Scattershooting NFC North roster oddities

Some NFC North teams will continue tweaking their rosters over the next 24 hours, but for the most part, what you see is what you’re going to get for Week 1 games. In that vein, let’s take a look at some random but interesting (to me) trends we’re seeing. Some of the observations are mine, and I’ve given credit to those who came up with the others:

1. Of the 53 players on the Bears’ roster, only 23 of them were drafted by the team over the past seven years. Seven drafts should form the foundation of any team, but for the Bears it represents only 43 percent of the roster. (Source: Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
2. The Bears did bring back 2009 draft pick Juaquin Iglesias to the practice squad. The same could not be said for defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert.
3. The Green Bay Packers have more fullbacks (three) than tailbacks (two) on their roster. I can only assume that John Kuhn, Korey Hall and Quinn Johnson will participate heavily in special teams. The Packers had hoped to bring back Kregg Lumpkin on their practice squad to serve as a quasi-No. 3 runner, but Lumpkin was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
4. By reaching an injury settlement with Will Blackmon and releasing Jason Chery, the Packers left themselves with no obvious kick returners. If that’s their biggest problem, I’m not too worried about it. But in the short term, it looks like Jordy Nelson or possibly Brandon Jackson could fill the role.
5. The Detroit Lions have turned over their entire secondary with the exception of safety Louis Delmas. Every other defensive back is new to the team this year. (Source: Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.)
6. To put a bow on a couple of trades: The Minnesota Vikings received a 2011 fifth-round pick and a conditional 2012 seventh-round draft pick from the New York Giants in return for quarterback Sage Rosenfels and kick returner Darius Reynaud. Meanwhile, the Lions and Denver Broncos exchanged undisclosed draft 2011 picks to complete the Alphonso Smith-Dan Gronkowski trade.
7. In announcing their waiver claim of former Green Bay tight end/linebacker Spencer Havner, the Lions listed him as a linebacker. That makes perfect sense considering the Lions’ strong depth at tight end and thin situation at linebacker.
8. The Lions currently have five players listed as cornerbacks on their roster: Smith, Chris Houston, Jonathan Wade, Aaron Berry and Amari Spievey. But Spievey has been working at safety the past few weeks, and Berry is a rookie who missed much of training camp because of a hamstring pull. Your guess is as good as mine right now about who will fill the nickel and dime roles.
9. The Vikings are in a similar situation. They have three cornerbacks on their active roster, and even if they bring someone in over the next day or so, it’s hard to imagine him participating Thursday night at New Orleans. You figure Antoine Winfield, Lito Sheppard and Asher Allen will make up the nickel package. But who will the Vikings play if they need a sixth defensive back? At this point, it will have to be one of their backup safeties.

Great Debate: Cowboys to the Super Bowl?

As part of our ongoing “Great Debate” series, ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley and ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon were asked to discuss the Dallas Cowboys‘ chances of reaching the Super Bowl. You might have heard that it’s being played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Will the prospect of becoming the first NFL team to qualify for a hometown Super Bowl give the Cowboys some extra motivation? We’re about to find out over the next six months.

Now, let the debate begin:

MOSLEY: Tim, let’s dive right into this thing without exchanging too many pleasantries because the two of us have never exchanged a lot of pleasantries. I wish we’d had this debate before the preseason games, because the Cowboys’ first-teamers were embarrassingly non-competitive in matchups with the Chargers and Texans. But since I don’t put one ounce of stock into the preseason, I’ll argue that the Cowboys will become the first team in NFL history to play host to a Super Bowl in their own stadium. It sort of makes me queasy to espouse that type of optimism for this franchise, but I honestly think they have a lot of the intangibles that are necessary to make this happen.

The most important ingredient is quarterback Tony Romo. I think winning his first playoff game last season against the Eagles was huge for his confidence. I think we both agree that he has the talent to lead a team to the Super Bowl, but he desperately needed to get the Seattle-New York monkey off his back.

In 2009, Romo learned to put his teammates before himself. It was an important lesson for a guy who forged a reputation based on his devil-may-care approach. As backup quarterback Jon Kitna explained it to me last season, Romo realized that decisions he makes on the field affect everyone in the organization. He ended up with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions and was able to strike a nice balance between his improv work and his willingness to throw the ball away. He remembered Bill Parcells bellowing in practice,”The throwaway’s a good play!”

Oh wait, I need to take a break and let MacMahon say something.

MacMAHON: Glad to see Parcells’ wisdom is still fresh in your mind, Matt. Perhaps you recall his oft-repeated line about putting away the anointing oil in regard to Romo.

You really think one playoff win is proof that Romo is ready to carry the Cowboys to a Super Bowl? What about the next weekend? He failed to get the Cowboys in the end zone during a lopsided loss to the Vikings.

Of course, it’s not all about the quarterback. The Cowboys’ biggest concern appears to be their aging offensive line, which got whipped by the modern-day version of the Vikings’ Purple People Eaters. The Cowboys have to cross their fingers that right tackle Marc Colombo and left guard Kyle Kosier can come back strong from knee injuries that could sideline them for the season opener and beyond.

It would be wrong to rule out Romo as a potential Super Bowl quarterback, but it’s foolish to consider him the favorite in a conference that features a couple of guys who have done it before and have great supporting casts (New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Minnesota’s Brett Favre). Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is also arguably more likely to be a featured attraction at JerryWorld in February.

Perhaps I should pacify the New York branch of your Beast readership by mentioning Eli Manning, who has as many playoff wins on Texas soil as Romo.

MOSLEY: Tim, we both know that Wade Phillips let that Vikings playoff game get away from him when he opted for a long field-goal attempt from a shaky kicker instead of doing the logical thing and going for it on fourth-and-1. And when Flozell Adams suffered an injury in the second quarter, the game was effectively over. But you’re correct in saying the offensive line is a major concern. We’ve learned to appreciate the work of Kosier when he has been out of the lineup and his backup, Montrae Holland, hasn’t exactly been a road-grader in the preseason. But wait, I’m arguing against myself.

As crazy as it might sound to longtime Adams apologists such as yourself, Doug Free will be an upgrade at left tackle. He’s had a good preseason and the Cowboys’ great offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who mentored future Hall of Famer Larry Allen, raves about Free’s work on the left side. Once the season gets rolling, perennial Pro Bowlers Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis will return to form.

You talk about the Saints like they’re invincible, but I seem to recall the Cowboys going into the Superdome last December and pushing them around. The Saints won a Super Bowl with someone named Jermon Bushrod playing left tackle. The Cowboys might be long in the tooth along the offensive line, but they have better units than the Eagles and Redskins for sure. The Giants have been just as banged up as the Cowboys throughout training camp, so those offensive lines are pretty close.

Last time I checked, Rodgers hadn’t won a playoff game, so I’m not sure why every national pundit suddenly has him in front of Romo. And surely Favre’s ankle can’t hold a lot more lubricant. Without Sidney Rice in the lineup the first half of the season, Favre will be missing a major weapon. If the Cowboys can secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs this time around, I think they’ll get a bonus game at their home stadium.

Obviously I’m winning the debate at this point, but I want to give you some more reps. Other than being worried about the offensive line and the talented players on other teams, what’s your biggest reason for the Cowboys not going to the Super Bowl?

MacMAHON: No wonder you dropped out of Baylor Law School all those years ago. You do a fine job of shooting holes in your own case.

You blame Phillips (1-5 postseason record as a head coach) for making a poor decision in a playoff loss. Does his new contract somehow guarantee that won’t happen again? You mention that the Cowboys had a shaky kicker situation last season. Has that changed? They’re crossing their fingers that David Buehler can get the job done. He’s money on kickoffs and sprints against disappointing draft picks, but he’s never attempted a field goal in the NFL and was erratic at USC.

Of course, you could point out that the Cowboys had no reason to be confident in their short-yardage offense instead of just pointing the finger at Phillips for not going for it on fourth-and-1. After all, your perennial Pro Bowlers couldn’t pave the way for Marion Barber to get a yard on four tries against the Chargers in December. I hate to use actual facts in this debate, but Barber’s conversion percentage on third- and fourth-and-1 ranked among the lowest of backs with at least 10 such opportunities last season.

And you totally lost me with the Flozell Adams turn. You begin by saying how much the Cowboys missed him in the Minnesota massacre and follow it up by declaring that Doug Free is a significant upgrade. Sort of a false start, which is fitting.

Free is certainly an upgrade, but Jared Allen was far from the biggest problem for the Cowboys in the playoff loss. That was Ray Edwards, the Vikings’ other end, who wreaked havoc from the first time that annoying horn blew. Which gets us back to whether Colombo can get completely healthy.

But the biggest reason I’m skeptical about the Cowboys’ Super Bowl aspirations? Because I remember what happened when they were supposed to be Super Bowl frontrunners a couple of years ago. I can’t just hop back on the bandwagon. I’ve got to see it to believe it.

MOSLEY: Tim, that’s a fascinating conclusion you’ve reached. You need to see them reach the Super Bowl before you can be convinced they can get to a Super Bowl. And to compare this current group of players to the ‘08 “frontrunners” is completely unfair. That locker room was home to Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson and Terrell Owens.

With those players “safely” in Cincinnati now, the Cowboys have a completely different team. The arrival of Keith Brooking in ‘09 via free agency was a huge thing for this team. He’s an excellent linebacker, but more important, he’s a tremendous leader. He and safety Gerald Sensabaugh were big-time additions to this defense.

The Cowboys had one of the top defenses in the league last season, and they have a chance to be better in 2010. The other three NFC East teams have major questions. And I think the Saints are about to go through a Super Bowl hangover season. Which NFC East team has a better defense than the Cowboys?

Which NFC team has a better quarterback than the Cowboys — outside of the Saints? You could make an argument for Favre, but all that lubricant in his ankle is going to bring him down at some point. And Rodgers has more pressure on him than Romo, because the Packers have a suspect defense.

You’re making a passionate case against the Cowboys going to the Super Bowl, but in your heart of hearts, you know they have an excellent chance. I’m going to give you a shot at a closing argument here. To this point, all of your statements have been summarily defeated by a man with half a law degree. Time to sound the retreat, sir.

MacMAHON: The Cowboys’ cheerleading team has clearly lowered their standards to let you join the squad.

I’ll grant you that this is a much more mature team than the band of misfits that melted down in 2008. The Brooking-T.O. swap certainly worked chemistry wonders, and guys such as Romo and Jay Ratliff have grown into good leaders.

The Cowboys should certainly be considered NFC East favorites, having won the division two of the past three seasons and adding Dez Bryant to their talented core. They merit consideration as Super Bowl contenders, but with their difficult schedule, I don’t see the Cowboys claiming home-field advantage. And I wouldn’t bet on them winning a playoff game in Green Bay, Minnesota or New Orleans.

You declare that the Cowboys have an excellent chance to play a home Super Bowl. I’d downgrade that to a decent chance. Go ahead and crack the anointing oil if you wish. I’m keeping the lid on my bottle until February.

Prisco: Cut-day wrap-up

Watching a couple of his draft picks fail proves that Bill Parcells isn’t infallible. Pete Prisco also takes a look at the youth movement among QBs and the Broncos making a mess out of a trade in his cut-day wrap-up.

Bill Parcells – Denver Broncos – NFL – Football – Sports

Washington Redskins cutdown analysis

Check here for a complete list of the Washington Redskins‘ roster moves.

Surprise move: No huge surprises for coach Mike Shanahan, but he managed to let the suspense build by waiting until 9:08 pm ET to release his roster moves. I was mildly surprised to see running back Ryan Torain end up on the list. He played well for Shanahan in Denver, so it seemed like he would make the roster.

The biggest name on the list was obviously Willie Parker. He was buried on the depth chart throughout camp and never really had a shot at making the team. The Skins will go with aging backs Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson. Washington tried to move former third-round pick Chad Rinehart but couldn’t find any takers. It’s almost like Shanahan and GM Bruce Allen are trying expel all of Vinny Cerrato’s draft picks.

No-brainers: Pretty much all of their moves fit in this category. Terrence Austin had his moments at wide receiver but maybe he can find a spot on the practice squad. I thought Robert Henson out of TCU was going to be a decent player, but he never really recovered from an embarrassing tweeting incident last season.

What’s next: The Redskins will scour the waiver wire for defensive backs. They traded cornerback Justin Tryon and former Mr. Irrelevant Ramzee Robinson was released. Bruce Allen and Shanahan need to be looking at T.J. Houshmandzadeh. As of now, the Redskins may have the worst receiving corps in the league.

Any receiver who was waived today could appear as a starter in this offense. Roydell Williams remains one of the stalwarts of this bunch. And Devin Thomas will get one more season to try to meet expectations.

Pittsburgh Steelers cutdown analysis

Check here for a full list of Pittsburgh’s roster moves.

Biggest surprise: Although it was somewhat expected this week, Justin Hartwig’s release is the biggest for the Steelers. There is no doubt Hartwig was one of the team’s top 53 players, but he was released after losing his job to first-round pick Maurkice Pouncey. Hartwig also made starter money, an estimated $2 million. Kick returner Stefan Logan was solid last year, but his lack of versatility made him expendable. Pittsburgh will be looking for a new kick returner as a result. Both rookie receivers, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, made the team. Most projected Pittsburgh would only keep one and try to get the other on the practice squad.

No-brainers: Running back Justin Vincent showed a few flashes, particularly early in the preseason. But a crowded group of running backs in Pittsburgh made Vincent expendable. There were also a pair of recent draft picks who never panned out in cornerback Joe Burnett and offensive guard Kraig Urbik. Because of need, both players had chances to contribute to their respective positions but never developed. Rookie defensive lineman Doug Worthington is considered a project, and he’s a candidate for the practice squad.

What’s next: Pittsburgh’s veteran-laden roster is pretty much set. It doesn’t appear the team will make any major moves at quarterback following Byron Leftwich’s injury. But the team could search the waiver wire for depth on the offensive line, which was inconsistent this preseason. With Frank Summers’ release, the team may also be in search for a fullback.

Steelers players cut:

FB Frank Summers

LB Patrick Bailey

CB Joe Burnett

S Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith

WR Tyler Grisham

DE Sunny Harris

C Justin Hartwig

WR Stefan Logan

DT Steve McLendon

OG Kraig Urbik

DT Doug Worthington

WR Brandon London

RB Justin Vincent

LB Renauld Williams

DT Scott Paxson

LS Matt Stewart

S Justin Thornton

OL Dorian Brooks

OL Kyle Jolly

TE Sean McHugh

TE Eugene Bright

Another something-for-nothing in Detroit

Before anyone starts doing cartwheels over the Detroit Lions‘ latest swindle/trade, let’s remember one thing: Good cover cornerbacks are never, EVER reasonably available when under contract. You can get them, but it almost always requires a ridiculous contract on top of premium trade terms.

The Lions had to do neither Saturday afternoon in order to pry Alphonso Smith away from the Denver Broncos. Instead, general manager Martin Mayhew sent No. 4 tight end Dan Gronkowski to the Broncos. And that’s it. As of now, at least, there are no indications that the Lions included any draft picks for Smith, who was the No. 37 overall pick of the 2009 draft.

It’s rare that a team gives up on a highly-drafted cornerback after one year. It was especially painful for Denver which, as my AFC West colleague Bill Williamson recently pointed out, traded its 2010 first-round pick (No. 14 overall) to jump back into the second round in 2009 to draft Smith. But he was buried deep on the Broncos depth chart this summer and would have been released were it not for this trade.

That said, Mayhew had every reason to make this trade. Even though Gronkowski had a strong preseason, there was little chance he would play in a tight end group that includes established veterans Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler and Will Heller. Cornerback is a much more important position than tight end, and the Lions’ need there is acute.

Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade finished the preseason as the starting cornerbacks, with Eric King working at nickel. But Smith will get every opportunity to turn around his career in Detroit, at minimal cost to the Lions. Advantage, Detroit.

Giants acquire QB Rosenfels from Vikings for picks

The New York Giants acquired quarterback Sage Rosenfels and running back Darius Reynaud from the Minnesota Vikings on Friday for undisclosed draft picks.

Minnesota Vikings – New York Giants – Sage Rosenfels – sport – NFL

Still room for Austen Arnaud’s arm to improve

For most of Thursday night’s 27-10 win over Northern Illinois, Austen Arnaud looked like a different player than the one who struggled in 2009. Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said his quarterback was the most improved player of any on his entire team, and Arnaud proved Rhoads right most of the time. He completed 17 of 22 passes in the first half, and finished with a solid 27-of-36, 265-yard stat line.

On four separate occasions, he completed high-pressure passes on third down to extend drives. Once, on an 11-yard checkdown to Alexander Robinson — who finished with 97 yards including a 63-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter. Another — on the same drive — featured a strike to Darius Darks for a 15-yard reception on 3rd-and-14. The next drive saw Collin Franklin catch a 16-yard pass on the sideline to convert a 3rd-and-7. Jake Williams caught another 16-yard pass on 3rd-and-15.

When Arnaud was good, he was very good. He succeeded in plenty of tight spots that might have been turnovers last year.

But troubling for Arnaud’s night were a pair of interceptions — something Cyclones fans might have expected from the 2009 edition of their quarterback. Arnaud threw 13 picks last season, more than all but one passer in the conference.

The first was a forced pass through the middle of a defense that could have been intercepted by two defenders. The mistake was inconsequential, after Northern Illinois failed to convert on three separate field goal attempts from 33 yards. The Huskies got three tries, courtesy of a pair of icing attempts by Rhoads in the form of late timeouts.

The second would have been a wise, comfortable checkdown to put the Cyclones in the red zone — if Arnaud’s intended target was Northern Illinois’ Tyrone Clark. Arnaud dumped a pass to no one in particular and turned it over, robbing his team of a chance to to go up 24-3 in the third quarter.

On an otherwise sterling night that also featured 14 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown — not counting a 53-yard touchdown run called back for an illegal formation — Arnaud will likely most closely scrutinize those interceptions in the film room.

Iowa State can beat plenty of teams on its brutal schedule. They’ll have a shot at beating Utah during nonconference play and only four games — at Iowa, at Oklahoma, at Texas and Nebraska — look like reaches for the Cyclones. A bowl game is definitely possible for a team that looked like the Big 12 North’s third-best on Thursday night.

But the Cyclones won’t get there if Arnaud can’t prevent those bad decisions that resulted in turnovers. They’ll need an Arnaud who calmly led his team and converted again and again on third down during their win against Northern Illinois.

Final argument: Roster allocation and roles

Earlier Thursday, we looked at four established NFC North players who reside on the proverbial roster bubble. Now, let’s take a broader look at some key questions our teams face in determining the final composition of their rosters.

Will the Bears wipe out a good bit of their 2009 draft? Defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, receiver Juaquin Iglesias and defensive lineman Henry Melton were the Bears’ top three picks of that draft. They’ve all been invisible this summer and certainly haven’t done anything to earn roster spots. Whether one is reserved for them is another question.

Can the Bears find room for special-teams stud Tim Shaw? He had 30 tackles on special teams last season but isn’t much of a factor on defense. But he would qualify as a specialist, and there isn’t always room for one on a 53-man roster. Do the Bears feel comfortable using him at linebacker, especially considering preseason injuries to Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Nick Roach? Uncertain.

How many running backs will the Detroit Lions keep? We know that Jahvid Best is the starter, and veteran Kevin Smith would be the likely No. 2 if he were completely healthy. But does Smith’s offseason knee surgery make the Lions nervous? And if so, do they keep five backs behind Best — Smith, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, DeDe Dorsey and fullback Jerome Felton — or does one get released?

If they keep an extra back, could the Lions take a roster spot from the quarterback position? That’s not out of the question. The Lions have established Shaun Hill as the long-term backup to starter Matthew Stafford. So is there any reason to keep Drew Stanton on the roster?

Will the Green Bay Packers keep five tight ends? We mentioned the possibility of veteran Donald Lee meeting the end of the line. It’s also possible that Tom Crabtree could be sneaked onto the practice squad. But you could make an argument that all five tight ends are among the Packers’ top 53 players. General manager Ted Thompson has made odd numerical choices before; last year he kept three fullbacks for what is mostly a one-back offense.

Will both players who entered 2009 competing for the right tackle job be cut? It’s very possible that Allen Barbre and Breno Giacomini have played their way off the team. This year’s backup tackles are more likely to be Bryan Bulaga and T.J. Lang.

How will the Minnesota Vikings establish more depth at cornerback? Right now, their starters are Antoine Winfield and either Lito Sheppard or Asher Allen. The nonstarter in that group is the likely nickelback, but beyond him the Vikings have no viable candidates for depth. A waiver claim or trade would seem a near-certainty.

How many receivers can the Vikings keep? Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin are locks. You would think Greg Lewis makes the team, along with Greg Camarillo. Will Javon Walker make the Week 1 roster as a No. 5 receiver? Or would the Vikings be wary of guaranteeing his 2010 salary? Signing him back as early as Week 2 would allow them to pay him on a weekly basis.

Earlier: Final-week position battles and players on the bubble.

Bodley: My fearless awards predictions

Bodley: My fearless awards predictions

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