WR Ted Ginn had the best day of his professional career on Sunday.

A know a lot of my comrades here at Sports Grumblings are staunch Republicans. I’m an Independent so I have no allegiance either way. However, with the election just a week away, I wanted to give some words of encouragement to my Republican friends. I know things look bleak. John McCain is trailing in most of the polls and the election seems like a foregone conclusion. But I am going to guarantee a McCain win next Tuesday. How can I be so certain? Because we all forgot one important point: Barack Obama is black. I love how all these people are saying they will vote for Obama. I don’t buy it. When that curtain closes, I still don’t believe this country will elect a black President.  

Inside the Huddle
I spent four years in the NFL and still have many contacts around the league. Here is what I’m hearing:

 --It looks like Daunte Culpepper could become a Dallas Cowboy. A source of mine down in Dallas told me that Culpepper was in town to take a physical. Culpepper turned down a meeting with the Chiefs, saying he had a deal with a “better” team. It appears the Cowboys are that team.

--I wrote in this column a couple of weeks ago that Carson Palmer could be shut down for the year and that appears to be the case. Another quarterback that could be done in 2008 is the Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck. From what I’m hearing, Hasselbeck’s back isn’t improving much and if it doesn’t get better in the next week or two, his season will likely be over.

-- San Fran has finally made the switch to Shaun Hill at quarterback and this could give the team a bit of a boost on offense. I wrote during the offseason at another site that the veterans on the 49ers felt like Hill deserved to be the starting quarterback. Hill played solid at the end of last year and a lot of the players thought he should have gotten the nod over J.T. O'Sullivan. I don't think anyone other than Mike Martz thought that O'Sullivan could play in the NFL. I'm not saying the San Fran offense is going to resemble those of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. However, I believe that Hill is a much better quarterback that O'Sullivan, so I do expect some increase in offensive production in San Fran, which is good news for Frank Gore owners. 

Who’s Hot

Tim Hightower, RB Cardinals - Reports out of Arizona have Cardinals coach Ken Wisenhunt saying Hightower could replace the declining Edgerrin James as the starting running back at some point this season. I broke down film of Hightower in college and even though he played at Division I-AA Richmond, I was very impressed with him. I had Hightower listed as one of my deep sleepers in this year's draft. It's obvious that The Edge is finished and while Hightower is averaging just 2.7 yards per carry right now, I really think this kid could be a solid NFL running back. He may not provide any value right now in re-draft leagues but if you are in a keeper league, I would strongly recommend grabbing Hightower if you have the roster room. 

Ted Ginn, WR Dolphins - Ted Ginn is starting to get more and more comfortable in the Dolphins offense. He had the best game of his career on Sunday, catching seven passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. It was the first 100-yard game of Ginn's career. I keep hearing from my NFL Insiders that the team has high hopes for Ginn and they want to use him more in the offense. This could be a sign of things to come for Ginn in Miami, so you may want to pick him up this week if you need help at receiver.

Matt Cassel, QB Patriots – I can’t believe it but Cassel is actually becoming a solid NFL and fantasy quarterback. I saw this guy in practice and in the preseason and while he was athletic, he lacked so many of the intangibles that I just could never see him being a productive NFL starter. But coming off the best performance of his young career, Cassel has now become a viable fantasy option and that’s also good news for Randy Moss owners like me.

Who’s Not 

Peyton Manning and the Colts Offense - Their offensive line is awful, they have no running game, Marvin Harrison is so bad it's painful to watch and Manning is back to dancing in the pocket even when there is no pressure. It's hard to believe but the once explosive Colts offense is now below average. If you think about it, this offense has only played one really good game against the Ravens. Manning looks lost in the pocket and I have no idea why the "Happy Feet" have returned. Apparently, Manning is only a great quarterback when he has 10 seconds to throw. This team is all done.

Terrell Owens, WR Cowboys – Is this guy even in the league anymore? I know the Cowboys have had problems at quarterback but T.O. has flat-out disappeared. The other thing that concerns me about Owens’ fantasy production is Dallas has put in a lot of fade routes to Roy Williams near the end zone like we saw last week that could further hurt T.O.’s production. One of two things are going to happen. Either Owens will start catching more passes or the blow up we have all been waiting for will take place. 

Thomas Jones, RB Jets – I have a guy in my league who keeps trying to trade me Jones. Apparently he doesn’t get the point that I have no interest in this bozo. Jones has averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry in three of his last four games and other than a big performance against Oakland, he hasn’t done much on the ground. Jones does have four rushing touchdowns on the year but two came in one game. If you are looking for consistency, Jones isn’t your man.

Boner of the Week: Ted Cottrell. The Chargers finally fired defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell on Tuesday. Cottrell may be the single worst DC in the history of pro football. I've said this before but look at the guy's resume. Every single team where he's been the DC, the defense has sucked and he's been fired. Every single time. Don't worry though. I'm sure Cottrell will find a friend to hire him next year and he'll proceed to ruin that defense as well. What a joke that guy is. 

If you guys need my expertise (and I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t) send me a desperate plea for help at newworldorder@gmx.com. I enjoy reading hate mail, so be sure to send that as well.

Also, be sure to check out my new daily blog, The Inside Slant. I will be posting any news and rumors I hear from around the league, as well as daily fantasy advice. This blog will be updated 4-5 times a day, so be sure and check back often.