BLAINE GABBERT UNDER FIRE, JOSH FREEMAN REALIZES A DREAM & WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN TONIGHT'S GAME
Blaine Gabbert made his NFL debut tonight in Foxboro & the Patriots weren't very cordial. The rookie from Missouri did some good things, but held the ball too long & was sacked 3 times in the first half. The Jaguar offense kicked three 1st half field goals with Gabbert at the helm, but two possessions began in Patriot territory. He finished the half with 9 completions in 16 attempts for 85 yards. No interceptions, no touchdowns. New England clubbed the Jags 47-12 & they did without Tom Brady & starters Wes Welker, Chocinco, Vince Wilfork & Albert Haynesworth. Rookie running back Stevan Ridley had a big night for the Patriots, rushing for 64-yards & 2 scores plus 7 receptions & a third TD.
In the other preseason games Seattle scored two 4th quarter touchdowns to beat the Chargers in San Diego 24-17. Arizona roughed up the Raiders 24-18, grinding out 400-yards of total offense. Philly beat Baltimore 13-6 in the "under game" of the night. Dallas threw a 2-point conversion with :15 remaining to squeak by Denver 24-23.
The Steelers signed wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a 1-year deal. Adding the former Jet to an already experienced group of wide receivers makes Pittsburgh just that much tougher. I think this will be Baltimore's problem this season, lack of production from their wide receivers. Another wideout who could be on the move is Buffalo's Lee Evans. The Bills made it clear on Wednesday the 8-year veteran was on the trading block. Evans still has deep speed but he no longer is the centerpiece of Chan Gailey's offense. I think he'll end up in Arizona or Baltimore.
New England guard Logan Mankins signed a 6-year deal yesterday essentially making him a Patriot for life. Today he got his signing bonus, $20 million, just as owner Robert Kraft had promised. Spreading the bonus over the life of the contract added to his salary, makes him the highest paid interior lineman in the NFL, by quite a margin.
Arkansas running back Knile Davis may have sustained a serious injury during Thursday's scrimmage. It appeared to be a lower leg injury. Davis is the main cog in the Razorback offense & with Alabama, A&M, Auburn & Ole Miss on consecutive weeks in September & October, maintaining their #14 ranking would be almost impossible if he is out for any length of time.
Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman return home tonight. The Grandview High School grad spent many a Sunday cheering for the likes of Joe Montana, Rich Gannon & Trent Green in Arrowhead Stadium. He talked about his first game & the impact of the Arrowhead version of the National Anthem. "The end of the Anthem, when 78,000 people yelled 'and the home of the Chiefs' it scared me, but it was so cool. It's a dream to play in Arrowhead for me" Freeman said Thursday. This 2nd year quarterback is the future of the Buccaneer franchise, I expect him to take another leap forward in his development this season. Unfortunately for Tampa, they play in a division with Atlanta & New Orleans, both 2010 playoff teams, both improved for 2011. The Bucs are heading in the right direction, they are probably another year away from serious playoff contention.
As for the Chiefs, here's what I'm looking for tonight. Because of the bizarre rule changes regarding free agent signings not being able to practice till last week, I doubt we'll see a number of starters. I'm not expecting too much out of the offense, Matt Cassel, Jamal Charles, Steve Breaston & Jonathan Baldwin probably won't play more than one series. Then it will be time for Tyler Palko & Ricky Stanzi to run the show, so like I said, I don't expect too much offense from the Chiefs. But I am looking forward to the debut of OLB Justin Houston as a situational pass rusher. I want to see his first step, is it as quick as he showed at Georgia. There's a helluva difference stepping up to this level. I want to see Cameron Sheffield, he was injured last August & placed on I.R. These two outside linebackers could make a major impact on an improved Chiefs defense. You know what else would make a big difference? Tyson Jackson living up to Scott Pioli's faith in him, drafting him #3 overall in 2009. Other than Ryan Succop, the last man selected in that draft, Jackson is the only player left & he's been a semi-bust. Can Jackson show significant improvement, enough to justify his massive contract? I'll zero in on rookie Jerrell Powe too, I want to see him against professional interior linemen. I doubt Kelly Gregg will play more than 3-4 series the entire preseason, they know what he can do & at nearly 35, Romeo Crennell will want to save him for the regular season. I look for a low scoring game, but a game that will give us some clues as to how far the talent level of this team has risen.
I had a great conversation over lunch yesterday with sportswriter Rance Burger & after lunch he recorded an interview to be used in three upcoming articles that will cover Mizzou, the Chiefs & Rams. I always enjoy talking football with Rance. He gave me a great tip, he does play-by-play for Camdenton High School. On September 16th, the Lakers travel to Springfield to play Hillcrest High. This school boasts the number one ranked player in the entire nation, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. The 6' 5" 222-pound speedster's skill sets are often compared to one Randy Moss. He's extremely fast, possibly as quick as 4.37, no worse than 4.42. He benches 300-pounds & carries a 3.1 GPA. This young man's list of schools still in the running for his services is a virtual who's who of college football. I plan to be there on the 16th, I want to see this kid in person, see how he runs his routes, see him block. I want to watch the #1 rated player in the nation under those glorious Friday night lights. Really looking forward to it.
The nations' #1 rated recruit for 2012
Dorial Green-Beckham
In the other preseason games Seattle scored two 4th quarter touchdowns to beat the Chargers in San Diego 24-17. Arizona roughed up the Raiders 24-18, grinding out 400-yards of total offense. Philly beat Baltimore 13-6 in the "under game" of the night. Dallas threw a 2-point conversion with :15 remaining to squeak by Denver 24-23.
The Steelers signed wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a 1-year deal. Adding the former Jet to an already experienced group of wide receivers makes Pittsburgh just that much tougher. I think this will be Baltimore's problem this season, lack of production from their wide receivers. Another wideout who could be on the move is Buffalo's Lee Evans. The Bills made it clear on Wednesday the 8-year veteran was on the trading block. Evans still has deep speed but he no longer is the centerpiece of Chan Gailey's offense. I think he'll end up in Arizona or Baltimore.
New England guard Logan Mankins signed a 6-year deal yesterday essentially making him a Patriot for life. Today he got his signing bonus, $20 million, just as owner Robert Kraft had promised. Spreading the bonus over the life of the contract added to his salary, makes him the highest paid interior lineman in the NFL, by quite a margin.
Arkansas running back Knile Davis may have sustained a serious injury during Thursday's scrimmage. It appeared to be a lower leg injury. Davis is the main cog in the Razorback offense & with Alabama, A&M, Auburn & Ole Miss on consecutive weeks in September & October, maintaining their #14 ranking would be almost impossible if he is out for any length of time.
Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman return home tonight. The Grandview High School grad spent many a Sunday cheering for the likes of Joe Montana, Rich Gannon & Trent Green in Arrowhead Stadium. He talked about his first game & the impact of the Arrowhead version of the National Anthem. "The end of the Anthem, when 78,000 people yelled 'and the home of the Chiefs' it scared me, but it was so cool. It's a dream to play in Arrowhead for me" Freeman said Thursday. This 2nd year quarterback is the future of the Buccaneer franchise, I expect him to take another leap forward in his development this season. Unfortunately for Tampa, they play in a division with Atlanta & New Orleans, both 2010 playoff teams, both improved for 2011. The Bucs are heading in the right direction, they are probably another year away from serious playoff contention.
As for the Chiefs, here's what I'm looking for tonight. Because of the bizarre rule changes regarding free agent signings not being able to practice till last week, I doubt we'll see a number of starters. I'm not expecting too much out of the offense, Matt Cassel, Jamal Charles, Steve Breaston & Jonathan Baldwin probably won't play more than one series. Then it will be time for Tyler Palko & Ricky Stanzi to run the show, so like I said, I don't expect too much offense from the Chiefs. But I am looking forward to the debut of OLB Justin Houston as a situational pass rusher. I want to see his first step, is it as quick as he showed at Georgia. There's a helluva difference stepping up to this level. I want to see Cameron Sheffield, he was injured last August & placed on I.R. These two outside linebackers could make a major impact on an improved Chiefs defense. You know what else would make a big difference? Tyson Jackson living up to Scott Pioli's faith in him, drafting him #3 overall in 2009. Other than Ryan Succop, the last man selected in that draft, Jackson is the only player left & he's been a semi-bust. Can Jackson show significant improvement, enough to justify his massive contract? I'll zero in on rookie Jerrell Powe too, I want to see him against professional interior linemen. I doubt Kelly Gregg will play more than 3-4 series the entire preseason, they know what he can do & at nearly 35, Romeo Crennell will want to save him for the regular season. I look for a low scoring game, but a game that will give us some clues as to how far the talent level of this team has risen.
I had a great conversation over lunch yesterday with sportswriter Rance Burger & after lunch he recorded an interview to be used in three upcoming articles that will cover Mizzou, the Chiefs & Rams. I always enjoy talking football with Rance. He gave me a great tip, he does play-by-play for Camdenton High School. On September 16th, the Lakers travel to Springfield to play Hillcrest High. This school boasts the number one ranked player in the entire nation, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. The 6' 5" 222-pound speedster's skill sets are often compared to one Randy Moss. He's extremely fast, possibly as quick as 4.37, no worse than 4.42. He benches 300-pounds & carries a 3.1 GPA. This young man's list of schools still in the running for his services is a virtual who's who of college football. I plan to be there on the 16th, I want to see this kid in person, see how he runs his routes, see him block. I want to watch the #1 rated player in the nation under those glorious Friday night lights. Really looking forward to it.
The nations' #1 rated recruit for 2012
Dorial Green-Beckham
Read your sight daily. Love your insight and to the point analysis, thanks.
Don't write much, but would be interested to know what you think of the new kick off rule. Looks like there won't be much of a need for KO return guys. How will teams field KO and kick return teams? I know you are very concerned about player safety, but the new rule takes one of the more electrifying elements (kick return for a TD) out of the game.
Thanks
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Andy,
Yes, I'm very concerned about player safety, but like you, I hate seeing the demise of the traditional kickoff return. It's possible a kickoff specialist will become more important than a Dante Hall-like return man.
One part of the rule change they didn't explain last night was the coverage guys can't line up deeper than 5-yards off the ball, no 12-15 yard running starts. This will help to limit the number of full speed collisions.
Andy I think the ultimate kickoff specialist is a guy who can kick the ball 60-68 yards with 4.5-5.0 second hangtime. He'd be worth whatever teams are paying return specialists.
Thanks for reading & don't hesitate to comment or email anytime.
Rich
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