Roster slashing! All bubble players must go!
NFL teams trim roughly a third of their rosters this week... from 80+ players to the league mandated 53 by Saturday. There'll be some shuffling between practice squads and the like as well.
Somewhere in there the Redskins have their longest trip of the season (documented at 1,964 miles) as they face Arizona. Defensive end Philip Daniels has expressed his displeasure with the distance... but it's not as though the Cardinals have a wealth of teams west of the Mississippi to choose from: 7 plus Minnesota, St. Louis and New Orleans. Since teams rarely "double-dip" (playing team in preseason and regular season) that eliminates division rivals Seattle, San Francisco and St Louis. This year the NFC West plays the AFC West so strike Oakland, San Diego, Kansas City and Denver from the equation. The Cardinals have to play somebody-- and road trips to Tennessee and Chicago aren't drive-by commutes for them either. So please, just enjoy the flight and go play the game.
Donovan and out?-- A sprained ankle may sideline the Skins #1 QB even longer than originally thought. McNabb's out for the preseason game with Arizona and is a question mark for the regular season opener against Dallas--and with backup Rex Grossman seeing limited work against the Cardinals, the big question is who gets more snaps--John Beck or Richard Bartel? Should we start printing bumper stickers?
Runningback roulette-- The banged up backfield isn't limited to the quarterback... or even the fullback (Mike Sellers' sprained knee kept #45 out of last week's exhibition with the Jets)... as Clinton Portis is on the shelf for the time. So far Larry Johnson appears to have the edge as Clinton's running mate (17 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown catch) as opposed to Willie Parker (15 yards on 9 carries this August). Don't be surprised if Keiland Williams remains on the roster and gets an opportunity this fall... something about Shanahan and diamonds in the rough runningbacks.
Jets could crash-- nice to see Rex Ryan use his starters well into the fourth quarter. Perhaps it was for the HBO show. All the offseason hype has transformed the AFC runners-up into a sure-fire dynasty. Never mind the fact that they only made the playoffs because the Colts pulled their starters and the Bengals declined to appear at all in the regular season finale. Their two previous wins? Against Tampa Bay and Buffalo... two teams that combined for a 9-23 mark. Now they have the Darelle Revis situation... a sophomore slump likely for Mark Sanchez... injuries mounting defensively... and the added spotlight as well as everyone's undivided attention.
What's a Haynesworth?-- one tackle against the Jets. No postgame blowups. Status quo ante bellum.
Colt Brennan Award comes down to final week-- Brandon Banks and Anthony Armstrong square off Dancing with the Stars style for the crown of August Emperor... and both have legitimate chances to make the final 53 man roster.
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