Thursday NFL News

-As reported on Gridiron Gossip a few days ago Bill’s Head Coach Dick Jauron was fired and is being replaced for the balance of the season by Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell. News out of Buffalo is that Mike Shanahan is on the top of owner Ralph Wilson’s wish-list. According to NFL.com a meeting between the former Denver Bronco and SuperBowl winning coach and the Bill’s management team will likely take place next week, and the Bills are rumoured to be offering him full control of Football Operations. Apparently Bill Cowher of Pittsburgh Steeler’s fame is also on the Bill’s radar if Shanahan declines the offer. It’s also rumoured that the Washington Redskins will be looking to dump Head Coach Jim Zorn at the end of the season and the ‘Skins are also bidding to have Shanahan head to Washington. Any way you look at it I believe it’s going to be an interesting story to follow for the next couple of months. Another source says that Montreal Alouette’s Head Coach Marc Trestman is also a darkhorse candidate for Buffalo. The Bills are saying that they will give Interim Coach Perry Fewell every opportunity to earn his Head Coaching title for next season but I call BS. With the Bills allegedly willing to offer “any salary necessary” to reel in Shanahan it’s painfully obvious that no matter what poor Perry Fewell does in the remaining games he will not be the one calling the shots in Buffalo in 2010.

-The Original Star of the much hyped “Wildcat Offence” is officially out for the season with a right foot injury. Ronnie Brown was placed on the IR by the Dolphins yesterday after seeing a specialist. This is obviously a huge blow to the Dolphins who are blatantly a run-first team. Brown was on pace to have a great season already posting 648 yards along the ground as well as 8 rushing Touchdowns and 1 passing TD. Ricky Williams will likely have to carry the load for the Dolphins Offence, something that I don’t personally think he’ll be able to do very well. Ricky isn’t an every-down back anymore and he is quite injury prone himself. If you’re a Fantasy Football player I’d urge you to go and pick up Dolphins 3rd string RB Lex Hilliard. He’s yet to get a carry this season but with Brown going down you know he’s going to be thrust into duty soon.

-Back to some more coaching news. The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly close to signing a deal with current Head Coach Brad Childress to a multi-year contract extension. This comes as no surprise as the Vikings are sitting on top of the world (and the NFC North) right now. At 8-1 the Brett Favre signing has defied all odds and ignited the Vike’s passing game which now compliments the strongest and most consistent running game in the NFL. I’m personally not the biggest Childress fan, but the guy is obviously doing something right, and like they say, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

-Philadelphia Eagles running-back Brian Westbrook’s prognosis is looking a little brighter than it was just a couple of days ago. Westbrook suffered his second concussion in three weeks last Sunday against the Chargers – and honestly if I was Brian I’d be thinking about just taking the rest of the season off. Westbrook went through a battery of tests over the last couple of days and the results were reasonably favourable. It’s still up in the air if Westbrook will return this season or not but we do know for sure he won’t be playing this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. LeSean McCoy will now become “the guy” for the Eagles. The University of Pittsburgh star was drafted to replace Westbrook but obviously no one thought it’d be so soon.

“I just want to help out the offense as much as possible,” McCoy said Wednesday. “I never really expected to play a big role like this. But I got drafted for a reason. I have my chance, my opportunity, and I have to make the best of it.”

-Things are quickly deteriorating in Denver. The Broncos had a 3.5 game strangle hold on the division just a few short weeks ago but now they’ve been caught by the San Diego Chargers who are riding high on a four game winning streak while the Bronco’s are on the opposite end of the spectrum currently stuck in a nasty three game losing streak. Things keep getting worse though, Denver Quarterback Kyle Orton will miss at least this week’s game and potentially more with a torn ligament in his left ankle. Back-up Chris Simms will get the starting nod this weekend against the Division Rival San Diego Chargers. This game has huge playoff implications and the Bronco’s are in desperate need of a win, unfortunately all signs seem to be pointing to their fourth straight loss.

-Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn has been fined for his low hit against Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Terrell Suggs during last Monday Night’s game. Suggs will be forced to miss this weeks game with a lower body injury due to the cheap-shot. Quinn remains adamant it was an accident:

“I wasn’t trying to go for him,” Quinn said. “I was trying to go for the ball carrier. Unfortunately, a thing like that can happen. I’m praying for him. Hopefully he’ll be all right.”

Ravens All-Star Middle Linebacker Ray Lewis isn’t buying it though, and I’m telling you that’s one guy you don’t want to have pissed off at you.

“Go back and look at it 15 times the way I have,” Lewis said. “You say you respect the game the way the game is played. I understand what Brady Quinn is saying after the fact, but you go dive at a man’s knee that doesn’t even have the football. You get penalized so much as a defensive player for going in and just doing your job, and then you see a person not doing his job and goes and spears a man in his knee.”

-Also worth mentioning is that Browns Wide Receiver Josh Cribbs was released from hospital but has yet to return to practice due to a sore neck. Cribbs was injured on the final play of the game when he was flattened by Raven’s Defensive End Dwan Edwards after Cribbs had pitched the ball away. My Question: Why would Cribbs pitch it on the last play at all if they were down 16-0 – it’s not like they could win the game…

-Last but not least (well, actually this is definitely least) Baltimore Raven’s Kicker Steve Hauschka has been cut after going a brutal 9/13 for 69.2%. Ravens brought in veterans Mike Nugent and Billy Cundiff for a workout last week with Cundiff winning out and cracking the Ravens squad.