QB Brad Johnson - Broken elbow - Out for season- Excruciating -The loss of Brad Johnson nearly guaranteed a loss against the Falcons and now with their record at 6-6, their playoff hopes are dead. Before this recent loss and before Brad Johnson's injury, their chances were already pretty low, however with Brad Johnson's retirement just around the corner, this could be the last we see of Brad Johnson.
The Bucs needed 9 wins to extend their GM's contract, and I think that's going to be the biggest takeaway from this injury. If Brad Johnson remained healthy, they could be at a 7-5 record instead of 6-6. Two more wins in the next four games also would be quite likely, giving GM Paul Criswell another year on his contract going into the 2005 season. However, with Brad Johnson's injury - that now seems quite unlikely. I foresee the Buccanners and GM Criswell in the hot-seat next year, and if Brad Johnson retires, they may have to overspend on an established QB to get them to the wins required for GM Criswell to keep his job.
With the increased chances of losing his team on the horizon, I'm labeling this as an Excruciating for the Buccaneers. If Brad Johnson comes back for another season, then the rating will be less, but I'm gambling that he won't.
DT Dan Wilkinson - Broken hand - 11 weeks- Uncomfortable - With a win last week, the Redskins have firmly taken the #1 place in the NFC East. Dan Wilkinson has the stats to be a beast at Defensive Tackle, but he's greatly under-performed so far this season with only 3 sacks and 3 tackles for losses. The Redskins have a tough schedule ahead of them with two divisional games along with match-ups against the 49ers and the Vikings. There are no easy wins left for Washington.
The good news for the Bucs is that they have decent depth at Defensive Tackle, with Kelly Gregg now having to step up to lead the Defensive Line. Kelvin Pritchett was given a three year contract to play alongside the aforementioned Gregg, and he should be able to fill in just fine, though he's no prize.
Defensive Tackle is probably one of the positions that I wouldn't mind losing a player in. I assume most can tell that I under appreciate the position since my own Defensive Tackles are scrubs.
I think the Redskins will be just fine. The Cowboys have an easier schedule remaining ahead of them, but I think they have slightly over-performed so far this season. I think the Redskins are going to break away and win this division by at least two games. With or without Dan Wilkinson.
Going with a Uncomfortable on this one. If they had to lose someone for 11 weeks, then I think the Redskins got off lucky with having to saying goodbye to Dan Wilkinson.
HB Verron Hayes - Torn pectoral - 1 week- Trivial -After HB Chris Brown's injury, Verron Hayes was the new #2 Halfback in Pittsburgh but he isn't anything special. At only 3.56 YPC, he's had a pretty forgettable season. I would be worried about giving HB Quentin Griffin snaps at HB because of his 63 CAR. but the Steelers don't really have many better options. The Steelers chose not to pick up anyone from FA to fill the hole that Hayes has left - even if only temporary. This injury might have a larger impact than I first speculated.
Still, a one week injury to a #2 HB that hasn't done much this year is always going to get a Trivial from me.
QB Aaron Brooks - Sprained elbow - 1 week- Uncomfortable - This one week injury to Aaron Brooks may give the rest of the AFC West the chance that they were looking for. Just last week I wrote that I believed that the Raiders had a free ride to a division victory. Their last four games consists of match-ups against the Titans, the Chiefs, the Jaguars and the injured Falcons. That's a decent schedule to have.
Thankfully for the Raiders, they have not been winning games because of excellent Quarterback play. Aaron Brooks only has a QB rating of 72.1, so I still think that they have the easiest path ahead of them. Still, this injury must be worrying to the Raiders, and for that I'm giving it an Uncomfortable rating. The Uncomfortable rating is because I've seen injury's linger a lot this season, and I just don't feel comfortable setting this rating at a lower tier if it decides to linger for Oakland. If the Raiders didn't have a one game lead and an easy schedule finish, I'd rate this higher.
