motife
10-25-2006, 05:41 PM
Another shortcut by Lions’ Rogers ends in suspension
Detroit
DT Shaun Rogers has never been lauded for his work ethic, and our sources suggest his four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on banned substances was another example of the two-time Pro Bowler seeking the easy way out. Rogers has frequently struggled with his weight, and the violation stems from a supplement taken this summer to help the defensive tackle make his target weight under new head coach Rod Marinelli, who favors speed and quickness over size. Rogers’ work ethic in the weight room has long been a problem; instead, he tends to rely exclusively on his natural athletic ability. Rogers will put his time off to good use, however. He had the partially torn meniscus in his knee scoped and will require 2-3 weeks of recovery. He is eligible and scheduled to return on Thanksgiving Day against the Dolphins.
Chicago
QB Rex Grossman was an unmitigated disaster in Monday’s bizarre comeback win over Arizona, turning the ball over six times on four interceptions and two fumbles. Grossman did face more pressure from the Cardinals than he had in previous games, but we’re told that Grossman and the coaching staff are chalking up his nightmare performance primarily to the quarterback’s decision-making and inexperience. The game represented just the 13th career start for the four-year veteran, meaning he has remarkably yet to log a full season as a starter. We hear the Bears reacted to this outing as merely part of Grossman’s learning curve and were ecstatic about the way he handled his struggles mentally  remaining confident and refusing to hang his head. The coaching staff, notably offensive coordinator Ron Turner, also took accountability for being out-schemed by the Cardinals’ defense.
Green Bay
Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski is quick to point out that Green Bay has gone to battle with three rookies logging significant time on its interior offensive line, a challenge he believes no other team in the NFL has been forced to undertake. While crediting his front five with gradual weekly improvement, Jagodzinski commented candidly on just how difficult it is for rookie linemen to ramp up. “I’ll tell you, I was watching another team, and I was watching one of their rookie offensive linemen,†he told PFW. “A high, high, high pick. Real early pick, and he’s just struggling. And that guy was taken on the first day. There are just not a lot of guys that are ready to just roll in there as an offensive lineman right off the bat.†The former Falcons OL coach added that his three rookie guards  second-rounder Daryn Colledge, third-rounder Jason Spitz and fifth-rounder Tony Moll  have made significant progress in adjusting to the zone-blocking scheme in the run game, as well as in pass protection. However, Jagodzinski said he is still asking QB Brett Favre to serve as a conservative game manager to avoid putting his inexperienced line in one-on-one protection situations.
Minnesota
OLG Steve Hutchinson returned to the Pacific Northwest in a Vikings uniform this week, after spending his first five seasons in Seattle and qualifying for three Pro Bowls. After he signed a monster $49 million free-agent deal with Minnesota, the questions inevitably arose this week about whether Hutchinson has paid dividends for the Vikings. While our sources characterized his impact as solid, we’re told Hutchinson has hardly been the dominant force he was in Seattle. Officially, he had been charged with giving up one sack in the first five games of the season, but we hear he was beaten for sacks in both the Carolina and Buffalo games, and Bears DT Tommie Harris also read his stance pre-snap to force a game-changing fumble in Week Three. As a team, the Vikings have mustered only seven offensive TDs in six games and rank 11th with a 4.2-yard rushing average running primarily to Hutchinson’s side, figures that improved as a result of an impressive 31-13 win at Seattle in Week Seven. Perhaps most surprisingly, Hutch’s nasty approach in the trenches has not been nearly as contagious as anticipated for a notoriously mild-tempered front five. In Hutch’s defense, the Vikings brought only one lineman (OLT Bryant McKinnie) back to his spot from a year ago, and thus, we hear the offense is very much still a work in progress.
Detroit
DT Shaun Rogers has never been lauded for his work ethic, and our sources suggest his four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on banned substances was another example of the two-time Pro Bowler seeking the easy way out. Rogers has frequently struggled with his weight, and the violation stems from a supplement taken this summer to help the defensive tackle make his target weight under new head coach Rod Marinelli, who favors speed and quickness over size. Rogers’ work ethic in the weight room has long been a problem; instead, he tends to rely exclusively on his natural athletic ability. Rogers will put his time off to good use, however. He had the partially torn meniscus in his knee scoped and will require 2-3 weeks of recovery. He is eligible and scheduled to return on Thanksgiving Day against the Dolphins.
Chicago
QB Rex Grossman was an unmitigated disaster in Monday’s bizarre comeback win over Arizona, turning the ball over six times on four interceptions and two fumbles. Grossman did face more pressure from the Cardinals than he had in previous games, but we’re told that Grossman and the coaching staff are chalking up his nightmare performance primarily to the quarterback’s decision-making and inexperience. The game represented just the 13th career start for the four-year veteran, meaning he has remarkably yet to log a full season as a starter. We hear the Bears reacted to this outing as merely part of Grossman’s learning curve and were ecstatic about the way he handled his struggles mentally  remaining confident and refusing to hang his head. The coaching staff, notably offensive coordinator Ron Turner, also took accountability for being out-schemed by the Cardinals’ defense.
Green Bay
Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski is quick to point out that Green Bay has gone to battle with three rookies logging significant time on its interior offensive line, a challenge he believes no other team in the NFL has been forced to undertake. While crediting his front five with gradual weekly improvement, Jagodzinski commented candidly on just how difficult it is for rookie linemen to ramp up. “I’ll tell you, I was watching another team, and I was watching one of their rookie offensive linemen,†he told PFW. “A high, high, high pick. Real early pick, and he’s just struggling. And that guy was taken on the first day. There are just not a lot of guys that are ready to just roll in there as an offensive lineman right off the bat.†The former Falcons OL coach added that his three rookie guards  second-rounder Daryn Colledge, third-rounder Jason Spitz and fifth-rounder Tony Moll  have made significant progress in adjusting to the zone-blocking scheme in the run game, as well as in pass protection. However, Jagodzinski said he is still asking QB Brett Favre to serve as a conservative game manager to avoid putting his inexperienced line in one-on-one protection situations.
Minnesota
OLG Steve Hutchinson returned to the Pacific Northwest in a Vikings uniform this week, after spending his first five seasons in Seattle and qualifying for three Pro Bowls. After he signed a monster $49 million free-agent deal with Minnesota, the questions inevitably arose this week about whether Hutchinson has paid dividends for the Vikings. While our sources characterized his impact as solid, we’re told Hutchinson has hardly been the dominant force he was in Seattle. Officially, he had been charged with giving up one sack in the first five games of the season, but we hear he was beaten for sacks in both the Carolina and Buffalo games, and Bears DT Tommie Harris also read his stance pre-snap to force a game-changing fumble in Week Three. As a team, the Vikings have mustered only seven offensive TDs in six games and rank 11th with a 4.2-yard rushing average running primarily to Hutchinson’s side, figures that improved as a result of an impressive 31-13 win at Seattle in Week Seven. Perhaps most surprisingly, Hutch’s nasty approach in the trenches has not been nearly as contagious as anticipated for a notoriously mild-tempered front five. In Hutch’s defense, the Vikings brought only one lineman (OLT Bryant McKinnie) back to his spot from a year ago, and thus, we hear the offense is very much still a work in progress.