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Missing Ricky Saints' defense won't be enough to overcome Raiders
CNNSI.com's B. Duane Cross talked with former NFL head coach and current CNN NFL Preview analyst Ron Meyer about several issues and storylines as teams prepare for Week 12: Cross: New Orleans plays host to Oakland on Sunday. The Saints will be without running back Ricky Williams, while the Raiders will be trying to rebound from a tough loss at Denver. How do you see this game shaping up? Meyer: The loss of Williams will have a tremendous effect on the Saints' offensive mindset. Just when Williams was becoming the back everyone expected, he breaks his ankle. That will be tough for the Saints to overcome. Clearly the offensive burden falls to quarterback Jeff Blake; there will be a lot of pressure on him as New Orleans makes its playoff push. Oakland showed Monday night that it can play in a hostile environment and overcome the road obstacles, even though the Raiders' comeback fell short. I think quarterback Rich Gannon and the firepower of the Oakland offense will be too much for the Saints. But keep in mind, New Orleans' saving grace -- with Williams injured -- is its defense. The Saints can play with anybody. Cross: Cincinnati has opted to bench second-year quarterback Akili Smith in favor of Scott Mitchell. In a lost season for the Bengals, is this the right move? Meyer: Absolutely not. Mitchell ... I just don't know if he's a better option. Considering the amazing improvement of Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, who also is a second-year quarterback, I think the Bengals have to play Smith, get him the snaps in game conditions and let him learn on the field. And I'll point the finger: I don't think he's getting the coaching he needs. Cross: Buffalo also shuffled its QB, benching Doug Flutie for Rob Johnson. Meyer: I can't understand this, either. Obviously, Johnson is showing something in practice that makes head coach Wade Phillips like him, even with the game production of Flutie. Johnson played well in the playoffs last year at Tennessee, and his injury must be healed enough for Phillips to make him the starter. It's just hard for fans in the stands to understand. Cross: Denver also will have a new quarterback this week. Brian Griese was injured in Monday night's victory against Oakland, and Gus Frerotte gets the start. Meyer: The loss of Griese will hurt the Broncos tremendously, though not this week against San Diego. Griese's numbers were All-Pro, and Denver's overall strength will be enough against the Chargers. Think of it this way: Frerotte is better than anyone the Chargers can throw out there, which looks like Ryan Leaf ... Lord help them. Cross: Eddie Murray, a 44-year-old kicker, will debut with Washington on Monday night against St. Louis. What does this say about the state of kicking in the league? Meyer: It's a fickle situation, like a batter or pitcher who gets strong, on a hot streak, a roll. When kickers are erratic, there are a lot of factors: the snap, the hold, the kick and even the blocking. And it seems with the move toward more grass fields, it's getting tougher and tougher on kickers. It's harder to get a good [foot] plant on the grass as opposed to artificial turf. Cross: Earlier this year, Minnesota wide receiver Randy Moss was fined $40,000 for touching a game official. This week the league chose not to fine Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman, while it did fine Green Bay wide receiver Antonio Freeman for similar incidents. Are there double standards in the league? Meyer: Yes, but it's because of previous actions [by certain players]. I think Moss, Rodney Harrison and Mark Carrier are watched more closely. These guys have been warned, and they know the rules. It's selective judgment by the league Ron Meyer, a former NFL head coach, is a pro football analyst with CNN/Sports Illustrated and appears weekly on CNN's NFL Preview.
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