in the pocket, that opened up the running game. Or maybe it was the running game that helped Jason. Either way, Darren Mcfadden has finally made it clear that he won’t be following in JaMarbust Russell's footsteps. In fact, on Sunday, the only footsteps McFadden saw, or should I say heard, were the ones chasing him from behind. Almost 200 total yards and 4 touchdowns. To put that in perspective, Justin Fargas led the Raiders in touchdowns last year with 4. McFadden led them in 2008 with 4. Heck, in 2006, the offense scored 12 touchdowns ALL YEAR!

The former top pick is having a Pro Bowl-type year, with 750 total yards and 6 touchdowns on the season. But more than that, he has become the threat the Raiders not only thought he'd be, but the one they have to have in order to keep the morticians at bay.

When a team has been on a downward spiral as long and nightmarish as the Raiders have been on, it's all about baby steps–as long as those baby steps are the ones chasing McFadden into the end zone, and out of the Gates of Hell. We've been there for way too long.