Lots Going On

Wow, I go out of town for a weekend and a huge number of things happened. Some expected (cuts) and some definitely not expected (gang-related shooting). Let's run down the list...

• Verba Out -- THIS SUCKS. There's no other way to say it. I'm not sure that Barry Stokes will do so well at left tackle, although I do like Stokes in general. The offensive line seemed poised for some very good things and now it is again a big question mark. After the injury there was talk of the Browns picking up waived C Brett Romberg but it didn't happen. That might have been interesting but it wouldn't have helped the left tackle situation. In hindsight it sure would have been nice to have drafted Leonard Davis, wouldn't it? The good news is that the Browns personnel is suited to do lots of creative things on offense. But you can only compensate for a weak offensive line so much...
  
• Joey Porter gets shot. I'm in Vegas losing at various gambling schemes when I decide to turn to college football. I place some money on Colorado State, in honor of CSU alum and Ignatius' hero of their first state championship, Kareen Ingram. The CSU/CU game wound up being supremely entertaining (though I lost the bet). Joey Porter must have enjoyed it too as he attended the game (what's he doing in Colorado? Just wondering.) A few hours later he's shot. Thankfully it's not a life threatening injury but it will sideline him for much or even all of this season. All I can say is this will hurt the Steelers significantly as Porter is by far their best defensive player. Their other linebackers are solid but not in the same league, and Kendrell Bell probably regressed in last year's second season. The Steelers remain the favorite in the AFC North but things could get wild.
  
• The Steelers also waived RB Chris Fuatmatu-Ma'afala and the Browns reportedly are interested in him. There's a lot of angles to this one. First the Steelers obviously got sick of his injuries and are betting that Bettis is healthy. It also means Vernon Hayes is the backup-backup RB. From the Browns perspective Fu could be valuable as a fullback, or just a way to glean info before a matchup with the Steelers. Again, I wonder if it means the Browns are open to trading James Jackson. If it were up to me, I'd stand pat unless we get a left tackle, which ain't happening.
  
• If there is one waived Steeler worth looking into I'd perhaps recommend Hank Poteat. He never wowed anyone with his playing ability, but I'd be pretty interested in his insight about how the Steelers reacted to the Browns shredding their defense last year in the playoffs. He might be worth a roster spot as a backup corner.
  
• I was sorry to see Kalvin Pearson get waived, but it is probably the right move. Instead of Pearson the Browns kept Leigh Bodden from Duquesne. After some eye-catching hits last preseason Pearson seemed very quiet this year. With the addition of Lehan and Crocker it was predictable that Pearson would get the boot, and apparently Bodden impressed more.
  
• As expected, C.J. Jones will be the sixth receiver. He could be a huge asset this season as his ability to return kicks will allow Andre Davis to not rush his return from injury. Although the loss of Verba will hurt the team when it comes to wins and losses, there's still no reason to think the passinig game won't be impressive.
  
• The Bengals are the only AFC North team without a surprise this preseason. Porter, Verba, and the elevation of Boller creates significant questions for everyone but Cincinnati. I'm not saying the Bengals will be division champions, but if they win a few games early they could be in the hunt. What a scary thought.
  
• The Seahawks lost Shawn Springs for half the year. This will make it tougher for the 'hawks to live up to the expectations of many prognosticators. But it might help the fantasy football outlook for Matt Hasselback and Koren Robinson if the team is forced to score a lot of points.
  
• Bears starting left guard Rex Tucker is out for the year. Another reason to doubt that Anthony Thomas or any other running back will be productive.
  
• The Bengals waived TE Sean Brewer. This is nearly meaningless, but it's an opportunity to bring up one of my favorite entertaining Bengals stories of modern times -- when they drafted Brewer a couple years back only to find out that guy smoked like two packs a day. What was he doing on a football field? What kind of scouting department did the Bengals have? Oh yeah, they didn't really have one.... Anyway, this roster move may be funny but may also be an indication that Marvin Lewis is not a complete idiot.