National Football League

Around the NFL for Week 10

Published Nov. 12, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

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Around the league

Third time a charm: Oakland third-year tailback Darren McFadden, the No. 4 rusher in the NFL entering the weekend (757 yards), needs only 100 yards to surpass his combined rushing total for his first two seasons in the league. The fourth overall player chosen in the 2008 draft, and heretofore labeled a first-round bust, McFadden has four 100-yard games so far, and twice has rushed for 140-plus yards. In 28 appearances entering this season, the former Arkansas standout had one 100-yard outing. The difference: McFadden, according to one Raiders teammate, has learned to play with pain, and determined that "every little hangnail shouldn't put you on the bench."

Not yet the Best: While McFadden seems to have adjusted nicely in his third season in the league, another former first-round tailback, Detroit rookie Jahvid Best, is still getting accustomed to NFL life. The former University of California standout leads the league in receptions by a running back (41), and has demonstrated a little bit of ability as a pass-blocker, when given the opportunity, but has found difficult sledding as a runner. Best, hobbled by a toe injury, hasn't gained more than 78 yards in a game and hasn't hit that total since the second game of the season. He is averaging only 3.2 yards per attempt and, in his last four outings, Best has averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. "The game isn't too big for him, but he's got to get beyond just using his speed," one Lions source told The Sports Xchange. "He's quick and he's fast, yeah, but so is everyone else in this league. Like a lot of young backs, it takes a while to find that out and just learn to be more patient. He'll be a good one. Just not yet."

Some talks, no action: In past weeks, The Sports Xchange has reported in the weekly Tip Sheet about the panel established to help address some of the alleged excesses of player agents in the recruiting process. The latest update on progress is actually no update at all, really, because there's been no significant movement made toward any kind of agreement that will satisfy all parties involved. "It's been a little slower than we'd like ... but we're still hopeful," said Atlanta team president Rich McKay, co-chairman of the NFL's influential competition committee and a member of the panel, which continues to get together by conference call. But individual goals and agenda have slowed the process considerably, according to one panel member. "It's hard," the member told The Sports Xchange. "Everybody has their own idea about how we should attack it, and clearly, there are agents out there who want to still come away with things going their way. Plus, everyone is trying to appease the college coaches, keep them happy, and they'd just as soon see the whole thing just go away, you know?" The panel still continues to work toward a universal calendar, similar in theory to the one colleges use when recruiting high school players, but the concept has hit a number of snags since The Sports Xchange first reported the initiative a few weeks ago.

The Vick comparisons: At 6-feet-6 and 250 pounds, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is significantly bigger than the NFL's best running quarterback, Michael Vick (6-0, 215), and there already have been comparisons to the electrifying Eagles' star. Since scouts have yet to put Newton under the workout microscope, and are pretty much relying on videotape to gauge his running ability, it's still difficult to assess the two together. But Georgia linebacker Justin Houston, whose team faces the challenge of defending Newton this week, thinks he has it figured out. Kind of. "I would say (Vick) is the quicker of the two, probably, because he can makes moves without throttling down," Houston told The Sports Xchange. "He's like Gumby. You're reaching for air. Newton is more likely to run through you than around you. You'd better wrap and hold on. That's one big dude. He'll rip your arms out of the sockets."

Len Pasquarelli is a Senior NFL Writer for The Sports Xchange. He has covered the NFL for 33 years and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. His NFL coverage earned recognition as the winner of the McCann Award for distinguished reporting in 2008.