Key Takeaways From The 2010 NFL Preseason
I subscribe to the notion that the preseason must be taken with an ocean’s worth of salt. Nevertheless, certain trends do start to show themselves, and certain players flash signs of something to come that might not have been there before. Or, for the more unfortunate souls, the reciprocal progression, which leads to the meeting with the Turk. Don’t take any of these overly seriously; I certainly don’t. But these are my key takeaways from the glorified scrimmages. These are things I’ve noticed and/or will have my eye on as we enter the regular season.
ARIZONA CARDINALS: Do I even need to say it? Man. I would hate to be Larry Fitzgerald right now. Good call not overpaying for Donovan McNabb, guys. I’m not a big Matt Leinart supporter, but now you’ve got yourselves a quarterback controversy involving starting quarterback named Derek Anderson. That’s a movie I’ve seen before, and, well…two…thumbs…down. Coaches get drawn in, intrigued by the big arm and the freaky streaks, but they’re never sustained long enough to win consistently in the NFL. On the positive, Max Hall looked competent in limited action, so maybe they won’t be forced to go quarterback in the first round of the 2011 Draft. Hope you’re fresh, Beanie.
ATLANTA FALCONS: A little uneven on the preseason, and it’s hard not to be concerned by the lack of depth at WR, but I still like the Falcons to push for a playoff spot. The obvious storyline here is Matt Ryan’s progression, and my best guess is that we can expect significant gains.
BALTIMORE RAVENS: One of the few teams that gave me the “they might be a juggernaut” feeling as I watched them. I don’t think the Donte Stallworth injury matters much- he hasn’t been productive in years. Joe Flacco has an old school cockiness to him, and his development as an NFL trigger man warrants it. He looks great. Their defense is strong again. My only question mark, and an important one, is Ed Reed’s health. If he’s back…get off the tracks. There’s a big purple train coming through. But if he misses several weeks as we’re hearing, they’re not quite the same team. His potential absence is my only hesitation in picking them to visit Dallas in February.
BUFFALO BILLS: CJ Spiller is special. His team is not. And they’re in a rough division. Maybe in 2011 (but, probably not).
CAROLINA PANTHERS: Matt Moore looked shaky in the preseason. It clearly didn’t help that Steve Smith wasn’t around, and as a Moore believer I’m inclined to believe that’s the main issue. But we all know the nature of today’s NFL. Every time a quarterback as young and unestablished as Moore throws a pick, half the stadium starts screaming for his backup. That goes double if his quarterback is a former All-American from Notre Dame.
CHICAGO BEARS: Jay Cutler’s ribs and I sure hope the O Line gets better. They blocked not one single individual this preseason. Literally. My best guess? Lovie’s in trouble.
CINCINNATI BENGALS: One of the teams I’m most curious about. They ran through the AFC North last year, sweeping it. They’ve got absolutely everything you want in terms of talent at key positions and solidity elsewhere. They don’t have a single glaring hole. The question mark is one of chemistry. Is the bonding strong enough? Do the elements remain stable or become volatile? It’s going to be a fascinating experiment, either way. Now or never, Carson.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: Can Jake Delhomme and the offense keep this up? He was nearly perfect on the exhibition string, distributing the ball with ease and efficiency to a group of unknown but apparently capable receivers. Fantasy folks are freaking out about the Montario Hardesty injury, but they finished 8th in rushing last year and they ran the ball very effectively this preseason with Jerome Harrison, Peyton Hillis and James Davis. The secondary looks highly toastable, but the front 7 wasn’t doing anything like what Rob Ryan’s defense looked like at the tail of 2009. By my eyes, the personnel changes all look like upgrades. This team should surprise some people.
DALLAS COWBOYS: They don’t look quite in sync and a sluggish start wouldn’t surprise me. But they’re so talented I can’t imagine fewer than 11 wins. The two things I’m watching here are Dez Bryant’s development, and Tony Romo’s mission. It’s time for him to accomplish it.
DENVER BRONCOS: Kyle Orton really isn’t that bad, jokes and naysaying aside, and from my seat it looks like some of those young receivers, most notably Eddie Royal and Eric Decker, can make plays. Jabar Gaffney offers a nice veteran presence. How on earth this team recovers from all the injuries is the question I’d love to see answered. You don’t just replace Elvis Dumervil with the next man up.
DETROIT LIONS: With each preseason game I watched, I raised my estimate of regular season wins. Matthew Stafford, Jahvid Best, and Calvin Johnson lead an explosive, mismatch-riddled offense. Ndamukong Suh, Julian Peterson, and Louis Delmas lead a physical, nasty defense. As a result, Jim Schwartz leads a team that is going places. They’re not there yet, but those who circle them as an easy W do so foolishly.
GREEN BAY PACKERS: Easily the best looking team this preseason. Aaron Rodgers is dropping dimes with video game efficiency, and there’s not a damn thing you or anybody else can do about Jermichael Finley. It’s happening. If they can keep this level of precision, the Lombardi Trophy could be coming home in February.
Aaron Rodgers looks to bring home the Sticky Lombardi.
HOUSTON TEXANS: Even though there are some questions surrounding the Texans’ offense this year (Is Arian Foster really the guy? Can Jacoby Jones finally grow into a starter’s role? Is Owen Daniels sufficiently recovered from knee surgery to provide that big time threat in the seam?), their play was generally strong and businesslike. As a group, they look comfortable in their own collective skin. They look like they’re not wondering but planning: they’re going to the postseason. But the usual roadblock remains: is the defense is finally ready to stop people on a regular basis? I think it’s yes, but it’s not an easy path to the playoffs. They must learn to finish.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: The biggest story that popped up this pre-season for the Colts was the impact a new NFL rule could have on the Colts’ offensive attack. The rule, requiring the Umpire to spot the ball and get behind the deepest offensive player before it may be snapped, seems almost tailor-made to handicap #18. It’s almost like a Mel Blount rule to thwart Peyton Manning’s brain. I suspect he’ll find a way to work around it. And the story I’m watching is just how cheesed he is by his last memory of the 2009 season. I’m guessing the answer is somewhere between “extremely” and “you have no possible way of understanding how cheesed I am.” Big year for #18. BIG.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: I always like a lot of the players the Jaguars have. And yet, looking at the rest of that division, I somehow struggle to envision Jack Del Rio’s survival into 2011.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: I’m not sure what to make of the Chiefs. On one hand, they’ve got a ton of young, explosive talent. Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe, and now rookie Dexter McCluster are all NFL playmakers, and Chris Chambers and Thomas Jones are solid veteran producers. On the other hand, Matt Cassel seemed to have a little too much trouble getting into sync for a guy making that much and who should know the system. Usually, that’s an offensive line issue. Defensively, I’m looking forward to the emergence of Tamba Hali as a sackmaster.
MIAMI DOLPHINS: I get the sense from all the roster turnover throughout camp that the Dolphins aren’t remotely satisfied with their defensive personnel, which makes me wonder what I’m missing. I actually like the way the team is put together. The addition of Brandon Marshall on offense is just what the doctor ordered.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: What a weird camp for Chilly and the Vikes. Favre came back after a personal recruiting trip by some of Minnesota’s star vets, but then bad things started happening. Percy Harvin collapsed at practice, the Vikings “being careful with Sidney Rice” suddenly turned into “Sidney Rice will miss half the season after pulling a Shaq and waiting to have a necessary surgery until it was much too late for him to meaningfully contribute for half the regular season.” Things don’t seem to be falling into place the way they did in ’09. Will that trend continue?
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Tom Brady appears motivated and a little snappy, which means those around him had better be committed to the cause or they will hear about it from #12. The offense looks like it’s going to be the usual matchup nightmare for all comers. But the way Sam Bradford and the Rams marched down the field like Sherman to the sea for multiple touchdowns was deeply concerning.
NEW YORK GIANTS: Brandon Jacobs is done. Their Offensive line is old. Their defensive line is not what it used to be. It could get ugly.
NEW YORK JETS: After I spent the offseason gushing about how they did everything right, the Jets opened training camp and promptly started playing firestarters. The Revis holdout threatened to de-rail the whole thing before it started, but that got rectified just in time for the season opener (and, in what is no small coincidence to some, for the final episode of “Hard Knocks”). But Mark Sanchez hasn’t found a real groove, and the duo of Matt Slauson and Vladimir Ducasse, highlighted for their ineptitude on last week’s “Knocks,” are going to have to improve if the Sanchize is to survive the season.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: A little sloppy. They look, to me, like they could use a little Bloody Mary. Or an Irish Coffee. Some kind of “hair of the dog” treatment for this Super Bowl hangover. They’re going to miss Darren Sharper.
OAKLAND RAIDERS: What stood out is that the Raiders drafted extremely well in 2010. Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston and the steal of the bunch, third-rounder Jared Veldheer, are all going to play key roles right away. Maybe Al hasn’t lost it after all?
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Few things worry me less than Kevin Kolb’s failure to throw a touchdown during the preseason. Seriously. He’s going to be fine. In fact, he’s going to be significantly better than fine. Relax, Philly. It’s going to be OK. I promise.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Mike Tomlin made the right call, naming Dennis Dixon the starter in Big Ben’s absence. He’s an electric playmaker with the ball in his hands, but don’t kid yourself: this is a passing quarterback, period. Don’t be surprised if he plays well.
ST. LOUIS RAMS: Sam Bradford struggled in his first action, but in retrospect that might have been a product of conservative playcalling. As soon as they opened it up a bit, Bradford looked suddenly like a big, strong, seasoned vet who knew exactly what he was doing. Frankly, I’m impressed. And I did not expect to be. They should be much more competitive than they were a year ago.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: Ryan Mathews looks like the real deal, and it looks like Malcolm Floyd is going to be able to handle the lead role. But AJ Smith better be right about whomever he thinks is playing left tackle as a result of Marcus McNeil’s holdout. Personally, if my team’s success is based entirely on the play of my elite quarterback, I get my blindside protector signed up. In February.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: A blowup between young stars Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree marred the last week of practice, but I like what I’m seeing from these Niners. Iron Mike has them playing physical ball, and Alex Smith appears to have adopted a business-like approach that should serve him well as he plays the “just manage the game and take a couple big shots” role. If he can keep the mistakes down, this is a dangerous team. The new guys on the O-Line, Mike Iupati and Charles Davis, are going to be dominant for a decade. GREAT moves.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: The ‘Hawks D is playing fast and flying to the ball. The O is another question. They may get a boost from the long lost ghost of Mike Williams, but their best hope is to rely heavily on Justin Forsett and Leon Washington to move the chains, because the group chemistry just isn’t there yet.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: I couldn’t get much of a read on the Bucs, other than deducing that they will not be particularly relevant to playoff discussions for awhile still. You’re welcome.
TENNESSEE TITANS: Vince Young did nothing this preseason to disabuse me of the notion that he may, in fact, be figuring out this whole NFL quarterbacking thing. He looks comfortable in the huddle and, perhaps more importantly, the pocket. The ball is getting out quickly, accurately, and to the right guy. If he can keep that up, it’ll open up the field and render Chris Johnson’s quest for the first ever back-to-back 2,000 yard rushing season an absolute lead-pipe lock. With a defense infused with quality youth like Alterraun Verner, these guys are going to be fighting for a spot in the postseason.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: I keep hearing and reading about how the Redskins are poised to do big things this year. In short, I’m selling. I see no cohesiveness on the offensive line, no wide receiver productivity, a group of running backs that should be off playing bridge somewhere, and a defense that looks a step slower than it did a year ago. And they play in a monster division. Good luck with that.
