Week 3 in the NFL and the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets are still running strong at 3-0. The Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers are all 0-3 after winning their divisions last year.
Quarterbacks
Jason Campbell #17 started for the Washington Redskins and was effective against the Detroit Lions going 27-41 with 340 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Campbell also had a scramble for 21 yards showing that the small foot sprain that limited him in practice did not limit him Sunday. BUT the Skins did suffer their second loss of the season 19-14 to a Lions team that had lost 19 straight games.
Running Backs
Ronnie Brown #23 started for the Miami Dolphins and gained 75 yards on 18 carries in the 23-13 loss to San Diego. The Dolphins looked good on their opening drive, but on the 17th play, Brown fumbled the ball into the end zone and Miami never really got back on track after that. Look for Brown to really become the focus of the Fins’ offense since Chad Pennington is out for the season (and maybe career). And I’m going to leave something up for everyone to enjoy:
Heath Evans #44, starting fullback for the Saints, paved the way for the best rushing day the Saints have seen in a long time with 222 yards on the ground for a team that has averaged 320 yards passing per game over the last two years. Evans opened a big hole for Pierre Thomas to score early in the 4th quarter as the Saints went up 17-7 and poured it on to win 27-7 in Buffalo.
Tony Richardson #49, starting fullback for the New York Jets, had one carry for 7 yards in the 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Carnell Williams #24 is still No. 1 on the depth chart but had just two carries for 8 yards in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 24-0 loss to the New York Giants. The Bucs managed 86 total offensive yards in the game and look to be one of the worst teams in the league after just three weeks.
Brandon Jacobs #27, New York Giants running back, had a nice day in the 24-0 win over Tampa Bay with 92 yards and this TD where he strolled into the end zone.
Tre Smith #32 is on the injured reserve (IR) with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Tristan Davis #43 is on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad.
Wide Receivers
Devin Aromashadu #19 was again not active for the Chicago Bears in the 25-19 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Aromashadu’s pulled quad has cost him a lot of playing time and probably relegated him to the bottom of the depth chart since rookie Johnny Knox has played very well in his absence.
Ben Obamanu #87 had one catch for 11 yards in the Seahawks’ 25-19 loss to the Bears.
Prechae Rodriguez #85 is a starter for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but was a gametime decision this week with an injury and did not play in a 42-8 blowout loss to Montreal. Rodriguez has 44 catches for 486 yards and 3 TDs on the season.
Offensive Lineman
Ben Grubbs #66 started at left guard for the Baltimore Ravens in their dominant 34-3 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Marcus McNeill #73 started at left tackle for the San Diego Chargers in their 23-13 win over the Miami Dolphins.
King Dunlap #65 is 2nd string left tackle and right tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tyronne Green #69 is 2nd string for the San Diego Chargers and was active in their 23-13 win over Miami.
Kendall Simmons #71 is injured and inactive for the New England Patriots with an Achilles injury he suffered last season when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tim Duckworth #75 is on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad.
Willie Anderson called it a career after last year, but the Ravens recently asked him to return. Apparently, Big Willie is enjoying his retirement.
Defensive Lineman
Jay Ratliff #90 started for the Dallas Cowboys and had 2 tackles and one of the most beautiful sacks I have ever seen from a nose tackle in a long time. The Cowboys defeated the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football, 21-7, and Jay decided to tell us a few of his favorite things.
Quentin Groves #54 started for the Jaguars and had 4 tackles in their 31-24 win over the Houston Texans. Groves suffered an injury in the first half but came back to play in the second. Groves had a lot to say again this week. It looks like he is becoming the spokesman for this defense.
Spencer Johnson #91 had 6 tackles in the Bills’ 27-7 loss to the Saints in Buffalo. Johnson is a 2nd-string defensive tackle with the Bills. With fellow backup John McCargo injured, look for Johnson to get a little more playing time this week against Miami.
Pat Sims #90 had 2 tackles and half a sack in the Bengals’ 23-20 upset of the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers.
Sen’Derrick Marks #94 is still listed 3rd at his defensive tackle spot with the Tennessee Titans and was inactive during the team’s 24-17 loss to the New York Jets. I think we are all starting to wonder what is going on with Marks. Why isn’t he seeing the field?
Stanley McClover #75 is still on the IR for the Houston Texans.
Linebackers
Karlos Dansby #58 started for the Arizona Cardinals and led the team again this week with 9 tackles as the Cardinals fell, 31-10, at home to the Indianapolis Colts.
Will Herring #54 started for the Seahawks in their 25-19 loss to Chicago. Herring had 7 tackles on the day.
Takeo Spikes #51 started in the middle for the 49ers and had 6 tackles in their last-second 27-24 loss in Minnesota.
Reggie Torbor #53 played mostly on special teams and did not record a stat in the Dolphin’s 23-13 loss to the Chargers.
Tray Blackmon #30 is still No. 5 in tackles for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League despite being on (surprise) IR.
Cornerbacks
Carlos Rogers #22 had 2 tackles in the Redskins’ loss to the Detroit Lions 19-14. Lions QB Matthew Stafford avoided Rogers most of the game but did throw a pretty pass over Rogers for the opening touchdown.
Jonathan Wilhite #24 played in the nickel in the Patriots’ 26-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons but did not see too much playing time and did not record a stat.
Jerraud Powers #25 started for the Colts and had a fantastic day with 7 tackles for his team’s 31-10 win Sunday night. While I was watching the game, Cardinals QB Kurt Warner never wanted to throw Powers’ way and instead picked on the other corners. Powers was obviously excited in his first start because he was all over the field and in on most every play.
Kevin Hobbs #23 was active for the Lions’ 19-14 win over the Redskins and had 5 tackles.
Pat Lee #22, is on IR with the Green Bay Packers
Rod Hood, after starting for the Super Bowl runner-up Cardinals, worked out for the Titans on Monday.
Kickers
Robert Bironas #2 kicked one field goal and 2 extra points in his Titans’ 24-17 loss to the New York Jets.
Damon Duval #15 was named CFL special teams player of the week last week. This week he was two for three on field goals and five for five on extra points. For the season he is 32 for 39 on field goals and 37 for 37 on extra points for the Montreal Allouttes.
Next week I will start keeping a running tally of season stats.
Questions? Comments? Anyone you want to know about that’s not listed? Let me know and I’ll have it up next week!
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