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Here's what the folks at Pro Football Weekly have been hearing around the league:
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| Bledsoe |
Agent Leigh Steinberg has begun preliminary talks with the Patriots to keep quarterback Drew Bledsoe in New England, but many believe a restructured extension should have been done a while ago in the interest of the salary cap and to assure Bledsoe plays the rest of his career there. His contract counts $8.6 million against the cap this season and jumps to over $9 million in 2001. The rumors floating around that the team is prepared to let him play out his contract and move on don't have much validity, according to our sources.
Buccaneers defensive backs coach Herman Edwards on cornerbacks Donnie Abraham and Ronde Barber: "They work their tails off, and a lot of times they don't get the credit like other secondaries. We don't have the 'big-name guys.' We don't have Deion Sanders, all those guys. We have Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks and John Lynch. But sometimes the corners get a little overlooked. But in our system, they're asked to do a lot. They're asked to be tacklers first and then great zone guys that can read the quarterback as well as the receivers."
Bears cornerback Thomas Smith had said if the Bears beat the Buccaneers in Week 2, he would take his defensive teammates out to dinner. But after Chicago lost 41-0, Smith opted to take the defense out anyway. Smith figured he played as much a role in the loss as anyone and believed the players needed time together.
The Chiefs are far from satisfied with their kicking game. The team brought in former Bengals kicker Doug Pelfrey and former Bears kicker Jaret Holmes for a workout last week to put some pressure on the struggling Pete Stoyanovich, but no change is imminent. Head coach Gunther Cunningham also has voiced his displeasure in the flaws punter Todd Sauerbrun has shown to this point.
Part of the problem the Chiefs have had rushing the ball can be linked to the fact backup offensive guard Todd Blackshear is not nearly the pulling blocker the injured Dave Szott is. Szott is out indefinitely with a tear in his right biceps.
Bengals left tackle Rod Jones has struggled this season, and his backup, John Jackson, has looked very slow coming out of his stance. While the team has toyed with the thought of moving right tackle Willie Anderson to the left side to protect quarterback Akili Smith's blind side, it's unlikely any such move would happen until the offseason.
Many Jaguars players are not happy that head coach Tom Coughlin cut Chris Howard after the running back fumbled twice in the Week 2 game at Baltimore. While Coughlin claims the roster move had nothing to do with the turnovers, we hear it was clearly a message to the team indicating that he does not tolerate fumbling.
Look for Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington to be given greater opportunities in the weeks to come. He has slowly been allowed to do more than just rush the passer in the past couple of weeks. Defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes really wants to see Arrington on the field more because he is such a playmaker, whereas Greg Jones is steady but not an impact player.
Eagles tight end Chad Lewis, who has stepped up in the last two weeks, has separated from the other tight ends on the roster.
Rookie tight end Aaron Shea found himself in Browns head coach Chris Palmer's doghouse after Week 1, when he fumbled away the ball after making a nice grab over the middle. Shea has fought his way out of that doghouse, though, with some very nice receptions in Weeks 2 and 3. Shea and quarterback Tim Couch seem to have a good feel for each other on the field.
The Titans will keep their wide receiver lineup intact, starting Kevin Dyson and using Yancey Thigpen as the third wideout. Head coach Jeff Fisher likes what he's seen from Thigpen on third down and how teams react to him. Dyson did exactly what Fisher wanted in Week 2 vs. the Chiefs, turning short slants into long gains.
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| Ward |
The Jets are not surprised by the emergence of wide receiver Dedric Ward, who recorded 100 receiving yards in his first two games. Ward has done everything the Jets have asked of him, and he worked extremely hard this offseason. Ward spent time with other NFL players in Las Vegas working on his speed and conditioning.
The Bills feel they have a Pro Bowler in the making in second-year backup tight end Bobby Collins. That's good news because starter Jay Riemersma left Sunday's game against the Jets with a jammed knee.
We hear Carolina quarterback Steve Beuerlein spent an extra two hours after every practice in the week leading up to the game vs. Atlanta doing nothing but throwing passes to wide reciever Donald Hayes in an effort to establish more of a comfort zone.
It appears safety Rashard Anderson, the Panthers' No. 1 pick, has pretty much fallen off the map, being relegated primarily to special teams, with veteran Eugene Robinson settling into the starting free safety role.
Sources say Saints cornerback Alex Molden could have a hard time regaining his starting job from Kevin Mathis, who has performed
surprisingly well.
Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com
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