Hey, Willie!
Somewhere, the great Gordon Shumway must be exulting in
Willie Parker's performance from Thursday, if for no other reason than to yell his first name.
Pittsburgh's speedy halfback absolutely shredded the Browns last night, shooting through gaping holes while gashing Cleveland's front seven. Parker finished the contest with careers high in rushing attempts (32) and yards on the ground (223), and broke a 36-year-old franchise record in the process. The inability of the Browns to stop the Steelers' run game was completely demoralizing, and it ruined the surprisingly effective "debut" of
Derek Anderson in the process.
Anderson, a second-year player who played much of last week's victory over the Chiefs, could have given Cleveland a fighting chance against Pittsburgh's exotic defensive schemes. The Browns, for the most part, employed a nice game plan, and Anderson made a number of excellent decisions with the football. But the Cleveland receivers afflicted his first NFL start with a glut of dropped passes. Those, combined with the shoddy run defense, made it nearly impossible for the former sixth-round pick to mount any sort of offense.
Still, Anderson (21-37, 276 yards, TD, INT) played well enough to spark a legitimate quarterback controversy in Cleveland. If the bone bruise in
Charlie Frye's right wrist keeps him out of action next week, Anderson, who only made one major mistake against the Steelers, will face the biggest test of his young career: the Baltimore Ravens. Another performance comparable to that of Thursday could create some legitimate buzz surrounding Cleveland's young offense in 2007.
The four starting receivers from Thursday night's game each made some noise. Without
Hines Ward (knee) and
Cedrick Wilson (ankle), Steelers rookie
Santonio Holmes (4-81-0) and undrafted second-year player
Nate Washington (2-67-1) got their big chances to produce, although frankly, it's hard to believe that the Steelers attempted any passes given how well the ground game was working. But Holmes flashed some of his dynamic ability to run after the catch, and Washington was targeted multiple times in the end zone. Each should remain respectable options as third fantasy receivers as long as Ward and Wilson remain out. Holmes, however, could become an enticing sleeper pick for 2007 if he were to beat out Wilson in training camp.
As for the Browns, the aforementioned drops especially those of slot receiver
Dennis Northcutt forced Anderson to look for a pair of reliable hands. That resulted in
Joe Jurevicius (7-111-0) having his best statistical performance of the year.
Braylon Edwards (4-86-1) was relatively quiet before a 45-yard touchdown in garbage time, but fantasy owners will take it.
Kellen Winslow (4-19-0) and
Steve Heiden (2-21-0) were disappointingly uninvolved in the offense.
Patriots rookie RB
Laurence Maroney (questionable, back) again missed a portion of practice on Thursday after reportedly working out in a delicate manner the day before. Word is that he didn't attack drills with his usual vigor, and we would be surprised if he suffered anything less than a concussion last week against the Lions.
Corey Dillon may take a heavier workload if Maroney were to miss Sunday's affair with the Dolphins, but could just as likely share carries with
Kevin Faulk,
Patrick Pass and
Heath Evans. Miami has allowed an average of just 3.5 yards per rushing attempt, so none of the New England backs is a particularly safe option in Week 14.
Many loudly chastised the Texans for bypassing
Reggie Bush on draft day, but many more rebuked former GM Charlie Casserly and management for ignoring
Vince Young and
Matt Leinart. The decision is starting to look like it might have been a ghastly mistake: Houston Chronicle writer John McClain believes that
David Carr won't be with the Texans next season. The Texans exercised an option on Carr in the offseason to keep him with the team through 2008, partially with the belief that new head coach Gary Kubiak could transform him into a sound NFL quarterback. Despite a few nice performances, that hasn't happened.
Compounding matters is the fact that
Mario Williams, while more effective before dealing with his plantar fasciitis, is only the second best defensive rookie on the team.
DeMeco Ryans has had a fantastic rookie campaign at middle linebacker, and a number of other 4-3 speed rushers
Mark Anderson,
Elvis Dumervil, and
Darryl Tapp, for instance were available in the later rounds. If Carr parts ways with Houston during the offseason, the selection of Williams may be second-guessed for years to come.
The Eagles reportedly want to make sure that Dontι Stallworth can stay healthy before trying to sign him to a long-term contract extension. The fifth-year receiver has been the perfect "one" to
Reggie Brown's "two" this season, but problems with his hamstring, something that also bothered him in 2002 and 2003, have limited his playing time and effectiveness. Locking Stallworth up is imperative for Philadelphia's receiving corps, but he isn't slated to become a free agent until after the 2007 season. Talks could begin next training camp if he finishes this year on the right note.
ESPN's John Clayton has reported that
Chris Weinke will start at quarterback for the Panthers in Week 14.
Jake Delhomme has a partially torn thumb ligament that has prevented him from practicing the last two days, and he is expected to attempt some individual drills today to determine whether he is healthy enough to act as the backup versus the Giants. Either way, fantasy owners should be bracing for struggles out of
Steve Smith and
Keyshawn Johnson, as Weinke has not started an NFL game since 2002. Meanwhile,
DeShaun Foster (probable, elbow) fully practiced on Thursday for the second consecutive day. It looks like he will start and split carries with
DeAngelo Williams; that should limit the productivity of each.
Two-Minute Drill: Though Jets RB
Cedric Houston took most of the first-team reps in practice yesterday,
Kevan Barlow received a little time with the starters.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin has mentioned a desire to give more playing time to rookie WR
Sinorice Moss.
Lions OC Mike Martz says that WR
Mike Williams is too heavy to play anywhere other than the slot.
The Cowboys have claimed former 49ers SS
Tony Parrish off waivers.
Tom Brady has filed a lawsuit against Yahoo! for its use of his image and likeness in fantasy football advertisements both in print and online.
Lions SS
Kenoy Kennedy pleaded guilty to drunken driving on Thursday.
Contract talks between the Falcons and
Patrick Kerney, who will become a free agent in the offseason, have begun.
San Francisco linebacker
Jeff Ulbrich will start in the middle in Week 14.
Rookie
Omar Gaither will remain Philadelphia's starting weak-side linebacker in Week 14.
Red Zone: Brian Westbrook (probable, toe) practiced fully again Thursday.
Marques Colston (questionable, ankle) and
Joe Horn (questionable, groin) missed at least a portion of practice again Thursday.
Reggie Bush, meanwhile, returned to practice and was removed from the Week 14 injury report.
Willis McGahee (questionable, ankle) missed his second straight day of practice yesterday.
Tatum Bell is not on the Week 14 injury report.
Torry Holt (probable, knee) practiced again Thursday.
Chiefs coach Herm Edwards did not discuss
Tony Gonzalez (probable, shoulder), who missed his second straight day of practice, at Thursday's press conference.
T.J. Housmandzadeh (probable, back) missed at least a portion of practice again yesterday.
After being listed with ailments in 10 of the first 13 weeks,
Todd Heap is not on the injury report in Week 14.
Packers RB
Ahman Green (probable, knee) and TE
David Martin (questionable, hip) were able to return to practice on Thursday.
Cardinals RB
Marcel Shipp (probable, ribs), who will likely resume his role as the team's goal-line back, returned to practice yesterday.
Rams WR
Kevin Curtis (probable, calf) sat out on Thursday after fully working out on Wednesday.
Titans rookie RB
LenDale White (questionable, hip/flu) will be inactive in Week 14 if he doesn't practice today.
Broncos kicker
Jason Elam (hamstring) is expected to play this Sunday.
Keenan McCardell (calf) will be a game-time decision in Week 14.
It seems likely that the regular season of Bears DT
Tommie Harris (knee, hamstring) is over, but the team may keep him active in hopes that he returns for the playoffs.
Colts FS
Bob Sanders (questionable, knee), who was expected to practice on Thursday, was unable to do so. Indianapolis' strong safety,
Antoine Bethea (shoulder), will play in Week 14.
Chiefs WLB
Derrick Johnson (ankle) was upgraded to probable after practicing Thursday.
Giants MLB
Antonio Pierce (probable, knee) is expected to practice today after missing yesterday's session.
Michael Strahan (doubtful, foot) is not likely to play this week.
The Bills added rookie SS
Donte Whitner to the injury report as questionable with a hamstring injury.
Browns rookie ILB
D'Qwell Jackson was limping after Thursday night's loss and underwent post-game X-rays.
Vikings DE
Erasmus James (injured reserve, torn ACL) said Thursday that he also sustained a partially torn medial collateral ligament in Week 2.