Six NFL Players on the Bubble

The NFL Preseason is halfway through and that means the rosters get smaller.  It’s only a few more weeks until the  the regular season begins and that means a few players out there will need all the game time they can get to safely secure their spot on the team.

Players out there can be on the bubble for various reasons.  Some are because of injuries.  Some are just aging vets losing spots to young studs.  And then there’s a group of guys who just can’t seem to get it going.

Here’s a look at six of those players who are just running out of luck… and time

LenDale White, RB – Denver Broncos

LenDale went from being half of the “Slash and Dash” duo with Chris Johnson in Tennessee to being kicked out of Seattle by his college coach, Pete Carroll.

White found a home in Denver in the meantime but will face a 4-game suspension for substance abuse and then try to find a home on the Broncos squad that already has Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter on the roster.

Both Moreno and Buckhalter are facing injuries but should be back in the lineup before White’s suspension ends which might leave LenDale looking for work.

Sage Rosenfels, QB – Minnesota Vikings

No player must have hated the return of Brett Favre more than Sage. Besides being named after a herb, Sage has the unfortunate luck of being the second string QB….without Brett.

With Brett, Tavaris Jackson is second banana and that leaves Sage the odd man out since there’s a chance that the Vikings would not keep 3 QBs.

Plus, many fans believe that Sage was the source of the Yahoo! Sports report that stirred up trouble stating Brett Favre had no respect for coach Brad Childress a week after Lord Brett reappeared.

Sage’s fortune might actually come in the fate of Favre. I’m going out on a limb and stating that this will be Favre’s actual last year so if the Vikes believe that as well they might hold onto Sage to compete for next years spot.

LeGarrette Blount, RB – Tennessee Titans

Blount went undrafted after a lengthy suspension last year at the University of Oregon.  He was touted as the next big RB in the Pac 10 before punching a player during a game.

It turns out even with all the criminals on the Ducks roster, Blount was a bad apple.  Now that takes talent from a program I’m certain requires a criminal record to suit up.

The Titans took a chance on the troubled athlete and it didn’t take long for Blount to show his true colors.

Pat White, QB – Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have put the faith of their franchise in the hands of Chad Henne and then given Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen the clipboards.  Pat White has been shuffled down to 4th string QB.

White didn’t even play in the preseason games so it’s pretty obvious that he’ll be looking for a new home soon.  It’s not a matter of ‘if’ now, just ‘when.’

Brady Quinn, QB – Denver Broncos

The future of the Broncos lays in the hands of Tebow. Whether or not he can actually be a great player will not change the fact the Broncos will give him the chance when they feel his is ready.

Just look at the fact that the third-string QB is one of the most popular players in Denver and the most talked about player around the net. Everyone has an opinion about Tebow, who must be a dream come true for the Bronco PR department.

But for now, Kyle Orton is the starter (recently signed an extension) and Brady Quinn is second string.  Like his stint in Cleveland, Quinn has yet to show this preseason any reason why he should be kept around.  If you need someone to come off the bench and go three-and-out, then Quinn is your man.

Tebow is a project so he will be around for awhile.  And Coach Josh McDaniels has already stated he’s leaning toward keeping only 2 QBs on the roster this year.  That’s just bad news for the former Irish QB.

Matt Leinart, QB – Arizona Cardinals

The man who was supposed to guide the Cardinals out of their miserable ways has yet to show the potential that made him the big man on campus at USC.  Instead, Leinart flopped during his rookie year and let Kurt Warner step in and show up the young stud.

Now Warner is retired and the Cards are struggling with Leinart so much that Kurt Warner had to reaffirm his decision not to play football again to the fans and the press.  Needless to say, that upset some fans who are not happy with the QB situation in Arizona and less happy that the team passed on QB’s like Tebow, McCoy, and Clausen in the draft.

Backup QB Derek Anderson would be the answer for the Cards if Leinart chokes again but it’s hard to say if he will work out.

Can Leinart be the man?  He had a chance during his rookie season and didn’t do much.  Maybe, just maybe, he’s learned over the years what he needs to do to be the leader of this team.  Sadly, he’s making us wait until the regular season to find out because his preseason games have been less than stellar.