A LOT OF INJURIES - TOO MANY, STEELERS LOOK READY, LIONS COULD BE SCARY & DGB IS THE REAL DEAL
The number of surgical procedures & walking wounded is alarming after just three preseason games. We've seen 7 Achilles injuries already & numerous knee surgeries. The past two days saw more starting players sidelined. Here's a list of those I'm aware of tonight. Pay attention fantasy football players.
Baltimore WR Lee Evans in a walking boot on Saturday morning.
Cincinnati TE Bo Scaife suffered a severe shoulder injury that may put him on I.R.
Tampa TE Kellen Winslow limped off the field in the 1st half tonight & didn't return.
Chicago TE Desmond Clark sustained what appeared to be a severe knee injury.
New England WR Wes Welker suffered a neck injury making a tackle after an interception.
Pittsburgh QB Byron Leftwich sustained a fractured arm & will miss "extended time."
Houston RB Arian Foster re-aggravated his hamstring pull.
Chicago RB Marion Barber sustained a calf injury that sidelined him tonight.
The Eagles had to shuffle their offensive line after right tackle Ryan Harris went down with a herniated disc that will require surgery. The 2010 starter, Winston Justice is still on the PUP list & may stay there for the first 6-weeks of the regular season. Ryan's backup, King Dunlap hasn't been effective so far, so Andy Reid has moved left guard Todd Herremans over to right tackle. Evan Mathis will step into the left guard spot. Rookie Danny Watkins is the current starter at right guard. It's a good thing Michael Vick is a mobile quarterback. This could really present a problem for the "Dream Team."
The Ravens must be happy with newly acquired tackle Bryant McKinnie because they cut right tackle Oneil Cousins Saturday. He was a 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft. It looks like Michael Oher will move back to the right side & McKinnie will slip into the left tackle spot immediately. Is that what Chiefs fans can expect with former Raven left tackle Jared Gaither, who finally played last night?
The Pittsburgh Steelers appear ready to contend for another Super Bowl appearance. They beat Atlanta 34-16 & it wasn't as close as the score. Most of the starters both both teams played the entire 1st half. Ben Rothlisberger looked very sharp throwing 2 long touchdowns to Antonio Brown. Brown caught 4 passes good for 137-yards. Pittsburgh is loaded at WR, Brown, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Jerricho Cotchery & Emmanuel Sanders. If they keep the O-line healthy & Rashard Mendenhall produces in the running game, Pittsburgh could be my Super Bowl pick in the AFC. Atlanta on the other hand, looked very ordinary in their third preseason defeat, already losing to Miami & Jacksonville. Falcon QB Matt Ryan threw 42 passes in the first half. Atlanta piled up the yardage, 405 total, but once they crossed midfield, the Steelers clamped down & that was it.
Antonio Brown
The beleaguered Chad Henne had a good night for Miami completing 10 of 13 passes for 175-yards & a touchdown to Brandon Marshall. But Tampa prevailed, scoring a late touchdown to win 17-13.
Seattle's Doug Baldwin ran a kickoff back 105-yards for a touchdown, the first return of 50+ yards in the preseason. It didn't help the Seahawks as they were beaten by Denver 23-20 on a 51-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka with no time left. Denver outgained Seattle 450-183. The broncos also put the ball on the ground 5 times. Rookie OLB Von Miller had 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 passes batted down & 4 other QB hits. With Miller on one side, 2009 leading sacker, Elvis Dumervil should be very productive. He had 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss & 2 QB hits tonight in less than a half of work.
How bad are the San Francisco Forty-Niners? They scored 7 total points tonight & it came on an interception return. Their pitiful offense managed just 105 total yards. Houston rolled them 30-7.
Detroit was a little scary tonight, beating new England handily 34-10. Lions QB Matthew Stafford was very impressive against the Patriots 1st team defense, completing 12 of 14 passes for 200-yards & 2 scores. The Lions threw 4 touchdown passes overall. Detroit played a very physical game, intending to make a statement according to DT Ndamukong Suh, "we want to send a message, we want quarterbacks to be afraid, we want offensive linemen to be afraid." I doubt they'll be afraid, but this defensive line will get plenty of respect this season.
San Diego-Arizona & Jacksonville-Buffalo weren't about defense. The four teams combined for 1,586 total yards & 132 total points. Both games went right down to the end, Buffalo winning in overtime & San Diego scoring the winning touchdown with 00:03 left.
The Vikings Adrian Peterson showed tonight why he is the league's best running back. His cuts in the hole & ability to break tackles was on full display tonight against Dallas. The 'Boys won the game, but their defense was shredded for 442-yards.
The league announced there would be no suspensions for Aqib Talib & Kenny Britt. Fines for both are expected but no suspensions. Commissioner Roger Goodell met with both early last week & told both their margin for error was nearly non-existent.
After watching the Pats-Lions, the NFL Network "Around the League" which looks in on current games, the NASCAR night race at Bristol & another blown Royals game, I caught the #1 ranked high school football player in the land on ESPNU. Springfield Hillcrest played Seneca & for nearly 2 hours, I watched this jaw-dropping talent. The 6' 6" 225-pound high school senior caught 18 passes for 284-yards & three touchdowns. Leading 48-20 with 10-minutes to play in the 4th quarter, Hillcrest called off the dogs & benched most of their starters. The game was played at Joplin's Missouri Southern State University stadium. The field turf made him faster, if that's possible. Senaca tried a variety of defensive schemes to try & slow down this man-child but to no avail. He doesn't run the crispest patterns & often he's just catching a jump ball. He didn't drop a single pass he touched with both hands. He had little difficulty getting of the jam, he just shoves people around & blows past them. I saw him throw two crushing blocks & he even ran down a safety who had intercepted a pass intended for him. They were going in opposite directions & it took DGB 30-yards to catch him, but he never quit on the play & made the tackle. I like effort like that. That 4.37 speed comes in handy. I should mention he also led his Hillcrest basketball team to the Missouri State Championship this past season.
ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman, who wrote an extensive piece about DGB, was interviewed by phone during the live telecast, what he revealed made me want to read his article, you should want to read it as well. Dorial is one of 5 adopted children of John & Tracy Beckham. They adopted their first child, an infant, in 1987. Now, 23-year old Sara is a collge senior. Dorial & his brother Darnell were first in the Beckham's home as foster children in 2005. The brothers asked the Beckhams if they could join their family permanently. The couple agreed & Dorial & Darnell added -Beckham to their last name. The couple also has two foster children living with them now, their 19th & 20th since 1987. One of those boys will be adopted later this year. In 2005, Tracy Beckham became pregnant, something doctors told her would never happen. She gave birth to their only biological child, Eliza in 2006. Darnell became very ill earlier this year & very quickly everyone's life would change. Darnell was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It requires a 120-week treatment. Darnell receives chemotherapy every Tuesday & also travels to St. Judes Children's Hospital in Memphis twice a year. His prognosis is good. Had he not been adopted, he might not have gotten the care he needs.
So where does the nations #1 rated player intend to go to school & play football? John Beckham, who is also Dorial's high school football coach, said no decisions have been made. Sherman said last night tho he has over a dozen schools still on his list, he believes Dorial will stay close to home, his younger brother is always in his thoughts & he doesn't want to be too far away. Sherman said there were really just 6 options, Missouri, Oklahoma, Okie State, Texas, Arkansas & maybe Alabama, Dorial said he liked Nick Saban. Realistically, Sherman thought Mizzou, Arkansas & Oklahoma were the front-runners as they are closest to the Beckhams' Springfield home. This is a pretty special young man, in a very special family. I'm going to see him in person September 16th when Hillcrest hosts the Camdenton Lakers in Springfield.
The Beckham Family
Baltimore WR Lee Evans in a walking boot on Saturday morning.
Cincinnati TE Bo Scaife suffered a severe shoulder injury that may put him on I.R.
Tampa TE Kellen Winslow limped off the field in the 1st half tonight & didn't return.
Chicago TE Desmond Clark sustained what appeared to be a severe knee injury.
New England WR Wes Welker suffered a neck injury making a tackle after an interception.
Pittsburgh QB Byron Leftwich sustained a fractured arm & will miss "extended time."
Houston RB Arian Foster re-aggravated his hamstring pull.
Chicago RB Marion Barber sustained a calf injury that sidelined him tonight.
The Eagles had to shuffle their offensive line after right tackle Ryan Harris went down with a herniated disc that will require surgery. The 2010 starter, Winston Justice is still on the PUP list & may stay there for the first 6-weeks of the regular season. Ryan's backup, King Dunlap hasn't been effective so far, so Andy Reid has moved left guard Todd Herremans over to right tackle. Evan Mathis will step into the left guard spot. Rookie Danny Watkins is the current starter at right guard. It's a good thing Michael Vick is a mobile quarterback. This could really present a problem for the "Dream Team."
The Ravens must be happy with newly acquired tackle Bryant McKinnie because they cut right tackle Oneil Cousins Saturday. He was a 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft. It looks like Michael Oher will move back to the right side & McKinnie will slip into the left tackle spot immediately. Is that what Chiefs fans can expect with former Raven left tackle Jared Gaither, who finally played last night?
The Pittsburgh Steelers appear ready to contend for another Super Bowl appearance. They beat Atlanta 34-16 & it wasn't as close as the score. Most of the starters both both teams played the entire 1st half. Ben Rothlisberger looked very sharp throwing 2 long touchdowns to Antonio Brown. Brown caught 4 passes good for 137-yards. Pittsburgh is loaded at WR, Brown, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Jerricho Cotchery & Emmanuel Sanders. If they keep the O-line healthy & Rashard Mendenhall produces in the running game, Pittsburgh could be my Super Bowl pick in the AFC. Atlanta on the other hand, looked very ordinary in their third preseason defeat, already losing to Miami & Jacksonville. Falcon QB Matt Ryan threw 42 passes in the first half. Atlanta piled up the yardage, 405 total, but once they crossed midfield, the Steelers clamped down & that was it.
Antonio Brown
The beleaguered Chad Henne had a good night for Miami completing 10 of 13 passes for 175-yards & a touchdown to Brandon Marshall. But Tampa prevailed, scoring a late touchdown to win 17-13.
Seattle's Doug Baldwin ran a kickoff back 105-yards for a touchdown, the first return of 50+ yards in the preseason. It didn't help the Seahawks as they were beaten by Denver 23-20 on a 51-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka with no time left. Denver outgained Seattle 450-183. The broncos also put the ball on the ground 5 times. Rookie OLB Von Miller had 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 passes batted down & 4 other QB hits. With Miller on one side, 2009 leading sacker, Elvis Dumervil should be very productive. He had 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss & 2 QB hits tonight in less than a half of work.
How bad are the San Francisco Forty-Niners? They scored 7 total points tonight & it came on an interception return. Their pitiful offense managed just 105 total yards. Houston rolled them 30-7.
Detroit was a little scary tonight, beating new England handily 34-10. Lions QB Matthew Stafford was very impressive against the Patriots 1st team defense, completing 12 of 14 passes for 200-yards & 2 scores. The Lions threw 4 touchdown passes overall. Detroit played a very physical game, intending to make a statement according to DT Ndamukong Suh, "we want to send a message, we want quarterbacks to be afraid, we want offensive linemen to be afraid." I doubt they'll be afraid, but this defensive line will get plenty of respect this season.
San Diego-Arizona & Jacksonville-Buffalo weren't about defense. The four teams combined for 1,586 total yards & 132 total points. Both games went right down to the end, Buffalo winning in overtime & San Diego scoring the winning touchdown with 00:03 left.
The Vikings Adrian Peterson showed tonight why he is the league's best running back. His cuts in the hole & ability to break tackles was on full display tonight against Dallas. The 'Boys won the game, but their defense was shredded for 442-yards.
The league announced there would be no suspensions for Aqib Talib & Kenny Britt. Fines for both are expected but no suspensions. Commissioner Roger Goodell met with both early last week & told both their margin for error was nearly non-existent.
After watching the Pats-Lions, the NFL Network "Around the League" which looks in on current games, the NASCAR night race at Bristol & another blown Royals game, I caught the #1 ranked high school football player in the land on ESPNU. Springfield Hillcrest played Seneca & for nearly 2 hours, I watched this jaw-dropping talent. The 6' 6" 225-pound high school senior caught 18 passes for 284-yards & three touchdowns. Leading 48-20 with 10-minutes to play in the 4th quarter, Hillcrest called off the dogs & benched most of their starters. The game was played at Joplin's Missouri Southern State University stadium. The field turf made him faster, if that's possible. Senaca tried a variety of defensive schemes to try & slow down this man-child but to no avail. He doesn't run the crispest patterns & often he's just catching a jump ball. He didn't drop a single pass he touched with both hands. He had little difficulty getting of the jam, he just shoves people around & blows past them. I saw him throw two crushing blocks & he even ran down a safety who had intercepted a pass intended for him. They were going in opposite directions & it took DGB 30-yards to catch him, but he never quit on the play & made the tackle. I like effort like that. That 4.37 speed comes in handy. I should mention he also led his Hillcrest basketball team to the Missouri State Championship this past season.
ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman, who wrote an extensive piece about DGB, was interviewed by phone during the live telecast, what he revealed made me want to read his article, you should want to read it as well. Dorial is one of 5 adopted children of John & Tracy Beckham. They adopted their first child, an infant, in 1987. Now, 23-year old Sara is a collge senior. Dorial & his brother Darnell were first in the Beckham's home as foster children in 2005. The brothers asked the Beckhams if they could join their family permanently. The couple agreed & Dorial & Darnell added -Beckham to their last name. The couple also has two foster children living with them now, their 19th & 20th since 1987. One of those boys will be adopted later this year. In 2005, Tracy Beckham became pregnant, something doctors told her would never happen. She gave birth to their only biological child, Eliza in 2006. Darnell became very ill earlier this year & very quickly everyone's life would change. Darnell was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It requires a 120-week treatment. Darnell receives chemotherapy every Tuesday & also travels to St. Judes Children's Hospital in Memphis twice a year. His prognosis is good. Had he not been adopted, he might not have gotten the care he needs.
So where does the nations #1 rated player intend to go to school & play football? John Beckham, who is also Dorial's high school football coach, said no decisions have been made. Sherman said last night tho he has over a dozen schools still on his list, he believes Dorial will stay close to home, his younger brother is always in his thoughts & he doesn't want to be too far away. Sherman said there were really just 6 options, Missouri, Oklahoma, Okie State, Texas, Arkansas & maybe Alabama, Dorial said he liked Nick Saban. Realistically, Sherman thought Mizzou, Arkansas & Oklahoma were the front-runners as they are closest to the Beckhams' Springfield home. This is a pretty special young man, in a very special family. I'm going to see him in person September 16th when Hillcrest hosts the Camdenton Lakers in Springfield.
The Beckham Family
Comments