Steelers @ Broncos

-- Steelers 17 @ Broncos 34: Who needs offense, defense or special teams when you have penalties? The Steelers committed 11 for a grand total of 93 yards, which is a better showing than any running back on either team put up. The Broncos tried, but could only muster 8 penalties for a mere 67 yards. The fact that most of these penalties were for 'Unnecessary Roughness' and 'Roughing the passer' (technically one and the same, to a degree) is not surprising in a league where any contact is gradually being frowned upon more and more. Roethlisberger and Orton both did ok in their brief outings, but in keeping with the earlier established theme I want to focus on the back up spots. Naturally I have to start by laughing at Brady Quinn, who came into replace Orton after he took a knock and promptly got himself sacked. Quinn finished with a stunning 1/2 for a whole 2 yards. Tebow then was poised to become the man of the hour. But it started a little rocky. Taking the ball from under center he looked uncomfortable, but that's natural given his history. At least he kept his poise and still got his passes off. Then, looking to his right he wound up and launched a bolt... to Steelers rookie Crezdon Butler. At least he chased him back down the field and 'forced' him out of bounds 5 yards shy of the goal line. Not to be deterred, he came back and led a 5 play, 74 yard drive, capping it with TD pass to Eric Decker. And to be honest, I can't see why scouts were moaning so much before the draft. Yes the wind up is begging to be stripped, but other than that he looks like a steal for the 25th overall pick. His feet were quick, he anticipated his receivers breaks well (ahem, for the most part) and his ball placement on the throws was very good. Given that he's a rookie and will get to sit behind Orton for the season, developing himself (and his center/QB exchange) the future looks bright for Mr. Tebow. Perhaps less so for Pittsburgh fans (all together now; hahahahaha. Good). Dennis Dixon went 9/16 for 94 yards and two interceptions (and two sacks). The first INT was right down the sideline into the end zone... and into the waiting arms of rookie corner Perrish Cox (see the rookie watch list from the other day). The second went to old hand Andre Goodman who took it back 77 yards for the score (note to corners; I think it was Dre Bly who last year demonstrated the dangers of doing your stupid little dance before you get into the end zone. Dixon nearly had him). Byron Leftwich was poised then to have the day to himself. Of course he probably would have done, had he not thrown 4 passes and connected on precisely zero percent of them. It was left to Charlie Batch to come on and restore some sort of dignity by going 3/4 for 44 yards and a TD. He however, decided that things were going a little too well and thus decided instead to play his part in "The Great, let's make Chris look like he knows what he's talking about conspiracy" by throwing a pass way short to his right which was promptly picked off and returned 48 yards for a TD by rookie Syd'Quan Thompson (see again, rookie watch list). Thompson added the 'coup de grace' by returning a punt on the next Steelers possession for 62 yards. On the ground we finally got a good look at rookie Steelers RB Jonathan Dwyer, who showed quick feet and good vision to finish the game with 89 yards and a TD from 13 carries. Dennis Dixon was the next best Steelers rusher, scrambling three times for 33 yards. The Broncos also looked pretty good on the ground. LenDale White went for 34 yards and a TD off 12 carries, while 2nd year back Lance Ball led the Broncos with 75 yards from 10 carries (biggest run was 43 yards). So there we have it. Pre-season week 3 done. One more week to go and it's time for those rookies and fringe guys to bust out some big efforts. And of course I'll be previewing all the action and eventually recapping it, right here. Till then, Have a great day everyone.

Steelers @ Broncos

-- We begin today with some news and as teams start making roster cuts (they have to narrow their roster to 75 by the end of the month), the Bengals have finally ended the speculation and let go of WR Antonio Bryant. Bryant has struggled all through camp trying to recover from a knee injury and having already been paid something in the region of $7 million, the Bengals appear to be cutting their losses and running. The Bengals will now fall back on Terrell Owens and their excellent crop of rookie and reserve receivers to supplement Chad Ochocinco. Bryant will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent and interest could be quite high as teams look back on the pre-season and reflect on the state of their receiving corps. Now, game time. -- Steelers @ Broncos: The Battle of the Back Ups comes to Mile High stadium. Big Ben Roethlisberger will start for the Steelers. Kyle Orton will start for the Broncos. Of this much we can be pretty certain. Everything else is a little up in the air. The expectation is that Dennis Dixon will get a shot with the offensive starters after Roethlisberger has been pulled and that Brady Quinn will likely fill in for Kyle Orton, as Tebow still nurses his sore ribs. But there is still a game within the game to be played. Or rather two games within the game. Dixon vs. Leftwich. Tebow vs. Orton. Now as well as sounding like a WWE show, it should prove to be a promising football clash. Dixon has already piled the pressure on Leftwich with some good showings, in particular the use of his mobility and how this effects the defenses mentality. The question still remains though as to how Dixon will cope under pressure. When facing Baltimore in the regular season last year I thought Dixon did really well, but then Leftwich has been no slouch himself. Overall Leftwich is a slightly better pocket passer, which may not be a good thing in the Steelers offense, that seems tuned to to the skills of Big Ben (e.g. everyone fan out and wait for Ben to evade some pressure and make the play). As for Tebow/Orton, we may not even get a look at the player who has caused a huge amount of squabbles, arguments and controversy without even taking a regular season snap (no, I mean Tebow). Although the Broncos are playing it coy over his injury, you just get the feeling that both Head Coach and player want to see him out there at some point. Brady Quinn will hope not, but hoping is never a good substitute for going out there and winning the job yourself. The trouble with Quinn has always been the lack of any real big plays. He can do a lot of the dink and dunk stuff, but he rarely seems to be able to find those down field bombs that make the "Madden" crew at EA Sports salivate so much. On defense, the Steelers are the Steelers. Nothing less than hard hitting, run stuffing, pass deflecting brilliance will suffice, at least not in the eyes of Steeler fans. I'll accept the slightly less demanding goal of just not being terrible in the back end when Troy Polamalu isn't on the field. The Broncos D do need to step up though. With Dumervil out for the long haul there is talk of him going on injured reserve, which means the rest of that defense will have to discover their inner pass rusher pronto. So, it's all set. One more game and then pre-season week 3 is done. I'll be back later to recap and share my thoughts on the game. Then that leaves just one more week of "exhibition" games to go, in which the fringe players will be going all out to live the dream and win those last coveted roster spots on an NFL team. Then we'll finally be there, within touching distance of week one of the 2010 regular season. Have a great day everyone.

Saturday Night Football round up

Saturday Night Results time: -- Browns 27 @ Lions 35: There's a funny thing about football. Typically when two good teams get together, the end result is rubbish. They're so good, so tight and play so conservatively that they often end up having a boring contest. Conversely when you put two bad teams together, the result is often an explosive and sometimes comical clash. This is what happened when two bad teams came together again. A Browns FG got us started, then Stafford found Johnson (Bryant, not Calvin) in the end zone. Then Eric Wright returned a fumble to the end zone for the Browns before Jake Delhomme found Lawrence Vickers with a 5-yard TD pass. Then Lions DB Chris Houston returned a Browns fumble for a score, only for the Browns to hit back with a TD run by Peyton Hillis to end the first half scoring. The second half scoring began with a Kevin Smith TD run for the Lions from 2-yards out, followed by another Browns FG. Two short TD runs by Lions RB Aaron Brown finally put the game to bed. Jake Delhomme finished 20/25 for 152 yards and a TD...... and 0 INTs!! Colt McCoy finished 10/14 for 76 yards and made a valiant attempt at a last drive down the field with about 4 minutes remaining but it was not to be. Matthew Stafford finished 13/17 for 141 yards and a TD. Jahvid Best led the Lions in rushing yards, taking his sole carry for 51 yards and showing good vision to use his blockers down field. -- Bengals 20 @ Bills 35: Robin may have got his TD, but Mr. Freeze wins the Twitter battle (well, technically Mr. Freezes minions do). It began with Carson Palmer to Jermaine Gresham for a TD, followed by Trent Edwards to Roscoe Parrish to tie the score. Then Palmer found Ochocinco to make it 14-7, only for C.J. Spiller to come back with 2 rushing TDs for the Bills. A third quarter FG gave the Bengals hope, then Ryan Fitzpatrick found David Nelson with a 20 yard TD pass to crush it. The Bengals mustered another FG, but then Jordan Palmer (confused?) looked right, threw right.... and was picked off for six by the most aptly named CB in the league; Reggie Corner. Carson Palmer finished 9/11 for 95 yards and 2 TDs. Jordan Palmer; 7/12 for 116 yards and an INT. Cedric Benson led the Bengals on the ground with 8 carries for 50 yards and Quan Cosby topped the receivers with 4 catches for 82 yards. Bengals LB Brandon Johnson tied for the lead on his team for tackles with Roddrick Muckelroy (on my rookie watch list) with 5. Geno Atkins (also on the list) bagged himself yet another sack. For the Bills Trent Edwards finished 13/17 for 153 yards and a TD. Ryan Fitzpatrick came home with 6/9 for 77 yards and a TD. Naturally C.J. Spiller led the Bills backs with 12 carries for 52 yards and 2 TDs. Roscoe Parrish topped the receivers with four catches for 56 yards and a TD. -- Jaguars 19 @ Buccaneers 13: They say that lightning never strikes in the same place twice. One thing it certainly does seem to do is to follow the Jaguars around wherever they go, delaying their games like an ominous attempt from above to delay the inevitable. Except in this case the Jags won, so maybe it worked in their favour. After exchanging field goals, Josh Johnson found RB Earnest Graham to give the Bucs' a 10-3 lead, with the Jags pulling back another FG before half time. The third quarter saw another exchange of field goals, then Luke McCown zipped a beauty 27 yards to John Matthews to make it 16-13, with a 4th quarter FG by the Jags wrapping it up. Garrard ended the game 24/31 for 211 yards and an INT, while Luke McCown went 9/14 for 76 yards, a TD and an INT. Josh Johnson led the Bucs' with 9/14 for 122 yards and a TD, while his replacement Rudy Carpenter went 4/13 for 37 yards and then threw a pick on a last hope jump ball. Rookie Buccaneers WR Mike Williams (4th round, 101st overall) has been getting rave reviews in camp and finished the game with 3 catches for 83 yards. The Bucs' also provided the only true defensive standouts, with CB Ronde Barber and LB Quincy Black both recording 7 tackles. -- Giants 10 @ Ravens 24: It was over almost before it began. A FG and two 2nd quarter touchdowns for the Ravens was met by the Giants with a single field goal. In the 4th quarter an exchange of TDs left the differential where it had been at half time. Manning played and went 9/18 for 63 yards and an INT, while Rhett Bomar produced 10/20 for 140 yards and a TD pass to WR Victor Cruz who continues to impress, leading the Giants with 4 catches for 76 yards and a TD. For the Ravens, Flacco went 21/34 for 229 yards, 2 TDs (Todd Heap and Anquan Boldin) and an INT. Troy Smith also impressed with 8/11 for 71 yards and a TD. The rushing standout for the game was Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, who notched 41 yards from 6 carries and showed a surprising burst to get to the outside and turn up field. Defensively the Giants finally got some pass rush together, bagging 5 sacks total (2 for Rocky Bernard, 2 for Justin Tuck and 1 from Linval Joseph). Antrel Rolle led the team in tackles with 7. For the Ravens, Haruki Nakamura came up with an interception which - coupled with his special teams play recently - might just be enough to grab a roster spot. -- Cowboys 7 @ Texans 23: It's early days yet. There's still time to improve. It's not the end of the world to lose a few games in pre-season. It's not a true reflection of how we'll play in the regular season. These are all lines Head Coach Wade Philips will be trying to feed the press over the next few weeks to try and convince them that the world as Dallas knows it is not about to implode. I personally believe however, that Wade Phillips is a coaching genius. Yes, a genius. Because (yes, I know; grammar) there is only one possible explanation as to why Tony Romo was playing like Curtis Painter, why the Cowboys RBs have hardly been seen all pre-season (a combined 9 carries for Choice, Barber and Jones in this game) and why the Cowboys D looked like the Lions D. Phillips is saving it all for week one. Like a cunning general of yester year, he is hiding away his forces true strength while putting on a ruse, a display to lull his enemies into a false sense of security. It's either that, or the Cowboys are in some serious s**t this season. Romo went 13/18 for 146 yards and an INT, while giving up some tough sacks and some hilarious fumbles. The Texans did slightly better. Matt Schaub went 18/29 for 183 yards and a TD. Arian Foster did the impossible and actually produced a 100 yard rusher for the Texans, getting 110 yards and a TD off 18 carries. The defense produced 3 sacks and the O-line kept Schaub upright all through the game. It's almost like they read my preview post from yesterday and did the complete opposite. I mean, if this had been a regular season game they'd have definitely cost me a pick as well as making me look like a right a**. Wait... this seems familiar.... like.... Carolina.......... !! ........... I hate the Texans. -- Seahawks 13 @ Vikings 24: When Favre threw a pick to rookie safety Earl Thomas who returned it for a TD, Seahawks fans could be forgiven for thinking that they were about to take a big scalp. Sadly not, as Adrian Peterson then rumbled home on a powerful 24 yard run to level the score. TD passes from Sage Rosenfels and Joe Webb to Javon Walker and Ryan D'Imperio respectively sealed the deal (plus FGs). Favre finished 16/26 for 187 yards and 2 INTs, as well as fumbling on a sack by Chris Clemons. Rosenfels did better; 5/6, 71 yards and a TD. Charlie Whitehurst 'led' the Seahawks with 12/26 for 138 yards and an INT, while Matt Hasselbeck ended up with 9/17 for 126 yards. Chris Clemons stood out defensively for the Seahawks, getting 3 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. The Vikings D also managed a combined 3 sacks. -- Titans 7 @ Panthers 15: See, this is what I'm talking about! This is why I hate the Panthers! Since when, WHEN has the Panthers D in the last few years ever produced 7 sacks?! SEVEN! A** clowns. Even despite this the Titans still appeared to be heading for victory when Kerry Collins found Jerry Cook in the 4th quarter for a TD. But on the ensuing kick off the Titans inexplicably managed to pile four guys onto RB Mike Goodson without bringing him down and with a superb second effort he broke free and carried the ball all the way to the house for 91 yard kick return TD. Kerry Collins finished 6/10 112 yards, a TD and an INT. Vince Young; 6/9 for 48 yards. Matt Moore led the Panthers QB pair with 18/33 for 190 yards. Jimmy Clausen 4/5 for 79 yards. What really boggles the mind is that the Titans hardly called on their rushing attack. Chris Johnson received just 10 carries and Blount and Ringer combined for just 9 more. Defensively the Titans stand out was rookie DB Alterraun Verner (appearing soon in a Star Wars movie near you) with 5 tackles, an assist and a forced fumble. The Panthers D was lead in tackles by LB Jon Beason with 5. DE Charles Johnson ended with 4 tackles and 2 sacks. Greg Hardy, Richard Marshall, Everette Brown, Charles Godfrey and Eric Moore all took home a single sack each. Brown in particular looked quick on his feet and was in among the pressure all game long. 3rd year corner Brian Witherspoon capped the show with 2 INTs. I hate the Panthers. -- Cardinals 14 @ Bears 9: I like the Bears. You know what you're getting with the Bears. You know that a) their rushing attack will be chronic and b) Jay Cutler will inevitably bottle it and throw a few Interceptions. This game being a case in point. Maybe a little harsh. Chester Taylor led the Bears backs with 36 yards off 5 carries (Bears fans; just gloss over the 34 yard run that contributed most of the yards). Cutler finished 10/20 for 129 yards and 2 INTs. Dan LeFevour did better; 10/12 for 110 yards and a TD. For the Cardinals both Anderson and Leinart did well. Anderson; 7/12, 94 yards and a TD. Leinart; 9/10 for 84 yards and a TD. Tim Hightower was the RB stand out with 8 carries for 62 yards and the Cardinals rookie WR Steven Williams led all WR with 5 catches for 79 yards and a TD. -- 49ers 28 @ Raiders 24: Roll on week 6! Well, Kind of. Jason Campbell went out injured after going 6/8 for 93 yards, which meant that Bruce Gradkowski experienced a little deja vu, stepping in once again for the starting QB in Oakland. And you have to feel sorry for Gradkowski. Once more he took the chance with both hands and posted 14/22 for 202 yards and 2 TDs. One day you'll get your shot Bruce. One day. Louis Murphy led the Raiders receivers with 2 catches for 87 yards and a TD. On the '9ers side, Alex Smith went 9/15 for 113 yards and a TD. David Carr; 7/17 for 54 yards. Frank Gore was finally let loose... for 2 carries. Not one to complain, Gore promptly ripped off a 49 yard run, ploughing defenders with his shoulder along the way and finishing the game with 58 yards. Brain Westbrook also got a look in, taking 2 carries for 17 yards. The heaviest load fell on Anthony Dixon once more, who shall hence forth be known as "The Golden Mule", carrying the ball 21 times for 69 yards and a TD, in addition to 3 catches for a further 15 yards. Defensively for the Raiders it was first round pick Rolando McClain who led the way with 6 tackles and 2 assists. For the 49ers, you guessed it, Patrick Willis; 7 tackles, an assist and a sack. Well, that appears to be it for the day. Only one game remains now in pre-season week 3 as the Steelers travel to the Broncos for some Monday Night Football, but I'll be f***ed if I'm doing the preview right now. Must sleep. Hmm, sleepy, sleepy. Have a great day everyone.

Friday Recap

We'll begin today then with a recap of Friday nights games: -- Falcons 16 @ Dolphins 6: A better outing from the Falcons, but they still struggled. Matt Ryan was 13/26 for 103-yards, a TD and an INT. Back up Chris Redman did ok, with 5/8 for 56-yards and a TD. On the ground the Falcons fared a little better than usual, with Turner leading the charge with 16 carries for 47-yards. Bizarrely both Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood carried 5 times for 22-yards in a desperate effort to ensure that neither of them upstaged the other. Defensively, LB Curtis Lofton stood out once more with six tackles and five assists, while DT Kroy Biermann added another sack to his pre-season tally. For the Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne actually looked ok in the pocket, finishing 10/22 for 123-yards and an INT. Chad Pennington; 7/14 for 62-yards. Pat White; 4/4 27-yards. Brandon Marshall led the Dolphins receivers with 3 catches for 51-yards. Most depressing for Miami fans will be the apparent abduction of their running game from last season. Ronnie Brown finished the night with 8 carries for 9-yards, with his longest run being 6-yards. At least Vontae Davis provided some hope on the defense by turning in seven tackles and a forced fumble. -- Redskins 16 @ Jets 11: Beware the Grossman! Well, kind of. 8/16 for 111-yards, no TDs. Which pretty much sums up this game until the 4th quarter when Mark Sanchez finally found Dustin Keller. Prior to that it was FG Jets, then FG Redskins, FG 'Skins, then safety Jets (Grossman kicking a botched shotgun snap out the back of the end zone might have been the best play of the game). Another Redskins FG marked all the action in the 3rd, then Sanchez threw a potential game winner, only for Richard Bartel to find Larry Johnson on a screen pass for 15-yards and the TD. Sanchez himself finished 13/21 for 139-yards, a TD and an INT, and continues to look like anything except a franchise QB. LaDanian Tomlinson however was looking like the franchise back of old, taking 11 carries for 86-yards, including a 43-yard scamper that showed off his excellent vision to make the cutback, though his lack of open field speed was also exhibited shortly afterwards. Larry Johnson led a horrid Redskins backfield with 9 carries for 42-yards. Jets LB Calvin Pace led the Jets D with 5 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, while LB Perry Riley's 5 tackles and 2 assists were enough to top the Redskins D. -- Chargers 21 @ Saints 36: Defense presumably hasn't been high on either teams schedule for the off season. FB Jacob Hester opened the scoring for the Chargers, before Brees picked apart the Chargers with TD passes to Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson (arguably one of the best receiver pairings in the league). Philip Rivers found Malcom Floyd to tie the game before the Saints kicked field goals on either side of half-time to take a 6-point lead. Then Chris Ivory happened. Taking a short pass 76-yards while running around and even over defenders on his way to the end zone. Chargers QB Billy Volek ran home a TD from 1-yard out, then another Saints FG and finally Leigh Torrence returned an interception 87-yards for the last score. Rivers finished 16/27 for 167-yards and a TD, but worryingly his back up Billy Volek went 9/21 for 97-yards and 2 INTs. Chargers fans left praying then that Rivers can stay healthy. RB Ryan Matthews had 13 carries for 43-yards. On the other sideline the Saints will be happy as Brees went 18/27 for 240-yards and 2 TDs, while Patrick Ramsey finished 10/18 for 191-yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Unfortunately Brees was also at the center of the latest example of how stupid the game is getting in terms of overly protecting Quarterbacks (should just point out, it was in no way Brees's fault). Chargers LB Shaun Phillips came flying in on a blitz from Brees's right hand side and threw an arm out to try and bat the ball as Brees stepped up to throw. Unfortunately Brees was took quick with his release and got the pass off, resulting in Philips patting Brees in the head. This then was flagged; Unnecessary Roughness, Contact to the head of the quarterback, 15-yards. Fifteen freakin' yards for what was nothing more than entirely incidental contact during a legitimate attempt to make a play on the ball. Where will it end? What the hell was Philips supposed to do? This is ridiculous and this is precisely the sort of thing that the NFL should be doing something about, instead of a**ing around with proposals for the 18-games schedule. In fact this is probably indicative of why I hate the new proposals so much. There are so many little tweaks that need to be made (*ahem, tuck rule anyone?) that it just makes my blood boil that we're being asked to accept these other proposals in the interest of 'enhancing' the game. -- Eagles 20 @ Chiefs 17: The Eagles finished the 1st quarter up by twelve after a TD run from promising back LeSean McCoy and a FG by David Akers. Things were looking good. Then Matt Cassel found Dwayne Bowe in the end zone and Thomas Jones rushed in for a second Chiefs TD. What followed was a nervous wait for Eagles fans till the 4th quarter for Akers to put away another field goal, only for the Chiefs to reply in kind. It then fell to Mike Kafka to find Riley Cooper for an 18-yard score to save the day. Kevin Kolb finished 11/25 for 103-yards and an INT, and he wasn't even that good. Kafka went 9/13 for 93-yards and a TD. Matt Cassel went 14/23 for 85-yards, a TD and an INT. On the ground the Chiefs trashed the Eagles; Jackie Battle finished with 10 carries for 49-yards, McCluster turned in 8 carries for 47-yards, Jamaal Charles; 6 carries for 40-yards and Thomas Jones; 10 carries for 30-yards and a TD. LeSean McCoy lead the Eagles with 28-yards and a TD off 5 carries. Brandon Graham and Ernie Sims led the average Eagles D with 4 tackles a piece. LB Demorrio Williams topped the Chiefs much better performance with 5 tackles and and two sacks, closely followed by LB Andy Studebaker who was only one tackle shy of equalling Williams's overall performance. They Chiefs ended with 5 sacks, and the sole Chiefs interception was recorded by Kendrick Lewis (who's on my 2010 rookie watch list). I'll be back later to look at the results from Saturdays games. Till then, Have a great day everyone.

Screw Akamai

So in the interest of time management I'm going to preview Fridays games now and possibly by the time I'm finished so will have Thursdays games, allowing me to review them. Get it? Before we do though, two quick fingers up to the NFL: -- If, like me, you've found the video viewing experience on NFL.com to be nothing short of a hair-loss inducing nightmare then there is hope. Providing you're not that bothered about seeing Rich Eisens head in HD, you can now disable the Akamai Net sessions program that was previously required to watch almost all of the videos. Just got to your computers C drive (usually under the heading 'computer'), then find the folder Program Files. In this you will find another folder called common files. In this you will find another folder headed 'Akamai'. Open this and you should see a heavenly little red icon that says Uninstall. Double click and then relax, safe in the knowledge that you will now be able to watch videos without anywhere near as much hassle as before. Maybe if enough people stop running it NFL.com will get the f***ing hint. -- Second finger up to the NFL over the 18-game schedule. All along Roger Goodell - the crown prince of football evil - has been telling us that fans fully support the proposed schedule increase. Well, I'd like to firmly say f**k you Roger. Naturally the owners meeting has been widely reported across the interweb and everywhere you go you notice a surprising trend in the comments section; the ratio of fans against the 'Enhanced Season' compared to those in favour seems to be about 4:1. Most fans with a brain and a semblance of logic seemed to understand that this is nothing but an attempt to extract more cash from the TV networks, while doing little to actually 'enhance' the game. While they admit that pre-season games aren't exactly thrilling, they seem very understanding of the way it will effect both the players long term health and the reduced chances of fringe players to make the roster, coming to the conclusion that the 'enhanced season' is garbage (though not always quite as politely as that). I don't think fans are being given enough credit for their intelligence and I get the feeling that this could potentially blow up in Goodell's face, hopefully sooner rather than later. Enough of that though, let's take a look at Fridays games: -- Falcons @ Dolphins: The Falcons were supposed to give the Saints a run for their money in the NFC South this year. The Dolphins were supposed to be the upstarts challenging the big mouth Jets and the stoic old Patriots for the AFC East. So far, both teams have looked flat. Brandon Marshall hasn't raised the Dolphins as might be expected. He had a good game last week, but there are almost daily reports from the 'phins practices of drops and frustrations. Meanwhile the Falcons seem to be struggling to really get Michael Turner involved in their games. This could go either way to be honest. It could be two teams slopping it out in a puke fest of a football game, or it could see one team finally realise that once the pre-season is done then it's live time and so sending them into a scoring fury. I'll be getting my bucket I think. -- Redskins @ Jets: After coming up short (well short) against the Ravens, the Redskins will be looking to bounce back against a Jets teams that is still missing Monsieur Revis and that looked abject against the Panthers (hate 'em). Without Thomas Jones the Jets offense looks a little barren. Mark Sanchez is still struggling to find form and find receivers. The Redskins D may not have held up all that well against Baltimore, but they're still a tough unit and second year linebacker Brian Orakpo continues to improve in leaps and bounds, meaning a tough day in store for Sanchez. Donovan McNabb on the other hand has been producing good yards through the air, but like in Philadelphia seems to struggle in the Red zone still. The situation is not helped by the Redskins having the same problem as the Eagles; no run game. Despite their splash of off season acquisitions at the RB position, the Redskins have been unable to get things moving on the ground. The point is well proven when in sight of goal and with no apparent method of scoring other than trying to find Chris Cooley or Fred Davis, who are routinely finding themselves drawing heavy coverage. So this game comes down to offense. Which team can finally pull its O out of a slump and find some scores? Judging by the way they've both performed so far, both these teams are going to be looking back at the pre-season optimism and wondering where it all went wrong. -- Chargers @ Saints: Philip Rivers vs. Drew Brees. It's a battle that many have been looking forward to seeing and could prove to be one of the more interesting games of the pre-season. Certainly the Saints defense will be under the spotlight. Mid ranked last year, they've long been the weak link that's kept this team from the Super bowl prior to 2009. It might not be enough this year, as the Saints offense is unlikely to repeat the very gaudy numbers that it put up last season. The combination of Ryan Matthews on the ground and Rivers through the air will either leave Saints fans anxious about the season ahead, or optimistic of a repeat. For the Saints it's very much about the run. As I've stated before on numerous occasions, the Saints scored a ton of points off play-action last year. This year their rushing attack promises to be less than stellar, leaving question marks as to how much respect it will receive. A solid outing here for the Saints backs would do wonders. This is also a Chargers D that is recovering from the loss of Antonio Cromartie, so is ripe for a kicking by Brees. -- Eagles @ Chiefs: The Eagles have looked pretty good so far. Not sensational, but good. Kolb is settling as the starting QB and starting to look at home. The Chiefs are.... well. Not good. With the changes in coordinators and a pretty solid draft under the belt, plus the pick up of Thomas Jones at RB, the Chiefs looked like they were set for a season that might just appease the fans a little. So far however it just hasn't come together for them. As we're in week 3 of the pre-season I'm anticipating seeing a little more from Mr. Jones and Mr. Charles in the Chiefs backfield. The Eagles conversely are looking for a plump piece of game to poach and the Chiefs just might be it. Brandon Graham has been moved up the depth chart ahead of Juqua Parker, which is surprising considering the season Parker had last year. I think the Eagles are either grossly under rating Parker or Brandon Graham is a hell of a lot better than we all imagined. Offensively the Eagles might be keen to unleash DeSean Jackson on a secondary that remains suspect. Right, results time: -- Rams @ Patriots: ............................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................................. ............... 36 - 35. No, no, no, I mean 36 to the Rams. Yes. Rams 36, Patriots 35. Wait, let me just check again, make sure. Jesus. For a long time in this game, the Rams led comfortably. A rally that began in the end of the third quarter brought the status quo back, only for the Rams to upset the balance and come back with a TD and finally a last second field goal to win. The crazy thing is, Brady took home 18/22 for 273 yards and 3 TDs. Even Brian Hoyer came in and lobbed himself a score. Randy Moss; 3 catches for 74-yards and a TD. Rob Gronkowski; 3 receptions for 66 yards and 2 TDs. This must have been gutting, to do so well only to get wrecked at the last second by a field goal. Sam Bradford impressed for the Rams, finishing with 15/22 for 189-yards and 2 TDs. Thaddeus Lewis also played well with 11/14 for 120-yards and a TD. Tight End, Michael Hoomanawanui (I promise you, that's his real name) led the Rams receivers with 4 catches for 53-yards and 2 TDs. The only real defensive stand out for the game was Patriots Linebacker Jerod Mayo who finished with 8 tackles and 2 assists. -- Colts @ Packers: This one hasn't actually finished yet. Satisfyingly though the Colts are getting pounded into the floor and "The Painted One" has just fumbled the ball again.... and then sacked two plays later. I'm gonna have a ciggie then I'll be back in a bit to recap this one. Hahahaha! 24-59. Man the crowd in Lambeau were rewarded for their good turn out. Who says pre-season games are boring? Having exchanged TDs in the first quarter, the Colts tacked on a field goal and then a 2nd quarter TD to take the early lead. And from their it all unravelled. A TD from Rodgers to Finley, then a muffed Punt by the Colts was recovered by Packers FB Korey Hall in the endzone for another TD. Add another Rodgers TD pass and the Packers were pulling away at half time. A field goal followed in the third followed by another TD and the Colts were almost done, with Donald Brown providing scant relief with his 1-yard TD run. But the Packers weren't finished yet. Another TD pass by Matt Flynn, a rushing TD by Kregg Lumpkin, and then a 75-yard punt return for a TD by Jason Chery finished the job. Rodgers finished 21/29 for 195-yards and 3 TDs. Matt Flynn; 8/13 for 80-yards, 2TDs. On the Colts side Peyton Manning managed 15/26 for 214-yards and 2 TDs, 1 INT while Curtis Painter finished the game 6/11 for 97-yards and an INT. Manning had one fumble, Painter two. Defensively the Colts failed to produce a single sack but good showings from Antoine Bethea (8 tackles and an assist) & rookie LB Pat Angerer (7 tackles - 3 assists) at least provide some bright spot among the gloom. CB Tramon Williams led the Packers in tackles with 6 and there were some good showings from some rookies (which they wouldn't have otherwise had under the 18-game 'enhanced season'). Rookie LB Frank Zombo finished with 5 tackles, 4 assists, and a sack/forced fumble. The other sack came from rookie LB Cyril Obiozor. Rookie DBs Morgan Burnett and Sam Shields came up with the Packers two picks. Well, there you have it. The Colts are beatable. The Packers just get better by the week. And I'm off so I'll see you guys tomorrow to preview Saturdays games and recap all the Friday Night action. If you have any questions etc, you can leave a comment or drop me an e-mail at keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk Any free publicity you'd like to swing my way would also be more than welcome. Till next time, Have a great day everyone.