NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Senior writer jclombardi highlights Packers headlines.

Packers employ ‘beefy front’ on defensive line to kill run game: Packers' three-nose-tackle defensive new personnel grouping could become another change-of-pace package for defensive coordinator Dom Capers against several run-oriented opponents in the season's stretch drive. Capers unveiled the new grouping last week against Dallas. It's his base 3-4 defense, only with recently acquired NT Green at defensive end in place of Jenkins. That defensive front is especially difficult to run against because there are in essence three nose tackles in the middle of the line: Raji (337 pounds) over center, and Pickett (340 pounds) and Green (360 pounds) over the offensive tackles. Capers deploys defensive personnel based on the groupings the offense puts on the field, so he only plays his 3-4 base when the offense has run-oriented personnel on the field. The Packers also like the grouping because if they use it several snaps or more a game on early downs, it rests Jenkins, which should help his pass rushing in the fourth quarter. Maybe it will become the first-down version of the psycho defense that Capers uses occasionally on third downs.

Tauscher On Injured Reserve; Havner Re-Signed: Veteran right tackle Mark Tauscher had missed the last five games with a shoulder injury. To fill his roster spot, the Packers brought back Spencer Havner. Tauscher started four games this year before sustaining a shoulder injury. Tauscher couldn't rehab himself back into shape, and with the emergence of first-round pick Bryan Bulaga, the Packers decided they couldn't save the roster spot any longer. The Packers filled the roster spot by re-signing tight end Spencer Havner. We reported on Tuesday that Havner would be brought back before the team resumes practice on Monday. Havner will add some punch at tight end. Quarless is battling a shoulder injury. Quarless, Lee and Crabtree have combined for only 17 catches in nine games. Havner caught five touchdowns last season including the playoffs. Plus, he'll fortify the coverage units on special teams. He ranked third on the team with 20 special-teams tackles last season.

Kampman season ends: Former Packers defensive end Kampman brought leadership, tenacity, production and a strong work ethic to Jacksonville’s defense this season. Kampman tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during practice leaving the Jaguars without their best pass rusher and their defensive leader. He will be placed on injured reserve.

Commentary: Losing RT Tauscher for the season and maybe seeing the end of his career is a tough one.  Seeing Kampman suffering another injured acl on a different knee was tough too.  Wisely, the Packers added Havner to make up the offensive loss and to help on special teams.  The season in the NFL goes on and moves on.

In Week 10, all four NFC West teams will be squaring off against divisional opponents.  The Cardinals (3-5), of course, draw the Seahawks (4-4) in Arizona.  The Rams (4-4) will travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers (2-6).  The outcome of these two games could determine quite a bit for the division in the coming weeks.

We've already discussed the implications this game holds for the Cardinals, which aren't hard to determine.  To recap quickly, Arizona can ill afford to drop to 3-6, which would mean that Seattle holds a 2-game lead over the Cardinals.  With just seven games left to play, it would be quite difficult to crawl back to .500 after being 1.5 games below that mark.  The Cardinals would have to win five of their remaining seven games just to pull back to .500 at the end of the season, which may not be good enough anyway if the Seahawks or Rams make it to 9-7.  After a Week 10 loss, there would be no reason to think Arizona would suddenly turn things around after losing four straight games.  Needless to say, the Cardinals must have this one against the Seahawks.

Looking at the other match up this week, the 49ers and Rams make for an interesting situation.  From Arizona's perspective, it would be immediately beneficial for San Francisco to defeat St. Louis because if the Cards beat the Hawks, it would bring Arizona to a three-way tie for first place with the Seahawks and the Rams.  It would also mean, though, that the 49ers move to 3-6 with seven games left on the schedule.  In order for San Francisco to be relevant, they would presumably have to improve to at least 8-8 to finish the season.  This means they'd have to win five of their last seven; a tall order for any team, but the 49ers have quietly won two of their last three games.  New starting quarterback Troy Smith has apparently given the 49ers a reason to believe again.  You never know.

If the Rams and Seahawks both win, they would both move to 5-4, likely making the rest of the season a two-horse race.  I don't think anyone predicted those two horses battling it out for the NFC West title.  The Cardinals would drop to 3-6 and the 49ers would fall to 2-7, making it hard to imagine either team putting together a push to become relevant after those records.

Week 10, therefore, seems like a turning point in the division.  We'll have to see how it plays out.  The Cardinals and 49ers are both fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive at home against the division's co-leaders.

The Minnesota Vikings are coming to Chicago..and they're bringing more drama than a night on the town with the cast of the Jersey Shore:

• The Brett Favre 'sexting' scandal
• The Randy Moss trade and subsequent release
• A potential player mutiny against their coach

A Bears win would pretty much slam the door on Minnesota's playoff hopes, knocking them 3 games back in the NFC North.

How will they fare? Here are 6 matchups that will determine the Bears' fate…

1) Adrian Peterson vs. the Entire Bears Defense

Any chance of beating the Vikings starts with containing AP. The Bears have been stout against the run so far this year. But besides Ahmad Bradshaw of the Giants (who ran for 129 vs. the Bears) Urlacher and crew haven't seen a running back like Peterson. AP has averaged 122 yards a game over his career vs. Chicago. It'll take the entire D-line, LBs and run support from Bears safeties to corral Peterson.

• Advantage: Vikings

2) Viking WRs vs. Bears DBs

Does the wide-receiving tandem of Bernard Berrian and Greg Camarillo scare you? If Percy Harvin (migraines) and Sidney Rice (hip) don't play, that duo would have to carry the receiving load for Brett Favre. Even if one or both of the injured guys can go, the Bears will get a boost with the return of CB Zack Bowman and the increased playing time of Major Wright.

• Advantage: Bears

3) Julius Peppers vs. MIN Tackle Bryant McKinnie.

During a Sunday night game last year vs. the Vikings, then-Carolina Panther Julius Peppers owned McKinnie to the tune of one sack, one batted pass and 5 QB hurries, which led to McKinnie ultimately getting benched. As Bears fans learned early this season, Peppers can control games without even registering a sack. If he can entice the Viking tackles into holding penalties, false starts and drawing of double-teams, Peppers will have effectively tormented Chilly's offense.

• Advantage: Bears

4) Jay Cutler vs. Brett Favre.

I'm putting the over-under on total INTs in this one at 4. Whichever gunslinger makes the least amount of mistakes will likely come out on top. If the Bears are able to muster any kind of running game whatsoever, it should benefit the Bears passing game by cutting down on Cutler attempts. Favre leads the league in INTs with 13. Cutler had his first INT-less game in a month, which probably means he's due for a stinker.

• Advantage: Push

5) The Mullet and Williams Wall vs. The Fighting Mike Tices

Olin Kruetz was limited in practice this week. Assuming he can go on Sunday, he'll need to mentor Chris Williams as the duo tackles the dreaded Williams Wall. With only a few games under his belt at left guard, Williams will face his toughest challenge when he tries to push back on the Vikings' massive defense tackles. On the outside, rookie right tackle Jamarcus Webb gets his first taste of purple. The suddenly pedestrian Jared Allen will battle Frank Omiyale and is probably due for a breakout game. The Bears line may serve as the perfect remedy for #69.

• Advantage: Vikings

6) MIN Punter Chris Kluwe vs. Devin Hester.

The Bears need big plays from their D, special teams or offense to hang with the Vikes. Chances are the Bears offense won't be able to matriculate the ball down the field with regularity, so it's going to take a big play to keep Chicago in the game. Who better to make that game-changing play than the Windy City Flyer…assuming he's able to get his hands on a punt.

• Advantage: Push (MIN won't kick the ball anywhere near Hester)

Prediction

I think the Vikings' defense will contain the Bears offense and force a tide-turning turnover that will lead directly to a Minnesota touchdown.

Vikings: 28
Bears: 20

If you don't already know, Nate Allen will be unable to play this Monday against the Redskins, so rookie Kurt Coleman will get the start in his place.

Coleman was able to see a pretty good amount of time on the field against the Colts in relief of Allen and did a pretty good job. However, it's going to be a different situation with him expected to play all four quarters for the Eagles this week.

In the preseason, Coleman was one of the Eagles who really stood out. He originally made his mark by throwing his body around and making some big hits, and highlighted his preseason efforts by recording two touchdowns against the Jets.

Again, this is going to be a completely different situation for him as he'll be running against a first team offense in a regular season game.

Coleman will have a few advantages in his first start. For one, he's pretty much known he'd be the starter since the Colts game ended. He's going against a quarterback the Eagles know very well and was already able to witness this team first hand earlier in the season.

As mentioned, Donovan McNabb is no stranger to the Eagles. They know his strengths. One of which is throwing the ball down field. The most important job any safety has is not letting people get behind them. With a strong-armed quarterback like McNabb, this will be crucial for Coleman. I'd much rather see him let up a 20 yard reception where he keeps the play in front of him, rather then a 60 yard touchdown where he gets burnt.

Another thing Coleman will have to keep an eye on is Redskins tight end Chris Cooley. Covering the tight end is something the Eagles have continually had a problem with and Cooley is one of the better tight ends in the league.

Cooley has always been good at releasing off the line and finding a seam in the middle of the field. If a linebacker gets beat by Cooley on Monday, Coleman is going to have to step up and make a play.

Coleman will also be responsible for providing help over the top. When the Eagles played the Titans, we saw what can happen when a corner struggles and a safety doesn't provide good help. It makes an average receiver look like a superstar. Coleman will probably be asked to provide coverage over the top for Dimitri Patterson and needs to make sure he puts himself in the right position when asked to do so.

With Patterson making only his second start, and Coleman making his first, McNabb will look to throw that way often. Coleman has to be ready to make plays, and make McNabb pay when he throws his direction.

I'm sure that Coleman is very excited to make his first NFL start, but he needs to be focused in the secondary and play smart football. A poor outing from him could be devastating.

With Terrell Owens and Chad OchoCinco coming to town, the Indianapolis Colts secondary better know what is coming to them. Jerraud Powers knows that. Powers said he is ready to play, according to the Indianapolis Star.

"I should play this week. I'll be practicing," Powers said Wednesday.

Jim Caldwell said he was very cautious with Powers. The Colts currently stand at 5-3 as they host the 2-6 disappointing Cincinnati Bengals. Powers participated in all the drills this week for the first time since his injury versus the Washington Redskins back in the middle of October.

Owens currently has 55 catches for about 800 yards and seven touchdowns. Powers knows what is coming to him.

"I think I'll probably see T.O. a lot," Powers said. "Him being an Alabama native and me being an Alabama native, it will be interesting."

Clint Session Is Day-To-Day

We are unsure if Clint Session will be playing this Sunday. He suffered from a very painful elbow injury against the Houston Texans about two weeks ago in Indy's 30-17 Monday Night win.

"I couldn't even explain the pain. It was excruciating pain," said Session, the Colts' biggest hitter. "But it's football; things happen. I was able to have a little injury, go in there, keep going, keep playing. It didn't stop me too much.

"Sometimes that adrenaline gets you in trouble."

Session says he hopes to play, but it could all just be major optimism.

"Day by day," he said.

Blair White Questionable

From NBC Sports:

I’m glad that I took some time to process and digest just what I saw last night. I was still a bit stunned by the last six minutes of game. and it takes some time to think rationally. I progressed from jubilation to disbelief in a matter of moments. That type of emotional swing is never a good thing when it comes to analysis. You have to try and separate your feelings and look at things as objectively as possible.

I’ll do my best.

Why did the Ravens defense yet again fail to protect a lead?

There are several reasons as to the the breakdown and collapse. First, quite simply they were spent. The short week treated fans to a Half of lousy football. Matt Ryan was able to dink and dunk his way to 10 points in the early stages but the bigger stat was that his team dominated Time of Possession. Atlanta controlled the clock 35 minutes compared to Baltimore’s 24.

Secondly, I’ll point at finger at Greg Mattison for his defensive selections on the last drive. However let me start by saying that Mattison is a convenient target. I know the arguments against him – he plays too basic, hardly ever uses deceptive schemes and his defense doesn’t generate enough turnovers. It’s valid. But you also have to make plays. For example he blitzed on the first touchdown drive and Dawan Landry simply didn’t tackle well enough to keep Jason Snelling out of the endzone. That’s not his fault.

The eternal question on defense at the end of the game is – should you blitz or play a zone? Matty, a guy who usually plays it safe rolled the dice on the last few plays and came up empty. The Falcons picked up the blitz and 5′7″ Josh Wilson was left to guard one of the best receivers in the league in Roddy White one on one. So next time you complain about a team that plays Prevent just remember last night. It’s the flip side of the argument.

Lastly, the players must make plays. Terrell Suggs had his best game of the year, Ray Lewis still has his moments, Haloti Ngata has been a beast to contain and Ed Reed is one of the most instinctive players in the game. But who else this year has made a big play for the defense?

No one comes to mind.

The defense can still be effective but they shown cracks and if you don’t pay attention to those faults they turn into gaping holes. A combination of things are going to have to occur to have Baltimore improve in this area and most of them can’t happen until the off-season. But think about this quote post-game from Joe Flacco, “I gave Matt Ryan too much time on the clock.”

When did 90 seconds become too much time for this defense?

What can the Ravens do about the Return game?

It seems like I ask this question each week – Win or Lose. The Ravens average six yards a punt return – last in the AFC. It seems like a revolving door back there from Lardarius Webb to David Reed to Ed Reed. Is Jermaine Lewis doing anything these days?

Nothing has worked and if it isn’t a turnover it’s a penalty for a block in the back. It’s maddening as a fan and I’m sure John Harbaugh, who’s background is in Special Team play, has to be at a loss for the issues the unit has even more.

One thing I would suggest is to pick a player and stick with him. This idea of a new contestant each attempt is getting a bit comical. Figure out who your best option is and let them go at it. David Reed showed some burst and Donte Stallworth also has speed to spare. Get those guys some reps as the main returners and see what happens.

What about the penalties during last night’s game?

Ron Winter and his crew are off my Christmas list. Winter, we last saw during the infamous “Tom Brady whines and gets a call because he touched my shin game” back during Week Four in 2009.

His group had a few doozies that rival those phantom Quarterback penalties against the Patriots. The no call that lead to the game winning touchdown was, as my colleague Jonathan Scruggs described it, “shameful” White clearly extends his arm, pushes the smaller Wilson to the ground and waltzes into the endzone laughing all the way.

What upsets me even more was White’s admission of guilt in the locker room. He knew he got away with one but what can anyone do about it?

The penalty against Terrell Suggs for a Facemask was absurd as the replay showed Jason Snelling with a handful of Suggs’ mask yanking it back and forth as he tried to get to Ryan. At the very least it’s an off-setting penalty and not a free Fifteen for the offense.

Did the calls effect the outcome of the game? Hmm maybe. If White is called for Offensive Pass interference Atlanta is at the Ravens 43-yd line with about 25 seconds left and still need to make at least one play.

I also have to point out that the Ravens were flagged 6 times for 51 penalty yards while the Falcons received 1 penalty. ONE.

What did you think about the NFL Network’s broadcast of the game?

The league always does a great job of promoting itself and the presentation was solid but over excessive. Six hours of coverage? The Super Bowl isn’t until February, right?

The game itself turned out to be great television though the First Half was in a word- boring. Luckily things picked up and the Falcons relinquished a 13 point lead to Flacco and crew. No doubt the ratings will be sky high and will probably cause the NFL to consider Wednesday night football in the next contract.

The three man announcing crew of Papa, Theismann and Millen were mind nummingly awful. I’ll try my best to be fair but it’s going to be tough.

Bob Papa seems decent enough as your host with the most but he comes off too much like a sports announcer and not a football announcer. I know he did work with the New York Football Giants but you have to know that Flacco plays for the Ravens and not the Falcons. Check your flip card Bob.

I will say that Papa should receive hazard pay working with Millen and Theismann. Papa is like the villian in the movie, “Dumb and Dumber”, who gets so upset with Harry and Lloyd as they belt out “Mockingbird” that he constantly yells at them and must take his pills or risk certain death.

Theismann actually has some good insights- sometimes. However his mistakes are often huge and he never makes an effort to correct himself. He called the Ravens – Raiders. He had no idea how to say Haloti Ngata’s name and each time he said it he butchered it worse. He told viewers that the Ravens were set to run left just as Baltimore ran a reverse to the right. Guess they faked Joe out too?

The worst of all was the constant man crush he displayed Matt Ryan. Even if he would have heaped that type of praise on Joe Flacco I still would be forced to make fun of it. He said that wanted a DVD of all of Ryan’s throws so he could watch them later. No doubt with a fine wine as he would be settled down by a crackling fire. Ugh. This comment was made right after Ryan sailed a screen pass over his teammates heads on the sidelines.

But I save the worst for the last – Millen. He has proven to be just as good a commentator as he was an NFL executive. I’ve never heard a commentator talk so negatively about the players on the field. He described Flacco’s happy feet when he gets pressured. Instead I would have said that Flacco tends to escape to the edges instead of stepping into the pocket, which he did later in the game.

He also piled on with the Matty Ice love as well. Simply put he made me want to hear Bryant Gumbel again.

Who was the Offensive player of the game?

Anquan Boldin has emerged as leader on this team. His tirade on the sidelines to fire up his teammates worked. I would like to see the offense target him even more. I’m all for spreading it around but you need to get the ball to your stars in big games (see Roddy White). Flacco was tough in the clutch and rebounded from a poor first half where he mostly was trying not to get pancaked. This was another in a line of “almost” game winning drives that were undone due to the defense, a dropped pass, or a missed kick. He’s got flaws but he’s going to get even better.

Who was the Defensive player of the game?

Terrell Suggs. Had two sacks and could have had a third. He always seems to amp up the volume in National games and he brought his best last night.

Monday Night Football Line