Legwold: For loose ends, think Owens

Published December 29, 2006 at midnight

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January is the month for answers, when things get settled in the league. Playoff games are played and in the end, one team holds one trophy and that's that.

But as the playoff grid gets its final alignment this weekend, there are some loose ends that even a champion might not be able to tie up.

T.O. is just OK

There it is. When teams, including the Broncos, were trying to decide last year roughly at this time if embattled receiver Terrell Owens would be worth the trouble, the argument usually centered around the idea that for all his faults, he worked hard on the field and was dominant on game day.

Uh, not so much. Just ask the Cowboys.

Owens has had to explain an accidental overdose, admitted to sleeping in meetings, continually complained about the Dallas offense, said he doesn't have much communication with coach Bill Parcells and seems to talk about everybody else's shortcomings when the Cowboys' offensive woes come up.

On top of all that, the league's number crunchers have Owens down for 14 dropped passes - which leads the league - and many in the NFL believe Owens will be looking for yet another team in the offseason.

Broken finger or not, torn tendon in his finger or not, Owens has not given the Cowboys the kind of player owner Jerry Jones signed when he offered "Terrell needed the Dallas Cowboys" when Jones formally welcomed Owens.

So, in short, he has been plenty of trouble and plenty of notches down from dominant on the field. Let the buyer beware in '07.

Oversold and underperforming

There are some coaches who have long believed, when expounding on their team's championship chances before the season, try to undersell, then go overperform.

The NFC East apparently didn't get the memo.

The Giants, Cowboys and Redskins were sold in the preseason as Super Bowl contenders looking for a breakout year in what would be - insert network TV promo here from Eastern time zone executive types - the toughest division in football.

The Giants were 6-2 when they caved in, having gone 1-6 since, and coach Tom Coughlin had to listen to the Big Blue's faithful serenade him with "Fire Coughlin" chants Sunday.

The Redskins have given owner Daniel Snyder a 5-10 season for constructing the league's highest-paid coaching staff to go with yet another flurry of free-agency dollars tossed on players who might or might not fit what the team wants to do.

And the Cowboys? Well, they have Owens, quarterback Tony Romo has been swallowed by the hype machine and they can't defend the run at the moment.

So in the end, the Philadelphia Eagles, who jettisoned Owens, lost their starting quarterback - Donovan McNabb - to a season-ending knee injury with six games to play and were facing a stretch-drive schedule that included consecutive road games against the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys, are in the best position to win the division, having already clinched a playoff spot.

They went 3-0 in that stretch, backup quarterback Jeff Garcia is 4-1 as a starter and a potpourri of offensive players have combined for 28 touchdown catches.

The Cowboys - with Owens' 12 scoring catches? They have 24.

That's the new math.

Run to win

Once again, while all of the talk around the league this time of year usually centers around what quarterbacks have the best chance to win a title, teams are quietly handing their stretch drives to their running backs.

There have been 11 300-yard passing games in December. There have been 46 100-yard rushing games, up from the 34 100-yard rushing games in November.

For the season, teams with a 100-yard rusher have won 71 percent of their games.

That just might be bad news for the Colts, Saints and Eagles when the postseason begins. Those three are 32nd (last), 24th and 26th against the run this season with one game to play.

The Colts, allowing 174.1 yards rushing a game, have allowed an average of almost 25 more yards a game more than the next worst team - St. Louis.

Nobody told me

The league's first-year coaches came in with promises of a new day, new systems and optimism oozing from their pores.

The Saints' Sean Payton has pushed his team into the postseason and the Jets' Eric Mangini is close.

But the rest of the rookie class will have a little more to chew on in the offseason.

Minnesota's Brad Childress has been criticized by some of his now-former players for his communication skills and his team is 6-9.

Houston's Gary Kubiak has had to listen to almost anyone with a voice tell him he should have taken any number of players with the first pick of April's draft except for the one the Texans selected - defensive end Mario Williams. Kubiak's team is 5-10, quarterback David Carr has regressed as the season wore on and he's likely shopping for Jake Plummer in the coming months.

Kansas City's Herman Edwards is 8-7, St. Louis' Scott Linehan is 7-8, Detroit's Rod Marinelli is 2-13 and Oakland's Art Shell is 2-13.

All simply are looking for signs of progress as the postseason will go on without them.

Third-and- six (points)

No quarterback has thrown more touchdown passes on third down this season than the the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning. How the league's top 10-rated passers - who currently are in the lineup - compare.

Player, team Touchdowns 2006 total Touchdowns Third down

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis 29 18

Philip Rivers, San Diego 20 8

Tom Brady, New England 23 7

Drew Brees, New Orleans 26 7

Marc Bulger, St. Louis 23 7

Steve McNair, Baltimore 16 6

Carson Palmer, Cincinnati 26 6

J.P. Losman, Buffalo 18 5

David Carr, Houston 11 4

Tony Romo, Dallas 17 2

Week 17: Team-by-team notes

AFC

Baltimore’s Oct. 1 win over the San Diego Chargers — one of the more hard-fought games in the league this season — could turn out to be a bigger deal for the Ravens than they imagined at the time. Should the Ravens win Sunday and the Chargers not handle their business against the Cardinals, the Ravens would become the AFC’s top seed because of that victory and get the homefield.

If Buffalo is wondering why it didn’t keep itself in the playoff race after a slight late-season surge, it has to look no further than its run defense. The Bills surrendered at least 112 yards rushing in each of its last eight games, at least 132 yards rushing in seven of those games, at least 188 yards rushing in four of those games. That wasn’t nearly good enough to get them into the postseason.

Cincinnati is hoping the market will bear the ability to keep defensive end Justin Smith. It will be a tough deal, however, since few players are as coveted in free agency as proven pass rushers and Smith is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Smith, a high-motor player, has seven sacks this season and 41 — with one regular-season game to play — in his six seasons with the Bengals.

Cleveland is slated to start its third quarterback this season when Ken Dorsey takes the field for the season finale against the Houston Texans. Charlie Frye has an injured wrist — the Browns continue to deny the wrist is broken despite the rumblings to the contrary — and Derek Anderson suffered a separated shoulder Sunday after being sacked by the Buccaneers’ Chris Hovan. Anderson will need surgery to repair the shoulder in the coming weeks.

Denver will likely face a little of the copycat nature of the league in any postseason games the team might play. With the success the Bengals had running out of a three wide receiver look — Rudi Johnson finished with 129 yards, most of that against the Broncos nickel package — teams like New England and Indianapolis, who already operate plenty out of three wides and have quality backs, will look to do the same.

Houston is hoping to close out the season with a win over Cleveland that would push the Texans to 6-10. Not really worthy of confetti, but baby steps count for a franchise looking for its first two-game win streak since back-to-back wins over Jacksonville and Chicago in the closing weeks of the 2004 season. Ironically the Texans faced the Browns in the season finale in ‘04 as well, suffering one of the worst losses in the franchise’s short history.

Indianapolis has lost its past four road games, not exactly a quality trend for a team that started the season 9-0 and could now be facing two road games to reach the Super Bowl. The Colts have fallen from the AFC’s top seed into the No. 3 spot, which means, with a win over the Dolphins Sunday, they will play a Wild Card game at home before likely hitting the road for the divisional round.

There is concern in Jacksonville, which has already had to cover seats in Alltel Stadium to prevent television blackouts, over how ticket sales might go in the offseason if the team misses the postseason. They have gone six years without a playoff win and there are some in the league who believe the team is preparing to raise ticket prices to get closer to the league average. The Jaguars have been one of the cheapest tickets in the league in recent years as the team has battled sluggish sales.

Kansas City coach Herman Edwards said he wanted running back Larry Johnson to be the centerpiece of the team’s offense before the season started and he meant it. Johnson, with 1,651 yards rushing this season, has already set a new franchise record for carries in a season. With his 31 against the Raiders he now has 383 for the season with the game to play, breaking Christian Okoye’s old mark.

Miami’s chances for significant improvement this season likely ended when running back Ronnie Brown suffered a hand injury, causing him to miss three games. Brown made that painfully obvious in the Dolphins’ loss to the Jets Christmas night. Brown was easily the Dolphins’ best option on offense with 110 yards on 18 carries. Brown is explosive and finishes runs well. Having suffered injuries in each of his first two seasons, however, his career will blossom fully only if he can stay on the field.

New England has not always looked its best this season, but with a win Sunday the Patriots could still finish with 12 wins to go with their division title. And a 12-win season would mark their second-highest single-season win total in franchise history behind the 14-win teams in 2003 and 2004. Both the 14-win teams won the Super Bowl.

New York running back Leon Washington, who saw his draft stock slide some in his final season at Florida State, has shown why he was initially one of the highest rated seniors on the board before the 2005 college season began. Washington leads the Jets with 597 yards rushing — a 4.4 yards per carry average despite being smaller than some scouts liked — and he is one of their biggest threats in the passing game. He is an elusive runner, a skill cultivated as a kick returner with the Seminoles.

Oakland is facing most of its offseason decisions on offense. Quarterback Aaron Brooks, who is believed to have a significant roster bonus due in March for several million dollars, is likely on top of that list. Running back LaMont Jordan is also among those players, especially since Justin Fargas has run with power and explosiveness of late, even in the Raiders struggles with the ball overall.

Pittsburgh has won five of the past seven games. But a 2-6 start to go with the fact both of the losses in the last seven were to the Baltimore Ravens formally eliminated the Steelers from both the division race and from defending their ‘05 championship. The two losses to the Ravens show the gap they must bridge as well since Baltimore outscored them 58-7 in the two games.

San Diego can run the table at home this season with a win over the Cardinals. And as if they need any more inspiration for a win and the homefield advantage throughout the playoffs that would come with it, there is the matter that their two losses this season have come in two of the more difficult road sites to play — in Baltimore and Kansas City. Eight of their league-low 14 turnovers came on the road this season.

Tennessee, with the threat of quarterback Vince Young to run at any time, now has five games this season when the Titans have rushed for at least 200 yards. Their fifth came Sunday in Buffalo when they finished with 215. Against the Bills Travis Henry had 135 yards to lead the way, despite having a 60-yard run called back in the game because of a penalty.

NFC

Arizona’s rookie quarterback Matt Leinart will sit out the season finale with a sprained left (throwing) shoulder. The Cardinals said this week they didn’t believe the injury would need surgery to repair, that rest would be enough. Leinart had elbow surgery while at USC so that’s two injuries to his throwing arm in his last three seasons on the field.

Atlanta defensive end John Abraham has seen his first season with Falcons dissolve into a pile of injuries. The lastest, surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb, had Abraham limited to spot duty this past Sunday — mostly in passing situations — and he played with a cast on the hand. Abraham missed significant time early in the season with a leg injury.

Carolina used running back DeAngelo Williams at quarterback — he took the direct snap in the shotgun — on eight third-down snaps this past Sunday against Atlanta. A look at the game’s play-by-play shows the Panthers converted first downs on seven of the plays. It certainly gives defenses something to look at. The Panthers ran it out of a two-tight end look.

Chicago is expected, trying to kickstart their defense before the playoffs begin, to play Tank Johnson at defensive tackle this week against the Packers. Johnson was suspended for a game and inactive for another because of his off-the-field trouble. With Tommie Harris, the Bears are going to need Johnson at the top of his game if they are going to hold up against the run in the postseason.

Dallas’ running game, in particular when Julius Jones has the ball, has not been giving the offense enough push in recent weeks. Jones has just one game over the last 10 when he has averaged more than four yards a carry. Marion Barbers has 14 rushing touchdowns this year, but he couldn’t pound it over from the 1-yard line against the Eagles. And if the Cowboys can’t run the ball they won’t be able to protect quarterback Tony Romo from defenses that are coming after him more and more.

Detroit hasn’t had many bright spots, but the team has gotten a glimpse at a couple rookies who may be able to give them some more down the road. Wide receiver Devale Ellis has shown some explosiveness as a punt returner while rookie cornerback Stanley Wilson had eight tackles in the loss to the Bears this past Sunday. The Lions like Wilson’s footwork and think he’s be ready to contribute plenty next season.

Green Bay fullback Brandon Miree, a former Broncos draft pick and practice squad player, has made the most of his chances with the Packers. Since being promoted from the Green Bay practice squad in September, he has played in nine games and started three of those. He made the transition from running back, which he was at Pitt, to fullback when he spent a season in NFL Europe.

Minnesota coach Brad Childress said he released wide receiver Marcus Robinson to make room for younger receivers to play. However, Robinson had criticized the team’s offense and expressed frustration in a published report this past weekend. Robinson is not the first Vikings player this season to say he doesn’t have much — or any — communication with Childress.

New Orleans got a coveted playoff bye with the Cowboys’ loss to the Eagles on Christmas night. Coach Sean Payton, in his first season with the team, will have to deal with the distraction of that. The Saints, after all, haven’t made the playoffs since the 2000 season. The Saints won their only playoff game in franchise history in the Wild Card round following that season.

New York is a dismal 1-6 since their 6-2 start. And in the loss to the Saints the Giants pushed the bar for their struggling offense even a bit lower. They did not take an offensive snap in Saints territory in the entire game. It is coach Tom Coughlin now taking most of the heat with the crowd chanting "Fire Coughlin" in the Meadowlands. The Giants had three personal foul penalties in the game, an indication Coughlin’s discipline message is not getting through.

Philadelphia’s decision to secure quarterback Jeff Garcia is certainly paying off. Garcia has won four consecutive games as the starter in place of the injured Donovan McNabb. Three of those wins have been on the road. The Eagles have lauded Garcia’s instincts in the pocket and his ability to know when to get himself out of trouble.

St. Louis coach Scott Linehan has put running back Steven Jackson at the center of the offense and Sunday Jackson did something even Marshall Faulk didn’t do when the Rams were at their offensive best under Mike Martz. Jackson topped 100 yards in both rushing and receiving Sunday against the Redskins — 150 yards rushing, 102 yards receiving. His 88 receptions are also already a single-season franchise record for a running back.

San Francisco rookie tight end Vernon Davis has wowed 49ers coaches with his explosiveness and toughness in the middle of the field. But what the team wants to see now from Davis is an improvement catching the ball. Davis, for all of his physical gifts, has not always reeled in the passes he should. He missed some time with a fractured leg early in the season, but he has been a bigger part of things on his return.

Seattle safety Michael Boulware, a converted college linebacker, has regressed some and even lost his starting job earlier this year. The Seahawks moved him out of the starting lineup because they believed Boulware was letting too many receivers get behind him. It was Boulware who allowed the Chargers Vincent Jackson to get behind him as San Diego rallied for a late win on the play.

Tampa Bay has not been able to finish things off in the running game. Michael Pittman’s 11-yard touchdown run in the win over Cleveland was the team’s first rushing touchdown since Thanksgiving Day. With Cadillac Williams injured this past week the Buccaneers leaned on Pittman and Mike Alstott in the offense and would do that again this week if Williams misses again.

Washington assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams is taking some heavy criticism for the team’s defensive performance. The Rams piled up 579 yards this past week, the most of his tenure. It was a season-high as well. Rams quarterback Marc Bulger threw just seven incomplete passes and had four touchdown passes.

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2359

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