Training Camp Update

Volume 3, Issue 5 – 8/30/07

Training Camps are in full swing and we want you to feel like you have attended every practice and seen every preseason game.

To keep all our Footballguys subscribers on top of everything, we've created our incredibly detailed Camp Updates. They're an exhaustive look each week covering every bit of news you need to know to stay completely on top of every team. Quite simply, they're the key to Dominating Your Draft.

This is the last of five training camp updates from us.  We break down every team's skill positions and position battles. It's the stuff you'd see if you were there at every camp.  This Camp Update was created by our own Bob Henry and reflects the most up-to-date info regarding each of these teams.

Happy reading and let's have a great 2007 season,

Joe Bryant and David Dodds

Owners, Footballguys.com

Arizona Cardinals

QB: If the Cardinals defense doesn’t fare much better than this week, giving up over 500 yards to the Chargers offense, the Cardinals offense may just have to be more productive out of necessity. The Cardinals started out on the right foot Saturday night. Their first two drives resulted in 10 points. A 50-yard FG by Neil Rackers followed by an 80-yard TD to Anquan Boldin from Matt Leinart, who stepped up into the pocket to avoid pressure then found Boldin wide open down the field. Boldin outran the defenders for the TD. Leinart finished 10-of-16 for 196 yards. Kurt Warner fumbled on his first series, then settled down and drove the team on a 10-play, 77-yard drive that pulled the Cards within three at 27-24 late in the third quarter. Shayne Boyd, playing in the fourth quarter, hit Matt Trannon for a 5-yard TD that appeared to be the game-winner with 1:05 to play. Unfortunately, the defense let the cat out of the bag and Billy Volek led the Chargers 53-yards on 7 plays for a 37-yard FG with 2 seconds to go. Warner completed 6-of-7 passes for 78 yards in a little more than a quarter. Boyd finished 4-of-7 for 45 yards. Also last week, the team cut Toby Korrodi and signed Lang Campbell.

RB: The Cardinals got 26 yards rushing on seven carries out of J.J. Arrington. Edgerrin James didn’t play and Marcel Shipp got the start. Shipp ran for 10 yards on six carries. Steve Baylark managed 7 yards on three carries late in the game. Needless to say, the Cardinals didn’t get very far on the ground against the Chargers stout run defense. Arrington is doing what he can to evolve into a specialist for the Cardinals. He will probably get some third down opportunities this year and remain involved on special teams, returning some kicks. He may also lineup in various spots on first down to run, be a decoy, block or catch the ball. "That's the whole idea," Cardinals running-backs coach Maurice Carthon said. "He's got a lot of athletic ability, he can make plays, and he's an explosive guy, so we'd like to try and give him some of those opportunities in the game."The Cardinals announced on Thursday that they have reached an injury settlement with fullback A.J. Schable and have subsequently released him.

WR: Anquan Boldin was the player of the game for the Cardinals against San Diego. He wound up with 143 yards on five catches, but without question, it was his 80-yard TD that was most impressive. Boldin found himself wide open behind Quentin Jammer at San Diego’s 40-yard line, where he caught the ball and outran the Chargers defense for the score. "We wanted to come out and make a statement," Boldin said at halftime. "Everybody around the league knows that the third preseason game is like a dress rehearsal, so we wanted to come out and show everybody what we were capable of." "Anquan's had a great camp," Coach Whisenhunt said. "He's one of the best players on our team. He's a leader." Bryant Johnson, who had one catch for 41 yards, was among several veterans that Whisenhunt pointed out as having a strong preseason; others were Shipp, Arrington, LT Mike Gandy and C Al Johnson. Rookie Steve Breaston has earned the nod returning punts and could serve as a kick returner down the road. "I think it's pretty obvious that Steve has distanced himself from everybody else," Whisenhunt said of Breaston's punt return abilities. Ahmad Merritt underwent surgery a week ago Monday to repair a dislocation fracture of his right ankle. Rookie receiver Matt Trannon had 3-40-1 against the Chargers. His TD catch with 1 minute left appeared to be the game-winner, but of course, there proved to be two seconds too many left on the clock.

TE: Leonard Pope caught one ball for 4 yards. Tim Euhus had one for 4 yards. Troy Bienemann had the most productive game with 4 catches for 40 yards.

Defense: The Cardinals defense allowed 506 yards of offense to San Diego, who was playing without star RB LaDainian Tomlinson. HC Ken Whisenhunt said before the game that this would be a great measuring stick for his team to see how they respond against the defending AFC West champs. After taking his lumps, he looked for all things positive, and a little bit of coachspeak in his post game interview. "What I found out from our defense tonight was they never gave up," Whisenhunt said. "That's a good offensive football team out there, too. They've got a lot of weapons. We knew it was going to be difficult." The Cardinals only real bright spot was a pair of turnovers forced deep in their red zone. LB Gerald Hayes recovered one fumble and forced the other. "Our defense made some plays tonight that kept us in the game," Whisenhunt said.

DT/DE Chris Cooper has been one of the more productive linemen during the preseason for Arizona. He finished with a 5-0-0 tally against San Diego while Karlos Dansby, the team’s best linebacker, had 5-0-0 and Aaron Francisco 5-5-0. Francisco lost the battle for the starting free safety job to Terrence Holt, who finished the game with 2 tackles. CB Antrel Rolle was bumped out of the starting lineup by Rod Hood, but Rolle isn’t sitting back now, he’s fighting for his job back. "That's the coach's decision," Rolle said of the move. "I just gotta go and play my game and be the player I know I can be. i have a lot of things to work on." LB David Holloway had the team’s only sack for the night.

Special Teams: Against San Diego, kicker Neil Rackers made a 50-yard field goal for his second successful 50+-yard field goal of the preseason. He also added four PATs as the Cardinals got on the scoreboard often. RB J.J. Arrington remains the starting kickoff returner, and solidified that status with a 70-yard return against the Chargers. Rookie WR Steve Breaston remains the backup kickoff returner. He had plenty of opportunities in this week’s game, averaging 23.8 yards on five returns. He hurt his chances of overtaking Arrington when he fumbled the ball after running into a team mate on a kickoff return. Prior to the game, HC Ken Whisenhunt noted, “[Breaston] has done a good job for two weeks. I feel good about the depth there.” Breaston does however remain the starting punt returner. He fielded on punt for a fair catch against the Chargers.

Cardinals Depth Chart
QB: Matt Leinart, Kurt Warner, Shayne Boyd, Lang Campbell
RB: Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington (KR/3RB), Diamond Ferri, Steve Baylark
FB: Terrelle Smith, Tim Castille, BranDon Snow, Roshon Vercher
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Bryant Johnson, Sean Morey, Steve Breaston (PR), Matt Trannon, Michael Spurlock (KR), LeRon McCoy, Ahmad Merritt (IR)
TE: Leonard Pope, Troy Bienemann, Ben Patrick, Tim Euhus, Alex Shor
K: Neil Rackers
DT: Gabe Watson (NT), Alan Branch (NT), Chris Cooper, Ross Kolodziej, Jonathan Lewis (inj)
DE: Darnell Dockett (DT), Bertrand Berry (W/DE), Antonio Smith, Joe Tafoya, Rodney Bailey
ILB: Gerald Hayes, Karlos Dansby (W), Buster Davis, Monty Beisel, Pago Togafau, Nathan Hodel
OLB: Calvin Pace (S), Darryl Blackstock (W), Brandon Johnson, David Holloway, Chike Okeafor (S)(inj)
CB: Eric Green, Antrel Rolle, Roderick Hood, Darrell Hunter, Ralph Brown, Justin Wyatt, Michael Adams
S: Adrian Wilson (SS), Terrence Holt (FS), Aaron Francisco (FS), Brandon Keeler (SS), Matt Ware (FS), Oliver Celestin (SS)

Atlanta Falcons

QB: D.J. Shockley’s release due to a knee injury has unsettled the backup QB position. Joey Harrington is definitely the starter, but according to Steve Wyche of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the team is iffy on Chris Redman at #2 and Casey Bramlet at #3. If a viable prospect becomes available during cut downs over the next week, they may bring in another QB to compete for the backup QB role. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is optimistic about his offense’s chances on Monday Night Football vs. Cincinnati: “You’ve had two preseason games. The first one, obviously, you hope you get some of the cobwebs out. The second one you play a little bit better. The third one is to kind of get ready for the season. So, obviously, it’s a big game for our offensive football team. We want to go out and play well in our home stadium and get our home stadium started off in a good fashion.” Joey Harrington also commented “I feel like we’re making good strides. We’ve got to get our guys back in the lineup. We’ve had a few key injuries and guys have been missing for a little while. It’s nice to see them back on the field and kind of getting into a rhythm. I think they’ve done a pretty good job of staying with it up to this point and studying. I think it’s going to be a smooth transition. I’m just excited to see everybody out there at full strength. We’ve moved the ball very well as a first offense. I’m just excited to see us do it as a full group.”

RB: Jerious Norwood and Warrick Dunn are expected to be the core of the Falcon’s RB rotation, with Jason Snelling (who has played quite a bit during preseason) possibly filling the #3 role. Steve Wyche (linked above) reports that Snelling may be getting some competition depending on who becomes available when other teams make their first round of cuts leading into the final preseason games around the league. On Friday 8/24/07, Norwood was limited to about 1/3 of his usual reps due to an ongoing stomach problem (virus)/concerns about dehydration. Due to his extended absence from practice and light practice load since then, Dunn will start the Monday Night Football game vs. Cincinnati. According to an Atlanta Journal Constitution article by Craig Custance, Norwood will play on Monday, but in a short appearance. Coach Petrino stated "[Norwood] will probably have a limited role, but he's certainly ready to go. After yesterday's practice [the blood levels] were good. We gave him just about the same practice today as we did yesterday, didn't increase him at all." Warrick Dunn spoke about his role in the offense this year on Friday August 24^th: "In years past I caught a lot of balls, and I'm trying to get back to that. We haven't really discussed anything. I think the more [Petrino] sees me out there running around catching balls, running out of the backfield, he's going to figure out ways to utilize me."

As a side note, Dunn briefly addressed the Falcons’ reaction to Michael Vick’s plea deal last Friday: “I don't think anyone is really concerned about it. There will be some reports and people will talk about it, but I think everyone here is focused on football. We can't control anything that happens that's not here.”

WR: Laurent Robinson has been limited in practice this week due to a hamstring injury, and sat out Thursday and Friday’s sessions: "He's real close," Coach Petrino said of Robinson on Friday. "We're probably being real cautious about it making sure he doesn't have a setback." Joe Horn stated that the Monday Night Football game vs. Cincinnati is a chance for the Falcons to give their fans hope: "The die-hard fans are going to be out because they have season tickets and they're die-hard fans regardless if Mike is here or Joey Harrington is the quarterback. There are going to be fans that support Atlanta and support the Falcons. But there are going to be some fans with some issues. I don't know what Joey Harrington is going to do. I don't know about Joe Horn. I don't know about the team in general or the coaching staff. That's what I love about this game so much. You get to practice out here, behind closed doors, and you get to put together an offense and defense that cares about each other. And on Monday night, we can show the world what we can do, so a lot of talk can ease down and so that we can give some fans some hope."

TE: Despite his absence from the lineup during training camp due to an ongoing left knee rehab (arthroscopic surgery), Alge Crumpler remains the Falcon’s #1 option at TE. Dwayne Blakley has played well in his chances this preseason and has cemented his hold on the #2 spot, while Martrez Millner and Daniel Fells are both fighting for a roster spot – one of those two will be on the team, and the Falcons might keep both. Coach Petrino is anxious to get Crumpler on the field with Warrick Dunn and the rest of the offense, saying on Friday "As far as knowing our identity, I don't think we're there yet. We've got to be able to hand the ball to Warrick and see how you use [tight end] Alge [Crumpler]. We need to really develop how we're going to run the ball and utilize the play-action [pass] to Alge."

Defense: Rookie DT Trey Lewis (6^th round pick) has been impressive during camp – the team is working him at DT in anticipation of having Lewis rush the passer. “I always set very high expectations. You usually don't exceed them that much," coach Petrino commented about Lewis on Friday. "But Trey, he's on track. He's really doing a nice job as far as his ability to come off and attack the blocker. He's strong and he shows very good agility." On Friday, the Falcons waived veteran LB Orlando Huff – cross him off your deep sleeper list. Demorrio Williams, returning to the lineup from a torn chest muscle, is expected to start during the Monday Night game vs. Cincinnati: “I love to play football,” Williams said. “So, when you’re out there and see your teammates running around and then you get another opportunity to step out on the field it’s always good to kind of heal you, kind of get yourself back into it. The main thing is I just kept my faith and kept working in the offseason. I just knew if I stuck with it and didn’t let it get me down I’d be OK.”

Special Teams: Kicker Billy Cundiff made a 37 yard field goal and added three PATs against Cincinnati. As suspected, when long field goal attempts arose, the Falcons turned to punter Michael Koenen. He missed both attempts wide left, from 53 and 54 yards. He has shown in the past that he can make the long ones, so he’ll probably still fill that role in the regular season, along with handling kickoffs again. Just when it looks like young WR Adam Jennings has supplanted CB Allen Rossum on returns, the old man reminds us he’s still there. Rossum had an impressive 59 yard kickoff return, and averaged 9.5 yards on two punt returns against the Bengals. Jennings averaged 3.0 yards on three punt returns. WR Noriaki Kinoshita averaged 20.0 yards on two kickoff returns. He’s a long shot to make the final roster.

Falcons Depth Chart
QB: Joey Harrington, Chris Redman, Casey Bramlet, D.J. Shockley (IR), Michael Vick (susp)
RB: Warrick Dunn, Jerious Norwood (inj), Jason Snelling, Justin Vincent, Taurean Henderson, Sha-Ron Edwards, Arlen Harris
FB: Ovie Mughelli, Corey McIntyre
WR: Michael Jenkins, Joe Horn, Roddy White, Laurent Robinson, Adam Jennings, Vincent Marshall, Eric Weems, Eric Newman, Noriaki Kinoshita (KR), Otis Amey, Brian Finneran (IR), Jamin Elliot (IR)
TE: Alge Crumpler, Dwayne Blakely, Martrez Milner, Daniel Fells
K: Billy Cundiff
DT: Grady Jackson (NT), Rod Coleman (inj), Darrell Shropshire (NT), Jonathan Babineaux, T.J. Jackson (NT), Trey Lewis (NT), Montavius Stanley, David Patterson
DE: John Abraham, Chauncey Davis, Jamaal Anderson, Paul Carrington, Josh Mallard, Nic Clemons
MLB: Keith Brooking (W), Jordan Beck, Tony Taylor
OLB: Michael Boley (S), Demorrio Williams (W)(inj), Stephen Nicholas (W), Marcus Wilkins (S), John Leake (S), Travis Williams
CB: DeAngelo Hall, Chris Houston, Lewis Sanders, Allen Rossum (KR), David Irons, Brent Grimes, Antoine Harris
S: Lawyer Milloy (SS), Chris Crocker (FS), Jimmy Williams (FS), Daren Stone (FS), Omare Lowe (IR)

Baltimore Ravens

QB: The Ravens hope their game on Saturday against the Redskins is no indication of what the regular season will be like. Steve McNair took some hard shots from the Skins, including a near miss from safety Sean Taylor who nearly knocked McNair out in second quarter. The Ravens offensive line was beaten all night, and the RBs didn’t help either by failing to pick up the blitz from the edges allowing free rushing lanes to McNair. McNair returned to the field with 9:07 left in the first half and finally led the team to a scoring drive – their only TD of the first half on a 6-yard TD to Derrick Mason. The Ravens went three-and-out on McNair’s last series. McNair finished 14-of-19 for 98 yards with 6 yards rushing. Kyle Boller only threw two passes in his brief play before the game was called due to inclement weather in the second half. Boller threw one interception.

RB: The Baltimore Suns reports that Mike Anderson is now listed as the No. 2 RB on the Baltimore Ravens depth chart. Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun thinks Anderson and Smith smell blood amidst the continuing struggles of McGahee with the first team offense. Anderson played well and continued to get the tough yards against the Redskins as he’s done in previous games and Smith is finally showing the kind of acceleration he had last year before he got hurt again. Smith ran for 27 yards on two carries and caught two balls for 15 yards. Anderson ran for 9 yards on three carries and caught one ball for 3 yards.

Perhaps McGahee is just a slow starter or is saving himself for the regular season. The Ravens hope so. DE Trevor Pryce did the same thing last year – when he was not impressive in the preseason but was super effective in the regular season. McGahee rushed for 12 yards on four carries against the Redskins before he being pulled at the end of the first quarter. In three preseason games, McGahee has rushed 14 times for 35 yards. While it’s not exactly fair, if you take away his 16-yarder against the Eagles, he’s gained only 19 yards on 13 carries. Regardless, Billick isn’t too concerned. "I'm very pleased with what Willis has done," HC Brian Billick said. "A back has to get into a rhythm." Billick continued to reassure those questioning McGahee’s slow start. "You have to get into a flow when you're running the ball," Coach Billick said. "We'll look at it and we have to run the ball more consistently. We did a couple of things in the second half, but we have to get better. It's tough when you get behind in the pitch count." Also adding to the Ravens woes offensively were false starts by four different players: TE Todd Heap, guard Chris Chester and tackles Adam Terry and Jared Gaither. Reserve RB P.J. Daniels continued to rest his sore hamstring that he tweaked during warm-ups of the preseason opener. RB/PR Cory Ross missed some practice time last week because of the flu.

WR: Derrick Mason led the Ravens receiving corps with 5-31-1 on Saturday night. Demetrius Williams had a pair of catches for 29 yards and that was the brunt of it for the Ravens on the weather-shortened evening. Mark Clayton is expected to miss the rest of the preseason with a sprained ankle. He said last Tuesday that he expects to be ready and play in the team’s regular season opener on September 10. With Clayton out of action, Mason and Williams started for the Ravens.

TE: Todd Heap started on Saturday and caught one ball for 10 yards. Daniel Wilcox returned to practice last week after missing more than two weeks with a sprained ankle. Reserve Quinn Sypniewski has filled in for Wilcox as the team’s no. 2 TE during that span. He caught one ball for 3 yards against the Redskins on Saturday.

Defense: The Ravens defense continues to be the strength of the team this preseason. It’s not like the team needs another player to emerge to be among the league’s best units, but DT Haloti Ngata has been a beast throughout training camp. When the Ravens drafted the behemoth tackle, his weight was an obvious concern, but he reported to camp at a svelte 342 lbs (below his target of 345). At times, Nagata has been removed from the practice field because he’s been too disruptive for the Ravens running game. Rookie LB Antwan Barnes also has the team excited. It looks like he could get some work in pass rushing situations this year. The team’s fourth round pick has shown great quickness and explosion off the edge. Barnes’ ability to drop back into coverage in the flat and over the middle will help him get on the field, too. The coaching staff envisions using Barnes opposite Terrell Suggs. Ray Lewis led the Ravens with 4 tackles against Washington and remains a fixture in the middle of the defense. Bart Scot forced a fumble and finished with 4-2-0 while Dwan Edwards and Kelly Gregg each finished with 3-1-0. Corner Samari Rolle has been battling the injury bug while Ngata has been favoring his left knee, having it wrapped at times last week during practice sessions. Subbing for Rolle, David Pittman was given a chance to redeem himself against the Redskins after he came up short trying to win the nickel job last season. Pittman could be fighting for his last shot at a roster spot. "It's definitely his time to step up, and he knows that," DC Rex Ryan said. Rookie LB Prescott Burgess, another youngster who the team is excited about, sustained a concussion in the first half of Saturday’s game. Ed Reed suffered a bruised thigh and DT Trevor Pryce left the game due to back spasms.

Special Teams: Kicker Matt Stover saved some paper for his entry in his red notebooks for the Washington game. In the weather shortened affair, he had no field goal attempts and made one PAT. Camp leg Rhys Lloyd continued his quest to make the final roster as a kickoff specialist, with kickoffs of 72 and 67 yards. B.J. Sams remains the starting kickoff and punt returner, although he is being pressed by rookie WR Yamon Figurs. Against the Redskins, Sams averaged 16.0 yards on three kickoff returns, and averaged 4.0 yards on two punt returns. Figurs had a 36-yard kickoff return. In practices he has shown the desired tendency to hit the hole and then accelerate.

Ravens Depth Chart
QB: Steve McNair, Kyle Boller, Troy Smith
RB: Willis McGahee, Mike Anderson, Musa Smith, Cory Ross, P.J. Daniels (IR)
FB: Justin Green, Le'Ron McClain
WR: Mark Clayton (PR) (inj), Derrick Mason, Demetrius Williams, Clarence Moore, Devard Darling, Yamon Figurs (KR/PR), Damien Linson, Romby Bryant, Matt Willis
TE: Todd Heap, Daniel Wilcox, Quinn Sypniewski, Marcus Freeman, Kendrick Ballantyne
K: Matt Stover, Rhys Lloyd, Brendan Carney
DT: Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata, Dwan Edwards, Justin Bannan, Keyonta Marshall, Anthony Bryant, Atiyyah Ellison
DE: Terrell Suggs, Trevor Pryce, Travis Leitko, Bill Swancutt
MLB: Ray Lewis, Prescott Burgess, Mike Smith (PUP)
OLB: Bart Scott (W), Jarrett Johnson (S/DE), Gary Stills (S/DE), Dan Cody (S)(PUP), Antwan Barnes, Dennis Haley, Edgar Jones (S/DE), Joe Martin, Jamar Enzor, Ryan Riddle
CB: Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle (inj), Corey Ivy, Ronnie Prude, David Pittman, Evan Oglesby, Derrick Martin, B.J. Sams (KR/PR), Willie Gaston
S: Ed Reed (FS), Dawan Landry (SS), Jamaine Winborn, Gerome Sapp, Donnie Johnson

Buffalo Bills

QB: The Bills offensive line did not distinguish itself in the Bills 3^rd preseason game vs. the Titans. J.P. Losman took some hard hits from Titans defenders and was running for his life much of the night, but held up pretty well and connected on some huge pass plays. “We’re trying to be conservative here in the preseason so far, but it was time to open it up and go deep a little bit,” Losman said. Early on, Losman hooked up with Peerless Price for a 56-yard gain and then backed that up with a beautiful 64-yard TD bomb to Lee Evans. For the night, Losman completed just 9 of 20 passes for 180 yards with a TD and INT on an underthrown ball that was forced by the Titans pass rush collapsing the pocket. Although Losman has certainly made some big strides over the past year and throws an excellent deep ball, he still needs to become more consistent and start making quicker decisions to sustain long drives. Craig Nall replaced Losman in the game but only wound up playing for two series in the game, completing 4 of 7 passes for 38 yards before losing a fumble on a blindside sack. Trend Edwards replaced him and played the rest of the game, completing 7 of 10 passes for 100 yards. It is starting to look like Edwards is close to overtaking Nall as the #2 QB given the amount of snaps the two players have received so far. Through three preseason games, Nall has only played in two of them and has just 14 pass attempts in total. He’s looked good at times but doesn’t have much mobility or arm strength and Edwards is clearly a bigger part of the team’s future plans so it makes sense that they want to accelerate his learning curve.

RB: Marshawn Lynch got the start again but had no room to run, finishing with just 9 yards on 9 carries. In what has been a pattern for the Bills running game in recent years, Lynch was frequently met with tacklers as soon as he got the ball and wound up with negative yardage or no gain on 5 of his carries. The Bills keep saying that they’re being very conservative in the preseason not wanting to show too much, but this offense is going to be disappointing if they don’t start getting better play up front. "We've got to run better, clearly got to run better," said Dick Jauron. "We clearly didn't run it as well as we'd like.” Anthony Thomas played in the game but did not wind up with any offensive touches. The Bills already know what he’s capable of and likely wanted more time to evaluate some of the younger players. Dwayne Wright got the same number of carries as Lynch, but didn’t do much better and wound up with just 21 yards. Fred Jackson was once again the most impressive RB on the team, finishing with 31 yards on 4 carries and 80 yards on 4 receptions, although they all came against 2^nd and 3^rd stringers for the Titans.

WR: Lee Evans had his best game of the preseason and wound up with 100 yards on 5 receptions, including the play of the night with a 64-yard TD pass from Losman when he came down with the ball despite tight coverage from rookie CB Michael Griffin. Another positive out of this game was the play of Peerless Price, who finished with 78 yards on 3 catches. Price showed the deep speed he seemed to lack last season and blew past the defense on a 56-yard pass play, and also pulled down a tough 21-yard catch along the sideline to make a big conversion on 3^rd and 9. Josh Reed wasn’t nearly as productive as Evans and Price but still got 4 touches on 2 receptions and 2 rushes for 20 combined yards. Roscoe Parrish had a huge punt return that was called back but also added 2 catches for 26 yards and is probably the toughest player to cover on the team. None of the other receivers made an impact and the team made a surprising cut when they released Donovan Morgan on Monday. The team may decide to carry just 5 WRs on the roster with Sam Aiken taking up the final spot due to his special teams contributions.

TE: The tight ends were not actively involved in the passing game this week and the only reception by a TE went to rookie H-back Derek Schouman. Given the protection problems the offense was having, it makes sense that the TEs were kept in to block as much as possible.

Defense: The run defense and play of the defensive tackles remains a major concern. They had a difficult time controlling the line of scrimmage and allowed Titans RBs LenDale White and Chris Brown to run for 93 yards on 17 carries. In a surprise move, John DiGiorgio started the game at MLB and saw a lot of time with the first unit. It’s not clear what this means and the team might just be taking things slow with Posluszny as he continues to get more comfortable, but it looks like this battle for the starting job is closer than most expected it to be and DiGiorgio could wind up starting the season opener. With starting outside linebackers Angelo Crowell at 25 years old and Keith Ellison at 23 years old, there’s a good chance the Bills will wind up with the youngest starting linebacking corps in the NFL. The Bills also made some news this week when they signed DE Aaron Schobel, who had 3 years left on his deal, to a 4-year contract extension. The new deal included $21 million in guaranteed money and makes Schobel one of the highest paid defensive ends in the league. To offset the Ryan Denney injury and Anthony Hargrove suspension, the Bills signed veteran DE Al Wallace this week and he’ll likely start the year as the #3 DE. #1 CB Terrence McGee suffered a concussion in the game but should be ready to play in the season opener.

Special Teams: In the game against Tennessee, kicker Rian Lindell made a 20-yard field goal, but was wide left on a 48 yard attempts. Starting kickoff returner CB Terrence McGee left the game with a concussion. HC Dick Jauron noted, "The odds of him playing in the final exhibition game are probably not good at all." In McGee’s absence, RB Fred Jackson averaged 25.5 yards on two returns, and RB Shaud Williams had a 20-yard kickoff return. Starting punt returner WR Roscoe Parrish had his first game returns of the preseason, averaging only 3.0 yards on two returns. The boxscore doesn’t tell the tale however, as one of those was a 74 yard TD that was called back due to a block above the waist. Dick Jauron wasn’t pleased, "We’ve just got to quit making those kinds of errors and trust our teammates. If you’re not in a position to throw a legal block — and clearly Roscoe can make people miss on his own — the deal is just to turn back up field and pick up another guy.”

Bills Depth Chart
QB: J.P. Losman, Craig Nall, Trent Edwards
RB: Marshawn Lynch, Anthony Thomas, Dwayne Wright, Shaud Williams, Josh Scobey, Fred Jackson
WR: Lee Evans, Peerless Price, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish (PR), Sam Aiken, Scott Mayle, Jemalle Cornelius, Jonathan Smith, Justin Jenkins
TE: Robert Royal, Kevin Everett, Matt Murphy, Ryan Neufeld (FB), Brad Cieslak (FB), Derek Schouman (FB)
K: Rian Lindell
DT: Larry Tripplett, Kyle Williams, John McCargo, Tim Anderson, Jason Jefferson, Corey Mace
DE: Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney (inj), Anthony Hargrove (susp), C.J. Ah You, Eric Powell, Ryan Neill, Al Wallace
MLB: Paul Posluszny, John DiGiorgio (S/M), Thaddeus Washington
OLB: Angelo Crowell (W), Keith Ellison (S), Mario Haggan (W/M), Coy Wire (S/FS), Josh Stamer (S/W), Kevin Harrison (W)
CB: Terrence McGee (KR), Jason Webster, Kiwaukee Thomas, Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty, Riley Swanson, Eric Bassey
S: Donte Whitner (SS), Ko Simpson (FS), George Wilson (SS), John Wendling (SS), Jim Leonhard (FS), Trevor Hooper (FS)

Carolina Panthers

QB On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers cut 7 players and placed QB Brett Basanez on IR. He injured his right wrist in the preseason game vs. New England on Friday, August 24^th. Jake Delhomme tossed 11/18 for 162 yards, 1 TD and 0 interceptions, while backup David Carr went 8/11 for 58 yards, 0 TDs and 1 interception. Delhomme was generally on target during the game on Friday, but had to fight through several dropped passes: “He was good,” Coach Fox said after the game. “We had some drops early but I thought he played pretty well.” Delhomme commented: “I think we did some good things out there but we still have a ways to go.”

RB The Panthers, whose starters have been outscored 48-10 in the last two preseason games, struggled again to run the ball on Friday, August 24^th. Top RBs DeAngelo Williams and DeShaun Foster combined for only 29 yards on 12 carries (Williams had 9/29/0 rushing, while Foster managed 3/0/0 during an abbreviated appearance – Foster evidently had little running room to work with, being hit by 3-4 defenders each time he touched the ball). According to Pat Yasinkas of the Charlotte Observer, Eric Shelton may make the roster due to the fact that “the numbers” work in his favor. However, even if he makes the team, Foster and Williams would have to go down before Shelton had an opportunity to do much in fantasy terms.

WR On Sunday August 26th, WR Jahkeen Gilmore was waived by the team. On Friday, August 24^th vs. New England, Keary Colbert made a move towards grabbing the WR #2 role with the Panthers with a 48-yard TD late in the first half. According to reports out of Charlotte on 8/24/07, Steve Smith (2/20/0 vs. New England), Dwayne Jarrett (2/24/0), Drew Carter (3/52/0), and Keary Colbert (1/48/1) are locks for the top 4 spots on the roster. After that, it looks like Ryne Robinson (who is slated to handle return duties this year) will fill the #5 role, with one roster spot still undecided at #6WR. Other than Smith’s starting #1 WR job, the Panthers haven’t nailed down WRs #2-4 just yet. According to the Gaston Gazette, Carter was one of four receivers who dropped balls that should have been caught. TE Jeff King, WR Steve Smith and RB DeAngelo Williams all failed to catch passes that either hit them in the hands or in the chest. Panthers’ receivers coach Richard Williamson commented on Jarrett last Wednesday “He has a big body, so you can’t be a Tinkerbell out there. You have to be like a bull in the closet. He’s got a big body, now use it. Knock those guys around and get off the line of scrimmage and do what you have to do. But don’t try to finesse the (defensive backs) because you’re not a finesse player.” Williamson would also like to see Jarrett improve his route running: “He’s got to get better at it. We have a sense of urgency around here. Everything has got to be quick. You have to move and be quick and get away from the press and things like that. He needs to work on all of that.”

TE According to reports out of Charlotte on 8/24/07, Jeff King has earned the starting job at TE and Michael Gaines will primarily be used as a blocker. Rookie Dante Rosario will be the 3^rd TE and may also play at FB during 2007. King pulled in 3/25/0 vs. New England last Friday, while Dante Rosario reeled in 1/6/0.

Defense LB Dan Morgan, who had not played since suffering the fifth concussion of his career in last year's regular-season opener, made three tackles during the preseason contest vs. New England on Friday. "I stuck my head in there, it felt good, and I'm excited," Morgan said. "I'm excited to get out there and mix it up with my teammates.” LB Jon Beason has been promoted to serve as the team's starting weak-side linebacker, ahead of the injured Na'il Diggs. Beason had four solo first half tackles and assisted on two others vs. the Patriots. After the 24-7 loss to New England Friday Night, Coach Fox commented on the pass defense, “We need tighter coverage. We are not showing everything we do, but some of the things we’ve been doing, we’ve been a little soft.” S Deke Cooper stated, “It was rough. It’s still preseason and we need to get better. But I will tell you they didn’t run one play that we saw on film from last week. It was all new stuff.”

Special Teams: The Panthers will probably be practicing protection on placekicking this week. Kicker John Kasay had both his field goal attempts (43 and 49 yards) blocked in the New England game. The Patriots got excellent penetration up the middle of the line on both kicks. Opposing HC Bill Belichick noted, “It's hard to tell exactly what happened, but I know we got a good push. The linebackers are pushing those guys inside. Vince [Wilfork] got off on the ball. It was two big plays." For the second game in a row, RB Nick Goings handled the most kickoff returns. He averaged 19.5 yards on two returns. Rookie WR Ryne Robinson had the other kickoff return in the game, going for 21 yards. He also handled punt returns, showing some moves while averaging 9.0 yards on two returns.

Panthers Depth Chart
QB: Jake Delhomme, David Carr, Dalton Bell, Brett Basanez (IR)
RB: DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Nick Goings (FB), Eric Shelton, Alex Haynes
FB: Brad Hoover, Billy Latsko, Steve Jackson
WR: Steve Smith, Keary Colbert, Drew Carter, Dwayne Jarrett, Taye Biddle, Kevin Youngblood, Ryne Robinson, Chris Horn
TE: Jeff King, Michael Gaines, Dante Rosario, Chad Upshaw
K: John Kasay
DT: Ma'ake Kemoeatu, Kris Jenkins, Damione Lewis, Kindal Moorehead, Stephen Williams
DE: Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker (inj), Charles Johnson, Stanley McClover, Dave Ball, Otis Grigsby, Gary Gibson, Rondell Biggs (IR)
MLB: Dan Morgan (inj), Adam Seward
OLB: Thomas Davis (S), Jon Beason (W/M), Na'il Diggs (W) (inj), James Anderson (W), Tim Shaw, Brandon Jamison, Philippe Gardent, Mickey Pementel, Terrence Melton (IR)
CB: Chris Gamble (PR), Ken Lucas, Richard Marshall, Curtis Deloatch, Derrick Strait, Christian Morton
S: Nate Salley (FS), Chris Harris (SS), Deke Cooper, C.J. Wilson, Cam Newton, Quinton Teal

Chicago Bears

QB: The Bears had a lot of success moving the football in Saturday night’s game against the 49ers. Rex Grossman rebounded from his poor outing against the Colts last week and led the 1^st team offense to 31 first half points but he also threw an interception that was returned for a TD and mishandled another snap. For the night, Grossman completed 13 of 20 passes for 211 yards and 2 TDs with the one interception. Grossman is tough to figure out but ertainly has enough ability to take advantage of the great talent surrounding him. He’ll make his share of mistakes that will frustrate fans and fantasy owners, but also looks like he could put up some big numbers this year as well. Brian Griese replaced him in the second half but the Bears were way ahead at that point and focused on the ground game. Griese completed 3 of his 4 pass attempts for just 10 yards and Kyle Orton went 0 for 1 in finishing the game.

RB: Although this game looked like a mismatch with the Bears holding a 31-13 lead at halftime, you couldn’t tell it by looking at Cedric Benson’s stat line. Although he got a very heavy workload with 19 carries in the game, Benson only managed 33 yards for a disappointing average of 1.7 yards per carry. It’s pretty obvious that the running game is not working the way the team expects it to when the starting punter Brad Maynard and backup QB Brian Griese wind up with the two longest runs of the night. Throughout the preseason so far, Benson has averaged just 2.4 yards per carry, ranking dead last among the NFL’s top 60 rushers, with QBs included. Adrian Peterson took over for Benson and had more success against the 49ers backups, finishing with 27 yards on 6 carries including a 3-yard TD run just before halftime. Rookie Garrett Wolfe was the 3^rd back into the game and wound up leading the team in rushing with 41 yards on 13 carries and also added 7 yards on 2 receptions. He showed good quickness and was a willing runner between the tackles but did cough up the ball on a 3^rd down play that he recovered himself.

WR: Bernard Berrian got the offense off to a great start by burning Walt Harris and catching a 45-yard pass from Grossman in stride that led to a short TD run for Benson. He finished with 79 yards on 3 catches and continues to look like he’s headed for a huge season. Muhsin Muhammad missed the game with “general soreness” and was replaced in the starting lineup by Mark Bradley, who was returning from a knee injury. Bradley had a dropped pass but made up for it later on with a 30-yard catch. Devin Hester began the game as the Bears slot receiver but only finished with 3 yards on one catch and left the game early with a shoulder injury. Mike Hass continues to fight for a roster spot and had a nice 10-yard catch along with a 3-yard rush attempt.

TE: There are probably not many teams around the league who will use the TE in the passing game as much as the Bears plan to this year. Starter Desmond Clark had his best game of the preseason, hauling in a 30-yard pass on one play and then a 2-yard TD catch on another. Rookie Greg Olsen also continues to impress as he finished with 39 yards on 2 catches. The interception that Grossman threw also came on a pass that was intended for Olsen as he was being covered by CB Walt Harris.

Defense: The first string defense was completely dominant against the 49ers, allowing just 9 passing yards and 1 first down in the first half. DT Tommie Harris missed another game but will likely make the defense even better once he returns. SS Adam Archuleta was a force against the run, although he was beaten by TE Vernon Davis on a 26-yard pass play. FS Mike Brown looks like he’s completely healthy to start the year and should really help solidify the deep secondary. WLB Lance Briggs led the team in tackles but was involved in an off-field incident on Sunday night as he left his car after crashing it at 3:30am. Adewale Ogunleye and rookie Dan Bazuin each had QB sacks in the game and the Bears forced two fumbles, including a great strip by Brian Urlacher on RB Michael Robinson. If there’s one area of concern for the Bears first team defense, it’s the fact they haven’t come up with a single interception in three preseason games but that shouldn’t last for long given the type of pressure they can put on QBs and the talent in the secondary.

Special Teams: Kicker Robbie Gould hit the right upright from 37 yards out on his only field goal attempt in the San Francisco game, however it still went thru for three points. The score was set up by WR Devin Hester’s only return in the game, 29 yards on a punt return. Hester left the game later in the first quarter with a bruised shoulder. He was held out of the remainder of the game as a precaution. He noted afterwards, "I've got a shoulder bruise. I'm all right, though. I tried to go down to block the safety, and my shoulder hit his knee. It was a little shocking pain, but it's all gone now, no problem. I'm 100 percent." During his absence, CB Nathan Vasher had a 15-yard punt return, rookie WR Drisan James had one for no gain, and WR Bernard Berrian had a fair catch. On kickoffs, the two players expected to line up deep at times with Devin Hester in the regular season both looked very good. FS Danieal Manning averaged 31.5 yard on two returns, while WR Rashied Davis had a 34-yard kickoff return. Hester approves of the two-deep scenario, "Getting Danieal involved is going to make it a lot easier. If they kick it to him, it's going to be like they're kicking it to me."

Bears Depth Chart
QB: Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Kyle Orton, Chris Leak
RB: Cedric Benson, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe, Josh Allen
FB: Jason McKie, Obafemi Ayanbedejo (susp), Quadtrine Hill
WR: Muhsin Muhammad (inj), Bernard Berrian, Mark Bradley, Rashied Davis (PR), Devin Hester (KR/PR), Mike Hass, Dave Ball, Drisan James
TE: Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, John Gilmore, Fontel Mines, Brett Pierce
K: Robbie Gould
DT: Tommie Harris (inj), Darwin Walker, Dusty Dvoracek (NT), Anthony Adams, Antonio Garay, Tory Collins
DE: Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, Alex Brown, Dan Bazuin, Israel Idonije (DT), Copeland Bryan, Greg White, Chris Frome
MLB: Brian Urlacher
OLB: Lance Briggs (W), Hunter Hillenmeyer (S/M), Michael Okwo (W), Jamar Williams (W), Brendon Ayanbadejo (S), Darrell McClover, Rod Wilson, Danny Verdun-Wheeler
CB: Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Ricky Manning, Trumaine McBride, Corey Graham, Tim Mixon, Greg Fassitt
S: Mike Brown (FS/SS), Adam Archuleta (SS), Danieal Manning (FS/CB), Brandon McGowan (SS), Tyler Everett (SS), Kevin Payne, Andrew Shanle

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Carson Palmer rebounded from a questionable effort last week, finishing 15-of-22 for 136 yards and two touchdowns in a little over two quarters of work against the Falcons. Palmer had some difficulty getting on the same page with T.J. Houshmandzadeh on hot routes but continued to show great touch and timing on routes with Chad Johnson. Palmer set up Johnson’s double move on DeAngelo Hall with a nice pump fake to help Johnson get wide open down the sideline. Palmer also showed a little more elusiveness than in prior games, sidestepping the rush on a couple of occasions. Doug Johnson played the remainder of the second half after Palmer took the first drive of the third quarter. Johnson finished 5-11 for 89 yards, including a 58-yard TD pass to Chris Henry on a quick slant and run. Third QB Jeff Rowe did not play.

RB: Rudi Johnson ran well behind an offensive line still missing both starting tackles. When Johnson was given room to run, he looked quick and decisive, especially during a 33-yard run on his first carry of the game. When the offensive line struggled, however, Johnson was unable to make enough defenders miss and had four carries for no gain or worse. Although it wasn’t evident against the Falcons, Johnson has shown better hands in practice and is pushing for an expanded role as an outlet receiver. Palmer has been impressed with Johnson’s improvement as a receiver this year, saying, “I think he took some of that signing bonus and bought himself new hands. His hands have drastically improved. When you're not sure of your hands, you tend to catch a lot of balls in your body. Kind of trap it. He is snagging everything with his fingertips.” Not that there was much question, but the continued struggles of Kenny Watson (1 rush, 13 yards) and Quincy Wilson (1 rush, -1 yard) leave the team no option but to give Johnson nearly every rushing attempt. It will be interesting to see if the team brings in another back after roster cut downs this week. The Bengals did get starting fullback Jeremi Johnson back against the Falcons. He looks to still be rounding into form as a blocker.

WR: Chad Johnson sent copies of his book to the entire Falcon secondary before the game, then torched DeAngelo Hall and company for 83 yards on five catches on a mix of timing patterns and crisp routes, including an 8-yard TD reception. Johnson, with the help of a well-executed pump fake from Carson Palmer, burned Hall on an ankle-breaking double move for a long catch in the second quarter. T.J. Houshmandzadeh looked out of sync all night. He dropped two passes, looked to go the wrong way on at least one short either-or route and failed to break off a route during a Falcon blitz. He finished with four catches for 25 yards. The difference between Tab Perry and Chris Henry as the third wide receiver was again highlighted against Atlanta. Perry struggled for the third consecutive week, dropping one catchable ball in close coverage and finishing with only one five-yard reception. Meanwhile, Henry caught a quick slant and split the secondary for a 58-yard TD catch and run. There’s no one to challenge Perry for the third WR job, however, as the rest of the hopefuls have been little more than glass on wheels. Antonio Chatman and Glenn Holt missed yet another game with hamstring issues. Bennie Brazell suffered an injury in pregame warm-ups and was scratched. Skyler Green and Reggie McNeal saw time returning kicks but only a couple offensive snaps.

TE: With the candidates for the third wide receiver job struggling, the Bengals may use more two tight end sets. Reggie Kelly had two catches for 12 yards against Atlanta. Daniel Coats had the same stat line, but caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Palmer in the second quarter. Coats has a firm grasp on the TE2 role and could see some red zone looks as an outlet receiver.

Defense: It’s tough to read the Bengals defense. On one hand, they made Joey Harrington look like the second coming of Joe Montana on a ten play, 80-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter with a mix of blown coverages, poor tackling and non-existent pass rush. On the other hand, the defense allowed only 128 yards in the first half and only 15 yards rushing. The team also got decent pass rush inside from tackles John Thornton and Domata Peko, who combined for three sacks. The biggest news of the week was the signing of LB Lemar Marshall, who was released by the Redskins earlier in the week. Marshall was expected to see time at SLB, but was used on the weak side with the second team against the Falcons. He should be considered a long shot to see snaps in the base defense and will be counted on as a special teams player. DE Robert Geathers missed the Atlanta game to rest the rib injury he suffered last week. He should be ready for opening weekend, as should SLB Rashad Jeanty, who also sat out the game with a rib injury. With Geathers out, Ahmad Brooks saw significant snaps as a DE in the nickel package and the team may use him there at times during the regular season.

Special Teams: Kicker Shayne Graham made a PAT before his evening was cut short. He suffered a hip pointer while trying to tackle Allen Rossum on a kickoff return. Graham indicated after the game, “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I have a feeling it will be okay.” HC Marvin Lewis noted that Graham probably would have remained in the game had it been in the regular season. Punter Kyle Larson handled kickoff thereafter and the team went for a two-point conversion after a TD. They may look at signing another kicker for the remaining preseason game. WR Tab Perry saw his first game kickoff action of the year, averaging 16.5 yards on two returns against the Falcons. The player who has stepped up on returns so far this summer, WR Skyler Green, had an 11 yard kickoff return and had two fair catches on punts. WR Reggie McNeal had two kickoff returns averaging 15.0 yards. WR Antonio Chatman and WR Glenn Holt remained out with hamstring injuries.

Bengals Depth Chart
QB: Carson Palmer, Doug Johnson, Jeff Rowe, Jeff Smith
RB: Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson (3RB), Chris Perry (PUP), Quincy Wilson, Curtis Brown, Kenny Irons (IR)
FB: Jeremi Johnson, Chris Manderino
WR: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry (susp), Tab Perry, Antonio Chatman, Reggie McNeal, Benny Brazell, Glenn Holt, Jesse Holley, Skyler Green (PR)
TE: Reggie Kelly, Daniel Coats, Tim Day (inj), Nate Lawrie
K: Shayne Graham
DT: John Thornton, Domata Peko, Michael Myers, Kenderick Allen, Matt Toeaina
DE: Justin Smith, Robert Geathers, Bryan Robinson (DT), Frostee Rucker, Jonathan Fanene, Xzavie Jackson, Jimmy Verdon (PUP), Bryan Andrews
MLB: Ahmad Brooks (M/S), Ed Hartwell (W/M), Earl Everett, Lemar Marshall, Odell Thurman (susp)
OLB: Rashad Jeanty (S), Landon Johnson (W), Caleb Miller (W/M), Andre Frazier, Matt Muncy, David Pollack (PUP), Eric Henderson (IR)
CB: Johnathan Joseph, Deltha O'Neal, Leon Hall, Keiwan Ratliff (PR), Blue Adams, Brandon Williams, T.J. Wright
S: Madieu Williams (FS), Dexter Jackson (SS), Marvin White (SS), Chinedum Ndukwe (SS), Herena-Daze Jones (SS), Ethan Kilmer (FS), John Busing (SS)

Cleveland Browns

QB: Entering the final week of the preseason, it remains unclear whether the Browns are any closer to naming a starting quarterback. Charlie Frye (5-7, 68 yards), Derek Anderson (7-9, 74 yards), and Brady Quinn (7-11, 81 yards, TD) all had sustained drives against the Denver first team defense. Frye opened the game with an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, completing nice passes to TE Steve Heiden and WR Braylon Edwards and adding a 13-yard scramble to extend the drive. Anderson followed Frye with a 77-yard FG drive early in the second quarter but overall wasn’t as impressive as the stat line might indicate. Quinn started the third quarter with a nice drive, barely missing a long TD pass to Joe Jurevicius that was ruled out of bounds on a close call. Quinn later completed the Browns only TD pass of the game, a 20-yard pass to third WR hopeful Joshua Cribbs. Frye looks to have the best chance of opening the season as the starter as head coach Romeo Crennel named him the starter for the final preseason game. Crennel left the door open for someone else to start in Week 1 after the Denver game, saying, “With the competition we’ve had, which has been good, not announcing a starter is a possibility. Our first opponent might have to wonder who the quarterback is going to be.” When asked about Quinn specifically, Crennel said, “When he’s ready to play, we’ll play him.” While it’s still unlikely that Quinn will start opening weekend, his poise and accuracy have put him in the discussion and he’ll almost certainly get a chance to play early in 2007.

RB: Jamal Lewis continued a solid preseason with a 76-yard total effort in just over a full half of play against the Bronco first team defense. Lewis again struggled to move the ball consistently on the ground behind a line missing guard Eric Steinbach, gaining 46 yards on 15 carries. He did look strong on two carries inside the ten-yard line, including his one-yard TD run that ended the first Cleveland offensive drive. Lewis added 30 yards on two catches and has proven himself a viable outlet receiver during the preseason. Neither Jason Wright (3 rushes, 11 yards) nor Jerome Harrison (4 rushes, 16 yards) were impressive. Chris Barclay didn’t help his cause to stick on the 53-man roster with only nine yards on three carries. He also didn’t get a chance to return kicks after the Broncos kickers put the ball out of the end zone on three of four attempts (Joshua Cribbs returned the other).

WR: Joe Jurevicius got involved in the offense for the first time this preseason. After not catching a pass in the first two games, Jurevicius caught an 11-yard pass on the game’s opening play and finished with three catches for 31 yards. He made a nice grab on a perfect pass from Brady Quinn in the corner of the end zone, but was ruled out of bounds. Braylon Edwards continued his consistent preseason with two catches for 34 yards. He beat Dre Bly on a deep sideline pattern early in the game. The battle for the third wide receiver position continues to be a mess. Tim Carter played for the first time in the preseason but was a non-factor. Travis Wilson had no catches and two terrible drops after staying late in practice earlier in the week to work on his catching technique. Josh Cribbs caught the lone Cleveland TD pass and had his number called on an end around with the first team.

TE: Kellen Winslow was benched for one quarter against the Broncos. His absence was officially listed as a “coaches’ decision” but Romeo Crennel said that the benching was “not for injury or disciplinary reasons.” Winslow was called for a false start on a fourth down play when he returned in the second quarter, but finished the game with a team high 47 yards on three catches. A local beat writer noted that Winslow “visited” the X-ray room after the game but there has been no word from Winslow or the team about an injury. Steady backup Steve Heiden started in Winslow’s place and caught three passes for 25 yards. The team had more praise for Ryan Krause this week. Although Krause didn’t catch a pass against Denver, he will likely make the team as the third tight end.

Defense: The Cleveland defense wasn’t as impressive as in prior weeks, allowing two scoring drives of over 60 yards in the first two quarters. Both OLBs, Kamerion Wimbley and Antwan Peek, continue to play well. Wimbley has said that he is much more comfortable as an OLB after a year in the scheme. He has been in the backfield more often than not during preseason games. Peek seems to have finally found a niche after a number of years in the league and the combination has regularly put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Both have expressed an interest in becoming all-around players and working to improve the run defense on the edges. On the injury front, the Browns may get DE Orpheus Roye back in time for opening weekend. Roye has been working in individual drills. Andra Davis missed his second consecutive game with an ankle problem. Davis has already been ruled out and is considered questionable for the opener. Leon Williams has been solid replacing Davis at ILB. If Davis is out for an extended period, he may have difficulty regaining his starting position from Williams, who has already taken Davis’ nickel responsibilities.

Special Teams: Kicker Phil Dawson was good on a 23-yard field goal and two PATs in the game at Denver; however he was very wide left on a 46 yard attempt. WR Joshua Cribbs had only one kickoff for 23 yards, as the Broncos’ three other kickoffs went for touchbacks. If he makes the final roster, RB Chris Barclay would be the likely backup on kickoff returns in the regular season. Joshua Cribbs entered camp as the favorite to replace departed Dennis Northcutt as the primary punt returner. He is still the favorite. Rookie CB Brandon McDonald faded from the competition early on, leaving rookie WR Syndric Steptoe as the only challenger. Steptoe hasn’t given up, averaging 10.0 yards on two punt returns against the Broncos.

Browns Depth Chart
QB: Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey
RB: Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison (3RB), Jason Wright, Chris Barclay, Jerome Jackson
FB: Lawrence Vickers, Charles Ali
WR: Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Travis Wilson, Tim Carter, Josh Cribbs (KR/PR), Syndric Steptoe, Maurice Mann, Steve Sanders
TE: Kellen Winslow Jr, Steve Heiden, Darnell Dinkins, Ryan Krause
K: Phil Dawson
NT: Ted Washington, Shaun Smith, Ethan Kelley, J'Vonne Parker, Babatunda Oshinowo, Alvin Smith (inj)
DE: Robaire Smith, Orpheus Roye (inj), Chase Pittman, Melila Purcell, Simon Fraser
ILB: Andra Davis (L)(inj), DQwell Jackson (R), Chaun Thompson (R), Leon Williams (L), Mason Unck
OLB: Kamerion Wimbley (S/DE), Antwan Peek (W), Willie McGinest (S/DE)(inj), Matt Stewart (S), David McMillan (W), Jason Short, Kris Griffin, Clifton Smith
CB: Leigh Bodden, Kenny Wright (inj), Eric Wright, Daven Holly, Gary Baxter (PUP), Brandon McDonald, Jereme Perry
S: Sean Jones (SS), Brodney Pool (FS), Justin Hamilton (FS), Mike Adams (FS), DeMario Minter (FS), Jeremy Lasueur

Dallas Cowboys

QB: The Cowboys struggled against the cross-state rival Texans and HC Wade Phillips wasn’t pleased. "I didn't see many good things on our part tonight," Phillips said. "As a team, special teams, offense, defense . . . we didn't play well. We've got a lot of work to do. This is the first time we've been in a hostile environment and we didn't react well. Tony Romo didn’t have his best game but overall his numbers were impressive yet again. Romo completed 14-of-22 passes for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns while playing well into the 3^rd quarter. He did, unfortunately, throw an interception. Brad Johnson mopped up with a solid 5-of-6 for 56 yards. Unfortunately his lone incompletion was intercepted.

RB: The Cowboys RBs have been barreling through the preseason, but hit a bit of a roadblock against the Texans. Julius Jones had the best night, averaging 3.4 yards on 10 carries including a nice 12-yard run. Marion Barber found precious little running room, with six carries for 14 yards. Tyson Thompson managed only 9 yards on 4 rushes. Jones added 4 receptions for 16 yards, while Barber had one 15-yard grab. FB Oliver Hoyte returned to practice this week after missing time with a pinched nerve.

WR: Terrell Owens, as seems to be the case every preseason game, caught one pass. But this time it was a 35-yard catch-and-run that looked like vintage T.O. Terry Glenn missed the game but is in line to return to practice this week. In his absence, Patrick Crayton (2 for 26 yards) and Sam Hurd (4 for 68 yards) both played well. The Cowboys WR position is in fine standing; and the team thinned the herd a bit by releasing Jamaica Rector, Jerard Rabb and Jamel Richardson on Monday.

TE: Jason Witten got into the action with an 18-yard TD catch from Tony Romo in the 3^rd quarter. He got his most extensive work of the preseason, and finished the game with 3 catches for 47 yards. Tony Curtis caught one pass for 33 yards, and seems like a solid bet to make the roster as Anthony Fasano continues to rehab his strained shoulder. Fasano hopes to play in the final preseason game this Thursday.

Defense: CB Terence Newman has been bothered by a heel injury and it may be more serious than originally thought. Newman will miss the remainder of the preseason at a minimum, as he thinks it’s going to linger all season. "It's something that is going to be bothering me for the whole year," Newman said. "At the same time there is ways we can deal with it to limit the pain that I have right now. The problem that I have is that I can't plant on it. There is no way I can plant on my foot." For a guy who’s started every game of his NFL career, this could be a blow to a defense that has the potential to be very good this year. Against the Texans, the Cowboys pass defense struggled, allowing 3 TDs; two to the Texans starting unit. Bradie James was all over the field, notching 8 tackles while Roy Williams, Akin Ayodele and Anthony Henry added four each. Kevin Burnett had the Cowboys lone sack. In other injury news, Greg Ellis continues to sit with a pained heel, and Anthony Spencer is doing his best to fill Ellis’ considerable shoes.

Special Teams: Before the Houston game, HC Wade Phillips indicated the Cowboys might keep both kickers on the roster, but Martin Gramatica’s chances probably decreased after a rough game. He missed an extra point wide right, following a snap and hold which he indicated were fine. He sent the subsequent kickoff only 62 yards on line drive. He then injured his hamstring on a kickoff later in the game, “Just felt something weird, not really sure exactly.” Meanwhile, rookie Nick Folk managed to stay out of trouble, making a 23-yard field goal and hitting kickoffs of 66 and 68 yards. RB Tyson Thompson had a 26-yard kickoff return, and should win back his starting kickoff returner role. His competition is WR Miles Austin, who is on the roster bubble due to the depth at receiver. CB/PR Terence Newman again missed the game with a bruised heel, and will also be held out of the final preseason game. HC Wade Phillips noted, "I know he's been working on [punt returns] the whole time, we just haven't put him in a preseason game. And he did it last year, so I have confidence that he could come back, certainly, and return them against the Giants." Against the Texans, WR Jerheme Urban averaged only 2.0 yards on two punt returns and had three fair catches. He also is on the roster bubble.

Cowboys Depth Chart
QB: Tony Romo, Brad Johnson, Matt Moore, Richard Bartel
RB: Julius Jones, Marion Barber III (3RB/SD), Tyson Thompson, Alonzo Coleman, Arliss Beach
FB: Lousaka Polite, Deon Anderson, Oliver Hoyte
WR: Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn (inj), Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback, Jerheme Urban, Mike Jefferson
TE: Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, Adam Bergen, Tony Curtis, Rodney Hannah
K: Nick Folk, Martin Gramatica (inj)
NT: Jason Ferguson, Remi Ayodele
DE: Marcus Spears, Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Jason Hatcher, Stephen Bowen, Marcus Smith, Khari Long
ILB: Bradie James (M), Akinola Ayodele (S)
OLB: Demarcus Ware (W), Greg Ellis (S)(inj), Anthony Spencer (S), Kevin Burnett (S/I), Bobby Carpenter (S/I), Junior Glymph, Blair Phillips, John Saldi
CB: Terance Newman (inj), Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn, Alan Ball, Courtney Brown, Jacques Reeves, Nathan Jones, Quincy Butler, Joey Thomas
S: Roy Williams (SS), Ken Hamlin (FS), Keith Davis (SS), Pat Watkins (FS), Damarius Bilbo, Abram Elam, Jasper Johnson

Denver Broncos

QB: Jay Cutler played reasonably well throwing for 115 yards on 9-of-16 passing in the first half with his TD coming just before the half. With less than two minutes left in the first half, Cutler hit Brandon Marshall for gains of 9 and 22 yards and then hit tight end Daniel Graham for 11. Cutler scrambled for a 6-yard gain, and then thanks to a personal foul the Broncos had the ball at the 17. Cecil Sapp ran twice for 15 yards, and then Cutler rolled to his right and found Kyle Johnson for a 2-yard score. Patrick Ramsey played the second half throwing for 99 yards on 9-of-15 passing with no TDs or interceptions. Ramsey did lose a fumble though.

RB: Against the Browns, the Broncos ground game churned out 150 yards on 31 carries. With Travis Henry (knee) and Mike Bell (hip) sidelined, Cecil Sapp got the start. He ran 11 times for 54 yards and rookie Selvin Young gained 91 yards on 17 carries. With the Broncos trailing 17-10 late in the fourth quarter, Selvin Young got to the corner for a 9-yard TD run with just under 3 minutes to go. The team went for a 2-point conversion rather than play for a tie. Young took the handoff, but Browns linebacker Chaun Thompson sacked Young shy of the goal line to preserve the 17-16 win for Cleveland. Never the less, Young was fired up about his TD, even if he was stuffed on the 2-pointer that followed. “It was like a highlight and horror all in one," Young said. While it’s not necessarily football related, starting RB Travis Henry was ordered by the courts last week to pay $3,000 per month for a child he fathered. As it turns out, Henry has a little Shawn Kemp in him. It’s his 9^th child…with nine different women. You don’t learn things like that reading box scores.

WR: The Broncos receivers made some nice plays throughout the game. Javon Walker continues to make big plays whenever he is on the field. He had a 37-yard reception against the Browns. Brandon Marshall continued his resurgence with two nice catches for 31 yards on the Broncos last drive before halftime that netted a TD and tied the game at 10. Domenik Hixon caught three balls for 18 yards. Brandon Stokley had a 26-yard reception. Brian Clark had 3 catches for 16 yards. After the game, Walker was proudly sporting a big brown boxer’s belt over his left shoulder. The belt featured studded photos of Darrent Williams and Damien Nash, the two Broncos teammates who died during the offseason. "This is a heavyweight championship belt that a friend of my mom had made for me," said Walker, who had the unbearable experience of having Williams die in his arms following a drive-by shooting. "The thing about it is this is going to be a tough season and these two guys would have helped us out tremendously," Walker said. "For me personally, as long as I got these two on my back, I'm going to go out and play hard each and every week and they're going to travel with us to each and every locker room and to every game that we go to." Brandon Stokley played for the first time since rupturing his Achilles tendon last December. "It is exciting. It was a long process with all this rehab," Stokley said. "I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll finally get to play, and that's what it's all about. That's why I worked so hard." Despite straining his groin and hamstring in training camp, Stokley is slotted as a starting wide receiver on the Broncos depth chart. Veteran Rod Smith will begin the season on the team’s PUP list as he continues to work his way back from offseason hip surgery. Smith did participate in some drills last week for the first time, so the team is beginning to sense some optimism around his eventual return.

TE: The Broncos tight ends were productive against the Browns catching five balls for 84 yards. Leading the way was reserve Nate Jackson, a former receiver converted to tight end, with 2 receptions for 40 yards. Tony Scheffler is getting healthier, too. He caught 2 balls for 33 yards while starter Daniel Graham had one catch for 11 yards. The Broncos moved OT/TE Chad Mustard back to tackle after losing depth along the line due to injuries.

Defense: The Broncos defense sacked Cleveland four times but didn’t force any turnovers. D.J. Williams led the effort with 7-2-0 from his middle linebacker spot. Nate Webster, who won the battle for the starting strong-side job, had 5-1-0. Nick Ferguson had 4-2-0 from his SS spot and Ian Gold had 4-0-0. Amon Gordon had two sacks along with five tackles (3-2-2) and Dre Bly contributed three tackles. Elvis Dumervil and Sam Adams had the team’s other two sacks. The Broncos continue to keep track of free agent DE Simeon Rice, but they have no plans to sign him at the moment. The team has two open roster spots. Webster won the SLB job over Louis Green and T.J. Hollowell after Eddie Moore (knee) and Warrick Holdman (spine/neck) succumbed to injury. Holdman was placed on the team’s injured reserve. The Broncos did sign DT John Browning, who played most of his career with the division rival Chiefs. With Ebenezer Ekuban going on IR, the team will look for rookie Jarvis Moss to fill his spot in the starting lineup. Ekuban suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Cowboys in last week’s game. Moss has been recovering from his own injury, a twisted knee, so his work is cut out for him now with Ekuban out for the year. "You know you have to deal with it, and when your number is called, you have to be ready to go," Moss said.

Special Teams: Kicker Jason Elam made a 29-yard field goal and a PAT in the game against Cleveland. Potential return specialist WR Domenik Hixon got most of the work on returns in the game. He had a 33-yard kickoff return. He muffed another kickoff in the endzone and recovered it for a touchback. On punts he averaged 10.5 yards on two returns. Hixon should handle punt returns in the regular season and could possibly displace WR Quincy Morgan on kickoff returns. WR David Kircus had a fair catch on a punt in the game; but was waived.

Broncos Depth Chart
QB: Jay Cutler, Patrick Ramsey, Darrell Hackney, Preston Parsons
RB: Travis Henry, Mike Bell, Cecil Sapp (FB), Andre Hall, Selvin Young
FB: Kyle Johnson, Paul Smith
WR: Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, Brian Clark, Domenik Hixon (KR), Rod Smith (PUP), Quincy Morgan, Glenn Martinez, Marquay McDonald
TE: Daniel Graham, Tony Scheffler, Stephen Alexander, Nate Jackson
K: Jason Elam
DT: Sam Adams (NT), Jimmy Kennedy, Elvis Dumervil, Amon Gordon, Marcus Thomas, Alvin McKinley, Antwon Burton, Steven Harris, John Browning
DE: John Engelberger, Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder, Carlos Hall, Kenny Peterson (susp), Ebenezer Ekuban (IR)
MLB: D.J. Williams (M/S)
OLB: Ian Gold (W), Nate Webster (S/M), D.D. Lewis (S/M), Louis Green (S), T.J. Hollowell, Wesly Mallard, Cameron Vaughn
CB: Champ Bailey, Dre' Bly, Dominique Foxworth, Karl Paymah, Jeff Shoate, Bill Alford, Lamont Reid (inj)
S: John Lynch (FS), Nick Ferguson (SS), Curome Cox (SS), Hamza Abdullah (FS), Steve Cargile, Roderick Rogers

Detroit Lions

QB: Lions quarterback Jon Kitna felt a twinge in his back while warming up and decided not to play in Saturday night's exhibition game against the Colts. Kitna missed two days of practice during the week because of back spasms. Coach Rod Marinelli left the decision up to Kitna on whether to play against the Colts. Kitna said he felt the twinge when he threw a fade pattern. "They left it up to me," he said. "It was totally my call. There was no reason to push it.” With backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky (toe) also sidelined, J.T. O'Sullivan started and played the entire game, a 37-10 loss to the Colts. O'Sullivan finished 24-for-34 for 232 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions. One of the picks was especially poor -- a floater into the middle of the field that allowed the Colts to tack on another TD with seconds to go in the first half. "It's just an unacceptable play," O'Sullivan said. "You're trying to make a play and force something that just isn't there. I can't let myself do that.”

RB: The clock is ticking on running back Kevin Jones and his recovery from a severe foot injury. Will the Lions return him to practice or keep him on the physically unable to perform list? "We're going to have to make a decision soon here," coach Rod Marinelli said. "It's going to be with doctors. We've got to use their medical knowledge." Jones is evaluated medically every Monday. He hopes to return for the regular-season opener Sept. 9 at Oakland. OC Mike Martz has said he is optimistic Jones will be back based on the way Jones has been working out. But the injury is tricky. "He's working hard and cutting, but it's not like cutting in pads," Marinelli said. "That type of injury's just not clean. We've got to be right." If Jones is going to return for the opener -- or early in the regular season -- he needs to start practicing soon so he can see can get into game shape and see how the foot reacts. If the Lions keep him on the PUP list, he must miss the first six weeks of the season. After that, there is a three-week window in which the Lions can return him to practice. Once they return him to practice, they have three weeks to put him on the active roster or injured reserve. Tailback Tatum Bell carried the ball three times to open the game, and then took a seat. He had a minor shin injury, according to Coach Marinelli. T.J. Duckett ran for 16 yards on five carries, while Brian Calhoun had six carries for only four yards, and added 19 yards on three receptions. Aveion Cason did not have a carry, but he had six receptions for 55 yards.

WR: Lions first-round draft pick Calvin Johnson started for the second straight game in place of Mike Furrey, who did not play in the last game because of a bruised knee. Furrey practiced all week but was held out of the game as a precaution. Johnson is still feeling the effects of his eight-day contract holdout at the start of camp. "He hit the wall pretty good physically last week, he really did. He's just really leg weary but he's starting to recover now,'' Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz said. "The information is starting to sound like Chinese to him, but he'll sort through this. He's got a ways to go now, he really does, but when he doesn't have to think about things and his legs are in shape, he'll really progress quickly.'' Johnson caught three passes for 25 yards. He had another catch called back because of a holding penalty against tackle George Foster. Roy Williams had three receptions for 39 yards. Shaun McDonald caught four passes for 59 yards, while Troy Walters added 28 yards on three receptions, including a nine-yard TD catch with 40 seconds left in the game. In a move that has been anticipated for months, the Detroit Lions released former Pro Bowl return specialist Eddie Drummond on Thursday. Devale Ellis remains on the PUP list.

TE: Sean McHugh was the only tight end to catch a ball, hauling in a seven-yard pass.

Defense: The Lions' defense started strong. Defensive ends Dewayne White and Kalimba Edwards sandwiched Manning for a 13-yard sack on the opening play. Later, linebacker Paris Lenon punched the ball out of the hands of rookie receiver Anthony Gonzalez, and defensive tackle Shaun Cody recovered it. Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers did not play. He returned to practice this week for the first time since October, but he is still nursing a knee problem and getting into shape. Marinelli said two days in pads wasn't enough to prepare Rogers for a game. "I just think we've got to be a little bit smart with his progress at this point," Marinelli said. Rookie end Ikaika Alama-Francis got his first sack of the preseason. LB Ernie Sims led all players with nine tackles. Starting linebacker Boss Bailey suffered a slight concussion. Stanley Wilson and Travis Fisher both were beaten for touchdowns. Wilson gave up a 26-yard completion on a third and 15 and dropped what should have been an interception. Fisher also was flagged for interference on third and 13. Safety Kenoy Kennedy injured his knee during the game. His status was not known following the game. Second-year safety Daniel Bullocks was lost for the season. Bullocks had his right knee buckle during a non-contact play late in the second quarter of Saturday's 37-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Special Teams: Kicker Jason Hanson missed the previous game with a sore hamstring, but connected on a 51-yard field goal in this week’s game at Indianapolis. Camp leg Kenny Byrd, who suffered an ankle injury in last week’s game, was placed on injured reserve. Although it has been widely expected all preseason, the big news this week was the release of return specialist WR Eddie Drummond. WR Troy Walters is probably the frontrunner to replace him. Walters had three fair catches on punts in the Colts’ game, and scored a receiving TD in garbage time. The other likely possibilities are RB Aveion Cason in kickoff returns and WR Shaun McDonald on pun returns. WR Devale Ellis was a candidate, but he remains on the PUP list with a knee injury. The Lions got an opportunity to look at several others on kickoff returns this week, as the Colts scored often. WR Kevin Kasper averaged 16.7 yards on three returns, WR Brandon Middleton averaged 22.0 yards on two returns, and RB Brian Calhoun averaged 20.0 yards on two returns.

Lions Depth Chart
QB: Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky, J.T. O'Sullivan, Drew Stanton (IR)
RB: Tatum Bell, T.J. Duckett, Kevin Jones (PUP), Brian Calhoun, Aveion Cason, Anthony Sherrell
FB: Jon Bradley
WR: Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey (inj), Shaun McDonald (PR), DeVale Ellis (PUP), Troy Walters, Cliff Russell, Kevin Kasper, Brandon Middleton, Ron Bellamy, Reggie Ball, Marcus Robinson (IR)
TE: Dan Campbell, Casey Fitzsimmons, Darnell Sanders, Rudy Sylvan, Sean McHugh
K: Jason Hanson, Kenny Byrd
DT: Shaun Rogers, Cory Redding (inj), Shaun Cody, Cleveland Pinkney, Langston Moore, Salomon Solano
DE: Dewayne White, Kalimba Edwards, Jared DeVries, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Corey Smith, Claude Harriott
MLB: Paris Lenon, Ted Lehman (inj), Johnny Baldwin
OLB: Ernie Sims (W), Boss Bailey (S), Alex Lewis (S), Anthony Cannon (W), Donte' Curry, Justin Kurpeikis
CB: Fernando Bryant, Stanley Wilson, Travis Fisher, A.J. Davis, Keith Smith, Tony Beckham, Dee McCann, Ramzee Robinson, Israel Route, LaMarcus Hicks, Ike Charlton (IR)
S: Kenoy Kennedy (SS), Gerald Alexander, Idrees Bashir, Daniel Bullocks (IR)

Green Bay Packers

QB: Brett Favre came out of the gates slinging on Thursday night. He completed 14-of-20 passes for 130 yards in brief action as the Packers jumped to a 10-0 early lead before losing eventually to Jacksonville 21-13. Aaron Rodgers played after Favre left and he completed 6-of-9 for 82 yards. Ingle Martin finished off the game and, ultimately, made the biggest mistake as he threw an interception that was returned 24-yards for a TD and the nail in the Packers coffin as they were trying to drive for a score and to regain the lead in the fourth quarter. On Friday, Martin was among 11 players released by the team. The entire list includes: center C.J. Blomvall, WR Carlton Brewster, FB Erryn Cobb, punter Ryan Dougherty, DE DeVon Hicks, CB Antonio Malone, guard Pat Murray, RB P.J. Pope, LB Juwan Simpson and TE Joe Werner. Head coach Mike McCarthy said the plan for the team’s final preseason game is to have Favre possibly play a couple of series. He wants Favre to get more reps with his receivers. With Ingle Martin cut, the team had Paul Thompson as the number three QB. McCarthy said Martin was cut so they could get a longer look at Thompson, but hinted that Martin could be back, too. "It could be possible to see Ingle come back," McCarthy said. "We feel like we have a pretty good grasp on where Ingle is in his development. I do not have those answers with Paul Thompson, which is clearly why in my view why we decided to give Paul this opportunity. I'm not real sure where Paul is right now in his development."

RB: The Packers running game was stopped in its tracks by a stout Jaguars front seven on Thursday. Bobby Jackson scored on a 1-yard TD in the first quarter, but that was about the only highlight to draw from the team’s ground game. Jackson finished with 20 yards on 11 carries and 23 yards on four carries. Noah Herron ran three times for 4 yards and caught one ball for 11 yards. Vernand Morency remains out with a patella strain. He will sit out for yet another week of practice making his availability for the regular season even more up in the air. With Morency on the sidelines, Jackson’s been given the opportunity to establish himself as the team’s potential starter out of the gates. He didn’t do much with the opportunity on Thursday, but McCarthy also noted that a few of his stuffed runs were due to breakdowns on the offensive line. GM Ted Thompson was asked if he’s confident that Morency would be available for the season opener. Thompson replied, "Confident is probably too strong a word. We don't know. But he's doing very well." Morency said he was hoping to at least practice next week. "I'd definitely love to be out there," he said. "I'm trying to get out there as soon as possible."

If Jackson gets the starting nod, the team will need to be careful with its protection schemes as Jackson lacks experience as a blocker and picking up blitzes. He’s willing, but lacks the skill and could be a liability in obvious passing situations and force the team to use Noah Herron in those instances. RB Corey White could also be used in those situations. White was the most productive of the three on Thursday running for 60 yards on 11 carries against the Jags reserves. Whatever happens, expect the Packers to deploy some form of a RB-by-committee. If Morency isn’t able to go, it could also mean that Jackson could be their feature back on opening day. "If our committee (of backs) is not healthy, then it goes to a committee of one," said Reggie McKenzie, the Packers' director of pro personnel. "Coach Mike will figure out a way to get (Jackson) to be productive." Jackson was nailed in practice by DB Jason Horton earlier this week. It was enough to give the team a scare as he stayed on the ground motionless for several seconds after the collision. "I don't know the extent of it but, yeah, anytime a guy lays down like that, that's not a positive sign," McCarthy said. "Hopefully he'll be OK."

On Jackson’s performance in the game, McCarthy said he's not too worried. "I thought his decision-making for the most part was good. I think Brandon's improved every week. As far as the run blocking, it wasn't as good as it need to be if I was going to be critical. I'm very comfortable with Brandon Jackson as far as his attempts and the way he's shown progress week in and week out."

On the return of fellow rookie DeShawn Wynn, McCarthy added, "Good to see him back. He's a talented young man. He has very quick feet. He had a full load so I'm really curious to watch the film. But it was good to see him back out there. The timing of it is important because we have one more preseason game left. This is a big week for him." Wynn said his legs felt "heavy."

WR: Donald Driver was hurt in Thursday night’s game against the Jaguars forcing standout rookie James Jones potentially into an even more featured role in the offense. Jones caught six passes for 80 yards in the game, but also made a couple of mistakes and must continue developing rapport with QB Brett Favre. Driver’s situation was murky after was carted into the locker room for x-rays. GM Ted Thompson helped fans breathe a little easier when he said that his impression is that Driver would be available for the team’s season opener against Philadelphia. Driver has been sporting a walking boot since the injury to help protect and stabilize his sprained right foot. The day after the injury, Thompson acknowledged that Driver was “feeling better today and the doctors are still fairly encouraged." He went on to say, "He's a remarkably tough professional football player who was also blessed with remarkable genetics. But we're hopeful, I don't know how you can predict this, but we feel fairly good that he's going to be OK." WR/KR Shaun Bodiford expects to miss four to six weeks after spraining his MCL against Seattle in the previous game. As for Thursday’s statistics, Driver finished with 3-27-0, Greg Jennings 2-19-0, Carlyle Holiday 1-6-0 and Ruvell Martin 1-5-0.

TE: Bubba Franks made an impressive 25-yard catch against the Jaguars on Thursday for his only catch of the game. Donald Lee also produced a 20-yard reception. The Packers started the game with a 3-WR set featuring James Jones and no tight end. Franks and Lee continue to compete for the team’s starting position, but currently Lee remains ahead of Franks on the depth chart.

Defense: LB Desmond Bishop was one of the defensive bright spots for the Packers. He finished with a 5-0-0 stat line and had at least one crunching hit that drew a response from the crowd. Colin Cole had four tackles, Nick Barnett 3-2-0 and safety Atari Bigby continued his strong preseason showing with a 3-1-0. Bigby has been one of the team’s best stories to emerge in camp. The Jamaican born Rastafarian had been cut by a few teams, before heading to Europe and catching the eye of Green Bay’s Reggie McKenzie. "When players came to Europe, a lot of times, they lost their focus, even if they had NFL talent," said Bigby’s defensive coordinator Richard Kent in Europe, himself a 9-year veteran coach in the league. "They would get into a new culture and kind of wander off. Bigby was not like that. He was focused. I am not sure how a guy like that falls through the cracks, undrafted and all." Bigby led his Europe team with 61 tackles on the way to the World Bowl. “Coaches from other teams would say, hey, who's No. 20, for about three, four games in a row," said Kent. "He always flashed. He'd make a spectacular hit or break on a ball. He was a pretty consistent guy, too, he didn't bust a lot of assignments.” Bigby is emerging as the team’s likely starting strong safety moving ahead of his friend and former HS teammate Marquand Manuel (Miami Senior HS). Jarrett Bush moved ahead of Patrick Dendy as the team’s third corner in the nickel and the team announced on Monday that Marviel Underwood was released. DE Mike Montgomery underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair medial collateral ligament damage in his right knee. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Special Teams: The kicker battle continues. Against Jacksonville, Dave Rayner made a 22-yard field goal and had kickoffs of 75 and 79 (touchback) yards. Rookie Mason Crosby made a 38-yard field goal and had kickoffs of 75 (touchback) and 70yards. Both are 3-of-3 on field goals in preseason games. Against a rush in practice, Rayner has connected on 81% of is kicks and Crosby on 85%. On kickoffs in games, Rayner has averaged 73.6 yards and 4.03 seconds hang time, while Crosby has averaged 70.8 yards and 4.12 seconds. HC Mike McCarthy noted, "I can't say enough about those guys. They're automatic. We've got a tough decision to make." The decision on the return specialist was easier. McCarthy noted, “I think it's safe to say that Will Blackmon will be our returner against Philadelphia [regular season opener]. I feel confident watching him in the first two games.” Against the Jaguars, they took a look at WR Carlton Brewster on kickoff returns. He averaged 23.0 yards on three returns. He has since been released. On punts, CB Tramon Williams had a six-yard return. He remains on the roster bubble.

Packers Depth Chart
QB: Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Paul Thompson
RB: Brandon Jackson (inj), Vernand Morency (KR)(inj), Noah Herron, DeShawn Wynn, Corey White
FB: Brandon Miree, Korey Hall, Ryan Powdrell (IR)
WR: Donald Driver (inj), Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin, Carlyle Holiday, David Clowney, Shaun Bodiford (inj), Calvin Russell, Chris Francies, Koren Robinson (susp)
TE: Donald Lee, Bubba Franks, Zac Alcorn, Clark Harris, Tory Humphrey (IR)
K: Dave Rayner, Mason Crosby
DT: Ryan Pickett (NT), Corey Williams (NT), Justin Harrell (inj), Colin Cole, Johnny Jolly (NT), Daniel Muir
DE: Aaron Kampman, Cullen Jenkins, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Mike Montgomery (inj), Larry Birdine, Jason Hunter
MLB: Nick Barnett, Desmond Bishop (W), Tim Goodwell, Carl-Johan Bjork, Abdul Hodge (inj)
OLB: A.J. Hawk (W), Brady Poppinga (S), Tracy White (W), Spencer Havner (S), Rory Johnson (W)
CB: Al Harris, Charles Woodson, Jarrett Bush, Patrick Dendy, Will Blackmon (PR), Frank Walker, Tramon Williams, Antonio Malone
S: Nick Collins (FS), Atari Bigby (SS), Marquand Manuel (SS), Aaron Rouse (FS)(inj), Tyrone Culver (FS), Charlie Peprah (FS), Alvin Nnabuife (SS)

Houston Texans

QB: Matt Schaub upstaged Tony Romo in the Cowboys-Texans annual preseason game this past week. Schaub continued to look good as the Texans starting QB. He completed 12-of-16 passes for 109 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. He led the Texans to a first quarter TD to become the first team to score a TD against the Cowboys first team defense in the preseason, but Schaub wasn’t done. He connected with Jacoby Jones just before halftime to give the Texans a comfortable 21-6 lead. "When you go out and execute the offense, what more can you ask for?" Texans WR Andre Johnson said. "We went out and did what we were supposed to do." Schaub threw the ball with good accuracy and zip. "We're really comfortable in what we're doing and we're really comfortable in one another," he said. "Without a doubt, I think it was a great test for us."

The most encouraging thing of the Texans preseason has been the improved pass protection of the offensive line. Surprisingly, in two preseason games worth of action Schaub has not been sacked. Considering the Texans allowed 249 sacks in their five seasons, this is great news even if it’s only the preseason. It also helps that Schaub is getting rid of the ball quickly. "We are protecting the quarterback better," Kubiak said. "But they understand protections. They take a lot of pride with not going down with the football, and they do that in practice as well as in the game. That's going to help you get better up front when you've got somebody doing that."

Sage Rosenfuls played the rest of the game once Schaub left. He went 8-of-13 for 62 yards including a 17-yard pass from to David Anderson with 2:57 to play to give the Texans a 28-16 advantage. QBs Quinton Porter and QB Bradlee Van Pelt were both waived on Sunday.

RB: Last week, Ahman Green came away from the Texans game a little woozy after getting nailed on the third play from scrimmage. Green ended up running for just 19 yards on six carries. This week, against Dallas, the former Pro Bowl RB had much better results. He ran for 65 yards on eight carries and caught one ball for 13 yards. Green’s 46-yard run early in the 2^nd quarter setup the Texans first TD, a 6-yard TD pass from Schaub to Andre Johnson. Samkon Gado also had some nice production, running for 32 yards on 4 carries. Ron Dayne ran eight times for 25 yards. FB Jameel Cook ran twice for 11 yards. A plus for Green is his comfort level with the team’s zone blocking scheme. If Green can remain healthy, as he did last year, he’s a solid value considering his current ADP and someone you should target as a 2^nd starter or for RB depth (RB2 or RB3).

WR: Once again this week the star of the Texans was rookie Jacoby Jones. Jones’ excellent preseason should be enough for him to overtake Kevin Walter and claim the #2 receiver job opposite Andre Johnson, who led the Texans with 4 catches, 39 yards and a 6-yard TD that gave the Texans an early 14-0 lead. For the second game in a row, Jones returned a punt for a TD. This time, he returned one 91 yards for a score early in the first quarter. He took the punt and busted through the Cowboys defenders to outrun them all as he held the ball out in front of him around the 10-yard line before doing a flip into the end zone for the score. HC Gary Kubiak told Jones, “Don't ever do that again.” Later in the 2^nd quarter, Jones broke free in front of the coverage for a 19-yard TD reception which made it 21-6 before halftime. Jones also had a 10-yard run on a reverse and finished with 2 catches for 26 yards. Andre Davis had 3-25-0 and David Anderson caught a 17-yard TD from Sage Rosenfels in the fourth quarter to seal the deal for Houston.

What appeared to be a concern, the Texans WR depth, is now considered a strength on the heels of Jacoby Jones’ outstanding play combined with the veteran leadership of Keenan McCardell and Andre Davis. Jerome Mathis may be turning the corner, too. "It's amazing. Last year we knew it was an issue. We talked about it and how we had to get better," Coach Kubiak said. "The reason it got better really is because of work habits and giving young players a chance to get it done. You start to put that all together and it's a deeper, more well-conditioned group." On Sunday the team waived Harry Williams and Charlie Adams to thin the herd a bit, but Anderson, Mathis, Davis and Bethel Johnson are still fighting it out for those last roster spots.

TE: Owen Daniels looks to be ready for the regular season. He caught three balls for 21 yards against the Cowboys and he’s been a regular target of Matt Schaub throughout the preseason. Jeb Putzier has also been productive; he caught two balls for 16 yards against Dallas. Putzier and Daniels are both good receivers. Putzier probably won’t get enough targets to warrant any fantasy value in redraft leagues unless injuries befall Daniels. On Sunday, the team waived reserve TE Ben Steele.

Defense: The Texans defensive line, led by Mario Williams and two of the team’s other first round picks finally got the pass rush going against the Cowboys. They sacked Tony Romo twice and registered three for the game. Jason Babin had 4 tackles and one sack. Charlie Anderson had 2 tackles and a sack and Shantee Orr had the other sack. FS Brandon Mitchell and CB Fred Barnett each had an interception. "It looked like we did some better things," Kubiak said. "We were more disruptive making their quarterback move around a little bit." Last year’s defensive rookie of the year led the Texans with eight combined tackles (5-3-0) while Jason Simmons contributed with 5-0-0, Danny Clark 3-0-0 and Mario Williams 2-2-0. Williams applied pressure to Romo a couple of times; drilling him on a play where Romo lost the football and was scrambling to get it back. "It was good, but we didn't do as much as we wanted to," Williams said. "There were some times that we - that I - missed some opportunities. But we will get better at it and keep going." Williams said he did something different in this game, but wouldn't disclose what it was saying only that it had to do with his approach. Whatever it was, he said it made him feel "a lot more comfortable." On Sunday, the team waived DT Thomas Johnson, DT Thomas Smith and CB Derrick Roberson.

Special Teams: After going 4-of-4 on field goals each of the last two games, kicker Kris Brown went 4-of-4 on PATs against Dallas this week. He missed his only field goal attempt, wide right from 45 yards. WR Jerome Mathis averaged 18.0 yards on four kickoff returns against the Cowboys. His hopes of making the final roster may hinge on whether the Texans keep six receivers or not. If Mathis doesn’t make the team, DB Dexter Wynn would probably be the primary kickoff returner in the regular season. There are no questions regarding the punt returner job. Rookie WR Jacoby Jones has won the job convincingly. After scoring on an 80-yard punt return last week, he scored a 91-yarder this week against the Cowboys. His short punt of the game went for 14 yards, which still longer than most NFL punt returns.

Texans Depth Chart
QB: Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels, Jared Zabransky
RB: Ahman Green, Ron Dayne, Wali Lundy, Samkon Gado, Darius Walker, Chris Taylor (IR)
FB: Vonta Leach, Jameel Cook (inj), John Abbate (inj)
WR: Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones, Keenan McCardell (inj), David Anderson, Jerome Mathis (KR/PR), Andre Davis, Bethel Johnson (KR), Terry Richardson
TE: Owen Daniels, Jeb Putzier, Mark Bruener, Joel Dreessen
K: Kris Brown
DT: Travis Johnson, Anthony Maddox, Amobi Okoye, Jeff Zgonina, Tim Bulman, Cedric Killings, Dejuan Robinson
DE: Mario Williams, Anthony Weaver (inj), Jason Babin, Ndukwe Kalu, Earl Cochrane, Victor DeGrate, Alfred Malone (inj)
MLB: DeMeco Ryans
OLB: Morlon Greenwood (W), Charlie Anderson (S), Shawn Barber (W/S), Shantee Orr (S), Danny Clark (S), Zac Diles, Trent Bray, Eduardo Castenada
CB: Dunta Robinson, DeMarcus Faggins, Jamar Fletcher, Von Hutchins (FS/CB), Dexter McCleon, Tyrone Poole, Fred Bennett, Dexter Wynn, John Walker, Jason Horton (inj), Roc Alexander (IR)
S: C.C. Brown (FS/SS), Jason Simmons (FS), Brandon Harrison (SS), Brandon Mitchell (FS), Glenn Earl (IR)

Indianapolis Colts

QB: If the Colts could only play the Lions every week; Peyton Manning and the Colts starting offense was nearly flawless in the first half against the Lions on Saturday night. Manning threw three first-half touchdowns and the Colts controlled the game from the get-go on their way to a 37-10 rout. Manning completed 23-of-27 passes for 233 yards and converted six plays for first downs when he needed 10 yards or more. For the preseason, Manning is now 31-of-40 for 331 yards and no interceptions. HC Tony Dungy planned on keeping Manning in the game for the first three quarters, but saw all he needed in the first half, opting to play Jim Sorgi to start the third quarter. Sorgi led the Colts offense on a scoring drive that he capped with a 16-yard TD to Aaron Moorehead. Early in the fourth quarter, Sorgi led the team to another TD drive connecting with Craphonso Thorpe for a 5-yard TD. Sorgi was almost as impressive as Manning statistically. He completed 16-of-23 for 171 yards.

RB: Joseph Addai ran five times for 18 yards and caught five balls for 48 yards in the first half. DeDe Dorsey, Clifton Dawson and Kenton Keith all got into the action after Addai left the game. Dawson ran three times for 13 yards, Keith three times for 12 yards and Dorsey five times for just 4 yards. Dorsey was widely believed to be the Colts backup entering camp, but if the preseason has shown anything, it may be anything but a done deal. Keith and Dawson have been just as productive as Dorsey and it looks like it could be anyone’s job. Keith was bothered last week by a gimpy ankle that hurt enough for him to get an MRI, but appears to be fine and was able to play in Saturday’s game. The Colts hope they won’t need to find out too much about those three backs in a featured role. Addai managed to stay healthy as a rookie while splitting time with Dominic Rhodes. This year, the team will lean on him more heavily and it looks as if Addai is up for the challenge. Manning seems to be convinced. "I think Joseph has challenged himself on that," Manning said Wednesday, saying that he thinks Addai is ready to carry the load.

WR: Saturday night’s game seemed more like a playground for Reggie Wayne. Wayne toyed with the Lions secondary catching six passes for 70 yards in the first half. The Lions simply could contain him. Wayne and Harrison both caught TD passes in the first half as Harrison caught three balls for 33 yards. Harrison’s TD came on a slant route where he beat single coverage to give the Colts an early 7-0 lead. The reserve receivers were much like Manning and the starters. They, too, came up with 2 TDs in the second half. Craphonso Thorpe continued his strong bid for a roster spot with 5 catches for 68 yards and a TD. Aaron Moorehead caught three for 42 yards with a TD. John Standeford caught 3 balls for 37 yards. Roy Hall had four for 23 yards and Anthony Gonzalez caught two for 22 yards.

TE: Dallas Clark made a nice catch on a “lob pass” from Peyton Manning that he caught as he was already lying on the ground. Clark emerged after halftime sporting an ice pack wrapped around his right thigh. He caught 6 balls for 47 yards in the first half. Ben Utecht had one catch for 13 yards. Rookie Gijon Robinson injured his thumb last week. Bryan Fletcher did not play as he continued to recover from a sprained right ankle.

Defense: Bob Sanders came off the team’s PUP list and returned to practice last Wednesday. "I feel strong, I feel fast, and I'm ready to go," Sanders said. With Anthony McFarland gone for the year, the team continues to audition players for a starting role. So far, rookie Ed Johnson remains in the lead. At 6-2, 296-pounds he has adequate size and quickness. The team needs for him to hold up against the run to be effective though. Last year, the team allowed a ridiculous 173 yards/game rushing, but improved late in the season once Sanders returned and McFarland worked his way more into the rotation. First-year DE Jeff Charleston is having a nice preseason. He’s been Dwight Freeney’s backup on the right-side during camp and has shown some pass rushing ability. Coaches think he’s similar to left-side backup Josh Thomas. LB Freddie Keiaho had a strong game against the Lions flying around the field and making three tackles in the first half. If he sustains his level of play into the regular season, the team will be happy with him as a replacement for the free agent loss of LB Cato June to Tampa. Keiaho is a more physical, but is not as effective in coverage as June. Freeney bruised his right thigh against the Lions and is not expected to play in their preseason finale Friday against Cincinnati. Other standouts from the Lions/Colts box score include Brandon Archer (6-0-0), who has been productive for the last two games, Tim Jennings (6-1-0) and Antonio Perkins (4-1-0). Rob Mathis and Freeney split a sack and Matt Giordano intercepted a J.T. O’Sullivan pass.

Special Teams: In the game against Detroit, kicker Adam Vinatieri had one of his four PAT attempts blocked. Camp leg Shane Andrus added a 36-yard field goal later in the game. Return specialist CB T.J. Rushing missed the game with a hamstring injury. A potential backup on kickoff returns, RB Kenton Keith averaged 23.5 yards on two kickoff returns. WR Craphonso Thorpe is a potential backup on both kickoff and punt returns, although first he’ll have to make the final roster. Against the Lions he averaged 13.8 yards on four punt returns. He fumbled one of those, although it was recovered by a team mate. After muffing a punt return last week, CB Antonio Perkins had no gain on one return this week.

Colts Depth Chart
QB: Peyton Manning, Jim Sorgi, Josh Betts
RB: Joseph Addai, DeDe Dorsey, Kenton Keith, Clifton Dawson
FB: Luke Lawton
WR: Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, Roy Hall, Aaron Moorehead, John Standeford, Craphonso Thorpe, Trent Shelton
TE: Dallas Clark, Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher, Gijon Robinson, Jonny Harline, Justin Snow, Mike Seidman (IR)
K: Adam Vinatieri, Shane Andrus
DT: Raheem Brock (DE), Edward Johnson, Darrell Reid, Quinn Pitcock (NT), Dan Klecko, Ramel Meekins, Anthony McFarland (IR)
DE: Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis (inj), Josh Thomas, Bo Schobel, Keyunta Dawson, Jeff Charleston, Ben Ishola, Ryan LaCasse
MLB: Gary Brackett (W/M), Brandon Archer
OLB: Rob Morris (S)(inj), Freddie Keiaho (W), Tyjuan Hagler (S), Clint Session, Rocky Boiman, KaMichael Hall, Ramon Guzman, Victor Worsley
CB: Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, Dante Hughes, Michael Coe, T.J. Rushing (KR), Tanard Davis, Antonio Perkins, Tim Jennings, Duane Coleman
S: Bob Sanders (FS), Antoine Bethea (SS), Matt Giordano (FS), Brannen Condren, Melvin Bullitt, Scott Ware

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Backup David Garrard only played for two series on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, but that was all he needed to reinvigorate the “QB controversy” that has plagued the team the past couple of seasons. Byron Leftwich started and failed to lead the offense to any scores. The team’s first two drives ended on failed fourth down conversions in Green Bay territory. The next two resulted in punts. HC Jack Del Rio even gave Leftwich a gratuitous series in the third quarter, but that too resulted in a punt as the first team offense failed to put any points on the board. Garrard took over in the third quarter and promptly drove the team to a pair of TDs – the first a 1-yard run by LaBrandon Toefield and the second a 25-yard TD to tight end George Wrighster. Garrard went 6-of-7 for 97 yards, a TD and 11 yards rushing. His QB rating for the evening was a perfect 158.3. The performance once again fueled fans concerns that Del Rio was too hasty in naming Leftwich the team’s starter back in February. Garrard said after the game. "It's a little frustrating not being able to go into the season as the starter… As long as I can do my job and when my number is called, perform at the same level. That's what I'm here for." So far, in 10 series against other team’s first string defenses the Jags starters have scored only 1 TD – on a drive that was extended by a penalty, and they’ve punted 7 times and failed on a pair of 4^th downs attempts. The Jags are, of course, adapting to a new offensive system this year, but it’s one that’s supposed to give Leftwich more freedom and more check-down options than in the past. It’s designed to allow Leftwich to quickly get rid of the ball and help him take less punishment, which has always been a concern. If anything, the game might prompt the front office to re-think their commitment to Leftwich and his $5.145 million salary due this year. If he takes the first snap of the regular season, his salary is guaranteed for the entire year. If Del Rio is entertaining any notions of keeping him on a short leash this year, knowing Garrard is very capable, then it might behoove the jags to cut him before the season. What transpires could have a fairly big impact in terms of fantasy drafts. Garrard is one of those few backup NFL quarterbacks that deserve attention from fantasy owners due to the situation, his talent and the potential for him to emerge at some point as the team’s starter as he’s done in each of the past two seasons (with mixed results). In the end, Del Rio didn’t flinch after Thursday’s game saying, "We had some problems converting third downs. We had some near misses with a couple of receivers open deep, and if you hit a couple of those, it feels a lot better."

RB: The Jaguars got all of their backs involved in Thursday’s game. Rookie reserve D.D. Terry led the team with 29 yards on 5 carries while co-stars Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 21 yards and 19 yards respectively. LaBrandon Toefield ran for 14 yards on five carries including his 1-yard TD plunge in the third quarter. Alvin Pearman and Greg Jones each had one carry for a combined one yard.

WR: Unbelievably, the competition remains unsettled after the team’s first three preseason games. Del Rio said the WR spots remain wide open. "I think you can see by the way we're playing guys that we're attempting to give everybody a fair shake, a real thorough evaluation," he said. "Not only have we done that in practice throughout the OTAs [organized team activities], throughout the camp but also during the games. In time, we'll make the decisions we need to make and go forward, but that's a work in progress." The coaches have been rotating the receivers with the first-team offense. Dennis Northcutt and Charles Sharon have been listed atop the depth chart, but Matt Jones is also working with the first team and on three WR sets, while Mike Walker and Reggie Williams have also worked with the first unit at other times. In Thursday’s game, Matt Jones produced a nice 26-yard catch while Northcutt had a 20-yarder, rookie John Broussard had a 16-yarder, Ernest Wilford a 15-yarder and Sharon a 12-yard reception. Reggie Williams caught two balls for 9 yards. If one or two receivers emerge to produce good stats this year, they will undoubtedly become one of the better values in drafts considering that all of them are late round picks due to the uncertainty of the pecking order and expected production from each.

TE: Thursday’s game showed one thing – George Wrighster appears to be healthy again, and in this game, he was productive. He caught two balls for 33 yards including a key 25-yard TD from David Garrard in the third quarter to pull the Jags ahead by a score of 14-10. Marcedes Lewis started and was targeted once. Jermaine Wiggins was released, surprisingly, which all but assures Richard Angulo will make the team as the 3^rd tight end.

Defense: The Jaguars defense came to play against the Packers. They sacked Green Bay’s QBs a total of five times and limited the running game to just 84 yards on 25 carries and forced two turnovers. Brian Iwuh’s 24-yard interception return on Ingle Martin’s poorly thrown ball was the difference maker in the fourth quarter, giving the Jags a 21-16 come-from-behind win. Linebacker Tony Gilbert led the Jags effort with six tackles and a sack, but dousing his excitement was a season-ending injury. Gilbert tore his biceps muscle and was placed on IR on Sunday. Also, on Sunday the team signed free agents linebacker Kevis Coley and defensive tackle Joe Anoai to contracts. Other notables in Thursday’s action were DE James Wyche with five solo tackles, Terry Cousin with 4-0-0, Daryl Smith 4-1-0 and newly signed safety Sammy Knight 3-1-0. DL Derek Landri had two sacks, DEs Brett Hawkins, Reggie Hayward and Gilbert had the others. Standout DT Marcus Stroud acknowledges that he’s still not yet 100% following microfracture surgery in the offseason. "When I said 75 percent, I didn't mean 75 percent as far as my ankle. I meant 75 as far as football shape," he said. "Hopefully by the time the season starts, as far as health, I'm fine. I'm trying to put together the total package." The Jags hope to have rookie safety Reggie Nelson (ankle) back for Week 1 of the season. If not, Gerald Sensabaugh could slide over to free safety and they could insert either Sammy Knight or Jamaal Fudge at strong safety.

Special Teams: Kicker Josh Scobee had no field goals attempts in the game at Green Bay, although he did add two PATs. Camp leg Aaron Elling also had no field goals attempts and added one PAT. His stay with Jacksonville was brief, as he was released over the weekend. As planned, the starting returners again did not have any returns in the game: RB Maurice Jones-Drew on kickoffs or WR Dennis Northcutt on punts. They opted instead to look at several backup candidates and roster hopefuls. As HC Jack Del Rio noted, “We're just preparing our football team for the season and doing all that we need to do to get that done”. On kickoffs, rookie WR John Broussard had an 18-yard return, and RB Montell Owens had a 24-yard return. RB Alvin Pearman averaged 8.5 yards on two punt returns and had a fair catch.

Jaguars Depth Chart
QB: Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, Quinn Gray (inj)
RB: Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew (SD/3RB/KR) , LaBrandon Toefield (KR) , Alvin Pearman (PR), Montell Owens
FB: Greg Jones
WR: Ernest Wilford, Dennis Northcutt, Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, Mike Walker, Charles Sharon, John Broussard
TE: Marcedes Lewis, George Wrighster, Richard Angulo, Greg Estandia, Isaac Smolko
K: Josh Scobee
DT: Marcus Stroud, John Henderson, Rob Meier (DE), Derek Landri, Tony McDaniel (inj), Seth Payne, Walter Curry
DE: Reggie Hayward, Bobby McCray, Brent Hawkins, Paul Spicer, James Wyche, Brian Smith (PUP), Tyler King
MLB: Mike Peterson (M/W), Tony Gilbert (IR)
OLB: Daryl Smith (W/M), Clint Ingram (S), Nick Greisen (W), Justin Durant (W), Pat Thomas (inj), Kenneth Pettway, Brian Iwuh, Roy Manning, Chad Nkang
CB: Rashean Mathis, Brian Williams, Terry Cousin, Scott Starks, Bruce Thornton, Dee Webb, Chris Roberson, Rashod Moulton, Jamar Landrom
S: Reggie Nelson (FS)(inj), Gerald Sensabaugh (SS), Josh Gattis (SS), Sammy Knight, Jamaal Fudge

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Herm Edwards made his decision; Damon Huard will be the team’s starting quarterback in Week One. The K.C. Star reported that Edwards went with Damon Huard after seeing Croyle’s performance against the Saints on Thursday. With LT Damion McIntosh potentially unavailable for the first game, Edwards thought Huard might be better for the team than Croyle, who was just 5-of-17 for 45 yards with an interception. Croyle was under fire all night by the Saints defense as they routinely beat the Chiefs O-line. Croyle was sacked twice. The Chiefs were hoping Croyle would seize this opportunity to establish himself as the starter. Third string QB Casey Printers left the game with a sore hamstring. His status is in doubt for the preseason finale against the Rams. Huard, for his part, hasn’t led the Chiefs to a touchdown in the first two preseason games, but he can ride on some of the success he showed last year starting in place of Trent Green (5-2 as starter with 11 TDs and only 1 INT).

HC Herm Edwards: “Brodie Croyle in my mind is going to be a good quarterback in this organization — no doubt about it… I just think we’ve exposed Brodie where we know what he is a lot more than we did last year. We know what Damon is because he has a history… When you weigh those things, you go into the opener and say, `Hey, we’ve got to try to win the game.’ In my opinion, this gives us the best chance. He’s a guy who’s weathered a lot of storms… And I go back to what he did last year for us. He came off the bench and performed very, very well. He managed the game. Didn’t turn the ball over a lot. That is very important, especially on the road.”

Croyle on losing the starting gig: “I think they were sitting there kind of waiting for me to go do it, and I didn’t do it… Therefore, they don’t feel I’m ready to go. And we’ll just wait our turn. Obviously, I wanted to be the starter… It didn’t work out that way. But we’ll get our shot at some point and when we do, we’ll make the most of it.” Herm also added, "Brodie struggled some, but he didn't get any help either," Edwards said. "He can't catch the ball. He can't block. That's not all on the quarterback."

RB: Last week, the Chiefs finally came to terms with star Larry Johnson on a 5-year, $43.2 million extension with $19 million guaranteed. Johnson rejoined the team literally as quickly as he could, but didn’t suit up for the Thursday night game against the Saints. Some question if Johnson will be ready for the season opener against Houston after missing 25 days with his holdout. Johnson didn’t disagree, saying, "No, it'll take a little bit more than that. Obviously, coaches are going to do a great job trying to get me on track to where week two or week three of the season I can hit my full stride. I'm going to try pick up as fast as I can." He expects to see his first action of the preseason in the last game against St. Louis. "Obviously, we're ready to get Larry back. He's a great runner," said Croyle. "He really kind of sets up our offense." With Johnson not in the starting lineup yet, Michael Bennett got the nod again. Bennett gained 27 yards on 7 attempts and caught one pass for 14 yards. Marcus O'Keith scored the Chiefs' only touchdown on a 2-yard run with 1:53 left in the game. He finished with 10 yards on three carries. Rookie Kolby Smith ran for 6 yards on three carries. Derrick Ross had one run for 4 yards.

WR: Eddie Kennison and Samie Parker continue to start for the Chiefs, but it wasn’t until the reserves got into the game that the Chiefs produced any stats from the WR position. First-round pick Dwayne Bowe caught one ball for 21 yards and Brent Little, Ben Ekwerekwu and Ean Randolph all had one catch apiece. On Thursday the Chiefs released WR Titus Ryan and WR Rod Gardner had his contract terminated. Bowe should emerge from this mess at some point, though for now, Parker remains in the lineup opposite Kennison. Jeff Webb is another play to consider, but it looks like the pecking order this year could be along the lines of Kennison, Parker then Bowe and then maybe Chris Hannon and Webb.

WR/KR Eddie Drummond signed a two-year deal with the Chiefs after turning down a better offer from the Bucs. Drummond spent five years with the Lions where he was a Pro Bowler in 2004 when became one of three players in NFL history to return two punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns in a season (the other two are Dante Hall and Devin Hester). Drummond’s presence means it will be tougher for Ean Randolph to make the final 53-man roster.

TE: Keith Willis caught two balls for 25 yards against the Saints. Michael Allan caught one ball for 4 yards. Kris Wilson had one catch for five yards. The Chiefs cut Mike Pinkard last Thursday.

Defense: DE Jared Allen might have been the Chiefs best player on Saturday. Allen finished with four tackles, a sack and an interception. Donnie Edwards led the team with seven tackles, tied with Bernard Pollard. Dimitri Patterson had 5-0-0 and Keyaron Fox 4-0-0. Tank Tyler had a big game with 4-1-1. Kendrell Bell recorded a sack amongst two tackles and an assist. Edwards left Thursday night's game early with an abdomen injury. He didn’t practice on Saturday, but Herm Edwards said it wasn't significant. On Thursday the Chiefs released OT Ramiro Pruneda, CB Marcus Maxey and DE Chris Harris.

Special Teams: After a rough second preseason game, rookie kicker Justin Medlock didn’t get any opportunities to redeem himself in the third game against New Orleans. He had no field goal attempts and made one PAT. WR Jeff Webb returned to action and had a 24-yard kickoff return against the Saints. Rookie WR Ean Randolph, the frontrunner on returns heading into the game, had a 16-yard kickoff return. CB Justin Phinisee averaged 32.5 yards on two kickoff returns. None of that may matter however. In a somewhat surprising move over the weekend, the Chiefs signed WR Eddie Drummond, a return specialist on the downside of his career. This, after having gotten rid of Dante Hall; a return specialist on the downside of his career. It probably helped that special teams coordinator Mike Priefer is son of Chuck Priefer, the special teams coordinator for Detroit during Drummond's glory years.

Chiefs Depth Chart
QB: Damon Huard, Brodie Croyle, Casey Printers, Jeff Terrell
RB: Larry Johnson, Michael Bennett, Priest Holmes, Kolby Smith, Derrick Ross, Marcus O'Keith
FB: Boomer Grigsby, Gilbert Harris, Greg Hanoian (IR)
WR: Eddie Kennison, Dwayne Bowe, Samie Parker, Chris Hannon, Jeff Webb, Eddie Drummond (KR), Ean Randolph (KR), Brad Ekwerekwu, Bobby Sippio, Maurice Price (IR)
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Jason Dunn, Kris Wilson, Michael Allan, Keith Willis
K: Justin Medlock
DT: James Reed, Ron Edwards, Tank Tyler, Turk McBride (DE), Alfonso Boone (NT), Patrice Majondo-Mwamba, Kiki Gonzalez
DE: Tamba Hali, Jared Allen (susp), Jimmy Wilkerson, Michael Heard, Montez Murphy
MLB: Napoleon Harris, Rich Scanlon
OLB: Derrick Johnson (L), Donnie Edwards (R), Kendrell Bell (R), Keyaron Fox (R/L), William Kershaw, Nate Harris, Nick Reid, Brian Crum
CB: Patrick Surtain, Ty Law, Benny Sapp, Justin Phinisee, Dimitri Patterson, Tyron Brackenridge, Will Poole
S: Bernard Pollard (SS), Jarrad Page (FS), Greg Wesley (FS), Jon McGraw (SS), Chad Williams, Marlon Fair

Miami Dolphins

QB: Cam Cameron ended speculation this week by naming Trent Green the Week One starter. A few days later, Green started for the Dolphins against the Bucs and completed his first pass to LB Cato June for a 2-yard defensive TD. Green threw a dump pass intended for RB Ronnie Brown, but June pulled the ball out and ran it 2 yards for the score. The team got the ball right back and Green engineered an 18-play drive for 73 yards that ended with a 1-yard TD toss to TE David Martin. The Dolphins defense then returned the favor and intercepted Garcia to give Green a short field and the team’s third possession in the first quarter. Green threw an incomplete pass on 2^nd-and-9, and then on third down, they ran the Statue of Liberty play where Green faked the throw and handed off to Jesse Chatman for an 11-yard TD. Green couldn’t have executed the fake any better and the team bounced back quickly to make it 14-14 after one quarter. On the night, Green was 7-of-11 for 42 yards with a TD and interception. Cleo Lemon entered the game on the next drive and played for three series that resulted in a punt, a turnover and a missed FG. Lemon finished 8-of-12 with 77 yards and a 17-yard run. The team’s promising rookie John Beck started and played the entire second half leading the team to a pair of TDs. Beck finished 11-of-22 for 162 yards with a 51-yard TD connection to P.K. Sam and a 31-yard TD to Derek Hagan.

RB: Where’s Waldo, or more aptly, where is Lorenzo Booker? That question was partially answered Saturday in the Dolphins home preseason game against the in-state “rival” Bucs. Booker didn’t have a single rushing attempt in the team’s first preseason games and still only carried the rock once this week for 2 yards. Instead, Booker made his mark as a receiver catching six balls for 41 yards – all in the 2^nd half. Ronnie Brown started the game and finished with 18 yards on six carries and 16 yards on two catches. Backup Jesse Chatman delivered the goods on an 11-yard run for a TD in the first half as HC Cam Cameron opened the playbook a bit and ran the Statue of Liberty play. Chatman finished with just 9 yards on four carries. He also had one catch for 9 yards. At this stage, it looks convincingly as if Chatman would be the team’s primary backup in the event that Ronnie Brown gets hurt, while Booker will be used on third downs, as a change of pace, and also on special teams where he can return punts and kicks as needed. It’s almost as if Cameron and the Dolphins are keeping Booker under wraps for the regular season as if they plan to spring him on an unsuspecting Redskins team. Whatever the case may be, Booker finally got some action on Saturday. Patrick Cobbs ran once for no yards, but caught three balls for 11 yards.

WR: It may not show in the box scores, but Ted Ginn Jr. is turning into a pleasant surprise for the team this preseason following his disappointing start during the offseason mini-camps and OTAs. Ginn may or may not be the second coming of Devin Hester as a dangerous return man, but what has set him apart in camp has been his work at receiver. To say that many smart people lowered their expectations for Ginn as a receiver is putting it mildly. Over the past two weeks, the team has fast-tracked Ginn and he’s responded well, improving significantly to the point where the coaches recently elevated him to No. 3 on the depth chart ahead of 2^nd year WR Derek Hagan. In Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay, Ginn caught three balls for 29 yards. The first catch was on a 3^rd and 5 for 11 yards and the first down. The second was on a 4^th and 2 from the shotgun, where Green found Ginn on a 4 yard out for the first down. Ginn later caught a 14-yard pass and was targeted four times in all. Chris Chambers and Marty Booker started the game. Chambers was targeted 5 times; Booker twice. Chambers caught two balls for 32 yards and Booker had 2 for 10 yards. Derek Hagan made a nice catch on a 31-yard reception for a TD. Kerry Reed made one catch for 2 yards. Veteran Az-Zahir Hakim hasn’t caught a ball in the preseason, but knows coach Cameron’s offensive system and hopes his versatility will be a factor when the team cuts to get down to a 53-man roster. "He knows the splits, he knows the system, he knows the technique," said Cameron, "Over the next 8-10 days, [we'll] see if we can carve out a role." P.K. Sam is one of those applying pressure on Hakim. He made an excellent catch on a 51-yard catch and run for a TD.

TE: David Martin caught a 1-yard TD on Saturday from Trent Green in his only catch of the game. Courtney Anderson produced a nice 28-yard catch and Justin Peelle had one catch for 11 yards. Cameron likes Martin’s size and believes he’ll be productive as the team’s starter despite his lack of experience. Martin’s hands have failed him a few times in the preseason, but he’s running nice routes and the Dolphins believe he’ll be productive. He could be considering they’ve been utilizing their TEs consistently throughout camp and the preseason games. If he can stay healthy (one if his problems in his short career), he could present great value as a TE2 in fantasy drafts given his current ADP.

Defense: DT Steve Fifita had another solid game with a 5-0-0 stat line. He’s been an active defender in the team’s preseason games. Derrick Pope contributed 4-0-0 and DE Matt Roth made an excellent read on an intended screen pass for an interception that set up the Dolphins for a key touchdown in the first half. DE Jason Taylor, LB Zach Thomas and NT Keith Traylor all started for the first time in the preseason. The team held them out of earlier action simply as a precaution. Rookie DT Paul Soliai, who had been filling in for Traylor, injured his knee during the second quarter. Akbar Gbaja-Biamila registered a sack while Roth and Vonnie Holliday split a sack. Channing Crowder has played well in his transition to playing both inside and outside linebacker positions. He is the team’s starter on the weak-side, but was filling in for Zach Thomas in the previous two games at MLB. The team hopes he can be the team’s long-term solution there after Thomas hangs it up. "Channing is our backup [middle] linebacker," Cameron said. "He's not out of position there. It's something that would happen if Zach Thomas needed a blow, then Channing goes to middle."

Special Teams: Kicker Jay Feely discussed his preseason approach, ''You don't want to be 100 percent at the start of camp in July. I had to learn that. If you are 100 percent in July and have been kicking a ton and stroking the ball, come November, your leg is going to be dead. You want to be peaking heading into the season. For me, right now, is getting comfortable.'' He paced himself in the game against Tampa Bay with four PATs and a missed 54-yard field goal attempt that hit the left upright. Whether it is a plan, a gamble, or a bluff, RB Ronnie Brown again handled kickoff returns, averaging 26.5 yards on two returns. Rookie RB Lorenzo Booker saw some extended action on returns this week, averaging 21.3 yards on three kickoff returns, plus a 16-yard punt return. Ninth overall draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. had a fair catch on a punt.

Dolphins Depth Chart
QB: Trent Green, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Gibran Hamdan
RB: Ronnie Brown, Jesse Chatman, Lorenzo Booker (3RB), Patrick Cobbs
FB: Corey Schlesinger, Kyle Eckel, Reagan Mauia
WR: Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Ted Ginn (KR/PR), Derek Hagan, Az-Zahir Hakim, Kerry Reed, P.K. Sam, Michael Malone, Marvin Allen
TE: David Martin, Justin Peelle, Courtney Anderson, Tim Massaquoi, Aaron Halterman
K: Jay Feely
DT: Vonnie Holliday, Keith Traylor (NT), Rodrique Wright, Paul Soliai (NT), Steve Fifita, Marquay Love, Chase Page, Brian Soi
DE: Jason Taylor, Matt Roth, Mkristo Bruce, John Denney (LS)
MLB: Zach Thomas, Robert McCune
OLB: Channing Crowder (W/M), Joey Porter (S) (inj), Donnie Spragan (S), Derrick Pope (W), Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (S), Kelvin Smith, Abraham Wright (S), Edmond Miles, Jim Maxwell
CB: Will Allen, Travis Daniels, Andre Goodman (PUP), Jason Allen, Michael Lehan, Derrick Johnson, Tuff Harris, Geoffrey Pope
S: Renaldo Hill (FS), Yeremiah Bell (SS), Travares Tillman (SS), Cameron Worrell, Courtney Bryan

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Minnesota fumbled the first snap of the game against Seattle on Saturday night as the Vikings went on to lose 30-13. The Vikings had four turnovers -- three coming from the quarterback position. Bollinger threw two interceptions, while Tavaris Jackson lost a fumble. Running back Mewelde Moore also fumbled the ball away. Jackson played into the third quarter and completed 9 of his 18 passes for 117 yards with no TDs or interceptions. His favorite target on the evening was WR Bobby Wade, who ironically threw the team’s only TD pass on a reverse option to TE Vishanthe Shiancoe for a 6-yard score. "I thought he did a good job of throwing the ball up the field," HC Brad Childress said of Jackson. "They were coming after him [on blitzes], and he didn't stand and hold the football. He had the answers." Said Jackson, "I felt we did well and we have stuff to build on." Brooks Bollinger took the field midway through the third quarter, but didn’t well. One of his two INTs was returned for a TD by the Seahawks corner Kevin Hobbs after he jumped the route by Vikings receiver Justin Surrency. Bollinger finished 6-of-11 for 52 yards; and likely played himself out of the backup role. The Vikings acquired veteran Kelly Holcomb from the Eagles this week, and he will likely push Bollinger for the backup job.

RB: The Vikings backs didn’t score a touchdown on Saturday, but they produced a solid game overall rushing for 126 yards on 25 carries. Chester Taylor started and led the group with 61 yards on 8 carries with a long run of 17-yards. Adrian Peterson ran for 41 yards on 10 carries. Mewelde Moore ran for 24 yards on seven carries and caught one ball for 4 yards. Ciatrick Fason and Artose Pinner combined for 10 yards on 5 carries to finish the game against the Seahawks scrubs. Taylor remains the starter but there’s no question the Vikings will leverage Peterson as well to alleviate as much pressure as possible from their young, inexperienced quarterback.

WR: Bobby Wade was the most productive receiver on Saturday against Seattle. He caught five balls for 85 yards and threw a 6-yard TD pass to boot. His 35-yard reception was the team’s longest play from scrimmage on the night. Sidney Rice caught three balls for 21 yards and newly signed Robert Ferguson, the former Packer, caught one ball for 11 yards. Wade and Troy Williamson were the team’s starters once again. Wade later left the game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle, but should be fine.

TE: Visanthe Shiancoe started and caught a 6-yard TD for the team’s only touchdown Saturday night. Shiancoe continues to fly well below the typical fantasy owners’ radar. He could be a surprise, but really only warrants a last round flyer just in case he can pull down 30 receptions this year and grab a few TDs. With a young, green QB like Tarvaris Jackson behind center, having a short-yardage target like Shiancoe could become a major asset.

Defense: CB Antoine Winfield is in midseason form, leading the team on Saturday night with 8 tackles (7-1-0) and an interception of a second quarter offering by Matt Hasselbeck. Winfield's interception set up Wade's TD pass to Shiancoe. DE Erasmus James got his first game action of the preseason, too. "To have Erasmus back, we're excited and we are just going to watch his progress over the next few weeks and hopefully he'll get to the point where he can help us early in the season," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "It's just exciting to have another good football player back on the defense." James began training camp on the PUP, but was chomping to get back out on the field Saturday. "It's going to mean a lot," James said. "Just to get out there and get down in that stance. Be with my teammates and feel like you're part of the team again. It will just feel great." DC Frazier has said that if/when James is healthy that he would regain the starting job at right end. Meanwhile, Ray Edwards holds the job after having a strong camp. Fourth-round pick Brian Robison has also seen some time at right end. Robison leads the team with two sacks in the preseason. His position coach, Karl Dunbar said he thinks that the successes of Edwards and Robison have motivated James even more. "I think that's the thing that brought Erasmus back quicker because he saw other guys stepping up," Dunbar said. "I think when you have a job and you see other guys climbing you want to keep working." Other standouts from Saturday’s game were E.J. Henderson who flew all over the field making 5 tackles in the first half including one blindside hit on Matt Hasselbeck that was reminiscent of last year’s hit that knocked Hasselbeck out for a month. The Vikings had a scary moment Saturday, too. Linebacker Cameron Siskowic was placed on a stretcher and taken off the field in an ambulance following a helmet-to-helmet collision.

Special Teams: Kicker Ryan Longwell made long field goals of 47 and 49 yards in the game at Seattle, however he was wide right on a 37 yard attempt. On returns, the Vikings continue to look at several younger players in the preseason games. Special teams coordinator Paul Ferraro noted, "We're evaluating a lot of guys right now. Using [Bobby] Wade is certainly an option for us, but we're leaving all our options open at this time. At this time last year we didn't have as many options. I'd like to believe when the dust settles on this, and we finalize who our punt and kickoff returners are going to be, I really believe that we'll be in a better situation than we were a year ago because of the competition." Against the Seahawks, rookie WR Aundrae Allison averaged 23.7 yards on three kickoff returns. Rookie WR Chandler Williams averaged 22.0 yards on two kickoff returns. DB Charles Gordon had a two-yard punt return. RB Mewelde Moore will probably handle punt returns in the regular season.

Vikings Depth Chart
QB: Tarvaris Jackson, Brooks Bollinger, Kelly Holcomb, Tyler Thigpen
RB: Chester Taylor, Adrian Peterson, Mewelde Moore (3RB/PR), Artose Pinner, Ciatrick Fason, Wendell Mathis
FB: Tony Richardson, Naufahu Tahi
WR: Bobby Wade, Troy Williamson, Sidney Rice, Robert Ferguson, Martin Nance, Billy McMullen, Aundrae Allison, Cortez Hankton, Jason Carter, Chandler Williams
TE: Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan (FB), Richard Owens (FB), Stephen Spach
K: Ryan Longwell
DT: Pat Williams (NT), Kevin Williams (DE), Spencer Johnson, Fred Evans, Howard Green, Conrad Bolston
DE: Kenechi Udeze, Ray Edwards, Erasmus James, Darrion Scott, Brian Robison, Jayme Mitchell, Khreem Smith
MLB: E.J. Henderson (M/W), Dontarrious Thomas (W/M), Vinny Ciurciu
OLB: Ben Leber (S), Chad Greenway (W), Heath Farwell (S), David Herron, Jason Glenn (inj), Rufus Alexander (inj)
CB: Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Dovonte Edwards, Marcus McCauley, Charles Gordon, Ronyell Whittaker, Sergio Gilliam
S: Darren Sharper (SS), Dwight Smith (FS), Mike Doss (SS), Tank Williams (SS), Greg Blue (FS/SS), Patrick Body

New England Patriots

QB: Two days after Tom Brady became a dad; he stepped off the plane from Los Angeles and took the field for the preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. Brady and the Patriots began the game a little rusty, but quickly found their rhythm on an 80-yard drive that covered 18 plays and ran 9:43 off the clock. Brady finished 17-of-22 for 167 yards while playing into the third quarter. He threw two TDs; one to RB Heath Evans and another to TE Marcellus Rivers. Brady also had what would’ve been a third TD dropped by Ben Watson. Of course, Brady still didn’t have Randy Moss on hand, but that didn’t hold him back. He completed a nice long pass down the left sideline to Donte’ Stallworth for another big play and a 37-yard gain. “I thought Tom did a nice job tonight," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I thought he handled some adjustments well." Following the game, Brady avoided reporters and questions about his busy week. WR Kelley Washington spoke for him. "He's got to fly across the world and take care of his issues," Washington said. "It just shows how professional he is." Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez and Vinny Testaverde all saw a little action in the last quarter and a half as the Patriots only threw five passes; nursing a 24-7 lead.

RB: Friday night was starter Laurence Maroney’s first live game action of the preseason. He carried the ball on the Patriots first seven plays from scrimmage and finished the night with 15 carries for 58 yards. "After I got my little jitterbugs out of the way, everything started coming back to me," Maroney said. Perhaps the star of the game for the Patriots was Heath Evans, the team’s Swiss army knife in the backfield. Evans caught a TD pass from Brady and also rammed his way in from 2 yards out for a TD run to boot. He carried the ball seven times for 58 yards and caught two passes for 19 yards. He had one nice run where he broke free and rambled down the right side of the field for 43 yards for the Patriots longest offensive play of the game. Sammy Morris also got some action rushing for 27 yards on 7 carries and Quinton Smith gained 8 yards on four carries in the game’s waning minutes. Morris also caught two balls for 23 yards. Earlier last week, Maroney shed the red jersey in practice and started taking “real” contact for the first time in camp. Needless to say, he said it didn’t matter much anyway since the defense didn’t always respect the red jersey. Asked if he was excited for his first action prior to Friday’s game, Maroney responded. “You can't simulate game speed out there in practice, no matter how fast you go," he said. "I need the games." HC Bill Belichick said later that holding Maroney out of the entire preseason isn't feasible because he simply needs the work.

WR: Randy Moss has not practiced since he pulled up lame on August 1st and that’s a growing concern. The other newcomers did play against the Panthers, and played well. Donte’ Stallworth caught 3 balls for 45 yards; 37 yards came on one leaping catch over Panthers corner Ken Lucas. Wes Welker continued to be a factor out of the slot catching 3 balls for 30 yards. HC Bill Belichick talked a little about why the team signed Welker to a 5-year deal worth $18.1 million with $9 million guaranteed. “At Miami, he just killed us, returning kicks, catching the ball in the slot, running reverses," said Belichick. That’s exactly how the team envisions using him this year, too. He’ll see plenty of action in the slot, he’ll run some reverses and he’ll certainly wreck havoc as a return man, too. Kelley Washington caught 3 catches for 37 yards and Reche Caldwell, who added two catches for 24 yards. Second year WR Chad Jackson and veteran Troy Brown were placed on the PUP list to start the season.

TE: Ben Watson dropped what would’ve been Tom Brady’s third TD of the game, but still came up with four receptions for 26 yards in just over a half worth of action. Marcellus Rivers caught 2 receptions for 27 yards with a TD. Dave Thomas remains sidelined.

Defense: The Patriots sacked the Panthers QBs twice on Friday night and backup LB Oscar Lua intercepted a David Carr pass while Jarvis Green blocked John Kasay’s 43-yard FG attempt for two of the Patriots defensive highlights. Rookie DB Brandon Merriweather led the Patriots with 5 solo tackles. Kareem Brown had 4-0-0 as did Rodney Harrison, who amazingly after a severe knee injury last year, seems like he’s in midseason form. He nailed Steve Smith after the Pro Bowl receiver made a big catch over the middle for a first down. Tedy Bruschi had three tackles as did LeKevin Smith and Adalius Thomas. The big news came early this week, when franchise CB Asante Samuel ended his holdout and signed a one-year, $7.8mm contract.

Special Teams: In the game at Carolina, kicker Stephen Gostkowski made a 23-yard field goal, but was wide left on attempts from 46 and 53 yards. HC Bill Belichick commented, “Obviously, every kicker would like to make all his kicks. The two last night he missed were a couple feet from being in. I think it's a small error. One of them was on a long kick. We just have to be a little more accurate and get those through. The margin for error on those two was not very big. It was not good enough, but I don't think it's that far off.” QB Matt Cassel has officially taken over holding duties, following the release of punter Josh Miller. With the subsequent release of Tom Malone, that leaves Danny Baugher as the Patriots’ punter. Two members of the large returner-committee saw action against the Panthers. CB Ellis Hobbs had a 20-yard kickoff return, and WR Wes Welker had two fair catches on punts. WR C.J. Jones had a 29-yard kickoff return and averaged 10.0 yards on two punt returns, although he probably won’t make the final roster.

Patriots Depth Chart
QB: Tom Brady, Vinny Testaverde, Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez
RB: Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk (3RB), Quinton Smith, Justice Hairston (IR)
FB: Heath Evans
WR: Randy Moss (inj), Donte Stallworth, Wesley Welker (KR/PR), Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Kelley Washington, Troy Brown (PUP), Chad Jackson (PUP), Bam Childress, Kelvin Kight, C.J. Jones, Chris Dunlap
TE: Ben Watson, Kyle Brady, David Thomas (PUP), Garrett Mills (FB), Marcellus Rivers, Brian Jones
K: Stephen Gostkowski
NT: Vince Wilfork, LeKevin Smith, Mike Wright
DE: Richard Seymour (DT), Ty Warren (DT), Jarvis Green, Kareem Brown (DT), Rashad Moore
ILB: Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel (S/I), Junior Seau, Oscar Lua, Eric Alexander, Justin Rogers, Justin Warren
OLB: Adalius Thomas (S/I), Rosevelt Colvin (W/DE), Pierre Woods (S), Larry Izzo, Chad Brown, Corey Mays
CB: Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs (KR), Randall Gay, Tory James, Brandon Meriweather (FS/CB), Dante Wesley, Eddie Jackson (PUP), Chad Scott (IR), Mike Richardson (IR)
S: Rodney Harrison (SS), Eugene Wilson (FS), James Sanders (SS), Rashad Baker (FS), Mel Mitchell, Willie Andrews

New Orleans Saints

QB: Drew Brees doesn’t need any more preseason action for us to see that he’s ready to roll. After he went 6-for-6 for 55 yards last week against Cincinnati in his only drive, Brees picked apart the Chiefs defense hitting on 17-of-19 passes for 182 yards against the Chiefs first-team defense. Brees threw one TD, a 4-yarder with 3:03 left in the first half. He led the Saints on a six-play, 45-yard drive late in the half capped by David Patten's catch after coming wide open in the back of the end zone. "I felt we really executed well on offense," said Brees. "Obviously, you'd like to get some more touchdowns instead of field goals, but sometimes that is just the way it goes." Brees added, "The expectations are pretty high that I have for myself, that the head coach has for me and my quarterback coach and obviously the guys around me, so I just try to get better each week, try to be as efficient as I can.” Backup Jamie Martin played well, too. Aside from throwing one interception, Martin completed 10-of-13 passes for 94 yards. Tyler Palko completed both of his passes for 19 yards late in the game. Palko won the 3^rd QB job over Jason Fife and Matt Baker; who were released on Sunday.

RB: Reggie Bush rushed for 51 yards on six carries, including a 12-yard scamper on the team’s second drive that was capped by the first of Olindo Mare's three field goals. On a fourth-and-goal from the 1, Deuce McAllister was stacked for a 2-yard loss by the Chiefs Tank Tyler and Tamba Hali. McAllister finished with just 14 yards on six carries, but he did more damage as a receiver catching four balls for 32 yards. Bush got loose for a 24-yard gain to help set up Mare's 31-yard field goal and a 6-0 lead with 6:37 left in the half.

Pierre Thomas led the Saints on the ground Saturday night with 90 yards on 11 carries. Thomas, a rookie free agent out of Illinois just trying to stick on the roster, scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Saints on runs of six and 19 yards. Granted, it came against the Chiefs' 3^rd and 4^th string units, but Thomas did all he could to set himself apart to win a job. "He made a real good impression on us, not just in tonight's game but throughout the course of this camp," Coach Sean Payton said. "He played well and he played hard." Antonio Pittman ran for 36 yards on 11 carries and caught two balls for 10 yards. Fullback Mike Karney ran once for 2 yards and caught two passes for 4 more yards.

WR: Marques Colston rested his sore knee. "If it were a regular season game, I think he'd be able to go," Payton said. "But there's a good chance with this short week that I might sit him again and then play him next week against Miami." Colston underwent an MRI on his right knee last week. He hurt it in the preseason opener against Pittsburgh. The MRI was good though as it revealed no structural damage. "If this was the regular season, I'd be able to play, but I think the coaches just want to take precautionary (measures) and keep me out," Colston said.

With Colston on the sidelines, Terrance Copper and David Patten started for the Saints. David Patten made his case for Devery Henderson’s starting job with a 4-yard TD catch and a 33-yard reception on the team’s opening drive that setup the Saints with a first-and-goal from the 5-yard line. Patten dropped an easy ball, so his night wasn’t perfect, but the old gray mare looked spry catching six passes for 75 yards. Terrance Copper caught two balls for 23 yards. Henderson’s sidelined with a hamstring. The player that keeps begging for attention, but still isn’t getting the run is Lance Moore. The former Toledo Rocket had the play of the game on a 37-yard reception. Moore finished with a team high six catches for 88 yards. On Sunday, the team waived Aaron Hosack.

TE: Eric Johnson started Saturday night and caught three balls for 18 yards. Johnson has been splitting time with Mark Campbell with the first team in practice. Billy Miller is also in the mix, but Johnson is the only one making a blip on the fantasy radar. Johnson is the best receiver of the three. If he can just stay healthy, Johnson could be a solid sleeper. Johnson expects to get plenty of use in the red zone and he’s starting to develop a little rapport with Brees, which is always a good thing. The Saints targeted Johnson in free agency because he can get downfield, so look for him to emerge as a decent late round flyer.

Defense: The Saints held the Chiefs to 7 points and basically helped Damon Huard secure the starting job. Jason Craft picked off Brodie Croyle and the Saints held him to 5-of-17 passing for 45 yards. Craft added three solo tackles and LB Marvin Mitchell added 3-1-0. Dhani Jones had a sack and two tackles and Will Smith got a sack. Antwan Lake and Brian Simmons shared a sack, too. LB Scott Fujita returned to action against the Chiefs after missing the last two weeks with a bruised heel. CB Jason David didn’t play and remained back in New Orleans for the birth of his first child. Mark Simoneau, Brian Young and Rob Ninkovich didn’t play either. Two defensive players were released on Sunday – CB Joe Porter and LB Desmond Sims.

Special Teams: Kicker Olindo Mare has now gone 6-of-7 on field goals in the preseason, with the only miss coming on a block. He made ones from 28, 31, and 44 yards in the game at Kansas City. As usual, he has done extremely well on kickoffs. Rumor has it that the coaches instructed Mare to not kick it so deep, so that the coverage unit could get some opportunities in the game. WR Lance Moore, dubbed the training camp MVP by QB Drew Brees, averaged 8.5 yards on four punt returns. WR Tremain Hall had a fair catch. Kickoff return opportunities were limited as the Chiefs didn’t score very much. Rookie WR Robert Meachem had a four-yard kickoff return. In the regular season, Lance Moore and RB Reggie Bush are expected to handle most of the returns.

Saints Depth Chart
QB: Drew Brees