Oct 30 2005
Gameday
There are a handful of interesting storylines out there today. The Washington Redskins go to New York to face a Giants team looking to play inspired ball after the death of owner Wellington Mara. The Philadelphia Eagles will try to keep their breath in the thin air of Denver today. New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi will return to action tonight, a mere eight months after a mild stroke threatened his career. The New Orleans Saints play their first game in Louisiana this season, and I’m highly intrigued by how they will be greeted by fans after a week of speculation that Tom Benson was going to move the team, no matter what.
Since this blog focuses on the Carolina Panthers, though, today’s Carolina-Minnesota game will be at the top of my radar. Minnesota rebounded well in the second half last Sunday against the Packers. Can they do that again on the road against a team that’s winning ugly?
And I do mean ugly. Medicine is required even for the Panthers’ wins, especially the win two weeks ago against the Lions in Detroit, where it seemed like the best thing that happened to the Panthers was Jake Delhomme catching a blow to the head. Just a reminder: Jake’s thrown 7 of his 8 interceptions to his right, usually on out routes. Even money says Fred Smoot lines up on that side today.
In addition, Panthers’ DE Julius Peppers will be playing with a cast on his hand, and linebacker Dan Morgan will attempt to play with a bum shoulder. We’ll see how effective they are today. We’ll also see how effective Stephen Davis is against a rushing defense that’s giving up 142 yards per game, good for 30th in the NFL. If Davis struggles today, then John Fox will be crazy not to try someone else in there. DeShaun Foster is listed as questionable with knee problems, but he’s expected to play, and Nick Goings (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, Coach Fox) is still available.
I’m sure Vikings fan and frequent blog commenter Peter will chime in with a few remarks of his own today. In the meantime, I’m going to saddle up and find a suitable watering hole for today’s game…
RSS Feed