Monday, August 18, 2008

NFL Pre-Season Week 2 Re-Cap/Observations

Week 2 of the NFL Pre-Season is now in the books, here are some observations/thoughts:

QB Jay Cutler (Broncos) looked very sharp against the Dallas Cowboys first team defense, completing 12 passes in a row and finishing 16 for 20; 178 yards passing and 1 TD. He has a speedster in rookie WR Eddie Royal but will miss his #1 WR Brandon Marshall in the first 3 games (suspension).

The New England Patriots looked bad against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. QB Tom Brady didn't make the trip, and it seemed like the rest of the team didn't either. The defense was run all over and Buccs back-up's QB Brian Griese and QB Luke McCown carved up the Patriots secondary.

Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson looked like a man among boys catching 3 passes for 76 yards and 1 TD against the Bengals. Expect the former #2 overall draft pick to have a big year in Mo-Town. QB Jon Kitna has a perfect 158.3 passer rating after two pre-season games.

The San Francisco 49ers defense looks strong and aggressive. Led by All-Pro LB Patrick Willis, shutdown CB Nate Clements and new Free Agent DE Justin Smith, the 49ers kept the Green Bay Packers in check and sacked QB Aaron Rodgers 4 times before halftime and hurried him a half dozen other times. Look for the team to use an aggressive defense to make up for its lackluster offense.

Rookie RB's on the rise: Ray Rice (Ravens), Steve Slaton (Texans), Chris Johnson (Titans), Kevin Smith (Lions), Darren McFadden (Ravens), Felix Jones (Cowboys), Jonathan Stewart (Panthers), Rashard Mendenhall (Steelers), and Jacob Hester (Chargers) all look to get significant playing time and look to impact their teams early

The only way the Chicago Bears will find their starting QB is if they use a double-sided coin to toss in QB Kyle Orton's favor...both looked bad but QB Rex Grossman looked worse.

The San Diego Chargers lost to the the St. Louis Rams 7-6; but they only played 8 out of 22 starters.

Jacksonville Jaguars RB Fred Taylor and RB Maurice Jones-Drew combined for a total of 19 yards rushing against the Miami Dolphins defense.

The Indianapolis Colts are now 3-13 over their past sixteen pre-season games.

It took all of one week for QB Brett Favre (Jets) to look good in New York.

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees continues to be in mid-season form going 12 for 17; 147 yards passing and 2 TD's against the Houston Texans.

Rookie QB's: Colt Brennan (Redskins), Dennis Dixon (Steelers) and Chad Henne (Dolphins) continue to impress; while Matt Ryan (Falcons), Brian Brohm (Packers) and Kevin O'Connell (Patriots) struggle

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