Won't be long now. If you're like me, you're going crazy trying to find those last few things to make your season just right; rooting through the overturned kiosks and fending off the hordes of red-and-green-sweatered shoppers with the baseball bat you looted from the ruins of Modell's, and looking for something to fill that last pair of stockings.
If you're like the NFL, you're also in the busy part of the season and trying to fill a few shoes. There are well over 200 players on injured reserved in the National Football League, and numerous others with lesser injuries. Whether you're New England looking for another pass-rusher in your final push to the playoffs, the oft-injured Colts looking for depth at the runningback position, or just trying to sneak some talent onto the practice squad to build something for next year, the UFL has become the place to find those last-minute players.
Just take a look at former Tusker's defensive end Eric Moore. In his first outing with the Pats, Moore treated the Bears offensive line as if they were a bunch of old ladies at a black Friday sale, and Jay Cutler was Wal-Mart's last $3 toaster. Moore had four tackles and a sack/forced fumble on Cutler, and could be the present the Pats needed to get their underwhelming pass rush back into gear. The (grumble) Dallas Cowboys are apparently impressed enough with former Mountain Lions safety Andrew Sendejo that interim coach Jason Garrett is looking into giving him more playing time. Dominis Rhodes is... well, honestly I was surprised that he didn't receive a single touch in his first outing with the Colts this year, given the sorry state of their running game. Point is though, the once and current Colt's back is back with the Colts, and while I'm certain that his past history with the team has something to do with it (Rhodes was with Indy from '01-'06, and again in '08) I don't think it's out of line to suggest that his impressive play in Florida this year was enough to convince someone that he still had something in the tank.
Think of Rhodes as that rock solid fruitcake you got from Aunt Millie back in 2006; durable and full of energy.
Even more players are being signed to practice squads, which makes them seem like the stocking stuffers of the late NFL season, but those signings are deceptive. Heading into week fifteen, only a team with a serious injury problem or a noticeable lack of production in some area is going to be giving a new signing preference over a backup. After all, a second-string linebacker is more familiar with his team's defense than a recent free agent pickup. I think a lot of these teams are doing what my sister does each year: spotting a good deal and wrapping them up for next year. It may be too late to start some of these guys, but if the team likes what they see, there's a good chance they'll have a shot once they've learned the system. Think of some of these signings like that shiny new toy you got as a kid that didn't come with an instruction manual.
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