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PFT: Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth says owner Daniel Snyder desperately wants to win and talks to him frequently about it.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh is quoted in a new book saying, ‘The Cowboys stand for everything that’s wrong with the NFL.’

It’s a big year for football on television — ratings are up for both NFL and college games.

	J. Meric/Getty Images
	Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Freeman gets his first start Sunday, against the Packers.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



TAMPA, Fla. — In April, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Josh Freeman and said he eventually would be the franchise quarterback. These days, the Bucs need Freeman to be nothing short of their savior.



That’s what it has come to. Seriously. Let’s not waste time dancing around what’s going on in Tampa Bay. Freeman’s going to get his first NFL start Sunday and a lot of jobs depend on what he does in the next nine games.



From coach Raheem Morris to general manager Mark Dominik to just about every other player on the roster, their futures all depend on what Freeman does in the next nine games. He doesn’t have to instantly be Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, but the kid from Kansas State must show something.



Anything — and I mean anything — slightly positive could save a lot of people. Let’s face it, the Bucs didn’t hire Morris and Dominik with the intention of bringing them in for one season and then turning around and replacing them with someone like Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan.



They hired them to do what Jon Gruden could not — build a team for the long term. When the Glazer family hired Morris and Dominik, they told them to make the roster younger, and there’s no doubt a certain amount of implied patience came with that.



But what Morris and Dominik have done so far doesn’t quite look like they’re building from the ground up. They look like they’ve knocked everything down and kept digging until they have enough room to build about 10 subway lines.



They’re 0-7 and, to this point, the Bucs haven’t shown a single positive, except for maybe rookie receiver Sammie Stroughter. Jobs aren’t saved and franchises aren’t made by seventh-round receivers making a few nice catches.



It’s all going to come down to Freeman and if he can win a couple of games and show some improvement. That’s really going to be the only way the people who were hired to start the rebuilding job will have a chance to finish it.



Coaches who go 0-16 or 1-15 just don’t survive. And, really, is there any reason to keep Morris if things keep going the way they are? No, but we’re not quite to that point yet. There’s still time to create some hope, still time for Morris to find something to hang his hat on.



But that has to be Freeman because there’s nothing else. The Bucs are at their lowest point since the Sam Wyche days and, coincidentally, Freeman will make his starting debut in orange because the Bucs are digging out those old Creamsicle uniforms against the Packers.



They also will be playing in a stadium at least half full of Green Bay colors because the Bucs aren’t the most popular ticket in town and Packers fans travel and a lot of them are transplanted in Florida.



Not a great situation to start a kid who came out of college early and was not viewed as being ready to start in the NFL from Day One by everyone, including the Bucs.



“I take it as a challenge,’’ Freeman said. “I can’t really control what the defense does, but I can control what the offense does. I’m the quarterback. It gets to the matter of just getting something going.’’



I was of the school of thought that the Bucs should have just gone ahead and thrown Freeman in as the starter from the very start. If you’re going to rebuild, why not start doing it with the guy you’re supposedly building around in the lineup?



The Bucs didn’t see it that way. Basically, they didn’t want to throw him out there too soon, shatter his confidence, and turn him into the second coming of David Carr. That thinking has some merit because Tampa Bay’s offensive line has been terrible, the running game non-existent and the receivers (aside from Stroughter and tight end Kellen Winslow) can’t catch anything.



That offense made NFL veteran Byron Leftwich, who was supposed to be a bridge to Freeman, look so bad that he had to be benched. The Bucs were so determined to get through their game in London against the Patriots without starting Freeman that they turned things over to Josh Johnson, who had no business starting in the NFL.



But the Patriots and London are in the past. It’s time for Freeman. Ready or not, the entire franchise is on his shoulders.



“That’s not heavy on my mind because I’m just looking at it from a personal standpoint of what I want to do and my career goals I set up even before the draft happened,’’ Freeman said. “My goal is to wherever I got drafted, I want to be there my whole career and win a lot of football games. I think the pressure I put on myself outweighs that in my mind. They both kind of run together.”



Maybe it’s best that Freeman views it like that and maybe that approach will help him make the kind of incremental progress that will give the Bucs hope and save some jobs. If he truly realized what’s at stake for everyone and went out and tried to turn it all around at once, it might be too much for one person.



Freeman can be the franchise quarterback down the line. For now, he just needs to show something that says the Bucs might be on the right path and that will be enough. For Morris and Dominik and this rebuilding project, a little bit of progress from Freeman will make him the savior.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky



Like many NFL followers, I was hoping Sunday’s Texans-Colts game would give us a chance to see both Dallas Clark and Owen Daniels, two of the league’s very best tight ends.



Unfortunately Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury last week and won’t be a part of it.



I wonder how much his absence the rest of the season will affect the remarkable pace of tight ends around the league this year.



Clark is tied for fourth in the NFL with 46 catches and ranks seventh in yardage (584); Daniels is tied for ninth with 40 catches and is 15th in yards (519).



In all, tight ends are 14 of the top 51 pass-catchers and 12 of the top 51 in receiving yards and six of the top 51 in scoring.



According to the NFL, tight ends are on pace to break the NFL season record for the most receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches for the position.



Through Week 8, tight ends have totaled 1,018 receptions, 11,280 receiving yards and 87 touchdown receptions.



Can the fraternity pick up the slack from losing Daniels and still break those records? I suspect so.

	Jeff Lewis/Icon SMI
	Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson has established himself as one of the top weapons in San Diego’s offense.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson



Nnamdi Asomugha was one of the last Oakland players to leave the visitor’s locker room Sunday after a loss to San Diego. While putting on the finishing touches to his designer outfit, Asomugha discussed the talents of one of the best players on the field that day.



“I really like Vincent Jackson,” Asomugha said. “I just like his game. He plays with a lot of confidence. He knows he’s going to make a play. I think he is on his way [to becoming an elite receiver]. If he continues to work hard, he’ll get there.”



Asomugha’s praise is high. The astute cornerback is probably the best in the NFL and is also a top-flight student of the game.



Jackson has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL this season and the fifth-year veteran is becoming dominant. He gave Oakland fits Sunday, catching seven passes for 103 yards. He had five catches, including a touchdown, on one series.



At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds with excellent speed for a receiver, Jackson can be hard to contain. He can take over games. He is San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers’ favorite target and the two have become one of the best tandems in the NFL. Jackson is superior in both the possession game and in the deep game.



With Jackson’s size, speed and production, Rivers believes the 26-year old Jackson deserves to be considered one of the game’s brightest receivers.



“He’s as good as there is in my opinion,” Rivers said. “He’s right up there with anybody in the league at going to attack the football down the field … You want to get him as many opportunities as you can.”



Jackson, who has 13 catches for 245 yards in the past two games, is third in the NFL in receiving yards with 664 yards on 37 catches. He has five touchdowns. He has converted first downs on 32 of his receptions. His 86.5 first-down percentage rate is the highest in the NFL among players who have 31 or more catches. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Jackson, a second-round pick from tiny Northern Colorado, is fourth in the NFL among receivers with three plays of 40-plus yards. He also does not have a dropped pass this season.



Jackson thrives on being a complete receiver.



“I try to be as dynamic a receiver as I can be,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to be known as just a big guy who is going to go catch the 40-yard bomb. I want to be a third-down guy, a possession guy. I think I had a couple catches on third down the last couple weeks, some slants and stuff like that. They can move me around and put me anywhere and match me up. I think that really helps us out as an offense.”



Jackson’s effect on the offense is wide-ranging. He has become a focal point as the Chargers have become much more of a passing team than a running team. He also has taken pressure off of Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates. Gates is facing a lot more single coverage now that Jackson has exploded.



Opposing teams are noticing Jackson for many reasons. Foremost is that he is a pending free agent. If there isn’t a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), Jackson will be a restricted free agent. If there is a new CBA, Jackson will be an unrestricted free agent. San Diego has several pending free agents, but Jackson is becoming the team’s biggest free-agent priority.



Whatever happens, Jackson is sure to break the bank. He probably will get a contract north of the six-year, $48 million deal Atlanta’s Roddy White signed in August.



But don’t expect Jackson to talk about his contract push. He doesn’t talk about much.



In an era of the diva receiver, Jackson is a throwback. He doesn’t make waves and he’s known in the organization for his study habits and solid blocking in the running game. He is not Ochocinco or T.O.



Jackson doesn’t feel as if he’s missing anything by straying from the norm of today’s big-talking receiver.



“And I’m OK with that. I enjoy that,” Jackson said. “Staying under the radar is not a problem when we have so many big-name guys on this team and very talented football players. I’m just doing my job, blending in, staying even keel and having fun out there.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



You guys went at it pretty well while debating a question with no easy answer: Which NFC North team, Chicago or Green Bay, has a better chance to make the playoffs?



(You were especially nice about the typos in the schedule charts, which I’ve republished — in corrected form — below. Appreciate your patience.)



I can’t say there was a consensus here. But those of you who chose the Packers as the likeliest postseason team built your argument around their schedule. Fayld wrote: “While I think the Bears are the better team, I think the Packers have one more game that they ‘should’ win easily along with a game against the Cardinals that might feature a Cardinals team resting its starters. Bucs, Lions, and Seahawks are all poor teams where the Bears only have two ‘cupcakes’ left in Detroit and St. Louis.”



AZ_Vikings_Fan, not surprisingly, noted “Chicago’s schedule is tougher because they still have to play the Vikings twice. … Even if they happen to get lucky and split the Vikings series they only have 9 wins. If they win a game I thought they’d lose they will have 10 wins but probably have less conference wins.”



Some of you believe there is more to a schedule than simply the strength of opponents. Wrote Kacimlangford: “The Bears have most of their tougher games at home. That gives them an edge.” Kacimlangford added: “The Bears match up better with the teams they play than the Packers.”



RedVespa has no doubt:

It will be Chicago, and here’s why: My Bears will beat Green Bay, Philly, and San Francisco. Oh, and they’ll win against the Cardinals as well. I predict a split with Minnesota. Call me overly optimistic if you like, but I see the naysayers shutting up as the Bears cruise through November and into December delivering what they should.

We don’t have to call you overly optimistic, RedVespa. You did it for us. I thought adambballn offered a more measured view:

I think we’ll find out a lot about the Bears this weekend. Was the Cincinnati game a fluke like the Raiders beating the Eagles or were the Bears exposed? If the Bears defense plays to its capabilities and Ron Turner figures out how to turn into an offensive coordinator all of a sudden, the Bears have the talent to make the playoffs. Remember they could just as easily be 6-1 as they are 4-3. … Vasher slips and Jennings scores a game winning touchdown and Forte fumbling 2 times on the goal line. … That’s the difference between 4-3 and 6-1.

Only a handful of you believe both teams will advance to the postseason, as many of us once thought was a distinct possibility. Here’s how titiritero83 sees it: “The NFC West isn’t good enough to send a wildcard. The NFC East teams beat each other up, and only Philly looks like a real contender there anyhow. The Saints have pretty much already won the NFC South and Atlanta looks to be just as inconsistent as the Bears and Packers have been.”



My take? I got about halfway through this post when I realized how hard it is to make this kind of call in early November. I think I’m the guy, after all, who declared the Packers best-equipped to win the division around midseason last year.



But that’s all part of the fun, I suppose. So here goes: I say the Bears. I arrived at that call with very little scientific analysis. In fact, I took an intentionally quick glance through each team’s schedule and came up with four victories for Green Bay and six for Chicago. If anything, the Bears’ home schedule — including three in December — probably swayed me.



Will 10-6 get the Bears into the playoffs? I have to guess it will, but stranger things have happened. Either way, I see the second half of the season set up better for them than it is for the Packers. Thanks for playing.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley



During the course of a year, I’ll have somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 sports books show up in my mailbox. Unless the book was written by a close friend or my spouse, I don’t normally bring it to your attention on the Beast. But while thumbing through Reuben Frank and Mark Eckel’s excellent new book “Game Changers: The 50 Greatest Plays in Philadelphia Eagles Football History,” I came across an explosive quote from former Eagles assistant and current Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.



Asked why the Eagles have had so much success from 1999-2008 and the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game during that period, Harbaugh had this to say:

“Why is that? Because what Andy Reid and his program stand for if the opposite of what the Cowboys stand for. The Cowboys are a star system. It’s all about building around individuals first and collecting talent, collecting great players. Andy has always been about building a team. And over the long haul, it’s a team sport, and one of the greatest examples of that is what’s happened with the Eagles and the Cowboys over the last 10 years. The Cowboys stand for everything that’s wrong with the NFL.”

Harbaugh spent nine years with the Eagles as a special teams and secondary coach before becoming the head coach in Baltimore in 2008. Obviously, his dislike of the Cowboys hasn’t faded over time. Harbaugh made that comment last March.



Of the 50 greatest plays selected by the authors, 11 of them occurred in games against the Cowboys. Harbaugh was involved in the Pickle Juice game at Texas Stadium on Sept. 3, 2000. It was his idea to open the season with an onside kick, which the Eagles recovered to set up a touchdown drive. The Eagles won that game, 41-14, and Harbaugh was given a lot of credit for his daring idea. It was called the Pickle Juice game because the Eagles drank the stuff to overcome the Texas heat. The temperature soared to 109 that afternoon.



I just thought you guys might enjoy that quote during Eagles-Cowboys week.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham



A few days ago, I asked readers to submit their votes for the most absurd AFC East outcome through the first half of 2009.

	AP Photo/Mike Groll
	The ugly Buffalo-Cleveland game in Week 5 was a tough loss for Bills fans to endure.

While the comments section beneath that blog quickly turned into a trash-talking session between New York Jets and Miami Dolphins fans, a few readers actually attempted to make cases for the game they felt was supremely ridiculous.



The most compelling cases were made for the Week 5 disaster between the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills in Ralph Wilson Stadium.



That catastrophe deserved to end in a tie, but the Browns won 6-3 thanks to a muffed punt deep in Bills territory in the final minutes. Browns quarterback Derek Anderson completed 2 of 17 passes for 23 yards. His 11.8 percent completion percentage was the second-worst for a winning quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger.



Coming in second was the Indianapolis Colts‘ 27-23 victory over the Dolphins in Week 2. The Colts became the first team since time of possession became an official stat in 1970 to win while holding the ball for less than 15 minutes. The Colts ran only 35 plays.



Here are some of the better submissions on the subject:



Jesse in Omaha wrote into the AFC East mailbag that the Browns-Bills game “was the lowest point I’ve had as a fan in a long time. Even if I were a Jets fan during the loss to the lowly Bills, at least I could stand by the fact that the opposing team tried to win the game. I’m not convinced Cleveland wanted to beat Buffalo that day.”



In the comments section, glui8 declared the Browns-Bills was, “hands down, the most absurd result. Not only was it the worst football game I’ve ever seen played, whether it be Pop Warner, high school, college or pro, but the losing team (and this is the reason I’m picking it as the most absurd) got beat by a quarterback that completed two, yes, two passes for a whopping total of 23 yards. THAT IS ABSURD and, in my opinion, is way worse than any of the other games nominated.”



DolflyerpacerV316 added: “Gotta be the Browns-Bills game. Seriously, they lost to the Browns? Who does that? How they only scored three on the Browns is the first mystery, but losing to them? That just defines absurd!”



Also in the comments section, mrf042579 weighed in: “I’m going to have to vote for the Colts-Dolphins game. As a Bills fan, I am tempted to vote for any of their games, but in all honesty, how do you lose a game when your opponent runs 35 plays and has the ball less than 15 minutes?”



There was no doubt in stevejdolphin’s mind: “It was easily the Dolphins-Colts game. I watched that game, and the way the Dolphins completely controlled the pace of the game while their offense was on the field was incredible. This also needs to be put in perspective with all the coaching changes the Colts had in the off-season. This was the second week of the season, and the Colts had struggled the week before against the Jaguars. They didn’t have their second-best receiver in Anthony Gonzalez. For Peyton Manning to pull out a win with everything stacked against him is impossible. It happened and it was without a doubt the most absurd AFC East result.”



SportsFan1236 made the case for another game, going with the Dolphins frittering a 21-point first-half lead against the Saints: “They went from dominant to dominated. Sorry, but that was the most pathetic loss of the year. To lose a game in a final minutes is bad, but to lose your momentum and such a huge lead right before half is horrible. Could have beat one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the league and choked it away.”



To refresh your memories, here are the thumbnails from the other runners-up:



Week 1: Patriots 25, Bills 24. The Bills don’t trail for almost 59 minutes, but Leodis McKelvin fumbles a kickoff inside the final two minutes, setting up Tom Brady with a short field. Brady throws his second touchdown in a span of 1:16 to escape with a dramatic victory.



Week 4: Saints 24, Jets 10. The Jets’ offense gives up more points than it scores and more points than its defense allows. The Saints score touchdowns on two of Mark Sanchez‘s four turnovers.



Week 6: Bills 16, Jets 13 (OT). The Bills allow 318 rushing yards, second-most in Jets history. Thomas Jones runs for the most yards of his career, setting a Jets record. His 210 yards are the fifth most in a defeat since the merger. But the Jets throw six interceptions, five of them by Sanchez.



Week 7: Saints 46, Dolphins 34. The Dolphins hold a 21-point lead for the first 29 minutes of the game but collapse the rest of the way, giving up 24 points in the fourth quarter to become the first team in 22 years to blow a 21-point lead and lose by at least a dozen.



Week 8: Dolphins 30, Jets 25. A sublime Jets defense holds the Dolphins to 104 total yards (third fewest in franchise history) and 1.9 yards per pass attempt. The Dolphins score one offensive touchdown, but two Ted Ginn kickoff returns and a Jason Taylor fumble return — all in the third quarter — make the difference.