There is a way for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to reinvent the Triplets. All Jones has to do is make a deal with the Miami Dolphins, the future owners of next year’s No. 1 draft choice.
Arkansas running back Darren McFadden may have finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, but he’s the best player in next April’s draft. Some scouts believe McFadden is as good a running back as this season’s sensation, Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson. And McFadden has another ingredient — he is a very natural, fluid receiver. He’s a bigger Marshall Faulk, the Rams’ former MVP.
You know the former Triplets — Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, all three of them Hall of Famers. Well, Jones has secured Tony Romo, has Terrell Owens, and if you put McFadden in that Dallas offense, look out NFL.
The Dolphins, who have heavily invested in injured running back Ronnie Brown, probably don’t believe McFadden is the right player for them. Jones could trade his two first-round picks (he picked up Cleveland’s in the Brady Quinn trade) and either a player like Patrick Crayton or even Marion Barber. I would say everyone on the Dallas roster is available except for DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten and Romo. Give them Roy Williams, anything to get McFadden.
Jones has an interest in McFadden, considering he also played at Arkansas. That’s where he met Jimmy Johnson, remember? It would be a coup to land the Arkansas runner, and Jones has the ammunition that may interest the Dolphins, who probably aren’t that excited about paying $60 million to a first-round pick. And we all know that isn’t a problem with Jones, writing the big check.
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GAME: Dallas at Detroit
TIME: 1 ET
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Everyone in the league office will be watching to see if any Cowboy makes a late hit on Detroit QB Jon Kitna after some of the Cowboys, especially CB Terence Newman, took offense to what Kitna said a year ago after Detroit’s shocking 39-31 win in Texas Stadium. For starters, the Lions must make sure they double-team pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, then they have try to hit underneath passes, especially with WR Roy Williams gone for the season. In last year’s game, Tony Romo had three turnovers, two of them lost fumbles. He actually fumbled four times in the game. Kitna has been sacked 47 times this season, tops in the NFL. Even if Dallas RT Marc Colombo (ankle) doesn’t play, the Cowboys should be able to run against the Lions with both Marion Barber and Julius Jones.
CZAR’S SCOOP: Here’s what got Kitna in trouble with the Cowboys: After last year’s win, he said of Dallas linebacker Bradie James, “Sometimes I don’t know that he knew where he was at.” Also, he said Newman could be beaten because “he’s not (Seattle’s) Marcus Trufant. He doesn’t have that kind of ability.” Kitna bypassed the weekly conference call with Dallas-Fort Worth reporters. But he did address his January comments with the Detroit media on Wednesday. “The media department here prepared me for that and told me about that. That was something that unfortunately has been taken as something that was serious,” Kitna said. “It was something that I said to my hometown radio station after our season was over, and we were having a good time back there. It was really nothing that was a personal thing. Unfortunately it’s been used in a way that I was trying to degrade players and that’s really not what it was about. … Are they going to want to hit me harder? I doubt it.” During an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio this week, Newman said, “Basically what it boils down to is you’ve got to watch what you say. Your mouth can’t write checks that your (butt) can’t cash. He better just hope I don’t blitz off the edge because I’ve got 15, 25, 30 (thousand dollars), however much (money) it would be for a fine.”
GAME: N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia
TIME: 1 ET
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Giants could be weak up the middle with MLB Antonio Pierce a game-time decision and with rookies Craig Dahl and Michael Johnson playing the safety spots. You can bet Eagles QB Donovan McNabb will be looking for his tight end and RB Brian Westbrook in the middle of the field. The Giants say that RB Brandon Jacobs will play, but why rush him back with the playoffs pretty much a certainty? McNabb has no more swelling in his ankle and appears to be as mobile as he has been all season. With LT Tra Thomas back, he won’t be sacked 12 times like he was in the first Giants’ game this season. Also, Westbrook didn’t play in that first game.
CZAR’S SCOOP: Of Eli Manning’s 17 touchdown passes this season, seven have come in the fourth quarter. New York rookie CB Aaron Ross (hamstring) will play some and there’s also a chance rookie WR Steve Smith will play. The Eagles are 11-11 at The Linc since the start of the 2005 season and are a miserable 2-4 this season, and that’s why they will miss the playoffs. They also have the NFL’s fewest takeaways with only 13 — the previous low in the Jim Johnson era was 26 in 2003. Also, in the last five games, the Eagles have had 15 turnovers. Eagles vice president Joe Banner keeps insisting that McNabb will be back next season and that there isn’t any interest in trading him.
GAME: Carolina at Jacksonville
TIME: 1 ET
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Carolina wants to run first with DeShaun Foster, but coach John Fox also knows that Jacksonville’s pass defense is shaky. The Jags have beaten only one quarterback (Jeff Garcia) ranked in the top 13 and give up more long passes than any winning team in the league. But can Vinny Testaverde take advantage of what has been a bad secondary? Carolina’s defense stepped up last week, but they have struggled with good running teams, and that’s what the Jaguars do with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Also, QB David Garrard has played almost flawlessly behind this running game. Reggie Williams has started to play well for the Jaguars in the passing game. Look for Vinny to take a few shots deep with Steve Smith, who will be touching the ball a lot in this game.
CZAR’S SCOOP: Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has one more year left on his contract and probably wouldn’t mind finding a job elsewhere, considering owner Wayne Weaver’s lack of financial commitment to the roster. One interesting story that has emerged recently is that personnel boss Shack Harris did want to draft Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn last April, but Del Rio and the coaching staff were against it. Regardless, the decision to release Byron Leftwich and elevate Garrard has turned this franchise around. With $20 million owed to him, Carolina’s John Fox is probably secure for another season. Ditto for GM Marty Hurney. But let’s be honest, it has not been easy working for a very disappointed owner in Jerry Richardson this season.
GAME: Tampa Bay at Houston
TIME: 1 ET
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Bucs QB Jeff Garcia will be active, but Bucs coach Jon Gruden keeps saying Garcia (bruised back) will be a game-time decision. Garcia did practice this week and shared snaps with Luke McCown. Gruden may want to play it safe because Tampa Bay only needs to win one more game to clinch the NFC South with four games to play. McCown played great for the Bucs last week except for a one horrible interception and a stupid safety. He was more accurate than normal. QB Sage Rosenfels starts for the Texans and will be relying on RB Ron Dayne and WR Andre Johnson.
Can Sage Rosenfels keep up his strong play? (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press)
CZAR’S SCOOP: The Texans might be regretting giving all that money to ex-Packer RB Ahman Green, who was placed on injured reserve this week. The injuries continue to mount up. RG Fred Weary (broken right leg) was lost for the season against the Titans and his backup, Chris White, also was lost for the season with a torn MCL. QB Matt Schaub suffered a dislocated left shoulder. Gary Kubiak is hoping he returns, but what’s the point? Rosenfels, who has thrown nine touchdown passes, starts his second game. He won at Oakland. The backup will be Shane Boyd. The Texans will also make some defensive changes, starting DT Anthony Maddox and linebacker Charlie Anderson. Houston now has 16 players on injured reserve. Johnson has averaged more than 100 receiving yards in his five games this season.
GAME: St. Louis at Cincinnati
TIME: 1 ET
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Look for the Bengals to blitz poor QB Brock Berlin, who makes his first NFL start for the Rams. The Rams thought they would have Marc Bulger back, but after he was cleared by the doctors he pulled himself out after complaining of headaches. You can bet the coaching staff wasn’t too happy, considering their predicament with Berlin and then signing Todd Bouman (No. 8 in your program) to be the backup because Gus Frerotte injured his throwing shoulder last week. If Berlin can survive, the Rams have a slight chance. Rams RB Steven Jackson has had 21 carries of 2 yards or less in the last two games. The Bengals are guaranteed to have their 16th non-winning season in their last 17 years.
CZAR’S SCOOP: Bengals QB Carson Palmer has 99 career touchdown passes, including 21 this season. With just one more, he’ll join a most prestigious club — only four quarterbacks have reached 100 quicker. The other four are Dan Marino, Kurt Warner, Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. Palmer stands third on the Bengals’ all-time touchdown pass list. Ken Anderson holds the record at 197. Coach Marvin Lewis now has a 39-38 record with the Bengals, which includes one postseason loss. Still, he is in no danger of losing his job or not fulfilling his contract, which runs through 2010. Cincy owner Mike Brown seems happy with 8-8. One thing holding up the Rams from hiring a top personnel man is their unwillingness to fire vice president Tony Softli.
GAME: Minnesota at San Francisco
TIME: 4:05 ET
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: San Francisco QB Trent Dilfer, who threw four interceptions last Sunday, has a chance against Minnesota’s 32nd-ranked pass defense, one that will be minus pass rushers Ray Edwards (suspension) and Erasmus James. Minnesota may be in the right spot to secure the sixth and final wild-card playoff spot as long as Adrian Peterson keeps running. Peterson and Chester Taylor have given young QB Tarvaris Jackson time to throw, and he had two touchdown passes last week against the Lions, who seemed to quit by halftime. Niners RB Frank Gore’s ankle is almost 100 percent, and he will test the Minnesota defense on the edges. Minnesota CB Antoine Winfield is expected to play after missing four games.
CZAR’S SCOOP: Oops. Last week I wrote that the 49ers had to pay QB Alex Smith $8 million in March to lock up salary years 2009-10. In fact, the 49ers have to pay Smith $7.1 million if they don’t keep him because of a $4 million bonus that wasn’t paid in year two of his contract. To cut him loose and not “buy back” those contract years, there would be a penalty of $3.1 million. It’s not quite a wash, but the team owes Smith a bunch of money regardless. Smith is scheduled to earn $2 million next season. Is it better to cut him loose and give him $7.1 million? This is a huge decision, considering Mike Nolan hasn’t had a winning season in three tries and he and Smith are no longer the best of buddies. Yes, the 49ers would have liked to have traded this year for Bears LB Lance Briggs, but the league rules prohibited such a move once he was franchised. Briggs will definitely be unrestricted next year and the 49ers can then bid for his services. The Minnesota Legislature said last week that they won’t even discuss a new Vikings stadium in 2008. The Vikings’ lease expires after the 2011 season.
Edgerrin James is on his way to another 1,000-yard season. (Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images)
GAME: Arizona at Seattle
TIME: 4:05 ET
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Arizona QB Kurt Warner said Saturday night that he doesn’t expect either Larry Fitzgerald (groin) or Anquan Boldin (dislocated left big toe) to play, although the Cardinals are hopeful that Fitzgerald will be available. Boldin hasn’t found a pair of cleats that will protect his toe. Without those top two receivers, the Cardinals will have to rely on Sean Morey and rookie Steve Breaston along with Bryant Johnson, a Warner favorite. The Seahawks plan to continue their pass-happy act with Matt Hassebeck because of Arizona’s shaky secondary, now minus safety Adrian Wilson and Eric Green. The Cardinals hope to get Edgerrin James on track in order to keep Seattle’s pass rush off Warner.
CZAR’S SCOOP: Morey and Breaston did make plays in the second half of last week’s win over Cleveland, and Warner expects them to keep it up. “They’ve made huge contributions and big plays all over the field,” Warner said. “Those two simply haven’t been counted on too much” as receivers this season. The Cardinals need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they are one of only two NFC teams to beat the Seahawks this season. Arizona’s James needs 78 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the second straight season. Patrick Kerney and Julian Peterson have combined for 20 sacks this season. Seattle’s Rushton Webster would be a viable candidate for any club looking for a GM.
Other Games:
Pittsburgh at New England: You all know the story of how Pittsburgh safety Anthony Smith guaranteed a victory over the unbeaten Patriots, who failed to cover the point spread the past two games. Smith, a hard-hitting free safety who replaced injured Ryan Clark midway through the season, said he’s not worried about providing any motivation for the 12-0 Patriots. “Now we have our swagger back on defense and we’re playing great ball and they’re playing great on the offensive side, too,” said Smith, who believes Cincinnati receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson and Chris Henry are better than New England’s trio of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte’ Stallworth. Steelers defensive captain James Farrior wishes that Smith had kept his mouth shut. Whatever. Bill Belichick didn’t practice his players on Wednesday, believing they are a little tired. His defense was run over by the Ravens and Willis McGahee for 166 yards and it definitely is missing OLB Rosevelt Colvin.
Miami at Buffalo: The winless Dolphins haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in 13 consecutive quarters as they go for loss No. 13. There is a chance Buffalo rookie RB Marshawn Lynch will play. Few coaches have done a better job than Bills coach Dick Jauron this season, considering he’s starting a rookie quarterback and has lost six starters to injury. Miami rookie QB John Beck had five turnovers last week, leading to 16 points by the Jets.
Oakland at Green Bay: It looks like Josh McCown and then JaMarcus Russell for the Raiders. The Packers have won the last four meetings between the two teams, including the amazing four-touchdown night by Brett Favre the night after his father passed away. You have to wonder how much Packers CB Charles Woodson wants to play against his old team, considering how the Raiders dumped on him before cutting him loose. Oakland’s Justin Fargas has had three 100-yard games in his last five starts.
Can rookie QB John Beck help the Dolphins avoid going 0-13? (Doug Benc / Getty Images)
San Diego at Tennessee: Titans QB Vince Young has been throwing better in his last four games, but his four touchdown passes have been off-set by six interceptions. He has 14 now on the season. The Chargers lead the NFL with 20 interceptions. San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson is touching the ball on more than 41 percent of the plays and now has 111 rushing touchdowns. Tennessee needs DT Albert Haynesworth to shut down L.T. and hope that Philip Rivers has an average day throwing the ball. WR Chris Chambers hasn’t developed into a game-breaking deep threat yet for the Chargers.
Kansas City at Denver: Well, the Chiefs return to Brodie Croyle at quarterback, but will he survive behind a fairly weak offensive line? Third-stringer Will Svitek starts for injured LT Damion McIntosh. Larry Johnson has been running full speed on his bad foot and also cutting on it, astounding the team doctors. Johnson wants to play, but coach Herm Edwards wants to shut him down for the rest of the season. So why isn’t Johnson on injured reserve?
Cleveland at N.Y. Jets: The Browns currently own the sixth playoff seed and have a tiebreaker edge over Tennessee, and this is one of those must-wins. They blew the Arizona game last Sunday because of four turnovers and 10 penalties, many of which were uncharacteristically stupid for a team with playoff aspirations. Browns coach Romeo Crennel took responsibility for his players’ undisciplined style. Cleveland’s Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. are playing at Pro Bowl levels right now. The AFC’s two best kick returners are in this game — Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs and the Jets’ Leon Washington. Cribbs can help his cause by tackling Washington because he also plays on all coverage units.
Indianapolis at Baltimore: The Colts list WR Marvin Harrison as a game-time decision, but it doesn’t make sense for him to play against the Ravens, who are pretty big hitters in the secondary. Harrison wants to be ready for the playoffs, so it’s more likely that he will play in one of the final two games. But as long as he is practicing with Peyton Manning, game experience is obviously not necessary for the future Hall of Famer. Four Ravens were fined a total of $70,000 for their actions and complaints about the officiating in Monday night’s loss to New England. LB Bart Scott was fined $25,000 and called his actions, like tossing one official’s yellow flag, “juvenile.”
Source: Countdown: Breaking down Week 14
