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Monday, December 10
Updated: December 11, 12:42 PM ET
 
Glenn can do himself, Pats some good

By Joe Theismann
Special to ESPN.com

ESPN analyst Joe Theismann answers five key questions after Week 13 of the 2001 NFL season:

Terry Glenn
Terry Glenn caught 79 passes and six TD passes in 2000.
Would you have let Terry Glenn suit up with the Patriots?
Bill Belichick has handled Terry Glenn's situation well and was right to let him suit up. He has taken the proper disciplinary action, fining and suspending him from time to time. The whole issue was whether or not Glenn was healthy enough to play. At times he felt healthy, and at other times he didn't. Evidently, he felt healthy Sunday.

Glenn can be a big contributor for the Patriots down the stretch. If Glenn is unhappy in New England, he should go out, play hard and make himself valuable so the team can trade him if it wants. If they don't want to trade him, then at least he is still playing football. Remember, he has millions of dollars in bonus money at stake, so he is better off playing.

New England's offense is more potent with Glenn in addition to Troy Brown and David Patten, giving Tom Brady some fine receivers to throw to. And right now I think the AFC's Pro Bowl quarterbacks could be Rich Gannon, Kordell Stewart and Brady.

What's wrong with the teams from the Big Apple?
The Jets ran into a better team Sunday. Pittsburgh is having a terrific season, playing with confidence and has a quarterback, Kordell Stewart, who can make plays. The score may have been worse than 18-7 if Kris Brown had been able to make a few more kicks.

Despite the loss, the Jets are better than people expected, with a new head coach, a new system and a new defensive philosophy. At receiver, they are still young and lack size. Overall, I don't think there is much wrong with the Jets.

The Giants' problem is a lack of offense. In terms of size, Ron Dayne went from being a big back to an average-sized back. Tiki Barber is their little back. The Giants no longer have a big back who can be the hammer for them. And they need that because they are a team that relies on running the football. In addition, Kerry Collins has struggled this season. Because the offense has been inept, it has affected other parts of the team. The defense has to stay on the field longer and gets exposed more.

How much can Denver rely on Terrell Davis for its playoff push?
More than Terrell Davis, if the Broncos are going to make the playoffs, they have to rely on their quarterback, whether it is Brian Griese or Gus Frerotte, and their receivers. They really need a healthy Rod Smith. Davis and Mike Anderson must be big contributors, but defenses will be geared up to stop them. Davis ran for 109 yards Sunday night, but one run went for 57 yards.

Just getting through Sunday night's game was critical for the Broncos because they have a huge game next week in Kansas City. The Chiefs will try to run the football, posing a similar situation to what the Broncos faced against Seattle. It will be a stretch for Denver to get to the playoffs. The Broncos play at Kansas City, at home against Oakland, and at Indianapolis. Every game will be important to Oakland because the Raiders want to clinch home-field advantage.

What did you think of Randy Moss' "When I want to play, I'll play" comment?
I am not surprised he made the comment. I've known Randy Moss since he was a rookie and have spent a fair amount of time with him. He's a young player who is still learning. He may not admit it, but he says things I'm sure he regrets. In hindsight, he should not have made the comments because as a receiver at times it will look like he is not playing, making him subject to criticism.

Moss certainly wanted to play Sunday. With the Vikings only 4-7 going into the game, he could have easily taken the game off, but he didn't. I think Moss wants to play and wants to win. There may be times when he will take plays off, and we'll catch him on camera and talk about it. But would you not want Moss on your team because of the comment he made? I don't think so.

Will Johnson & Johnson finally cure the Bucs' sickly offense?
No, Brad Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson won't cure the Bucs' offensive problems. When a quarterback throws 54 passes in a game, as Brad Johnson did Sunday against Detroit, he should wind up with more than 500 yards of offense instead of only 305.

Brad Johnson was brought to Tampa Bay for a singular purpose -- to increase the team's passing percentage. That is what he has done, completing 63.7 percent of his passes. Relying on his ability to complete passes, they are less balanced than before. While last season the Bucs had 433 passes and 490 runs, they have thrown the ball 460 times compared to only 293 times through 12 games this season.

One positive Sunday was that Keyshawn, now with 93 receptions, finally caught his first touchdown pass -- and it was a big one to win the game for the Bucs. They acquired him to be a big-play receiver in the red zone, but he has only one touchdown. I don't feel like the offense they want has been totally implemented.

A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He reviews the NFL each week for ESPN.com in Cup o' Joe.









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