Failed physicals in the NFL are rarely a good thing, but in the case of Jerome Harrison, it could end up saving his life.

Harrison was traded by the Detroit Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles, along with a 2013 draft pick, in exchange for Ronnie Brown on Tuesday.  However, the trade was voided on Wednesday after it was reported that Harrison had failed his physical with the Eagles.  But his failure had nothing to do with Harrison being out of shape or injured.  Instead, it was the result of what the Eagles’ medical staff found during a neurological test; a brain tumor.

Physicals are always performed during training camps, but they are only performed during the regular season when there is a trade, free agent signing, or emergence of a medical issue.  As for the neurological tests, the Eagles have had plenty of players with head injuries over the past two seasons.  It would therefore only make sense that they would place an increased amount of attention on neurological issues when performing their physicals.

That turned out to be good news for Harrison, as his brain tumor may have gone unnoticed had he not been traded to the Eagles two days ago.  Now that it has been discovered, Harrison has already begun treatment and sources believe that his prognosis for both life and football look good going forward.

Hat Tip – [NFL.com]

As for Brown’s interpretation of the incident, he explained it in the following way after the game:

“It was a designed play,” Brown said. “I’ve just got to make a better decision with the ball. No matter if it’s a pass or a run, I’ve just got to make a better decision. I was trying to out-think myself a little bit. It was a pass play and I was thinking, once the guy slipped off, just try to throw the ball away and give us another chance for fourth down – not take a loss where we can go for it on fourth down, if possible. I’ve just got to make a better decision with the ball.” [ProFootballTalk]

Really Ronnie?  You were trying to save your team a loss of half a yard by throwing the ball backwards?  You call that out-thinking yourself?  That is an interesting way of putting it, but as I said before, it seems like this play was the result of a lack of thinking, rather than over-thinking.

And speaking of over-thinking things, what was going through Andy Reid’s mind when he decided to give Ronnie Brown the option to throw the ball on the goal line.  Someone should probably remind the Eagles’ head coach that he has Michael Vick and Vince Young on his roster.  How about leaving the throwing to them?

It is bonehead plays like this that cost the Eagles a win at home against the San Francisco 49ers, turning the “dream team’s” season into a 1-3 nightmare.

Miami used the Wildcat and a powerful ground attack to help control the flow of the game, and even when a touchdown was needed in the dying minutes to seal the victory, they stuck with it and got in the end zone on route to a 31-27 victory.  We could have given this stat line to Ronnie Brown, who scored two touchdowns on the night to go along with 74 rushing yards and 14 receiving yards.  We could have went with Ricky Williams, whose 138 total yards was good enough to lead all Dolphins players.  We could awarded the Miami offensive line, who dominated the line of scrimmage for the entire game, giving their backs plenty of running room and keeping quarterback Chad Henne upright the entire game.  So to make things easier, we decided to do with the Wildcat offense (the backs, o-line, receivers, etc.) as “The Stat Line Of The Night” for Monday, October 12th, 2009.

The win was a crucial one for the Dolphins, who now find themselves right back in the hunt for top spot in the AFC East.  After beginning the season 0-3, they have strung together back-to-back victories against the Bills and Jets, leaving them only a game behind their opponents from last night, as well as the New England Patriots.  Many believed the Dolphins success last season was the result of an easy schedule and another visit to the post-season was unlikely in 2009.  After last night’s performance, they may have their doubters thinking twice.

As quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, Vick suffered numerous criticisms of his passing ability, and has been used many times as an example of why speed and athleticism don’t automatically result in greatness.  Maybe, however, it was the NFL that wasn’t ready for Mike Vick.

The incredible success of spread offenses in college has begun to creep into professional football and hybrid players that can run, pass and catch are the fashionable trend.  Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins had a resurgence last season running the “wildcat” offense, including a game with 4 rushing touchdowns and 1 passing.

Perhaps NFL offenses have evolved enough that Michael Vick will be able to use his strengths and be rewarded, rather than forced into pocket passing and be criticized.

Without going into any of the drama surrounding Vick’s dog problems, I think that if he does return to the league, the Michael Vick Experience will once again be open and exciting as ever.

Via guest reporter Brian at Illegal Use Of Hands

He was great as a college QB over the last couple of years, but it seems that he lacks the size to compete at the next level.  Thanks to innovative new offenses such as the Wildcat, I feel that White will have a place in the league.  I have always liked watching him play at West Virginia and I hope he has a great career as a pro.  His effectiveness as an NFL player could hinge on which team picks him up in the draft.  Lets take a look at the best possible scenarios for White:

Miami Dolphins: The originators of the Wildcat offense would be the best fit for this guy.  They are also very thin at receiver, which could make White even more appealing.  Having White, Ronnie Brown, and Chad Pennington all on the field at the same time could be great for this young team.

Houston Texans: The Texans have Steve Slaton, White’s former Virginia teammate, a reunion of these two players could work in the NFL.  Also some help for Andre Johnson is needed in the Texans offense.  I like Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter, however the presence of White could take the offense to the next level.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals could potentially lose both T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson this year, so why not take a chance on this guy.

Chicago Bears: Another team with a serious lack of depth at the receiver position.  Besides if they draft him he could probably be the starting QB on this team because Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman stink.

Detroit Lions: Why not?

Total Pro Sports – The NFL season is in full swing and now we are starting to see which players will take your team to the fantasy playoffs. 

In week 3 the fantasy headlines were dominated by incredible performances from running backs.  Long considered one the most important positions in fantasy football it is important to have at least one really good running back on your team to be a serious contender. 

Surprisingly the Miami Dolphins were the talk of the town this week.  They were all over our ranking board.  We should have probably reconsidered and named it the ”Miami Dolphins Players Of Week 3″

Here are the best fantasy football players of week 3.

Best Offensive Player – Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins,

Ronnie Brown had a historic performance against the Patriots scoring 4 touchdowns on the ground and throwing for another.  Brown looks as if he has fully recovered from off season surgery and could be a force for the Dolphins in the coming weeks.  Many people might have had Brown on their bench for this game, now he is a must start. 

Honorable mention: Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons. 

Best Offensive Rookie- Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons,

Although he did not have huge numbers Matt Ryan played an excellent game against the woeful Kansas City Chiefs.  He had a long touchdown pass to Roddy White and did not throw a pick the entire game.  Ryan looks to be gaining confidence as a passer as he gets more starts under his belt.  He should still be considered a reserve in most formats but could have some value against weak teams.

Honorable mention: Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys.

Best Defensive Player – Joey Porter, LB, Miami Dolphins,

He talked the talk and then he walked the walk, by getting three sacks against the division rival Patriots.  Joey Porter could not be blocked on Sunday and made Matt Cassel’s second career start into a nightmare.  After this loss the Patriots could possibly the worst team in the AFC East.   

Honorable mention: Antoine Winfield, DB, Minnesota Vikings.

Best Defensive Rookie – Philip Merling, DE, Miami Dolphins,

Another slow week by the NFL’s rookie defenders means Philip Merling earns the honor with 2 tackles and a sack in a big win against the Patriots.  Merling is from Clemson and was the first selection in the second round by the Dolphins.  Miamidrafted Kendall Langford from Hampton in the third round, who was our first NFL rookie of the week.  It looks like they did a great job of drafting players that can rush the passer.

Honorable mention: Brent Grimes, DB, Atlanta Falcons.

Remember to check back next week for the best fantasy football players of week 4.