As Jabar Gaffney continued his media rounds Wednesday afternoon, ESPN980's Chris Russell, the reporter who originally broke the story that the Redskins would try to trade Gaffney, produced a full-fledged article on the situation.
There are a number of interesting notes in the article, but this one in particular caught our eye.
Gaffney explained to ESPN 980 that in the Carolina loss last year, (Week 7) that the initial plan for his role was diminished. He told me that Anthony Armstrong and Donte' Stallworth were slated to be the top "X" receivers and that Santana Moss was put ahead of Gaffney at the "Y" spot. Gaffney, said "my head wasn't in the game" because of the apparent demotion, when he fumbled near the end of the first half on a reception that clearly changed the tone of the game. Gaffney was thrust back into a more emphasized role because Santana Moss had suffered the hand injury in the first quarter that kept him out several weeks.
Gaffney finished the Carolina game with four catches for 68 yards. The fumble recovery, shown here, led to a Carolina field goal that gave the Panthers a 9-6 lead. (The Cam Newton Show didn't begin in earnest until the second half.) You can judge the play for yourselves, but it's not the hardest hit we've ever seen.
