Moss provides plenty of drama in week eight
Week eight in the NFL had everything. A game played in England, an aging quarterback knocked out of a game, and the Vikings losing another receiver, to go along with the fact that two of the top preseason favorites to go to the Super Bowl continued their downward spiral. The main storyline heading into week eight was the Brett Favre saga. After breaking two bones in his left foot during week seven’s game, many thought Favre’s consecutive starts would end on Sunday. But Favre was there to start the game. The only problem was he didn’t finish the game. The biggest Viking story came on Monday when the Vikings abruptly waived Randy Moss – the same Randy Moss whom the Minnesota Vikings just traded a third round pick to get into the Twin Cities. Now, three weeks later, Moss is no longer a Viking, and will be put on the waiver wire where several teams have interest in adding his talents. It’ll be interesting to see how the situation unfolds.
Switching front, there was a game played in London, England this Sunday. This year the Denver Broncos played the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams were struggling entering the game but it was the 49ers that enjoyed a happier plane ride home. The 49ers defeated the Broncos 24-16 behind the reliable running game of Frank Gore and the solid play of quarterback Troy Smith, who was starting in place of Alex Smith after the latter suffered a separated shoulder. Troy Smith may have started the game shaky, but he lead the 49ers on three scoring drives in the second half and they never looked back.
Denver, meanwhile, continues their slide into mediocrity. The Broncos are currently fourth in the league in total offense but 30th in total defense.
The most obvious thing to watch for will be the team that picks up Randy Moss. Will Randy Moss be the good soldier for his new team or will he just play out the season and wait for his free agency?
Another thing to watch is the Redskins quarterback situation. In the final minutes of the Redskins game, head coach Mike Shanahan benched starting quarterback Donovan McNabb. Shanahan said McNabb was not in good enough shape to run the two-minute offense. It will be interesting to see how McNabb handles the benching.
Finally, keep an eye on America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, who at 1-6 could be close to letting head coach Wade Phillips go.
– jake.ipsom.aggiemail.usu.edu