2013 NFL Preseason Recap and Fantasy Football Notes: Week 1

Bills 44, Colts 20

Andrew Luck made his NFL preseason debut a year ago on a weekend afternoon. He was so impressive that owner Jim Irsay took to Twitter (as usual) and announced, “Historic beginning!!!!!!!!!!!!! The legend has begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

This time, it was E.J. Manuel’s turn. Manuel obviously wasn’t as heralded as Luck throughout his draft process, but he was the first quarterback selected this April, so his first outing was highly anticipated as well.

Manuel actually performed pretty well at Indianapolis despite not having Stevie Johnson at his disposal. He started slow, throwing wide of rookie Robert Woods and then behind Fred Jackson on a screen, but he got into a groove and eventually finished 16-of-21 for 107 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled thrice for 28 rushing yards, most of which came on a 24-yard scramble on a 3rd-and-6 during the third drive. His ability to pick up rushing numbers makes him an intriguing QB2 with upside.

Manuel had a couple of bad misfires and then tossed a bunch of short stuff during the 2-minute drill at the end of the first half. However, he moved the chains and eventually threw a nice, 17-yard touchdown strike to Dorin Dickerson.

Overall, I’d give Manuel a solid “B+” for his debut. He had more positive than negative moments, though he was going against a poor Indianapolis vanilla defense. Still, there’s no question that he should be the starter over Kevin Kolb.

Here were Manuel’s targets:

Tashard Choice: 3
Dorin Dickerson: 2 (1 end zone)
Chris Gragg: 1
T.J. Graham: 1
Chris Hogan: 2
Fred Jackson: 3
Lee Smith: 2
Robert Woods: 6

Second-round rookie Robert Woods led the Bills in targets with six. He finished with four catches for 32 yards, though he did muff a punt in the first quarter. It’s hard to like Woods as a fantasy factor this season, but perhaps he can emerge as a WR3 in 2014.

One of the Indianapolis announcers said that the team has a “new emphasis to stop the run.” Interesting, but it didn’t go too well when C.J. Spiller opened up with gains of 17 and 15 on his first two carries. He later fumbled on an exchange with E.J. Manuel, but that’s not a big deal. The Bills said they will feed Spiller “until he throws up,” and it appears as though they’re keeping their word. Spiller has a very good chance of finishing as a top-five fantasy running back this year.

Another speedster, third-round rookie Marqise Goodwin, won’t contribute on offense for a while, but he had two great kickoff returns. He took his first try back to midfield and then scored on his second opportunity.

The Bills wanted to showcase undrafted rookie receiver Da’Rick Rogers in the second half, but all he did was snag a 6-yard touchdown from third-string quarterback Jeff Tuel. The wideout who made the greatest impact was Marcus Easley. Now in his fourth season, Easley caught seven balls for 94 yards. He’s someone to monitor.

Speaking of Tuel, I thought the undrafted rookie signal-caller out of Washington State was very impressive. He went 19-of-23 for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He showed nice poise in the pocket and threw with decent velocity.

Another rookie who made some noise was second-round rookie Kiko Alonso. Starting at one of the inside linebacker positions, Alonso ran stride for stride with tight end Coby Fleener and broke up a touchdown in the opening quarter.

As for the Colts, Andrew Luck played two series without one of his starting tight ends (Dwayne Allen), but didn’t come up with any points. He led the team into the red zone on the second possession, but Fleener fumbled the ball away. Luck finished 4-of-6 for 51 yards.

Here were Luck’s targets:

Coby Fleener: 2
T.Y. Hilton: 1
Reggie Wayne: 3

I mentioned that Fleener lost a fumble. It’s a shame that he did because he broke a tackle on a nice 24-yard gain as he coughed up the football. He was also targeted in the end zone by Matt Hasselbeck, but a Buffalo defender made a nice pass break-up. It’s quite apparent that the Colts plan on featuring Fleener more prominently, so he’s a high-upside TE2.

Second-year wideout T.Y. Hilton saw just one target from Andrew Luck in his exhibition debut, but he snagged a 45-yard touchdown bomb when Matt Hasselbeck was under center. Hilton should be a decent WR3 this year.

Ahmad Bradshaw was out, allowing Vick Ballard to start. Ballard looked good, gaining 18 yards on just three carries. He’s worth drafting in the later rounds because Bradshaw will probably suffer some sort of injury.

The Indianapolis announcers were homers who said some silly things. I already mentioned one:

“There’s a new emphasis to stop the run.”

So they didn’t try to stop the run last year? Ah, that’s why their defense sucked.

“We got some big beef in the middle now.”

Sounds like something Matt Millen would enjoy.

“We have a new safety, LaRon Laundry.”

No relation to Dawan Laundry, one of the Jets’ safeties.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Lions 26, Jets 17

Rex Ryan planned to play his starters longer than he normally would in the first preseason game because he had to choose a starting quarterback. Little did he know that fate would decide for him. Geno Smith suffered an ankle injury on a non-contact scramble in the third quarter. It turned out to be a sprain, so he may miss the next exhibition contest.

It’s quite a shame for the Jets because Mark Sanchez was awful at Detroit. He pulled a move that nearly rivaled the Butt Fumble on the first drive. He panicked under pressure and lobbed a pass right to rookie defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, who took the ball back for a touchdown. There was no Jet receiver in the area, so it’s unclear what Sanchez was thinking.

The consensus belief is that Sanchez rebounded after that error, but only because of his stat line: 10-of-13 for 125 yards, one touchdown and an interception. However, anyone who watched this game knows those numbers are very misleading. Sanchez was nearly picked a second time when he tossed a horrible screen pass to Kellen Winslow Jr. that was way too far out in front of his target. Winslow tipped the ball into the air and had to tackle a Detroit defender to prevent another interception. Sanchez then had two long strikes, including a 24-yarder on 3rd-and-11, but both of those happened as a result of breakdowns in Detroit’s coverage. If you watch the replay, no one was covering Jeff Cumberland on the scoring pass. The linebacker was on him for the first 10 yards, but simply abandoned him with no one in support behind him.

I’m not sure why some people continue to defend Sanchez, but he’s an abomination. He can’t be a starter in this league.

Here were Sanchez’s targets:

Tommy Bohanon: 1
Jeff Cumberland: 1
Clyde Gates: 2
Stephen Hill: 1
Jeremy Kerley: 2
Bilal Powell: 4
Ryan Spadola: 1
Kellen Winslow: 2

Meanwhile, Geno Smith went 6-of-7 for 47 yards in the preseason opener. He had nice zip on his passes, but the non-contact injury ruined his chances of being the starter in Week 1. It won’t be long until Smith permanently takes over for Sanchez, but if you were thinking of drafting him as a late-round sleeper, find someone who will actually be on the field in September.

Speaking of injured Jets, Chris Ivory was out, so Bilal Powell drew the start. He looked slow for the most part, but managed to rip off an 11-yarder, thanks to great blocking and a broken tackle. Sanchez also targeted him four times. Powell finished with 14 yards on nine carries.

First-round rookie cornerback Dee Milliner had an up-and-down performance. He managed to break up a touchdown to Patrick Edwards in the first half, but then he missed a tackle on Joique Bell, allowing the big running back to gain a first down.

It’s insane to think that Sanchez and Matthew Stafford were just four picks apart in the 2009 NFL Draft. Stafford may have a terrible record against winning teams, but he’s actually a decent starting quarterback. He went 3-of-8 for 58 yards in this contest. He and Calvin Johnson hooked up three out of four times, with the lone exception being a potential back-shoulder throw that Megatron didn’t read.

Here were Stafford’s targets:

Reggie Bush: 2
Patrick Edwards: 1
Calvin Johnson: 4
Tony Scheffler: 1

Reggie Bush drew a cheer from the crowd when he bounced his first carry outside and hurdled Kyle Wilson to pick up seven yards. However, he finished with just five yards on three attempts, though Stafford did target him twice.

Matt Willis isn’t going to make much of an impact this year, barring injuries, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t note his outstanding diving catches in the second quarter. Willis made a couple of spectacular grabs from Shaun Hill as the wideout flew through the air to snag the football. Hill, by the way, went 11-of-18 for 136 yards and a score to Willis (3-51, TD). He continues to be one of the top backup quarterbacks in the NFL.

As mentioned earlier, Ezekiel Ansah snatched a pick-six from Mark Sanchez. He made several other good plays, including one tackle for loss on Bilal Powell when he shed Pro Bowl left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

The Lions have quite the kicking battle on their hands. David Akers, who struggled because of injuries last year, hit two attempts from 47 and 35 yards. Meanwhile, Havard Rugland converted both of his tries from 50 and 49. Rugland is a fan favorite; he was cheered every time he took the field.

The announcers on Detroit’s broadcast network didn’t make any mistakes that I noticed, but the play-by-play guy said the following about 20 times during the first quarter: “Wallside Windows. We can do that. We are the factory.” It seriously went like this:

“Now, let’s look at the Detroit starters, sponsored by Wallside Windows. We can do that. We are the factory. Matthew Stafford’s the quarterback, Reggie Bush is the running back, and Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson are the receivers. The skill positions are brought to you by Wallside Windows. We can do that. We are the factory. Stafford goes back to throw, and he finds Johnson for a first down! The first-down line is sponsored by Wallside Windows. We can do that. We are the factory. Now, back to the starters, brought to you by Wallside Windows. We can do that. We are the factory.”

We get it! Wallside Windows is the freaking factory!

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Giants 18, Steelers 13

The NFL Network pisses me off sometimes. The repetitive commercials and illiterate analysts are tiresome, but failing to broadcast this game is a much worse offense. For whatever reason, the NFL Network televised a rerun of the Ravens-Buccaneers contest to all of those in the Philadelphia area. Everyone in New York was able to turn to NBC for coverage, but the Philadelphia viewers were completely screwed. There’s no logical reason for the NFL Network to black out this contest in Philadelphia. I’d like to thank forum member Andre Carmel for sending me a link for a live broadcast.

As for this actual game, the Giants entered with many questions on defense, but they proved that their offense is just fine – even with Hakeem Nicks out of the lineup. Eli Manning played just two drives, but found Victor Cruz downfield for a 57-yard touchdown. Manning finished 2-of-5 for 73 yards and the score.

Here were Manning’s targets:

Victor Cruz: 1
Louis Murphy: 1 (1 end zone)
Rueben Randle: 3 (1 end zone)

Taking advantage of Hakeem Nicks’ absence, Rueben Randle led the Giants in targets from Eli Manning in the preseason opener. He saw three balls go his way, including one in the end zone. He only came up with one catch, but he made Troy Polamalu miss on what turned out to be a 16-yard gain. Randle won’t be much of a fantasy factor if Nicks is healthy, but he can be started as a WR3/flex otherwise.

David Wilson started the game for the Giants, but Andre Brown was on the field for the all-important third-down snaps. Brown handled the workload for two entire series and then gave way to Wilson again. Both Wilson (5-16) and Brown (4-23) looked good for the most part, but Brown lost a fumble on a non-contact situation. First-round rookie Jarvis Jones pounced on the ball. The important thing is that Tom Coughlin stuck with Brown after the turnover.

It’s only one game, but Damontre Moore looks like a stud. He opened the contest with a blocked punt and then nearly sacked Ben Roethlisberger on the next drive. He pressured all of the Pittsburgh quarterbacks quite frequently, so it’s easy to see why he was projected to be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft prior to his slow 40 times at the Combine. It’s amazing that he somehow fell to the third round.

Elsewhere on the Giants’ defensive line, Cullen Jenkins suffered an injury on the opening defensive drive. It looked bad at first, but Jenkins stayed in the game and sacked Roethlisberger two plays later.

As for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger led the team to three points on his two possessions. The Steelers actually had a 4th-and-1 inside the red zone, but decided to kick a field goal for some strange reason. Great decision to try a 20-yard kick! The coaching staff definitely learned a lot from that situation.

Roethlisberger finished 4-of-8 for 36 yards. His offensive line had issues blocking the Giants’ front.

Here were Roethlisberger’s targets:

Antonio Brown: 3 (1 end zone)
Jonathan Dwyer: 1
Will Johnson: 1
Emmanuel Sanders: 3

Antonio Brown didn’t log a reception, but don’t panic if you own him because he was targeted three times on a pair of drives, including once in the end zone. He’ll be a borderline WR2 this year.

Emmanuel Sanders tied Antonio Brown for the team lead in targets (3) from Ben Roethlisberger in the preseason opener. Sanders hauled in all three balls for 27 yards. With Mike Wallace gone, Sanders will have a much larger role in Pittsburgh’s offense this year.

Le’Veon Bell didn’t play in this contest because of soreness in his ~~vag~~ knee, which was disappointing. Fortunately for Bell, no Steeler running back stepped up in his absence. Isaac Redman started, but didn’t do much (2-7). Jonathan Dwyer ripped off an 11-yard run, but dropped a screen pass. LaRod Stephens-Howling was the best of the bunch (7-40), but he’s just a change-of-pace runner.

Rookie Markus Wheaton made what appeared to be a great, 21-yard sideline catch in the second quarter, but he couldn’t control the ball when he hit the ground. Wheaton made up for it on the next drive with a reception on fourth down to move the chains. That 8-yard grab was his only catch, though he did have a 10-yard end-around. Wheaton is someone to monitor down the road.

The first-round rookie, Jarvis Jones, had the aforementioned fumble recovery, but his best play of the evening was chasing down a running back on a screen and preventing a first down.

I forgot Landry Jones was actually drafted in April. He shouldn’t have been selected at all, and it showed in this game. He took the field in the third quarter and immediately crashed into his running back. The ball was fumbled, so he had to pounce on it in the end zone, resulting in a Giants’ safety. It was very Mark Sanchez-esque. Jones finished 5-of-9 for 48 yards.

Speaking of crappy, backup quarterbacks, check out what David Carr now looks like:

Is that an NFL player or a male porn star?

Oh, and if you scroll down to the Cowboys-Raiders recap, you’ll see a small rant about Roger Goodell profiting off these new bag rules. Here it is again, without the hot cheerleader this time:

How convenient that the fans are only allowed to bring in certain bags to the stadium and that they can buy these types of bags with the team logos on them! Yes, I’m sure Goodell really cares about everyone’s safety.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Saints 17, Chiefs 13

This was Sean Payton’s first NFL game as a coach since the Bountygate penalties were handed down. The offense didn’t look extremely sharp in his return, but then again, it is the first preseason contest and Marques Colston was out.

Drew Brees went 7-of-10 for 65 yards with one of his incompletions being a throw-away. He was just fine. The problem was that rookie wideout Kenny Stills dropped a deep pass, and then the offensive line forced Brees into a poor pass. Otherwise, Brees did a good job of spreading the ball around, as usual.

Here were Brees’ targets:

Jed Collins: 1
Jimmy Graham: 2
Lance Moore: 2
Kenny Stills: 3 (1 end zone)
Ben Watson: 2

Stills had a rough preseason debut. He led the team with three targets from Drew Brees, but he had the aforementioned drop. He also fumbled an end-around and was whistled for offensive pass interference, though the call was bogus and should have gone the other way.

Pierre Thomas was out with a hamstring, so Mark Ingram drew the start. Ingram, who finished with 12 yards on three carries, had a powerful 5-yard gain on a 3rd-and-1 situation on the second drive. However, this doesn’t change the fact that Ingram’s presence on the field is an automatic tell that the Saints will be running the ball. New Orleans has one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, so trying to force a ground attack is a mistake, in my opinion.

Speaking of Saint running backs, fourth-stringer Travaris Cadet displayed some awesome juke moves as he tallied 40 yards on 13 attempts. Chris Ivory is gone, but Cadet looks like he can just step in without any sort of downgrade.

Third-round rookie John Jenkins, a 350-pound nose tackle, sacked Chase Daniel in the second quarter. He pushed his blocker into the quarterback and collapsed the pocket.

Daniel is now on the Chiefs, so Luke McCown is Brees’ new backup. McCown was very impressive. He took multiple deep shots and was able to connect with his receivers on most of them. He finished 18-of-28 for 216 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The pick was ugly – he couldn’t step into his throw and lobbed a weak-armed pass right to a Kansas City defender – but it really was his only blemish of the evening.

Moving on to the Chiefs, Alex Smith went 7-of-8 for 68 yards on just one, 80-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. Smith looked sharp; his one misfire was thrown away because of pressure. He released the ball quickly and accurately, utilizing his running back and tight end on most of his attempts.

Here were Smith’s targets:

Jamaal Charles: 3
Anthony Fasano: 2
Dexter McCluster: 1
Anthony Sherman: 1

Jamaal Charles saw three targets on the opening drive at New Orleans. He also carried the ball five times for 13 yards and a touchdown plunge from the 1-yard line. Charles is going to rack up a ridiculous amount of touches this year, and it could be argued that he should be the No. 2 fantasy pick behind Adrian Peterson.

Charles’ backup, Knile Davis, looked a bit sluggish in his debut. He had just seven yards on five carries. He also dropped a pass.

It was difficult to evaluate rookie right tackle Eric Fisher because Alex Smith released his passes so quickly. However, Fisher suffered a thumb injury in the second quarter. It’s considered only to be minor, fortunately.

The Kansas City coaches love Tyler Bray. The rookie quarterback had a disappointing stat line – 3-of-7, 27 yards – but two of his passes were dropped, including one potential touchdown. One thing that was apparent was Bray’s lack of mobility. He tried to scramble away from pressure on one occasion, and it looked like he was running in slow motion.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Panthers 24, Bears 17

It was Game 1 of the Marc Trestman era, so how would the Bears’ offense look? Not very good, actually. Jay Cutler was picked off on his very first pass attempt. He targeted Alshon Jeffery, but Josh Norman snagged the interception.

Cutler was better after that. He finished 6-of-8 for 56 yards and the pick. He didn’t have Brandon Marshall available, so we’ll have to wait a week to really see Trestman’s offense in action.

Here were Cutler’s targets:

Joe Anderson: 1
Michael Bush: 2
Matt Forte: 1
Alshon Jeffery: 2
Eric Weems: 1

Alshon Jeffery saw two targets from Jay Cutler in the preseason opener, which tied the Bears’ team lead with Michael Bush. Jeffery has been working out hard this offseason, so it was nice to see his effort trickle into live game action. He has WR3 potential this year.

Seventh-round rookie Marquess Wilson caught four balls for 82 yards, including a 58-yard reception in the fourth quarter that set up a touchdown. He’s very talented, but fell in the 2013 NFL Draft because he quit on his college team. Wilson probably won’t contribute much this year, but he’s someone to keep an eye on in 2014 and beyond.

The Bears are featuring two rookie linebackers, Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene. Both made big plays in this contest. Greene had a great goal-line tackle on DeAngelo Williams in the first quarter to save a touchdown. Bostic then snatched a pick-six off Cam Newton, as he stepped in front of Greg Olsen.

Speaking of Newton, I’m very concerned that he’s missing the cerebral part of the game. He constantly broke the huddle with 10 seconds remaining and didn’t bother scanning the defense. He then stared down Olsen, resulting in the aforementioned Bostic pick-six. However, Newton still had a bunch of positive moments in this contest. He went only 3-of-6 for 16 yards, one touchdown and the interception, but he drew a pass-interference flag on what should have been a long touchdown.

Newton didn’t run at all, but this was probably by design. Carolina had the ball at the Chicago 1-yard line at one point, which would’ve normally been time for Newton to pummel his way into the end zone. Instead, he handed it off to DeAngelo Williams.

Here were Newton’s targets:

Ben Hartsock: 1
Brandon LaFell: 1
Greg Olsen: 3 (1 end zone)
Steve Smith: 2

One noticeable difference in Carolina’s offense is that the team was actually using real run formations instead of the read-option. With Jonathan Stewart sidelined, DeAngelo Williams drew the start. He had some quality runs – he made some nice moves to evade tacklers on a 6-yarder – but he was stuffed by Khaseem Greene on the 1-yard line. Williams finished with 10 yards on five attempts.

The Panthers wanted to show off sixth-round rookie running back Kenjon Barner, who had a strong training camp. Barner looked good at times – he managed 37 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts – but he fumbled twice.

Another rookie, tight end Brandon Williams, had a solid debut. He made a leaping catch for a 24-yard gain and also dealt a nice block on Khaseem Greene to open up a first-down run for Barner.

Not that anyone cares, but Jimmy Clausen was much better than Derek Anderson in this contest. Anderson looked like he was drunk when he tossed an interception to Zack Bowman. Clausen, meanwhile, was actually poised in the pocket for the first time in his professional career. He finished 5-of-9 for 51 yards, with one of the incompletions being a throw-away.

The Panther announcers said some interesting things. For instance, the play-by-play guy commented, “The worst five teams in the NFL are playing tonight.” Strange that he already knows which five teams are the worst. I wish I had a crystal ball like him.

Carolina’s broadcast also has a feature called Sweet Tweets, which are tweets promoted by Krispy Kreme. They’re almost always stupid. For instance…

Umm… how about, “who cares?” All of these players suck. #SWEETTWEETS.

Here’s another…

Yep, a cornerback is going to win the MVP this year. He’s much more valuable than Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

On a positive note, the Panthers’ broadcasters had keys for both teams tonight, as seen here:

You know, I’ve never seen these team telecasts talk about the opposing squad. I think it’s pretty cool that they actually discussed the Bears, given that many people watching their broadcast would be Chicago fans streaming the game online via NFL.com.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Cardinals 17, Packers 0

How would Aaron Rodgers’ pass protection hold up? Considering Bryan Bulaga’s season-ending injury, that was the biggest question I had heading into this game. As it turns out, Rodgers was protected pretty damn well. He wasn’t sacked a single time, though he released the ball very quickly out of the shotgun, thus nullifying the offensive line.

Having said that, I watched rookie left tackle David Bakhtiari the entire first half. I expected him to struggle a bit, but I didn’t see him allow a single pressure. He was blocking the talented Sam Acho, but he managed to keep him out of the backfield. It was pretty impressive. In fact, the one blemish up front was on the right side; right tackle Marshall Newhouse allowed a strip-sack by new Cardinal John Abraham.

As for Aaron Rodgers himself, he was razor-sharp in his preseason debut despite not having Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb at his disposal. He went 3-of-5 for 62 yards on just one drive, with his best completion being a 50-yard bomb to James Jones. One of his incompletions was a dropped touchdown by Jermichael Finley, while the other was a poor throw to an open James Jones in the end zone. Here were Rodgers’ targets:

Jarrett Boykin: 1
Jermichael Finley: 2 (1 end zone)
James Jones: 2 (1 end zone)
Jeremy Ross: 1

James Jones caught 14 touchdowns last year. Perhaps that was a bit of a fluke, but I won’t be surprised if he notches double-digit scores again. Jones hauled in a 50-yard bomb on the opening drive against Arizona and then was targeted in the end zone. Aaron Rodgers hurried the throw and simply missed him.

There were reports this offseason that Jermichael Finley improved his work ethic. Well, if this game is any indication, we’ll be seeing the same disappointing tight end again in 2013. Finley was targeted twice, but dropped an easy touchdown on the opening drive.

Eddie Lacy was held out with a hamstring injury. James Starks started, but fumbled a goal-line attempt on the first possession. Johnathan Franklin entered the game after that. He managed just 14 yards on six carries, but he made defenders miss on a nifty 9-yard reception.

As for the Packer backup quarterbacks, Graham Harrell had a mediocre stat line: 12-of-19, 76 yards and an interception. The pick wasn’t his fault though, as wideout Jeremy Ross ran the wrong route. Vince Young, meanwhile, was just 1-of-3 for seven yards, though he did accumulate 12 rushing yards on a pair of scrambles. He’s still learning the offense, so he didn’t play much.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have a professional quarterback under center for the first time since the Kurt Warner era. Carson Palmer didn’t waste any time torching Green Bay’s secondary, firing an 18-yard completion to Michael Floyd on the first play from scrimmage. Palmer nearly hit Andre Roberts with a deep bomb, but safety Jerron McMillian made a nice break-up. Later on, Palmer went back to Roberts, lobbing a beautiful 38-yard rainbow to the receiver for a touchdown. The veteran quarterback finished 4-of-6 for 77 yards and the score. He could be a solid QB2 this season.

Here were Palmer’s targets:

Larry Fitzgerald: 2
Michael Floyd: 2
Andre Roberts: 2

It appears as though Palmer has a strong connection going with Larry Fitzgerald. They connected successfully twice on two targets, with Fitzgerald registering 21 yards. Fitzgerald is going to have a bounce-back season.

Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Williams sat out with injuries, so Alfonso Smith was the starting running back. Smith looked predictably pedestrian (12-21) and eventually gave way to Stepfan Taylor. The rookie from Stanford had a couple of nice runs, but he whiffed on a blitz pick-up, which nearly killed Drew Stanton. Taylor finished with 64 yards on 20 carries.

Tyrann Mathieu reportedly was the most impressive Cardinal at training camp. That carried over into this contest, as he registered a sack on a blitz from the slot corner position. He also had the best return by either team on the evening, taking a punt back for 24 yards in the fourth quarter.

The Packer telecast is manned by Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon, so they definitely weren’t going to make any mistakes. However, someone’s wrist watch kept beeping throughout the entire first half. It seriously wouldn’t stop. I think I’m going to hear that noise in my sleep for the next week.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Texans 27, Vikings 13

The second quarters of opening preseason games usually aren’t very eventful, but I had a blast watching this one. The two rookie receivers, Cordarrelle Patterson and DeAndre Hopkins, took turns making big plays. Both put on quite a show.

Patterson got things started with a 50-yard kickoff return. He didn’t receive a target from Christian Ponder – more on that in a bit – but he was thrown to in the end zone by backup Matt Cassel. The pass was too high, unfortunately. Cassel had another misfire to Patterson at the end of the first quarter, but finally found the explosive rookie for a 22-yard completion. Patterson broke multiple tackles on the reception. Later on, he impressively tapped his feet inbounds after an 11-yard snag. His only blemish was a dropped deep pass at the end of the opening half.

Cordarrelle Patterson finished his preseason debut with four receptions for 54 yards. I wouldn’t pick him this year because rookie wideouts tend to be overdrafted, but it looks like he’ll be a fantasy stud once he has a good quarterback throwing the ball to him.

Speaking of Minnesota’s quarterback, Christian Ponder attempted two passes: one was completed, while the other was intercepted. The pick wasn’t his fault, however, as Jerome Simpson tipped the ball into the air. Greg Jennings and Kyle Rudolph were healthy scratches.

Here were Ponder’s targets:

Jerome Simpson: 2

Adrian Peterson didn’t play. Toby Gerhart got the start, but the Vikings didn’t get much out of him; he gained seven yards on four carries.

Matt Cassel’s stat line looks pretty solid – 12-of-19, 212 yards, one touchdown, one pick – but he wasn’t that impressive. His interception was a bad one, while 61 of his yards came on a 5-yard dump-off to fullback Zach Line. I don’t want to make it sound like Cassel was terrible or anything though. He was simply OK.

A scary moment for the Vikings was when first-round rookie defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was down on the ground in the middle of the second quarter. Fortunately, Floyd sprung back up and walked to the sideline on his own power. He didn’t return to the contest, which is a shame because he had been playing well. He tipped a pass and recorded a tackle for a loss. He nearly logged a sack on another play, but it looked like he was held (there was no call).

As mentioned, both rookie wideouts put on an impressive display. Unlike Patterson, Hopkins actually caught a pass from his starting quarterback – a 4-yard reception on his first drive. Hopkins then dropped a pass from T.J. Yates on a low throw, but immediately redeemed himself on the next play by snagging a ball in mid-air for a 34-yard score.

DeAndre Hopkins recorded four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown in his preseason debut. He has a better chance of producing this year than Cordarrelle Patterson because the Texans have a more stable quarterbacking situation. He’ll probably be overdrafted because he’s a rookie, but he can definitely flirt with WR3 status.

Matt Schaub played one drive and went 5-of-5 for 34 yards, which is a nice stat line considering both Arian Foster and Andre Johnson were out.

Here were Schaub’s targets:

DeAndre Hopkins: 1
Lestar Jean: 2
Ben Tate: 2

New kicker Randy Bullock drilled a 48-yard field goal on the first drive. However, he was blatantly short on a 54-yard try at the end of the first half. He connected on a 21-yarder in the third quarter.

Rookie safety D.J. Swearinger cost his team a touchdown when he completely whiffed on a tackle on fullback Zach Line. Line caught a 5-yard pass in the flat that he was able to turn into a 61-yard gain because of Swearinger failed to bring him down on what appeared to be a routine stop.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Raiders 19, Cowboys 17

Different season, same story for the Cowboys. This team in the Tony Romo era usually looks good but finds a way to shoot itself in the foot with dumb mistakes. That was the case this contest. Dallas’ starting unit was great in between the 20s, but managed to bog down in the red zone because of stupid errors.

On the first drive, a 12-yard gain was wiped out by a Jason Witten hold. Tony Romo then took a coverage sack. He had about eight seconds to throw, but managed to be brought down behind the line of scrimmage by rookie linebacker Sio Moore even though he had an open target in the flat. To top it off, Jason Garrett burned a timeout.

It was more of the same on the next possession. The Cowboys moved into the red zone but immediately were whistled for two pre-snap penalties. They had to settle for field goals both times.

Tony Romo was pretty solid overall, save for the one sack that he took. He went 6-of-8 for 88 yards. It’s important to note that he had zero pressure in his face, though that could have something to do with the glaring lack of talent Oakland has on its defensive front.

Here were Romo’s targets:

Miles Austin-Jones: 2
Dez Bryant: 3
DeMarco Murray: 2
Jason Witten: 1 (1 end zone)

Dez Bryant saw a team-high three targets from Tony Romo at Oakland. He caught all of them, logging 55 yards in the process. Not bad for one quarter of action. Bryant looks like he’s in terrific shape, so he’s poised for a huge 2013 campaign.

DeMarco Murray had a nice debut. He logged just two official carries for eight yards and an 11-yard reception, but he had a 12-yard gain wiped out by a Jason Witten hold.

Lance Dunbar, who started Sunday against Miami, was the first running back on the field after Murray exited the game. He registered 21 yards on just three attempts. Phillip Tanner (7-25) and Joseph Randle (8-16, TD; 1-15) also looked good.

The Raiders, meanwhile, are going to have issues scoring points this season because their quarterbacks aren’t talented, their offensive line can’t block, and their receivers can’t catch passes. Matt Flynn, who went 4-of-5 for 37 yards, was strip-sacked on the first drive, as his blockers were demolished by Dallas’ pass-rushers. Flynn’s lone incompletion was dropped by Rod Streater.

Here were Flynn’s targets:

Darren McFadden: 1
Denarius Moore: 1
Marcel Reece: 1
Rod Streater: 2

As mentioned, Streater dropped Flynn’s only incompletion. This was disappointing, as he’s enjoyed a solid training camp.

Darren McFadden gained just five yards on three carries to go along with an 8-yard reception. McFadden had no explosion last year, but it’s too soon to determine whether that’s still the case. His offensive line couldn’t open up any holes for him in this contest.

Terrelle Pryor was the second quarterback on the field. He ran the read-option on several plays, as he ended up with 31 rushing yards on three scrambles. He also looked good in the 2-minute drill, but earlier tossed a dumb interception in the end zone when he threw late across his body. He finished 6-of-10 for 88 yards and the pick.

Matt McGloin – not Tyler Wilson – entered the game after Pryor. His first drive was disappointing, as he displayed happy feet and threw off his back foot. However, he bounced back after that, finishing 4-of-7 for 78 yards and a touchdown – a beautiful 30-yard strike to Brice Butler.

Wilson (3-of-6, 22 yards) didn’t have a chance to do much. He converted a key third down with a few minutes remaining in regulation, but that was a short completion.

I usually make fun of the Raider broadcasters. Unfortunately, the three old men didn’t say anything ridiculous during this telecast, though the sideline reporter went on a rant: “One of the most storied franchises in NFL history, and they’re still playing on a baseball field!”

I kind of like the baseball field. It gives the Raiders’ stadium a unique look. I think they should keep it forever.

As you may have heard, the NFL has implemented a new rule regarding what sort of bags can be brought to the stadium. This was done for safety purposes, so I initially didn’t have an issue with that. However, Roger Goodell has found a way to profit off of this. Franchises will now be selling bags with team logos on them, as seen here with Marcy the Raiderette:

You know, if Marcy weren’t so hot, I’d be pretty pissed off about this!

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Dolphins 27, Jaguars 3

The Jaguars have a quarterback battle on their hands. Blaine Gabbert drew the start over Chad Henne, and despite Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts all being out, things looked promising for him at first. Just check it out:

Gabbert is “prime to perform!” That had to be a good sign, right? Well, maybe not. He went 5-of-10 for only 19 yards and an interception. The pick wasn’t his fault – fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou tipped the pass into the air – but Gabbert once again showed zero confidence in the pocket, settling for nothing but checkdowns.

Here were Gabbert’s targets:

Mike Brown: 3
Jeremy Ebert: 1
Marcedes Lewis: 2
Ace Sanders: 2
Will Ta’ufo’ou: 1
Jordan Todman: 1

Part of the problem for Gabbert is that he didn’t have much pass protection. This was because Luke Joeckel looked helpless trying to block Cameron Wake. As the Jaguars’ hot sideline reporter Tera Barz…

…said prior to kickoff, Joeckel told her that he’s struggling with the transition from left tackle to right tackle. Hmm… so you mean Jacksonville could’ve just cheaply signed a right tackle like Eric Winston and drafted a premier pass-rusher like Dion Jordan? You don’t say!

Ace Sanders saw two targets, but dropped a pass. On the bright side, he displayed some shifty moves on a punt return.

With Jones-Drew out, Denard Robinson was featured quite prominently. He showed some nice speed on his runs, finishing with 32 yards on nine carries. He was also featured once in the Wildcat, but gained no yardage out of that.

As for the Dolphins, Ryan Tannehill went 5-of-9 for 75 yards and a touchdown, which is impressive considering that Mike Wallace was out and his offensive line struggled to pass protect. Miami’s front line now has endured immense issues in two preseason games, so that’s a terrible sign.

Here were Tannehill’s targets:

Charles Clay: 1
Brandon Gibson: 1
Brian Hartline: 1
Dustin Keller: 3 (1 end zone)
Marvin McNutt: 1
Lamar Miller: 3
Brian Tyms: 1

Dustin Keller tied for the team lead in targets from Ryan Tannehill against the Jaguars. He hauled in two of the three passes thrown to him for 46 yards and a touchdown. It looks like Tannehill will rely on him consistently, so Keller could flirt with low-end TE1 status.

Mike Gillislee led the Dolphins in rushing (12 carries, 37 yards), but he didn’t look as good as those numbers indicate. He was slow and indecisive early on, as he gained just six yards on his first six attempts. Daniel Thomas (4-19) was actually more impressive.

The Jaguars’ announcers repeatedly pissed me off. They seldom mentioned any names. For example, they’d say, “Tannehill throws it to that guy!” or “That guy made a nice tackle!” Would it seriously kill them to mention who caught the pass or who made the tackle? Or were they too busy leering at Tera Barz the whole time?

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Patriots 31, Eagles 22

The Eagles were the most mysterious team heading into the preseason. Would they run the read-option or the West Coast offense? What sort of defensive formation would they utilize? Who would be named the starting quarterback for the regular-season opener?

Chip Kelly named QB Eagles No. 7 his starting signal-caller against the Patriots, and the veteran rewarded him with a great performance. He opened with some read-option looks but didn’t carry the ball himself. The offense also moved at a very quick tempo, which was to be expected. QBDK went 4-of-5 for 94 yards and a touchdown – a 47-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson. He now looks like the favorite to be the starter on Sept. 9, but before anyone gets too excited, keep in mind that the Patriots were running a vanilla defense. Defensive coordinators will fool QBDK as they always do with their blitz packages. QBDK will be responsible for a plethora of red-zone turnovers, as usual. Oh, and he’ll suffer an injury of some sort by Halloween. That’s a given.

Here were QBDK’s targets:

Jason Avant: 1
Brent Celek: 1
Riley Cooper: 1
DeSean Jackson: 1

DeSean Jackson was targeted only once against New England, but the catch was a beauty. He torched top cornerback Aqib Talib and snagged a 46-yard bomb from QB Eagles No. 7. Jackson hasn’t done anything since 2010, but he looks reenergized in this offense.

I was interested to see what sort of reaction Riley Cooper would receive. He caught his one and only target and was mostly greeted with cheers. There were some boos mixed in, but the fans sounded overwhelmingly positive.

LeSean McCoy didn’t play, so Chris Polk started over Bryce Brown. However, if this game is any indication, Brown should overtake Polk sometime soon. Polk looked very slow, gaining just seven yards on four carries. The much-quicker Brown, meanwhile, generated 22 yards and a touchdown on five attempts.

QB Eagles No. 7 was on the field for just two drives, giving way to Nick Foles. For some reason, Kelly continued to run the read-option with Foles, which looked very odd because Foles can’t move. Foles did have a 10-yard scramble, but it seemed like it took him half a minute to sprint that distance. He went 5-of-6 for 43 yards.

Matt Barkley also utilized the read-option. With that in mind, it’s very puzzling as to why the Eagles drafted him because he’s not a read-option quarterback. He should be in a West Coast system. Barkley struggled as a consequence. His first pass was underthrown to Russell Shepard. He nearly threw two picks in the third quarter: one that was behind his intended target and another one that was dropped by a New England defender. Barkley did have some nice passes – including a nice, third-and-long strike to Clay Harbor in traffic – but he didn’t have a very strong showing overall. He finished 11-of-22 for 103 yards and a score.

The Eagles had a key injury in this contest when long-snapper Jon Dorenbos suffered what appeared to be a concussion. Brent Celek took over his duties and went on to botch a field goal attempt.

While Philadelphia’s offense showed some flashes, the defense looked completely pathetic. This was evident instantly when Stevan Ridley ripped off a 62-yard burst on the first play from scrimmage. In fact, the Patriots ran six times on the opening drive and went 80 yards for a touchdown. Later, LeGarrette Blount reversed field and scored a 51-yard touchdown. It was a play only someone like Barry Sanders could pull off, yet the plodding Blount managed to find the end zone. The Eagles’ run defense is absolutely anemic. Perhaps the team should have stuck with a defensive formation that actually fits the personnel. What a crazy concept.

Tom Brady was on the field for only two drives at Philadelphia, so he obviously passed on just one possession. He was very sharp despite not having Wes Welker or his two tight ends, going 7-of-8 for 65 yards and a touchdown to Shane Vereen. Brady is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and a fantasy stud, so it’s pretty insane that he’s lasting until Round 5 in fantasy drafts.

Here were Brady’s targets:

Danny Amendola: 1
Aaron Dobson: 1
Kenbrell Thompkins: 4
Shane Vereen: 1 (1 end zone)

Kenbrell Thompkins was the only Patriot receiver who had more than one target from Tom Brady against the Eagles. Thompkins, a rookie from Cincinnati, was thrown to four times. He hauled in all of those passes for 23 yards. It’s still way too early to determine if Thompkins can carry this over to the regular season, but he’s definitely worth a late-round fantasy flier.

Aaron Dobson, one of the other New England rookie wideouts, caught a 23-yard strike from Brady, but then dropped a ball when Ryan Mallett was in the game.

As mentioned, Ridley ripped off a 62-yard gain to open this contest. He finished with 92 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts. Vereen, meanwhile, didn’t get as much work (3-12), but he caught Brady’s sole touchdown.

Mallett suffered an injury, forcing Tim Tebow into the contest earlier than planned. The game wasn’t on the line, so Tebow didn’t shine as he usually does in the clutch. He fired his trademark ugly ducks, but picked up chunks of yardage on the ground. He was just 4-of-12 for 55 passing yards to go along with 31 rushing yards on four scampers.

The Eagles’ broadcasters have improved over the years. Indeed, the era of Kevin Reilly yelling at Herm Edwards and calling Maurice Jones-Drew “Maurice Drew-Jones” is long gone. However, they did offer up one gem:

“Did you know that Tebowing is recognized now as a word?”

Umm… were you people cryogenically frozen prior to the 2011 season, or something?

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Redskins 22, Titans 21

Robert Griffin, Alfred Morris and Pierre Garcon were all sidelined for the Redskins, so I’ll spend most of this capsule discussing the Titans. Jake Locker played all but one drive in the first half, as head coach Mike Munchak knows that his young quarterback needs as many reps as possible.

Locker went 7-of-11 for 58 yards. He was plagued by three drops, but didn’t attempt anything downfield. The Tennessee announcers said that the coaching staff has preached caution with Locker, telling him that short passes on second-and-long to set up a short-yardage situation is more beneficial.

One concern for Locker is pass protection. The Titans revamped the offensive line, but that didn’t prevent the Redskins from sacking Locker twice on the first three drives. Left tackle Michael Roos was abused by Brian Orakpo on both occasions. Orakpo is one of the NFL’s top pass-rushers, but Roos looked completely helpless trying to block him.

Here were Locker’s targets:

Jackie Battle: 2
Kenny Britt: 3
Shonn Greene: 1
Quinn Johnson: 1
Jalen Parmele: 1
Nate Washington: 2
Kendall Wright: 1

Chris Johnson was given just two carries in his preseason debut. The first went for only a couple of yards, but the second was a 58-yard touchdown. Johnson received a big block from rookie guard Chance Warmack and then did the rest. He sprinted downfield and juked rookie safety Bacarri Rambo. Johnson, who tweeted “THANK GOD” when Tennessee drafted Warmack, is poised for a monstrous season behind this revamped offensive front. Even when he exited the contest, the Titans still ran behind Warmack quite frequently. Warmack was so good that he made Shonn Greene look like a decent running back.

As mentioned, Locker’s stat line was hurt by three drops. Kenny Britt was responsible for two of them. Kendall Wright also dropped a ball. The second-year wideout was targeted only once in one full half of action against the Redskins, which is quite discouraging.

Rookie wideout Justin Hunter caught his first pass on a 3rd-and-5. He was beyond the first-down marker, but ran backward in an attempt to pick up more yardage. However, he was tackled for a loss after the catch, negating the first down. He was chided for this, but he’ll hopefully learn from this mistake.

Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins was pretty sharp, going 6-of-7 for 52 yards and a touchdown. His only incompletion was dropped. He’s even less experienced than Jake Locker, yet he was on the field for only two drives. Cousins had Roy Helu in the backfield with him. Helu ran well, gaining 57 yards on 13 carries.

The one Washington offensive starter of note at Tennessee was Fred Davis, who looked healthy. Davis caught a pair of passes for 14 yards and a touchdown on two drives.

As for the Redskin defenders, both rookie safeties had rough outings. Rambo, as mentioned, was juked on the Chris Johnson touchdown. He later was penalized for hitting Shonn Greene late after he scored. Phillip Thomas, meanwhile, suffered an injury in the second quarter.

I must mention that Munchak had one of the most useless challenges of all time. The Redskins caught a 2-yard pass on the first drive. It was obvious the receiver bobbled it, so Munchak threw the red flag. He won the review, but he made it 2nd-and-10 instead of 2nd-and-8 on the opening possession. Nice job wasting everyone’s time, Mike.

More Titans’ stupidity: “We put up three points in the first quarter, and that’s just how you do it.” – Delanie Walker. Really? Three points in the first quarter is “just how you do it?”

The Titans’ broadcast featured two color analysts, Eddie George and Keith Bulluck. The latter had some hilarious quotes. After Rex Grossman took a sack, he said, “Something Rex Grossman can still do is take sacks, buddy.”

Later, the play-by-play guy made a big deal about Hayden Panettiere being in attendance, as seen here:

Bulluck, upon seeing Miss Panettiere, commented, “I think I need to make a guest appearance on Nashville! I could be her love interest.”

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Browns 27, Rams 19

It feels weird to say this, but the Browns look like a professional football team. No, I’m not joking! It’s only one preseason game, but Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner’s coaching has seemingly transformed this team already.

It all begins at the quarterback position in this pass-happy NFL, and Brandon Weeden looks like a new player. He was extremely sharp in his preseason debut, going 10-of-13 for 112 yards and a touchdown. He struggled in the red zone on his drive, failing to connect with Greg Little on two occasions, but that was the only blemish on his impressive evening. His best throw was a 20-yard strike to Josh Gordon that he was able to thread through heavy traffic.

Here were Weeden’s targets:

Gary Barnidge: 2
Davone Bess: 1
Jordan Cameron: 2
Josh Gordon: 2
Dion Lewis: 3 (1 end zone)
Greg Little: 3 (2 end zone)

Greg Little tied the team lead in targets from Brandon Weeden with three. He saw two balls in the end zone, but was overthrown on the first instance. The second pass required a diving catch that Little couldn’t come up with. Little has been known for his drops, so it’s ironic that his first reception came after tight end Jordan Cameron tipped the ball in the air. When that happened, it looked as though the Rams would intercept it, but Little came out of nowhere to make a leaping catch.

Speaking of Jordan Cameron, he was targeted twice – just as much as the other tight end, Gary Barnidge. Cameron made a 30-yard reception, but he nearly caused an interception by tipping a pass into the air. Cameron is still very raw and should not be relied upon as a TE1 despite his upside.

Trent Richardson was out, allowing Dion Lewis to start. Lewis fared very well as a receiver coming out of the backfield, catching three balls for 22 yards and a touchdown. He also gained 12 yards on the ground with his five carries. If you own Richardson, it might be worth your while to handcuff him with Lewis, who will be a productive player if he’s forced into the starting lineup.

Barkevious Mingo had a mixed performance. He had some pressures and even came up with a sack on backup quarterback Austin Davis (this is not found in the box score because the Browns took a penalty, which wiped out the sack). However, Mingo was going up against No. 2 left tackle Joe Barksdale and didn’t really dominate him. Mingo should have destroyed the reserve lineman, but just looked above average.

With Phil Dawson gone, Brandon Bogotay and Shayne Graham are competing for the kicking job. Bogotay hit a 25-yarder, but was wide left from 54 (he had the distance though). Graham, meanwhile, drilled his only attempt from 41 yards.

As for the more experienced, but younger quarterback, Sam Bradford was asked to play into the middle of the second quarter because the Rams’ offense failed to click. Bradford finally led a scoring drive, thanks to a 59-yard bomb to Chris Givens. However, this came against Cleveland’s reserve defense. Bradford finished 5-of-8 for 102 yards and a touchdown (also to Givens).

Here were Bradford’s targets:

Tavon Austin: 1
Chris Givens: 3 (1 end zone)
Austin Pettis: 1
Daryl Richardson: 3

Tavon Austin had a very disappointing debut. He was targeted just once, dropping the pass. Austin is being wildly overdrafted, so make sure to avoid him.

If you want a Rams’ receiver, go with Chris Givens. The second-year product is being drafted way too late despite the strong possibility that he could be the more-productive receiver. Givens saw three targets and hauled in all of his passes, including a 59-yard bomb in the second quarter. Givens finished with 82 yards and a touchdown in the exhibition opener.

As for the other young St. Louis wideout, Brian Quick didn’t play at all with the first team. He had a drop from backup quarterback Austin Davis.

Jared Cook was brought in to be a potent, intermediate target for Sam Bradford, but he didn’t make a single catch in the preseason opener. He wasn’t even targeted. Some publications are trying to sell Cook as this next, great tight end, but he has never lived up to expectations, so it’s a bit ridiculous to suddenly expect him to do so after signing a big contract.

Daryl Richardson started in St. Louis’ backfield against the Browns. Aside from a drop, Richardson had a quality performance. He gained 24 yards on four carries. He also was targeted thrice, coming up with two catches for 20 more yards. He could emerge as a decent RB2 – especially with the other running backs struggling. Isaiah Pead fumbled his first carry and nearly stumbled out of the end zone on a kickoff return. Zac Stacy, meanwhile, dropped a pass in the 2-minute drill at the end of the first half.

Right tackle Rodger Saffold suffered a shoulder injury on the first drive. X-rays were negative and Jeff Fisher said he’d be “fine,” but Saffold had his arm in a sling in the second half.

It was interesting to see Ray Ray Armstrong play linebacker for the Rams. The former Miami Hurricane safety was whistled for a face mask penalty in the second quarter.

The Browns’ telecast wasn’t too bad, though color analyst Bernie Kosar sounded like he was half-asleep. Kosar also provided us with some false information when he said, “Jeff Fisher’s been picking a lot of young DBs with those high draft picks in St. Louis.”

The play-by-play guy, meanwhile, was a bit annoying when Jim Brown joined as a guest. He would continuously shout questions at Brown, like, “HEY JIM BROWN, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BARKEVIOUS MINGO!?!?!?” or “HEY JIM BROWN, HOW MANY QUARTERS DO YOU THINK ALL OF THE STARTERS SHOULD PLAY IN THE PRESEASON!?!?!?”

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Broncos 10, 49ers 6

Both ESPN and the NFL Network billed this as a potential Super Bowl preview. The analysts on the latter network were even shocked when “only” 28 percent of the voters said that Denver and San Francisco would clash in February. Well, if that particular matchup is a repeat of this contest, most of the viewers will fall asleep. This game was an endless marathon of three-and-outs and poor passes.

Of course, that’s because both Peyton Manning and Colin Kaepernick were on the field for one series each. Kaepernick was the better quarterback, by far. Thanks in part to great pass protection, he completed all four of his passes for 38 yards. He also picked up a first down with a 6-yard scamper. The only reason San Francisco didn’t score a touchdown on its opening drive was because an Anthony Davis penalty put the team in long yardage.

Here were Kaepernick’s targets:

Anquan Boldin: 2
Vernon Davis: 1
Marlon Moore: 1

Kaepernick didn’t have Frank Gore at his disposal. LaMichael James started instead and ran very well, gaining 27 yards on eight carries.

Another player the 49ers chose in the 2012 NFL Draft, A.J. Jenkins, had a disappointing exhibition debut. Color analyst Tim Ryan said “Jenkins will be targeted 30, maybe 40 times this preseason” prior to the game starting. Well, Jenkins caught only one ball – a gain of 11 yards – and went on to fumble it away.

If healthy, Austin Collie should be a big factor in San Francisco’s offense. Collie just joined the team, so he didn’t see the field until the second half. He caught two balls for 20 yards, but both receptions came in the final three minutes of the game.

Rookie tight end Vance McDonald dropped a pass in the first half, but redeemed himself with an impressive, leaping grab for a 17-yard gain in the third quarter. He led the team with four grabs for 66 yards.

The 49ers suffered just one injury of note. Of course, that was to Colt McCoy, who hurt his shoulder. McCoy is made out of glass, so the 49ers will be in trouble if Kaepernick gets hurt. Scott Tolzien (15-of-26, 158 yards, INT) didn’t look like a professional signal-caller.

A quick note on the San Francisco secondary: Eric Reid was terrific. He laid out some fierce hits and made several sound tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage. Perrish Cox also impressed, though he had extra motivation to shine against his former team.

As for the Broncos, Manning also threw four passes, but completed just two of them for 13 yards. He targeted Demaryius Thomas thrice, failing to connect with him on a deep pass. He tried to fire the ball to Wes Welker once, but his arm was hit as he threw.

Here were Manning’s targets:

Demaryius Thomas: 3
Wes Welker: 1

It would’ve been nice to get some clarity in terms of the Broncos’ running back situation, but it’s cloudier than ever. Ronnie Hillman started and gained nine yards on three carries. His first attempt went for five yards as he moved the chains. Montee Ball took the field after that, but mustered only nine yards on five attempts. Ball looked slow and sluggish – a typical Big Ten plodder – but had no holes to run through, as San Francisco’s defensive front overwhelmed Denver’s line. Knowshon Moreno (6 carries, 23 yards), looked like the better of the three, but he had the luxury of going against the 49ers’ second-stringers.

I’m giving Montee Ball a down arrow. It’s not his fault that he had a terrible stat line against the 49ers, but he did nothing to separate himself from Ronnie Hillman.

Meanwhile, if you look at the box score, you may notice that Denver’s fourth-string running back, C.J. Anderson, had more than double the rushing yards of anyone in the game. That’s not just the byproduct of running against scrubs; I thought Anderson looked fantastic. He broke numerous tackles and made nice cut-backs. The 49ers had him trapped in the backfield on several occasions, but he still managed to turn his carries into positive yardage. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Anderson steals touches away from Denver’s other three backs late in the year. He’s not worth drafting in fantasy, but he’s someone to monitor.

The newly signed Shaun Phillips, formerly of rival San Diego, scored the only touchdown of the game. He scooped up the ball after linebacker Nate Irving forced a fumble from running back D.J. Harper.

The 49ers’ broadcast was much more professional than San Diego’s (scroll down to see highlights from that abomination), but the play-by-play guy continuously kept getting confused between C.J. Anderson and fifth-string running back Lance Ball. Tim Ryan had to correct him.

On a positive note, the blaring, train-like sound the 49ers’ broadcast made last year after every play has had its volume reduced. Thank the gods. My ears were bleeding after watching last year’s San Francisco preseason games.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Seahawks 31, Chargers 10

Philip Rivers had a miserable 2012 campaign, but if his performance against the Seahawks is any indication – and it must be noted that it’s a small sample size – then he has a chance of rebounding this season. Rivers played just one series, but was extremely sharp, going 5-of-6 for 45 yards. His sole incompletion was thrown away. It’s also worth noting that Rivers didn’t have Danny Woodhead at his disposal, so he was missing his top receiving option coming out of the backfield.

Here were Rivers’ targets:

Keenan Allen: 1
Malcom Floyd: 2 (1 end zone)
Antonio Gates: 1
John Phillips: 1
Eddie Royal: 1

Keenan Allen caught two balls for 13 yards. Not included in this stat line is the fact that he blew by Seattle corner Walter Thurmond in the second quarter and was wide open, but Charlie Whitehurst overthrew him. Allen reportedly has had an up-and-down training camp, but he appears to be ahead of Robert Meachem, who ran a wrong route at the end of the first quarter. Meachem didn’t log a single reception.

Ryan Mathews actually looked pretty good in his preseason debut. With the offensive line blowing open quality holes, Mathews gained 19 yards on three carries. His most eventful attempt was a 9-yard burst on a 4th-and-1 in which he leapt over the pile and had the awareness to get up because he knew he wasn’t touched. Mathews still should be avoided because he’s terribly fragile, but he’ll get a stock-up arrow because of how well the front line blocked.

Fifth-round rookie cornerback Steve Williams had a solid debut. He had perfect coverage and made a nice break-up on a deep route in the second quarter.

Russell Wilson posted an ugly stat line, but he didn’t play as poorly as the numbers indicate. He went 2-of-6 for 23 yards, but one pass was thrown away because of pressure. Another was dropped by Jermaine Kearse. Wilson also displayed his trademark scrambling ability on two occasions. He looked dead to rights on both instances, but he spun out of multiple tackles and managed to pick up yardage.

Wilson’s pass protection was a big issue; he barely had time to do anything. It’ll be better when Marshawn Lynch and Sidney Rice are back in the lineup, but it’s still a concern.

Here were Wilson’s targets:

Doug Baldwin: 1
Jermaine Kearse: 2
Golden Tate: 1
Luke Willson: 1

No Marshawn Lynch or Robert Turbin, so Christine Michael handled most of the workload. He gained 89 yards on 16 carries, as he did a good job of pushing the pile and carrying defenders. His longest run was for 24 yards in which he made a defender (William Middleton) miss in the open field. Michael continuously kept barking at Pete Carroll, yelling “feed me!” He was impressive, but won’t be a factor this year unless Lynch goes down.

Backup quarterback discussion time: Seattle’s Brady Quinn was his usual, skittish self (6-of-11, 59 yards, TD), but San Diego’s Charlie Whitehurst was way worse. He went 7-of-15 for 59 yards and two ugly picks. As for the No. 3s, the Seahawks’ Tarvaris Jackson was the top reserve signal-caller. He went 8-of-9 for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He threw two beautiful bombs to Stephen Williams for 42 and 41 yards. The former was good for a score. Meanwhile, Brad Sorsensen was also better than his No. 2. He navigated the pocket well and stepped into his throws. He finished 7-of-10 for 84 yards and a touchdown.

The Chargers’ telecast was strange in that Dan Fouts, who is usually a color analyst, took the reins as the play-by-play guy. I appreciated that he knew the difference between “farther” and “further,” but he referred to Malcom Floyd as “Malcom McCoy,” and then called Stephen Williams “Stephen Jackson.”

Fouts and color analyst Billy Ray Smith spend most of the broadcast trying to sell tickets. They promoted the food at the stadium when they had this guy on:

Did you know that they’re selling powder-blue popcorn? Powder-blue popcorn!

Fouts and Smith also spent a ton of energy talking up the schedule. They even had the owner on as a guest, who reiterated that the Chargers have a “nice schedule” with “so many good opponents coming in.” It’s a bit sad that San Diego has to look forward to quality opponents to sell tickets – especially when they have fans like this:

I think she’s a bit too happy that preseason football is back.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Ravens 44, Buccaneers 16

The Ravens are out to prove that they can contend for a Super Bowl despite a multitude of departures this offseason, but they didn’t exactly do a good job of convincing everyone in the preseason opener. They looked sloppy overall, as the receivers dropped tons of passes and Joe Flacco was responsible for a horrible interception on one of his two drives.

Flacco went 7-of-9 for 57 yards, but most of his throws were checkdowns. His pick was a lazy, sideline throw on third-and-long in which he stared down Jacoby Jones. It wasn’t a good start for Flacco, but it’s only the first week of the preseason.

Here were Flacco’s targets:

Jacoby Jones: 2
Vonta Leach: 2
Bernard Pierce: 2
Ray Rice: 1
Visanthe Shiancoe: 1
Torrey Smith: 2

Bernard Pierce received a bunch of touches when Ray Rice exited the preseason opener following three carries (seven yards) and an 11-yard reception. Pierce looked good; he gained 21 yards and a touchdown on three attempts, but he clutched his knee in pain and limped off the field following the score. He did not return after that. If there’s some bad news, I’ll have an update for you later.

I mentioned that the Ravens had tons of drops. Deonte Thompson, who had a quality offseason, was responsible for one of them. He then suffered an injury and left the game. Meanwhile, Visanthe Shiancoe let two balls sail through his hands. He’s not a viable replacement for Dennis Pitta.

One Baltimore receiver who actually didn’t screw up was LaQuan Williams, a third-year pro out of Maryland. Williams made two impressive grabs for 32 yards. One was a touchdown. He’s still a long shot to be a fantasy contributor, however.

Some notes on the Baltimore secondary: First-round rookie Matt Elam dealt numerous fierce hits in this contest. A fellow rookie, Marc Anthony, was torched on a handful of occasions and was whistled for a blatant late hit out of bounds. Asa Jackson made several great plays, but he’s suspended for eight games. And finally, Chykie Brown was penalized for two long pass interferences.

Justin Tucker is entrenched as Baltimore’s kicker, but it’s worth noting that he drilled a 57-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The kick bounced off the crossbar and fell through the uprights.

As for the Buccaneers, the offense got off to a poor start because the line couldn’t block Baltimore. Of course, the primary reason for this is that both guards, Davin Joseph and Carl Nicks, were out. Josh Freeman did improve after a terrible first drive, finishing 4-of-7 for 34 yards. Freeman’s numbers should’ve been better; a 20-yard Vincent Jackson reception was wiped out by a Baltimore challenge because he bobbled the ball while falling out of bounds.

Here were Freeman’s targets (Luke Stocker didn’t play):

Vincent Jackson: 1
Brian Leonard: 1
Kevin Ogletree: 3
Mike Williams: 2

Kevin Ogletree led the Buccaneer receivers in targets from Josh Freeman. Ogletree actually played most of the game, but he’s not worthy of a fantasy roster spot. He’s just not that good.

Doug Martin couldn’t get anything going without his starting two guards. He failed to gain a single yard on a pair of carries. He’ll look better with Joseph and Nicks in front of him.

Peyton Hillis was signed to compete as the No. 2 back behind Martin. However, he didn’t enter the game until the second half. He gained 13 yards on four carries, but he suffered a knee injury in the process. It’s amazing how far this guy has fallen.

With Connor Barth out for the year and Lawrence Tynes sidelined by an ingrown toenail (WTF?), kicker Derek Dimke seized the opportunity and went 3-for-3. He hit attempts from 29, 35 and 45.

The Buccaneers need someone to step up in their secondary. That person could be Danny Gorrer, who picked off Joe Flacco on the first drive. Gorrer also broke up a potential first-down completion to Jacoby Jones.

Mike Glennon played two full quarters and had a mixed performance. He went 11-of-23 for 169 yards and an interception. His longest completion, a 61-yarder, came when he hung in the pocket and found a wide-open Tom Crabtree downfield. Glennon also drew two long pass interferences on Chykie Brown. Conversely, he was skittish in the pocket at times. He lost a fumble in the second quarter, though it was later ruled an incomplete pass. He also threw way behind a receiver at the end of the first half.

As average as Glennon was, he was light years ahead of third-stringer Adam Weber. The former Gopher went 2-of-6 for 7 yards and two picks, one of which sailed right to a Baltimore linebacker. One of the Ravens’ announcers joked, “I’m not sure what Adam Weber was studying during his college days, but he may want to pursue a career along those lines.”

Speaking of TV announcers, Ronde Barber was the Buccaneers’ color analyst. He didn’t look very comfortable on camera; in fact, he looked like he was about to hurl before kickoff. Meanwhile, play-by-play announcer Chris Myers called Tandon Doss “Brandon Doss.” He also referred to Jimmy Smith as “Chykie Brown.” Furthermore, I missed this, but forum member Rofldogs noted that Myers thought a neutral-zone infraction would result in a 30-yard gain.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Bengals 34, Falcons 10

The Falcons made two key acquisitions (Steven Jackson and Osi Umenyiora) in free agency this offseason. Both were featured prominently in the first quarter with mixed results.

Umenyiora was the better of the two. He didn’t register a sack, but he pressured Andy Dalton on one occasion, forcing the Bengal quarterback to throw the ball away. Jackson, meanwhile, gained eight yards on five carries to go along with one reception for zero yards.

Jackson wasn’t as bad as the numbers indicate; he simply didn’t have any lanes because Atlanta’s offensive line couldn’t open any against Cincinnati’s superior defensive front. Jackson isn’t as spry as he used to be, but it was odd seeing a larger Falcon running back with some quickness after watching Michael Turner plod around the past few years.

Matt Ryan looked pretty decent, going 6-of-9 for 89 yards. He suffered through a Harry Douglas drop and did not have Tony Gonzalez at his disposal.

Here were Ryan’s targets:

Chase Coffman: 3
Drew Davis: 1
Harry Douglas: 3
Steven Jackson: 1
Roddy White: 1

Chase Coffman tied for the Falcon lead in targets, but don’t read into that at all. He was simply starting instead of Tony Gonzalez, who was a healthy scratch.

As with Ryan, Andy Dalton was missing one of his top targets. A.J. Green sat out, which helps explain Dalton’s pedestrian stat line: 3-of-7, 37 yards. Dalton also had some bad luck; a Tyler Eifert completion was wiped out by a penalty for illegal hands to the face, while Ryan Whalen fell down on a deep pattern, which ruined a potential first-down conversion.

Here were Dalton’s targets:

Giovani Bernard: 2
Tyler Eifert: 1
Jermaine Gresham: 2
Brandon Tate: 1
Ryan Whalen: 1

Giovani Bernard had a mixed preseason debut. He gained 28 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, as he wasn’t too impressive running in between the tackles. However, he converted the score in short yardage and looked good running outside. He also caught three balls for 16 yards. He slipped on his long reception (16 yards), falling four yards short of the first-down marker on third-and-long. It’s worth noting that all of Bernard’s touches came when BenJarvus Green-Ellis exited the game for good. It appears as though the Law Firm is entrenched as the team’s starter, but Bernard’s playing time will have to increase as the season progresses.

Backup quarterback Josh Johnson looked great. He went 9-of-16 for 100 yards and a touchdown, which doesn’t include a long pass-interference penalty. Johnson also scrambled four times for 64 yards. He’s a smart quarterback who will definitely be able to hold down the fort in the event of a Dalton injury.

Dane Sanzenbacher had an eventful evening. He scored on a 71-yard punt return and then hauled in a 36-yard touchdown from John Skelton in the fourth quarter. Joked Jon Gruden, “Maybe I should be Dane Sanzenbacher’s agent.”

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Cowboys 24, Dolphins 20

There isn’t much to say about this game because most of Dallas’ starters sat. Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, Jason Witten and Miles Austin-Jones were just some of the players who were sidelined. You can’t exactly blame Jason Garrett for doing this because the Cowboys have to play another preseason game Friday night.

Ryan Tannehill, meanwhile, attempted just five passes. He completed two of them for 11 yards. It was a discouraging performance for Tannehill, but that has nothing to do with what he personally did on the field; after all, Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline were both out, meaning that Tannehill’s starting wideouts were Brandon Gibson and Marvin McNutt. The problem was the pass protection. Jonathan Martin was beaten badly on numerous occasions, and he was even much better than backup Dallas Thomas, who looked like he was playing on roller skates. Thomas might turn out to be a good NFL guard, but he will get Tannehill killed if he’s the blind-side protector.

Here were Tannehill’s targets:

Brandon Gibson: 1
Dustin Keller: 1
Marvin McNutt: 2

Lamar Miller fumbled his first carry of the evening, but bounced back well, gaining 21 yards on his next (and only) two carries. He displayed tremendous speed bursting through the holes created by Miami’s front. However, it’s worth noting that most of Dallas’ starting defenders sat out, so Miller has way more challenging tasks ahead of him.

The Dolphins spent a ton of money this offseason. One of their many “prized” signings was linebacker Philip Wheeler. The former Raider didn’t have a good debut, missing a tackle and then getting beaten on a pass by a reserve.

Another bold move Miami made this spring was moving up to No. 3 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft for Dion Jordan. It’s still early, but that development seems promising. Jordan didn’t register a sack, but he got close on several occasions, including one instance where he drew a hands-to-the-face penalty. He also did a good job of chasing down ball-carriers.

As for the Cowboys, the only major thing for them was that all of their running backs looked good. Lance Dunbar started and ran well off-tackle, gaining 22 yards on four carries. Phillip Tanner took over after that and ran like a beast. He mustered 59 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. He was both quick and powerful, dragging multiple tacklers on numerous occasions. Rookie Joseph Randle did most of the work in the second half. He started slow but then ripped off some quality gains, finishing with 70 yards on 13 attempts. Randle looked good, but he has work cut out for him. Tanner and Dunbar both thrived against Miami, so it’s going to be difficult for Randle to move up the depth chart.

The Cowboys want to run multiple-tight end sets this year, so they lined up a bunch of players at that position quite often. Rookie Gavin Escobar might be the popular favorite to be the No. 2 tight end, but he whiffed on some blocks.

A couple of Dallas defenders stood out. DeVonte Holloman showed some nice speed on a 75-yard pick-six in the second quarter. He has a shot to win the third linebacker job. Cornerback Micah Pellerin made some nice plays. George Selvie, meanwhile, dominated the line of scrimmage, finishing with two sacks. Selvie was once considered a first-round prospect, so it’s possible that Monte Kiffin worked his magic with him. Then again, Miami’s offensive line looked pretty brutal…

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

2013 Preseason Notes: Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
2013 Fantasy Football Stock Pages: Preseason Stock Week 4 | Preseason Stock Week 3 | Preseason Stock Week 2 | Preseason Stock Week 1 | Training Camp Stock

More 2013 Fantasy Football Articles:
2013 Fantasy Football: Home

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 9/1 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: RUNNING BACKS - 9/4 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/4 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 9/2 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 6/3 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 6/3 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Auction Values - 4/24 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings - 5/5 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 8/28 (Walt)

2013 Fantasy Football Season Features:
Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings - 12/26 (Walt)
Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings: PPR - 12/26 (Walt)
Week 17 Fantasy Football Injury Reports - 12/26 (Walt)
Week 17 Fantasy Football Start Em, Sit Em - 12/26 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Add/Drop: Week 15 - 12/9 (Walt)
Week 14 Fantasy Football Start Em, Sit Em - 12/8 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Fan Duel Picks - 11/22 (Walt)
FanDuel FanDuel $15,000 Contest - 11/22
FanDuel Exclusive Offer to WalterFootball.com Readers - 8/24
FanDuel Week 1 $500 Freeroll - 8/24

2013 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets (Printable Option):
2013 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Traditional Scoring - 9/4 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: PPR Scoring - 9/4 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Touchdown Scoring - 9/4 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: 2-QB Format - 9/4 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Downloadable Spreadsheets - 9/2 (Walt)

2013 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team, 3-WR, Flex - 9/2 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team, PPR - 8/29 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team, Standard - 8/22 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team, Dynasty - 8/15 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 14-team, PPR - 8/8 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 3-WR - 8/1 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 2-QB - 7/26 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 14-teamer - 7/19 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR - 7/11 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 6/29 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Four-Man Mock - 6/13 (Walt)

2013 Fantasy Football Articles:
2013 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Training Camp - 9/4 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Preseason Stock - 8/30 (Walt)
2013 NFL Preseason Recap, Fantasy Football Notes - 8/30 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Quarterback Targets - 8/30 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 8/28 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Busts - 8/28 (Walt)
2013 ESPN Fantasy Football Magazine: 10 Reasons Not to Buy It - 8/21 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football IDP Tips - 8/17 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy - 8/16 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Draft Boards for Sale - 6/13
2013 Fantasy Football All-Value Team - 6/9 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Hot Finishers - 4/24 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Quarterbacks - 4/24 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Running Backs - 4/24 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Wide Receivers - 4/24 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football: Overdrafted Players - 2/17 (Walt)
2013 Fantasy Football: First-Round Bust History - 2/17 (Walt)
Running Backs with Most Carries - 2/17 (Walt)

NFL Picks - Dec. 13

2025 NFL Mock Draft - Dec. 11

NFL Power Rankings - Dec. 9

2026 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 29

Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4