Month: September 2012

Redskins to be without Brandon Meriweather for 2-4 weeks

stevenlourie Commanders, News

Expected to be a starting safety for the Redskins, Brandon Meriweather has sprained his MCL and PCL during practice, re-aggravating an injury that plagued him during Training Camp, and he will miss about 2-4 weeks. Meriweather is not a great safety, even though he’s made two Pro Bowls. The Patriots cut him last offseason as a surprising final cut and the Bears took a chance on him, but ended up benching him, proving the Patriots right (happens all the time). However, Meriweather is the best the Redskins have at safety.

Starting in his absence will be Reed Doughty, who really struggled in limited action last season, grading out as ProFootballFocus’ 81st rated safety out of 84. The other starter is Madieu Williams, who barely played as a backup in San Francisco last season. In 2010 though, he was a starter in Minnesota and he was awful, grading out as ProFootballFocus’ 86th out of 87. Safety figures to be a major problem on an otherwise good defense. The Redskins have a stout front 7 and some talent at the cornerback position and will be better than people think, but they have no hope of containing Jimmy Graham when the play the Saints this week.

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Raiders’ Rolando McClain does not expect to be suspended

stevenlourie News, Raiders

Rolando McClain is a talented young middle linebacker. The 2010 1st round pick, 8th overall, was ProFootballFocus’ 26th rated middle linebacker last season and would have been much higher rated if he didn’t struggle so much in coverage. Still only heading into his age 23 season, he’s got a ton of upside, but he’s also got a major cloud hanging over his head with his legal troubles.

McClain was sentenced to 6 months in jail on 3rd degree assault with a deadly weapon charges in May, after holding a loaded gun to another man’s head and firing a shot past his ear last year. However, he has appealed the charges, so he will not have to serve time just yet and may get a reduced sentence or even get the sentence dropped completely. According to the Contra Costa Times, McClain has not heard anything about a possible suspension from the NFL and he’s taking no news as good news and rightfully so. It appears the NFL is waiting to see the results of the appeal before making any decision on discipline.

Still, it’s a concerning situation for McClain and the Raiders, even though GM Reggie McKenzie says he’s “comfortable” with McClain. Once McClain’s appeal is over, he could very well have to serve jail time and that could be in the middle of the season. After that, he could be given a suspension by the league, even if he is able to serve his jail time in the offseason, as players have been able to do in the past. My money would be on McClain not playing all 16 games.

Any time he misses would hurt the Raiders defense, obviously, as inexperienced 2010 6th round pick Travis Goethel would have to step in for him. The Raiders are already missing their top cornerback and top pass rusher from a defense that ranked 29th in scoring last year. They weren’t replaced. Also missing is starter Aaron Curry with injury, forcing 4th round rookie Miles Burris into the lineup for him, while defensive tackles Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly are heading into their age 33 seasons, with the former suffering from knee problems. It should be a tough year for the Raiders on that side of the football.

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Chargers won’t put Jared Gaither on IR yet

stevenlourie Chargers, News

Jared Gaither has been ruled out for week 1 with back spasms, particularly concerning because back spasms are a lingering problem and Gaither missed about a half and a year with back problems from 2010-2011. However, when asked about putting Gaither on IR, Head Coach Norv Turner said “I think that’s way premature.” I agree it is, but it’s definitely a concerning situation.

Failing to get a reliable backup for their unable blindside protector, undrafted free agent Mike Harris will start on the blindside for as long as Gaither, who hasn’t suited up in 6 weeks, is out. I don’t need to know you that’s a problem. He figures to be one of three big holes on the Chargers’ offensive line. Left guard Tyronne Green will take over full-time for the retired Kris Dielman. Green struggled in limited action last year in place of Dielman. He rated 61st out of 76 guards on ProFootballFocus despite only really playing half the season.

Right tackle Jeromey Clary has been awful for years. He was horrific last season, allowing 7 sacks, 7 quarterback hits, 42 quarterback pressures, and committing 11 penalties, while struggling as a run blocker. He was ProFootballFocus’ 71st rated offensive tackle out of 73. Right guard Louis Vasquez and center Nick Hardwick are solid starters, but Philip Rivers will be under pressure a lot this year.

When healthy, Gaither is an elite left tackle. With the Ravens, in 2009, he allowed just 4 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, and 6 quarterback pressures, while committing 10 penalties in 13 games and in 2008, he allowed just 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, and 22 quarterback pressures, while committing 15 penalties in 19 games. Gaither was amazing in 5 starts last season for the Chargers, after being cut midseason by the Chiefs. He didn’t allow a sack or quarterback hit and only allowed 3 quarterback pressures, while committing just 3 penalties.

The Chargers rewarded him with a 4 year, 24.6 million dollar deal with 13.5 million guaranteed this offseason. That may seem like a lot to pay, but franchise left tackles do not grow on trees. There’s a reason they’re never available on the open market. Seeing one available is almost as rare as seeing a franchise quarterback on the open market. If Gaither were to stay healthy, that deal would have been a steal. However, now it’s looking like that could very well not happen.

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Raiders expect Denarius Moore to be a game time decision

stevenlourie News, Raiders

Denarius Moore missed most of the preseason and Training Camp with hamstring problems, despite initially suffering the injury in June, and now it sounds like he’ll be a game time decision. If he doesn’t start, undrafted free agent Rod Streater, an offseason standout, would start as Jacoby Ford is also out with a foot injury. The problem for Moore owners in fantasy football is that this game is on Monday Night, so if you put him in your lineup, your options to replace him before the game will be very limited.

It’s not worth starting him unless you also own one of the two San Diego receivers (Malcom Floyd and Robert Meachem) or teammate Darrius Heyward-Bey. As good as Streater was this preseason, he’s still not a true handcuff for Moore. Even if I did own one of those players, I still probably wouldn’t start Moore because hamstring problems tend to linger and can limit your abilities noticable, even if you do play, especially for a speed receiver like Moore.

Moore is incredibly talented. In 6 healthy games with Carson Palmer last year, not including the Kansas City game where Palmer played but didn’t start, Moore caught 19 passes for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns, good for 51 catches for 1083 yards and 8 touchdowns over 16 games and that was as a 5th round rookie. However, he missed 3 games with injury last year and now this. On top of those injuries, he needs to become more consistent on a game to game basis. Still, all the tools are there for him.

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Bills’ Steve Johnson could be limited by groin injury

stevenlourie Bills, News

Steve Johnson is becoming a notorious Darrelle Revis killer; he’s as notorious for that as he is for his premature touchdown dances. Johnson caught 3 passes for 84 yards, all against Revis, week 9 last year, and then another 8 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, again all against Revis, week 12 last year. That touchdown was the only touchdown Revis allowed last year and those 11 catches accounted for 31.4% of the 35 catches that Johnson allowed last year. The 159 yards were 31.3% of the 508 yards he allowed. Unsurprisingly, those two games against the Bills were Revis’ 2 worst yardage games of the season.

However, there’s a chance the “Revis Killer” could be limited for the season opener against Revis and the Jets with groin problems. He was limited in practice throughout the week, although he says he’s not concerned, even though this injury caused him problems last year, saying “I’m not concerned at all about having to deal with this like I did last year.” He might just be down playing the injury and I can‘t see how this isn’t related to the problems he was having this year.

They need him to be 100%, not just because he’s a “Revis Killer”, but because he’s an overall talented receiver on a team that lacks receiving depth. Over the past 2 seasons, he’s caught 158 passes for 2077 yards and 17 touchdowns and was given a well deserved 5 year, 36.25 million dollar deal worth 18.05 million guaranteed this offseason. However, they only have 3 other receivers behind him on the depth chart, 4 if you count wildcat quarterback Brad Smith.

Donald Jones, an inexperienced 2010 undrafted free agent, will start opposite Johnson. He has 41 catches for 444 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2 seasons. Their 2nd leading receiver last year was David Nelson, who caught 61 passes for 658 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’ll play in the slot. In an attempt to fix their wide receiver problems, they used a 3rd round pick on TJ Graham, but he’s just 4th on the depth chart, which makes sense because the raw receiver was only a 1 year starter in college.

Tight end Scott Chandler doesn’t offer much as a pass catcher either, especially outside of the red zone, as he caught 38 passes for 389 yards and 6 touchdowns last year. Johnson played fine through a similar injury last year, so it’s not a huge issue. However, if Johnson isn’t 100% or Revis is able to shut him down, the Bills could have a lot of trouble moving the ball through the air against the Jets, though they can still win since the Jets should have the same problems.

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Dolphins put Artis Hicks on IR, could sign Jake Scott

stevenlourie Dolphins, News

Right guard figures to be a major problem for the Dolphins this season. 2010 3rd round pick John Jerry was supposed to be the solution at right guard for them, with incumbent Vernon Carey retiring, but, already a poor fit for their zone blocking scheme, Jerry showed up out of shape this offseason and lost his starting job to Artis Hicks, a 34 year old who struggled in limited action as a backup in Cleveland last season. Hicks is now on IR with neck problems that might end his career, meaning Jerry will start by default.

However, the Dolphins still don’t seem impressed with Jerry as they are reportedly interested in signing free agent Jake Scott, who they worked out earlier this offseason, according to the Miami Herald. Scott played well in pass protection last year for the Tennessee Titans, but he was a terrible run blocker and at age 31, there’s a reason he’s still unsigned this close to the start of the season. That’s how bad things are at right guard for the Dolphins. Whoever starts there figures to struggle.

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Seahawks expect Doug Baldwin to play, Golden Tate to miss

stevenlourie News, Seahawks

Even though he missed all of the preseason after undergoing hamstring surgery, the Seahawks expect Doug Baldwin to play and man the slot at wide receiver this week against the Arizona Cardinals. The same can’t be said for Golden Tate, who was originally supposed to split snaps at one starting wide receiver spot with Braylon Edwards. Tate has a knee problem that will keep him out for this week and possibly even more as he has not been given a timetable for return. Edwards will start in his absence, opposite Sidney Rice.

It’s a situation to avoid in fantasy, especially with a 3rd round rookie making his first regular season start under center. This receiving corps also won’t help Russell Wilson out much. The Seahawks are going to have to win a lot of games this year by running the football, playing strong defense, and avoiding turnovers, unless Wilson can prove his preseason was not a fluke.

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Patriots aren’t expecting Brian Waters to show up

stevenlourie News, Patriots

The Patriots held out to the very last moment, keeping his locker and his spot on the roster, but it appears that Brian Waters is not walking through that door for the Patriots. According to the Boston Herald, the Patriots have taken his nameplate off the locker and any speculation that Waters could return “should just about come to an end.” Waters presence for the season was a question all offseason, but apparently the Patriots wanted him to take a pay cut down to the veteran’s minimum heading into his age 35 season and he didn’t feel it was worth leaving his family in Texas for that.

Waters will definitely be missed. ProFootballFocus’ 4th rated guard in 2011, Waters would have almost certainly been an asset to the Patriots even at his age. His presence would have not only upgraded the right guard position, where the mediocre Dan Connolly now starts, but it would have allowed Connolly to move to center, where would have provided a more experienced option over Ryan Wendell, a former undrafted free agent who won the job over Dan Koppen in the preseason. Wendell has played well in his career in limited action, but it remains to be seen if he can keep it up over a full season.

The Patriots offensive line is looking like a real problem, especially since Sebastian Vollmer is questionable for week 1 with lower back problems. Left tackle Nate Solder is a 2011 1st round rookie who needs to step it up this season as Brady’s full time blindside protector. Only left guard Logan Mankins is dependable on this line. Tom Brady is not on the level of Drew Brees and Peyton Manning when it comes to dealing with pressure. He’s taken a sack on 15.7% pressured drop backs, which is good, but not great.

He also only has completed 220 of 441 passes (49.9%) and thrown 23 touchdowns to 13 interceptions under pressure over the last 3 season, as opposed to 994 for 1425 (69.8%) with 94 touchdowns to 24 interceptions while not under pressure. If you want to nitpick his game, this is the area to do it. If you can beat his offensive line with 4 guys (like the Giants), Brady is stoppable. This has a chance to derail what otherwise looks like an explosive offense with the addition of Brandon Lloyd at wide receiver and Stevan Ridley emerging at running back.

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Jake Long expected to suit up for Dolphins

stevenlourie Dolphins, News

He gave them a scare, but it appears that Jake Long’s MCL sprain, suffered last week in practice, was of the minor variety and he will be able to play against Houston this week. He’s listed as probable and practiced in full Friday. If he hadn’t been able to go, simply put, the Dolphins would have been screwed against a Texans defense that ranked 4th in scoring and 6th in defense last year, with a raw rookie quarterback under center, no good receivers, and no true above average starter on the offensive line. Even with Long though, their outlook looks pretty bleak against the Texans in Houston. It’s more of a question of whether or not the Dolphins can cover as 13 point underdog, the biggest line this week, than if they can win. Anyone who plays Survivor Leagues should feel confident in picking Houston this week.

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Jets expect Dustin Keller to play, but not Sione Pouha

stevenlourie Jets, News

When the Jets take on the Bills this week, tight end Dustin Keller, who has been limited in practice, is expected to play, but nose tackle Sione Pouha will not. Keller’s presence will be a good thing because he led this miserable receiving corps in receiving last year, but Rex Ryan didn’t sound too confident about his chances to be 100% saying, “We’ll see how much it will limit him. I’m not sure, but he practiced today.” The last thing they need is their best receiver to be less than 100%. Santonio Holmes is also nursing some injury problems and Stephen Hill, their 2nd round rookie, is incredibly raw, though it’s not like Mark Sanchez would be able to get the most out of them anyway.

The Jets have a good defense and so do the Bills, so this should be a defensive, low scoring game, which is why Pouha’s absence is significant. Pouha was ProFootballFocus’ #1 defensive tackle last year. No nose tackle stuffs the run like him. 2011 3rd round pick Kenrick Ellis will step into the lineup for him, but it’ll almost definitely be a noticeable downgrade. The Bills talented duo of Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller should be able to run on a normally stout Jets defense, 7th in the league last year.

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