Houston DE Gary Walker recorded his first two sacks of the season Sunday in their win over Cleveland. Walker had not played since week two because of an injured shoulder and coaches and teammates figured it would take him a little bit to get up to speed. Looks like they were wrong. His second sack came at an opportune time. With about a minute left in the game and Cleveland trailing by three, the Browns had the ball on a 3 rd and 9 at the Houston 38 yard line. Walker sacked Dilfer for a nine yard loss and Cleveland failed to convert the 4th and 17 play. Game over…

It was not only Walker's first sacks of the season, it was his first sack since the last game of 2002. And believe it or not, the two sacks ties Walker for the team lead this season…

Browns CB Leigh Bodden immediately had a big impact starting in place of the injured Gary Baxter. Bodden had 6-4 tackles and an interception. With Baxter out for the season, Bodden represents a good pickup in leagues starting two corners…

Speaking of cornerbacks, if for some reason Bears CB Charles Tillman is still available in your league, grab him. He continues to be one of the most productive corners in IDP leagues and is making a big impact on the field as well…

On Sunday, Tillman had 6-1 tackles, but it was his interception return for a touchdown in overtime that gave the Bears a 19-13 win over Detroit. Tillman has interceptions in three of his last four games…

Ex-USC DT Shaun Cody had his first NFL start in place of the injured Shaun Rogers. It was Cody's tackle that forced a fumble from the Bears, which teammate Kalimba Edwards recovered. It stopped a Bears drive deep in Lion territory and helped push the game into overtime. Cody had 3-0 tackles for the day, all coming in the fourth quarter…

After having little impact with the Colts from 1997-2000, Cardinals DE Bertrand Berry moved to Denver. He finally became a starter in 2003 and hasn't looked back since. He had 11.5 sacks in 2003 and bumped that up to 14.5 last season. He also had 49 total tackles last year…

This year, the 30-year-old Berry has stepped it up another notch. He's on pace for over 70 total tackles and with two more sacks on Sunday, Berry has seven for the season. The league leaders have eight sacks…

Dallas cornerback Anthony Henry has proven to be a solid addition for the 'Boys after coming over from Cleveland in the offseason. He's been a steady defender and playmaker. He had 6-0 tackles and his third interception of the season in Sunday's win…

Bengals free safety Madieu Williams was officially placed on the team's injured reserve list and will miss the rest of the season. Kevin Kaesviharn has moved over from the strong safety spot to take Williams spot as free safety. Veteran Ifyeani Ohalete now becomes the starter at strong safety. Before you go out and jump on Ohalete, take notice. With the Bengals defensive schemes, it seems like the free safety makes all the tackles. On Sunday, Kaesviharn had 8-2 tackles while Ohalete had 4-0…

For IDP owners, Vikings CB Fred Smoot had a great day. He had a season-high 9-1 tackles in a loss to Carolina. But the reality is that Smoot had an awful day by NFL standards, as Panther WR Steve Smith absolutely ate him up. Smoot was beaten in just about every conceivable way by Smith. He also was called for four penalties while trying to defend Smith…

Smoot had apparently been talking trash incessantly prior to the game and Smith made him eat his words and then some. His miserable day ended early mercifully as a strained shoulder forced Smoot out of the game in the fourth quarter…

Raider linebackers Danny Clark and rookie Kirk Morrison continue to put up consistent tackle numbers week in and week out. On Sunday, the duo had a combined 11-8 tackles. Clark led the charge with 7-5 tackles and added a sack, his fifth of the season…

Titans rookie CB Reynaldo Hill started in place of the injured Andre Woolfolk Sunday, and now has been declared starter even upon Woolfolk's return to active duty. Coach Jeff Fisher made the announcement Monday…

Hill has been making plays, including his 52-yard interception return for the score Sunday against Oakland. Hill, how was a seventh round pick for Tennessee in last year's draft, also had 4-2 tackles. It was his second straight game with an interception and Fisher wanted to reward Hill for his aggressiveness on the field. It's also a clear indictment against Woolfolk's progression as a starter…

Woolfolk is not expected back this week anyway and will play in the nickel package upon his return…

Rams CB Corey Ivy already has more tackles in eight games this season than he's had in any year, despite being in the league since 1999. Injuries to starters Jerametrius Butler and Travis Fisher have provided opportunities for Ivy and DeJuan Groce, although Ivy is the one who has really shined…

Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio said that newly acquired LB Jamie Winborn would start playing more. Del Rio apparently has not been pleased with the play of linebackers Daryl Smith and Akin Ayodele. Some have long hinted that Ayodele might eventually be replaced, so this could be cause for concern. Smith, although a heady player, also has made his share of mistakes. But my money is on Winborn playing in Ayodele's place more often than not…

It seemed only a matter of time before some Redskins strong safety made a move to take a stranglehold on the starting job. It looks like Ryan Clark has made such a move. Clark got the start Sunday in a thrashing by Giants. Clark had 11-0 tackles and an interception…

Michael Strahan is ageless. The soon-to-be 34 yard old Giants DE had another sack Sunday and has 6.5 on the season. He also had 4-0 tackles and remains a top 10 DE in most IDP leagues…

Rookie Chargers LB Shawn Merriman's play has been just plain nasty lately. In his second career NFL start Sunday, Merriman had two sacks, one of which forced a fumble from Chiefs QB Trent Green. Merriman added 4-1 tackles and has four sacks in his last four games. He also put a hit on RB Priest Holmes that caused a mild concussion…

Chief's LB James "Boomer" Grigsby has been playing a little bit lately, albeit on special teams. A fifth round pick in last year's draft, most thought there wasn't a place for Grigsby on the roster, with the addition of Kendrell Bell, rookie Derrick Johnson and Keyaron Fox on the team. But Fox is out for the season and Bell has not had a good year, so Grigsby could see an increase in playing time. Not sure what, if anything, it will mean this season, but I've always liked Grigsby and he's one to keep an eye out for in the future…

Saints LB Courtney Watson lost his starting job to 32 year old Ron McKinnon Sunday due to Watson's DWI arrest last week. McKinnon had 7-1 tackles. McKinnon used to be a prolific tackler and if given the opportunity could make a solid pickup for your team for the rest of this season…

Saints rookie Josh Bullocks, considered one of the best safeties in the most recent draft, found his way into the starting lineup and has been increasingly productive. He had his best game yet Sunday with a season and NFL career high 7-1 tackles…

Hold the Presses! Dolphins LB Zach Thomas had 2-0 tackles in Sunday's win over the Saints. That's not a typo. No, Thomas was not hurt early in the first quarter. With the Saint running backs and tight ends only touching the ball a combined total of 13 times all game, the linebackers were not needed as much. I couldn't find a game log going back far enough to find out when a healthy Thomas had so few tackles. But it's the first time he's had less than eleven this year…

The Bryant Young resurgence continues: The former All-Pro DE for San Francisco had two more sacks Sunday and now has eight for the season, tied for the league high. It nearly matches the total sacks Young had earned the previous three seasons combined. It was Young's third multiple sack game this season…

Denver CB Lenny Walls was placed on the reserve-injured list and Denver will release him in a few weeks. Walls began the season as the starter opposite Champ Bailey. He first lost his starting job and then missed last game due to an injured groin. Rookie Darrent Williams took Walls place as a starter and has played very well. Another rookie, Dominique Foxworth, has also played well and is involved in the nickel. The play of Williams and Foxworth has made Walls expendable…

Steelers LB Clark Haggans started the year with a sack in each of the first three games. He missed the following three games due to injury but came back Sunday and started where he left off…with another sack…

With LB Ray Lewis and SS Ed Reed out with injuries, the Baltimore Ravens were forced to play others. It turns out it might not have been such a bad thing. LB Tommy Polley moved from the WLB to MLB. Bart Scott went from the bench to the starting WLB. Chad Williams played in place of Ed Reed. The end result was a very impressive display by that trio, as Scott pressured Roethlisberger constantly and Polley called the shots and roamed the field. Polley ended with a team and season-high 7-2 tackles. Lewis is expected to miss three more games…

Until next week…

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