Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Although LS Ryan Benjamin and LG Cosey Coleman have been fiercely criticized
for their part in the three kicks the Panthers blocked last Sunday, there
won't be any significant personnel changes in the kicking unit. "There's
not a lot of personnel that you can change,'' coach Jon Gruden told the
Tampa Tribune. "Honestly, you don't have a lot of options.'' But the team
did spend some extra time working on special teams at Wednesday's practice.
K Martin Gramatica took some responsibility for the blocked kicks and
admitted that he needs to kick the ball higher.
Detroit Lions: WR Az-Zahir Hakim might take the field for the first time this season Sunday
against Minnesota. Hakim is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his
right knee during training camp and is listed as questionable. "It's been a
while since I've been back out there," Hakim told the Detroit News. "I'll be
excited. It's a big relief for me. I haven't been out there since Nov. 17."
That's when Hakim dislocated his hip last season. Hakim's quickness should
help augment the Lions passing attack, which is a good thing considering
they can't run the ball. "I'm glad to have him back," QB Joey Harrington
said. "He seems just as quick as ever. I want to get him the ball in the
slot, get the ball over the middle and see him shake a couple people like he
used to."
St. Louis Rams: QB Kurt Warner broke his silence Wednesday about his demotion, and disagreed
with coach Mike Martz's decision to let Marc Bulger be the starter on a
wee-to-week basis. "I think this is a position where you have to make a
commitment to a guy," Warner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "You have to
say, 'This is our guy. We're going to go with him.' You can't always be
looking over your shoulder at this position. You just have to go out and
play. And if you make mistakes, you try to overcome them, and you push
through it." When told of Warner's comments, Martz said: "Now, I appreciate
his judgment, and his opinion, but he's not the head coach. I am. And I'll
make those decisions. And I'll make the decision on how I'm going to deal
with it."
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