Are You Ready for Some Football - Week 4

[Donegeal]

16% still think they are going to go undefeated?!?!

I only give them about a 5% (or less) chance of it.

[SlowwHand]

Hear that, Imran? Strike while the iron's hot.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Jaguar

For those who are interested, it's in my sig.

I was only 8 hours ahead of Imran dammit:

Originally posted by Tuberski
Dennis Green is PISSED!!!!!!

ACK!

ACK!

[Tuberski]

Cardinals Fire their O-Coordinator:

Green fires offensive coordinator, gives job to Kruczek

By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer
October 17, 2006

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Frustrated Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green fired offensive coordinator Keith Rowen on Tuesday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek.

The move came hours after the Cardinals blew a 20-point lead and lost to the Chicago Bears 24-23 on Monday night.

"I've known Keith for a long time. I have the utmost respect for him," Green said. "We are not scoring enough points."

Kruczek becomes Green's third offensive coordinator in the coach's 2 1/2 seasons in Arizona. Rowen took the job after Alex Wood was fired following the 2004 season.

"I don't hesitate to make changes. That's just who I am," Green said. "I like things to go a certain way, and if they don't, I normally do something about it."

Green said he was talking with Rowen about taking another position on the staff.

Kruczek also will remain as quarterbacks coach, a job he has held since Green arrived.

"I think his close working relationship with Matt Leinart will give us a better chance," Green said.

Kruczek was a quarterback at Boston College and backup to Terry Bradshaw with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was head coach at Central Florida for six years before joining Green's staff.

At his Tuesday news conference, Green noted that Rowen had nothing to do with the strange series of late plays that led to the Monday night collapse:

-- the blindside sack of Leinart that led to Mike Brown's 3-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

-- the 40-yard return of Edgerrin James' fumble by Charles Tillman for another score.

-- Devin Hester's 83-yard punt return for the go-ahead touchdown.

-- Neil Rackers' miss of a 41-yard field goal attempt with 53 seconds to play.

"But at certain times, you feel like you have to do something a little bit different, something that we hope will be better for us," Green said. "I think Mike is a very demanding taskmaster kind of guy. He's old school all the way, and I think that's what we're going to need right now."

Arizona has lost five straight since a season-opening victory over San Francisco and is 12-26 since Green took over. The Cardinals play at winless Oakland on Sunday.

Arizona is 14th in the NFL in points per game. Some of the other offensive statistics, though, are ugly. The Cardinals are 23rd in total offense, 25th in yards per play, 31st in yards rushing per game and 32nd in rushing yards per attempt.

James, who has yet to have a 100-yard rushing game since coming to Arizona this season, carried 36 times for 55 yards against the Bears. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most carries in NFL history for a back who averaged less than 2 yards per attempt.

Under Rowen in 2005, the Cardinals led the NFL in passing, but ranked last in rushing. He has been an NFL assistant for eight teams since 1984, including a three-year stint at offensive line coach on Green's staff at Minnesota.

The Monday night loss marked the third consecutive home game in which Arizona squandered a late opportunity to win. In a 16-14 loss to St. Louis, Kurt Warner fumbled a snap at the Rams 18 as the Cardinals were working for a winning field goal. Against Kansas City, the Chiefs rallied from 10 down in the fourth quarter to win 23-20. Rackers missed a 51-yard field goal attempt at the finish.

ACK!

[Dis]

I'm not sure of that move. In fact, it seems pretty boneheaded to me. They moved the ball against chicago (the best defense in the NFL). The problem is in the offensive line, not the offensive play calling.

[Jaguar]

And who makes the personnel decisions on offense?

Oh yea, Denny Green.

[Lord Avalon]

Hee, hee, Edge had 1.53 yds per carry. But, hey, at least he's gettin' paid.

[-Jrabbit]

Dis -- Their game plan and play calling was fine -- until they had a 17 point lead. After that, they were content to run clock. They abandoned a successful formula, resulting in a humiliating loss in what should have been a blowout win.

I blame Denny Green. But if the O-coord was calling plays, he's a viable scapegoat too.

[Spaced Cowboy]

They ran the ball to many times, a habit that one can get into when they have the lead, but there is a point where banging your head into a wall ought to show you to do something else.

I still am in disbelief that Az lost the game.

[Lord Avalon]

Rogers draws suspension

Defensive tackle will miss four games after reportedly using banned substance to lose weight.

Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News

ALLEN PARK -- If the Lions are going to build any momentum off their first victory, it will have to be done without two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.

Rogers faces a four-game suspension without pay by the NFL for using a banned substance.

An announcement by the league office is expected today. The Lions would not confirm or deny the suspension. There was no answer at the office of Rogers' agent, Kennard McGuire.

"We are not commenting," Lions vice president Bill Keenist said Tuesday.

The suspension takes effect immediately. Rogers will not play Sunday against the New York Jets at the Meadowlands. The Lions have a bye the following week. The suspension also covers the three games after the bye.

Rogers is not eligible to play until Thanksgiving Day, when the Lions host Dolphins.

The banned substance was not identified, but sources with knowledge of the situation said it was part of an over-the-counter product Rogers used to help lose weight, and was not steroids or any recreational drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.

Rogers will forfeit five weeks pay -- $250,000, based on his base salary of $850,000 for 2006.

Rogers, in his sixth season with the Lions, is listed at 340 pounds but often has been much heavier in his career.

He has been fined for being overweight, and the contract he signed at the end of the 2004 season includes bonus payments for meeting prescribed weight limits.

Although the suspension comes at an inopportune time, there might be a slender silver lining in the timing.

Rogers has been having trouble with his right knee, and arthroscopic surgery has been contemplated sometime during the season.

Rogers has been held out of practice occasionally the first six weeks to take some pressure off the knee. Rogers can have surgery while serving the suspension.

Outweighing the timing of any potential surgery, however, is the loss of a player who is one of the NFL's most dominating interior linemen -- at a position already weakened by injury.

Shaun Cody, the other starting defensive tackle, missed last week's victory over the Bills because of a dislocated big toe. It does not appear he will return soon.

Cody and Rogers formed a formidable tandem in the middle. Cody played the nose-tackle position. Rogers was free to use his strength, quickness and size at the other tackle position.

Against the Bills, Cory Redding moved from left defensive end to Cody's position. Marcus Bell or Tyoka Jackson will take Rogers' spot.

The defensive line came alive against Buffalo, sacking J.P. Losman five times.

James Hall led the charge with 3 1/2 sacks. Rogers had one sack and recovered a fumble caused by Hall after the Bills had driven to within field-goal range late in the third quarter.

This season, Rogers has 20 tackles, three sacks, a fumble recovery and one blocked field goal.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/SPORTS0101/610180329/1004/SPORTS

When I first saw the headline, I thought maybe he got caught celebrating the win.

[SlowwHand]

Koren Robinson, suspended for one year minimum over substance abuse.

[-Jrabbit]

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rex Grossman's 10.7 quarterback rating Monday night was the lowest for a winning QB since Drew Henson led the Cowboys to a win with a 7.6 on Thanksgiving 2004.

[SlowwHand]

And he's currently not in football, to the best of my knowledge.

[-Jrabbit]

WEEK SEVEN
It's the halfway point of the FF regular season, and we have some good NFL matchups on tap. Carolina-Cincy, Pittsburgh-Atlanta, Philly-Tampa could all be good games. Plus, MNF should be another classic Giants-Cowboys tilt.

Are you ready for some football?

[-Jrabbit]

In Chicago, we get Philly-Atlanta and Green Bay-Miami.
Could be worse.