by Bruce Ciskie
The Minnesota Vikings were facing a logjam at quarterback as they made their final roster cuts by Saturday afternoon. The return of Brett Favre and the strong camp by rookie Joe Webb rendered one of the Vikings other quarterbacks expendable.
If Webb hasn't played like he did, he could have been sent to the practice squad. Once he ripped off long runs against San Francisco and Denver, however, there was no turning back. He wasn't going to clear waivers so the Vikings could put him on the practice squad, and they had to look at either keeping him on the 53-man roster or running the serious risk they would lose him.
Instead, the Vikings had three distinct choices. They could either keep four quarterbacks, cut/trade Tarvaris Jackson, or cut/trade Sage Rosenfels.
by John HickeyThe Arizona Cardinals dealt veteran guard Reggie Wells Friday to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice.
The move was made possible by the addition of free agent Alan Faneca, who forced Wells to move from left guard to right guard this spring, and by an improved showing by Deuce Lutui, the starting right guard who signed his tender offer late.
Lutui, a newly naturalized U.S. citizen, was born in Tonga in the South Pacific but grew up in the Phoenix suburbs. He's a four-year starter, but his position was up in the air when he stayed away from offseason workouts while trying to get a long-term deal out of the Cardinals.
by John HickeyFantasy football week is upon us once again. Each FanHouse NFL division writer used their keen insight to predict the top four fantasy football scorers at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end.
More Fantasy Projections:
AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West
NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West
John Hickey covers the NFC West:
QUARTERBACKS
1. Alex Smith, 49ers: 3,000 yards, 22 TDs, 12 interceptions.
Smith, for the first time, has the same offensive coordinator two years in succession. That has given him some continuity, and maybe the chance to be the star the 49ers thought he was when they drafted him out of Utah. Competing in a weak division helps.
2. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks: 2,900 yards, 18 TDs, 14 interceptions.
Hasselbeck's numbers are pretty good, not world class, but you could do worse. The trouble is that the offensive line is missing its best player from a year ago, the retired Walter Jones, and Russell Okung, the first round pick who was supposed to replace him is hurt. That leads to the suggestion that Hasselbeck will be hurried and his interceptions could go up.
3. Sam Bradford/A.J. Feeley, Rams: 2550 yards, 16 TDs, 16 interceptions.
Bradford is the great unknown, but assuming he starts over A.J. Feeley, he could open up the Rams' offense. He's got a strong arm, but it will be a test to see if the weak Rams' offensive line can support him. It can only help that Steven Jackson can carry the bulk of the offense on the ground.
4. Matt Leinart/Derek Anderson, Cardinals: 1,850 yards 12 TDs, 14 interceptions.
The Cardinals will probably start the year with Derek Anderson, but even if Matt Leinart isn't kept on the bench or traded, why would you draft Anderson? He is erratic and Leinart has never established himself.
by Marc Lancaster
The Manny Ramirez homecoming tour continued Friday, and even though what would have been his first game against Boston while playing for the White Sox was postponed thanks to Hurricane Earl, Ramirez took time to ponder life with reporters at Fenway Park.
Most notably, Ramirez expressed remorse for the way it ended in Boston two years ago, including his dugout spat with Kevin Youkilis shortly before he was traded to the Dodgers.
"It was my fault, right. I already passed that stage. I'm happy. I'm on a new team," Ramirez said Friday. "When I went to first base (two months ago with the Los Angeles Dodgers), I told Youkilis, 'what happened between you and me, that's my fault. I'm sorry.' It takes a real man to go and tell a person it was my fault, and that's what I did."
by FanHouse TVThe NFL Two-a-Days crew knows that great football is played on Saturdays as well, and they are ready to tackle it.
Former Buckeye LeCharles Bentley and host Pat McManamon discuss the new college football season, and you will be surprised on the forecast for the Gators.
Click to watch:
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AFP - At least 53 people were killed and 197 wounded on Friday in a suicide bombing targeting a Shiite Muslim rally in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, police said.
Reuters - Google Inc said on Friday it was the target of an investigation by the Texas Attorney General's office into the fairness of its search engine rankings.