Trades
Well I was going to focus this part of the blog on the trade of Marshawn Lynch to the Seahawks but lo and behold an even bigger trade comes down the pipe. Yes folks, the Patriots traded WR Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings!
Now this is not a total shocker..Moss has said repeatedly that he felt there was a possibility he would be traded and didnt feel wanted by the organization. His production numbers this year have been way down, but then it would be nearly impossible to reproduce the record breaking season he had in 2007. The Patriots will be fine without Moss as they proved on Monday night against the Dolphins where Moss went without a catch all night. Moss started his career with the Vikings so this will not be a completely new experience. However Brad Childress was not the head coach nor was Brett Favre the quarterback. Moss will be coming into a situation where the Vikings are struggling on the offensive side of the ball. With Sidney Rice out, Favre has not had a reliable deep threat receiver. Moss is a big fast reliable receiver with some of the greatest hands in the league. He will have an immediate impact on this team if he can play with the high level of consistency and intensity he has played with in New England.
Now of course we have to talk about the trade of Marshawn Lynch. Seahawks have been in desperate need of a reliable running game this season. They are ranked 27th in run offense. Julius Jones took a pay cut to stay in Seattle but his rushing total of 30 yards so far this season has made him expendable especially with Justin Forsett being a faster younger back. In Buffalo Lynch played in a running back by committee system with C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. Here he will most likely be the starter with Forsett playing behind him (depending on how well he plays of course). This should be a great addition for the Seahawks and be a good move for Lynch who will play for a much better team than the Bills.
Injuries
Jay Cutler was practicing as of today, but as far as his status for Sunday..that is still questionable at this point. He suffered a concussion in the first half of last week's game against the Giants and whether or not he should come back so quick from such a serious injury is a serious issue. This is a day by day decision so this is a wait and see.
CB Tracy Porter is out for the next 3-4 weeks for the Saints after having surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee. Saints resigned Leigh Torrence to replace Porter for the next several weeks.
Redskins lost RB Clinton Portis for the next 4-6 weeks with a third degree separation of his left groin muscle. This is a key injury for the Redskins since Portis is the starting rusher, however Ryan Torain looked impressive last week so there is hope that they will be fine without him during these weeks.
After losing S Bob Sanders for 10-12 weeks in the season opener, Colts have now lost his replacement Melvin Bullitt for the season. He injured his right shoulder in last week's game against the Jaguars and will have surgery to repair it soon. Losing him will leave their secondary vulnerable since they have only 1 of their original starting safeties from the season opener Antoine Bethea. They will have to scramble to fill in the gap and this may make their season much tougher than anyone expected.
Packers are having issues at S as well with rookie Morgan Burnett gone for the season and Nick Collins not practicing on Wed due to a nagging knee injury. In a tight NFC North division race a depleted secondary is a major cause for concern.
Cuts
The only significant cut of the week was that of WR Dwayne Jarrett from the Carolina Panthers. While other players were cut and picked up off waivers or traded, Jarrett was released this week after receiving his second DUI arrest in 2 years. Coming out of USC Jarrett was a highly touted prospect. But after 4 years in Carolina he never turned into the star receiver he was thought to be. He had the potential this season to become the 2nd receiver when Panthers didnt resign Muhsin Muhammad, but he failed to beat out rookies Brandon LaFell and David Gettis. Having proven to be a bust and having off field issues may mean his professional career is over.
Returns
After serving a 4 game suspension for various reasons, 3 very key players are making their return to the field this week:
The Steelers are happy to have Ben Reothlisberger this week after serving his 4 week suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy for an incident in Georgia during the off-season. The Steelers have played well on defense without him, but have suffered some setbacks on offense including losing QB Dennis Dixon. With Big Ben's return the the Steelers should be ready to roll through the season and into the playoffs.
Brian Cushing returns this week to the Texans after his suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy after he tested positive for HCG in May. He was the NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year last year for his 134 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. The Texans are still leading the AFC South division with a 3-1 record, but the return of Cushing is one that should make an immediate impact.
Santonio Holmes begins his career with the Jets this week. He was traded to the Jets by the Steelers in the off-season but faced a suspension due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Holmes has had off field issues in the past, but his on field performance is still spectacular. It's not clear how much of an immediate impact he will have for the Jets who are 3-1 without his presence, but the 5'11" receiver with the break away speed and great hands will definitely provide another reliable target for Sanchez.
Come back next week for more!
-NFL Girl
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