Free Picks: Service Plays for Friday August, 10

Ben Burns

Cleveland vs. Detroit
Pick: Cleveland

I feel that the visitors are offering us solid value in this one. Detroit's days of having something to prove by winning in the preseason are gone. The Lions now have bigger fish to fry. On the other hand, the Browns can use all the victories they can get - whenever they can get them.

The Lions are already getting banged-up at some positions, including running-back. Head coach Jim Schwartz noted: "Our numbers are dropping there ... " I expect staying healthy to be the team's #1 priority.

Defensive End Cliff Avril is now signed and practiced for the first time Monday. That's a big plus for the Lions but don't expect an impact from Avril against the Browns. Even Schwartz acknowledged this of Avril: "...he needs to, I don't want to say catch up, but there's an adjustment period to being in shape and being in football shape..."

The Browns have a bit of a QB battle on their hands, which is typically a good thing during preseason. Brandon Weeden has been named the starter. However, both Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace will be fighting to become his backup and both figure to still have dreams of starting.

New Browns owner Jimmy Haslam wants to change the culture in Cleveland as quickly as possible. Don't be surprised if the Browns start the "new era" with an upset win here. Consider the points.

Lenny Del Genio

N.Y. Giants vs. Jacksonville
Pick: Jacksonville

The defending Super Bowl Champion Giants come into the preseason with little to prove while the same cannot be said for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who went 5-11 SU last season and have a 1st year HC in Mike Mularkey. Playing 1st year head coaches in their preseason home opener is a tried and true NFLX system and we’ll gladly back it here as the Jags have the added advantage of the Giants probably looking ahead to the annual preseason clash with the Jets next week. The G-Men were not impressive on offense away from home last year in the preseason, averaging only 14 PPG, and under Camp Coughlin have gone just 3-6 SU when taking three points or less in preseason play. Besides Eli Manning, who won’t be doing much of anything Saturday, no other NY QB played in this offense last year. That means a whole lot of mistakes. Jacksonville cares about this one far more than the Giants. Look for them to get Mularkey his win.

Marc Lawrence

Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers
Prediction: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings battle the 49ers at Candlestick Park in the preseason opener for both squads Friday evening with one team entering the fray licking their wounds (Minnesota) from a disappointing season last year against another nice and fat (San Francisco) following last year's run to the NFC title game. The Vikes have fared well in exhibition road openers, going 5-1 SU and ATS the last six years. On the flip side, the Niners have been less than lukewarm in preseason lid lifters, going 8-14-2 ATS, including 4-9-1 ATS when favored. Look for Jim Harbaugh's conservative nature (dropped preseason opener 24-3 last season, averaged less than 12 PPG while going 0-3-1 Under in all four preseason games), to work in the Vikings favor tonight. We recommend a 1-unit play on Minnesota.

Bryan Power

Minnesota vs. San Francisco
Pick: San Francisco -125

Even in the preseason, the Vikings don't have the necessary talent or depth to compete with the 49ers. Playing in front of the home crowd, I'm more than willing to lay a small number with San Francisco here.

The Niners were the surprise team in the NFL last season, going 13-3 for first year head coach Jim Harbaugh. Given Harbaugh's coaching pedigree at Stanford, maybe we should not have been surprised at all. This year's team, at least on paper, seems even stronger with free agent signings including WR's Mario Manningham, Randy Moss (remember him?) and RB Brandon Jacobs. Also, don't discount the value in drafting Oregon RB LaMichael James. The defense should once again be great, meaning the only real question mark again is QB Alex Smith. Encouraging though is that unlike last year, Harbaugh will have a full and complete training camp. It's really no surprise that San Francisco comes into the year as one of the real favorites to win the NFC.

In fact, the Niners D apparantly looks so good that the team's QBs have really been struggling. They'll get a break here facing a Vikings defense that was terrible last season, allowing a league worst 494 points. Facing a defense that returns all 11 starters from last year in practice every day could prove to be the best thing for reserve QBs such as Colin Kaepernick, who will likely handle most of the snaps Friday night against a much easier stop unit.

Meanwhile, there are question marks aplenty coming into this season for the Minnesota Vikings. Christian Ponder is a questionable choice at best for a starting QB at this level and the team's real issue is going to be playing in that stacked NFC North division where playoff hopefuls Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit all reside. While normally, a situation like this would call for Minnesota to be the team more likely to go "all out," I just don't think there's enough here yet.

Jim Feist

Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels
Play: Seattle Mariners

Seattle has ace Felix Hernandez on the mound (10-5, 2.63 ERA) with a sizzling 1.54 ERA his last three starts, including an impressive win at Yankee Stadium. Mariners are 8-3 in their last 11 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30 and face struggling Ervin Santana (5-10, 5.83 ERA), who has a 7.82 ERA his last three starts. The Mariners have pounded him twice this season with a 10.24 ERA! The Angels are 7-18 in Santana's last 25 starts, including 2-8 in Santana's last 10 starts as a home favorite. Play the Mariners.

Scott Spreitzer

Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Eskimos
Prediction: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Both teams are off a bye week, but it's the visitors who'll benefit, as far as I'm concerned. The Edmonton Eskimos' offense appears to be stuck in neutral. The Esks are dead last in the CFL in passing yards per game and total yards per game. They're second to last in rushing yards and in scoring, averaging just 22.2 ppg. Edmonton gained just 188 net yards on 4 yards per play in a 17-1 loss to Saskatchewan on July 8. And Eskimo QB's Steven Jyles and Kerry Joseph were each sacked three times. The matchups in the trenches are even better for the Riders this time around with highly touted DT Mick Williams making his debut up front. Saskatchewan began the season with three straight wins, but dropped their last two by a combined four points before the bye week. The offense, led by veteran signal-caller Darian Durant, ranks 2nd in the league, averaging 31 ppg. The former North Carolina Tarheel has thrown for nearly 14-hundred yards this season with 8 TDs and only 2 picks. While Edmonton owns a very stingy defense, the fact is, with the offense going nowhere, too much pressure lies with the stop unit, having to perform at a high level each week. The Esks have been horrible as a favorite, covering just 18 of the last 60 in this role. Meanwhile, the Riders are on a 6-1 ATS run in their last seven and they fit a league-wide 59-26 ATS spot, playing on a PK or underdog against division opponents, providing that team is off an upset loss as a home favorite. I'm grabbing the points with the Riders on Friday.

Charlie Scott

New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Play: New York Jets +1.5

With the line at +1.5 it's basically pick the winner and I like the Jets to win the game. I feel the Jets want to put an end to Last Season and get a Win right away THIS Year. The Jets also have the better QB rotation, Sanchez will be playing the first Quarter and reports from camp say competition has done him well as he's having a good camp, meanwhile Tebow will see time vs the scrubs in the 2nd Qt and play some 3rd Quarter. Throw in the Bengals went 1-3 s/u in PreSeason Last Year.

Rob Vinciletti

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins
Play: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers fit a nice system here tonight that plays on certain road favorites off a home favored win, vs an opponent that comes in off a road dog loss if the total is 8 or less. Miami has never been good as a home dog from +125 to +140 losing 15 of 19 times in this role. The Dodgers have Kershaw going tonight and have the benefit of a day off. Kershaw has a solid 2.88 era this season and an impressive 2.31 era vs Miami. he will oppose Buehrle for Miami and he has struggled of late with a 7.05 era in his last 3 starts. Based on the system, the angle and the pitching we will lean with the Dodgers here in this one.

Brad Diamond

Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians
Play: Boston Red Sox

With hurler Seddon going for the Indians, can’t help backing the Red Sox Nation in this road test. Opposing hurler Paul Buchholz (9-3) has been outstanding of late allowing only 4 earned runs in his last four starts. With the Indians just 1-11 the last twelve encounters, I’ll take a ticket with Boston.

Dave Cokin

San Diego Padres vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Padres are playing good ball recently. But Edinson Volquez is not much on the road and I thought James McDonald got back on track in his last start. I'll side with the Pirates tonight.

J.R. Stevens

Cleveland at Detroit
Play: Cleveland +3

Cleveland enters the season under new ownership, ownership committed to winning! And owner Haslam has made his message very clear by attending practices and working media. I love backing preseason teams under new direction with new personnel. Coaches and teams in this spot play harder and put a greater emphasis on winning in preseason! And Cleveland has a tremendous amount of young players eager to showcase their talents for their new bosses and this bodes well for us Cleveland backers. Despite their success last season Detroit was faced with a ton offseason negatives. These negatives still linger and could play a major factor in this first preseason contest! Detroit has been one of my favorite teams to back in preseason week 1 but this season we catch them in an unfamiliar role of coming off a winning season and their first playoff appearance in more than a decade. Teams in unfamiliar roles have failed miserably historically. Let's take Cleveland with confidence!

JR O'Donnell

Milwaukee Brewers -120

Sweet Wednesday/lousey Thursday ......... rock solid members mover tonight to the Brewers - 120 @ Minute Maid Park....... these Brewers will hand the rock to 6'2" 225 LB righty from Maine... who is a AAA Nashville Phenom M Rogers who is way way better than his 0-1, 5.91 ERA and he will not let the Brewers lose 10 in a row on the road...... Stros roll with Bud Norris who is 5-9, 5.07 ERA... STROS PLAYING out the String boys.

GoodFella

St Louis Cardinals +112

I have to fire on the Hot Cards & Loshe who has been very strong and he is simply someone you can trust to give you quality start after quality start & keep his team in the game nearly every start. Yes, some will see "value" on "Doc" at home here, but for me I see the Cards as real "live dogs" here. Philly ZERO shot at the playoffs, while the Cards are chasing down the Pirates & Reds and of course battling for a Wild Card spot. Loshe has pitched very well in 3 starts vs Philly the L/2 years & I am riding the MUCH deeper lineup here, with their best SP and the Cards are on a nice roll winning 7 of L/10 and they are still fighting for the playoffs. My money is on what I see as a very live dog here, & I am backing ST. LOUIS tonight.

GRIDIRON GOLD SHEET

Tampa Bay at Miami

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins convene at Sun Life Stadium for their annual preseason clash, both participants will be unveiling drastically different looks. For one, the two Florida representatives will have brand new head coaches roaming the sidelines, with the Dolphins tabbing former Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to oversee their latest rebuilding project and ex- Rutgers program architect Greg Schiano now the man in charge for the revamped Buccaneers.

Miami also may or may not have a different quarterback directing Philbin's offense, as a wide-open three-man competition for the starting position is set to get underway when the team takes the field for its 2012 preseason opener. Matt Moore had loomed as the top contender for the job at the beginning of the offseason after putting together a solid 12-start performance for the Tony Sparano regime last year, but there have been indications that he's been overtaken by free-agent pickup David Garrard as the front-runner. The 34-year- old Garrard, a 76-game starter for Jacksonville from 2002-10 who sat out all of last season with a back injury, has by all accounts put together a strong camp and was listed atop the Dolphins' depth chart heading into Friday's contest. Also squarely in the mix is rookie Ryan Tannehill, Miami's first-round selection in April's draft who played under new offensive coordinator Mike Sherman as a collegian at Texas A&M. The talented youngster impressed by going 8-for-10 for 77 yards in Saturday's team scrimmage, and could make one of the two veterans expendable if he proves ready for at least a backup role. Philbin hasn't announced which quarterback will start against the Bucs, though it's believed Garrard will get the initial nod. Either way, all three are slated to get an opportunity to state their case. There's also a very interesting battle going on for the right to replace Brandon Marshall, traded by the Dolphins to Chicago in the offseason, as the No. 1 receiver. That cast of candidates is headlined by six-time Pro Bowler Chad Johnson, with Miami signing the colorful 34-year-old in June shortly after his release by New England following a disappointing one-year stint with the Patriots.

Tampa Bay enters the preseason with a renewed optimism despite a dreadful 4-12 campaign that ended with 10 consecutive losses and triggered the dismissal of head coach Raheem Morris. The Buccaneers were one of the biggest spenders in free agency during the offseason, landing three instant starters in big-play wide receiver Vincent Jackson, All-Pro left guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright. An influx of talent was also brought in through the draft, with first-round pick Mark Barron and second-rounder Lavonte David projected to begin their careers as starters at strong safety and weakside linebacker, respectively. Another first-round choice, running back Doug Martin, is viewed as the favorite to take over lead duties from returning top rusher LeGarrette Blount in the most notable battle of Schiano's first camp. Jackson and Nicks will be making their official Tampa debuts as members of the first-team offense, but Wright is a bit of a question mark after recently being hampered by a bout of back spasms. His counterpart at cornerback, Aqib Talib, may also be held out of Friday's tilt after tweaking his hamstring in a club scrimmage over the weekend, while left tackle Donald Penn (calf strain) and wide receiver Arrelious Benn (knee) are certain to be inactive.

Miami has a 16-10 advantage in the overall preseason series between these in- state foes and had won two straight meetings in the set before the Buccaneers posted a 17-13 victory in Tampa last August. A lot of question marks for both teams and it should be as close as last year. Miami turns the table this year.

Projected Score: Miami 17, Tampa Bay 13

New York at Cincinnati

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan insists there isn't a quarterback controversy regarding his team, but Tim Tebow will have his chance to try to create one. All eyes will be fixated upon Gang Green's current second-string signal-caller when Tebow makes his ballyhooed debut as a Jet against the Cincinnati Bengals in a high-profile Week 1 preseason clash from Paul Brown Stadium. Tebow's action-packed but short-lived run as the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback came to end when he was traded to the Jets in March, just a few days after the Broncos landed Peyton Manning in free agency. The move immediately fueled speculation that the popular left-hander, who won seven of 11 regular-season outings to lead Denver to a surprise AFC West title and playoff win last year, was brought in to challenge Mark Sanchez after the incumbent's so-so 2011 performance and New York's disappointing 8-8 finish. The anticipated camp battle has yet to truly materialize, however, and Sanchez secured his grasp on the starting job with a sharp 11-of-16, 84-yard, one- touchdown effort in a team scrimmage last Saturday. Ryan said he plans to have Sanchez and the first-team offense out for approximately one quarter in Friday's test, with Tebow and the second-team unit to play around half the contest. Sanchez will be working with a group that will be a little thin at wide receiver, with top target Santonio Holmes and slot man Jeremy Kerley both out for the opener. Holmes bruised his ribs during this past weekend's scrimmage, while Kerley has missed virtually all of camp with a hamstring strain. Intriguing rookie Stephen Hill, New York's second-round choice in April's draft, and free-agent addition Chaz Schilens are expected to be the starting receivers against Cincinnati, while seventh-round pick Jordan White could see time in place of Kerley in the slot. The Jets, who will also hold out starting nose tackle Sione Pouha (head laceration) and maligned right tackle Wayne Hunter (back), do have heated competitions going on at other positions. Third-year pro Joe McKnight and sophomore Bilal Powell are vying to be the No. 2 running back behind Shonn Greene, while returning kicker Nick Folk has a fight on his hands from veteran pickup Josh Brown.

The Bengals' first pick in this past draft, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, won't play this week after reportedly fracturing a bone in his knee early in camp, and head coach Marvin Lewis may elect to hold out starting corners Leon Hall and Nate Clements as well. Hall is making his way back from a torn Achilles suffered last November, while Clements just resumed practicing after missing time with an abdominal strain. Defensive end Robert Geathers (knee surgery), running back Bernard Scott (hand) and defensive tackle Pat Sims (ankle) have already been declared out for Cincinnati in Friday's tilt.

The Jets own a 5-3 advantage in their all-time preseason series with the Bengals and have prevailed in each of the last three such games between the teams, including a 27-7 triumph at MetLife Stadium last season. Cincinnati hasn't bested the Jets in exhibition play since 1985 and this should be deja vu all over again.

Projected Score: NY Jets 27, Cincinnati 7

Cleveland at Detroit

The future will be now for the Cleveland Browns, as a massive youth movement led by rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden will be immediately set into motion when the rebuilding club meets the Detroit Lions in the preseason opener for both squads at Ford Field. Weeden, one of two first-round selections by the Browns in this past April's draft, had entered training camp as the heavy favorite to start the team's Week 1 regular-season matchup against Philadelphia, and that belief was confirmed when head coach Pat Shurmur officially declared the former minor- league pitcher as his No. 1 signal-caller for both this game and beyond on Monday. The 28-year-old, who's actually three years the senior of demoted regular Colt McCoy, is tentatively slated to see about one quarter's worth of snaps with the first-team offense against the Lions. McCoy, who started 21 of Cleveland's 32 games the past two seasons, is still expected to get plenty of playing time in the preseason, perhaps as a showcase for a potential trade. Several other members of the Browns' 2012 draft class will take the Ford Field turf in preparation for significant roles in the upcoming season. Second-round pick Mitchell Schwartz and third-rounder John Hughes currently reside atop the depth chart at right offensive tackle and defensive tackle, respectively, while fourth-round choice James-Michael Johnson could begin the year as a starter at strongside linebacker with veteran Scott Fujita slapped with a three-game suspension for his involvement in the New Orleans Saints' bounty program during his past tenure with that team. Fujita is eligible to participate in all preseason contests, though his ban combined with Saturday's season-ending Achilles tear suffered by weakside regular Chris Gocong has severely tested the Browns' linebacker depth. Cleveland had already lost one key defensive player for an extended period when 2011 first-round pick Phil Taylor tore his pectorals in May, prompting Hughes' elevation into the starting lineup. Cleveland may not have its other prized rookie in uniform in the opener, however. Running back Trent Richardson, the third overall choice in April's draft, has been experiencing soreness in his surgically-repaired left knee and may be held out as a precaution. Richardson's possible absence would allow third-year pro Montario Hardesty and former Packer Brandon Jackson, who are battling for the primary backup job, to state their case for the position.

The Lions come in with some injury issues of their own at running back. Speedster Jahvid Best, who missed most of last season with concussion symptoms, has still yet to be cleared to practice, while well-regarded youngster Mikel Leshoure has sat out much of camp with a hamstring strain. That leaves veteran Kevin Smith as the nominal starter for the time being, with reserves Joique Bell and Keiland Williams and return specialist Stefan Logan likely to carry the bulk of the load on Friday. Weeden will be taking shots at a Detroit secondary that will be minus free safety Louis Delmas (knee) and possibly cornerback Chris Houston (hamstring), and may not have to deal with pass rusher Cliff Avril in his debut. Avril, the Lions' designated franchise player coming off a career-high 11-sack season, just reported to camp on Sunday after staging a brief holdout over his contract situation. Unlike the Browns, Detroit enters the preseason with the majority of its starting spots set as it attempts to build on last year's breakthrough 10-win total and first playoff appearance since 1999. The Lions do have a big hole to fill at right cornerback, however, after 2011 regular Eric Wright exited via free agency and his intended replacement, Aaron Berry, was released just prior to the start of camp after two off-field arrests.

These two franchises have met in the preseason every year since 2002, with the Lions possessing a 23-19-1 advantage in the overall exhibition series. Detroit has prevailed in each of the last two clashes between the teams, following up a 35-27 triumph at Ford Field in 2010 with last summer's 30-28 decision in Cleveland. The Lions went 4-0 during the 2011 preseason and have won seven consecutive warm-up games dating back to the 2010 campaign. The trend is your friend.

Projected Score: Detroit 24, Cleveland 14

New York Jacksonville

Though the New York Giants had to replace a number of key players from last year's Super Bowl champion squad, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be the one with the most conspicuous absence when the two teams open up their 2012 preseasons with a showdown at EverBank Field. Mike Mularkey's initial offseason as the Jaguars' head coach has been a tumultuous one so far, with two expected major offensive contributors missing the early stages of training camp because of contract disputes. The team remains at odds with star running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who's seeking a sizeable raise over his current 2012 salary of $4.45 million after leading the NFL in rushing a year ago, and a resolution doesn't appear to be coming any time in the near future. With Jones-Drew not present, Mularkey and his staff will use Friday's contest to prep promising understudy Rashard Jennings for a possible every-down role to begin the regular season, with players such as special-teams ace Montell Owens, Jalen Parmele and DuJuan Harris likely receiving extended looks in case they'll be needed as backups when the games do count. Jacksonville was able to finally reach an agreement with rookie wide receiver Justin Blackmon on a four-year contract on Monday, putting an end to the No. 5 overall pick of this past draft's 12-day holdout. The two-time Biletnikoff Award winner is still getting up to speed in the offense, however, and won't make his debut until the Jags' Aug. 17 matchup at New Orleans. Left guard Will Rackley and defensive end Austen Lane are also out for Jacksonville due to ankle sprains, with Lane's injury providing an opportunity for 2012 second-round selection Andre Branch to work with the starters. While Jaguars fans will have to wait for their first in-game glimpse of Blackmon, they'll sure to be monitoring how quarterback Blaine Gabbert performs as he begins his second pro season. The 2011 first-round choice had a dud of a debut as the triggerman of an offense that finished at the bottom of the NFL in both total yards and passing yards, and though he's still entrenched as the starter at the moment, the team did sign ex-Dolphin Chad Henne during the offseason as insurance if Gabbert's struggles continue.

The Giants will be in action for the first time since their thrilling 21-17 victory over New England in Super Bowl XLVI, but do so without several contributors to last season's playoff run. Wide receiver Mario Manningham, running back Brandon Jacobs, tight end Jake Ballard and cornerback Aaron Ross were among those that were either released or departed via free agency. Ross signed a three-year contract with the Jaguars in March and is competing with franchise stalwart Rashean Mathis for the starting nod at left cornerback during camp. New York also won't have the services of top wideout Hakeem Nicks, who's on the mend from surgery to repair a fractured foot suffered during the spring. Cornerback Terrell Thomas, who missed all of last year with an ACL tear, is likely out for the entire exhibition slate after hurting the same knee in a recent practice. Linebacker Michael Boley (hamstring), defensive tackle Chris Canty (knee surgery recovery) and tight end Travis Beckum (torn ACL) will also be part of the Giants' inactive list against the Jaguars. New York may have found ready-made replacements for Jacobs and Manningham by landing David Wilson and Rueben Randle in the first two rounds of April's draft. Wilson is currently operating as the main understudy to returning starter Ahmad Bradshaw at running back, while Randle is part of a camp battle with veteran Domenik Hixon and second-year man Jerrel Jernigan to be the No. 3 receiver.

These teams have split six previous preseason meetings, all of which were held between 1996 and 2001 when Giants head coach Tom Coughlin then held the same position with the Jaguars. New York evened the series by virtue of a 27-5 home triumph in 2001, but is just 1-2 in the games played in Jacksonville. Expect a very boring low scoring game.

Projected Score: NY Giants 13, Jacksonville 7

Arizona at Kansas City

If first impressions are any indication, John Skelton may have nudged ahead in the battle for the Arizona Cardinals' starting quarterback position. He'll have the opportunity to further strengthen his case when his team continues its 2012 preseason with a visit to Arrowhead Stadium for a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Skelton was considered a slight underdog to the higher-paid Kevin Kolb in the two-man race, and Kolb did draw the starting assignment for the Cardinals' encounter with the New Orleans Saints in Sunday's Hall of Fame Game. The latter failed to impress in his first crack, however, completing just 1-of-4 passes for four yards and an interception in Arizona's 17-10 loss. Kolb's first attempt of the night was picked off by the Saints' Malcolm *******, while his third series was cut short when he was taken hard to the turf by defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis midway through the first quarter. He sustained a rib contusion on the play and was removed afterward. Skelton was more effective in his two possessions under center, hitting on 4- of-6 throws for 32 yards and engineering a 14-play, 90-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. Kolb did return to practice this week and will be available for Friday's test, though Skelton will begin the game on this occasion. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt stressed that the team had already determined that the two would alternate starts prior to Sunday's outcome, however, and that both players would work with the first-team offense against the Chiefs.

Kansas City begins its preseason slate with some sorting out to do at quarterback as well, though its competition is at the No. 2 job behind established starter Matt Cassel. The combatants for the spot are veteran Brady Quinn, signed by the Chiefs in March, and 2011 fifth-round pick Ricky Stanzi, with neither gaining a distinct advantage on the other during offseason workouts. Quinn is expected to follow Cassel, who'll be making his first appearance since having last season cut short after nine games by a broken hand suffered in November, in Friday's pecking order. This contest also marks the returns of three cornerstone Kansas City players who were sidelined for nearly the entire 2011 campaign with torn ACL's. Tight end Tony Moeaki did not play at all in the regular season after hurting his knee last August, while standout strong safety Eric Berry incurred his injury in the first game of the year and dynamic running back Jamaal Charles went down in a loss at Detroit the following week. Head coach Romeo Crennel acknowledged on Monday that all three will see action against the Cardinals, though each will likely have limited snaps. "I think it's important for them to get reps in the game to begin to find out where they are, how they feel, and how those injuries are recovering for them," Crennel said. "We'll give them some time and see how it goes."

The Cardinals come into the game with a thin running back corps for the second consecutive week, with starter Beanie Wells just returning to practice on Tuesday after a slow recovery from offseason knee surgery and second-year backup Ryan Williams questionable to play as the team continues to monitor his comeback from a patella tendon tear that caused him to spend his entire rookie season on injured reserve.

Alfonso Smith and William Powell got the majority of the carries in the Hall of Fame Game, with Smith finishing with a team-best 46 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts and Powell rushing 10 times for 31 yards. Arizona could also be without starting inside linebacker Paris Lenon, who sprained his right ankle against the Saints, and rookie offensive lineman Bobby Massie (turf toe), while tight end Jeff King (quadriceps) has yet to be activated from the physically unable to perform list. Massie is attempting to outduel journeyman Jeremy Bridges for a starter's role at right tackle.

This will be the 25th preseason meeting between the Cardinals and the Chiefs, with the teams previously facing one another annually from 1968 and 1988 when the Cardinals were then based in St. Louis. Kansas City holds a 13-10-1 overall edge in the series, but Arizona has won the last four bouts and dealt the Chiefs a 27-17 defeat in the most recent clash, which took place in 2008. The Cards have a game under their belt and should be better prepared than the Chiefs. Don't expect a shootout.

Projected Score: Arizona 16, Kansas City 10