Archive for September 5th, 2010

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I’m not going to provide a blow-by-blow of every roster move Sunday, but here is one that was particularly intriguing.



According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, the Detroit Lions claimed former Green Bay Packers tight end/linebacker Spencer Havner on waivers. It’s always intriguing to see a player move within the division, especially one like Havner, who had to be one of the Packers’ most difficult cuts.



Havner is a unique skilled player, having carved out a niche as a red-zone receiver as well as one who wouldn’t embarrass you as an emergency linebacker. Given the deep nature of the Lions’ tight end group, and their thin depth at linebacker, you wonder if Havner won’t be focused on the latter opportunity.



I’ll continue to monitor Sunday moves and provide a wrap-up post at the end of the day. If you want more immediate information, now is a good time to start following the blog on Twitter.

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Since last season’s NFC Championship Game between New Orleans and Minnesota, there’s been talk about how the Saints’ defense might have been a little “dirty’’ in going after quarterback Brett Favre.



Well, the talk continued Sunday, and don’t look for it to stop any time before Thursday night’s regular-season opener between the Vikings and Saints.



In a conference call with the New Orleans media Sunday, Minnesota coach Brad Childress was asked about Gregg Williams’ defense.



“His defenses have always been aggressive,’’ Childress said. “We were able to face them for a number of years when we were with the Eagles when he was with Washington. It’s always been a storm-the-castle type of approach. [He’s] kind of known for that, even when he was back at Tennessee back with Jeff [Fisher]. I understand a quarterback’s going to get hit, people are going to get hit. It’s football. I don’t have any illusions about that. What I hate to see are late hits or attempts to hurt anybody. I don’t think there’s a place for that in the game.”



Childress was then asked if he thought there were attempts by the New Orleans defense to hurt anyone in last season’s title game.



“Yes, I would have to say that, yes,’’ Childress said.

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It’s not that I feel sorry for Albert Haynesworth or anything, but the well-orchestrated campaign against him from within the Washington Redskins organization is starting to get old. On Saturday night, the Washington Post once again delivered a scathing report about Haynesworth based on anonymous sources who claimed the defensive tackle was “awful” in Thursday’s preseason finale.



I guess it’s really shocking news that Haynesworth would not put forth maximum effort in a fourth preseason game when 31 of his teammates were not in uniform. There are major leaks coming from this coaching staff and I don’t get the sense that coach Mike Shanahan’s trying to identify the source. But all of this seems like overkill to me. It’s not like the coaches need to build a case against Haynesworth. He spent the entire offseason indicting himself.



Now the Post is reporting that it’s unlikely Haynesworth will start against the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday. I guess this is supposed to be compelling theater, but it’s starting to seem redundant to me. The Seattle Seahawks dumped an expensive player in T.J. Houshmandzadeh on Saturday and the Redskins should’ve done the same thing with Haynesworth.



As I’ve predicted for months, they’ll likely end up deactivating him on a permanent basis at some point this season. If you’re going to sit around and act shocked by a man’s poor performance in a preseason finale, then go ahead and release him.



At first, some of us praised Shanahan for showing Haynesworth who’s boss. But as the regular season looms, Shanahan and the organization’s anonymous sources are looking pettier by the day. Maybe we should hold some of them accountable for their role in this mess.



Now let’s brace ourselves for the next Haynesworth report. I shudder to think what we’ll read if he has a poor practice Monday.

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Check here for a full list of Jacksonville’s roster moves.



Biggest surprises: Three undrafted rookies won spots — offensive tackle Kevin Haslam, defensive end Aaron Morgan and linebacker Jacob Cutrera. Getting anything for Reggie Nelson was big, and GM Gene Smith managed to send the safety to Cincinnati for David Jones. That’s a surprise. That they also cut another veteran safety, Gerald Alexander, before adding one, also qualifies as a surprise. They seem sure to add someone in the coming days. Right now the starting pairing would come from Anthony Smith, Sean Considine, Tyron Brackenridge and Courtney Greene. I bet Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub endorse that. It’s not clear who the third wide receiver will be with Troy Williamson gone. Atiyyah Ellison was a feel good story a year ago, now he’s gone too. The team has three fullbacks with Greg Jones, Montell Owens and Brock Bolen. Kynan Forney was competing for a starting guard job, lost it and lost his place on the team.



No-brainers: Not a ton. Three linebackers — Teddy Lehman, Alvin Bowen and Tony Gilbert — of a weak group of reserves didn’t make it and another (Kyle Bosworth) was placed on IR.



What’s next: Work at safety, first and foremost. The Jaguars will be thorough in their examination and consideration of the waiver wire and free agents. They have room at the back of the roster for upgrades. After safety, look for linebacker to be the spot that gets the most attention as the Jaguars have just five on the roster.

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