My Pre-Season NFL thoughts

[Jimmy Hendricks]

Some general thoughts as we head towards the end of the 2007 NFL pre-season and towards week 1 of the regular season....

1. Atlanta's WR's don't look so bad anymore. What a shocker that now that scatter-gun QB Michael Vick is gone, that the recievers in Atlanta are now catching the ball and making plays. The WR's in Atlanta got all the blame when Atlanta's passing game consistantly faltered (because the NFL know-it-all announcers could never bring themselves to actually blame the former Falcon QB for anything). Look for guys like Roddy White and Michael Jenkins to have breakthrough years with a true offensive expert (Petrino) running the offense. And, don't be surprised if Joey Harrington flourishes in that Petrino system. The guy knows what he is doing on offense and its very "QB friendly".

2. Kickers are going to kick longer FG's this year. With relaxed rules with the "K ball", look for kickers to make 50 yard FG's routinely and for kickoffs to sail into the endzone on a regular basis (thrwarting some kick returners in the process).

3. JP Losman is actually pretty good. He really is. He put up big numbers last year (very quietly, BTW) and could be even better this year. He might throw the best deep ball in the NFL. And Lee Evans is the best WR you never hear about.

4. Kevin Kolb is going to be really good someday. One of the most accurate QB's to come into the league in a long time. Just a matter of time before he is the Eagles starter. McNabb looks really good too right now. Can he stay healthy though?

5. Why is Byron Leftwich still the Jaguar starter at QB? Can someone explain that to me? Sure he makes big coin, but Garrard is the much better QB for that team. Leftwich is a statue that eventually gets knocked down. Happens every year.

6. Calvin Johnson will be Rookie of the Year. Mark it down. Adrian Peterson could give him a strong run though. And, Tony Ugoh will be a pro-bowler at LT in 3 years for the Colts. Another terrific Polian draft pick.

7. Jake Delhomme is on his last legs in Carolina. He just doesn't look good anymore. David Carr will be starting for them very soon this year. Carolina could have a really rough season regardless of who is playing QB. Just not much juice with that team anymore.

8. The Bears are going to regret turning their starting RB spot over to Cedric Benson. He won't last the season.

9. Pick for worst team in the AFC- either Miami or Kansas City. Both have terrible offensive personnel, weak offensive lines and aging defenses. Its too bad, because both have terrific running backs. Not much to go with them though.

10. Pick for worst team in the NFC- Green Bay. Yes, a lot of people like their defense, but Favre is running on fumes, they have a rookie RB (who never did much at Nebraska) and very young WR's. They had a good finish last year, but I think this will be the year that Favre wishes he actually did retire.

[indyracefan]

...talking Colts here;

I'm not as frightened of the defense as I was a month ago. In fact, I think they've improved over last season with the players they have. I believe that Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson are better than Nick Harper and Jason David they replaced at cornerback. In addition to always being a threat to intercept any ball thrown their way they also can tackle....something Harper and David couldn't do. And while Cato June will be missed, I don't think there will be any noticeable drop-off with the outside linebacking corp.

Offense looks as potent and perfect as ever though I'm very concerned with Tony Ugoh. He's performed well to this point but it's pre-season. Jim Sorgi looked real good Saturday, hopefully he'll not see action outside of mop-up duties once again this year. And it's good to see Jim effectively run the offense because I'm afraid that Ugoh will ultimately make some mistakes leaving Manning in a very precarious and dangerous position.

Special teams looks a little improved but still lacking overall. They just can't seem to be able to contain or tackle the runners, especially on kick-offs.

All of this is just based on the pre-season, and I really don't put much stock into the performance of teams and players in the pre-season as directly indicative of what to expect for the season. A month ago I really didn't think the Colts had much of a chance of returning to the Super Bowl this year. Now I'm thinking they will very much be contenders for the Super Bowl.

[CrewChief]

Pretty much agree with you on on almost everything except:

Some general thoughts as we head towards the end of the 2007 NFL pre-season and towards week 1 of the regular season....

4. Kevin Kolb is going to be really good someday. One of the most accurate QB's to come into the league in a long time.

Replace Kevin Kolb with John Beck, this guy is accurate, smart and can make all the throws. No one in Miami will ever forget Marino but he may finally make Dolphin fans not long for him. But that won't be until 2008.

9. Pick for worst team in the AFC- either Miami or Kansas City. Both have terrible offensive personnel, weak offensive lines and aging defenses. Its too bad, because both have terrific running backs. Not much to go with them though.

Maybe I'm biased as a Dolphin fan but they won't be the worst, the D while old will still keep them in games and Green will manage a better game then the past few QB's. 7-9 or 8-8 is realistic. Oh and Ronnie Brown isn't close to being a terrific back, he's better then average but no All Pro. My vote for worse, the Raiders, that offense is going to be a mess. Cleveland isn't far behind.

[Lemming51]

Colts and Bears repeat.

[MD-IRLFAN]

I agree with most of what Jimmy had to say. Although I'm withholding my opinion of Benson until further notice. His past history of repeated injuries has me concerned. But, all that offense needs to do is NOT lose the game. The defense will keep things in check. IMO most if not all of the Bears games will be nail biters. Going to do wonders for my nerves.

[badart]

I agree with most of what Jimmy had to say. Although I'm withholding my opinion of Benson until further notice. His past history of repeated injuries has me concerned. But, all that offense needs to do is NOT lose the game. The defense will keep things in check. IMO most if not all of the Bears games will be nail biters. Going to do wonders for my nerves.

I can't wait!!!

[StatMan]

Harrington had Roy Williams in Detroit, who is leagues ahead of anyone on Atlanta no matter how much better their scrubs look now than last year, and Joey still couldn't make himself look like a good NFL QB. Also, lauding the praise of the ATL receivers while bashing the Packer's corps? Did Driver retire in the past 2 or 3 days?

I agree with you about J.P. Losman - I know preseason is pretty much meaningless, but still, when you throw the ball in a high-arcing path to a guy who is 50 yards downfield and it lands perfectly in his hands without him breaking stride, and this happens multiple times in a game, that's tough to do even in practice.

MD-IRL, I'm not sure why you think Benson can't stay healthy. He doesn't have a history of injury problems (having an injury or two and having a history of injury problems are very different things).

[Jimmy Hendricks]

Pretty much agree with you on on almost everything except:



Replace Kevin Kolb with John Beck, this guy is accurate, smart and can make all the throws. No one in Miami will ever forget Marino but he may finally make Dolphin fans not long for him. But that won't be until 2008.

I am with you on Beck. I just didn't mention him because I was speaking solely on the Eagles. He has a beautiful release and I think will be starting in Miami before the year is over. I hope he does well. After all the stupid 2nd guessing of Miami for passing on Quinn, I hope he shows that they knew exactly what they were doing.

As I said last week, both Kolb and Beck will be the real stars of this year's QB class, when it all shakes out a few years down the line.

[Jimmy Hendricks]

Harrington had Roy Williams in Detroit, who is leagues ahead of anyone on Atlanta no matter how much better their scrubs look now than last year, and Joey still couldn't make himself look like a good NFL QB. Also, lauding the praise of the ATL receivers while bashing the Packer's corps? Did Driver retire in the past 2 or 3 days?

Harrington had a terrible offensive system in Detroit. Plus, he got the crap kicked out of him. It takes some QB's longer to develop and get all the pieces of the puzzle together sometimes.

I think the Atlanta system, with a terrific, aggressive offensive coach in Petrino, will make any QB look good. Harrington will be the beneficiary of that. Atlanta's offense will be better with Harrington at QB then "Mr. 53% completion percentage", Mike Vick.

And, I said the Packer receivers were very young. Driver is still good, but it will take time for Favre to get in sync with the young guys. And, by the time he does, he might actually be ready to retire. Having a 40 year old QB and a bunch of 23 year old WR's is a tricky thing.

[markinsand]

1. Atlanta

One word, preseason

2. who cares

3. Again preseason, I think the Bills will be a "big play" team but the running game looks really questionable, this could be a sleeper team, being from WI I love Lee Evans

4. A few years for him, I see Philly doing the Favre/Rodgers thing, groom him and let him take over in 2009

5. I agree with your Leftwich comments but not Garrard, flip a coin, Garrard is a bit more mobile so maybe he's got a slight edge

6. Agree

7. Couldn't agree more

8. If he stays healthy he'll be ok but you are right, when has he ever stayed healthy? Way over used in college

9. I still see the Raiders here

10. being a bit of a homer I disagree, I also listen, read, and watch this team. TONS of young talent, the defense could flat out win 2-3 games for them. The WR situation is good, could be very good if Koren Robinson comes back.. the RB situation is very questionable but the line is very solid, I don't see the Packers winning more than 9 but no less than 7

Atlanta, Detroit, and Washington are my picks here...wait Minnesota stinks too add them

Playoffs:

AFC-Pats, Bengals, Jags, Chargers, Colts, Jets

NFC- Eagles, Bears, Panthers, Seahawks, Rams, Saints

Superbowl- Pats over Eagles

[CrewChief]

I am with you on Beck. I just didn't mention him because I was speaking solely on the Eagles. He has a beautiful release and I think will be starting in Miami before the year is over. I hope he does well. After all the stupid 2nd guessing of Miami for passing on Quinn, I hope he shows that they knew exactly what they were doing.

As I said last week, both Kolb and Beck will be the real stars of this year's QB class, when it all shakes out a few years down the line.

I think Beck stands a good chance of making people forget Quinn being passed over and I was one of the ones who wanted Miami to take Quinn. Unfortunetly all indications are Ginn who we took instead could be a bust. He was demoted from the kick return team and this was suppose to be his strong point.

[CrewChief]

Since we are making predictions.

AFC - Pats, Colts, Bengals, Chargers Wildcards - Steelers, Broncos

NFC - Eagles, Bears, Saints, Rams Wildcards - Seahawks, Lions

[fasteddy]

The Bear's receivers are flying under the radar. The rookie tight end is the real deal. That gives them TWO bonified TEs. The addition of Devin Hester to the offense appears to be working well. Bernard Berrian will suprise some people. Muhsi Mohamed as a "possession" receiver is a good thing.

I too wonder about Benson, we'll see. Griese is a great backup QB, probably better than Grossman.

Defense appears SOLID. Just need Tommie Harris healthy.

[MD-IRLFAN]

The Bear's receivers are flying under the radar. The rookie tight end is the real deal. That gives them TWO bonified TEs. The addition of Devin Hester to the offense appears to be working well. Bernard Berrian will suprise some people. Muhsi Mohamed as a "possession" receiver is a good thing.

I too wonder about Benson, we'll see. Griese is a great backup QB, probably better than Grossman.

Defense appears SOLID. Just need Tommie Harris healthy.

Couldn't agree more. Especially about the TE Olsen. Other than Benson seeming to have nagging injuries, he also seems prone to getting tackled by the first guy that gets to him. He never seems to break that first tackle for another 5-10+ yards. He needs to be able to move the sticks in order to take pressure off of Rex.

There's got to be a reason that the general public doesn't see that keeps Griese holding the clipboard. And once again, the entire team seems to be behind Rex 100 percent.

[ventman]

Brady Quinn looked awfully good last game.

[badart]

Muhsi Mohamed as a "possession" receiver is a good thing.

[Ren Butler]

That gives them TWO bonified TEs.

Not picking on you, because I see it all the time, but that's one of my favorite common writing errors.

It's bona fide, which is a French term. Although sometimes I think certain people need to be "bonified" now and then.

[fasteddy]

Not picking on you, because I see it all the time, but that's one of my favorite common writing errors.

It's bona fide, which is a French term. Although sometimes I think certain people need to be "bonified" now and then.

lol, good one.

[Lemming51]

bona fide is Latin, actually.

[Ren Butler]

bona fide is Latin, actually.

Dang, I deserved that smackdown!

[Turn2]

THe only thing that will keep my beloved VIKINGS from winning it all will be those ridiculous new uniforms.

[Clefo]

There's got to be a reason that the general public doesn't see that keeps Griese holding the clipboard.

Basically his whole stint with Denver

[Kurt Cobain]

[Jimmy Hendricks]

5. Why is Byron Leftwich still the Jaguar starter at QB? Can someone explain that to me? Sure he makes big coin, but Garrard is the much better QB for that team. Leftwich is a statue that eventually gets knocked down. Happens every year

Maybe the Jaguar management are members here at TF...

The Jags are dumping Leftwich. They will either trade him or (more likely) release him very shortly. David Garrard (as he should be) will be the starter.

Shocking move, this late in the game.

As for Leftwich, look for him (IMO), to possibly land in either Washington or, my choice, Atlanta. Atlanta needs a backup for Harrington and Washington needs a backup for Campbell (I think Brunell is being traded to someone).

[don7031]

As far as I know, Washington doesn't need a backup quarterback. They had two veterans (Mark Brunell and Todd Collins) vying for the job in preseason.

I expect that Leftwich will sit by the phone until somebody goes down.

[BADGER]

Harrington had a terrible offensive system in Detroit. Plus, he got the crap kicked out of him. It takes some QB's longer to develop and get all the pieces of the puzzle together sometimes.

Martz seemed to be pretty good when he was with the Rams. As far as never hearing of Lee Evans, I've been watching him the last 5 years. As a Bear fan, I have serious doubts that Benson will ever amount to much more than an average NFL back. That burst or power he was supposed to have, I just haven't seen it.

[don7031]

Good news / bad news for the Patriots. Rodney Harrison just got nailed with a four game suspension for HGH (for which the league doesn't even test). That's the bad news. The good news is that is four games where the injury prone Harrison won't get hurt.