Whelihan Replaces Leaf as Starter
Rookie Ryan Leaf was benched on Monday after yet another poor performance, and the San Diego Charger starting quarterback job was given to Craig Whelihan for Sunday’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Leaf has been pulled from games three times this season, including Sunday’s 27-10 loss at Denver in which he was four for 15 for 26 yards. Whelihan, 0-7 as a starter for the Chargers last season, was 13 for 23 for 113 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers are 3-6.
“We need a little spark and I’m hoping Craig can do some things and make some plays to get us going,” Charger Coach June Jones said.
Leaf, who received an $11.25 million signing bonus as the second overall selection in last April’s NFL draft, has thrown for two touchdowns while being intercepted 13 times. Leaf’s passing rating of 39.9 is the lowest in the NFL.
“It’s gonna be weird not being the starter,” Leaf said. “Hopefully we’ll turn this into a positive.”
*
Indianapolis Colt fullback Craig “Ironhead” Heyward was upbeat Monday as he faced surgery this week for a benign tumor at the base of his skull.
Doctors discovered a small growth last week after Heyward complained of blurred vision in his right eye. He underwent an MRI and CAT scan, and tests showed the tumor is pressing on the optic nerve.
“I’m always in a good mood,” he said. “It’s out of my hands, I can’t control it. It [the surgery] is something we have to do.”
*
Jacksonville Jaguar Coach Tom Coughlin said the groin injury that kept quarterback Mark Brunell out for the second half of Sunday’s 24-11 victory over Cincinnati likely would cause him to be less than 100% in practice by midweek, if he practices at all.
“I’d say he’s day-to-day,” Coughlin said.
*
Even though Paul Justin completed seven of 10 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in Cincinnati’s loss to Jacksonville, he’ll remain the team’s No. 3 quarterback behind Neil O’Donnell and Jeff Blake, Coach Bruce Coslet said.
Bengal linebacker James Francis had arthroscopic surgery for torn cartilage in his right knee and will be sidelined two or three games.
NFC / Vikings Still Have Hope for Cunningham
The Minnesota Vikings may be down to their third-string quarterback on Sunday unless veteran Randall Cunningham can come back from arthroscopic surgery in less than a week.
Cunningham, 35, twisted his right knee in the first quarter of last Sunday’s 31-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints and underwent arthroscopic surgery Monday. The team said he still might be able to play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
But the Vikings (8-1) will definitely be without quarterback Brad Johnson for at least four games after he suffered a broken right thumb after replacing the injured Cunningham. Third-string quarterback Jay Fiedler has played two games and thrown only four passes in three NFL seasons.
*
Chicago Bear Coach Dave Wannstedt woke up Monday hoping Curtis Enis’ season-ending knee injury was just a bad dream.
No such luck. With quarterback Erik Kramer still nursing a strained rotator cuff, reality for Wannstedt and the Bears (3-6) is worse than any nightmare these days. “It’s tough,” Wannstedt said. “We were going to be jumping on his back and having him carry us for two or three games down the stretch.”
Enis will be sidelined the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Sunday’s 20-12 loss to the St. Louis Rams. It was the first NFL start for Enis, the fifth overall pick of the 1998 draft.