'We gave the game away'
TAMPA, FLA. - The Vikings had every opportunity to return to the Twin Cities on Sunday evening in sole possession of first place in the NFC North. The three-hour flight from the comfort of the south to the chill of the Midwest would be made easier by the knowledge they were a game clear of the Packers and Bears.
There was one problem. As so often has been the case when this franchise visits Tampa, the Vikings failed to capitalize, blowing a seven-point halftime lead and losing 19-13 to the Buccaneers before an announced crowd of 65,278 at Raymond James Stadium.
Bucs kicker Matt Bryant's two fourth-quarter field goals accounted for the go-ahead and insurance points.
Instead of the Vikings benefiting from the Packers' pasting of Chicago, the three teams are now tied atop the NFC North at 5-5.
"It's tough because we gave the game away," Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said. "Obviously, credit goes to them, but I don't think they did enough to beat us. Turnovers killed us. ... We had chances to win the game and we just didn't capitalize on it. We've got to start finishing opponents off. We get stuck in these fistfights that come down to the last minute, and it doesn't need to be that way. We are capable of going out and dominating a team, and it's about time we start doing that."
The Vikings have six games left in the season to begin showing they can back up Allen's words. It didn't happen Sunday because the Buccaneers dominated the second half, while the Vikings made too many mistakes.
"Probably the only positive is that we've got a chance to still win the NFC North with everybody at 5-5," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "We don't focus on the past; we look at the future. Learn from this one. [There's] nothing wrong with the fight of this football team."
The Vikings appeared to catch a break on Tampa Bay's first offensive series when the Buccaneers' top running back, Earnest Graham, suffered an ankle injury that ended his day. But that only opened the door for quarterback Jeff Garcia to become the game's biggest factor.
Garcia, in whom the Vikings had little interest when he was a free agent after the 2006 season despite his knowledge of the West Coast offense, made plays with both his arm (23 of 30 for 255 yards) and his feet (six rushes for 21 yards), scrambling away from frustrated defenders on numerous occasions. The 38-year-old was sacked only once and kept countless plays alive.
Tampa Bay established the tone for the second half on the opening drive of the third quarter, coming out in a quick rhythm, no-huddle offense and driving 80 yards in 11 plays to tie the score 13-13.
Garcia's play helped Tampa Bay win the time-of-possession battle 33 minutes, 49 seconds to 26:11 for the Vikings. This included an astounding 12:34 to 2:26 advantage in the fourth quarter when the Vikings ran a total of seven offensive plays. And star running back Adrian Peterson, who didn't touch the ball on any of the seven, was seen having an animated discussion with running backs coach Eric Bienemy on the sidelines.
"That was a crazy game," Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte said of the fact his team had 20 offensive plays in the final 30 minutes. "The clock kept ticking, and it seemed like we stood on the sidelines forever."
Tampa Bay's defense deserved credit. The Bucs sacked Frerotte five times and stopped the Vikings on two crucial fourth-down situations in the second half. Peterson's streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing performances ended at four; he had 85 yards on 19 carries.
"They really got us out of our game in the second half," said Peterson, part of an offense that scored points on three consecutive drives in the first half. "We had some opportunities to make big plays. We just didn’t come up with it."
The fact the Vikings were held to 64 total yards in the second half also was a result of two fourth-quarter fumbles. Maurice Hicks lost the ball at his own 26 on the kickoff return after Bryant's third field goal had given the Buccaneers a three-point lead. That led to another field goal.
The Vikings had a final chance when they got the ball at their own 36 with 1:55 left, but running back Chester Taylor fumbled after an 11-yard reception. "We knew we would have to come down here and play error- free football," Childress said. "The last 12 games, those guys are 10-2 down here, they've got 21 takeaways and we knew weren't going to be able to do that, yet we were going to have to take some from them."
The Bucs (7-3) are 6-0 against the Vikings in Raymond James Stadium and have won four in a row in the series overall. They are 5-0 at home this season, the best such start in franchise history.
The Vikings, meanwhile, will return to Florida next Sunday. The good news for them is it will be in Jacksonville, a city where they have never previously played. With the division seemingly there for the taking, the Vikings can only hope that for their sake the result will be different.
"Sooner or later we've got to realize that first place is out there for us and we have to jump on it and quit shooting ourselves in the foot so much," defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. "We can't keep making those excuses about being so close because it is frustrating. We've got to get off our butts and do something. We had a chance to take sole possession of first, and we let the game get out of reach today."
(c) 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
NBC receives a big kick from football
With the New York Giants defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in a tight game, NBC finished No. 1 easily Sunday night on the strength of "Sunday Night Football."
The network averaged a 4.9 adults 18-49 rating and 12 share, according to Nielsen overnights, 29 percent ahead of CBS and ABC, which tied for second at 3.8/9.
As a reminder, ratings for "SNF," along with CBS's NFL overrun, are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data.
NBC led two of four hours on the night and placed second at 9 p.m. behind ABC's "Desperate Housewives," the night's top-rated scripted program with a 5.9.
The network was up in every hour compared to the same night last week.
For the night, Fox finished fourth at 3.2/8, Univision fifth at 1.1/3 and CW sixth at 0.2/0.
As always, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won't be available for several weeks. Twenty-eight percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 7 p.m. CBS was first with a 5.8 for NFL overrun and the start of "60 Minutes," with NBC second with a 2.6 for "Football Night in America." Fox was third with a 2.1 for repeats of "King of the Hill" and "The Simpsons," ABC fourth with a 2.0 for the end of NASCAR racing and an episode of "America's Funniest Home Videos," Univision fifth with a 1.0 for "Hora Pico" and CW sixth with a 0.2 for a repeat of "In Harm's Way."
NBC took the lead at 8 p.m. with a 5.5 for NFL pregame and the first part of "SNF," while CBS and Fox tied for second at 3.6, CBS for the end of "60 Minutes" and start of "The Amazing Race" and Fox for "The Simpsons" (3.9) and "King of the Hill" (3.3). ABC was fourth with a 3.5 for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Univision fifth with a 1.1 for "Show de los Suenos: Amigos del Alma" and CW sixth with 0.2 for a "Valentine" rerun.
At 9 p.m. ABC took over with a 5.9 for "Desperate Housewives," followed by NBC with a 5.8 for football. Fox was third with a 3.8 for "Family Guy" (4.3) and "American Dad" (3.3), CBS fourth with a 3.1 for the end of "Race" and beginning of "Cold Case," Univision fifth with a 1.3 for more "Suenos" and CW sixth with a 0.2 for a repeat of "Easy Money."
NBC regained the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.9 for football, while ABC slipped to second with a 3.7 for "Brothers & Sisters." CBS was third with a 2.9 for the end of "Case" and star of "The Unit" and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for the end of "Suenos" and a half hour of "Hora Pico."
Among households, CBS was first for the night with a 9.2 average overnight rating and a 14 share. NBC was second at 8.3/13, ABC third at 6.9/11, Fox fourth at 4.0/6, Univision fifth at 1.4/2 and CW sixth at 0.4/1.
(c) 2008 Media Life Magazine
In NFL, Wrong Calls and Wrong Assumption
It happened again last Sunday.
An apparent mistake by officials - this time it was a muffed punt by the Atlanta Falcons that did not look muffed after all - probably changed the course of a game. From there, what has become a familiar postgame ritual unspooled: the play broadcast repeatedly in slow motion all over the country, arch commentary about the officials' competence, the inevitable note from the Falcons sent to NFL headquarters asking for an explanation.
Mike Pereira, the league's director of officiating, always has a full in-box from irate coaches, owners and fans. But one spectacularly blown call by Ed Hochuli, the NFL's highest-profile official, has opened the floodgates to an unusual level of scrutiny and scorn from coaches and players in the first half of the season. And with each excruciatingly detailed replay or game-turning decision (there have been at least three obvious ones so far), the angry chorus has grown louder, creating a problem for the NFL. The statistics show that officiating is no worse this year than before, but the perception that there are more bad calls resonates.
According to the NFL's grading, for every 100 plays, 97.64 of them were officiated correctly before Sunday's games. Because games historically average a little more than 150 plays, officials are averaging about four mistakes a game, about the same as in 2007, when the accuracy rate was 97.78. And Pereira said that in a recent game (he would not say which one), a crew graded perfectly - 100 percent correct on every call and noncall.
"I've never seen a game that didn't have incomplete passes or fumbles or interceptions," Pereira said. "Once officiating gets in the public eye, then it's going to be there for a while. No matter if it's better than in the past or worse. Officiating is a mental exercise that involves judgment that is difficult. It is imperfect."
The former Baltimore coach Brian Billick, who is now an analyst for Fox, said criticism had ratcheted up in part because a blown call leading to a loss could result in a coach's firing. Marcellus Wiley, a former player who now works for ESPN, said he suspected that players had become more outspoken as they had received more guaranteed money. But Billick compared the officiating controversies to fretting over injuries when a star quarterback is hurt: are there really more, or does it just feel that way?
"One time, there was a hue and cry - 'This is the worst year for officiating' - and we went back and looked and we determined it had been written five different years," said Rich McKay, the Falcons' president and a member of the NFL's competition committee, which oversees rule changes. "Since we brought instant replay back, it's not necessarily a good thing for officiating. You begin to scrutinize plays at milliseconds. It creates an unreasonable and unreal standard that you can't meet."
Still, Hochuli's call in the second week of the season - he ruled that Denver's Jay Cutler had thrown an incomplete pass and whistled the play dead, negating what was clearly a fumble, not an incompletion - almost certainly cost San Diego a victory. And it gave birth to nonstop officiating surveillance.
When Hochuli's crew waved off a Carolina interception return for a touchdown with a roughing-the-passer penalty on Julius Peppers, there was instant analysis of the call's accuracy. (Peppers was fined $10,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on that play.) Then, Miami linebacker Joey Porter, angered by what he perceived as bad calls by Hochuli's crew, said, "I'm like, Man, it's crazy that the same referee staff from all of this other stuff that's been happening was out there."
Porter, like other players and coaches who have sounded off, was fined, an indication of the NFL's distaste for questioning the integrity of the officials - and for keeping such questions in the public eye.
"Public criticism of officials is prohibited because it serves the club and the league no good," said Ray Anderson, the league's executive vice president for football operations.
"We do it privately, so we can make sure we're responding to an allegation that is presented in a calm moment, not in the heat of battle where you have just lost a game."
But as the scrutiny rippled far beyond Hochuli, K C Joyner, who breaks down game tape for his annual Scientific Football guides and his Web site, The Football Scientist, said he wondered if the harsh glare of the spotlight could be affecting officials.
In a game between Minnesota and Detroit, a Lions defender was called for pass interference although replays indicated that the receiver was, at most, barely touched and that a flag should not have been thrown. The 42-yard penalty put the Vikings in field-goal position, and they won the game.
When officials took at least five minutes to sort out an unusual call in the Arizona-Dallas game a few weeks ago - it put Dallas in position to kick a tying field goal - Joyner became convinced that officials were hesitant to make mistakes, a possibility acknowledged by the retired official Jim Tunney.
"It can make them gun-shy, and it's very important to work with the crew in terms of confidence when they walk on the field," Tunney said. "It's easy for officials to get intimidated. And in today's environment, they have to keep building confidence. I've been afraid in situations, concerned about if I'm doing the right thing."
One primary argument against replay, McKay said, was that officials might start second-guessing themselves before making calls because mistakes would be immediately exposed. But now, Pereira said, replay forces officials to improve. Historically, 33 percent to 38 percent of calls have been overturned by replay, he said. In the first third of this season, he said, only 19 percent were overturned. Pereira said officials had improved on calling sideline catches, which might account for the shift.
But there is little thirst for more calls to be reviewable. The competition committee will probably review the pass/fumble rule that tripped up Hochuli, although Pereira and Anderson have reservations about changing it because quarterbacks could be endangered as players pursue what may or may not be a fumble.
But there is almost no chance that pass interference will be reviewable soon. Now, there are 1.1 stoppages for replay a game. If the replay rules were broadened, the average could rise to four stoppages, Pereira said.
"I think we're all happy the system hasn't been too intrusive," he said.
Perhaps so, even if it is not perfect. In the meantime, Pereira's mailbox fills up while his officials try to tune out the din.
"We have criticism from the days of officiating Pop Warner when parents yell at you from sidelines," Pereira said. "I don't like it, but it's not the thing I focus on."
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Maroney out for season
FOXBORO - Laurence Maroney's shoulder problem is apparently worse than it appeared, as the Patriots have placed the third-year running back on season-ending injured reserve, team spokesman Stacey James confirmed today.
Maroney initally injured the shoulder against the Jets in Week 2, missed the Miami game the following week, but played against San Francisco before sitting out the San Diego game.
The injury-plagued Maroney had just had 28 carries for 93 yards this season.
With Maroney gone for the year, the Patriots backfield now consists of Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan and BenJarvis Green-Ellis.
Maroney, 23, has played in 30 games with nine starts for the Patriots since being selected in the first round (21st overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Minnesota.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound running back has 388 career carries for 1,673 yards (4.3 average) and 12 touchdowns. He has also caught 26 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown and has recorded 28 kickoff returns for 783 yards (28.0 avg).
As a rookie in 2006, Maroney totaled 745 rushing yards on 175 carries (4.3 average) and six touchdowns, adding 28 kickoff returns for 783 yards (28.0 average). Last season, he had 835 yards on 185 rushes (4.5 average) and six touchdowns.
The Patriots also activated veteran offensive lineman Stephen Neal to the active roster from the reserve/physically unable to perform list. In addition, they signed cornerback Mike Richardson to the active roster from the practice squad and released offensive lineman Dan Connolly.
(c) Copyright by the Boston Herald and Herald Media.
Lions, Vikings both looking for running game
MINNEAPOLIS -- For the first two weeks of the season, it was almost as if opposing defenses forgot about Adrian Peterson.
He piled up 263 total yards against Green Bay and Indianapolis, and that sure got the attention back on him in a hurry.
Carolina, Tennessee and New Orleans all loaded up to stop the run in the following three weeks. Peterson managed 77 yards against the Panthers, 80 against Tennessee and a measly 32 yards on 21 carries against a mediocre Saints defense missing star rookie defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis.
"After the game I started thinking to myself, 'What exactly were they doing?" Peterson said. "I watched the film and there was a lot we were doing wrong. A missed block here. A misread by the back. We just have to be patient and the run game is going to come along."
After being slowed down the previous two weeks partially because of a tight hamstring, the Saints really put the breaks on a 100 percent healthy Peterson and last year's top-ranked running game.
In the raucous Superdome on Monday night, the Saints threw everything they had at Peterson, nearly ignoring Gus Frerotte and the passing game altogether. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Peterson's 1.5 yards-per-carry average was the lowest for a running back who had more than 20 carries in six seasons.
"Most people that come in and face us are going to say, 'Beat us with your pass game. We won't let that guy beat us. We know about him," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "That's probably the key as much as anything. You live by one thing and you die by the other."
Not coincidentally, the Vikings also had their first 100-yard receiving day by a wide receiver in 30 games when Bernard Berrian caught six passes for 110 yards and a score in the 30-27 victory.
Still, Peterson expects to see Detroit safeties creeping up near the line of scrimmage early and often when the Lions (0-4) visit the Metrodome on Sunday.
"During the game, it can get kind of frustrating," Peterson said. "But this is the league, man. So you've got guys that step up and make plays. And the quarterback stepped up and our receivers stepped up and made plays, and that's all you can ask for."
The Lions are looking to find their running game as well. After replacing pass-happy offensive coordinator Mike Martz with Jim Colletto in the offseason, the Lions planned a much more balanced offense in 2008.
Like much of Detroit's preseason plans, that hasn't materialized. Rookie Kevin Smith and newcomer Rudi Johnson haven't gotten many opportunities because the Lions usually fall behind big early and are forced to pass to catch up.
"We thought we had an identity and were progressing, but we're at standstill trying to figure out who we are and what we can do," receiver Mike Furrey said. "This has caught us way off guard. This is something we didn't expect coming into the season. It's been a struggle."
That's quite an understatement for a team that ranks 28th in offense, 32nd in defense and dead last in team presidents -- Matt Millen was fired during Detroit's bye week.
The continued struggles of one of the most hapless franchises in all of professional sports have shown no signs of reversing in lopsided losses to Green Bay, San Francisco and Chicago.
"Really the first three games we played we were out of it quick," coach Rod Marinelli said. "You get behind so quickly and it takes you out of your run game and some other things you like to do. Last week we just didn't execute very well."
It doesn't figure to get any easier against the veteran Vikings defense in the Metrodome, where the Lions have lost 10 games in a row.
"It's just been ugly," Lions quarterback Jon Kitna said. "It started the first week. We had high expectations. We had a good preseason, a great off-season (and) really felt good about ourselves, then kind of took one on the chin and never recovered."
They're losing everywhere these days, these Lions, and Furrey says he feels bad for the city of Detroit because of it.
"I'm totally blown away with what's going on," Furrey said. "We're human. It's a struggle to come in here every day knowing what we expected is not what it is going on."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Moss gathers passes for big start with 3-1 'Skins
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Santana Moss of 2008 is looking much like the Santana Moss of 2005, a bundle of energy and swagger gathering passes to make plays for a Washington Redskins team that is one of the early surprises of the NFL.
The reasons are plentiful. He's healthy after taking a long offseason football break. He took up taekwondo, attending classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays because he "didn't want to be a couch potato." He's lining up in a different spot on the field in an attacking offense better suited to his skills.
And, oh yeah, he finally has a feel for quarterback Jason Campbell.
"Last year I wasn't comfortable," Moss said. "I was trying to learn each game. That's the hardest thing to do as a receiver, trying to learn your quarterback come game time. One of the reasons why I made sure I was up here in the offseason was to make sure I can get that familiar touch with him because I didn't want to be out here thinking on the job."
It seems odd to hear Moss express that sentiment. He and Campbell both became Redskins in 2005, and Campbell became the starting quarterback in the 10th game of the 2006 season. It's not like they've been strangers, but it might have seemed that way on Sundays because hamstring, groin and heel injuries limited Moss' ability to practice over the past two seasons.
"I always felt like I can get used to a quarterback quicker just because I'm going to stand in his face and talk to him," receiver Antwaan Randle El said. "And that's not Tana's deal. Tana's not going to be on the guy. He's just going to say, 'If you see me, give me the ball.' Some guys it takes a little longer."
This season, Moss is second in the NFL in yards receiving (421) and tied for third in receptions (27). He's caught as least five passes in each of the first four games, his longest such streak since his Pro Bowl season of 2005, when he set the franchise single-season yardage record (1,483) teaming with Mark Brunell.
"Our relationship has definitely grown over the past year," Campbell said. "I think a lot of that has to do with stability and being together, being around each other in practice. A lot of it has to do with reading body language. Some times I can see him breaking a route before he even does it."
Part of the rapport might have been Moss figuring out Campbell's quarterbacking style. At one point last season, after watching Campbell get pounded repeatedly in the pocket, Moss started picking on his teammate for not running more.
Campbell told Moss that he thought receivers preferred to have a quarterback who throws more and looks to run less.
"He said, 'Utilize it -- sometimes we can get open off of it," Campbell said. "I lost 10-12 pounds, so I guess I'm trying to be what he wants me to be."
New coach Jim Zorn's practice antics -- playing dodgeball and throwing big pads at the quarterbacks while in a passing stance -- have helped Campbell's mobility as well. The drill paid off when Campbell dodged the pass rush to hit Moss for the biggest play thus far of the season, the game-winning 67-yard touchdown toss in the Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints.
"Coach Z throws bags at him and they're doing those 'Matrix' kind of moves out there, it comes through in the game and you see them making play after play when guys are hanging on them," Moss said. "He's just being phenomenal right now."
Moss' injuries -- all leg-related -- caused his yardage to drop to 790 in 2006 and 808 last season. This season, for the first time since childhood, he took a three-month break at the end of football season. He did taekwondo to keep in shape but otherwise didn't pound his body the way he used to. It's helped him regain his explosiveness.
"I really truly believe that right now it's showing," Moss said. "It's giving me that feedback that I want."
Zorn also took one look at Moss and decided the receiver was in the wrong spot. Under former coach Joe Gibbs, Moss was a flanker lining up a yard or two off the line of scrimmage.
"That takes away a little bit of Santana's threat of accelerating down the field," Zorn said. "If you have him on the line of scrimmage, you get him on the defender a little bit quicker, and just a yard makes a huge difference."
Moss also likes the fact that Zorn has him catching more passes on underneath routes, which sets up defenders for the big play downfield -- such as the 53-yard catch in last week's victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium, where Moss enjoyed three 100-yard games in his four games with the Redskins.
Given that the offense is new to everyone, Moss thinks that performance was just scratching the surface.
"We're still learning; we're still getting better every week," Moss said. "Right now, for what we have grasped of the offense, I think we're doing well."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Saints receiving depth to be tested
METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees keeps repeating what a quarterback should say when his best receivers get hurt.
"I'm confident in every guy who's going to step on the field on Sunday, whether it's a starter, a backup, and third-stringer, a scout team guy -- it doesn't matter," Brees asserted after practice on Wednesday. "All those guys have put in the time and they're going to be prepared.
"It's never about one guy."
How about two guys? In particular, wide receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jeremy Shockey?
Colston has led New Orleans in receiving each of the previous two seasons and Shockey is a former Pro Bowl player who was the Saints' second leading receiver through the first three games this season.
Imagine how coach Sean Payton and Brees must have salivated at the though of Colston and Shockey on the field together, stretching defenses already preoccupied by Reggie Bush's versatility as both a running and receiving threat.
Then Colston tore ligaments in his left thumb on opening day, sidelining him up to six weeks, and now Shockey is sidelined for a month or longer with a sports hernia.
It could be even worse when New Orleans hosts San Francisco this Sunday. Veteran starter David Patten, who has eight catches for 106 yards and a TD, hurt his left groin during New Orleans' 34-32 loss at Denver last weekend and did not practice Wednesday.
"Obviously, it's an opportunity for some young guys to step up and get a lot of playing time," Brees said. "I have all the confidence in the world in that group though. ... They deserve this opportunity."
One player likely to see more action is Robert Meachem. If there was ever a time for him to prove he deserved to be the Saints' first-round draft choice in 2007, now would be it.
Meachem couldn't get on the field during his rookie season. He finally made his regular season debut in Washington two weeks ago. His first NFL catch was a 19-yard touchdown.
In Denver, he beat single coverage and hauled in a deep throw from Brees for a 74-yard gain that set up a touchdown.
Meachem, who now has three catches for 105 yards in his young career, said he doesn't see any need to change his approach this week.
"At receiver, that's probably one of the cockiest positions on any team," he said. "We have to step up, but all our goals are high anyway. ... We're going to make our plays. We're going to dive. We're going to do everything in our power to make sure Drew's happy."
Patten said he hoped to be ready by Sunday, calling his status day-to-day. Meanwhile, Terrance Copper, a special teams regular who has started sporadically since 2006, was limited in Wednesday's practice because of a hamstring pull that sidelined him for the Denver game.
If they are unable to play, the Saints remaining healthy receivers would be Devery Henderson, Lance Moore and Meachem. The Saints also could activate Skyler Green or Joe West from the practice squad, but would have to temporarily terminate a veteran player's contract to make room. At tight end, the Saints will rely on Billy Miller, who was temporarily released during Week 2, then brought back last week. He caught two passes for 41 yards in Denver.
Payton conceded that losing two top receivers presents "a lot of challenges." Yet, he also noted that most of the receivers who remain have been effective when given a chance.
"Robert's been able to get more snaps. He's done a good job. He made a big play for us last week," Payton said.
Payton also spoke well of Moore, a former NFL Europe player who has worked his way into regular playing time since spending most of 2006 on the practice squad. He has 10 catches for 102 yards this season.
"I know the quarterback has a lot of confidence in him, as do we," Payton said. "He's got real good hands and he's a guy that has to be a factor."
Then there's the Saints' leading receiver, even though he's a running back. Bush has 26 catches for 250 yards, including a 42-yard score on a swing pass against Tampa Bay.
"People obviously expect my workload to go up," Bush said. "But with the way Drew distributes the ball, he's not looking for one person. He's looking for the open guy. He can really distribute that ball around evenly, so I feel like that takes a little pressure off of me having to carry all the workload. Plus, we've got other playmakers on this team who can step up in the absence of other guys."
In the next few weeks, those "other playmakers" will get their chance to prove Brees and Bush right or wrong.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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