As The Ball Bounces: Week 1

Bob George

Sep 11, 2007 at 3:00am ET

Our weekly potpourri series returns for its sixth season, under the series' original name. This column appears about every Tuesday.

Some great kickers have played for the Chargers over the years. John Carney has kicked in the league for 16 seasons, the last six for the New Orleans Saints. Before that, he toiled in America's Finest City for 11 years. The former Notre Dame kicker hit on almost 90 percent of his field goals for the Bolts in 1994, and has hit on 82 percent for his entire career. Kickers who are still around in their mid-40s don't get that way by accident. Carney booms one into the end zone for a touchback…wait a second, Hobbs is gonna run this one out.

Is it Brady Quinn time already in Cleveland?

Crazy game in Washington. Next time, Jason Taylor, knock it down. By "down", we mean to "the ground".

You might sometimes wonder if LaDainian Tomlinson is not only the best running back in San Diego, but also the best quarterback.

Y'all go ask all your Viking and Raider fans what they thought of Randy Moss on Sunday. Cover your ears when you finish your question. My Raider fan teacher colleague spared my poor ears and just gave me a dirty look.

Meanwhile, don't put the Patriots in the Super Bowl just yet. Wait until early November, and that big game in Indianapolis, then come see me.

Anyone sorry in Green Bay that Brett Favre was only kidding about retirement?

You can tell Lovie Smith loves defense. Why else would Rex Grossman still be the starting quarterback in Chicagoland?

Geeks of the week: How dare those Jet fans cheer for Chad Pennington's replacement (Kellen Clemens) as Pennington was limping off the field in agony? Make of him what you will, but the Jets' best chance of winning is when he is healthy. He did not deserve that kind of demonstration from the fans.

You the Patriot fan had to feel for Pennington. Watching him literally drag himself off the field was gut wrenching.

Sooner or later, someone has to stand up and say that Joey Harrington will never be the glittering starting quarterback in the NFL so many people think he will be.

Talk about nice debuts: How about that young buck in Minnesota named Adrian Peterson?

Nice pick by Mario Williams. But the Texans still need blockers.

Steve Tasker got his name up in the Wilson Stadium Ring of Fame, and more than well deserved. Here's hoping Troy Brown plays his whole career in Foxborough and gets a similar honor from the Patriots. Brown and Tasker are pretty comparable.

Keep your fingers crossed for Buffalo tight end Kevin Everett. Praying would also do well here. Cervical spine injury, say the Bills. He at least is now moving his extremities voluntarily. Whatever happens, this sort of thing scares the tar out of everyone who plays or watches football.

If Cleveland's game against Pittsburgh was their Daytona 500, what will the rest of the season be? The Chick-Fil-A 400 at East Yahuppetsville, North Carolina?

Why does NBC put Keith Olbermann on its Football Night In America show? To showcase more of his mediocrity?

Speaking of NBC, they sounded an alarm at Lambeau Field to evacuate the stadium, which turned out to be a false alarm. Who was on the sidelines at the time? NBC News anchor Brian Williams. The guy sure knows where the stories are, by gum.

Back to school: Right now, Michigan doesn't have the defense to stop Robin Williams' Taft College alumni team in The Best Of Times.

Nice game, Randy. Now call Corey Dillon up and get some guidance as to how to handle the media and all the nagging questions they will ask. Then go out and enjoy yourself tonight, within the coaches' limits, of course.

Personally, if I were Moss, instead of calling up Dillon, I'd give Manny Ramirez a call. But call Florida, not Massachusetts.

Oakland waits with bated breath. How soon will JaMarcus Russell finally arrive? A loss at home to Detroit only makes the wait that much worse.

Interesting that Tennessee should open up the season with a franchise record for rushing yards in a game. And Vince Young had little to do with that. It was Chris Brown that did most of the damage. But Young's influence is there, make no mistake.

The most unbelievable aspect of this "spygate" scandal ongoing with the Patriots is this: Was spying on the said opponents (Detroit, Green Bay, Jets) really necessary?

News item: Charlie Frye has already been traded. Warm up that right arm, Brady.

Denver barely gets off a game winning field goal at Buffalo. If that had been against New England, the story would get similar spin to a Red Sox-Yankees game.

Shaun Alexander is back, and all of Seattle is happier than a tornado in a trailer park.

Remember him: Back in January, everyone brought up that 1963 playoff loss at San Diego. The offensive star in that game was Keith Lincoln, who rushed for 206 yards on only 13 carries (a 15.8 yard average). He ran for a 67-yard touchdown and caught a 25-yard pass from backup quarterback John Hadl for a touchdown. For his career, played entirely in the AFL, Lincoln rushed for 3,383 yards in eight total seasons, six in San Diego and two in Buffalo. Miraculously, he never topped the 1,000-yard mark in his career, topping out in 1963 with 826 yards and a league-leading 6.5 yard average per carry. But Lincoln could also catch the ball, his best receiving year being 1967 with 41 catches for 558 yards with Buffalo. A versatile back, Lincoln was also a terrific return specialist (he set a Charger record in 1962 with a 103-yard kickoff return). He retired after the 1968 season, only 29 years old.

Some fishy stuff at the end of the Patriots game: With a 31-14 lead and 2:00 left in the game, Belichick 1) loses a replay challenge a touchdown, and 2) gets it on the next play after the warning. Running up the score on Eric Mangini? Didn't seem that that last touchdown was really necessary. No need to fire up the Jets when they come north later on.

Kyle Boller represented Cincinnati's best chance to win that game, and Boller came through with flying colors.

We've enjoyed him for so many Augusts. Now the whole nation got to see that backup Giant quarterback, 280-pound Jared Lorenzen. Ol' lumberin' load came in when Eli Manning went down and threw his first NFL passes in games that counted. Playing for the Giants fits Lorenzen perfectly.

Bill Walsh Field at Monster.com Park? Yikes. W.C. Fields once said, "What a euphonious appellation!"

The Bill Walsh Field part is plenty. A genius to the end, and the NFL is a lot poorer without him around.