Random thoughts from some of Week Two’s games

The second week showed the continued dominance of some units, while weaknesses became more glaring than the hot August sun for others:

Joey Harrington is still struggling, Vikings’ Adrian Peterson has some insane moves, Chad Pennington has Kellen Clemons hot on his tail, Vince Young still needs some work, Brady Quinn can throw touchdowns against the Lions’ 3rd string defense, the Panthers’ offense was completely inept against Philly, and the Jags have some wild running backs.

And now for some more organized thoughts on some of this week’s games.

Now with 50% more roster spots!

– Well, Atlanta’s bad breaks continue. The best player the Falcons have left, tight end Alge Crumpler, has been slowed by a bothersome left knee. Not much is known about this injury, but according to Bobby Petrino, Crumpler has yet to be seen at full strength this summer.

For the Falcons, this could be the straw that broke the camel’s back. New starter Joey Harrington would be relying heavily on Crumpler as a safety blanket, and if the Pro Bowl tight end’s status is up in the air throughout the year, the offense would struggle significantly as it learns a new system.

All the major AFC news of the day.  Yes, all of it.  Don’t argue with me.

Can I make a suggestion?  Click the links.  They take you to the story we are referring to.  You will learn things.

– The biggest news of the day would have to be Denver Broncos’ linebacker Warrick Holdman going down with what NFL Live reported as a spinal cord concussion. The injury shook the teams and fans, which eventually led to Mike Shanahan cutting the day short.

All injuries, all the time…

– Chester Taylor looked like he could be done for the year after being carted off the practice field in writhing pain, the result of a blow delivered as Taylor attempted to catch a pass that was strung out in front of him.  Childress, though, downplayed the injury, calling it a right arm “contusion.” This, of course, is during a time when Adrian Peterson obviously needed a better opportunity to win the starting job.

Wrapping up today’s major stories…

–  Nike has decided to pull the plug on a new shoe line named after Michael Vick.  Another Vick related product being nixed by the athletic apparel giant…the Nike Rape Stand 7000.  Sorry, kids.

–  One of the more interesting stories of the day not involving federal charges, was Daunte Culpepper’s first visit with a NFL team.  That team?  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  No, really. 

We don’t think there’s any chance of this actually going down, but considering that Culpepper played at Central Florida and Jon Gruden’s affinity for quarterbacks, it does kind of make sense to at least touch base. 

ESPN is reporting that free agent Donovan Darius, released by the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this offseason, has signed with the Oakland Raiders. For the Raiders this means that they’ll have two starting safeties who are much better at the line of scrimmage than in coverage. Current starting free safety Stuart Schweigert is the odd man out, and we’re surprised it took this long for the Raiders to bring in somebody to replace him. He’s easily been one of the worst players on what has actually been quite a good defense operating under Buddy Ryan’s son the last couple of seasons.

Short Slants

– Anthony Waters, the Chargers rookie inside linebacker who will be looking to start this year, has officially been charged with assault. Someone threw a rock at his car and he proceeded to make the gentleman a bit bloody. NGPF advocates this. If you throw a rock at our car, we will beat your ass, too. Free Anthony Waters!

– The Falcons seem to have insurance against more rotting animal corpses being found on Michael Vick owned properties.

– Ravens’ quarterback Steve McNair triumphs over a stupid law.

Every year numerous milestones and records are reached in the NFL.  Last year, for example, LaDainian Tomlinson shattered the single season record for rushing touchdowns with 28.  Of course, there’s no way we can forecast individual season accolades, but we can explore career accomplishments.

Over the course of the rest of the summer we’ll get caught up on what possible milestones players will be working on in 2007.  Today we will take a look at the rock carriers — running backs.

Top 10 Non-First Round Second Year Players

We all know the names of the superstars to come out of last year’s first round. Vince Young. Reggie Bush. AJ Hawk. Vernon Davis. Matt Leinart.

Instead, today we’re going to look at the best players not drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

So here it is…the top 10 second year players not drafted in the first round…….

10. Cedric Griffin CB Minnesota 2nd Round — 41 Tackles 2 Interceptions

Tony Romo’s Next Destination?

The contract extension talks between the Dallas Cowboys and their young quarterback Tony Romo seem to be over, at least for the time being.  In all likelihood, as the Dallas Morning News points out, Romo will probably receive a large contract at some point during the 2007 season. 

Depending on how the first month of the season goes for Romo, however, the leverage of either side could swing widely.  The downside for the Cowboys is if Romo has a great start to the ‘07 campaign he could start to think about opting for free agency in the spring.  The price tag to lock him up would certainly rise significantly.