Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker
Coming off Week 7 where the AFC North won the division battle by going 2-1 against the NFC North, let’s get to some questions.
Ken Robinson, Gus Rafeedie and others want to discuss the officiating in Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.
James Walker: I’m not going there this week. A week ago I thought Pittsburgh’s fourth-down measurement against the Cleveland Browns was so egregious that I wrote about it. But in hindsight, it may have been a mistake, because now the division inbox is filled with e-mails from our community wanting to discuss every close call. Like I said, officiating is an NFL issue, not an AFC North issue.
Brandon from Costa Mesa, Calif., wants to know why the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t run more screens.
James Walker: Pittsburgh runs a few screens to tight end Heath Miller, but that’s about it. Not every team can run screens well. It depends on the personnel. My theory is that tailback Willie Parker isn’t fluid catching out of the backfield, and since he’s been the longtime starter in Pittsburgh it’s been taken out of the playbook. Rashard Mendenhall’s emergence may lead to more screens to the running backs down the road.
Terry from Hartford, Conn., writes: Best new Browns strategy of the week: Line up with Derek Anderson in the shotgun, and have split backs Joshua Cribbs and Brady Quinn. Center Alex Mack can decide who to snap to, that way it's surprise to everyone.
James Walker: Nice try, but it’s very doubtful this would work. The Browns may need to watch Quinn’s snap count for another game anyway. They are right at the 70-percent threshold after Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Jeff from Reisterstown, Md., writes: What, if anything, can the Ravens do at this point in the season to repair their secondary?
James Walker: The biggest change I expect is rookie Lardarius Webb getting more snaps in sub packages on obvious passing downs. Webb has a lot of athletic ability but lacks experience. So the bye was used to get him up to speed. Other than that, starters like Domonique Foxworth, Fabian Washington and Dawan Landry simply have to play better in the secondary. It’s up to the coaches to make sure everyone understands their assignments and for the players to perform. The bye week should help in that respect.
Coming off Week 7 where the AFC North won the division battle by going 2-1 against the NFC North, let’s get to some questions.
Ken Robinson, Gus Rafeedie and others want to discuss the officiating in Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.
James Walker: I’m not going there this week. A week ago I thought Pittsburgh’s fourth-down measurement against the Cleveland Browns was so egregious that I wrote about it. But in hindsight, it may have been a mistake, because now the division inbox is filled with e-mails from our community wanting to discuss every close call. Like I said, officiating is an NFL issue, not an AFC North issue.
Brandon from Costa Mesa, Calif., wants to know why the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t run more screens.
James Walker: Pittsburgh runs a few screens to tight end Heath Miller, but that’s about it. Not every team can run screens well. It depends on the personnel. My theory is that tailback Willie Parker isn’t fluid catching out of the backfield, and since he’s been the longtime starter in Pittsburgh it’s been taken out of the playbook. Rashard Mendenhall’s emergence may lead to more screens to the running backs down the road.
Terry from Hartford, Conn., writes: Best new Browns strategy of the week: Line up with Derek Anderson in the shotgun, and have split backs Joshua Cribbs and Brady Quinn. Center Alex Mack can decide who to snap to, that way it's surprise to everyone.
James Walker: Nice try, but it’s very doubtful this would work. The Browns may need to watch Quinn’s snap count for another game anyway. They are right at the 70-percent threshold after Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Jeff from Reisterstown, Md., writes: What, if anything, can the Ravens do at this point in the season to repair their secondary?
James Walker: The biggest change I expect is rookie Lardarius Webb getting more snaps in sub packages on obvious passing downs. Webb has a lot of athletic ability but lacks experience. So the bye was used to get him up to speed. Other than that, starters like Domonique Foxworth, Fabian Washington and Dawan Landry simply have to play better in the secondary. It’s up to the coaches to make sure everyone understands their assignments and for the players to perform. The bye week should help in that respect.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch. Walker grew up in Hyattsville, Md., before attending Temple University, graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in communications and mass media. He resides in the Cleveland area.