Content provided in partnership with

Chiefs pay for ignoring signs of D-cay

Sporting News, The, Sept 27, 2004 by Dan Pompei

<< Page 1 Continued from page 1. Previous | Next

For a while, it appeared third-year Lions QB Joey Harrington was having difficulties fitting in with his teammates. But that has begun to change. The team's offensive linemen "adopted" Harrington in the offseason and began socializing with him. This year in training camp, TE Stephen Alexander pulled Harrington into card games.

Most Popular Articles in Sports: The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ...; The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ...; Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ...; Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association; The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking; More »

It's critical for a young quarterback to be respected and liked by his teammates, so this is no small development in Detroit.... Look for the Cowboys to rotate their running backs all season. Depending on the opponent and the game plan, different backs will be featured in each game. Rookie Julius Jones will get a lot of work as long as he stays healthy, and he could lead the team in carries. And veteran Eddie George still is very much in the team's plans. In fact, the Cowboys deny rumors about George being on the market before the season.... Former Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith has looked a lot younger on the field than George. Smith's leadership and good attitude have played well in coach Dennis Green's new program with the Cardinals. But the Cardinals don't want to overwork Smith, 35. Even with Marcel Shipp out, the Cardinals want to limit Smith to 15 to 20 carries a game so he stays fresh. While Smith's runs have made him famous the underappreciated part of his game remains his blocking. The Cardinals believe his pass-protection skills are as solid as any halfback's.... One question about QB Tim Rattay when he came out of Louisiana Tech in 2000 was his durability. Those questions remain now that he has had a chance to be the 49ers' starter. In the last six months, Rattay has had injuries to his groin, forearm and now to his shoulder. When Rattay comes back, you have to wonder if his throwing motion will be affected by his latest injury. And it's not like he had a howitzer of an arm to begin with.... The Dolphins still are looking for a successor to Fddi8 Jones as team president, and one person who fits the job description perfectly is Jim Steeg. A former business manager of the Dolphins, Steeg, 54, has planned the last 25 Super Bowls as the NFL's vice president for special events. Steeg recently informed the league of his intention to step down from his position after this season.... If Qasim Mitchell continues to struggle at left tackle for the Bears, it's possible John Tait will have to be moved from right tackle. Tait prefers playing right tackle and the Bears would like to leave him there, but they can't let Mitchell compromise their offense. The Bears also have another option at right tackle in Aaron Gibson. For now, the Bears will try to give Mitchell more help and see if he can't develop consistency.... The Raiders are pleased with the blend of abilities of their two new safeties, Marques Anderson and Ray Buchanan. Anderson, who was acquired in an August trade, didn't work as well with Darren Sharper in Green Bay because both are better playing closer to the line of scrimmage. Buchanan is more of a cover safety. Buchanan has been a cornerback for 11 years in the NFL, but he was an outstanding college safety and probably is better suited for that position as he ages.

Chiefs pay for ignoring signs of D-cay

Sporting News, The, Sept 27, 2004 by Dan Pompei

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Business

Most Popular Articles in Sports

Most Popular Publications in Sports