NFL

NFL teams have been practicing hard for about a week and already several have been hit by serious injuries.
Look no further than Atlanta where the Falcons lost wide receiver Harry Douglas to a knee injury. Douglas, who was expected to be the team’s slot receiver and who brought a needed dose of speed, is gone for the whole season.
Atlanta traded former slot receiver Laurent Robinson to the Rams in the offseason, so who will step into Douglas’s role is hard to determine. Veteran Brian Finneran could benefit. The Falcons also moved quickly to sign veterans Robert Ferguson and Marty Booker. I like Booker better, but Ferguson might fit better in the slot.
In Philadelphia the Eagles are looking for a starting middle linebacker now that Stewart Bradley is gone for 2009.
Joe Mays, who has played little in his short career, is listed as number two on the inside but don’t be surprised if former starting MLB Omar Gaither moves over from his backup OLB role. The Eagles also have former Charger starter Eric Wilhelm on the roster, though his previous starts came in a 3-4 alignment.
In Cleveland the Browns are holding out hope that guard Rex Hadnot will be back soon. He got hurt on Friday and it didn’t look good. There are veterans to step in, Eric Steinbach and Floyd Womack, but Hadnot was also expected to log some time at center.
The Bengals have been hit hard at tight end.
Powerful blocker Reggie Kelly is out for the season and backup Ben Utecht just suffered a concussion. Third teamer Daniel Coats also is ailing. Up next? Rookie Chase Coffman. Can he play at this point?
In Seattle the Seahawks are reshuffling their offensive line after the loss of veteran guard Mike Wahle, who called it a career after failing the team physical.
Rob Sims, Mansfield Wrotto (from Georgia Tech), rookie 2nd rounder Max Unger and OT Sean Locklear are all in the mix, though Locklear may be better used at RT or as insurance for gimpy left tackle Walter Jones.
In Oakland, Khalif Barnes was making a bid to start at LT but now that he’s out for a big chunk of the year the Raiders will probably rely on young Mario Henderson at LT and veteran Cornell Green at RT. Free agent Erik Pears might be in the mix and I believe that’s former Viking disappointment Marcus Johnson getting some reps as well.
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A few other notes
The Rams have former Auburn wide receiver Tim Carter on the roster. Carter is the poor man’s Donte Stallworth ... which is an incredibly funny concept.
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Former Georgia Bulldog cornerback Asher Allen is turning some heads in Minnesota, where he might earn the nickel back job by the starter.
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Gary Guyton of Georgia Tech went undrafted before last season but that didn’t keep him from contributing some quality work in New England. Guyton is back in the mix this year.
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The Patriots don’t make many personnel mistakes so it will be interesting see how they handle nose tackle Vince Wilfork’s contract situation. If they like what they see in rookie Ron Brace they might hardball Wilfork and either move him on now or let him leave next season. He’ll probably reup, but if not the Pats need to move him to rid themselves of what could be a major distraction.
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Jimmy Espy is a executive editor of the North Georgia Newspaper Group and a self-proclaimed NFL savant. He blogs on sports and other things at Espysoutpost@blogspot.com