The much-anticipated reunion has vanished.
A columnist’s dream of the Broncos facing former whipping boy Brian Griese looked a few weeks ago like it was going to happen.
Griese had replaced the struggling Rex Grossman in the Chicago Bears’ lineup and was doing OK. However, against Oakland on Nov. 11, Griese, 32, suffered a shoulder injury, and Grossman was forced back into the lineup. Grossman has played well since and is the Bears’ starting quarterback once again.
The only way Griese will get on the field Sunday against the visiting Broncos is if Grossman gets dinged.
Griese still has friends at Dove Valley, and many Broncos were pleased to see Griese, a Denver starter from 1999-2002, get a chance to start with the Bears.
“He was the hardest working guy on the team,” Denver left tackle Matt Lepsis said. “He was always prepared. Whenever guys would be screwing around at lunch, Brian would be in studying.”
Added injured center Tom Nalen, “You could win with him.”
We may never know if Griese would be able to beat his former team.
Pete Carroll to move down I-5?
With each San Diego defeat, the heat on Chargers coach Norv Turner will get hotter. Since Turner took over the Chargers, who went 14-2 under Marty Schottenheimer last season, the team is 5-5 and tied with Denver for first place in the AFC West.
If the Chargers don’t finish better than .500, Turner may be bounced. His potential replacement? USC coach Pete Carroll.
Carroll has declined recent NFL overtures, but things have changed. His Trojans are no longer a dynasty, and the idea of going to the NFL but staying in Southern California could be appealing to the former New England and N.Y. Jets coach, especially if the money and power are right.
Henry case being watched
Broncos running back Travis Henry’s appeal of an NFL drug suspension is being closely watched throughout the league. The appeal could be a landmark case.
Henry brought in a ton of evidence in his attempt to beat a drug suspension. The NFL said he tested positive for marijuana in August, but Henry has maintained his innocence and has presented a hair sample for testing and took a polygraph test.
There is support for Henry because many believe the league’s drug testing program is flawed.
If Henry wins his appeal, it will give players hope they, too, can appeal a case and stand a chance of getting their suspensions or fines overturned.
Around the league
While some national observers are worried about quarterback Vince Young’s passing ability, the Tennessee Titans are not. Tennessee officials believe Young is continuing to learn and is the team’s best player The word is the Patriots are not upset about setting an NFL record for point spread. They are 24-point favorites over the Eagles this week. Patriot players are telling friends they want to go down as the best team in NFL history and intend to pound opponents all season long. New England is beating opponents by an average of 25 points a game. Watch for that point-spread record to be broken again. One of Denver’s most intriguing free agents during the offseason will be receiver Brandon Stokley. He is proving to be one of the better No. 3 receivers in the game. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the two sides come to an agreement after the season. Think the Chiefs rue trading tailback Michael Bennett to Tampa Bay this season in light of Larry Johnson’s foot injury and Priest Holmes’ retirement? Scouts were gape-mouthed seeing clips of little Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew pancake once-mighty San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman last week. Merriman is struggling this year and scouts whisper that he hasn’t been the same player since his suspension for violating the league’s steroid policy last season. San Francisco defensive coordinator Mike Singletary is interviewing with Baylor, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t go to his alma mater. The Hall of Fame linebacker and former Bear could get a crack at an NFL head coaching job in the offseason. How much has the Bears’ defense fallen? In the past two seasons, the team allowed opponents to score more than 30 points only three times. This year, Chicago has surrendered at least 30 points four times. Speaking of the Bears’ defense, some scouts say linebacker Brian Urlacher just isn’t the same this year, and it may be because of an arthritic condition in his back. Yes, the Raiders are lousy, but they are staying in games. Five of Oakland’s eight losses have been by a touchdown or less. Watch for Broncos running backs coach Bobby Turner to get some looks for offensive coordinator jobs in the offseason after the development of Selvin Young and Andre Hall. Turner nearly took the Miami job last winter.
Power Rankings
(Last week’s ratings in parentheses)
1. New England (1): Prepare to watch history. It’s going to happen.
2. Dallas (2): Kudos to Wade Phillips for getting the most out of T.O.
3. Green Bay (3): Packers entered their Thanksgiving Day game on a roll.
4. Indianapolis (5): Banged-up Colts not close to the Patriots right now.
5. Jacksonville (6): Jaguars are coming hard after the Colts.
6. New York Giants (7): Clearly the third-best team in the NFC.
7. Pittsburgh (4): Loss to the Jets could haunt the Steelers down the road.
8. Tampa Bay (12): The league takes a big dip at this point.
9. Seattle (13): The Seahawks are going to have to stave off the Cardinals.
10. Cleveland (14): Ball bouncing the right way for the Browns.
11. Tennessee (8): The Titans would be in trouble without Vince Young.
12. Detroit (9): Schedule is getting tough and Lions are starting to crack.
13. Houston (16): The Texans are overranked but the league stinks.
14. Philadelphia (17): The Eagles have a chance to make some noise in the NFC wild-card hunt.
15. Denver (18): Yes, the Broncos control their own destiny.
16. Arizona (19): Cardinals should be making the Seahawks very nervous.
17. Buffalo (10): There goes that four-game winning streak.
18. San Diego (11): What is the deal with this team?
19. Washington (15): Redskins were game but just not good enough to beat the Cowboys.
20. Minnesota (27): A win over Oakland doesn’t suddenly make things right.
21. Chicago (20): Rex Grossman will take his shots at the Broncos.
22. New Orleans (21): This team is just plain weird.
23. Carolina (22): John Fox stills deserves another year.
24. Baltimore (23): The Ravens just can’t catch a break.
25. Kansas City (24): The Chiefs almost got the Colts. Almost.
26. Atlanta (25): Maybe, finally, the Michael Vick saga is over.
27. Cincinnati (26): Marvin Lewis fire watch is on full flame.
28. St. Louis (30): Maybe, just maybe, Scott Linehan is saving his job.
29. New York Jets (31): Jets check in with their second win of the season.
30. San Francisco (28): At least 49ers are the best team in the Bay Area.
31. Oakland (29): Two Bay Area teams lost a combined 14 games in a row.
32. Miami (32): And then there are the Dolphins.
