The Dominoes’ 1951 chart topper “Sixty Minute Man” was one of the first R&B albums to gain mass appeal as a pop hit, playing a pivotal role in shaping rock and roll. It will never be used as Dez Bryant’s entrance music.
Bryant has been the Cowboys’ thirty-minute man, failing to record a second-half catch for the third time in five games at New England in Week 6. In fact, he’s recorded just two catches for 50 yards in four second-halves this season. What’s bizarre is that Bryant has often looked unstoppable in traffic and after the catch in first halves. Reacting to Bryant fighting through tackles and refusing to go down in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, FOX color analyst Troy Aikman declared, "I've never seen anything like it." Bryant was shut out after Aikman’s praise, drawing just two targets the rest of the way.
Without the coaches’ tape, we can’t say with any confidence whether Bryant was open or not, but there were multiple occasions where Tony Romo should have looked his way against one-on-one coverage. Although Bryant was visibly frustrated on the Dallas sideline, he downplayed the issue after the game.
"You have to understand who we have on this offense," Bryant said by way of explanation. "We have a lot of great players. Each and every last one of us can make plays. Whenever our number is called on, we just have to do our job. That's it."
When asked if the Patriots tried a different strategy in the second half, Bryant turned to temmate Kevin Ogletree. "They were playing the same coverages, right?" Bryant asked. After Ogletree nodded his head in the affirmative, Bryant responded, "Same coverages throughout the game."
Whether it’s the result of poor conditioning, lingering soreness in his quad, or a Romo connection that needs tightening, Bryant is a good bet to reverse the trend next week against a Rams defense that has allowed the most points to opposing fantasy receivers. First-half game tape shows that his acceleration and physicality after the catch may be the most impressive the league has seen since Terrell Owens was in his prime. If the second half can catch up, Bryant will be a difference-maker the rest of the way.
Game Balls
Frank Gore - Alex Smith couldn’t move the offense through the air, so the Niners turned to Gore for a season-high 141 yards. According to ESPN Stats & Info, 138 of those yards came between the tackles as the 49ers took advantage of an aggressive Detroit pass rush. The offensive line opened lanes wide enough that Gore averaged 8.3 yards before first contact on rushes up the middle. After failing to top 60 rushing yards in each of the first three weeks, Gore has exceeded 125 in each of the past three at 8.74 yards per carry. He’s back in the top-12 among fantasy backs entering the Week 7 bye.
Fred Jackson - His fan club once consisted of just Rotoworld’s Gregg Rosenthal and the folks at Pro Football Focus. Now Jackson has NFL Network calling him the game’s most underrated player on a weekly basis. He broke off a career-high 80-yard touchdown run against the Giants, the longest by a Bills back since Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas in 1990. F-Jax remains fantasy’s No. 1 back with his third game over 160 yards in the past four weeks. C.J. Spiller, considered a threat to Jackson’s job in August, didn’t receive a single carry and played the majority of his snaps at receiver.
Michael Turner - Despite underwhelming game film and a per-carry average of 2.75 over the past three weeks, Matchups guru Evan Silva warned that Turner would score “multiple touchdowns” against Carolina’s laughable run defense. The Panthers couldn’t handle Turner’s power, and the result was 139 yards and two touchdowns behind a 35:22 run-to-pass ratio. Turner has positive matchups against the Lions and Colts wrapped around the Week 8 bye. He’ll be a prime “sell” after the Week 9 game at Indy.
Rashard Mendenhall - Give yourself the Barry Horowitz pat on the back treatment if you bought low on Mendenhall last week. Max Starks’ return has stabilized a once-crumbling offensive line, and Mendenhall proved to be over his hamstring injury with a brilliant open-field first-half run of 68 yards. Mendenhall ended up gashing the Jaguars for 146 yards and a touchdown despite entering the game with just 173 yards on the season.
Jimmy Graham / Marques Colston - In just his third season of organized football, Graham has emerged as the most dynamic tight end in the NFL. With a team-high 124 yards on seven receptions and 11 targets, Graham joined future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez as the only tight ends in history with 100+ yards in four consecutive games.
While Graham stole the headlines, Colston reclaimed his No. 1 wide receiver role with a series of remarkable catches -- including a 38-yard touchdown and a 31-yarder in heavy traffic at the end of the second quarter to salvage a field goal. Colston is back to every-week starter status just in time for a matchup against a Colts defense that hasn’t come close to stopping big, physical receivers this season.
Aaron Rodgers - Despite three first-half touchdowns and 11.1 yards per attempt, Rodgers’ passer rating actually dropped to 122.5 after Sunday’s game. Last week, Rodgers became the first quarterback in NFL history to start a season with five straight games of a 110+ passer rating. Behind a 119.6 rating against the Rams, he extended that record to six. Rodgers is the offensive MVP to Ravens DT Haloti Ngata’s defensive MVP after six weeks.
Hard Luck Story
Mario Manningham’s bad luck reached comic proportions with four near touchdowns against the Bills. Cornerback Drayton Florence grabbed him from behind for a pass interference call on what would have been a sure score. Manningham bounced back with a 7-yard touchdown only to have it overturned when replay showed that his knee touched down just shy of the stripe. He came back with yet another end-zone grab only to have it ruled a non-catch when the ball was ripped out of his hands after he hit the ground. Manningham had one last chance for a score late in the game only to have the ball knocked away at the goal-line. On the verge of a breakout, Manningham is a nice buy-low target entering the Week 7 bye.
By rule, Eli Manning shared in Manningham’s hard luck story. The passing game’s pain was Ahmad Bradshaw’s gain, though. Against a defense missing three key starters, Bradshaw scored on a trio of identical 1-yard runs with a lead blocker paving the way behind a stacked offensive line.
The hard luck of Roddy White and Matt Ryan didn’t reach Manningham proportions, but the two did draw two defensive pass interference calls in the end zone setting up first-and-goals on both occasions. Though disappointing for fantasy purposes, Ryan produced a season-high 92.5 Total QBR. It’s interesting to note that Ryan’s 12 games with a QBR of 90 or higher are the second-most in the NFL since the start of the 2008 season.
The Dominoes’ 1951 chart topper “Sixty Minute Man” was one of the first R&B albums to gain mass appeal as a pop hit, playing a pivotal role in shaping rock and roll. It will never be used as Dez Bryant’s entrance music.
Bryant has been the Cowboys’ thirty-minute man, failing to record a second-half catch for the third time in five games at New England in Week 6. In fact, he’s recorded just two catches for 50 yards in four second-halves this season. What’s bizarre is that Bryant has often looked unstoppable in traffic and after the catch in first halves. Reacting to Bryant fighting through tackles and refusing to go down in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, FOX color analyst Troy Aikman declared, "I've never seen anything like it." Bryant was shut out after Aikman’s praise, drawing just two targets the rest of the way.
Without the coaches’ tape, we can’t say with any confidence whether Bryant was open or not, but there were multiple occasions where Tony Romo should have looked his way against one-on-one coverage. Although Bryant was visibly frustrated on the Dallas sideline, he downplayed the issue after the game.
"You have to understand who we have on this offense," Bryant said by way of explanation. "We have a lot of great players. Each and every last one of us can make plays. Whenever our number is called on, we just have to do our job. That's it."
When asked if the Patriots tried a different strategy in the second half, Bryant turned to temmate Kevin Ogletree. "They were playing the same coverages, right?" Bryant asked. After Ogletree nodded his head in the affirmative, Bryant responded, "Same coverages throughout the game."
Whether it’s the result of poor conditioning, lingering soreness in his quad, or a Romo connection that needs tightening, Bryant is a good bet to reverse the trend next week against a Rams defense that has allowed the most points to opposing fantasy receivers. First-half game tape shows that his acceleration and physicality after the catch may be the most impressive the league has seen since Terrell Owens was in his prime. If the second half can catch up, Bryant will be a difference-maker the rest of the way.
Game Balls
Frank Gore - Alex Smith couldn’t move the offense through the air, so the Niners turned to Gore for a season-high 141 yards. According to ESPN Stats & Info, 138 of those yards came between the tackles as the 49ers took advantage of an aggressive Detroit pass rush. The offensive line opened lanes wide enough that Gore averaged 8.3 yards before first contact on rushes up the middle. After failing to top 60 rushing yards in each of the first three weeks, Gore has exceeded 125 in each of the past three at 8.74 yards per carry. He’s back in the top-12 among fantasy backs entering the Week 7 bye.
Fred Jackson - His fan club once consisted of just Rotoworld’s Gregg Rosenthal and the folks at Pro Football Focus. Now Jackson has NFL Network calling him the game’s most underrated player on a weekly basis. He broke off a career-high 80-yard touchdown run against the Giants, the longest by a Bills back since Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas in 1990. F-Jax remains fantasy’s No. 1 back with his third game over 160 yards in the past four weeks. C.J. Spiller, considered a threat to Jackson’s job in August, didn’t receive a single carry and played the majority of his snaps at receiver.
Michael Turner - Despite underwhelming game film and a per-carry average of 2.75 over the past three weeks, Matchups guru Evan Silva warned that Turner would score “multiple touchdowns” against Carolina’s laughable run defense. The Panthers couldn’t handle Turner’s power, and the result was 139 yards and two touchdowns behind a 35:22 run-to-pass ratio. Turner has positive matchups against the Lions and Colts wrapped around the Week 8 bye. He’ll be a prime “sell” after the Week 9 game at Indy.
Rashard Mendenhall - Give yourself the Barry Horowitz pat on the back treatment if you bought low on Mendenhall last week. Max Starks’ return has stabilized a once-crumbling offensive line, and Mendenhall proved to be over his hamstring injury with a brilliant open-field first-half run of 68 yards. Mendenhall ended up gashing the Jaguars for 146 yards and a touchdown despite entering the game with just 173 yards on the season.
Jimmy Graham / Marques Colston - In just his third season of organized football, Graham has emerged as the most dynamic tight end in the NFL. With a team-high 124 yards on seven receptions and 11 targets, Graham joined future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez as the only tight ends in history with 100+ yards in four consecutive games.
While Graham stole the headlines, Colston reclaimed his No. 1 wide receiver role with a series of remarkable catches -- including a 38-yard touchdown and a 31-yarder in heavy traffic at the end of the second quarter to salvage a field goal. Colston is back to every-week starter status just in time for a matchup against a Colts defense that hasn’t come close to stopping big, physical receivers this season.
Aaron Rodgers - Despite three first-half touchdowns and 11.1 yards per attempt, Rodgers’ passer rating actually dropped to 122.5 after Sunday’s game. Last week, Rodgers became the first quarterback in NFL history to start a season with five straight games of a 110+ passer rating. Behind a 119.6 rating against the Rams, he extended that record to six. Rodgers is the offensive MVP to Ravens DT Haloti Ngata’s defensive MVP after six weeks.
Hard Luck Story
Mario Manningham’s bad luck reached comic proportions with four near touchdowns against the Bills. Cornerback Drayton Florence grabbed him from behind for a pass interference call on what would have been a sure score. Manningham bounced back with a 7-yard touchdown only to have it overturned when replay showed that his knee touched down just shy of the stripe. He came back with yet another end-zone grab only to have it ruled a non-catch when the ball was ripped out of his hands after he hit the ground. Manningham had one last chance for a score late in the game only to have the ball knocked away at the goal-line. On the verge of a breakout, Manningham is a nice buy-low target entering the Week 7 bye.
By rule, Eli Manning shared in Manningham’s hard luck story. The passing game’s pain was Ahmad Bradshaw’s gain, though. Against a defense missing three key starters, Bradshaw scored on a trio of identical 1-yard runs with a lead blocker paving the way behind a stacked offensive line.
The hard luck of Roddy White and Matt Ryan didn’t reach Manningham proportions, but the two did draw two defensive pass interference calls in the end zone setting up first-and-goals on both occasions. Though disappointing for fantasy purposes, Ryan produced a season-high 92.5 Total QBR. It’s interesting to note that Ryan’s 12 games with a QBR of 90 or higher are the second-most in the NFL since the start of the 2008 season.
Hot Stove Tracker
The Broncos take center stage with the trade deadline looming on Tuesday. Brandon Lloyd is being shopped hard, Eddie Royal has reportedly requested a trade, and Kyle Orton’s name has surfaced as a possible solution to Jason Campbell’s absence in Oakland. Despite a Denver Post report that the Broncos have yet to receive an offer of more than a seventh-round pick in exchange for Lloyd, NFL Network’s Michale Lombardi gives a trade a 90 percent chance of going down. SI.com’s Peter King puts the odds at 60 percent.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirms that the Rams have had "several conversations" with the Broncos regarding Lloyd. Coordinator Josh McDaniels turned Lloyd’s career around last season, and Sam Bradford desperately needs a reliable playmaker. A free agent after the season, Lloyd would only make sense for the winless Rams if he was immediately handed a long-term deal.
At one point Sunday, the 49ers were showing the “strongest interest,” though reliable beat writer Matt Maiocco cautions that dealing a mid-round pick for Lloyd would “not be consistent with team philosophy.” The Patriots and Titans have also been connected to Lloyd in multiple reports.
Update: NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora reports Lloyd will indeed be dealt to the Rams.
Royal is considered far less likely to be traded, and Orton made it clear Sunday that he hasn’t asked for a trade out of Denver. The Broncos won’t be turning back to Orton outside of an emergency situation and would presumably prefer to dump the $5 million left on his salary if possible.
The Raiders may be an option for Orton, but Plan A is an aggressive push for Carson Palmer. Coach Hue Jackson knows Palmer and Bengals owner Mike Brown from his stint in Cincinnati. He’s going to have to do some hard selling to get the obstinate Brown to budge from his oft-repeated stance that Palmer won’t be awarded freedom after refusing to play for the Bengals. King doubts any team would trade a future second-rounder for Palmer considering his dropoff in play the past few years, but the Raiders may be just desperate enough to part with a conditional 2013 second- or third-rounder. Oakland doesn’t have picks in Rounds 2-4 next season.
Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones told NBC’s Alex Flanagan that he would consider dealing Tashard Choice, but that was before Felix Jones was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain. At this point, it’s hard to believe Choice would bring enough in return to be worth parting with veteran depth.
After going from starter in Week 5 to a healthy scratch in Week 6, Bears SS Chris Harris will formally request a trade Monday. It’s hard to imagine Harris bringing back more than a conditional seventh-round pick after he was humiliated on Monday Night Football against the Lions.
Peyton Hillis would seem to be a long shot for a trade after tweaking his hamstring in Sunday’s game, but it’s a situation to monitor. Hillis’ playing time and effectiveness have tailed off since sitting out Week 4 on the advice of his third agent in four months. The team first announced that Hillis was sidelined for coaching reasons on Sunday before clarifying the hamstring injury. While we don't want to blow that out of proportion, there may be more here than meets the eye considering the events of the past few weeks.
Quarterback Roulette
Raiders - With Jason Campbell (collarbone) done for the season, the 4-2 Raiders are at a QB crossroads with just journeyman Kyle Boller and raw rookie Terrelle Pryor on the roster. As mentioned above, the first priority is to make a run at Carson Palmer. Fallback options may include a Kyle Orton trade or simply signing David Garrard off the street. NFL.com analyst Pat Kirwin notes Bill Belichick’s trade history with Oakland, though Brian Hoyer would be a reach as a first-time starter in a new offense. The bottom line is that Raiders realize they’re no longer contender with Boller at the helm.
Redskins - Coach Mike Shanahan won’t make a decision on a starter until Wednesday, but you can bet the ranch that John Beck will overtake Rex Grossman as the starter. The Shanahans spent the offseason professing their love for Beck, and Grossman turned into a pumpkin right on schedule in Week 6. While the Shanahan scheme is QB-friendly, Beck doesn’t have the talent to be more than a QB2 going forward. Losing the left side of his offensive line won’t help.
Vikings - Coach Leslie Frazier and his staff will review the game tape Monday before deciding whether to replace an ineffective Donovan McNabb with rookie Christian Ponder. Frazier thought Ponder did a “good job under the circumstances” after taking over at the start of the fourth quarter. Much like Kyle Orton in Denver, McNabb isn’t the long-term answer -- and can no longer be sold as a better short-term option than the younger quarterback. The 1-5 Vikes owe it to their future to find out if Ponder can play.
Committee Time
Cowboys - DeMarco Murray: 11 touches, 39 yards / Tashard Choice: 8 touches, 30 yards / Felix Jones: 10 touches, 33 yards
Jones went down with a high-ankle sprain in the second quarter, leaving rookie Murray to handle lead-back duties with Choice playing more on passing downs. Murray was the better runner of the two backups and should see the majority of the touches in attractive matchups against the Rams and Eagles the next two weeks. Even with LG Bill Nagy (ankle) out for the season, Murray should be a top waiver addition this week.
Patriots - BenJarvus Green-Ellis: 15 touches, 69 yards / Danny Woodhead: 6 touches, 29 yards / Stevan Ridley: 3 touches, 19 yards
Ridley started at tailback and handled feature-back duties on the first drive ostensibly becauseGreen-Ellis was limited in two practices and missed one entirely. When push came to shove in a tight game, though, Bill Belichick leaned on BJGE from quarters two through four. A changing of the guard is not imminent as the Pats head into a bye week.
Saints - Darren Sproles: 9 touches, 62 yards / Mark Ingram: 10 touches, 28 yards, TD / Pierre Thomas: 8 touches, 16 yards
Interesting note from Pro Football Focus’ Mike Clay: Despite their disparate yards-per-carry figures, all three Saints backs entered the game with the same 3.0 Median run. Sproles remains the passing-down stalwart, going over five receptions for the sixth straight game. Thomas is averaging just 2.07 yards per carry the past two weeks while Ingram has scored in three of the past four games.
Panthers - Jonathan Stewart: 10 touches, 72 yards, TD / DeAngelo Williams: 13 touches, 46 yards
A more explosive Stewart racked up 7.2 yards per touch while Williams was consistently stuffed for a 3.54 average. Stewart is clearly the better talent here, but the Panthers aren’t going to banish Williams to the bench after handing him $21 million guaranteed in July. Both players are mere flex options for the near future.
Redskins - Ryan Torain: 10 touches, 22 yards / Roy Helu: 4 touches, 17 yards / Tim Hightower: Didn’t play
Hightower was active but didn't play due to his shoulder injury. Torain fell flat in a juicy matchup, but didn't have much of a chance after the Redskins fell behind early. Helu played as the third-down back, and coach Mike Shanahan confirmed that Hightower will continue to be an “emergency” third-stringer until the shoulder injury is fully recovered. Expect Torain to bounce back next week against a Panthers defense allowing the most fantasy points opposing backs.
Packers - James Starks: 15 touches, 66 yards / Ryan Grant: 11 touches, 52 yards
Grant got the “start” again and was again outplayed by Starks while the two alternated series. Barring injury, this will continue to be a fairly even split. There’s little upside here in an offense dominated by the passing game.
Colts - Donald Brown: 7 touches, 51 yards, TD / Delone Carter: 14 touches, 45 yards
Brown outplayed a plodding Carter for the second straight game. Carter started and continues to handle rare goal-line opportunities, but Brown is handling third-down duties and showing better playmaking ability on the ground. From what we’ve seen the past two weeks, Brown is the better flex play should Joseph Addai (hamstring) miss Week 7 against the Saints.
Injury Ward
Jason Campbell - Collarbone
Sam Bradford - Ankle
Peyton Hillis - Hamstring
Felix Jones - AnkleJahvid Best - Concussion
Tim Hightower - Shoulder
Cadillac Williams - Knee
Devin Hester - Chest
Chris Cooley - Finger
Troy Polamalu - Concussion?
Check out Matt Stroup’s “Felix = Frustration” for in-depth analysis of Sunday’s M*A*S*H unit fallout.
Awards Section
Stat of the Week: Behind Tom Brady’s 32nd game-winning, fourth-quarter victory, the Pats’ duo of Brady and Bill Belichick joined Dan Marino and Don Shula for the most career wins (116) by a quarterback-coach tandem. Brady and Belichick reached the mark in 35 fewer games, giving the Patriots pair the best winning percentage in history. The Patriots could go winless in two straight seasons and still have a better mark than the Dolphins’ duo.
Runner-Up: Alex Smith has already notched three game-winning, fourth-quarter comeback drives in a road game through mid-October. With four in 1989 and three in 1990, Joe Montana is the only other 49ers QB to accomplish that feat in a single season.
Second Runner-Up: Mike Wallace is the first player since Terrell Owens in 2004 with a 40-yard reception in five straight games.
Third Runner-Up: Visiting teams have combined for 14 false-start penalties over the past two games at a jacked-up Ford Field in Detroit.
Quote of the Week: From Dolphins headcase Brandon Marshall on Monday night’s matchup with the Jets: “I'm just going to let it out. I don't care if they have two or three cameras on me, I don't care if I have penalties, it doesn't matter. I don't know if it's throwing a football 15 yards in the bleachers and getting a 15-yard (penalty), or punting the ball and getting thrown out of the game, something's going to happen. I'll probably get kicked out after the second quarter. … No, I'm not joking. I'm serious. They're going to fine me. ... That quarter-and-a-half I'm out there, I'm going to play like a monster. I might get in a fight with Bart Scott, (Antonio) Cromartie -- we used to fight in Denver and San Diego. If that happens, that happens."
Runner-Up: Penn State coach Joe Paterno, recalling a time when Al Davis offered him a job in Oakland: "When Al got the job (with the Raiders), he called me to be his offensive coordinator. I told Al, 'You and I would have trouble getting along, because I am smarter than you are.'"
Second Runner-Up: Plaxico Burress, responding to ex-teammate Derrick Mason’s statement that the Jets can’t worry about 4-1 Buffalo, “They’ve got good wings.”
Tweet of the Week: From @greggrosenthal of Profootballtalk and Rotoworld on washed-up stars coming out of the woodwork for Detroit’s big week: “I would rather eat at Applebee's with Chris Berman and Jesse Palmer than watch Tim Allen's show.”
Runner-Up: Rex Grossman tie. From Cindy Boren of the Washington Post: "’What was Rex Grossman thinking on that throw?’ I've heard that 47 times and it's only Week 6. Beck warming up!” From Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com: “John Beck warming up for Redskins. No idea why. That Grossman-to-Coleman thing is working, baby.”
Fantasy MVP of Week 6: Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants
Fantasy Breakout Player of Week 6: Earnest Graham, Buccaneers
Fantasy Rookie of Week 6: A.J. Green, Bengals
Fantasy Disappointment of Week 6: Ryan Torain, Redskins
Fantasy Fraud of Week 6: Felix Jones, Cowboys
Fantasy Fluke of Week 6: Jerome Simpson, Bengals
Fine Fifteen Fantasy Offenses
1. Patriots
2. Eagles
3. Packers
4. Saints
5. Lions
6. Cowboys
7. Giants
8. Panthers
9. Chargers
10. Steelers
11. Texans
12. Falcons
13. Ravens
14. Bills
15. Cardinals
Early Waiver Look
QB: Sam Bradford, John Beck, David Garrard, Carson Palmer, Christian Ponder, Kyle Orton, Curtis Painter, Kyle Boller
RB: DeMarco Murray, Maurice Morris, Montario Hardesty, Tashard Choice, Donald Brown
WR: Danario Alexander, Demaryius Thomas, Greg Salas, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Torrey Smith, Jerome Simpson
TE: Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Jake Ballard
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter.