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Back Page Using the waiver wire to your advantage
By Bob Harris, Special to CNNSI.com It won't be easy at first -- none of us will soon forget what transpired in New York and Washington last Tuesday -- but it is time to get back to work. As inadequate as it seems on the surface, the only way I can think of to honor the spirit, resolve and backbone currently being demonstrated by those directly effected by last week's cowardly attacks on our way of life is to follow their lead. Meaning, I'm going to do my job. That being the case, the first order of business this week was putting together a list of potential free agent acquisitions. I can't think of a better way to stoke the ol' competitive fires than pulling off a waiver-wire coup (or two if possible). With only one game under their respective belts, identifying players capable of emerging as major producers is tricky at best. However, I believe the following offensive skill players merit serious consideration. Like I always say: It won't cost you anything to look -- as long as you don't look too long.
Quarterbacks
Ty Detmer, Detroit Lions The first-year head coach made the decision after watching his team fall behind 21-0 to the Packers early in the first quarter of the regular season opener in which Batch struggled to make plays at crucial times. "Ty will give a better opportunity to win football games," Mornhinweg said. "He will add a feel to this game within this offensive structure. His decision making, his accuracy and his timing and are all at high level." Mornhinweg said Batch did not meet his expectations against the Packers and confirmed that he will be the backup. "I have been evaluating Charlie since I got here," Mornhinweg said. "I want to make it clear that I expected him to play very well. I expected him to lead us to a Super Bowl one of these days. It became clear to me that after evaluating the game that Ty Detmer was the best solution for the Detroit Lions to win football games." The bottom line is this: Batch simply hasn't been able to run Mornhinweg's West Coast offense effectively. And there's really no reason to believe he ever will at this point. Batch hasn't been able to throw the ball accurately; he's had a hard time making his reads and an even harder time getting rid of the ball in a timely manner. And that leads to sacks. Even though the current company line emanating from team headquarters says team officials hope that Batch will gain a better understanding of the offense by watching Detmer from the sidelines, first-year president and GM Matt Millen has never really warmed up to Batch and I've got a hunch the job is Detmer's to lose right now. Remember: Detmer served as a backup in both San Francisco and Green Bay -- each time under Mornhinweg. His best season as a pro came in 1996 when he led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 7-4 record and a playoff berth. The former BYU star threw for 2,911 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 59.4 percent of his passes that year.
Chris Weinke, Carolina Panthers Better yet, they did it successfully. The Panthers scaled back the playbook and kept the play calling conservative. They seem to be more than willing to go with a game plan that keeps Weinke from losing games rather than asking the rookie to win them. So far so good. Weinke did just that in the regular season opener. He not only avoided the kind of major mistakes that plague most rookies, he even threw the ball reasonably well. In fact, Weinke hit 13-of-22 passes for 223 yards with one interception and one touchdown in Carolina’s 24-13 win over Minnesota. He added a second touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Head coach George Seifert couldn't have been happier. "The best thing he did against Minnesota," Seifert explained later, "was that he didn’t try to go win the game on his own. … You almost didn’t notice him. He was efficient, and he did exactly what we asked him to do." Said Weinke after the game: "I don’t know if it gets any better than this." Probably not. It doesn't need to. The question is, will that be enough for Fantasy owners? The bottom line here says whatever Weinke lacks in mobility, he makes up for in arm strength. He's a good leader and he's played in more big games than most of his teammates. As he pointed out last week, "I’m too old to get nervous." But perhaps most importantly of all, Weinke isn't just the best option in Carolina -- he's the only option.
Running backNick Goings, Carolina PanthersRichard Huntley might look like the heir apparent to Tim Biakabutuka, but don't dismiss Goings out of hand. Given Biakabutuka's failure to properly secure the oblong spheroid in Minnesota two weeks ago -- along with Huntley's inability to shake the hamstring injury that's hobbled him since his arrival in Carolina -- the unheralded running back from Pitt handled the bulk of the team's rushing chores in the Panthers' surprising win over the Vikings. Goings finished the game with 86 yards on 25 carries, whereas Biakabutuka had five carries for just seven yards and two receptions for 12 yards. Fumbles have been an ongoing problem for Biakabutuka, who laid the ball on the carpet twice during preseason play. Throw in his meager 1.8-yard per carry preseason rushing average and a long history of injuries, and it’s apparent that Seifert is reaching the end of his rope with the sixth-year back from Michigan. Meanwhile, Goings, who backed up current 49er rookie Kevan Barlow at Pittsburgh, led the team with 147 rushing yards in the preseason on 43 carries, a 3.4-yard average. What about Huntley? Make no mistake about it; once the former Steeler is healthy, he'll push for the starting job. I'll remind you, however, that Huntley spent considerable time last year battling the same kind of nagging hamstring injury that's sidelined him to date this year. I’ll also note that Goings is a favorite of Panthers personnel chief Jack Bushofsky. "He can be a player in this league," Bushofsky recently said of Goings. If Biakabutuka continues to have trouble holding onto the ball and Huntley has a hard time overcoming his sore hammy, Goings might wind up making Bushofsky look like a genius this year.
FullbackCecil Martin, Philadelphia EaglesAlthough he doesn't like to talk about the two touchdowns he scored in the season opener against St. Louis, it's safe to assume Martin, who finished that game with six catches, is in line for an increased role in the Eagles offense this year. Martin is a fullback equipped with many weapons. He can block, run, and is very good in the passing game. It’s evident that he has become one of Donovan McNabb’s favorite targets. “I’m in my third year and I guess I’ve been lucky enough to progress every day and every year,” the soft-spoken Martin recently explained. “Your game has to continue to take strides, and I’ve been lucky enough to get better each year along with the team. You don’t want to fly too high just because you played one game of the season, and plus the fact that we lost doesn’t make those touchdowns any more appealing to me. I’m just looking forward to making things happen.” Martin was mostly a blocking back at Wisconsin and his main chore was clearing lanes for Ron Dayne. The Eagles, with an "inside tip" from former Wisconsin offensive coach Brad Childress -- now the Eagles quarterbacks coach -- took Martin in the '99 draft and have watched him blossom. "We kind of had an inside scoop there with Brad Childress. Brad had coached him and recruited him in college. We knew he had very good hands, he catches the ball very easily," said head coach Andy Reid. "He has a pretty good feel for the blitz pickup game. You have to be able to block a little bit in there, so those are the three combinations." “I view myself as a football player. Being a football player, I play the position as fullback. My outlook on myself is maybe different than someone else’s outlook," said Martin. "I don’t look upon myself any more of a football player than any other man, except that I’m trying to get my job done.” Based on his performance against the Rams, putting the ball in the end zone could be a big part of his job this year. Hape, a converted tight end forced into the fray at fullback when long-time starter Howard Griffith went down with a season-ending neck injury, is definitely a player worth watching. After pulling in a pair of short TD passes during exhibition season, the former Buccaneer did the same against the Giants in the regular season opener leading me to believe the 262-pounder is on the brink of emerging as a legitimate red zone scoring threat.
Wide receiverTodd Pinkston, Philadelphia EaglesAlthough James Thrash got the bulk of the preseason hype, those who follow the team closely say Pinkston looked like the team's best receiver all through training camp and in the preseason. That still seems to be the case now that the regular season is underway. Pinkston has good speed and decent hands and has recently shown a more physical side that some questioned during his rookie season. The bottom line here says Pinkston's failure to add significant muscle mass to his slender, 6-3, 170-pound frame over the offseason has been offset by the fact he worked closely with cornerback Troy Vincent on getting off the line of scrimmage better. And once the second-year man gets off the line of scrimmage, he's a dangerous weapon indeed. Other players worth watching on the outside include: Laveranues Coles of the Jets, Indianapolis wideout Jerome Pathon and -- with J.J. Stokes heading into this week's game listed as questionable with a bruised hamstring -- Tai Streets, currently San Francisco's No. 3 man, might be ready to move into the starting lineup
Tight endErnie Conwell, St. Louis RamsConwell, who suffered a devastating knee injury more than two years ago, has regained his starting job and continues to impress coaches as both a devastating blocker and as a remarkably sure-handed receiver with deceptive speed and freakish agility. According to tight ends coach Wilbert Montgomery, "Ernie's pass-catching skills have really gone to another level. I think he raised that bar himself. He said, 'This is something that I have to do if I'm going to make a contribution to this team. I've got to improve my catching ability.' And he's done it." St. Louis tight ends combined for 21 receptions last season; Conwell pulled in five (for 49 yards with one touchdown) against the Eagles in the team's Sept. 9 regular season opener. At that rate, the former Washington star will surpass Roland Williams' 25-catch, 226-yard, six-TD performance as a Ram in 1999 well before mid-season. And if head coach Mike Martz continues to use the muscular tight end as a ball carrier, he'll get there even sooner. Martz demonstrated both his aggressive nature as a play caller and his faith in Conwell by calling a tight end reverse with the game on the line in Philly. And just for the record, Conwell's four-yard effort in overtime set up the game-winning field goal. Tennessee's Erron Kinney, New York Giant backup Marcellus Rivers and Jacksonville's Damon Jones are probably worth keeping an eye on if you're in a standard scoring league. All three appear to be legitimate scoring threats when their respective teams are in the red zone. That's it for now. We'll revisit these guys on a semi-regular basis throughout the season to see if any of them reach their potential. Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications. His work is prominently displayed in all four FSP Fantasy annuals -- Fantasy Football Pro Forecast, Fantasy Football Experts Poll, Fantasy Football Cheatsheets and the Fantasy Football DraftBook. ... Look for all four on newsstands nationwide or Order them online now!
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