5% of guys. i'll check it out and i'm like, nice. (announcer) rogaine® foam stop losing. start gaining.  >> it's the orioles on masn it is the cleveland indians and the orioles matching up a little rain coming down at camden yards, second game of the four-game set. two teams who are meeting for

the first time this season hoping to get in this game, too. hi, everybody. the rain actually just started here at camden yards. there was little bit during the batting practice. both of the teams able to get in their pre-game work-outs before the tarp had to g out on the field, so we're waiting. hopefully the showers will go by. a heartbreaking loss to the orioles. marte with a home run in the ballgame last night. ninth inning would put it away for cleveland aone-run win. for only the third time this season, the orioles lost the ballgame where we had a lead go ing into the ninth. it was the fifth time this year that the cleveland indians pulled out a win where they have trailed go ing into the ninth inning. for cleveland, these are friendly confines. in fact, anywhere other than cleveland is is a friendly confine. you take a look at the numbers they have put up this season. for the orioles at home, the largest difference in the majors in their home batting average compared to their road average, but for the indians, they put up runs at home 4.1.

but 5.6, nay have the largest difference in the major leagues with runs on the road. so this is a ballpark both are happy to play in. >> i don't want too many pitchers reading that graphic before the game carts. the cleveland indians with the younger lineup, haven't really gotten acclimated to the home ballpark yet. they have a good battle in this lineup. i think this young team plays very well. the orioles, on the other hand, love anytime this ballpark. it is a good background. there is a lot of space, and i just think they're very comfortable and really see the ball well in this park. >> the guys who have to try to shut all of that down. how about titch pitching tonight? >> buck: the pitching is interesting. jason berken goes to the mound. the one thing that berken did, as you look at his outing, five and 2/3 with two earned run pitching, is he used his two- seam fastball very well. it led to two double plays in the ballgame and nine ground ball outs overall so i think he found a new weapon that he likes and it is a little bit

different look for him as he has been trying to use a four- seam fastball up in the zone. now that two-seamer gives him something where he can consistently pitch down. >> the man he will be pitching to is certainly moving along. the major league experience necessary in order to grow in the game is showing up for matt wieters. >> it sure is. last week we saw this joe mower and matt last night going the opposite way. the one thing i like as a young hitter, he doesn't think about pulling the ball to hit him out of the ballpark. we have seen him hit opposite field home runs as a left- handed hitter and a right- handed hitter. mower is already an all-star two-time batting champ. this is where they are, 62 game swos their careers, where matt wieters is. pretty similar numbers and now we know that the home run power has really on for joe this season. >> matt will be in the lineup together and a couple of teams are really in kind of the same cooking pot. they're both trying to develop their ball club for future years. >> yeah, gary. i think the real interesting

thing and i think it is very important for the orioles is to start winning some of these games. you don't want to go into the off season wondering what kind of club you're going to have next year there are some things that have to be answered. some of these younger pitchers have to start winning games and pitching deep interthe outings. you can't just be settled with a six-game outing and say you did your job. you to learn how to win and this team collectively as a unit, will have to start winning games. >> we're going to have a delayed start. we should be able to get this one. when e come back, game two. we'll come back and set the stage! 

 >> the weather prognosticat had this one out. they got the tarp out and now it is really raining hard for the first time. so we will await the start of this ballgame. right now we are in a rain delay. indians, orioles, game two, as soon as they're ready to go. alternate programming to enjoy while we wait.

i toll some people on campus i new hampshire i was really excited, though. >> all right. you have the job. and now the work begins. now what for you? >> i really don't think anything's that much different. i've been preparing this whole time like i was the starter because i think that's the best way for me to get better as a quarterback.

it's to try to better myself every day, competing with myself. and so i think now just the whole world knows, which is kind of cool, but i'm still keeping my head down, you know, studying as much tape as i can, trying to get better every day in the little things to make myself a better quarterback. but now it's just exciting because i have the title and the team knows and i kind of get to do this thing with the guys. it's pretty fun. >> my guys all tell me you are definitely a film studier. how much ohio state film have you watched? >> a little bit. not too much. i'm just taking one game at a time really. i learned early on not to look ahead because you never know what's going to pop up right in front of you. so san jose state right now, that's our focus. and, you know, once that game is over, then we'll move on and put our full effort into ohio state. >> congratulations and go get 'em and come visit us soon, matt. >> i appreciate it. thanks for your time.

>> everything is coming up roses for u.s.c. fans this weekend. we'll head to the rose garden in portland for the weigh-in next. >> espnews brought to you by:

>> for the first time in usc history, the organization ventures to portland, oregon, the home state and city of u.s.c. heavyweight and light heavyweight champion randy couture. in the main event couture faces antonio nogueira.

head out there. >> hey, kevin, and hell throw everyone joining us on espnews. it's the weigh-in special and us us 102, another monster pay-per-view for the ufc. for those of you just joining us, you see the fighters are hitting the scales here as they get ready for fight night at ufc102, kenny, the main event, randy couture against minotauro nogueira, a fight folks have been waiting for for quite some time. >> absolutely, randy couture, the ufc champion and antonio nogueira, a former intern champion and a pride champion in japan for many years. this is a fight everyone has been wanting to see for a very long time. >> maybe we don't see these guys circuit 2004, but they bring a lot to the table. >> they bring an awful lot. we're talking title contenders here. the winner of this fight could see themselves in the cage with whoever wins the cain-collins

fight and the brock lesnar fight. this is a big-time fight. one of those guys will see themselves probably in the cage for a title. >> nogueira came up short against frank mere, just a very lackluster performance. really took a lot of shots in that last fight, but as we all know, he did have a staph infection and had some knee problems. hopefully we see a minotauro at 100%. >> randy couture, this is the second in a three-fight contract, the first of which a loss to brock lesnar on ufc91. how did you assess that performance? >> i thought randy was fighting very well. he gave brock some problems. brock had difficulty getting him to the ground. the bottom line is he got caught by a solid right-hand from brock. that really changed the outcome of the fight. randy couture fear no, sir one. he actually does better against big guys. the bigger they, are he loves it. he does much better against really big guy, and nogueira is

not the biggest in the world, but he's big enough. >> randy does his best work up against the cage when he's clinching you and he's taking you down and working his ground and pound. that's vintage randy couture. i'm assuming, guys, this is what he has planned for minotauro. >> people are wondering if randy couture moves back down to 2005. randy couture when we saw him at ufc101 was 217 pounds. he certainly doesn't take advantage of the division. the weigh-ins are going on at the rose garden in portland, oregon. there are many fights on the main card that have a whole lot of intrigue. right now we get to brandon vera and krzystof soszynski. >> he's been on tear. people don't know that soszyn ask i has a broken thumb while he was the ultimate fighter. that was very, very difficult for him to deal with as a

striker. when you can't throw your right hand, that's big disadvantage for him. he has been on a tear, both on his feet and on the ground. he has a phenomenal move he uses and he's very heavy handed. he's in tremendous shape and he has a wonderful opportunity to go against a guy in brandon vera who is very highly regarded. >> the thing about it, the ultimate fighter is a program in which you bring in the ufc brings in young up and coming fighters and gives them a chance to be exposed to the world of mixed martial arts. he performed very well, but he's in a tough one tonight. his... the key with krzystof is coming into the f ight on a winning streak and very confident. how confident do you want to be going against brandon vera who i believe has sendled in finally at the weight class he should be in, which is 205 pods. >> the buzz word for brandon vera has always been "potential."

if he's ever going to reach it, he really has to have this one tomorrow night. >> it's potential. it's talent and it's technical. this guy has all the skills in the world to be one of the best 205 pounders in the world. now he's taking his training seriously, his diet is phenomenal. everything top to bottom, he's on top of it. his focus looked great in his last fight. he's going to need that focus to beat soszyns ask i today because he's no joke. simple as that. >> three fights on top of the main card. might as well call it the big three, couture and nogueira we also mentioned. we have a fight at 2005 with sylvia. the fight with the most title implications is in the middle weight division, nate marcar taking on damian maya. the winner should be second in line to get anderson silva and a shot at the middleweight title. they are getting ready to hit the scales in portland oregon. there is damian maya. for casual mma fan, this guy is

must-see. >> what he does out there in the octagon is truly an art. he's a brazilian jujitsu phenom. he gets his opponents on the ground and oftentimes guys will beat them without even throwing a strike. that's phenomenal. when you see that being done in the octagon at the highest left,it's unbelievable. >> but he's stepping up in class against a guy getting ready to state on the scale in nate marquardt. he's a well-rounded fighter hsm we beat you standing. he can beat you on the ground. he's not going to be afraid of damian maia's jujitsu. >> there has been a fear factor with regards to maia. marquardt is not going to be afraid of anything. you talk about a guy who has fawghtd and won all over the world. >> that was an intense stare down. there i'm looking forward to this fight. these guys are very technical.

marquardt has the advantage. he is more well rounded. it will be a heck of a fight. the co-main event. lite heavyweights with title aspirations. you have to think the loser will be far away from that. keith jardine taking on thiago sylvia. sylvia tasted defeat last time out in a big loss. >> he comes out of a great camp. and i'm sure they have him in the best shape of his life. you learn a lot from a loss. and although it was a knock-out loss, i think civil that is the kind of guy that will come back stronger. he realizeds it's a huge fight for him. that was only his first loss and it's against a great fighter. nothing to be ashamed of. there. >> i wonder about his confidence. he doesn't even look that confident on the scale right now. you just wonder how much of that knock-out take out of him? >> despite the fact it was only his first career loss. you're right. the way he lost, i think, could be factor here tomorrow night, not that i'm going to glean a whole lot for him on the scale, but we'll see what kind of

sylvia shows up against this man, keith jardine, a guy who is you bigly is referred to as a gatekeeper in the light heavyweight division that. may diminish everything he brings to the table. >> he's very unorthodox. he's solid all the way around. it's very difficult to git on to a rit wum keith jardine. you don't see the punches coming. you don't see the kicks coming. and that makes him very dangerous. we haven't seen too much of him on the ground, but he's dangerous, there as well. he's got very good wrestling. he's just a very tough guy more someone to go against right now. >> keith jardine coming in right on the number, 205, as he takes on sylvia. ufc 102 is yours on pay pay-per-view saturday night from the rose garden, home of the portland trailblazers. we're getting ready for the main event, randy couture and antonio nogueira. >> i love fight against him. >> fight against me.

>> i would love a chance to get in there with him. i'm prepared to go. >> randy couture trying to end the fight. >> two legends of the sport, former heavyweight champion and former light heavyweight champion randy couture against the only man to ever hold the pride heavyweight championship and the ufc heavyweight championship, minotauro nogueira. >> it's a big challenge for me. it makes me hungry, that type of fight, you know, to fight someone that good. >> i'm just as explosionive as i've ever been. >> randy is outmuscling him. >> i have to prepare for the best nogueira i've ever seen. that's what i'm going to see here. >> i've been in camp for three months better shape, better mentally, my ground game, everything is perfect right now. >> he's a very good fighter, but i'm going to look for the submission. >> people should expect a very

tactical, very exexplosive fight. i'm going to be ready to go and go as hard and as long as i need to go to win the fight. >> these are two veterans of the sport, two legends of the sport. >> ladies and gentlemen, two of the all-time greats of the sport, minotauro nogueira and randy couture. >> all right. there he, is minotauro nogueira, and despite what you hear him say about his health, i think a lot of people are wondering if the wars have finally taken their toll. >> they may, have but he has a look of determination on his face right now. he's coming in a little more smiley, but not today. this is something he's really taking very seriously. this is a career fight for him right now. this will determine his future, and he looks ready. he looks like he's on a mission. >> this is a leaner nogueira than we've seen in the past. i know he mentioned he was overweight with the mira fight. he wasn't able to train because of the knee injury.

this is a lean nogueira. he looks focused and ready for randy couture. >> certainly a mma that's been very difficult to finish throughout his career in over 35 fights had never been knocked out until the loss to frank mira. >> nogueira is the kind of guy i would compare to the late, great arturo gati. he'll take punishment, he'll keep coming at you and he'll find a way to win. he was hit by a truck at age 11 and still kept coming. here he is, probably the biggest name in all of mixed martial arts, 46 years young, randy couture, one of two division champions in the history of the ultimate fighting championship, former heavyweight champion, formerlight heavyweight champion, and that does not look like a 46-year-old man. >> don, that doesn't say it any better. >> that's not a 46-year-old body. that's randy couture's body. that body is 15 years younger. you can't gauge where he is by looking at his face mentally. he's just always smiling, always ready, and you know he's confident.

>> wasn't mile at ufc101, but you're right, he really has a great attitude. and despite, kenny, everything he's got going on in his life, still able to focus on the training. >> such a classy guy. he's the epit my of mixed martial arts, a true professional. >> friday night fight tonight, 10 p.m. eastern on espn 2. juan urango against randall waily an electrifying knock-out puncher. it all begins at 10:00 eastern on espn 2. thursday in the shadows of new york city, tiger woods had a day to forget. how he fared in round two at the barclays coming up next. how's the downturn affecting typical tuesday night dinner?

what are you having for dinner tonight? it's tuesday, tuscani chicken alfredo, of course. let's cut. lasagna? next house. what are you having for-- here it is. not you again. (announcer) of course you can have pasta any day. thanks to pizza hut's tuscani pasta. over 3-pounds of pasta, starting at just $12.99 with breadsticks. it just might be the best value in america. it's my favorite pasta! (announcer) pizza hut. america's favorite for pizza, pasta, and wings.

>> second round play at the barclays. it's liberty national in jersey. membership, if you can get on the list, $500,000 a year. tiger woods makes that in one tournament when he's nailing his putts. here today on first hole, he left the birdie putt short. then on two missing the hole with the early bogey. on neighbor, seven-footer.

flat stick was unkind. he would bogey nine to shoot even on the front. on ten for birdie, lips out, settling for par on ten. birdie opportunity on 12. perhaps a bit of a misread. ball breaking well before the hole. tiger and so many of the golfers this week complaining about the difficulty of these greens. too strong for the birdie on 13. he settled for par again. long birdie try on 14. not even there. he had another par. tiger would bogey 18 and finish plus one for the day. he's even par for the tournament. tied for 17, eight shots behind tour rookie webb simpson who has never won ton pga tour. his best finish was fifth place at the bob hope classic. phil mickelson will play the deutsche bank championship next week.

mickelson is plus three. top stories on the way on espnews, including the latest on the broncos' handling of the brandon marshall matter. ♪ ♪ tell me who's watching. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ (announcer) it's right here. it's easy. ♪ ♪ mmm!

♪ and i would do anything for love ♪ a.1. makes meat loaf sing. a lot of other beef too.  >> back here at camden yard as you can see, the grounds crew just came out and they have started to remove the tarp. it has all but stopped raining. maybe a couple of drops still coming down. it is going to be an overcast night, and there's going to be a chance of showers all night long. so it is just a question of trying to find that famous window in baseball where you get to play wean the rain drops. gary thorne, buck martinez back with you. obviously they want to get this in. they don't want any double- headers. >> yeah, this is the first series against cleveland all year long. obviously this late in the year youer not going to have an opportunity to make up games. think ear going to do everything they can to play this game. >> adam jones is out with a bad back. >> a young guy that had a back problem that creeped up on him in chicago. he took an awkward swing against mark buehrle.

he was immediately taken out of the game. they thought maybe just a cramp, but now he has missed five games. the thing about adam is he was having such a phenomenal season. third on the orioles' ball club. .317 with runners in scoring position. second on the team. the interesting thing about that is adam is really starting to understand what he is as a player and how he can really contribute to this offense. he has hit in several different spots in the order and responded very well no matter where dave trembley puts him. >> the orioles going dru ill of the shortstops last season trying to find someone who can anchor that position knowing how important it is, found that anchor and i think it is fair to say is tour sis having an even better season than they hoped for. >> buck: i think you're right. he had a terrific series in minnesota playing on artificial surface, and he has gotten some key hits. the thing about caesar is he is going to hit .265, .270, somewhere around there. this season i think he has really proven to thisdown pitching staff how important a

young pitching staff is. nine rbis in august. he has had a good productive month. when you have good young pitchers on your staff, you want them to understand the value of contact. it is a lot easier when you have a shortstop like caesar izturis who can catch them. >> gary: he has done that. and he is in the lineup, and they're hopeful this game will get underway at 8:00. so some 26, 27 minutes. think eel get the field ready to go. we'll be back for game two delayed by rain. orioles and indians coming up, 8:00 to start. coach josh mcdaniels suspended wideout brandon marshall for the remainder of the season. the pro bowler has openly asked for a new contract and/or a trade this camp, but things boiled over on wednesday. here's pedro gomez with more. >> five months after enduring the trade and airing of dirty laundry with pro bowl quarterback jay cutler, the broncos are facing another public rift with another pro

bowl player, wide receiver brandon marshall, who was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. >> what we're doing is building a team. that's it. we're not going to go out there and win with a bunch of individuals. and if they don't want to pull in the same direction as the other guys in the locker room, then that's totally contradictory towards what our philosophy is and how we're going to try to win. that's never going to change. it's going to take two sides that want to make this work and want to get better. and want to improve the relationship to make it go, and that's where we're at, you know. and will this change that? i hope so. you know, and nobody here wants to be going through this over and over again. and i'm sure that brandon doesn't either. >> cutler's ordeal could not be mended. now the broncos and rookie coach josh mcdaniels are left to ponder whether this situation can be reconciled, or will it also lead to another messy divorce? >> i'm not sure necessarily if i think it will or i think it

won't. i'm just hopeful that it will because obviously he's a talented football player that we'd love to have pulling in the same direction as the other 79 guys that go out there and work their tail off every single day to try to improve and get ready for a national football league season. >> it's not a problem. it's not a distraction. it's only a distraction if you let it, and we're not going to let it. we know what our goals are, and so we're not really worried about all the other outside stuff that's going on. >> it seems what's happened with marshall shouldn't have caught the broncos completely by surprise. coming out of college, some pro scouts had nicknamed him "baby t.o.," a direct reference to terrell owens, who has had his own share of run-ins with his team. in englewood, colorado, pedro gomez, espn. >> it's been one tumultuous off-season for bran doane marshal who skipped minicamp on june 12th, demanded a trade. august 14th he was held out of a preseason game to attend court where he was acquitted on

misdemeanor battery charges. last weekend marshal was held out for not knowing the playbook, finally today suspended for the remainder of the preseason. here's 2 nfl live crew now with more on the doings in denver. >> welcome into nfl live. trey wingo with mark schlereth and trent dilfer. okay, the question when you talk about the broncos, trent, and brandon marshall, how did we get to this point when their best player arguably is now suspended for conduct detrimental to the team? >> it's really too bad, and it's really a case of what can happen in the nfl when a player goes through a hard time and they seek counsel and they listen to the wrong counsel. and i think what i'm talking about here is every player goes through some ebb and flows of their career. and they want something they're not going to get. it's in those moments you have to surround yourself with the right people. unfortunately in this case, brandon marshall is listening to bad advice. he's being told, be a problem child, you'll get out of denver do. this and you might get a new contract. well, mark, unfortunately, as we

both know, the approach he's taking never works. it never has worked and it never will work in this league. >> i think you have to do great job of assessing where you're at and how you got there. and i don't think he's done that. ultimately you look at him, getting an opportunity to play for the denver broncos, and part of that, i mean, what he's gone through. he's gone through all kinds of different issues with the law. he's been suspended by the league for domestic violence issues. i mean, he's had his run-ins, and he's had his problems, and the bottom line to me, as my dad used to say, there's no right way to do something wrong. to go out there and express those things to, go out there and quit on your teammates, those are the guy you're playing for, and that's what really bothers me. >> listen, i'm with you, and i don't mean to be johnny rain cloud here, but we have seen this work before. no divorce was more public or disastrous than the eagles and terrell owens. he lands on his feet with the cowboys, gets a huge contract. that blows up and he ends up on his feet again in buffalo with a one-year, $6 million contract. so it can work. >> let me get in real quick. i'm talking about the on-the-field antics, the refusal

to learn the playbook, the flat-out selling out your teammates and not doing what's in the best interest of the entire roster. there is a public aspect of it that has worked where you go public with your laundry. coaches say you shouldn't do it, but you know what, that does work in cases. when you disrespect your teammates, the guys that have as much invested into it as you do, i have never seen that work. >> well, and the problem with that is terrell owens is a vested veteran. this kid is completing his fourth year in the league, and it's an uncapped year. it looks like it will be an uncapped year, so he's not going to become a free agent. he's going to be-to-become a restricted free agent. therefore the denver broncos will retain his rights even after this season. so ultimately what you're doing is you're creating value or lack of value to other teams that might be interested in trading you. you've got the baggage with the law. now you've got all this other baggage created on the field. that's the real problem he's going to have to address. >> two things we can say about brandon marshall early in his career, he is talent, but he comes with a lot of turmoil, and

teams, like the broncos and others, will have to decide whether or not they think he's worth it. nfl live, monday through friday, 4:00 eastern on espn. >> the news is better than first expected in dallas regarding the health of wideout roy williams who suffered a bruised shoulder in a collision with teammate orlando scan district. the cowboys could play it safe and hold williams out of thear, final two preseason games.th x-rays were negative.cboys video board gate in dallas has been resolved, at least for the 2009 season.a.j. tas commissioner roger goodell says the height of the $40 million screens at new cowboy stadium is okay, but he left open the possibility it will have to be adjusted for next season. currently if a punted ball ricochets off the monitor, the rule book calls for a replay of the kick. owner jerry jones is not worried. >> you can anticipate the ball hitting the board from time to time, and so when we get into te competition, i don't see it as ultimately an issue.owys. strategy-wise you basically

directionally kick. that means you kick to one side of the field or the other.them b very seldom do you kick a ball long and down the middle. consequently that shouldn't be an issue because the board is down the middle. there's no reason why this can't be something to deal with very similar to the way you would deal with a wind in your face or the way you would deal with the elements, rain, sleet or snow. kickers deal with elements. they don't deal with a perfect situation. >>k

it was real neat to realize all the hard work paid off. it was pretty neat. >> how did you celebrate and who did you call first? >> definitely i called my parents first, called my dad and my mom, and my brother and sister and grandparents and all this good stuff, and then i guess the news spread through them. i told some people on campus. i was really excited, though. >> all right. you have the job, and now the work begins. now what for you? >> i really don't think anything's that much different football-wise than what it has been for me. i've been preparing this whole time like i was a starter y because i think that's the beste way for me to get better as at quarterback. it's to try to better myself every day competing with myself and so i think now just thehe whole world knows, which is kind of cool, but i'm still keeping my head down, studying as much tape as i can, trying to geto better every day in the littlegt things to make myself a bettersy quarterback. but now it's just exciting because i have the title and the team knows and i kind of get too

do this thing with the guys.h te it's pretty fun. >> my guys all tell me you are definitely a film studier. y a how much ohio state film have you watched.w much >> a little bit.u he not too much.. i'm just taking one game at ai'k time really, and i learned that. early on not to look aheadook because you never know what'snow going to pop up right in front of you. so san jose state right now,ow, that's our focus. and once that game is over, thew we'll move on and put our fullul effort into ohio state. oo s >> congratulations and go getulo 'em and come visit us soon, andc matt. >> i appreciate it. thanks for your time. >> from college to pro football, with the regular season now just two weeks away, how does tom brady describe the health of his knee? we'll check in with wendi nix coming up.

>> college football overdrive is back in year four on espnews. every saturday from noon until 8 p.m. eastern we take you live to games across the country. we offer expert analysis. kickoff is september 5th 3,:00 eastern on espnews. >> early look around major league baseball. yankees a 1-0 lead on the white sox on the strength of a derek jeter leadoff home run. 22nd of his career. phillies on the strength of a ryan howard solo home run lead the braves 1-0, bottom two. they're in a rain delay in philadelphia. and the padres pouring it on against the marlins 5-1. top two, the venerable will venables with an r.b.i. single. kyle blanks has a two-run home run, as well. all right. day baseball from wrigley. let's call it the snake-bitten w series. cubs and mets. is top two, speaking of, amirer i santos blooping one to right.

milton bradley can't come down with it. jeff francoeur scores. ruled a hit. game tied at one. bradley heard about it from the cubs' fans. top seven, stale 1-1 game. bradley two hands this time. take a bow. rig and listen to the bronx cheer from the folks in wrigleyville. bottom eight, game tied at 2-2. alfonso soriano, 20th homend the run of the season, a three-run cubs shot. that's eight straight seasons with 20 or more homers, and the cubs win it 5-2. patrick mish got the starts for the mets. he ties the major league record for most consecutive starts in which the pitcher has lost every game in 12. the age are also said to be in serious talks with the rays regarding former all-star scott kazmir. the teams had serious talks

before the trade deadline but failed to swing a deal. kazmir is 8-7 with a 5.92 e.r.a. the a's would likely receive prospects in return as well as salary relief. here's buster olney. >> we're seeing this a lot ine small market, mid-market teams. they have this great collection of young players, but as they come up in service time, they start to get more expensive. so the rays are looking at a winter in which they'll have to cut back on their payroll. they have salary concerns with guys like carl crawford, b.j. upton becoming more expensive. the expectation within the industry is they will do everything they can to move kazmir and also in the off season consider a possible deal for carl crawford. that's the cost of being in a good young team the way the rays were last year. >> what to watch for tonight when you're watchings redskins-patriots in washington. how about first a team skins'ha offense that scored three points this preseason. coach jim zorn says that groupso will play at least the first half.he new england continues to

readjust to life with quarterback tom brady who is 14-23 this season with pair of touchdowns and one interception. happy to welcome in wendi nix from fedex field in landover, maryland. wendy, let's check off the obligatory tom brady question right off the top.questihow how has he described his the elle this preseason? >> well, kevin, you know, so faa in the preseason, tom brady hase looked very much like tom brady. and he has seconded that notion, saying he feels just fine.on he has really not been limitedas or very sparsely limited in the preseason. he checked off the firsthe che o milestone when he participated fully in minicamp in june and out rea came out ready to go in training camp. he's still wearing a brace. mp.sn't seem to be any worse for the wear because of that brace.b no adjustments, he says, but soo far he says he feels very good and he'll be ready to go. >> things are always songs ar al revealing when bill belichick steps to the podium. we always get so much from the coach. >> earth shattering. >> right, yeah. what does he want to see from

his team tonight? >> he wants them to be sharp.e they've tried to simulate aimult regular game week as much as possible. we're done withwe two a days. they tried to have a normal schedule like they would the week of a game. ey l've looked at film. he came out describing theesc washington redskins as if they were super bowl champions already in 2009. so we're in that routine because that always begins with the9. regular season. he wants to see this first unit look sharp.ge apparently they'll get fair amount of playing time if the weather holds. i think well into the thirdther quarter is the game plan. especially with brady, the forecast calls for heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms. and if that's the case, it couldt change things, but right now weg expect to see them a fairo s amount. he wants to seeeeim them sharp tonight in this third and veryed pivotal preseason game next week, of course, they just wantp to keep everyone healthy.>> theb >> there's been talk in new new england about where exactly tedy bruschi fits in at this point iy his career, what his role actually system what can youan y tell us about that story line? thdthat talk was sparse because bruschi has worked out with the

second team for most of the preseason.he he's been a good sport and saidi don't read too much into that.ad i think there are some signs hei may be a situational player.. he's beeeran guy. he's been around thisn patriots team for a long time and billase belichick values that aspect of what he brings to the table. it's possible he won't start, but again, bruschi working out r with that second team, but he's healthy. he says we'll see. but i think the patriots definitely consider him some sort of extra coach on the field. >> one of the real mainstays of the patriots' dynasty that we'vo seen here in recent years. wendi, let's talk about the redskins for a minute. characterize the level of importance of this game forchare washington quarterback jason campbell.washon >> well, it's a preseason game,' so i always hesitate to say too much. having said that, it was a tough off-season for jason campbell, and that has continued late inta the summer. this offense has been stuck inas neutral. over five series in the first two preseason games. the first team offense has yettm to produce a touchdown. oplele are gettingabout si around here.

privately they say they're not a panicked and publicly they're ae paedng the same things, but this offense would be well served if for nothing else than for the public perception to come out he here and be sharp tonight against a tough defense i might add. last week the steelers, this week the patriots.it it's not going to get anyasr. easier. it's a big game for the redskins' offense as well. >> it may not be easy due to the weather, which you pointed out, as well. we shall wait and see. wendi nix covering redskins-patriots tonight. wendi, thanks. >> and we'll have full post-game coverage of that one. we'll also preview things for the new orleans saints. some weaknesses for the saints. ♪ ♪ i always feel like (announcer) it's right here, it's easy... ♪ somebody's watching me. ...it's the money you could be saving with geico. ♪ who's watching?

♪ tell me who's watching. (muffled music) (announcer) it's right here, it's easy... ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ it's the money you could be saving with geico.

>> espnews brought to you by: >> two rounds of the barclays in the book, and webb simpson is your leader, a two-shot lead on paul goydos and steve marino. tiger woods finished one over in the second round. he is eight shots off the lead. phil mickelson 11 shots back. ♪ >> scrambling up in the pocket. throwing down field. coltson takes it inside. touchdown. good for a 70-yard score.

a great adjustment by drew brees. >> brees sets up quickly. throws to the end zone. has a receiver. touchdown saints. >> 2008 was a season of consistent inconsistency. new orleans had the saints finishing 8-8. individually drew brees joined dan marino to become the second player to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season. defensively the saints ranked among the worst unit in the n.f.l. trent dilfer on the biggest concerns this season in the big easy. >> the new orleans saints are absolutely loaded on offense. you got one of the superstar quarterbacks in drew brees, and all types of weapons for him to distribute the ball to. but if there is a concern, it's their pass defense. is this a defense under new defensive coordinator greg williams that can stop teams in these high-scoring affairs that the saints are going to be in? you can't just blitz the pass all the time to take away the pass. you got to get to them in four and have a secondary that can hold up. that's what i'm looking for when

i'm watching the new orleans saints' this season. >> now on espn.com on our nfl page, check out the three and out section where n.f.c. south blogger reveals the most important on the defensive side of the ball in new orleans. lots of weapons on the offensive side? who is a fantasy sleep center here's matthew berry. >> everyone knows the saints have a high-powered offense, and they throw a lot, but here's a stat you may not know: last year only four teams in the nfl had more rushing touchdowns than the new orleans saints. and the guy who is going to get a lot of the rushing touchdowns, pierre thomas. in the second half of last season thomas averaged 105 total yards per game, sixth best in the nfl. he had 12 touchdowns for the year. people forget, deuce mcallister also had six touchdown, and he's no longer there. not worried about reggie bush because even if he can stay healthy, new orleans will use him in a different way. pierre thomas will get the majority of touches for new orleans.

he's going in the fourth round, but he'll return first-round value this year. that's why he's my fantasy sleeper for the new orleans saints. >> tomorrow on espnews, our countdown continues with a look at the tennessee titans. how to replace the improvable object albert haynesworth in the middle, and what vince young's future? issues we'll consider tomorrow on espnews. anish shroff is in studio right now. he will take you through the 11:00 hour eastern on espnews. still even more on the brandon marshall situation in denver. wild card races heating up. rockies and giants. we'll preview that game live, we'll preview that game live, and more cash over here!

it's much easier to find money at esurance. great auto insurance rates and lots of discounts! got insurance already? save more with esurance's "switch & save (tm) discount"! it also pays to shop online. you get esurance's "fast 5 (tm) discount" just for getting an instant online quote. - thanks, professor. - don't forget the good student discount.

and there's even more discounts! it's no "secret" that you can save hundreds with esurance. make it your "mission" to click or call esurance today. it's no "secret" that you can save hundreds it's back to being hit with all the stresses of work. how was your weekend? it's day one of that 3 o'clock lull. and that guy who always asks, mind if i jump in? but monday night football is returning to espn, where adrian's moves will be making the guys in the booth say