Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic quotes agent Drew Rosenhaus as saying Edgerrin James hopes the Cardinals spare his client the "indignity of standing on the sidelines." The Cardinals are paying the running back $294,117.60 per week to tough it out.

Also from Somers: The Giants' decision to bench Kurt Warner worked out well for all.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated names Warner his top choice for Sportsman of the Year.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says it is normal for a player such as James to ask for his release during the season upon being benched.

Also from Urban: Warner reflects on his time with the Giants in 2004.

More from Urban: Arizona's defense faces a tough job in trying to stop the Giants' ground game.

Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune says Warner never would have fit into the Giants' run-oriented offense.

Mike Tulumello of the East Valley Tribune quotes Rosenhaus as saying it's a "huge insult" for James to be a backup.

Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle says 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill generally looks better in games than practices.

John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle downplays the draft in pointing out how Hill and the Cowboys' Tony Romo became starters as undrafted free agents.

Also from Crumpacker: A look at Alex Smith's role on the team.

Lowell Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat blames 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz for choosing the wrong quarterback and the wrong offensive approach heading into the season.

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat looks at potential quarterback options for the 49ers after this season. Warner heads the list of quarterbacks scheduled for free agency. I'm thinking the Cardinals might think about bringing him back.

Also from Maiocco: Hill and Mike Singletary are auditioning for jobs beyond this season.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says receivers Arnaz Battle and Josh Morgan might not play against the Cowboys.

Also from Barrows: Rookie Chilo Rachal could make his first NFL start Sunday.

Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News says Romo stepped in for teammate Terrell Owens on a conference call with Bay Area reporters. Owens' production this season has hinged on Romo's availability.

Also from Brown: Singletary talks about building continuity on the offensive line, but Rachal could start anyway.

Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer checks in with Jim Zorn as the Seattle icon prepares to face his former team at Qwest Field.

Also from Farnsworth: Patrick Kerney won't be padding his sack totals down the stretch.

More from Farnsworth: Mike Holmgren won't be benching established players for unproven ones over the final six games.

Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune previews Shaun Alexander's return to Seattle. Walter Jones says fans should cheer the former MVP.

Frank Hughes of Seahawks Insider quotes Holmgren as saying the Seahawks' cornerbacks have been vulnerable, in part, because of their diminutive stature. Holmgren favored bigger corners when he was general manager, but the team gave up too many big plays in the passing game back then as well.

Rod Mar of the Seattle Times offers photos from the Seahawks' game against Arizona.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says Zorn's towering flat-top distinguished him from other coaches back in the late 1908s. Zorn didn't seem to care. He does things his own way.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Rams coach Jim Haslett is imploring the team to play more physically in the upcoming weeks.

Bill Coats of Around the Horns says Rams personnel chief Billy Devaney has succeeded in supplementing the roster during the season. Anthony Davis is the latest addition.

Also from Coats: Haslett takes a stand against Marc Bulger's critics.

More from Coats: The Rams hope Orlando Pace can return sooner instead of later.

Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat quotes Haslett as saying Steven Jackson's injury stems from missing camp during a holdout.

Also from Korte: Haslett is threatening to bench underperforming players.

Jeff Roman of ramsgab.com lists offensive players the Rams need to keep for 2009.

Also from Roman: A look at the defense.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky and Tim Graham

In advance of the New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville, AFC East blogger Tim Graham and AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky debate what this November showdown means. The Jets could make a statement by ruining the Titans' hopes of a 16-0 regular season. Graham and Kuharsky debate other factors that should be considered.

Collins	Favre

Which graybeard quarterback will carry the day?
Paul Kuharsky: Well, Timothy, it's hard to argue against Brett Favre's contagious enthusiasm, but Kerry Collins is asked to provide something entirely different for the Titans. He's calm and cool, which fits a Jeff Fisher team perfectly. Odds are he throws for under 200 yards. Odds also are he doesn't get picked off or make a big mistake that puts his defense in a tough spot.

Tim Graham: I hear you loud and clear, Brocephus. But the Jets seem to have located their offensive happy place with Favre. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has reached a comfort level in calling plays for the type of quarterback the Jets weren't used to. Favre appears to be settling into his role -- somewhere between swashbuckler and game manager. I like to call him a swashmangler.

PK: Very wordsmithy of you. I know Farve's enjoyed joining a team that upgraded the offensive line before he arrived. One key to the Titans' success has been that they consistently get pass pressure from their front four. Kyle Vanden Bosch expects to be back from a groin injury that's pretty much cost him five weeks. Side-by-side with Albert Haynesworth, they'll look to overpower and outwork the left side of the Jets' line.

TG: The Jets' offensive line has been sensational. Alan Faneca has performed as advertised. Nick Mangold is turning into an elite center. But the New England Patriots, without Adalius Thomas and Ty Warren, got to Favre three times last week. Favre went down Strahan-style.

	Jeff Hanisch/US Presswire
	New York's run defense will be tested by Tennessee's Chris Johnson on Sunday.

How will the Titans' running game fare against the Jets' 3-4 defense?
TG: The element of Sunday's game I'm most fascinated to see unfold is how New York's run defense handles Tennessee's running backs. Two of my favorite players to watch this year have been Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins and Titans rookie Chris Johnson. The Jets have the fourth-ranked defense against the run. The Patriots didn't even bother last week, choosing to let Matt Cassel throw 50 times. The Jets' front seven are scary.

PK: Collins threw it 41 times in Chicago, but the Titans will be determined to hand the ball off. Still, the Titans likely will continue to look to get Johnson additional touches in the passing game, trying to set him free in space against favorable matchups. I certainly wouldn't be looking to get him up the middle against Jenkins. If offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger sees the Jets selling out to reduce the risk of big-plays by Johnson, then he'll give somebody else like Bo Scaife, Justin Gage or LenDale White more chances.

TG: I wonder how much of this game will hinge on Collins' arm. The Jets have a couple of stars in their secondary. Cornerback Darrelle Revis is one of the NFL's best, and safety Kerry Rhodes is Pro Bowl-caliber. But they were concerned enough with rookie cornerback Dwight Lowery's shaky play that they signed Ty Law, who hadn't played in 11 months.

PK: The Titans will be content to dink and dunk against that crew if that's what they have to do. Patience won't be a problem. And I suspect they'll like their chances of getting Favre to try to force a couple against their own group of rising DBs who are establishing names for themselves. Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin and Chris Hope each rank at the top of the AFC with four picks. If they can get one or two here, I like the Titans' chances. If they can't, this could be loss No. 1.

Which team has more to prove?
PK: It takes a 10-0 start and Favre coming to town with the hot Jets for Jim Nantz and Phil Simms to call a game for CBS in Nashville for the first time. The Titans love to cast themselves as the under-the-radar underdogs. They know they'll be drawing a lot of eyeballs Sunday and that if they lose, there will be people who say the Titans weren't worthy the hype.

TG: One of the more nauseating sports phenomena is when teams try to underdog each other. Every team wants to enter a game feeling as though they're not being taken seriously. But the Jets feel that way, Paul. I mean, they were so emotional last week they actually were shedding tears before and after beating the Patriots. The Jets come into Sunday's game with a chip on their shoulder even though they're from the nation's biggest media market. Don't forget, the reason they went out and made all these splashy offseason moves was because they were sick of being in the New York Giants' shadow.

PK: The Titans would take a loss to this New York team if they could trade it for a Super Bowl matchup against the other New York team. I'm with you on the artificial underdog and faux disrespect stuff. Griffin played good defense against the Jaguars, then got all twisted up in the postgame locker room. He said people get tired of teams or athletes who win all the time, that they are rooting against the Titans just like they rooted against Michael Phelps. Yeah, nobody wanted to see that guy with all those gold medals around his neck.

TG: If Mercury Morris is OK with the notion you might go undefeated, then you're not exactly Public Enemy No. 1. In my travels around the AFC East, I haven't heard any negative talk about those dastardly Titans. I think the Patriots still lead the conference in haters. But if that's how the Titans are getting themselves jacked up, so be it. As Crash Davis once scolded Annie Savoy: "A player on a streak has to respect the streak." Whatever the Titans are doing to get mentally prepared, it is working.

PK: Even the truest Titans fan has to admit there would be at least one upside to a loss: Morris would disappear for another year.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

DAVIE, Fla. -- If the oddsmakers are correct and the New York Jets aren't quite good enough to be the first to beat the Tennessee Titans, then the Jets will have company atop the AFC East on Sunday afternoon.

The teams that are one game behind the Jets will play each other when the Miami Dolphins host the New England Patriots.

That means the Dolphins, who went 1-15 last year and started the season 0-2, could be tied for first place in the division.

"From where this team has come from?" marveled Dolphins cornerback Nate Jones, who spent his previous three NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys. "To be 6-4 right now and looking at possible first place, we all envisioned it. I don't know how many people bought into it outside of this room, but we all envisioned it.

"We're walking the walk right now."

It will be the most significant game for the Dolphins this late in a season since they played the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football" in December 2003. That also was the last season the Dolphins finished with a winning record.

"It's a game that actually means something, one of the only ones I've been in," Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder said. "We were always just a game for somebody, and we were trying to be the spoiler. Now, we're not trying to be the spoiler. We're trying to be a contender."

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano on Monday said if "your heart's not racing a million miles an hour then you don't have a pulse. This is why we do what we do. We put ourselves in a position to have a big game at home here at the end of November."

But since Sparano made those heady remarks it sounded like somebody gave a locker-room speech to throw on the brakes.

Some players on Wednesday tried to downplay the game's connotation with a similar phrase.

"We definitely want to come out and get a win, but by no means is it going to make or break our season," outside linebacker Matt Roth said. "We still got a lot more games to play."

Said Jones: "We want to keep everything in perspective. We all know this is a big game. Aw, man, the outcome of this could mean a lot down the line as far as playoff runs and all that. But we feel this won't make or break our season."

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker 

Here are the most interesting stories Thursday in the AFC North:

• The Cincinnati Bengals will be without four starters for Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Morning take: Safety Chinedum Ndukwe and defensive end Antwan Odom will be missed. But offensive linemen Levi Jones and Andrew Whitworth will be the biggest losses trying to slow the Steelers' blitz.

• Speaking of Pittsburgh, Steelers tailback Willie Parker averages 113.7 rushing yards in six career games against the Bengals.

Morning take: Maybe that's why Parker asked for 100 carries this week.

• The Baltimore Ravens are concerned about the offense of the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Morning take: We have a feeling that, after last week's shellacking in New York, the prideful Ravens D is going to have a pretty good showing Sunday.

• Cleveland Browns tailback Jamal Lewis says he's ready to carry the load down the stretch.

Morning take: The winter indeed is Lewis' time. He nearly carried the Browns to the playoffs last year. Let's see if he can carry Cleveland to a respectable finish this season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

Chicago kick returner Devin Hester ranks No. 57 in the NFL with a kickoff return average of 21.8 yards. His punt return average of 6.3 yards puts him at No. 51.

Hester has kept a mostly low public profile while compiling those pedestrian rankings this season, especially amid a transition to receiver that hasn't proved as explosive as the Bears would have hoped. But Hester spoke out this week, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times. Hester admitted he was frustrated but spoke realistically about culpability:

"It's tough. Not only to myself, to the fans, to the team. I set a high standard for myself, not only for myself, but outsiders, that I'm that guy that's going to take five, six returns to the house, and I haven't taken none. It's tough on me. I don't even like going outside now. I've just got to find that edge and overcome it. I could sit here and say it's my fault, but there are 11 guys out there on the field. I'm not the only one out there. I know at the end of the day I get blamed for the return game."

Some of this issue will have to wait until an offseason postmortem, but there's already a decent argument to be made that the Bears stripped themselves of a huge weapon by trying to apply Hester's game-breaking skills at another position. Instead of having a dynamic returner who makes occasional appearances on offense, they have an average returner and a below-average starting receiver.

That dynamic appears to have been tough on Hester's psyche:

"I've been trying to dodge talking about it, but now I'm going to go ahead and express my feelings. I'm frustrated. It's hard. And I want to get back to where I was, not only as a player but as the home-run hitter. The return game was basically my success in football, and now that it's not there, it's tough, being just that football player that everybody knew about."

It's hard to say what the answer is. With the return of Brandon Lloyd from injury, should the Bears go back to using Hester only in predetermined packages on offense? Or has the damage already been done in terms of focusing on the return game for this season?

Elsewhere around the NFC North on a Thursday morning:

• Guard Terrence Metcalf rejoined the Bears after a four-game suspension for testing positive for a banned amphetamine. Metcalf said he took the supplement to stay awake during a long drive this summer, according to Biggs.
• Green Bay cornerback Al Harris has been particularly focused -- and a bit short-tempered -- since he returned from a lacerated spleen, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Harris will turn 34 next month and might be fighting for his football future in Green Bay.
• Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he does not believe Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen was trying to hurt him with a helmet-to-helmet hit at the Metrodome two weeks ago, according to Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. The NFL fined Allen $25,000 for the hit.
• Minnesota owner Zygi Wilf will accompany defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams to their appeal hearing Thursday at the NFL offices in New York, writes Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune.
• Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield told Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune that he is having the best season of his career.
• Detroit signed safety Stuart Schweigert, a former prep star in Saginaw, Mich. Nicholas J. Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press has details.
• Lions coach Rod Marinelli is second-guessing himself for not signing quarterback Daunte Culpepper earlier this season, writes Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com
  

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

This will be an abbreviated week for me as I need to disappear for a few days.

Apologies that there will be no chat today. There won't be one next week either, as I'll be at Titans-Lions on Thanksgiving. We will resume on Dec. 4.

The remainder of the week will bring you:

• A back-and-forth between me and Tim Graham, who calls me Brocephus, on Jets-Titans.
• A column on Chris Johnson and Steve Slaton from me later today.
• The weekly Friday Audibles post previewing the weekend's games.
• Scouts Inc. will hit you with several posts in my absence.
• Kevin Seifert has signed up to do a substitute "Reading the coverage" Saturday.

I'll be back and at full speed Sunday from LP Field.

Feel free to fill up the mailbox between now and then.

Onto morning links from around the division.

Houston Texans

• The Texans take an eight-game road losing streak with them to Cleveland, says Megan Manfull.
• Defensive end Earl Cochran was put on IR with a toe injury, writes John McClain.
• The most recent installment of guard Chester Pitts' blog.
• An overdue acknowledgement of Stephanie Stradley, a fan blogger at Chron.com who consistently provides me with quality feedback. Here, she ties into Football Outsiders and assesses the Texans' defense.

Indianapolis Colts

• Phillip B. Wilson's preview page.
• The Colts are joining the NFL's effort to crack down on bad fan behavior, says Steve Ballard.
• With the same starting five for six straight weeks, the Colts' offensive line is on track, writes Mike Chappell.
• A look at how the Colts are doing in their efforts to position themselves for the playoffs, from Phil Richards.
• Not long ago, new Colts tight end Jamie Petrowski was playing the part of Dallas Clark for the Titans as they got ready to play Indy, says Tom James.
• The transcript of Bill Polian's radio show from Colts.com.
• Indy is third in Dr. Z's power rankings.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• Jack Del Rio and David Garrard understand they are targets for fans' anger, according to Vito Stellino.
• Troy Williamson has fighting words for his former coach, says Michael C. Wright.
• Brad Meester honored for off-the-field efforts, writes Wright.

Tennessee Titans

• Albert Haynesworth has a lot of quality competition for Defensive Player of the Year, according to Clark Judge.
• A giant ball of tape the offensive line named Bryan Pride continues to grow in stature and reputation, reports Jim Wyatt.
• Kyle Vanden Bosch is ready to get back to work, writes Terry McCormick.
• Brett Favre's moxie has Jets fans excited, says Gary Estwick.

Commissioner Roger Goodell sits down with Jim Rome to touch on a variety of topics, including Adam "Pacman" Jones, Michael Vick and the idea of extending the regular season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

Spencer Larsen knew the secret all of last week.

	AP Photo/John Bazemore
	Spencer Larsen, shown here attempting to tackle Atlanta's Michael Turner, had seven tackles against the Falcons last Sunday.

He didn't think it was a big deal. And even more amazing, he wasn't that nervous about it, whether he was making history or not. However, in retrospect, the sixth-round pick of the Denver Broncos is blown away in the aftermath of his accomplishment Sunday in Denver's 24-20 win.

Larsen became the first player in the NFL in five years to start on both offense and defense. Baltimore's Orlando Brown stated on both the offensive and defensive lines in 2003. The Arizona product started at both fullback and at middle linebacker. Larsen, who has been a special teams ace as a rookie, also played on kickoff coverage.

Yes, No. 46 was busy Sunday. He was on the field for 60-plus plays.

Still, the enormity of his feat didn't hit Larsen until this week.

"I really didn't think it was going to be a big deal," Larsen said Wednesday as first place Denver prepares for visiting Oakland on Sunday.

"I wasn't nervous. I was just preparing for the game and making sure I knew everything I had to do. It really wasn't that big of a deal until after the game. It has gotten a lot of attention and it's been fun. But to me, I was just a rookie trying to help my team."

Yet, Larsen's double duty made national news. After all, this isn't high school. Two-way play just doesn't happen much in the NFL. Larsen has conducted several national interviews and has received phone calls from many people he hadn't talked to in years.

"It's been crazy, everyone is really in to it," Larsen said. "It's been fun."

Larsen didn't play much at fullback but he did have seven tackles at middle linebacker in the win over Atlanta. He was told by Denver coaches of his extra workload early last week. No one in the organization publicly told anyone until it was disclosed shortly before kickoff in Atlanta.

Larsen, who starred at linebacker at Arizona, hasn't practiced at linebacker since training camp. He got a crash course last week because of an injury to starter Nate Webster. Expect Larsen to continue playing while Webster recovers in the next couple of weeks.

Larsen has been playing fullback most of the season even though he hadn't played there since high school. With fullback Peyton Hillis now playing tailback, Larsen is playing more in the backfield.

So will he start both ways again on Sunday against the Raiders? The new celebrity is being coy, which is the rule of the land in Mike Shanahan's tight-lipped world.

"I don't know," Larsen said. "It all depends on matchups and schemes and injuries ... I don't know if we'll see it again."

If Larsen does play both ways, he'll be more prepared for the uproar this time.

"Definitely," he said. "I know I wasn't last week."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Collins	Favre

The old-man references won't be thrown around like they were a year ago when Brett Favre faced Vinny Testaverde, but there's plenty of mileage between the quarterbacks in Sunday's game between the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.

How many clicks on the odometer? Over 57 miles.

The Elias Sports Bureau computes that Favre and Kerry Collins will have the third-most most combined yardage between opposing quarterbacks in NFL history with 100,364 yards.

Dan Marino and John Elway set the record in December 1998 with 109,224 combined yards. Favre and Testaverde went into their November 2007 meeting with 105,979 yards between them.

Tale of the Tape: Favre vs. Collins Favre Collins 18 Years 13 5,597 Comp 3,078 9,073 Att 5,525 61.7 Pct. 55.7 63,892 Yds 36,472 460 TD 182 300 Int 176 458 Sacks 310 86.0 Rating 73.7 2 Super Bowls 1 9 Pro Bowls 1

Favre and Testaverde also set the record for combined age in that game at 82 years.

Favre is 39. Collins will turn 36 next month.

"I appreciate every game," Favre told reporters Wednesday in Florham Park, N.Y. "If you talk with Kerry, if you talk with Kurt [Warner], older guys, you realize that you're playing game to game.

"Your focus is so much different than it was as a younger player. You just appreciate the moment a lot more because you realize it won't be there forever. This game could be my last."

Favre clearly is having a blast with the Jets, as evidenced by a video clip that's making the rounds in cyberspace of the legendary quarterback forcefully hugging Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum after last week's sudden-death victory over the New England Patriots.

"You have to seize the moment, whatever that may be, whether it's taking in the crowd, whether you take in a rivalry, whatever it may be, really appreciate it," Favre said.

"I'd like to say I've seen it all and done it all, but that's not true. A big win like we had Thursday night, I think 'Man, it just doesn't get any better than this.' Then you play next week against a team that's undefeated. You never know."

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers kicker Jeff Reed has seen more curveballs in Pittsburgh than your typical Pirates slugger.

This season, Reed has had a change of long-snappers, following a knee injury to teammate Greg Warren.

	AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
	While his holders have rotated, Steelers kicker Jeff Reed has been a constant.

Reed's place-holders have been a rotating door among Daniel Sepulveda (injured), Paul Ernster (cut), Mitch Berger (cut) and Ernster (re-signed) again.

Add the fact that the field conditions in Heinz Field are getting uglier by the day and Pittsburgh's offense has sputtered, and it's amazing that Reed's kicking remains the one constant.

The seven-year veteran is quietly having the best season of his career for the 7-3 Steelers. In his most recent outing, Reed kicked through snowy conditions and made three clutch field goals during an 11-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers. He is 16-of-17 on field goals this year, and his percentage (94.1) is fourth in the NFL among kickers with at least 14 attempts.

Most fans simply watch Reed kick on game day but fail to understand the work needed to seamlessly make the transition to a new long-snapper (rookie Jared Retkofsky) and three different holders in one year.

"When you talk about adversity for a kicker," Reed said, "it doesn't get much more adverse than this."

Reed is accustomed to curveballs. He got first got a taste of the unpredictability that is the NFL during his rookie year in 2002.

Following a solid college career at the University of North Carolina, Reed went undrafted and was unable to land on an NFL roster. So the Charlotte native went back to the Tar Heel state to work on a dairy farm cleaning debris.

"Everyone thinks I was a farmer, which is not true," Reed said, smiling. "I was just working on a farm for a friend who was actually a true farmer."

Reed then took the winding path to Pittsburgh.

An injury to former Steelers kicker Todd Peterson earned Reed a tryout for the Steelers in November 2002. Pittsburgh was the seventh team Reed tried out for that year.

It was a typical winter mosh pit at Heinz Field when Reed joined three other kickers to try out. Through sleet and approximately 30-degree weather, Reed had perhaps his worst kicking display before an NFL team.

"It was cool to get a tryout but you're thinking, 'Man, why couldn't it be a different day?'" Reed said. "We all kicked about equally. ...We all missed some that we should have made and were slipping all over the place."

Reed admits that none of the kickers were impressive enough to earn the job, but he got the nod that day. Reed said former Steelers coach Bill Cowher still jokes with him occasionally, saying he has no idea why he chose the rookie kicker six years ago.

But Cowher's intuition is still paying dividends. Reed has a career 83-percent success rate on field goals, despite kicking half his games at home on arguably the toughest surface in the NFL. The past two years Reed has made 39 of 42 field-goal attempts (92.8 percent) for Pittsburgh.

Some kickers can be outcasts in their locker rooms, but Reed is not one of them. When he arrived six years ago, teammates and coaches didn't know his name. Now he's a fan favorite. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger often praises Reed, saying earlier this year that he has "the utmost confidence in him." Reed also was chosen to be a captain this year by his peers.

Without a doubt, it has been a long road for the Steelers' kicker who, after college, was working on the farm for $12 per hour.

But in a blue-collar town like Pittsburgh, Reed is an ideal fit.

"It would be great to be a first-round pick ... but I kind of like it better when you have to earn what you got," Reed said. "Coach Cowher's saying was 'It's hard to get there, but it's harder to stay.' If that's not reality, then I don't know what is."

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Reader Lloyd in Baton Rouge, La., sent along a very good question to the mailbag:

"Within the past couple of months you made a ranking of WR duos for the NFC South teams. Would you change the duos and team rankings now?"

It took me a little while to find the post, but I got it. It ran back on Aug. 26, before the season even started. And, yes, I definitely would change my rankings because a lot of variables have been in play in the meantime. I ranked Tampa Bay's Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard as the division's best combination of starting receivers at the time and that, obviously, hasn't played out. Galloway missed a huge chunk of the season because of injury and hasn't been a factor since he's been back.

Since Lloyd's tossing me a "mulligan," I'll take it and re-rank the NFC South's starting receiver duos, based on what they've done to this point in the season. Here goes:

White	Jenkins

1. Atlanta's Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. This is a close call, but I'm going with the Atlanta guys over everybody else because White has the best numbers of any receiver in the division, by far, and he's helped by the fact Carolina's Steve Smith missed the first two games due to a suspension and the Panthers haven't been able to throw the ball in the last two weeks. Jenkins is showing he can be a strong complementary receiver. A lot has been made about how White and Jenkins are helping rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, but I think it might be the other way around. White and Jenkins looked like they were on their way to being busts when Michael Vick was the quarterback.

...

(Read full post)

	Thomas E. Witte/Getty Images
	It has been nearly a year since Sean Taylor's tragic death.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

It's impossible to measure the impact that Sean Taylor's tragic death had on his Redskins teammates. Not a day goes by without their looking over to see his jersey and a picture of his girlfriend and daughter inside his old locker. The locker is right next to where his former University of Miami teammates, Clinton Portis and Santana Moss, dress every day.

It's hard to believe that it has been almost a year since Taylor was shot and killed while defending his girlfriend and daughter during an attempted robbery. The Redskins will induct Taylor into the Redskins' Ring of Fame on Nov. 30 before the Giants game. But his teammates actually honor him on a daily basis.

On the phone Tuesday, defensive captain London Fletcher talked about the first time he met Taylor. Fletcher had just signed with the Redskins as a free agent following the 2006 season, and he'd heard that Taylor was the brooding sort who rarely opened up to anyone.

"I'd heard he was standoffish and not easy to get to know," Fletcher said. "But my first day at Redskins Park, he's the first guy to walk across the room and introduce himself. He couldn't have been more respectful. I was like, 'Where's this guy I kept hearing about?'"

Players such as Moss and Portis were closer to Taylor because of their connection to the "U," but Fletcher said it didn't take him long to realize how much passion Taylor had for football. His favorite memory of Taylor occurred during the final moments of a game against the New York Jets last season. The Redskins were driving for the winning score in overtime, and Fletcher said he was enjoying the moment when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Taylor.

"'Man, don't you wish we could go back out there,'" Fletcher recalls Taylor saying. "He was so competitive that he was a little bummed we had to stop playing. That's the type of guy he was."

Moss and Portis have both changed since Taylor's death. Moss told me two weeks ago that he went into a tailspin for a couple weeks after Taylor's death. But a speech from former Redskins great Gary Clark sort of jolted him out of a state of depression and he finished the 2007 season strong. Portis, who wears a shirt with Taylor's picture on it underneath his jersey, is a lot more serious. The wacky characters he used to create during interview sessions have been retired.

Fletcher gives former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams a lot of credit for holding the defense together in the days and weeks following Taylor's death. He began team meetings by talking about Taylor, and then he would start preparing his players for the next game. Fletcher said that the first time safeties coach Steve Jackson stood up to deliver a report on an opposing team, he "choked up and started crying."

Players and coaches took advantage of the grief counselors that owner Dan Snyder had invited to Redskins Park. Fletcher said players weren't concerned about "being macho" at that point. Head coach Joe Gibbs encouraged them to talk about their feelings for Taylor, and then somehow they rallied together to win four games and make the playoffs.

"Those may have been the most gratifying four wins of my career," Gibbs told me recently.

Earlier this season, the defense gathered to prepare for the Eagles. As they watched a Redskins-Eagles game from the 2007 season, everyone noticed No. 21 making plays all over the field. Fletcher said no one said a word.

"Those are difficult moments," Fletcher said. "You get upset and you think about how it's unfair that it happened. He was such a great talent. Such a great talent. But he'll always be a part of this team. That experience from last year will be in our makeup for the rest of our careers."

	Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE and Rich Kane-US PRESSWIRE
	Will the Giants running game be able to keep Kurt Warner and Arizona's explosive receivers off the field?

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Arizona Cardinals keep taking steps.

They finished 8-8 last season, their best record since 1998.

They outlasted Dallas in Week 6 this season when the Cowboys were 4-1, an outcome that helped establish Arizona as tough to beat at home.

They gained confidence on the road during a 27-23 defeat at Carolina in Week 8. Arizona has outscored opponents by 37 points over its last 14 quarters away from University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Cardinals have exorcised demons in prime time and at Seattle's Qwest Field over the last two weeks.

Podcast: Football Today Today's focus is on the Cardinals as Jeremy Green talks with Mike Sando, who tells us Arizona could be the first team since 1998 to clinch a playoff spot with only eight wins.

The next step -- finding a way to beat the 9-1 New York Giants on Sunday in Glendale -- might qualify as a leap if the Cardinals can make it happen.

"I'm picking them over the Giants this week because they possess the ball and their defense is never on the field for sustained periods," said ESPN's Trent Dilfer, the last quarterback to beat the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. "They don't get to third down. You see defenses change and Kurt Warner and [offensive coordinator] Todd Haley have an answer. You see perfect defensive plays against them and it's a 12-yard gain."

That's all good, but the Cardinals haven't faced an opponent as complete as the Giants.

"I don't think the Giants are going to have much of a problem," said Tag Ribary, who joined Scouts Inc. this year after evaluating talent for the Carolina Panthers in recent seasons. "What they did to Baltimore doesn't get enough credit at all. The No. 1 run defense in the league and they put 200 up on them. It's unthinkable, almost."

Until recently, unthinkable meant the Cardinals having a shot at clinching a playoff spot in Week 12. A victory over the Giants could make it happen. At 7-3, Arizona stands third in the NFC with six games to play.

"If they can beat the Giants and then get the Eagles on Thursday night, they could be in the hunt to play at home through the playoffs," Keith Kidd of Scouts Inc. said. "I don't think that will happen, but they could be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. They can win a playoff game at home." (Read Kidd's take on the matchup between the Cardinals' defense and Giants' offense here.)

The Cardinals arguably haven't had a game as meaningful as their Giants matchup in a decade. Dilfer, Ribary and Kidd joined Hot Topic respondents in helping us break it down 10 ways, and then some.

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	Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE and Rich Kane-US PRESSWIRE
	Cardinals defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast will use varied looks and movements in an effort to keep Eli Manning guessing.

Posted by Scouts Inc.'s Keith Kidd

One of the most intriguing matchups in Sunday's Giants-Cardinals game will be decided, to a large extent, not on the field but in the film room. How Arizona defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast decides to attack quarterback Eli Manning in passing situations will go a long way toward determining the outcome.

Pendergast, who should be on a number of short lists for NFL teams seeking a new head coach in the offseason, is a dynamic thinker who specializes in exotic pressure schemes. He builds his packages out of a base 3-4, though the Cardinals often move into a four-man front in nickel situations. It's a multiple scheme with variations and movements, and Pendergast isn't afraid to use them all. That may be necessary against Manning, a terrific talent who continues to deliver efficient play. But to get to him, the Cardinals first must put the clamps on the Giants' explosive run game.

New York has an excellent trio of backs -- Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward -- who complement each other well, not to mention one of the finest offensive lines in the league. The Giants' runners can punish opponents, and they excel at bouncing runs outside and getting to the edges. Arizona's defense is fast to the ball and aggressive in pursuit, but slowing New York's downhill running and interior power will be a challenge. Against two-back packages on early downs, Pendergast likely will invert strong safety Adrian Wilson near the line of scrimmage and use a lot of stems and single-zone linebacker blitzes to put stress on the Giants' blocking patterns. The Cardinals must force Jacobs, Bradshaw and Ward to run laterally, create a new line of scrimmage and maintain gap discipline to put Manning in more difficult second- and third-down situations.

With that accomplished, Pendergast will utilize varied looks and movements to cover up back-end weaknesses and make it difficult for Manning to diagnose where the blitz is coming from on passing downs. Expect overload blitzes that attack the front side of the pocket (to affect Manning's eye level and passing windows) and back-side delays out of the slot. Pressure is the key to forcing game-changing mistakes. Manning has a tendency to telegraph passes and, when under duress, force throws into tight windows. Defensive end Darnell Dockett gets good interior penetration when he slides inside in sub packages, and Bertrand Berry, Travis LaBoy and Chike Okeafor all are capable pass-rushers. The players to watch, however, are Wilson and linebacker Karlos Dansby. Wilson, who spends a lot of time near the line in both regular and sub packages, is a