Category — Just the News

While Jake Delhomme continues to recover, it appears he’ll miss a second consecutive start. While John Fox hasn’t officially stated Jake Delhomme will miss the game, it seems likely David Carr will make the start.

Last week against Tampa Bay, Carr completed less than 50% of his passes and threw an interception. And his 3.8 yard per attempt average was pathetic, and the Panthers slipped to a 2-2 record.

This Sunday they’ll take on the Saints in New Orleans. They’ve been among the league’s most disappointing teams this season and they’ll be desperate for a victory. If they slip to 0-4, they’ll have a tough climb to return to the postseason, especially with the Buccaneers playing at the level they are right now.

After missing nearly two full weeks of practice Hines Ward is returning, today, and if all goes well, he’ll see playing time on Sunday against the Seahawks. His knee reportedly is healing and it is surrounded by less fluid, little enough that he might be able to make hard enough cuts on the field to run crisp routes.

If the wide receiver isn’t okay to play Sunday, he’ll be replaced by Nate Washington (again). But apparently he’s in control.

“All the coaches say, ‘Hey, it’s up to you,’ ” Ward said.

The Washington Redskins will be a hurting unit on offense Sunday without the support of Clinton Portis’ running game and Santana Moss’s receiving ability. Fortunately, Clinton Portis has declared himself ready to play.

“If I’m out there on Wednesday and Thursday, they ain’t got no choice but to let me out there on Sunday,” said Portis, who missed practice Monday but said his bruised and sprained right knee felt fine after a full workload yesterday. “It was limited [Wednesday], but today I ran full speed on numerous plays — run plays and pass plays — and it felt good.”

In some unfortunate news, though not totally unexpected, Denver running back Travis Henry has reportedly tested positive for marijuana. To all Travis Henry owners and Denver fans out there: ouch.

The experiment in Denver has officially failed; it was one of the chief reasons the move was considered a little sketchy. Risks were involved, but Denver was willing to take them because, while the Broncos might be able to plug anyone into their backfield and walk away successful, Henry brought a lot of talent to the table. Plus, he fit the system perfectly.

After a series of staggering defeats — and a pair of cracked ribs — the Rams are preparing to sit Marc Bulger this weekend in favor of Gus Frerotte.

“I was never going to pull myself out, I know that much,” Bulger said, when asked why he’s been playing this long with injury. “It’s real easy to play hurt when you’re winning, but it’s just not in me to pull myself out when we’re 0-4.

“It was going to have to be the coaches pulling me out, and that’s what happened.”

Without a doubt the Rams have had the NFL’s most disappointing offense this season, especially from a fantasy football perspective. The offense has stumbled and bumbled its way to an 0-4 record, scoring an average of only 9.8 points per game (how does that happen?), the worst offensive showing in the NFL this season.

Update: Derek Anderson has been named the starter of Sunday’s game.

Though head coach Romeo Crennel is keeping mum on the Browns’ (0-1) quarterback situation, there’s a good chance rookie Brady Quinn will start Sunday. After some news of a trade that sent Charlie Frye to the Seahawks, Quinn immediately gets bumped up the roster to at least number two. Whether Crennel will choose to start Derek Anderson instead remains to be seen. Both Anderson and Frye were the two preseason contenders, but after some good showings from Quinn and a miserable performance from Anderson, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen.

“There are no personnel changes we will talk about,’’ the Browns’ head coach said in his Monday-after press conference.

Not that I want to write the Giants off already, but they are playing in the uber-competitive NFC East and already two key starters have been sidelined for a month.

Uh-oh.

In what was a great showing for New York (the offense, at least), both Eli Manning and Brandon Jacobs were stricken with injuries. And though the Giants are denying the severity of Manning’s right shoulder injury, ESPN’s Chris Mortenson reports that he may miss up to a month. And this comes after he passed for 312 yards and four touchdown passes in a losing effort against the Giants. So much promise; Peyton probably shed a tear for his little bro.

After being released by the Seattle Seahawks and being arrested for DUI (again), the Buccaneers took a chance on Jerramy Stevens. He is, after all, a talented tight end. Unfortunately, he might not see a lot of playing time this season.

A Scottsdale, Arizona jury has found him guilty of DUI, and Stevens is now facing up to 30 days in jail. But his time behind bars will likely be met with time away from the game, via a suspension from Roger Goodell. While no one knows for sure how harsh the penalty will be, we do know the commissioner is trying to improve the image of the league. And this isn’t Stevens’ first offense, making it more likely he’ll be made an example.

Up to this point in the offseason, the Oakland Raiders and JaMarcus Russell have been in a stalemate regarding contract negotiations. But a source close to the situation has informed the San Francisco Chronicle that the two sides are “close” to getting a deal done. The report wouldn’t be conflicting with other rumors, and it would be good if the two sides can resolve the matter soon.

Both sides worked into late Friday night to settle their differences over a contract that’s believed to be worth $61 million over six years. The emphasis is especially on guaranteed cash and it could break the rookie record already set this offseason by Calvin Johnson. In fact, it’s rumored the deal could involve more than $30 million guaranteed.

Bears tight end Greg Olsen is optimistic about his recent knee injury, though he still won’t specify his condition for Chicago’s season opener Sunday.

“Everything is good, it’s just going to take a little time to get it back to full strength,” Olsen said. “But it’s nothing too serious. It’s just a matter of rehabbing it.”

Olsen also went on to say that he doesn’t have any “structural damage,” which could be translated to mean he won’t be out for an extended period of time. In fact, he doesn’t expect to be sidelined long. Unfortunately, it does little for fantasy owners who want to know his status this week.