AFC East: Chris Simms
Time also gets crunched for Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins get three days to recover from Sunday's carnage and significantly less time to come up with a game plan for Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bears in Sun Life Stadium.
Expect several roster moves in the coming hours for a team that lost its top two quarterbacks, star left tackle and maybe its sacks leader.
General manager Jeff Ireland will be combing the streets for free agents. It's hard enough to find somebody to contribute on the fly, but to get them up to snuff on a playbook within 72 hours is practically impossible.
JaMarcus Russell, Patrick Ramsey and Chris Simms all have been reported as quarterbacks of interest for Miami. The United Football League season ends in a couple weeks. That would make former NFL starters such as Daunte Culpepper, Jeff Garcia, Brooks Bollinger, Tim Rattay and Josh McCown available. Former starter Cleo Lemon is almost done with his Canadian Football League season.
Starting quarterback Chad Pennington suffered a shoulder injury. Previous starter Chad Henne went down with a knee injury. Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long reportedly dislocated a shoulder. Outside linebacker Cameron Wake hurt a hip.
The Dolphins have been scrappy in staying above .500 and in the AFC playoff race. But their 29-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans might have been their Waterloo because of the injuries.
The Dolphins won the game but still failed to gain any ground on the New York Jets or New England Patriots, who won on the road to remain two games ahead of the Dolphins.
Now Miami must scramble to field a team and identify somebody on its roster who won't get Tyler Thigpen destroyed. Vernon Carey played left tackle in 2007, but hasn't seen time there since Long was drafted first overall in 2008.
Check back for updates on the Dolphins' roster.
They failed in their quest to acquire quarterback Donovan McNabb, but Bills fans should be thrilled their front office at least tried something that bold.
The Philadelphia Eagles traded McNabb to the Washington Redskins on Easter night for a second-round pick in this year's draft plus a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft.
We don't know exactly what the Bills were offering. The Redskins' second-round pick was the 37th overall, four slots better than the Bills' second-rounder. But the Bills might have sweetened the deal with additional picks or players.
But the Bills couldn't swing the deal because McNabb was unwilling to sign an extension. He's entering the final year of his contract, and trading away assets for a veteran who'd be around for one unhappy season would have been ludicrous.
Multiple reports state McNabb simply didn't want to play for the Bills or the Oakland Raiders.
ESPN's Sal Paolantonio reports the Bills and Raiders had the two best offers on the table just last week. Yahoo! Sports writer Jason Cole reports the Bills were willing to offer McNabb an extension, but he wasn't interested.
While McNabb's rejection certainly was influenced by the Bills' dysfunction during a long decade without a playoff appearance, it shouldn't be a reflection of their current front office.
Rookie general manager Buddy Nix and new head coach Chan Gailey identified a need and went after one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the league, a five-time Pro Bowler with 216 career touchdown passes and 100 interceptions.
Their pursuit of McNabb was inspired and far more significant to the franchise's potential well-being than the splash they made with one-and-done diva receiver Terrell Owens last year.
Nix and Gailey repeatedly declined to publicly reveal their depth chart, insisting Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm are interchangeable at this point. But Nix and Gailey also have mentioned multiple times they're on the lookout for a fourth quarterback.
At the recent NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., Gailey noted he wanted to have his quarterback situation sorted out before the draft, which begins April 22.
"You'd like to have everything settled before you went into the draft," Gailey said. "The problem comes if you don't solve an issue before the draft. Then you have to try and solve it in the draft. Then if you don't solve it before the draft or in the draft, now your back's to the wall and everybody knows it. That's a bind you get into. Now they can hold you up."
What do the Bills do now?
Drafting a quarterback becomes a greater possibility. The Bills hold the ninth overall pick, but they have so many needs. Maybe Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen still will be on the board, creating a difficult decision. If the Bills go with another position in the first round and hold off until the 41st pick to look at quarterbacks, then University of Florida icon Tim Tebow, Texas' Colt McCoy or Central Michigan Dan LeFevour might become an attractive option.
Jason Campbell automatically becomes a possibility. He's a restricted free agent with a first-round tender, so an offer sheet is unlikely. But a trade could be worked out because he's not needed in Washington anymore.
Some unrestricted free agents: Kyle Boller, Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, Patrick Ramsey and Chris Simms. Other getable restricted free agents: Kellen Clemens and Troy Smith.
And, for the record, J.P. Losman's still out there.
Regardless of where the Bills find that fourth quarterback, it's impressive to know they aimed for McNabb.
If this is how Bills fans can expect their team to operate under their new front office, then there's genuine reason to get excited.
If Jets want Cutler, it's time to get him
The New York Jets can have Jay Cutler if they want him badly enough.
The disgruntled Pro Bowl quarterback officially is on the market.
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| The best moments from Jay Cutler in 2008. |
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen on Tuesday released a statement to announce they're ready to trade Cutler and end the ongoing saga. The Jets were one of 10 teams that reportedly had contacted the Broncos prior to last week's NFL owners' meeting in Dana Point, Calif.
The Jets certainly could use Cutler. New head coach Rex Ryan has overseen an overhaul of the defense with several major moves. Their offensive line remains intact. They have two Pro Bowl running backs.
But quarterback is a significant question for the Jets.
Brett Favre retired, leaving Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge -- eight combined NFL starts among them -- to battle for the job.
Ryan has insisted he would be fine with those three quarterbacks competing in training camp.
Cutler, however, would provide an undeniable upgrade and might be the missing piece to get the Jets into the playoffs.
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum certainly wouldn't be afraid to pull the trigger. He has shown no fear in swinging a big deal.
But what do the Jets have to offer? They hold only six draft picks, with their top three slotted at No. 17, No. 52 and No. 76.
The Jets don't have a veteran quarterback to trade if the Broncos aren't comfortable with Chris Simms taking over for Cutler.
It's difficult to imagine the Broncos would be too infatuated with Clemens (erratic when given the chance to start in 2007), Ratliff (undrafted in 2007) or Ainge (last year's fifth-round draft choice, who already has served a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs).
Perhaps the Jets would need help from a third team to get Cutler in a green uniform. Old friend Eric Mangini, now head coach of the Cleveland Browns, has an extra quarterback. (See AFC North blogger James Walker's post.)
If the Jets are hungry for Cutler, they might need to get creative.
Matt in Maine writes: Give me one reason as a Pats fan that I don't give this season up and use this time to build up good karma with my wife and do family things on Sunday afternoons this fall?
Tim Graham: I'll give you three: Bill Belichick, the defensive line and Randy Moss.
Matt in Fresno, Calif., writes: Does ESPN tell you to only talk about New York vs. Boston? Is that the only thing they allow you writers to talk about? I mean seriously ... Even if there is no rivalry, you gotta try to make one up Jets and Patriots? Give me a break.
Tim Graham: Yes, we're making it all up. You caught us. All those reasons I gave why Jets-Patriots is a huge rivalry were fictional. I actually thought about naming my lead character Santa Claus instead of Bill Parcells, but then I thought that might be a little too over the top.
Chris in Fort Lauderdale writes: Pats-Jets is just another ESPN-forced rivalry. The true rivalry in the AFC East is Jets-Dolphins.
Tim Graham: I guess that's why about a third of the upper deck consisted of empty orange seats on Sunday, when the Jets visited the Dolphins ... on opening day ... with the Dolphins unveiling their new team and head coach ... with Brett Favre making his Jets debut ... with Chad Pennington playing against his former team.
Harlan in Boston writes: I'm a Pats fan, a huge one and I am realistic about the Patriots not being the team they are without Tom Brady. What I don't understand is why people are so high on the Jets taking over the AFC East. If any team has a chance I see Buffalo, a team with a solid defense, an All Pro-caliber RB and a promising QB. Your thoughts?
Tim Graham: I agree with you. I've gone on record as calling the Bills the new team to beat in the AFC East. They also have Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters coming back from his holdout.
Brian in Phoenix writes: Do you think the Bills will win at least 10 games to make it to the playoffs?
Tm Graham: I like their chances if they stay healthy. I'm not going to get into picking wins and losses down the schedule, but they have the Dolphins twice, the Raiders, Rams, 49ers and Chiefs. That's favorable for the Bills.
Garrett from Parts Unknown writes: I enjoy most of your work, but when I looked over your preseason All-AFC East defense lineup I just ended up puzzled. You stated that you were doing a 3-4 defense, which is intelligent, but then you selected Aaron Schobel at RDE. A 250-pound DE cannot hang in the 3-4. 270 pounds doesn't even cut it. Is this an isolated oversight? Or should the readers be prepared for more nonsense?
Tim Graham: Garrett, are you the guy who complains that the Shoeless Joe Jackson character in "Field of Dreams" incorrectly bats right-handed, yet overlooks the concept of ghosts living in a cornfield?
The preseason All-AFC East team isn't real. It would have been, but I couldn't find another team for it to play this weekend.
Mr. Anonymous from Waukesha, Wisc., writes: When a player makes a team's practice squad, is he under contract? If so, what is his salary?
Tim Graham: Practice squad players are under contract, but they can be signed to another team's 53-man roster. Their minimum salary is $5,200 a week. If they stay there the whole season that adds up to $88,400. But they can make more than that.
Scouts Inc.: Patriots' emergency list is key
Posted by Scout's Inc.'s Keith Kidd
When an injury occurs in the NFL, the wheels start spinning immediately -- diagnoses are made, lists are checked and phone calls are placed either during the game or immediately after. And when your quarterback goes down for the rest of the season, like Tom Brady did on Sunday, there is an even bigger sense of urgency.
Once Brady was diagnosed by the team's doctors and the staff understood the extent of his injury, the process began. If a player is deemed to be out for an extended period, the team starts looking for someone to fill the 53-man roster. The first place they look is to their own practice squad, and in this case the Patriots will find QB Matt Gutierrez. However, the Patriots will probably not add him because they already have enough inexperienced quarterbacks on their roster.
The next place a team will look to fill their roster is its emergency list. Every team has an emergency list of five to seven players per position who could fill a roster spot vacated by injury, players that team scouts have determined are the best available without jobs in the NFL. This list provides each player's position, test score, height, weight, speed, age, agent's name and phone number, player's phone number, minimum salary for that player and a small comment area. These lists are finalized every Friday throughout the regular season in case an injury occurs during that week's game.
The Patriots probably placed calls during the game to players' agents to find out their status and willingness to sign, and the ideal situation is to bring in players on Monday or Tuesday for a workout and physical. If all that checks out, then the team will sign that player. Right now, New England is looking for the quarterback who can contribute the quickest, and once they identify that player offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels begins a process to determine what the newly-signed quarterback is comfortable with and help the player understand the team's terminology. Regardless, whichever veteran quarterback the Patriots decide to sign, he will be a help for the inexperienced quarterbacks on the roster, including QB Matt Cassel.
We know some of the players the Patriots are looking at, and here's a look how the top six on their emergency list might look:
1. Chris Simms -- He has had success as a starter in the NFL. Simms has good arm strength and good presence in the pocket. He was derailed in Tampa Bay by an unfortunate spleen injury, but he could help the Patriots win if needed. However, he will take time to learn their system and has not been a cold-weather quarterback at any point in his career.
2. Tim Rattay -- He is a journeyman quarterback who could finish a game if necessary. He can process quickly, get rid of the ball fast and it shouldn't be hard for him to learn the system. He is at his best in a controlled, short-to-intermediate passing attack.
3. Vinny Testaverde -- The 45-year-old quarterback is very familiar with the Patriots' system and was signed late last year after Cassel's poor play in the regular season. His age might be a limiting factor, though.
4. Daunte Culpepper -- Even though he is retired, he could probably be convinced to apply for reinstatement. Culpepper has been in three different systems -- Minnesota, Oakland and Miami -- and he has been productive as a starter. Plus, he already has a very good relationship with WR Randy Moss from their time in Minnesota.
5. Craig Nall -- He is a journeyman backup quarterback who doesn't have much starting experience. But he is also familiar with the AFC East.New England head coach Bill Belichick is a tremendous evaluator of talent and knows how to assess a player's strengths and weaknesses. He has surely studied all of the players above in preparation for games against their former teams. You can be sure that there will be a good reason for the Patriots passing on any player on their emergency list.
Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham Patriots 17, Chiefs 10: All those negative feelings Patriot Nation suppressed about their team's 0-4 preseason and what life might be like without Tom Brady should be gurgling to the surface now.
The AFC East is up for grabs.
Reports claim Brady's knee injury is season-ending. That could be cataclysmic for the Patriots, who are depth-deprived at quarterback. They needed to hang on in the final minute to defeat the lowly Chiefs.
Old friend Damon Huard -- the Chiefs' backup quarterback, no less -- drove 73 yards to give them a first-and-goal opportunity from the Patriots' 5-yard line. The Chiefs failed to punch it in, but that shouldn't be an occasion for gloating too much in Foxborough.
Brady's injury is cause for serious alarm, not only because the job would go to Matt Cassel (if he starts next week against the Jets in the Meadowlands it will be his first start since high school), but also because an extended rehab would be a discouraging blow to the locker room.
Cassel has done little to engender confidence. He failed to lead the Patriots to a scoring drive in the preseason. He came off the bench Sunday to complete 13 of 18 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. That was something to build on, but he did it against the Chiefs, whom the Dolphins dominated and shut out in the third preseason game -- the one that's supposed to be most reflective of the real thing.
Don't be surprised if the Patriots start calling around for help. Joey Harrington, Chris Simms and Daunte Culpepper are available.
That should make Patriots fans feel better.
Bills 34, Seahawks 10: It can be argued nobody had a better weekend than the Bills.
Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters ended his 43-day holdout by reporting to the team on Saturday. Brady's injury creates hope the AFC East title might actually be attainable. Then they put a thumping on the Seahawks, who were short-handed from injuries and suspensions yet still are considered one the NFC's better clubs.
The Bills rolled with a balanced offensive attack, a defense that recorded five sacks and forced a pair of turnovers and touchdowns from their special teams on a Roscoe Parrish punt return and a fake field goal.
That was the sort of statement game the Bills' needed.
Second-year QB Trent Edwards overcame his limited preseason action (four series over two exhibition games) and completed 19 of 30 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. RB Marshawn Lynch ran for 76 yards and a score. WR Lee Evans had 102 yards. TE Robert Royal had a team-high six catches and a TD.
What else could they have done besides post a shutout?
In a division in which the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 constricted appreciably, the Bills showed today they could be the new AFC East team to beat.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the NFL and NBA for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. He's a Temple graduate and Hyattsville, Md. native who lives in Miami.
