ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Mike from Phoenix writes: Mike, First of all, I love your blog. It is a great source of info and you update it so frequently I can't even keep up. Kurt Warner question for you. What does it take to get Kurt in the Hall of Fame?

I was debating this with a friend of mine recently and came to the conclusion that if he gets to 200 TD passes (he's at 162), 30,000 yards (he's at 25,480), and gets the Cardinals to the playoffs (at least once) he has a great shot. Unless he retires after this year the statistical goals are do-able, and the Cards have a great shot at winning the West. Thoughts? I think at that point it is tough to keep a 2 time MVP and Super Bowl winner out.

Mike Sando: I had the same thought when looking at Warner's career stats the other day. He's won a Super Bowl. He's a two-time league MVP.

Taking the Cardinals to the playoffs and winning a playoff game would look very good on his resume given the previous state of the franchise. I do think he needs a few strong years with the Cardinals. At present, Warner has started more than 11 games in a season only twice. He wasn't a factor in 1998, 2002, 2003 or 2006.

Warner has the receivers in Arizona to enhance his stats, and if the Cardinals become a playoff team with Warner at quarterback, his candidacy gains momentum.

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Collin from Syracuse writes: Hey Mike great job with this blog. I'm a huge 49ers fan and have been impressed by their play and less impressed by their record. J.T has extremely exceeded expectations. I actually have 2 questions. One being what are there chances against a beat up Philly team this weekend and also what is your prediction for the season. I saw earlier that you said 6-10 but take away some picks in the end zone and not letting Randy Moss kill them on one play this team is 4-1. Have sent other questions without being answered PLEASE respond.

Mike Sando: Thanks, Collin. J.T. O'Sullivan has returned to reality a little bit over the last couple weeks. He wasn't going to average 9.4 yards per attempt all season. His decision making also has been questionable in key situations, notably on the picks in the end zone and the interception to Rodney Harrison in Week 5. An officiating error wiped out an interception in the end zone in the Seattle game as well.

I expect the Eagles to win this game. They have the better team and they need to win this game to remain competitive in the NFC East at this point in the season. The 49ers are far less established and I think that will show Sunday.

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Shannon from parts unknown writes: One question. Is it the talent or coaching? I believed in Mike Nolan when he got there. And anyone can tell there's more now than then. But is it coaching on this team or do we simply not have the talent to compete. I can't take anymore of this. Thanks and keep up the great work with the West.

Mike Sando: Thanks, Shannon. The 49ers have the talent to compete, but not to win consistently. They are breaking in a new quarterback and a new offense.

They have missed on some draft choices and tried to patch with quite a few veterans from other teams. Their entire starting secondary came from other teams. Their new starting linebacker, Takeo Spikes, has been on other teams. They missed on their right tackle, Jonas Jennings, and we all know what happened with the Alex Smith selection. And then they used the sixth overall pick on a tight end whose role in the offense remains limited after two full seasons and part of a third. Another recent first-round pick, Manny Lawson, has made only limited contributions.

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BigD from Bend, Ore., writes: Mike, you're still doing a fantastic job, keep up the good work. Now that you've busted the news to me about [Justin] Forsett, how do you think the cards play out for him? Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett have both got off to pretty good starts so I don't see him getting promoted there but possibly KR/PR? Any insight you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Mike Sando: Thanks, BigD. I also think Forsett will have a hard time making the 45-man roster on game days. Michael Bumpus and Bobby Engram can return punts. Getting Maurice Morris back restores depth to the backfield.

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John from Tacoma, Wash., writes: Mike, great blog. Big fan from the TNT days, and this page is a must read for me! Quick aside -- Have you seen the Total Access clip of Adam Carolla making fun of Al Davis? Hilarious. Marshall Faulk is choking he's laughing so hard. (3:55 into the clip). Keep up the fantastic work, you're where you should be, on the national stage! John

Mike Sando: Thanks for the kind words and the hilarious link. The clip also reveals Roman Gabriel as having recruited Carolla to play football at Cal Poly-Pomona.

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Chex from Carlsbad, Calif., writes: Hey Mike, Love the blog, first time writing in. I was just looking at the ESPN poll question "Aaron Rodgers v. Jason Campbell'. Just wondering what your take would be if the niners would have taken Rodgers instead of Alex Smith? Would he have struggled working under 17 different coordinators? If the packers would have taken Smith would Favre still be there? (Would Alex even have fallen that far?) Guess I'm just asking if you think the niners would have been better off taking Rodgers??

Mike Sando: Yeah, I would think Aaron Rodgers would have had a better chance with the 49ers based on what we know about each quarterback's personality. Rodgers seems to be brash and innately confident. Smith seems to be more reserved and reflective. The 49ers had no idea they would lose Mike McCarthy and Norv Turner to head coaching jobs, so it's tough to fault the choice from that standpoint. But in hindsight, yeah, you probably go with Rodgers.

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Chaz from Seattle writes: This is a very important question. How do we get the Seahawks to don the "throwback" uni's? I have never really come to terms with the uniforms. ugly.

Mike Sando: It's been only seven years since the Seahawks changed their uniforms, so there's time. I don't know a specific reason for not wearing the old style to this point, but I would think the team would want to establish its new uniforms early on. You might try asking Paul Lukas of Uni Watch fame.

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Mike from Seattle writes: Mike, Is Lofa Tatupu's knee still a problem? He does not look the same this year. Nobody in Seattle (or Tacoma with the TNT) seems to ask the question of his health and just seem to say he is playing poorly.

Mike Sando: His health is one factor, no question. He's having the knee drained periodically and he's playing with a hand problem too.

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Cam from Kelowna, B.C., writes: Hey Mike, thanks for the answer last week, you're the man. New questions for this week: Any major moves to be made in the NFC West? Trade deadline's coming up, could we see the Rams clean house or Seattle try to trade some high draft picks? Next question regards Courtney Taylor. I know the guy didn't deliver when we asked, but I see his potentional too high to give up on after his second season. You see this as a long term mistake? My last question is about the Seahawks. Who's been there best player so far? Am I the only one who thinks Grant has been the only consistent player on the whole roster this year? Thanks Big Guy Cam

Mike Sando: You're welcome. Trading for some of these receivers is going to be rough. Teams aren't going to trade high picks for players who have only a short time remaining on their current deals. That means the acquiring team would want to work out a long-term deal. Things get expensive at that point. Remember when Seattle traded for Deion Branch? The team parted with a first-round choice and then paid large sums to Branch on a long-term deal.

As for Courtney Taylor, it's a bit mystifying how these receivers need so much time in the system to become productive players. The roster limits allow teams to carry lots of receivers to camp each summer. I would bring back Taylor in that capacity and keep him around without saving a spot for him on the 53-man roster.

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Kyle from St. Louis writes: Know when I ask this question I am being entirely serious ... you were going over the 2006 draft (a horror show for the Rams), and said Tye Hill is "struggling." Well, it's been my assertion that based on the numbers and watching him play, he is the single-worst cornerback in the entire league. There's no simple way to confirm or deny this, but would you at least put him close to the bottom?

Mike Sando: From what I have seen, yes. To say he's struggling would be like saying the stock market has had some issues lately.

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Joe from Philly writes: Hey Mike. Does the Seahawks terrible play so far spell doom for the season, or does Seattle have a chance to revive itself once it gets healthy (and if they can stay that way)?

Mike Sando: I'm leaning more toward the doom side with every injury. Things just don't seem to be going right. Matt Hasselbeck's injury is the latest issue. I think it's a big deal because he tends to struggle when he's not comfortable. And he's not going to be comfortable with this patched-together receiving corps, particularly when he is not practicing.

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Ripvs from Seattle writes: What do you expect in the Seahawks vs. the Packers? The Seahawks performance has been bad enough to make a saint cuss on Sunday. 1ply

Mike Sando: Two desperate teams. Two banged-up quarterbacks. Seattle's defense has no excuse. Injuries aren't a big problem. The team will be at home. A loss here would put Seattle in a hole from which it might not recover. I lean toward the Packers given the Seahawks' issues at quarterback. I think Seattle needs its defense to win a game for once, but is there any reason to expect that at this point? The burden of proof is on Seattle.