Pre-Season Notes: Week 1

by UK American Sports Fans

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I know that it’s only the first pre-season game for most of the teams in the NFL, but it is always a good opportunity to evaluate where certain teams and players are in their development. It is also a chance to see what the future may hold for franchises, good or bad. So here are some things that I noticed from week 1 of the pre-season…

  1. Andrew Luck’s stats sheet was very good. BUT. He threw the ball FOUR yards forward, and running back Donald Brown did the rest for the 63 yard score, so everyone calm down. Having said that, his pass to Colts veteran WR Austin Collie was very nice indeed, freezing the safety and delivering the ball into the corner of the end zone.
  1. In the same game, the Rams showed me enough to say that they will challenge for 0 wins this year. They looked absolutely terrible, despite the efforts of an excellent rookie corner.
  1. The other big name rookie QB, Robert Griffin III had a similarly solid/impressive first outing. His rapport with new Redskins WR Pierre Garcon seemed great, and after hooking up for two 15+ yard completions over the middle of the field in the space of four plays, it seems that Griffin has found a favourite target.
  1. Unless the Dallas offensive line bucks it’s ideas up, Tony Romo will find himself in trouble, whether that means being injured, or being cut/traded by Jerry Jones, because the Cowboys won’t win enough games.
  1. A LOT of defensive rookies could make massive impacts on the NFL this year. Luke Kuechly (LB-CAR), Chandler Jones (DE-NE), Janoris Jenkins (CB-STL) and Lavonte David (LB-TB) were just four who really stood out and looked like they’d been in the league for years.
  1. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are ready to step up and win the NFC South title for Atlanta. Together, they combined for six completions, 109 yards and a TD, all against Baltimore’s first string defense.
  1. The Green Bay Packers may struggle to get out of the NFC North this year. Their injury problems got worse with LB Desmond Bishop getting crocked, and their secondary, especially at safety, looked a liability. Having said that, Randall Cobb looked an explosive addition to an already excellent offense. He may need to be for the Pack.
  1. Antonio Gates is back! The veteran Chargers’ TE looked back to his injury-free best, and if he stays that way, could prove to be like a new Pro-Bowl addition to the San Diego offense.
  1. The New England Patriots defense might actually be quite good this year. So if their offense is anywhere near what it was last season, watch out.
  1. Houston and San Francisco will win their respective divisions. They are by far the best teams in them, and with their excellent defenses that they showcased in the pre-season, they could go a very long way into the post-season.
  1. Ben Roethlisberger needs to reserve a bed in a Pittsburgh hospital, because his offensive line looked raw. Yes they are young, but they were nasty, and not in a good way.
  1. The Steelers could struggle all round, their defense is not what it used to be, and they really struggled in coverage.
  1. Peyton Manning looked ‘almost there’. The great protection he got from his line helped him look better than the 85% he really is at. Can that protection hold up in Denver?
  1. The New York Jets. Where to start? Tebow and Sanchez is not going to work (because they’re both not great). Antonio Cromartie may well have to play WR (because they have no weapons) and the defense may have Revis Island, but it’s plain sailing everywhere else. Gang Green just looked so pedestrian.
  1. Jake Locker should be the starter in Tennessee. I have always championed Locker, and he looks to be a real first-rate signal caller.
  1. Peyton Hillis and Jamaal Charles could be the most dynamic backfield in the NFL if they can both stay healthy, and if they do, Matt Cassell’s job becomes so much easier in Kansas City.
  1. Brandon Weeden needs help on the outside, because it doesn’t matter how good he is if he has no-one to throw to. The Browns are a bit of a mess.
  1. I really do not know what to take out of the Jaguars’ 32-31 win over the Giants. The game was so chaotic that it made any evaluation impossible, but I will re-iterate that any success that the Jags could have will only happen when MJD is in the backfield.