Well, that took only five weeks.  Consider me a fan of the 2009 Denver Broncos, even if Josh McDaniels basically called us all idiots last week.  No, this isn’t one of those attempts to root for the Broncos as if I’m a true fan.  It’s simply me saying that, as a fan of the game, I like to watch this team play, primarily because I admire their tough mindedness.  Meanwhile, the Human Horseshoe (Kyle Orton) is becoming one of my favorite quarterbacks in the league right now.  He takes care of the ball (his only INT so far this season was a last-second Hail Mary attempt to end the first half), and his accuracy is getting better by the season (now up to a 63.0 compeletion percentage after 58.5 last season).  After five weeks, I have chalked up my loss in completely misdiagnosing this team, and I’m now all aboard in appreciating the style of football they play, even if it’s under the “Mini-Me” of robotic genius Bill Belichick.  Below, I’ll check out if this Broncos team has what it takes to keep this assent going for a few years with the current roster.

Meanwhile, someone else has stood out in Week 5, and this player’s performance just finished as I started typing this blog post.  No, it’s not Mark Sanchez in the Jets-Dolphins MNF game, but Chad Henne.  Henne, who had 42 games played (not sure, but I believe all of those games were starts) and a 59.7 completion percentage in college with Michigan, went 20-of-26 for 241 yards and two touchdowns in the Dolphins’ 31-27 last quarter-minute victory.  Henne showed some impressive command and accuracy I’ll detail below.

Then, of course, there’s the continuing heroic play of Carson Palmer.  Palmer may have pedestrian stats so far this season (6.6 YPA, 7-6 TD-INT, 76.9 QB rating), but he has led three go-ahead fourth quarter drives (one which was ruined by the ultimate Human Horseshoe play, coupled with the greatest Gus Johnson NFL call) and one game-tying fourth quarter drive (which would’ve been the game winner had Shaun Rogers not block yet another kick) in the same game with Palmer’s one game-winning overtime drive.  This Bengals team has hung in on the road in Green Bay and Baltimore (despite Palmer throwing pick-sixes in both games) and at home against Pittsburgh, and they’ve done so primarily thanks to the defense.  However, it’s Palmer that has punched it home time after time this year, and he did it again for a head coach that has stuck through all the drama and a defensive coordinator just lost his wife suddenly (another story I’ll hit upon later in this post).

Besides the valiant efforts by Bengals, Broncos and Dolphins, Week 5 was an all-time dud.  We saw six complete blowouts (each decided by at least 19 points), including may have been the biggest mismatch in recent memory (New York Giants winning at home over Oakland).  Meanwhile, the Steelers and Cowboys (two teams with high expectations entering the season) played down to the level of piss poor teams on the road, barely getting away with one-possession victories.  Then, in a stinktitude that may have topped Oakland’s non-performance on Sunday, the Browns defeated the Bills despite Derek Anderson completing TWO passes all game.

Over the past two weeks, games are getting scarily uncompetitive, but at least there’s the scrappy cardiac B’s (Broncos and Bengals) and the masters of efficiency (the Brothers Manning in East Rutherford and Indianapolis) to keep the NFL a league worth watching, rather than a punchline.

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Eagles 33, Buccaneers 14)
In an attempt to analyze as many competitive games as possible, it sucks so far this year to go to college in South Jersey (from an NFL watcher’s standpoint, at least).  That’s four 1PM Eagles games and four blowouts (with having another option in just one of those weeks).  Add the fact that only New York (N) at Kansas City was on at 1PM during the Eagles’ bye week, and the need to get off campus and into a DirecTV home is becoming a necessity.
With an almost predictable fast start, Donovan McNabb throws yet another Andy Reid-style deep TD pass and Tampa Bay allows yet another big play on pass defense.  The game never really seemed in doubt after that, which left just one thing to look out for: the play of young Bucs QB Josh Johnson.  Overall, he did a great job.  Sure, there were plays like the eight-yard sack Johnson took on a 3rd-and-25, a play in which Johnson held onto the ball way too long (however, that play ended up being wiped out by a Victor Harris personal foul penalty).  Johnson made some really nice intermediate throws, and had some impressive command of the offense, even though he threw three interceptions (including two in the red zone).  Meanwhile, Johnson was able to handle the all-out Eagles blitzes on some occasions, though he did miss Kellen Winslow wide open on an incomplete pass to Antonio Bryant that preceded his first INT of the day, which ended the half (on a side note, a batted pass that landed into the hands of LT Donald Penn preceded the incomplete).  Of course, the defense still sucks, which was probably why head coach Raheem Morris was a bit too aggressive on fourth down and before the half, but Johnson did enough in this game to warrant some extended playtime as the starter.  It’s not Josh Freeman time yet.  Johnson make the Bucs somewhat competitive, even against the better teams in the league.

“Boston” at Denver (Broncos 20, Patriots 17 OT)
Before I get to the real analysis, I must make this standard comment that those Broncos throwbacks really suck.  Maybe the sight of the Human Horseshoe in those hideous mustard and chocolate pudding jerseys was just enough to keep the Patriots off their game against the Broncos, who are now a league-best 3-0 against winning teams.  Look out!
We saw two major QB-related stories in the 2009 season continue to play out in Denver.  Tom Brady missed a few throws that he usually makes, and may have been the difference in this game.  Meanwhile, Orton continues to ascend (we may no longer be able to call him the Human Horseshoe if he continues to put up such a impressive performance).  Of course, we saw another a major headline that continues to play out, as the Broncos’ D again clamped down on a high-powered offense after allowing 10 early points.  Against Dallas: punt, FG and TD in the first three drives; fumble recovery, 5 punts, end half, interception and turnover on downs in the last nine drives.  Against New England: TD and FG in the first two drives; 5 punts, TD, missed FG, fumble recovery and end half in the last nine drives.  Again did the Broncos’ D shut out the opponents’ offense in the second half, and again did the defense held up so the offense could overcome a 10-point deficit.  Major kudos to this defense.  I’ll talk more about the defense’s prospects in a bit.
Now back to the growing legend that is the Human Horseshoe, who is now 18-2 in home starts (including an undefeated record outside Week 3).  Orton shows great command and poise and takes whatever is given to him, and he does it while continuing to move the chains.  News flash: the sexy plays aren’t needed to be an efficient and successful QB.  Given the way this offensive line plays and given the 180 from the defense, Orton could win a Super Bowl right now with his play. I’m not saying that will happen (especially since it’s just Week 5), but the point stands.  Of course, Orton will take the weekly-required Human Horseshoe play, this time an easy Pats’ INT turned into a double tip turned into a 3rd-and-14 successful conversion to Jabar Gaffney.  Then comes the real fun.  Despite two special teams penalties on fourth down that kept New England on offense, the defense holds.  Chris Hanson punts to the Denver 2, which leaves Orton 98 yards and 9:59 to tie the game at 17.  Orton goes 6-of-9 and never had consecutive incompletions in a 12-play drive to tie the game.  Then, in overtime, Orton keeps Brady off the field after Denver wins the coin toss (spare me the whining about sudden death; this overtime system is fair enough, and it’s the right system), completing his first four passing attempts in overtime.  Sure, this is an average Patriots defense that Orton faced, but Orton did exactly he needed to do to tie and win the game.
This offseason, everything Denver did seemed to be misguided.  My chief arguments were that McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders was shaking up what didn’t need to be shaked up, the defense wasn’t addressed well enough as the unit moved into a foreign system and too many free agent move were made and would stunt the growth of a rebuilding team.  McDaniels and Xanders have proven such harsh criticisms to be complete poppycock.  Obviously, getting rid of Cutler for an efficient QB that’s 100% on board has worked.  Obviously, giving Brandon Marshall the cold shoulder in the offseason has worked.  Meanwhile, the defense was addressed with just the right touch.  But does this team have the talent to contend long term?  With an elite OLT (Ryan Clady), elite pass rusher (Elvis Dumervil), promising WR duo (Marshall and Eddie Royal) and a pair of potentially outstanding rookies (Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers), the Broncos situation isn’t as bad in the long term as I originally led myself to believe.  Given what McDaniels and the Broncos’ staff has done since the Mike Shanahan firing, I’ll give Denver’s future the benefit of the doubt for the time being.  The two true questions looking ahead will be these: (A) Can the starting D-Line of Kenny Peterson, Ronald Fields and Ryan McBean hold beyond 2009? -and- (B) Can Orton continue to improve, and eventually become a franchise QB?  Of course, McDaniels doesn’t need to address these questions until January at the earliest (the schedule ahead is absolutely brutal, and the Broncos could easily get six losses this season simply by the means of quality competition), but if the answers are both “yes,” Denver is sitting really pretty under Mini BB.

Indianapolis at Tennessee (Colts 31, Titans 9)
The Colts look so efficient, it’s almost boring.  At the least, you get distracted, and the Colts have suddenly racked up three consecutive completions and thirty yards.  Still, they’re truly marvelous to watch, even if the closely ride the line of absolute predictability.  It’s funny that Peyton Manning’s YPD dropped to 9.01 though he went 36-of-44, 309 yards and 3 touchdowns and an interception against the Titans.
There was so much ho-hum Colts passing offense domination that the first comment of note I could come up with was Antonio Johnson’s back grab and shove to the ground on Chris Johnson was called a “suflex” by Cris Collinsworth.  Hey Cris, that move was neither a “suflex,” or a suplex for that matter.   Manning did have an interception, but I will at least give equal credit to the Titans’ D for influencing Manning’s release on that throw.  Of course, Peyton made up for that error by showing his dominance again with a 93-yard drive in 47 seconds with about a minute left to go in the half (a drive aided by the Titans and its two defensive PF penalties).  On a side note, Bill Polian and his scouting crew get a world of credit for finding great wide receivers, even in the late rounds, but they may have done a better job building this secondary.  Of course, there’s the different maker in Bob Sanders.  Then there’s also fellow day one picks in CBs Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden, who have become solid players at the least.  Then there’s hidden gems Antoine Bethea, Melvin Bullitt and possibly now Jacob Lacey, who did some impressive things in this game as an undrafted rookie.  Sure, for every Bethea there’s a Dante Hughes and Tim Jennings to make you feel tepid about the scouting of the secondary, but that stuff happens to every franchise.  Didn’t the Patriots draft Chad Jackson, Kevin O’Connell and Bethel Johnson?

New York (A) at Miami (Dolphins 31, Jets 27)
One of the most exciting fourth quarters in MNF history comes from a rookie quarterback in his fifth start and a sophomore quarterback in his second start… simply amazing.
After a fast start from the Miami offense, boosted by the awesome run offense that continues to be led by the Wildcat, things began to slow down.  Mark Sanchez and Chad Henne played solid, yet not spectacular through three quarters.  Then came the most exciting quarter of back-and-forth football this season.  Five lead changes later, the Dolphins win.
Of course, I can’t leave it there.  Chad Henne simply played awesome.  He showed very impressive accuracy, some nice pocket presence and enough poise to make me think that he’s already arrived on the scene of the NFL.  Miami’s offense ran through a great defense in the final quarter and a half, and wasn’t just the run offense or the confusion from the Wildcat.  Henne went 9-of-12 in the fourth quarter, which includes a five-play, 82-yard TD drive in which Henne threw on every play.  The TD came on a beautiful deep ball to Ted Ginn.  Sure, it seemed like at times the Miami pass D did all it could to lose the game, but the offense stepped up big time, and it was both the Dolphins’ O-Line dominating in the run game in long drives and the Dolphins’ QB making accurate throws in key junctures that got the win.  Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez didn’t look half bad himself.  He made the big passes the Jets needed to counter every punch the Miami offense threw in the fourth quarter, except for the final one in the waning seconds of the game.

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Sidebar

• How dare the Rams disgrace the awesome 90s/LA days unis! Saint Louis gets into an early hole thanks to Minnesota first-drive TD and a Kyle Boller fumble (created by his own slippery hands, nonetheless) that went a Vikings’ TD by Jared Allen.  Later, the Rams have three turnovers inside the Minnesota 10, including two fumbles.  That’s your Saint Louis Rams, losers of 15 straight and 23 of 25 (and 32 of 37).
• How dare the Chiefs ignore their play on offense! Here’s a Kansas City Chiefs offense that had just 24 yards despite having a 10-0 lead (thank the Cowboys for two costly fumbles in Chiefs fumbles and a missed FG by Folk — called that one again).  The unit barely got to 100 yards by halftime and then barely to 200 by the time they attempt a go-ahead 53-yard field goal (compared to Dallas’ 345, even though the Chiefs had 15 first downs compared to Dallas’ 15).  Of course, Dallas tried to match the suck with four defensive offsides in one drive, as well as an Alan Ball PF penalty on a 3rd-and-26.  Still, Kansas City loses, and it has much to do with an offense that mustered just 25 yards on its longest play of the game.  In fact, the Chiefs have just five plays 25 yards or more (one in each week).  Their longest play is a 50-yarder to Mark Bradley.  Their longest run is a 24-yarder by Jamaal Charles in Week 3.  That’s your Kansas City Chiefs, losers of nine straight and 28 of 30.
• How dare the Browns and Bills claim to have played an NFL game! Early while tracking this game, I actually thought the Browns should pass earlier than on third down.  In Cleveland’s first four drives, the offense sputtered on incompletions to end each drive.  Well, I should’ve thought better (especially when picking Derek Anderson in FF, yet I had the highest point total in the league despite five “players” — this includes one blank thanks to a bench filled with players on bye, including Rodgers and Rivers — combining for 1.15 points).  Anderson was 1-of-8 by halftime and 2-of-17 overall for 23 yards and an INT in a Browns 6-3 win. Buffalo went for it on fourth down from the Browns’ 31 — with 24 yards to go.  Maybe the wind played a factor, but Derek Anderson can’t seriously be an NFL quarterback with that lack of accuracy.
• How dare the Raiders take the field! Whoops, I shouldn’t talk.  Anderson could be JaMarcus Russell.  Russell had his most accurate day of the season: 8-of-13 for 100 yards, now improving that laughable completion percentage to 42.1.  Whoops, I shouldn’t talk.  Russell could be the rest of the Oakland Raiders.  After the first play of the second quarter: 21-0 Giants with a 249-18 yard advantage and 12-0 first down advantage (geez, I’ve been doing this too much this year, the NFL needs a mercy rule this year).  About three minutes later: 28-0 Giants, 262-9 in yards and 13-0 in 1st downs.  Before halftime, the Giants were running on third-and-longs and David Carr was in at quarterback.  Talk about chalking up the victory.  Just wanted to throw it out there that the Raiders’ lone score came with great field position, thanks to a Sinorice Moss muffed punt.  And for the record, Eli Manning now has 8.86 YPD.  The Brothers Manning now have a combined 8.94 YPD.  That’s yards per dropback, not yards per attempt, ladies and gents.
• So, you want to know how I won in FF? Yes, I had five “players” I started (Anderson, DeSean Jackson, Dustin Keller, Greg Olsen and —-) combine for 1.15 points.  I started Roddy White (8 catches, 210 yards, 2 TD, FF and solo tackle for 44 points), the Seattle defense/special teams (33.2 points), Andre Johnson (red-zone beast mode for 30.10 points), the Dallas defense/special teams (27.8 points), Ray Rice (27.3 points) and Wes Welker (22.6 points).  Yes, the league’s point system is unique, but it’s designed to make FF more related to actual quality of play.  I think I’ve figured out this system despite losing one game by 1.9 points (to an undefeated team) and another by 0.25 points (to the second-best team).  I now lead the league in total points, despite having a 3-2 record.
• If Denver proving me wrong isn’t enough… Atlanta may be well on their way of doing the same after thoroughly trouncing the 49ers on the road.  Look, this team has the Year 3 Curse, the Curse of 370, a sophmore QB slump, a sophomore head coach slump and that whole zero consecutive winning seasons in team history thing to overcome and prevent from happening.  Obviously, the sophmore slumps aren’t coming for Matt Ryan and Mike Smith.  Ryan looks better, and he now needs to be considered a true elite QB.  Defenses should have adjusted by now, and Ryan has looked even better.  Meanwhile, Smith obviously had his team extremely prepared after the bye week.  However, injuries can always derail a season (which sadly has beenkinda what I expected).
• Feel great moment of the week. I’m not going to say this just because it was an unsung hero who possibly saved the Dallas Cowboys’ season.  I’m saying this also because there are few better NFL players, as genuinely kind and down-to-earth people, than the man who possibly saved the Dallas Cowboys’ season.  Miles Austin was born in Summit, NJ, and grew up in Garfield, NJ, where my godmother and uncle live.  He graduated from Monmouth University in NJ, and was picked up as an undrafted wide receiver by the Cowboys in 2006.  Upon meeting Austin in July 2008, I was impressed at Austin, as he acted like the most humble and down-to-earth athletes I’ve ever met.  We also held a brief conversation about Austin’s residence in Garfield.  Now Miles Austin holds the single-game franchise record for receiving yards (250) and did so with over 100 yards of self-made YAC.  Austin broke 250, broke the record and perhaps saved the team’s season, all in his first start.  Glad to see the good guy win big.
• Feel great moment of the week X 2. In an even more sturring moment, the Bengals were able to celebrate their road victory over the Baltimore Ravens with heartbroken defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.  Zimmer lost his wife of 27 years, Vikki, suddenly Thursday evening.  As several outlets have reported, including SI’s Peter King, Vikki baked cookies for the Bengals and basically acted  as the team mom.  She was also the foundation behind one of the most solid and underappreciated defensive coaches over the past decade and a half.  After a heartwrenched decision, Zimmer decided to coach on Sunday.  The Bengals won, with the defense allowing just seven points to one of the best offenses in the first quarter of the season.  Zimmer coached with the Cowboys from 1994 to 2006, including the last seven seasons with the team as defensive coordinator (lasting four head coaching chances and a transition from the 4-3 to the 3-4 in the process).  After a year as DC for the Petrino Falcons, Zimmer came to Cincinnati.  In his two seasons, Zimmer has instilled a tough mindedness that has lead the Bengals to a 4-1 start.  I was very glad to see a team play its heart out for a coach like Zimmer; I know I certainly would’ve done the same for such a solid, strong person and a solid, strong coach.

With the news of the Braylon Edwards trade to the Jets today, I realized the NFL Trade Deadline is fast approaching with October 20th fast approaching. Here is a list of all of the trades that have taken place in 2009. This list does not include trades made during the draft, unless it involved player(s) in the deal.

To Minnesota Vikings : (QB)Sage Rosenfels
To Houston Texans : 2009 4th Round Draft Pick

To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : (TE)Kellen Winslow
To Cleveland Browns : 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick & 2010 5th Round Draft Pick

To Kansas City Chiefs : (QB)Matt Cassel & (LB)Mike Vrabel
To New England Patriots : 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : (CB)Lito Sheppard
To Philadelphia Eagles : 2009 5th Round Draft Pick & 2010 Conditional Draft Pick

To Dallas Cowboys : (QB)Jon Kitna
To Detroit Lions : (CB)Anthony Henry

To New England Patriots : (WR)Greg Lewis & 2010 Conditional Draft Pick
To Philadelphia Eagles : 2009 5th Round Draft Pick

To Detroit Lions : (LB)Julian Peterson
To Seattle Seahawks : (DT)Cory Redding & 2009 5th Round Draft Pick

To Miami Dolphins : (DT)Tony McDaniel
To Jacksonville Jaguars : 2009 7th Round Draft Pick

To Oakland Raiders : (OL)Samson Satele
To Miami Dolphins : 2009 6th Round Draft Pick

To Chicago Bears : (QB)Jay Cutler & 2009 5th Round Draft Pick
To Denver Broncos : (QB)Kyle Orton & 2009 1st Round Draft Pick & 2009 3rd Round Draft Pick & 2010 1st Round Draft Pick

To St. Louis Rams : (WR)Laurent Robinson & 2009 5th Round Draft Pick (#160) & 2009 6th Round Draft Pick (#196)
To Atlanta Falcons : 2009 5th Round Draft Pick (#138) & 2009 6th Round Draft Pick (#176)

To Carolina Panthers : (LS)J.J. Jansen
To Green Bay Packers : 2011 Conditional Draft Pick

To Philadelphia Eagles : (OL)Jason Peters
To Buffalo Bills : 2009 1st Round Draft Pick & 2009 4th Round Draft Pick & 2010 Conditional Draft Pick

To Atlanta Falcons : (TE)Tony Gonzalez
To Kansas City Chiefs : 2010 2nd Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : 2009 1st Round Draft Pick (#5 Overall “(QB)Mark Sanchez selected”)
To Cleveland Browns : (S)Abram Elam & (DE)Kenyon Coleman & (QB)Brett Ratliff & 2009 1st Round Draft Pick & 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick

To Philadelphia Eagles : (CB)Ellis Hobbs
To New England Patriots : (2) 2009 5th Round Draft Picks

To New England Patriots : (TE)Alex Smith
To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Cincinnati Bengals : (RB)Brian Leonard
To St. Louis Rams : (DT)Orien Harris

To Detroit Lions : (WR)Dennis Northcutt
To Jacksonville Jaguars : (S)Gerald Alexander

To St. Louis Rams : (WR)Ronald Curry
To Detroit Lions : (DT)Orien Harris

To New England Patriots : (DE)Derrick Burgess
To Oakland Raiders : 2010 3rd Round Draft Pick & 2011 5th Round Draft Pick

To Denver Broncos : (DE)LeKevin Smith & 2010 7th Round Draft Pick
To New England Patriots : 2010 5th Round Draft Pick

To Kansas City Chiefs : (OL)Andy Alleman & (OL)Ikechuku Ndukwe
To Miami Dolphins : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Denver Broncos : (OL)Russ Hochstein
To New England Patriots : 2010 7th Round Draft Pick

To San Diego Chargers : (DT)Travis Johnson
To Houston Texans : 2010 Conditional 6th Round Draft Pick

To Atlanta Falcons : (CB)Tye Hill
To St. Louis Rams : 2010 7th Round Draft Pick

To Carolina Panthers : (DT)Louis Leonard
To Cleveland Browns : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Detroit Lions : (S)Ko Simpson
To Buffalo Bills : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Baltimore Ravens : (OL)Tony Moll
To Green Bay Packers : (S)Derrick Martin

To New Orleans Saints : (TE)David Thomas
To New England Patriots : 2011 7th Round Draft Pick

To New England Patriots : (TE)Michael Matthews
To New York Giants : 2011 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To Jacksonville Jaguars : (QB)Luke McCown
To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : 2010 Conditional 5th Round Draft Pick

To Oakland Raiders : (DT)Richard Seymour
To New England Patriots : 2011 1st Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : (QB)Kevin O’Connell
To Detroit Lions : 2010 Undisclosed Draft Pick

To New England Patriots : (LB)Prescott Burgess
To Baltimore Ravens : 2010 Conditional 7th Round Draft Pick

To Miami Dolphins : (QB)Tyler Thigpen
To Kansas City Chiefs : 2010 4th Round Draft Pick

To New York Jets : (WR)Braylon Edwards
To Cleveland Browns : (WR)Chansi Stuckey & (LB)Jason Trusnik & 2010 Conditional 3rd Round Draft Pick & 2010 5th Round Draft Pick

To Chicago Bears : (DE)Gaines Adams
To Tampa Bay Buccaneers : 2010 2nd Round Draft Pick

This post is a compilation of additions NFL teams made during the fourth full week of camps. The timetable for this post opens on August 29 and continues through September 3 You can read a summary of the first week of training camp moves here; the second week moves here; the third week moves here; the fourth week of moves here; and the fifth week of moves here. Because moves will be coming fast and furious throughout training camp, we’re going to use quick analysis of moves each week during this time instead of creating a massive Football Relativity comparison.

Additions

Chargers (add DT Travis Johnson) – Johnson, a former first-round pick, never panned out as an impact player in Houston. He was a starter at defensive tackle the last two years, but he hasn’t been enough of a take-on player to mitigate his lack of impact (two career sacks, one career interception). The talent that made Johnson a first-round pick intrigued San Diego, which traded for Johnson and could can try him as a 3-4 end. That role might fit his talent better, because it will allow him to be a space-holder who makes it easier for the linebackers behind him to shake free and make plays. That potential made it worth a sixth-round pick (which can become a fifth-rounder based on Johnson’s playing time) for the Chargers.

Bears (add CB Rod Hood) – Hood, a starter in Arizona last year, landed in Cleveland this offseason but was cut in training camp. Now he goes to Chicago, which has had major secondary injury issues in training camp. Hood probably isn’t a guy you want to start now, but he is a guy who you’re OK with starting in a pinch. So in that role, he fits with the Bears.

Lions (add QB Kevin O’Connell) – O’Connell, a third-round pick in 2008, looked like the leading candidate to be the Pats’ backup QB after New England released Matt Gutierrez earlier in training camp. But O’Connell couldn’t seize the opportunity, and he was cut after the third preseason game. O’Connell latched on with Detroit, which has some lingering QB injuries but also has the first waiver claim. Don’t be surprised if the Lions trade O’Connell somewhere for a low-round draft choice instead of keeping him.

Subtractions

Chiefs (cut WR Amani Toomer) - Toomer, the long-time Giants wideout, landed in Kansas City this year, but he didn’t have enough left to make the team. The Chiefs also have vet Bobby Engram, who can do many of the same things from a dependability and a team-camaraderie standpoint as Toomer but can do more on the field too. That probably doomed Toomer’s Chiefs career.

Buccaneers (cut WR Dexter Jackson) – Jackson, the Bucs’ second-round pick in 2008, had a bust of a rookie season and didn’t recapture his Appalachian State form in the offseason this year. So the Bucs, under a new regime, cut the cord on the speedy but undersized receiver. Someone will give Jackson a chance, at least as a return man, but it’s sad to see him lose his chance so quickly in Tampa.

Rams (cut TE Joe Klopfenstein) – Klopfenstein, a former second-round pick back in 2006, never turned into a player for the Rams, piling up 33 starts but only that many catches while playing every game the past three years. It’s another bust from a horrid 2006 draft class for the Rams, which explains part of the reason they have just five wins the last two years.

49ers (cut QB Damon Huard) – Huard would have been a contender for the Niners’ backup job, but former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith has done enough in the offseason to stake claim to that job. That made Huard expendable. But his veteran wile makes him a good fit elsewhere as an emergency No. 2 or as an insurance policy.

Buccaneers (cut OG Sean Mahan) – Mahan was a long-time starter in Tampa Bay who returned last year after a one-year stint in Pittsburgh. But Mahan is no longer starter-caliber, and so the youth movement of the Bucs swept him out with so many other veterans.

Who's the back-up QB?

I didn’t go to the game on Sunday so I’m not sure if any boos rained down on Orton in the preseason game against the Bears, but the orange faithful would take him back in a heartbeat over rookie Tom Brandstater.  The kid from Fresno State is the only QB in a Broncos uniform that is healthy enough to play.  Simms is still nursing a bad ankle sprain and the latest word on Orton is that he suffered tendon damage to his finger after smacking it against another player’s helmet.  That leaves Brandstater as the only field general able to strap on a helmet against Arizona on Thursday.  The youngster looked decent in the second half (8-of-12 for 110 yards), but he’s still just a rookie.

A seemingly minor but intriguing event took place yesterday when Kevin O’Connell was released by the Pats.  During his last season with New England Coach McKid scouted and groomed the 2008 rookie QB, so it would seem that the Broncos would jump at the chance to pick-up a guy (for FREE) that already knows the system and could back-up the Brandster.  This would seem like a no-brainer, but with roster cuts coming up this week and knowing Orton should be healthy for the first game of the season McKid might just take his chances.  Besides, I’m sure Hillis or Larson could take snaps since they have been designated the team chameleons already.

I wasn’t too sure what I was going to talk about today. The Sox sweep of the Blue Jays (again), the Pats win on Friday night, Brady’s “injury” that everyone is freaked out about…

How about none of the above.

If I’m going to talk about the man I may as well use my favorite picture of him. Yup, Tedy Bruschi.

In the middle of Sunday Night Football, Al Michaels told us that Tedy Bruschi was going to announce his retirement today. Sure enough there’s a 10:45AM press conference today at Gillette. After 13 years, Bruschi’s going to retire.

I think it went something like this; Belichick calls Tedy into his office. They talk and Bill basically tells him that he’s going to get cut. But to allow him to save face and go out with some dignity he gives him the option of retiring. I can’t picture that Bruschi would want to risk his health for any franchise but the Patriots and decided that if he can’t play for the team his wants, he won’t play at all.

Of course the debate will rage on that his number should be retired by the Patriots, but I think that like the Red Sox, you should be a Hall of Famer in order to have your number retired. I like Tedy a lot, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking he’s a Hall of Famer (sure a Patriots Hall of Famer, but not a Canton Hall of Famer).

Now my headline said, cuts with an “s”. Who’s the other surprise?

How about second year man, third round draft pick, Kevin O’Connell.

This is surprising on two fronts. First off, O’Connell is a third round pick. It’s tough to believe the Pats would quit so early on a high round draft pick. The second reason is a bit less surprising, that they’d release a quarterback when Brady went down with an injury. I think that just shows that Brady isn’t hurt the way everyone was speculating and will be fine. The hole this creates is rather large. Behind Brady you now have Andrew Walter, undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer and in a pinch rookie kick returner/wide out/quarterback Julian Edelman. Not much experience.

I don’t think a lot of people thought Bruschi was going to make the team. I didn’t. But the O’Connell cut was pretty surprising. There’s more to come, so nothing should surprise you at this point.

On this episode of The Wheelhouse: Bower and “The Sweet Nasty” Chris Cause kick off the WEEKEND STRIPDOWN by looking at the pre-season game of one of the greatest rivalry’s in the NFL! You know, the DENVER BRONCOS vs. the CHICAGO BEARS! (Wait, what?) Then we hand out our greatest teammate award for the week by giving it to Broncos wide reciever BRANDON MARSHALL! The boys then decide to sign up “The Champ” Jeff Peck for the greatest contest since American Idol…the chance to TWEET FOR CHAD OCHO CINCO! Finally we wonder who bought Ontario Smith’s WHIZZINATOR for $750 & how important a product like this is important to the American Economy!

Download the Podcast – HERE!

UPDATE 9/6: Oooooooookay. Now he’s a Jet.

UPDATE 9/2: Kevin’s a Lion now. Um, maybe not the most auspicious move for him?

UPDATE 8/30: Yes, Kevin O’Connell is totally cut. But also? Totally cut. FifG wishes you luck finding a new job, Kevin.

First of all, I have to say that I’m a little disappointed that Friend Kevin did not clue me in to this one, seeing as he’s a huge Patriots fan.

Second of all, what the heck is up with Patriots QBs? I’m watching the Redskins v. Pats preseason game (yes, it’s Friday and I need a life. But it’s rainy! Lives don’t happen when it’s rainy.)

Anyway, the announcer folk were describing a shot of the Pats’ sidelines and one was like, “There are the QBs.”
And I was like, yeah, there’s ol’ chiseled Tom Brady.

But no! It was backup QB Kevin O’Connell. Who looks, from afar and without my brand-new slightly nearsighted person glasses, a lot like Tom Brady. The Patriots are known to have an inordinate amount of talent on their team, but geez, they have an inordinate amount of talent on their team!

Here’s proof:

Brady in foreground, O'Connell in background.

Also cute player who I think is DeSean Jackson based on the uniform in the picture, San Diego Charger player Li'l Child, and O'Connell.

Kevin O’Connell, we hardly know ye:

Apparently backup QBs who are not married to their pregnant supermodel wives do not have as much personal information shared on the interwebs.
That said, I can tell you that O’Connell went to San Diego State and majored in political science.
According to this rookie year (that would be last year) article, he’s very charismatic. So perhaps he’ll run for office once he’s done with the ol’ pigskin.
Also, he and some other teammate/random person are not well-endowed. Here’s proof.

Does he have a girlfriend?

Another one that I just do not know. But if he’s planning a career in politics, he’s probably open to meeting new ladies whether or not he’s in a relationship! Good news!

I know the Red Sox are a half game out of first place and have a pretty big series against the Rays the next couple days followed by a series with New York, but I’ve done like a week straight of Sox stuff.

So now we’re going to talk football. I’m going to break it down each day over the next week or so and introduce you to each position on the roster and who’s battling for the top spot. Today we start with the easiest of all the positions, quarterback.

Tom Brady (12) – After losing him in the first quarter in last year’s opener against Kansas City, Touchdown Tom has been on the mend for a while now. Early reports from the mini camps said that he hasn’t lost a step and that his arm is still as accurate as ever, well according to Joey Gallaway anyway. Tom is one of the top quarterbacks in the league (one of?) and will look to be back on top of the football world this coming season. With weapons like Moss, Welker and newcomer Gallaway it shouldn’t take him long. Early rumors are saying he will play in the preseason, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Kevin O’Connell (5) – The second year man out of San Diego State was Matt Cassel’s backup all of last season. Meaning that as a rookie he climbed to #2 on the depth chart. I think that Belichick would have brought in a veteran if he thought this guy couldn’t handle the load. Now even though the Pats have brought in different guys like Cleo Lemon (who sucks donkey balls) to look at, it seems that O’Connell is still the #2 guy.

Andrew Walter (16) – Who? Well, as of this morning the Patriots have released third year experiment Matt Gutierrez and former Raider, Andrew Walter has taken his spot as the third quarterback. He was the starter for eight games his second year in the NFL but with the Raiders drafting JaMarcus Russell #1 overall his days were numbered. In the last two seasons he’s played in three games (one start). He should get along great with Tedy Bruschi. That’s sarcasm. See Bruschi went to Arizona, Walter is a Sun Devil. No love there.

After those three there’s a cast of characters that will fight for a spot on the practice squad. Julian Edelman is a WR/QB hybrid that likely won’t make the club as a rookie out of Kent State. Brian Hoyer from Michigan State is another rookie that will try to make the roster. Edelman’s versatility may make him a more attractive player in the Patriots system, similar to how Matt Slater made the roster last year as a DB/WR.

Tomorrow we sort through the runnings backs and there’s plenty of them to go over.

“Transformers” (2007)
a review by Darby O’Gill

Okay, this is the “Holy Grail” of my childhood. I’ve been looking forward to a live action movie of “Transformers” since 1984. So the first time I heard they were making a live action movie, and that Michael Bay was directing, to say I got worried would be something of an understatement. The more I heard about the project, the more I feared its release. Not to say I wasn’t going to see it; I just couldn’t see how Michael Bay and Hollywood were going to do any justice to my childhood dreams. Fast forward to July 4^th 2007, and see just how surprised I was. And believe it or not, I liked it.

The movie does a great job of bringing “Transformers” to the masses, and making it a big summer blockbuster movie. I still don’t think this is the movie I dreamed of when I was a kid, but it’ll do. Shia LaBeouf is a big help. That kid is amazing! He really knows how to make you believe in the character he plays in every movie.

I think the one thing that scared me the most about a live action “Transformers” movie was that Hollywood would just simply over do it. There would be just too many robots and big in your face action scenes. This, amazingly, is not the case. The decision to have only a handful of Autobots and Deceptions was a smart move.  Less is more in a Michael Bay film… I KNOW!!! I’m not sure who was pulling the reins on the project (Steven Spielberg maybe?), but thank God they did. If I wanted to nit pick the movie, I could, but I would rather just enjoy it for what it is. The special effects are great, but the sound mixing is amazing! Sound mixer, Kevin O’Connell, or as he’s better known, the man without an Oscar, is the record holder for the most sound mixing nominations and no wins. Twenty in all, with zero wins, which is a crime, because his work on “Transformers” was by far the best of 2007. The use of the original sound effects of the transformation makes a world of difference. The other thing that helps make the world of “Transformers” come to life is the voice talent of Peter Cullen reprising his original role as Optimus Prime. It just would never be the same without that voice. The Mom and Dad’s back and forth is your stereo typical comic relief, but the family’s chemistry works so well. It just works. Look, the movie overall is entertaining. If you are a fan of the old cartoon, just let that love go for two hours, and watch something you never thought you’d be able to see on the big screen.

Rating:

DVD Two-Disc Special Edition Features:

Disc 1:

• Commentary by Director Michael Bay

I think Michael Bay is a truly talented director. His sense of timing, movement, and action cuts makes him an editor’s director. With all that being said, I would never want to spend ten minutes in a room with him. The only person that would enjoy listening to this commentary is Michael Bay. He just tells you these stories about how great he is. “I was the first person to ever do this.” “’Die Hard’ couldn’t do that.” “I’ve got a direct line to the Pentagon.” “My penis is this big. Beat that!” For two hours! If anything I proved my commitment to this blog by sitting through the whole thing, so you won’t ever have to. You’re welcome. I’m not joking, or as Michael Bay would say, “Teasing.” Let me tell you, there are two types of people in this world, those who say, “I’m just kidding/joking” and those who are douche bags and think saying, “I’m just teasing,” will make up for all the asshole things they do to people. I would never tease you. For the love of God, don’t listen to this commentary!

Disc 2:

• Our World:
  • Explore the world of “Transformers” through interviews with the cast and crew, stunt training footage, and exclusive access to the on-set locations.

• Their War:
  • Learn more about the Atuobots and Decepticons with exclusive access to production design, military advisors, and digital special effects.

• More Than Meets The Eye:
  • An in-depth featurette on the making of the Skorponok Desert Attack scene and concept boards.

There is truly hours of behind the scenes and making of footage here. If you enjoyed the movie the special features will be well worth your time… and money.

DVD Special Feature Rating: