Ten Biggest Early Disappointments

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Sep 22, 2006

Ten Biggest Early Disappointments

Edgerrin James

He entered the season with a 4.2 yards average per carry for his career. This season's he's averaging 3.1 yards an attempt in his two games with the Cardinals. Arizona's offensive line doesn't make things easy for James, who looks destined to be the next cursed Cardinals running back if things don't turn around soon.

Mario Williams

The Texans said they chose Williams with the No. 1 overall pick to improve their defense immediately, which didn't seem hard considering they had the 31st ranked D last year. Well, they've taken a step down to No. 32 after two games, and Williams has shown no signs of making any kind of impact.

Randy Moss

Granted, starting quarterback Aaron Brooks has been terrible and backup Andrew Walter hasn't gotten anything going either, but we still expected more of Moss than just six catches for 70 yards.

Jake Delhomme

He has completed just 52.8 percent of his passes and has yet to throw a touchdown for the 0-2 Panthers. True, star receiver Steve Smith has been out, but Delhomme had been an effective passer before Smith arrived and there's no reason for him to have a meltdown without his top target.

Adam Archuleta

He was paid a lot of money to be a playmaker in the secondary. So far he seems like another waste of Daniel Snyder's loot. Archuleta hasn't had his name called much this season, other than for costly penalties and other mistakes.

Daunte Culpepper

The Dolphins pursued Culpepper over Drew Brees in the free-agent market because they thought he was healthier. They picked the wrong guy. Culpepper has thrown three picks to just one touchdown and has been sacked 10 times. It's not a good sign that people are already calling for backup Joey Harrington.

Simeon Rice

He's the biggest star on the Bucs' line, so he takes the fall for their awful performance this year, including allowing Atlanta to run for 306 yards last week. Rice hasn't even sniffed the opposing quarterback yet. While Tampa Bay's offense is taking the brunt of the criticism for an 0-2 start, Rice and the D are culpable as well.

Robert Gallery

The Raiders have allowed 15 sacks and their running game is nonexistent. Many fingers are pointing at Gallery, the third-year left tackle. There have been big expectations for the No. 2 overall pick in 2004, but so far he's nowhere close to meeting them. He's currently nursing a sore calf and is questionable for the Raiders' Week 4 game against the Browns (Oakland has a bye this week.)

Chris Simms

He has a 40.0 passer rating and the Bucs have scored just three points. In addition to six interceptions, Simms has had several passes blocked at the line. Coach Jon Gruden has stuck by the fourth-year quarterback, in part because the Bucs don't have a better option.

Jake Plummer

He's completed just 51.8 percent of his passes for 311 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He is a notorious slow starter, but many fans are already calling for backup Jay Cutler. Plummer may have difficulty rebounding this week when the Broncos travel to New England.

Ten Biggest Early Disappointments