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You are just seconds away from finding out

To be honest, the race for the top overall pick has boiled down to a two-team race, even though the two bottom-feeders in the NFC West could make things interesting.
Then again, the truly interesting thing could be at the bottom of the rankings, where a new team that has avoided the radar thus far has been added.
Who is it? You are just seconds away from finding out. The alternative ranks are ready to start right now.
Titans coach Mike Munchak is doing his best to defuse a potential running back controversy.
Munchak made it clear Monday that Chris Johnson remains Tennessee's starter, and the coach said he sees the running back working harder than ever.
"He's handling the situation where expectations are so high, I don't know how he could ... unless we're running for 200 yards a game," Munchak said.
"There's going to be people questioning what he's doing just because he's paid how he is and he's perceived to be one of the top backs in the league, so people expect an awful lot from him every time he steps on the field. When you come short of that and as a team we struggle, everyone's trying to figure out what's wrong. Something must be wrong."
Well, Johnson helped drive expectations sky high for himself by leading the NFL in rushing yards between 2008 and 2010. He became just the sixth man in league history to run for 2,000 yards in a season in 2009, and he notched 24 100-yard rushing games through his first three seasons.
Since sitting out the preseason before signing a six-year, $53.5 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed, Johnson has topped 100 yards only once.
Johnson has been held to 34 yards or fewer four times this season, or what he had through his first three seasons. But Johnson said after Sunday's 27-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts that he feels fine and hasn't lost any of his speed, and he felt close to breaking loose on a couple plays.
The questions are going to continue until the Titans (4-3) fix the NFL's worst running game. Their per-game average is up from 64.3 to 68.9 yards per game after totaling 96 against Indianapolis but easily trails the Seattle Seahawks' 77.7.
Munchak said there's no plan to even out the carries between Johnson and backup Javon Ringer, although the latter will play.

anonymity Monday because the Dolphins

If Jones plays this Sunday, he would face the team that drafted him. He established himself as a dynamic returner with the Titans, returning four punts for touchdowns in two years. He was suspended by the NFL for the 2007 season for off-the-field troubles, then was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
A person familiar with Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey's status told The Associated Press that medical tests show no damage to the rookie's neck, and he might be able to return to practice this week.
The person spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the Dolphins hadn't commented on the test results.
Pouncey left Sunday's game against the New York Giants during the second half with a neck injury after taking a blow to the head. Pouncey said he briefly couldn't feel his legs, but that he felt fine after the game.
With Pouncey out, the Dolphins gave up four sacks in the fourth quarter, blew a late lead and lost to fall to 0-7. They next play Sunday at Kansas City.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb had his right foot in a walking boot Monday to protect a turf toe injury and said he had "no idea" if he'd be able to play in this Sunday's home game against the St. Louis Rams.
Kolb was injured early in Sunday's 30-27 loss at Baltimore, but he stayed in the game.
"I did some things to help with the pain a little bit," he said, "then just tried to gut it out and try to come up with a victory."
If Kolb can't go, second-year pro John Skelton probably would start at quarterback for Arizona. Skelton started four games late last season.
A turf toe occurs when the toe is jammed severely, stretching the ligaments. Kolb said he has had the injury before but not "near this severe."
Kolb said his initial plans are to work to reduce the swelling and pain, "then as the week goes on, give it more and more movement and see what my body allows me to do."
Kolb, who ran for a first down late in the game, said the injury didn't affect his mobility so much as it did the velocity of his passes, since he pushes off with his right foot.
"A lot of your power comes from that side of your foot," Kolb said, "on that leg. When I had to take off and run, I didn't feel it or anything. It probably was just nagging a little bit but nothing to throw me off my game."
Consecutive games against two of the best defenses in the NFL, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, has left Arizona's offense a bit battered. Rookie Anthony Sherman, the team's only fullback, has turf toe on his left foot. Running back Beanie Wells is playing with a sore knee.

Indianapolis' franchise quarterback

But with the Colts 0-8 and the playoffs seemingly out of reach, there's only one big reason to push Manning to practice -- finding out how close Indianapolis' franchise quarterback is to 100 percent.
"That is much more important to us because we know he's not going to play six or seven more years," Polian said, reiterating that Manning is nearing the end of his career and again pointing out the quarterback needs to feel he still can play at a high level.
But it's unlikely the Colts would play Manning in meaningless December games when they haven't played him much in previous Decembers, after the Colts traditionally clinch their playoff seed. There's another reason for keeping him on the bench this year, too.
"I'm not sure we would necessarily play him in ballgames with our offensive line as beaten up as it is right now," Polian said.
The Colts already was trying to rebuild their line this season after using a first-round draft pick on tackle Anthony Castonzo and a second-round selection on tackle Ben Ijalana. But injuries have forced Indianapolis to replace three opening-day starters along the line and move a fourth to another position.
It has been said that one of the reasons Andrew Luck passed on entering the draft last year was because he didn't want to be on the Panthers. That may be a rumor who knows? Anyways he may want to play right away plus he might not want to be on a team he feels may stink for a while. Sure he could learn from the best in Peyton Manning if the Colts got him but he might look at how the Colts have drafted (ignoring defense) and built there team around Manning in past seasons and possibly demand a trade. It seems to me that Luck is not all about the money or he would have entered the draft last year so that tells me he wants to join a team he feels will be a winner in a fairly short period of time. It seems to me and a lot of other people that the Colts have a much bigger need than a qb now. They need at least a competent defense to keep their games somewhat close. They could easily take Luck and trade him for several picks this year and possibly the first pick next year to basically rebuild their defense.
Montario Hardesty tore a calf muscle during Sunday's 20-10 loss at San Francisco, leaving Cleveland with only one healthy running back on its current roster. Coach Pat Shurmur said Hardesty will be out an indefinite period.
"It will be games," said Shurmur, who added that Hardesty is wearing a protective boot. "It will take him a little time to heal up from this injury. I can't tell you how many (games)."

game against the Cincinnati Bengals

"There's no rhyme or reason to it right now. If there was, I'd let you know," Munchak said. "We're just trying to get something fixed that hasn't been as productive as we'd like, and we're not doing anything different ... We don't feel any different about Chris Johnson. All of the above. Nothing's changing. Our philosophy hasn't changed."
Notes: Munchak said he expects TE Craig Stevens (ribs) to practice Wednesday after being deactivated against the Colts to help put his injury behind him. ... LB Colin McCarthy (hamstring) also might practice after missing two games. ... Safety Chris Hope (left forearm) is the only Titan not expected to be available for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There was plenty of blame to go around after the Dallas Cowboys' 34-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but coach Jason Garrett refused to point fingers at anyone, including defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the next day.
Ryan told The Dallas Morning News after Sunday night's game that the loss was "all on me." But Garrett said Monday that the Cowboys' performance wasn't the fault of only one person.
"We need to do our jobs better to not have games like that," Garrett said.
The screening of the Eagles game tape merely underscored to players and coaches that the Cowboys simply were overwhelmed by a division rival coming off a bye week that badly needed a victory to climb back into the NFC East race.
"I don't think they did anything on offense or defense that surprised us," Garrett said. "We've seen a lot of the stuff they've done and were prepared for it. Unfortunately, we didn't execute as well as we needed to."
The Cowboys also are dealing with injuries to linebacker Sean Lee (left wrist), punter Mat McBriar (left foot) and cornerback Mike Jenkins (right hamstring).
Jenkins told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he will likely sit out at least three weeks. Lee is unsure whether he'll play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks but will wear a cast if he does. McBriar is scheduled to see a specialist.
Bill Polian plans to keep Peyton Manning on the Colts' active roster all season, even if it means he'll only be back to practice.
While the Colts' vice chairman isn't completely ruling out a late cameo appearance by the four-time NFL MVP this season, he hopes Manning will be able to throw at the team's complex before the season ends.
"I think it's important for him to feel like, 'Hey I'm back, I can do the things that are necessary to say I can play like I want to,' " Polian said Monday night on his weekly radio show. "The bottom line is he needs to feel good about being back and doing the things he wants to do."

it was clear Whitehurst wasn't the answer

It was Carroll's goal to use only Whitehurst and give Jackson an extra week of rest, but by early in the second quarter it was clear Whitehurst wasn't the answer. Jackson went on to throw for a career-high 323 yards in just 2 1/2 quarters.
"I told him I was going to try to keep him out if I could, 'But you need to be ready because you never know.' And he was right on it and so we went ahead and went with him," Carroll said. "When he went in the game, I told Charlie, 'Charlie, be ready. You may have to go right back. He may not be able to handle it. We'll have to wait and see.' So that's where that all sat. We were very clear on it."
Carroll said he's going into this week with the idea that Jackson will be his starter in Dallas and that fixing Seattle's run game is a top priority. The Seahawks were held to 61 yards rushing and Lynch managed just 24 yards on 16 carries.
Even though he expressed his frustration visibly on the field, Lynch put much of the blame on himself afterward.
"I just felt the first half was kind of my fault that the offense didn't get going the way it should have. There were a couple plays out there where I feel myself, I didn't execute right, and I think those were plays that would have put the game in a different perspective," Lynch said. "Just got to man up and say 'I didn't execute the way that I should have executed on those plays.' I kind of felt like I put us in a hole."
The Buffalo Bills could get a boost in their passing game this week with the return of wide receiver Donald Jones.
Jones missed the Bills' last two games with a sprained ankle but is expected to return to practice this week.
“I’ll definitely get the green light to practice Wednesday,” Jones told the team's website. “I’ll be limited, but we’re going to make a go of it.”
Bills starting left tackle Demetrius Bell is in jeopardy of missing his fourth straight game because of a right shoulder injury that isn't healing as quickly as expected.
Coach Chan Gailey provided the update Monday, stopping short of ruling out Bell from playing Sunday, when the Bills host the New York Jets. Gailey said injured backup left tackle Chris Hairston has a better shot at returning than Bell.
Hairston has missed one game with a right ankle injury.
Starting defensive tackle Kyle Williams (left foot) has already been ruled out for a third straight game.
Buffalo is coming off a 23-0 win over Washington at Toronto on Sunday.

make them pay yesterday a couple of times

Kolb has been sacked 24 times in seven games. The pressure he faced Sunday was his most severe yet. Of course, since it was Baltimore, that shouldn't be surprising.
"They run a tough scheme and bring them from a lot of different places. You've got to step up in there and block them," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "We have to get the ball out quicker in some situations. We had opportunities to make them pay yesterday a couple of times, but we weren't as efficient as we needed to be from a protection standpoint or from getting the ball out. That's always tough.
"When you add in the noise, knowing your guys are going to be late off the ball, giving them the advantage, it is really a tough situation. I don't think people appreciate how difficult that is. That's why they're a good defense, and they're a tough team to play there."
These guys might not exactly be carrying a lunch pail to the stadium, but they did bring a blue-collar, working-man approach to the weekend's games. Take a look at all the nominees, then vote on your choice for the Hardest-Working Man for Week 8.
In facing his former team for the first time, Boldin made the Cardinals reconsider just what they might be missing when they let the veteran receiver go to Baltimore. He made a profound impact as the Ravens pulled off the biggest second-half rally in team history for a 30-27 win, finishing with seven catches for 145 yards. More importantly, however, were two key plays that weren't catches but resulted in pass interference calls that became touchdowns a play later. Down 24-6 in the third quarter, Boldin drew a pass interference that put the ball at the 1-yard line to set up a Ray Rice touchdown. The second pass interference call -- another that put the ball at the 1-yard line for an easy Rice scoring run -- helped the Ravens climb to within 24-20 at the end of the third quarter.
Cleveland Browns running back Montario Hardesty has a torn calf muscle and is expected to miss some games, so the team plans to work out possible replacements Tuesday, according to a league source.
The source said Thomas Clayton will be one of the running backs who works out for the Browns. He spent time in Cleveland last season.
Browns coach Pat Shurmur said Monday that Hardesty is wearing a protective boot, but he doesn't know how long the running back will be sidelined. Normal starter Peyton Hillis also is ailing, having missed two games with a hamstring problem.
Chris Ogbonnaya had 11 carries in Sunday's 20-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but he has been with the Browns for just two weeks after being signed off the Houston Texans' practice squad. Brandon Jackson suffered a season-ending toe injury during the preseason.

the Raiders' newly acquired starting

Veteran wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will work out for the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday, according to a league source.
Houshmandzadeh is a former teammate of Carson Palmer, the Raiders' newly acquired starting quarterback. Houshmandzadeh regularly worked out with Palmer while the quarterback was sitting out from the Cincinnati Bengals, who finally traded him.
Houshmandzadeh last played in the NFL in 2010 with the Baltimore Ravens, catching 30 passes for 398 yards as he struggled to break in with the team. In 2007, with Palmer and the Bengals, Houshmandzadeh caught a career-high 112 passes for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns, making his only Pro Bowl.
The Raiders are looking to rejuvenate their passing attack after Palmer and Kyle Boller combined to throw six interceptions in a 28-0 loss to the Chiefs in Week 7.
For a second, it appeared linebacker James Harrison might be back for the Pittsburgh Steelers' highly anticipated rematch with the Baltimore Ravens.
But Harrison put those thoughts to rest himself.
Harrison wrote on his Facebook wall Monday that he will sit out another game with a broken orbital bone around his right eye. The injury forced Harrison to miss Pittsburgh's previous four games.
"Saw the doctor today. Looks like I won't be playing this weekend but at least I'm cleared for practice," Harrison wrote. "Worst case scenario I'll be back after the bye for sure."
Harrison, a two-time All-Pro, has 18 tackles and two sacks in four games this season. Earlier Monday, his agent, Bill Parise, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the linebacker would play this weekend "unless something happens."
With the way the season is unfolding for the 3-4 Cowboys and 3-4 Redskins, barring a dramatic two-week turnaround, it's highly unlikely there will be any hype surrounding their Nov. 20 matchup at FedExField. Tony Romo versus John Beck just ain't gonna cut it.
Enter Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who's adding a little zest to the otherwise lackluster matchup between the longtime NFC East rivals.
Hall's line of "Hail Yeah I Hate Dallas" silicone wristbands will go on sale Tuesday on his website, giving Redskins fans a chance to proudly express their hatred for their fiercest rival. If that's not enough reason to spend $3.99, a press release says "partial proceeds of sales" will benefit the D.C. Central Kitchen, which feeds the less fortunate throughout the Washington D.C. area.
We're sure plenty of anti-Cowboys folks -- who stretch beyond just Redskins fans -- like to believe that hating on the team somehow helps make the world a better place, but in this case, it's actually true.

we want all of them to be incredibly

And this weekend should be a good barometer: It's the first time Buffalo's gone up there as a contender.
"Our view on this weekend is that it's an NFL game, and we want all of them to be incredibly successful," he said. "That we have two teams that are off to good starts has excited the fans, and that's reflected in the acceleration of ticket sales. The excitement in the press is heightened, and we're seeing the things we wanted to see early on. Toronto is a great market."
How soon it, or London, becomes an NFL market remains to be seen. (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell told me in London last week that, "We're going to play multiple games over here, and if that's successful, there is a possibility of a franchise here. … Eventually you want to see if we can sell it by focusing on maybe one or two or two or three teams, so we can get to the point where we could have a franchise here."
For as much as we all made about the arrival of Mike Holmgren in Cleveland and the gradual implementation of the West Coast offense -- his mentor Bill Walsh's offense -- the commitment early in the tenure of Browns president Mike Holmgren has been on the other side of the ball.
As Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted the other day, Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert have had four top-40 picks in their first two drafts. And all of them have been spent on defense. Last year, corner Joe Haden and safety T.J. Ward came on board. This year, it was defensive tackle Phil Taylor and defensive end Jabaal Sheard.
Seems to be working. The Browns rank fourth in total defense -- interestingly enough, behind AFC North rivals Baltimore, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh -- and it's in no small part due to Heckert and Holmgren's Core 4.
"They're really hard-working guys," Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron, who was charged with leading Cleveland's switch from Rob Ryan's 3-4 to his own 4-3. "They continue to play hard, and we've got a long ways to go, we can better, but they're learning. In this game, everyone's good enough to beat you. You gotta be really sound, tough and talented, and get lucky at times. A number of those things occurred on Sunday."
That led to a near shutout -- the Browns beat the Seahawks 6-3 -- and Cleveland's other two wins also came with the defense holding the opposition under 20 points.
But where this story really started was in camp. One of the more startling things I encountered on the trail this summer was seeing Taylor and Sheard running with the first team very early in the summer.

Adding ex-Cowboys running back Tashard

Redskins fans sure need something to feel good about after being shut out by the Bills on Sunday for their third consecutive loss. Adding ex-Cowboys running back Tashard Choice on Monday probably won't suffice.
Really Guys? Hall is just trying to give his fans hope and something to cheer for. I'm a Redskins fan and I believe the season is over. We lost most of our line, our number one receiver, our starting tight end, and our starting running back. And for the Cowboy fans, really? You guys really gloat about your team, So what if you beat us lol, don't be surprise if the Redskins beat the cowboys on the 2nd match up, we have the same record and by the end of the day, thats all that really matters.
The Minnesota Vikings have some questions to answer about their defensive secondary entering their bye week. First and foremost on that list: what to do with suspended cornerback Chris Cook.
Coach Leslie Frazier wouldn't dismiss the idea that the Vikings would release Cook, who was suspended without pay after he was charged last week with felony domestic assault for allegedly trying to strangle his girlfriend. Frazier would only tell reporters that he'd meet with team officials Monday afternoon to discuss "which direction we're going to be heading" with Cook.
"We have a lot of things to talk about, a lot of things to talk about as we go forward," Frazier said of Cook's future.
Cook also could face discipline from the NFL.
"It will be reviewed under the league's personal-conduct policy, which includes league discipline when warranted," league spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email to NFL.com.
Frazier also indicated that he expects cornerback Antoine Winfield, who has missed four games with a neck injury, to play Nov. 14 against the Green Bay Packers. He sidestepped a question about who would start opposite Winfield -- Asher Allen or Cedric Griffin -- saying only that he had to "take a real hard look" at every phase of the team.
The Washington Redskins claimed the running back off waivers Monday from the Dallas Cowboys, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
The Redskins later confirmed the move and said rookie cornerback Brandyn Thompson had been waived to make roster room.
Choice, a fourth-round pick of the Cowboys in the 2008 NFL Draft, fell out of favor with the team and was released Saturday, one week after he suffered a shoulder injury. Choice averaged 2.7 yards on 28 carries without any touchdowns for Dallas this season, and he also lost two fumbles.

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