NFL Capsules - NFC: Giants ability to run may decide Manning Bowl II
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — There's a good chance that the second Manning Bowl may not be decided by either Eli or Peyton.
If the New York Giants (1-0) can run the ball against the Indianapolis Colts (0-1) the way the Houston Texans did last weekend, the game is going to be decided on the ground.
That's how the Texans beat the defending AFC champion Colts on Sunday as Arian Foster rushed for a team-record 231 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-24 decision.
While the Giants struggled running the ball last season, they showed signs of getting their attack back in the second half of their 31-18 win over the Carolina Panthers as Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs ran for 110 of the team's 118 yards.
"We are going to establish the run game. That's Giants football," Eli Manning said Wednesday. "It's something we're going to try to do and a part of that is being able to throw the ball successfully also."
The Colts obviously will be working on their run defense this week, but they will be without safety Bob Sanders. The NFL defensive player of the year in 2007 had surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn biceps muscle in his right arm and will be out indefinitely.
"You can't hide from the fact that last week we did not perform very well," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday. "Our objective is we make no excuses. We have to get better because we are facing a team that can obviously run the ball with some very, very capable backs in terms of Bradshaw and Jacobs. Those two guys can run it at you so we have to be better."
Jacobs said there is no doubt in his mind that the Colts' run defense will improve.
"After a week like that, we know they're going to concentrate more on the run than they probably ever did," he said. "We look at the Houston game and look at certain run keys and reads, but we know it's going to be a tough, physical game."
Jacobs, who gained 44 yards on 12 carries in his new role as Bradshaw's backup, felt Houston got most of its rushing yards with a couple of big plays and a good scheme.
"Things like that have happened in the first game of the season every year in this league," he said. "You have to go in there and expect something different than what they did last week."
Offensive tackle David Diehl said that the line is going to have to push hard this week because everyone knows the Colts won't allow themselves to be embarrassed again.
"For us, we always think that to win football games we have to get the run game going to open things downfield," Diehl said. "It's nothing against Eli and our receivers, we have all the faith in the world in them, but up front we think we are at our best when we get our run game going so we can play smash-mouth football and take the edge off the defense."
In getting the running game going last week, Diehl said the offense made some great halftime adjustments, stopped the negative plays and turned the 2-to-3 yards gains into some longer runs.
The Texans' ability to run the ball last week forced the Colts to throw the ball 57 times. They only ran it 10 times.
Peyton Manning doesn't believe that Houston showed everyone how to beat the Colts.
"I think what Houston showed that we won't play well, if we make mistakes and don't execute some of the basic fundamentals of the game, that it's tough to win and especially against a good team," Peyton Manning said. "I think that was the case on Sunday. Houston played well, and I thought we didn't play well enough at some critical times."
Falcons offense still struggling to find its mojo
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons know they have all the necessary ingredients: The hotshot young quarterback, the go-to running back, a receiver who puts up big numbers and a Hall of Famer-to-be at tight end.
So far, it hasn't added up to much.
The Falcons' first-team offense produced one touchdown in 13 possessions during the preseason. It went 0-for-13 in the season opener against Pittsburgh, a 15-9 overtime loss that puts plenty of pressure on Atlanta (0-1) heading into Sunday's home opener against Arizona (1-0).
Not exactly what was expected from a team that has Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez.
"Looking at the film, it seems like we're executing. Then, for whatever reason, we come up a yard short or two yards short," Gonzalez said Wednesday. "I think we can be a really good offense. We have the players. We just have to go out there and execute when the play is called and move the ball down the field.
"And," he quickly added, "we will."
The Falcons certainly struggled against the Steelers, missing a prime chance to pull off a road victory against a team going with third-string quarterback Dennis Dixon because of Ben Roethlisberger's suspension and an injury to backup Bryon Leftwich.
Atlanta was held to 58 yards on the ground — a paltry 42 of them turned in by Turner, who averaged 2.2 yards on his 19 carries — and Ryan threw a potentially devastating interception near the end of the regulation. Then, after managing just one first down on the first possession of overtime, and getting knocked back by a holding penalty on left tackle Sam Baker, the Falcons were forced to punt it away.
Pittsburgh won it on the very next play: Rashard Mendehall's 50-yard touchdown run.
Turner spent most of the day running into a pile of players — both teammates and defenders. Operating out of a 3-4 scheme, the Steelers were able to bog down the Falcons' big men, not necessarily penetrating into the backfield but keeping things clogged up at the line.
The Cardinals, who also use the 3-4, have undoubtedly watched the film and will try a similar tact, which means the onus will be on the Falcons line to do a better job of creating running lanes, and on Turner to take advantage of them as he did two years ago when he was the NFL's second-leading rusher.
"That was mostly on us, if you want to know the truth," Turner said. "Pittsburgh is a great defense. They did a great job of doing what they're supposed to do. But if we cleaned up some things and did some things right, like we had been working on all week, we would've had a better chance."
Turner was especially anemic when running the ball on first down. He carried it 11 times in those situations and totaled just 22 yards. His longest first-down run was 6 yards. Three times, he was thrown down behind the line of scrimmage, leaving the offense stuck in a second-and-long rut.
"Obviously, running the ball is important in this league, and that's certainly an area where we need to improve," Ryan said. "But we've got a lot of things we need to improve on."
Including the play at quarterback. Ryan burst onto the scene in 2008 with a brilliant rookie season, leading the Falcons to an unexpected playoff berth. But last year, hampered by injuries to himself and those around him, his numbers dropped off and Atlanta missed out on the postseason.
Ryan is off another rough start in 2010, making his biggest miscue late in regulation — a play that should have cost the Falcons the game before they even got to overtime.
Troy Polamalu suckered the quarterback into throwing a dangerous sideline route for Roddy White. Reading the play all the way, the Pro Bowl safety came out of nowhere to make the interception before falling out of bounds. Jeff Reed missed a 40-yard field goal with 39 seconds remaining, but it didn't matter.
Gonzalez has no doubt that Atlanta will be one of the league's top offensive teams before the season is done.
"I'm not going to say last week was a fluke. At the same time, we know he can play better," he said. "Our confidence is not going to be swayed this week. We're going in there knowing we have a pretty good offense and can move the ball up and down the field. Hopefully, we'll get the job done."
-- Paul Newberry
Jackson steps in for Grant, Packers thin at RB
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Brandon Jackson doesn't have an established track record of consistent production like the player he's replacing. Still, the Green Bay Packers are confident he can carry the load in the wake of Ryan Grant's season-ending ankle injury.
And if Jackson can't stay healthy, things really get dicey.
The Packers kept only two true halfbacks, Grant and Jackson, on their 53-man roster coming out of training camp. With Grant gone, Jackson's main backup and the Packers' primary third-down option for the time being is John Kuhn — a fullback who has shown enough ability with the ball in his hands to become an insurance policy.
"It's one of those things where you work on it in the preseason as an emergency-type situation, and now it's an emergency," Kuhn said. "We need to go out and perform."
Going into Sunday's home opener against Buffalo, some might see a team with Super Bowl aspirations suddenly being one injury away from having a fullback as their No. 1 running back — especially after Jackson has missed time with injuries in each of the past three season.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy considers Kuhn more than just a fullback. McCarthy says Kuhn, who was a record-setting rusher at Division II Shippensburg University, has plenty of experience in the Packers' one-back offensive sets.
"The one-back position carries fullback and halfback responsibilities, and we're prepared to go forward," McCarthy said. "So I don't look at us as one play away from being locked into playing with a different position at the (halfback) position of our offense."
Backup plans aside, Jackson is confident he can carry the load. A second-round pick out of Nebraska in 2007, Jackson has become an effective third-down back.
"They've always been telling me you're one play away, and just be ready," Jackson said. "Obviously I've been doing that for three years now, a long time coming. And it's here, and I'm taking advantage of it."
The Packers did add depth this week, signing relative unknown Dimitri Nance off the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad. Nance, who went undrafted out of Arizona State, describes himself as an inside runner with an ability to break tackles and catch passes.
"He is actually someone that we were looking at through training camp," McCarthy said. "I just had a chance to watch him today. Very explosive, instinctive, definitely has a very strong, quick lower half. Everything we saw on film was validated today. He is a young player and I think he will be a good fit for us."
And there has been speculation that it might make sense for the Packers to trade for a running back — including a potential move for a player they'll face Sunday, the Bills' Marshawn Lynch.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who played with Lynch at Cal in college, would be all for it. Asked what he would say if the Packers' front office asked him about Lynch, Rodgers responded, "bring him on."
"I think when you give a guy a change of scenery, and a guy like that who might feel like he has something to prove, and surround him with two guys, (linebacker Desmond) Bishop and myself, who have played with him, I think that can only help him feel comfortable and see a lot of production," Rodgers said.
But Packers general manager Ted Thompson isn't known for making splashy moves out of desperation and doesn't like to part with future draft picks. So for now, it's Jackson, Kuhn and Nance.
Grant was not present when the team's locker room was open to reporters Wednesday. On his Twitter account, Grant said he felt like he had a chance of returning later in the season but understood that the Packers needed the roster spot.
"You can sit here and say he would have been ready for the playoffs based on someone else that went through it in the past," McCarthy said. "You look at past injuries, but it's all about the individual. It's about the doctor's opinion of the specific injury."
And while Grant had been remarkably durable for the Packers until now, the same can't be said for Jackson.
He missed four straight games with a shin injury in 2007, two games in 2008 with a wrist injury and the first four games of last season because of an ankle injury.
Beyond that, Jackson hasn't carried the ball more than 75 times in a season — so how much will he have left in December, when Grant seemed to be at his best?
"This offseason I trained my body to handle the load and obviously it's here right now," Jackson said. "So we'll see."
-- Chris Jenkins
Stafford at practice, but not in drills
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions will start Shaun Hill at quarterback in Sunday's home opener against Philadelphia as Matthew Stafford recovers from a shoulder injury.
Coach Jim Schwartz didn't say Wednesday when Stafford might play again.
"We're going to start Shaun Hill at quarterback on Sunday, and then after that we'll see what happens," Schwartz said.
Stafford was back at practice but stood to the side in his jersey and a baseball cap while Hill and Drew Stanton participated in drills during the portion of practice open to reporters.
Stafford was knocked out of the season opener when Chicago's Julius Peppers sacked him Sunday, putting him on the sideline with a banged-up right shoulder — his third injury in two seasons. Stafford's father, John Stafford, said his son was going to visit well-known sports Dr. James Andrews this week.
"He's really frustrated, but still upbeat," John Stafford told The Associated Press. "I know he's going to get over this hurdle."
Stafford missed six games last year after being the No. 1 pick in the draft because of a banged-up left shoulder and right knee. Hill took Stafford's place during last weekend's 19-14 loss to the Bears.
"Everybody plays this game to actually play it, not just to practice," Hill said. "So I'm very excited for the opportunity."
Schwartz said earlier in the week he didn't think Stafford would need surgery. He said Wednesday not much had changed in the last couple days, but wouldn't go into more detail.
"I'm not going to comment on what our doctors tell a player," Schwartz said. "I'm not going to comment on what results of an MRI are, or any of those things. That's just the way it is."
Last season, the Lions lost all six games when Stafford was out with injuries, struggling with Daunte Culpepper and Stanton leading the offense. Hill, meanwhile, was making six starts for the 49ers, winning three.
Detroit traded a seventh-round pick to San Francisco in March to acquire the 30-year-old Hill.
"Obviously, the more experience you have in this league, the better off you're going to be, so that helps," Hill said.
Hill went 9 for 19 for 88 yards with an interception last weekend. He had a pass to Calvin Johnson in the end zone ruled incomplete in one of the day's most controversial decisions — the Lions thought they'd scored a go-ahead touchdown.
"He doesn't have a long period of being inactive," Schwartz said. "He's a veteran quarterback — he's been around a long time, he knows how to prepare, he knows how to be ready for those situations, he's been in that role before."
The game against the Eagles could be a battle of backups. Philadelphia quarterback Kevin Kolb is going through concussion testing after getting hurt in a loss to Green Bay last weekend.
-- Noah Trister
Dockett dedicates Atlanta game to slain mother
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett spews out so many Twitter messages, it's hard to keep up.
One this week, though, in advance of Arizona's game at Atlanta on Sunday, was special.
It read: "I think I'm going to dedicate sunday game to my MOM she was killed when I was 13 I might cry B4 the game."
Dockett returned to his Decatur, Ga., home that day to find his mother shot to death in the head, a crime that never has been solved. He went to live with his father, who died a few months later of pancreatic cancer. An uncle is credited with saving him, helping him avoid a life of drugs and crime on the street.
"Every time I go into that city, even when I was in college (for Florida State) at Georgia Tech, when I went to Atlanta it was a big thing for me to do well in those games. ... That's where my life really started, there's so much tragedy there."
Dockett said Wednesday that he will go back to his old neighborhood this weekend and round up 20 or so youngsters and "take them shopping."
Even though he's an imposing 6-foot-4, 290 pounds of muscle, he won't go alone.
"It's like one of the roughest neighborhoods," he said. "I'll definitely go out there with some of my boys I'm real close with because it's crazy like that. We'll just go out there and reach out to the young kids, take them shopping and keep them out of trouble and just show them — stay in school and do all the positive things because when I was in school no one ever came back and showed that. It was always the drug dealers and always the bad stuff."
He also wants to find the neighbor who "called the police on me everyday when I was 12" and give her a ticket to the game.
"Bring her to the 50yd line row2," he tweeted.
Dockett also wants his fifth-grade teacher there, because she said he would amount to nothing, although his Twitter message used a much stronger word than "nothing."
"To go back and show people that things are possible. Good things are out there," Dockett said Wednesday. "You shouldn't count somebody out. It's a big game for me and I hope that I can get in touch with them, even though I know they won't come because I think their ego will kick in. It would be much more than a privilege just to show them what I've done with my life and to look at them and see what thieve done with theirs and it's probably nothing."
Dockett, who recently signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed, took a shot to the head Sunday in the Cardinals' 21-17 victory at St. Louis.
"I'm built like a truck. That don't really bother me. I'm all right," he said. "I just got the lights knocked out of me for a quick second, but I'm OK."
Dockett got himself in a little trouble with the NFL when he sent a Twitter message 20 minutes before kickoff of last Sunday's game at St. Louis. The league prohibits "tweets" within 90 minutes of kickoff.
It was a one-word message.
"Amen."
-- Bob Baum
Bradford confident heading into second start
ST. LOUIS (AP) — What impressed St. Louis Rams players most about Sam Bradford's NFL debut was how totally in charge the No. 1 overall pick looked.
"You want your quarterback to have command of the game and he has that," wide receiver Mark Clayton said Wednesday. "Very even keel, you can't get to him.
"As soon as he gets hit in the face he'll get right back up and that's what you want."
Not too banged up, either. Monday for Bradford felt much like a Sunday at Oklahoma.
"Besides a couple of bruises here and there, I felt really great," Bradford said. "Today I came out and felt really good. I really wasn't any more sore than I would have been after a college game."
After the first week, the first rookie quarterback to start for the Rams since Bill Munson in 1964 is living up to the billing. Fellow rookie Rodger Saffold, a second-round pick and the starter at left tackle, said Bradford has always projected control.
"He always seems calm, that's just the type of guy he is," Saffold said. "'Are you an actor? No. Would you tell me if you were an actor? No.' It makes things easier knowing he's not flustered."
All Bradford lacks is a victory for a franchise hungry for success.
"When we get down to the red zone or the fringe area, we've got to find a way to get touchdowns and not field goals," Bradford said. "But I thought we moved the ball fairly well and I think we feel fairly confident going into this Sunday."
Bradford appears to have lost no confidence from the opening 17-13 loss to Arizona in which the Rams largely relied on his arm. He was 32 for 55 — tied for third in attempts in franchise history — for 253 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.
Coach Steve Spagnuolo is hopeful Bradford, set for his first NFL road start, won't have to throw quite so many passes Sunday at Oakland.
"From Game 1 to Game 2, I'm talking about the whole team, you're looking to see where the jump's going to be. I hope the jump is not 75 passes instead of 55, but just in the quality of play.
"We're looking for the whole team to do that."
Spagnuolo said players had done a good job of moving on from the opener, along with the multitude of setbacks from the past. The Rams recovered four fumbles against the Cardinals and didn't score a single point, falling to 1-16 the last two seasons and 6-43 the last three years.
"Nobody's discouraged. We're all disappointed and I hope still upset," Spagnuolo said. "There has to be a little bit of anger there, but there's anger in me. This league is all about the reward and the reward is winning."
Bradford knows he made some bad throws, in particular Adrian Wilson's interception in the first half — a pass he self-critiqued as "a little late, left it a little behind and he made a great play." He knows he made plenty of good ones, too.
And, so far he hasn't been bamboozled by exotic defenses he's been warned to expect. He said Arizona offered only a few new wrinkles.
"To be honest, no, there wasn't really anything that just caught me or this offense off guard," Bradford said. "I felt like we were very well-prepared."
Clayton was the main target last week with a career-best 10 receptions for 119 yards after only three practices following a trade from Baltimore. Already, Bradford is getting questions about the possibility the Raiders might double-team his brand new go-to guy.
"If they do that, it just means other guys have to step up and make plays for us," Bradford said. "We can't shy away and let them take him completely out of the game."
-- R.B. Fallstrom
Seattle's O-line shuffle continues in Week 2
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Eventually, Pete Carroll would like to see continuity with Seattle's offensive line.
That's not likely to arrive until rookie first-rounder Russell Okung returns from his high ankle sprain suffered in the preseason. Until then, the Seahawks will continue to shuffle their front line in the hopes of finding a bit of stability and better production from the run game.
"I think our best football is down the road. And that's something that I'm excited to see happen and come about," Carroll said Wednesday. "I think as we grow, maybe it takes four or five weeks to really know where we are with the front and how we can run the football and all of that."
Seattle's major change up front this week is the inclusion of veteran Stacy Andrews, acquired in a trade with Philadelphia less than two weeks ago. Andrews will start at right guard on Sunday in Denver, replacing Max Unger, who is done for the season with a toe injury.
Unger was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will need surgery to repair a severe turf toe injury in his left foot. Unger, who was wearing a protective boot in the Seahawks' locker room on Monday, will need three months of rehab following the surgery.
His injury also leaves Seattle with just two of the five expected starting offensive linemen from when training camp began. Okung is out for this week and Ben Hamilton — signed from Denver in the offseason as a free agent — was a backup for last week's opener.
The shuffling still might not be done. Gibson suffered a lower back strain against San Francisco, leading Hamilton to take most of the snaps. Carroll said Wednesday he's not sure who will start in Denver, although Gibson fully participated in Wednesday's practice.
Andrews was brought to Seattle from Philadelphia after his highly regarded offseason pickup by the Eagles following the 2008 season. But he started just two games in 2009. Andrews has said in the past he's more comfortable playing tackle than guard.
"He gives us an experienced player that has to adapt very quickly to our system and our scheme. We were hoping it (would be) a couple weeks from now, he would have some time to learn what's going on," Carroll said. "He's just on a racehorse pace to try and figure it out now."
Okung, Seattle's $58-million investment as the replacement for Walter Jones at left tackle, started running on a treadmill this week, but the timing of his return is still unknown. Seattle's also trying to work in veteran Chester Pitts. Thought to be a candidate to fill in while Okung is out, Carroll said Wednesday that when Pitts gets healthy he'll work at guard.
Pitts is coming off microfracture knee surgery. Tyler Polumbus will make his second straight start at left tackle on Sunday. Seattle also added Mansfield Wrotto back to its roster on Tuesday. Wrotto has played guard and tackle for Seattle.
"We have some flexibility now," Carroll said.
Whatever the offensive line ultimately looks like Sunday against the Broncos, they'll be asked to do a better job in the run game. Seattle had just 77 yards rushing in the opener, with 48 of those coming on the Seahawks final possession of the game.
"You're trying to jell so your communication has to be better. It's not the same as a line that's been together for five or six years," Seattle running back Leon Washington said. "We all help each other out and all sticking behind each other. It's not just the offensive line but the back have to do a good job of setting up their blocks so the offensive line can make their blocks correctly. It all has to work together."
-- Tim Booth
Seahawks' Leroy Hill back from suspension
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill finally has a game to look forward to.
After a rough few months filled with off-field drama, Hill returned from his one-game suspension and rejoined the Seahawks on Wednesday. He'll play on Sunday in Denver, although no one is quite sure how Hill will be used against the Broncos.
"I feel like I'm 18," Hill said. "I'm ready to roll."
Hill missed the season opener as punishment from the NFL for his arrest on a marijuana-possession charge in Georgia. He began 12 months of probation for that in April.
Hill could have faced an additional suspension after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah in April. Hill, who turned 28 on Tuesday, entered into a stipulated order of continuance at a hearing on his misdemeanor charge of fourth degree assault/domestic violence on Aug. 19.
Prosecutors said Hill is essentially on probation for 18 months and must complete a one-year state-certified domestic violence treatment program — 26 weeks of weekly therapy and counseling, then monthly sessions for six months — plus 25 hours of community service.
Hill's also recovering from a sprained knee. Additionally, Hill restructured the six-year deal he signed with Seattle before the 2009 season. Instead of making the $6 million in base pay he was originally scheduled to make this season, Hill is taking a nearly $4 million pay cut. He'll also be a free agent at the end of this season.
Even though he couldn't be with the team, Hill went to Qwest Field to watch the opener.
"I had a long offseason. To get from where I was at the beginning of the offseason to were I am now it's just a smile on my face," Hill said. "I don't know my role this week yet, but at the same time whatever they need me to do I'll do it."
How much he plays against the Broncos is yet to be determined, although coach Pete Carroll said it's likely Hill will be asked to contribute on special teams. Hill laughed, saying he's played five games in his career on special teams.
"We're bringing him back to play. We're not bringing him back to sit. We're bringing him back to play and get involved," Carroll said. "So we'll see what that information tells us. But I'm hoping he's going to be in there playing and he'll get in the rotations."
-- Tim Booth
Cook, Griffin practice for Vikings
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook returned to practice on Wednesday, but is still unsure if he'll be ready to play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Cook missed the season opener after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The team figured he would miss about two weeks, but coach Brad Childress says he will watch to see how the rookie practices this week before making a determination.
The same goes for cornerback Cedric Griffin, who is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in the NFC title game in January.
Both players practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday. Percy Harvin was also limited with a hip injury as was defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy with a knee injury.
