| Friday, October 22
By John Clayton
Special to ESPN.com |
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Don't be surprised if quarterback Dan Marino, who is sitting out Sunday's game against Philadelphia, also misses the Miami Dolphins' game against the Oakland Raiders next week.
Marino wants to make sure that his back, which has bone spurs affecting nerve roots, calms down enough so that he will be healthy for the second half of the season. His model for this thinking is John Elway, who didn't rush coming back from injury last year so he could be fresh or as healthy as he could for the final stretch in November and December on through the playoffs.
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What the Dolphins' decision to sit Marino also shows is that he and Jimmy Johnson have great confidence in backup Damon Huard. Huard has befriended Marino and in no way threatens Marino's starting job. But now that Johnson and Marino have had weeks to talk over the possible benching a couple of weeks ago, they understand that, for the betterment of the team, Marino may have to take steps back if he is not healthy.
Green Bay Packers coach Ray Rhodes is becoming paranoid about his poor record on the road, dating back to 1996. He has had 19 consecutive losses and one tie wiith teams that he has been coaching. He told the media Friday that on these road trips, particularly this week's to San Diego, that his team will try to bond better on the road, although there isn't a chance of any extra functions or planned meetings that differ from past road trips. The salvation for Rhodes on this trip is that quarterback Brett Favre is coming off one of his worst games, and he's attacking a San Diego Chargers secondary that will be missing one or two of its top three cornerbacks and Pro Bowl strong safety Rodney Harrison.
The Washington Redskins are furious with punter Matt Turk, who won't play Sunday's game against Dallas. They claim he broke a finger during a basketball game, a claim that he denies. Regardless, Turk has had an off season and hasn't been close to his Pro Bowl self all year. The team had to waste a roster spot to bring in veteran punter Brian Hansen on Friday. The real loser of this could be deep-snapper Dan Turk, who is Matt's brother and his agent. Dan Turk hasn't had a great year snapping the ball to his brother, another concern for the Redskins.
There is actually hope for the Arizona Cardinals. During Sunday night's game against the Redskins, they had as many as five offensive rookies on the field during a series. Changing four spots on the offensive line, which included the promotion of rookie left tackle L.J. Shelton, the Cardinals now field a 1,350-pound offensive line -- an average of 330 per player -- that is proficient in pass blocking and may have a better chance of developing as a run-blocking unit than previous alignments. The biggest pressure, once the Cardinals come off the bye week, will be on halfback Adrian Murrell, who hasn't had a chance with the blocking to mount much of a running game. If he can't do produce behind this line, even if the line is at fault, the Cardinals will start using second-year back Michael Pittman.
Isn't it ironic that Tyrone Wheatley has emerged as a playoff-caliber back for the Oakland Raiders while his former team, the New York Giants, don't have a clue what to do with their backfield? Starter Gary Brown's knee surgery on Monday puts the Giants in a position where they must hope that LeShon Johnson or injury-plagued rookie Joe Montgomery give them a chance to run the ball. It's not an optimisitic picture.
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War Room: Week 7 previews
