Bloody Sunday

NFL Football is a brutal, bloody, violent game. Injuries are as much a part of the game as the game itself, more so than any other team sport. Yesterday, however, offered an extended buffet of carnage sure to impact to direction of the seasons of those key players’ teams.

THE DAMAGE REPORT

Indianapolis Colts

Reggie Wayne, WR: ACL tear, out for the season

The 13 year veteran, potential future Hall of Famer, and Colts leading receiver injured his knee in a non-contact incident late in Sunday night’s game against the Denver Broncos. His reliability is going to be sorely missed by quarterback Andrew Luck and his leadership and veteran presence will be sorely missed by the entire team. With the Colts pulling away in the AFC South race, the true impact of this loss may not be felt until the playoffs.

1

Green Bay Packers

Jermichael Finley, TE: Neck injury, in ICU

Finley had to be taken off of the field on a stretcher in Sunday’s game at the Cleveland Browns. While the measures taken in Finley’s care have been described as “precautionary” and Finley reportedly has movement in his extremities, the bone-chilling fact is that he is in ICU. It’s serious. With this type of injury, there is no telling if he is out for the month, the season, or the rest of his career. From a football standpoint, QB Aaron Rodgers is losing a very important safety valve on an offense that has to score a lot of points to win.

2

St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford, QB: ACL tear, out for the season

There are a multitude of short and long term implications from this injury, suffered in yesterday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. First of all, the Rams’ 2013 season is over. Off to a 3-3 start, an improved St. Louis team appeared to be taking another baby step toward being a contender this season. That’s over. Backup QB Kellen Clemens was brought in as a stop gap in case of a short term injury to Bradford. The eight year veteran will need to do much more than exceed low expectations for the Rams to have any postseason hopes.

Second, Bradford was already in an evaluation season. He has shown flashes of high-performing potential since being taken with the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, but has been inconsistent in his on-field execution and has been often injured. This is the second time in Bradford’s four year NFL career in which he will play in 10 or fewer games. This could not have happened at a worse time for Bradford or the Rams, who both have a specter of uncertainty over their futures.

Has Bradford played his last game as a member of the Rams? 3

Cincinnati Bengals

Leon Hall, CB: Achilles rupture, out for the season

This is a tough break for a talented, experienced and reliable starter on a top 10 defense. Hall ruptured his Achilles in the Bengals win yesterday at the Detroit Lions. Still, the Bengals may be able to absorb this blow and continue to perform at a high level. Hall’s most likely replacements are the physically gifted standout Pacman Jones and 2012 first round draft pick Dre Kirkpatrick. In a next man up league, the Bengals secondary appears prepared and stocked.

Houston Texans

Brian Cushing, LB: Broken leg and LCL tear, out for the season

If the Houston Texans’ season hadn’t already been dealt a death blow in last week’s blowout loss against the St. Louis Rams in which their unpopular, struggling starting quarterback was injured and their record plummeted to 2-4, losing the former Pro Bowler Cushing in a 17-16 loss at Kansas City could be the last straw. While the Texans signal calling woes have been glaring, they quietly have the #1 defense in the NFL (total yards/game). This was all the Texans had going for them and now they’ve lost the second most important cog, after J.J. Watt, in their defensive machine.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Doug Martin, RB: Torn Labrum, probably out for the season

The winless Buccaneers had very little going for them. Martin was one of those few bright standouts until yesterday’s loss at the Atlanta Falcons. The Buccaneers and the intrastate Jacksonville Jaguars are likely to have a photo finish in the race to the NFL’s bottom.

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler, QB:, Groin injury, out indefinitely

Cutler’s image as that of a chronic underachiever with deficient interpersonal skills was turning around this season. Cutler was injured in yesterday’s 45-41 shootout loss at the Washington Redskins. Backup Josh McCown is a seasoned veteran game manager who, with Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte in the Bears' backfield, can hold an offense together well enough to give most teams a chance to win in the short run. The problem is that the Bears' defense has not gotten the job done this year well enough for the Bears to win with McCown under center.

From preliminary reports, Cutler is expected to miss several weeks. Fortunately, one of those weeks is a bye week, next week. By the time Cutler returns, the Bears may have fallen too far behind the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in the tight NFC North race.

Lance Briggs, LB: Shoulder injury, out four to six weeks

An already struggling Bears defense can ill-afford to lose a perennial All-Pro veteran leader on defense. That’s exactly what happened during yesterday’s Bears loss in Washington. How long Briggs is out and how much farther the Bears fall back in the NFC North race will determine how damaging this injury will be to the Bears’ season.

Jay Cutler's wife, and new mom, Kristin Cavallari, has one more Cutler to babysit for the next few weeks. 4

Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles, QB: Concussion, questionable

While the cynical spectator may contend that the injury to Foles was the best way to help his team following an abysmal performance in a loss against the Dallas Cowboys, Foles is a clear step up over rookie Matt Barkley. This injury may have a negligible short term impact as starter Michael Vick appears to be close to returning to the Eagles lineup for a hamstring injury.

Still, hamstrings are tricky and, for a QB like Vick who relies on his mobility, nothing is guaranteed. If neither Vick nor Foles are ready to go for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, the Eagles and their Swiss cheese pass defense have a problem. The NFC East race, while uninspiring, is very close and a division loss at the hands of the currently winless New York Giants would be the last thing Head Coach Chip Kelly and his Eagles need.

Vick can't get back soon enough for the Eagles. 5

DOMINOES FALLING

It was a cold, harsh, rough day in the NFL. Eight teams lost key players yesterday. Many of those players are lost for the season. There are only 32 NFL teams, meaning a quarter of the league suffered a potentially season-altering loss. Football is a rough game. The true grit and toughness of these teams, their players, and coaches will show in the second half of the season.

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Witnessing Greatness – Wide Receivers

The Daily Hat Trick has run two prior pieces on the prospects of a few active NFL players of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio after their careers end. One piece described the prospects of several quarterbacks. Another looked into active NFL running backs. Today, we look at at active NFL wide receivers and their chances of induction in Canton.

(Note: statistics are as of the conclusion of Week 6 of the 2011 NFL season unless otherwise noted)

SLAM DUNK

Terrell Owens, free agent – Owens is currently without a team as he is recovering from offseason knee surgery, though, by his own estimates, he expects to be in playing condition within a few weeks. I have little doubt that someone will sign him once he is cleared to play, as there are several teams badly in need of a receiver.

If he picks up at a level anywhere near where he left off last year, with nearly 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns receiving (at age 37), his new team will be likely getting a great value. Excluding Jerry Rice, Owens, statistically, is the best receiver ever to play the game, owning, or nearly owning, every career receiving record. Owens is second in NFL history to Rice in receiving touchdowns and receiving yards, and is the NFL’s sixth all time leading receiver, with 1,078 catches. T.O., if he plays for at least half of the 2011 season, would likely surpass the league’s current #3 all-time receiver, Marvin Harrison (1,102 receptions, passed by Tony Gonzalez last Sunday). There are fewer easier “yes” votes for the Hall of Fame that will come up than the vote on Owens.

For all of the controversy that surrounded Owens and his mouth, he is one of a select few who as always walked the walk after talking the talk. The last two seasons, he has not done much talking either, but he is still walking. In the twilight of his career, Owens has looked like a true veteran leader. With a likely price tag of less than $2 million, Owens is in a position to deliver a high reward with minimal risk on one of his final stops on the way to Canton, Ohio.

He always made time for the fans. 1

Randy Moss, retired (2011) – While Moss, technically, announced his retirement shortly before the start of the regular season, I am not buying it. Several media outlets reported that Moss and his agent were shopping for a team with an ideal situation for Moss. For that reason, for the purposes of this article, I am going to treat Moss as an active player.

That said, this is another extremely easy “yes” vote for the Hall of Fame committee. Moss may not have always been the perfect teammate and, based on some accounts, may not have been a good guy. Fortunately, the guidelines for induction to the Hall as a player dictate that those factors are irrelevant. Induction is based solely on play.

Excluding Jerry Rice, only recent retiree Marvin Harrison and 16 year veteran Terrell Owens are in Moss’ class of wide receivers. Moss has only played in 13 NFL seasons, yet, except for Harrison, Owens and Rice, his resume dwarfs all other wide receivers. Moss is tied with Owens for #2 all-time in receiving touchdowns, is the NFL’s 9th all time leading receiver (954 receptions), and is fifth, all-time, for receiving yards. Moss’ height, freakish speed, and leaping ability made him almost unstoppable in his younger years and have kept him in the discussion as a big playmaker in the twilight of his career.

If you have a problem with Moss, It think this would be his response. Think he's a jerk? Maybe he is. You can be a jerk when you can back it up. 2

ON TRACK

Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers - My gut feeling tells me that if Hines Ward stopped playing football today, there would be a bronze bust in Canton in his future. Ward is the NFL's eighth all-time leading receiver, with 980 receptions after last Sunday. He has been to four Pro Bowls, is a three time AFC champion (2005, 2008, and 2010) and is a two-time Super Bowl champion (Super Bowls XL and XLIII). Ward had a string of nine consecutive seasons with 69 or more receptions (2001-2009). He is bar none, the most feared downfield blocking wide receiver in the game, if not in NFL history.

Ward could help the cause of his future candidacy by staying healthy and padding his stats for a few more seasons. Another Super Bowl ring would not hurt his cause either. While I personally believe that Ward's induction is inevitable, he has fewer receiving yards (19th all-time) than several players, such as Henry Ellard (9th all-time), Irving Fryar (13th all-time), and Jimmy Smith (16th all-time), who I think will never become Hall of Fame finalists, let alone inductees. His shortcoming on yardage could preclude Ward from being inducted on the first ballot. Crossing the 100 career receiving touchdown threshold would boost his first ballot prospects. Ward currently has 85.

If were are a defender, would you get in his way? 3

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts - While Wayne is a player whose Hall of Fame candidacy is boosted significantly by his post season contributions, his regular season resume, by itself, would warrant Hall of Fame consideration if he retired today. Wayne is currently riding a string of five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. He was named an Associated Press First Team All Pro last season, for the first time in his career.

Wayne has been Steady Eddie in the regular season and has been a vital part of the Colts nine year run of regular season dominance between 2002 and 2010. Wayne currently has seven consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, dating back to 2004. He also currently has a streak of eight consecutive seasons of 68 or more receptions, including three seasons with 100 or more receptions. After a 3 reception performance against New Orleans last Sunday, in all likelihood, Wayne will tie or pass Steve Largent and become one of the NFL's 20 all-time leading receivers during this Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans, needing two more receptions to do so.

While Wayne's regular season achievements are exemplary, I think that his performances in the playoffs are what will separate him from peers with comparable regular reason resumes when he is considered for the Hall of Fame, six years after his retirement. Wayne played a vital role in leading the Colts to three AFC Championship Games (2003, 2006, 2010), two AFC Championships (2006, 2010), and a Super Bowl Championship (XLI). Wayne has played in 17 playoff games, equivalent to more than an entire regular season. When the stakes are highest, Wayne put up the numbers, with 83 receptions for 9 touchdowns and over 1,000 career post season receiving yards.

The only possible hold ups to Wayne's induction are fate and Father Time. Wayne played the first eight years of his career alongside future Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, who caught passes that certainly would have been thrown to Wayne. Wayne also did not start all 16 games in the regular season until 2003, when he turned 25. These two factors have applied downward pressure to Wayne's regular season yardage and touchdown totals.

Imagine how many more catches Wayne (right) would have had if he had not been in the shadow of future Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison (left). 4

Andre Johnson, Houston Texans - In the opinion of many pundits, Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL today. Johnson is a tall, strong, dominating receiver who, at many times, gives the appearance that he cannot be covered by mere mortals. In his ninth season, Johnson has never had fewer than 60 receptions in any season, in spite of missing three or more games in three different seasons. A five time Pro Bowler and two time member of the AP First All-Pro Team and averaging 80 yards per game for his career, Johnson simply needs to remain relatively healthy and continue his pattern of dominance for at least three more seasons. That should pave his road to Canton when his career is over.

Double coverage doesn't help much more. 5

POSSIBLE BRIDESMAIDS

Derrick Mason, Houston Texans - Consistency and longevity have their rewards. When Mason retires, barring injury, he will be one of the NFL's 10 all-time leading receivers. He is currently #11 all-time, 11 receptions behind Andre Reed. Derrick Mason has been in the NFL for so long that he is the last active player who was drafted by the Houston Oilers, in 1997.*

However, longevity with limited exceptional play makes for a difficult case for the Hall of Fame. Mason has only been to two Pro Bowls and one AP First All-Pro team. The All-Pro honor was earned largely due to his contributions as a return man.

While Mason has an active streak of 11 consecutive seasons with 60 or more receptions and eight seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards, Mason only has one season in which he eclipsed the 1,200 yard plateau and only five seasons with 80 or more receptions. Being very good, but not dominant, for a long time might not be enough for Mason to be honored as one of the all time greats.

The last of the Houston Oilers 6

Chad Ochocinco, New England Patriots - The notion that a six time Pro Bowler and two time AP First Team All-Pro at a skill position like wide receiver may be on the bubble for a Hall of Fame induction would have been absolutely laughable 20 years ago. In the modern game, however, with modern rules that favor quarterbacks and wide receivers, Ochocinco could find himself on the Hall of Fame borderline if, in fact, his career is in decline at age 33, as his statistics would indicate.

While among the NFL's top 30 all time leaders in receiving and receiving yards, Ochocinco, with only nine catches in six games this season, will likely finish this season only having had one 1,000 yard season and one Pro Bowl appearance in the past four years. This would indicate decline.

Ochocinco, in only in the 11th year of his career, in an era in which great wide receivers, like Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Hines Ward, will likely retire after 15-20 years of service. For all of his years of being among the best in the game at his position, Ochocinco's possible lack of longevity could be a roadblock on his way to Canton.

Ochocinco was solid gold earlier in his career. 7

Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers - Similarly to Ochocinco, Steve Smith had a relatively short run of high level dominance. With four Pro Bowls and two First Team All-Pro awards under his belt, one would think that Smith's career was down a road paved directly to Canton.  The problem for Smith, like Ochocinco, is that he may be slowing down. In addition, Smith has always been very good, but never dominated over a consistent, sustained period of time.

Smith only has two seasons in which he has recorded more than 1,200 receiving yards, though he does have a total of six seasons with 982 or more receiving yards, including five in a row between 2005 and 2009. Smith went from a Herculean 1,421 yards, to 982 yards, to a paltry 554 yards receiving in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. This would indicate a slow down at age 32. However, the arrival of future Rookie of the Year quarterback Cam Newton in Carolina seems to have rejuvenated Smith's productivity. Smith is averaging 117 receiving yards per game for 818 yards through 7 games this year.

Smith's resurgence fits right in to the "consistently inconsistent" label. Smith is certainly among the better receivers of his time. However, without more than a few truly exemplary seasons, unless Smith plays at his current level until age 40, can he really make a case for being among the greatest of all-time?

Steve Smith plays with a furor seldom seen at the wide receiver position. 8

FUTURE HOPEFULS

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals - Fitzgerald is only 28 years old, yet is already among the NFL's 50 all-time leading receivers. He has completed seven seasons in his career with five Pro Bowl appearances and one AP First Team All-Pro award. Fitzgerald has caught at least 90 passes and recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards in four out of the past five seasons. If Fitzgerald remains healthy and plays into his mid-30s, he should be considered among the league's all-time great receivers when he retires.

Fizgerald is just getting warmed up. 9

Wes Welker, New England Patriots - The criticism that Wes Welker would be useless as an outside receiver, as opposed to his role in the slot, is a useless criticism. Either you catch the ball or you don't. Either you move the ball or you don't. Either you score a touchdown or you don't. If the road less traveled brings a man to his destination in time, what difference does it make how he arrives?

In his 8th season, Welker spent the first three years of his career as a kick return specialist and third/fourth option receiver. That changed with his arrival to the New England Patriots during their Super Bowl run in 2007. Welker recorded a league-high 112 receptions in 2007, the first of three consecutive years in which he would catch 111 or more balls.

Welker is 29 years old and needs to make up for the lost time as a starter in the earlier part of his career. He appears to be doing an excellent job, on pace for 136 receptions and 2,093 receiving yards, which would shatter the NFL record of 1,848 yards set by Jerry Rice in 1995. Welker needs to continue to put up monster receiving numbers for at least another three years and then remain healthy and productive for approximately three more years. Should he do that, he should be able to join the elite in the Hall of Fame.

Welker (left) and All-Pro tackle Matt Light (right) may be joining Tom Brady (center) in the Hall one day. 10

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To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

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