SB Nation - Pittsburgh Steelers

Horse Tracks 11/11/09 - Ryan Harris likely to miss Sunday's game in Washington, possibly more

Douglas A. Lee — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:34:12 -0000

DB - Weekly Press Release Notes - Patrick Smyth

DP - Broncos Mailbag: Season-ticket holders shouldn't be traitors - Mike Klis
"This year's Denver defense will continue to keep games competitive until the Broncos get another lucky bounce or the offense gets out of its rut. "

DPP - Broncos need ground game to avoid imbalance - Anthony Cotton
"Washington ranks sixth in the NFL in total defense (286 yards per game), three spots behind the Broncos, and just one behind Pittsburgh. It is also the ninth-stingiest team to score against, allowing 19.2 points per contest."

DPP - Broncos coach McDaniels: "No shortcuts" to improving running game - Mike Klis
"Right tackle Ryan Harris is expected to miss his second consecutive game Sunday when the Broncos play at Washington. Harris suffered a dislocated right big toe — not two small toes as previously reported — Nov. 1 at Baltimore... the Broncos have 14 takeaways in eight games. They had 13 takeaways in 16 games last year. The Broncos also reached the halfway point with 26 sacks. They had 26 sacks all of last season."

DPP - Broncos must play like leader - Jeff Legwold
"The Redskins come into the game 24th in the NFL in rushing offense and are likely to be without running back Clinton Portis."

DPP - Q&A: Time for Broncos QB switch? - Jeff Legwold
"Jay Cutler couldn't win down the stretch last year without a reliable running attack that stressed the defense, and neither will Orton. Cutler threw more than 600 passes last year, went down the field as much as people seem to always want from the Broncos and put up plenty of gaudy numbers — and the Broncos didn't go to the playoffs. So it isn't how far the passes are thrown. It's when they are thrown and what else the defense thinks you can do once you break the huddle."

DPP - Analysis: Law looks fine in Denver debut - Jeff Legwold
"The Broncos have plenty of teams left on the schedule that can stress a defense with three or four wide receivers on the field, most notably the Chargers, Giants, Colts and Eagles. So working out of the nickel is going to be important."

NFP - Tavern talk: McDaniels manages the game well - Mike Lombardi
I don't know if Lombardi reads ST&NO, but he covers McD's pre-halftime clock management much in the same way Ted did several weeks ago...

DPP - Broncos undone again by run defense vs. Steelers - Jeff Legwold

LTC - Chargers climbing while Denver dives - Brian Howell

LTC - Interceptions doom Denver in loss to Steelers - Brian Howell

CSG - Lack of deep passing game keeps Broncos grounded - Frank Schwab

AP - Broncos say there's no panic after another loss - Pat Graham

KDVR - Denver Broncos still look OK even after loss to Pittsburgh Steelers - Chris Tanaka

INDT - Drew Litton: Denver Broncos No Shows

Redskins News

WP - Denver Broncos' gallop slows to a trot - Mark Maske

WP - Redskins even struggle at showing heart - Tracee Hamilton

WP - Portis unsure if he'll play Sunday - Rick Maese

WP - Sooner or later, Portis's health must be addressed - Jason Reid

WP - Campbell maintains upbeat attitude - Jason Reid & Rick Maese

WP - Mounting injuries are taking a toll - Jason Reid & Rick Maese

AFC West News

NFL - Johnson clears waivers, becomes a free agent

NFP - Diner morning news: Chiefs acted too late - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Chiefs hoping for help on L.J. contract - Andrew Brandt

KCS - Johnson tells radio show he'd like to return to Chiefs someday - Kent Babb

FH - Bernard Pollard Accuses Chiefs of Trying To Have Him Blackballed - Knox Bardeen

SDUT - Norv knows emotion - Nick Canepa

SDUT - Chargers' defensive improvement a matter of trust - Chris Jenkins

FH - As Raider Nation Turns: Latest on Cable - Chris Burke

OT - Will Oakland Raiders fans be next to step up and be heard? - Monte Poole

NFL News

NFL - Browns place LB Barton on injured reserve

NFL - Appeals court: Vick can keep $16M in roster bonuses from Falcons

CBS - Q&A: Under fire, Mangini opens up about Browns, Quinn, Belichick - Clark Judge
Well...this is a very long, but interesting read. I learned that Eric Mangini is an intelligent, well-spoken and probably good person. However, I didn't learn much about him as a coach. It was disappointing to not see any Spygate questions, or perhaps one about the $1700 water bottle fine...

NFL Opinion

USAT - Not pretty, just Ben: QB's quiet confidence powering Steelers - Jarrett Bell

SI - MMQB Mailbag: Chiefs make right call on Johnson; how to fix Bears - Peter King

NFP - Returning to Quinn provides no hope for Browns - Matt Bowen

Y! - Freeney leads rush for defensive honors - Mike Silver

NFL - With these guys, there's no such thing as a good backup plan - Vic Carucci

NFP - A win for Vick, a loss for the NFL - Robert Boland

Midseason Awards, Etc.

SI - NFL Midseason Report: 2009 - Don Banks

SI - 2009 NFL Predictions for second half of season - Jim Trotter
"It's easy to say "Told You So" after consecutive defeats, but take a look at their remaining schedule."

SI - NFL Midseason All-Pro Team, Awards - Peter King

Y! - Second-half intrigue: Boys-Saints game looms - Jason Cole
"The Broncos and coach Josh McDaniels have been a great story this season, but I just don’t trust what I’m seeing...That 6-0 start could quite easily become a 10-6 finish, if not worse."

FOX - Schein 9: Peyton heads first-half award winners

FOX - Preseason's no-brainer picks didn't pan out - Kevin Hench
"The consensus was as fast and ruthless as it was wrong. It went like this. 1) Jay Cutler was the one player on the Broncos McDaniels could not alienate. 2) Kyle Orton was a huge downgrade from Cutler. 3) McDaniels will be the latest Bill Belichick disciple to fail spectacularly. Oh-for-three."

NFL - Handing out some first-half hardware of the unusual kind - Jason La Canfora

PFW - Colts lead PFW's Midseason All-Pro team - Keith Schleiden

SN - The Designed Rush, Week 10: Time for Meaningless Midseason Awards! - Michael Tunison

Power Rankings, Etc.

NYT - Week 9 Passer Ratings: Orton Seeks His Level - Luis DeLoureiro

ESPN - NFL Power Rankings Week 10

CBS - Power Rankings: No joke -- Bengals are serious contenders - Pete Prisco

FOX - NFL Power Rankings - Adrian Hasenmayer

FH - NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: The Ugly Side of Parity - Josh Alper

Redskins' Coach Watch: Russ Grimm Might Be Our Guy

KevinE — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:51:07 -0000

The next Redskins head coach? Image via blogs.tampabay.com

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In Part One, we reviewed Mike Holmgren's persona as the next Redskins' coach, which left me far from impressed. Continuing through the classified ads, the next stop is Russ Grimm, who currently holds the following titles with the Arizona Cardinals: Assistant Head Coach, Running Game Coordinator, and Offensive Line Coach. There is a lot to cover with the former Hog, so if you're at work and feel mother nature calling, print it out and take it to the can with you.

Moving on...I spoke with Charles, the Editor of the SB Nation Arizona Cardinals community, Revenge of the Birds (ROTB), regarding Russ Grimm's coaching and talent evaluation skills. After the jump, I reveal my Russ Grimm conversations with David Elfin of the Washington Times, Rich Tandler of Real Redskins, Mark Newgent of the Examiner, and Ben Folson of the Curly R, all who have a lot of knowledge from Grimm from his playing days with Washington and his coaching days in Washington during the Norv era. We had a nice debate with the outstanding concerns, and Mark adds a fantastic Grimm story from his playing days, but first, my chat with the Cardinals' media:

Hogs Haven: Russ Grimm is a fan favorite in DC being one of the original Hogs. As a coach, he has been a winner everywhere he's been (Steelers and Cards Super Bowl run last year). What stands out to you regarding his play-calling, relationship with players, motivations skills that would make him a good or bad candidate for a head coach? He seems to get overlooked as a head coach every year.

ROTB: It is fairly common knowledge that Grimm is well liked and very respected by his players, especially his offensive lineman. He has the knowledge and experience to back up everything that he's trying to teach his guys. He's never called plays (here or any stop in the past) and he's never been a true coordinator. He shares the co-coordinator title which means that he's involved in the development of a game plan throughout the week but his actual involvement during the game is somewhat of a mystery. As a head coach I would envision him as something in between a "players coach" and a "disciplinarian" and I would guess that he'd prefer somewhat of a run-first offense. Some say he's been passed over as a head coach but he's never been a true coordinator and normally the step before becoming a head coach.

Hogs Haven: Did Russ Grimm contribute at all to the draft class this year [for the Cards]? The Steelers obviously have a lot of success with their picks, although ironically not with their offensive line.

ROTB: As far as his prowess as a talent evaluator, your guess might be as good as mine. The only time I've ever heard or read of him "signing off" or "approving" of a draft pick was when they took Levi Brown in 2007. As the story goes, Grimm worked out Brown individually at Penn State's pro day and came away thinking that Brown was better than Joe Thomas. That evaluation looks awful foolish now but that was the Cardinals story after the draft so take it for what's it worth. Despite the drafting of Levi Brown the Cardinals offensive line has improved quite bit so maybe that's a testament to his ability to develop talent.

Hogs Haven: If you were Dan Snyder, would you have any hesitations making Russ Grimm your head coach?

Continue reading this post »

ROTB: That's a tough question. I honestly like Grimm and I think he could build a tough, run-based team that would turn into a winner. That being said, I wouldn't take him over Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher or Mike Holgrem so I'd consider him a fall back option at best. Just to throw a bit of curve ball at you though, if you're interested in Cowher it might not hurt to bring Grimm in as your offensive coordinator.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Grimm is successful everywhere he goes; however, Mangini and Charlie Weis have struggled once they were given full control. No one expects Russ Grimm to be the All-in-One savior though. Mike Tomlin and Mike Singletary both never had Offensive Coordinator or Defensive Coordinator roles in their careers. Why can't Grimm be in the same position as them where the new Redskins GM (not named Cerrato) works with Grimm to pick a good fit.

I emailed the Redskins elite for their opinions:

Mark Newgent (Examiner): As far as play calling experience goes, Grimm doesn't need to be the play-caller--the Ravens brought in Cam Cameron to call plays for Jim Harbaugh.

There's another aspect where I believe Grimm would have an enormous effect: discipline. The Redskins--even under Gibbs 2.0--have played really undisciplined football: stupid penalties, to poor tackling etc... Grimm would put an end to all that.

I remember going to training camp up in Carlisle in 1992, Grimm's first year as an assistant to Gibbs. Just prior to practice players were milling around the end zone catting and joking around. Out of nowhere a huge Ford Bronco--not the little one the big curb stomping mini-monster truck-- drives up right into the middle of end zone. Players scatter and stare. Grimm steps out of the driver's seat, pulls a wad of chewing tobacco from his mouth from his mouth chucks it to the ground and says "let's hit it." The players jumped to attention and got to practicing.

That's kind of gravitas Grimm has, and is sorely needed in Ashburn.

David Elfin (WaTimes): While Russ is a legitimate head coaching candidate in the league and a link to Washington's glory days, I would be surprised to see Dan Snyder hire a second straight coach who had never even been a coordinator. The caveat would be if Snyder's millions can lure another big-name coach like Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher to the Redskins.

Ben Folsom (The Curly R): So in all this why did Russ Grimm's phone never ring: simple. Dan

Snyder knows Russ Grimm is eventually a loser for him. Russ is a sympathetic character for Redskins fans. No matter what happens, Dan will get the blame for failing and Russ will get credit for winning. Then one day when Dan has to fire Russ, then my friend Dan finds true bottom in the hearts of Redskins fans.

Russ will never coach for this team while Dan owns it, neither will any of Joe Gibbs' proteges, anyone that represents true Redskins football.

Rich Tandler (Real Redskins): While he was a player, he didn't seem to be the type who would become a coach. Primarily, that's because he enjoyed the night life. It wasn't unusual to see Grimm out until all hours around Georgetown, feeling no pain. I know, because I occasionally was in the same bars.

Even when he became a coach, he wasn't seen as a rising star. While some members of Norv's staff went on to become head coaches--Mike Martz, Cam Cameron, Mike Nolan--there never seemed to be any danger of losing Grimm to a promotion elsewhere.

When Norv was fired, there was no discussion of him becoming even the interim coach, much less the head coach. Evidently, he took much better to Cowher than he did to Norval. I have to wonder, though, why Rooney did not hire him when Cowher retired. It was a done deal and he pulled it back at the last minute. Certainly he
hit a home run with Tomlin but, still, I wonder why he didn't pull the trigger on Grimm.

Also, I wonder why Grimm isn't a full-fledged coordinator in his 18th year of coaching. He's had a better shot at it than Zorn in that he's been in the NFL the whole time while Zorn spent time at Utah State and Boise State.

So it seems the only outstanding concern is why did Russ Grimm get over-looked in Pittsburgh, and why did Cowher refer Chan Gailey over Wisenhunt and Grimm? This Steeler's blog listed some likely reasons, but with 3 qualified candidates in Grimm, Wisenhunt and Tomlin, perhaps the Rooney Rule was in full effect? Either way, I really believe Russ should be given a hard look.

Grimm's Coaching Resume:

Washington Redskins (1992-2000)

Tight end coach (from 1992 through 1996, and offensive line coach from 1997 through 2000, during which he was instrumental in the development of tackles Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-2006)

Offensive line coach in September 2000. In 2004 he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line.

Under Grimm guidance in 2005, the Super Bowl champion Steelers averaged nearly 140 yards rushing per game during the regular season to rank fifth in the NFL while also grinding out 181 rushing yards in their Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2006 Steelers offensive line helped pave the way for running back Willie Parker to gain 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries with 4.4 yard avg. and earn his first Pro Bowl selection. Pittsburgh offense finished the 2006 season with the 10th best rushing attack in the NFL, helping to give the Steelers the 7th ranked total offense in the league.
Arizona Cardinals (2007-present)

In 2007, Grimm was hired by the Arizona Cardinals to serve as their assistant head coach/offensive line coach. In Arizona, he serves under head coach Ken Whisenhunt who Grimm worked with under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. In his first season in Arizona, his offensive line allowed only 24 sacks, 6th best in the NFL and the fewest given up by the Cardinals since 1978 with 22. Grimm's offensive line also paved the way for running back Edgerrin James to rush for 1,222 yards, the fifth best total in team history. The Cardinals offense finished with the 5th best passing attack in the NFL and threw for a team record 32 touchdowns.

Thanks again to David, Mark, Ben, and Rich for their input. It is much appreciated.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Grimm,

Poll

Are you For or Against Russ Grimm as the next Redskins coach?

A "Brownie" For Your Thoughts - "Rookie" Post

SpecialBrownie — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:52:51 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

2 days ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford leaves the field after throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Seattle Seahawks' Josh Wilson in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 32-20. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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Welcome to a whole new segment on DBN, appropriately titled, A Brownie For Your Thoughts. This is a segment that will be ran once or twice a week and will talk about more off topic football stories. An example would be my uniform fanpost of a week or so ago. I will talk about an idea that has ran across my ever free flowing imagination, speak my own opinion on the subject and ask for all of yours in the comments. I hope you all enjoy it and receive it well!

Now, the title Rookie Post, is an allegoric title. While this may be my own rookie post, it is also a post on how rookies should be brought up in the NFL. Should rookies be thrown in or should they be taught on the sidelines for a period of time? Maybe there is no control when a rookie starts in a NFL game. I'll examine the possibilities...

I have thought of three ways a rookie can be brought up in the NFL, but only two of them can be considered valid choices by a head coach. "Plug and Play" Rookie starter, "Apprentice Rookie starter and "Injury Forced" Rookie starter.

1. "Plug and Play" Rookie Starter - A "Plug and Play" starter, or PaP for short, is what I consider to be when a coach decides to start a rookie in the very first game of the season. Examples of this can be seen with Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions or Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets. A lot goes into a PaP starter. How well did they perform in college? How desperate is the team for production and notoriety? Will the rookie get injured?

To save space, we'll just use Matthew Stafford for example purposes.

How well did Stafford perform in college?

Stats Overview	Passing
YEAR	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	LNG	TD	INT	SACK	RAT
2006	135	256	1749	52.7	6.83	53	7	13	12	108.99
2007	194	348	2523	55.7	7.25	84	19	10	15	128.92
2008	235	383	3459	61.4	9.03	78	25	10	17	153.54

Check.

How desperate is the team for production and notoriety? Detroit Lions 0 - 16 in 2008. Check.

Will the rookie get injured? Stafford missed two games due to a knee injury. Sadly, Check.

PaP conclusion: Essentially, Stafford matches every boundary for a PaP starter, which he was amazingly. The Lions however, are 1 - 7. Stafford has a 5/12 TD to INT ratio and has a 55.9 rating. Now, many other factors play into this but ultimately, a PaP is a high risk/ high reward starter. So far, Stafford has not played out for the Lions. Then again, it is only Week 9 of the 2009 season. Personally, I've never been one for a PaP starter. I feel like you're throwing them to the "Lions" (Do - Do - Do - Chzzz). I agree more with the next type of Rookie starter...

"Apprentice" Starter - This one is short, sweet and opinionated. An "App" starter is one who sits by on the sidelines, learns from successful or smart veterans and is inserted into a starting role when prepared or at least more knowledgeable than a PaP starter. How can this be proven? It really can't; this is a low risk/ high reward approach. You don't know if any factors will change from a PaP starter but what's it going to hurt? Your rookie learns NFL experience before he experiences it. It can only help.

Let's look at Josh Freeman, another 1st Round rookie QB starter. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0 - 7 until Freeman was named the starter for Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. The first game Freeman was named starter, the Bucs won for the first time in the 2009 season! Freeman has a 3/1 TD to INT ratio and has a satisfying 83.2 rating. It's only been one game though so, really, who knows. Freeman seems to prove my un - provable point though.

App conclusion - LOW RISK/ HIGH REWARD. While you really don't satisfy the fan base or FO by holding back a high profile rookie, you let them learn from seasoned veterans who already know how to handle themselves in a NFL game. I see no real negatives to this approach all except for the negative notoriety. That will change though, once that studying rookie starts winning games.

"Injury Forced" Starter - This one can't be controlled by anyone. More specifically, this type of starter comes about when the starter above them goes down with an injury for at least one game, forcing the 2nd string rookie to start. This type can't be proven either since it can't be chosen. This one won't have a conclusion, just an explanation and example. It's basically a spontaneous split of the two "coach option" starters. As the 2nd string rookie, you're an App Rookie. Once the veteran above you goes down, said rookie morphs into a PaP Rookie, you have to go in regardless of knowledge or preparedness.

We'll use Kaluka Maiava for this example. Maiava had to come in for D' Qwell Jackson during the Pittsburgh Steelers game and started against the Green Bay Packers the week after. In both games combined, Maiava had a total of 10 tackles and one forced fumble. For an inside linebacker, those are decent stats for a span of two games. But who knows if he was even ready for the unexpectedness of Jackson's injury (he shouldn't have been, unless he planned it.) Maybe he'll get better challenging fellow rookie LB David Veikune for a starter spot or working beside veteran David Bowens. Who knows.

Well, there you go. My first ever post on my new segment. If you want, tell me how I did, critique me so the next post can be better. But please, above all else, TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL. Do you agree with these three types of rookies? Are there more types? Less? Please argue, agree and discuss. Thanks for reading and... GO BROWNS!

P.S. I will also be running the Power Rankings post which collects the Cleveland Browns power rankings from notable websites around the internet. It will usually be posted on Tuesdays or Wednesdays with "Brownie Thoughts" usually on Thursdays or Fridays.

Steelers 28 - Denver 10 - More Post Game React

Blitzburgh — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:41:21 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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Some more thoughts from me about last night's joyous 28-10 victory by the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Denver Broncos.

* I actually really enjoyed the commentating by Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski last night. Gruden in particular. I said to my girlfriend, 'what game are you watching' when he was convinced that Rashard Mendenhall had fumbled inside the 5 yard line. But outside of that, I really enjoyed listening to him gush about the Steelers organization - from top to bottom. Sure, he and Jaws were going a little overboard in their praise of Ty Law and the rest of the Broncos over-hyped secondary, but generally speaking, I thought they were great - mostly because they couldn't stop with their effusive praise of the Steelers.

* Elvis Dumer-who? Max Starks gobbled up the 5'11" pass-rushing linebacker.

* Brett Keisel has matched his sack total from the previous two season combined (3) in his last two games.

* The Steelers set a franchise record last night by scoring 27 or more points for their fifth consecutive game.

* With his 3 touchdown passes last night, Big Ben increased his 2009 season total to 14. That puts him just 3 TDs shy of his total from last year, and 4 scores shy of his second highest total ever, 18, which he had in 2006.

* I didn't get to either of these two guys in last night's post, but kudos to Nick Eason and David Johnson for quietly having solid games. Eason was very active running from sideline to sideline, while Johnson did a mostly solid job blocking for Rashard Mendenhall.

* Mentioning David Johnson makes me think about just how many rookies are playing this year for the Steelers. Think about it. Every last draft pick is still with the team and a very healthy share of them have made game day contributions for this team.

* While we're still on the subject of rookies, that was almost an extremely critical penalty by Joe Burnett at the end of the half when he ran in to Mitch Berger. It was only a 5 yard penalty, but it very well could have been 15 and put the Broncos back in business before the end of the half.

* I heart Casey Hampton. I really wonder if he'll be around in future years (I sure hope so), but he's still such a warrior out there. He just blows up the interior of offensive lines - has done so now for just about a decade.

* I suppose one other beef I had with the telecast was the announcing crew clamoring about why neither Josh McDaniels nor Mike Tomlin called a timeout in that end of half sequence. It made no sense for Coach Tomlin to call a timeout there, even if the Broncos were faced with 3rd and 12. There was fewer than 30 seconds left and frankly, the Steelers were a bit fortunate to be up 7-3 at that point. The half had blown by quickly and the Steelers offense had only been on the field for 3 series. Denver meanwhile had just converted a 3rd and long and I thought it made no sense to let the Broncos talk it over and dial up a play of their choosing. By not calling timeout, they were guaranteed more or less to run that conservative draw that they ran. Sure it meant we wouldn't have a chance to score, but there wasn't much time on the clock anyway, and at best, the Steelers would have had a very outside shot at getting a field goal. Finally, when you factor in the fact that we were going to get the ball to start the 2nd half. No harm, no foul there by Coach T. I liked the decision just fine.

State of the AFC West Week 9

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:15:45 -0000

Well well well, here we are after week 9, a week I'd been looking forward to for awhile. I had a crazy day on Sunday which of course had a perfect ending. Last night's game was the proverbial "icing on the cake". The Chargers are now 1 game back at the halfway point of the season with 8 games to go. The Broncos still have the advantage with the 1 game lead and a win over the Chargers as a potential tiebreaker. As far as the schedules, of the 8 games remaining, 3 are easy division games (2 KC 1 OAK), but 4 are against tough teams (SD, NYG, INDY, PHI) and their game this week at Washington. On the other hand, the Chargers get the Browns and Titans, don't have to play Indy, but they only play the Chiefs one more time. As far as momentum, it is clearly on the side of the Chargers who have capped their three game winning streak with an emotional win at the Meadowlands. The Broncos on the other hand are riding a two-game losing streak that included two disappointing second halves. Oakland and KC are still out of the picture.

Jump the break for individual teams.

AFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Denver	6	2	150	124
San Diego	5	3	206	179
Oakland	2	6	78	201
Kansas City	1	7	126	205

(updated 11.10.2009 at 1:30 AM PST)

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders had a quiet bye week getting healthy and trying not to lose any football games. Running back Darren McFadden, wide receiver Chaz Schilens, left guard Robert Gallery and right tackle Cornell Green returned to practice Monday and are expected to play against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. So that's good news. Although Tom Cable won't be charged criminally, the NFL is evaluating the situation and sending out people to determine if Cable should attend anger management classes. The National League of Women (NOW) and other women's rights groups are calling for Cable's job. The Raiders next division match-up is this week's pillow-fight of the week in Oakland. Let the battle to determine the most dysfunctional team begin, too bad nobody will see it because it will likely be blacked out.

Oakland Raiders Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cornell Green	calf	11/09/2009
Tony Stewart	chest	11/09/2009
Gerard Warren	toe	11/09/2009
Jon Alston	shoulder	11/09/2009
Ricky Brown	ankle	11/09/2009
Robert Gallery	fibula	11/09/2009
Tommy Kelly	elbow	11/09/2009
Chris Johnson	groin	11/09/2009
Chaz Schilens	foot	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
John Bowie	knee	09/30/2009
Oren O'Neal	ankle	10/14/2009

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs played a close game against the Jaguars which inevitably ended in another loss. As the Chiefs march toward another top 5 draft pick, the big story is still the rapid fall of Larry Johnson which ended in his release from the Chiefs. Although they will probably end up paying him a lot of money since I doubt anyone will pick him up, this gives Jamaal Charles more opportunity to play and gets rid of a clubhouse cancer. Chris Chambers seem to have rejuvenated their offense, at least for the moment, with two TD passes. The addition seems to have helped the Chiefs and the Chargers at the same time, and Chris will probably be happier too. As already mentioned, the Chiefs next division game is at Oakland which I'm sure will be terribly exciting.

Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jon McGraw	thigh	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Devard Darling	knee	09/01/2009
Jarrad Page	calf	11/04/2009
Jackie Battle	shoulder	10/14/2009
Colin Brown	undisclosed	09/05/2009

Denver Broncos: Will the real Broncos please stand up? Are they the 6-0 team or the 0-2 team? Are they the second-half juggernaut or the second-half duds? Is Kyle Orton the QB who threw one INT in 7 games or 3 INT's in one game? Are they a punishing opponents on the lines or the team that didn't get ONE rushing first-down against the Steelers? The answer is probably somewhere close to the middle. Teams are starting to key on the Broncos weakness and adjusting their game-plans as such. Kyle Orton looks nervous as opposed to the pillar of strength he looked like earlier in the season. Either way, the Broncos are much better than everyone thought but they still aren't an elite team. The Steelers were clearly the superior team last night, even at Mile High. The Broncos have lost some momentum going forward but they are still healthy and still have the advantage over the Chargers. Now is the time for Josh McDaniels to adjust to the adjustments that other teams are making. Going forward, we will see if the Broncos and McDaniels are studs or duds. The game at Washington this weekend may tell us a lot about the Broncos. Their next division match-up looks to be a huge game with playoff implications at Mile High against the Chargers.

Denver Broncos Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryan McBean	knee	11/10/2009
Peyton Hillis	other-excused	11/10/2009
David Bruton	groin	11/10/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Nick Greisen	knee	08/05/2009
J'Vonne Parker	knee	08/08/2009

San Diego Super Chargers: The Bolts are flying high after an emotional victory at the Meadowlands and gaining the momentum in the AFC West race if not the advantage. They are finally getting healthy, emotionally and physically, as well and it looks like All-Pro center Nick Hardwick will make his return to Qualcomm Stadium this weekend against the Eagles. The Chargers are still a little banged up at the linebacker position; SP95 was injured in the Giants game and Kevin Burnett and Tim Dobbins are still ailing. It looks like Phillips and Burnett will play this weekend while Dobbins will sit. LB Jyles Tucker is also most likely out this weekend. It looks like the Eagles are having the same problem the Chargers were earlier in the season: inability to keep anyone healthy. If Westbrook is out and the Eagles must depend on the passing game, the Chargers could win big with improved pass rush from Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. The Chargers are also only 2-2 this season and they need to improve their play at home. The game is already sold out so we know it will be loud this weekend. Our next division match-up is Week 11 at Mile High Stadium.

San Diego Chargers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tim Dobbins	knee	11/09/2009
Nick Hardwick	ankle	11/09/2009
Kevin Burnett	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryon Bingham	arm	09/05/2009
Jamal Williams	triceps	09/19/2009
Antwan Applewhite	hamstring	10/20/2009
Brandon Hughes	knee	09/02/2009

Philadelphia Eagles Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Max Jean-Gilles	shoulder	11/09/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Victor Abiamiri	knee	11/09/2009
Chris Gocong	other-excused	11/09/2009
Akeem Jordan	knee	11/10/2009
Brian Westbrook	ankle	11/09/2009
Quintin Demps	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shawn Andrews	back	09/15/2009
Stewart Bradley	knee	09/01/2009
Omar Gaither	foot	10/22/2009
Cornelius Ingram	knee	09/01/2009
Fenuki Tupou	chest	09/05/2009

Former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson Goes Unclaimed on Waivers

Joel Thorman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:04:08 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

As expected, Larry Johnson went unclaimed on waivers. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Despite up to four teams not ruling him out of their plans, former Kansas City Chiefs RB Larry Johnson has gone unclaimed in the waiver wire process according to multiple reports.

Few important notes now that he's gone unclaimed:

He is a free agent and available to sign with any team
The Chiefs are responsible for the remainder of his $2+ million salary this season

This is what we expected to happen. His salary was too high for any team to take a chance on him. I would imagine he wants to go to a contender at this point. However, you gotta wonder if a non-contender will make him a contract offer higher than the veteran minimum. We'll see how it works out.

Here are a few of the teams we've heard thrown around in this whole debate:

Steelers: Well-documented that he was a Steelers fan growing up and even wanted Pittsburgh to draft him coming out of Penn State in 2003. His father also coaches a couple hundred miles away at Penn State.

Patriots: Bill Belichick said his team would talk about LJ this afternoon. Can't ever count the Pats out.

Texans: Gary Kubiak said they'll take a look at him, like they do all available players.

Ultimately though we're all guessing at this point.

Armageddon 2009: Patriots v. Colts

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:40:02 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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This week, we get to gear up for (arguably) the most anticipated regular season game on the entire NFL schedule: The New England Patriots at the Indianapolis Colts. Despite both teams not playing in the same division, and despite both teams not facing in other in the playoffs since the now-legendary 2006 AFC Championship Game, this match-up is indeed still the best rivalry in pro football.

Hell, it might be the best rivalry in all of sports.

More people will likely watch this game than any Red Sox v. Yankees game that was played last baseball season. It will likely gain higher ratings than the World Series, the NBA Finals, or the excellent Hockey playoff match-up last season that pitted their game's best players (Capitals ace Alexander Ovechkin and Penguins phenom Sydney Crosby) against each other. And while football rivalries like Packers v. Vikings, Cowboys v. Giants, and Steelers v. Ravens feature impressive teams loaded with big stars who are followed by large fanbases, no two players get debated more than Tom Brady v. Peyton Manning. And there is a reason for this.

They are the best in the league; maybe ever.

With all due respect to Drew Brees, who is having an amazing year with the still undefeated Saints, he can't touch Tommy Terrific or Perfect Peyton. Brees has all the physical tools, but until we see him rise to the occasion and lead his team to a conference championship game win, one can't put him on Brady or Manning's level.

Personally, I have long maintained Peyton is better than Tom, and unlike many of the Pro-Brady faction, I actually have tangible evidence to back it up. Peyton has helped his team to more wins. He has more impressive career numbers than Brady. And, to put it bluntly, Peyton has had a bigger overall impact on the league than Tom.

That no-huddle, spread offense the Patriots have used since 2007? Yeah, Peyton brought that back en vogue ten years ago.

But regardless of where you fall in the debate, what many of us agree upon is that these two are, quite possibly, the best to ever play the position. And while the morons in the established media world might claim that this reason or that prevents Manning or Brady from being in the all-time discussion (remember Chris Collingsworth saying earlier this season that Peyton Manning needed to win one more championship to be considered on the same level as Dan Marino... why does this schmuck still have employment?), what we fans know is that time and again these two have DEFINED great quarterback play for an entire generation. And as these two continue to re-write history books, the classic Pats v. Colts rivalry has begun to take a turn.

More so than any other time before, the rivalry has evolved from a nasty, bitter slap fest into one of mutual respect. Sure, we think (and know) the Patriots are cheaters, and Patriots fans think our Colts are nothing but cry-babies who change the rules to help them win. However, despite the outward silliness (and name-calling fun) of the rivalry, both sides also know that both teams demand (and have earned) respect.

In addition, both fanbases also respect one another. For me, pro football suffers when the Pats v. Colts rivalry suffers. I know about a billion Patriots fans who likely agree with that sentiment.

Keep an eye out here and at Pats Pulpit for more lead-up to this excellent rivalry game.

The Beatdown Knows The Problems

Bruce Raffel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:53:13 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

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A lot of frustrated people have been expressing their opinions on the poor play of the Baltimore Ravens this past weekend in losing to the Cincinnati Bengals 17-7. Looking lackluster and bland, the offense seemed to be in slow motion and the defense sat back on their heels once again. After looking like the old Ravens the week before, we seemed to regress and let a team that we were pretty sure was a pretender prove that perhaps we are the ones who are pretending this season.

The quotes from the fans seem to say it all. Here are some great thoughts and samples from some of the stories or FanPosts over the past two days that the Ravens would be pretty smart to take into consideration when re-assessing their personnel and future plans:

Playoffs

Playoffs? Dont talk about playoffs, are you kidding me? Playoffs?…I'm just hoping we can win a game….Jim Mora summed it up people.

by ShaneOmacDaddy on Nov 10, 2009 3:00 AM EST

I feel like we just gave up yesterday when we just started throwing the screen to Rice each and every play. We basically just gave up at that point and did not even care to look at the WR. We just wanted to get the hell out of Cinci and take our loss. I do not agree with that at all and it was a disgrace of a showing by Cam and the Offense.

You have to hate losing more than you love winning.

by Mr MaLoR on Nov 9, 2009 7:34 PM EST

I like what you’ve been writing. My thoughts as well. If you can’t stand toe to toe you better get creative. We did neither against just "decent" teams. If we simply dinked and dunked we’d have a better shot than Cams random deep balls when Mason rarely gets separation on deep balls. What was he thinking. Wasted downs.

by raven on Nov 9, 2009 9:25 PM EST

As Don Meredith would say...

Turn out the lights the party’s over – they say that all good things must end. That’s a wrap for the season folks. Who do you like in the draft next spring?

by Rayfan1 on Nov 8, 2009 4:37 PM EST

Penalties

What is up with all the pass interference calls? We are leading the league in getting called for interference. It is really starting to get ridiculous and it is killing us. I don’t know about you but I am tired of seeing our cornerbacks grabbing jerseys and getting burned in the process.

Don't forget to check out my blog at http://baltimoreravenschat.blogspot.com

Best regards,

Chris

by RavensBlogger on Nov 8, 2009 8:45 PM ES

PENALTIES, NOT REFS!!

Listen I could care less about talking about the refs.

it’s not the refs! it’s the penalties!!

Where Have You Gone Johnny U?

by The Exiler on Nov 9, 2009 11:36 AM EST

I was not a Kyle Boller fan but it just goes to show you that with no blocking any QB can look like Kyle Boller. There was one point where the Bengals had 12 first downs and we had 14 total plays from scrimmage! No one came to play. Is Gano still available? This is not our season. We can still hope to break even but don’t expect any post season for these guys. And even though the refs were not to blame for the game – there is clear bias. That would mean to me that you try even harder to not make penalties because you know they are watching us closely.

by Rayfan1 on Nov 9, 2009 9:28 AM EST

BENGALS ATOP

the AFC North, and deservedly so. Being a frustrated Ravens fan right now, you guys are making a strong statement. Personally speaking, I believe you’re the Top team in the Division right now, and possibly the entire AFC. With the Ravens hoping for, at best, a wild card, I sure as hell hope the Bengals take it to the Steelers this coming Sunday – you have the better team, now show it!

by ravens347 on Nov 9, 2009 9:52 AM EST

Oh, did the Ravens lose?

I turned off the debacle toward the end of the second quarter, never looked back and moved on to more meaningful things in my life. I just couldn’t watch the game any further. What a horrific game. I can’t express my disappointment enough. The Ravens were supposed to be a playoff-caliber team. They are not. I predicted a 9-7 record and they WILL NOT finish better than that. What more can be said? They were flat-footed all game, beaten off the ball on both sides, lethargic, way too deliberate and just didn’t show any sense of urgency! Geez, am I pissed!

by Smiley4660 on Nov 9, 2009 10:52 AM EST

Time to pack it in

C’mon guys…its over…it wasnt meant to be, this isnt the team to take us to the Super Bowl or even the playoffs. We will finish 8-8 with losses to the Colts, twice to Steelers and Green Bay…possibly even Bears to put us at 7-9. Hauschka needs to be released this week to send a message to the fans. Ray Rice even said yesterday "we came out and played slow", thats so nice to hear from the team I love and cheer for every Sunday, that they come out and play like a bunch of slouches and don’t really care. I am so fed up with this team and their attitude, it isn’t fair to the fans that pay their hard earned money in this economy to buy their jerseys and tickets to watch them play. I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face by this team and they should be ashamed of themselves.

by ShaneOmacDaddy on Nov 9, 2009 4:27 PM EST

this has been one of the most frustrating seasons

all around from getting our hopes up after each win, to failing just short, to not playing to our potential. I don’t understand it.

by ryantz on Nov 9, 2009 12:10 PM EST

The season, as far as playoffs and Superbowls, is probably over. We’re a distant third in our own division, and there’s several competitive wildcard teams in other divisions.

We still have to face Indy, Pittsburgh twice, Chicago at home, and Green Bay on the road.

We’ll also face Detroit, Cleveland, and Oakland.

7-9 to 10-6 is probably our range of records, and 10-6 probably won’t get us into the playoffs, so it’s better to sit back, relax and enjoy what we can, and hope for some of the young players to develop so that we can have a stronger season next year.

by math_geek on Nov 9, 2009 3:04 PM EST

Pitt won like Pitt wins…They let you stick around keeping the game under control and then explode on your tendencies. Their games always go to the 4th quarter. They just deep down know that they are closers. They are the furthest thing from what we are.

by raven on Nov 10, 2009 12:38 AM EST

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:30:23 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

1 day ago: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, left, tries to elude the rush of Denver Broncos' Darrell Reid (95) and a second defender during the first quarter of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

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Happy Tuesday, friends. After being up late, and watching a hard-fought game go awry, I bet you're pretty bleary-eyed, and grumpy, but let's try to make this a good day. I don't want to think that the Broncos have fallen into losing habits here, and I really don't think that's the case.

Of course, those who speak, but don't know what they're talking about, will start screaming about how the Broncos have been exposed, and they're a fraud, and every other damn thing. A few persistent issues have emerged, but they can be corrected. If anything, losing back-to-back games against good teams can teach you a great deal about your own team.

Let's reflect on this, as I know the coaching staff is, and the players are. Next week, the Broncos face the Redskins, which presents a great opportunity to get back on the winning track. After that, San Diego comes to town. The Broncos still control the AFC West, make no mistake about that.

On the other side of the jump, we'll break it all down. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. It's now midseason, and the Broncos are 6-2, and in first place by a game, and having beaten San Diego on the road. Think back to August, and if I told you that's where the Broncos would be, you'd be happy to take that deal, right? It's a little less great to win the first 6 and lose the last 2, but whatever.

I mentioned some issues, and I want to talk about them briefly. I think all are fixable in the second half of the season.

a. Ben Hamilton is getting to be pretty useless, and I think it's time to see what Seth Olsen has. Hamilton has gone from being above-average before his concussion-driven missed season, to average last season, to decidedly below-average this season. Every time the Ravens and Steelers needed to get pressure on Kyle Orton, they did it over Hamilton. Every other team in the NFL has seen that, and will try to replicate that strategy.

From former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah, during the game:

I don't know what Olsen can do yet, but he's definitely bigger and stouter than Hamilton. I have to think he can anchor better than what we've seen from #50. I am pretty sure Russ Hochstein isn't the answer, but I'd like to see what Olsen looks like.

b. The Broncos need better execution overall on offense. The scheme is fine, and the players are fine, they just need to make the plays that they have a chance to make. They have had some bad penalties, some poorly-timed drops, some slip-and-falls in the running game putting them off schedule, and lately, some bad throws. Plays like Brandon Stokley coming just short of a first down, and Hamilton getting called for a (really questionable) holding penalty on a converted 4th-and-5 are what has been hurting the Broncos offense. The coaches need to send the message that if the players who are playing don't execute, they'll find somebody who will.

c. Signing Mitch Berger was a big mistake. I think it's worth working out some other punters, but really, I liked Brett Kern. If somebody better than Berger is available, I think he should be brought in. Getting a good punter needs to be a high priority in the offseason, too.

d. Interestingly, short-yardage offense has improved during the two losses, as the Broncos have shown a willingness to throw some in those situations. It is still a concern going forward, though. Olsen may help here, if he is given a shot.

e. No-huddle offenses have been problematic for the Broncos the last two weeks. They limit their ability to disguise coverages and rush packages, and they also make it hard to substitute as much as the Broncos want to. Not every team is effective in the no-huddle, but just about every team the Broncos might see in the playoffs is. They need to figure out who their best base defensive group is against the no-huddle.

I think my underlying thought right now is that the Broncos probably aren't quite ready for the Super Bowl, but they hung with a team tonight who is a real championship contender. They beat New England a couple weeks ago, who is a real championship contender. They beat Dallas and Cincinnati, who at the least are good teams. The Broncos have a ways to go, but as first halves of the season go, you have to feel pretty good about theirs. It's not time to start anything over, or blow anything up. It's time to make a few adjustments, execute better, and keep working toward winning games.

2. Information from My Eyes, Steelers at Broncos.

a. Did I mention that I think Mitch Berger sucks? Nothing has particularly changed for me on that score. John Bena coined a new term last night, Brett Kern-backers. I liked Kern, but I don't think I am a Brett Kern-backer. I am a guy who wants a consistent good performance from the Broncos punter, whoever it is.

Philosophically, not a single player or coach on this team means more to me than the team itself. I don't care who is doing it, I just want it done. As much as I love John Elway, the team always came before him to me, too. Part of his greatness, though, was that he'd never make you separate him from the team.

b. It didn't get mentioned a lot, but Tyler Polumbus struggled at RT, especially in the second half of the game. LaMarr Woodley got a lot of pressure and forced a few key throwaways. He'll be okay against most teams, but this was a tough situation for him. Ryan Harris's absence was most definitely felt.

c. I liked the work of both Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal in this game. They consistently did a good job getting open and catching the ball. Marshall had the one drop, but it was a good effort for him overall.

d. I thought D.J. Williams had his worst game of the year, by far. He was taking bad angles all night, and didn't look like he had a prayer of getting off a lot of blocks. I'm admittedly not generally his biggest fan, but he's had the best year of his career in 2009. Monday night, not so much.

e. Wesley Woodyard played a lot more snaps than he's used to, and I thought he wore down in the second half of the game. The Steelers played a tremendous amount of 3 WR sets, which kept Andra Davis on the sideline, and Woodyard in the game.

f. Kyle Orton was actually not too bad for most of the game. He had 2 bad throws, and about 3 bad decisions (one of them was picked off). He was pretty sharp the rest of the night. He needs to cut out the bad decisions, but I was generally a lot happier with his performance tonight than I was against the Ravens. (I don't care about statistics, of course.) Nobody is saying they're thrilled with his ultimate performance, of course, but there's more nuance to the situation, than just looking at the stat sheet.

g. Rashard Mendenhall was the primary reason the Steelers won the game. He got going in the second half, and it forced the Broncos to be more aggressive in the box. I used to think very little of Mendenhall, but he has improved a lot. He runs with vastly better patience and body lean than he did even just a month ago.

h. The Steelers also have themselves a find with Mike Wallace. He's very dangerous for a 3rd WR. They don't do a lot of traditional slot-type stuff, and in nickel offense, if anything, Hines Ward is their slot guy. (I think making definitive distinctions between #1, #2, and #3 WRs is silly.) Wallace has great speed, and he showed good route-running skills Monday night.

i. I liked what I saw of Ty Law in his limited action. Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins both mostly struggled in the game, neither making a great impact. Champ ought to be embarassed by letting Ward jump over him in garbage time. He knows better than that. He also got beat in man-to-man coverage several times by Santonio Holmes. Andre' Goodman was good in this game, though, even beyond his interception.

j. The Broncos use of the "mush rush" was very good in the first half, and very bad for most of the second. Robert Ayers played a key role in containing Ben Roethlisberger when he as assigned that duty, and that's what he was doing when Kenny Peterson knocked the ball free.

k. The Broncos got hosed on the Gaffney challenge, and also on the Haggan fumble recovery. Don Carey has joined my list of bad referees. I like how a return team becomes an intercepting team. I can't believe that he's related to Mike Carey, who is excellent. And he's the older brother? Wow.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. I watched a lot of the Green Bay-Tampa Bay game Sunday, for a few reasons. I haven't seen much of the Bucs this year, and I wanted to look at Josh Freeman, who I liked a lot coming out of college. He looked like a rookie at times, but he showed a lot of positives too. I thought he looked poised and confident, and I am not that surprised. I remember when he beat Texas as a freshman, and commanded the game. (My buddy lost a grand on the game, and he called me frantically looking for NFL advice for the next day, to "get back even." It was a debacle. I don't give gambling advice anymore, because of that weekend.)

Anyway, Freeman looked like a star that day in 2006, and he looked like he may be one someday in the NFL on Sunday. I think Tampa did the right thing, giving him some time to learn from the sideline, but it has to be Freeman Time the rest of the season.

b. I loved Raheem Morris's line after getting his first victory as a head coach.

Statistics are for losers, and today, we're winners.

And then, there's Chicago Bears lover/reporter/enabler/apologist Brad Biggs of National Football Post, after his beloveds got blown out again.

That's positive news? The Bears got smoked, again, Brad. Their best player, who is supposed to always play well, performed close to expectations. It's only positive news if he is on your fantasy team, which is why I don't really like fantasy football. (Well, that and the dorktastic "experts' you have to tolerate on TV.)

Cutler played alright, but he didn't do anything to elevate the play of anybody else, as usual, and the interception he threw in the 4th quarter did kill the Bears' chances of coming back.

It's amazing how the Bears team has assumed the personality of the 2008 Broncos. There's a good chance they'll get blown away on defense, and Cutler is almost definitely going to need to carry the offense. In my business, we contract with companies to take over non-core operations. We call it a lift-and-shift. You terminate your employees who work in a call center, and we'll instantly hire them. They'll work for us, and you'll pay us a fee that is less than what you pay for this operation. Meanwhile, we'll optimize, and reduce the headcount, and correspondingly, the costs.

Everybody considered Cutler's acqusition to be a lift-and-shift. The Bears got a franchise QB. Imagine what he'll do on a team that plays good defense and runs the ball. Football is such a multi-variate system, it's really amazing.

c. I would really hate to be a Bears fan. They have no high draft picks this year, and suddenly a lot of roster holes to fill. They need 3 or 4 new starters on their offensive line, to begin with. Orlando Pace is done, Josh Beekman and Roberto Garza were never starting-caliber players in the NFL, and Olin Kreutz is getting close to done. I don't care for Chris Williams, either. He's looked passable at RT, but if he was worthy of his draft slot, he would have bumped Pace, because it's clear as day that he isn't good enough. You wouldn't use a #1 on an RTO (Right Tackle Only), unless it was Jeff Otah.

They could also use some WRs, some secondary players, and a pass rusher. We're not asking for much, right?

Chicago has a cash-poor ownership group, and the cold weather and their ugly uniforms don't tend to help draw free agents. (Yes, both things matter. It's part of the problem in Cleveland too.) I just don't know how you can bring in enough players there to improve for next season.

d. On Monday I read a lot of epitaphs about the Chicago defense, which didn't get into a lot of the "why" they're so bad. As I was explaining to a friend a few days ago, a defense has to have all 11 players working well together, in order for it to be sound and effective. Because defense is fundamentally a reactive mission, there are many inter-dependencies among the three levels, and communication, like-mindedness through practice, and discipline make all the difference. That sounds simple, and it really is.

First of all, you'd better either be good against the run with 7 in the box, or have a big-time safety who can move 12 yards from a cover-2 shell to the line of scrimmage really quickly. The Bears can't stop the run with 7, so you know they'll have 8 in the box. Then, there's the passing game. When a team can't rush the passer with 4 players, they need to blitz with numbers. When they blitz with numbers, it makes it hard to play soundly in zone coverage, so you mostly have to start playing man coverage. When you play a lot of man coverage, you'd better hope you have the athletes to cover the other team's athletes - and chances are, their #3 and #4 options are better than yours. That's a simple fact of it being harder to find players with coverage skills than it is to find guys who can run a route and catch a ball, when he knows where he is supposed to go.

So you can't stop the run, you can't get pressure with 4, you can't play zone, and you can't play man. All that's left is to guess at what the offense is going to do, and play for that. The obvious problem there is what happens when you guess wrong. You get exposed, and give up huge plays. That sounds a lot like the 2008 Broncos' defense, right?

To apply this to the Bears, they used to get pressure with their front 4, but Tommie Harris is having a bad season. He was a healthy scratch for the Cincinnati game, reportedly because of some attitude issues, and they got lambasted. Then, he got ejected over some extreme foolishness 1 minute into Sunday's game. The Bears again got crushed. Harris is among the best 3-technique DTs in the NFL, when his body and attitude are right.

With no Harris, Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye have struggled to get any pressure, so the Bears have blitzed, ineffectively. They have all these tall, slow CBs who can't do anything except play zone coverage, and they got shredded in man-to-man on Sunday, as they did against Cincinnati. If you decide to be a cover-2 team, you'd better play a lot of cover-2, because your personnel can't hold up playing man.

If Harris can manage to get his body and mind right, and have a dominant second half, he could personally bring a soundness back to the Bears that could send them on a 6-2ish run in the second half to finish 10-6. The more likely outcome is that he continues to sulk, the Bears continue to get gashed, and they finish 7-9 at best. And the Broncos have a nice draft pick. Thanks, guys :)

e. Funny story. My brother Chris (who did join MHR as Chris911, incidentally) and I were talking on the phone the other night, like we do sometimes.

Chris: You know, Jay Cutler has a losing record in games where he throws for over 300 yards.

Ted: You know, Jay Cutler has a losing record as a starting QB in the NFL.

Yessir. I love that draft pick more and more every day.

f. Remember the spring of 2008 when many wanted Denver to become Vanderbilt West? It hasn't worked out so well for Chicago. Earl Bennett's ceiling is to be an average starter, if he puts it all together. He can't get off bump coverage right now, whatsoever. He also runs bad routes and drops the ball a lot. In other words, everything he was supposed to do well, he doesn't. Yes, I know he had 7 catches for 93 yards Sunday, but the vast majority of it was in garbage time, against soft zone coverage. (And, yes, wise guys, I know, most of the game was garbage time.)

Chris Williams, I already discussed. He has definitely been a disappointment. This year, the Bears took D.J. Moore, a CB, who is somehow not good enough to beat out any of the pu pu platter of guys who take turns opposite Charles Tillman. He has been a gameday inactive all season, and is not even a special teams contributor.

I watched the Florida-Vanderbilt game Saturday night, and was reflecting on this. Vanderbilt has no hope in the SEC. They can't recruit talent that is nearly good enough to compete, and most of their guys have tended to underachieve in the NFL. They are on my list with Texas and Ohio State of schools whose players I am naturally suspicious of, although it's all for different reasons.

I wonder if Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Stanford, Duke, Rice,and Baylor ever thought about forming a football-only, high-SATs conference. Actually, this year, Vandy would be in the bottom half of that league, too.

g. Staying with the college theme for a minute, the best all-around QB I have seen this season at any school is Cincinnati's sophomore backup, Zach Collaros. He has completed 76% of his passes for 1,229 yards, with 10 TDs and 1 interception in the 3+ games he has appeared in. He has also rushed 43 times for 281 yards, and 4 TDs, while only being sacked 10 times.

Cincinnati's original starter, senior Tony Pike, is expected to start this week, although head coach Brian Kelly did cop to it being a tough decision. Pike is likely to be drafted on Day 1 next spring. Collaros is going to contend for the Heisman Trophy next season, and he'll be a high pick too, when he decides to leave school. He's the total package, with an above-average arm, very good poise, and outstanding accuracy and athleticism. The only knock on him is that he's 6 feet tall, but he has some definite Drew Brees-like qualities as a thrower. This is a 75-yard TD run against a South Florida team with lots of athletes. The guy is real.

h. A guy I really like on an otherwise not-great unit is Atlanta Guard Harvey Dahl. He has been getting very good pad level, and driving guys, in helping Michael Turner have his best two games of the season. I beat up Sam Baker for his pass protection last week, but he did well in the running game Sunday, too. The Redskins are normally solid against the run, but Atlanta gashed them repeatedly.

i. Michael Lombardi stole my thunder, which is an occasional hazard of writing for Tuesday mornings. (The) Other smart analysts see(s) the same things and beat(s) you to talking about them sometimes. Ray Lewis definitely looks like he's doing it more on guile and want-to than skill anymore. I respect his effort greatly, and sometimes he makes a huge play, like against the Chargers, but he's clearly hit his downside. Big up Lombardi, for consistently seeing what the reporters don't see. (By the way, it's weird and unnatural to see Lombardi stand with a mic and interview players and coaches for NFL Network. Stop the madness, and be an analyst, Mike. You're better than some locker jockey.)

j. I was pretty critical of Dallas' Mike Jenkins earlier in the season, and he deserved it. Lately, though, he's been playing fantastic football. He did a great job Sunday night, and was the largest part of the Dallas secondary's outstanding effort not to give up the big plays that Philly wins with every week.

k. The Eagles are reputed to be a West Coast team, but they are not that, and never have been since Mr. Game Management, Andy Reid, came to town. Donovan McNabb isn't a West Coast QB, who does really well with timing throws. The Eagles are a vertical, downfield team, and they finally have guys in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek, who can get down the field and make the plays they want to make.

l. By the way, everybody knows I like Tim Tebow, but McNabb is the guy who Tebow most reminds me of. They played in similar-ish option-heavy offenses in college, and they have very similar profiles as throwers coming into the NFL. Tebow's stats are down this year, mostly due to bad pass protection, but he's throwing the ball better than ever when he gets some time.

m. The Chargers might be back. I haven't seen their LBs look as good as they did on Sunday in two years. Some of that may be due to the Giants offensive line, though, which is good in the running game, and below-average in the passing game. All this stuff about them having the best line is hogwash. (I've actually seen Michael Lombardi say that this season.) They have a natural LG, David Diehl, playing LT, and he gets owned by good pass rushers.

n. Brandon Jacobs looks really slow to the hole this season. He was never quick, but he's a different player. I have to wonder if he is hurt. Of course, I am prejudiced against tall RBs, because, definitionally, it's easier to hit them, than it is the compact guys. It's fair to say Jacobs has never been a favorite of mine.

o. I'd like to say that ST&NO favorite Alex Smith has established himself as a clear-cut solution at QB for the 49ers, but the fact is, they've lost all three games which he has played in. Two of the three interceptions he threw on Sunday were off the hands of his own players, so I don't really put those on him, personally. On the positive side, that play he made for a TD pass at the end of the first half was an All-Pro caliber play, that not many QBs could make. He kept himself alive with his feet, and made a perfect throw on the run.

This is what I know about Smith. His biggest problem is that he struggles with the mechanics of drops from under center which are more than 3 steps. It's not natural to him, and his footwork is slow, like he is thinking about it. That got him sacked on A-gap blitzes two or three times Sunday.

Smith is much more comfortable from the shotgun, and I think I would go to a medium-gun alignment with him, that is often called the Pistol. It's run a bit at some colleges, notably Nevada, and the Chiefs used it with Tyler Thigpen last season. The QB lines up 3 yards behind the center, with the RB 3 yards behind the QB. It provides better directional evenness to your running game than lining up in a full shotgun with the RB to one side or the other of the QB.

Smith can do all the things you need your QB to do; it's just a matter of putting him in position to be successful. I'll be interested to watch this game on Thursday night, against Chicago, because he could have a huge game.

p. I did like what I saw of Vince Young, again. He has played like he's fine with being part of a conservative game plan, which is what he needs. The option stuff he was running with Chris Johnson was effective, and he did hit Justin Gage deep on a couple throws. One, in particular, used all of Gage's vertical. He was actually a starter on Missouri's basketball team in his college days.

q. The Titans are suddenly playing some defense again too, especially Michael Griffin at safety. I also was impressed with William Hayes, who has taken over at LDE for Jevon Kearse, who may have finally had it, at this point. The Titans are a threat to make noise as a spoiler in the second half of the season. The return of Cortland Finnegan has helped them a lot, too. He's not the greatest cover guy, but he's a hitter, and he is always close to the ball. He compares favorably to Asante Samuel in that way.

r. The Panthers just make me shake my head sometimes. They are almost completely back to their 12-4 level from last year lately, except for their QB play. They really erred by not getting one, but John Fox and Jake Delhomme are almost married. Delhomme is going to cost Fox his job, for his sentimentality.

Remember when the Chargers whacked Marty Schottenheimer coming off the 14-2 record? It was the right move. So would cutting ties with Delhomme have been, after last season. Of course, the Chargers blew the second part by hiring Norv Turner. The Panthers will get their chance to do something in the offseason, but they have no first-round pick. If San Francisco decides Alex Smith isn't their guy, he'd be perfect for a team like Carolina, who runs the ball and attacks downfield off of play action. Marc Bulger might be a possible fit too, as the Rams will almost certainly be drafting a QB this year. The Panthers will likely need to get a retread, though.

s. The Saints deserved to get beat on Sunday, but they managed to win anyway. That's something championship teams do, is win without their best stuff.

t. The Texans are really close to being a serious playoff contender, but a Chris Brown goal-line fumble and a Kris Brown missed field goal have basically cost them two games. People haven't noticed, but Matt Schaub is putting up Pro Bowl numbers in Houston. Old friend Gary Kubiak needs to get his team to execute better in key situations.

u. I said I wasn't going to pick the addict Jaguars again, but I did on Sunday, because the Chiefs are horrible. The addicts then proceeded to almost give the game away. Shocker! ST&NO favorite Reggie Nelson had a very good game for the Jags, and so did Brandon Marshall's best friend from college, Mike Sims-Walker.

v. Matt Cassel was the bright spot for the Chiefs, again, and he continues to do pretty well with very little help. I guarantee that the Chiefs don't regret trading for him, especially at the price they paid.

4. In honor of Veterans' Day, I wanted to blaze a different path by doing something apolitical and propaganda-free. It's Tangential Story Time, in ST&NO. Yay!!!

Most regular readers are at least generally aware that I spent 4 years in the United States Navy. I don't think I have ever mentioned that going to sea is basically my family business, though. My dad was in the Navy for 14 years, and then has worked as an executive for companies which supply the Navy for the last 20+ years. His brother recently retired as a long-time civilian mariner for the Navy, and his other brother was a Marine, who rode a Navy ship or two. My youngest brother is currently employed as a Naval civilian mariner, presently working for a ship stationed in Gaeta, Italy. There's lots of salt in my family.

So, I woke up early on Sucker-Free Saturday, and a headline popped into my RSS reader that grabbed my attention.

Navy ship built with WTC steel to go into service

I clicked the link to read the article, and saw something very interesting in the first sentence.

NEW YORK — The Navy is commissioning its newest battleship with a bow forged from steel that once held up the World Trade Center.

The Navy decommissioned its last four remaining Iowa-class Battleships in the early 1990s, and I didn't think that they had any plans to bring them back, despite some misgivings from parts of the Marine Corps that current Naval Gunfire Support programs wouldn't be sufficient for a Normandy-like shore landing.

A Battleship is a specific type of ship, like in the children's game of the same name. The Iowa class had wooden decks, and three turrets with three independent 50-caliber 16-inch guns each, for a total of 9 guns. The shells were 16 inches in diameter, and weighed 2,700 pounds each. (Modern Cruisers and Destroyers have one or two (mostly two) 5-inch, 54-caliber guns each, by comparison. Those shells are 5 inches in diameter, and weigh 70 pounds.) Each Iowa-class turret took a crew of 94 men to operate, and I actually served with a guy who was working in Turret #3 on the Iowa in 1989, when Turret #2 exploded and killed 47 men.

Battleships played a large part in the Pacific theater in World War II, and somewhat minor parts in Korea, Vietnam, and the first Persian Gulf War. The primary missions of Battleships were shore bombardment, and ship-to-ship combat. The advent of precision-guided munitions (like Harpoon missiles, for ship-to-ship combat), and the reality that 5-inch, 54-caliber guns are considered by the Navy to be sufficient for Naval Gunfire Support, largely made battleships unnecessary, and the last Battleships were decommissioned not long after World War II, with a few held in reserve status. Iowa, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Missouri were each re-commissioned several times over the coming decades, with the Missouri being the last active battleship, being decommissioned for the last time in 1992. (The picture below is of the Iowa, shooting her guns to starboard.)

So, there's this new ship, called the USS New York, and the AP says it's a battleship. At first, I was skeptical, because I know that the Battleship mission is obsolete. Thinking about it, though, it is named after a state, like US battleships have historically been. I also know that the Bush Adminstration Pentagon had some meat-heads in high places of their procurement organization, who favored weapons systems with some badass factor to them, whether they were strictly necessary or not. But I would have heard about new Battleships, right? Hmmmm.

I called the guy who would know, my father Ed, who has appeared in ST&NO before, and I got my answer.

Ted: Hey, what do you know about this new ship, New York, that was partially built from World Trade Center steel?

Ed: Well, it's being commissioned this morning.

Ted: What kind of ship is it?

Ed: It's a piece-of-(bleep) LPD-17 class. A Gator Freighter. (Note: Gator Freighter is the ~~somewhat~~ very derisive name for Amphibious Navy ships which primarily carry Marines. Surface combatant guys, like me, don't think too much of Amphibs, or the people who ride them.)

Ted: Oh, OK. This AP reporter called it a battleship, and it's named after a state, which lends that some coincidental level of plausibility. I was skeptical, so I thought I'd ask somebody who knows.

Ed: <Scoffs> The media doesn't know what the hell they're talking about.

The media doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. Hmmm... Where have I heard that before?

5. What's New In Cleveland Update:

We have a great local brewery here called Great Lakes Brewing Company, that puts out this great stuff they call Christmas Ale every year, at this time. It tastes like cinnamon, but it's 7.5% alcohol by volume, so if you're like me, and you drink them like they're just expensive Bud Lights, they can really creep on you quickly.

So, I was at a the Cleveland State University bar called Becky's last Thursday, for my fraternity's monthly alumni happy hour. I was pleased to discover that they had Christmas Ale on tap, which I would later find out was running me $18 per pitcher, times 3 pitchers. Whatever. I am drinking some fine seasonal beer, and one of the guys says, "Hey, that's Mike Trivisonno right there, like 5 feet away."

Trivisonno is the local Radio Idiot, who I have disparaged on here before a few times, as being part of the Browns problems. I am not sure what he was doing at Becky's, of all places, but he was hanging out with some uglo-Americans, who may or may not have been related to him. He's holding court, and talking about the Browns, and how the city is cursed, and blah blah blah. (I hate it when people say "blah blah blah" in a conversation, but for some strange reason I just felt the strong need to type it there, like my ex-wife possessed my body momentarily, or something. Deal with it.)

It seems the work of the Radio Idiot is never finished. He bloviates even off the clock. I wonder if Rush Limbaugh does too.... That was a little deeper than a Shallow Thought. Focus.

OK, here's the deal. There's no such thing as curses. There's only confusing hope for a plan (hat tip to Michael Lombardi). That's what they do here, in all sports - even the Cavs, to some extent. (Let's face it: the Shaq acqusition is all about hope.)

Randy Lerner, by all accounts, is an OK guy, and he wants to win. He doesn't know anything about football, and I don't think he particularly wants to, either. He's actually a soccer guy, and he owns Aston Villa. He needs somebody to establish and run a program for him. It can't be a Head Coach, because he's too hands-off for that kind of arrangement. (That works fine with appropriately engaged owners like Robert Kraft, Bud Adams, and Pat Bowlen.)

He needs a Bill Parcells-type situation, which is why he is reportedly pursuing Mike Holmgren. I think Holmgren is going to end up saying he'd rather coach than head a front office, but it's a good idea to try. Whoever ends up being the head honcho is going to fire Eric Mangini, and start over from scratch, again. This is increasingly clear. The trick is going to be hiring the right honcho, for the first time since they came back into the NFL in 1999.

Ron Wolf and Ernie Accorsi aren't going to want the job, but if I were Lerner, I'd put on a full-court press to get one of them to help me find the right honcho. A guy I would make a run at is Jimmy Johnson, but only as a team president, not a coach. You hire him, tell him he only has to work 30 hours a week, some of it from Florida, and let him hire a focused GM, (maybe Chris Polian, or Marty Hurney if he is let go at Carolina?) and let them decide what to do with the coaching staff. Then, the chain of command is clear: Owner, to President, to GM, to Head Coach.

As a side note, I expect Mangini to struggle to find future work in coaching. His credibility in the NFL is shot at this point, and what college is going to hire a guy like that? Can you see him talking a kid into coming to play at State U? Absolutely not.

6. So, I know you've been wondering what a guy like me does on a Friday night. My gameplan changes every week, like any good team's (except the Colts); and this past Friday, my friend Ashley was looking for somebody to go with her to a happy hour event at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It sounded like fun, so I emailed her, and we went.

I'd like to tell you that I am a really cultured, artsy guy, but the truth is that I'm not. I'm kind of a rugged football, business, and politics guy. Somewhat embarassingly, it was the first time I had gone to the Museum in 7 1/2 years of living in Cleveland. Ashley is really smart, though, and I figured correctly that I would learn some stuff from her.

There was a Paul Gauguin exhibit, which was included in the price of admission. I looked up Gauguin on the interwebz, and learned that he was a contemporary of Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh's brother Theo was actually Gauguin's agent, and he got them to work together in 1888. They spent 9 weeks together at Van Gogh's famous Yellow House in Arles, and they quarreled constantly, because they saw the right way to paint very differently. (At the CMA, there were several examples, side-by-side, where both men painted the same thing, and they looked extremely different.) Both men had bouts of depression and suicidal tendencies. When Gauguin fled the tense situation after Van Gogh threatened him with a razor blade, Van Gogh freaked out, and went to a brothel, where he famously cut part of his ear off. They never saw each other again.

When I saw the news that the Chiefs cut Larry Johnson on Monday, the thought of his relationship with Todd Haley made me think of Gauguin and Van Gogh. Haley is a talented coach, and Johnson is a talented player. Both men have reputations for being difficult, though, and many (including me) were skeptical about the pairing when Haley was hired. Johnson's actions, around callng out Haley on Twitter and using gay slurs, were stupid. Really, it's not too different from cutting your ear off, on the foolishness scale.

Haley couldn't have Johnson play for him again, just as Gauguin couldn't return to Arles to work with Van Gogh. If you're betting on futures, take Haley's (like it would have been wise to take Gauguin.) Johnson is 30 and well-worn, old for a RB; Haley is 42, which is young for a Head Coach. Van Gogh died two years after the ear incident, while Gauguin had 13 more years, and a lot of productivity after that. Go with the guy who knew it was time to cut the cord, rather than the one who cut off his ear to spite his face.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. The worst thing about November is the jewelry commercials during football games. (Well, I guess I should be glad not to see Chevy commercials with any Mellencamp songs.) I have found the answer, friends, if you're into man-cavery like me.

If you have Sunday Ticket with SuperFan, the setup works like this. Watch games on a muted TV (or two, if you can manage it, like I do). Watch the Red Zone channel on a laptop, with SuperConnect, and listen to the sound on the laptop, preferably over some decent speakers. Red Zone has no commercials, so when they come on TV, you can just ignore the visual stimulus, and listen to the sounds of what's going on on the laptop screen. I spent the whole day Sunday with this, so I got to see a lot of football, without hearing incessantly about how you're no kind of man if you don't go to Jared, the Galleria of Jewelry, and that every kiss begins with Kay. Damn, it's great to be single. (This is Ourrrrrrr Country!!!!!)

Have a good week, and let's get ready for a Broncos victory in Washington on Sunday. No hysterics are necessary, let's just take some comfort in the fairly safe assumption that our coaching staff is driving the players to learn from and improve on their mistakes. See you next Tuesday!

Horse Tracks 11/10/09 - Steelers thump Broncos, who lead Chargers by 1 game in AFC West

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:59:39 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends. Seems like deja vu all over again, huh? Keep your heads up! The Broncos are 6-2 and alone in first place this morning. Yes, it's only by a game, but you're reading it here first that they'll be up by 3 games again in two weeks' time. There is no shame in losing to the Ravens and Steelers in consecutive weeks; these two teams were the AFC finalists last year, and both get after the QB like most other teams cannot. Take a deep breath, look at the Broncos' schedule and then at that of the Dolts. Feeling better? Okay, now about last night - while there were some rough moments for them, the Broncos' D once again showed they can hang with anyone. The offense (especially the running game) and punting left a lot to be desired; but I think we'll see a dominant performance Sunday against a banged-up Redskins squad. It is NOT time to panic, Friends!

NFL - Pittsburgh Steelers 28 at Denver Broncos 10 - Box Score

NFL - Steelers 28, Broncos 10 - Video with radio calls

DB - Steelers Postgame: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Turnovers Lead to Loss No. 2 - Gray Caldwell
"If you told us at the beginning of the season we'd be 6-2 at the halfway point, I think most of us would have been happy with it," Andre Goodman said. "The way the last two weeks have gone, losing to the same division, the same type of team -- playoff teams -- having a poor second half on the defensive side of the ball, it's a little disheartening, but we're not going to panic. We're just going to go back to work and do what we're used to doing."

DB - Losing the Game of Keep Away - Chris Gentilviso

DPP - Broncos lose second straight game - Mike Klis

DPP - Paige: Whose stadium is this, anyway?
"Sick effort, Denver. If you don't want your tickets, at least scalp them to people who bleed orange, blue, mustard and brown."

DPP - Krieger: Bullying tactics bother Broncos
"The team that outscored opponents 76-10 in the second half has been outscored 45-14 in the past two second halves."

SI - Steelers hard to beat when firing on all cylinders - Ross Tucker
"The Broncos may have lost the game, but they went toe-to-toe with the defending Super Bowl champs for 53 minutes before caving in the final minutes. The Broncos will be a factor for the rest of this season and likely in the playoffs, as well."

DB - Steelers Postgame: Orton - Broncos TV

NFLTA - Steelers vs. Broncos highlights - Video

DPP - Steelers in a rush to harass QB - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Armstrong: Broncos' offense stuck in neutral

DPP - Steelers' Carter shines at safety with Clark out

DPP - A few hurdles to jump - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Steelers 28, Broncos 10: Bests, worsts and breakdown - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Steelers offense enjoys second-half feast - Mike Chambers

DPP - NFL commissioner Goodell lauds Broncos' moves - Mike Klis

CSG - Steelers top Broncos 28-10 - Frank Schwab

CSG - Ramsey: Surprisingly, Broncos QB Orton doesn't hear a boo

CSG - Broncos notes: Orton pick proves costly - Frank Schwab

NFLPA - E. Royal Remains a Playmaker in Denver Despite Changes - Jim Flynn

CBS4 - Elway Remembers Monday Night Shootouts In Denver - Matthew Buettner

AP - Broncos Lose Second Straight, Fall To 6-2 - Arnie Stapleton

FH - Big Ben, Steelers Strike in Second Half - Nancy Gay

FH - No Ryan Clark, but Same Steel Curtain - Nancy Gay

USAT - Steelers pick on Orton, run away with 28-10 'MNF' win - Jarrett Bell

ESPN - Orton, Broncos allowing San Diego back in race - Bill Williamson

DB - Ask Matt Prater...

Steelers News

PPG - Steelers dominate Broncos, 28-10 - Ed Bouchette

PPG - Steelers' Roethlisberger changes game - Ron Cook

PPG - Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill

PPG - Steelers notebook: Tomlin decides to sit Clark - Ed Bouchette

PPG - Steelers' defense leads way - Gene Collier

PTR - Big second half lifts Steelers to MNF victory - Scott Brown

PTR - Harris: In football vs. life decision, life wins

SN - Steelers aren't perfect, but they're getting closer - Dennis Dillon

SN - What We Learned: The Steelers Are Hitting Championship Form - Dennis Dillon

FOX - Steelers are regaining their Super Bowl swagger - Alex Marvez

NYT - Steelers’ Ward Helps Biracial South Korean Youths on Journey Toward Acceptance - John Branch

Redskins News

WP - Injuries compound Redskins' troubles - Rick Maese
"Running back Clinton Portis suffered a concussion in the first quarter, and Zorn said he's doubtful for this weekend's game against the Broncos. In addition, second-year safety Chris Horton is out for at least a month, and tackle Mike Williams will miss the next couple of games. "

WP - Redskins once again have trouble on the offensive line - Rick Maese

FH - Larry Johnson Released, Redskins Already Expressing Interest - Will Brinson

AFC West News

KCS - Chiefs decide to release Larry Johnson - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs turn their back on LJ, who didn't carry team's respect - Joe Posnanski

KCS - Johnson’s legacy with Chiefs not the one he wanted - Kent Babb

KCS - Johnson’s release will cost Chiefs some money - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs will probably use running-back committee to replace Johnson - Adam Teicher

KCS - Holmes left with mixed emotions after Johnson’s exit - Randy Covitz

KCS - Next stop for Johnson could be NFC East - Randy Covitz

PFW - Most likely landing spots for Larry Johnson

KCS - Here’s why one former Chief fears CTE - Pete Grathoff

SDUT - Bolts in better focus - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Phillips shrugs at piling up of sacks - Kevin Acee

SDUT - LT: ‘We finally came together’ - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Rivers scores seminal victory - Nick Canepa

OT - Oakland Raiders' Chaz Schilens eyes his 2009 debut vs. Kansas City Chiefs - Steve Corkran

NFL News

PFW - Week 10 matchup tidbits

NFL Opinion

NFP - Lovie, McCarthy are at a crossroads - Matt Bowen

NFP - The Monday tavern - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Separation among top contenders starts to crystallize - Mike Lombardi

FOX - The Day After: Biggest questions at midseason - John Czarnecki

SI - Heated rivals Patriots and Colts battle in Indianapolis Sunday - Dan Shaughnessy

NFP - Will teams copy the Yankees in 2010? - Andrew Brandt
"While most teams are looking to shed players who reach the wrong side of 30, especially at positions that require explosion and speed, the Broncos have been adding them."

CBS - Prisco Grades: Week 9

SN - NFL Power Poll: Jets move up by standing still - Clifton Brown

Poll

SB Nation - Pittsburgh Steelers

Horse Tracks 11/11/09 - Ryan Harris likely to miss Sunday's game in Washington, possibly more

Redskins' Coach Watch: Russ Grimm Might Be Our Guy

Are you For or Against Russ Grimm as the next Redskins coach?

A "Brownie" For Your Thoughts - "Rookie" Post

Steelers 28 - Denver 10 - More Post Game React

State of the AFC West Week 9

AFC West Standings

Oakland Raiders Injuries

Questionable

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

Questionable

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Denver Broncos Injuries

Questionable

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

San Diego Chargers Injuries

Questionable

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Philadelphia Eagles Injuries

Probable

Questionable

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson Goes Unclaimed on Waivers

Armageddon 2009: Patriots v. Colts

The Beatdown Knows The Problems

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Horse Tracks 11/10/09 - Steelers thump Broncos, who lead Chargers by 1 game in AFC West

How many regular-season wins do you expect out of the 2009 Broncos? (Please check the schedule before you answer!)