SB Nation - Brian Witherspoon

49ers-Jaguars: The World According to Madden

Fooch — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:00:27 -0000

Fooch's Note: This post was written by mountaindew77 and I am posting it for him.

Hello Niners Nation. After a hectic week last week, I was unable to get the Madden simulation done. Thankfully, we have our good man Ninjames and he was able to fill in and do it. But now I'm back and hopefully I will be able to get it done each week from here on out. So here is how this works. I make sure I have downloaded the most updated rosters, I check the injury report and only take out the players from the depth chart that are going to miss the game for sure. I also update the depth charts according to how they are in the real NFL.

The game is Madden 10 for the PS3. I set up this week's matchup in Madden with 14 minute quarters and 25 second clock run-off for a more realistic amount of plays. I set the difficulty on All-Madden, sit back, and watch the matchup and give you guys a play-by-play. Let's get this thing started.

1^st Quarter

Niners win the toss and elect to receive. Robinson returns from 5 yards deep in the end zone and gets it out to the 49er 20 yard line where the Niners will start their first drive. The first play from scrimmage is a pitch to Gore to the right who gets dragged down by Justin Durant for no gain. On 2^nd down Smith drops back and feels pressure quick, but dumps off to Gore on a designed screen and Gore makes the first tackler miss and has room breaks it for a 24 yard gain to the 44 and a Niners first down. Crabs and Morgan are lined up out left Gore is the single back on the next play. Smith drops back throws a short curl route to Morgan who gets tackled immediately for only a 2 yard gain. The next play we see Smith drop back out of a 4 WR set but gets sacked almost instantly and it's now 3rd and 12. Smith drops back and again almost gets sacked, but dumps off to Gore once again on a designed screen. Gore has room, gets a couple nice blocks, makes a spin move to make a guy miss, but gets dragged down just 1 yard short of the 1st and the Niners have to punt. Andy Lee kicks it into the endzone for the touchback.

David Garrard drops back on the Jaguars first play from scrimmage and delivers a nice pass to Mike Sims-Walker over the middle who has room to run and does for a 27 yard gain. Garrard found a hole in the 49ers zone defense. From his own 47, Maurice Jones-Drew gets the handoff on the stretch play to the right but Michael Lewis comes up from the secondary and stops him for only a 3 yard gain. MJD gets the ball up the middle for another 3 yard gain before he gets tackled by Isaac Sopoaga. 3rd and 4. Spencer with the very light coverage leaves Sims Walker able to catch an easy pass and run for a 15 yard gain and another 1st down to the 31 yard line. Jones-Drew up the middle bounces off a couple tacklers and fights for a 9 yard gain. MJD gets it up the middle again but this time Manny Lawson breaks through and stuffs him for no gain. A big 3rd and 1 coming up. Garrard drops back to pass and Marcedes Lewis is covered by Lawson who cannot keep up with him and Garrard finds him for a 19 yard gain and the Jags are at the 49er 3 yard line. Jaguars come out in the goal line formation. Rashad Jennings gets the handoff and appears to be stopped, but no one seems to want to tackle him. He cuts out to the right and runs in for the touchdown. 7-0 Jaguars

Coffee kneels down in the endzone on the kickoff for the touchback. Smith drops back on first down, gets all day to throw, doesn't like what he sees, and scrambles. But he slides down to avoid getting hit for a 2 yard loss and a Jaguars sack. Gore gets the ball up the middle, but finds nowhere to run, no gain. Niners come out in the Shotgun, 4WR set. Smith gets good blocking again from the line, but again cannot find an open receiver. He proceeds to chuck it down field, but gets hit as he throws. Gore almost catches the lob, but it gets knocked down. A three-and-out for the 49er offense.

Lee with a decent punt, but the Niners punt coverage cannot get to Witherspoon and he gets a 15 yard return. Ball on the 49er 47. Niners blitz one corner on each side, and Garrard can only throw the ball away. MJD up the middle on 2nd down, but Lewis stuffs him for just a 2 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 Garrard drops back feels almost immediate pressure from Manny Lawson, and throws it quickly to Torry Holt on the left side but Dre Bly with the blanket coverage knocks it down. A three-and-out for the Jaguars.

Adam Podlesh punts it into the endzone for a touchback and the Niners start on the 20. Niners once again line up in the Shotgun, 4WR formation, with 2 WR's on each side. The Jags drop back in zone coverage, Smith throws a bullet to Crabs on the quick read for an 18 yard gain and a 1st down. Out of the Singleback 3WR, Smith drops back splits the defenders, and finds Arnaz Battle on a crossing route over the middle for a nice 14 yard gain and a first down. Ball on the Jacksonville 48. Smith drops back again, gets great protection, but can't find a receiver and throws it away. On 2nd down Smith has Delanie Walker behind the defense, but throws a terrible ball way short and way behind him. Justin Durant turns around and picks it off with ease and returns it to midfield.

David Garrard drops back and throws it out to the left for Holt, but Bly has him blanketed yet again, he turns around and jumps for the pick! The Niners get the ball back right away.

Niners ball on their own 42. Gore up the middle, shakes off 2 defenders and runs for a gain of 4. Out of the Shotgun, Gore gets the draw, finds room out to the left, sheds a tackler, and has no one to stop him. He is finally met by Reggie Nelson, but he shakes him off too and is finally brought down at the 13 after a beautiful 41 yard run! What a way to end the 1st quarter!

2^nd Quarter

Gore gets the ball up the middle on the dive play for a 2 yard gain. Smith tosses out to Gore out right, but the Jags are not fooled and stuff Gore as soon as he catches it for a 5 yard loss. 3rd and 12 at the 15. Smith drops back, has Gore open on the screen, but gets hit as he throws and the ball falls incomplete. The Niners disappointingly settle for a Joe Nedney field goal. 7-3 Jaguars

Witherspoon catches the kickoff at the 3, and returns to the Jacksonville 34. Jones-Drew on the stretch to the left, but Takeo Spikes stuffs him for a 1 yard loss. Garrard feels pressure from Spikes on 2nd down and has to throw the ball away quickly. 3rd and 11. Garrard finds Holt on the in route for 11 yards, and after a measurement, it's a Jacksonville 1st down. Gotta love that 3rd down 49er defense. MJD finds a hole up the middle for a 10 yard gain and yet another 1st down. MJD with a run, cuts to the left and gets a 3 yard gain. Niners bring the house on 2nd down, and Garrard just gets the ball off before getting pummeled by Haralson. The ball floats downfield intended for Mike Thomas, but Dashon Goldson catches up to the lobbed pass and nearly makes the pick but it bounces off his hand. 3rd and 7 at the 49er 41. Garrard drops back, throws it to MJD on the screen to the left, and sees daylight. He gets all the way down to the 10 before getting brought down by Lewis. Garrard hands off to Jennings up the middle who gets stuffed by Spikes for no gain. Garrard drops back, and the Niners drop back in zone coverage. He thinks he has Thomas wide open for the TD, but he doesn't see Spikes drop back into coverage, and he picks it off at the goal line! He is forced to bring it out, and the Niners start at their own 3. What a drive for Takeo Spikes.

Gore with the stretch to the left for a 5 yard gain. Gore gets the handoff, cuts out right, finds a hole, shakes off Reggie Nelson, has no one in front of him, and never looks back! He... could... go... all... the... way!! Touchdown 49ers on the 91 yard run by Gore! 10-7 49ers

Witherspoon returns from the 1, and poor kick coverage yet again. Jaguars starts on their 35. MJD gets the hand off, but Sopoaga breaks through the line and stuffs him for a 1 yard loss. MJD with another run, and this time no one is there to stuff him and he gets an 8 yard gain. 3rd and 3 on their own 42. MJD gets the ball up the middle, sees a gap, but it closes quickly and Franklin/ Spikes drag him down for only a 1 yard gain. 4th and 2 and a three-and-out for the 49er defense.

Jones on the return gets the ball to the 24. 5 minutes remaining in the half. Smith takes a 7-step drop, stands in the same spot for about 7 seconds, and gets sacked by Terrance Knighton. Out of the 4 WR spread single back formation Smith drops back, Crabs has his man beat by a good 5 steps, but Smith feels the pressure and overthrows him by a mile. 3rd and 18 at the 16. Out of the Shotgun, Smith gets good protection again but cannot find an open man, so he dumps off to Gore who gets tackled as soon as he catches it for no gain. Three-and-out.

Jacksonville starts on their own 48. Garrard drops back, finds Marcedes Lewis over the middle for a 12 yard gain and a first down. MJD gets a nice 6 yard gain up the middle. MJD on the toss breaks a tackle, finds room and breaks it for an 8 yard gain and a first down to the 49er 26. The clock runs down to the 2 minute warning. MJD runs to the left for a 7 yard gain. Garrard drops back and sees Willis coming at him unblocked. Afraid for his life, he throws the ball away but still takes the hit from Bam Bam. 3rd and 3 at the 18. Garrard out of the shotgun finds Thomas on the quick pass for a 9 yard gain and a 1st down at the 9. Garrard drops back, Lawson sheds a defender, gets pressure on Garrard and he throws it out of the end zone incomplete. Lawson punished him though as the 49ers have been doing this whole first half. Jennings up the middle for 1 yard. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Garrard finds Thomas wide open in the back of the end zone who makes a nice leaping catch for the TD. 14-10 Jaguars

With 1:03 on the clock the Niners start on their own 25. They come out in a shotgun, and it appears they will try and get a quick score before the half. Smith hits Gore up the middle for a 13 yard catch. Smith gets hit as he throws and it falls incomplete. Smith overthrows Jones for an incomplete pass. On 3rd down Smith finds Battle down the left sideline, but he fails to get both feet in and it is ruled incomplete. 4th down and a three-and-out.

Jaguars start at their 30 with :33 left, and will run out the clock to the 2nd half with a handoff to MJD.

Halftime thoughts

So far it has been a back and forth game. Gore has had 2 huge plays and that is what has given the Niners all 10 of their points. The defense came up big in the red zone with that Spikes INT which likely would have been more points for the Jags. Garrard is feeling pressure almost every time he's dropped back to pass and has taken a beating so far. Despite that, the Niners defense cannot make plays on 3rd down when they need them and it has cost them the lead. On the other side, the O Line has been playing surprisingly well, but Smith has not taken advantage of it well enough. Gore has though, racking up 139 rushing yards already and 188 total yards. He is once again the one man offense of the 49ers.

3^rd Quarter

Jaguars get the ball to start on their own 31. The Niners special teams has played subpar today. MJD gets the ball up the middle, and Lawson finally brings him down after breaking 2 tackles and getting a tough 4 yard gain. Garrard finally gets some protection and time and finds Lewis out to the left for a 16 yard gain and they are at the 49er 49 yard line. Once again Lewis gets open and catches a 12 yard 1st down pass. MJD gets the toss to the right, but Willis is just too fast and chases him down for no gain. MJD up the middle and finds a huge hole for a 10 yard gain and yet another Jags first down. Ball at the 49er 27. Garrard splits two defenders with a pass to Holt, but he gets hit as he catches it and the ball pops out incomplete. Garrard drops back and hands off on the draw to Jennings for a 4 yard gain. 3rd and 6. Garrard gets plenty of time, and finds MJD on the streak route down the right side wide open and Spencer can't keep up with him and it's an easy catch for a TD. 21-10 Jaguars

Coffee gets hammered on the return and the Niners start on the 27. 3 WR Singleback set and Vernon Davis catches the patented pass over the shoulder for a nice 15 yard gain and a first down. The Niners spread out in a 4WR formation and Smith gets good protection which gives Davis time to get open on a deep post route and catches another pass, this time for 24 yards and the Niners are in Jacksonville territory. Ball on the 34. On the play action to Gore, Smith gets it out quickly to Moran Norris on a 4 yard catch. On 2nd down, Smith connects with Morgan who gets his first catch today on a short slant route for 6 yards and just enough for the first. Ball on the Jaguars 23. Another play action to Gore and on the same play, Norris gets another catch on the screen route and runs for an 8 yard gain. On 2nd and 2, Davis comes in motion to the right, Gore gets the handoff, breaks one tackle and sprawls the ball out across the first down marker as he gets dragged down. First down Niners and they are knocking on the door at the 13. Smith gets all day as the Jags only bring 2 rushers but he still cannot find a man and throws it incomplete on a pass intended for Gore on the curl route. Gore gets the ball on the draw, and finds a hole and fights his way for a 7 yard gain. 3rd and 3 at the 6. Smith on the play action stretch to Coffee, he rolls out to the right. He finds Davis wide open in the end zone... Touchdown Niners!!! It's called the Vernon Zone for a reason. The 9ers line up to go for 2, in hopes of bringing it within a field goal. In the I-Formation, Coffee gets the ball up the middle, gets met at the goal line, but he got the ball across the plane! 21-18 Jaguars

Witherspoon returns to the 21 as the Niners finally get good special teams coverage. MJD gets dragged down by Lawson and Willis for a 2 yard gain. Garrard takes a 3 step drop and throws to Sims-Walker on the hot read who runs for a 15 yard gain to the 37. Out of the shotgun, Garrard throws out to Thomas on the short slant, but he did not get 2 feet in and it's ruled incomplete. On 2nd down, Marcedes Lewis burns Michael Lewis and gets wide open and with some nice YAC, gets the ball to the 49er 35 on a 28 yard completion. On first down Garrard throws to Mike Thomas on the out route. He has a step on Haralson, but he under throws him and Parys jumps the route and picks it off! He then gets the ball back into Jacksonville territory to the 38. That is Garrard's 3rd interception thrown this game.

Niners in 4WR Shotgun formation, it's a draw to Gore who gets pummeled for a 5 yard loss. Smith gets hit as he throws on 2nd down and almost gets picked off but it's dropped. On 3rd down out of the shotgun, Smith has all day to throw, throws it for Battle, but it is a terrible decision as it's thrown into heavy coverage and Witherspoon picks it off, and no one is in front of him to stop him from going all the way and getting the pick-6. 28-18 Jaguars

Robinson on the return to the 27. Handoff up the middle to Gore who gets 8 yards. 2 WR set Smith drops back hits an open Walker out to the left for an 8 yard gain and a first down. With just 4 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Smith drops back and hits Battle over the middle in tight coverage who gets brought down right away for a 7 yard gain.

4^th Quarter

Niners out of the shotgun, 3 WR set and Smith hits Battle yet again who's wide open over the middle for a 12 yard gain. The ball is now on the JAX 37. Out of the shotgun, Smith throws to Crabs who has his man beat downfield, but it's underthrown and gets knocked down. Smith hits Battle over the middle again for an 8 yard gain. 3rd and 2 on the 30, Niners in Shotgun, Smith drops back, has Vernon downfield open, but he gets hit just as he throws and lobs it up and the ball gets knocked down by Reggie Nelson. Joe Nedney kicks, the ball hits the upright, and barely falls through. 28-21 Jaguars with 12:30 left in the game.

Witherspoon returns the kick to the 29. MJD with a 2 yard run up the gut. Garrard drops back, can't find a WR, and gets sacked by Lawson. On 3rd and 14, the Jags don't want to take any chances and give the ball to MJD who gets 2 yards and the Jags have to punt on the three-and-out.

Brandon Jones gets a 5 yard return to the 34. Gore rushes up the middle for 5 yards. Out of the Taser, Gore gets the direct snap and gets stuffed for 1 yard... On 3rd and 4, Smith throws into double coverage for Davis and it is nearly picked off. What would we do without that Taser?

Jacksonville starts on their 36. Garrard to Greg Jones on the flat route for 7 yards. MJD on the draw, but Lawson meets him 4 yards in the backfield for a nice stuff. 3rd and 7. Garrard out of the shotgun, has a man over the middle, but Spikes sneaks in there in the zone and bats it away for a much needed big 3rd down play. 7:25 remaining after the three-and-out.

Jones returns the punt to the 22. Gore up the middle, sheds 2 guys, and gets 6 yards. Niners in the bunch formation on 2nd and 4, Smith drops back, and it's a draw play to Gore. Gore fights his way for 4 yards and after a measurement, it's a Niners first down! About 6 minutes remaining. Ball on their own 33. Smith gets all day, steps up in the pocket, but holds on for entirely too long and gets sacked for a 4 yard loss. On 2nd and 14 Gore gets a hand off, sees no holes in the line, and breaks out to the right. He leaps over a downed defender and makes a nice gain out of nothing for 13 yards. On 3rd and 1, we see the Taser again. Gore with the direct snap up the middle, and he barely gets the first. Niners ball on their own 43. Coffee with a run on first down up the gut for 3. 3 WR Singleback, Coffee gets another handoff towards the right for a 1 yard gain. Only 3 minutes remaining and a big 3rd and 6 coming up. It's a 4WR set with Davis split out with Jones and Morgan out to the left and Crabs on the right. Play action to Gore, Smith rolls out left, throws a deep pass to Morgan who has his man beat... and he comes down with it! He gets tackled by Nelson as he does and it's the Niners ball at the Jacksonville 24 with 2:10 remaining. Smith drops back and throws it to Gore on the flat route to the right and he gets brought down after a 6 yard gain. That brings us to the 2 minute warning and the Niners are officially in the Vernon Zone. We see another 4 WR singleback set, Smith throws it to Morgan on the short out route, but he cannot get his right foot in bounds, and the refs rule it incomplete. 3rd and 4. Out of the gun, Smith hits Davis on the curl route, who appears about to be brought down short of the first, but he trucks the guy, runs, and trucks yet another defender and runs all the way down to the 3 where he is brought down! Davis comes up big in his zone. Niners come up in the hurry up, for some reason. There is still about 1:40 on the clock. Out of the gun, Smith tries to throw, but gets hit as he does and it falls incomplete about 1 yard in front of him. Clock stopped at 1:32. Niners in the Split back formation. Smith drops back, Jags with the blitz, but Smith sees Jones over the middle running free...and hits him for the touchdown!!! Joe Nedney hits the game tying extra point and it's all square at 28! The Jags still have 1:29 left on the clock though.

Jennings on the return to the 27. 1:23 after the kickoff and all 3 timeouts. Garrard drops back, hits Sims-Walker in tight coverage on the curl route for 12 yards and a first. In the hurry up, the Jags in shotgun, Garrard catches the snap over his head, nearly gets sacked by Willis, but he just got the ball off as it falls incomplete. 1:05 left on 2nd and 10. Garrard drops back, gets very good protection from his line, and throws a very deep ball. It's a lobber though, and the Spikes has time to get back and swat the pass intended for Thomas. 3rd and 10. Garrard throws a quick pass over the middle, Willis jumps the route, and nearly picks it off for what surely would have been a game winning INT. The Jags have to punt with :53 remaining.

Brandon Jones on the return. He trucks one guy and gets a decent return to the Niner 36 with :43 left. Do they play for OT or try and score? They do have all 3 timeouts. It appears they choose the latter as they come out in the shotgun. Davis in motion to the left... Alex throws it for Morgan who jumps up for the catch, but it bounces off his hands. 2nd and 10. Niners in shotgun again. Smith drops way back, throws it very deep before he gets hit, but just as Garrard's pass, it's a lobber and it gets knocked down. Intended for Battle. :32 remaining. Niners come out in the Gun again for one more try for this first down. Smith dumps it off to Gore over the middle, who gets stopped 6 yards short and the Jags call a timeout. Witherspoon returns the punt to the JAX 25.

On 1st and 10, it's a false start on the Jags. 1st and 15 from the 20, and they just hand off to MJD who gets stopped for no gain, and they let the clock run out and we're headed to overtime!

Overtime

The Jags win the toss and get the ball first. Witherspoon returns the kickoff to the 27. Garrard hits Sims-Walker on the quick pass for an 18 yard gain and they're on their own 45. Another quick pass this time to the right to Lewis, who has a 15 yard gain, another first down, and he has now passed 100 yards receiving on the day. Ball on the Niner 41. Out of the gun, Garrard throws the slant route to Jones who runs out of bounds after 6 yards. 2^nd and 4. Garrard dances around in the pocket, no pressure at all. After seeing nothing, he scrambles up the middle. But he doesn't slide, and instead he takes a HUGE hit from Patrick Willis, and he fumbles! Parys Haralson picks it up and the Niners have possession! Ball on the Jaguars 35.

Smith hands off to Gore up the middle for a 3 yard gain. Gore again up the middle for 5 yards. 3rd and a little more than 1 on the 44. Gore fights up the middle for a nice 3 yard gain and a first down. Gore up the middle for a 2 yard gain to the 49. 2nd and 8. On the screen play, Smith gets smashed as he throws and the ball flies up and nearly gets picked off by Daryl Smith. 3rd and 9. In the gun, Davis moves from the TE spot and motions out to the left next to Morgan. Smith takes the snap, has Crabs on a deep out post route, but he waited a bit too long as he catches it out of bounds. 4th and 9.

Lee punts it into the end zone. Play action to MJD, who goes out for a curl route, catches the pass, but then gets plowed by Bam Bam but holds on for an 8 yard gain. MJD up the middle on 2nd and 2 for 3 yards and a first down. Garrard with the fake to MJD, throws it out left, but Bly comes up and knocks it down. 2nd and 10. Out of the gun, Garrard gets the snap, has some time, and throws a deep ball. Thomas is the intended receiver and somehow got matched up with Parys Haralson who just can't keep up and has no help from a safety. Thomas comes down with the wide open catch on a perfectly placed pass, and has room to run, and he does. Touchdown Jags on the 69 yard TD reception. What a heartbreaker. Jaguars win 34-28

Post Game Stats

JAX - 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 - 34

SF - 0 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 0 - 28

Jacksonville -- Stat - San Francisco

448 - Total Offense - 423

95 - Rushing Yards - 197

353 - Passing Yards - 226

18 - First Downs - 16

4 - Turnovers - 2

7-12 (58%) - 3^rd Down - 5-15 (33%)

34:12 - TOP - 32:51

Alex Smith -- 65.6 RTG 22-42 (52%) 241 YDS 2 TD 2 INT David Garrard - 82.9 RTG 20-36 (55%) 359 YDS 3 TD 3 INT

Frank Gore - 22 ATT 195 YDS (8.8 YPC) | 6 REC 59 YDS Maurice Jones-Drew - 24 ATT 81 YDS (3.3 YPC) | 3 REC 61 YDS 1 TD

Arnaz Battle -- 4 REC 41 YDS Marcedes Lewis - 6 REC 101 YDS

Brandon Jones/Vernon Davis- 1 REC TD Mike Thomas -- 3 REC 86 YDS 2 TD

Manny Lawson - 5 TK (3 TFL) 2 Sacks Terrance Knighton - 5 TKL (3 TFL) 2 Sacks

Takeo Spikes - 4 TKL 1 INT 3 knockdowns Justin Durant - 8 TKL (1 TFL) 1 INT

Dre Bly/Parys Haralson -1 INT Brian Witherspoon - 2 TKL 1 INT (TD)

Post-Game Thoughts
Well this game definitely did not disappoint as far as exciting goes. These teams were back and forth all game trading blow for blow. But even 256 total yards from Frank Gore, containment of Maurice Jones-Drew for the most part, and 4 turnovers from Garrard could not lead the Niners to a victory in this one. The defense did not make plays when they needed to in key situations; mainly on 3rd down and the offense could not take advantage of the chances Garrard was giving them left and right. The big plays made the difference in this one, and the Jags had just one too many. Let's hope tomorrow brings us a different result.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Injury Report and Game Coverage

Hawkwind — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:56:16 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

3 months ago: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) makes catch as San Francisco 49ers safety Dashon Goldson defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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After a somewhat grim injury report yesterday that included nine players on the list, including four who didn't participate in practice at all, the Arizona Cardinals had better news yesterday after practice. While there were still nine players listed, there were only three who couldn't participate at all and several players moved from 'limited' to full participation, including Sean Morey, Early Doucet and Brian St. Pierre. Steve Breaston practiced on a limited basis after not participating on Wednesday and Anquan Boldin was limited again for the second consecutive day. Reggie Wells is still listed on the report although he's fully participated in every practice. Kenny Iwebema, Matt Ware and Chike Okeafor still haven't practiced this week and the status of Okeafor is now worth watching. He has some form of shoulder injury and if he is unable to play that would push Bertrand Berry into the starting role and Will Davis would become the primary backup at both OLB spots.

The return of Early Doucet to full participation is key considering the still unsure status of Boldin and Breaston. At this point I think it's fair to say that Breaston will be a game time decision again this week but either way he won't return punts or kickoffs. I would also imagine that Boldin will play but the question remains, how much he'll play and how effective he'll be when he's out there. Either way, you'd have to think that the return of Doucet is one of the primary reasons that led to Lance Long getting his walking papers and if he's close to 100%, he should be an upgrade.

The Jaguars status hasn't changed very much with Zach Miller and Brian Witherspoon still being held out of practice although there were two new names on the report. Quentin Groves (DE/OLB) and Daryl Smith (LB) were both limited in practice but both are expected to play.

Cards will be able to keep their cool - To the Cardinals cope with the heat and humidity in Jacksonville, some Cardinals will have a cooling system in their shoulder pads. Players can hook a hose to their shoulder pads on the sideline, and cool air blows through an insert in the pads. The Cardinals tried the system out in practice last week, and it drew positive reviews from the players. "Our guys liked it," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "A lot of our guys are like me, they are superstitious about certain stuff. Even though it may be one-tenth of an ounce, in their minds it probably weighs 10 pounds and slows them down." Similar systems have been around for several years, and a handful of college and pro teams have used them. This will be the Cardinals' first experience with the system, however. "I wish they had one for my hat, so that when I get really steamed it could cool me down," Whisenhunt said.
Cardinals game blacked out in Jacksonville - The Jaguars aren't expected to have a sell-out this season - Sunday's game will be blacked out in the Jacksonville market - but that doesn't mean they haven't been trying to sell tickets.
Challenging The Cards' Defense - The talk was about Frank Gore and slowing Frank Gore and what Frank Gore could do to hurt the Cardinals, so the Cards’ defense used that as motivation in the season opener. The 49ers running back ended up with just 30 yards on 22 carries. "I think (the defense) likes challenges," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "They seem to respond to challenges." There will be another one Sunday against Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who will likely be the key to Jacksonville’s offensive success. But the Cardinals can see that these individual challenges may not be the best motivation, because it can lead to letdowns.
Challenging The Cards' Defense - The talk was about Frank Gore and slowing Frank Gore and what Frank Gore could do to hurt the Cardinals, so the Cards’ defense used that as motivation in the season opener. The 49ers running back ended up with just 30 yards on 22 carries. "I think (the defense) likes challenges," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "They seem to respond to challenges." There will be another one Sunday against Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who will likely be the key to Jacksonville’s offensive success. But the Cardinals can see that these individual challenges may not be the best motivation, because it can lead to letdowns.
Arizona RB Tim Hightower vs. Jackonsville LB Justin Durant - In only the third meeting between these two teams, both the Cardinals and Jaguars are coming off Week 1 losses. This matchup features a pair of Division I-AA players from Virginia. Hightower, who was not invited to the combine prior to the 2008 draft, established himself during his rookie season as a do-everything player. He was discovered by former Cardinals assistant Maurice Carthon at a campus workout. A good all-around player, he can run , catch, block, and keep defenses from keying on him. Hightower, who had 10 rushing TDs in 2008, caught 12 passes last week for 121 yards. Durant had a team-leading 10 tackles last week against the Colts. He plays fast -- he ran a 4.62 40 at 240 pounds at combine in 2007. He will hit someone on every play. Durant had 17 tackles in a wild-card playoff game against Pittsburgh in 2007. He has the ability to make plays in space, which he will need to do against Hightower and the Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals on the East Coast is not Normally Good..... - I know the Cards won last year in Carolina in convincing fashion, but did you know they’ve lost 11 consecutive regular-season games on the East Coast and lost all five of their regular-season East Coast games in 2008 by a combined score of 202-102? The last time the Cardinals won a regular-season game in the east was Nov. 7, 2004, at Miami when they won 24-23. I know the Cards need to win, but they don’t seem to like the eastern time zone. With Kurt Warner looking a little rusty last week and the fact they’re playing in Jacksonville, it might spell trouble for Arizona.
Fantasy Start 'Em/Sit 'Em - Owners beware: Neil Rackers at Jaguars - The Jacksonville defense ranked third in allowing fewest fantasy points to kickers in 2008.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Injury Report

Hawkwind — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:13:33 -0000

The Arizona Cardinals injury list has grown considerably since last week and as of today it includes nine players including four who didn't participate in yesterday's practice. Reggie Wells, Chike Okeafor, Matt Ware and Kenny Iwebema joined Sean Morey, Brian St. Pierre, Steve Breaston, Anquan Boldin and Early Doucet on the report with Okeafor, Breaston, Ware and Iwebema sitting out of the entire practice. Everyone else at least participated in some portion of practice. As of today, Iwebema is the only player who is expected to miss Sunday's game against Jacksonville. Boldin admitted that he's still not 100% but did say that he feels much better than last week and did more in practice than he has in three weeks. Ken Whisenhunt said that they will be very cautious with Breaston this week in hopes that some time off will allow him to play on Sunday.

For the Jaguars, Zach Miller (TE) and Brian Witherspoon (CB) both missed practice. Miller, and this isn't the tight end from Oakland, is a rookie tight end who's making the transition from college quarterback. He's buried on the depth chart and most likely wouldn't have an impact even if he played. Witherspoon is listed as a corner but he's basically a return specialist, and a pretty good one. He averaged over eleven yards per punt return last year as a rookie and 24 yards per kick return.

Update (hat tip to Jeff): We should also mention that the Jaguars most significant injury in the past week was to defensive end and pass rush specialist, Reggie Hayward. He broke his leg against the Colts has already been placed on IR. The 30 year old has 39.5 sacks over the course of his career but has struggled to stay healthy over the past several seasons. It's unknown who will fill the void although Quentin Groves, James Wyche or rookie Julius Williams are in the mix or the team could decide to run more 3-4 schemes. Groves, a second round pick in 2008, is officially listed as a linebacker on their depth chart and has been a disappointment so far as a pro. Neither Wyche or Williams have appeared in an NFL game before.

Jaguars Vs Eagles: Winners and Losers

silencecs — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:13:22 -0000

More photos » by Michael Perez - AP

Garrard, on one of the rare occasions he had time to throw.

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Winners:

Brian Witherspoon - Spoony showed us all why he's our kickoff returner. His blazing speed is undeniable and it is only a matter of time before he breaks one all the way. This guy is not going anywhere.

Derrick Harvey - Lst year's number 8 overall selection is starting to look like a top ten pick. He was applying pressure all game long and all he needs to do is finish. He is having a very positive preseason and that's a major plus, because we need him to have a big game out of the gate against the Colts.

Reggie Nelson- The Eraser had his best game of the preseason, flying all over the field, rarely out of position, and he actually caused a fumble with a huge forearm shiver he delivered. Reggie looked good, and he seems to be ready for a big year.

Gerald Alexander - The safety we traded Dennis Northcutt for played a lights out game, arguably better than Reggie, although against lesser competition. He is a solid back-up, and there will be little drop-off should Nelson go down with an injury.

Tyron Brackenridge - T-Brack has secured a spot on the squad. Period. He's lights out on special teams and he's been excellent in coverage and coming up to tackle. He has arguably outplayed Brian Williams, and will be on the team come opening day, without question.

Russ Purnell - Russ needed this game, big-time. The head of the absolute worst special teams unit in Indianapolis, was now the Jags replacement for the legendary "Joey D". The Jags special teams looked atrocious the first two games, but were standout in their performance against the eagles.

Russell Allen - Another player who is guaranteed a spot on the squad is UDFA Russell Allen. the MLB played a stellar game yet again, and the coaching staff has got to be impressed with the way this kid has grasped the defense. He's got potential as a QB rusher, and he is a strong tackler.

Podlesh/Weatherford/Scobee - Our kickers are playing flat out awesome. Scobee hasn't missed a FG yet, and Weatherford and Podlesh are both kicking like they deserve the spot. The Jags kicking game isn't a concern this year at all.

Mark Duffner - The LB coach, and arguably the best defensive assistant coach we have, has a stable of outstanding stallions at the LB position. All three starting LB's sat out the entire game, and all the back-ups filled-in extremely well. All of the LB's played great football, thus we give credit to the coach.

Losers:

Todd Bouman - He continues to have balls batted at the line of scrimmage, and is wildly inconsistent at times. He is not an adequate back-up, and needs to be replaced before the season begins. This game was his last chance, and he came up short.

The Offensive Line - Wow... a poor perforamance all around. Below average run-blocking, poor pass blocking, and pressure on Garrard from inside and out. Andy Heck has got some work to do in the next few weeks.

Mike "I NEED A" Walker - The perpetual injury bug missed another game, and he's legitimately only got one shot left to impress against Washington. If Walker misses or has a poor game this Thursday, then the only way he keeps his spot is if the Jags carry 6 WR's, and even then he won't be a lock.

Mike Thomas - The diminutive Thomas has to show something this Thursday, or he is likely headed to IR for the year, because I can't see the Jags giving him a spot without seeing him perform.

Paul Smith - Paul is garbage and has no shot to make this team. He's a great individual and may have a career in coaching in front of him, but his spaghetti-armed passes won't fly in the NFL.

On The Fence:

Brian Williams - B-Dub played his best game of the preseason, although he still isn't playing at the level he was even a year ago. Brian must come up big against the Redskins, or his spot may be in jeopardy. Derek Cox didn't play again, which is the biggest break Brian has had thus far.

Chauncey Washington - Last year's seventh round pick had a solid game, but fumbled the ball, a big no-no for any running back. Chauncey had his one fumble of the preseason, if he has another, it may become a factor.

Josh Vaughn - The former Buccanneer didn't have as big of a game as he needed to. Averaging only 2.9 yards on 10 carries. In a crowded backfield, Josh needed a bigger performance to give himself a shot at a roster spot.

Quentin Groves - The former DE was starting at LB for the Jaguars, and seemed to handle the experiment fluidly. He had a few pressures and one batted pass. It will be interesting to see if he continues to play LB.

Camp Battle 2009: Special Teams

Jonathan Loesche — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:29:09 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

4 months ago: Jacksonville Jaguars long snapper Joe Zelenka snaps the ball to the punter during special teams practice at the NFL Jaguars football training camp, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

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Special teams are often the most overlooked aspect of football. No one remembers an eight yard punt return or a touch back on a kick off. However, when something goes wrong (or right) then Special Teams is perhaps the most important part of any team.

2009 was not a banner year for the Jaguars' special teams. After an excellent fake punt by Montell Owens on opening day, the Jaguars special teams constantly missed tackles, shanked punts, and played below par in general. Their play, along with some "encouragement" from Coach Del Rio, led to Joe DeCamillas being sent packing. New coordinator Russ Purnell is looking to make the Jaguars' special teams a top unit again. However, do the Jags have the players to do that?

Josh Scobee

Josh Scobee was drafted in the 5th round of the 2004 draft. Many questioned the drafting him, as he had a big leg, but accuracy issues.

Scobee is entering his 6th season in the NFL and had easily his worst year since his rookie year. Scobee only had 10 touch backs last year, one fewer than 2008 when he missed 8 games. Worse, after seemingly overcoming any issues with his accuracy, Scobee was only 50% from between 30-39 yards in 2008.

The lone bright spot for Scobee in 2008 was that he was 4 of 5 from 50+ yards, which shows he still has one of the biggest legs in football. Perhaps this is the only reason Scobee doesn't find himself in a competition, as does Adam Podlesh.

The main thing for Scobee in 2009 is to regain his kickoff ability. Scobee went from being one of the league leaders in touch backs for the last 3 years to being in the middle of the pack last year. If he doesn't regain that, then Scobee begins a slide towards being "just another kicker."

Adam Podlesh/Steve Weatherford

Another Shack Harris special, Podlesh was drafted in the 4th round of the 2007 draft. However, unlike Scobee, Podlesh hasn't demonstrated that he was worthy of using a draft choice on. Podlesh has been in the bottom third of the league in punt average, net average, and inside the 20.

Podlesh currently finds himself in a battle with Steve Weatherford for the starting punt job, and a spot on the team. Weatherford isn't that great of a punter, but showed more than Podlesh had in a short time starting last year.

Either way, the punting position has to improve for the Jaguars to have a better record in 2009. There were too many punts that bounced into the end zone, didn't hang high enough, or were just plain shanked last year.

Joe Zelenka

Not much to mention except that the longest tenured Jaguar and one of the most consistent long snappers in the league will be coming back for another year. I'm a proud member of the Joe Z fan club, are you?

Kick Returning

The biggest difference is that Maurice Jones-Drew won't be handling any of the kick returning duties in 2009.The kick returning duties are up for grabs. Brian Witherspoon seems to have the upper hand at the position going into training camp. Spoony set franchise records in kick and punt returning, not to mention reportedly having run a 4.16 40 time. However, I would expect the Jaguars to give him some competition to at least keep his competitive spirit going.

The current favorite to challenge for punt returning duties is 4th round pick Mike Thomas. Thomas only had one year of kick returning duties at Arizona, but took two for touchdowns and was named 1st team All-PAC 10 as a punt returner.

Kick Coverage

The worst area for the Jaguars special teams was their kick coverage. The Jaguars ranked 28th in the league, giving up 50 returns of 20 yards or more. The Jaguars were also middle of the pack in punt coverage.

The empahsis this year is on getting hang time on the ball and tackling, two things that weren't present often last year. Special teams ace Chad Nkang is no longer with the team, so a new gunner will need to emerge.

-John

Poll

Which kicker will rebound from their sub par 2009?

Scobee

126 votes

Podlesh

10 votes

Both

46 votes

Neither

16 votes

198 votes | Poll has closed

The All-AFC South Roster

shake n bake — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:24:40 -0000

With the division "bloggers" over at ESPN.com digging into their bag of gimmicks, listing top 10 "building blocks" (players you'd choose if your goal was to contend for a title over the next 3 years) I set out to expand on their concept. Building an All-AFC South cast of starters, and now a 45 man gameday-roster that fits under the cap (with room to spare for the inactives).

QB: Still gotta have Peyton Manning (14mil), he's expensive, but the best QB in the league is worth it. On the principal that it's better to go out with a bang than a whimper my backup is the newly signed Rex Grossman (620k) In a league where Jim Sorgi, Cleo Lemon and Dan Orlosky make 1.3, 2.8 and 3.1 million a year, respectively, a QB who has had even short term success as a starter is a great deal for the league minimum.

RB: I chose MJD for the All-AFC South starters, but his new contract extension makes him 3 times more expensive than Chris Johnson or Joseph Addai, and the price of 5 Steve Slatons. MJD isn't THAT much better than the other 3, not by a longshot. So with MJD out in a cost cutting move, I'll pass up my former draft crush and the back I've fiercely defended for the last year, for Steve Slaton (552K). Slaton is the cheapest, was a better receiver than Johnson and weathered a workload that broke Addai down in 2007. The main hole is Slaton's game is as a pass blocker. Where could we find a tandem partner who can pass block? Joseph Addai (1.67mil), and I've got the cash, so let's grab all 3 starting backs still on their rookie deals, Chris Johnson (1.79mil)

WR: I was able to save on the backs, but there isn't cheap talent near the levels of Andre Johnson (7.2mil) and Reggie Wayne (6.96mil), Anthony Gonzalez is a great 3rd WR for relatively little (1.31mil), Kevin Walter (2mil) averaged 15 yards a catch while catchin 63% of his targets last year, both solidly above average.

TE: I'm all about the passing offense, meaning I'll lay down the nearly 10million for the two best TEs in the division. Dallas Clark (6.77mil), and Owen Daniels (2.79mil), A blocking TE and possible FB Gijon Robinson at the league minimum (385K) to fill out the TEs.

LT: 5.88mil isn't much to pay for my first choice of left tackles, Michael Roos. To backup I'll take a project tackle for 1.6mil, Duane Brown.

LG: My first choice of left guards comes pretty cheap at 1.2 million, Eugene Amano. Backing up will be a solid guard who can swing outside, Charlie Johnson (556K).

C: Jeff Saturday's new deal costs just 3.98mil this year. 396k for Jamey Richard, the only other center Peyton's taken real game snaps from in years.

RG: Jake Scott 4.5mil, I didn't really want to spend at guard but the cheaper options are either coming off major injuries or aren't proven. To get guard value out of this pool laying out the cash for Scott is the surest way. I'll back him up with a 16 game starter at guard last year for a vet minimum deal Mike Brisiel (460K).

RT: All four AFC South starting right tackles cost between 4 and 6 million, so I'm making a position change, Tony Ugoh (941K). Ugoh is a powerful run blocker, who would now have much less pressure on him in pass pro.

DEs: Pass Pressure is VITAL and Mario Williams comes remarkably cheap this year at 2.65million allowing for splurging on Dwight Freeney (11.2mil), and Robert Mathis (6.86mil), Dave Ball (620K) is a cheap combo of size and pass rushing ability.

DTs: A 3 man team of undersized pass rushing DTs comes pretty cheap. Tony Brown (1.4mil), Eric Foster (385k), Jason Jones (761K) For some size and massive upside I'll take Amobi Okoye to rebound for (3.12mil), and round out the DTs with Antonio Johnson for some safe league minimum (385k) beef.

LBs: Can't run a Tampa-2 without a top cover MLB, Gary Brackett (3.08mil), DeMeco Ryans is more than worth the 1.4mil price tag to slide to the strongside, on the weakside Clint Session comes dirt cheap at 552K, Xavier Adibi (498K) was a favorite prospect of mine and is working his way into the Texans lineup as a cover LB, I'll round out the LBs with some size and run D from Phillip Wheeler (546K) and Zach Diles (474K)

CB: Cortland Finnegan is an easy choice for just 3.65mil, Kelvin Hayden at 6.68mil is fine for a young talented corner. Marlin Jackson will hold down the slot for 2.76mil. For a backup Fred Bennett has great upside for only 460K

FS: Antoine Bethea or Michael Griffin? Bethea or Griffin? How about both since Bethea comes cheap (552K), Griffin isn't too expensive for a Pro Bowl safety (2.2mil) and both have played as nickel corners.

SS: Gotta have Bob. Sanders costs 6.13mil, but is an All Pro lock and DPOY threat when he makes it through a season healthy. I'll back him up with a starting caliber safety and dynamite special teamer making the slightest bit above the veteran minimum (462K) Melvin Bullitt

K: Kris Brown has nearly the leg of Bironas (my choice when money was no object), and makes half as much (1.35mil)

P: 1.25mil for Matt Turk isn't too much ... I guess.

RET: T.J. Rushing (535K) with Chris Carr out of the division, André Davis' price tag over 4 million and the Jags return games more than a TD below average with Brian Witherspoon having taken over returning from MJD, T.J. is the best bet, even with last year a lost season due to a knee injury.

Total Cap Cost: 124mil (09 cap is 128)

Thanks to Tim at BattleRedBlog for tips on a few cheap useful Texans.

Tennessee Titans 24 Jacksonville Jaguars 14 The Recap

Jimmy — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:48:18 -0000

This could also be titled the Radio Shack edition of the recap. You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers. The Titans continue to prove that they can win games in all types of ways. They outscored the Colts, overcame a terrible performance by Kerry Collins to beat the Packers, threw their way to a victory in Chicago, and came roaring back from a terrible first half performance to put up a 21-0 second half score on the way to a win against the Jags.

That first half was the worst half of football this team has played this season, and it isn't even close. The offense could do nothing. If you take out the field goal drive that was 8 plays and the knee at the end of the half, the Titans offense ran 16 plays on 5 drives. The only drive that wasn't 3 and out was the first of the game when Collins hit Gage for the 47 yard gain on the first play of the game. It's no wonder the defense looked gassed at the end of the half. They were on the field for all of it.

Luckily they play a second half in the NFL. Jeff Fisher should get coach of the year just because of the second half adjustments his squads have made all season long. While a lot of people in the game thread already had the Titans down 21-3 because the Jags got the ball first in the second half, the defense wasn't ready to concede that. There was a pass interference call on Chris Carr on the second play of the half that gave the Jags a first down, but that was all they would get on that drive. There was even a Jevon Kearse sighting with a HUGE sack on second down.

The Titans got the ball back and took the momentum back as well. Collins was very sharp on the ensuing drive going 4 of 4 for 37 yards that included a 13 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jones. As August mentioned this morning, that celebration was just silly. Those 15 yards you get for excessive celebration are very important yards. If you are going to get them please earn them.

After the defense forced another 3 and out, the Titans did a 3 and off the field when Collins found Gage for a 56 yard touchdown. 12 Gage used a nice stiff arm to carry Reggie Nelson for about the last 15 yards of that. Nelson should have been penalized for tossing Gage to the ground when he was clearly in the end zone.

The funniest moment of the game came on the kickoff that followed that touchdown when Jags' return man Brian Witherspoon decided to kick the ball out of bounds at the 3 yard line. Jacksonville would get some yards on that drive but would end up punting. The Titans offense reverted back to first half form on the next 4 drives with 4 punts and not very many yards.

I was starting to get a little nervous with the Titans clinging to 17-14 lead late in the 4^th quarter until Chris Carr picked off a David Garrard pass with 5:49 left to go, and Collins found Gage again, this time from 38 yards out, to put the game on ice. After the defense stopped the Jaguars again, LenDale White came in and busted some heads to make sure the Jags didn't get another shot.

This was another big win for this team. It keeps the 4 game AFC South lead and the 3 game lead over the rest of the AFC with just 6 games left to play. It also proves that they can put up points in a hurry when they need too.

A few other thoughts:

Those announcers were by far the worst we have had this season. Anytime an announcer is talking about a coach and his nice smile it is time for them to go. I never though I would long for Solomon Wilcots.
That defensive holding call on Tony Brown was absolutely awful. It is a good thing that didn't end up costing the Titans the game.
Equally as awful was Brown pointing to the sky and then laughing on the sideline after he committed 52 penalties in a row.
I haven't watched the end of the game yet, but I hear there was a celebration by Vince Young on the sideline. A lot has been made of his indifference on the sideline. Maybe I won't have to hear that call on talk radio 2,200 times this week.
The Titans are 10-0 and that is awesome!!

Bills/Jaguars Film Review: Bills special teams

Brian Galliford — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:30:04 -0000

The Buffalo Bills are coming off of their second straight win to open the 2008 NFL season, and since it's Tuesday, it's time for another Buffalo Rumblings Film Session to get into the finer details of Sunday's game. Their performance wasn't as high-impact as it was in the season opener, but Buffalo's league-leading special teams played well for a second straight week.

Punt returns? Check, and it's becoming business as usual to excel for Roscoe Parrish. Coverage units? Check. Great performance. Kick returns, on the other hand...

Underwhelming kick returns
For a second straight week (and for the record, they only got one legitimate chance in Week 1), Buffalo's kick return units weren't the outstanding unit we've come to expect. Terrence McGee in particular was bad; on the opening kick of the game, he chose to run out of bounds on the short sideline rather than cut toward the middle of the field, where he had a bit more blocking. That was unexpected, and something I haven't seen from him in a while. Leodis McKelvin didn't fare much better on his returns; the Bills barely scraped possession at their 20-yard line each time they touched the ball.

Give some credit where credit is due - Jacksonville's special teams units are emerging as some of the league's best, and that was evident in their kick coverage (and you can bet they're working on punt coverage this week). However, to me, the problem lies in the wedge - thanks to how Dick Jauron chooses his inactives, we've had some changing of personnel in this unit. Sunday's wedge consisted of Fred Jackson, Darian Barnes and Kyle Williams, and their play wasn't great. This is just one area (the other is kick coverage) where we'll see some growing pains as Bobby April adjusts to new special teams personnel.

Simpson, Scott, Neill excelling in kick/punt coverage
Three guys showed up on tape as having excellent days covering kicks: Ko Simpson, Bryan Scott and long snapper Ryan Neill. Simpson in particular has been making some big hits on kick returns early in the year - and against a couple of good kick returners in Brian Witherspoon and Josh Wilson. Scott's contributions aren't surprising; we've known for a while that he's a good hitter, and he's one of a few defenders who tackle consistently on first contact. Neill's the most fun to watch - play in and play out, he's gangbusters down the field and is often the first cover man to reach a punt returner. He just needs to work on keeping his snaps up for his holder.

Overall, there's room to improve in both kick and punt coverage units, but plays are being made. The Bills have some of the best pure athletes on special teams, and each of them is going 100% every play. As I said above, they're playing well right now; it's hard to imagine them not getting better as they play together more.

Roscoe outstanding once again
Here's a question that I'll put out there for y'all to ponder: is there a more exciting play in the NFL than a Roscoe Parrish punt return? I'm going with "no", and I wish more football fans league-wide realized it. He's sensational. It helps, of course, that his blockers routinely give him tons of room to operate (and let me tell you, they block hard - it's common to see two or three bone-crunching hits on a Parrish return).

Buffalo's offense will likely experience some inconsistency in coming weeks - they are still, after all, very young at key positions - so it would be beneficial if you could just keep on keepin' on, Roscoe. Take notice, football fans - the NFL's best punt returner is NOT named Hester. It's Roscoe Parrish.