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P.M. UPDATE
Rookie Diary: If you're wondering what it's like to be a rookie
defensive tackle in the NFL, check out the diary of former Oklahoma standout
Dusty Dvoracek who unfortunately landed on the team's injured reserve list.
You'll enjoy this feature from
our Bears site, which includes his thoughts about this Sunday's New Year's
Eve game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
Vikings secondary takes a blow: With Marc Bulger and the Rams coming
to town, the last thing the Vikings needed was to lose a key member of their
secondary, but the team announced that Fred Smoot was in a single-car accident
over the weekend that broke his jaw in five places. Our
Vikings site has more on this story for you.
 | | Jerome McDougle pressures Jay Fiedler back in 2003 (Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images) |
McDougle done? In
this Scout.com subscribers feature, Chuck Hixson from our Eagles site talks
about the the strange case of defensive end Jerome McDougle who appears to be
the odd man out on the defensive line in Philly. "Actually, more than his
quality of play, McDougle's attitude has been his downfall," Hixson says.
"McDougle assumed that he was going to play. He assumed that his spot on
the defense was solidified. Under Andy Reid, that's one thing that you don't
want to do."
He's back: With rookie Matt Leinart sidelined with a sprained AC
joint in his left shoulder, Kurt Warner will be back on the field when the
Cardinals finish up their season against the Chargers. And the veteran has a
little surprise planned that he's been experimenting with over the past few
weeks that's helping his passing. Check it out at
our Cardinals site.
Inflexible Scheduling: Imagine you're an NFL fan who planned to
go to the game Sunday afternoon and who paid for tickets to a New Year's Eve
event that evening. You figured you'd get home in time to shower, change and
head to the event. Then you find out on Tuesday of this week that the game's
been moved to a 7:15 kickoff. That's what happened to Bears fans this week, and
our Chicago site got the reaction of both players and fans. Scout.com
subscribers can check it out by clicking here.
When it rains, it pours: Our Giants site is
reporting that three players, including Michael Strahan, were placed on injured
reserve today. Oh, and their offensive coordinator has been relieved of
play-calling duties. Other than that, things are just peachy in the Big Apple as
the team prepares for their Saturday night matchup with the Redskins. In
this article, one of the many topics they talk about is just what the heck
is wrong with the G-Men? "You're asking me to identify the single biggest
reason why the Giants have struggled this season," Paul Schwartz says.
"That's like asking, other than the iceberg, what else was wrong with the
Titanic?"
Quotable: "I was a freshman, and he was a fifth-year senior, so I
was probably a peon back then to him. I don't think he thinks of me the same way
right now, but we'll see." -- Tampa Bay defensive tackle Chris Hovan
talking about fellow Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck, who also graduated from Boston
College. The Bucs close out their season against the Seahawks this weekend.
 | | Shawn Springs (Greg Fiume/Getty Images) |
Tough decision: Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs broke a bone in his
shoulder last weekend and will finish what's left of the season on injured
reserve. But will the soon-to-be 32 year old Springs be back in Washington next
year? That's one of the five big questions our Redskins site tackles in their Nickel
Package feature for Scout.com subscribers. Check it out.
The Watch: According to our Lions site,
the Matt Millen Watch is underway again as the team finishes its sixth season
under Millen's leadership. The Lions President apparently has no plans to step
down despite the team's 23-72 record during that span. Click
this link to check out the latest scoop from Detroit.
The Birthday Guys: NFL players
celebrating birthdays today include Bengals QB Carson Palmer ( 27), Saints RB
Deuce McAllister (28), Chargers fullback Lorenzo Neal (36), Bengals RB Chris
Perry (25), Raiders DT Tommy Kelly (26), Eagles LB Torrance Daniels (25),
Raiders LB Ricky Brown (23), Bears WR Bernard Berrian (26) and Cardinals DE
Chris Cooper (29).
Romeo, Romeo: The Browns' embarrassing defeat against Tampa Bay last
weekend and their dismal record has led writer Rich Passan at our Browns site to
call for the firing of head coach Romeo Crennel before the team becomes the
"laughingstock of the entire football world." Passan says, " The
man coaches not to lose. He coaches as if the Browns were 21-10 in the last two
seasons instead of 10-21. A pooch punt instead of a field-goal attempt from 44
yards on fourth down in the first quarter of a meaningless game against a
terrible team? Is that what good coaching is all about?" Scout.com
subscribers can read the entire article here.
Old Pals: Denver head coach Mike Shanahan and San Francisco
head coach Mike Nolan were assistant coaches together, but will face off this
Sunday as the Broncos try to claim a wildcard spot. Our Broncos site has
the transcript from Shanahan's Wednesday media conference in which he talked
glowingly of rookie running back Mike Bell in addition to many other topics.
"He is one of those guys that if we are at the two,
three, or four yard line, he can catapult and get in the end zone two or three
yards deep so he has some great explosiveness," Shanahan said. "You
can see that the first time he took the field and he has a nose for the goal
line any time he is inside the five.”
Franks no longer fits? If your team needs a
veteran tight end, the Packers' Bubba Franks might be available during the
offseason. According to this report for Scout.com
subscribers at our Packers site, Franks seems to be struggling in head coach
Mike McCarthy's system and could be on the open market when the Packers' season
ends.
EARLY EDITION
Keeping it real: In a move that will help ensure that all top three seeds in the AFC will play their starters, the league moved the Ravens-Bills and the Colts-Dolphins from a 1:00 kickoff to a 4:15 kickoff which coincides with the Chargers-Cardinals game. All three teams could potentially move up or down in their seeding based on how those three contests play out. So there’ll be plenty of scoreboard watching by the players in those games. The Patriots, who currently have the number four seed, play at 1:00 and need to win to have a shot at the number three spot -- so they’ll have their starters in as well. Should they win and Indy stumble at home against Miami, the Colts would drop to the number four seed.
Looking back: In this Scout.com subscribers article from our Ravens site, they provide a good look at Baltimore’s playoff situation and pointed out some significant historical notes that fans of other AFC playoff teams should take note of as well. “Since the NFL adopted a 12-team playoff format in 1990, the top two seeds have gone 51-13 in the divisional-round game. Four of the past five Super Bowl champions have either been seeded first or second,” they reported today.
And how big of an edge will home field advantage be for the Ravens if they clinch one of the top two seeds this weekend? Really big. Our Ravens site tells us that since their 2000 Super Bowl season, the Ravens are tied with the Denver Broncos for the NFL's best home record with a 41-14 mark.
 | | Florida State's Andre Fluellen tackles Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst (Grant Halverson/Getty Images) |
Need Defense? Make sure you check out tonight’s Emerald Bowl on ESPN at 8:00 PM ( (ET) when Florida State takes on UCLA if your team is in need of a good solid defensive tackle, inside linebacker or safety. In this feature by TFY Draft Preview, you can learn about the 18 players in this matchup that could land in the NFL next year. Our draft expert, Tony Pauline, rates a pair of Seminoles as the top picks from this game. DT Andre Fluellen is described as an “explosive defensive tackle a tad undersized like many of his predecessors at FSU” and ILB Buster Davis as a “Tenacious linebacker constantly flying around the ball. Limited by size as he touches the tape just over 5-feet-9-inches. Could end up on the weak side.” Pauline also sees UCLA safety Dennis Keyes as the Bruin most likely to be selected first out of this year’s talent from his school.
Shhhhhhh: Everyone’s talking about how awesome the Chargers look with so much talent on both sides of the ball. But there is reason for concern in Bolts Land that no one really seems to want to acknowledge. In addition to quarterback Philip Rivers not having any playoff experience under his belt, he seems to be faltering a bit down the stretch, including last week’s performance against the Seahawks. “The good? Rivers didn't let his poor first three quarters hamper the final quarter,” our Chargers site points out in this article. “The bad? It's Rivers, who had an ugly game on the heels of a 4-for-12 stinker the previous week … But in the NFL, winning disguises about everything.”
"He was good, when he had to be good," coach Marty Schottenheimer said. Of course, the big question is, will that be enough in the playoffs? The Chargers dodged a bullet against the Seahawks, but they may not be as lucky next time.
Listen in: Minnesota head coach Brad Childress will give his rookie quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson, his second start of the year after benching veteran Brad Johnson. While Jackson had a rough outing last week, Childress said during his weekly interview with Sirius NFL radio that he liked the look in his young rookie’s eyes when he went on and came off the field. And although he expects Jackson to play better in the more friendly confines of the Metrodome this weekend, he knows his team will have his hands full with St. Louis coming to town. “I expect them to come in here fired up,” Childress said of the Rams, who will be playing for a wildcard spot if the Giants stumble against Washington on Saturday night. Scout.com subscribers can listen to the 8-minute audio, compliments of Sirius NFL Radio, at our Vikings site.
 | | Kansas City rookie DE Tamba Hali (Brian Bahr/Getty Images) |
Making his case: While Texans rookie LB DeMeco Ryans is a leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, another player who should receive strong consideration is Chiefs defensive end Tamba Hali. In this report at our Chiefs site, which lays out their slim hopes of making the playoffs, they noted that Hali recorded his seventh sack and sixth forced fumble last week against the Raiders, extending his Chiefs rookie record.
No quit: The Broncos can clinch an AFC wildcard spot with a victory at home against the 49ers this weekend. And although San Francisco has already been eliminated from contention, don’t expect them to make things easy for Denver. "This last game, I'm actually glad it means something to Denver because, hopefully, it will inspire our team,'' 49ers head coach Mike Nolan says in this article at our 49ers site. "I believe we've got good character on this team and that good character needs to show this week and in the game. We're building something. We need to show that character we've been talking about. This is the start to next year.''
Looking ahead: Dallas will head to Seattle as the fifth seed unless they beat the Lions and Philadelphia loses at home to Atlanta. Should that scenario play out, the Seahawks would host the Eagles instead.
In this article for Scout.com subscribers posted at our Seattle site, they point out that the Cowboys' defensive personnel and 3-4 scheme has given Seattle problems in the past, but since the Seahawks ran the ball well against the Chargers “more physical 3-4” last Sunday, it should give them more confidence against the Cowboys. Click that link above to learn more about what lies ahead for the Seahawks and some interesting player notes.
Big decision looming: Our Steelers site reports that Pittsburgh “must walk a fine line in their coaching search” should Bill Cowher retire as expected next week. “Do they look inward, since this team is only a year removed from a title and want to keep the process flowing smoothly? Or do they concentrate on the 58-7 gap [the combined scoring difference versus the Ravens this year] they must close to challenge for their own division? In that way, the blowouts to the Ravens will work to their advantage. The front office won’t be able to take their next move for granted,” they said.
Be sure to click this link to read all about it, as well as some of the college prospects they believe the Steelers should be keeping an eye on during the Bowl season.
Did you know? Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman is two sacks shy of the team record, set by Gary Johnson in 1980.
The Great Escape: Does Warren Sapp want out of Oakland? That’s the speculation after fans watched him go over to Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards to chat during a couple of timeouts last week. Our Raiders site talks about it in this Scout.com subscribers article. The Raiders, who haven’t scored a touchdown on offense during their last 23 possessions and 132 offensive snaps are going to have one of the more interesting offseasons of any club in the NFL.
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