7-on-7: Readying for Quinn, passing on LJ, defending Campbell
Some Tuesday news and nuggets, with a rant or two mixed in. Let's take a lap around the league.
• Brady Quinn(notes) is expected to get the Week 10 starting assignment for the Browns on Wednesday, then get pummeled Monday against the Ravens. How did the NFL allow the Browns, off their 2008 train wreck season, to get a Monday Night game this year? Don't be surprised if we get a little silly in Monday night's Shutdown Corner chat. It will be interesting to see if the Browns sell out for this one. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
• I've seen Pittsburgh mentioned as a possible landing area for Larry Johnson(notes) (who passed through waivers Tuesday), but to me, that's nonsensical. For one thing LJ doesn't fit the locker-room culture the Steelers have established for decades, and more importantly, why would the Steelers want to bring in a back now that Rashard Mendenhall(notes) is spreading his wings? I'll give Pittsburgh the benefit of the doubt here, I don't think they'll be tricked into a broken-down Larry Johnson.
Three wild LJ guesses from me, and they're nothing but guesses: San Diego (LT looks cooked), Philadelphia (if they‘re worried about Brian Westbrook(notes)), Cincinnati (they're running Cedric Benson(notes) into the ground, depth would help). I also wouldn't be surprised if no one took the plunge (and if I ran an NFL club, that would be my stance – thanks, but no thanks). The Texans and Redskins have already said they're not interested in LJ. [Adam Schefter on Twitter]
• Christmas comes early with Thursday football returning to the airwaves – NFL Network gives us the 49ers and Bears in two days (Bob Papa and Matt Millen on the call). Vernon Davis(notes) is doing all he can to add juice to the matchup; he mocked Chicago's defense on Tuesday, something the Bears will be sure to take note of (along with Niners coach Mike Singletary). [Chicago Tribune]
• Darren McFadden(notes) (knee) is expected to be available in some role for Sunday's matchup with Kansas City, possibly setting up a three-headed monster along with Justin Fargas(notes) and Michael Bush(notes). Only two teams are on bye in Week 10 (Texans, Giants), so hopefully your backfield dumpster diving doesn't push you down to this level. The Raiders are also expecting Chaz Schilens(notes) (foot) to play. [Oakland Tribune]
• Chris Henry (arm) is officially done for the year in Cincinnati, which opens up the door nicely for Laveranues Coles(notes) (6-72 last week, a lot better over the last month) and Andre Caldwell(notes) (3-15, TD, against Baltimore). Carson Palmer(notes) has also looked sharper of late, perhaps ready to be a Top 10 fantasy quarterback for the balance of the year. [Associated Press]
• Peter King's Monday columns, to me, are like a game of golf. Sometimes I'm wondering if it was worth the time but at the end I get a chestnut that keeps me coming back. Here's this week's gem from PK:
It's not going to make made headlines, but I thought there was some sort of poetic justice that the winning point in the Chargers' 21-20 win was scored by a third-round throw-in to the Philip Rivers(notes)-Eli Manning trade. Kicker Nate Kaeding(notes) made the kick that propelled the Chargers to their fifth win of the year.
Yep, quite the blunder by the Giants. They let a team that they see every four years get their hands on a kicker who's pretty darn proficient with those extra points. I'm sure Tom Coughlin is still muttering about it. [SI.com]
• There are several places you can go for Jason Campbell(notes) analysis: for a fair and balanced Campbell breakdown head over to the Brothers Mottram (full disclosure, Jamie Mottram is one of my bosses), and for the weekly Jason Campbell apology, go to Football Outsiders. Let your Campbell voice be heard in the comments; is this a talented but misunderstood QB done in by his environment, or is Campbell to blame for most of his problems to this point?
I accept that a lot of Campbell's problems aren't his own doing, but it's maddening to watch him consistently throw 4-yard checkdowns when the Redskins are facing third and long, and his pocket awareness has not improved very much since he joined the league in 2005. If this were my quarterback, I'd force him to try some vertical throws and remind him that the occasional interception downfield is not the end of the world. Limiting mistakes is great, but you can't become so error-concerned that you never make any explosive plays. [Mr. Irrelevant, Football Outsiders]
