2MD: Man of Steel Down

Hines Ward

Scott Cullen

9/27/2007 5:22:00 PM

Hines is sitting, the Raiders may be ready to give Daunte his shot, the Panthers have a new Carr, the Bears make a change and the Rams have a new runner.  Hot n' Not, Rookie Report and the best in quotes, Crowd Noise, in this week's edition of TSN.ca's Two Minute Drill.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
- Steelers WR Hines Ward isn't expected to play this week against Arizona because of a knee injury.  Nate Washington and Cedrick Wilson will both get more action, but Santonio Holmes will become Ben Roethlisberger's favourite target.

- While the Raiders have been reluctant to hand over the reigns, it appears that Daunte Culpepper could get a chance to start this week at Miami.  He was 8-for-14 for 118 yards last week against Cleveland, coming in for Josh McCown, whose broken toe has affected his play. 

- In Carolina, Jake Delhomme appears unlikely to play due to an elbow injury, so David Carr would be the starter for the Panthers against Tampa Bay this week.  Carr was 3-for-4 for 56 yards against Atlanta on Sunday.

- The Bears have finally had enough of Rex Grossman and will give Brian Griese the nod this week against Detroit.  While Griese isn't an air-it-out kind of quarterback, the Lions secondary was eaten alive by the Eagles last week.

- Rams stud runner Steven Jackson is out with a groin pull meaning that Brian Leonard, a rookie out of Rutgers, should start in Dallas this week.  Leonard had four carries for 21 yards against Tampa Bay, but it won't be easy for him behind a depleted Rams offensive line.

- Trent Edwards, a third-round pick out of Stanford, is going to start at QB for the Bills while J.P. Losman is hurt.  Edwards was 10-of-20 for 97 yards against the Patriots last week, but should fare somewhat better against the Jets this week.

- Staying in Buffalo, John DiGiorgio should see ample action at linebacker now that rookie MLB Paul Posluszny is on injured reserve with a broken arm.

- Houston will be missing receivers Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones due to injury, leaving Kevin Walter and Andre' Davis as the starters.  The backfield isn't any better, with Ahman Green nursing a swollen knee.  Ron Dayne and Samkon Gado will handle the carries if Green can't play.  Going against Atlanta this week, it might be worth considering some of the Texans offensive options. 

- The Eagles secondary could be shorthanded again this week, as CB Lito Sheppard has a knee injury and FS Brian Dawkins is still trying to recover from a neck stinger.  If they aren't able to go, Williams James and Quintin Mikell, respectively, will start against the Giants, which could mean good things for Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.

- Eagles TE L.J. Smith is out this week too, with a sports hernia, meaning Matt Schobel and Brent Celek will see action.

- Chicago's defence has been hit with injuries to star DT Tommie Harris and both starting corners -- Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman.  Ricky Manning Jr. and Trumaine McBride will be on the corners, and should get exploited by the Lions pass-happy offence.  Anthony Adams would join the defensive line if Harris can't start.

- Across the line of scrimmage, the Bears will do battle with a Lions offensive line that is facing rib injuries to LT Jeff Backus and RG Damien Woody.  Both could play, but there is the possibility that the Bears could take advantage of the weakened line.

- Recovering from a concussion, Dolphins MLB Zach Thomas is questionable for this week's game.  Donnie Spragan joined the starting lineup in Thomas' absence last week and was in on 11 tackles.

- Ravens CB Samari Rolle has suffered a reaction to medication and will miss this week's game against Cleveland, meaning Corey Ivy will start on the corner for the Ravens.  If the Ravens keep Chris McAlister on Cleveland WR Braylon Edwards, the Browns may pick on Ivy by looking to WR Joe Jurevicius.

HOT
Jon Kitna, QB, Detroit (51-for-78, 691 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT in last two games)
Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay (57-for-83, 655 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT in last two gams)
LaMont Jordan, RB, Oakland (280 yards rushing, 5.2 ypc, 1 TD in last two games)
Brian Westbrook, QB, Philadelphia (206 yards rushing, 6.6 ypc, 2 TD, 177 rec. yards 1 TD in last two games)
Derrick Ward, RB, N.Y. Giants (184 yards rushing, 4.5 ypc, 61 yards receiving in last two games)
Chris Chambers, WR, Miami (15 catches, 210 yards in last two games)
Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland (12 catches, 229 yards, 3 TD in last two games)
Dallas Clark, TE, Indianapolis (11 catches, 127 yards, 2 TD in last two games)
Barrett Ruud, MLB, Tampa Bay (35 tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF in last three games)
 
NOT
Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco (28-for-52, 335 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT in last two games)
Josh McCown, QB, Oakland (14-for-28, 181 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT in last two games)
Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans (42 yards rushing, 2.5 ypc, 2 TD in last two games)
Ladell Betts, RB, Washington (23 yards rushing, 1.8 ypc in last two games)
Mark Clayton, WR, Baltimore (6 catches, 33 yards in last two games)
Muhsin Muhammad, WR, Chicago (4 catches, 36 yards in last three games)
Bo Scaife, TE, Tennessee (6 catches, 52 yards in last three games)

ROOKIE REPORT
Amobi Okoye, DT, Houston - Just 20 years old, Okoye was taken out of Louisville with the tenth pick in the draft, Okoye has energized the Texans' defensive line and picked up three sacks in the first three games.

CROWD NOISE
"I wanted to show the world that I was the real Heisman Trophy winner. But on paper, Reggie Bush is the Heisman Trophy winner." - Titans QB Vince Young

"To be honest with you, I'm sick and tired of talking about last year because this is not last year. People get caught up in what we did last year. This is not last year's team. This is this year's team. I'm sick and tired of talking about last year. Because it's a whole different team. We need to focus on this year's team and stop looking backward." - Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson

"What worse can he go through in this town?  The guy went through it all last year, and I'm sure he's going to go through it again this year. I'm sure he'll come back and get through it, but it can't get any worse than that." - Bears MLB Brian Urlacher, on QB Rex Grossman

"If I put you in that huddle, your ears might bleed.  At that point, it's not about technique, it's not about the call, it's all about getting fired up and realizing what's at stake. We just came off the ball and did what we had to do." - Giants DT Barry Cofield

The Two-Minute Drill appears on TSN.ca weekly throughout the NFL season.