What’s up football fiends? We’re already coming up on the halfway mark of the exhibition season, and soon, soon my friends, we shall have the real thing. On Monday, I reviewed the Friday portion of Week 1 of the Ex Games, today, I’ve got the Sunday and Monday portion. But first, this week’s NFL News.
NFL NEWS
– A little while before camp opened, Vikings WR Koren Robinson voluntarily checked himself into alcohol rehab for a month. He hadn’t fallen off the wagon, according to him, but he was just going in for some maintenance. Apparently, denial is not only a river in Africa, as Koren was arrested for a DUI last week, with a side order of felony flight. Now, he’s at risk of getting suspended for a whole season by the league, due to the fact he’s on double secret probation already for past indiscretions, and may also be launched by the Vikings. I feel bad for him, because last year he seemed to be getting things back together, and had a great year with the Vikings. Unfortunately, addictions aren’t easy to kill, and for now anyway, Koren Robinson’s has the best of him.
– Hey, more good news for the Vikings! Their first round pick, LB Chad Greenway, is out for the year after tearing his ACL in Monday’s game against the Raiders.
– Last yea’s Super Bowl goat, Seahawks TE Jerramy “Hammer Hands” Stevens, injured his knee in practice and will now miss 6-8 weeks. Itula “Legit” Mili steps into the starting role.
– Monday, I wrote that Junior Seau had retired. Today, I am writing he’s considering un-retiring and joining the Patriots.
– The Steelers and coach Bill Cowher are engaged in a mean game of contract footsy. Cowher is a free agent after the 2007 season, but has indicated that this year could be his last before retiring.
– The Browns tried to trade RB Lee Suggs to the Jets, but Suggs failed his physical, was boxed up, and shipped back to the Browns.
– Matt Leinart became the last NFL rookie to get signed and in camp. This happened on the same day Cardinals coach Dennis Green reamed him a new one on national TV, telling him the Cards offer was more than fair, and that he’d basically be a #10 pick getting top 5 pick money with the offer the Cards had on the table. Leinart signed that same day, and he’ll be in uniform and will play for the Cardinals this weekend.
If you want some good commentary on the Leinart situation, go read Patrick then come back here.
– Monday, I wrote that Junior Seau had retired. Today, I am writing he’s considering un-retiring and joining the Patriots.
And that is the week that was around this great National Football League of ours.
Now, we delve into the preseason the way I dare say nobody else does or wants to. Put on your scuba gear, we’re going in deep in the second installment of the 2006 NFL Preseason Journal.
NFL PRESEASON JOURNAL
WEEK ONE CONTINUED..
AT TITANS 19, SAINTS 16 (HALFTIME- TITANS 10-6)
KEY POINTS
– Yes, yes, I know. Only TWO things really mattered in this game
– Reggie Bush averaged almost 10 yards a carry, thanks to a 44 yard run that I’m sure thanks to the magic of ESPN you’ve seen more times than your own face in the mirror in the last week.
– Vince Young saw his first NFL action, and looked like a bad version of Daunte Culpepper. He ran for 28 yards, but was not so good with the forward pass, completing 4 of 11 for 56 yards. Were the Titans to start Young in the season opener, they’d lose 50-0, so let’s hope they don’t do that.
FANTASY WATCH
– Oh yeah, the Saints also unveiled their new starting QB in this game. Drew Brees looked OK I guess. He went 5 for 9 and led the team on a 52 yard drive to a glorious field goal.
– Chris Brown has been a bit of malcontent this offseason, wanting to be traded, even though the Titans are one of the few teams in the league he would start on. He ran like an angry man in this game, racking up 47 yards on 9 carries.
– Joe Horn is looking to bounce back from posting his lowest yardage total since he was a Chief in 99. He looked like the Joe Horn you know and hate if he beat you in that game where he was pulling cell phones out of the goalposts, like he beat me, with a pair of 20 yard receptions.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– Titans’ mascot T-Rac ran over Saints backup QB Adrian McPherson with a golf cart. Given McPherson’s past, he probably owed the mascot money after betting the over in the first half.
– 6th round wideout Mike Hass (Oregon St.) led the Saints with 3 catches.
– 2nd round pick LenDale White (USC) got in a fight in practice last week, and it didn’t endear him to Jeff Fisher. Thanks to that, White did not play in what would have been his first NFL exhibition game.
Reggie Looks For Real
COWBOYS 13, AT SEAHAWKS 3 (HALFTIME- COWBOYS 10-3)
KEY POINTS
– 4. That’s how many quarters Cowboys QB Tony Romo played in this game, as in all four. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a quarterback pitch a complete game in the preseason, especially not game 1, but there you go. Parcells apparently wanted to see what he had in his backup QB, and the results weren’t bad. Romo was 19 of 25 for 235 yards and a TD. This was an interesting strategy by Parcells, and I have to say I like it. Now, should Drew Bledsoe get hurt, or be ineffective, he has a much better idea of what kind of alternative he has in Romo.
– The Seahawks were sacked SIX times. That stat could be a little misleading though, because Seneca Wallace took 4 of those snaps, and he’s one of those that likes to pretend he’s a running back.
– 2 areas Dallas must improve greatly on if they have any hope of reaching the Super Bowl this year are running the ball, and stopping the other team from doing the same. The Boys were ineffective in both areas last year. The defense has reason to feel good about themselves, holding a potent Seahawk running game to less than 3 yards a carry. The offense has some work to do, they averaged only 3.1 yards per.
FANTASY WATCH
– In any fantasy league on any planet, the choice for #1 overall pick this year comes down to Larry Johnson or Shaun Alexander. If you’re lucky enough to hold that pick in your league, you might want to make a note that Shaun rushed for only 13 yards on 6 carries in this game.
– Marion Barber+Julius Jones= one pretty average running back. If you’re thinking of selecting either of them, you’d better select both, but you’re probably better of just not going there, girlfriend. They each had 7 carries on Saturday, and combined for an unimpressive 34 yards.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– While T.O. has been training for the Stationary Bike event in the 08 Olympics, Patrick Crayton has gotten a chance to play. He responded by catching a first quarter TD pass and compiling 61 yards on 4 catches.
– WR Maurice Mann got an opportunity to play with the first team, and came up with 49 receiving yards to lead Seattle.
– Hawks first round pick, CB Kelly Jennings (Miami), saw a lot of playing time. He was aggressive, making 5 tackles, but Romo was not afraid to throw at him, and Jennings did not break up any passes.
AT CARDINALS 21, STEELERS 13 (HALFTIME- CARDS 14-6)
KEY POINTS
– As we all know, last year the Cardinals were absolutely atrocious when it came to running the ball. Saturday night, the Cardinals were”¦.absolutely atrocious at running the ball. They had 57 yards on 32 carries, an average of 1.9 per rush. Unless this improves, a lot, the Cards aren’t going to be any better this year, and Edgerrin James is going to take a bath with his plugged-in toaster.
– Bill Cowhe’s probably not turning cartwheels over the way his team played either. They allowed TDs on all 3 of the Cardinals’ trips inside the red zone, and the vaunted Steeler running game averaged only 3.1 yards per carry.
– This game marked the grand opening of the Cardinals’ brand spankin new stadium.
FANTASY WATCH
– Call me clinically insane, but, if healthy, I don’t think there are too many better fantasy QBs better than Kurt Warner out there right now. With the receivers he’s got, he should put up some huge numbers. That’s assuming Denny Green doesn’t Eli Manning him halfway thru the season like Tom Coughlin did to him in NY two years ago with the team in the thick of the playoff race. Warner was 9 of 13 for 118 yards and 2 TDs in this game.
– The Cards have a lot of problems, but a lack of playmaking offensive players isn’t one of them. WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin warmed up for what should be an insane year for them by combining for 57 yards on 4 catches in this game.
– Edgerrin James had –2 yards on 2 carries in his Arizona debut. If this trend continues, I’m expecting a mystery injury for Edge somewhere around week 7.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– Due to Matt Leinart’s long holdout, John Navarre may have to enter the season as the Card’s #2 QB. He had mixed results in that role on Saturday. He completed 13 of 15 passes, but 2 of those completions were to the wrong team.
– The Steelers traded up to grab WR Santonio Holmes (Ohio St.) with the 25th pick in this yea’s draft, and he showed why in this game, catching 4 passes for 32 yards.
– Veteran backup LB Gerald Hayes had a big game for the Cards. He had 7 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble.
The Cardinals’ New Nest
AT CHARGERS 17, PACKERS 3 (HALFTIME- CHARGERS 14-0)
KEY POINTS
– The Packers are a dire team this year. The Favre led first offense managed only 1 first down in 3 first quarter possessions.
– Green Bay was 3 of 13 on 3rd down conversions.
– Philip Rivers led the Chargers to a TD on his very first drive as a real, live, NFL starting quarterback. Can’t do much better than that.
FANTASY WATCH
– You know there will SOMEBODY at your draft table that will take Brett Favre. Let that guy have him. Favre was 5 of 10 for 66 yards, and was sacked twice.
– Instead, why don’t you take the plunge and be that guy that takes a flyer on Philip Rivers. He played really well in his debut as SD’s numero uno QB. He was 15 of 21 for 169 yards and a TD.
– One bright spot for the Pack was 2nd round WR Greg Jennings (W. Michigan). He caught 4 passes for 68 yards, and seems like as good a bet as any to assume the role of #2 receiver for the Packers, a spot that has traditionally gotten some production for fantasy owners.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– The Pack is hoping linebackers AJ Hawk (Ohio St.), and Abdul Hodge (Iowa) will be the anchors of their defense for a long time. They both made their presence felt in their debut, combining for 11 tackles
– Backup TE Ryan Krause led the Chargers with 64 receiving yards. WR Vincent Jackson had 46 yards and a TD, but suffered a scratched lung in the game and will miss the rest of the preseason.
– Chargers 1st round pick, CB Antonio Cromartie (Florida St.) had an interception. A lot of people questioned the selection of Cromartie so early in the draft, because he missed all of last season with an injury.
AT PANTHERS 14, BILLS 13 (HALFTIME- PANTHERS 14-3)
KEY POINTS
– Always nice to have your quarterback sacked 6 times in your exhibition opener. Here we go, Buffalo.
– That said, when the Bills’ QBs did manage to throw the ball forward before being tackled, they didn’t fare much better, averaging 3.5 yards per pass attempt.
– Carolina ranked in the bottom 3 in the league in yards per rushing attempt last year. It’s a weakness for them, and a big one. Buffalo had one of the worst run defenses in the league in 05, but they looked good against the Panthers, holding them to 3.4 yards per carry, which, incidentally, was exactly what the Panthers averaged last year. So translating these numbers, the Bills defense looked a little better than in 05, while the Panthers running game looked just as bad as last year.
FANTASY WATCH
– The rest of the Panthers’ running back menagerie stunk up the joint, but starter DeShaun Foster didn’t. He had 25 yards on 5 carries. The Panthers will need somebody else to step up and take some of his workload though, and rookie D’Angelo Williams (Memphis) and second year back Eric Shelton’s combined 39 yards on 12 carries isn’t encouraging.
– You can win fantasy games with Jake Delhomme as your starting QB. He was my backup to Peyton Manning last year, and my team went 2-0 with Delhomme starting late in the season while the Colts coasted. Delhomme looked fantastic in this game, going 5 of 6 for 64 yards and a TD strike to Drew Carter. Keyshawn Johnson had 2 catches for 27 yards in his Panthers debut.
– The self proclaimed greatest running back ever to breathe air, Willis McGahee, had 5 yards on 3 carries. A good fantasy strategy would be “handcuffing” him to his backup, Anthony “A-Train” Thomas (8 yards on 3 carries), then locking them in the basement never to be heard from again, and swallowing the key.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– It’s looking like JP Losman is going to be the Bills starting QB on opening day, whether you like it or not. He actually was semi-competent on Saturday, completing 15 of 24 for 144 yards.
– The Bills are seriously planning on having Peerless Price be one of their starting wideouts this year. If Sam Aiken keeps playing like he did in this game, maybe he’ll save them from that dreadful fate. Aiken is currently listed as #4 on the depth chart, but his 73 yards in this game indicate he could be movin’ on up.
– DE Tony Brown, who was with SF the last 2 seasons, helped his chances of making the Panthers squad with 2 sacks.
JAGUARS 31, AT DOLPHINS 26 (HALFTIME- 10-10)
KEY POINTS
– You don’t typically think of the Jaguars as having a big-play offense, but they’ve been getting a lot younger on that side of the ball. Jacksonville averaged an eye-popping 11.1 yards per pass attempt in this game. On the flip side of that number, that’s not an encouraging sign for Miami’s revamped secondary.
– Pass protection was also problematic for the Dolphins. They surrendered 5 sacks.
– One bright spot for Miami in an otherwise very sloppy game was the effectiveness of the offense. They hit paydirt 2 out of 3 times inside the red zone, and converted 10 of 19 3rd downs.
FANTASY WATCH
– The Dolphins are going to lean on Ronnie Brown heavily this year. What isn’t known is whether the 2nd year back is up to that challenge. He had 29 yards on 8 carries in this game. That’s OK, but not something that would suggest he’s ready to crack the tier of elite running backs.
– If you’re considering taking one Jags running back in your draft, you better take all 3 of them. Fred Taylor, Greg Jones, and Maurice Drew pretty much split carries evenly, and combined for 42 yards on 12 carries.
– With Jimmy Smith retired, 2nd year receiver Matt Jones is an interesting fantasy prospect. He had a 50 yard TD reception in this game. Dolphins TE Randy McMichael had 3 catches for 33 yards, one of which was a TD strike from Joey Harrington, who played most of the first half while Daunte Culpepper was held out of action.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– The Jags were reeling off 50+ yard TD scores in this game like they were playing Tecmo Bowl. Not only did Matt Jones get one, but so did rookie RB Maurice Drew (UCLA), 2nd year receiver Chad Owens, and veteran TE George Wrightster. Wrightster and Drew’s scores came off passes from David Garrard, who was 6 of 11 for 172 yards.
– Longtime Seahawk reserve Jason Willis had 45 receiving yards and scored a TD, 2nd year receiver Fred Gibson had 84 yards and a score. Marcus Vick, who is trying to make the Dolphins as a receiver, had 2 catches for 16 yards.
– Jags’ fifth round DE Brent Hawkins (Illinois St.) had a sack, and 2nd year defensive end Walter Curry had 4 tackles and a sack. Dolphins rookie free agent DT Fred Evans (Texas) had 3 tackles and a sack.
Culpepper and Joey- The New Miami Vice
AT TEXANS 24, CHIEFS 14 (HALFTIME- TEXANS 14-7)
KEY NUMBERS
– The Texans actually played really, really well in this game. Let’s start with the offense. They were 7 of 16 on 3rd downs, and scored on 3 of 4 trips inside the red zone.
– The debut of the Gary Kubiak running game was a big success as well. The Texans ran the ball 41 times for 173 yards. Even David Carr might be able to succeed in an offense like this.
– Finally, and most importantly, the Texans did not allow a single sack. This from the team that gave up 14 more than the next worst team last year. They also dumped KC quarterbacks five times.
FANTASY WATCH
– I’ll let you in on a secret, Larry Johnson, he’s really good. He had 30 yards on 7 carries.
– Eric Moulds put on his Texans gameday uniform for the first time, and caught 3 passes for 23 yards. I would advise against putting him on your fantasy team though. Remember, this is Denve’s offense the Texans are running. How’s the number 2 receiver done in Denver the last few years? There’s a reason Ashley Lelie has done lost his mind.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– Rookie FA Chris Taylor (Indiana) and 6th round pick Wali Lundy (Virginia) combined for 114 yards on 23 carries.
– 1st overall pick Mario Williams had 1 tackle for the Texans. Yaaaaay. 2nd round pick DeMeco Ryans (Alabama) made a much bigger impact, with 6 tackles.
– Former Carolina Panther Dee Brown will likely be LJ’s backup this year. He had a 12 yard TD run in the second quarter. I swear to God there are so many friggin Dee Browns on the sports landscape that it can’t be by accident. I bet they can all slam dunk blindfolded too. Or was that just with the eyes covered? Yeah I think it was just with the eyes covered. I think Cedric “Celibacy” Ceballos was the one who did it blindfolded. Whatever, they both sucked.
AT BENGALS 19, REDSKINS 3 (HALFTIME- BENGALS 12-3)
KEY POINTS
– I probably missed it, but I’m pretty sure the Bengals made it thru the game without anyone getting arrested. I know, not even Chris Henry, I couldn’t believe it either.
– Carson Palmer didn’t play in this game. That’s important, because the Bengals really have no way of knowing for sure whether they will have him available at the beginning of this season. Anthony Wright started in his place, and the Bengals went the entire first quarter without getting a first down. Ergo, Carson Palmer better be ready by Week 1.
– I mentioned in Monday’s column that Clinton Portis injured his shoulder making a tackle in this game. Washington managed just 30 yards on 24 carries. Now, all of a sudden, I think they have to be very concerned about their running game until Portis is healthy again.
FANTASY WATCH
– As a recent commercial has shown, Bengals WR TJ Houshmandzadeh is likely to go in most fantasy drafts. He broke the Bengals’ dry spell by catching a 52 yard pass from Wright on a flea flicker in the 2nd quarter.
– Brandon Lloyd caught a 27 yard pass from Mark Brunell in his Redskins debut.
– IF Chris Henry can keep himself out of the clink this year, he might be a good option as a wide receiver. His 61 yards were tops in this contest, and he also had a touchdown.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– Doug Johnson’s been around the league a looong time. He outplayed Wright on Sunday, completing 11 of 14 for 128 yards and a TD. If Palmer is not ready to go for the opener, it’ll be very interesting to see if Johnson vaults ahead of Wright to get the opening day start.
– Bengals first round pick, CB Jonathan Joseph (S. Carolina) helped cause the interception that led to Portis’ injury. 3rd round DE Frostee Rucker (USC) also played well, with 4 tackles.
– Yet another Bengal draftee had a big night. DT Domata Peko (4th round, Michigan St.) had 6 tackles and half a sack. Veteran DE Karon Riley had 2 sacks for Washington.
RAIDERS 16, AT VIKINGS 13 (HALFTIME- RAIDERS 13-10)
KEY POINTS
– For whatever it’s worth, the Raiders are now 2-0 in the preseason.
– This was the first game ever for ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The new broadcast crew is Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann, and Tony Kornheiser. Michelle Tafoya, and sadly not fine looking Jewess Rachel Nichols, is the sideline reporter. The old MNF crew, John Madden and Al Michaels, are now on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. ESPN’s big angle on this game was that it was Randy Moss’ return to Minnesota. Randy caught a 16 yard pass from Aaron Brooks, then crawled back into the hole he’s been hiding in ever since he left the Vikings. I don’t blame him. His choices were either to disappear or have over 500 hours of footage of himself riding an exercise bike compiled. I think he made the right choice.
– Raiders QBs were sacked 5 times and hurried 4 times. This after the Eagles also sacked them 5 times the week before.
FANTASY WATCH
– Sebastian Janikowski has been absolutely out of his mind in the first 2 exhibtion games. He hit a 55 yard field goal, his third 50+ 3 pointer in as many attempts this August, and was 3 for 3 overall.
– Aaron Brooks continues to look really bad. He was 1 of 6 for 16 yards. That brings his preseason tally to 2 for 9 for 28 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.
– Chester Taylor is this yea’s Lamont Jordan. If you played fantasy football last year, you know what I mean. He’ll be a hot running back pick, despite the fact that he’s never been a starting running back before. Taylo’s first bow as a Viking resulted in 18 yards on 9 carries. Not so good.
MAKING THEIR MARK
– 3rd year practice squad guy Johnnie Morant had 109 receiving yards. He was the only NFL player to crack the century mark in rushing or receiving yards in week 1 of the preseason.
– 2nd year linebacker Heath Farwell had 9 tackles for the Vikings.
– The Vikings #2 QB spot looks wide open. JT O’Sullivan got the most reps out of the 3 competitors (Mike McMahon and rookie Travares Jackson being the others), and completed 8 of 17 for 100 yards and an INT.
Randy Gets a Warm Welcome From the Vikings Fans
NFL PRESEASON HALL OF RECORDS
BUF 0-1 CIN 1-0 JAX 1-0 OAK 2-0
MIA 0-1 BAL 0-1 HOU 1-0 SD 1-0
NE 0-1 CLE 0-1 TEN 0-1 DEN 0-1
NYJ 0-1 PIT 0-1 IND 0-1 KC 0-1
NYG 1-0 DET 1-0 ATL 1-0 ARI 1-0
DAL 1-0 CHI 0-1 NO 1-0 SF 1-0
PHI 1-1 GB 0-1 TB 1-0 STL 1-0
WSH 0-1 MIN 0-1 CAR 1-0 SEA 0-1
THAT’S A WRAP
Aaaand I’m spent. Come back on Monday, when I’ll break down half of this weekend’s preseason schedule. Which half you say? Well, let’s say we’ll break down the games played by teams that had draft picks in the top 10 this spring, so we can check in on how those young studs are doing. That means we’ll be looking at:
DET (Ernie Sims) at CLE
CIN at BUF (Donte Whitner)
ARI (Matt Leinart) at NE
NYJ (D’Brickashaw Ferguson) at WSH
HOU (Mario Williams) at STL
ATL at GB (AJ Hawk)
TEN (Vince Young) at DEN
SF (Vernon Davis) at OAK (Michael Huff)
Reggie Bush doesn’t play until Monday Night this week, against the Cowboys. So you’ve got a possibility of Bush and TO playing in that game, which has everyone in Bristol, CT rubbing their nipples. I’ll review that game along with the rest of the Week 2 Ex Games schedule next Friday. Until then.
