Week 3 9/3/09
Part One | Part
Two | Part Three | Part
Four
Before sitting down to write this series in 2009, I thought it would
be prudent to re-visit 2008, and determine
if there was any value in re-generating this series. What I found
most intriguing was its precautionary advice, namely not to rely
on it as gospel, but as a source of useful information to weed through
in the hopes of unearthing a single nugget that would elevate a
team’s chances come draft day. Accordingly, as you go through
the next four weeks of training camp hype, you have to remember
that it is called “hype”, because that is all that it
is. It is propaganda wrapped up inside a riddle, wrapped again in
a puzzle, entrenched in an enigma, surrounded by conundrum.
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals –
The Matt Leinart
v. Brian St.
Pierre alleged battle for back-up quarterback position is over
thanks to St. Pierre’s back injury and Leinart’s Friday night lights
performance. Despite Tim Hightower averaging over six yards per
carry against the Packers, the distance between he and Beanie Wells
may no longer be that great. Reports about Beanie Wells’ ankle injury
being more serious than the Cardinals were letting on appeared premature
Friday night when Wells ran for 46 yards on seven carries and crossed
the goal line twice. Wells commented that he does not feel he is
at full strength yet, which makes his fantasy owners grin. However,
Wells still has not been able to pick up the blitz or catch the
ball consistently keeping Hightower above him on the depth chart.
Personally, I do not think the game against the Packers was a true
indication that the Cardinals ground game is anywhere near supplanting
their aerial attack. RB LaRod
Stephens-Howling (concussion) continues to turn heads and is
now being compared to Darren Sproles. He took a page out of the
Sproles handbook when he ran two kicks back for 89 yards and 63
yards. Early
Doucet lost his bid to move up the depth chart when he fractured
his ribs. Doucet will be out 2-4 weeks and the wide receivers are
locked in with Larry
Fitzgerald, Anquan
Boldin, Steve
Breaston and Jerheme
Urban. While the Arizona tight end remains fantasy irrelevant
in all but the deepest of leagues, there is a battle at this position
with Ben Patrick
on a four game suspension. Leonard
Pope is behind Stephen
Spach and Patrick. Of interest, wide receivers Lance Long and
Onrea Jones may not make the team, but keep an eye out for Todd
Haley swooping them up to fill out his depleted receiver group in
Kansas City.
St. Louis Rams –
Marc Bulger
returned to the practice field Sunday after convalescing his broken
thumb but Bulger’s thumb may not be 100% by opening day. Also back
in the fold much earlier than anticipated, is Donnie
Avery. The Rams plan on relying heavily on Steven
Jackson, which presents a problem if Jackson goes down for any
extended period (which happened in 2007 and 2008). The back-ups
are not entrenched and likely would result in a committee of Samkon
Gado, Antonio
Pittman, Kenneth
Darby and perhaps Chris
Ogbonnaya. Laurent
Robinson has climbed into the top of the ladder and is expected
to start in the #2 role.
San Francisco 49ers
– Installment number three of the Michael
Crabtree report reveals…nada. Crabtree is now the only unsigned
draft pick and looks to be torpedoing his NFL career a la Mike Williams.
In two drafts already, I have seen Crabtree go around the same time
as Donnie Avery, Ted Ginn, Jr., Nate
Burleson, etc. . . . Crabtree has not seen the field in OTA’s,
mini-camp or training camp. Is this an astute draft philosophy in
anything but a dynasty league? A few pieces of news I found interesting
are: (1) Crabtree is apparently residing in the Bay City instead
of his hometown in Texas; (2) 49ers’ GM Scot McLoughan is confident
that a contract will get done; and (3) Crabtree may sign around
Labor Day as the economic pinch does not hit until opening day.
However, even if Crabtree signs, the season will likely be halfway
over before he sees significant play time. Shaun
Hill has been anointed the starting quarterback. Needless to
say, the olden days of Joe Montana and Steve Young are gone when
the 49ers are debating between the lesser of two evils like Hill
and Alex Smith.
Nothing has changed on the receiver front - Josh Morgan and Isaac
Bruce have are locked in as starters, with Arnaz Battle, Jason
Hill, Dominique
Zeigler and Michael Spurlock all battling it out for number
three. Since a Singletary led 49ers offense plans to force the run,
even Morgan and Bruce have iffy fantasy relevance. Glen
Coffee has catapulted from his early training camp woes. Where
Coffee started training camp as a dud, his pre-season performances
have put him on fantasy draft boards. By all accounts, Coffee is
not anticipated to steal any carries from Frank
Gore, but he could be a needy handcuff. By the way, if you have
not yet gleaned this from these reports – the 49ers think Gore wears
a blue cape with a red “S” embossed in a yellow background. He should
see a lot of work this season.
Seattle Seahawks
– The reported chemistry between Matt Hasselbeck and
T.J. Houshmandzadeh revealed itself against the Chiefs this weekend
when the two hooked up for 60 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
Also getting into the action was John Carlson who put up nearly
identical numbers. Nate Burlson, Deion Butler and Deion Branch each
caught two passes, which fits with Greg Knapp’s earlier statement
that he intends to spread the ball around. Walter Jones is out of
practice and now appears to be shelved for a significant period
of time due to a reoccurrence of his knee injury. Last week I jumped
early on Justin Forsett, figuring that Jim Mora, Jr. would once
again cut T.J. Duckett (I was right). But the Seahawks scooped Edgerrin
James out of a retirement home keeping Forsett locked in at number
three. The problem is Seattle needs to get the running game moving.
Averaging just 2.9 yards per carry in the first two games, neither
Julius Jones nor Justin Forsett were able to get their yards per
carry to the 4.0 line against the Chiefs. If you picked Jones in
your draft, do not fret just yet. Despite the signing of the Edge,
Jones is the Hawks’ top dog and Knapp suggests it will take
approximately six weeks into the season before the Seahawks are
firing on all pistons. Given Knapp’s history, I give this
some credence.
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys –
The Dallas Cowboys wide receivers have become the Training Camp
Hype version of Katy Perry’s “Hot N’ Cold.” Just when I say Roy
Williams is not on the same page with Tony
Romo, they connect. Then when I say they are on the same page,
he hurts his shoulder. I start off with Miles
Austin leaping up the charts then Sam
Hurd puts on a display of his own. Now, Austin is once again
turning heads. Nevertheless, the battle between Austin and Hurd
is undecided. The Cowboy wide receiver group could be any number
of combinations with Williams, Patrick
Crayton, Hurd and Austin (I’m not ready to give Kevin Ogletree
too much run at this point). Felix
Jones continues to wow the Cowboy faithful and is making a convincing
argument for more playing time. Tashard
Choice has presently fallen from grace and this remains a two-back
committee by most accounts. The most talked about Cowboy in the
last two weeks is Jerry Jones’ video board.
New York Giants
– Last week, I noted that Hakeem
Nicks has been catching everything thrown his way and has made
a great impression in camp. On Saturday, Nicks made himself fantasy
relevant with six catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Granted,
Nicks did all of this in the second half against the Jets second
team defense but note he posted those numbers with with David
Carr as his quarterback. Tom Coughlin has stated that Nicks’
play has warranted further consideration. The Giants sport a number
of not ready for prime time players, all of whom may be fantasy
relevant rather quickly. Last year, Derrick
Ward proved how valuable the number two running can be in the
Giants system and Ahmad
Bradshaw is proving the same this year. Danny
Ware is also looking strong in his limited playing time. The
Giants have a load of receivers who are looking to replace Plaxico
Burress. While they did not look good against the Jets, both
Steve Smith
and Domenik
Hixon are looking like strong candidates to be the starters
while Derek
Hagan, Mario
Manningham and Sinorice Moss continue to compete. Manningham
may be number three and Nicks appears ahead of fellow rookie Ramses
Barden for number four. With the emergence of Nicks, it will
not be surprising to see the Giants cut one of these receivers (probably
Moss along with Super Bowl hero David
Tyree) who will no doubt find their way onto another team.
Philadelphia Eagles
– Perhaps the Eagles best move of the summer was signing
Michael Vick.
The second string quarterback hogs most of the space in the Philadelphia
fish wraps and nobody seems to care about more pressing issues like
the progress of Brian
Westbrook, Jeremy
Maclin, the offensive line or the defensive woes. Meanwhile,
LeSean McCoy
continues to garner all of the positive news. OL Shawn Andrews is
back on the field, which is good news for the offense. DeSean
Jackson is entrenched as a starting wide receiver, but it’s
impossible to figure who is number two between Kevin
Curtis and Jason
Avant and all the trade talks surrounding Hank
Baskett and Reggie
Brown.
Washington Redskins
– Jason
Campbell looked like an NFL quarterback against the Patriots
with 209 yards passing and a rushing touchdown. Dating Jessica Simpson
may be good for a quarterback’s reputation, but Colt
Brennan should have taken a page from Tony Romo before this
rumored relationship started, since Brennan has not overtaken Todd
Collins as the number two quarterback and now he is battling
Chase Daniels just to remain on the roster. There is no official
decision as to whether Antwaan Randle-El will hold onto the number
two wide receiver position or whether he will be replaced by Devin
Thomas or Malcolm
Kelly although Kelly appears to have the inside track. There
are numerous battles for the remaining wide receiver position, but
none of them seem fantasy relevant. Clinton
Portis (rib injury) has nothing to worry about from Ladell
Betts, but Betts may have something to worry about with back-up
Anthony Alridge and Marcus Mason running strong and performing well
against the Patriots. It’s not likely there is any true threat to
the back-up position, but the Redskins like Mason or Alridge as
a change of pace back and Rock Cartwirght appears to be on his way
out.
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears –
Jay Cutler
may have needed no more motivation than playing against the Broncos,
but he looked pretty good Saturday. Matt
Forte’s two touchdowns and 13 touches indicates he is the workhorse
and while his yards per touch were paltry, he will be relied on
for six points every time the Bears are in the red zone. Kevin Jones
is out of the mix after injuring his ankle making "the other
Adrian Peterson"
the backup RB. The wide receiver scenario is nevertheless a real
crap shoot with RB Matt Forte and TE Greg
Olsen looking every bit the primary receiving threats. Ron Turner
has indicated the Bears will use a four to five wide receiver rotation,
with Devin
Hester and Earl
Bennett as the starters. Vying for the remaining play time has
not changed since the last report, with Brandon
Rideau at number three and Rashied
Davis and Devin Aromashodu putting pressure on him. The loser
of these three will likely be playing in a different uniform come
week one. Rookies Juaquin
Iglesias and Johnny
Knox should hold the final positions, but are not fantasy relevant.
Detroit Lions –
Over the weekend, Detroit’s quarterback controversy became
a little bit watered down when Daunte Culpepper cut open his foot
at home and Drew Stanton injured his back. Culpepper’s injury
is not serious but the battle is still up in the air. Neither quarterback
has yet to become fantasy relevant despite Calvin Johnson’s
ability to reel in any ball thrown within fifty yards of him. If
you placed a gun to my head, I would speculate that Culpepper starts
at this point, but his tightrope will be awfully thin. RB Aaron
Brown continues to impress and has looked far superior to Maurice
Morris. Kevin Smith looked like an extremely accomplished running
back against the Colts and if Saturday’s game is an indication
is slated to get a lot of touches in both the running game and as
an outlet in the passing game.
Green Bay Packers
– The Green Bay ground game may be a decoy to keep defenses
honest as none of the running backs looked remarkable against the
Cardinals defense Friday night. But, the Packer passing game was
en fuego as QB Aaron
Rodgers completed nearly 75% of his passes for 258 yards and
three touchdowns. Greg
Jennings was knocked out of the game quickly with what appeared
to be a concussion, but several receivers picked up the slack, including
Jordy Nelson,
James Jones
and the ever-reliable Donald
Driver. Also making a name for himself is tight end Jeremichael
Finley, who is making a convincing argument to replace Donald
Lee at tight end. Finley is a huge and remarkably fast for his
size and possesses solid hands. Against both Buffalo and Arizona,
Finley has proven to be a mismatch for opposing defenses. RB Tyrell
Sutton has been a training camp stud and with Brandon Jackson getting
injured, has a good shot at spelling Ryan
Grant on third downs.
Minnesota Vikings
– My prognostication last article was entirely correct.
I have not seen one article coming out of Minnesota which does not
have the name “Favre” in its first five words (unless
it was a pity article towards Tarvaris Jackson/Sage Rosenfels or
a shut-up article towards whining Green Bay fans). Well, if there
was any doubt the Vikings are now Brett Favre’s team, Monday
night has dispensed with that notion as Favre lead the offense on
three scoring drives (okay, maybe he had little to do with Adrian
Peterson’s 75-yard touchdown run) ending in two touchdowns
and a field goal. Favre played three full quarters. Rookie Percy
Harvin had a promising start, being targeted on four of Favre’s
18 passes (one deep) and two rushing plays. Favre’s other
primary targets were Visanthe Shiancoe and Chester Taylor. Tarvaris
Jackson and Sage Rosenfels are still battling for backup quarterback
position. It would not be all too surprising if Jackson wins the
competition and finds himself odd man out as either trade bait or
too large an albatross to keep on the string. Oddly, John David
Booty appears safe. Bernard Berrian did not see any action Monday
night.
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons –
A fear throughout the NFC South is coming to fruition - Matt Ryan
and Tony Gonzalez have already developed chemistry. With all the
other weapons in this offense, Gonzalez makes the Falcons especially
threatening in the red zone and on third downs and is poised to
put this team over the top. Michael Turner has been a beast in each
of the three preseason games. Turner will get 20-25 carries a game
(as evidenced by his 13 touches in the first half against the Chargers).
Jerrious Norwood suffered a knee injury which does not appear to
be serious. Roddy White, Michael Jenkins and even Brian Finneran
were all productive against the Chargers.
Carolina Panthers
– Mum is the word on Jonathan
Stewart but he recently took a personal day, which some speculate
was to have his Achilles tendon re-examined. DeAngelo
Williams also sat out in the all-important dress rehearsal against
the Ravens on Saturday, but returned to practice Monday morning.
Rookie running back Mike
Goodson continues to look good with 78 combined yards against
the daunting Raven defense. Kenny Moore continues to make great
strides and appears to be in front of Dwayne
Jarrett. Steve
Smith owners may breathe a sigh of relief as he returned to
the lineup and looked good.
New Orleans Saints
– If a preseason game against the Raiders is something to
get excited about, Saints fans have every reason to be excited.
The easiest way to scout the Saints is this – Drew
Brees, Reggie
Bush, Pierre
Thomas, Marques
Colston, Lance
Moore, Devery Henderson, Robert
Meachem, Jeremy
Shockey – all worth having. Mike
Bell – why not? Nuf said.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
– Byron Leftwich has been anointed the starter, but
this appears to be a quarterback by default and not because Leftwich
has been overly impressive. Josh Freeman showed a glimpse of the
future with an impressive drive against the Dolphins, capped off
by a long run by Freeman for the score. The running back position
appears to be a fantasy cluster (expletive). Raheem Morris outright
stated there will be a platoon between the three running backs (Derrick
Ward, Earnest Graham and Carnell Williams), giving the ball to whoever
has the hot hand in any given game. It is only preseason, but Cadillac
has looked the best in the live action. Antonio Bryant and Michael
Clayton have returned to practice and have the starting gigs, but
frankly, it’s been impossible to get a read on what the Buccaneer
passing game will look like since the starters have been out all
summer. Oregon State rookie Sammie Stroughter is still making his
way up the depth chart, but is being fought off by Maurice Stovall.
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos –
Kyle Orton lacerated his finger against his former team, which turned
out to be an open dislocation. Orton will most definitely miss the
final week of the preseason but hopes to be back opening day. Brandon
Marshall’s suspension may be what the doctor ordered if it
wakes him up. The monetary loss will be much greater come game one.
Eddie Royal will have to become the playmaker in the Broncos game
plan. Royal has had a good camp and is poised for a solid year but
the position keeps getting thinner with Jabar Gaffney breaking his
thumb. Knowshon Moreno continues to miss practices as does LaMont
Jordan, who is falling down the depth chart behind Correll Buckhalter.
Kansas City Chiefs
– Todd Haley has not hesitated to shake things up.
He fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and assumed the role
of offensive coordinator himself. Matt Cassel’s MCL sprain
has him out for the preseason finale is questionable for week one
against the Ravens. Brodie Croyle has taken all the first team snaps
in Cassel’s absence. Tyler Thigpen was on the trading block,
but with the Cassel injury, those rumors have quieted down. Devard
Darling was slated to crack the starting lineup, but tore his ACL
and is out for the season. The starting wide receiver jobs may belong
to Dwayne Bowe, Mark Bradley, Bobby Engram or Terrence Copper. It
definitely will not be Amani Toomer who was released. Although Larry
Johnson looks to be in his best shape, the offensive line is still
a question mark.
Oakland Raiders
– After Saturday’s debacle against the Saints, Tom Cable
may be praying the league steps in and suspends him for his alleged
assault on his assistant coach. There is not one aspect of the Raiders’
offense which seems to be showing promise. Yes, Jamarcus Russell
has secured the starting quarterback position, but given his competition,
that wasn’t too difficult. Russell has flashes of brilliance, which
are followed by poor timing, and ill-advised throws. Do not be fooled
by the lack of productivity of the Raiders’ run first offense. Oakland
only rushed the ball 11 times against the Saints. Clearly, they
are working hard to develop Russell and suffering as a result are
Justin Fargas,
Darren McFadden
and Michael
Bush, who each had an opportunity to start at running back in
a pre-season game. TE Zach
Miller appears more and more to be Russell’s go-to-guy, especially
with Chaz Schilens missing time with a knee injury. While the depth
chart lists Javon
Walker and Chaz
Schilens as the starters, the only receivers getting action
in the preseason are rookies Darrius
Heyward-Bey and Louis
Murphy, neither of which should be on your cheat sheet come
draft day. Nnamdi
Asomugha is slated to miss opening day with a wrist fracture.
San Diego Chargers
– I have not been as enthusiastic about the Chargers as I
want to be, but none of the “rancor, discourse and/or confusion
in Denver, Kansas City and Oakland” which I wrote about last week
has dissipated. Each year I have anticipated Vincent Jackson emerging
as an elite talent. This year is no different. Jackson looked like
a beast against the Falcons making two difficult catches. Philip
Rivers looked poised on a second quarter drive converting on
four third downs of 13, 17, 28 and 24 yards. The first team had
little problem chewing up the Falcons defense for two lengthy touchdown
drives (only the second possession went three and out when the Chargers
utilized Jacob
Hester twice for no gain). Nothing is reportedly wrong with
LaDainian
Tomlinson, however, his preseason stint has ended and he will
be preserved for opening day. Darren
Sproles has been eating up both the Chargers’ defense and NFL
defenses this preseason, bursting for long runs and/or receptions.
Sproles may have more value than just as a fantasy handcuff.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills –
The week three litmus test against the Steelers resulting in a shut-out,
may not give Bills fans much to get excited about. Terrell Owens
did not play and although he has returned to practice, he is not
expected to play the final game of the pre-season. With Marshawn
Lynch out the first three games, he is expected to see significant
playing time in the final game, while Fred Jackson may not see any
due to his sprained thumb/wrist. Lee Evans has had a quiet preseason,
but nothing should be read into this. It’s worth noting the
first team offense has yet to cross the goal line.
Miami Dolphins –
The Dolphins are expecting a breakout season for Ted Ginn, Jr. but
for this to happen, he needs help thinning out coverage from his
fellow receivers. Davone
Bess and Greg
Camarillo have not been as impressive as hoped and Patrick
Turner has not turned many heads. The man on the move is rookie
Brian Hartline
who may have secured the number two position by starting the last
two games. Ginn is the long ball threat and Hartline may be the
possession receiver. Chad
Pennington has a vote of confidence from Tony Sporano and appears
to be ready to have a productive season. All is quiet on the running
back front, with Ronnie
Brown and Ricky
Williams entrenched as the starter and backup respectively.
New England Patriots
– Albert Haynesworth landed on Tom Brady in the Patriots-
Redskins preseason match-up. The outpouring of concern that Brady
may again miss significant time led to Haynesworth’s retort
“it wasn’t like I was hitting Gisele.” Similar
to the all-Vick, all-Favre media, New England is wrapped up in the
“is he or isn’t he injured” frenzy and team policy
prevents the media from getting a good read on Brady’s injury.
Brady has returned to the field for “light” practice
and by at least one reporter’s account, is throwing with velocity.
Before the injury, Brady and Randy Moss looked to be back to their
2007 form, hooking up for two touchdowns in just one half of play.
Wes Welker continues to miss practice and cites team policy as the
reason for not disclosing his injury. However, he has noted that
the lack of practice with Brady is going to hurt their timing. Laurence
Maroney is also missing practice for undisclosed reasons.
New York Jets –
Mark Sanchez has not only been designated the starting quarterback,
he is being treated like a veteran. The Jets plan on letting Sanchez
see only one series in the preseason finale. Leon Washington has
been looking explosive and yet he and team management have not engaged
in any further discussions regarding his salary since the last time
I wrote. At this rate, Washington could put up the best numbers
for a $500K player. Rex Ryan has indicated he will steal from the
Ravens three-back approach to relieve the pressure on Mark Sanchez.
This could mean big things for both Washington and Thomas Jones.
Shonne Green had added cartilage damage to his ribs to his list
of ailments and may not see any further preseason action. The battle
for the number two receiver opposite of Jerricho Cotchery appears
to be over, with Chansi Stuckey likely to earn the spot over David
Clowney.
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens –
Over sixty percent of the Ravens offense during the preseason has
been focused on the passing game. Knowing Cam Cameron, look for
the rushing-passing ratio to flip-flop once the bullets start flying
for real. Rice is no longer afforded sleeper status. He’s
getting into the open field on screens and outlet passes and seems
to be quite effective. He has gone in the fourth round in both my
drafts and is on the verge of having a very special year. Joe Flacco
looked very impressive against the Panthers, connecting on over
eighty percent of his throws for 247 yards and a touchdown, despite
having a rag tag fleet of receivers. Making a strong push during
the absence of Mark Clayton, is Kelley Washington who has leaped
ahead of Demetrius Williams. Clayton is back in practice and should
be available to open the season but keep an eye on Washington.
Cincinnati Bengals
– From the “that didn’t take long department,” rookie Andre
Smith, only days into practice, broke his foot and will be out several
weeks. Given the learning curve, it would be safe to assume this
year’s Bengals offensive line will not yield any return from their
first round pick. Anthony Collins has been practicing at right tackle
in Smith’s absence but has been inconsistent – the same can be said
for the entire Bengals’ offensive line. By all accounts, Carson
Palmer should be a go for opening day, and even though there
is talk about him getting preseason action against the Colts, I
would not count on that happening. Palmer threw to receivers for
a half hour Monday, dropped back after taking snaps and moved without
problems. Cedric
Benson’s preseason performances have been little to write home
about averaging three yards per carry. Bernard
Scott continues to add flash at running back, but has fumbled
in each of the past two games. Meanwhile, Chad
Ochocinco and Chris
Henry continue to tear it up with Henry leading the team with
217 yards and three of the team’s four offensive touchdowns. With
season ending injuries to Reggie
Kelly and Ben
Utecht, Chase
Coffman has all but wrapped up the starting tight end spot.
Cleveland Browns –
Oh my! Jamal
Lewis may not even make the squad. Some are speculating that
Jerome Harrison
and James
Davis have made the 30-year-old running back obsolete. Reports
are that Lewis is running like his age, slow and indecisive, while
rookie Davis has been tearing up camp and is rapidly becoming the
sleeper to keep your eye on. However, Davis’ carries have primarily
been against third teamers and on passing downs. Harrison is even
capable of losing his spot to Noah
Herron. The starting quarterback job will go down to the wire.
Brady Quinn
outplayed Derek
Anderson in game three, but no decision has been made. Robert
Royal looks like a lock for the starting tight end position.
Brian Robiskie,
who was once thought to be in good shape to land a starting gig
at wide receiver is no longer in the mix.
Pittsburgh Steelers
– The Steelers ground game has looked suspect this
preseason. Fast Willie Parker has been slow to get off the ground,
playing spare minutes due to injuries. Rashard Mendenhall has yet
to impress, averaging just over three yards per carry and fumbling
a couple times. Hines Ward has looked every bit the seasoned veteran
and still should get a lot of targets, while Limas Sweed has locked
up the number three receiving slot.
AFC
SOUTH
Houston Texans –
The Minnesota game dinged up two key players in the Texans offense
and are considered questionable for the opener. The often injured
Matt Schaub sprained his ankle and was seen wearing a protective
boot. However Schaub is confident he will play in the opener against
the Jets. Kevin Walter pulled a hamstring and the team does not
sound as confident that he will be around on opening day. As previously
noted, there is little to report with battles in Houston, but one
note of interest coming from the Vikings game was that Steve Slaton
and Chris Brown were platooned with Brown coming in to relieve Slaton
on short yardage and goal lines. Slaton was more effective against
the tough Vikings rush defense and even scored from 4-yards out.
Indianapolis Colts
– If game three is a true dress rehearsal, then Joseph
Addai looks cemented in as the starting running back. While Addai
was relatively unimpressive in the running game, Donald Brown came
in to spell Addai and pounded in a strong 8-yard touchdown. Again,
there is not much about Donald Brown threatening Joseph Addai’s
tenure, but if Addai continues on last year’s pace, I would
not be surprised to see Brown get substantial minutes. Dallas Clark
and Peyton Manning seem to be in perfect rhythm, while Anthony Gonzalez
dropped a sure, uncontested touchdown pass. I would not be surprised
if Clark catapults to the top of the tight end list this year. Outside
of Clark getting the bulk of the passes (6 catches) against Detroit,
Manning spread the ball evenly amongst his receivers, each getting
1-2 catches.
Jacksonville Jaguars
– Torry
Holt has remains the top Jaguar receiver. Right behind him is
Troy Williamson
who continues to have a great preseason. Williamson is getting a
lot of separation and should’ve had better numbers last week if
David Garrard
could’ve made some stronger more accurate throws. Nate Hughes has
apparently locked up the slot position with his ability to go over
the middle. Mike Sims-Walker and Michael Thomas are both coming
back from injuries, trying to save their jobs. David Garrard has
been unimpressive, but is not in jeopardy of losing his job. RB
Chauncy Washington continues to make good use of Rashad
Jennings injury downtime and may have replaced Jennings as a
back-up to Maurice
Jones-Drew. The talk of Greg
Jones getting carries may just be talk and Jones-Drew could
be platooning with Washington and Jennings. Remember this, Jones-Drew
has never rushed for 200 carries in a season - not even last year
when he was head and shoulders above Fred
Taylor.
Tennessee Titans
– Nate Washington is optimistic that he will return
from his hamstring injury for opening day but he will not see any
further preseason action. The Titans seem content with using Justin
Gage and Kenny Britt in Washington’s absence, but are not
content with the remaining back-ups. So much so, they may insert
tight end Jared Cook into the slot. Cook happens to lead the Titans
in receptions during the preseason. Vince Young has been inconsistent
with flashes of brilliance and episodic horror. The best chemistry
shown to date is between Kerry Collins and Gage who have been hooking
up for touchdowns in both games and practices.
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