Tony Romo- In his second game against the Giants this season, Romo did not have his strongest performance. The Giants seem to be the only team with a good game plan on him all season. He barely completed any deep passes and picked up most of his yardage of screens and slants. Despite his low completion percentage and two INTs, he was still able to throw for 257 yards and 2 TDs. If this is a bad game from Romo, we’ll take it.
Marion Barber III- All along, Parcells has favored Barber to starting RB Julius Jones. After twelve games this season, Jones is the starter by name only. The last two weeks Barber has had the same or more carries as Jones, and he is out produced him on both occasions. He also has 13 total TDs this season. It is clear that the desirable Cowboys RB to own is now Barber.
Eli Manning- With the critics and media swirling around him and his team all week, Eli stepped up the challenge and had one of his best games all year while almost leading the Giants to the victory. Eli fished 24 for 36 with 270 yards and 2 TDs. It was the most accurate he looked in some time now, and he looked poised the entire game. The Giants are in must-win basis the rest of the season, and in order to do that, Eli must play like this every week. However, next week against Carolina will most likely be his toughest matchup of the year.
Ladell Betts- It was another huge day on the ground for Betts as he topped 100 yards for the second consecutive week. He finished with 28 carries for 155 yards and a TD. Betts is a free agent next week, and these performances are giving him a great chance to find a starting job next week. With Philadelphia, New Orleans, and St. Louis left on the schedule, he’s a great start the reason of the season.
Rex Grossman- One of the most painful things to watch all season was Rex Grossman’s games against Minnesota yesterday. He was a pathetic 6 for 19 with 34 yards and 3 INTs. Luckily, the Bears defense came up huge and won them the game. Coach Smith says that Grossman’s job is currently not in jeopardy, but if he continues to have games like this, the Bears will feel a lot safer with veteran Brian Griese behind center for the playoffs.
Thomas Jones/Cedric Benson- The emergence of Cedric Benson may have resulted in some lost carries the rest of the way for Thomas Jones. Against the number one rush defense in football, Jones had just 12 carries for 32 yards while Benson had 9 carries for 60 yards and a TD. Although Benson did play well, Jones should still get a decent amount of carries next week against St. Louis. It’s a tough play though because there is no telling what type of impact Benson will have.
Brad Johnson- Last week Johnson was mentioned for the good, but this week he’ll be discussed for the ugly. Johnson looked like a rookie rather than a veteran against the Bears defense on Sunday. He finished with only 73 yards passing and 4 INTs before being replaced. His replacement, Brooks Bollinger, got hurt and was then replaced by Tavarias Jackson. Following the game, Jackson said he did not think he was ready to start an NFL game, so it appears like Johnson will be back as the team’s QB next week.
Chester Taylor- Late in their game against Chicago, the Vikings lost RB Chester Taylor to an apparent rib injury. The Vikings feared that he had broken his ribs, but the injury appears much less severe. It does look though that Taylor may miss next week’s game against Detroit. In his place, Ciatrick Fason and Mewelde Moore will share the load.
Mike Furrey- Despite the emergence of Mike Willaims, the Lions second WR Mike Furrey had his best game of the season on Sunday. Furrey totaled 9 catches for 123 yards and a TD. The former Arena League WR has been one of the better stories in football this season. With four games left in the season, Furrey has an outside chance of breaking 1000 yards.
Reggie Bush- Against the 49ers on Sunday, Bush had the best game of his pro career. He finished with 168 totals yards, which contained 131 receiving, and had an impressive 4 TDs. Once Joe Horn went down with an injury, Bush became the go to guy for the Saints. If Horn and Colston remain out, Bush should see a rise in value, especially in the passing game. This will almost certainly be his best game all season, and there are probably more consistent week to week options out there the rest of the way.
Joe Horn- Early in the Saints game on Sunday, Horn re-aggravated his groin injury that has hampered him for most of the season. He finished with only 1 catch before being pulled for the rest of the day. The Saints may give him a few weeks off to make sure his groin will be ready for the playoffs. If Colston returns next week, he should have a good day in Horn’s absence.
Bruce Gradkowski- After another poor performance with 3 INTs and 0 TDs, Bruce Gradkowski’s job has come into question. It’s likely that Tim Rattay or Luke McCown will get a look before the season is over. In this nine week sampling so far from Gradkowski, he looks more like a solid backup than a starter in this league. If the Bucs don’t resign Chris Simms, look for them to add a veteran in the offseason.
Matt Hasselbeck- In his second start back since injury, Hasselbeck was just an ineffective for the Seahawks. He was 16 for 28 for only 168 yards and an INT. John Madden commented during the game that there just appears to be something wrong with Hasselbeck and I agree. Nevertheless, the Seahawks take on Arizona next week in what should be Hasselbeck’s best matchup the rest of the way, so it would be difficult to bench him.
Marc Bulger- It was a must win game for the Rams against Arizona, but St. Louis put up a real clunker of a performance. Bulger had a decent day with 314 yards and 2 TDs, but he also had 3 INTs. The story regarding Bulger is that after the game he called out some unnamed teammates. This probably referred to his inept offensive line. If they do not respond, Bulger will have a struggle the rest of the way.
Frank Gore- Coming off three straight monster performances, Gore looked poised to have another big day against the weak Saints rush defense. However, he was held to only 40 yards rushing, which is his lowest output of the season. For an unknown reason the 49ers were not as committed to the run as they gave him only 13 carries. He should bounce back nicely next week against Green Bay.
Edgerrin James/Marcel Shipp- Just when you thought nothing else could hurt Edge’s value, along comes Marcel Shipp. The backup Cards RB came out of nowhere for 3 TDs on Sunday. Going into the game he only had 3 carries all season, but now he has emerged as a TD vulture for Edge. Despite having 3 TDs he should have scored given to some bum who hasn’t played all year, Edge still topped 100 yards on the ground for the first time all year as he finished with 115. James has only one really great matchup the rest of the way, so he probably ceases to be an option after yesterday’s game.
-David Cassilo
Contact at asuhouse@aol.com
Marion Barber III- All along, Parcells has favored Barber to starting RB Julius Jones. After twelve games this season, Jones is the starter by name only. The last two weeks Barber has had the same or more carries as Jones, and he is out produced him on both occasions. He also has 13 total TDs this season. It is clear that the desirable Cowboys RB to own is now Barber.
Eli Manning- With the critics and media swirling around him and his team all week, Eli stepped up the challenge and had one of his best games all year while almost leading the Giants to the victory. Eli fished 24 for 36 with 270 yards and 2 TDs. It was the most accurate he looked in some time now, and he looked poised the entire game. The Giants are in must-win basis the rest of the season, and in order to do that, Eli must play like this every week. However, next week against Carolina will most likely be his toughest matchup of the year.
Ladell Betts- It was another huge day on the ground for Betts as he topped 100 yards for the second consecutive week. He finished with 28 carries for 155 yards and a TD. Betts is a free agent next week, and these performances are giving him a great chance to find a starting job next week. With Philadelphia, New Orleans, and St. Louis left on the schedule, he’s a great start the reason of the season.
Rex Grossman- One of the most painful things to watch all season was Rex Grossman’s games against Minnesota yesterday. He was a pathetic 6 for 19 with 34 yards and 3 INTs. Luckily, the Bears defense came up huge and won them the game. Coach Smith says that Grossman’s job is currently not in jeopardy, but if he continues to have games like this, the Bears will feel a lot safer with veteran Brian Griese behind center for the playoffs.
Thomas Jones/Cedric Benson- The emergence of Cedric Benson may have resulted in some lost carries the rest of the way for Thomas Jones. Against the number one rush defense in football, Jones had just 12 carries for 32 yards while Benson had 9 carries for 60 yards and a TD. Although Benson did play well, Jones should still get a decent amount of carries next week against St. Louis. It’s a tough play though because there is no telling what type of impact Benson will have.
Brad Johnson- Last week Johnson was mentioned for the good, but this week he’ll be discussed for the ugly. Johnson looked like a rookie rather than a veteran against the Bears defense on Sunday. He finished with only 73 yards passing and 4 INTs before being replaced. His replacement, Brooks Bollinger, got hurt and was then replaced by Tavarias Jackson. Following the game, Jackson said he did not think he was ready to start an NFL game, so it appears like Johnson will be back as the team’s QB next week.
Chester Taylor- Late in their game against Chicago, the Vikings lost RB Chester Taylor to an apparent rib injury. The Vikings feared that he had broken his ribs, but the injury appears much less severe. It does look though that Taylor may miss next week’s game against Detroit. In his place, Ciatrick Fason and Mewelde Moore will share the load.
Mike Furrey- Despite the emergence of Mike Willaims, the Lions second WR Mike Furrey had his best game of the season on Sunday. Furrey totaled 9 catches for 123 yards and a TD. The former Arena League WR has been one of the better stories in football this season. With four games left in the season, Furrey has an outside chance of breaking 1000 yards.
Reggie Bush- Against the 49ers on Sunday, Bush had the best game of his pro career. He finished with 168 totals yards, which contained 131 receiving, and had an impressive 4 TDs. Once Joe Horn went down with an injury, Bush became the go to guy for the Saints. If Horn and Colston remain out, Bush should see a rise in value, especially in the passing game. This will almost certainly be his best game all season, and there are probably more consistent week to week options out there the rest of the way.
Joe Horn- Early in the Saints game on Sunday, Horn re-aggravated his groin injury that has hampered him for most of the season. He finished with only 1 catch before being pulled for the rest of the day. The Saints may give him a few weeks off to make sure his groin will be ready for the playoffs. If Colston returns next week, he should have a good day in Horn’s absence.
Bruce Gradkowski- After another poor performance with 3 INTs and 0 TDs, Bruce Gradkowski’s job has come into question. It’s likely that Tim Rattay or Luke McCown will get a look before the season is over. In this nine week sampling so far from Gradkowski, he looks more like a solid backup than a starter in this league. If the Bucs don’t resign Chris Simms, look for them to add a veteran in the offseason.
Matt Hasselbeck- In his second start back since injury, Hasselbeck was just an ineffective for the Seahawks. He was 16 for 28 for only 168 yards and an INT. John Madden commented during the game that there just appears to be something wrong with Hasselbeck and I agree. Nevertheless, the Seahawks take on Arizona next week in what should be Hasselbeck’s best matchup the rest of the way, so it would be difficult to bench him.
Marc Bulger- It was a must win game for the Rams against Arizona, but St. Louis put up a real clunker of a performance. Bulger had a decent day with 314 yards and 2 TDs, but he also had 3 INTs. The story regarding Bulger is that after the game he called out some unnamed teammates. This probably referred to his inept offensive line. If they do not respond, Bulger will have a struggle the rest of the way.
Frank Gore- Coming off three straight monster performances, Gore looked poised to have another big day against the weak Saints rush defense. However, he was held to only 40 yards rushing, which is his lowest output of the season. For an unknown reason the 49ers were not as committed to the run as they gave him only 13 carries. He should bounce back nicely next week against Green Bay.
Edgerrin James/Marcel Shipp- Just when you thought nothing else could hurt Edge’s value, along comes Marcel Shipp. The backup Cards RB came out of nowhere for 3 TDs on Sunday. Going into the game he only had 3 carries all season, but now he has emerged as a TD vulture for Edge. Despite having 3 TDs he should have scored given to some bum who hasn’t played all year, Edge still topped 100 yards on the ground for the first time all year as he finished with 115. James has only one really great matchup the rest of the way, so he probably ceases to be an option after yesterday’s game.
-David Cassilo
Contact at asuhouse@aol.com
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