SB Nation - Daunte Culpepper

No Change with Matthew Stafford's Status; Daunte Culpepper to Start Again?

Sean Yuille — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:20:15 -0000

1 day ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper walks down the tunnel after the Lions 48 -3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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It is too early in the week to know for sure, but when talking about Matthew Stafford's status (see the quote below) for the Cardinals game, Jim Schwartz really made it sound like the rookie could be out again this week.

"Probably unchanged right now, but we’ll see as we get through this week. I mean, if he’s the same as he was last week, then he won’t play again. If he improves, then that door is open. But it’s probably too early to really definitively say anything there."

If Stafford ends up not being able to play, could this finally be the week that Drew Stanton gets his shot? In a word: no.

Schwartz was pressed about Stanton during yesterday's press conference, and it was extremely frustrating to listen to his answers to questions about why the former MSU quarterback hasn't gotten a chance to play.

On the perception being that Stanton hasn't had a chance
"Like I said, when we make a decision, it's not based on trying something new, experimenting, all those kinds of things. It's based on what we think gives us the best chance and we're going to ride with that decision, but it's not going to be based on just saying, ‘Hey, look, it's time - we've got to change just to change.' Or, ‘We've have to make this decision just to make this decision.' Everything's based on a set of criteria that we've established. If we think that fits our criteria, then we'll do it."

On if Stanton is not as good as Culpepper
"We spent a lot of time in training camp and offseason and during the season establishing what our depth charts are. Daunte's our No. 2 quarterback, Drew's our No. 3 quarterback. That's where that one is."

It's not too tough to read between the lines of those answers. Obviously the coaches feel that Stanton is not very good, which, I suppose, is why he isn't playing. I don't know how Stanton can perform any worse than Daunte Culpepper, but he must just not be very good in practice. That is really the only explanation as to why he hasn't ever received a shot at starting during his time with the Lions. I mean, there have been some pretty bad QBs in front of him the last two years, yet two different coaching staffs haven't given him a shot even once.

My biggest problem with this whole situation is that the coaches seem to be in love with Daunte Culpepper and are willing to look past or even justify his mistakes. I realize that the quarterback position is a different animal when it comes to accountability, but let's face it, Culpepper is 0-8 as a starter with the Lions, and although he is not the sole reason the Lions lost any of those games, is he even giving the Lions a chance to win?

Although Sunday's game ended up being a blowout, it could have easily been tied at halftime had the offense figured out how to finish a drive. Again, it's not all on Culpepper, but for somebody who has been in the league as long as him, he looked like it was his first ever start. I realize Schwartz doesn't want to make a change just to make a change, but what do the Lions have to lose? Maybe Stanton just performs well in real games and is a bad practice player. It wouldn't hurt to find out, especially considering it's not like Culpepper is playing even remotely well.

I know that Schwartz isn't going to apply his whole attitude of accountability -- make a mistake and take a seat on the bench -- to the quarterback position, but for someone who seems to have no problem benching players and throwing them under the bus after they make a mistake (see Aaron Brown and his "bone-headed play"), it just seems like Culpepper is getting off a little easy. I suppose some of you may have felt the same way when Stafford was playing poorly, but the difference is that he is a rookie and Culpepper is in his 11th season. At this point in a player's career a head coach should not be busy justifying underthrown passes, but that is exactly what Schwartz did on Monday.

On whether Culpepper’s underthrown balls were a concern
"Yeah – I think there was one he would like to have back; Calvin’s (Johnson) got the coverage beat over the top and then he wasn’t able to get the ball out where it needed to be; I mean that’s a long throw. The other ones weren’t as much of a concern because there was something that caused that play to be limited, whether it was rusher in his face, him moving out from the side, throwing on the run or something like that. Probably the one that he would like to have back – Daunte has a strong arm. But he’s got (Calvin Johnson) over the top, doesn’t want to overthrow it and ended up under-throwing it a little bit and wasn’t able to complete that one."

This is the one quote that I took the most issue with. Why did Schwartz feel the need to make excuses for Culpepper when he easily could have just said that mistakes were made on those passes? I mean, Schwartz specifically said that Aaron Brown was benched for his bone-headed play on the kick return at the end of the first half. Why didn't he make excuses for Brown? Because he benched him, but feels the need to justify starting Culpepper? Obviously this is all coach-speak, but come on, to justify Culpepper's underthrown passes by saying "that's a long throw" is just pathetic. Yes, that's a long throw. And yes, one of them was on the run. But you know what? Matthew Stafford can make those throws. Obviously that is why he is the starter when healthy, but a head coach should not be justifying bad passes by saying "that's a long throw." If it was that long then Culpepper shouldn't have thrown it. You might even say it was a bone-headed decision to attempt such a long throw if it was so tough for him. Never mind, that wouldn't fit the agenda of justifying Culpepper being the starter.

Perhaps I'm just frustrated with what happened on Sunday, but Jim Schwartz's entire press conference really irked me yesterday. I don't know what I would want a coach to do after a 48-3 loss, but it seemed like he backed off his whole accountability mantra, especially with Culpepper. Listen, I still have confidence in Schwartz that he will get things on the right track eventually, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't lose a little faith in him yesterday. I say that because I've heard that press conference many times before in the past. Maybe all coaches are like that after a tough loss, but we've been down this path before specifically with the Lions. Schwartz had a golden opportunity to really make a statement to the team in terms of accountability, but it felt like he backed off that attitude more than anything.

Like I said, I still have faith in Jim Schwartz; I just have lost some of it because of yesterday's press conference.

Ravens vs. Lions: Prediction & 'Open Thread'

Bruce Raffel — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:21:27 -0000

Keep it here on The Beatdown all day to post your comments and thoughts on this 'Open Thread,' as I will be trying to stay dry and warm at the stadium, rooting on the Baltimore Ravens to victory over the Detroit Lions.

The weather should be cold, wet and nasty today and hopefully, so will the Baltimore Ravens demeanor. Hopefully, that demeanor will take on that sense of urgency that seemed missing and was aptly noted by the guys in the booth on Monday Night Football in the team's loss at Green Bay last week. Perhaps this "back-against-the-wall" talk once again will spur the team onto bigger and better things starting with an impressive victory over the lowly Detroit Lions.

That really shouldn't be too difficult a task for Baltimore, but after seeing the Cleveland Browns totally dominate the Pittsburgh Steelers when the Steelers needed to win to stay alive in the playoff hunt, we all know that anything can happen if you take the game too lightly.

The Ravens will need help if they plan to make the post season and that could happen in a variety of ways. In the playoff race, the teams that are either already ahead or tied with us all seem to have harder schedules than we do, so we should be able to get the help we need to contend. However, it should all come down to the Steeler game week 16 in Pittsburgh to decide whether or not the Ravens are most likely playoff bound.

But then again, it all won't matter at all if we don't take care of business along the way, starting today with the Lions and then next week at home for the final time in 2009 against the Chicago Bears, before going on the road for the final two games of the regular season at Pittsburgh before finishing up at the Oakland Raiders.. For now, the focus must absolutely be directly on the Lions and the threat that the Daunte Culpepper to Calvin Johnson combination poses.

The Ravens pass defense has been susceptible to the long play and if not, then the pass interference is as real a possibility as the completion, as the Ravens lead the league with 12 PI penalties, including four in Monday night's loss to the Packers. This needs to stop and the coverage needs to be directed to whatever side of the field "Megatron" is lined up on. That will more than likely leave the other DB's on single coverage and they will need to come up huge as well. Shutting down Detroit's run game shouldn't be a problem and Daunte Culpepper's biggest threat to the Ravens may be his large, hard-to-bring-down frame and legs more than his once strong arm. Accuracy is not his strong point and if he throws too often and tries to go into double coverage, we could have a field day with picks, and this should definitely help turn the tide against Detroit.

Offensively, I fully expect the Ravens to continue passing the ball, despite the fans' united call to get back to what gave this team its identity and past success by running the ball. While the Ravens should have a lot of success on the ground and Ray Rice will get his yardage, the Lions are one of the worst teams at defending the pass and Joe Flacco should plan on exploiting that to get his confidence back, as well as the fans. As long as he doesn't continually speed through his reads to dump it off to Ray Rice, regardless of the success, he should be able to chuck it downfield to a bunch of receivers, including the recently activated tall, fast, long ball threat with suspect hands, Justin Harper. I'd love to see Harper break out with a solid game to help his confidence and get more looks as the season progresses. His deep abilities could stretch the field for the other receivers, much less open bigger holes for the run game as the opposition can no longer stack the box every play and dare Flacco to beat them through the air.

Despite the soggy weather, the probabilities of defensive turnovers should give the Ravens multiple scoring chances and I am confident that we will continue to put more points on the board at home than on the road as the Ravens roll over the Lions in their easiest victory of the season, sending the fans home early in a game finally not decided in the last moments.

Ravens: 34-10

Bucem Predictions

Niko Houllis — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:56:04 -0000

More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

The showdown between Freeman and Sanchez will have to wait a few years, until the rematch. How interesting it will be when that comes around until 2013.

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The Season is winding down...with only a few weeks left, there are playoff races and draft picks to be decided and every game means something.

Here are some of the staff predictions for this week...Feel free to leave your own.

Cincinatti vs. Minnesota - I know this is going to be an upset pick, but I've got a good feeling about the Bungles in this one. Cincy has seemingly been able to plug any back (including the KC pariah Larry Johnson) and pick up a hundred yards on the ground over the past three weeks. They won't be able to do this vs. Minnesota, but Cincy also brings a stout run defense to the table (sorry Adrian Peterson owners, but it looks like two bad weeks in a row for you). This is really going to be too close to call ahead of time in my opinion, but I'll go out on a limb and pick Cincy. That's why I make the big bucks.

Detroit at Baltimore - This one is really a no brainer. The decision is made even easier by the fact that Daunte Culpepper will be behind center for this one. Being that I am going up against Calvin Johnson this week in my fantasy playoffs, I rejoice at this knowledge.

UNFNOLE

New Orleans at Atlanta - Atlanta will probably be without Ryan (Questionable due to turf toe) and may again be without stud back Michael Turner. In order for this team to be successful, they need both. New Orleans is accustomed to playing on turf, so Atlanta gains no advantage. I just don't think Atlantas defense has the pass rush necessary or the phenomenal athletes preferred to beat this high-octane offense.

Seattle at Houston - Steve Slaton has been shelved for the year, but was he really helping this team much anyway? Ryan Moats will get the majority of the carries. Seattle is deceptively good at stopping the run, but terrible at defending the pass. If they have any hopes of winning in Houston they better bring their A-Game.

BucsFanDave

Buffalo at KC

Craig T

NY Jets at TampaBay. All I've heard about this week is Revis Island, Revis Island, Revis Island. Even if he mans up, I think the Bucs will still spread the field and hit em with a heavy dose of K2 over the top. The continually improving run D slows Thomas Jones enough to stall the Jet offense and the Bucs pull out a win.... to the pleasure of some and chagrin of Suh-ome others.

Miami at Jacksonville

With both teams fighting for their playoff lives, this game is blacked out locally. Shame on you, Jacksonville fans. YOUR TEAM IS IN A PLAYOFF RUN! GO SUPPORT THEM! My goodness... anyway, off my high horse. Jacksonville will find success through the ground and air en route to a close victory.

WASHINGTON at Oakland - Surprisingly, both teams are playing much better as we approach the end of the season. Bruce Gradkowski seems to have learned the game and the Skins offense is moving right along. I think the difference in this contest is Bruce falling off a bit and the Skins pass defense. I'm waffling on this, but I say Skins by under a TD, for now.

St. Louis at TITANS - VY is questionable for the game, but I don't think it matters with Chris Johnson taking on one of the worst run defenses in the league. This should be a fairly quick game as both teams like to run the ball and have stellar RB's to do so. I think Tennessee is on a mission and takes this home.

Niko

SanDiego at DALLAS- The Cowboys probably wont throw the ball anywhere near as much as they did last week, as they need to keep pace with the Eagles who are all tied at 8-4 a game on the NY Giants. Chargers meanwhile have one up on the inconsistent Broncos. The Boys have won 4 of the last 5 meetings.

Philadelphia at GIANTS- Both teams need this one badly, and this game gets the national top billing because of it. These teams have split their last dozen meetings, but the Eagles cruised on the Gmen last time they played.

Mon- ARIZONA at SanFrancisco- The 49ers are a little disappointed at the overall predicament they have found themselves in this year, as they were hoping to contend for a title in the weak West. However, the Cardinals have rebounded from a shaky start to really assume command, at just the right time. After the impressive win over arguably the second best team in the NFC, a Win here could be a lock in momentum for the playoff bound Cards; for the 2^nd year in a row, practically a dynasty for this franchise.

How To Beat The Detroit Lions

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:05:29 -0000

After last night's great game, where the Cleveland Browns handed the Pittsburgh Steelers their fifth straight loss and effectively knocked them out of the playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens need to understand that just showing up will not be enough to win. The Ravens need to play with that "sense of urgency" phrase that has been repeated over and over again lately. Over confidence is one attribute that this team has no business having, evidenced by losing six of their last nine games after starting off 3-0. At the same time, if they can continue to beat the teams that they are expected to, then they surprisingly still have a legitimate shot at the post season.

One thing about this game scares me more than any other, and I'm sure you've all thought about it as well.

The Detroit Lions will not be able to run the ball against us with any success Sunday. Their defense will not be able to shut down our offense. Our greatest obstacle, offensively, will continue to be ourselves, with drive stopping penalties derailing our momentum way too often. Otherwise, the Ravens will be able to put points on the board against one of the league's weakest defenses. While we need to get back to where our success came from last year, whether we run or pass the ball shouldn't matter and perhaps Joe Flacco can regain his confidence against the Lions by throwing the ball around to his receivers. Ray Rice should be able to pad his statistics with both running and receiving yards piling up in the process. It will be cold and a ball control offense producing long, time consuming scoring drives will be a fresh change of pace to prepare us for the Chicago Bears and then the final two road games of the season at Pittsburgh and the Oakland Raiders.

What scares me and most other Ravens fans is the Calvin Johnson factor. Johnson, a huge, fast receiver with great hands, is Detroit's only real threat, yet he continues to get targeted with success no matter what the defense seems to do to try to adjust their coverages. With the Ravens lack of pass pressure, Lions QB Daunte Culpepper should be able to have the time to set up and chuck the ball downfield in Johnson's direction. Combined with the poor coverage that the Ravens have shown, along with the current possibility that Ed Reed may not play again this weekend, there is every reason to be concerned.

Be it double coverage, over and under coverage, or just leaning the safety towards his side of the field, the Ravens need to limit the damage that Johnson can inflict on the team. If they can hold him from having a career game against this hurting pass defense, there is no reason that we shouldn't be able to put this game away early for a change of pace. If not, well we all saw what the Browns could do last night, when allowed to stay in the game.

Stafford Out Against Baltimore; Culpepper to Start; Williams Fails Physical

Sean Yuille — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:38:01 -0000

Although Jim Schwartz initially planned on keeping things tight-lipped to prevent Baltimore from gaining more knowledge than they needed, he decided today to go ahead and announce that Matthew Stafford is out this week. Daunte Culpepper will be the starting quarterback, and I sort of think the reason Schwartz decided to announce a decision now is to prevent another miscommunication from happening like on Thanksgiving. Culpepper thought he was going to start, as did basically everybody, but Stafford ended up playing instead.

"I think the potential benefits of announcing it outweigh the benefits of holding on to it," Schwartz said, adding that he didn't want the media scrutiny to be a distraction throughout the week, especially with the decision already made.

Schwartz also said that Stafford's injury hasn't gotten any worse and that they have simply decided to shut him down for a week to let his shoulder heal.

It also came out today that Maurice Williams, the offensive lineman the Lions claimed on Monday, failed his physical and will not be joining the team. Instead the Lions signed offensive lineman Corey Hilliard, who was on the Browns' practice squad.

Sunday Notes: Daunte Culpepper Breaks Silence on Not Starting on Thanksgiving

Sean Yuille — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:00:47 -0000

Prior to the Thanksgiving game, Daunte Culpepper had what appeared to be an interesting conversation with Martin Mayhew about the fact that Matthew Stafford was starting. Everybody, including Culpepper, assumed that Stafford would be out and Culpepper would get the start against Green Bay. That obviously excited Culpepper not only because he was expecting to get a chance to play, but also because that chance was going to come on a national stage, allowing him to show what he's got to the rest of the league. Well, we all know what happened instead. Stafford started, and Culpepper was visibly upset over that decision.

Asked if there was a communication issue on gameday, Culpepper said Friday, "I mean, clearly it was. But, hey, it is what it is."

"I want to just let you know this: There was no issue between Martin and I," said Culpepper, who'll be the No. 2 quarterback again Sunday at Cincinnati. "That's all I'm going to say. Me and Martin had no problem at all. We didn't argue one bit. It's as simple as that. Anything else, it is what it is. But Martin and I didn't have any problem."

As for any lingering problems with the coaching staff, Culpepper said, "I ain't got nothin' to say about it. But it was handled. The situation was handled. And I'm moving on."
I really don't have much of an opinion about how Culpepper reacted to finding out that Stafford was going to start instead of him. On the one hand, Culpepper should know by now that his role on the team is to be Matthew Stafford's backup, and any issue he had with not getting to start should be kept to himself and not shown on national TV. Then again, on the other hand, if I were in Culpepper's shoes I would have been pissed off as well. All signs pointed to him getting the start, but when gameday arrived Stafford was ready to play. I don't know if I would have basically pouted on the sideline during warmups, but I can understand why Culpepper was upset.

I guess for me I really don't care about Culpepper's reaction one way or another because there's no question that this is Stafford's team, so it's really a non-issue. I suppose I would prefer for a veteran like Culpepper to keep his frustrations on the inside rather than let them be shown in front of a national audience, but like I said, I really don't care.
Stephen Peterman hates being injured because he doesn't like not being around the game of football.
Here's a depressing stat via John Niyo: In their last 9 games after Thanksgiving, the Lions have a record of 1-8. Ouch.
Gunther Cunningham is not a fan of the spread-style of offense from college that is slowly making its way to the NFL.
As a FanPost pointed out, Drew Stanton was named the Lions' Man of the Year for 2009.
Grady Jackson's brother, Javorris Jackson, has been found guilty of second-degree murder.
The Bengals ended up selling out today's game.

Preview: Green Bay Packers at Lions

Brandon — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:27 -0000

by Carlos Osorio - AP

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The big news in Green Bay this week have been the injuries, and the big news in Detroit have been the injuries. My opinion is that while the injuries to LB Aaron Kampman and CB Al Harris are significant, they still have a good defensive unit in place. For the Lions, it seems like their offense can't function without QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson. Based on the fact that the Lions only had 149 yards of total offense when the teams met last month, and that Stafford and Johnson were out for that game as well, it's a fair point.

League rankings, based on yardage, from NFL.com:

Team	Run Offense	Pass Offense	Run Defense	Pass Defense
Packers	11	7	4	7
Lions	25	18	20	32

The Packers offense has been productive all season, and should have no trouble gaining yards against a struggling Lions defense (especially their patchwork secondary). While it looks like the Lions might have a shot at attacking the injured Packer pass defense, that No. 18 ranking is based on yardage and doesn't consider that the Lions have a league leading 18 INTs. And how ineffective their offense is without Johnson.

Packers run offense vs. Lions run defense: RB Ryan Grant had one of his best games of the season last week against the 49ers, go vote for him as the FedEx Ground Player of the Week, in large part because the offensive line had their best game of the season. The 49ers run defense has played very well this season, but the o-line opened big holes and controlled the line of scrimmage. The return of RT Mark Tauscher for more than just one half was part of the reason they succeeded, but everyone played better too. If C Scott Wells misses the game, it should hurt, but it might not be a big drop down to C Evan Dietrich-Smith. Since D-S has never had much playing time, it's hard to tell how well he'll play. It's not a given, but there's no reason to suspect Grant, or RB Brandon Jackson, can't have a big game.

Packers pass offense vs. Lions pass defense: QB Brady Quinn has started, and finished, 4 games this season. In those first 3 starts, he threw for a combined 499 yards, 1 TD, and 4 INTs. In his last start against the Lions, he had 304 yards and 4 TDs. Part of their problem is that they don't generate much of a pass rush, only 18 sacks in their first 10 games (and 5 against the Packers in week 6), which comes almost exclusively from their blitzing linebackers. But the bigger problem is their patchwork secondary. They recently lost SS Marquand Manuel and CB Jack Williams for the season, and S Kalvin Pearson and S Ko Simpson should miss the Thanksgiving game too. Rookie 2nd round pick FS Louis Delmas has had a good season, and free agent signing CB Phillip Buchanon has managed to keep his starting job. But veteran CB Anthony Henry had been benched the past few weeks (he might be the nickel CB on Thursday) and journeyman CB William James is probably the other starter. My best guess is that journeyman S Marvin White, who did start 10 games for the Bengals in 2007, will probably be the other starting safety. When it's a challenge for me to figure out who's starting in the Lions secondary, that's the definition of patchwork. And QB Aaron Rodgers has never thrown for under 300 yards in 3 career games against the Lions.

Lions run offense vs. Packers run defense: The Packers run defense has been exceptional this season, and the Lions aren't running the ball. As a team, the Lions are averaging 3.9 yards/carry, but they rarely call for a run (it's only been called on approximately 40% of their plays this season). The injuries to Kampman and Harris shouldn't effect the run defense.

Lions pass defense vs. Packers pass defense. There are so many unknowns. Will Calvin Johnson play? Does QB Daunte Culpepper have anything left? Will the loss of Kampman and Harris give the Lions an opening to attack? The Packers had a great pass rush against QB Tony Romo two weeks ago without Kampman, but one game is a small sample size. The pass defense was very good during Harris's absence last season with a spleen injury. The Lions won't repeat last Sunday's dominant performance against the Browns, but they could be anywhere from decent to awful in this game. Culpepper had 282 yards passing and 1 TD in week 5 against the Steelers, and he could approach those numbers again.

X-Factor - Special Teams: The Packers awful special teams unit moved up to No. 31 overall, according to Football Outsiders, due to the unbelievably bad Steeler kick coverage, but the Packers are still very bad. However, this isn't an area the Lions can exploit much because their own special teams unit stinks, ranked No. 29 overall by FO. And the Lions top kick returner, WR Derrick Williams, is battling a hip injury.

Though the Lions were shut out in Lambeau last month, they've been scoring between 10 to 20 points/game at home (Browns game excepted), while the Packers have been scoring 26 to 31 points/game (Cowboys game excepted) over their past 6 games. Packers 31, Lions 17.

Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson Miss Practice

Sean Yuille — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:11:29 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

20 days ago: In this photo taken on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford runs off the field after beating the Cleveland Browns 38-37 in an NFL football game Browns in Detroit. Stafford dislocated left shoulder in the closing moments of Sunday's win. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

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Both Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson missed practice on Tuesday, and it looks like the chances of either playing against the Packers on Thanksgiving are slim. Stafford's shoulder, though it is feeling a bit better, doesn't seem to be very close to returning to full strength, or at least healing enough to the point where he could play on Thursday. As for Calvin Johnson, he has a knee and hand issue, and it doesn't look like he will play unless both injuries suddenly heal in the next day or so.

Also missing practice on Tuesday for the Lions were Dewayne White, Ernie Sims, Kalvin Pearson, and Ko Simpson. Simpson is for sure out on Thursday and might even be out for the season with a knee injury. The Lions are waiting to see if he will need to be placed on injured reserve, and I imagine a decision will be made after the game on Thursday. Replacing Simpson in the lineup this week will likely be Marvin White, though Anthony Henry could also be in the mix to start.

One thing is for sure: Thanksgiving couldn't have come at a worse time for the Lions. It figures that the Lions' one short week of the year would follow a game in which Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and a few others got hurt. Had the injuries happened on, say Thanksgiving, chances are Stafford and Megatron wouldn't miss any games because of the extra time off. Of course, with the way the schedule is set up, those two could very well only miss one game, but I just wish it wasn't against the Packers on national television. Here's to hoping for a Thanksgiving miracle in the form of their injuries suddenly rapidly healing or Daunte Culpepper and company getting their act together and pulling off the upset.

Winning with Seneca Wallace Part 3: Punchline

John Morgan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:37:48 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

I'm free! Free me!

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Seattle adds an offensive tackle and transforms its offensive line. It adds a superstar rusher and pairs him with Julius Jones and Justin Forsett in a three-headed hell dog of a rush attack. Cerberus if you will. It takes all pressure off Seneca Wallace. It attempts to make him a franchise quarterback by reducing the standards for franchise quarterback to almost nothing. The Seneca Plan is executed and aided by impeccable scouting and tremendous dumb luck. The Seahawks add a return ace and cybernetic punter. Its defense clicks and coalesces into a rampaging monster. The Seneca Hawks are built and ready to storm the NFL.

They back their way into the playoffs and get blown out in the Wild Card round. When they can't get ahead early, they lose. When injuries run in and weaken the defense or rushing attack, they lose. When Seneca's unruly style meets his 30 year old body, they lose Seneca and slip out of contention. They become the Bears, the Titans, the Vikings or the Jaguars; they tease, they lose, they don't lose enough to rebuild and the franchise is mired in boring mediocrity.

Seattle cannot afford the Seneca Wallace Plan. It's as flawed as the thinking that landed them Brian Russell. This is a quarterback's league and that fact becomes more entrenched each passing season. Seattle has a talent on the out and it needs a talent on the in. Tim Ruskell has backed himself into an unenviable position. He has pressed his quarterback resources to exhaustion and failed to restock.

The Seneca Wallace bluff revealed, what can Seattle do? Free agency is thin. Seattle could sign Jason Campbell or Kellen Clemens and attempt to develop a young, but not yet prime quarterback prospect. It could patch with a reclamation project like Daunte Culpepper or David Carr. I can hear your heart beating with anticipation. It could draft a talent and hope he develops quickly. Or Seattle could attempt to do what Mike Holmgren did and trade for a promising looking quarterback talent stuck behind an entrenched veteran. Vetting that list is a lengthy process, but before we cannibalize too much of the offseason, let's brainstorm names to target.

Erik Ainge: Ainge was suspended for steroid use and that put a black mark on an already fringe prospect. I've always liked Ainge from a pure prospect standpoint. He was a four-year starter on a rather miserable Vols team that improved steadily from his freshman season. Ainge is 6'6" and a pure pocket passer. He was once considered a very good college prospect after shredding the PNW at Glencoe. Ainge is heavy with intangible red flags, but those flags may have little substance.

Brady Quinn: Quinn is a sack machine and well on his way to full bust status. His raw passing stats don't look bad, but he still has the sheen of quarterback prospect and that could make him expensive. There's little reason to think he'll shake the sacks that have plagued him for his entire career. Seattle could acquire him but they'll pay too much for a prospect never as good as many, including myself, thought he was.

Kevin Kolb: Kolb would have been a fine and dandy addition until he knuckle-slapped Kansas City and put himself into Matt Schaub country. Houston exchanged two second-round picks for Schaub and moved down two places in the first round. That is a lot to give for an unproven prospect, but it has worked for the Texans as Schaub has proven capable of top-ten production. Schaub has a slightly better scouting profile than Kolb, but never attained Kolb's regular season heights before being traded. It might take up to or even including one of Seattle's first round picks to swing a deal with Philadelphia, but it might just be worth it.

Brian Brohm: Brohm has faded as fast as any elite quarterback prospect in recent memory. He isn't controversial or speculated over. Brohm is buried. He was compared to Drew Brees by NFL Draft Scout and looked like Brees in college, completing a high percentage of throws and carrying a Louisville offense almost bereft of pro talent. The best receiver he played with was Harry Douglas, now a Falcon. The only other notable pro talent is Michael Bush and Bush missed most of Brohm's career.

Brohm sits on Green Bay's practice squad. Seattle could acquire Brohm simply by signing him to their 53 man roster. He could displace Mike Gibson, Mansfield Wrotto, rarely used and practice squad eligible Cameron Morrah or even Mike Teel. I try not to stump for everything I believe, but this one confounds me. Unless Brohm hides razor blades in Halloween apples, no team with a quarterback need should think twice about adding him and figuring out his potential for themselves.

And that is about it. Seattle could inquire about Jim Sorgi, but Sorgi is already 28. Quarterback is the most essential single position perhaps in all of sport. A great one like Peyton Manning can make his team a perennial contender. Teams that lack a quarterback must conceive farfetched plans that lead from failure to postponed failure. This need is overdue and my tenuous faith in Tim Ruskell is tested each offseason he ignores it. It is time Seattle becomes aggressive about finding the successor to Matt Hasselbeck, because no one wants to see the Seneca Wallace Plan enacted.

Tuesday Notes: Rams Will Be Down Three Starters on Sunday

Sean Yuille — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:53:36 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, right, talks with Rams rookie third-round draft pick corner back Bradley Fletcher during NFL football minicamp at the Rams' training facility Friday, May 1, 2009, in St. Louis. Fletcher is out for the season after hurting his right knee. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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We will soon find out if Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and other injured Lions returned to practice today. Stafford and Johnson missed Friday's practice, as did Larry Foote, DeAndre Levy, and others. Daunte Culpepper sat out on Thursday but returned on Friday, so I'm assuming he will be good to go this week against St. Louis.
Stafford said he will try to practice today in order to test his knee. It certainly doesn't sound like anyone is really sure of where Stafford is at in the recovery process, so I guess we will just have to wait and see how his knee responds if he does get back on the practice field. If he doesn't practice, then that would be very telling about his health.
The Rams are also banged up, and they will be without three of their regular starters on Sunday. Two of them -- cornerback Bradley Fletcher and long snapper Chris Massey -- are out for the season. Guard Richie Incognito isn't out for the season, but he will miss Sunday's game because of a ligament injury in his right foot.
Vinny Ciurciu has been all over the practice field.
Brandon Pettigrew realizes that he needs to start playing better.
Keary Colbert is headed to the UFL. Based on his play in the preseason, that is probably a better place for him than the NFL.