THE BLACK & BLUE REPORT #2

Coming Soon-Black & Blue Report Presented By Brad Kurtzberg

Chicago Bears—Brian Griese really solidified his hold on the starting QB position by leading a 97-yard game winning drive in the final 1:57 of the game last week. Griese threw for 322 yards and didn’t throw any interceptions, but the Bears still had problems getting into the end zone. Part of that is due to a stagnant rushing attack which still only barely averaged three yards per carry…The defense managed three sacks including two by Tommie Harris. Harris now has six sacks on the season. He ran down Donovan McNabb despite playing with a hamstring injury…The run defense is still a problem. Last week, Chicago allowed 123 yards but the Eagles averaged 4.9 yards per rush which won’t get the job done against better teams. Remember, the Eagles are a pass-first offense and usually have trouble moving the ball on the ground…The Bears are 1-2 in the NFC North which makes Sunday’s game against the Lions a must-win. If Chicago loses, the Lions would win all tiebreakers with the Bears and would be 2 ½ games ahead of them in the standings…A win would get the Bears back to .500 at the bye week and give some of their injured players like Nathan Vasher and Darwin Walker a chance to heal…Chicago’s defense allowed the Eagles a lot of yards last week but managed to keep the Eagles out of the end zone most of the time. The defense has not been dominant so bend but don’t break will have to do…

Detroit Lions—A look at the stats from last week’s win over the Bucs makes it seem as though Detroit was badly outplayed. The truth is, the Lions never trailed in this game. The Detroit defense allowed the Bucs to march up and down the field but the defense and special teams came up with big plays when they were needed like fumble recoveries in the red zone and a blocked field goal…Offensively, the return of RB Kevin Jones made a big impact on the offense last week. Detroit’s rushing attack does not have to be dominant but the threat of the run has to exist and Jones gave it to the Lions this past week in his first extended duty. Jones averaged 5.1 yards on 15 carries, scored a TD and made six receptions. He is elusive and powerful and adds an element to the offense that Tatum Bell does not…T.J. Duckett also played well in his season debut. Duckett only had four carries but he picked up 30 yards. The 254 pound Duckett is an inside the tackles type of runner who can pound the ball in short yardage situations and in the red zone. He is a perfect style compliment to Jones which leaves Bell as the number three RB…Jon Kitna is still holding on to the ball too long and taking too many sacks. The offensive line has struggled to pass protect at times, but Kitna isn’t helping. Detroit has allowed 31 sacks in six games, which would put them on pace for 83 over a 16 game season. No quarterback will survive that kind of pounding…Rookie Calvin Johnson had a bit of a coming out party against the Bucs, rushing for one TD and making a clutch, diving catch. The more involved in the offense Johnson gets, the more dangerous they become. Johnson’s eventual emergence (and a steady running game) will take pressure off of Roy Williams.

Green Bay Packers—Green Bay’s running back situation is still unsettled. Even after the bye week, DeShawn Wynn is still not 100 percent healthy. He is expected to start Monday night against Denver and Wynn has produced more than any other Green Bay RB when healthy. Veteran Vernand Morency has only five carries in two games since returning from the injured list and rookie Brandon Jackson has just returned to practice but averaged only 2.6 yards per rush and hasn’t shown coaches enough to secure the starting spot…The Pack lost veteran TE Bubba Franks for a couple of weeks with a knee injury. Donald Lee is still the starter but the Pack had to sign Ryan Krause from the practice squad for depth purposes…LB Brady Poppinga has been very tough against the run but he lacks the speed to cover TEs and gets burned often in space. The Packers’ safeties haven’t helped out much and opposing TEs are really hurting the Pack…The defense will have to make adjustments to correct the problem…Center Scott Wells will return to the Green Bay lineup after missing a game due to a fractured orbital bone. The bye week came at the right time for Wells…Former Packer WR Javon Walker will miss this week’s game against the Pack due to a knee injury. Walker was traded by Green Bay after a contract dispute.

Minnesota Vikings—In order for the Vikings to win with Tarvaris Jackson at QB, the defense and running game have to make several big plays during the course of a game and that’s tough to do week in and week out. Jackson is hurting the team right now. You can’t win in the NFL these days when your QB is completing only 45.9 percent of his passes…Defenses are gearing up to stop the Minnesota rushing attack and almost inviting Jackson to throw the ball against them. He just can’t get it done at this point in his career. Jackson broke a finger on his throwing hand last week and may not start against the Eagles this Sunday. Kelly Holcomb would get the call if Jackson in unable to go…Head coach Brad Childress continues to insist on splitting carries between Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. Since Taylor’s return to the lineup, Peterson has had 12, 20 and 12 carries. Childress is wary of overusing his rookie standout and feels he needs to get Taylor some reps as well…Rookie CB Marcus McCauley has served as the Vikings’ nickel back. He has been picked on regularly by opposing QBs and has been inconsistent in coverage. The third-round pick is still learning the Vikings’ system and adjusting to the NFL game…S Dwight Smith will likely sit out Sunday’s game against the Eagles due to a hamstring injury…Brad Childress and Eagles coach Andy Reid are old friends who worked together in Philadelphia.