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Week 2 NFL Preseason Review And A Look Ahead to Week 3
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Author: Big Al McMordie - Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Week 3 of the preseason is on deck and that's the time many coaches use
their starters the most, playing three quarters as if it's a real game.
However, not all coaches do this. It's essential to keep tabs on all the
shifts and changes, as preseason football is loaded with injuries, QB
rotations, depth charts and coaching decisions that will influence play.
Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford had his second straight shaky
outing this past weekend. The No. 1 overall draft pick, expected to
start for this season, went 6 of 14 for 24 yards coming off the bench
behind A.J. Feeley. Bradford wasn't sacked after being dropped behind
the line four times in the opener. Will Bradford start this weekend?
Feeley sustained a thumb injury and is questionable.
Some good news is that St. Louis running back Steven Jackson made his
debut, with four carries for 20 yards in his first game since undergoing
back surgery in April. Perhaps Bradford would benefit from Feeley not
playing this week, as Sam could then work with Jackson. The Rams play
Thursday at the (2-0 SU/ATS) Patriots, who have scored 27 and 28 points.
The Colts (0-2 SU/ATS) are playing like they did under Tony Dungy in
preseason, as second-year coach Jim Caldwell is now 1-5 SU, 2-4 ATS in
August. The defense has been shredded in the two games, giving up 37 and
34 points. However, take note that the Colts starters played extremely well.
The starting offense led 10-0 in the opener and scored 14 first quarter
points in Week 2. It's the backups that can't stop anybody. The
offensive line has been hit hard by injuries, in the wake of center Jeff
Saturday's arthroscopic surgery, the continued absence of rookie
interior lineman Jacques McClendon and veteran tackle Charlie Johnson.
So that means QB Peyton Manning is still great, but backups Curtis
Painter, Tom Brandstater and rookie Tim Hiller are not ready for prime
time. The Colts suffered four turnovers in their opening loss to San
Francisco and again were careless with the football Saturday, losing
three fumbles, including a botched punt return by rookie Ray Fisher. The
Colts also were penalized eight times.
On the plus side, safety Bob Sanders was back on the field for the first
time since rupturing his left biceps tendon Nov. 1, 2009, and the
starting unit forced three punts, but also yielded the big plays to RB
C.J. Spiller and QB Trent Edwards.
New Coach Pete Carroll has some problems in Seattle. Seattle's starting
defense, which was ransacked most of last season, allowed 264 yards and
17 points to the Packers' first- and second-team offense in the first
half. QB Matt Hasselbeck was 11 for 15 for 127 yards with a score in a
redeeming first half, but the Seahawks may be without rookie
sixth-overall pick Russell Okung for a while because of an injured right
ankle.
The left tackle who, got a guaranteed $29 million this month from the
Seahawks to replace retired All-Pro Walter Jones, left for good after
one drive with what coach Carroll said could be a high ankle sprain.
That injury sometimes involves two months or more of recovery time.
"It's pretty significant," Carroll said. "Obviously we made it as big a
priority as we could make it to get him. That's a big loss if he can't
come back."
Washington went from blowing out Buffalo to a humbling loss at home to
the Ravens, 23-3. QB Donovan McNabb emerged from the locker room after
halftime with a large wrap around his lower left leg and ankle. McNabb
said he was "just a little sore" and that he expected to play next week
against the New York Jets this weekend.
Left tackle Trent Williams, the No. 4 overall draft pick, left with a
bruised elbow but said he was fine. The Redskins have three new starters
on the offensive line. McNabb had an erratic night for the Redskins,
completing 11 of 26 passes for 206 yards and a bad-decision interception
thrown deep into double coverage. He frequently threw behind receivers
and was often pressured and hit by a blitzing Ravens defense.
New RB Larry Johnson was a disaster, gaining only 4 yards on eight
carries. He also missed a blitz pickup that resulted in an intentional
grounding call on McNabb, bobbled a pass at least a half-dozen times
before dropping it, and lost the ball after tripping over his own man on
a running play. The Redskins have some work to do.
The team McNabb left, the Eagles, had their own problems, getting shut
down at Cincinnati.
They continued their reliance on passing plays, calling for throws on 63
percent of the first team's snaps in three quarters of play. The Eagles
have mostly tried to throw the ball for touchdowns near the goal line
rather than taking a power approach favored by many other teams. In nine
red-zone snaps for the Eagles' first team this preseason, six have been
pass plays. By the way, Philly Coach Andy Reid is 18-28 SU, 19-27 ATS in
preseason. And how bad is the Carolina offense going to be when the
games mean something? The Panthers have scored 12 and 3 points! Good
luck, as always...Al McMordie.
Related Articles:
- NFL Preseason Betting Notes - Week 1
- NFL Betting - The Good Bad and Ugly Teams
- MLB Handicapping Key To The Stretch Run - Pitching
- Betting MLB Totals - The Impact of Parks And Lineup Changes
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