FanHouse Jeff Faine

Did the injury bug hit your fantasy football team like it was a car windshield moving at 100 MPH? If so, it may be time to do some Damage Control.

Quarterback

Donovan McNabb, Eagles - McNabb fractured a rib in Sunday's game against the Panthers and was originally thought to surely miss a game, maybe two. It appears now that McNabb can do no more damage to the rib by playing. Nobody is sure of his status for Week 2, but, if he can withstand the pain you'd better believe that he'll give it a try. You can't cut McNabb. If he decides that he cannot play, you're just going to have to run with your QB2 for the time being.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears did some house cleaning along their offensive lines today, as the Buccaneers reunited themselves with Sean Mahan, and sent former fourth-round pick Dan Buenning to Chicago. Each transaction involved undisclosed 2009 draft picks, as reported by ProFootballTalk.

Mahan was signed to a five-year deal by the Steelers following the 2006 season and was, by all accounts, a tremendous flop trying to continue the Steelers' legacy at the center position. He lost his starting job this preseason to Justin Hartwig and was going to be the teams primary backup at center and guard.

I imagine the Bucs will be looking at him, for the most part, as a guard -- his main position in his first stint with Tampa -- as they signed free-agent center Jeff Faine this past off-season to a $37.5 million deal. Of course, that's simply speculation on my part.

To make room for Mahan, the Bucs then sent Beunning, their fourth-round pick in 2005, to Chicago. It's a little odd, seeing as how Mahan and Beunning both possess the ability to play center and guard (though, it's up for debate as to how much Sean Mahan can really play center), while Mahan is slightly older, makes more money, and may or may not be as good. It all comes down to the picks the Bucs are swapping.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are so far below the 2008 salary cap that they would be in violation of the league's collective-bargaining agreement if they don't add at least $28 million to their payroll. But it doesn't appear that that will be a problem, as the Bucs have gotten off to a fast start in the free agency period.

First, the Bucs signed center Jeff Faine, formerly of the Saints, to a six-year, $37.5 million deal with $15 guaranteed, making him the highest-paid center in the NFL. That seems like a tad much for a center of Faine's quality, but that's life in the NFL when you have $45 million or so to spend.

Second, the Bucs signed tight end John Gilmore, formerly of the Bears, to a three-year contract. Gilmore is mostly a blocking tight end; he'll be second on the depth chart behind Alex Smith.

And next the Bucs may sign wide receiver Devery Henderson, another free agent from the Saints. Henderson is a deep threat with excellent speed, although he hasn't been particularly productive in the Saints' offense and seems like a bad fit for the Jeff Garcia/Jon Gruden offense in Tampa Bay.

But the Bucs have so much money to spend that they can afford to sign guys who aren't great fits. The Bucs are not done spending money.

For the longest time -- basically 1999 to 2003 -- the Cleveland Browns made some dreadful decisions with their first-round draft picks. Obviously, it all starts with Tim Couch (1999). And then there was Courtney Brown (2000), and Gerard Warren (2001). Who could forget William Green over Clinton Portis (2002), and Jeff Faine (2003).

But with the dark days of Chris Palmer and Butch Davis behind the franchise, things have picked up in recent years. Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards, Kamerion Wimbley, and now, Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn. While it's easy to point to Quinn as the team's most important pick -- possibly in this version of the Browns' short history -- it may be the other 2007 first-rounder that ends up having the better career.

Cleveland's offensive line is quietly having a solid season. The unit is on pace to give up 28 sacks, the fewest in 13 years. This group is excelling with a rookie left tackle, and missing two of its best players: tackle Ryan Tucker and center LeCharles Bentley. But that's changing:

Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.

Buffalo Bills:

Out: Tackle Brad Butler (hamstring) and running back Josh Scobey (calf).

Questionable: Guard Aaron Merz (shoulder) and safety Donte Whitner (hip)

Probable: Running back Dwayne Wright (allergies) and cornerback Jason Webster (hamstring).