As the season continues, injuries are starting to pile up. However we are also at the point of the season where players can be activated off of the short term injured reserve list, so some teams will be getting key players back. As usual, if you have a specific question about a team not listed here, please contact me via Twitter or the Shark Pool. Without further ado, let's get into the details.
CIN – RT Andre Smith injured, but Kevin Zeitler is Probable
Right tackle Andre Smith sprained his ankle last week against Jacksonville and has been seen in a walking boot since that point. With the Bengals scheduled to play in a Thursday night divisional contest against the Cleveland Browns, there wasn’t much of an opportunity for Smith to rehab. He is currently listed as doubtful, with Marshall Newhouse likely to start in his place. Newhouse played decently last week and actually could be an improvement over Smith on the penalties front. Smith leads the team with six accepted penalties and has not been tight this season to date. It is questionable that Newhouse can hold up as a starter for a long period of time, and the team still hopes Smith can get healthy in the ten day break following this game. There is some good news for the Bengals however as Kevin Zeitler has been practicing and is probable for this week's contest. Zeitler has been dealing with a lingering calf injury all season but when healthy has been among the better performers on this unit. There is no downgrade on the Bengals’ line currently.
PHI – RG Todd Herremans out for the year, LG Evan Mathis returns.
As we reported last week, Todd Herremans tore his bicep and planned to play through it last week against the Houston Texans. Herremans only lasted about a dozen snaps and the team announced that he will be undergoing surgery for the problem and put on the injured reserve. It’s not all bad news for the Eagles’ offensive line however, as All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis has returned from the IR-DFR list and is expected to start this Monday night against the Panthers. Matt Tobin, who had been filling in for Mathis, will likely slide over and fill in for Herremans. Tobin is not a great player but the team has several other options, including Andrew Gardner, Wade Smith and Dennis Kelly. There is no downgrade to the Eagles line at this time, in fact the loss of Herremans is not as impactful as the gain of Mathis. Expect a heavy dose of running attack as the team welcomes back one of their best run blocking linemen. After getting center Jason Kelce back last week, things are actually looking up for this unit, despite the bad news about Herremans. Herremans is has no more guaranteed money in his contract and it’s probable he will be in a different uniform next season.
IND - C A.Q. Shipley benched for no apparent reason. Johnatthan Harrison struggling.
Two weeks ago, the Colts decided to bench A.Q. Shipley at the center position, and turning to undrafted rookie Johnatthan Harrison. Shipley was being talked about as one of the best centers in the league, through six games. Initially, this was not cause for alarm, as I am not an NFL coach and certainly Harrison has better physical skills than Shipley. However after several games it is still unclear why Shipley was benched or why Harrison continues to get the nod. The Colts offense was on fire against the Giants on Monday Night, but Andrew Luck took several unnecessary hits, and Harrison was directly responsible. The Colts have a fix for this situation, but for whatever reason, aren’t applying it. Perhaps when the team gets closer to the playoffs, they can go back, but that raises troublesome cohesion concerns. Overall this is a move that looks good on paper, but isn’t panning out in real life. A downgrade for the Colts line could be looming.
JAC - Brandon Linder Could miss this week with A shoulder injury.
The Jaguars suffered a fairly serious loss when Brandon Linder left the game against Cincinnati on Sunday. Linder, a rookie, had been playing the best football of the entire Jaguars’ line. Out of 265 pass plays, Linder had only given up pressure on four of them. That’s among the best marks in the entire league. Linder had been battling a shoulder injury this season and appears to have aggravated it. It is not clear that he can make it back in time for the Cowboys’ contest in London this weekend. Jacques McClendon replaced Linder and he’s not good. Watch this situation closely, if it gets close to game time, and Linder is not looking likely to play, a downgrade for the Jaguars’ skill positions could be in order.
NYG – G Weston Richburg is day-to-day with ankle injury.
Rookie Weston Richburg was carted off the field on Monday Night Football, with what looked like a scary lower leg injury. It was somewhat surprising to hear the coaches call Richberg day-to-day with an ankle sprain. Should Richburg not be ready for this week’s contest at Seattle, Adam Snyder would get the start. This is actually a pretty good spot for Snyder who went to school in the pacific northwest and played his previous NFL football in the NFC West. There is no downgrade to the Giants’ line at this time. However I would like to take this opportunity to rant about John Jerry, the Giants’ current right guard. He’s huge, the biggest guy on the field usually, and just so soft. Jerry somehow manages to avoid all meaningful contact on a weekly basis. It’s like he has a force field around him that allows him to collect a paycheck without actually making any positive impact on the game. Seriously, the next time you are watching the Giants, check out number 77 John Jerry. It’s amazing how little he does to help his team.
Other Notes:
CAR - The Panthers will get back two key players in left tackle Byron Bell and guard Amini Silatolu, just in time for their prime time matchup against the Eagles. The loss of Bell was especially tough on the team last week against New Orleans, as David Foucault struggled mightily.
DAL - Right tackle Doug Free and left guard Ron Leary are both practicing with the first team this week and should be back in the lineup in London against the Jaguars. With Tony Romo questionable, it could be a big running day for Demarco Murray at Wembley Stadium.
GB - J. C. Tretter is likely to be activated from the IR-DFR after the bye week, but is not likely to get his starting position back from Corey Linsley. Linsley has played well and the team is listing Tretter as a backup at several positions (left tackle and center) on their latest depth chart. Tretter was a left tackle at Cornell and in related news, the team moved on from first round bust Derek Sherrod.
