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Mouth to mouth

Cris Carter

ASK CRIS

Question (from Charles)
 Why doesn't Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs play Jason Campbell? Why not put in the young QB of the future and give him some real NFL experience?

Answer
Joe Gibbs has always preferred to have an experienced guy run his system. There were reports this summer that veteran Mark Brunell was having difficulty with all of the plays and complexities of new coordinator Al Saunders' playbook. Jason Campbell is learning his second system in two years, so putting him in that situation so soon might be unfair. In addition, the Redskins (2-5) aren't out of the playoff hunt yet. People, including me, were counting them out last year and they finished strong to make the playoffs. Now, if they should drop to 3-6 or 3-7 in the next few weeks, I would expect them to give Campbell a shot.

Over the past few weeks, there weren't a number of exciting matchups on the schedule. This week is different. More than half the games match teams that are at least .500. Hopefully, that will lead to a good week of results.

In this week's Pick 6, I'll look at the most compelling contests and break down some of the interesting story lines.

1. Mouth to mouth (Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals)
Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson is looking forward to this game because he thinks Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall is overrated. It's hard to say who would win this head-to-head matchup because I'm not sure Hall will stay on Chad the whole game. Cincinnati's offense has a number of people who can hurt you. If they single up Chad with Hall, T.J. Houshmandzadeh can hurt them. Besides, Chad can beat anyone in single coverage, so I would be careful with having just Hall on him.

Ultimately, this game is about consistency. Can the Bengals show the type of steady play we saw last year? Will Falcons quarterback Michael Vick be effective as a pocket passer?

My pick: Bengals

2. Reggie vs. Ray (Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints)
Saints' rookie Reggie Bush and Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis will get top billing, but the more compelling matchup is on the other side of the ball. Everyone was excited to see Steve McNair go to Baltimore and he sparked the team to a couple of fourth-quarter comebacks. But he's going to have to be more productive because at this stage, he's not doing much more than the team's previous four quarterbacks.

An improved pass rush has been part of the reason for the Saints' success. The defense isn't yielding the big plays it did in the past. New Orleans now has a "lunch-pail" defense. Teams are able to gain some yards against them, but when they get to the red zone, the Saints lock down. They will force McNair into mistakes.

My pick: Saints

3. Battle of the backup QBs (Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs)
I don't expect a lot from Seahawks quarterback Seneca Wallace, who's making his first start in place of the injured Matt Hasselbeck. Wallace is like a lot of backups. When a starter struggles or is hurt, he becomes the most popular guy in town. But when they get in games, they look like backups.

The Seahawks have issues. With their running game halted by the loss of Shaun Alexander, they were just starting to have success in the passing game. With Hasselbeck out, they will be forced to tighten up the game plan. They'll rely heavily on the run and try to win on defense.

Meanwhile, Damon Huard, suddenly a question mark for this game after suffering a groin injury on Thursday, has proved to be a backup who thrives on the field (8-3 as a starter). He's backed up some good quarterbacks, including Dan Marino and Tom Brady. He has learned a lot and is not making mistakes. You can tell he's a veteran.

My pick: Chiefs

4. The unheralded vs. the soon-to-be departed (St. Louis Rams at San Diego Chargers)
This in an interesting matchup considering the controversy surrounding Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman. Merriman is appealing a suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Given how badly they played last week, this is a must-win for the Chargers if they want to stay close to the Broncos. But things won't be easy against a very physical St. Louis team.

It's hard to gauge how good the Rams are because they have only beaten one good team, Denver, in the opener. But I like the way the offense is throwing the ball with Marc Bulger and the unit has regained some balance.

My pick: Chargers

5. AFC title game preview? (Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos)
This is a bounce-back game for Denver. The last couple of times the Broncos faced Indy in the playoffs, they got smacked. Over time, the Broncos have acquired cornerback Champ Bailey, drafted some nice corners and brought in wide receiver Javon Walker, who they hope matches some of the firepower Indy possesses. We'll see if Denver coach Mike Shanahan's moves will pan out.

This is one of several big games for Indy. I expect to see them do some things against Denver that we haven't seen from them this season.

My pick: Broncos

6. Road warriors invade the dome (New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings)
This is a good road test for the Patriots considering they could very well have to travel to Indy or Denver in the playoffs. Not only have they normally fared well on the road, but they've also performed well under the Monday night spotlight.

Last week, the Vikings had three really big plays in their win over Seattle. They showed great improvement offensively. Can they make those plays against New England? I don't think so and they struggle when they have to go 70 and 80 yards to scores.

My pick: Pats