Preseason Preview - Detroit (1-0) at Cincinnati (1-0)
By Tony Moss, NFL Editor
(Sports Network) - Chad Johnson will make his 2008 Paul Brown Stadium debut on Sunday night, when the flamboyant Cincinnati Bengals wideout and his team play host to the Detroit Lions in the second August tune-up for both teams.
Johnson made headlines and rankled Bengals faithful by demanding a trade this past offseason, when local sentiment shifted against him in a major way. The Pro Bowl receiver has since rescinded the trade demand and made attempts to repair his relationship with the organization and its fan base, though it remains to be seen how he'll be greeted upon taking the field on Sunday.
Johnson, who also underwent minor ankle surgery prior to training camp, was in uniform and caught one pass for 10 yards in the Bengals' 20-17 victory at Green Bay this past Monday.
Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer completed 5-of-9 passes for 33 yards in the win, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ben Utecht in the second quarter. Palmer should again play into the second quarter before yielding to backups on Sunday.
On the injury front for the Bengals, running back Rudi Johnson should make his first appearance of the season after sitting out the Packers game due to a hamstring injury.
Oft-injured former first-round pick Chris Perry took Johnson's place last week and performed well, carrying 11 times for 42 yards and a touchdown and also catching two passes out of the backfield.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamstring) is among the notable Cincinnati players unlikely to appear versus Detroit.
Like the Bengals, the Lions will be trying to build off a victory in the first week of the preseason. Detroit was a 13-10 home winner over the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants last Thursday.
In his first game operating new coordinator Jim Colletto's offense, Lions quarterback Jon Kitna completed 6-of-7 passes for 106 yards, including a 20- yard touchdown pass to wideout Roy Williams.
Detroit backups Dan Orlovsky (8-of-11, 81 yards) and Drew Stanton (5-of-6, 27 yards) also had solid outings.
At running back, where the team is searching for a starter, rookie Kevin Smith (8 carries, 22 yards) and veterans Aveion Cason (5 carries, 18 yards), Artose Pinner (5 carries, 14 yards), Tatum Bell (7 carries, 8 yards) and Brian Calhoun (2 carries, 3 yards) all had their struggles against New York.
Lions wideout Shaun McDonald (knee), tight end Dan Campbell (triceps), and safety Daniel Bullocks (knee) all missed the Giants game but were activated from the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list earlier this week. It is unlikely that any of the three will participate against the Bengals, however.
The Bengals have a 18-16 lead in their all-time preseason series with the Lions, but were 27-26 road losers in the last such matchup, prior to last season.
Preseason Preview - New England (0-1) at Tampa Bay (1-0)
By Tony Moss, NFL Editor
(Sports Network) - On Sunday night, the New England Patriots will get a chance to experience the venue where they'd like to end their season.
Raymond James Stadium, the location for Sunday's preseason tilt between the Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also happens to be the site of Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1st.
Though the reigning NFC South Champion Buccaneers are also harboring aspirations of playing on that day, it is New England that, at this point in mid-August, seems to be the better bet to play on the game's ultimate stage.
But first thing's first, and Bill Belichick's club will initially have to concentrate on looking much better than they did in last Thursday's 16-15 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
With Tom Brady sidelined for precautionary reasons, Patriots backup quarterback candidates Matt Cassel (1-of-4 passing, 1 INT, 11 yards), Matt Gutierrez (10-of-16, 76 yards, 1 INT), and rookie Kevin O'Connell (6-of-13, 57 yards, 1 INT) all had their struggles in their time with the offense.
Patriots quarterbacks accounted for four of the team's five turnovers on the night.
O'Connell, a third-round pick out of San Diego State led the team's only touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, which culminated in a LaMont Jordan 1- yard touchdown run.
Jordan, the ex-Raider and Jet, rushed 19 times for 76 yards in his first live action as a Patriot.
Brady is expected to start and play into the second quarter on Sunday, and his Tampa Bay counterpart, Jeff Garcia, may be able to make his first appearance of the 2008 preseason as well.
Garcia, who has battled a calf injury during the preseason, was held out of the team's 17-6 win over the Dolphins last Saturday.
Four different Buccaneer quarterbacks - Luke McCown (9-of-15, 70 yards), Brian Griese (10-of-14, 59 yards, 1 TD), Chris Simms (8-of-10, 60 yards), and rookie Josh Johnson (1-of-1, 15 yards), received an opportunity to play in Garcia's absence.
Also worth watching on Sunday will be the work of Tampa Bay running back Earnest Graham, who is expected to see his first action of August after being held out against the Dolphins.
Graham rushed for 898 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season, and was recently rewarded with a lucrative new contract.
Top wideout Joey Galloway (calf) is among the Tampa Bay notables not expected to be in the lineup on Sunday.
The Buccaneers have a 6-1 lead in the all-time preseason series with the Patriots, including a 13-10 home victory in the last such meeting, prior to the 2007 campaign.
DETROIT (1 - 0) at CINCINNATI (1 - 0) - 8/17/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 1-0 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 1-0 straight up against CINCINNATI over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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NEW ENGLAND (0 - 1) at TAMPA BAY (1 - 0) - 8/17/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ENGLAND is 32-17 ATS (+13.3 Units) in non-conference games since 1993.
Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 1-0 against the spread versus NEW ENGLAND over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 1-0 straight up against NEW ENGLAND over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Detroit at Cincinnati, 7:30 ET
Detroit: 3-0 Over vs. AFC North
Cincinnati: 4-0 ATS off SU win
New England at Tampa Bay, 8:00 ET NFL
New England: 8-0 ATS off home loss
Tampa Bay: 20-8 Under as home favorite
Sunday's NFL Preseason QB Rotations & Lineup Notes
Detroit Lions - QB Rotation: Jon Kitna, Drew Stanton, Dan Orlovsky.
Coach Rod Marinelli will give his starters more playing time in the second exhibition game. QB Jon Kitna ran the No. 1 offense for 15 snaps in a 13-10 victory over the Giants in the first exhibition game. Included in the 15 snaps was a penalty against the Giants. Kitna turned the offense over to Dan Orlovsky and the other backups. How long the starters play will depend on circumstances. "It'll be a little more than a week ago," Marinelli said. "You're looking probably at 18 to 22 snaps."
QB Drew Stanton has been the No. 3 quarterback since camp opened and has struggled at times.
Four Lions have been ruled out of Sunday's game because of injuries -- kicker Jason Hanson (thigh), tight end Dan Campbell (hamstring), fullback Jon Bradley (shoulder) and safety Daniel Bullocks.
The Lions are committed to the running game. There were 24 pass attempts and 35 running plays in the opener. The Lions ranked 31st last year and had the fewest running plays of any team.
The Lions introduced more play action and bootleg plays against the Giants. But the bottom line is they still could not run the ball. They've worked more this week trying to unleash rookie RB Kevin Smith (eight carries, 22 yards) and Tatum Bell (seven carries, 8 yards).
WRs thin.
The defense is beginning its third year in the Tampa Two system, and it's the second year under coordinator Joe Barry, while Jim Colletto is the new offensive coordinator.
New offensive coordinator Jim Colletto promises a more balanced attack. That starts with the fierce backfield competition between Tatum Bell and rookie Kevin Smith.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry wants his defense to be aggressive and create turnovers.
Cincinnati Bengals - QB Rotation: Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe, Jordan Palmer.
The Bengals will be without half of their all-star receiving tandem. T.J. Houshmandzadeh will miss a second straight game with a slight hamstring injury.
New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer takes over and said the team will stay with a four-lineman base.
Under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, the Bengals are playing a lot of man-to-man with their cornerbacks.
Offensive line changes: Right guard Bobbie Williams worked with the first-team offense at center during practice Thursday. Projected starter Eric Ghiaciuc worked with the second team. A potentially serious ankle injury to backup center Dan Santucci Monday heightened the emergency. In addition to Williams' switch, Stacy Andrews moved from right tackle to right guard. The five players average 6 feet, 6 inches and 333 pounds.
Tailbacks Rudi Johnson (hamstring) and DeDe Dorsey (groin) are likely to make their preseason debuts.
Secondary young: CB Leon Hall, starting free safety Marvin White, backup strong safety Chinedum Ndukwe and CB David Jones are starting their second NFL seasons. Jonathon Joseph is beginning his third, as are potential backup safeties Herana-Daze Jones and John Busing. Former Canadian League star Kyries Hebert, 27, is a first-year NFL player.
New England Patriots - QB Rotation: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez, rookie Kevin O'Connell.
QB Tom Brady didn't make the trip to Tampa. Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez and rookie Kevin O'Connell are all battling for the No. 2 QB job. The three combined to complete 17 of 33 passes for 144 yards with three interceptions in the opener.
Offensive line thin. The Patriots' signing of veteran free-agent offensive lineman John Welbourn is an indication that the team's decision-makers have concerns with the depth along the line. They have 11 linemen, meaning only two layers of a depth chart could be filled (three layers would be ideal).
Tackle is the specific trouble spot, with Matt Light, Ryan O'Callaghan and Oliver Ross (PUP) all sidelined -- and Anthony Clement placed on injured reserve Saturday. Guard Stephen Neal is also on PUP. The second line is comprised of Barry Stokes, Dan Connolly, Russ Hochstein, Pete McMahon and Jimmy Martin and rookie free agent Ryan Wendell.
An intense competition appears to be brewing at running back, where LaMont Jordan rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown in the preseason opener. The Patriots kept four running backs out of camp last year, but this group boasts five legit NFL veterans (Maroney, Kevin Faulk [stats], Sammy Morris, Heath Evans [stats] and Jordan), plus a sixth in special teams contributor Kyle Eckel.
Tampa Bay Bucs - QB Rotation: Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, rookie Josh Johnson.
Jeff Garcia returned to practice Monday, in a limited capacity, for the first time since sustaining a calf strain. Garcia, 38, has failed to fully participate in 10 of Tampa Bay's 14 practices. He's unlikely to play this game, so look for plenty from Griese, Simms and McCown.
Jon Gruden clearly is frustrated with McCown's inconsistency, but admits that is to be expected from a young quarterback.
WRs thin. With WR Joey Galloway out, Maurice Stovall and Antonio Bryant have been splitting the reps at first-team split end. The Bucs have also worked Micheal Spurlock and rookie Dexter Jackson at that spot.
The Bucs offense desperately needs a speedy receiver to clear out the middle of the field for its flanker, tight end and backs, so the split end is a key component.
NFL preseason starter report
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Tom Brady out against Buccaneers – Boston Globe
Another preseason game, another night off for Tom Brady.
The Patriots quarterback did not make the trip to Tampa Bay last night with the team, according to a league source, and will miss tonight’s game against the Buccaneers with an undisclosed injury.
With Brady out, Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez and Kevin O’Connell should share the snaps. Cassel is coming off a 1-for-4 performance that was partly a product of sloppy offensive line play, a wet field and a miscommunication with Chad Jackson that led to an interception against the Ravens in the exhibition opener.
Detroit starters ready for 18-20 plays tonight – The Detroit News
Coach Rod Marinelli will give his starters more playing time in the second exhibition game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday night.
Quarterback Jon Kitna ran the No. 1 offense for 15 snaps in a 13-10 victory over the Giants in the first exhibition game. Included in the 15 snaps was a penalty against the Giants. Kitna turned the offense over to Dan Orlovsky and the other backups. How long the starters play will depend on circumstances.
"It'll be a little more than a week ago," Marinelli said. "You're looking probably at 18 to 22 snaps."
Browns starters should play into the second quarter – The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Romeo Crennel said he hopes Shaun Rogers will play Monday night against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants in the Meadowlands.
Crennel said the starters would play into the second quarter, meaning Rogers, if he can play, and defensive end Corey Williams would get significant action
Griese set to start tonight – The Pewter Report
Jeff Garcia, 38, has missed nearly two weeks of practice due to a calf injury he sustained in training camp. Luke McCown started at quarterback in Tampa Bay's preseason opener vs. Miami, but Brian Griese will start for the Buccaneers on Sunday night.
"We're going to start Brian Griese," said Gruden. "You'll see Luke McCown and hopefully you'll see all of the quarterbacks play, but we'll see how the game goes."