FanHouse ChadGreenway

The 0-11 Lions have many believing that a winless season is not only possible, but probable. This is 0for08, FanHouse's eye on the Detroit Lions and their quest for a winless season.

Jared Allen just left the field of play against the Detroit Lions after getting injured on a cheap block. This would be surprising, if you totally didn't believe in karma. In case you do -- and I'm right here with you -- then Allen's injury is, while deplorable in a morally questionable sense -- kind of okay.

No, seriously. Why should you be allowed to take a blatantly cheap shot on Matt Schaub and not expect some sort of universal retribution? Well, he got it on a cheap shot by Gosder Cherilius and, fortunately, MDS was on the clock at PFT to provide play-by-play (he's a tortured Lions fan, in case you didn't know).

In the second quarter of today's game, Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper was rolling to his right, and Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was running across the field in pursuit, but not particularly close to the play. When Lions offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus (who on the ground) saw Allen passing by, he lowered his shoulder and took Allen out at the knee.

Allen was hurt, and he was furious. He tried to limp toward Cherilus to confront him, but he was restrained by teammates. After that he was taken off the field with an apparent knee injury.

From what I saw, Allen was limping pretty badly, but he did come back on the field fairly quickly (just a few plays). And yeah, while I think karma is important in these types of things, I should also point out that what Cherilus did to Allen was totally uncalled for and the absolute definition of "dirty."

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...

Best running team in football. If anything they'll be better at running the ball this season. The Vikes have committed to a better balance between passing and running, which will (hopefully) prevent teams from stacking the box against the run -- opening more running lanes. Tarvaris Jackson has experience under his belt and is unchallenged as the starter, not to mention they signed Bernard Berrian in the off-season to give him a legitimate NFL wideout. Adrian Peterson has a year of NFL experience, and Chester Taylor is an able-bodied complement to Peterson. Expect the same, if not better, numbers as last season from the ground game.

The Breakout

He's not going to be a pro-bowler or even a fantasy starter, but "breakout" is defined as someone whose eventual value exceeds the value he held on draft day. Tarvaris Jackson is going to be avoided in nearly all drafts, or possibly taken as a third string fantasy QB with the hopes of upside. By the end of the year, he'll pick his spots well enough to be worthy of a backup fantasy QB for bye-week replacement or injury replacement purposes. He'll get rushing yards -- which is such a huge bonus for QBs -- avoid the interception quite well, and throw for 150-200 yards a week with a passing TD per game.

Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business.

Herm Edwards, Chiefs
Two weeks ago, Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs was highlighted in this space because of his inability manage timeouts and the clock. I have no recollection of Gibbs struggling with such problems during his first coaching run back in the '80s and '90s, but I'm convinced that Edwards is, by light years, the league's worst coach when it comes to making in-game decisions.

I don't make that accusation cavalierly, and with the full understanding that in addition to Gibbs, guys like Brian Billick, Marvin Lewis, Mike Holmgren and Norvell Turner make seemingly hair-brained decisions. But none can match Herm's lunacy.

The latest addition to Edwards' legacy came Sunday against AFC West rival, Oakland. With Kansas City trailing 20-17, less than five minutes to go in the game, and the ball on the Raiders' 27, Brodie Croyle completed a four-yard pass on 3rd and 5. Bring in the field goal team, right? Wrong.
Sorry, No Photos