Peter King – King’s Corner
Publication: Sports Illustrated
Date: November 24, 2003
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The production of running backs Tiki Barber and Priest Holmes over their seven-year careers is startlingly similar. Playing for the Ravens and now the Chiefs, Holmes has a combined 1,564 carries and catches for 8,502 total yards. The Giants’ Barber has 1,537 rushes and receptions for 8,551 yards. The glaring difference: Holmes has 11 fumbles, Barber 32.
STAR IN THE MAKING: Browns middle linebacker Andra Davis
Before the season Cleveland overhauled its linebacking corps, inserting three second-year players into the lineup: Ben Taylor and Kevin Bentley on the outside, and the 6’1″, 255-pound Davis in the middle. On Nov. 9 in Kansas City, Davis had his best day as a pro–four sacks, 14 tackles, one forced fumble, one pass broken up–and against the Cardinals on Sunday he had eight tackles. Last year middle linebacker Earl Holmes led Cleveland with 88 solo tackles; through 10 games this season Davis had a team-high 75.
MY TWO CENTS
1. How nuts is this? The Jets, who have played regular-season games at Oakland in five straight years (plus two more games there in the playoffs) without the Raiders ever visiting New York in that time, will travel to Oakland again in 2004 if both teams finish last in their respective divisions this year. Wasn’t the new schedule formula supposed to eliminate quirks like this?
2. The big problem for the 4-6 Bills? It took them too long to realize that they aren’t a deep-passing team. Buffalo should have been riding the legs of running back Travis Henry. –P.K.
