FanHouse Michael Bennett

Just two short days after I bricked the call on the Monday Night Football fantasy preview, proclaiming that LaDainian Tomlinson would bounce back after last season's slightly-less-than-stellar numbers with a coming-out party, Tomlinson already looks seriously questionable for Sunday's home opener against the Ravens.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Tomlinson rolled his ankle in the rivalry game against the Raiders on Monday, during which he became surreptitiously absent for the better part of the second half.

Curtis Brinkley, an undrafted rookie running back out of Syracuse who recently signed with San Diego, is in stable condition after being shot while driving his car in Philadelphia early Friday morning.

Brinkley was apparently stopped at an intersection when a man walk up to his car, shot him several times, then ran to a waiting car and sped away. Brinkley managed to drive away, and was later found by a police officer approximately a quarter-of-a-mile from where the incident occurred.

No arrests have been made.

I don't know enough about Tom Lewand or Martin Mayhew to comment on whether Lions owner William Clay Ford was wise to promote from within the organization, but history suggests that no one would've complained if Ford blew up the whole operation and started over.

The franchise has just 40 wins this decade, which is slightly more impressive when you consider that the total includes the recently completed 0-for-'08 run. (Not really; it works out to 5 wins a season versus 4.4 wins a season. In the salary-cap era, that blows.) Perhaps predictably, Clay decided to, as they say, stay the course and give current team employees Lewand and Mayhew shiny new titles.

Not surprisingly, the 2009 Lions look very similar to the versions that preceded it. Which is to say: unimpressive and out of sorts. Via PFT, the first post-Rod Marinelli press conference provided plenty of unintentional hilarity. Because after all, laughter -- even if accidental -- is the best medicine. Or something.

For only the fifth time in Tampa Bay's past 28 games, Cadillac Williams will be in uniform and an active member of the Buccaneers offense, when they take on the winless Detroit Lions. Jon Gruden has been waiting for this moment for weeks, it seems, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Earlier this week, Tampa Bay learned that its leading rusher, Earnest Graham, is going to miss the remainder of the season. Combine that with the release of Michael Bennett a few weeks ago -- when Williams was removed from the PUP list -- and the Buccaneers were down to only 33-year old Warrick Dunn, the recently signed Noah Herron, and fumble-prone Clifton Smith in their backfield.

Williams was listed as questionable this week with a hamstring injury.

It remains to be seen how effective he'll actually be, seeing as how he's hardly played the past two years, so it's nice that his first game back is against the worst rushing defense in the National Football League. So, at least he'll get to ease his way back into the grind.

(H/T PFT)

If Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden thinks the return of Cadillac Williams is like an early Christmas gift, I have to imagine the news of Earnest Graham's season-ending ankle injury ranks somewhere between root canal and watching somebody kick his dog.

According to Anwar S. Richardon of the Tampa Tribune, Gruden informed the media today that Graham is likely done for the season, after a Vikings defender landed on his ankle in the Buccaneers 19-13 win on Sunday. I suppose this means it's time to warm up the Cadillac.

The injury comes the same week Tampa Bay released Michael Bennett so it could active Williams from the PUP list.

It's a huge blow for the Buccaneers, as Graham was leading their ground attack with 563 yards rushing on 132 attempts, while scoring four touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 174 yards.

With Graham out, Tampa Bay's backfield will now be limited to 33-year old Warrick Dunn, and Williams, who as we've mentioned before, has been a sideline observer for 23 of the Buccaneers past 27 games.

Earlier this week we told you about the possibility of the Buccaneers getting former first-round pick Cadillac Williams back into the mix for the team's stretch run. Coach Jon Gruden, naturally, was pumped up about the news as he said today, Wednesday, would be like Christmas.

I don't know, if I woke up on Christmas morning and found a gift-wrapped package that featured a running back that has missed 23 of the past 27 games, and was averaging about three-and-a-half yards per carry when he was on the field, I'd be begging for a new package of socks. But, hey, to each his own.

Anyway, the move became official today as the Buccaneers activated Williams from the PUP list, as reported by Anwar S. Richardson of the Tampa Tribune.

During Friday's spring practice, tempers flared, and helmets went flying when Texas A&M senior defensive Michael Bennett tangled with some offensive linemen. It is certainly not uncommon for small tussles to breakout during a football practice, especially among linemen who battle it out play after play. What's a bit unusual in this case, however, was new head coach Mike Sherman's strong reaction to what was actually the second fight of the day.

"We don't need that bull crap..."

As the Aggie players ran 50-yard sprints up and down the field, Sherman told them that intrasquad fights wouldn't be tolerated.

"We've got soft players," he said. "If you want to be average, then transfer."

It sounds like Sherman is really attempting to balance instilling discipline in his troops, while at the same time questioning their manhood. That seems like a really difficult proposition. I was also immediately reminded of my own time spent in youth football. The punishment our coach handed down for fighting with a teammate was five laps around the field while holding the hand of the player you had scuffled with. I can't remember if that increased discipline or team unity, but in this case fans in College Station seem to trust Sherman's leadership.

"I like what I'm seeing," said one fan. "I know who is running this program."

Yeah, and this time you didn't even have to subscribe to an ultra-secret newsletter to find that out.

Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden is known for having one of the most complex playbooks in football. It might not be as thick as the 700-pager that Al Saunders makes the Redskins memorize, but the Gruden system is so complicated in its verbiage that quarterbacks can get tongue-tied calling plays.

Running back Michael Bennett, who's new to Tampa Bay after getting traded there from Kansas City, tells the St. Petersburg Times he's struggling to learn the Gruden offense:

"Every other offense was words to numbers," said Bennett, 29, a former first-round pick by the Vikings in 2001. "This one, you have to deal with numbers, colors, go back to your ABCs again. It's like going from one-plus-one-is-two to pi-equals-this. It's challenging. It makes you study. It makes you learn. You need to know the offense to be out on the field."

Bennett isn't complaining, just explaining why the system is difficult to learn. But at what point does it become too much? Last season no less an authority than Redskins Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs seemed to think Saunders' offense was too complicated. Is it possible that Gruden could simplify his offense and simultaneously make it more effective? I suspect it is, but I also suspect Gruden will never try to find out.

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.

Miami Dolphins
That's right, for the first time in Coach Killers' short history, an entire organization earns the top spot. And they definitely earned it.

I understand the Dolphins are rebuilding, even though it's mid-season, but did everybody forget that they had a game Sunday? Want an example of how quickly things got out of hand against the Patriots? Here are Tom Brady's first half stats: 16 of 19 for 291 yards and FIVE TOUCHDOWNS. He finished with six for the day, and 27 for the year. There's a real chance he gets 100 by Christmas.

The Dolphins are now 0-7, and they truly have nothing to play for this season. Everything is about 2008 and beyond. Knowing that, it was encouraging to see Derek Hagan and Ted Ginn combine to haul in seven passes for 93 yards, and Ronnie Brown looked good until ... he left the game with an injury. Yeah, God has smited the 2007 Dolphins.

Silver lining: Joey Porter got his first sack of the season!

The Chiefs have until 3 p.m. today to decide whether to activate Priest Holmes for tomorrow's game in Oakland. FanHouser Dan Benton wrote on Thursday that Holmes will be an asset for Kansas City, but not for his running ability ... for his pass-blocking skills.

With Michael Bennett now in Tampa Bay, it seems like Holmes will be activated, but head coach Herm Edwards is waiting for some Northern California inspiration before making his decision:

"I like sleeping on thoughts like this," Edwards said before the club departed for Oakland. "I've got another day. I think better when I'm on the West Coast ... the ocean, the breeze, we'll figure it out."

Edwards also said the thinks Holmes is "about as good as he's going to get," which also indicates he's likely to dress Sunday. Whatever happens, Larry Johnson is sure to be unhappy. Not so much because Holmes is viewed as a potential threat, but because LJ is always unhappy.

Whatever, the Chiefs are a long way from the 0-2 start. They're currently tied for the division lead, and have a chance to get above .500 for the first time in '07.