Preseason Notes Week 2
By Al McMordie
It’s here (and it’s about time)! The pro football season officially got moving over the weekend with a full slate of preseason action. Even though the games don’t count in the standings, there is plenty happening on the field and on the sidelines that have relevance for the regular season – and for next week.
For instance, the Seahawks failed to cover against Tennessee, but they did get a win for new Coach Pete Carroll while rolling up 322 yards.
Carroll had hinted all week that he wanted to win in preseason and QB Charlie Whitehurst threw for 214 yards. Carroll bolted from the edge of the field to the bench in the second quarter to congratulate the defense following a three-and-out stop in the second quarter. He had a hug for Whitehurst for his first TD throw. Who says preseason is meaningless?
Not the emotional Carroll.
Of note is that Seattle's pass defense was shaky, a problem last season, and pass pressure is still the biggest question mark on Seattle's defense. With Saturday's victory, Seattle now has won its past six exhibition games. Seattle was undefeated in exhibition games last season, which didn't do much to prevent the Seahawks' 5-11 belly flop in the regular season.
The Patriots got a win over the Saints after building up a 24-7 lead. The offense has new looks – not just with personnel, but with a slight change of strategy. Last season the Patriots relied heavily on wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker to carry the offense. QB Tom Brady went to the shotgun a lot, too.
What they showed in the preseason opener is that there appears to be a slight change in philosophy. Brady was far more under center than usual and they used 2 and even 3 tight ends at times. Part of that was that they drafted two potentially talented tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, while adding veteran TE Alge Crumpler.
The Patriots were a weak red zone team last season and it’s clear they want to spread the football around more, possibly run more and use the tight ends in an attempt to bolster their red zone efficiency. In the preseason opener, they were 6 of 13 on third down and very strong in the red zone.
What team looked the worst? Let’s call it a tie with the Lions, Rams and Bills, three bottom feeders from last season. The Lions lost 23-7 at Pittsburgh, though there was room for optimism. Detroit outgained the Steelers and held Pittsburgh to 3.3 yards per rush. With the starting defensive line on the field, the Steelers offense gained 12 yards.
The Rams got flattened at home by the Vikings and the big story was not Sam Bradford but the St. Louis offensive line, which looks as bad as ever. Bradford's NFL debut consisted of six completions in 13 attempts for 57 yards and a passer rating of 58.8. But the real story came in all the hits Bradford absorbed by the Minnesota pass rush. Bradford was sacked four times and hit at least three other times. "We had some issues up front," Steve Spagnuolo said. So, what else is new?
The Buffalo Bills' backfield took a major hit as running backs Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch were hurt early in the 42-17 preseason-opening loss to the Washington Redskins. Jackson is believed to have a broken left hand, while Lynch hobbled off with an injured ankle. Jackson's injury is the most serious as head coach Chan Gailey said Jackson will miss the rest of the preseason. Gailey has been demanding a tough, physical game, and it’s taking a toll as they are loaded with injured players.
The final word of the weekend goes to the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff, who punished receivers by sending them to the toilet. Kansas City coaches hauled a mobile outhouse onto the practice field and told pass catchers to go in, have a seat and close the door. The port-a-potty was used for a unique kind of pass-catching drill that players, suppressing a laugh, hailed as effective in developing some quick hand-eye coordination.
The Chiefs, you see, led the NFL in dropped passes a year ago. Assistant head coach Maurice Carthon, who introduced the Chiefs to the port-a-potty drill, stood about 10 feet away and shouted to another coach when to fling open the door. The second the door opened, Carthon fired the pass and it was on the player to hang on."It teaches you hand-eye coordination," rookie wide receiver Dexter McCluster said. So if they bounce the football to them would it be a one-hopper in the hopper? Just asking.
Preseason Updates
By Bodog
So we know for sure that Brett Favre is back for his 20th season in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings are paying Favre an extra $3.5 million to come back, bumping his 2010 salary to $16.5 million, plus added incentives. Vikings coach Brad Childress even picked Favre up at the airport. Now you know why quarterbacks are the feature attractions when it comes to football betting.
But will Favre play this Sunday? We’ll touch on that issue as we preview Week 2 of the NFL preseason; but first, we’re going north of the border.
Thursday: Indianapolis vs. Buffalo
The Bills are playing at their home away from home, Rogers Centre in Toronto, so that technically makes them 3.5-point “home” favorites on the NFL odds. The Colts are notorious for honking the preseason; they’re already 0-1 SU and ATS this year after losing 37-17 at home to the San Francisco 49ers (-3.5). That leaves Indy at 1-4 SU and ATS in exhibition play under Jim Caldwell after going 3-15 SU and 5-12-1 ATS the previous four years under Tony Dungy. Buffalo has a new coach in Chan Gailey, but their preseason started with a 42-17 road loss to the Washington Redskins (-4.5).
Friday: Philadelphia at Cincinnati
The new era for the Eagles got off on the right foot with a 28-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, although Jacksonville cashed in as a 3-point home chalk. The Eagles saw rejuvenated QB Michael Vick go 11-of-17 for 119 yards and a pick, plus 50 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Bengals are now 1-1 SU and ATS after dropping the Denver Broncos (+3.5) 33-24 at home; QB J.T. O’Sullivan went 7-of-15 for 118 yards and should continue to receive playing time over third-stringer Jordan Palmer, who was not so hot in the Hall of Fame Game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Saturday: Dallas at San Diego
The Cowboys were happy with QB Stephen McGee’s work in the HoF opener; in Week 1, it was Matt Nichols getting plenty of burn, but he threw a pair of picks in a 17-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders (+3 road dogs). Coach Wade Phillips told reporters on Wednesday that Tony Romo and the rest of the starters would get more snaps against San Diego. The Chargers won their preseason opener 25-10 at home over the Chicago Bears (+2.5). Billy Volek (7-of-14, 77 yards) was sturdy as always, but it was six sacks from the defense that got the job done. San Diego is now 9-4 SU and 8-4-1 ATS in the preseason since Norv Turner took over as coach.
Sunday: Minnesota at San Francisco
What Favre wants, Favre gets. He used Week 2 of the 2009 preseason as his personal training camp and played most of the way in a 17-10 win over the Houston Texans (-3 at home). Favre says he wants to play this Sunday, so there’s a good chance we’ll see Ol’ No. 4 in action against San Francisco. If not, the Vikings still have Sage Rosenfels, who threw three TD passes in a 28-7 win over the St. Louis Rams (-2.5 at home) and appears to be getting showcased for a possible trade. The 49ers have a veteran QB of their own trying to make a statement in David Carr, who went 9-of-11 against the Colts for 98 yards and a TD.
Monday: Arizona at Tennessee
Jeff Fisher is a savvy coach, and he doesn’t like losing – even in the preseason, where the Titans are still 16-10 SU and 15-10-1 ATS over the past six years despite losing 20-18 to the Seattle Seahawks (-3.5 home faves) in their exhibition opener. That was Pete Carroll’s first game as Seattle’s coach, and he no doubt wanted to make a good impression in front of the fans. As for the Cardinals, they scored all their points in the fourth quarter of a 19-16 win over the Houston Texans (-2.5 home faves), overcoming two picks by Derek Anderson. Keep an eye on the local papers to see if promising third-stringer John Skelton from Fordham will get more action on Monday after engineering the winning drive.