Chris Redman, Tyler Thigpen, Luke McCown, Trent Dilfer, Vinny Testaverde, Gus Frerotte, Josh McCown and Sage Rosenfels all saw significant snaps from the quarterback position Sunday, as more and more teams struggle with the most important spot on the field. Speaking of which, how was Luke McCown behind Bruce Gradkowski on the depth chart to begin with? Is the QB position really THAT hard to evaluate during practice? Considering Cleveland started Charlie Frye over Derek Anderson to begin the year, and Tom Brady and Tony Romo may still be backups if not for injuries/ineptitude, apparently it is.
Words can't describe how truly awful Trent Dilfer was Sunday…With a more innovative approach installed in making sure he touches the ball, Steve Smith is going to be a fantasy factor from here on out…Frank Gore managing 111 yards while playing behind such a despicable offense is a testament to how truly special of a back he is.
While the timing was suspect, the Jaguars clearly made the right choice in picking David Garrard over Byron Leftwich. Jacksonville is still no better than the fourth team in the AFC, but Garrard's emergence (7.9 YPA) really makes this team interesting moving forward…As leader of the MJD bandwagon, I'll be the first to admit Fred Taylor has exceeded my expectations this year…Hopefully, Reggie Wayne's big season can officially end the silly debate regarding whether it's good or bad to have a strong WR on the opposite side. More targets = more production…Anthony Gonzalez was held to just one catch Sunday, but he was stopped just short of the end zone once and had another TD called back by penalty. I'd be surprised if Marvin Harrison returns during the regular season, so treat Gonzalez as a sneaky flex play right now.
Call me crazy, but not only is Kolby Smith a big upgrade over Priest Holmes, but I actually think he's looked better than the 2007 version of Larry Johnson…Rare does a player record two sacks and score an offensive touchdown in the same game but so was the case with Jared Allen Sunday…LaDainian Tomlinson is having a fine fantasy season, but consistency hasn't been a theme. He's gotten 48 percent of his total rushing yards and 64 percent of his total rushing TDs for the year during three games this season.
The Dolphins are really risking becoming the first 0-16 team in league history by starting John Beck the rest of the season. That said, it's the right thing to do. It gives him valuable experience and the team a better chance at the No. 1 pick in the draft…If you go to Yahoo's boxscore for the Jets/Dolphins game, listed under Miami's "top performer," you'll find this: Lorenzo Booker – 1 rush, 6 yds…In hindsight, maybe an 0-11 team shouldn't have been favored last week…When asked if he minded someone else joining his 1972 undefeated club, former Dolphin Mercury Morris responded: "A husband always needs a wife." Bravo, Morris, bravo.
The Vikings outrushed the Lions last week 216 to 23…If I were in a keeper-league, I'd trade my entire roster for Adrian Peterson…I hate to jump on everyone's new favorite bandwagon team, but Minnesota does become interesting with the way Tarvaris Jackson has played of late.
As someone who watches way too much television, this writers strike is killing me, as I can't take another week without "The Office," which has become the best non-cable sitcom since "Seinfeld." Although the British version is better, however.
Despite Donovan McNabb's mediocrity, there will be no QB controversy in Philly after A.J. Feeley's brutal performance Sunday. How can someone look so good the week before, yet so awful seven days later?...I've heard more than a few people talk about how much better Shaun Alexander ran Sunday, but those pesky stats certainly reveal otherwise. So did my own two eyes.
I don't care if Jerious Norwood blocks as poorly as I would, he simply has to see the majority of carries from here on out. When carrying the football this season on a per play basis, he's gotten literally twice as many yards as Warrick Dunn…Roddy White is currently one of the best wide receivers in the league. Now, if only Atlanta can find someone to throw to him.
For some reason, I find Chris Brown as one of the more exciting guys to watch run the football. He must have been told to watch his posture quite a bit as a kid, as the guy could not run more upright. Very awkward looking…Matt Schaub's laundry list of injuries this season has become a long-term concern…That's three straight impressive games passing by Vince Young…Mario Williams is officially the more valuable commodity than Reggie Bush.
"Detlef Schrempf" by Band of Horses has to be one of my favorites songs of the year.
The Redskins have allowed an NFL-best two runs of 20 yards or more this year. One came when the team opened with just 10 men on the field to honor Sean Taylor last week…What more can be said about Joe Gibbs calling back-to-back timeouts at this point? It's safe to say his legacy has been tarnished.
I was dead wrong regarding Jamal Lewis' fantasy value this season…Regarding the game-ending Kellen Winslow play – why in the world is the shoved out of bounds rule not able to be reviewed? That seems like one that an extra look would be especially useful, and it's not quite the same judgment call like pass interference either.
If a fantasy draft were held today, Justin Fargas would be a first round pick…I understand why they don't, but it sure would be interesting to see Denver select a RB high in the draft.
Why are referees always so reluctant to call safeties? Luke McCown was tackled about three yards in the end zone Sunday, and they huddled for five minutes before making the right call…Is there anyone more annoying than Mike Greenberg?...If previews for the upcoming final season of "The Wire," with the teaser "McNulty is drinking again," don't get your heartbeat racing with excitement, I suggest you take a long look in the mirror and re-evaluate your life.
Chicago leads the NFL in drops this year, and none was more excruciating than Devin Hester's Sunday…Speaking of, never has a special teams player affected games as much as Hester currently does. Joe Buck said the Giants won in part thanks to "controlling Devin Hester." Well, it's easy to control him when half of your second half kickoffs go out of bounds…The Bears scored a touchdown in the first quarter for the first time all season last week.
If there's a more disappointing player in the NFL this year than Willie Parker, I can't think of him…Chad Johnson running a 14-yard out and then stepping out of bounds voluntarily on a fourth and 17 play was a microcosm of this horrific, no-good, terrible Bengals team. The clueless look on his face at least gave dumbfounded Cincy fans some solace.
This Patriots defense is definitely vulnerable…Why choose the game versus Baltimore, who entered leading the league in YPC against, to run Laurence Maroney so much? I try not to make a habit of questioning Bill Belichick, however, as maybe Tom Brady's health was of more concern Monday…Speaking of Monday Night Football and ESPN, Emmitt Smith has gone from butt of the joke to utterly unwatchable. I seriously cringe watching him butcher the English language. By all accounts and purposes, he's a nice guy. But please, someone put him (and me) out of our misery.
Johan Santana is the best pitcher in baseball, but whoever comes away with Erik Bedard will be the big winners of the Hot Stove League. He's younger, cheaper and a left-hander who was leading the league in strikeouts while pitching in the AL East before going down to injury last year, which ended up limiting his innings. He also won't cost nearly as much in return to get him, especially after he essentially said he's done pitching in Baltimore after his contract expires. If Bedard gets dealt to the NL, I will be drafting him in the first round of fantasy leagues this year.
I'm a big fan of Alex Rios' potential, but if Brian Sabean trades Tim Lincecum for him, I'm officially finished rooting for the Giants. I'm standing on the ledge as is. I'm 95 percent certain I could be a better GM, and I'm not kidding or suffering from delusions of grandeur.