WEEKEND RECAP, IRSAY SCARES COLT FANS, CHIEFS RETURN TO PRACTICE, LSU QB IN A JAM & WHO'S INTERESTED IN TERRELLE PRYOR?
With the exception of the Chicago-New York Giants game, scheduled for tonight, week #2 of the preseason is complete. Here's a little of what I saw:
Ram QB Sam Bradford found WR Brandon Gibson 10-yards behind the defense on the first play from scrimmage, good for an 83-yard touchdown. St. Louis stalled out after that until later in the second half. Donnie Avery made his first appearance since blowing out his ACL last August & caught a touchdown from Ram backup A.J. Feeley. Their wide receiver cutdown will be very difficult, everybody is contributing. The Rams ground game wasn't effective tho, 21 carries for 44-yards. The Titans, playing without holdout RB Chris Brown, ran for 198-yards on 35 carries. Rams' kicker Josh Brown kicked a 46-yard field goal with no time left for the 17-16 win.
In their 28-20 loss in Green Bay, Arizona lost RB Ryan Williams for the season with a ruptured patella tendon. He had been one of the Cardinals' bright spots in camp & figured to split carries with oft-injured Beenie Wells. Packer QB's, despite being sacked 5 times, looked to be in mid-season form completing 21 of 27 for 297-yards.
The Lions got a scare when starting running back Jahvid best sustained a concussion during their 30-28 win at Cleveland. Best had a history of concussions while at Cal, in fact in 2009 he received one against Oregon State & it was the one of the most frightening hits I ever saw. He had 3 his junior season before being drafted by Detroit. After losing 2nd round pick Mikel Leshoure last week to an Achilles injury, the Lions don't have much margin for error at RB. Newly acquired Jerome Harrison & Mike Bell aren't close to either Best or Leshoure in ability. Also of note in this game, Colt McCoy had another impressive first half stint completing 10 of 18, tossing three touchdowns. In two preseason games, McCoy is 19 of 28, four touchdown passes & no interceptions.
A split second later, Jahvid Best landed on his head, one of the scariest hits I've seen.
It appears Tim Tebow has fallen to the #3 spot on the QB depth chart in Denver.
The 49ers 17-3 win over Bay Area rival Oakland wasn't the biggest news in San Francisco, it was senseless violence between fans of the two teams. One man was found in a rest room beaten unconscious. There were two shooting incidents in the parking lot after the game, one resulting in life-threatening wounds. What is wrong with people? I'm not going to start ranting, but what is wrong with people? Now about the game, Oakland's offense was lame & their defense wasn't much better. Rookie RB Kendall Hunter shredded the Raider D with 9 carries for 105-yards & a TD. Raider QB Jason Campbell sustained a concussion, so his availability for next week is unknown.
The Texans won their 2nd straight, beating the Saints 27-14. New Orleans nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin suffered a sprained MCL & will miss 2-3 weeks. After Franklin went down early on, the Saints removed his running mate Shaun Rogers from the lineup & Houston exploited their absence in the middle. The Texans ran all over New Orleans. The 2010 leading rusher Arian Foster scored twice on just 5 carries & backup Ben Tate chipped in 95-yards on just 9 carries, he also scored. Second round OLB Brooks Reed had two sacks.
Miami started Reggie Bush & he produced, 81-yards on 10 touches. Cam Newton failed to clinch the Panther's starting job, but Jimmy Clausen did little to change Ron Rivera's mind. Newton will start this Thursday in Cincinnati, it won't take much to lock this up.
The Chargers defeated Dallas tonight 20-7. For the second week in a row, the Charger defense looked sharp. Third year DE Vaughn Martin had a big game, 4 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks & 2 additional QB hits. Phillip Rivers & WR Vincent Jackson could start the season right now. San Diego WR Malcom Floyd suffered a concussion. Tony Romo threw a pick & the Cowboys fumbled twice, this team isn't good enough to overcome a turnover deficit week after week.
Plaxico Burress made his first start for the Jets in a driving rain & caught 3 passes including a diving 26-yard touchdown grab. New York handled the Bungles 27-7.
Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay is scaring the hell out of many Colt fans. Yesterday he Tweeted it was time to recognize QB Peyton Manning may not be ready to start the season. Then tonight he Tweeted he was in Hattiesburg Mississippi, home of Brett Favre. His tweet was "I'm in Hattiesburg, do I turn left or right at the fire station to get to his house?" During halftime of the Charger-Cowboy game, Peter King said he expected Manning to play, he's more interested in the consecutive start record than the TD's & yardage. Tony Dungy agreed, he believes Manning will start opening day. WR Reggie Wayne has been excused from practice & both preseason games for "personal reasons" according to coach Jim Caldwell. This team has a bad vibe, maybe bad enough to allow Houston to finally win the AFC South.
The Chiefs returned to practice today, in full pads, at the stadium practice facility. Jared Gaither returned to practice but it didn't last long before he was limping over to the conditioning area, favoring his ailing knee. Jonathan Baldwin was either riding a bike or dragging a small sled. He was sporting a cast that covered most of his arm below the elbow clear to the tip of his thumb. The Chiefs are handling this incident so poorly, in an effort to stonewall the media & fans, they've made Baldwin's return even tougher. The kid will have to speak to the media & the longer Haley refuses to address the issue, the more heat Baldwin is going to feel when he returns to active duty. I don't get it.
Chiefs media strategy
If we don't talk about it, it didn't happen
Tackle Ryan O'Callaghan is also riding a bike instead of practicing. The depth at this position is really slim. Starters Barry Richardson & Brandon Albert only healthy backups are undrafted rookie free agents Butch Lewis & David Mims. I actually like their potential, but they aren't ready for much regular season duty yet. I expect Gaither to start the season on the PUP list.
I am amazed at some of the garbage that passes as fact on the internet. On two Raven blogs, two different stories regarding John Harbaugh's desire to run up the score Friday night. One said Todd Haley was livid & even with a sincere apology from Harbaugh, Haley just wouldn't drop it in a post-game conversation at midfield. I didn't see it that way, but I wasn't standing next to the pair. The other version of the Raven 4th quarter "beatdown" was Harbaugh wanted to show up players(Kelly Gregg, Le'Ron McClain & Jared Gaither) & coach Jim Zorn for leaving Baltimore to join Kansas City. Really????? Baltimore released Gregg & didn't attempt to resign either McClain or Gaither, so they should what, retire? God forbid they should be allowed to play elsewhere. Jim Zorn was canned by the Ravens because he & offensive coordinator Cam Cameron didn't see eye to eye.
LSU's Les Miles has a real crisis on his hands. Right in the middle of summer camp his starting quarterback, John Jefferson, was involved in a bar fight, along with 3 other teammates early Friday morning. The Baton Rouge Police are still investigating the fight, but witnesses have pointed a finger at Jefferson for allegedly kicking one of the combatants in the head....repeatedly. The four Tigers have also been accused of starting the fight.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced they will offer all non-alcoholic concessions at a 50% discount opening day versus the Detroit Lions. Helping their fans during economic hard times? Trying to get more butts in the seats & beat the blackout? Nope, the catering company that provides all of the concessions at Raymond James Stadium ran out of food in the 2nd quarter last Thursday when the Bucs played New England. It proved to be very embarrassing for the entire organization & this is how they plan to make it all better.
Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald got the deal he wanted. The Cardinals & the all-pro wide receiver agreed to an 8-year deal worth $120 million, $50 million guaranteed.
Terrelle Pryor had his pro day on Saturday & over half the NFL's 32 teams were represented in Pittsburgh, including the Chiefs. Pryor's 40-yard dash was an eye-opener, 4.41 for a 6' 5" 238-pound quarterback. In other Pryor news, he said Saturday thru agent Drew Rosenhaus, he would not appeal the NFL's 5-game suspension. His attorney, David Cornwell said on Friday an appeal would be filed as soon as he signed with an NFL team. That is no longer the plan, Rosenhaus figured it would really hurt his client's chances of being drafted. He's correct in that assumption. The former Buckeye also told scouts in attendance he wasn't adverse to changing positions. But who is really interested in Pryor's services? It's tough to figure, but now that Pryor claimed he would play anywhere the team that drafts him wants, I think his value has gone up some. Maybe as high as the third round. Maybe by Oakland, Al Davis is goofy for fast guys, especially under-achievers who can run really fast. Cincinnati is a possibility, so is Miami. Both need a quarterback & adding to the wide receiver depth is in order as well. We'll know later today. By the way, don't look for the Chiefs to get involved, that already have one bad boy wide receiver, I don't see them getting involved with another.
Ram QB Sam Bradford found WR Brandon Gibson 10-yards behind the defense on the first play from scrimmage, good for an 83-yard touchdown. St. Louis stalled out after that until later in the second half. Donnie Avery made his first appearance since blowing out his ACL last August & caught a touchdown from Ram backup A.J. Feeley. Their wide receiver cutdown will be very difficult, everybody is contributing. The Rams ground game wasn't effective tho, 21 carries for 44-yards. The Titans, playing without holdout RB Chris Brown, ran for 198-yards on 35 carries. Rams' kicker Josh Brown kicked a 46-yard field goal with no time left for the 17-16 win.
In their 28-20 loss in Green Bay, Arizona lost RB Ryan Williams for the season with a ruptured patella tendon. He had been one of the Cardinals' bright spots in camp & figured to split carries with oft-injured Beenie Wells. Packer QB's, despite being sacked 5 times, looked to be in mid-season form completing 21 of 27 for 297-yards.
The Lions got a scare when starting running back Jahvid best sustained a concussion during their 30-28 win at Cleveland. Best had a history of concussions while at Cal, in fact in 2009 he received one against Oregon State & it was the one of the most frightening hits I ever saw. He had 3 his junior season before being drafted by Detroit. After losing 2nd round pick Mikel Leshoure last week to an Achilles injury, the Lions don't have much margin for error at RB. Newly acquired Jerome Harrison & Mike Bell aren't close to either Best or Leshoure in ability. Also of note in this game, Colt McCoy had another impressive first half stint completing 10 of 18, tossing three touchdowns. In two preseason games, McCoy is 19 of 28, four touchdown passes & no interceptions.
A split second later, Jahvid Best landed on his head, one of the scariest hits I've seen.
It appears Tim Tebow has fallen to the #3 spot on the QB depth chart in Denver.
The 49ers 17-3 win over Bay Area rival Oakland wasn't the biggest news in San Francisco, it was senseless violence between fans of the two teams. One man was found in a rest room beaten unconscious. There were two shooting incidents in the parking lot after the game, one resulting in life-threatening wounds. What is wrong with people? I'm not going to start ranting, but what is wrong with people? Now about the game, Oakland's offense was lame & their defense wasn't much better. Rookie RB Kendall Hunter shredded the Raider D with 9 carries for 105-yards & a TD. Raider QB Jason Campbell sustained a concussion, so his availability for next week is unknown.
The Texans won their 2nd straight, beating the Saints 27-14. New Orleans nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin suffered a sprained MCL & will miss 2-3 weeks. After Franklin went down early on, the Saints removed his running mate Shaun Rogers from the lineup & Houston exploited their absence in the middle. The Texans ran all over New Orleans. The 2010 leading rusher Arian Foster scored twice on just 5 carries & backup Ben Tate chipped in 95-yards on just 9 carries, he also scored. Second round OLB Brooks Reed had two sacks.
Miami started Reggie Bush & he produced, 81-yards on 10 touches. Cam Newton failed to clinch the Panther's starting job, but Jimmy Clausen did little to change Ron Rivera's mind. Newton will start this Thursday in Cincinnati, it won't take much to lock this up.
The Chargers defeated Dallas tonight 20-7. For the second week in a row, the Charger defense looked sharp. Third year DE Vaughn Martin had a big game, 4 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks & 2 additional QB hits. Phillip Rivers & WR Vincent Jackson could start the season right now. San Diego WR Malcom Floyd suffered a concussion. Tony Romo threw a pick & the Cowboys fumbled twice, this team isn't good enough to overcome a turnover deficit week after week.
Plaxico Burress made his first start for the Jets in a driving rain & caught 3 passes including a diving 26-yard touchdown grab. New York handled the Bungles 27-7.
Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay is scaring the hell out of many Colt fans. Yesterday he Tweeted it was time to recognize QB Peyton Manning may not be ready to start the season. Then tonight he Tweeted he was in Hattiesburg Mississippi, home of Brett Favre. His tweet was "I'm in Hattiesburg, do I turn left or right at the fire station to get to his house?" During halftime of the Charger-Cowboy game, Peter King said he expected Manning to play, he's more interested in the consecutive start record than the TD's & yardage. Tony Dungy agreed, he believes Manning will start opening day. WR Reggie Wayne has been excused from practice & both preseason games for "personal reasons" according to coach Jim Caldwell. This team has a bad vibe, maybe bad enough to allow Houston to finally win the AFC South.
The Chiefs returned to practice today, in full pads, at the stadium practice facility. Jared Gaither returned to practice but it didn't last long before he was limping over to the conditioning area, favoring his ailing knee. Jonathan Baldwin was either riding a bike or dragging a small sled. He was sporting a cast that covered most of his arm below the elbow clear to the tip of his thumb. The Chiefs are handling this incident so poorly, in an effort to stonewall the media & fans, they've made Baldwin's return even tougher. The kid will have to speak to the media & the longer Haley refuses to address the issue, the more heat Baldwin is going to feel when he returns to active duty. I don't get it.
Chiefs media strategy
If we don't talk about it, it didn't happen
Tackle Ryan O'Callaghan is also riding a bike instead of practicing. The depth at this position is really slim. Starters Barry Richardson & Brandon Albert only healthy backups are undrafted rookie free agents Butch Lewis & David Mims. I actually like their potential, but they aren't ready for much regular season duty yet. I expect Gaither to start the season on the PUP list.
I am amazed at some of the garbage that passes as fact on the internet. On two Raven blogs, two different stories regarding John Harbaugh's desire to run up the score Friday night. One said Todd Haley was livid & even with a sincere apology from Harbaugh, Haley just wouldn't drop it in a post-game conversation at midfield. I didn't see it that way, but I wasn't standing next to the pair. The other version of the Raven 4th quarter "beatdown" was Harbaugh wanted to show up players(Kelly Gregg, Le'Ron McClain & Jared Gaither) & coach Jim Zorn for leaving Baltimore to join Kansas City. Really????? Baltimore released Gregg & didn't attempt to resign either McClain or Gaither, so they should what, retire? God forbid they should be allowed to play elsewhere. Jim Zorn was canned by the Ravens because he & offensive coordinator Cam Cameron didn't see eye to eye.
LSU's Les Miles has a real crisis on his hands. Right in the middle of summer camp his starting quarterback, John Jefferson, was involved in a bar fight, along with 3 other teammates early Friday morning. The Baton Rouge Police are still investigating the fight, but witnesses have pointed a finger at Jefferson for allegedly kicking one of the combatants in the head....repeatedly. The four Tigers have also been accused of starting the fight.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced they will offer all non-alcoholic concessions at a 50% discount opening day versus the Detroit Lions. Helping their fans during economic hard times? Trying to get more butts in the seats & beat the blackout? Nope, the catering company that provides all of the concessions at Raymond James Stadium ran out of food in the 2nd quarter last Thursday when the Bucs played New England. It proved to be very embarrassing for the entire organization & this is how they plan to make it all better.
Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald got the deal he wanted. The Cardinals & the all-pro wide receiver agreed to an 8-year deal worth $120 million, $50 million guaranteed.
Terrelle Pryor had his pro day on Saturday & over half the NFL's 32 teams were represented in Pittsburgh, including the Chiefs. Pryor's 40-yard dash was an eye-opener, 4.41 for a 6' 5" 238-pound quarterback. In other Pryor news, he said Saturday thru agent Drew Rosenhaus, he would not appeal the NFL's 5-game suspension. His attorney, David Cornwell said on Friday an appeal would be filed as soon as he signed with an NFL team. That is no longer the plan, Rosenhaus figured it would really hurt his client's chances of being drafted. He's correct in that assumption. The former Buckeye also told scouts in attendance he wasn't adverse to changing positions. But who is really interested in Pryor's services? It's tough to figure, but now that Pryor claimed he would play anywhere the team that drafts him wants, I think his value has gone up some. Maybe as high as the third round. Maybe by Oakland, Al Davis is goofy for fast guys, especially under-achievers who can run really fast. Cincinnati is a possibility, so is Miami. Both need a quarterback & adding to the wide receiver depth is in order as well. We'll know later today. By the way, don't look for the Chiefs to get involved, that already have one bad boy wide receiver, I don't see them getting involved with another.
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