Annnnnnnnnnd … we’re off! Week 1 saw several All-Pro players go down with impactful injuries and a flurry of roster activity as teams settled into the season. We focus this week on the longer term injuries, but there is plenty of short-term churn as well, perhaps most notably in Emmitt Smith, Thurman Thomas, Jim Brown, and Lance Alworth all missing their team’s games next week.
#AAA
While the Emperors will be missing 3 WRs for their game next week, only All-Pro John Jefferson is out for any length of time. Still, his absence will hurt more than that of CB Brandon Flowers, whose role will be filled by Tarell Brown in nickle/dime situations.
#BEI
Beijing had a good opening game, but it was costly: OL Demar Dotson and DL Lee Roy Selmon are both out for 2 months, and RB Roy Helu, Jr. and DB Ken Houston are likely done for the year. There is plenty of depth at RB and Jon Runyan should cover well for Dotson, but Selmon and Houston’s absence will be felt as the Red Stars turn to Michael Johnson and Rodney McLeod respectively.
#BER
Starting OL Kyle Long may be gone for the rest of the season. Look for Andy Levitre and Wayne Gandy to take up the slack.
#DUB
With WR Andre Johnson out for around 3 months, this could finally be the time for Don Hutson to make good on the flashes of promise he showed in Year I.
#IST
The curse of playing on Istanbul’s DL remains: Dwight White, LaMarr Woodley, Haloti Ngata, and L.C. Greenwood will all miss time, but only Ngata (2 months) and Greenwood (3-4 months) look to miss a significant number of games. Look for Brett Keisel, Justin Bannan, Charles Johnson, and Jack Wiley will all see time on the DL in the Janissaries’ next game.
#LOM
Thomas is only out for a week–and Marshall Faulk proved a more-than-capable fill-in for him. But a starting lineman on each side of the ball is out for much longer, with OL Ruben Brown and DL Marcell Dareus each looking to miss around 3 months of action. Brown will be replaced by Cody Wichmann with Dareus’s injury giving more time to Merlin Olsen and Cody Jones.
#NYG
Just like last year, LB Brad Van Pelt couldn’t make it out of the 1st game, Unfortunately for New York, neither could OL Tony Boselli or TE Jeremy Shockey. Look for Geno Hayes and Will Beatty to benefit most from additional playing time, while TE will remain a mystery for a while for the Royal Giants.
#ROM
Starting QB Andrew Luck will miss the next 3 games for Rome, opening the door yet again for Peyton Manning. If Manning continues to be as ineffective as he was in Year I and in finishing out game 1 this year, Earl Morrall could get a chance at QB as well.
#SFO
The Sea Lions were hit hard in week 1: WRs Terrell Owens and Stevie Johnson are out for 1 and 2 months respectively, but the real damage was done to the offensive line, where 3 starters (Joe Staley, Willie Roaf, and Mike Iupati) are all out for between 6 and 12 weeks. Bryce Harris, Andre Smith, and Woody Peoples will step in, but that’s a big drop in quality for a team that has always struggled to maintain a strong running game–and with Marques Colston and Trindan Holliday being pressed into action at WR, the passing game may suffer as well.
#SYD
All-Pro Wilbert Montgomery will miss at least a month for the Great White. Last year, it was LeSean McCoy who was injured in game 1, opening the door for Montgomery’s fantastic season: this year, Sydney fans will be hoping McCoy can return the favor.
#TOK
At least some of Tokyo’s success in Year I was ascribed with their avoiding the injury bug. This year, they’re have to figure out how to win without that luck as 4 key starters are out for significant lengths of time. Perennial deep threat Lionel Taylor will miss 2 months, Von Miller and Michael Roos are out for 3, and starting RB Earl Campbell may be out for the rest of the regular season. The Swallows have some depth: look for WRs Kendall Wright and Wes Welker, LBs Kamerion Wimbley and Brandon M. Marshall (and Jack Ham, once he’s back from a short-term injury), OLs Jerry Sturm and Jim Tyrer, and RB C.J. Anderson to all see more snaps.