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- While Texans DE Mario Williams continues to be scrutinized for a slow start, a source close to the club points out that the entire D-line’s play has left something to be desired. The Texans have stopped moving Williams around as much, with an eye on trying not to overload him.
- Ravens veterans are impressed with what they’ve seen of rookie SS Dawan Landry, a big hitter who’s fitting in well. SS Ed Reed believes Landry has Pro Bowl potential down the road.
- We hear the reason why the Jets have been keeping RBs Derrick Blaylock and Leon Washington active as backups behind Kevan Barlow and leaving Cedric Houston inactive is that Blaylock and Washington have special-teams roles and Houston doesn’t.
- Word is the Jets decided to cut FB Jamar Martin after he missed a couple of key blocks in the running game. That leaves B.J. Askew as the team’s lone fullback. We hear the Jets liked Martin’s bulk and strength, but he had played sluggishly in the first two games and his weight had reportedly ballooned to 280 pounds.
- With three guards now on injured reserve, the Dolphins have serious depth concerns along the interior line. We hear that there are doubts whether new starting ORG Kendyl Jacox can hold up after having two foot surgeries during the offseason. Joe Berger could get a shot to start when he comes back from a foot injury.
- It took just one catch — a 29-yard reception down the sideline on which he outbattled the defender — for rookie WR Chad Jackson to illustrate why Patriots observers believe he could be the big wideout the team has lacked for years. Jackson also dropped a 50-yard bomb before bouncing back two plays later to make the first TD catch of his career, in his NFL debut in Week Two against the Jets.
- After losing safeties Mel Mitchell and Tebucky Jones to season-ending injuries and with Artrell Hawkins hobbled by a thigh injury, the Patriots had three veteran safeties — Brent Alexander, Keion Carpenter and Lance Schulters — in for a tryout this past week as they look at ways to bolster the depth in the defensive backfield.
- In an effort to adapt to QB Michael Vick’s unique talents, the Falcons implemented a hybrid option rushing attack that includes elements from the offenses run at NCAA powerhouses West Virginia, Florida and Missouri.
- Falcons RB Warrick Dunn was the league’s leading rusher after two weeks. But we hear there is some concern in Atlanta that Dunn was averaging 25 carries per game through the first two weeks. We’re told to expect rookie Jerious Norwood’s carries to increase in the coming weeks to preserve Dunn for later in the season. Dunn’s production declined late last season after handling a heavy workload early in the year.
- Panthers DE Julius Peppers is regarded as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. But Peppers is also a standout special-teams performer. After blocking field goals in each of the first two games this season, Peppers ranks second in blocked FGs since 2002 with five.
- The down-on-their-luck Bucs got a surprise visit from the leader of the free world. President George W. Bush stopped by a Bucs practice last week and, we’re told, he gave the players a “really good” pep talk about overcoming adversity. We hear President Bush was in Tampa for a private fundraiser and he visited the Bucs at GM Bruce Allen’s request. Allen’s brother is U.S. Sen. George Allen.
- Jon Gruden’s sometimes abrasive coaching style has come under scrutiny after the Buccaneers’ slow start. Gruden’s sideline tirades, his body language and his in-your-face yelling at QB Chris Simms wasn’t helping an already bleak situation. To Simms’ credit, before he suffered a ruptured spleen in Week Three, he said his confidence hadn’t been shaken by Gruden’s flare-ups.
- Although he continues to stand strong in his support of his struggling quarterback, Jake Plummer, Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan has admitted to dialing down the offense a bit, shifting to a more conservative approach in an effort to curb Plummer’s mistakes. Although Plummer has handled the increasing pressure from media and the fan base relatively well, sources suggest his mindset and confidence are worth keeping an eye on.
- Word out of Denver is that former LB Patrick Chukwurah is beginning to show promising signs as a situational pass rusher.
- Though no timetable has been set for Trent Green’s return from a severe concussion, sources in Kansas City are speculating he could be out for several more weeks, if not more, considering he was still experiencing bouts of dizziness and was very much in a recuperative state at this writing.
- Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards admitted his club needs to open up the playbook more for backup QB Damon Huard in Week Four and beyond. The Chiefs were too predictable with their short passing game vs. Denver in Week Two and will look to incorporate more of a vertical passing game to keep defenses honest vs. RB Larry Johnson.
- Chargers WR Keenan McCar­dell was asked by PFW what it takes to block LB Shawne Merriman: “He’s a guy that’s so physical and quick and a powerful individual, which makes for a great package at the linebacker position. You know, as a receiver, you tend to think you can use your speed and quickness against him, but you really can’t because he’s so quick he can run past you as easily as he can run over you. When you go in against him, you’d better be prepared and be ready to take your shot if you’ve got it. If you don’t take your shot, you’re going to get hurt.”
- The Chargers are quite pleased with the play of a trio of young offensive linemen: ORT Shane Olivea, OLG Kris Dielman and OLT Marcus McNeill. Thus far, McNeill, a rookie who has taken over for the injured Roman Oben, has adjusted nicely to the speed of the pro game, but matchups with the Ravens’ Terrell Suggs and the Steelers’ Joey Porter the next two weeks figure to be stern tests.
- We hear Ravens CB Chris McAlister is making more of an effort to get involved in the team concept this season. However, McAlister remains one of the team’s more enigmatic and emotional players, as evidenced by his sideline outburst during the Ravens’ Week Two win vs. Oakland.
- The way we hear it, there is a sense Texans CB Dunta Robinson hasn’t taken the next step in his development after an excellent rookie season in 2004.
- The Steelers are hopeful the bye week will be the tonic for SS Troy Polamalu’s ailing shoulder. The secondary’s tackling left something to be desired in Weeks Two and Three, and a healthy Polamalu would give the unit a boost.
- The Seahawks continue singing the praises of LCB Kelly Herndon, who has made it clear since the opening of training camp that first-round pick Kelly Jennings would have his work cut out for him all season while trying to take over Herndon’s hard-earned starting role. Herndon, fellow starting CB Marcus Trufant and Jennings have earned high marks when they’ve all been on the field together in nickel packages.
- It’s hard to believe second-year Seahawks MLB Lofa Tatupu could play any better than he did in his outstanding rookie campaign, but team sources believe that’s exactly the case. It was more than a month into last season, they reminded us, before the team was comfortable enough to keep Tatupu on the field in third-down nickel packages. This season, Tatupu has been a relentless every-down performer from the get-go, equally effective in both running and passing situations.
- Our sources at Rams Park tell us the hands-down team MVP in the early going has been new MLB Will Witherspoon, who was all over the field the first three weeks, including his posting of a career-high 13 tackles vs. the Niners in Week Two. With the ex-Panther setting the pace, the consensus is that the team’s overall LB corps has improved dramatically from last season.
- Look for second-year pro Madison Hedgecock to remain as the Rams’ starting fullback after reclaiming the job from free-agent addition Paul Smith last week. In addition to being fully recovered from a high ankle sprain, Hedgecock is 30 pounds heavier than Smith and packs a lot more wallop as a blocker in an offense that has become much more dependent on the run.
- After looking absolutely awful in training camp, according to team insiders, Niners free-agent signee Chad Williams has been an early key behind the team’s surprisingly successful pass rush, thanks to his deceptively effective blitzing ability. The ex-Ravens safety is particularly adept at hiding himself in pass-rush situations. On his two sacks vs. St. Louis in Week Two, Williams flew past the Rams’ O-line untouched.
- For the sake of continuity, we’re told Dennis Green hopes to stick with the line that started last week vs. St. Louis (OLT Leonard Davis, OLG Reggie Wells, C Alex Stepanovich, ORG Milford Brown and ORT Oliver Ross) for the foreseeable future. However, after he botched multiple snaps in the past two games, Stepanovich’s job security could come into question, with backup Nick Leckey waiting in the wings.
- Despite the Bears’ suffocating start on defense, reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Brian Urlacher has not yet recorded a sack or a turnover. We hear that his quiet start is a product of the Chicago defensive line making a number of big plays up front, and that we shouldn’t expect the linebacker’s hibernation to last long.
- Backup RB Cedric Benson will be forced to earn his playing time in spot duty, a difficult dynamic for a runner who’s spent most of his career as a workhorse back. And while Benson is often honest to a fault with the media, we hear he’s maintaining a long-term perspective on his role in Chicago. He’s aware that he is just in the second season of a potentially long career and isn’t likely to have RB Thomas Jones in front of him permanently.
- WLB A.J. Hawk graded out much higher in his second NFL game. We hear he showed significant signs of improvement, specifically in using his speed to string out several outside runs by rookie RB Reggie Bush, whom the Packers held to five rushing yards on six carries in Week Two.
- DLE Aaron Kampman is among the league leaders in sacks this year after signing a lucrative long-term deal this offseason, but we hear that he still benefits from the double-teams that teammate Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila commands. In fact, two of Kampman’s sacks against the Saints came against a tight end, and while he’s a cagey and intelligent player, we’re told he doesn’t possess the speed or athleticism to contend with double-teams if he’s game-planned against.
- Injuries have devastated the Lions up front. Just when starting OLG Ross Verba appeared recovered from a preseason hamstring ailment, ORT Rex Tucker sustained another injury, this one a bone bruise that we hear is more serious than the team is letting on. To make matters worse, Tucker’s backup, Barry Stokes, is nursing his own hamstring problem, leaving raw fifth-round rookie Jonathan Scott to anchor the right side.
- MLB Napoleon Harris, acquired by the Vikings in the Randy Moss trade, looks like a new man this season. We’re told he was playing hurt and out of position on the strong side last year and never did see eye-to-eye with Mike Tice’s coaching staff.
- After two largely wasted seasons due to injury, former All-Pro C Matt Birk is not yet back to dominating off the ball, but he is getting there. We hear it may take him some time to return to the standard he set as a four-time Pro Bowler. He has taken little time, however, re-establishing himself as a leader in the locker room.
- After a very quiet 2005 season in which he eventually gave up his job to LaVar Arrington, Commanders WLB Warrick Holdman has been far more noticeable in terms of being around the ball this year.
- Giants Pro Bowl gunner David Tyree told PFW he estimates it has been about “three times harder” to make special-teams tackles and try to down punts because of his reputation as one of the league’s best coverage guys. “Because of the effectiveness I have had ... downing punts, now I get double-teams (on almost every punt). It’s a little difficult, but you have to fight through it.”
- Ex-Giants CB Will Peterson, who missed a lot of time the past three seasons, is on the road to recovery and is said to be 4-6 weeks from potentially contributing to an NFL team. He has been cleared to play by doctors after recurring back problems, and as many as 12 teams have called to ask about his services. With teams constantly looking for CB help, Peterson, 27, could be an interesting name to watch in a month or so.
- Cowboys SS Roy Williams is off to a great start. After being criticized for not being better in coverage in 2005, Williams has made two interceptions, a good indication of the hard work he put in this offseason.
- One of the few positives to come out of the Titans’ Week Two pummeling by the Chargers was the play of second-year ORT David Stewart, who nonetheless went back to the bench after Jacob Bell returned to action healthy in Week Three. Head coach Jeff Fisher compared Stewart to a young Jon Runyan.
