Andrea Kramer reported on NBC that the Bears traded RB, Thomas Jones, to the Jets last winter because Jones and Cedric Benson could not share a locker-room. That would certainly explain why the Bears dealt away a productive running back for a second round pick in the draft but it might beg the question as to why they chose to trade away Thomas Jones and not Cedric Benson. I liked Benson in college and thought he’d be a stud as a RB in the NFL but that has not happened. In five games this year, Benson is averaging exactly 3 yards per carry and projects to a total of 970 yards for the season. That is nothing special.
Perhaps the Bears’ brain trust thought that if Benson didn’t have to share the carries with Jones, Benson would emerge as a top-shelf running back. That’s a far more polite reading of the situation than one might come to given that Benson was a high first round pick by that self-same brain trust and Jones was not. Whatever. In each of the Bears’ three losses this year, Benson has been held under 50 yards rushing and he lost a fumble in each game. It sure looks as if he lacks the speed to get to the corner and turn it against NFL defenses and that takes away an entire dimension of the rushing offense.
Yes, I’ve seen some of the Bears’ games and yes, I know that their offensive lines aren’t exactly opening gaping holes for anyone to run through. Nevertheless, if the Bears really did trade Thomas Jones to preserve harmony in the locker-room, then that is an indictment of the coaching staff’s ability to keep the team harmonious.
I think I read this in the Charlotte Observer but I’m not certain. Now that Jake Delhomme is going to need season-ending surgery on his right elbow, there are rumblings that the Panthers might want to offer the Raiders a draft pick in exchange for QB, Andrew Walter. I’m not sure the Panthers can put together an advantageous deal for themselves here. There aren’t any eleventh round draft picks in the NFL draft anymore…
In their hugely embarrassing loss to the Giants a week ago, the Eagles did something that is actually very difficult to do. They came up with a negative number for their offensive output. Do the math:
The Eagles gained 190 yards on offense against the Giants.
The Eagles gave up 62 yards on 12 sacks. That brings the net yardage down to 128 yards.
The Eagles were penalized 15 times for a total of 132 yards. That makes their net yardage for the night “minus 4 yards”.
The Eagles had a bye-week to get things right – and hopefully to give Winston Justice a crash course in pass blocking at the NFL level. The Eagles come back from their bye to play the other NY team – the Jets – this weekend and there is a trend to consider here. The Eagles have never lost a game coming off a bye week since Andy Reid showed up as the coach. We’ll see if that situation can continue to obtain…
The St. Louis Rams continue to stink. Going into last weekend’s game with the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams offense was 29th in the league and the defense was 24th. Against the Cards, the Rams finally put some points on the board scoring 31; but that defense demonstrated that no lead is safe when it gave the Cardinals 34 points and almost 400 yards of offense. The Rams may still have Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce and Mark Bulger – when he recovers from his rib injuries – but this is no longer the “Greatest Show on Turf”. And the Rams’ defense would need the full reincarnation of the Greatest Show on Turf to look competent.
The Rams visit the Ravens this week. That should be an interesting match-up. The Ravens defense should hold the Rams offense in check. However, the interesting part of the game will come when the Ravens have the ball. Can the Ravens’ offense exploit this demonstrably sub-standard defense or is the Ravens’ offense capable of stopping itself no matter who the opponent might be…?
The Dolphins are a bad team and will probably be picking in the top three next spring’s draft. Given Trent Green’s second major concussion in two years, quarterback has to be an “area of need” for this team. Last year, they invested a second round pick in John Beck. It would seem to me that the Dolphins ought to have him on the field for some significant time this season to find out if he can actually play. If so, they can look to some other position for that top pick; if not then they really do need to select their QB of the future. If you conclude from these remarks that I do not consider Cleo Lane as the QB of the future, you are absolutely correct.
I’ve read/heard from several national commentators that Titans’ DT, Albert Haynesworth, has come into his own as a force majure on the defensive line. I’ve caught two Titans’ games and, indeed, Haynesworth is playing very well. Maybe he has finally caught on regarding what it means to be a dominant top-shelf defensive lineman in the NFL. If that is the case, then he will be someone who has to be reckoned with for quite a while to come. On the other hand, this is Haynesworth’s contract year; the contract he signed as a rookie out of Tennessee runs out at the end of this season and he will be a free agent hoping to ring the cash register. Once he gets his fat signing bonus and settles down to an off-season of hearing how he is the missing piece to the puzzle for at least a half-dozen NFL teams, will he develop “Fat Wallet Syndrome” and revert to his good-but-not-great status that he showed for the past several seasons? We shall see…
I also see where David Beckham has resumed practice with the LA Galaxy and that he plans to play again this year. The celebrity glut in Los Angeles may have gotten lots of folks out there to the point where they forgot who David Beckham was and why he was interesting in the first place. So there is a potential motivator for him to get out on the pitch for at least a little while before the season comes to a close – which it will do in the next ten days or so before the playoffs commence. In addition, the Galaxy has gone on a four game win streak without Beckham and has moved into striking distance of actually making the playoffs. That would be good for MLS – if he can play in the playoffs and showcase his game around the country a bit more – and it would be good for his celebrity status. Hence …
I wonder if the Las Vegas oddsmakers will set an over/under on Beckham’s next injury…
Finally, when Donald Trump tells you that he can teach you his keys to success in the real estate world, does that mean he will teach you how to have a father who is already successful in the real estate business who can hire you and let you start your career with a multi-million dollar cushion? Just asking…
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…