Pro Football Fan Site

Posted by ESPN.com’s Mike Sando



You read it here Sunday: The NFL should suspend Tommie Harris after the Bears’ defensive tackle slugged the Cardinals’ Deuce Lutui in the helmet Sunday.



There will be no suspension.



How can that be?



I suspect the league is treating Harris’ ejection as the loose equivalent of a one-game suspension. Harris played only four snaps against the Cardinals before the ejection. Had Harris been ejected in, say, the third quarter, I’m guessing the league would have suspended him for the Bears’ game against the 49ers on Thursday night.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has put the kibosh on condiments. Receiver Chad Ochocinco tweeted this week that he planned to send mustard to the Pittsburgh Steelers in advance of their game Sunday at Heinz Field. When Lewis got wind of the plan, he put an end to it.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham



Since 2003, half of the eight showdowns between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have been decided by four points or fewer. Three of their past five regular-season games fall in this category.

Brady

Manning

Their past three meetings, including a playoff game, have been decided by four points, four points and seven points. In the 10-game series between the quarterbacks, the Indianapolis Colts have scored six more points.



It’s easy to envision Sunday night’s game in Lucas Oil Stadium coming down to the wire.



“When you play them, you know that it’s going to come down to a couple of plays,” Brady said Wednesday. “It’s going to come down to plays in the red area, some of those plays on third [down], because you know they’re going to move the ball. It’s not like he’s going to go out there and throw for 75 yards. He’s probably going to throw for 300 yards.



“They’re going to get down in the red area. It’s just that you have to keep them out in the red area, and you have to take advantage of situational football that you have. You can’t turn the ball over. The game’s where it’s gotten out of hand — one way or another — it’s because of turnovers. … That’s when you start seeing those 14-point wins, those 21-point wins.”

Brady has had a couple of unproductive second halves this year, with the overtime loss in Denver immediately coming to mind.



His numbers for the season, however, are stellar and are strikingly similar to Manning’s.



Brady has a 103.6 passer rating in the second half. That ranks fifth in the NFL. Manning is fourth with a 103.8 passer rating after halftime.



Brady has two fewer completions on nine more attempts and 7 fewer yards.



But Brady has seven touchdowns and no interceptions, compared to Manning’s five touchdowns and one interception.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Of all the statistics Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre put up during the first half of the season, perhaps the most surprising is this: Three interceptions.

	Bruce Kluckhohn/US Presswire
	Brett Favre is on pace for a career-low in interceptions.

That’s right. The NFL’s all-time leader in interceptions (313 in 281 games) has thrown only three through the first eight games of this season. That’s the lowest midseason total of his career, and the figure would probably be lower were it not for two balls tipped into the air by his own receivers.



If Favre maintains anything resembling this pace, he will finish 2009 with a career-low interception total. Currently, that figure stands at 13, set in 1996.



There are a couple of working theories on this development. One is that Favre is not totally comfortable with the Vikings offense, adding a (healthy) level of hesitation that has kept his careless — and carefree — habits at bay. Coach Brad Childress, meanwhile, said Wednesday that Favre has a bounty of weapons and added: “I just don’t think he feels compelled to stick a round peg in a square hole.”



Favre said Wednesday that the low interception total has resulted from “a combination for numerous things” that include the Vikings’ running game, his own good decisions, the play calling of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and teammates that have “played outstanding.”



I think Favre hit on something on that final example. While he hasn’t thrown many passes up for grabs, as has been his career-long habit, Favre has been bailed out a few times. Most recently, receiver Percy Harvin made a strong catch over his back shoulder while surrounded by three Green Bay defenders two weeks ago in Green Bay. Harvin then pivoted, ran back toward the middle of the field and scored on what became a 51-yard touchdown play.



Favre admitted the throw “was not the best decision” and acknowledged the ball arrived late.



“It was just freaky the way it worked out,” Favre said. “Percy made me look good. He turned what could have been a bad decision into a great play.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham



ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The three most interesting notes from the Buffalo Bills‘ facility Wednesday: Trent Edwards will be their quarterback Sunday, Terrell Owens is hurt and they haven’t announced what they will do with receiver James Hardy.

	Kevin Hoffman/US Presswire
	Trent Edwards, who missed the Bills’ past two games, will start on Sunday.

Bills head coach Dick Jauron said he liked the way Edwards and the offense were evolving at the time he suffered a concussion in Week 6.



“We’re hoping that he just picks up from there and that we pick up from there,” Jauron said. “We just haven’t been productive at all. We haven’t scored. We haven’t moved it consistently. So we’re looking for him to go something beyond what it was.”



Edwards missed two starts before last week’s bye. Ryan Fitzpatrick went 2-1 in Edwards’ absence, but the offense continued to sputter.



Owens practiced Monday without incident and walked through the Buffalo Bills locker room Wednesday without a detectable limp.



But something happened to his hip on Tuesday, forcing him to get attention from the Bills’ training staff and keeping him off the practice field Wednesday.



Jauron said Owens’ strained hip was a new issue.



“He practiced on Monday, and it wasn’t bothering him,” Jauron said. “He said it didn’t bother him at all. He came in after practice, he got his normal treatment that he gets. Then on Tuesday, later in the afternoon yesterday, all of a sudden, it really started to bother him. He came in immediately, got treatment for it, came back this morning, was in meetings, but it was very uncomfortable for him.



“So right now it’s pretty uncomfortable. We’re hoping it goes away as quickly as it came. That’s our hope. We really won’t know until we see how he feels tomorrow.”



The Bills would have to make a roster move to make room to activate Hardy, the 41st overall pick in last year’s draft, from the physically unable to perform list. Hardy’s rookie season ended with a knee injury.



Jauron wouldn’t tip his hand on the player to be cut if Hardy were to be activated, but said, “We definitely have a place for Roscoe [Parrish] on our football team.”

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -Brett Favre is back from his bye week, saying he believes his pulled groin will be fine.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham



ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Terrell Owens was missing from Wednesday’s practice, creating a buzz in the Buffalo Bills‘ facility. The club needs to cut somebody before the 4 p.m. deadline to activate receiver James Hardy from the physically unable to perform list. Hardy was at practice.



The Bills have announced Owens’ absence is injury-related, but no specifics were provided. Bills coach Dick Jauron’s regularly scheduled news conference is at 2:30 p.m.



I will provide more information as it comes in.



The Bills are coming off a bye. Owens was in the Bills’ locker room on Monday. Tuesday is a normal day off.



A better candidate to get released would be Roscoe Parrish, the disgruntled receiver and punt returner who lately has been designated the third quarterback on game days, essentially scratching him from the lineup.

» NFC: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson



Power Rankings: Preseason: 30. This week: 27.



2009 Schedule/Results



Where they stand: The Raiders are 2-6 and are in the midst of another disappointing season. The Raiders opened the season with some hope. They played three-time defending AFC West champion San Diego tough on opening night before losing in the final seconds. The Raiders have been a disaster since. They have not played hard in the majority of their games and have been beaten by 20-plus points in four of their six losses. Fans are staying away from home games and the Raiders have struggled on both sides of the ball. They are playing mostly uncompetitive football for the seventh straight season.

	Kirby Lee/US Presswire
	Louis Murphy has been a pleasant surprise for the Raiders.

Disappointments: It has to start with quarterback JaMarcus Russell. He has been one of the worst players in the NFL this season. He has been inaccurate and has no command of the offense. He was benched for more than a half in Oakland’s seventh game, but he has regained his starting job. Still, Russell is not Oakland’s only problem. The team’s receivers are dropping too many balls and the offensive line has struggled and hurt the run game. Defensively, Oakland has been blown out often and has been bad against the run.



Surprises: The Raiders have some decent young players. Rookie Louis Murphy has dropped several passes, but he looks like he has a good future. He was a good value pick for a fourth-round pick. Two other draft picks — tight end Brandon Myers and defensive lineman Matt Shaughnessy — have played decently. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski is 12-for-12 on field goals attempts. Janikowski has been a solid kicker, but his accuracy has been special.



Outlook: If Oakland can find away to play with passion on a consistent bias, it could show improvement. The Raiders should be getting back receiver Chaz Schilens, running back Darren McFadden and guard Robert Gallery soon. They’ve all missed extensive time with injuries. Finding consistency is Oakland’s biggest challenge as it tries to avoid becoming the first team in NFL history to lose at least 11 games in seven straight seasons.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson



Power Rankings: Preseason: 29. This week: 28.



2009 Schedule/Results



Where they stand: The Chiefs are, once again, an overall uncompetitive team. This is a team that won a total of six games in the final two years of the former regime. Under new general manager Scott Pioli and new head coach Todd Haley, there has been no tangible improvement. The Chiefs are 1-7 and have not competed in most games. The team has been lackluster on offense and overmatched on defense. There are many holes on this roster. Kansas City, which cut ties with troubled veteran running back Larry Johnson this week, looks like it is a long way from being competitive.

	Kirby Lee/Image of Sport/US Presswire
	Todd Haley’s Chiefs have struggled to generate any consistency this season.

Disappointments: The biggest disappointment for Kansas City is probably the lack of improvement. There was a lot of excitement when Pioli came in and there have not been any results yet. It’s early and the program seems like it is headed in the right direction. But it’s been slower than expected. This team looks to be no better than last year’s 2-14 outfit. The Chiefs have been particularly bland on offense. Haley had great success as an offensive coordinator in Arizona. But he has been unable to generate any explosiveness from a less talented group in Kansas City.



Surprises: The Chiefs have a few players shining unexpectedly. Receiver Lance Long had eight catches last Sunday at Jacksonville. He was promoted from the practice squad two weeks ago. He could be an interesting player to watch in the second half of the season. At linebacker, Corey Mays has played well and looks like he can be a potential standout. The story of the second half could be receiver Chris Chambers. He had three catches for 70 yards, including two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, against the Jaguars in his first game as a Chief. Chambers was claimed off waivers from San Diego last week. Chambers could spark an unproductive offense in the second half.



Outlook: The Chiefs actually showed some signs of life, offensively at least, at Jacksonville. They scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. It was the best the unit looked all season. The quarter output was better than the Chiefs’ point output for four of their previous six games. The Chiefs are building toward the future. If this team can build upon the late success in Jacksonville and win some games in the second half of the season, it could be a good building block for Kansas City down the road.