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SUNDAY'S GAME 8/21/05 St. Louis Rams - QB Rotation: Marc Bulger, Jamie Martin, Jeff Smoker, rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick (see below). HC Mike Martz said he is not sure how he will divide the playing time but the starters will see "pretty good" playing time. QB Jeff Smoker got a good dose of reps Tuesday and earned strong reviews. Secondary thin: Rams starting CB Jerametrius Butler has decided to have surgery on his right knee, which will sideline him for the entire season. Promising Dwight Anderson was released after missing a curfew, undrafted rookie Duvol Thompson suffered a broken hand, and offseason pickup Corey Ivy sprained a wrist. The original group of 9 CBs that started camp was chopped nearly in half. The five healthy survivors are rookie Ron Bartell, Terry Fair, Travis Fisher, Kevin Garrett and DeJuan Groce. Ivy practiced Monday with a cast on his right wrist. Fisher will occupy one starting spot. If Butler sits out, Groce is the leading candidate to replace him. Mike Martz shuffles the offensive line: Grant Williams, the usual backup at left tackle, isn't quite ready for a full practice because of a back injury. Last week Rex Tucker was the left guard, Darnell Alford was the right guard and Blaine Saipaia the right tackle on the Rams' first unit. Just two days later, Claude Terrell was running with the "ones" at left guard and Saipaia was at right guard, with Grant Williams at right tackle. Eventually, rookie Alex Barron is expected to man the right tackle position in '05, but Barron has nine practices. "My biggest concern in the offensive line," coach Mike Martz said. "Right now, we've got a rookie starting left guard (Terrell). If he's the best player, then he's going to play." San Diego Chargers - QB Rotation: Drew Brees (1st Q), Philip Rivers (2nd-3rd Qs), Cleo Lemon (4th Q), Craig Ochs. Most of the starters might play a little longer than one quarter, Marty Schottenheimer said, including QB Drew Brees. Philip Rivers again will play about two quarters, with Cleo Lemon finishing. RB LaDainian Tomlinson will likely participate in about six plays Sunday. Pressure? Kicking is suddenly a concern: K Nate Kaeding, who missed three field goal attempts in Green Bay, said, "This is about me. This is a problem that I created for myself." As part of Nate Kaeding's road to recovery, Schottenheimer plans to have him kick more field goals in game-like situations during practice. With teammates encouraging his every move, Kaeding didn't fare so well Monday. He made just two of his six attempts. Said Schottenheimer: "Hey, 33 percent is better than zero. We're making progress." Tuesday, he made 11 of his 13 field goal attempts, all from short and midrange. MONDAY'S GAME 8/22/05 Dallas Cowboys - QB Rotation: Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo, Drew Henson. Bill Parcells was less definitive about bringing QB Drew Henson in with the second team against Seattle. Romo played with the second team last week. "We'll see. Maybe," Parcells said. Romo took all of the snaps with the second team for three straight days this week. Drew Bledsoe has looked sharp at Cowboys camp, teaming up with Terry Glenn on a number of deep passes and with TE Jason Witten on shorter throws. He also is in the best physical condition he's been in in four or five years. Issues in the secondary: Parcells said he's not even close to deciding who will start at free safety. For now, Lynn Scott and Keith Davis are rotating at the position. CB Lance Frazier (sprained left ankle) is also ailing. The defense is still adjusting to their new 3-4 defense. The 3-4 defense fared pretty well against the run Saturday. Putting pressure on the quarterback, however, was a problem. Parcells blamed it partly on the inability of rookie defensive end Demarcus Ware and the outside linebackers to make the transition from run stopper to pass rusher. Seattle Seahawks - QB Rotation: Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, rookie David Greene, Gilbran Hamdan. Running backs thin. The Seahawks have been getting by with only two healthy running backs in practice, Kerry Carter and Marquis Weeks, an undrafted rookie free agent from Virginia. Shaun Alexander is back, but Maurice Morris is not, both from sore hamstrings, and Jesse Lumsden figures to be out for two weeks with a hip injury. No position battle is more competitive on defense than linebacker. Koutouvides, Tatupu, Jamie Sharper, D.D. Lewis and Kevin Bentley will likely make the team. Draft choice LeRoy Hill is hurt but was impressive early and started against New Orleans. He will compete with speedy Tracy White, fan-favorite Isaiah Kacyvenski and Cornelius Wortham for what looks like two additional roster spots. THURSDAY'S GAME 8/18/05
New Orleans Saints - QB Rotation: Aaron Brooks (1st-3rd Qs), Todd Bouman (4th Q), Kliff Kingsbury, rookie Adrian McPherson (see below).

New Orleans Saints coach Jim Haslett said his starters will see extensive playing time Thursday against the Patriots. He expects them to play about three quarters. Haslett said, "We played them a quarter and a half last week, and we are going to go three this week."
"It was something we wanted to do to get a lot of work early in camp, and
then back off as we go.

Receivers thin with Az-Zahir Hakim (hamstring), TE Ernie Conwell (groin) and TE end Shad Meier (knee) ailing.

Offensive line thin: The Saints are thin at tackle with backups Jon Stinchcomb and Spencer Folau injured, so guard/center Jamar Nesbit was asked to give right tackle a shot when the team returned to practice this week.

Jim Haslett wasn't clearly unhappy with the performance of his team against Seattle, he is satisfied with the way the players have responded in practice. Haslett hasn't had to say anything to this bunch. They know they played poorly on both sides of the ball.

HC Jim Haslett called the defense's fourth-quarter performance "horrendous" in Friday's loss.

New England Patriots - QB Rotation: Tom Brady (1st Q+), Doug Flutie (will follow), Rohan Davey, rookie Matt
Cassel (see below).

QBs Tom Brady and Doug Flutie will play, as should a host of offensive skill players who sat out in Cincinnati, including Deion Branch, Troy Brown and Ben Watson. Most defensive starters should last at least until halftime.

Brady and Flutie have been taking the lion's share of snaps in practice, with Rohan Davey and Matt Cassel seeing less time. Flutie will follow Tom Brady onto the field in the second or third quarter. Cassel took the third-team reps ahead of Rohan Davey, which was an indication he will follow Flutie. If Saints coach Jim Haslett is to be believed, Brady may even play past halftime. Haslett told New Orleans media that he and Bill Belichick have agreed to play their starters into the third quarter.

Also worth considering is the fact the Pats and Saints will meet in the regular season (Nov. 20 at Gillette). That means the schemes could be vanilla (or decoys) and that the players will be feeling each other out.

17 players didn't practice Monday morning: LB Mike Vrabel, who left the field Friday night with an apparent lower leg injury, TE Jed Weaver, CB Duane Starks. LB Ryan Claridge is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. They replaced him with Ifo Pili, a 340-pound defensive lineman.

Linebackers in transition: It will be easier for the Pats to replace retired LB Ted Johnson than Tedy Bruschi. Both played inside
linebacker. Bruschi's replacement at weakside inside linebacker could be free-agent pickup Monte Beisel. But in training camp Beisel
is sharing reps with new LB Chad Brown, and outside LB Mike Vrabel is also being tried inside.


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