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Snap, Crackle and Pop

Finger injury may slow development of top rookie Rogers

Posted: Tuesday August 05, 2003 3:27 PM

Charles Rogers' finger injury could affect his status as the top rookie taken in fantasy drafts. AP

By Greg Kellogg, Special to SI.com

Snap, Crackle and Pop is a weekly column that reviews the major injuries (Snap) and then projects both busts (Crackle) and sleepers (Pop) for the coming week.

Well, sports fans, the season is just about here. Just think -- 22 weeks of NFL bliss and then you get the playoffs! So send your significant other a condolences card because you are about to enter the Fantasy Zone! Where nothing matters except the games -- real and fantasy.

Snap

Detroit Lions WR Charles Rogers is the latest skill position player to be bit by the injury bug early in camp. Rogers suffered what team officials are calling an open separation of his left ring finger. He finished the morning drills despite the injury but did not participate in afternoon practice.

"I was just going up for a pass and it just happened," Rogers said. "I kind of jammed it. It's not an injury that's going to have me out a long time." Maybe, maybe not. The injury did require stitches, which leads one to conclude that the bone was protruding from the skin. If the bone is intact, expect Rogers to miss a couple days. But if the bone is broken, this could set him back significantly.

Jacksonville DT John Henderson was the second Jaguars' lineman to be taken to the hospital for a heat-related condition. In the wake of former Viking Korey Stringer's death, it is not surprising that teams are keeping much better track of how their players are handling the heat. But this is a concern because it was not a particularly hot day, and it was the second time in a week that Henderson has gone down.

"I'm going to have to take a look at what the big guys are doing in individual practice," coach Jack Del Rio said. "I know within the body of the practice we're not overdoing it with our team. We've just happened to have two guys who really succumbed to the heat." Henderson has already been released from the hospital, but the team is uncertain when he will be cleared to return to the field.

Rams safety Jason Sehorn did what he does best. He got injured. Or at least it seems like this is what he does best. Sehorn broke his left foot and will be lost until sometime in October.

"Realistically, getting back to running and cutting and being able to take the pounding, 10 weeks is probably a safe estimate," said team physician Dr. Matt Matava. While this is not as serious physically as some of his earlier injuries, time away from the field when one is learning a new position is never a good thing. Kim Herring will replace Sehorn in the starting lineup.

In case you missed the news from the past couple weeks, Michael Bennett, is out, possibly for the entire season. The man the coaches thought would replace him, Doug Chapman, is nursing a sore foot and a sprained foot. This has opened the door for recently signed rookie RB Onterrio Smith.

"He had a couple of nice runs," head coach Mike Tice said. "A couple of mental errors, going the wrong way on pass protection. One glaring one right down in the red zone, but we expected that. He's not up to speed. He can tell you he is, but he's not."

Crackle

I am torn on whether RB Duce Staley is a genius or an idiot. Staley is underappreciated and underpaid in Philadelphia. That's right -- $2.2 million is underpaid for a starting RB. Staley must realize that the coaching staff would prefer Correll Buckhalter, so he decided to force their hand. On the one hand, if Buckhalter is not ready to play, Staley has all the bargaining power he needs to force the issue. On the other, if Buckhalter is ready, Staley is cutting his own throat. I am not so sure that Staley can do anything to get further into Andy Reid's doghouse than he already has, but this is certainly not going to help.

"We're counting on Duce, and he's under contract. It happens all over the NFL. I don't really think it's the best strategy for a player," said owner Jeff Lurie. "We feel like we have a good team here, and we're going to move forward whether Duce is here or he's not here."

Terry Glenn is dropping rapidly in my estimation. He has all the skills but has always been soft. Don't be surprised if second-year receiver Antonio Bryant turns out to be the starter opposite Joey Galloway and Glenn ends up filling the WR3 slot.

Too many people are parroting a call heard over and over again last year -- that RB Garrison Hearst is done and Kevan Barlow is on the rise. Yet once again, the wily veteran is finding a way to hold off the talented kid.

"Blocking is probably the hardest thing for a back," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "Garrison's been around for so long, he's really good at that. And Kevan's getting better all the time. From the time we were in mini-camps from what I've seen the last three days, it's been tremendous improvement. And every day he gets better."

Getting better, but not good enough to unseat the man in front of him, at least not this year.

Pop

When RB Michael Pittman lost his temper and rammed his wife's car with his Humvee, he opened the door for little-known Aaron Stecker. Stecker, who stands an unimposing 5-feet-10 and weighs just 205, could slide into the starting spot if Pittman is convicted or suspended. While the trial may be delayed until after the season, the Bucs might not wait that long before deciding Pittman's fate. They have been known to cut players who have run afoul of the law in the past and the signings of Thomas Jones and Terry Kirby signals that they may be ready to act in a similiar manner with Pittman. If they do, the starting job will be up for grabs but one has to like the way Stecker averaged 6.2 yards per carry in limited opportunities last season.

Last season, everyone was talking up RB Edgerrin James because he was dunking a basketball in Florida. Some of us warned folks away from him because of the seriousness of his knee injury and the fact that just nine months had passed from the surgery to the start of the season. Those that passed on James were very happy they did.

That will not be the case this year. James may never return to his pre-injury form, but I am betting he comes very close this season. So much so that I have ranked him second only to Clinton Portis in my preseason RB rankings. Part of the reason is that unlike last year, we may actually see James in a couple 2003 preseason games. Though not totally willingly.

"If I have to [play], I will," James told the Indianapolis Star. "But I really don't want to. I'll do it if it serves a purpose. I'd rather do two-a-days every day rather than play in a preseason game. If coach Dungy comes to me and says, 'I want you to play,' I'll play."

In Detroit, WR Az Zahir-Hakim is coming off an injury many thought would end his career. Rookie WR Charles Rogers has suffered a fairly severe separation of his left ring finger -- an injury that may cause him to miss significant training camp time. One thing you can be assured of, though, is that the Lions will be throwing the ball. And they will be doing it a lot. With the expected improvement from starting QB Joey Harrington someone has to be the recipient of those passes. My guess is that Bill Schroeder will be that someone.

Schroeder seemed to be developing a very nice rapport with Harrington (when he wasn't injured himself) and enters camp this year as the healthiest of the likely Lion starters. Since no one is drafting this guy, you should be able to wait until the last round of your draft and get him as a WR4 or WR5.

Greg Kellogg, current owner of the Fantasy Asylum is a member of the Professional Football Writer's Association and has been writing about Fantasy Football on a national stage since 1996.