So week 4 of the pre-season is done and now we are but moments (re: days) away from the start of the season proper. It's September my friends and that means the joys of football are back. This, this is why I love this time of year. I love the sight of trees shedding their leaves. I love the more moderate temperatures (I hate sunshine). And I love the fact that I can sit down and watch real football games once more!!
But although I'm about a third of the way through recapping the week 4 pre-season action, I want to take a pause and address the issue of the roster cuts. The full list of cuts can be found here.
I accept that many readers will already know the complete ins and outs of what is taking place, but I've decided to do something approximating closely to an "idiot's guide to roster cuts", just for the benefit of those not fully aware of all the implications and the terminology being chucked around on TV, in the newspapers and online. So here we go.
Basically every team went into training camp with a roster somewhere in the 70-80 player region, far more than they would ever be able to take into the regular season. These players are a mixture of:
-- The 53 man roster from last year, except those players who left as free agents or were traded,
-- Players who last season were placed on injured reserve, except those players who left as free agents/trades,
-- The eight players from last years practice squad, except those players who left as free agents,
-- The players brought in by the team as free agents,
-- The players selected by the team in the most recent draft,
-- Undrafted rookies, some of whom were on the bubble to get drafted and were just unlucky (like Mark Herzlich) as well as pure long shot players, often from smaller colleges or players from big colleges who saw little playing time but flashed some signs of potential,
These large training camp rosters must be carved down to just 53 players by the agreed deadline prior to the first week of games. In this seasons case, the deadline by which final rosters must have been submitted to the league was 6pm Eastern Time on Saturday, September 3rd. That deadline has obviously now passed and all teams appear to have made it on time.
But it's not just as simple as releasing a bunch of guys and sticking with your final 53. The process still has some intrigue to it.
-- Players who would otherwise qualify for unrestricted free agency (four or more 'Accrued seasons') become unrestricted free agents, free to sign with whomever they choose,
-- Players not eligible to become unrestricted free agents are entered into the waivers system. For the next 24 hours every team in the NFL has the opportunity to sign that player to their active roster (claim from waivers). The claims are prioritised by win-loss record from the year before, so if the Carolina Panthers make a claim on any player then they are guaranteed to eventually be awarded that player.
-- Any players that make it through waivers are now free to sign with any team, and can either be signed to the active roster or to the practice squad, providing they are eligible (less than 3 seasons already on a practice squad, have never been placed on injured reserve, have no accrued seasons - or if they have one then they must have spent less than nine games of that season on the active roster),
This creates a pool of new free agents, along with players who were already free agents through training camp (having not signed with anyone since March 1st). Over the course of the next few days, and even weeks, some of these players will still find homes on NFL rosters.
This is because the 53 man rosters that teams have settled on are by no means set in stone. Each teams roster by this point consists of four groups of players:
-- Key players the team wishes to keep by choice,
-- Players the team has to keep through necessity (to complete the starting line up and/or certain back ups),
-- Young players the team sees promise in and would like to develop,
-- Those other players that were needed to complete the 53 man roster,
In particular it is groups two and four above who are vulnerable. People in group four are easily replaced. They have jobs only because the team has found nobody better to replace them yet. That can change very quickly with waiver claims and the signing of free agents. Players in group two may also yet be proved expendable. A player who was kept only because he was the best player left to fill a certain role can be shunted out of his starting spot by a good free agent pick up. Normally he would become a back up, but the signing of additional free agents at his position may well be his undoing. This is naturally much more common on much weaker teams.
Then finally each team has eight practice squad slots that it can offer to eligible players. Many teams cut young players who they still intend to develop, hoping to slip them through waivers unclaimed and then sign them to their practice squad. Of course this runs the risk of giving away a potentially very talented young player, but the needs of the active roster come first.
Already there are lots of names out and about that have caught the eye. Many of these are rookies like Mark LeGree, cut from the Seahawks, who I think will go on to do well somewhere. I could list all those types of players but it would be a long list of people you probably would only read about if you came here. But there are also some big names/more surprising rookies that have been cut and we'll focus on them
Safety Brandon Merriweather being cut from the Patriots is a big one. Two pro bowls in a row are what catches the eye about Merriweather, however bad the voting can sometimes be for the pro bowl. Merriweather however has had a lot of troubles, including two shooting incidents in two years (in both cases he was cleared of any wrong doing) as well as two incidents in less than twelve months relating to illegal hits with the head during games. I suspect the Patriots lack of tolerance for problems under Bill Belichick has motivated the move, but even then it's still surprising given the lack of strength in depth in that defensive backfield.
Another Brandon released from the Patriots was receiver Brandon Tate. The likely cause is that Tate was really more of a returns specialist and with the new kick off rules, it makes him something of a luxury player. But I dunno. I kinda like Tate as a receiver and hope he finds a home.
Defensive Tackle Tommie Smith being released from the Colts was a bit of an odd moment given how suspect their interior D-line can be, but for the most head scratching decision by the Colts was keeping Curtis Painter but releasing Dan Orlovsky? What? Painter is terrible!!
My own 49ers have pulled a similar trick, releasing quarterback Josh McCown who had a solid pre-season game this week and is probably better able to play week 1 as a back up than Colin Kaepernick. But the reason I bring this up is not because of the 49ers being my team, but because it seems a lot of teams this year are going with just two quarterbacks on their roster, which to me seems very odd. There must be something in the CBA that everyone outside of the teams is missing.
Running back Chester Taylor was an odd casualty of the Bears. It's not like the Bears running game is flush with starting caliber running backs and Taylor has the advantage of being a versatile, every down back. He's know Matt Forte, but he's ok. My guess is that the size of his ridiculous free agent contract from last year (for a player of his level at least) is what cost him.
The Cowboys cutting Fullback Chris Gronkowski doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I thought He was doing pretty well down in Dallas, running, blocking and catching, but apparently not so.
The Broncos cutting corner Perrish Cox is a little surprising. He's done really well so far but off field legal troubles could hurt him. It's expected that he'll remain a free agent for a while and then when the status of that issue is resolved someone will pick him up.
The Texans released running back Chris Ogbonnaya, who turned a few heads in pre-season and I'm tentatively expecting him not to make it through waivers.
The Raiders, God bless them, cut quarterback Trent Edwards. That means Kyle Boller gets the back up job and Terrelle Pryor is the apprentice. Nice going Al. Raiders fans, in a way I feel for you. Then I remember you're Raiders fans. Mwwhahahaha (I shouldn't laugh, looking at it now I think the Raiders will finish better than us). The release of corner Lito Sheppard was also somewhat surprising, given the parlous state of the Raiders now Asomugha-less secondary.
The Eagles let go of defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove. Personally I look at him, look at the rest of the Eagles D-tackle roster outside of Cullen Jenkins and then say "what?". But there you go. Hargrove has spent a lot of time in a 3-4 defense and may just have had difficulty adapting to the Eagles 4-3 as well as Jenkins presumably has.
Now the Chargers? Man I don't get some of these releases. Seyi Ajirotutu looked to be a pretty promising young player for the Chargers. If he doesn't get claimed by somebody off waivers then I'm calling bullshit, because there's no way that every single one of the 32 teams in the NFL has kept better receivers that Ajirotutu. I was also surprised to see rookie QB Scott Tolzein cut, I thought he'd done really well for the Chargers in pre-season.
The Rams cutting Donnie Avery was a little odd. He missed the whole of last season with an injury, but otherwise was a good receiver on a team that needs good receivers!
The Buccaneers for me are one of the most surprising. QB Rudy Carpenter, cut. Safety Ahmad Black, cut. Tight end Daniel Hardy, cut. I mean seriously? Daniel Hardy cut? He's been one of the leading receivers for the Buc's in the pre-season so I really don't get that.
The Titans cut running back Stafon Johnson. I don't think they'll be seeing him again. Like LaGarrette Blount last year I think Johnson has shown enough talent to warrant someone with a dire running back situation taking a chance on him.
So that's your lot. Like I said earlier, the flow of players on and off teams rosters over the next few days is destined to be a little hectic at times, but I'll try and point out the ones that caught my eye as we go. I'll also be looking to get that pre-season week 4 review up in the next 24 hours.
Enjoy your lazy Sunday.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Thursday, September 01, 2011
A word on Terrelle Pryor and the Wonderlic
First of all we need to establish the fact that I believe Terrelle Pryor will be a terrible quarterback in the NFL. This post is not about that. I'm not trying to support him.
Basically Pryor took the wonderlic test, just like all incoming players, and apparently scored a 7. Which basically means that as far as the testers are concerned, Pryor is illiterate. That score has since been revised to 21, apparently after a re-take.
Now just for fun I though "hey, you know what, I'm always bitching about the NFL scouts and their retarded tests, lets have a crack at this wonderlic thing". I'm now even more convinced that every scout in the NFL should be fired with immediate effect. The cause? Absolute stupidity.
Now I scored a 20, which is about average apparently. Part of the reason for this is because I ran out of time with a few questions still unanswered. But a big part of it was due to the maths questions. Maths isn't really my strong point.
But if there is one thing I can tell you having taken the test, it's that none of it, not a single damn question, has any recognisable application to the football field. None.
Football is not a maths test, nor is it a language test. A reasonable degree of English comprehension is obviously required, but that doesn't seem to be what Wonderlic is testing. The questions are about as far removed from anything that a player would encounter on or off a football as you could possibly imagine.
Who gives a fuck what number 70 is 35% of?
Who gives a shit if a rocket takes off carrying 10,000 pounds of fuel and travels for 15 minutes, yadda, yadda?
Anyone, anyone, in their right mind who thinks this test will communicate anything of value to them about a football player needs to be taken as far away from the football business as money and modes of transportation will allow.
All that test told me is that my ability to do calculations in my head sucks. But then I already knew that. And that's probably the biggest beef I have with the test. One deficiency like that and you're screwed, because about one third of the questions seem to be maths related.
Now if I was recruiting accountants or NASA scientists or engineers, then I could see the point. Then it would make sense to me. But football players? As I see it right now I think people (read scouts and the press) are just using this as a reason to lay unnecessary shit on Pryors doorstep or to cover their butts about being non-committal with their evaluations ("Well, I did warn you about his wonderlic score..." etc).
I think Pryor will suck in the NFL. I didn't need a ridiculous wonderlic test to tell me that. It just blows my mind that people get paid big money for crap like that. Ah well, back to the coffee...
Basically Pryor took the wonderlic test, just like all incoming players, and apparently scored a 7. Which basically means that as far as the testers are concerned, Pryor is illiterate. That score has since been revised to 21, apparently after a re-take.
Now just for fun I though "hey, you know what, I'm always bitching about the NFL scouts and their retarded tests, lets have a crack at this wonderlic thing". I'm now even more convinced that every scout in the NFL should be fired with immediate effect. The cause? Absolute stupidity.
Now I scored a 20, which is about average apparently. Part of the reason for this is because I ran out of time with a few questions still unanswered. But a big part of it was due to the maths questions. Maths isn't really my strong point.
But if there is one thing I can tell you having taken the test, it's that none of it, not a single damn question, has any recognisable application to the football field. None.
Football is not a maths test, nor is it a language test. A reasonable degree of English comprehension is obviously required, but that doesn't seem to be what Wonderlic is testing. The questions are about as far removed from anything that a player would encounter on or off a football as you could possibly imagine.
Who gives a fuck what number 70 is 35% of?
Who gives a shit if a rocket takes off carrying 10,000 pounds of fuel and travels for 15 minutes, yadda, yadda?
Anyone, anyone, in their right mind who thinks this test will communicate anything of value to them about a football player needs to be taken as far away from the football business as money and modes of transportation will allow.
All that test told me is that my ability to do calculations in my head sucks. But then I already knew that. And that's probably the biggest beef I have with the test. One deficiency like that and you're screwed, because about one third of the questions seem to be maths related.
Now if I was recruiting accountants or NASA scientists or engineers, then I could see the point. Then it would make sense to me. But football players? As I see it right now I think people (read scouts and the press) are just using this as a reason to lay unnecessary shit on Pryors doorstep or to cover their butts about being non-committal with their evaluations ("Well, I did warn you about his wonderlic score..." etc).
I think Pryor will suck in the NFL. I didn't need a ridiculous wonderlic test to tell me that. It just blows my mind that people get paid big money for crap like that. Ah well, back to the coffee...
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
2011 Pre-season week 3 (Part 2)
Right, finally time to put all my thoughts together on the weekends pre-season action. First...
Bills @ Jags; Man does Ryan Fitzpatrick look in the groove right now! 11/12 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. Back up Tyler Thigpen has a long way to go though, throwing 12/28 for 101 yards, a TD and 2 INT's, one of which was just plain horrible. In general the Bills offense looked good and has done now all throughout the pre-season. I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump on the growing "Bills in the 'Bowl" bandwagon just yet though. The defense still gave up 32 points, to David Garrard and Blaine Gabbert no less.
Talking of which, Gabbert threw his first TD! I'm sure the TV pundits had a great time slapping each other on the back over that one, despite Gabbert finishing 6/13 for 52 yards and also throwing a pick. Garrard wasn't a whole lot better (11/21 for 106 yards). He did manage to put on a great escape, evading three tacklers and then running four yards into the end zone. But while the crowd and the announcers were going crazy with delight, the old instinctive coaching part of me was saying "look at that ball security, it's terrible!". And it was. The only miracle on that play was that the ball wasn't stripped.
Falcons @ Steelers; Fact - Matt Ryan looks like a pro, with clean footwork and a great throwing motion. Fact - he doesn't always play like one. Fact - Throwing the ball 42 times often leads to interceptions, just through sheer numbers. Fact - This style is getting tired now.
So, Matt Ryan. 22/42, 220 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. 22 passes produced just (he says) 220 yards? That's still 10 yards per completion, but factor in the misses and that total drops to just a little over 5 yards per pass. That's not very Matt Ryan-esque, at least not on one of his good days. Conversely Ben Roethlisberger was having a great time (not involving alcohol, motorcycles, hotel rooms or bathrooms for once), going 11/16 for 214 yards and 2 TD's.
The Falcons D wasn't having such a great time. Against an offensive line that has a hard won reputation for being shaky as hell in pass protection, the Falcons defense was only able to produce 2 sacks. Still, that was one more than the Steelers. They made up some ground however with two picks.
The story for me though was centered around two young receivers, one on each side. The first was third year Falcons receiver Harry Douglas, who had a relatively quiet game for a change (3 catches for 31 yards), but hustled back hard after a Kevin Kolb interception to make the tackle on Lawrence Timmons. Kid looks good and could be the perfect foil for Roddy White (8 catches, 101 yards and a TD).
On the Steelers side I'm looking at 2nd year receiver Antonio Brown (4 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs). We saw last year that the kid has some talent and against the Falcons he looked like he had speed to burn. He played in 9 games last year with no starts. Expect an appearance game one this year, along with a big season ahead.
Dolphins @ Buccaneers; Chad Henne looking... good? What? 10/13 for 175 yards and a TD. Not bad. Certainly an improvement over the struggling pre-season performances we've seen prior to this. A Big part of that success was WR Brandon Marshall, who caught 2 passes (actually three, but he fumbled one) for 90 yards and a TD. Marshall looked strong, driven, and very much back to his best. If he can keep that up for another 16 games the Dolphins might be in with a shout. Well, of not finishing last in the AFC East maybe.
Josh Freeman had a more so-so game for the Buc's. 12/23 for 149 yards. But it's Rudy Carpenter kicking butt this pre-season (did I really just write that?) with 5/8 for 59 yards and a TD! The receiving corps isn't helping much though. Some nice play from rookie tight ends Daniel Hardy and Nathan Overbay, plus a long catch and run by running back LaGarrette Blount, but that's about it.
Luckily for the Buc's that defense is finally starting to live up to some of its potential - 5 sacks between them, including one each for rookies Da'Quan Bowers and George Johnson, and one for 2nd year linebacker Dekoda Watson who was on last years watch list (a 7th round pick no less).
Patriots @ Lions; The story de jour coming out of this game was the deal with Lions Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh throwing a punch at Patriots guard Logan Mankins. At the minute a lot of the big media outlets appear to be trying to string together a narrative that Suh is a dirty player etc, but I'm not really buying it.
The "throw" he was fined for the other week was pathetic and perhaps had that been any other player then nobody would have batted an eye lid. The punch in this game was for good reason (sort of), because Mankins was pulling Suh's team mate to the ground by the facemask. In fact Mankins was flagged for this very reason.
But this is what you have to love, is people taking incidents like that Suh punch completely out of context. He didn't just throw a punch at Mankins for no reason; Mankins was doing something that is widely recognised as a potential source of serious injury, hence why grabbing the face mask is considered a major penalty. But there you go.
Moving on, there was actually a proper game of football played and the Lions won it handily. Matthew Stafford was calm and precise with 12/14 for 200 yards and 2 TD's. If he can actually stay healthy this year then he looks like he's finally got a handle on that offense. Tom Brady on the opposite side looked a little rougher, with 12/22 for 145 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He also took his fair share of licks as the Lions pass rush started hitting home. Cliff Avril had two sacks and the pressure was certainly there on Brady.
Rookie Ryan Mallett had a better game in some ways finishing 9/14, but for only 65 yards. The Patriots rushing attack was also flat for the most part. Their defense did have some bright spots, notably 3rd year corner Kyle Arrington who had an interception and a sack.
Cowboys @ Vikings; It must be satisfying for the Cowboys every time they beat Donovan McNabb these days. Not least because the Cowboys aren't always that accustomed to winning. Tony Romo looked better than normal, with 15/20 for 141 yards. But it was still defense and special teams that did most of the work for the Cowboys, including three sacks and an interception, plus a blocked field goal attempt that was returned for a TD.
McNabb wasn't bad I guess. 12/18 for 164 yards, a TD and an INT, but you still get that "boom or bust" feeling out of McNabb, like he's either going to haul in a fat catch of yards - or just a few tiny minnows. Under study Joe Webb was perhaps more of the sparkler, with 4/7 for 81 yards, plus 2 scrambles for 46 yards and a TD. Rookie Christian Ponder looked surprisingly shit, with just 3/8 for 60 yards.
Adrian Peterson also saw some significant action, running for 81 yards on 14 carries, and generally looked healthy. On defense for the Vikings their were sacks for rookie linemen Christian Ballard and Cedric McKinley
Texans @ 49ers; Do I really have to cover this? Really? Are you sure? Oh c'mon!! Fuck.
So yeah, the 49ers got beaten, pounded, destroyed. It started so brightly. Matt Schaub dropped back to throw his first pass of the game, but instead of hitting the screen he gifted the ball to Ahmad Brooks who ran it back for six. At precisely this point the wheels dropped off and the 49ers dreams went careening over a cliff into the dark abyss below... shut up. This is my team, my blog, and I'll have a sulk about the 49ers shit forthcoming season if I choose to!
So yeah, the Texans. They were good I suppose. Schaub was 16/24 for 180 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Jesus even Matt Leinart was 7/10 for 69 yards. Running back Arian Foster managed just 8 carries for 38 yards before he got up off the turf cursing and nursing (see what I did there?) his hamstring. The Texans D had 3 sacks and two interceptions.
As for the '9ers? Well first of all, how fucking lazy do you have to be to shorten "the 49ers" down to "the '9ers"? You're telling me that pronouncing the word "forty" is really that much of a hassle? Anyway, we sucked. It's that simple. Alex Smith was 2/6 for 17 yards and one of the two interceptions. Colin Kaepernick produced the other one on his way to finishing 6/16 for 52 yards.
It was a bad/boring day for the 49ers receivers as well, as not a single one of them caught more than one pass. I'm not even joking now. 8 receivers, each of whom caught one pass, with the tie for the most yards being between tight end Delanie Walker and receiver Kyle Williams - with 15 each! Wanna be careful there San Francisco, we don't want you attracting unwelcome attention as a perceived threat from the big teams now do we?
Much of the blame for the above stems from an offensive line that makes the Bears look almost good. There are some good players, but there are also some fu..freaking awful players too. Literally Mike Person bad. I need coffee.
I hate the Texans.
Bears @ Titans; Speaking of the Bears terrible O-line, look who it is! Having run for his life at times, Jay Cutler finished 13/21 for 170 yards and an interception. Back up Caleb Haine did little better, ending 9/18 for 107 yards and a pick. A bright spot of sorts was running back Matt Forte who carried 17 times for 74 yards and a TD, and receiver Earl Bennett with 6 catches for 89 yards.
The day belonged to the Titans though. Sort of. Matt Hasselbeck was 12/22 for 135 yards, but at least looked a lot quicker with his drops, reads and getting the ball out of his hands, all good signs that he's starting to get more comfortable in the Titans offense. Jake Lockers spell produced all of 2/4 for 13 yards. The Titans running game was still a little anaemic without Chris Johnson, but oddly did just enough to help the team. This time at least. Receiver Nate Washington had 4 catches for 66 yards.
The Titans D threw up a sack and two interceptions, but the hero of the day had to be rookie Titans punter Chad Cunningham. Imagine the situation; it's 4th down and 3. Your a punter and a rookie no less, who doesn't even know if they'll make it to the final roster. The ball is snapped, you catch it and do your thing. Except here comes the pressure up the middle, someone has got an arm free and your punt is blocked. Disaster!
So naturally you do the only thing that a rookie punter who is desperate to make that 53 man roster can do - you run after that thing, pick it up on the bounce, and then run it down the sideline, outflanking most of the Bears return team, before cutting back inside bravely and diving home for the first down! We'll leave out the part where you get hit before reaching the ground and promptly fumble the ball out of bounds. Because it doesn't matter! Chad Cunningham, you sir are a hero!
Seahawks @ Broncos; They've done it! The Seahawks finally have an offensive touchdown this season! Tavaris Jackson floating the ball to the back of the end zone for tight end Dominique Byrd. But that's about where the Seahawks success ended, at least on offense. Jackson finished 13/22 for 93 yards. That's right, 22 passes that snagged a whole 93 yards. And that's before we start counting sacks.
Of which the Broncos D had 5, having been revitalised somewhat since John Fox arrived (as hard as that may be to believe). Two went to rookie Von Miller, who is beginning to look like he's every bit worthy of that second overall pick. "But Chris, didn't you say he'd be terrible?" I hear you cry. "No," says I, "...alright sort of. What I said - if you actually read the post on linebackers for the 2011 draft - was that his physical talents were pretty evident, but his technique was terrible. Which it truly was. But if he could be coached out of it then he might shine. Which he has. And now he is," which I'm going to class as a draw. Sorry, 'tie'.
The Seahawks defense wasn't to be outdone, except for the fact that they were, recording four sacks between them including two for rookie defensive end Lazarius Levingston.
On offense for the Broncos it was the Kyle Orton show again, with Orton throwing 16/23 for 1 TD and 1 INT. Then it was the Tebow show! Which... lead to a sack-fumble. And then another fumble. Still, he made some nice throws, finished 6/11 for 93 yards and lead two scoring drives to win the game. So there!
Chargers @ Cardinals; Life can be cruel sometimes. Like making the Cardinals third stringers think they had the win, only to have it snatched away. I like it when life is cruel to the Cardinals. It just seems right somehow. Kevin Kolb was 11/20 for 205 yards and a TD, including hooking up with Larry Fitzgerald for an 80 yards score. And man, Fitzgerald has just signed a big new deal and in this game he showed why. Just pure, raw, talent. Just a great individual player. Back up QB Richard Bartel also had his moment in the spotlight with 8/10 for 76 yards and a TD..
Standing opposite them was Phillip Rivers who finished 18/28 for 198 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick. In fact not just a pick, but a pick six, as Cardinals 1st round rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson finally managed to do something. The only down side was the high stepping through the end zone, which just smells like all kinds of diva. Chargers back up Billy Volek smoothed it all over though, going 9/17 for 123 yards and a TD to win the game.
Saints @ Raiders; When Chase Daniel is out throwing your starting quarterback, something is amiss. I like Chase Daniel, I think he's a great back up, and frankly given the choice of Alex Smith or Chase Daniel I'd take Daniel. But Drew Brees, 15/23 for 189 yards, while Daniel was 9/18 for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. Something about that just looks wrong.
Oh wait I've spotted it! It's the Raiders defense giving up nearly 400 yards through the air. Plus over 100 yards on the ground. Throw in 3 sacks for the Saints defense, including two for rookie defensive tackle Swanson Miller (who?) and you have a 40-20 rout on your hands.
The only real consolation for the Raiders were that their back up quarterbacks didn't throw any interceptions to compound the problem, as well as the running of rookie back Taiwan Jones, who looked quick and read his blocks well to scamper home with 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown. If the Raiders can keep him, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush healthy all year then they have the makings of a good run game.
Jets @ Giants; And finally we have the traditional pre-season showdown between the New York rivals, delayed till Monday due to Hurricane Irene. Now while the storm may have passed by this point, you can always expect a storm on the field, which is exactly what we got, with Brandon Jacobs trading words with the Jets defense, then eventually trading punches with Jets rookie defensive tackle Muhammed Wilkerson.
I'm not sure which makes me laugh the most - the fact that Jacobs got into trouble again and was ejected from the game, or the fact that players persist in throwing punches at each other, despite the fact they're both wearing helmets!! Ah well, stupid is as stupid does.
Talking of which, Eli Manning; 15/30 for 200 yards and 2 interceptions. Nice going kid, you keep slugging it out. Mind you, Mark Sanchez wasn't exactly blazing on the opposite side, finishing 8/16 for 64 yards and a TD.
The Jets D produced two sacks, one for rookie linebacker Nick Bellore who really impressed me at the combine (but I saw no film of pre-draft) and one for second year corner and first round pick Kyle Wilson who was on last years watch list. About damn time he did something useful. The Jets also had two interceptions, one for the old hand Jim Leonhard and one for linebacker David Harris.
The Giants D produced... a forced fumble by rookie safety David Sims. And yeah, that was the highlight. To be fair, they kept the Jets offense down to 17 points. I also have to tip my hat to rookie receiver Jerrel Jernigan who was returning punts for the Giants. Congratulations sir, I don't think I've never known someone to fumble the ball four times in one game. What is it with the Giants and fumbles?
Anyway, that's your week 3 round up done and dusted, which means we only have one more week of the pre-season and then ahhhhhh, real football.
But before I go I just want to touch on this week 4. A lot of people hate the pre-season and I get that. Maybe it's the aspect of looking at it from a coaching angle that interests me but I actually find week 4 the most interesting, because this is when the rookies and back ups are really competing. And I mean competing, for jobs. No gentleman's agreements. As far as pre-season goes, this is just about as intense as it gets.
Which leads me to wonder; why doesn't the NFL tap this resource more often? This league and the media frenzy that covers it is all about narratives, about weaving stories around a teams season and using the games to tell fans interesting tales about individual players or plucky underdogs. So instead of joking about the final pre-season games, why isn't the NFL making a big deal out of what is at stake.
Because there is a lot at stake.
Starting jobs for some. Back up jobs for others. Whole careers for others. By this time next week each team will be down to a roster of just 53 men heading into the season. That means some people are about to lose their job security and end up on the practice squad. Some people are about to outright lose their jobs and disappear from the NFL all together. In fact today is now Wednesday, which means teams have already begun the mandatory process of shaving down their rosters.
This - from my perspective - is serious business. One minute you're getting paid to do something you love and your full dream job is within touching distance. The next? Gone. Taken away from you without you having a real say in the matter. I just don't understand why the NFL and the networks don't hit this kind of thing up more?
I'm also really interested to see how some of the younger players get on. I'm assuming for the Broncos we'll see Tebow vs Quinn (round 3), we should get a good Blaine Gabbert vs Luke McCown fight in Jacksonville (McCown wins by utter, complete knockout). There's Christian Ponder in Minnesota. Jake Locker in Tennessee. Ryan Mallett could get a full game for New England. Two I'm really interested in are Ricky Stanzi leading the Chiefs, and Nathan Enderle leading the Bears. And that's just the quarterbacks.
There are lots of exciting young players who should get to show off their stuff in a few days time (all the games are being played on Thursday with the exception of Raiders @ Seahawks which is on Friday), along with all the desperate fringe kids and back ups fighting for jobs.
That to me makes pre-season week 4 almost as exciting as week one of the regular season. But then I'm sad like that. I'll see you guys again maybe Saturday, maybe Sunday, depending on when I have the time to recap all that action and then pick out the best of the roster cut cast offs.
Till then, enjoy the rest of your week.
Bills @ Jags; Man does Ryan Fitzpatrick look in the groove right now! 11/12 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. Back up Tyler Thigpen has a long way to go though, throwing 12/28 for 101 yards, a TD and 2 INT's, one of which was just plain horrible. In general the Bills offense looked good and has done now all throughout the pre-season. I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump on the growing "Bills in the 'Bowl" bandwagon just yet though. The defense still gave up 32 points, to David Garrard and Blaine Gabbert no less.
Talking of which, Gabbert threw his first TD! I'm sure the TV pundits had a great time slapping each other on the back over that one, despite Gabbert finishing 6/13 for 52 yards and also throwing a pick. Garrard wasn't a whole lot better (11/21 for 106 yards). He did manage to put on a great escape, evading three tacklers and then running four yards into the end zone. But while the crowd and the announcers were going crazy with delight, the old instinctive coaching part of me was saying "look at that ball security, it's terrible!". And it was. The only miracle on that play was that the ball wasn't stripped.
Falcons @ Steelers; Fact - Matt Ryan looks like a pro, with clean footwork and a great throwing motion. Fact - he doesn't always play like one. Fact - Throwing the ball 42 times often leads to interceptions, just through sheer numbers. Fact - This style is getting tired now.
So, Matt Ryan. 22/42, 220 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. 22 passes produced just (he says) 220 yards? That's still 10 yards per completion, but factor in the misses and that total drops to just a little over 5 yards per pass. That's not very Matt Ryan-esque, at least not on one of his good days. Conversely Ben Roethlisberger was having a great time (not involving alcohol, motorcycles, hotel rooms or bathrooms for once), going 11/16 for 214 yards and 2 TD's.
The Falcons D wasn't having such a great time. Against an offensive line that has a hard won reputation for being shaky as hell in pass protection, the Falcons defense was only able to produce 2 sacks. Still, that was one more than the Steelers. They made up some ground however with two picks.
The story for me though was centered around two young receivers, one on each side. The first was third year Falcons receiver Harry Douglas, who had a relatively quiet game for a change (3 catches for 31 yards), but hustled back hard after a Kevin Kolb interception to make the tackle on Lawrence Timmons. Kid looks good and could be the perfect foil for Roddy White (8 catches, 101 yards and a TD).
On the Steelers side I'm looking at 2nd year receiver Antonio Brown (4 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs). We saw last year that the kid has some talent and against the Falcons he looked like he had speed to burn. He played in 9 games last year with no starts. Expect an appearance game one this year, along with a big season ahead.
Dolphins @ Buccaneers; Chad Henne looking... good? What? 10/13 for 175 yards and a TD. Not bad. Certainly an improvement over the struggling pre-season performances we've seen prior to this. A Big part of that success was WR Brandon Marshall, who caught 2 passes (actually three, but he fumbled one) for 90 yards and a TD. Marshall looked strong, driven, and very much back to his best. If he can keep that up for another 16 games the Dolphins might be in with a shout. Well, of not finishing last in the AFC East maybe.
Josh Freeman had a more so-so game for the Buc's. 12/23 for 149 yards. But it's Rudy Carpenter kicking butt this pre-season (did I really just write that?) with 5/8 for 59 yards and a TD! The receiving corps isn't helping much though. Some nice play from rookie tight ends Daniel Hardy and Nathan Overbay, plus a long catch and run by running back LaGarrette Blount, but that's about it.
Luckily for the Buc's that defense is finally starting to live up to some of its potential - 5 sacks between them, including one each for rookies Da'Quan Bowers and George Johnson, and one for 2nd year linebacker Dekoda Watson who was on last years watch list (a 7th round pick no less).
Patriots @ Lions; The story de jour coming out of this game was the deal with Lions Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh throwing a punch at Patriots guard Logan Mankins. At the minute a lot of the big media outlets appear to be trying to string together a narrative that Suh is a dirty player etc, but I'm not really buying it.
The "throw" he was fined for the other week was pathetic and perhaps had that been any other player then nobody would have batted an eye lid. The punch in this game was for good reason (sort of), because Mankins was pulling Suh's team mate to the ground by the facemask. In fact Mankins was flagged for this very reason.
But this is what you have to love, is people taking incidents like that Suh punch completely out of context. He didn't just throw a punch at Mankins for no reason; Mankins was doing something that is widely recognised as a potential source of serious injury, hence why grabbing the face mask is considered a major penalty. But there you go.
Moving on, there was actually a proper game of football played and the Lions won it handily. Matthew Stafford was calm and precise with 12/14 for 200 yards and 2 TD's. If he can actually stay healthy this year then he looks like he's finally got a handle on that offense. Tom Brady on the opposite side looked a little rougher, with 12/22 for 145 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He also took his fair share of licks as the Lions pass rush started hitting home. Cliff Avril had two sacks and the pressure was certainly there on Brady.
Rookie Ryan Mallett had a better game in some ways finishing 9/14, but for only 65 yards. The Patriots rushing attack was also flat for the most part. Their defense did have some bright spots, notably 3rd year corner Kyle Arrington who had an interception and a sack.
Cowboys @ Vikings; It must be satisfying for the Cowboys every time they beat Donovan McNabb these days. Not least because the Cowboys aren't always that accustomed to winning. Tony Romo looked better than normal, with 15/20 for 141 yards. But it was still defense and special teams that did most of the work for the Cowboys, including three sacks and an interception, plus a blocked field goal attempt that was returned for a TD.
McNabb wasn't bad I guess. 12/18 for 164 yards, a TD and an INT, but you still get that "boom or bust" feeling out of McNabb, like he's either going to haul in a fat catch of yards - or just a few tiny minnows. Under study Joe Webb was perhaps more of the sparkler, with 4/7 for 81 yards, plus 2 scrambles for 46 yards and a TD. Rookie Christian Ponder looked surprisingly shit, with just 3/8 for 60 yards.
Adrian Peterson also saw some significant action, running for 81 yards on 14 carries, and generally looked healthy. On defense for the Vikings their were sacks for rookie linemen Christian Ballard and Cedric McKinley
Texans @ 49ers; Do I really have to cover this? Really? Are you sure? Oh c'mon!! Fuck.
So yeah, the 49ers got beaten, pounded, destroyed. It started so brightly. Matt Schaub dropped back to throw his first pass of the game, but instead of hitting the screen he gifted the ball to Ahmad Brooks who ran it back for six. At precisely this point the wheels dropped off and the 49ers dreams went careening over a cliff into the dark abyss below... shut up. This is my team, my blog, and I'll have a sulk about the 49ers shit forthcoming season if I choose to!
So yeah, the Texans. They were good I suppose. Schaub was 16/24 for 180 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Jesus even Matt Leinart was 7/10 for 69 yards. Running back Arian Foster managed just 8 carries for 38 yards before he got up off the turf cursing and nursing (see what I did there?) his hamstring. The Texans D had 3 sacks and two interceptions.
As for the '9ers? Well first of all, how fucking lazy do you have to be to shorten "the 49ers" down to "the '9ers"? You're telling me that pronouncing the word "forty" is really that much of a hassle? Anyway, we sucked. It's that simple. Alex Smith was 2/6 for 17 yards and one of the two interceptions. Colin Kaepernick produced the other one on his way to finishing 6/16 for 52 yards.
It was a bad/boring day for the 49ers receivers as well, as not a single one of them caught more than one pass. I'm not even joking now. 8 receivers, each of whom caught one pass, with the tie for the most yards being between tight end Delanie Walker and receiver Kyle Williams - with 15 each! Wanna be careful there San Francisco, we don't want you attracting unwelcome attention as a perceived threat from the big teams now do we?
Much of the blame for the above stems from an offensive line that makes the Bears look almost good. There are some good players, but there are also some fu..freaking awful players too. Literally Mike Person bad. I need coffee.
I hate the Texans.
Bears @ Titans; Speaking of the Bears terrible O-line, look who it is! Having run for his life at times, Jay Cutler finished 13/21 for 170 yards and an interception. Back up Caleb Haine did little better, ending 9/18 for 107 yards and a pick. A bright spot of sorts was running back Matt Forte who carried 17 times for 74 yards and a TD, and receiver Earl Bennett with 6 catches for 89 yards.
The day belonged to the Titans though. Sort of. Matt Hasselbeck was 12/22 for 135 yards, but at least looked a lot quicker with his drops, reads and getting the ball out of his hands, all good signs that he's starting to get more comfortable in the Titans offense. Jake Lockers spell produced all of 2/4 for 13 yards. The Titans running game was still a little anaemic without Chris Johnson, but oddly did just enough to help the team. This time at least. Receiver Nate Washington had 4 catches for 66 yards.
The Titans D threw up a sack and two interceptions, but the hero of the day had to be rookie Titans punter Chad Cunningham. Imagine the situation; it's 4th down and 3. Your a punter and a rookie no less, who doesn't even know if they'll make it to the final roster. The ball is snapped, you catch it and do your thing. Except here comes the pressure up the middle, someone has got an arm free and your punt is blocked. Disaster!
So naturally you do the only thing that a rookie punter who is desperate to make that 53 man roster can do - you run after that thing, pick it up on the bounce, and then run it down the sideline, outflanking most of the Bears return team, before cutting back inside bravely and diving home for the first down! We'll leave out the part where you get hit before reaching the ground and promptly fumble the ball out of bounds. Because it doesn't matter! Chad Cunningham, you sir are a hero!
Seahawks @ Broncos; They've done it! The Seahawks finally have an offensive touchdown this season! Tavaris Jackson floating the ball to the back of the end zone for tight end Dominique Byrd. But that's about where the Seahawks success ended, at least on offense. Jackson finished 13/22 for 93 yards. That's right, 22 passes that snagged a whole 93 yards. And that's before we start counting sacks.
Of which the Broncos D had 5, having been revitalised somewhat since John Fox arrived (as hard as that may be to believe). Two went to rookie Von Miller, who is beginning to look like he's every bit worthy of that second overall pick. "But Chris, didn't you say he'd be terrible?" I hear you cry. "No," says I, "...alright sort of. What I said - if you actually read the post on linebackers for the 2011 draft - was that his physical talents were pretty evident, but his technique was terrible. Which it truly was. But if he could be coached out of it then he might shine. Which he has. And now he is," which I'm going to class as a draw. Sorry, 'tie'.
The Seahawks defense wasn't to be outdone, except for the fact that they were, recording four sacks between them including two for rookie defensive end Lazarius Levingston.
On offense for the Broncos it was the Kyle Orton show again, with Orton throwing 16/23 for 1 TD and 1 INT. Then it was the Tebow show! Which... lead to a sack-fumble. And then another fumble. Still, he made some nice throws, finished 6/11 for 93 yards and lead two scoring drives to win the game. So there!
Chargers @ Cardinals; Life can be cruel sometimes. Like making the Cardinals third stringers think they had the win, only to have it snatched away. I like it when life is cruel to the Cardinals. It just seems right somehow. Kevin Kolb was 11/20 for 205 yards and a TD, including hooking up with Larry Fitzgerald for an 80 yards score. And man, Fitzgerald has just signed a big new deal and in this game he showed why. Just pure, raw, talent. Just a great individual player. Back up QB Richard Bartel also had his moment in the spotlight with 8/10 for 76 yards and a TD..
Standing opposite them was Phillip Rivers who finished 18/28 for 198 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick. In fact not just a pick, but a pick six, as Cardinals 1st round rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson finally managed to do something. The only down side was the high stepping through the end zone, which just smells like all kinds of diva. Chargers back up Billy Volek smoothed it all over though, going 9/17 for 123 yards and a TD to win the game.
Saints @ Raiders; When Chase Daniel is out throwing your starting quarterback, something is amiss. I like Chase Daniel, I think he's a great back up, and frankly given the choice of Alex Smith or Chase Daniel I'd take Daniel. But Drew Brees, 15/23 for 189 yards, while Daniel was 9/18 for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. Something about that just looks wrong.
Oh wait I've spotted it! It's the Raiders defense giving up nearly 400 yards through the air. Plus over 100 yards on the ground. Throw in 3 sacks for the Saints defense, including two for rookie defensive tackle Swanson Miller (who?) and you have a 40-20 rout on your hands.
The only real consolation for the Raiders were that their back up quarterbacks didn't throw any interceptions to compound the problem, as well as the running of rookie back Taiwan Jones, who looked quick and read his blocks well to scamper home with 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown. If the Raiders can keep him, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush healthy all year then they have the makings of a good run game.
Jets @ Giants; And finally we have the traditional pre-season showdown between the New York rivals, delayed till Monday due to Hurricane Irene. Now while the storm may have passed by this point, you can always expect a storm on the field, which is exactly what we got, with Brandon Jacobs trading words with the Jets defense, then eventually trading punches with Jets rookie defensive tackle Muhammed Wilkerson.
I'm not sure which makes me laugh the most - the fact that Jacobs got into trouble again and was ejected from the game, or the fact that players persist in throwing punches at each other, despite the fact they're both wearing helmets!! Ah well, stupid is as stupid does.
Talking of which, Eli Manning; 15/30 for 200 yards and 2 interceptions. Nice going kid, you keep slugging it out. Mind you, Mark Sanchez wasn't exactly blazing on the opposite side, finishing 8/16 for 64 yards and a TD.
The Jets D produced two sacks, one for rookie linebacker Nick Bellore who really impressed me at the combine (but I saw no film of pre-draft) and one for second year corner and first round pick Kyle Wilson who was on last years watch list. About damn time he did something useful. The Jets also had two interceptions, one for the old hand Jim Leonhard and one for linebacker David Harris.
The Giants D produced... a forced fumble by rookie safety David Sims. And yeah, that was the highlight. To be fair, they kept the Jets offense down to 17 points. I also have to tip my hat to rookie receiver Jerrel Jernigan who was returning punts for the Giants. Congratulations sir, I don't think I've never known someone to fumble the ball four times in one game. What is it with the Giants and fumbles?
Anyway, that's your week 3 round up done and dusted, which means we only have one more week of the pre-season and then ahhhhhh, real football.
But before I go I just want to touch on this week 4. A lot of people hate the pre-season and I get that. Maybe it's the aspect of looking at it from a coaching angle that interests me but I actually find week 4 the most interesting, because this is when the rookies and back ups are really competing. And I mean competing, for jobs. No gentleman's agreements. As far as pre-season goes, this is just about as intense as it gets.
Which leads me to wonder; why doesn't the NFL tap this resource more often? This league and the media frenzy that covers it is all about narratives, about weaving stories around a teams season and using the games to tell fans interesting tales about individual players or plucky underdogs. So instead of joking about the final pre-season games, why isn't the NFL making a big deal out of what is at stake.
Because there is a lot at stake.
Starting jobs for some. Back up jobs for others. Whole careers for others. By this time next week each team will be down to a roster of just 53 men heading into the season. That means some people are about to lose their job security and end up on the practice squad. Some people are about to outright lose their jobs and disappear from the NFL all together. In fact today is now Wednesday, which means teams have already begun the mandatory process of shaving down their rosters.
This - from my perspective - is serious business. One minute you're getting paid to do something you love and your full dream job is within touching distance. The next? Gone. Taken away from you without you having a real say in the matter. I just don't understand why the NFL and the networks don't hit this kind of thing up more?
I'm also really interested to see how some of the younger players get on. I'm assuming for the Broncos we'll see Tebow vs Quinn (round 3), we should get a good Blaine Gabbert vs Luke McCown fight in Jacksonville (McCown wins by utter, complete knockout). There's Christian Ponder in Minnesota. Jake Locker in Tennessee. Ryan Mallett could get a full game for New England. Two I'm really interested in are Ricky Stanzi leading the Chiefs, and Nathan Enderle leading the Bears. And that's just the quarterbacks.
There are lots of exciting young players who should get to show off their stuff in a few days time (all the games are being played on Thursday with the exception of Raiders @ Seahawks which is on Friday), along with all the desperate fringe kids and back ups fighting for jobs.
That to me makes pre-season week 4 almost as exciting as week one of the regular season. But then I'm sad like that. I'll see you guys again maybe Saturday, maybe Sunday, depending on when I have the time to recap all that action and then pick out the best of the roster cut cast offs.
Till then, enjoy the rest of your week.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
2011 Pre-Season Week 3 (part 1)
As we edge closer to the start of the season it's time to take a look at how the Thursday and Friday games from pre-season week 3 panned out. Starting with...
The Panthers @ Bengals. And you know you're looking bad when this Bengals team can beat you. At this juncture it's probably a good time to point out that the Bengals did most of the damage with their starters against the Panthers starters, before anyone starts talking about third stringers.
Though initially it seemed bright enough for the Panthers with Cam Newton running 16 yards for the first score. But that's kind of where the fun ended for Cam, who finished 6/19 for 75 yards. Yes, 6/19. Now I know he's a rookie but that's still pretty bad. What I love most though is that had this been Tim Tebow in his rookie year, people would have been pouring on the hate. But I'm not hearing it now? Funny that. Ok, I'll make it up for all the lost voices; Newton is going to suck this year. And probably every other year.
There you go.
On the other side Andy Dalton started to show some signs of life, throwing 11/17 for 130 yards and a TD. Getting there Andy. Very slowly, but getting there. The real focus for the Bengals though should be on that running game. Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott combined for 22 carries, producing 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. The vitality of this running attack could just be the key to getting Dalton through the season with some semblance of success.
Next was the Browns @ Eagles. Mike Vick took some lumps for the Eagles, but complimented his 10/18 for 98 yards passing with 4 carries for 24 yards and a TD. Vince Young played the "anything you can do, I can do precisely the same" game, by also carrying 4 times for 24 yards and a TD. Running backs Ronnie Brown and Dion Lewis did a lot of the ground work, but LeSean McCoy was the back that got the cream, with 7 catches for a team leading 69 yards receiving.
For the Browns, Colt McCoy looked a little less assured this time around, with 9/18 for 89 yards plus an interception off a poor decision, throwing the ball under pressure to a waiting Asante Samuel who dropped off his outside receiver and snuck underneath the pass to make a great pick. Seneca Wallace clawed back a TD pass for the Browns, before rookie Jarrett Brown hit the field and went 4/4 for 35 yards and a TD. Kid's had quite a solid pre-season so far.
On defense it was all about the Eagles, who accompanied Samuel's interception with five sacks. They're still not quite the Dream Team in Philadelphia, but at least they look a little less shaky now.
Next was the Redskins @ Ravens, and quite a tight game. The Redskins quarterback battle continues with Rex Grossman throwing 8/15 for 112 yards and a TD to John Becks 6/10 for 108 yards and a TD, plus an INT. Overall I'm not sure who will win. Grossman has had the lions share of the playing time so he has more film for Shanahan and son to review, but I think Beck might just sneak it. He just looks a little sharper in general.
The story of the Redskins is still their running game though. Tim Hightower and rookie Roy Helu put up exactly 100 yards between them on 22 carries. Hightower also had a touchdown. Second year wide receiver Terrence Austin also impressed, with 5 carries for 71 yards and a TD. The 'skins defense also looked a bit better, with an interception by DeAngelo Hall and four sacks as a unit, including single sacks for rookies Ryan Kerrigan and Davonte Shannon.
For the Ravens, Joe Flacco kind of looked better in this game. Sort of. A little. Trying to find nice things to say about someone I don't rate all that much. He finished 17/27 for 219 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception (the DeAngelo Hall pick 6). Rookie Tyrod Taylor definitely improved, with 11/18 for 125 yards and a TD. Running back Ray Rice found his groove (13 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD) as did recent acquisition receiver Lee Evans, who caught 3 passes for 60 yards and a TD. Anquan Boldin had 5 catches for 73 yards and a TD as well. Ladarius Webb stood out on the Ravens D, with an interception and a sack.
Packers @ Colts next. The Curtis Painter saga continues. People have been heaping praise on him in the last few hours but I would say hold up a second. He was 11/21 for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. That's not bad, but let's face it, for Curtis Painter that is practically a career performance. To top it off, 57 of those hallowed yards came when Reggie Wayne was left wide open as corner Sam Shields tried to emulate Asante Samuel's baiting trick from the day before... except Samuel had a safety playing the proper technique over the top and Shields didn't. The result was the Wayne TD. And Painter still sucks.
Aaron Rodgers doesn't though, finishing the game 19/23 for 204 yards and a TD, while looking just as slick as he did in last years Super Bowl. Except for that stupid moustache come beard thing he's sporting now. You're not rock and roll Aaron. AC/DC will not be calling anytime soon. "Rookie" Graham Harrell (he's 26 and played in the pre-season last year) then came in and finished the game 12/21 for 85 yards, an interception, but also a touchdown with just 35 seconds left on the clock, followed by a two point conversion.
The Packers then caught the Colts napping with an onside kick, demonstrating the lack of game management from Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell that hurt his team at times last year.
Both defenses did well. The Packers had 4 sacks, one by Clay Matthews and the other three coming from rookies. The Colts D produced 5, including two for Dwight Freeney and one for former Bear Tommie Harris. This is definitely a positive sign, given that in the Peyton Manning era the defense has often let down the rest of the team.
Finally for today we have the Rams @ Chiefs. Quarterback Sam Bradford looked ok for the Rams, throwing 9/16 for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also a dangerous interception while backed up near his own goal line, as he failed to see the grossly under rated linebacker Derrick Johnson lurking in underneath coverage. Johnson also had a sack. Rams back up A.J. Feely was 8/13 for 65 yards and an interception.
The Rams rushing attack did much better though. Steven Jackson turned 15 carries into 72 yards while Cadillac Williams carried 12 times for 53 yards. Rookie Tight End Lance Kendricks has been making me look good for calling him better than Kyle Rudolph and he continued that theme against the Chiefs with 2 catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. On defense, rookie defensive end Robert Quinn restored my rookie predicting karma to zero, by defying my criticism of him and having a sack/fumble, plus blocking a field goal.
But then on the Chiefs side Ricky Stanzi tried to get me back on the plus side for this game, finally pulling his finger out of his arse to throw 8/14 for 121 yards and a lovely touchdown pass, with no interceptions. Keep it up. Matt Cassel meanwhile wallowed in his own personal well of mediocrity, with 6/13 for 59 yards. Tip; when you make Tyler Palko look good (7/12, 92 yards) then you're doing something very wrong.
That's it for today. If you think I'm doing all of Saturdays games in one marathon chunk tomorrow then you've got another thing coming. I'll likely be back Monday night (technically Tuesday morning here). Till then, have a good weekend, enjoy the football and don't forget to hit the Facebook-like-button-thingy at the bottom.
Do it.
The Panthers @ Bengals. And you know you're looking bad when this Bengals team can beat you. At this juncture it's probably a good time to point out that the Bengals did most of the damage with their starters against the Panthers starters, before anyone starts talking about third stringers.
Though initially it seemed bright enough for the Panthers with Cam Newton running 16 yards for the first score. But that's kind of where the fun ended for Cam, who finished 6/19 for 75 yards. Yes, 6/19. Now I know he's a rookie but that's still pretty bad. What I love most though is that had this been Tim Tebow in his rookie year, people would have been pouring on the hate. But I'm not hearing it now? Funny that. Ok, I'll make it up for all the lost voices; Newton is going to suck this year. And probably every other year.
There you go.
On the other side Andy Dalton started to show some signs of life, throwing 11/17 for 130 yards and a TD. Getting there Andy. Very slowly, but getting there. The real focus for the Bengals though should be on that running game. Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott combined for 22 carries, producing 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. The vitality of this running attack could just be the key to getting Dalton through the season with some semblance of success.
Next was the Browns @ Eagles. Mike Vick took some lumps for the Eagles, but complimented his 10/18 for 98 yards passing with 4 carries for 24 yards and a TD. Vince Young played the "anything you can do, I can do precisely the same" game, by also carrying 4 times for 24 yards and a TD. Running backs Ronnie Brown and Dion Lewis did a lot of the ground work, but LeSean McCoy was the back that got the cream, with 7 catches for a team leading 69 yards receiving.
For the Browns, Colt McCoy looked a little less assured this time around, with 9/18 for 89 yards plus an interception off a poor decision, throwing the ball under pressure to a waiting Asante Samuel who dropped off his outside receiver and snuck underneath the pass to make a great pick. Seneca Wallace clawed back a TD pass for the Browns, before rookie Jarrett Brown hit the field and went 4/4 for 35 yards and a TD. Kid's had quite a solid pre-season so far.
On defense it was all about the Eagles, who accompanied Samuel's interception with five sacks. They're still not quite the Dream Team in Philadelphia, but at least they look a little less shaky now.
Next was the Redskins @ Ravens, and quite a tight game. The Redskins quarterback battle continues with Rex Grossman throwing 8/15 for 112 yards and a TD to John Becks 6/10 for 108 yards and a TD, plus an INT. Overall I'm not sure who will win. Grossman has had the lions share of the playing time so he has more film for Shanahan and son to review, but I think Beck might just sneak it. He just looks a little sharper in general.
The story of the Redskins is still their running game though. Tim Hightower and rookie Roy Helu put up exactly 100 yards between them on 22 carries. Hightower also had a touchdown. Second year wide receiver Terrence Austin also impressed, with 5 carries for 71 yards and a TD. The 'skins defense also looked a bit better, with an interception by DeAngelo Hall and four sacks as a unit, including single sacks for rookies Ryan Kerrigan and Davonte Shannon.
For the Ravens, Joe Flacco kind of looked better in this game. Sort of. A little. Trying to find nice things to say about someone I don't rate all that much. He finished 17/27 for 219 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception (the DeAngelo Hall pick 6). Rookie Tyrod Taylor definitely improved, with 11/18 for 125 yards and a TD. Running back Ray Rice found his groove (13 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD) as did recent acquisition receiver Lee Evans, who caught 3 passes for 60 yards and a TD. Anquan Boldin had 5 catches for 73 yards and a TD as well. Ladarius Webb stood out on the Ravens D, with an interception and a sack.
Packers @ Colts next. The Curtis Painter saga continues. People have been heaping praise on him in the last few hours but I would say hold up a second. He was 11/21 for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. That's not bad, but let's face it, for Curtis Painter that is practically a career performance. To top it off, 57 of those hallowed yards came when Reggie Wayne was left wide open as corner Sam Shields tried to emulate Asante Samuel's baiting trick from the day before... except Samuel had a safety playing the proper technique over the top and Shields didn't. The result was the Wayne TD. And Painter still sucks.
Aaron Rodgers doesn't though, finishing the game 19/23 for 204 yards and a TD, while looking just as slick as he did in last years Super Bowl. Except for that stupid moustache come beard thing he's sporting now. You're not rock and roll Aaron. AC/DC will not be calling anytime soon. "Rookie" Graham Harrell (he's 26 and played in the pre-season last year) then came in and finished the game 12/21 for 85 yards, an interception, but also a touchdown with just 35 seconds left on the clock, followed by a two point conversion.
The Packers then caught the Colts napping with an onside kick, demonstrating the lack of game management from Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell that hurt his team at times last year.
Both defenses did well. The Packers had 4 sacks, one by Clay Matthews and the other three coming from rookies. The Colts D produced 5, including two for Dwight Freeney and one for former Bear Tommie Harris. This is definitely a positive sign, given that in the Peyton Manning era the defense has often let down the rest of the team.
Finally for today we have the Rams @ Chiefs. Quarterback Sam Bradford looked ok for the Rams, throwing 9/16 for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also a dangerous interception while backed up near his own goal line, as he failed to see the grossly under rated linebacker Derrick Johnson lurking in underneath coverage. Johnson also had a sack. Rams back up A.J. Feely was 8/13 for 65 yards and an interception.
The Rams rushing attack did much better though. Steven Jackson turned 15 carries into 72 yards while Cadillac Williams carried 12 times for 53 yards. Rookie Tight End Lance Kendricks has been making me look good for calling him better than Kyle Rudolph and he continued that theme against the Chiefs with 2 catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. On defense, rookie defensive end Robert Quinn restored my rookie predicting karma to zero, by defying my criticism of him and having a sack/fumble, plus blocking a field goal.
But then on the Chiefs side Ricky Stanzi tried to get me back on the plus side for this game, finally pulling his finger out of his arse to throw 8/14 for 121 yards and a lovely touchdown pass, with no interceptions. Keep it up. Matt Cassel meanwhile wallowed in his own personal well of mediocrity, with 6/13 for 59 yards. Tip; when you make Tyler Palko look good (7/12, 92 yards) then you're doing something very wrong.
That's it for today. If you think I'm doing all of Saturdays games in one marathon chunk tomorrow then you've got another thing coming. I'll likely be back Monday night (technically Tuesday morning here). Till then, have a good weekend, enjoy the football and don't forget to hit the Facebook-like-button-thingy at the bottom.
Do it.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A word on Tim Tebow
For basically the last three weeks, the subject of Tim Tebow has constantly been popping up across the mainstream media and the Internet. There are lots of reasons for this, but no doubt prime among which is the fact that controversy gets people talking. It makes your website stand out on Google searches and gets people to click on your website and come take a look. Page views go up, thus potentially so does advertising revenue.
But lately it's been getting ridiculous. For those of you who - like me - drop in on ProFootballTalk.com each day to browse the headlines, you'll have noticed that Tim Tebow seems to crop up on a practically daily basis. I wouldn't mind so much to be honest if it wasn't for the fact that Mike Florio spends most of the time that he devotes to the subject of Tim Tebow - like a lot of people in the media - talking out of his fucking arse.
The common thread at the minute appears to be that Tim can't throw. This has been brought up in God only knows how many articles and TV segments, and frankly it's starting to piss me off. It's as if last season didn't happen, that Tebow never went onto the field and never threw a pass. We're told by many "expert" sources that Tebow doesn't have the correct throwing action to be an NFL quarterback. Or that he isn't accurate enough. Or that he doesn't know how to throw NFL passes full stop.
So here's what I did. I went to YouTube and I typed in "Tim Tebow Denver Broncos". I found the first video I could that had clips of him from last season playing with the Broncos and I present this video to you now.
Now you tell me. Watch the video again and tell me whether you can see any completed passes? I can. Presumably you can to. I dunno though. Apparently he can't throw these kind of passes. He's unable to. Well, at least that's what all the QB experts on the TV and Internet keep telling people.
See I'm confused. I don't know what to think anymore. My eyes, they're telling me that I can see Tim Tebow making passes. Short passes, off play action. Screen passes. I can see intermediate level passes. I can see deep passes. Well, at least I think I can. That's what my brain is telling me that my eyes can see. But apparently not.
See when I go over to ProFootballTalk.com they keep telling me that Tebow sucks. They keep pointing me towards articles by respected people in the football world who tell their audiences that "Tim Tebow can't make NFL throws" etc.
So who do I believe? The experts? Or my own eyes?
Funnily enough, I've become very attached to my eyes over the years. They're not 100% trustworthy, but more often than not they are. And no matter how many times I watch the video above, it appears to show Tim Tebow playing for an NFL team, running an NFL offense, throwing NFL passes, against NFL defenses.
So frankly I'd like to invite Mike Florio, his bitch Rosenwhateverhisnameis and every other person who insists that Tebow can't make NFL passes to just sit back, relax, and drink a nice big cup of shut the fuck up. In fact, I'll even give you something to watch while you have your drink.
Because the other big knock on Tebow has always been his throwing motion. Apparently, so I'm told by experts, having such an elongated throwing motion, where the ball dips low before being brought back up over the shoulder, should not work. In fact, we're confidently told that it will not work. Ever. Never has, never will. Least not in the NFL.
Defenses are too quick, too smart. NFL defenders will see the arm motion and break on the ball with time to spare, providing it isn't ripped from Tebows arm for the 40th time that game before he can throw it.
Well... I'm calling Bullshit on this.
Not least because of the simple fact that everyone who has ever spoken on this subject has constantly affirmed that Tebow should adapt his motion to be more like Dan Marino's, which is considered to be a cleaner, more precise motion, with less wasted downward movement.
And while that sounds great in principle, the simple fact is it's complete bollocks of the highest order. Dan Mario's throwing motion was as cack handed and elongated as Tim Tebows. How do I know this? Because unlike BSPN and the army of sycophants who are all looking for a job on their news desk, I actually bothered to go back and have a look.
Yes that's right; research.
I understand that in the world of modern sensationalist journalism such a word as "research" is often considered up there right alongside "integrity" as words that should be kept quiet, locked up in an underground vault somewhere never to be seen or heard from again. But I happen to find research can be quite useful. It has a tendency to help prevent one from talking out of ones arse, though this is a general rule not a precise one, as I've personally proven in the case of Mark Herzlich and others.
So again I'm going to furnish you with a YouTube video for your perusal. This is of Dan Marino, Quarterback, Miami Dolphins. What in particular I'd like you to notice is that fact that Marino had a penchant for holding the ball down near his back hip, one handed no less, which then required the ball to be brought up from this low position to behind the shoulder, and then forward. Literally the only difference between Marino and Tebow is that Marino took a slightly less curved path and he moved his arm at lightning speed.
The fact remains though, his motion was not the paragon of muscular efficiency and technical artistry that it is often made out to be. He was just bloody quick. Here's the proof;
And you know what? I'm in the mood for showing off. Taking the piss as it were. So I'm going to throw in another video just for good measure. This time we're going to look at Joe Montana, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Of course my opinion on Montana has nothing to do with being a 49ers fan...
Anyway. The purpose of this next video is to demonstrate that even a slightly elongated motion can produce results. It may not be the picture perfect throwing motion desired by modern analysts, but it just plain worked. Adhering to Bill Walsh's often repeated mantras of 1) making sure the tip of the ball doesn't dip below the waist and that 2) the ball is released above the shoulder, Joe Montana went on to have a mildly successful career.
Well, who doesn't have four Super Bowl rings these days?
I should also point out that Montana, like Marino, and so far like Tebow, managed to avoid the issue of the constant strips which we were assured by experts, and continue to be assured by them, would be the every other play consequence of a dipping throwing motion.
I'm particularly keen on this video because Montana's motion is a bit more akin to Tebow's than Marino's was. The path of travel of the football is a much closer match, as was the speed at which Montana used to throw. Here it is, with some great slow mo action to help you make a comparison.
Now adding all this up, does this mean Tebow will be the next Montana or Marino? Well frankly it's a little early to tell. All I'm trying to do here is to disprove the current hypothesis expounded by seemingly everyone that can get themselves close enough to a keyboard or a microphone; that Tim Tebow can't throw NFL passes and that his throwing motion is inadequate for the NFL.
There is obviously more to quarterbacking than throwing passes. Tebow will have to master the mental aspects as well, from learning plays, protections and reads, to developing the requisite skills of leadership and the command of the huddle, to name but a few.
I personally believe that in time, and if given a proper shot, he will. I'd love it even more if that team were the San Francisco 49ers whom I follow so dearly and regularly shout at so profanely. Most of all though I just want Tebow to get his chance. He seems like a great kid who has come under a lot of unnecessary scrutiny since leaving college, and I simply can't wait to see the day when he makes a rather large amount of people choke on their fucking words.
Go on Tim. I'm a Tebowliever!! As are many others. You can do this.
But lately it's been getting ridiculous. For those of you who - like me - drop in on ProFootballTalk.com each day to browse the headlines, you'll have noticed that Tim Tebow seems to crop up on a practically daily basis. I wouldn't mind so much to be honest if it wasn't for the fact that Mike Florio spends most of the time that he devotes to the subject of Tim Tebow - like a lot of people in the media - talking out of his fucking arse.
The common thread at the minute appears to be that Tim can't throw. This has been brought up in God only knows how many articles and TV segments, and frankly it's starting to piss me off. It's as if last season didn't happen, that Tebow never went onto the field and never threw a pass. We're told by many "expert" sources that Tebow doesn't have the correct throwing action to be an NFL quarterback. Or that he isn't accurate enough. Or that he doesn't know how to throw NFL passes full stop.
So here's what I did. I went to YouTube and I typed in "Tim Tebow Denver Broncos". I found the first video I could that had clips of him from last season playing with the Broncos and I present this video to you now.
Now you tell me. Watch the video again and tell me whether you can see any completed passes? I can. Presumably you can to. I dunno though. Apparently he can't throw these kind of passes. He's unable to. Well, at least that's what all the QB experts on the TV and Internet keep telling people.
See I'm confused. I don't know what to think anymore. My eyes, they're telling me that I can see Tim Tebow making passes. Short passes, off play action. Screen passes. I can see intermediate level passes. I can see deep passes. Well, at least I think I can. That's what my brain is telling me that my eyes can see. But apparently not.
See when I go over to ProFootballTalk.com they keep telling me that Tebow sucks. They keep pointing me towards articles by respected people in the football world who tell their audiences that "Tim Tebow can't make NFL throws" etc.
So who do I believe? The experts? Or my own eyes?
Funnily enough, I've become very attached to my eyes over the years. They're not 100% trustworthy, but more often than not they are. And no matter how many times I watch the video above, it appears to show Tim Tebow playing for an NFL team, running an NFL offense, throwing NFL passes, against NFL defenses.
So frankly I'd like to invite Mike Florio, his bitch Rosenwhateverhisnameis and every other person who insists that Tebow can't make NFL passes to just sit back, relax, and drink a nice big cup of shut the fuck up. In fact, I'll even give you something to watch while you have your drink.
Because the other big knock on Tebow has always been his throwing motion. Apparently, so I'm told by experts, having such an elongated throwing motion, where the ball dips low before being brought back up over the shoulder, should not work. In fact, we're confidently told that it will not work. Ever. Never has, never will. Least not in the NFL.
Defenses are too quick, too smart. NFL defenders will see the arm motion and break on the ball with time to spare, providing it isn't ripped from Tebows arm for the 40th time that game before he can throw it.
Well... I'm calling Bullshit on this.
Not least because of the simple fact that everyone who has ever spoken on this subject has constantly affirmed that Tebow should adapt his motion to be more like Dan Marino's, which is considered to be a cleaner, more precise motion, with less wasted downward movement.
And while that sounds great in principle, the simple fact is it's complete bollocks of the highest order. Dan Mario's throwing motion was as cack handed and elongated as Tim Tebows. How do I know this? Because unlike BSPN and the army of sycophants who are all looking for a job on their news desk, I actually bothered to go back and have a look.
Yes that's right; research.
I understand that in the world of modern sensationalist journalism such a word as "research" is often considered up there right alongside "integrity" as words that should be kept quiet, locked up in an underground vault somewhere never to be seen or heard from again. But I happen to find research can be quite useful. It has a tendency to help prevent one from talking out of ones arse, though this is a general rule not a precise one, as I've personally proven in the case of Mark Herzlich and others.
So again I'm going to furnish you with a YouTube video for your perusal. This is of Dan Marino, Quarterback, Miami Dolphins. What in particular I'd like you to notice is that fact that Marino had a penchant for holding the ball down near his back hip, one handed no less, which then required the ball to be brought up from this low position to behind the shoulder, and then forward. Literally the only difference between Marino and Tebow is that Marino took a slightly less curved path and he moved his arm at lightning speed.
The fact remains though, his motion was not the paragon of muscular efficiency and technical artistry that it is often made out to be. He was just bloody quick. Here's the proof;
And you know what? I'm in the mood for showing off. Taking the piss as it were. So I'm going to throw in another video just for good measure. This time we're going to look at Joe Montana, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Of course my opinion on Montana has nothing to do with being a 49ers fan...
Anyway. The purpose of this next video is to demonstrate that even a slightly elongated motion can produce results. It may not be the picture perfect throwing motion desired by modern analysts, but it just plain worked. Adhering to Bill Walsh's often repeated mantras of 1) making sure the tip of the ball doesn't dip below the waist and that 2) the ball is released above the shoulder, Joe Montana went on to have a mildly successful career.
Well, who doesn't have four Super Bowl rings these days?
I should also point out that Montana, like Marino, and so far like Tebow, managed to avoid the issue of the constant strips which we were assured by experts, and continue to be assured by them, would be the every other play consequence of a dipping throwing motion.
I'm particularly keen on this video because Montana's motion is a bit more akin to Tebow's than Marino's was. The path of travel of the football is a much closer match, as was the speed at which Montana used to throw. Here it is, with some great slow mo action to help you make a comparison.
Now adding all this up, does this mean Tebow will be the next Montana or Marino? Well frankly it's a little early to tell. All I'm trying to do here is to disprove the current hypothesis expounded by seemingly everyone that can get themselves close enough to a keyboard or a microphone; that Tim Tebow can't throw NFL passes and that his throwing motion is inadequate for the NFL.
There is obviously more to quarterbacking than throwing passes. Tebow will have to master the mental aspects as well, from learning plays, protections and reads, to developing the requisite skills of leadership and the command of the huddle, to name but a few.
I personally believe that in time, and if given a proper shot, he will. I'd love it even more if that team were the San Francisco 49ers whom I follow so dearly and regularly shout at so profanely. Most of all though I just want Tebow to get his chance. He seems like a great kid who has come under a lot of unnecessary scrutiny since leaving college, and I simply can't wait to see the day when he makes a rather large amount of people choke on their fucking words.
Go on Tim. I'm a Tebowliever!! As are many others. You can do this.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
2011 NFL Pre-season week 2 (part 2)
Okey dokey, that's week 2 done of the pre-season so let's have a look at all the games from Friday onwards;
Starting with Washington @ Indianapolis and oh my god! The Colts without Manning are like the final double episode of the TV detective series "Monk" - fucking horrible (I loved that show, but thought the ending was a pile of shit. I'm still bitter about it).
John Beck basically wrapped up the Redskins QB situation with 14/17 for 140 yards, but don't get too excited Redskins fans. The running game did most of the damage and that was against a Colts run defense that was frankly hideous. Tim Hightower carried 6 times for 70 yards and a TD. The big winner though was rookie running back Roy Helu, who lived up to my expectations with 14 carries for 101 yards. Rookie receiver Leonard Hankerson did the same, with 3 catches for 46 yards. The Redskins defense came up with three sacks, including one for rookie Ryan Kerrigan.
The Colts.... sucked. Curtis Painter completed just 5/10 for a whole 40 yards. Dan Orlovsky was 7/17 for 67 yards and an interception. For all the credit that Polian and son get for building that team in Indy, they seem to be extremely lax about the subject of finding a replacement QB. The Colts D produced some sacks, with rookie Drake Nevis getting a half, and the sole solo sack going to rookie John Chick (don't look at me, never heard of him). Rookie LB Adrian Moten had a pick. Told you he wouldn't be a bad undrafted linebacker.
On to Kansas @ Baltimore. I see Todd Haley still isn't interested in his potentially league leading running game. Ah well, screw you Todd. Just glad I'm not a Chiefs fan. None of his quarterbacks managed to complete more than 8 passes, which is a little gutting because I had high hopes for Ricky Stanzi, who threw just 6/12 for 58 yards and an interception. The one bright note for the Chiefs was rookie OLB Justin Houston. I saw him as a potentially very good pass rusher and he showed why with two sacks.
For Baltimore, nice to see that Joe Flacco's dropback footwork still looks as smooth and fluid as a wheelchair being pushed down a flight of stairs. He ended the game 12/24 for 124 yards. And I still don't understand why people compare him to Matt Ryan. There is a hell of a difference between the two. The Ravens ground game did better, producing 4 touchdowns. The defense also came up trumps with 5 sacks, plus an interception for rookie corner Josh Victorian, who I didn't even realise had come out of college. Keep an eye on this former Louisiana Tech kid, trust me.
Next game and Detroit @ Cleveland for shoot out time! Colt McCoy, who was on my watch list last year, put up 10/18 for 96 yards and 3 touchdowns. Pretty impressive for a kid who most people had written off before he was even drafted. The Lions shared their time about a bit more, with Stafford seeing 6/10 for 85 yards and a TD, then Drew Stanton dealt the killing blows late with 6/8 for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively it was all about rookies forcing fumbles, with Rob Callaway and Ricardo Silva doing the honors for Detroit, and Jabaal Sheard for the Browns.
Oh no, next on the list is Carolina @ Miami. The battle for whose quarterback can suck the most continues. For the Panthers, Newton tried his hardest with 7/14 for just 66 yards. Clausen was 9/15 for 69 yards. But Chad Henne actually began to show why, to be honest, he's not all that bad. 15/24 for 194 yards.
The Panthers contribution to the game basically ended there, but the Dolphins had a little more left to give. Rookie Daniel Thomas put in 12 carries for 52 yards and a TD. The big surprise though was Reggie Bush, who carried 8 times for 48 yards and had 2 catches for a further 33, kind of showing some of the potential that was expected of him a long time ago.
Arizona @ Green Bay next. Kevin Kolb was ok for the Cardinals at quarterback, but Richard Bartel got the biggest look, with 13/19 for 169 yards, a TD and an INT. On the opposite side though the Packers quarterbacks were showing Arizona how it's done. Rodgers was 9/12 for 97 yards and a TD. Matt Flynn was 5/6 for 141 yards and a TD, and Graham Harrell ended 7/9 for 81 yards and a TD.
After his 97 yard scamper from a Matt Flynn pass, rookie wide receiver Chastin West finished with 5 catches for 134 yards and a TD in perhaps the most impressive solo display of the evening. Team wise it was probably the Cardinals D, who actually managed to generate some pressure including four sacks.
Atlanta @ Jacksonville for our next game and rookie QB Blaine Gabbert was the focus of a lot of attention, both from the Jaguars and the media. He finished the game 11/23 for just 96 yards and yet surprisingly nobody seems to be calling for his head yet. Funny, because if Tim Tebow did the same then people would be lapping it up and talking about how he's not NFL ready etc. But then of course, that would mean the media was wrong to rate Gabbert so highly so I can't see them doing anything like that soon.
One point that did amuse me was ProFootballTalk's seemingly surprised assessment that "Gabbert often felt pressure that wasn't there. He was hurt by drops, but generally showed poor pocket presence and shaky accuracy". Well no shit Sherlock, I pointed this out in March and then did a more detailed post on Gabbert in May. And made precisely the points that are only being brought up now. (for the record from the May post, Jeff VanCamp is still a free agent, so somebody sign him please *cough* 49ers. And the reason nobody was talking about Kellen Moore is because he was going back for his senior year. Whoops).
Anyway, David Garrard managed 7/12 for 99 yards and a pick during his time. The big surprise was Luke McCown, unless of course you already thought he was good. But there you go. He finished 8/9 for 86 yards and a TD. At this point I should probably point out that there was another team in the game, that being the Atlanta Falcons. QB Matt Ryan went 7/15 for 116 yards and a TD, while veteran back up Chris Redman (probably one of the better back ups out there) went 10/14 for 76 yards. Third year Falcons receiver Harry Douglas also impressed with 2 catches for 87 yards and a TD.
On defense the Falcons had three sacks, including a half sack for the outstanding 4th year defensive end Kroy Biermann who shared it with 2nd year linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (from last years rookie watch list. Not sure if I'm going to do another one this year. Maybe. Any how, need to get out of brackets and back to the point). Corner Brent Grimes grabbed another pick, though I'm not sure how since he was nowhere near the intended receiver, which probably says more about David Garrards deep ball accuracy than anything else. The Jags D literally contributed nothing of note.
Onwards and slightly westwards then, for New Orleans @ Houston. For the Saints, Drew Brees was 7/14 for 109 yards and his spell saw a spectacular break down in the protection that led to him taking a heavy hit and fumbling in the red zone. Don't ask me why I take so much joy from that. I'm probably just a shit human being.
Chase Daniel came out best in the Saints back up battle, with 6/14 for 127 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. On the other side Matt Schaub recovered from his shaky start to the preseason, ending with 12/16 for 163 yards. Matt Leinart did the opposite, building on his good start with a more traditional Matt Leinart performance; 8/18 for 69 yards. It matters little though.
The star of the day was the Texans running game, which has come alive since the arrival of Arian Foster last year. And the fact that the Texans actually give it a proper chance these days (just wait, they'll soon dump it once the season gets going). Foster had 5 carries for 47 yards and 2 TDs, while Ben Tate turned in 9 carries for 95 yards and another TD. Andre Johnson was also on fine form, with 4 catches for 100 yards.
The Texans D also played its part, having been revitalised under Wade Phillips (never thought I'd say that). The highlight was outside linebacker Brooks Reed, with 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Now the question is how smug am I right now? Smug enough to say "I fucking called it!". Yeah, you know I am.
Next we head right over to the west. Literally all the way to the West Coast for the Raiders @ 49ers. Which is the last time we'll see these two rivals play in the pre-season thanks to a bunch of cocks who shot two men outside the stadium. Might I suggest in future just sealing the entrances a bit better and checking everyone on the way in for weapons for the entire duration of the game etc, as they did at Wembley last year?
On the subject of cocks, Al Davis waved his undead hand during yesterdays supplemental draft and ordained that Terrelle Pryor shall be a Raider. That wouldn't have anything to do with his 4.34 40-yard dash (in shorts) now would it? Even more surprising is their plan to keep him as a quarterback. Good luck with that Al.
Right, anyway, the game. There's a reason I've been trying to put off talking about my 49ers, and that's basically because we weren't very good. Luckily enough though, the Raiders obliged us by being even worse. It's going to be a lonnnnng season for both teams. Jason Campbell finished 5/7 for 74 yards for the Raiders. And that was the best of their bunch. Kyle Boller was 6/11 for 56 yards and a pick, while Trent Edwards watched that performance in awe.... then threw a pick himself.
The 49ers - not to be outdone - rolled out Alex Smith, who went 8/13 for 126 yards and a pick. Colin Kaepernick was 6/8 for 52 yards. Still better than punter Andy Lee, who botched the hold on a field goal, tried to improvise... and threw a pick.
About the only good thing to actually come out of this game was 49ers rookie running back Kendall Hunter who had 9 carries for 105 yards and a TD. Oh and Darius Heyward Bey had two catches for the Raiders, for 40 yards. In fact, for such a shit game I wrote a surprisingly large amount of text.
Heading way back east we come to Tennessee @ St. Louis. You know I'd probably get more pageviews if I actually used the teams descriptive names. Ah well. Matt Hasselbeck looked pretty good for the Titans, leaving the game 7/9 for 74 yards after he took a nasty looking bump on his leg. Jake Locker came in and ended 8/18 for 82 yards and a pick. The Titans run game looked better though, with rookie Jamie Harper going for 83 yards and a TD off 11 carries. Stafon Johnson (one of the "missing" watch listers from last year) also had 11 carries and ended with 68 yards.
I know this is a bit of a quick tangent but this is precisely the reason why I wouldn't pay Chris Johnson anything more than a reasonably modest salary. The offensive line does most of the work for running backs and I think the Titans are in a position where they could replace Johnson. Would their backs be quite as explosive as him? No. But with the extra cap space you could start building a team by buying in some of the players who are a little harder to get hold of than running backs.
Back to the game and Sam Bradford was struggling a little for the Rams, with 8/15 for 138 yards, a TD and an INT. Rookie Thaddeus Lewis did well with 8/10 for 74 yards. A.J. Feely wasn't bad either, 5/9 for 44 yards and a TD.
On defense not a whole lot happened, though it was funny to see the Titans generate 3 sacks, but none from their D-line. Could be a rough year in Tennessee.
On to Buffalo @ Denver and it's the joys of the Tim Tebow merry go round. Except it isn't, because he only threw two passes right at the end of the game. Afterwards the mainstream media was adamant that Kyle Orton has secured his place at the top of the Broncos depth chart with that performance, to which I would respond with the simple question; "And precisely who of sound mind and body thought that he was anything but that?". But then I guess that's what the media does best, trying to create controversy where there is none.
Orton was 10/13 for 135 yards and a TD. Next was Brady Quinn who went 10/16 for 130 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. I thought NFL.com's headline was quite amusing though, running with "Quinn out duels Tebow as Broncos bump off Bills". How do you consider it a duel when one quarterback had the opportunity to throw 16 passes and the other had just two attempts? Words don't really do the stupidity of it justice.
But I digress. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick was 6/16 for 44 yards and an interception. Tyler Thigpen managed 11/20 for 118 yards and a TD. And even Brad Smith got in on the action, with 4/4 for 34 yards. On the ground the only real standout was Broncos running back Willis McGahee who did what Willis McGahee does, scoring two touchdowns; one on the ground and the other from a pass.
On defense, rookie Bills linebacker Robert Eddins had a sack, as did rookie D-Tackle Marcell Dareus. For the Bronocs, LB Von Miller had a sack. What impressed me the most about this though was the technique he showed. My knock on him so far has been his technique being a little unrefined, but with that sack he showed signs that he's been working hard in camp to improve his pass rushing skills, which paid off. Now if only NFL.com would a) allow videos to be embedded to other pages and b) stop only making highlight reels of Cam Newton (I'm serious) and start actually putting together "defense highlights" etc, then I'd be able to show you what I mean. As it is we'll just have to move on.
To.... Minnesota @ Seattle. What's that Seattle? Your quarterback situation sucks? Welcome to the NFC West party my friends (excluding the Rams). Newly acquired Tavaris Jackson took to the field and put up 11/21 for 75 yards and an interception. The interception made me laugh in particular, because if he just turned his head a few degrees to the right he would have seen a completely free receiver, as opposed to the double covered one that he tried to throw to. Charlie Whitehurst finished 14/19 for 97 yards and a TD. Rookie Josh Portis turned in an eye catching(ly shit) 2/9 for 13 yards (On a brighter note he lead his team in rushing with 4 carries for 46 yards).
On the Vikings side, Donovan McNabb ended 6/8 for 81 yards. Rookie Christian Ponder was a disappointing 6/12 for 63 yards, while Joe Webb was 4/8 for 44 yards. Defensively the Vikings were a little drab, with the exception of rookie defensive back Marcus Sherels who had an interception (but also a fumble). The Seahawks D was just as boring.
Off to the East coast then and we find Cincinnati @ New York (Jets). The Andy Dalton show is the lead story, as he finished his part in the game 8/19 for 86 yards and 2 interceptions. He wasn't even the worst Bengals quarterback though. Bruce Gradkowski was 3/7 for 50 yards and an INT, while Dan LeFevour was 2/5 for 20 yards. Andrew Luck had better start paying attention, because this is likely where he's heading next year. Time to start scouting those receivers huh?
Mark Sanchez was... better? 12/20 for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. Good, but still not where the Jets need him to be. Greg McElroy turned in a better show this time with 6/9 for 59 yards and a touchdown. The story of the day for the Jets though was Plaxico Burress, who had 3 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. I didn't realise that guy was 34 now. Shit, getting old. Meanwhile Santonio Holmes continues to look like the best pick up the Jets have ever made, at least under Rex Ryan.
Back west now, and down south a little, which is not at all a euphemism for the standard of play in San Diego @ Dallas. Phillip Rivers was 8/11 for 92 yards and a TD. Bill Volek; 8/12 for 48 yards. Scott Tolzien; 4/5 for 12 yards and my question to you Scott is this; how do you throw 4 complete passes for just 12 yards? That should be impossible, or against the law or something.
The Cowboys though actually did ok. Tony Romo was 8/12 for 58 yards, a TD and an INT. Stephen McGee was 16/29 for 157 yards. John Kitna was perfect, going 1/1 for 2 yards. Ahhhh. Now I know how Tolzien did it.
On defense, 3rd year Chargers defensive tackle Vaughn Martin had a good game with 2 sacks, and rookie defensive tackle Corey Liuget had one as well. Eric Weddle continues to impress at safety with another interception. The Cowboys D produced two sacks, including guess who? DeMarcus Ware.
And finally, Monday Night Football with Chicago @ New York (Giants). Man, Chicago not looking good. Last year I felt they kind of lucked their way into the playoffs and it showed against the Giants. Their defense was gashed heavily by the Giants running game as Brandon Jacobs turned 6 carries into 48 yards and a TD, including one run where the Bears front just got ripped open right up the middle. Rookie Da'Rel Scott - who I once described as "slow in pads" - shut me up by burning off a 97 yard touchdown run, after almost tripping over in his own endzone.
Quarterback wise, Jay Cutler of the Bears finished 12/21 for 171 yards. Caleb Hanie then came in to finish the game with 17/28 for 166 yards and an interception. For the Giants, Eli Manning was 8/16 for 78 yards, while David Carr ended the night 9/11 for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns.
On defense, the Bears D produced literally nothing of note worthiness. For the Giants Mark Herzlich picked up an interception, which pleased a lot of people, not least me after I backtracked on my previous, slightly underwhelmed opinion of him. I was also pleased to see rookie linebacker Greg Jones get a punt block. Now please insert him into the defense proper for the final week of pre-season. Thank you Mr. Coughlin.
So that's that. Barring any major news stories, I'll be back Wednesday I think, to have a look ahead at some of the week 3 preseason games. Thanks for dropping by and don't forget to hit that Facebook-button-thing at the bottom to share this page with your friends.
Laters everyone.
Starting with Washington @ Indianapolis and oh my god! The Colts without Manning are like the final double episode of the TV detective series "Monk" - fucking horrible (I loved that show, but thought the ending was a pile of shit. I'm still bitter about it).
John Beck basically wrapped up the Redskins QB situation with 14/17 for 140 yards, but don't get too excited Redskins fans. The running game did most of the damage and that was against a Colts run defense that was frankly hideous. Tim Hightower carried 6 times for 70 yards and a TD. The big winner though was rookie running back Roy Helu, who lived up to my expectations with 14 carries for 101 yards. Rookie receiver Leonard Hankerson did the same, with 3 catches for 46 yards. The Redskins defense came up with three sacks, including one for rookie Ryan Kerrigan.
The Colts.... sucked. Curtis Painter completed just 5/10 for a whole 40 yards. Dan Orlovsky was 7/17 for 67 yards and an interception. For all the credit that Polian and son get for building that team in Indy, they seem to be extremely lax about the subject of finding a replacement QB. The Colts D produced some sacks, with rookie Drake Nevis getting a half, and the sole solo sack going to rookie John Chick (don't look at me, never heard of him). Rookie LB Adrian Moten had a pick. Told you he wouldn't be a bad undrafted linebacker.
On to Kansas @ Baltimore. I see Todd Haley still isn't interested in his potentially league leading running game. Ah well, screw you Todd. Just glad I'm not a Chiefs fan. None of his quarterbacks managed to complete more than 8 passes, which is a little gutting because I had high hopes for Ricky Stanzi, who threw just 6/12 for 58 yards and an interception. The one bright note for the Chiefs was rookie OLB Justin Houston. I saw him as a potentially very good pass rusher and he showed why with two sacks.
For Baltimore, nice to see that Joe Flacco's dropback footwork still looks as smooth and fluid as a wheelchair being pushed down a flight of stairs. He ended the game 12/24 for 124 yards. And I still don't understand why people compare him to Matt Ryan. There is a hell of a difference between the two. The Ravens ground game did better, producing 4 touchdowns. The defense also came up trumps with 5 sacks, plus an interception for rookie corner Josh Victorian, who I didn't even realise had come out of college. Keep an eye on this former Louisiana Tech kid, trust me.
Next game and Detroit @ Cleveland for shoot out time! Colt McCoy, who was on my watch list last year, put up 10/18 for 96 yards and 3 touchdowns. Pretty impressive for a kid who most people had written off before he was even drafted. The Lions shared their time about a bit more, with Stafford seeing 6/10 for 85 yards and a TD, then Drew Stanton dealt the killing blows late with 6/8 for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively it was all about rookies forcing fumbles, with Rob Callaway and Ricardo Silva doing the honors for Detroit, and Jabaal Sheard for the Browns.
Oh no, next on the list is Carolina @ Miami. The battle for whose quarterback can suck the most continues. For the Panthers, Newton tried his hardest with 7/14 for just 66 yards. Clausen was 9/15 for 69 yards. But Chad Henne actually began to show why, to be honest, he's not all that bad. 15/24 for 194 yards.
The Panthers contribution to the game basically ended there, but the Dolphins had a little more left to give. Rookie Daniel Thomas put in 12 carries for 52 yards and a TD. The big surprise though was Reggie Bush, who carried 8 times for 48 yards and had 2 catches for a further 33, kind of showing some of the potential that was expected of him a long time ago.
Arizona @ Green Bay next. Kevin Kolb was ok for the Cardinals at quarterback, but Richard Bartel got the biggest look, with 13/19 for 169 yards, a TD and an INT. On the opposite side though the Packers quarterbacks were showing Arizona how it's done. Rodgers was 9/12 for 97 yards and a TD. Matt Flynn was 5/6 for 141 yards and a TD, and Graham Harrell ended 7/9 for 81 yards and a TD.
After his 97 yard scamper from a Matt Flynn pass, rookie wide receiver Chastin West finished with 5 catches for 134 yards and a TD in perhaps the most impressive solo display of the evening. Team wise it was probably the Cardinals D, who actually managed to generate some pressure including four sacks.
Atlanta @ Jacksonville for our next game and rookie QB Blaine Gabbert was the focus of a lot of attention, both from the Jaguars and the media. He finished the game 11/23 for just 96 yards and yet surprisingly nobody seems to be calling for his head yet. Funny, because if Tim Tebow did the same then people would be lapping it up and talking about how he's not NFL ready etc. But then of course, that would mean the media was wrong to rate Gabbert so highly so I can't see them doing anything like that soon.
One point that did amuse me was ProFootballTalk's seemingly surprised assessment that "Gabbert often felt pressure that wasn't there. He was hurt by drops, but generally showed poor pocket presence and shaky accuracy". Well no shit Sherlock, I pointed this out in March and then did a more detailed post on Gabbert in May. And made precisely the points that are only being brought up now. (for the record from the May post, Jeff VanCamp is still a free agent, so somebody sign him please *cough* 49ers. And the reason nobody was talking about Kellen Moore is because he was going back for his senior year. Whoops).
Anyway, David Garrard managed 7/12 for 99 yards and a pick during his time. The big surprise was Luke McCown, unless of course you already thought he was good. But there you go. He finished 8/9 for 86 yards and a TD. At this point I should probably point out that there was another team in the game, that being the Atlanta Falcons. QB Matt Ryan went 7/15 for 116 yards and a TD, while veteran back up Chris Redman (probably one of the better back ups out there) went 10/14 for 76 yards. Third year Falcons receiver Harry Douglas also impressed with 2 catches for 87 yards and a TD.
On defense the Falcons had three sacks, including a half sack for the outstanding 4th year defensive end Kroy Biermann who shared it with 2nd year linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (from last years rookie watch list. Not sure if I'm going to do another one this year. Maybe. Any how, need to get out of brackets and back to the point). Corner Brent Grimes grabbed another pick, though I'm not sure how since he was nowhere near the intended receiver, which probably says more about David Garrards deep ball accuracy than anything else. The Jags D literally contributed nothing of note.
Onwards and slightly westwards then, for New Orleans @ Houston. For the Saints, Drew Brees was 7/14 for 109 yards and his spell saw a spectacular break down in the protection that led to him taking a heavy hit and fumbling in the red zone. Don't ask me why I take so much joy from that. I'm probably just a shit human being.
Chase Daniel came out best in the Saints back up battle, with 6/14 for 127 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. On the other side Matt Schaub recovered from his shaky start to the preseason, ending with 12/16 for 163 yards. Matt Leinart did the opposite, building on his good start with a more traditional Matt Leinart performance; 8/18 for 69 yards. It matters little though.
The star of the day was the Texans running game, which has come alive since the arrival of Arian Foster last year. And the fact that the Texans actually give it a proper chance these days (just wait, they'll soon dump it once the season gets going). Foster had 5 carries for 47 yards and 2 TDs, while Ben Tate turned in 9 carries for 95 yards and another TD. Andre Johnson was also on fine form, with 4 catches for 100 yards.
The Texans D also played its part, having been revitalised under Wade Phillips (never thought I'd say that). The highlight was outside linebacker Brooks Reed, with 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Now the question is how smug am I right now? Smug enough to say "I fucking called it!". Yeah, you know I am.
Next we head right over to the west. Literally all the way to the West Coast for the Raiders @ 49ers. Which is the last time we'll see these two rivals play in the pre-season thanks to a bunch of cocks who shot two men outside the stadium. Might I suggest in future just sealing the entrances a bit better and checking everyone on the way in for weapons for the entire duration of the game etc, as they did at Wembley last year?
On the subject of cocks, Al Davis waved his undead hand during yesterdays supplemental draft and ordained that Terrelle Pryor shall be a Raider. That wouldn't have anything to do with his 4.34 40-yard dash (in shorts) now would it? Even more surprising is their plan to keep him as a quarterback. Good luck with that Al.
Right, anyway, the game. There's a reason I've been trying to put off talking about my 49ers, and that's basically because we weren't very good. Luckily enough though, the Raiders obliged us by being even worse. It's going to be a lonnnnng season for both teams. Jason Campbell finished 5/7 for 74 yards for the Raiders. And that was the best of their bunch. Kyle Boller was 6/11 for 56 yards and a pick, while Trent Edwards watched that performance in awe.... then threw a pick himself.
The 49ers - not to be outdone - rolled out Alex Smith, who went 8/13 for 126 yards and a pick. Colin Kaepernick was 6/8 for 52 yards. Still better than punter Andy Lee, who botched the hold on a field goal, tried to improvise... and threw a pick.
About the only good thing to actually come out of this game was 49ers rookie running back Kendall Hunter who had 9 carries for 105 yards and a TD. Oh and Darius Heyward Bey had two catches for the Raiders, for 40 yards. In fact, for such a shit game I wrote a surprisingly large amount of text.
Heading way back east we come to Tennessee @ St. Louis. You know I'd probably get more pageviews if I actually used the teams descriptive names. Ah well. Matt Hasselbeck looked pretty good for the Titans, leaving the game 7/9 for 74 yards after he took a nasty looking bump on his leg. Jake Locker came in and ended 8/18 for 82 yards and a pick. The Titans run game looked better though, with rookie Jamie Harper going for 83 yards and a TD off 11 carries. Stafon Johnson (one of the "missing" watch listers from last year) also had 11 carries and ended with 68 yards.
I know this is a bit of a quick tangent but this is precisely the reason why I wouldn't pay Chris Johnson anything more than a reasonably modest salary. The offensive line does most of the work for running backs and I think the Titans are in a position where they could replace Johnson. Would their backs be quite as explosive as him? No. But with the extra cap space you could start building a team by buying in some of the players who are a little harder to get hold of than running backs.
Back to the game and Sam Bradford was struggling a little for the Rams, with 8/15 for 138 yards, a TD and an INT. Rookie Thaddeus Lewis did well with 8/10 for 74 yards. A.J. Feely wasn't bad either, 5/9 for 44 yards and a TD.
On defense not a whole lot happened, though it was funny to see the Titans generate 3 sacks, but none from their D-line. Could be a rough year in Tennessee.
On to Buffalo @ Denver and it's the joys of the Tim Tebow merry go round. Except it isn't, because he only threw two passes right at the end of the game. Afterwards the mainstream media was adamant that Kyle Orton has secured his place at the top of the Broncos depth chart with that performance, to which I would respond with the simple question; "And precisely who of sound mind and body thought that he was anything but that?". But then I guess that's what the media does best, trying to create controversy where there is none.
Orton was 10/13 for 135 yards and a TD. Next was Brady Quinn who went 10/16 for 130 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. I thought NFL.com's headline was quite amusing though, running with "Quinn out duels Tebow as Broncos bump off Bills". How do you consider it a duel when one quarterback had the opportunity to throw 16 passes and the other had just two attempts? Words don't really do the stupidity of it justice.
But I digress. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick was 6/16 for 44 yards and an interception. Tyler Thigpen managed 11/20 for 118 yards and a TD. And even Brad Smith got in on the action, with 4/4 for 34 yards. On the ground the only real standout was Broncos running back Willis McGahee who did what Willis McGahee does, scoring two touchdowns; one on the ground and the other from a pass.
On defense, rookie Bills linebacker Robert Eddins had a sack, as did rookie D-Tackle Marcell Dareus. For the Bronocs, LB Von Miller had a sack. What impressed me the most about this though was the technique he showed. My knock on him so far has been his technique being a little unrefined, but with that sack he showed signs that he's been working hard in camp to improve his pass rushing skills, which paid off. Now if only NFL.com would a) allow videos to be embedded to other pages and b) stop only making highlight reels of Cam Newton (I'm serious) and start actually putting together "defense highlights" etc, then I'd be able to show you what I mean. As it is we'll just have to move on.
To.... Minnesota @ Seattle. What's that Seattle? Your quarterback situation sucks? Welcome to the NFC West party my friends (excluding the Rams). Newly acquired Tavaris Jackson took to the field and put up 11/21 for 75 yards and an interception. The interception made me laugh in particular, because if he just turned his head a few degrees to the right he would have seen a completely free receiver, as opposed to the double covered one that he tried to throw to. Charlie Whitehurst finished 14/19 for 97 yards and a TD. Rookie Josh Portis turned in an eye catching(ly shit) 2/9 for 13 yards (On a brighter note he lead his team in rushing with 4 carries for 46 yards).
On the Vikings side, Donovan McNabb ended 6/8 for 81 yards. Rookie Christian Ponder was a disappointing 6/12 for 63 yards, while Joe Webb was 4/8 for 44 yards. Defensively the Vikings were a little drab, with the exception of rookie defensive back Marcus Sherels who had an interception (but also a fumble). The Seahawks D was just as boring.
Off to the East coast then and we find Cincinnati @ New York (Jets). The Andy Dalton show is the lead story, as he finished his part in the game 8/19 for 86 yards and 2 interceptions. He wasn't even the worst Bengals quarterback though. Bruce Gradkowski was 3/7 for 50 yards and an INT, while Dan LeFevour was 2/5 for 20 yards. Andrew Luck had better start paying attention, because this is likely where he's heading next year. Time to start scouting those receivers huh?
Mark Sanchez was... better? 12/20 for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. Good, but still not where the Jets need him to be. Greg McElroy turned in a better show this time with 6/9 for 59 yards and a touchdown. The story of the day for the Jets though was Plaxico Burress, who had 3 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. I didn't realise that guy was 34 now. Shit, getting old. Meanwhile Santonio Holmes continues to look like the best pick up the Jets have ever made, at least under Rex Ryan.
Back west now, and down south a little, which is not at all a euphemism for the standard of play in San Diego @ Dallas. Phillip Rivers was 8/11 for 92 yards and a TD. Bill Volek; 8/12 for 48 yards. Scott Tolzien; 4/5 for 12 yards and my question to you Scott is this; how do you throw 4 complete passes for just 12 yards? That should be impossible, or against the law or something.
The Cowboys though actually did ok. Tony Romo was 8/12 for 58 yards, a TD and an INT. Stephen McGee was 16/29 for 157 yards. John Kitna was perfect, going 1/1 for 2 yards. Ahhhh. Now I know how Tolzien did it.
On defense, 3rd year Chargers defensive tackle Vaughn Martin had a good game with 2 sacks, and rookie defensive tackle Corey Liuget had one as well. Eric Weddle continues to impress at safety with another interception. The Cowboys D produced two sacks, including guess who? DeMarcus Ware.
And finally, Monday Night Football with Chicago @ New York (Giants). Man, Chicago not looking good. Last year I felt they kind of lucked their way into the playoffs and it showed against the Giants. Their defense was gashed heavily by the Giants running game as Brandon Jacobs turned 6 carries into 48 yards and a TD, including one run where the Bears front just got ripped open right up the middle. Rookie Da'Rel Scott - who I once described as "slow in pads" - shut me up by burning off a 97 yard touchdown run, after almost tripping over in his own endzone.
Quarterback wise, Jay Cutler of the Bears finished 12/21 for 171 yards. Caleb Hanie then came in to finish the game with 17/28 for 166 yards and an interception. For the Giants, Eli Manning was 8/16 for 78 yards, while David Carr ended the night 9/11 for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns.
On defense, the Bears D produced literally nothing of note worthiness. For the Giants Mark Herzlich picked up an interception, which pleased a lot of people, not least me after I backtracked on my previous, slightly underwhelmed opinion of him. I was also pleased to see rookie linebacker Greg Jones get a punt block. Now please insert him into the defense proper for the final week of pre-season. Thank you Mr. Coughlin.
So that's that. Barring any major news stories, I'll be back Wednesday I think, to have a look ahead at some of the week 3 preseason games. Thanks for dropping by and don't forget to hit that Facebook-button-thing at the bottom to share this page with your friends.
Laters everyone.
Monday, August 22, 2011
All quiet
Eventually, possibly Monday Night, I will recap all of the Saturday/Sunday games. But right now I have enough time to watch and not a lot else, so patience is the order of the day.
Friday, August 19, 2011
2011 Pre-season; week 2 (Thursday)
So, two games from pre-season week 2 in the books. Let's have a look.
It started with the Patriots at the Buccaneers and boy did the Buccaneers get a wake up call. Their firsts versus the Patriots firsts resulted in a game that wasn't even close as the Pats put up 28 unanswered points as their offense cut through the Buc's D, while their defense poured all over the Buc's O-line. It was the footballing equivalent of a massacre.
Tom Brady finished 11/19 for 118 yards and 2 TD's, having a few miscues, but nothing serious. Chad Ochocinco got his first action in a Patriot's jersey, scoring a TD and taking a major hit along the way. Rookie QB Ryan Mallet was 9/14 for 71 yards and 1 interception. Naturally people were crying about the fact that he threw a pick, but shit, seriously? One pick and other than that he's looked very solid, certainly the best among this years crop of quarterbacks.
The Patriots running game got motoring again, largely due to the fact that the Buccaneers D-line was getting handled just as roughly as its offensive line. On defense, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo had two sacks and looked every bit the lynch pin of that defense.
As for the Buccaneers, I think it's a case of try again next week? Josh Freeman went just 5/10 for 33 yards. Josh Johnson did slightly better, 6/17 for 105 yards and a pick. C'mon Johnson, you're better than this. Third year backup Rudy Carpenter was 6/10 for 68 yards.
But the Buc's have little to be pleased about. The simple fact is that they were man handled at every turn throughout the game by a clearly superior side. They may be "Youngry", but the young aspect definitely stands out more than the hungry part. Lots of coaching work to do in the coming season.
Next the Philadelphia "Dream Team" Eagles visited Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers and were in for something of a shock. Recently the Eagles players have been trying to play down the "Dream Team" moniker and Thursday night we perhaps found out why.
Mike Vick; 5/12 for 47 yards and 3 INT's. Wow. That was pretty bad. Part of the issue was - as you might expect - the Steelers pass rush. But a big chunk of it was just Vick making bad decisions (no jokes please). One of the interceptions was just ridiculous, as Vick tried to thread the needle between about five defenders. And that seemed to be the major problem. Instead of just occasionally eating a sack or throwing the ball away, Vick was determined to make plays happen that just weren't there.
Still, he got a sweet hit in after a pass was tipped and then picked off by Troy Polamalu. Not sure if Andy Reid will be quite as impressed.
His replacement was Vince Young, who went on to finish 5/8 for 34 yards and an interception. Finally the situation was partially rescued (albeit against the third string) by Mike Kafka, who threw 14/19 for 160 yards and 2 TD's. Running back Ronnie Brown got in on the action late and had some effect, as did rookie Dion Lewis (ahhh!) with 2 carries for 19 yards and 2 receptions for another 48.
On defense some new arrivals made their impact, with Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and Anthony Hargrove all recording sacks, but outside of that the Eagles D didn't look all that impressive, being victimised by a succession of Steelers quarterbacks.
It started with Ben Roethlisberger, who went 8/12 for 125 yards and 2 TD's, while looking every bit like a hall of fame quarterback. Yeah. He just seems to have such a command of that offense, while bringing great strength and calm under pressure to the table as well. Next up was Byron Leftwich; 4/7 for 67 yards and a TD. Then Dennis Dixon; 8/11 for 90 yards.
Of note outside of the quarterback position for the Steelers was new receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who ended with 2 catches for 49 yards and a TD. On defense the Steelers actually produced just one sack, but the elusiveness of Michael Vick had much to do with that. The pressure was there and it forced mistakes, notable not least because of the defense's four interceptions total. Will Allen also produced a forced fumble.
Dream Team? More like "Dream On" at the minute, but its early days yet. I am wondering though, after my post the other day about the pressure that comes with the hype, will the Philadelphia media start to go rabid already? We'll see.
Right then, we'll round off this post by having a look ahead at the Friday night action.
Which begins with the Redskins at the Colts. The Curtis Painter saga continues! More of interest though will be the defense, which got over run by St. Louis of all people last week. If Manning doesn't come back 100% this year then the Colts will need a very strong showing from their defense just to make the playoffs. For the Redskins this is another chance to see where they stand with Rex Grossman and perhaps give that rushing attack a kick up the backside.
The Chiefs get a repeat of their playoff match up from last year, but this time they'll be on the road against the Ravens. I'm actually quite intrigued by this. I want to know whether Head Coach Todd Haley trusts his running game this time or whether he's going to stick with testing out his back up quarterback situation. The Ravens need to find their groove offensively and really give Joe Flacco a decent spell.
Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns next, and two teams that had pretty good starts to the pre-season, offensively at least. Looking forward to seeing more Colt McCoy in action and also finding out whether Matthew Staffords resurgence in week 1 was just a fluke or if he's finally starting to build a sense of rhythm with his receivers.
The Cam Netwon show rolls into Miami as the Panthers face the Dolphins. This one is all about the quarterbacks, as Newton and Clausen battle for the starting role in Carolina, and Chad Henne tries to convince the Miami coaches he's the right man for the job this season.
The Cardinals get a trip to a slightly cooler Green Bay for their week 2 game. For Green Bay its about building on a pretty good showing by the first stringers last week while a lot of attention will be on Arizona in this one. More specifically, the mess that is otherwise known as their quarterback situation. It'll also provide a nice test for what is a defense in some disarray, having still not stopped the rot at the linebacker position from last season.
Finally, the Falcons nip across to Florida to take on Jacksonville. I'm interested to know just how tough that Falcons defense will be this year. Specifically I'm looking for sacks from the Falcons D-line. For the Jaguars all eyes will doubtless be on Blaine Gabbert, but a more important question in my book is how their revamped linebacking corps gets on.
See you tomorrow.
It started with the Patriots at the Buccaneers and boy did the Buccaneers get a wake up call. Their firsts versus the Patriots firsts resulted in a game that wasn't even close as the Pats put up 28 unanswered points as their offense cut through the Buc's D, while their defense poured all over the Buc's O-line. It was the footballing equivalent of a massacre.
Tom Brady finished 11/19 for 118 yards and 2 TD's, having a few miscues, but nothing serious. Chad Ochocinco got his first action in a Patriot's jersey, scoring a TD and taking a major hit along the way. Rookie QB Ryan Mallet was 9/14 for 71 yards and 1 interception. Naturally people were crying about the fact that he threw a pick, but shit, seriously? One pick and other than that he's looked very solid, certainly the best among this years crop of quarterbacks.
The Patriots running game got motoring again, largely due to the fact that the Buccaneers D-line was getting handled just as roughly as its offensive line. On defense, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo had two sacks and looked every bit the lynch pin of that defense.
As for the Buccaneers, I think it's a case of try again next week? Josh Freeman went just 5/10 for 33 yards. Josh Johnson did slightly better, 6/17 for 105 yards and a pick. C'mon Johnson, you're better than this. Third year backup Rudy Carpenter was 6/10 for 68 yards.
But the Buc's have little to be pleased about. The simple fact is that they were man handled at every turn throughout the game by a clearly superior side. They may be "Youngry", but the young aspect definitely stands out more than the hungry part. Lots of coaching work to do in the coming season.
Next the Philadelphia "Dream Team" Eagles visited Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers and were in for something of a shock. Recently the Eagles players have been trying to play down the "Dream Team" moniker and Thursday night we perhaps found out why.
Mike Vick; 5/12 for 47 yards and 3 INT's. Wow. That was pretty bad. Part of the issue was - as you might expect - the Steelers pass rush. But a big chunk of it was just Vick making bad decisions (no jokes please). One of the interceptions was just ridiculous, as Vick tried to thread the needle between about five defenders. And that seemed to be the major problem. Instead of just occasionally eating a sack or throwing the ball away, Vick was determined to make plays happen that just weren't there.
Still, he got a sweet hit in after a pass was tipped and then picked off by Troy Polamalu. Not sure if Andy Reid will be quite as impressed.
His replacement was Vince Young, who went on to finish 5/8 for 34 yards and an interception. Finally the situation was partially rescued (albeit against the third string) by Mike Kafka, who threw 14/19 for 160 yards and 2 TD's. Running back Ronnie Brown got in on the action late and had some effect, as did rookie Dion Lewis (ahhh!) with 2 carries for 19 yards and 2 receptions for another 48.
On defense some new arrivals made their impact, with Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and Anthony Hargrove all recording sacks, but outside of that the Eagles D didn't look all that impressive, being victimised by a succession of Steelers quarterbacks.
It started with Ben Roethlisberger, who went 8/12 for 125 yards and 2 TD's, while looking every bit like a hall of fame quarterback. Yeah. He just seems to have such a command of that offense, while bringing great strength and calm under pressure to the table as well. Next up was Byron Leftwich; 4/7 for 67 yards and a TD. Then Dennis Dixon; 8/11 for 90 yards.
Of note outside of the quarterback position for the Steelers was new receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who ended with 2 catches for 49 yards and a TD. On defense the Steelers actually produced just one sack, but the elusiveness of Michael Vick had much to do with that. The pressure was there and it forced mistakes, notable not least because of the defense's four interceptions total. Will Allen also produced a forced fumble.
Dream Team? More like "Dream On" at the minute, but its early days yet. I am wondering though, after my post the other day about the pressure that comes with the hype, will the Philadelphia media start to go rabid already? We'll see.
Right then, we'll round off this post by having a look ahead at the Friday night action.
Which begins with the Redskins at the Colts. The Curtis Painter saga continues! More of interest though will be the defense, which got over run by St. Louis of all people last week. If Manning doesn't come back 100% this year then the Colts will need a very strong showing from their defense just to make the playoffs. For the Redskins this is another chance to see where they stand with Rex Grossman and perhaps give that rushing attack a kick up the backside.
The Chiefs get a repeat of their playoff match up from last year, but this time they'll be on the road against the Ravens. I'm actually quite intrigued by this. I want to know whether Head Coach Todd Haley trusts his running game this time or whether he's going to stick with testing out his back up quarterback situation. The Ravens need to find their groove offensively and really give Joe Flacco a decent spell.
Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns next, and two teams that had pretty good starts to the pre-season, offensively at least. Looking forward to seeing more Colt McCoy in action and also finding out whether Matthew Staffords resurgence in week 1 was just a fluke or if he's finally starting to build a sense of rhythm with his receivers.
The Cam Netwon show rolls into Miami as the Panthers face the Dolphins. This one is all about the quarterbacks, as Newton and Clausen battle for the starting role in Carolina, and Chad Henne tries to convince the Miami coaches he's the right man for the job this season.
The Cardinals get a trip to a slightly cooler Green Bay for their week 2 game. For Green Bay its about building on a pretty good showing by the first stringers last week while a lot of attention will be on Arizona in this one. More specifically, the mess that is otherwise known as their quarterback situation. It'll also provide a nice test for what is a defense in some disarray, having still not stopped the rot at the linebacker position from last season.
Finally, the Falcons nip across to Florida to take on Jacksonville. I'm interested to know just how tough that Falcons defense will be this year. Specifically I'm looking for sacks from the Falcons D-line. For the Jaguars all eyes will doubtless be on Blaine Gabbert, but a more important question in my book is how their revamped linebacking corps gets on.
See you tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Pre-season week 1 and a look at Thursdays pre-season week 2
Right, I made it back eventually. The real world of work and all that. So, time to recap briefly the action from Saturday and Monday, then look ahead to some of this weeks games. Starting with....
Green Bay visiting the Cleveland Browns. Aaron Rodgers looked comfortable and just getting back into the swing, as did Colt McCoy of the Browns (9/10, 135 yards, 1 TD). Packers back up Matt Flynn looked ok, 11/18 for 126 yards and a TD, but I was a little disappointed in youngster Graham Harrell, 11/22 for 100 yards. I thought he'd be a little more accurate than that.
Packers rookie receiver Randall Cobb (who I'm quite high on) did well, three catches for 60 yards. On the opposite side experienced tight end Ben Watson lead the Browns receivers with 2 catches for 56 yards. Packers rookie DB Josh Gordy impressed with a sack and an interception. Meanwhile the Browns D was looking good despite the loss of coordinator Rob Ryan, turning in 5 sacks between them.
Onto the Bills and Bears, and some good, some bad for both teams. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked ok if not stunning, but in general the Bills depth at quarterback looks a little suspect right now. Tyler Thigpen in particular didn't quite have the impact many in Buffalo were perhaps hoping for. For the Bears, the offensive line continues to worry, though rookie QB Nathan Enderle was a bright spot. I'm a big fan of Enderle and he had a reasonably good evening finishing 7/10 for 110 yards. His interception hit the receiver in the hands but was tipped and picked off, so that's not a huge issue.
On defence is where things really got lit up. Nine sacks for the Bills defense. Nine. I don't think they've ever produced that many sacks in their history. Of course the Bears pass protection had a lot to do with that. It appears that maybe the issue that Chicago thought it had solved last season has once again come back to bite them.
Next, Indianapolis travelled to St. Louis and boy did they miss Peyton Manning. If there was any issue with the Colts it is that they're very much a one man team; they live and die by the arm of Manning. Neither Curtis Painter nor Nate Davis (who was eventually released) did much, and even Dan Orlovsky, formerly of the Texans, looked rough.
The Rams on the other hand were quite impressive. Sam Bradford had an adequate start, and back up A.J. Feely threw 10/14 for 100 yards. The running backs for the Rams looked solid and a strong running game could really help Bradford in the year ahead. Rookie Tight End Lance Kendricks lived up to me hyping him before the draft with 5 catches for 47 yards and a TD. Receiver Danario Alexander (Undrafted last year, but on my watch list) had 3 catches for 43 yards.
On to... uhm, Minnesota at Tennessee. All eyes were really on the veteran and rookie quarterbacks, with the Vikings sporting Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder to the Titans Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker. We'll start with McNabb and Ponder, who both looked ok without really amazing. Ponder was fairly efficient while McNabb stuck to the short and intermediate passes to get by. Hasselbeck on the other hand was near perfect in the few throws he made, while Jake Locker actually looked really impressive. 7/10 for 89 yards and a touchdown, he looked calm under pressure and his anticipation on his throws was pretty good.
Off to Carolina now, as the Panthers hosted the Giants and we finally got to see Cam Newton on the field. And here is what I love about the mainstream football covering media. People have been cooking up a storm in their pants about how good Newton looked, while simultaneously bashing the crap out of Tim Tebow.
Now excuse me, but I think you'll find Newton went 8/19 for 134 yards, which while not bad at all, was still much less efficient than Tebow's performance the other day. In fairness to Cam, he looked better throwing here than he did with Auburn and you can see he has raw potential as a passer and competitor. It's just a question of whether the Panthers can focus that potential and develop it in the coming years.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was the other big winner in this game putting another two sacks in the books (sort of) and once again laughing in the face of people like me who said he wouldn't amount to much. Well done sir, you're converting me. Cunt.
Lastly then we have the Jets travelling to the Texans and to be honest, Matt Schaub looked a little rough. His timing was off with some of the receivers and he only completed 2/5 for 20 yards. Rookie T.J. Yates did a bit better, but the story of the evening was really Matt Leinart, who went 8/14 for 78 yards, a TD and an INT. Also in the spotlight was 2nd year Texans running back Chris Ogbonnaya who had 17 carries for just 37 yards and a TD, but also caught 6 passes for 67 yards and another TD. I was also pleased to see rookie Lester Jean have two catches for 53 yards. Keep an eye on Jean.
For the Jets, rookie QB Greg McElroy was given a hell of an outing, finishing the game 23/39 for 208 yards and a TD (he also fumbled the ball 3 times). But the biggest story on the Jets side was their offensive line. Vladimir Ducasse had to slot in at right tackle and man did he not look at home. New Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips brought the heat and the Texans finished with 7 sacks as the Jets struggled to keep their QB upright.
So that's all of the week one games covered. One thing I do want to bring up briefly and this stretched across all the games, was how much time teams spent in 3 and 4 wide receiver sets. This is something that has been popular in college football for a long time now and it seems that the "Spread Bug" is really beginning to kick in here in the NFL too. It'll be interesting to see if this lasts into the regular season as well.
Looking ahead, just two games for Thursday night.
It starts with the Patriots heading to Tampa, which is quite an interesting clash given their good starts to the season. In particular I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ryan Mallett and hopefully some more game time for Buc's corner Anthony Gaitor.
The second game sees the Eagles "Dream Team" visit the Steelers. This should be a good test for Philadelphia as we get to see how their offense stands up against one of the more fearsome pass rushes in the league, and how their newly kitted out defense copes with quite a versatile offense. Good stuff.
Green Bay visiting the Cleveland Browns. Aaron Rodgers looked comfortable and just getting back into the swing, as did Colt McCoy of the Browns (9/10, 135 yards, 1 TD). Packers back up Matt Flynn looked ok, 11/18 for 126 yards and a TD, but I was a little disappointed in youngster Graham Harrell, 11/22 for 100 yards. I thought he'd be a little more accurate than that.
Packers rookie receiver Randall Cobb (who I'm quite high on) did well, three catches for 60 yards. On the opposite side experienced tight end Ben Watson lead the Browns receivers with 2 catches for 56 yards. Packers rookie DB Josh Gordy impressed with a sack and an interception. Meanwhile the Browns D was looking good despite the loss of coordinator Rob Ryan, turning in 5 sacks between them.
Onto the Bills and Bears, and some good, some bad for both teams. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked ok if not stunning, but in general the Bills depth at quarterback looks a little suspect right now. Tyler Thigpen in particular didn't quite have the impact many in Buffalo were perhaps hoping for. For the Bears, the offensive line continues to worry, though rookie QB Nathan Enderle was a bright spot. I'm a big fan of Enderle and he had a reasonably good evening finishing 7/10 for 110 yards. His interception hit the receiver in the hands but was tipped and picked off, so that's not a huge issue.
On defence is where things really got lit up. Nine sacks for the Bills defense. Nine. I don't think they've ever produced that many sacks in their history. Of course the Bears pass protection had a lot to do with that. It appears that maybe the issue that Chicago thought it had solved last season has once again come back to bite them.
Next, Indianapolis travelled to St. Louis and boy did they miss Peyton Manning. If there was any issue with the Colts it is that they're very much a one man team; they live and die by the arm of Manning. Neither Curtis Painter nor Nate Davis (who was eventually released) did much, and even Dan Orlovsky, formerly of the Texans, looked rough.
The Rams on the other hand were quite impressive. Sam Bradford had an adequate start, and back up A.J. Feely threw 10/14 for 100 yards. The running backs for the Rams looked solid and a strong running game could really help Bradford in the year ahead. Rookie Tight End Lance Kendricks lived up to me hyping him before the draft with 5 catches for 47 yards and a TD. Receiver Danario Alexander (Undrafted last year, but on my watch list) had 3 catches for 43 yards.
On to... uhm, Minnesota at Tennessee. All eyes were really on the veteran and rookie quarterbacks, with the Vikings sporting Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder to the Titans Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker. We'll start with McNabb and Ponder, who both looked ok without really amazing. Ponder was fairly efficient while McNabb stuck to the short and intermediate passes to get by. Hasselbeck on the other hand was near perfect in the few throws he made, while Jake Locker actually looked really impressive. 7/10 for 89 yards and a touchdown, he looked calm under pressure and his anticipation on his throws was pretty good.
Off to Carolina now, as the Panthers hosted the Giants and we finally got to see Cam Newton on the field. And here is what I love about the mainstream football covering media. People have been cooking up a storm in their pants about how good Newton looked, while simultaneously bashing the crap out of Tim Tebow.
Now excuse me, but I think you'll find Newton went 8/19 for 134 yards, which while not bad at all, was still much less efficient than Tebow's performance the other day. In fairness to Cam, he looked better throwing here than he did with Auburn and you can see he has raw potential as a passer and competitor. It's just a question of whether the Panthers can focus that potential and develop it in the coming years.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was the other big winner in this game putting another two sacks in the books (sort of) and once again laughing in the face of people like me who said he wouldn't amount to much. Well done sir, you're converting me. Cunt.
Lastly then we have the Jets travelling to the Texans and to be honest, Matt Schaub looked a little rough. His timing was off with some of the receivers and he only completed 2/5 for 20 yards. Rookie T.J. Yates did a bit better, but the story of the evening was really Matt Leinart, who went 8/14 for 78 yards, a TD and an INT. Also in the spotlight was 2nd year Texans running back Chris Ogbonnaya who had 17 carries for just 37 yards and a TD, but also caught 6 passes for 67 yards and another TD. I was also pleased to see rookie Lester Jean have two catches for 53 yards. Keep an eye on Jean.
For the Jets, rookie QB Greg McElroy was given a hell of an outing, finishing the game 23/39 for 208 yards and a TD (he also fumbled the ball 3 times). But the biggest story on the Jets side was their offensive line. Vladimir Ducasse had to slot in at right tackle and man did he not look at home. New Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips brought the heat and the Texans finished with 7 sacks as the Jets struggled to keep their QB upright.
So that's all of the week one games covered. One thing I do want to bring up briefly and this stretched across all the games, was how much time teams spent in 3 and 4 wide receiver sets. This is something that has been popular in college football for a long time now and it seems that the "Spread Bug" is really beginning to kick in here in the NFL too. It'll be interesting to see if this lasts into the regular season as well.
Looking ahead, just two games for Thursday night.
It starts with the Patriots heading to Tampa, which is quite an interesting clash given their good starts to the season. In particular I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ryan Mallett and hopefully some more game time for Buc's corner Anthony Gaitor.
The second game sees the Eagles "Dream Team" visit the Steelers. This should be a good test for Philadelphia as we get to see how their offense stands up against one of the more fearsome pass rushes in the league, and how their newly kitted out defense copes with quite a versatile offense. Good stuff.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Pre-Season week 1
Ok so I said I would be back yesterday and I wasn't. Tough.
Anyway, we now have two days worth of white knuckle pre-season action (stop laughing) so let's have a quick look through the games so far.
It started with the Patriots hosting the Jaguars and man did Bill Belichick get a result. I'm not even talking about the 47-12 score. I'm talking about Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett both putting in good shifts at quarterback. My suspicion is that it's all part of Bills master plan to own every pick in the 2020 draft, by showing these two off now and seeing if anyone bites. The defense also threw up four sacks, which shows an early sign of improvement for the Pats up front.
For the Jags, it was nice to see Rashad Jennings pick up 28 yards on 6 carries but other than that, there really wasn't a lot happening on their side of the ball. Quarterback Todd Bouman made the case for his own retirement with 2/10 and an interception. We saw Blaine Gabbert for the first time on an NFL field, going 9/16 for 85 yards.
But the undoubted winners of the night where both in Patriot blue, and that was receiver Taylor Price and running back Stevan Ridley. Price caught 5 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, while Ridley caught 7 for 47 yards and a TD, plus 16 carries on the ground for 64 yards and a further 2 touchdowns.
Next up we have the Ravens and the Eagles in Philadelphia, which resulted in a mixed night for some. Ravens rookie QB Tyrod Taylor threw 19/28 for 179 yards but also 2 interceptions, one to rookie safety Jaiquawn "Triple Word Score" Jarrett who I overlooked in the preview the other day. Also a stand out for me was the Eagles defense putting up 6 sacks, including two for defensive end Darryl Tapp.
Game 3 and Seattle came down to visit San Diego, walking away with the win but also a lot of questions. QB Tavaris Jackson didn't exactly look sharp, though Charlie Whitehurst did better. For the Chargers, Philip Rivers didn't see a huge amount of time but did look tight, throwing 5/6 for 87 yards and a TD, including a deep strike to Vincent Jackson. That partnership being ready on day one of the season will be a huge asset to the Chargers in 2011.
Then it was down to Dallas as the Cowboys welcomed the Broncos. Oh boy did it get fun for coach John Fox! Kyle Orton went 2/6 for 37 yards while back up Tim Tebow produced 6/7 for 91 yards. What made me laugh afterwards though were all the people clutching for reasons to bash Tebow. So he fumbled one snap. Yeah that's not good but it's a minor thing that will come in time. What I was more impressed with was his more compact throwing motion (in terms of time which is all that matters) and his demonstration of deep pass accuracy, something which supposedly he can't do. All in all, Tebow was reasonably impressive, for what it was at least.
Of course there were others involved in the game. Quarterback Brady Quinn completed 8/14 in his spell for 120 yards and a TD which is not bad against the third string. Also, corner Perrish Cox from last years watch list had an interception.
For the Cowboys, back up quarterback Stephen McGee went 14/24 for 208 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT. Running back Felix Jones looked in good form with some nice running at times. Rookie receiver Dwayne Harris impressed the most, romping home with 5 catches for 127 yards and 2 TD's, including taking a dump off pass from the slot 74 yards up the field for a TD. I did say he'd make a good slot receiver with yards after the catch ability.
On to the next game and Oakland greeted Arizona. Not a huge amount to report really. 2nd year Cardinals QB Max Hall went 4/4 for 66 yards and a TD. John Skelton went 6/10 for 94 yards and a TD. On the Raiders side, both Jason Campbell and Kyle Boller did ok, but Trent Edwards got the most throws, turning in 10/19 for 140 yards and a TD. Rookie receiver Denarius Moore had three catches and finished with 37 yards, but the whole game was a little flat.
Moving to the later games we start with Atlanta hosting Miami. Frankly I'm a little stunned that Miami managed to win this given how bad they started. One thing I will do though is throw QB Chad Henne something of a bone. Already people are crying over the fact that he got picked twice, throwing an eventual 4/8 for 77 yards and a touchdown.
The first pick was largely an accident. The throw hit the target - literally - and bounced out of the receivers grasp and into the hands of defensive end John Abraham as he dropped into coverage during an unusual blitz. It was basically a stroke of bad luck. The second was just a lack of concentration. His receiver had corner Brent Grimes soundly beaten, but Henne tried to drop the ball into his receivers lap instead of making him go high for it. The result was a pass that was just about within Grimes's reach. That's an easy problem to solve (Maybe one day I'll write a post on quarterbacks and ball placement, which I consider to be one of their most important measurable traits).
New Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore faired a little better, ending the game 11/18 for 123 yards, 2 TD's and 1 INT. On the other side, Matt Ryan was looking slick, going 6/10 for 90 yards and a TD. The key though was just how smooth he looked with all his motions and how confident he was throwing the ball. Really very impressive.
On defense, Dolphins rookie defensive back Jimmy Wilson did well, tallying 5 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Second year linebacker A.J. Edds also did well, with 6 tackles and a sack. For the Falcons, rookie defensive end Cliff Matthews had 3 tackles and a sack while another rookie DE, Emmanuel Stephens, also had 3 tackles and a sack.
Next on the schedule was Cincinnati travelling to Detroit in a game which might bring equal amounts of hope and despair to Lions fans. Yes, they pounded a frankly terrible Bengals team into the floor. But the last time they looked this good in pre-season, the regular season ended very badly....
Fans might not be so worried this year though. Matthew Stafford looked like a seasoned veteran, making back shoulder fade throws all over the place and ended the game 6/7 for 71 yards and 2 TD's. All the Lions quarterbacks were pretty efficient, with Drew Stanton getting the most throwing practice going 7/15 for 110 yards.
The Bengals didn't fair quite as well. Rookie Andy Dalton threw a pick right out of the gate, then went 11/15 but for only 69 yards as he quickly reverted to a preference for short passing. The best performer on the ground for either team was Bengals running back Cedric Benson who turned 6 carries into 37 yards and possibly shining a light on the path that the Bengals might follow this year.
Just quickly I also want to pick up on the controversy surrounding Ndamukong Suh who is described in almost all media outlets as having "slammed" Andy Dalton to the ground with a "vicious" throw. Frankly I think people are taking the piss if that is what constitutes unneccesary roughness.
He didn't exactly hold Daltons hand and take him for a nice stroll in the countryside, but nor did it appear to be particularly malicious in any way and I'm a little annoyed that so much has been made about it. When I saw it, I didn't even blink. Certainly I didn't expect to see the morass of media out cry that there has been. Suh is building a reputation for being dirty, but I would suggest that much of that reputation is grossly over stated and manufactured by the press for the sole purpose of driving internet traffic.
In other words Florio, shut the fuck up and stop being a whiny little bitch.
Onto the next game and the Redskins hosted the Steelers for something of a forgettable night. Redskins QB Rex Grossman was probably the big winner, taking advantage of an injury to John Beck to impose himself as the Redskins most likely starting quarterback, posting 19/26 for 207 yards and a TD. The biggest loser was probably Steelers QB Dennis Dixon, who finished 1/10 for 29 yards.
Meanwhile the Buccaneers went north and west to visit the Chiefs, coming away with quite a handy win. Josh Freeman went 9/13 for 73 yards, but also ran in a touchdown himself. My little favourite Josh Johnson continued to impress. He finished 7/12 for 108 yards and a TD, but also lead the team on the ground with 5 rushes for 57 yards. A piece of me is kinda hoping that the 49ers get a trade done, but we'll talk about that more later.
It was also a good day for rookie tight end Daniel Hardy who I have high hopes for, after he caught 2 passes for 37 yards. Then there was rookie corner Anthony Gaitor who I absolutely love, who got himself a sack, and then second year linebacker Dekoda Watson (who was on last years rookie watch list) got himself 1.5 sacks.
The Chiefs struggled mightily. Both Tyler Palko and Ricky Stanzi (who I had high hopes for) performed badly. Running back Thomas Jones demonstrated why he's still one of the best backs in football with a long scamper, but like the playoff game against the Ravens from last season, the Chiefs showed that they don't care a great deal for their running game.
And finally that brings us to the 49ers heading East to visit the Saints. *sigh*
God where do I start? Well it was set to be a tought night for the 49ers as Saints defensive co-ordinator Greg Williams brought the heat, with blitz after blitz. Now a lot of people have been complaining but taking a step back I have to say that I can understand Williams doing what he did. This is what his defense will most likely be doing all season long so it only makes sense for him and his players to practice now. He was just doing what any coach really should be doing.
The result was sacks a plenty. Six of them. Plus two interceptions. Alex Smith ended 2/7 for 10 yards, while rookie Colin Kaepernick, who I really am not confident about (trade for Josh Johnson time?), went 9/19 for 117 yards and 2 INT's. He did manage to run 6 times for a total of 47 yards, but he also fumbled the ball twice. At least the 49ers had a small bright spot on defense, holding Drew Brees of the Saints to 1/4 for 6 yards. First round rookie Aldon Smith also got himself a sack.
For the Saints offense, rookie running back Mark Ingram got himself a TD while back up QB Chase Daniel put up 13/21 for 129 yards in the air. Undrafted rookie Joseph Morgan also got on the scoreboard with an impressive 78 yard punt return for a TD.
And that my friends, is all for now. I'm already missing some of the rest of the action which I will recap possibly on Monday Night/Tuesday Morning, or possibly the day after. Till then, have a great weekend.
Anyway, we now have two days worth of white knuckle pre-season action (stop laughing) so let's have a quick look through the games so far.
It started with the Patriots hosting the Jaguars and man did Bill Belichick get a result. I'm not even talking about the 47-12 score. I'm talking about Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett both putting in good shifts at quarterback. My suspicion is that it's all part of Bills master plan to own every pick in the 2020 draft, by showing these two off now and seeing if anyone bites. The defense also threw up four sacks, which shows an early sign of improvement for the Pats up front.
For the Jags, it was nice to see Rashad Jennings pick up 28 yards on 6 carries but other than that, there really wasn't a lot happening on their side of the ball. Quarterback Todd Bouman made the case for his own retirement with 2/10 and an interception. We saw Blaine Gabbert for the first time on an NFL field, going 9/16 for 85 yards.
But the undoubted winners of the night where both in Patriot blue, and that was receiver Taylor Price and running back Stevan Ridley. Price caught 5 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, while Ridley caught 7 for 47 yards and a TD, plus 16 carries on the ground for 64 yards and a further 2 touchdowns.
Next up we have the Ravens and the Eagles in Philadelphia, which resulted in a mixed night for some. Ravens rookie QB Tyrod Taylor threw 19/28 for 179 yards but also 2 interceptions, one to rookie safety Jaiquawn "Triple Word Score" Jarrett who I overlooked in the preview the other day. Also a stand out for me was the Eagles defense putting up 6 sacks, including two for defensive end Darryl Tapp.
Game 3 and Seattle came down to visit San Diego, walking away with the win but also a lot of questions. QB Tavaris Jackson didn't exactly look sharp, though Charlie Whitehurst did better. For the Chargers, Philip Rivers didn't see a huge amount of time but did look tight, throwing 5/6 for 87 yards and a TD, including a deep strike to Vincent Jackson. That partnership being ready on day one of the season will be a huge asset to the Chargers in 2011.
Then it was down to Dallas as the Cowboys welcomed the Broncos. Oh boy did it get fun for coach John Fox! Kyle Orton went 2/6 for 37 yards while back up Tim Tebow produced 6/7 for 91 yards. What made me laugh afterwards though were all the people clutching for reasons to bash Tebow. So he fumbled one snap. Yeah that's not good but it's a minor thing that will come in time. What I was more impressed with was his more compact throwing motion (in terms of time which is all that matters) and his demonstration of deep pass accuracy, something which supposedly he can't do. All in all, Tebow was reasonably impressive, for what it was at least.
Of course there were others involved in the game. Quarterback Brady Quinn completed 8/14 in his spell for 120 yards and a TD which is not bad against the third string. Also, corner Perrish Cox from last years watch list had an interception.
For the Cowboys, back up quarterback Stephen McGee went 14/24 for 208 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT. Running back Felix Jones looked in good form with some nice running at times. Rookie receiver Dwayne Harris impressed the most, romping home with 5 catches for 127 yards and 2 TD's, including taking a dump off pass from the slot 74 yards up the field for a TD. I did say he'd make a good slot receiver with yards after the catch ability.
On to the next game and Oakland greeted Arizona. Not a huge amount to report really. 2nd year Cardinals QB Max Hall went 4/4 for 66 yards and a TD. John Skelton went 6/10 for 94 yards and a TD. On the Raiders side, both Jason Campbell and Kyle Boller did ok, but Trent Edwards got the most throws, turning in 10/19 for 140 yards and a TD. Rookie receiver Denarius Moore had three catches and finished with 37 yards, but the whole game was a little flat.
Moving to the later games we start with Atlanta hosting Miami. Frankly I'm a little stunned that Miami managed to win this given how bad they started. One thing I will do though is throw QB Chad Henne something of a bone. Already people are crying over the fact that he got picked twice, throwing an eventual 4/8 for 77 yards and a touchdown.
The first pick was largely an accident. The throw hit the target - literally - and bounced out of the receivers grasp and into the hands of defensive end John Abraham as he dropped into coverage during an unusual blitz. It was basically a stroke of bad luck. The second was just a lack of concentration. His receiver had corner Brent Grimes soundly beaten, but Henne tried to drop the ball into his receivers lap instead of making him go high for it. The result was a pass that was just about within Grimes's reach. That's an easy problem to solve (Maybe one day I'll write a post on quarterbacks and ball placement, which I consider to be one of their most important measurable traits).
New Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore faired a little better, ending the game 11/18 for 123 yards, 2 TD's and 1 INT. On the other side, Matt Ryan was looking slick, going 6/10 for 90 yards and a TD. The key though was just how smooth he looked with all his motions and how confident he was throwing the ball. Really very impressive.
On defense, Dolphins rookie defensive back Jimmy Wilson did well, tallying 5 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Second year linebacker A.J. Edds also did well, with 6 tackles and a sack. For the Falcons, rookie defensive end Cliff Matthews had 3 tackles and a sack while another rookie DE, Emmanuel Stephens, also had 3 tackles and a sack.
Next on the schedule was Cincinnati travelling to Detroit in a game which might bring equal amounts of hope and despair to Lions fans. Yes, they pounded a frankly terrible Bengals team into the floor. But the last time they looked this good in pre-season, the regular season ended very badly....
Fans might not be so worried this year though. Matthew Stafford looked like a seasoned veteran, making back shoulder fade throws all over the place and ended the game 6/7 for 71 yards and 2 TD's. All the Lions quarterbacks were pretty efficient, with Drew Stanton getting the most throwing practice going 7/15 for 110 yards.
The Bengals didn't fair quite as well. Rookie Andy Dalton threw a pick right out of the gate, then went 11/15 but for only 69 yards as he quickly reverted to a preference for short passing. The best performer on the ground for either team was Bengals running back Cedric Benson who turned 6 carries into 37 yards and possibly shining a light on the path that the Bengals might follow this year.
Just quickly I also want to pick up on the controversy surrounding Ndamukong Suh who is described in almost all media outlets as having "slammed" Andy Dalton to the ground with a "vicious" throw. Frankly I think people are taking the piss if that is what constitutes unneccesary roughness.
He didn't exactly hold Daltons hand and take him for a nice stroll in the countryside, but nor did it appear to be particularly malicious in any way and I'm a little annoyed that so much has been made about it. When I saw it, I didn't even blink. Certainly I didn't expect to see the morass of media out cry that there has been. Suh is building a reputation for being dirty, but I would suggest that much of that reputation is grossly over stated and manufactured by the press for the sole purpose of driving internet traffic.
In other words Florio, shut the fuck up and stop being a whiny little bitch.
Onto the next game and the Redskins hosted the Steelers for something of a forgettable night. Redskins QB Rex Grossman was probably the big winner, taking advantage of an injury to John Beck to impose himself as the Redskins most likely starting quarterback, posting 19/26 for 207 yards and a TD. The biggest loser was probably Steelers QB Dennis Dixon, who finished 1/10 for 29 yards.
Meanwhile the Buccaneers went north and west to visit the Chiefs, coming away with quite a handy win. Josh Freeman went 9/13 for 73 yards, but also ran in a touchdown himself. My little favourite Josh Johnson continued to impress. He finished 7/12 for 108 yards and a TD, but also lead the team on the ground with 5 rushes for 57 yards. A piece of me is kinda hoping that the 49ers get a trade done, but we'll talk about that more later.
It was also a good day for rookie tight end Daniel Hardy who I have high hopes for, after he caught 2 passes for 37 yards. Then there was rookie corner Anthony Gaitor who I absolutely love, who got himself a sack, and then second year linebacker Dekoda Watson (who was on last years rookie watch list) got himself 1.5 sacks.
The Chiefs struggled mightily. Both Tyler Palko and Ricky Stanzi (who I had high hopes for) performed badly. Running back Thomas Jones demonstrated why he's still one of the best backs in football with a long scamper, but like the playoff game against the Ravens from last season, the Chiefs showed that they don't care a great deal for their running game.
And finally that brings us to the 49ers heading East to visit the Saints. *sigh*
God where do I start? Well it was set to be a tought night for the 49ers as Saints defensive co-ordinator Greg Williams brought the heat, with blitz after blitz. Now a lot of people have been complaining but taking a step back I have to say that I can understand Williams doing what he did. This is what his defense will most likely be doing all season long so it only makes sense for him and his players to practice now. He was just doing what any coach really should be doing.
The result was sacks a plenty. Six of them. Plus two interceptions. Alex Smith ended 2/7 for 10 yards, while rookie Colin Kaepernick, who I really am not confident about (trade for Josh Johnson time?), went 9/19 for 117 yards and 2 INT's. He did manage to run 6 times for a total of 47 yards, but he also fumbled the ball twice. At least the 49ers had a small bright spot on defense, holding Drew Brees of the Saints to 1/4 for 6 yards. First round rookie Aldon Smith also got himself a sack.
For the Saints offense, rookie running back Mark Ingram got himself a TD while back up QB Chase Daniel put up 13/21 for 129 yards in the air. Undrafted rookie Joseph Morgan also got on the scoreboard with an impressive 78 yard punt return for a TD.
And that my friends, is all for now. I'm already missing some of the rest of the action which I will recap possibly on Monday Night/Tuesday Morning, or possibly the day after. Till then, have a great weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)