Dan Marino isn’t just losing weight, he’s losing records

Peter King has an article up this morning about Brett Favre’s pursuit of three of Marino’s passing records. Favre has played one less season than Marino has, and as long as he stays healthy he’s pretty much a lock to accomplish this. He already took over Marino in career completions last year, here’s where he stands on the next three records:

the 135 pass attempts, seven touchdown passes and 3,862 passing yards he needed to break Marino’s career records (8,358 attempts, 420 TDs and 61,361 yards)

King goes on to say that because of Marino’s lack of a championship these records mean even more to him. That makes sense I guess. Even if Favre wasn’t this close, Peyton Manning will most likely pass most of these records before he’s done anyways. I’d recommend taking a look at the article though, if for nothing other than the stat tables at he bottom. That 62,608 passing yards record Marino has is one of the most impressive numbers you’ll ever see in sports, just because it’s such a huge number.

Sunday NFL Preview

Here are a few things to watch today if you have NFL Sunday ticket and are surfing around for Panther alumns:

Arizona @ Atlanta 1:00 pm
Gerald Hayes leads the Arizona Cardinals with 18 tackles. Today his defense faces the top rusher in the NFC in Warrick Dunn. The Hayes-led D in Arizona hasn’t given up a 100 yard rusher yet this season, and this will be their biggest test so far. On the other side of the ball for the Cards, Larry Fitzgerald is going up against Dante Hall who is playing with a bruised calf that could slow him down. Could mean a big day for Larry in the dome in the ATL.

New Orleans @ Carolina 1:00 pm
Nick Goings looks to be back and active today as his thigh bruise has healed. DeAngelo Williams will most likely continue to get most of the second RB carries that Goings might have gotten last year, but Nick will probably see some time at FB.

Indianapolis @ New York Jets 1:00 pm
Kevan Barlow may have lost his starting job in New York this week, although some have started to specualte his calf injury he sustained before the end of the game las Sunday may be more serious than first let on. We’ll be watching closely to see if Kevan does get the start and how the carries are split up amongst the Jets’ three headed running back monster.

San Francisco @ Kansas City 1:00 pm
Shawntae Spencer could have a big day if the Chiefs are forced to throw the ball. KC starter Trent Green is still out and Damon Huard will be under center for the Chiefs. Antonio Bryant will try to snap the Chiefs perfect record so far this season of not allowing any passing touchdowns, although with the rookie Vernon Davis out with a broken leg, there will be more attention on Bryant from KC.

Cleveland @ Oakland 4:15 pm
Darnell Dinkins is still listed as questionable going into the game against the Raiders.
Green Bay @ Philadelphia 8:30 pm Monday
Brandon Miree was signed to the Packers’ 53-man roster earlier this week and the AP is reporting that he will be the starting fullback on Monday night in Philly. Quite a move up for Miree who was cut by Denver in the preseason.

News Roundup…Barlow, Moore, Miree and Goings

Lots of little news around the web dealing with Panther Alumns today, but not much that really needs its own full post. So here’s a quick roundup of what’s happening:

Kevan Barlow may be losing his short-lived grip on the starting running back position in New York:

HOT SEAT: RB Kevan Barlow. He’s losing ground quickly to rookie Leon Washington.

It’s just a quick blurb at the end of a story, but I think Washington’s catch and run ability is what’s causing the problems for Kevan. What got Kevan the lock on teh starter’s job originally was his experience but mostly his ability to pass block as well as pound the ball. If Washington improves his pass blocking, I think it’s probably only a matter of time.

Dave Moore is using the bye week in Tampa to heal his injured ribs, and Coach Gruden seems optimistic he will be back when the Buccaneers face the Saints in two weeks:

“Dave Moore has a chance to return for the New Orleans game”

Brandon Miree has been signed from the Packers practice squad and is now their second string fullback. His familiarity with the Packers style of blocking seems to have gotten him to Green Bay in the first place and now onto the active roster:

Brandon Miree was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster on Tuesday, giving the Packers a true backup to starting fullback William Henderson for the first time since Vonta Leach was cut on Sept. 12. The Packers had been using their tight ends as backup fullbacks the last two weeks.

The 6-foot, 236-pound Miree was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 4. He was a seventh-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2004, and spent his rookie season on injured reserve due to a broken thumb. Last season, he was on the Broncos’ practice squad, and was released at the end of training camp this summer.

In Miree, the Packers have another player experienced in the zone-blocking scheme being employed by first-year coach Mike McCarthy. The Broncos were one of the first teams to use zone blocking.

Nick Goings looks like he will be back for the Panthers this Sunday as they face New Orleans in a virtual must-win game:

Running back Nick Goings (thigh), cornerback Ken Lucas (neck) and wide receiver Steve Smith (hamstring) all practiced and are listed as probable.

Nick has been sidlined with his thigh injury since week 2.

Brandon Miree signed by Packers

The Green Bay Packers signed Brandon Miree to their practice squad. This article calls him a fullback:

The Packers also signed fullback Brandon Miree, who was released by the Denver Broncos. The 5-11, 237-pounder was a seventh-round draft pick in 2004 but missed all of his rookie year because of a broken thumb. He spent all of last season on Denver’s practice squad.

Miree is more of a running back that has moved to fullback, but I guess this is now his position full time. Given the Packers health at running back the last few years, this might have been a good place for Brandon to land and see some playing time eventually. The Packers love big backs, hopefully Brandon gets a real shot here.

Miree was released from Denver over the weekend