Falling out of love with Anderson, Millen - Seattle Seahawks News at Seahawksclub.com

Love on the rocks in Cleveland. Divorce in Detroit. Warren and Kym making all the right moves in Hollywood. Quarterback polygamy in K.C. A com-Plax romance in New Jersey.

These are the Sundays of Our Lives.

Wherefore art thou common sense, Romeo?

When the marriage starts heading south, is it a good idea to publicly announce that you'll have your secretary ready to step in if your wife is unable to fulfill her duties?

What the hell was Romeo Crennel thinking when he gave Derek Anderson a vote of confidence weaker than the American economy? Crennel said Anderson was still his starter but that Brady Quinn would be ready to step in. Nothing will boost your starting pitcher's confidence more than having a guy warming up in the bullpen before he throws his first pitch.

Apparently Anderson throws a very droppable ball. But while the '07 Pro Bowler has been victimized by some egregious drops — most notably by Braylon Edwards — in last week's loss to the Ravens he threw a couple of hospital balls that nearly got guys killed. For the season he has a 46.2 completion percentage and a 43.5 QB rating.

But the three teams the Browns have lost to are a combined 7-1 and one of those games was played in terrible throwing conditions. If Crennel believes Anderson's bad start is the combined result of high-quality opponents, bad weather and poor receiver play he should just declare that Anderson is his guy until further notice. If he looks at Anderson's last 10 starts and sees 11 TD passes and 15 interceptions and decides that's not good enough, he should pull the trigger on the Brady Quinn Era.

To try to have it both ways with the half-measure of telling everyone you're ready to turn to Quinn without actually doing it is weak. In the meantime, how happy is Anderson that $13M of his $24M deal is guaranteed?

The latest Ford layoff

How bad must you be at your job when a guy whose company lost more than $15B in 2006 and 2007 (that's a B for billion) and $8.67B in the second quarter of 2008 calls you out as a terrible executive?

NFL Week 4

Week 4 action

Packers at Bucs

Vikings at Titans

Cardinals at Jets

49ers at Saints

Falcons at Panthers

Browns at Bengals

Texans at Jaguars

Broncos at Chiefs

Chargers at Raiders

Bills at Rams

Redskins at Cowboys

Eagles at Bears

Ravens at Steelers

Analysis

Marvez: Bye bye, Millen
Schrager: Week 4 Cheat Sheet
Hasenmayer: Power rankings
WhatIfSports: Week 4 projections

Video

Glazer: Lions move on, finally
Peete: NFC weekly review

Photos

Chargers rout Jets on MNF
NFL Week 3's best
Biggest moments

I don't know if Bill Ford Jr. was actually on his way to beg the government for a taxpayer bailout when he threw Matt Millen under the F-150, but it did strike me as particularly hilarious that he would have the temerity to denigrate someone else's executive leadership at this particular juncture in the history of the Ford Motor Co.

Many believed that Millen, as a former player and broadcaster, was not qualified to be an NFL general manager. For example, he didn't have the unimpeachable qualification of being William Clay Ford's son. But that didn't discourage Junior from hiring Millen.

"I'm willing to stake my reputation on Matt's success," Ford Jr. said after Millen was introduced at a news conference in January 2001.

Would that be the reputation you burnished by driving your great-grandfather's car company into a ditch?

Millen's teams went 31-84, including a phenomenal 8-50 on the road. And yet somehow that still doesn't seem quite as bad as losing $8.67B in one quarter.

He puts the DT in DWTS

Instead of locking horns with Tom Nalen and Nick Hardwick, 35-year-old Warren Sapp has opted to lock pelvises with Australian dancer Kym Johnson on "Dancing with the Stars." Good call.

Watching Sapp bounce around the dance floor provides some insight into how a 300-pound interior d-lineman could rack up 96.5 sacks in his career. The guy has twinkletoes.

Whereas Jason Taylor looked elegant and graceful in dance attire, Sapp looks like he's torturing his clothes. The vest he wore during his cha-cha looked like it was going to burst. His trousers must be sewn from a mainsail. And yet when the music starts the guy reminds you that freakish agility was the main reason he was unblockable for most of his 13-year career. The quick step he had as a player was on full display as he and Kym pulled down a 22 out of 30 for their impressive quickstep routine.

So while his former Raider teammates are dealing with the circus created by their addled, cantankerous owner, Sapp is safely sequestered in Hollywood, dealing instead with the circus created by the addled, cantankerous Cloris Leachman.

Squirmin' Herman

Two weeks ago in an embarrassing home loss to the Raiders, Kansas City coach Herm Edwards used three different quarterbacks in the first 13 minutes of the game, each as ineffective as his predecessor.

Since starter Brodie Croyle — on whom the jury is most definitely still out — went down in Week 1, Edwards has used journeyman Damon Huard, practice squad WR Marques Hagans and scattershot Tyler Thigpen.

Thigpen got the start last week at Atlanta and at one point was 1-for-10 for minus-one yard and an interception. He would finish with three picks and a season QB rating of 38.3 after 69 attempts. Which means Huard will be making his second start this Sunday against the Broncos.

The 35-year-old Huard was rashly jerked in and out of the Week 2 loss to the Raiders as three separate times Edwards trotted out Hagans to take snaps in shotgun. The results were an illegal-shift penalty, two short runs and a 5-yard completion.

And if Edwards thinks all his QB problems will be solved when Croyle returns from injury, he should remember that of Croyle's first 250 NFL passes, six have resulted in touchdowns.

A Plax on both your houses

Suspending star wide receivers has been the surest way to guarantee success this season. John Fox suspended Steve Smith for two games for assaulting teammate Ken Lucas. The Panthers went 2-0 in those games and then promptly lost upon Smith's return to the lineup. The league suspended Brandon Marshall for one game and it so hamstrung the Broncos they barely squeaked by the Raiders, 41-14.

So Tom Coughlin is willing to give it a try. After Plaxico Burress logged an unexcused absence from practice earlier this week and didn't respond to attempts to reach him, Coughlin suspended him for two weeks. Getting suspended for the bye week must feel like a vacation for Plax since he hates practicing anyway, but missing out on a chance to put up big numbers at home against Seattle in Week 5 has to hurt. The loss of a game check will cost Burress over $230K, a sanction that agent Drew Rosenhaus — surprise! — is appealing for being too harsh.

Coughlin won it all in part by mellowing a bit last year, but he wants this suspension to serve as a reminder of who's the boss. After dominating the NFC title game, making the Super Bowl-winning TD catch and being his usual uncoverable self this season, it's easy to understand why Plax might have thought he was in charge.

If the Giants lose to the Seahawks in Week 5 and lose a game in the murderous NFC East standings in the process, Coughlin and Burress could both look like losers. Which is why it would come as no surprise if they work out some kind of arrangement that allows Plax to be on the field a week from Sunday.

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