Harmon's Head: Week 6
On the road again …
For the fifth time this season, I'm in a new environment to watch the full slate of games. After trips to Portland, Chicago and several watering holes in Albany, NY, I spent the day on Union Street in San Francisco. There was a cautious optimism in the air heading into the early games, as the 49ers' faithful looked for a road win against the undefeated Jets. They would be encouraged by an early lead, only to watch the Jets roll in the second half behind Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan.
Never one to shy away from verbal abuse and perhaps sometimes taking on the role of agitator, I entered SF territory in a green T.O. jersey. I came away disappointed that the only putdowns uttered on this day were unfit for print.
Anyway, that's where we'll start this week's recap – Philadelphia, where Jake Delhomme and company looked to up-end the Birds.
Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles:
This game was all about the Philly defense and its dominance over the Carolina offense. Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb failed to connect on a TD for the first time this season, and Brian Westbrook finally ended his scoring drought.
Muhsin Muhammad scored the "meaningless" touchdown for the Panthers, robbing owners of their bonus points from the Eagles' defense. Keary Colbert tacked on the two-point conversion from Delhomme.
Stephen Davis returned for the Panthers, but proved no match for the swooping Eagles defense. He finished the day with 15 carries for 66 yards. Brad Hoover and Nick Goings combined to carry the ball 19 times for 90 yards in relief of Davis once this one got away from the Panthers.
Donovan McNabb failed to account for any of Philly's 30 points, with seldom-used Dorsey Levens capping off one scoring strike.
One play of note was Lito Sheppard's return of an interception for a TD. Not only did it add to a week of touchdowns by defenses, but was one of the most patient and methodical runs I've seen on defense. Sheppard treated this opportunity as gold, awaiting key blocks which sprung him to the house.
Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears:
This game was the NFL equivalent of watching Sherman-Williams high-gloss paint drying on the bedroom wall. The offenses were less than thrilling, but the defenses provided some entertainment. The Bears certainly liked the options afforded them by the returns of Brian Urlacher and Jerry Azumah (who rumbled to the end zone after an interception) to the playing field.
Joe Gibbs must have heard the cries of fans and pundits to get the ground game rolling, as Clinton Portis carried the ball 36 times for an impressive 171 yards.
The Bears defense, despite the gaudy numbers from Portis, played well with its back to the wall and did its best to carry an uninspired offensive game-plan.
Where I watched the games, several Bears fans began to call for the insertion of rookie QB Craig Krenzel. They were left to watch Jonathan Quinn, afforded ample time to throw by the offensive line, overshoot receiver after receiver en route to defeat.
The inability to find a rhythm in the passing game is music to the ears of Thomas Jones (24 carries, 97 yards) owners, who know that no matter what the score, Jones will get his touches.
Mark Brunell did throw a second-quarter TD to Rod Gardner for 18 yards. Gardner had only one other catch on the day (for two yards), so it's hard to get on his bandwagon.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns:
Chad Johnson sent care packages of Pepto-Bismol and such earlier in the week to the Cleveland secondary, talking about how sick he was going to make them. Fantasy owners are looking for a gift in the mail after a feeble three-catch, 37-yard performance.
Jeff Garcia had a monster game against a pathetic Cincinnati defense. Marvin Lewis allegedly got this job due to his innovative, brilliant defensive schemes, didn't he? Anyway, Garcia connected on a 99-yard TD strike to Andre Davis early in this one. Surprisingly, it was Davis's only catch of the day.
We also had a Quincy Morgan sighting. Like Davis, he caught only one ball, but he broke the plane for a 10-yard score.
Aaron Shea is stepping up admirably for his fallen comrade, Kellen Winslow. He was on the receiving end of another Garcia strike.
William Green saw the bulk of the work on the ground (25 carries for 115 yards), but watched as teammate Lee Suggs piled up 100 receiving yards and a score.
Matt Schobel caught a TD pass from Carson Palmer to continue the year of the tight end.
Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars:
Byron Leftwich played through a bad shoulder and shin to pile up 298 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and a seven-yard TD scamper. One of his TD passes was thrown to Fred Taylor, who scored on a brilliant 64-yard run off of a screen pass.
Cortez Hankton was on the receiving end of Leftwich's second TD strike with 45 seconds left. The magic that sparked a connection between Leftwich and Ernest Wilford has seemingly migrated to Hankton. He finished with three catches for 28 yards.
Trent Green was solid with two TD passes, hitting Tony Gonzalez and Priest Holmes for scores. He also connected with top receiver Johnnie Morton on a pass covering 50-plus yards, Morton's longest reception since 2001.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions:
After last week's embarrassing home loss to the Titans that raised a number of questions about Brett Favre's future and that of the Packers' playoff hopes, the Packers throttled the Lions in the Motor City. The defense not only held Joey Harrington and the Lions to ten points, but watched Darren Sharper return a Joey Harrington pass to the house.
Ahman Green failed to score a rushing TD again (21 carries, 81 yards), but did get into the passing attack by completing a TD strike to Donald Driver. Driver finished the day with two TD receptions in the absence of Robert Ferguson.
While this game did turn into a laugher on the road, the frequent use of reserve Najeh Davenport (10 carries for 62 yards) must be of concern to Green owners. Davenport had been dinged up through the first five weeks of the season. His return means that he'll join Tony Fisher (four carries and a 13-yard TD reception) and William Henderson (two receptions) to pilfer touches from Green.
Az-Zahir Hakim, one of my "NFL This Week" picks of the week, scored the lone TD for the Lions, who played without rookie Roy Williams.
Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots:
Corey Dillon, listed as questionable on the official injury report, rolled up over 100 yards with two touchdowns to continue the Patriots' improbable streak.
For those that didn't get to see this one, the nine-catch, 150-yard performance by Koren Robinson ranked among the worst "big stat" days that I've seen. He continued his pattern of drops with several more in the first half of the game, forcing Seattle to play field position games with the Pats. To his credit, Robinson did make several spectacular catches on the sidelines in the second half to spur a futile Seahawks comeback.
Tom Brady took a blow to the head that forced his helmet and the football to roll to the ground. He returned to the game to lead the Patriots to yet another victory, but looked shaky after the hit. Watch for Belichick to play games with Brady's injury status this week.
The clock hit zero with a defensive penalty on the Patriots. All of fantasy land watched with great anticipation as Matt Hasselbeck led the Seahawks to the line for one more snap – from the Pats' one-yard line. Alas, a handoff to Mack Strong was called, leaving Alexander owners wanting and Pick'em owners looking for the Seahawks to beat the spread frustrated.
New England tight end Daniel Graham was held out of the end zone for the first time this season.
Josh Brown booted four field goals for the Seahawks.
San Francisco 49ers at New York Jets:
The 49ers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, causing New York Jets fans, players and internet stat watchers to question the validity of the updates. Tim Rattay connected with Brandon Lloyd for a TD – time to get a waiver claim in on the second-year wideout – and Kevan Barlow ran for the 49ers' second score. He was solid in this contest, moving the pile and helping the 49ers to control the line for the first half.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, it was a tale of two halves, with Curtis Martin hitting paydirt for another two touchdowns and backup LaMont Jordan, finally released from the bench prison, rumbling 17 yards toward the pylon. Jordan finished with two carries for 25 yards and the all-important TD.
It was another lackluster day for the Jets' passing offense, who came into battle without Santana Moss. He's expected back for Week 7.Wayne Chrebet, expected to step up in Moss's absence, managed only one catch on the day.
For the 49ers, second-year receiver Brandon Lloyd has established a tremendous rapport with Tim Rattay, hauling in six balls for 93 yards. It seemed that every glance at the screen had Lloyd laying out for passes.
San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons:
Michael Vick accounted for three touchdowns on this day, but don't let the box score fool you into thinking that this was some monster effort. He completed only 12 passes on the day, but it was enough to get the "W."
Vick did find Alge Crumpler for a TD in the second quarter and later connected with Dez White. That's right, Dez White scored on a 32-yard pass from Vick.
Peerless Price got a lot of face time for a guy who caught only two balls for 67 yards.
Warrick Dunn rushed only five times for 13 yards before yielding to T.J. Duckett. Duckett ran 11 times for 45 yards in relief . Dunn keeps pulling himself from games with what some have deemed "nicks and scratches." Even though they're winning, how quickly will that act grow old with teammates and the coaching staff.
Drew Brees finished with respectable numbers for the Chargers, finding Eric Parker for a second quarter TD. Parker finished with six catches for 76 yards.
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans:
Drew Bennett, who fired a TD pass in last week's blowout over Green Bay, finally scored a receiving TD. He had five catches for 59 yards.
It was the lone bright spot for the normally reliable Steve McNair, who was intercepted four times on this day.
Both starting tailbacks, Chris Brown (13 carries, 52 yards) and Domanick Davis (10 carries, 25 yards), left the game with injuries. Jonathan Wells picked up 73 yards in relief of Davis, including a four-yard TD run to seal the victory.
Jabar Gaffney finished the day with five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Corey Bradford was involved early with two catches for 65 yards, but left yet again with an injury.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills:
The scoreless tie didn't materialize in this one, but as expected, the defenses did figure into the scoring. Buffalo got on the board first with a Takeo Spikes interception of a Jay Fiedler pass that was returned 11 yards for a score.
Drew Bledsoe managed to stay upright in this one, sacked only one time by the Miami defense.
Tight end Mark Campbell scored the Bills' second TD on a five-yard pass from Bledsoe.
My other pick of the week on "NFL This Week" was Willis McGahee, and the second-year back from Miami didn't let me down. He finished with 111 yards on 26 carries.
Sammy Morris turned in a nice game for the Fins with 91 rushing yards.
Waiver wire pickup Matt Bryant kicked two field goals for the Dolphins.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys:
Big Ben Roethlisberger continued to play efficient, error-free football in leading the Steelers to a victory on the road at Dallas. Roethlisberger was an expert marksman in this contest, going 21-for-25 for 193 yards and two scores.
Jerame Tuman added his name to the growing list of tight ends to find the end zone this season.
Plaxico Burress scored on a five-yard route for the Steelers, and as everyone expects these days, Jerome Bettis vultured another TD away from the brilliant Duce Staley. Staley finished the day with 94 rushing yards, meaning that he not only failed to lie in the painted grass; he failed to hit the 100-yard bonus target.
The Dallas running "attack" started early, but failed to sustain any momentum gained by Richie Anderson's 21-yard TD run. He finished with 54 yards on the day to Eddie George's 28.
Vinny Testaverde hooked up with Keyshawn Johnson for the Cowboys' second TD.
The Steelers' run defense sustained a serious blow with the injury to nose tackle Casey Hampton. His availability for the remainder of the season is in question.
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders:
Standing at the San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night, I was surrounded by disappointed Raider fans. Clad in Warren Sapp, Charles Woodson and Jerry "The GOAT" Rice jerseys, they openly called for the promotion of backup Marques Tuiasasopo. After a third straight sub-par effort by Kerry Collins, who has single-handedly dashed the playoff hopes of all Raiders fans and owners who claimed him, Raider fans welcome a change.
Quentin Griffin, we hardly knew ye. It would appear that Griffin's starting days are over in Denver. Reuben Droughns dominated the Raiders D, carrying the ball 38 times for 176 yards and a touchdown. He ran with purpose, punishing and dragging Oakland defenders for first down after first down. First off the bench to replace him in this rout was the highly regarded rookie Tatum Bell. He received a taste of action before ceding to Griffin in the fourth quarter.
Jake Plummer racked up three touchdown passes in the first half, connecting with both of his tight ends, Dwayne Carswell and Jeb Putzier. He also hooked up twice with speedy wideout Ashley Lelie, including a 31-yard TD strike. The Bengals are next for Plummer and the Broncos. After watching Jeff Garcia hammer the hapless Cincinnati defense, Plummer should be among Brandon Funston's waiver wire heroes for this week.
Collins' favorite target of weeks past, Ronald Curry, caught only two balls this week for 25 yards. And, after giving fantasy owners coping with injuries and suspect backfields hope for an emerging fantasy savior, Amos Zereoue managed a miserable 34 yards on 15 carries.
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints:
For the third time this season, Daunte Culpepper threw five touchdown passes (26-for-37 with 425 yards). Just a quick glance back at the calendar – it's mid-October. Then again, it doesn't matter what day it is, he's done it three times in a year!
One guy in my wife's fantasy league renamed his team Daunte Culpepper a couple weeks back in honor of the absurd totals put forth by his first-round pick. I may look to steal some of the mojo by doing the same.
Lost in the euphoria of this performance was the loss of Randy Moss to a hamstring injury. His availability for next week is not yet known, and yes, he caught a 43-yard TD from Culpepper before departing. Moss and Culpepper have hooked up for a TD in 10 straight games.
Marcus Robinson didn't roll up scary yardage totals like last week, but nobody will complain about his two touchdowns.
Mewelde Moore shone brightly again in his role as substitute puzzle piece, totaling 187 yards from scrimmage on the day.
Aaron Brooks accounted for two New Orleans scores, one on a pass play to Joe Horn and a second via the ground.
Jerome Pathon carried the day for the Saints with 92 receiving yards on four catches, while Deuce McAllister scored two touchdowns (18 carries for 78 yards) and left last week's fumble problems behind.
I'll be back on Tuesday with a closer inspection of this week's games and a trip to the fantasy trainer's table, where around the clock care is being administered to a number of key players. Enjoy the Rams and Buccaneers.
