Jim Zorn: Hired To Be Fired?

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Roller Coaster, of Love

“Lovin’ you is really wild – Oh it’s just a love rollercoaster – Step right up and get your tickets”

By now you should officially be in the throes of that emotional swell you’d receive from seeing that hot girl across the bar (or guy depending on your gender or…no need to go there).  

This past Sunday, you caught a glimpse of what can happen when the Jaguars look in the closet and pick out that matching ensemble.  By that, I mean, both players and coaches coordinating.

So now you find yourself going into week four with a Titans team coming to town looking road hard and put up wet.  Can you feel your heart beat a bit faster?  Is your tummy feeling funny?

Surely you find yourself contemplating the next hill they’ll climb when Jack says:

“I like the energy, I like the effort. The way we’re approaching it, we will improve. It’s not maybe, it’s a matter of how much.”

What’s not to like?  Grabbing Battle Red Day by the horns and wrestling away all the optimism the Texans had going into their game against the lowly Jaguars.  Not folding after the Sims-Walker fumble.  When Daryl Smith recovered that football it was almost as if that girl gave you her phone number, right after laughing at you for asking.

Might I suggest you dial the number before leaving the bar.  Or maybe get a look at her in some good light.

Not to take anything away from the victory, but before the message boards and phone lines are filled with any thoughts of this team making a turn there should be some serious consideration of who the Jaguars beat.

Houston

231.7 ypg passing

204.7 ypg rushing

Compare that to the previous teams they’ve played:

Indianapolis

192.3 ypg passing

125.7 ypg rushing

Arizona

280.3 ypg passing (skewed by junk yardage vs Jacksonville)

79.7 ypg rushing

Had you not known, I doubt you’d be shocked if I told you the Jaguars beat the Texans by seven, lost to the Colts by two, and lost to the Cardinals by 14. Before you point out the Jags had to throw more against Arizona, I’ll remind you that, save the 36-yard run early, MJD averaged 2.5 ypc for the game.

This weekend the Titans come to town boasting the second best rushing defense in the NFL, yielding 60.7 ypg.  The hope would be Garrard could exploit their 28th rated pass defense which giv es up 274.7 ypg, but that assumes the Jaguars 19th rated passing offense can improve on their 202.7 ypg average.

Defensively, the Titans are again near the top in sacks, with seven for the year.

Feeling down?  Remember…this is a roller coaster.

Vincent Fuller is out for six weeks with a broken right forearm, hurting their depth.  Cortland Finnegan is nursing a sore hamstring. Tennessee hasn’t been able to get consistency from their Special Teams and they haven’t been able to hold a lead late in any of their three loses.

Kerry Collins has gotten progressively worse with each passing game.  While C.J. has been terrorizing defenses, LenDale White has yet to add that second punch.

Yet, the one thing that cannot be ignored is that across the field stands Jeff Fisher.  In the last seven trips to Jacksonville, the Fisher lead Titans are 5-2 in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

If the opportunity is to exist for a victory it must reside with the defense.  In two of their three games the Jaguars have won the turnover battle, something the Titans have failed to do in their last two games.  Once again an immobile quarterback comes to town, this time with much less talent at receiver.  

In fact, after facing Wayne, Fitzgerald, and Johnson the defense should embrace the moment.  This is the game to unleash the blitz packages.

The most compelling question may be who needs this game more?  Tennessee’s new mantra is “just win one game”, while the Jaguars are hoping this past win will court fans to fill the stadium with their hated rival coming to town.

Sending the Super Bowl contending Titans to 0-4 would be a rush for the fans and this young team. This is a great time to walk up and buy a ticket for the ride that is the 2009 Jaguar season.

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College Football’s Week Four Awards

Sorry this is a little late, but we’re going with the Awards Stuff again. No point in doling out the booze, since we’re expecting so much of the damned stuff in Athens, GA when we hit up the LSU-Georgia game on Saturday.

“Wow, That Was Lucky” Award

1. LSU’s goal-line stand against Mississippi

2. Ole Miss—that South Carolina could have been better and beaten them into a pulp.

3. Michigan—once again surviving, this time on a B.S. call against Indiana

The “Don’t Count Us Out” Award

1. Alabama—Florida loses, the Tide should go No. 1. We may well see at the SEC Title game.

2. Ohio State—At your peril.

3. Oregon—Was a very one-sided track meet.

4. Georgia Tech—The performance against the Heels was impressive.

5. TCU—Just when all the talk was about Boise, the Frogs sneak under the radar.

The “Under The Radar” Award

1. Iowa—Who saw them coming? Seriously? Who?

2. South Florida—They showed up. The ‘Noles didn’t.

3. Virginia Tech—Might well be the best team in the ACC.

“The Ooooooooh” Award

1. Tim Tebow getted laid out by Kentucky’s Taylor Wyndham. Wyndham’s got nothing to apologize for. Tebow’s offensive lineman does.

2. A.J. Green’s blocked field goal and stunning catch. Might be the best WR in college football.

3. Georgia’s finish against Arizona State. Classic.

4. Houston vs Texas Tech. An absolute classic. A wee bit low-scoring, too.

“The Overrated” Award

1. Penn State—After losing at home, reality has suddenly returned to Happy Valley. They never were the fourth or fifth-best team in the nation. And not a top 10 one, either.

2. Florida State—How can a team show up for one game and not for another? The Noles were terrible!

3. North Carolina—We told you about Georgia Tech. You should have listened.

4. Florida and Texas—Alabama has played one better team than both of you guys combined….and won.

5. USC—This is a poor USC team, make no mistake about it.

The “Well THAT Sucked” Award

It’s a tie! Miami didn’t show up against Virginia Tech, Cal didn’t at Oregon, and Penn State’s offensive offense didn’t against Iowa!

“The Undercover Heisman” Award (Guys we think have a chance)

1. Jimmy Clausen—He might be one of the best QBs in college football.

2. Case Keenum—Houston QB’s got the tongues waggling.

3. Iowa’s defense—These guys look like the Pittsburgh Steelers…and play like them.

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Week 3 Waiver Wire Adds

Fantasy owners with high waiver wire priorities will be looking to get their hands on this weekend’s hottest prospects, hoping to strike gold once again.

Mario Manningham was the hottest addition after week two of the fantasy football season. He only delivered a 55-yard performance against the Buccaneers in week three, but a semi-dud like that was kind of expected after two solid weeks. Stick with him.

Who will be this week’s waiver wire darling?

A few of the names below were mentioned in yesterday’s Daily Haze, now with more explanation of their inclusion. Good luck grabbing your targets off the wire.

Pierre Garcon [WR, Colts]
Week 3: Three receptions, 64 yards, one touchdown; 17 rushing yards

In his second week starting opposite Reggie Wayne for the injured Anthony Gonzalez, it became more apparent that the Colts are beginning to develop plays for Garcon.

That is a really good sign going forward. They ran him on a reverse, in which he completely leveled a defensive back to pick up extra yards.

And then Peyton Manning sent him on a fly pattern down the sideline where Garcon outraced Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for the ball and a score.

Two touchdowns in two weeks ain’t bad for the previously relatively-unknown Garcon.

Glen Coffee [RB, 49ers]
Week 3: 54 rushing yards

With Frank Gore likely to miss the 49ers next two games, Coffee steps into the starting running back role on a run-first offense.

He had an impressive pre-season but an inauspicious debut as the No. 1 runner against the Vikings while filling in for Gore. However, Minnesota’s run defense is heralded as one of the best in the league.

As for the 49ers’ next opponent? The Rams. Definitely not as intimidating as the Vikings. Coffee could be a great flex play.

Mike Sims-Walker [WR, Jaguars]
Week 3: Six receptions, 81 yards

That makes two weeks in a row Sims-Walker shows up on waiver wire lists. This could be fantasy owners’ last chance to get their hands on the emerging favorite in the Jacksonville passing game.

David Garrard has been fairly inconsistent lately but the Jags figure to pass the ball often this year. Sims-Walker looks like the No. 1 option in the passing game right now, so the numbers should continue to exist.

Vernon Davis [TE, 49ers]
Week 3: Seven receptions, 96 yards, two touchdowns

Is this finally the coming-out party for Davis?

He made the sleeper watch list before the weekend and delivered with a stellar day for fantasy owners who took a chance on him.

Now he needs to show some week-to-week consistency. He certainly will be one of the hottest grabs this week, get your hands on him now before it is too late.

Nate Burleson [WR, Seahawks]
Week 3: Nine receptions, 109 yards

I have heard more than analyst say that Burleson is the best wide receiver on the Seattle offense right now. And that includes T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Whether or not those analysts are correct remains to be seen. But what has been seen so far this season is Burleson outplaying the highly-coveted free agent acquisition.

What makes this week’s performance even better is that Burleson did it with Seneca Wallace filling in for the injured Matt Hasselbeck.

Andre Caldwell [WR, Bengals]
Week 3: Six receptions, 52 yards, one touchdown

Caldwell, not pre-season hero Chris Henry, has been the most impressive No. 3 receiver on the Bengals so far.

Carson Palmer’s passing yardage numbers have not been that great, but as the season progresses he should put up more in that category.

Caldwell will continue to see plenty of action as it appears he has earned the trust of Palmer. Worth an add in deeper leagues.

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Mark It down: Damon Amendolara Declares Joey Galloway “Not Good”

Three weeks of any NFL season is a short period of time. The NFL season can certainly be divided into fourths, and each quarter of the season can have its own distinct identity. 

A given team can appear dominant and Super Bowl worthy in a season’s first quarter and proceed to do an about face and stink up the joint in the remaining three quarters.

The same can be said for a given player. Small subsets of time in the NFL season can appear vastly different in terms of a player’s performance. With that said, assessments of a player’s worth to a given team, however low that value may proceed to become, are hard, if not foolish, to make based on three football games.

Especially the first three football games of a new season.

Not so for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Damon Amendolara. On his nightly show this past Monday night, Amendolara (or “D.A.” as he is commonly referred to) declared Joey Galloway’s season complete.

D.A. went on many negativity-induced tangents throughout the evening where he stated that Galloway “has been a work in progress all season long” and is “not good anymore.”

“All season long.” So three games is an eternity in this day and age? D.A. also stated that the season was “a month old.”  It was a rainy Monday night and the Red Sox’s season is virtually meaningless until playoff time, so D.A. apparently was in need of something to discuss. 

Joey Galloway was that topic last night, and exaggerating how far into the NFL season we are was D.A.’s mechanism for attacking Mr. Galloway.

Thus far, Galloway has not produced. D.A. is correct in his observation of this fact.  With that said, I won’t go as far as some of the callers from Monday night’s show and say that Galloway will be a “stud”  wideout, nor will I even say he’ll be a significant contributor to the offense.

What I will say is that it’s far too early to judge Galloway and his ability to be a part of the New England Patriot offense. Give the man time. There is no need for premature negativity-filled tirades on the radio.

Other receivers such as Jabar Gaffney typically didn’t contribute until the late weeks of each season.  The same could happen with Galloway.  As Tom Brady has said time and time again, this is a complicated offense and it takes time for the receiver and quarterback relationship to mature.

In no way is this article’s purpose to state that Galloway is or will become a great receiver again in his career. D.A. could be correct and Galloway could be another Reche Caldwell (although to be fair, Galloway’s expected role in the offense was never close to what Caldwell’s was).

The purpose of this article is to document D.A.’s clear cut proclamation on Sept. 28 that Joey Galloway is finished, and this author’s opinion that D.A.’s proclamation was extremely and potentially embarrassingly premature. 

At season’s end, should Galloway be a true bust, a phone call or two to pat D.A. on the back is warranted. I, for one, would like to think D.A. will be wrong on this one. 

Should Galloway proceed to “get it” and begin contributing in some fashion, I am calling on Patriot fans to barrage D.A.’s evening radio show with call outs of his premature conclusions related to Joey Galloway.

Laugh at D.A.’s expense. Label him as arrogant. It will be warranted due to how confident he was on the radio last evening with regard to Galloway’s career being finished.

More than likely, Joey Galloway will be OK, but not awful and not great, either. This is all he should be expected to be at this stage of his career. An OK performance by Galloway over the 16-game season is certainly much more than D.A.’s expectations will ever allow for.

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One Buccaneer Place: Who’s Calling the Shots?

Tuesday is the traditional “day-off” for players in the National Football League, although those who witnessed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ effort against the New York Giants last Sunday might argue that most of the team took that day off.

So, in the aftermath, amidst the wreckage at One Buccaneer Place, aka: La Casa de Depair, behind closed doors came a decision that surprised perhaps a few, but what was surprising is that it came after only three games.

Head coach Raheem Morris, the head of this jumbled asylum, declared after the Gigantic beat-down at Raymond James that quarterback Byron Leftwich was still his guy, still the starting quarterback.

Raheem told us that if he was to consider benching Lefty, then perhaps he should bench everyone. A novel idea!

Less than 19 hours later, Raheem, in a move reminiscent of the Glazers deciding that an untested defensive coordinator should become their head coach, declared “career backup” quarterback Josh Johnson his new starting signal caller.

Yes, Josh Johnson, the fourth-string guy at summer camp, has been tossed into that stinky pile of manure known as the Buccaneer offense.

Leftwich was not demoted to backup, he was thrown ungracefully under the bus and will be the inactive third quarterback at Washington on Sunday.

Which makes us wonder: Exactly who is calling the shots at La Casa de Despair on MLK Boulevard?

You might glance at the photo above and get an idea—Doh!

You might also get the idea that Raheem and his staff wasted the entire summer training camp. Their total focus at quarterback was Leftwich and Luke McCown. All the effort was spent studying those two to determine which would give the team the best chance of success.

McCown is now in Jacksonville and Leftwich is somewhere under the bus.

That’s nothing but a solid waste of summer camp.

Doh!

Anyone who has watched more than a dozen football games in their lifetime knew that Leftwich would eventually be replaced, but the common notion was it would come sometime around week seven or eight. Few thought things could go so wrong so early in this season.

Doh!

With all the camp focus on quarterbacks now officially in the crapper, Morris has turned to Johnson, who spent little time taking snaps at camp, fewer than his majesty Josh Freeman, who is in no way ready to get abused from opposing defensive lines.

So Josh will be fed to the wolves for as long as he can stay upright. Morris knows that at least Johnson is equipped with enough agility and speed to run for his life, and no doubt we’ll see a lot of that.

Thus comes the latest decision.

But we ask ourselves: Did Morris really change his mind that quickly or is some sort of “committee” running the show at the Casa de Despair?

Judging from the way things are unfurling before us, it’s anyone’s guess.

Doh!

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NFL Power Rankings: Week 4

Many questioned my rankings last week, when I placed Cincinnati 13th—three spots ahead of Pittsburgh. I did that because the Bengals had just beaten the Packers, who defeated the Bears in Week One, who downed the Steelers the following week. Makes sense, right?

Not to some readers.

“If the Bengals and the Steelers played right now, who would win?” they asked incredulously.  “You can’t honestly say the Steelers are worse.”

Cincinnati 23, Pittsburgh 20.

Am I allowed to rank the Bengals ahead of the Steelers now?

1. (1) Baltimore Ravens (3-0)

The Ravens absolutely dismantled the Browns, 34-3. They now have the second-best offense of 430.3 yards per game, and seventh-best defense of 282.7 yards per game in the league.

2. (2) New York Giants (3-0)

The G-Men outgained the Bucs, 397-86.

3. (3) Indianapolis Colts (3-0)

Peyton Manning and the Colts put up 505 yards at Arizona on Sunday night, but the injury to Dwight Freeney will be costly.

4. (4) Minnesota Vikings (3-0)

If only Brett Favre hadn’t retired twice, everyone would’ve been so happy for him after his amazing touchdown pass to beat the Niners instead of cringing because they knew it would just lead to another Chris Berman love-fest on The Blitz.

5. (5) New Orleans Saints (3-0)

The Saints proved they could still win without Drew Brees throwing for at least 311 yards.

6. (9) New York Jets (3-0)

Thanks to Yom Kippur, the Jets and Giants played at the same time for the first time in 25 years. I’d have to guess that most neutral fans were tuned to Rex Ryan’s outstanding defense, which forced four Titans turnovers.

7. (7) San Diego Chargers (2-1)

Without LaDainian Tomlinson for a second straight week, the Chargers ran for just 69 yards, but were still able to beat the Dolphins, thanks in part to Chad Pennington’s injury.

8. (8) Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

Despite some sloppy tackling and terrible play-calling inside the five-yard line, the Cowboys were able to get past the Panthers on Monday night.

9. (10) New England Patriots (2-1)

The Pats proved they weren’t dead yet by using a balanced ground attack to outscore the Falcons, 13-0, in the second half.

10. (6) Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

The Falcons drop after losing at New England and we suddenly realize that the two teams they’ve beaten, Miami and Carolina, are 0-6.

11. (11) Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

No Donovan McNabb, no Brian Westbrook, no problem. At least not against the Chiefs.

12. (12) Denver Broncos (3-0)

People still don’t think the Broncos deserve to be ranked this high?  They went into Oakland and held the Raiders to three points and 156 yards.  The Broncos have allowed a league-low 13 points through three games. The Titans gave up 14 in the first quarter to the Jets.

13. (13) Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)

It’s nice to see everyone else’s power rankings are finally catching up to mine.

14. (14) Green Bay Packers (2-1)

It’s good to see the Packers weren’t looking past the Rams to their big Monday night showdown next week against Favre and the Vikings in Minnesota.

15. (15) Chicago Bears (2-1)

Following a terrible performance in Week One, Jay Cutler is quickly learning how to work with his young wide receivers.

16. (16) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)

No reason to drop the Steelers because I already had them ranked 16th last week.

17. (17) San Francisco 49ers (2-1)

The Niners remain in the same spot after their tough-luck loss at Minnesota. No one is questioning Mike Singletary’s coaching tactics anymore, but losing Frank Gore for three weeks will definitely hurt.

18. (18) Buffalo Bills (1-2)

Terrell Owens was held without a catch for the first time in 13 years. I think it’s about time for another phony suicide attempt.

19. (19) Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

After a record-setting game last week, Kurt Warner looked old against the Colts’ defense, led by Syracuse alum and apparent Yankees fan Dwight Freeney.

20. (26) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)

The Jags are the big movers of the week after their win at Houston. They’ll have a chance to win two in a row when they host Tennessee this weekend in a game that could virtually eliminate the loser from contention in the AFC South.

21. (20) Houston Texans (1-2)

The Texans have the worst defense in the NFL at 455.5 yards per game.

22. (21) Tennessee Titans (0-3)

Things don’t get much easier for the Titans, who have Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and New England coming up on their schedule.

23. (22) Seattle Seahawks (1-2)

Seneca Wallace didn’t have a terrible game (26-44-261-1-1), but Seattle needs Matt Hasselbeck back fast.

24. (23) Carolina Panthers (0-3)

Terrible tackling and a disastrous offensive second half at Dallas has the Panthers winless heading into October.

25. (24) Miami Dolphins (0-3)

Winless and without Pennington for the rest of the year? Things aren’t looking good for Miami.

26. (27) Oakland Raiders (1-2)

Oakland has the second-worst offense in the league at 223 yards per game.

27. (28) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-3)

Let’s see if Josh Johnson can do any better at quarterback.

28. (29) Cleveland Browns (0-3)

Seven teams scored more points this week than the 26 the Browns have scored this entire season.

29. (30) Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)

Just 196 yards of offense for the Chiefs in their loss against Philly.

30. (32) Detroit Lions (1-2)

I had the Lions over the Redskins in my pick’em pool this week. However, I won’t be taking them in their next three games against the Bears, Steelers, and Packers.

31. (25) Washington Redskins (1-2)

Rock bottom.

32. (31) St. Louis Rams (0-3)

And now the Rams, losers of 13 straight, take over as the worst team in football.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees Community Leader. His book “Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man” is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com 

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Mark Sanchez: Broadway Mark?

Come on now, can any of you out there say with a straight face that you knew Mark Sanchez would be as solid as he’s been this season?

Even Jet fans were preparing themselves to remain patient with Sanchez for at least a season, which, needless to say, is not a quality, trait or virtue that comes naturally to New Yorkers.

But, Sanchez has thoroughly surprised everyone with his near flawless play during the Jets’ 3-0 start to the 2009 season.

Sanchez has thrown for 606 yards and four touchdowns.  But what’s even more shocking is that he’s had only two passes picked off in 83 attempts, which is something almost unheard-of for a rookie quarterback.

Sanchez has calmly dealt with the New York fans, media, and they immense pressure they combine to create, which, in fairness, is easier to do when you’re exceeding expectations rather than falling short of them.

Sanchez and the Jets will face their next big test this Sunday as they head to the Super Dome to take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints.

However, if they can escape the Super Dome with a victory, the Jets could very well travel to Foxborough in late November for their rematch with the Patriots as an undefeated football team.

In the six weeks following the Saints game, the Jets will take on Miami twice, Buffalo, Oakland, and Jacksonville (with a bye week mixed in), all of which have, let’s just say, not been overly impressive this season.

The one foreseeable downside to Sanchez’s fast start is that he’s now raised the bar.

Whereas four weeks ago, Jet fans were not expecting huge things from the rookie quarterback—at least not right away—they’re now expecting him to calmly pick apart NFL defenses week-in and week-out.

However, when Sanchez does hit a few speed bumps this season, which is bound to happen at some point, perhaps Jet fans will revert to the patients they were intending to display before Mark Sanchez become “Broadway Mark.”

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The Funniest Thing About the Bears-Lions Matchup on Sunday

With the Chicago Bears facing the Detroit Lions this Sunday, Bears fans should be looking at a 3-1 start to the season.  I don’t want to overlook the Lions, but come on, BARELY winning against the Washington Redskins does not constitute them a good team. 

I was going to do a traditional matchup piece for the game, but then I thought better…I mean, it’s the Detroit Lions.  And, they’re most likely going to be without one of their main offensive threats in starting running back Kevin Smith.

And, that is where the hilarity ensues.

In his Monday press conference, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz actually said the following statement when asked about Kevin Smith’s condition:

“We’re not into giving competitive advantage to other people.”

Uh, Jim, yes you are.  You are the DETROIT LIONS, for God’s sake.  By stepping on the field against your team, your opponent has the competitive advantage.

Just tell the truth, Jim, the guy you are facing in fantasy this week has your boy Kevin Smith on his team, and you do not want him to know whether he is starting or not right up until the last minute, in hopes that he isn’t paying attention at 11:00 on Sunday, and ends up starting one of his bench guys.

I understand where coach Schwartz is coming from, but either way it goes, the Bears are still going to prepare for the Detroit Lions running game. 

Ok, I tried my best to get through that last sentence without laughing, but I couldn’t do it.  The Bears are probably going to take the week off, and just practice on Friday and Saturday, in preparation for the only thing the Lions can do, and that’s throw the ball to Calvin Johnson.

Bryant Johnson had a good game against the Redskins, so he will be someone to look out for, as well.  But if the Bears lose the game because they couldn’t stop Bryant Johnson, then they would deserve to lose that game.

With all things said, the Lions are a better team than they were a year ago, so in all honesty, I’m only joking about how the Bears should take them lightly, but without a main piece like Kevin Smith, it should be an easy victory.

And, a 3-1 start to the season going into the bye week, and before two tough road games against Atlanta and a resurgent Cincinnati Bengals team, would be exactly what the Bears needed.

It is looking like the Bears, Packers, and Vikings are going to be in a dogfight all season long for the division title, so every victory, whether it be easy, ugly, or undeserved is welcome.

Go Bears!

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Daily Haze: Season-Ending Injuries Hit the Fantasy Football World

It took three weeks, but fantasy owners now have to deal with the first season-ending injuries to fantasy-relevant players.

Not that there were few injuries to fantasy players over the course of the weekend. Frank Gore is down for at least two weeks, Donovan McNabb has missed the last two weeks, and Kevin Smith is being listed as week-to-week with a shoulder injury. Until this point, however, fantasy owners have not had to deal with the season-ending variety of injury.

Not anymore.

Chad Pennington, QB, Dolphins

Pennington hurt his shoulder against the Chargers on Sunday and was replaced by Chad Henne. Anytime the training staff has to cut your shoulder pads off, it is not really a great sign. The Dolphins have not officially shut Pennington down yet, but that announcement could be forthcoming.

Laurent Robinson, WR, Rams

Robinson was off to a great start for the first time in his career, but it all ended for the upstart Rams’ receiver in Week Three. In addition to a high ankle sprain—which generally sidelines a player for multiple weeks—Robinson also fractured a bone in his leg. He will fade into the fantasy abyss after becoming one of the hotter adds off the waiver wire through the first few weeks of the season.

Here are today’s great reads:

• You know who to pick up off the waiver wire this week, but what about the guys that are worthy of being cut? [Bruno Boys]
• Two players fantasy owners should be concerned about after Week Three: Darren McFadden and Eddie Royal. [National Football Post]
• Game-by-game fantasy football revelations following all of the Week Three action. [SI.com]
• Plenty of options out there on the waiver wire for fantasy owners this week. Kevin Kolb remains a hot add even with Donovan McNabb due back after the bye. [FanHouse]

Got a pressing fantasy football question and need an answer now? Or just want to chat about all the recent developments in the sports world? Head over to The Hazean’s fantasy football forums for all that and more. Also remember to check out The Hazean’s fantasy rankings and mock draft database.

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