Chris Burke Posts

Bills rookie offensive lineman Eric Wood suffered an ugly injury in the third quarter of Buffalo's 18-15 loss to Jacksonville. The injury was so bad, in fact, that CBS opted not to show any replays of the play because it was too gruesome.

Wood was rolled up on during a Buffalo pass play, and his left leg bent at an extremely unnatural angle. According to the Bills, Wood fractured both his tibia and fibula, and will stay in Jacksonville to have surgery. The injury was easily one of the worst in the NFL this season and could wind up keeping Wood out of the lineup for much longer than the final six weeks of 2009.

The video of Wood's injury is after the jump (Warning: very graphic).

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Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 10 PM, Versus will begin airing "Sports Jobs With Junior Seau," a weekly program -- similar to the Discovery Channel's popular "Dirty Jobs" -- that will feature Seau, a 20-year NFL veteran, taking on some behind-the-scenes work at different sporting events. Versus will air a pair of episodes on Dec. 2. FanHouse secured a preview copy of one, where Seau played the role of batboy and equipment manager for the Dodgers.

This week, Seau spoke with FanHouse about his new show, as well as returning to the Patriots and, of course, Bill Belichick's fateful fourth-down call in Indianapolis.

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Fashionably late is better than unfashionably absent.

It's not a pretty motto (you might prefer "It's better late than never"), but it holds true for our NFL FanHouse podcast, which gets off the ground this week. In the inaugural run, Matt Snyder and Chris Burke tackle some pressing Week 10 topics -- like the game-changing spot of the ball on New England's fateful fourth-down play -- and look ahead to several important Week 11 matchups, including Atlanta at the Giants and San Diego at Denver.

Check out the first NFL Podcast after the jump.

The Dolphins announced Wednesday that leading running back Ronnie Brown had been placed on injured reserve with a right foot injury, ending his 2009 season. Brown had accumulated 648 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, plus a passing touchdown, and stepped in at the "quarterback" spot in Miami's Wildcat offense.

Miami may be as equipped as any team in the NFL to lose its No. 1 back and still run a consistent offense. Ricky Williams will take over as the team's starter, with guys like Ted Ginn, Jr., and rookie quarterback Pat White capable of picking up extra Wildcat duties. Still, Miami's offense puts a lot of pressure on the running back position -- behind Williams now is second-year guy Lex Hilliard, who has zero NFL carries.

But there are lots of recognizable free agents available, should Miami go that route. A look at some of the possibilities:

Calvin Johnson, now is his third professional season, has shown flashes of brilliance. His 1,200-plus yards receiving and 12 touchdowns in 2008 were incredible numbers considering Detroit finished 0-16. But "Megatron" has just one TD grab this season, and the Lions are a combined 8-33 since drafting him.

So while Johnson has been stellar at times and has a very, very bright future, it's hard to put him on the same level as guys like Randy Moss, Andre Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald. Unless you ask Minnesota cornerback Benny Sapp, that is.

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around pointing skyward, while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Studs

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville (24 carries, 123 yards, 1 TD): Coaches always talk about wanting players who have "football smarts." MJD certainly fits the bill, and he proved it Sunday against the Jets. With less than two minutes left in the game and the Jags down one, Jones-Drew broke clear for what looked like an easy score -- but, instead, he took a knee at the Jets 1-yard line, allowing his team to run out the clock and kick a game-winning field goal on the final play.

Denver led Washington 17-14 when Chris Simms replaced Kyle Orton at quarterback, after Orton injured his ankle on the final offensive play of the first half. The Broncos picked up just three first downs the rest of the game, and the Redskins rallied for a 27-17 victory.

Simms, seeing his first meaningful action since suffering a serious spleen injury in 2006, completed just 3 of 13 passes and threw a very costly interception.

Denver has now lost three straight games since starting the season 6-0.

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Just when Pittsburgh thought Troy Polamalu was getting back to full health, the Steelers may have lost their superstar safety again. Polamalu limped to the locker room during Sunday's game between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, and immediate reports were that he had reinjured his left knee. He did not return to the game, which Cincinnati won 18-12.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that Polamalu would undergo an MRI.

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Pittsburgh doesn't win the AFC North every year -- it just feels that way. The Ravens actually took the division title in 2003 and 2006, and Cincinnati tied the Steelers for the crown in 2005.

That, of course, was the year that Pittsburgh and Cincinnati met in the first round of the playoffs. The Bengals' Carson Palmer went down after one pass attempt with a disastrous knee injury and the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.

It has taken Cincinnati since that game to get back into contention, but the Bengals finally appear to be back. They currently sit tied for first place with Pittsburgh at 6-2 overall, and have a win over the Steelers to their credit this year. A win Sunday in Heinz Field, coupled with a favorable schedule the rest of the way, could mean the AFC North title slips out of the 'Burgh again.

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As usual, Joey Porter's done a lot of talking this season. But unlike past seasons, when Porter's been able to back up his mouth with production on the field, the Miami linebacker hasn't produced many results.

Porter has just 12 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks -- one year after recording a career-high 17 1/2 sacks -- and Dolphins coach Tony Sparano has opted to bench Porter for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.

Porter declined to talk to the media this week, a vast change in approach for one of the NFL's most vocal players. Just last week, Porter called the Patriots cheaters in reference to the Spygate scandal, and said that Tom Brady received preferential treatment from referees. The Dolphins then lost to New England, 27-17, with Porter recording no tackles.