Pro Football Fan Site

Earlier Thursday, we looked at four established NFC North players who reside on the proverbial roster bubble. Now, let’s take a broader look at some key questions our teams face in determining the final composition of their rosters.



Will the Bears wipe out a good bit of their 2009 draft? Defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, receiver Juaquin Iglesias and defensive lineman Henry Melton were the Bears’ top three picks of that draft. They’ve all been invisible this summer and certainly haven’t done anything to earn roster spots. Whether one is reserved for them is another question.



Can the Bears find room for special-teams stud Tim Shaw? He had 30 tackles on special teams last season but isn’t much of a factor on defense. But he would qualify as a specialist, and there isn’t always room for one on a 53-man roster. Do the Bears feel comfortable using him at linebacker, especially considering preseason injuries to Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Nick Roach? Uncertain.



How many running backs will the Detroit Lions keep? We know that Jahvid Best is the starter, and veteran Kevin Smith would be the likely No. 2 if he were completely healthy. But does Smith’s offseason knee surgery make the Lions nervous? And if so, do they keep five backs behind Best — Smith, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, DeDe Dorsey and fullback Jerome Felton — or does one get released?



If they keep an extra back, could the Lions take a roster spot from the quarterback position? That’s not out of the question. The Lions have established Shaun Hill as the long-term backup to starter Matthew Stafford. So is there any reason to keep Drew Stanton on the roster?



Will the Green Bay Packers keep five tight ends? We mentioned the possibility of veteran Donald Lee meeting the end of the line. It’s also possible that Tom Crabtree could be sneaked onto the practice squad. But you could make an argument that all five tight ends are among the Packers’ top 53 players. General manager Ted Thompson has made odd numerical choices before; last year he kept three fullbacks for what is mostly a one-back offense.



Will both players who entered 2009 competing for the right tackle job be cut? It’s very possible that Allen Barbre and Breno Giacomini have played their way off the team. This year’s backup tackles are more likely to be Bryan Bulaga and T.J. Lang.



How will the Minnesota Vikings establish more depth at cornerback? Right now, their starters are Antoine Winfield and either Lito Sheppard or Asher Allen. The nonstarter in that group is the likely nickelback, but beyond him the Vikings have no viable candidates for depth. A waiver claim or trade would seem a near-certainty.



How many receivers can the Vikings keep? Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin are locks. You would think Greg Lewis makes the team, along with Greg Camarillo. Will Javon Walker make the Week 1 roster as a No. 5 receiver? Or would the Vikings be wary of guaranteeing his 2010 salary? Signing him back as early as Week 2 would allow them to pay him on a weekly basis.



Earlier: Final-week position battles and players on the bubble.

A couple thoughts per NFC West team heading into the final games of the 2010 NFL exhibition season:



Baltimore Ravens at St. Louis Rams (8 p.m. ET)



Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo says he wants to see Sam Bradford string together back-to-back impressive performances before announcing the rookie as his starter for the regular season. Bradford would have to falter badly or suffer an injury for the Rams to make him their backup heading into Week 1. That’s my feel, anyway. Avoiding significant injuries to Bradford or any key player stands as the top priority for the Rams in this game. They lack sufficient depth to weather injuries. Losing receiver Donnie Avery to a season-ending knee injury in the third exhibition game heightened those concerns. The Rams have been able to keep together their starting offensive line in recent weeks, a trend that needs to continue.



Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Redskins (10 p.m. ET, NFL Network)



Matt Leinart could complete 9 of 10 passes and still not win the starting job. We know this because Leinart did just that in the the third exhibition game, but Derek Anderson remained the starting quarterback.What would it take for Leinart to prevail in this race? An injury to Anderson would clear the way. Short of that, however, it appears the Cardinals think Anderson gives them a better chance to win, regardless of what happens against Washington in the last (and least) exhibition game. The manner in which Leinart has handled his demotion — questioning Whisenhunt, claiming he had outplayed the competition and making it sound like he’s earned the right to start — makes it tougher for the Cardinals to hold up Leinart as their starter heading into the regular season. How much each quarterback plays Thursday night could matter. If Leinart does not play, it suggests the team might be planning to release him (assuming no trade partners emerge). If Leinart plays sparingly in relief, the status quo might prevail for a while (the Cardinals could always keep four quarterbacks on the cutdown to 53 players, biding their time). I’d be surprised if Leinart played extensively Thursday night.



Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders (10 p.m. ET)



Getting something going in the running game would make the Seahawks feel better about their prospects heading into the regular season. The Raiders’ run defense was a question mark heading into camp, and Frank Gore carried twice for 58 yards against Oakland last week. The Seahawks haven’t gained much traction on the ground even though Leon Washington looked good in scoring an 11-yard touchdown against Green Bay two weeks ago. Ben Obomanu, Brandon Jones, Jordan Babineaux, Owen Schmitt, Anthony McCoy and Cameron Morrah are some of the players whose status with the team could use clarification, at least publicly, heading toward the mandatory 53-man cutdown Saturday.



San Diego Chargers at San Francisco 49ers (10 p.m. ET)



The 49ers have the least compelling roster-related drama heading into the final exhibition game, a reflection of the depth and continuity they’ve worked to achieve. Alex Smith isn’t going to play and the top two quarterback spots are set, draining intrigue from this final game. Third-string quarterback Nate Davis could stand to make a positive impression with his game management and decision-making after coach Mike Singletary called him out. The recent practice-field spat between Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis serves as a subplot even though the 49ers do not plan for Davis to play, and Crabtree might not play, either.

Preseason play mercifully will end Thursday night, opening what is really a five-day window for NFL teams to settle on their final 53-man rosters and practice squads. Some teams will begin making cuts as soon as Friday morning. Everyone must be down to 53 by Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, but waiver claims, trades and other player movement could continue as late as next Tuesday before Week 1 practices begin in earnest.



As we approach the NFL’s flea market season, let’s identify one player who seems most at risk on each NFC North team.



Chicago Bears



Player: Running back Garrett Wolfe

Comment: We’ve been waiting for Wolfe’s speed to translate into regular playmaking for three years, and his time might now be up. Although he’s been a good special-teams player in the past, Wolfe is on the wrong side of the Bears’ Matt Forte-Chester Taylor tailback tandem. If the Bears keep a third running back, it could be second-year player Kahlil Bell.



Detroit Lions



Player: Offensive lineman Jon Jansen

Comment: Jansen started two games last season as an emergency fill-in and has spent the summer competing with Gosder Cherilus for the starting right tackle job. But if Cherilus wins the job, as expected, the Lions might choose a younger player such as Corey Hilliard as a backup.



Green Bay Packers



Player: Tight end Donald Lee

Comment: The Packers have five tight ends that probably should make the team: Jermichael Finley, Spencer Havner, Tom Crabtree, rookie Andrew Quarless and the veteran Lee. But that’s a high number, and you wonder if Lee wouldn’t be the odd man out. He’s scheduled to make $2 million this season, all of which would be guaranteed if he’s on the Week 1 roster. That’s premium money for a part-time player.



Minnesota Vikings



Player: Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd

Comment: A kickoff specialist is a luxury reserved for only the biggest, most consistent boomers in the NFL. Lloyd, on the other hand, doesn’t have a touchback this preseason and has been a big disappointment. It’s possible the Vikings will give him time to straighten out, but their health-induced duress at other positions might make his roster spot too valuable.

After reading this week’s Great Debate about the future of the Green Bay Packers‘ history books, Bryan of Madison, Wis., made a desperate plea:

Could you please pump the brakes on getting Aaron Rodgers fitted for his yellow Hall of Fame jacket and at least wait until he wins a single playoff game? Yeesh.

Our friends over at Cheesehead TV were a little more nuanced in their reaction, although I think the words “shut up” appeared a few times.



Dave of Annandale, Va., wrote that my “ignorance of Bart Starr is appalling” and is “typical of you modern-day ‘experts’ who think the NFL started in 1990.”



Dan of San Diego wasn’t thrilled with my explanation for Rodgers’ fumble at the end of last season’s playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals. “You need to stop being an enabler to those crybaby Packer fans,” Dan wrote.



Thanks to everyone who read and reacted to a serious debate written with what I thought was an obviously light-hearted approach. Trust me, I am well aware that the statistical odds are stacked against Rodgers surpassing Favre in any way. Believe me, I am well versed in the nature of Starr’s career. My approach to him in this debate was more flippant than ignorant, but I guess he is one of the untouchables. To be clear, I don’t actually think Bart Starr was a mere caretaker of the Packers’ championship teams in that era.



With the calendar showing almost two weeks until the start of the regular season, Tuesday was simply a good moment to have some fun with what is an emotional and at least somewhat relevant corner of the NFC North. Nothing more and nothing less. Even if it’s mere speculation, I do think it’s worth considering what limits — if any — Rodgers has on what could be a historic career.



Knowing that this post was coming, I asked Rodgers an open-ended question last month on the general subject. I wanted to know if he had spent any time thinking about where his career might take him. After all, many of the game’s all-time greats didn’t open their careers as strongly as Rodgers has.



After a pause, here is what Rodgers said:



“Not really, to be honest with you. I’m a pretty regimented guy. I’m blessed with one of the great teachers in the game in [quarterbacks coach] Tom Clements. And we’re always working. His best quality is not letting me be content with where I am as a player, and to always point out things I can improve on. That’s how I stay motivated in the offseason. One thing I do realize is that as our team’s success goes, then all of our individual success goes. And keeping that I mind, I think we can all have a lot of success this year.”



OK. let’s adjourn until such time that we can nominate Charles Woodson as the best defensive back in Packers history. Too bad for Herb Adderley, Willie Wood and Mossy Cade.

We’re going to pick up the pace on the NFC South position rankings as we near the end. We looked at tight ends Thursday morning and, now, we’re going to move onto the wide receivers.



In terms of overall strength, I’d say this position is one of the better ones in the division. But there’s a huge disparity between the Saints, who have a bunch of good receivers to the Panthers, who have only one proven commodity, to the Buccaneers, who have lots of potential but no sure things. On to the rankings.

1. Steve Smith, Panthers. There were three guys in the race and the other two had better numbers than Smith last year. But I’m playing a hunch that Smith will have a monster season, even though the Panthers have some uncertainty at quarterback. I’m basing this on my theory that Smith, always a high-energy guy, will be more motivated than ever after simmering on the sidelines throughout training camp while recovering from a broken arm.
2. Roddy White, Falcons. I came very close to going with White at No. 1 and White’s numbers from the last three seasons would have validated that choice. I think White can have an even bigger impact this year because running back Michael Turner and slot receiver Harry Douglas are healthy and they should take some coverage away from White.
3. Marques Colston, Saints. Colston also got consideration for No. 1. He’s often a man among boys and his size makes him a mismatch for just about any cornerback. His 70 catches last season don’t quite compare with the numbers White and Smith usually put up, but that’s mainly because New Orleans has so many other options in the passing game. Still, Colston is the best of all those options.
4. Robert Meachem, Saints. After a rough start to his career, Meachem emerged last season and caught nine touchdown passes. I expect him to only get better. He’s earned the trust of Drew Brees and the coaching staff and that means more passes will be coming his way.
5. Devery Henderson, Saints. Yep, I’m going with three New Orleans receivers in the top five. That’s a credit to Brees and Sean Payton for spreading the ball around so well. Henderson is a guy who has grown into a very solid receiver, after overcoming major problems with drops early in his career.
6. Mike Williams, Buccaneers. I’m really hesitant to rank a rookie receiver this high because I’ve seen too many of them through the years struggle after looking great in the summer. But I think Williams might be the exception to this rule. In camp and the preseason, he’s just gone out and made plays day after day. Tampa Bay needs someone to emerge as a No. 1 receiver and he seems to be leading the candidates.
7. Michael Jenkins, Falcons. A lot of people like to criticize Jenkins because he doesn’t put up flashy numbers. But that’s not really his role in the Atlanta offense. White and tight end Tony Gonzalez are going to get the bulk of the passes thrown their way. Jenkins’ job is to be a safety valve and a strong blocker in the running game. That might not sound like a big deal for a wide receiver, but in Atlanta’s system it is. Jenkins is the best blocking receiver in the division.
8. Harry Douglas, Falcons. Some Atlanta fans are rooting for Douglas to take Jenkins’ spot in the starting lineup, but that’s not really in the plans. The Falcons want to use Douglas in the slot. He’s a guy who can stretch the field and pull some coverage away from White and Gonzalez. He also gives Matt Ryan another downfield threat besides White.
9. Reggie Brown, Buccaneers. Someone’s going to end up being the starter opposite Williams and the Bucs think Brown has a shot at securing that role. This is a guy the Bucs traded for with five years left on his contract. He’s still adjusting to the system a bit, but the Bucs think he’s going to fit in.
10. Brandon LaFell, Panthers. The rookie could end up starting because the Panthers really don’t have much beyond Smith. LaFell’s progressing pretty well and the Panthers see him as a younger version of Muhsin Muhammad. That’s a nice comparison, but LaFell’s still got a lot of work to do to get to that level.
11. Sammie Stroughter, Buccaneers. The plan is to use him in the slot, where Stroughter is a perfect fit. He showed big-play ability last year and the Bucs are fantasizing about Stroughter running under some deep passes from Josh Freeman.
12. Lance Moore, Saints. He was sort of overshadowed and forgotten last year, but that may have been mainly due to injuries. In 2008, Moore was New Orleans’ most consistent receiver. With Colston, Meachem and Henderson around, Moore might not get a great deal of playing time. But he’s a nice luxury to have around in case there are injuries. How many No. 4 receivers around the league are better than this guy?
13. Dwayne Jarrett, Panthers. Carolina’s been waiting for the light to go on since Jarrett was drafted. It hasn’t happened yet and maybe it never will. If LaFell ends up starting, Jarrett may just fade away.
14. Arrelious Benn, Buccaneers. He was a second-round pick, but Williams has been better in the preseason. The Bucs aren’t down on Benn. They think he’s progressing at the normal pace for a rookie and he could play more of a role as the season goes on.

The loss of New England Patriots cornerback Leigh Bodden won’t cut their defense in half. Those kind of statements are reserved for superstars like Darrelle Revis.

Bodden

But Bodden’s season-ending injury shouldn’t be underestimated, “Monday Night Football” analyst Jon Gruden said on a conference call Wednesday.



“I think it hurts them,” Gruden said in a story on BostonHerald.com. “That was the one corner they had that was an NFL-experienced corner. … Losing a guy like Leigh Bodden, who they thought a lot of and paid a lot of money to retain, I think it really hurts the Patriots.”



Gruden then explained how, noting the Patriots’ lack of depth. The projected starters would be second-year pro Darius Butler and rookie Devin McCourty, giving the Patriots the NFL’s least experienced cornerback duo. The rest of the depth chart consists of Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley and Kyle Arrington.



“Teams are going to put three and four receivers out on the field to try to get your third and fourth corner,” Gruden said. “And God forbid [the Patriots] have another injury at that position.



“So not only have they lost an outstanding player and arguably their best corner, they’ve lost depth.”