Training

Camp Update

Volume 9, Issue 2 – 8/12/14 We say it all the time because it's true: Things change fast in

the NFL. And they never change faster than they do in August.

And nobody covers those changes and team situations more

comprehensively than Footballguys.com. Our Training Camp

Updates come out once a week in August and our staff covers

everything you need to know about every NFL team. This is

the deep stuff that gives you an edge. We're not going to rave

that Peyton Manning and Jamaal Charles are great. You know

that.

Read our weekly updates to get the inside scoop on how the

Giants running backs are practicing and which player is the

best bet for your draft. Or the Eagles WR corps. Or which

Carolina receivers are shining in practice. It's the kind of

information that will put you over the edge and on the way to

dominating your draft.

Happy reading and let's have a great 2014 season,

Joe Bryant and David Dodds

Owners, Footballguys.com

Arizona Cardinals

QB: In the first preseason game of the year, Carson Palmer

threw the ball as well as he has at any other point over the past

10 years. Palmer didn't miss a pass during the one drive he

played. He had a touchdown pass wiped off the board because

of a penalty though, before he threw a second to Larry

Fitzgerald in the end zone. Drew Stanton came in afterwards

and solidified his place as the backup with an impressive

couple of series. Logan Thomas looks set to do everything he

can to challenge those two, but his chances of playing during

the regular season this year remain slim.

RB: The early talk during training camp has shifted from how

many touches Andre Ellington gets, to how many different

ways can Ellington touch the ball. Ellington is a very

versatile player and head coach Bruce Arians has a history of

splitting his running backs out wide in the passing game.

Stepfan Taylor appears to have the lead in the backup

competition; entering the first preseason game ahead of

Jonathan Dwyer. Taylor wasn't impressive, but neither was

Dwyer. It appears that the versatile Robert Hughes is in pole

position to win the fourth running back spot. Hughes can

play running back or fullback.

WR: The attention is always on Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona.

Michael Floyd is also a focus of much fanfare as he continues

to develop. Yet, this offseason has been all about 3rd round

rookie John Brown. Brown impressed throughout the

offseason and continued to impress in the first preseason

game. He announced himself with a 25-yard reception on 3rd

and 16 when the first team offense needed a big play. After

that he brought the second team offense down the field,

primarily because of a big pass interference penalty he forced,

before scoring at the goal line. Brown isn't just a speedster, he

is comfortable working over the middle and making difficult

receptions in traffic. He appears to be widening his gap over

Ted Ginn for the third receiver spot. Ginn will still carry value

as a special teams returner though, so his roster spot should be

safe. Jaron Brown appears to have an edge for the 5th receiver

spot. If the Cardinals keep six receivers, it likely comes down

to a battle between Britton Golden and Walter Powell.

TE: Veteran John Carlson has suggested that rookie Troy

Niklas is still acclimating to his role. Niklas wasn't used much

as a receiver in college and is a converted linebacker. His

value is as a blocker. For now, both Carlson and Rob Housler

remain ahead of him on the depth chart.

Defense: It was hard to learn anything about the Cardinals

first team defense against a Houston Texans offense that was

missing Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, while Ryan

Fitzpatrick started at quarterback. The run defense was an

early concern, as Jonathan Grimes was able to be productive,

but this unit still remains an unknown for the most part. Part of

that unknown is the status of outside linebacker John

Abraham. Abraham hasn't joined the team in the preseason

and recently released a statement about a recent DUI arrest.

Abraham is expected to return at some point, but exactly when

remains unclear. Sam Acho, who is returning from a broken

leg, replaced Abraham for the start of the preseason. Without

Tyrann Mathieu (Injury), Abraham (Absence), Karlos Dansby

(2013 starter not on team), Daryl Washington (2013 starter,

suspended for 2014) and Yeremiah Bell (2013 starter not on

team), it's going to take some time before we figure out

exactly what the Cardinals can be defensively.

K/P: Veteran kicker Jay Feely watched as rookie Chandler

Catanzaro got the opportunity to handle all the kicking in the

preseason opener against the Texans. Catanzaro made field

goals of 32, 28 and 25 and added three 33-yard extra points.

He tallied two touchbacks on seven kickoffs. Head coach

Bruce Arians noted: “He really kicked the ball well, especially

on his kickoffs. He was perfect and I liked his demeanor.”

Follow us on twitter: @Joe_Bryant, @fbg_dodds,

@theaudible, @sigmundbloom, @cecillammey,

@JayBWood, @Jene Bramel, @fbgchase,

@MattWaldman, @bobhenry, @Andrew_Garda,

@JeffHaseley, @Maurile, @HermanKickology, @cianaf,

@kylewachtel, @mpwimer, @draftdaddy

Feely will kick in next week, as they alternate games. Dave

Zastudil averaged 47.5 yards on a pair of punts.

OL: In their first preseason game, the Cardinals offense had

great success in the passing attack. However, free agent

addition Jared Veldheer had a bit of a rough night against

this year’s first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. This could be

more a statement about Clowney being elite than Veldheer’s

ability. Left guard Jonathan Cooper gave up a sack to J.J.

Watt, after getting his knee drained earlier in the week. Still, it

must be noted that the first team line only giving up two sacks

is actually an improvement for the Cardinals’ offensive line,

which had an overall strong performance this week.

Cardinals Depth Chart QB: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Logan Thomas, Ryan

Lindley

RB: Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor, Jonathan Dwyer, Jalen

Parmale, Zach Bauman, Robert Hughes, Tim Cornett

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Ted Ginn

(KR/PR), John Brown, Jaron Brown, Walt Powell, Brittan

Golden, Dan Buckner, Teddy Williams

TE: John Carlson, Troy Niklas (inj), Rob Housler, Darren

Fells, Andre Hardy

LT: Jared Veldheer, Bradley Sowell

LG: Jonathan Cooper, Christian Johnson

C: Lyle Sendlein, Ted Larsen, Phillip Blake, John Estes

RG: Paul Fanaika, Earl Watford

RT: Bobby Massie, Max Starks, Nate Potter

K: Jay Feely, Chandler Catanzaro

DT: Dan Williams, Alameda Ta′amu, Anthony

McCloud, Everette Thompson

DE: Calais Campbell, Darnell Dockett (DT), Frostee Rucker

(DT), Ronald Talley, Kareem Martin, Ed Stinson

ILB: Kevin Minter, Larry Foote, Lorenzo Alexander, Kenny

Demens, JoJo Dickson, Daryl Washington (susp)

OLB: Matt Shaughnessy (W), John Abraham (W), Marcus

Benard, Sam Acho, Adrian Tracy, Alex Okafor, Keenan

Clayton

CB: Patrick Peterson (PR), Antonio Cromartie, Jerraud

Powers, Justin Bethel, Bryan McCann, LeQuan Lewis

S: Tyrann Mathieu (FS), Tony Jefferson (SS), Deone

Bucannon (SS), Rashad Johnson (FS), Orhian

Johnson, Anthony Walters (SS), Curtis Taylor

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Matt Ryan (7/7 for 53 yards passing, no TDs,

interceptions, or sacks taken) called the opening possession of

the preseason, which went 15 plays for 77 yards and a TD,

"exactly what you want for your first drive of the year... We

were able to run the ball pretty effectively, and when we did

have the opportunity to throw, we were able to move the

chains. We were able to overcome a couple of penalties, we

were able to keep going, and punch the ball into the end zone."

Head coach Mike Smith was not pleased with the conversion

rate on red-zone penetrations overall, though: "We had three

other opportunities there in the red zone where we did not

finish the drive [vs. Miami]. … Those are things that we

definitely will be addressing and talking about." T.J. Yates,

who joined the team via a June trade with Houston, looked

comfortable in his first game (albeit preseason) as a Falcon.

Yates was 7/16 for 127 yards passing, with zero TDs,

interceptions, or sacks taken, and 2/8/0 rushing. Sean Renfree

posted 6/15 for 108 yards, with zero TDs, interceptions, or

sacks taken, appearing late in the game with the reserves.

Yates has the early lead in the backup QB competition.

RB: Jacquizz Rodgers started in the first preseason game

(Steven Jackson remains out due to a hamstring injury), and

scored the team's only TD with a two-yard effort (all told

Rodgers posted 7/20/1 rushing). Antone Smith was unlucky

with two big-gainers (a 35-yard reception and a 76-yard TD

run) called back due to penalties. Smith's box score was

therefore lackluster with the second-string, showing as 3/5/0

rushing and 1/5/0 receiving. Coach Smith addressed the

penalties: "The big thing that sticks out is we cannot have nine

penalties. Those nine penalties, it was 240 yards given up that

would have been on our stat sheet. You start talking about the

hidden yards in a game, it looks like a 10-yard penalty on the

stat sheet. Well, it brought back a 70-something yard

touchdown run." Devonta Freeman played well later in the

game with 10/50/0 rushing and two targets for 1/57/0

receiving. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said he believes

Freeman is "coming along fine," but has only been "OK" at

pass protection. "I think that’s [pass protection] the biggest

adjustment for a running back going from college to the NFL,"

Koetter said. "He had a great college career but teams try to

test rookie running backs... There's a learning curve. He's on

the right track." A report on August 10 noted that Smith may

be in for a bigger role in camp going forward as the team was

pleased with his long gainers on Friday night (even though

they were negated by penalty).

WR: Roddy White had some action in the preseason opener

(four targets for 4/27/0 receiving), as did Harry Douglas (one

for 1/17/0). Julio Jones sat out as a precautionary measure

(foot injury/offseason surgery rehab). Coach Smith addressed

Jones' schedule in camp (practicing every other day): "I think

he's handled everything that we've asked him to do up to this

point in time. He hasn't missed any of the snaps that we've

talked about him taking." Undrafted rookie Bernard Reedy

(5'8", 175 lbs, from Toledo) led the Falcons in receiving

during the exhibition, with two targets for 2/61/0, while

Courtney Roby saw four targets for 2/27/0 receiving. Roddy

White didn’t practice on Saturday, August 9 because of a

scheduled day off. During Saturday's practice, Ryan targeted

Jones on three of four red zone attempts, with Jones hauling in

two touchdowns. Coach Smith wasn't happy with the team's

red zone showing against the Dolphins, without Jones in the

lineup. "We knew we needed to get red zone work right after

the first preseason game."

TE: Levine Toilolo was involved in the first-team passing

attack vs. Miami on Friday night, with three targets for 2/19/0

receiving to his credit. Toilolo, the #1 tight end on the depth

chart, played 43 snaps on offense and two on special teams,

according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Backup

Mickey Shuler caught two passes for 2/23/0 during the with

18 snaps on offense and 13 on special teams. Bear Pascoe

played 19 snaps on offense and four on special teams, reeling

in one pass for 6 yards. Brian Wosniak and Jacob Peterson

combined for 10 snaps on offense. “There are some interesting

battles going on in the tight end group,” tight ends coach Chris

Scelfo said recently. “Levine, Mickey, all five of those guys

are battling.”

Defense: Free safety Dwight Lowery (concussion) returned to

practice Saturday, August 9. The secondary is an area of

concern for the Falcons defense so his return to the active

lineup is a plus. LB Pat Angerer also rejoined practice

Saturday after recovering from a concussion. The defense

created a turnover to secure the win on Friday night.

"Individually and collectively, I thought the first impression

was good," Coach Smith said after the game. "We want to be a

physical football team and I thought we showed that." Smith

wasn't happy with how Ryan Tannehill and the first team of

Miami marched the ball down the field for an opening-drive

score. He added on Saturday August 9: "I think that we

ended up getting into too many third-and-shorts. We had an

explosive play (36-yard pass play from Ryan Tannehill to

Rishard Matthews), with a crossing route, and we just missed

the pickup there. We were in a coverage that we should be

able to stop that. We'll see it, and we'll be better in that area."

LB Marquis Spruill is out for the season after tearing his ACL

during practice this week. Early reports of a wrist fracture for

DE Ra'Shede Hageman were incorrect; he has a bone bruise

and played in the preseason game August 8, posting a solo

tackle and an assist. LB Tim Dobbins suffered an ankle injury

Friday night and is expected to be out for a few days.

K/P: The Falcons scored mostly by foot in their preseason

opener against the Dolphins. Starting kicker Matt Bryant made

a long extra point and a short field goal of 21 yards. Camp leg

Sergio Castillo made field goals of 21 and 34 yards. He also

got in some punting work, averaging 46.5 yards on a pair of

punts. Starting punter Matt Bosher averaged 53.0 yards on

four punts. On Sunday, the Falcons waived Castillo.

OL: Rookie right tackle Jake Matthews was called for two

holding penalties in the preseason contest against the

Dolphins. One of those called back a potential 76-yard

touchdown scamper by Antone Smith. Matthews actually

looked good in his other snaps, working mostly against

Cameron Wake, but obviously he needs to clean up his

technique. Earlier in the week, center Joe Hawley was tossed

out of an inter-squad practice with the Titans for fighting.

Gabe Carimi went down with a sprained ankle but the injury

is considered minor and he is still considered a likely bet to

make the team in a backup role. Backup tackle Terren Jones

returned to action after recovering from a concussion.

Falcons Depth Chart QB: Matt Ryan, T.J. Yates, Sean Renfree, Jeff Mathews

RB: Steven Jackson, Devonta Freeman, Jacquizz Rodgers

(KR),Antone Smith, Josh Vaughn

FB: Patrick DiMarco

WR: Julio Jones (inj), Roddy White, Harry Douglas

(PR), Drew Davis (inj), Darius Johnson, Devin Hester

(KR/PR), Kevin Cone, Geraldo Boldewijn, Bernard

Reedy, Courtney Roby, Jeremy Ebert

TE: Levine Toilolo, Mickey Shuler, Andrew Szczerba, Jacob

Pederson

LT: Sam Baker, Lamar Holmes, Ryan Schraeder

LG: Justin Blalock, Harland Gunn

C: Joe Hawley, Peter Konz

RG: Jon Asamoah

RT: Jake Matthews, Gabe Carimi, Terren Jones

K: Matt Bryant

NT: Paul Soliai, Travian Robertson, Donte Rumph

DE: Tyson Jackson, Jonathan Babineaux, Ra′Shede Hageman

(inj), Osi Umenyiora, Jonathan Massaquoi, Stansly

Maponga, Malliciah Goodman (inj), Corey Peters (inj), Cliff

Matthews, Adam Replogle

ILB: Paul Worrilow, Tim Dobbins, Yawin Smallwood, Pat

Angerer, Darin Drakeford, Sean Weatherspoon (IR), Marquis

Spruill (IR)

OLB: Joplo Bartu (W/S), Prince Shembo, Kroy

Biermann, Tyler Starr, Brenden Daley, Jacques Smith

CB: Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Josh Wilson, Robert

McClain, Javier Arenas (PR/KR), Ricardo Allen, Jordan

Mabin

S: William Moore (SS), Dezmen Southward (FS) (inj), Kemal

Ishmael (SS), Zeke Mota (SS), Tyrell Johnson (FS), Sean

Baker (FS), Dwight Lowery (FS) (inj)

Baltimore Ravens

QB: The Ravens’ overhauled offense under new OC Gary

Kubiak got positive reviews. Joe Flacco was limited to one

drive in the preseason opener Thursday night, but he made the

most of the opportunity by leading the team on a 10-play, 80-

yard drive that lasted nearly five minutes and culminated in a

Bernard Pierce touchdown run. Flacco completed 4 of 5

passes on the drive for 52 yards. The Ravens' opening

offensive drive was textbook Kubiak, a clinic on the offensive

coordinator's version of the West Coast offense. It included

the staples of the zone-stretch run, play-action, a tight end

screen and plenty of intermediate throws from Flacco

followed by some power football in the red zone. Flacco has

shown off his huge arm on occasion in camp. In 11-on-11

drills during Saturday’s joint practice with the San Francisco

49ers, Flacco made a beautiful throw when he scrambled to

his left and launched it 60 yards downfield to Marlon Brown,

hitting him in stride for the TD.

RB: The Ravens rushing offense showed a lot of potential as

the team ran 48 times for 237 yards Thursday. It wasn't

terribly complicated, but it isn't going to be during the season

either. Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce each showed well in the

first half. Rice rushed for 17 yards on three carries, averaging

5.7 yards during a brief appearance. That included a sharp 6-

yard run on the Ravens’ first play of the preseason as Rice

adeptly executed offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak’s

trademark zone-stretch run. From his first carry, it was clear

that this was not the same Ray Rice we saw last season. He

showed the speed and burst that made him one of the NFL’s

best RBs earlier in his career. “For me personally, it felt good

to get out there and show that I still have a burst,” Rice said.

“I was able to move and get into my correct reads with this

new offense. It was definitely great to gel with my

teammates.” Rice is noticeably quicker and leaner following

the worst season of his NFL career. "I do feel different," Rice

said. "I guess it's safe to say I feel like back when I was a

rookie. That's the weight I'm continuing to try to play at.

Obviously, what I went through when I added a little bit of

extra weight, you can't make the cuts like you want to do.

Training this offseason and focusing on the stuff that I needed

to focus on, diet, exercise, all the stuff I needed to do, finally I

got down to the weight I was comfortable at and went out

there and executed." Bernard Pierce rushed for 37 yards and a

touchdown on 10 carries. Pierce is slated to start in place of

Rice during the first two games of the regular season. Pierce

has also slimmed down since finishing last season at roughly

230 pounds and ballooning to 250 pounds following offseason

rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder. Pierce has enjoyed

the new one-cut system that is similar to his college offense.

"I've lost a lot of weight and am lighter on my feet. So, I look

forward to running in this system. It's not that complicated to

run." Rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro impressed in his debut, as he

broke off big chunks of yardage in 2nd half action. Taliaferro

showed the kind of bruising, downhill back he's sometimes

unable to be in practice. Taliaferro seems to be establishing

himself as the 3rd RB in the Ravens stable and is a player to

watch in dynasty leagues.

WR: The Ravens WRs were quiet against the 49ers as the

offense focused on the run game. On Saturday in joint

practices with the 49ers, Steve Smith was the best offensive

player for the Ravens. Smith split a pair of 49ers defenders

and caught a 50-yard bomb during team passing drills. It was

one of at least three big touchdowns Smith caught on what

was his best day of practice since the start of camp.

TE: Dennis Pitta has looked great so far in camp, showing the

receiving skills to be a big weapon in the Ravens’ new

offense. Pitta was able to show off his run after the catch

ability on a TE screen Thursday night and picked his way for a

14-yard gain. The Ravens top 4 WRs are all primarily outside

guys which means Pitta should see a lot of snaps in the slot

and has a chance to put up big reception totals as the primary

underneath target. If there is one area Pitta has struggled, it has

been as a pass blocker. He had a rough day Saturday against

the 49ers as he struggled against some physical pass rushers.

While Pitta’s lack of blocking acumen will have to be

schemed around, it is not necessarily a negative for fantasy

owners. The Ravens will likely look to get Pitta out in routes

as a target for Flacco on the majority of passing downs instead

of keeping him in to block. The stars could be aligning for

Pitta to have a breakout season where he establishes himself as

a top 6 fantasy TE in PPR leagues in Kubiak’s new offense

that has allowed previous TEs like Owen Daniels to thrive.

Speaking of Daniels, he has continued to look average and

with past injuries taking a toll looks to be an old 31 years old;

he presents little threat to Pitta’s numbers.

Defense: The Ravens primary concern on the defensive side

of the ball is at CB where injuries have decimated the team’s

depth. Injury struck again Sunday as CB Asa Jackson left

practice Sunday with the aid of a trainer after injuring his right

leg on a pass defense during full-team drills against San

Francisco. Jackson, who is seeing significant time at

cornerback in the absence of injured veteran cornerback

Lardarius Webb, told trainers after his injury that he felt

something in his right Achilles, though he said he did not feel

a pop. The Ravens suffered a second serious injury on

Sunday’s practice as defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore,

listed as a second-string defensive end behind starter Chris

Canty, suffered what appears to be a torn Achilles’ tendon.

Thankfully, the Ravens have assembled a deep and talented

front seven and should be able to weather the Lewis-Moore

injury more easily than they would be able to cope with an

extended absence by Asa Jackson at CB. Rookie LB C.J.

Mosley continued his impressive start with a team leading

five tackles against the 49ers in his NFL debut. He also

notched his first NFL sack while displaying outstanding speed,

aggressiveness and instincts.

K/P: Early last week kicker Justin Tucker noted he had a 79-

yarder in warm-ups last year at a certain mile-high city. He

also noted: “I definitely feel stronger, and that’s a credit to our

strength and conditioning staff and the offseason program and

the work that I was doing back in Texas… I guess now more

than ever, I feel like I’m hitting as good a ball as I’ve ever

hit.” Although he didn’t get any attempts that long in the

preseason win over San Francisco, he did connect from 42, 22

and 55 yards.

OL: The Ravens’ offensive line looked good in the team’s

preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. Eugene

Monroe is reportedly exhibiting Pro Bowl form. The entire

unit’s run blocking was improved from last year with center

Jeremy Zuttah looking solid and the right side of guard

Marshal Yanda and tackle Ricky Wagner leading the way

for a touchdown run. Wagner produced a solid performance

and was hailed for it by the coaches. Seeking to replace

Michael Oher, Wagner is an important player for this line, and

his emergence would be a key factor in this line’s

improvement over last season.

Ravens Depth Chart QB: Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor, Keith Wenning, Nick Stephens

RB: Ray Rice (susp), Bernard Pierce, Justin Forsett, Lorenzo

Taliaferro, Cierre Wood, Fitzgerald Toussaint

FB: Kyle Juszczyk

WR: Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, Marlon Brown, Jacoby Jones

(KR/PR), Deonte Thompson, Michael Campanaro, LaQuan

Williams, Jeremy Butler, Kamar Aiken, Gerrard Sheppard

TE: Dennis Pitta, Owen Daniels, Crockett Gillmore, Nathan

Overbay

LT: Eugene Monroe, David Mims

LG: Kelechi Osemele, Will Rackley

C: Jeremy Zuttah, Gino Gradkowski, A.Q. Shipley, Ryan

Jensen

RG: Marshal Yanda, John Urschel

RT: Ricky Wagner, Jah Reid

K: Justin Tucker

DT: Brandon Williams (NT), Timmy Jernigan (NT), Terrence

Cody (inj), Cody Larsen, Derrick Hopkins

DE: Haloti Ngata (NT/DE), Chris Canty, DeAngelo

Tyson, Pernell McPhee, Brent Urban (IR), Kapron Lewis-

Moore (IR)

ILB: Daryl Smith (M), C.J. Mosley (W), Arthur Brown

(W), Josh Bynes (W), D.J. Bryant, Austin Spitler

OLB: Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil (S), Courtney

Upshaw, Albert McClellan, John Simon

CB: Lardarius Webb (PR) (inj), Jimmy Smith, Chykie

Brown, Asa Jackson, Dominique Franks, Aaron Ross (IR)

S: Matt Elam (SS), Darian Stewart (FS), Terrence

Brooks, Will Hill (susp), Brynden Trawick (FS), Anthony

Levine (SS), Jeromy Miles (SS), Omar Brown

Buffalo Bills

QB: The Bills played their 2nd preseason game in Carolina on

Friday night and came out with a win over the Panthers. EJ

Manuel looked impressive as he connected on his first seven

attempts of the night and played into the second quarter. He

spread the ball around, made quick decisions, and helped lead

two good drives. “His footwork was good,” Bills coach Doug

Marrone said of Manuel. “We had good targets, the receivers

were open. We had really good protection against a team

that’s very good up front, a very good front seven. We were

able to give him some time. … EJ looked comfortable in the

pocket, good completion percentage. I really thought he did a

very good job. We’ve just got to keep working, but I was very

happy.” The only knock on the first team offense in the game

is that they couldn’t get the ball into the end zone. Thad Lewis

took over in the second quarter, but didn’t do much to pull

ahead of Jeff Tuel in the battle for the #2 QB job. Tuel had

mop up duty late in the game and completed 4 of 5 passes with

a touchdown and interception.

RB: C.J. Spiller got the start against Carolina and showed off

his quickness right away with a 14-yard run on the first play of

the game. He was replaced by Fred Jackson once the team got

into the red zone, which is probably how things will go during

the regular season. Jackson picked up 9 yards on his first two

carries to get the team to a 3rd and 1 situation from the 2-yard

line, but he was stuffed for no gain on two straight attempts.

Midway through the 2nd quarter, Bryce Brown entered with the

second string offense and exploded for 25 yards on his first

two carries. Anthony Dixon replaced him near the goal line

and was able to convert with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

Brown was a workhorse in the second half and finished the

game with 13 touches for 82 yards. It certainly appears that

the Bills have a capable backup for Spiller in Brown, and

Dixon can handle some of the short-yardage duties if Jackson

went down with an injury.

WR: Sammy Watkins got the start and caught the first three

passes thrown to him for 21 yards total. The play of the game,

however, was made by Mike Williams who went up and

brought in a 28-yard pass despite being double covered.

Robert Woods was once again the most active receiver on the

team despite not getting the start. He did see some time with

the first string offense this week, however, and finished the

game with 4 catches on 8 targets for 31 yards. Chris Hogan

had the longest catch of the night as he got behind the defense

for a 32-yard gain on the first drive. He continues to make

plays and push for a roster spot. T.J. Graham has been

struggling a bit in camp as he recovers from offseason hip

surgery, and he could be on the roster bubble. Marquise

Goodwin returned to action after sitting out last week’s game

and had an 18-yard catch. Chris Summers made a nice catch

on a low throw for the Bills only receiving touchdown of the

game.

TE: Scott Chandler returned to action and got the start in the

Panthers game, but was held without a catch. Lee Smith and

Chris Gragg also played, but the tight ends as a group were

used mainly as blockers. The tight end position hasn’t

typically been a focal point of the Bills offense under

Marrone, but Chandler still figures to be an important player

who will provide a reliable target in the middle of the field

with all the speed outside.

Defense: The Bills defense was helped out by the fact that

Cam Newton sat out the game with an injury. The run defense

played very well, as they held Carolina to 69 yards on 24

carries with most of the damage done by the QBs. The pass

defense gave up a couple of touchdowns, including a 29-yard

play by rookie WR Kelvin Benjamin over Stephon Gilmore in

the first half. Duke Williams started at strong safety, but split

time with Da’Norris Searcy who helped his case with an

interception of Matt Blanchard near the end of the first half.

Backup safety Jonathan Meeks added another interception late

in the fourth to preserve the win. The only regular starter to

miss the game was corner Leodis McKelvin, who is still

recovering from hip surgery. At linebacker, it was once again

Brandon Spikes and Nigel Bradham in the nickel packages.

This defense may not be as aggressive rushing the passer as

they were under Mike Pettine last year, but they do look like

they will be tougher to run against.

K/P: Against the Panthers, kicker Dan Carpenter made field

goals of 19 and 42 yards, but was wide left on an attempt from

45 yards. Dustin Hopkins, hoping to make the final roster as a

kickoff specialist, had touchbacks on two of his four kickoffs.

Jake Dombrowski, aiming to overtake Brian Moorman for the

punter/holder job, launched a 56-yarder on his only punt in the

game. Moorman had 43-yarder and placed a 33-yard punt

inside the 20-yard line.

OL: Left tackle Cordy Glenn passed his physical and was

removed from the non-football injury list. Glenn is being

brought along slowly and is not yet working in team drills.

When Glenn does get back, seventh round rookie Seantrel

Henderson could be thrown into the right tackle mix.

Henderson has impressed coaches subbing at left tackle with

the first team during Glenn’s absence. Henderson had a great

game against the New York Giants in preseason action.

Fellow rookie Cyril Richardson looked stout on the second

team, while Cyrus Kouandijo looked ineffective against third

teamers.

Bills Depth Chart

QB: EJ Manuel, Thaddeus Lewis, Jeff Tuel, Dennis Dixon

RB: C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown, Anthony

Dixon, Ronnie Wingo

FB: Frank Summers, Evan Rodriguez

WR: Sammy Watkins, Mike Williams, Robert

Woods, Marquise Goodwin (KR), T.J. Graham, Marcus

Easley, Chris Hogan, Kevin Elliott, Tori Gurley, Chris

Summers, Caleb Holley, Naaman Roosevelt

TE: Scott Chandler, Tony Moeaki, Lee Smith, Chris Gragg,

Dominique Jones

LT: Cordy Glenn, Seantrel Henderson

LG: Chris Williams, J.J. Unga

C: Eric Wood, Doug Legursky

RG: Kraig Urbik, Cyril Richardson

RT: Erik Pears, Cyrus Kouandijo, Chris Hairston

K: Dan Carpenter, Dustin Hopkins

DT: Marcell Dareus (NT), Kyle Williams, Corbin

Bryant, Stefan Charles(NT), Damien Jacobs, Landon Cohen

DE: Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes, Manny Lawson

(S/DE), Alan Branch, Jarius Wynn, Ikponmwosa

Igbinosun, Bryan Johnson, Jacquies Smith

MLB: Brandon Spikes, Preston Brown (S), Jimmy Gaines

OLB: Keith Rivers (S), Nigel Bradham (W) (susp), Ty

Powell (S),Stevenson Sylvester (W), Nathan

Williams (S), Randell Johnson, Kiko Alonso (inj), Darrin

Kitchens (IR)

CB: Stephon Gilmore, Leodis McKelvin, Nickell

Robey, Corey Graham, Ron Brooks, Mario Butler, Ross

Cockrell, Kamaal McIlwain

S: Aaron Williams (FS), Da′Norris Searcy (SS), Duke

Williams (SS),Jonathan Meeks (SS), Jajuan

Harley (FS), Kenny Ladler

Carolina Panthers

QB: Cam Newton hasn't been allowed to scramble or run the

read-option in training camp as a precaution to protect his

surgically repaired ankle. "The big thing is he's got to be able

to protect himself," head coach Ron Rivera said. "...The other

thing, too, is if he takes a hit on it. That's the other thing we've

got to make sure of, that it's structurally sound." The Panthers

held Newton out of the first preseason game on Friday,

although Rivera does expect him in the lineup for the August

17th contest. Newton described the sensations in his ankle:

“It’ll hurt [sharply] for that little second but it’ll go away after

2-3 minutes. It’s a reminder that, hey, you better check

yourself.” Offensive coordinator Mike Shula isn't worried

about Newton: "With all that there's a calmness and

confidence. He's always had that cool personality on the field.

Now there's some added confidence with experience."

During the preseason game on Friday, Derek Anderson (5/7

for 65 yards passing, with one TD throw) scrambled for two

first downs. With 10 yards on two carries he was the Panthers’

leading rusher during the first half. "We just need to be

cleaner. Get out of the huddle and see things better," Anderson

said. "I was seeing the defense pretty good, but we can always

get better seeing coverage." Joe Webb played the entire

second half, and was the team's leading passer (16/28 for 180

yards, one TD and one interception, with one sack taken for -6

yards) and rusher (4/30/0) during the contest. Matt Blanchard

had a terrible outing (2/8 for 13 yards passing, zero TDs, one

interception thrown and one fumble lost), taking two sacks for

-20 yards, leading to a rarely-seen quarterback rating of 0.0.

RB: Jonathan Stewart missed the first two weeks of camp

with a hamstring injury. He looked good running straight

ahead on a side field during practice Thursday, August 7.

Stewart worked out before Friday’s preseason game and took

part in his first practice of training camp on Sunday, August

10th. As expected, Stewart was held out of the game, as was

DeAngelo Williams (coach’s decision - no injury related

reason). Kenjon Barner (8/8/0 rushing) and Mike Tolbert

(2/2/0) didn't impress during the game. Roster longshot Fozzy

Whittaker led all running backs with two targets for 2/16/0

receiving. Barner was targeted twice but didn't reel in a

reception. Darrin Reaves had eight carries for 19 yards and a

touchdown – he's an undrafted free agent fighting for a role.

WR: Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin reportedly had

what was his worst practice of training camp on Thursday,

August 7. Benjamin dropped three passes and Coach Rivera

said it appeared Benjamin’s focus was lacking. Benjamin

bounced back on Friday night, hauling in 1/29/1 on two targets

during the preseason loss to the Bills (18-20). "I stepped on his

heel and stumbled, and was able to keep my feet and just

follow the ball all the way to the ground," Benjamin said after

the game. "That's how you catch the ball, with your eyes." On

Cam Newton was effusive this week in his praise of

Benjamin: “Words can't even explain, man. I've seen so much

growth, and I'll continue to see progress.” Jerricho Cotchery

had a brief cameo with one target for 1/8/0 receiving. During

the game, 17 Panthers were targeted at least once. Tavarres

King reportedly rebounded well from his hamstring injury to

catch four passes for 50 yards. King tied tight end Brandon

Williams as the leading receiver for the game. Philly Brown

saw five passes come his way (3/23/0) and one of his misses

was Webb's fault on a bounce pass 2-point conversion attempt.

Brenton Bersin didn't help his chances of making the roster

with four targets for 1/19/0 during the game. Marcus Lewis

saw three targets for 1/14/0 receiving. As Rivera noted earlier

in the past week, nothing is "set in stone" behind Benjamin

and Cotchery yet, so performance in the preseason games is

going to determine several backup spots. Brown and King

seem to have gained an initial boost in the jockeying after one

preseason contest.

TE: Brandon Williams saw extensive work in the preseason

game, catching 3/50/1 on seven targets. “He’s probably come

as far as anybody on this team,” said starting tight end Greg

Olsen. “I’m really happy for him because he’s a great kid. He

wants to learn. He works his ass off. Physically, he has a lot of

gifts that are hard to coach.” Williams commented: “I say the

sky's the limit. I try not to give myself a ceiling.” Olsen had

two targets for 2/22/0 during a cameo appearance in the first

preseason game. Mike McNeill suffered a right knee sprain in

the second half during the game Friday night; he'll be

evaluated further in the coming days.

Defense: The Panthers sat out a pair of starters against the

Bills – DE Charles Johnson (hamstring injury) and SS Roman

Harper (toe injury). All told six defensive players were held

out due to injuries. During the game on Friday, the Panthers'

defense made a solid goal-line stand against Fred Jackson.

“We had a tendency on what they were going to do on the goal

line, where they were going to run the ball and they tried to

bounce it,” OLB Chase Blackburn said. “When 38, the

fullback (Frank Summers), came outside to try to lead him, I

just hammered him back and we made a good play on it.” DE

Greg Hardy turned in a sack, a tackle for a loss, and an assist

in limited snaps Friday night.

K/P: Kicker Graham Gano missed the Bills game with a sore

back. “Graham might have overdone it a couple of days ago,

so he's a little bit tender,” Coach Ron Rivera had noted earlier.

In Gano’s absence, camp leg Jordan Gay handled the kicking.

He missed an extra point, his only placekick of the game, and

became the first player to miss a 33-yard extra point with

which the NFL is experimenting this preseason. Brad Nortman

averaged 46.6 yards on five punts, placing one inside the 20-

yard line.

OL: Given the start at left tackle against the Buffalo Bills,

Byron Bell responded to the challenge. The entire line kept

the quarterback clean with zero sacks recorded in the contest,

and pushed for a rushing touchdown against a talented Bills

defensive line. The question of who (between Bell and Nate

Chandler) will start at left tackle is still unsettled, but Bell has

made his case. In other news, Chris Scott took over for Amini

Silatolu at left guard in the contest, and played well. Starting

eight games last season, Scott could be a dark horse for real

playing time.

Panthers Depth Chart QB: Cam Newton (inj), Derek Anderson, Joe Webb, Matt

Blanchard

RB: DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart (inj), Kenjon

Barner, Darrin Reaves

FB: Mike Tolbert (SD), Michael Zordich

WR: Jerricho Cotchery, Kelvin Benjamin, Jason

Avant, Tavarres King, Tiquan Underwood, Kealoha

Pilares, Marcus Lucas, Marvin McNutt, Toney

Clemons, Corey Brown, Brenton Bersin

TE: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Brandon Williams, Richie

Brockel (FB), D.C. Jefferson, Mike McNeill

LT: Nate Chandler

LG: Amini Silatolu, Brian Folkerts

C: Ryan Kalil, Fernando Velasco

RG: Garry Williams, Trai Turner

RT: Byron Bell, Travis Bond, Edmund Kugbila (IR)

K: Graham Gano

DT: Star Lotulelei (NT), Dwan Edwards, Kawann Short

(NT), Colin Cole, Drake Nevis, Linden Gaydosh, Casey

Walker (NT)

DE: Charles Johnson, Greg Hardy, Frank Alexander, Mario

Addison, Kony Ealy, Alex Hall, Wes Horton, Craig Roh

MLB: Luke Kuechly, D.J. Smith, Ben Jacobs

OLB: Thomas Davis (S), Chase Blackburn (W), A.J. Klein

(W), Jason Williams, Anthony Morales

CB: Antoine Cason, DeAndre Presley, Bene

Benwikere, Charles Godfrey, Melvin White, Josh

Thomas, Josh Norman, James Dockery, Carrington Byndom

S: Roman Harper (SS), Thomas DeCoud (FS), Robert Lester

(SS),Colin Jones (FS), Tre Boston (SS), Tom Nelson

Chicago Bears

QB: The Bears opened their 2014 preseason schedule with a

home game against the Eagles on Friday night. After a 3-and-

out series to open the game, Jay Cutler turned things around

quickly and led the team on a 13-play drive that ended with a

perfect back shoulder touchdown pass to TE Zach Miller who

was double covered. On the same drive, Cutler converted three

separate 3rd and long situations, showing that this offense will

once again have few problems moving the ball. Jordan Palmer

took over late in the first quarter and also put up solid numbers

with a touchdown and interception. It was Jimmy Clausen

who stole the show though as he lit up the Eagles for 150

yards and 2 touchdowns, including a beautiful 73-yard play to

WR Chris Williams in which he reportedly audibled out of a

running play. Developmental prospect David Fales came on

for mop up duty and also looked impressive. It’s clear that

head coach Marc Trestman has a way with QBs as all 4

players looked very comfortable running the offense as they

piled up over 400 yards and 4 TDs.

RB: Matt Forte didn’t find much room to run as he was held

to -5 yards on 3 carries, although he did have a 15-yard gain

wiped out due to a holding penalty. The second back to see

action in the game was Shaun Draughn, but he didn’t get a

chance to show much with just two touches. Rookie Ka’Deem

Carey took over in the second quarter and served as a

workhorse, although he picked up just 23 yards on 10 carries.

Senorise Perry, Michael Ford, and Jordan Lynch all split time

in the second half but none of the backs were really able to

separate themselves from the pack. Overall, it was an

underwhelming performance from the Chicago running game

as the backs combined for just 76 yards on 31 carries.

WR: The Bears offense was without the services of expected

slot WR Marquess Wilson, who could miss up to 3 months

with the broken collarbone suffered during the week. Brandon

Marshall and Alshon Jeffery continued to make things

difficult for defenses, particularly Marshall who came up with

a great one-handed catch. Eric Weems served as the primary

slot receiver in the game but he went catchless on two targets.

Chris Williams continues to make a case for himself as he

showed off his incredible speed on the 73-yard touchdown

catch and run. Another candidate for the slot job emerged

when Michael Spurlock picked up 56 yards on 4 catches,

including the game-winning touchdown.

TE: Starter Martellus Bennett missed the game while serving

his suspension, but it appears the Bears had more quality

behind him than we realized. Matthew Mulligan got the start,

but he’s more of a blocking specialist. Zach Miller has not

played since 2011, but was the star of the game as he pulled

down 6 passes for 68 yards with 2 touchdowns in the first half.

Dante Rosario also saw time with the first string offense and

pulled in a key 23-yard pass on 3rd and 10.

Defense: The Bears first team defense helped neutralize Nick

Foles and the Chip Kelly-led Eagles offense in their preseason

opener. Jared Allen and Tim Jennings sat out, but it didn’t

seem to matter much as Willie Young helped rush Foles into

throwing an interception to safety Ryan Mundy on the first

possession. Things didn’t get better on the next series as the

Bears front helped induce several holding penalties that led to

another short series. The starters were pulled at that point and

the Eagles got back into the game, but overall there were

positive signs that the rebuilt Bears defensive front is going to

be much tougher to play against. Most of the camp attention

thus far has been on the safety position, as there is a deep

group of players fighting over both starting spots. Ryan

Mundy and Danny McCray got the starts, but veteran Adrian

Wilson was impressive once again and rookie Brock Vereen

led all safeties in tackles. On the injury front, the Bears got

some reinforcements lately as CB Tim Jennings and S Chris

Conte both returned to practice recently. Among the

linebackers, it appears that Shea McClellin is likely to play a

2-down role at strongside linebacker while Jon Bostic is

seeing snaps with the first string nickel defense. If that holds,

Lance Briggs might be the only 3-down linebacker here with

significant fantasy value in IDP leagues.

K/P: Kicker Robbie Gould made field goals of 25 and 26

yards against the Eagles, but had a 41-yard attempt blocked.

Rookie Pat O’Donnell remains the favorite to serve as holder

(and punter). He averaged 43.5 yards on two punts in the

game. Challenger Tress Way averaged 37.5 yards on a pair of

punts. The long snapping competitors, Chad Rempel and

Brandon Hartson, each had five snaps in the game. Rempel

worked with O’Donnell and Hartson worked with Way. Gould

has been working with all of them in camp, aside from his

own kicking.

OL: With starting right guard Kyle Long (ankle) and right

tackle Jordan Mills (foot) out of the lineup against the Eagles,

the offensive line had a mixed performance. In pass

protection, the line was very good, keeping Jay Cutler clean.

Michael Ola was starting for Mills, and this could be the

makings of a competition should Mills not return to the lineup

soon. However, the line could not open up holes for the Bears’

tailbacks, and remains an area of concern. Eben Britton missed

the contest with his hamstring strain and second team center

Brian de la Puente suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain during the

second half. According to beat writers, he is expected to miss

a couple of weeks. Tough guy Rob Turner was signed to help

with the center depth.

Bears Depth Chart QB: Jay Cutler, Jordan Palmer, Jimmy Clausen, David Fales

RB: Matt Forte, Shaun Draughn, Ka′Deem Carey, Michael

Ford, Jordan Lynch, Senorise Perry

FB: Tony Fiammetta

WR: Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Marquess

Wilson, Josh Morgan, Eric Weems (KR), Michael Spurlock

(KR), Armanti Edwards, Terrence Toliver (inj), Josh

Bellamy, Chris Williams, Dale Moss, Greg Herd

TE: Martellus Bennett, Zach Miller, Dante Rosario, Matthew

Mulligan, Jeron Mastrud

LT: Jermon Bushrod, Eben Britton

LG: Matt Slauson, James Brown

C: Roberto Garza, Brian De La Puente

RG: Kyle Long, Rob Turner, Charles Leno, Dylan Gandy

RT: Jordan Mills, Dennis Roland, Rogers Gaines

K: Robbie Gould

DT: Stephen Paea (NT), Jay Ratliff, Ego Ferguson, Will

Sutton, Tracy Robertson, Brandon Dunn, Lee Pegues

DE: Lamarr Houston, Jared Allen, Willie Young, David

Bass, Cornelius Washington, Austen Lane, Trevor Scott

MLB: D.J. Williams, Christian Jones, Jerry Franklin

OLB: Lance Briggs (W), Jon Bostic (S/M), Shea McClellin

(S),Khaseem Greene (S), Lawrence Wilson (S), Jordan Senn

(W), Devekeyan Lattimore (W), Tana Patrick (S)

CB: Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings, Kyle Fuller, Sherrick

McManis, ,Kelvin Hayden, Demontre Hurst, Isaiah Frey, C.J.

Wilson, Derricus Purdy

S: Ryan Mundy (SS), Brock Vereen (FS), M.D. Jennings

(SS), Danny McCray (FS), Adrian Wilson (SS), Christopher

Conte (FS), Craig Steltz (SS)

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: With his contract extension done, Andy Dalton can

concentrate on football. There wasn’t much to concentrate on

during the team’s first preseason game against Kansas City.

Dalton played just one series behind an offensive line with

two rookies, two undrafted free agents and just one starter

from last season. He completed three passes including a 53-

yard bomb to A.J. Green down the middle that he didn’t seem

to step into all the way. His two incompletions came in the red

zone, including a back line pass to Tyler Eifert that was

slightly overthrown. Jason Campbell played into the second

half and was erratic before suffering an arm injury that the

team is calling a bruise. He’s expected to be back next week,

but Tyler Wilson was signed to take snaps with Matt Scott this

week. A.J. McCarron remains on the NFI list and there is

speculation that he may be moved to injured reserve at the end

of the preseason.

RB: The Bengals will undoubtedly mix it up more in the

regular season but the running game against Kansas City

consisted entirely of power runs, isolation plays and counters

with Gio Bernard, Jeremy Hill and BenJarvus Green-Ellis

running downhill immediately and successfully. Hill played

the second and fifth series with an additional carry on the first

play of the third quarter, while Green-Ellis handled the third

and fourth (one play, INT returned for TD) series. Hill was

clearly quicker than Green-Ellis and consistently fell forward

at the end of his runs. Green-Ellis didn’t play poorly aside

from a missed blitz pickup, but is likely fighting for his roster

spot. Rex Burkhead (5-21) and Cedric Peerman (5-20) had

nearly identical second half stat lines and are key special

teams players, further jeopardizing Green-Ellis’ roster spot.

WR: Dalton connected with Green on two early targets,

including a deep post route on which Green split the corner

and safety easily. Mohammed Sanu was Green’s running mate

early. Marvin Jones was activated from the PUP list early last

week but missed the preseason game. He subsequently broke

his foot in practice and will miss an indeterminate amount of

time – certainly extending well into the regular season. Dane

Sanzenbacher was already a heavy favorite to make the team

as a slot receiver / special teamer, but probably cemented his

role with two stellar routes and catches out of the slot.

Brandon Tate continues to battle for a roster spot and had a

physical slant route and diving catch for a touchdown with the

second team.

TE: There were concerning observations from beat writers

last month that Jermaine Gresham was struggling to get back

into playing shape after offseason surgery. He was activated

from the PUP list last week. He sat out the first preseason

game but has been participating in team drills in camp; he

should return soon. Tyler Eifert had two targets, both inside

the red zone, against Kansas City. He had separation on a

route in the back of the end zone in the team’s first drive but

Dalton’s ball was just out of his reach.

Defense: The Cincinnati first team defense played three series

against Kansas City. They forced a three and out on the first

series, converted a sack/strip/fumble into a turnover on the

Kansas City 16-yard line on the second, and held the Chiefs to

a field goal after a long kickoff return into Bengals’ territory.

Geno Atkins is off the PUP list, but his snaps are being

carefully managed and he’s yet to see action in team drills.

The team expects him to be ready for Week 1. Marvin Lewis

had high praise for Darqueze Dennard last week, calling him

the best rookie corner he’s seen. Dennard may not see much

playing time, though, with veterans Terence Newman, Adam

Jones and Leon Hall healthy. Dre’ Kirkpatrick returned a

terribly thrown ball for a touchdown against Kansas City but

is seemingly an afterthought right now with the depth the

Bengals have at corner. Carlos Dunlap and Wallace Gilberry

are the starters at defensive end, but it was rotation players

Robert Geathers (strip-sack) and Margus Hunt (consistently

impressive night included a one-arm ragdoll of the second

team Chiefs’ offensive tackle and quarterback sack) who had

the unit’s best plays during the preseason game.

K/P: Kicker Mike Nugent made a 30-yard field goal and three

extra points (which were longer than the field goal due to the

preseason rule experimentation) in the loss to the Chiefs. In

his first game action since breaking his jaw last year, punter

Kevin Huber averaged 44.5 yards on four punts (although he

watched one of those returned 80 yards for a touchdown).

Camp leg Quinn Sharp also added an extra point and handled

kickoffs in the second half.

OL: Despite missing three starters (Andrew Whitworth, Clint

Boling and Andre Smith), as well as versatile backup Mike

Pollak, the Bengals’ offensive line did a good job against the

Chiefs. The makeshift line created running room. Left guard

Trey Hopkins played well, especially considering his lack of

experience. Backup tackles Marshall Newhouse and Will

Svitek were solid in a new system. Rookie Russell Bodine

had a mixed game, looking excellent in run blocking but

giving up a sack. Bodine has been listed as the starting center

on the team’s first depth chart. The injuries to the starters are

not serious on the whole, and all should be ready for Week

One of the regular season.

Bengals Depth Chart QB: Andy Dalton, Jason Campbell, A.J. McCarron, Matt

Scott, Tyler Wilson

RB: Giovani Bernard (3RB), Jeremy Hill (SD), BenJarvus

Green-Ellis (SD), Cedric Peerman, Rex Burkhead, James

Wilder Jr., Jeff Scott

FB: Ryan Hewitt, Nikita Whitlock

WR: A.J. Green, Marvin Jones (inj), Mohamed

Sanu, Brandon Tate (KR), James Wright, Dane

Sanzenbacher, Ryan Whalen, Cobi Hamilton, Colin Lockett

TE: Jermaine Gresham, Tyler Eifert, Orson Charles

(HB), Alex Smith, Kevin Brock

LT: Andrew Whitworth, Marshall Newhouse

LG: Clint Boling, Mike Pollak

C: Russell Bodine, Trevor Robinson

RG: Kevin Zeitler, TJ Johnson

RT: Andre Smith, Will Svitek, Tanner Hawkinson

K: Mike Nugent

DT: Geno Atkins, Domata Peko (NT), Devon Still, Brandon

Thompson, Chriso Bilukidi (NT), Ogemdi

Nwagbuo, Lakendrick Ross

DE: Carlos Dunlap, Robert Geathers, Wallace

Gilberry, Margus Hunt, Will Clarke, David King, Sam

Montgomery, Larry Black

MLB: Rey Maualuga, Vincent Rey, J.K. Schaffer, James

Davidson

OLB: Vontaze Burfict (W), Jayson DiManche (S), Brandon

Joiner (S),Sean Porter (W), Emmanuel Lamur (W), Dontay

Moch (W), Bruce Taylor (S), Marquis Flowers (S)

CB: Leon Hall (inj), Darqueze Dennard, Terence

Newman, Pacman Jones (PR), Dre Kirkpatrick, R.J.

Stanford, Lavelle Westbrooks, Chris Lewis-

Harris (susp), Onterio McCalebb, Victor Hampton

S: Reggie Nelson (FS), George Iloka (SS), Danieal

Manning, Shawn Williams (FS), Taylor Mays (SS), Isaiah

Lewis

Cleveland Browns

QB: The quarterback battle between Brian Hoyer and Johnny

Manziel continued last week. Manziel began seeing first team

reps in practice, but Hoyer started the team’s first preseason

game against Detroit. Hoyer’s three series were marred by

overthrows and untimely drops, but he twice moved the team

into field goal range. Manziel played four series with the

second and third team. He showed more zip on his passes than

Hoyer, but looked hesitant at times and pulled the ball down to

run on two plays in which he had an open receiver. The

Browns also used the read option frequently with Manziel and

Terrance West. Manziel rushed for 27 yards on six rushes –

about 25% of his 25 snaps in the game. Mike Pettine denied an

ESPN report that Manziel had won the quarterback job last

weekend. Pettine noted Manziel’s improvement but said he’d

like to see the rookie’s pocket awareness improve. He also

said he thinks it’s ideal for a rookie quarterback to sit behind a

veteran and learn. Both quarterbacks will again work with the

first team this week in practice. Pettine would not name a

starter for this week’s preseason game but still plans to have

the competition settled and a regular season starter announced

before the third preseason game.

RB: Competition also continues at running back. Ben Tate

started and played two series. He showed his usual

decisiveness on zone running plays, gaining 25 yards on six

carries against the first team Detroit defense. He recovered his

own fumble during his second series. Ball security was an

issue for Tate in Houston and could cost him playing time if it

becomes a chronic issue in Cleveland. Terrance West took

over for one series with the starters in the second quarter and

played into the third. He had 22 yards on ten carries and one

catch for eight yards. West looked hesitant in his first series,

but showed very quick feet in traffic. His decisiveness was

better after the first series on those runs, but lost yardage on

multiple zone-read plays with Manziel. Dion Lewis and Edwin

Baker each had three carries. Isaiah Crowell was active and

played three special teams snaps but did not play an offensive

snap. He’s listed as a fifth string player on the Browns’ depth

chart. Pettine has said the depth chart is fluid, but Crowell

may have some work to do to make the final 53.

WR: The league hasn’t given a timetable for a final decision

on Josh Gordon’s appeal of his indefinite suspension. The

team hopes that the punishment will be reduced to eight games

but legal observers have said that the suspension is an all-or-

nothing decision. There would have to be negotiations

between the league and the player for a reduced suspension;

those negotiations reportedly have yet to happen. Gordon

started the preseason game alongside Miles Austin, with

Andrew Hawkins filling the third wide receiver role in passing

packages. Austin looked healthy and was targeted three times.

One of those targets was a bad drop down the sideline on a

Hoyer play fake and bootleg that would have resulted in a big

gain inside the five yard line. Nate Burleson (hamstring) and

Travis Benjamin (knee) did not play, which opened up playing

time for Anthony Armstrong (1 target, 1 catch, six yards),

Charles Johnson (6 targets, 3 catches, 30 yards) and Taylor

Gabriel (7 targets, 3 catches, 32 yards). Johnson was the most

impressive, showing some separation and open field running

ability on short routes and screens. He’s a big receiver that

should be able to get open downfield. Expect both Burleson

and Benjamin to see live action soon. Willie Snead drew some

praise during practice last week but wasn’t able to make a play

on his three targets in the second half.

TE: Jordan Cameron has an AC sprain. The team says it’s just

being cautious with their starting tight end and there are no

indications his injury is significant enough to last into the

regular season. Jim Dray started in Cameron’s place, but H-

back MarQueis Gray was the most productive of the backup

tight ends. He got open out of the backfield often and turned

an outlet pass into a 28-yard gain in the first quarter.

Defense: The first team defense allowed a field goal to a first

team Detroit offense who played one series and was without

Calvin Johnson. The front seven played the run and pass well

and did not give up any splash plays. Paul Kruger and

Barkevious Mingo started at outside linebacker, with Jabaal

Sheard working in on some packages. Mingo was aggressive

pursuing the run and easily won a back-on-backer

confrontation for a sack in his second series. Craig Robertson

drew the start next to Karlos Dansby, but Christian Kirksey

continues to impress in practice and it may not be long until

the rookie takes over. Rookie first round pick Justin Gilbert

missed the preseason game with a reportedly minor groin

strain.

K/P: Last week, kicker Billy Cundiff discussed his NFL

travels: “When I was out, I knew I had the talent. I was getting

enough feedback from scouts on numerous NFL teams saying

I had the talent. My wife and agent kept me focused. I was

always ready when I had a tryout. When I’m done with this, I

don’t ever want to say, ‘I wish I would have.’ I know I’ve

given everything I have.” This week he accounted for all of

the Browns’ scoring in the loss to Detroit, with field goals of

43, 26, 41 and 41 yards.

OL: When pitted against a pretty good Lions defensive line,

the Browns’ first team offensive line kept starting quarterback

Brian Hoyer’s jersey clean. The line was led by an outstanding

effort by right guard John Greco. Greco executed a vicious

“de-cleater” hit against Lions’ defensive end Darryl Tapp.

The play initially drew a flag but the referees conferred and

picked it up. Greco has been battling Garrett Gilkey in camp,

but it seems increasingly unlikely that Gilkey can overcome

Greco in preseason. Meanwhile, guard Jason Pinkston’s

blood clot condition has returned; he is likely to retire.

Browns Depth Chart

QB: Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel, Rex Grossman, Connor

Shaw

RB: Ben Tate, Dion Lewis, Terrance West, Isaiah

Crowell, Edwin Baker, Jamaine Cook

FB: Chris Ogbonnaya, Chris Pressley

WR: Josh Gordon (susp), Andrew Hawkins, Miles

Austin, Charles Johnson, Nate Burleson, Willie Snead, Travis

Benjamin (PR/KR),Marlon Moore, Tim Smith

TE: Jordan Cameron, Gary Barnidge, MarQueis

Gray, Keavon Milton, Jim Dray, Andre Smith, Kyle

Auffray, Martell Webb

LT: Joe Thomas, Reid Fragel, Chris Faulk

LG: Joel Bitonio, Paul McQuistan

C: Alex Mack

RG: John Greco, Garrett Gilkey, Jason Pinkston

RT: Mitchell Schwartz, Martin Wallace

K: Billy Cundiff, Brandon Bogotay

NT: Phil Taylor (DE), Ishmaa′ily Kitchen

DE: Ahtyba Rubin (NT), Desmond Bryant, Billy

Winn, Armonty Bryant, John Hughes, Cam Henderson

ILB: Karlos Dansby, Christian Kirksey, Craig

Robertson, Tank Carder, Keith Pough

OLB: Paul Kruger (S), Jabaal Sheard, Barkevious Mingo, Eric

Martin, Darius Eubanks, Jamaal Westerman

CB: Joe Haden, Justin Gilbert, Buster Skrine, Leon

McFadden, Pierre Desir, Isaiah Trufant, Jordan Poyer, T.J.

Heath, Aaron Berry

S: Donte Whitner (SS), Tashaun Gipson (FS) (inj), Johnson

Bademosi (FS/KR), Jim Leonhard (FS), Josh Aubrey (SS)

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Tony Romo has been smart about his recovery from

offseason back surgery; making sure to not overdue early

practices as he did coming back from his first back injury last

year. Although Romo sat out of this week’s preseason contest

versus the Chargers, he and his coaches are pleased with the

pace of his recovery. Romo told the press this week about the

importance of core strength in combating his back injuries:

"Not everyone knows but once you have back surgery you

kind of have to change the way you do things," Romo said.

"You have to constantly work on your glutes, your hamstrings,

your abs and strengthen everything around that area and so life

will be different after that. But that doesn't mean you can't do

the things that it takes to be successful on the field or whatever

you want to do. There's been plenty of people who've done it.

You just got to go do it. It just takes work." Both head coach

Jason Garrett and QB coach Wade Wilson highlighted

Romo’s Saturday efforts, indicating he is finally starting to

look like himself.

Brandon Weeden got the start against San Diego and played

well (13-for-17 for 107 yards and a touchdown) including the

Cowboys lone score of the night – a 4-yard touchdown to

backup TE James Hanna. It’s difficult to read too much into

Weeden’s performance, and given his play in Cleveland would

be a high risk proposition to all the Cowboys skill players if he

had to step in for an injured Romo. Dustin Vaughan was less

successful (7-of-14 for 80 yards) while Caleb Hanie played

sparingly (2-of-4 for 17 yards and two sacks).

RB: Neither Demarco Murray nor Lance Dunbar played

against the Chargers, although both are healthy and have

looked good throughout the early preseason. Their absence

provided Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams chances to stake

their claims on the RB3 role. Randle led the Cowboys with 13

carries for 50 yards (3.8 per carry) while Williams logged 8

carries for 29 yards (3.6 per carry). Williams caught five

receptions for 31 yards, showing he can be a capable 3rd down

option when needed. Williams and Randle are likely fighting

for one roster spot, and special teams may ultimately be the

deciding factor. Beat writer Bryan Broaddus notes Randle

serves as a personal protector on punt duties, which could

make the difference if their running skills are on even keel. In

related news, Broaddus questions whether the Cowboys will

keep a fullback on the active roster.

WR: Dez Bryant has looked dominant in the early weeks of

camp; not surprising but notable considering the presence of

OC Scott Linehan – the play-caller that’s led Calvin Johnson

to dominance in Detroit. Bryant, like many of the Cowboys

top skill players, sat out against the Chargers. Terrance

Williams played and caught two receptions for 19 yards and

has been locked in with a string of great practices over the last

week. The backup roles remain in flux, particularly with

Dwayne Harris struggling. Harris failed to catch a pass against

the Chargers (targeted only once) and then had multiple drops

on Saturday – on a day when the passing offense was clicking

otherwise. Rookie Devin Street led the team with 43 yards

receiving (4 receptions) while Jamar Newsome (3 for 38

yards), Tim Benford (3 for 23 yards) and Cole Beasley (1 for 6

yards) all figured into the box score.

TE: With Jason Witten sitting out against the Chargers, it was

James Hanna shining (2 receptions and the Cowboys lone

touchdown) over more heralded backup Gavin Escobar.

Escobar had a 26-yard gain but was otherwise uninvolved in

the offense. Neither poses a threat to Witten’s playing time

once the regular season gets underway.

Defense: It’s important not to overvalue the early preseason

but the Cowboys porous defense vs. the Chargers did little to

assuage the belief that Dallas’ defense is going to be a

problem throughout the season. San Diego only attempted 16

passes (completing the first 12 attempts) and was able to

control the game on the ground (42 carries for 153 yards and 2

touchdowns). The final score (27-7) could’ve been worse had

Dallas not come up with two goal-line stops. Optimists will

point to those stops (including a forced fumble) as a sign that

Dallas can “bend and not break” while the pessimist will note

that San Diego was moving up and down the field at will

against the 1s, 2s and 3s.

K/P: Last week, rookie punter Cody Mandell commented: “It

has been hard to find that balance sometimes, but it has been

fun. I am out here to earn a job and play in the NFL.” He

appeared to help his cause in the preseason opener by

averaging 43.7 yards on three punts, placing all of them inside

the 20-yard line. Incumbent Chris Jones averaged 38.5 yards

on two punts. Mandell was released two days later, and the

team suggested they may add a kicker to ease Dan Bailey’s

preseason workload. Bailey kicked an extra point in the loss to

the Chargers.

OL: The overall news from the Cowboys’ preseason has been

very positive. Tyron Smith absolutely embarrassed Martez

Wilson in pass rush drills. A beat writer calls this, “the best

line Tony Romo has ever played behind.” Still, the left guard

spot remains a concern. Both Mackenzy Bernadeau and

Ronald Leary played at sub-replacement level in the first

preseason game against the Chargers, giving up pressures and

penalties. Bernadeau showed some push in the run game and

was working with the second team as a center, which helps

with depth. He probably has the lead at this point, but it is also

possible that the team finds another outside option at the

position, as they did with Brian Winters last year.

Cowboys Depth Chart

QB: Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden, Caleb Hanie, Dustin

Vaughan

RB: DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle, Ryan

Williams, Ben Malena

FB: Tyler Clutts, JC Copeland

WR: Dez Bryant, Terrence Williams, Dwayne Harris

(KR/PR), Cole Beasley, Devin Street, Jamar

Newsome, LaRon Byrd, Chris Boyd, Tim Benford, Dezmon

Briscoe

TE: Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna, Jordan

Najvar

LT: Tyron Smith, Darrion Weems

LG: Ronald Leary, Mackenzy Bernadeau

C: Travis Frederick

RG: Zack Martin

RT: Doug Free, Jermey Parnell

K: Dan Bailey

DT: Henry Melton, Nick Hayden, Ken Bishop (NT), Ben

Bass, Amobi Okoye, Terrell McClain, Chris Whaley (IR)

DE: George Selvie, Demarcus Lawrence (inj), Jeremy

Mincey, Anthony Spencer, Tyrone Crawford, Ben

Gardner, Ken Boatright, Adewale Ojomo

MLB: Justin Durant (S), Anthony Hitchens, Rolando

McClain, Will Smith, Orie Lemon (RFA), Sean Lee (IR)

OLB: Bruce Carter (W), Kyle Wilber (S), DeVonte Holloman

(S/M),Martez Wilson, Caesar Rayford, Jonathan

Stewart, Cameron Lawrence

CB: Brandon Carr, Orlando Scandrick (susp), Morris

Claiborne, B.W. Webb, Sterling Moore, Terrance

Mitchell, Korey Lindsey

S: Barry Church (FS), J.J. Wilcox (SS), Jeff Heath (SS), Matt

Johnson (FS), Jakar Hamilton (FS), Ahmad Dixon, Johnny

Thomas

Denver Broncos

QB: Peyton Manning continues to look healthy and unaffected

by age. Against the Seahawks’ first-string defense, he

overcame a series of penalties to lead Denver on a 14-play,

61-yard touchdown drive that took 9:09 on the game clock.

The drive was longer than any Denver produced in 2013, and

Manning converted 3rd and 9, 3rd and 7, and 3rd and 7 plays

to keep it alive. Once the first-string offense left the field,

Brock Osweiler handled all of the snaps in Denver’s first

preseason game. His deep accuracy was not where it was last

season, going 1-of-4 on attempts downfield and throwing an

interception on a terrible decision. Osweiler did show off

some solid scrambling ability and bounced back from his

interception by leading a 10-play, 80-yard game-winning

touchdown drive, capped off with a 34-yard pass for the score.

RB: Montee Ball underwent an emergency appendectomy on

Monday and should be able to return by Denver’s regular-

season opener. Coach Fox suggested Ball will not play again

during the preseason, saying “We saw plenty of him a year

ago and saw plenty of him in the offseason.” In Ball’s

absence, Ronnie Hillman started against Seattle. Hillman

found little room to run, finishing with 15 yards on 6 carries,

but did manage to punch a carry right up the middle for a 1-

yard score on 3rd-and-1. C.J. Anderson also received reps

with the first-team offense against Seattle and was active in

the passing game, but suffered a concussion and left the game

early. Anderson was still suffering headaches on Saturday,

though Coach John Fox said that is “normal at this stage.”

Juwan Thompson found plenty of holes against Seattle’s

second-stringers, ripping off gains of 18, 15, 22, and 20 yards,

(though one play was called back due to offensive holding.)

Thompson also showed off pass protection skills, executing a

phenomenal blitz pickup to keep Osweiler upright and extend

a drive. With Ball sidelined and Anderson’s recovery timeline

uncertain, Thompson might see an expanded role in Denver’s

second preseason game. Kapri Bibbs had a handful of carries

Denver’s game against Seattle and showed reasonably well

against the Seahawk backups. With Ball and Anderson ailing,

Bibbs will have more opportunities to show what he can do.

He is currently fighting to make Denver’s final roster.

WR: Demaryius Thomas began 2014 like he ended 2013: as

the focal point of Denver’s offense against the Seahawks.

Thomas was in midseason form, converting on three separate

third-and-long plays to extend Denver’s scoring drive and

finishing the day with five receptions for 52 yards in a

quarter’s worth of action. Wes Welker had a quiet week in

Denver as most of the starters received a light workload. He

should see more action next week against the San Francisco

49ers. Emmanuel Sanders had a quiet day against the

Seahawks as Denver’s first-string offense left the field after

just two drives. Despite the limited game action, Cecil

Lammey of ESPN Denver says Gase has been “very creative”

with Sanders in practices. Since Demaryius Thomas’ return to

the team following his grandmother’s death, Cody Latimer has

returned to the second string. Andrew Mason of

www.DenverBroncos.com reports that Latimer has been hard

at work developing a timing with backup Brock Osweiler that

could certainly come in handy in the future.

TE: Just four years removed from playing college basketball,

Julius Thomas continues to work on the finer points of playing

tight end in the NFL. He spent some time during special teams

drills this past week working on timing routes with Peyton

Manning and rookie Cody Latimer.

Defense: Even with Von Miller sitting out of the matchup

against the Seattle Seahawks, Denver showed a very deep and

effective class of pass rushers. Demarcus Ware started the

game off with a statement, sealing the edge on a run, forcing

an incompletion, and registering a sack on Seattle’s first three

plays. Quanterus Smith, who spent his rookie year on the IR,

registered four hurries on 17 pass rushes. DE Malik Jackson

and DTs Terrance Knighton and Marvin Austin were also

terrors rushing the passer. Early returns suggest a much

improved pass-rush in 2014. On the other end of the defense,

Denver’s back seven struggled with the new emphasis on

illegal contact, giving up seven automatic first downs via

penalty, but newcomers T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib, and Brandon

Roby all showed an aggressiveness and willingness to mix

things up in run support. On Tuesday, Danny Trevathan was

carted off the practice field with a fractured knee. He will be

sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks and he avoided any damage to his

ACL or MCL.

K/P: Camp leg Mitch Ewald made two extra points in the win

against the Seahawks. Starting kicker Matt Prater added

another, but missed wide left from 54 yards on his lone field

goal attempt. Britton Colquitt had one good punt (48 yards)

and one not-so-good punt (35 yards).

OL: In the first preseason game, the Broncos’ offensive line

did a much better job of pass protection. Fans will remember

this being a problem in the Super Bowl, and the team

obviously hopes that problem has been corrected. The early

returns are good. In his return to game action, left tackle Ryan

Clady looked solid, blocking effectively against the

Seahawks’ offensive line. Getting Clady, a former All-Pro,

back from injury could have one of the biggest impacts in the

entire league. Orlando Franklin, playing at left guard for the

first time, also looked good, opening up holes for the Broncos’

tailbacks. In terms of depth, the team will likely cut someone

who can play elsewhere, as there appears to be 10 (or more)

quality players at this position currently on the roster

Broncos Depth Chart

QB: Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler, Zac Dysert, Bryn

Renner

RB: Montee Ball, C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, Juwan

Thompson, Brennan Clay, Kapri Bibbs, Jerodis Williams

WR: Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker (PR), Emmanuel

Sanders, Cody Latimer, Andre Caldwell, Jordan

Norwood, Gregory Wilson, Bennie Fowler, Nathan

Palmer, Gerell Robinson

TE: Julius Thomas, Jacob Tamme, Virgil Green, Cameron

Morrah

LT: Ryan Clady, Winston Justice, Vinston Painter

LG: Orlando Franklin, Ramon Harewood

C: Manny Ramirez, Will Montgomery, Matt Paradis

RG: Louis Vasquez, Ryan Miller

RT: Chris Clark, Michael Schofield

K: Matt Prater, Mitch Ewald

DT: Terrance Knighton (NT), Sylvester Williams, Kevin

Vickerson, Mitch Unrein (NT), Marvin Austin, Sione Fua

(NT)

DE: DeMarcus Ware, Derek Wolfe, Malik Jackson, Quanterus

Smith, Kenny Anunike, Brian Sanford

MLB: Nate Irving, Jamar Chaney, Lamin Barrow, L.J. Fort

OLB: Von Miller (S), Danny Trevathan (W) (inj), Steven

Johnson (W),Brandon Marshall (S), Jerrell Harris, Lerentee

McCray, Corey Nelson, Jameson Konz, Shaq Barrett

CB: Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby, Chris Harris (inj), Kayvon

Webster, Tony Carter (inj), Jerome Murphy

S: T.J. Ward (FS), Duke Ihenacho (SS), Rahim Moore

(FS), Quinton Carter (FS), Omar Bolden (FS), David Bruton

(SS)

Detroit Lions

QB: The Lions opened the preseason Saturday night with a

13-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Matthew Stafford

played one series, an eight-play, 32-yard drive that led to a

field goal. Stafford, who did not have the services of Calvin

Johnson, finished 2-of-4 for 18 yards (one incompletion was a

drop by Reggie Bush). "It was good to get our feet wet, mix

some personnel groupings, things like that", Stafford said.

“We had a decent little drive, got some points, so it was a

good start." Dan Orlovsky didn’t fare as well, hitting 12-of-23

passes for 89 yards. The Lions punted in five of the six drives

during Orlovsky’s stint. Kellen Moore had an impressive

showing, finishing 11-of-13 for 121 yards, including a game-

winning 21-yard touchdown pass to Corey Fuller with just

over a minute left. Head Coach Jim Caldwell was asked if

Moore would get practice time with the second-team,

Caldwell said, “It’s a long stretch that we have going. It’s

something we’ll look at.

RB: Reggie Bush and Joique Bell both saw snaps with the

starters as the Lions utilized several different personnel

groups. Bush, who struggled mightily with drops last season,

dropped a pass in the flat on his only target during the first

drive. Bush finished with two carries for three yards and did

not play after the first drive. Bell had an impressive 11-yard

run in which he demonstrated his decisiveness, burst, and

power. Theo Riddick, who has had a strong camp, caught a

nine-yard pass and was leveled by Browns safety Donte

Whitner. He held onto the ball but suffered an abdominal

injury on the play and did not return. Mikel Leshoure saw

extended action and finished with 31 yards on eight carries,

including a 14-yard run. The most impressive running back for

the Lions was George Winn, who ran for 39 yard on six

carries and added three receptions for 23 yards. The only

blemish for Winn was losing a fumble but he still caught the

eye of Caldwell. “Any time you have a turnover, it is

something of a concern, but I think he played hard and played

well,” Caldwell said.

WR: Calvin Johnson sat out the game and Caldwell did not

say what his preseason plans are for Johnson. Even though the

Lions are implementing a new offense, Stafford is not

concerned about the lack of playing time with his superstar

receiver. “I've played with him for quite some time, so he and

I have pretty good communication”, said Stafford. Golden

Tate demonstrated his sure hands on his only target, a 14-yard

laser thrown by Stafford in the middle of the field. Kevin

Ogletree, who has been leading the battle in camp for the third

wide receiver spot, had a bad drop on his only target. Ryan

Broyles, who has suffered a season-ending injury in three

consecutive years, hauled in all three of his targets for 27

yards. Broyles was just happy to be playing football again.

“It’s really a good feeling going back on the football field and

making a couple of catches”, Broyles said. Corey Fuller, who

had problems in camp as a rookie last year beating press

coverage, did exactly that to free himself up to catch the

game-winning touchdown pass from Kellen Moore. Rookie

T.J. Jones remains on the PUP list and has no timetable to

return.

TE: Eric Ebron made his Lions debut, catching a two-yard

pass and drawing a defensive holding penalty. Ebron’s

reception was a nice grab of a low pass from quarterback Dan

Orlovsky. Ebron lined up all over the formation during the

game, including snaps as an in-line tight end, in the slot, split

out wide, and in the backfield. Ebron was injured earlier in the

week and it was uncertain whether he would suit up for the

game. “I’m glad he got healthy where he can get some work

because he needs it”, said Caldwell. Joseph Fauria caught all

three of his targets for 12 yards, but the highlight of his night

was a crunching block on a Cleveland defender, which led to a

14-yard run by running back Mikel Leshoure.

Defense: Most of the Lions starters did not play many snaps,

but among those that did was cornerback Darius Slay. Slay

was matched up with Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon for

much of the game and other than allowing a 22-yard

completion, Slay played a solid game. “He got me on one play

but that was it,” Slay said. “Other than that, I was on him,

competing with him.” With the starters playing limited snaps,

it gave some rookies and other backups a chance to make an

impression on the coaching staff. Rookie linebacker Kyle Van

Noy almost had an impressive strip-fumble (the play was ruled

incomplete because the running back bobbled the ball). It

demonstrated the playmaking ability that the Lions saw in Van

Noy when they drafted him in the second round. Van Noy is

battling Ashlee Palmer for a starting outside linebacker job.

Rookie defensive end Larry Webster had three tackles,

including one for a loss and a quarterback hit while rookie

defensive tackle Caraun Reid had two tackles for losses.

Starting defensive end Ezekiel Ansah remains on the PUP list

with a shoulder injury but all indications are that he will be

returning soon.

K/P: Kicking competitors Nate Freese and Giorgio Tavecchio

have been handling kickoffs in camp as well as in the

preseason opener against Cleveland, but the winner will

probably not do so in the regular season as punter/holder Sam

Martin is expected to assume that role. Freese made field goals

of 37 and 32 yards while Tavecchio kicked the game-winning

extra point with a minute remaining. In practices last week,

Tavecchio fared better than Freese.

OL: Starting left tackle Riley Reiff and right guard Larry

Warford look to build on their success from last season.

Center Dominic Raiola and left guard Rob Sims only played

one series in the preseason game against Cleveland. Undrafted

rookie Cornelius Lucas appears to have the lead over

Michael Williams for the fourth tackle spot. Standing 6’9”,

Lucas is tall, rangy and hopes to become this year’s version of

right tackle LaAdrian Waddle. Once a converted tight end,

Williams is an athlete in his own right, but still seems like a

long shot to overcome Lucas for that final spot. It will be

interesting to see if Williams gets picked up or if the Lions

stash him on the taxi squad.

Lions Depth Chart

QB: Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, Kellen Moore, James

Franklin

RB: Reggie Bush, Joique Bell (SD), Theo Riddick, Mikel

Leshoure, Steven Miller

FB: Jed Collins, Montell Owens

WR: Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate (PR), Kevin

Ogletree, Ryan Broyles, Kris Durham, Jeremy Ross

(KR/PR), TJ Jones, Corey Fuller, Patrick Edwards, Cody

Wilson, Conner Vernon

TE: Brandon Pettigrew, Eric Ebron, Joseph Fauria, Jordan

Thompson

LT: Riley Reiff, J.B. Shugarts

LG: Rob Sims, Rodney Austin

C: Dominic Raiola, Travis Swanson

RG: Larry Warford, Garrett Reynolds

RT: LaAdrian Waddle, Corey Hilliard

K: Nate Freese, Giorgio Taveccio

DT: Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, C.J. Mosley, Caruan

Reid, Andre Fluellen, Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, Corvey Irvin

DE: Ezekiel Ansah, Jason Jones, Devin Taylor, Darryl

Tapp, Larry Webster, Xavier Proctor, George

Johnson, Kalonji Kashama

MLB: Stephen Tulloch, Julian Stanford, Travis Lewis

(S), Brandon Hepburn

OLB: DeAndre Levy (W), Kyle Van Noy (S), Ashlee Palmer

(S), Tahir Whitehead (S), Cory Greenwood

CB: Darius Slay, Rashean Mathis, Bill Bentley, Drayton

Florence, Cassius Vaughn, Jonte Green, Nevin Lawson, Nate

Ness, Aaron Hester

S: Glover Quin (SS), , James Ihedigbo (FS), Don Carey

(SS), DeJon Gomes (SS), Isa Abdul-Quddus (SS)

Green Bay Packers

QB: Aaron Rodgers was held out of the Packers' preseason

opener for precautionary reasons (there was heavy rain in

Tennessee on Saturday night and the field was sloppy/muddy).

Matt Flynn led the Packers to a TD on the first drive,

connecting on a 10-yard flare to tight end Richard Rodgers

and running for a five-yard gain while mostly handing off to

James Starks. All told, Flynn threw 5/10 for 49 yards, with

zero TDs, interceptions, or sacks taken, and added 3/9/0

rushing. "I struggled getting a grip on the ball a little bit,"

Flynn said. "Taking positives out of it, I felt like I made good

decisions and went to the right place with the ball. The ball

was pretty rough out there, but there's not much else that can

be done." According to Packersnews.com, Scott Tolzien had

more success [than Flynn] once the rain dissipated during the

second half. He drove the Packers' offense into Titans'

territory in his three series, including a seven-play, 79-yard

touchdown drive after halftime featuring the no-huddle.

Before Tolzien exited the field he had posted 8/12 for 124

yards passing, with zero TDs or interceptions. He was sacked

twice for -25 yards. Tolzien also had a fumble that he

recovered on his own. "I thought he did a lot of good things,"

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said. "I thought the no-

huddle really flourished in Scott's two series. To have the

fumble, and then make the play... and hit the second-and-20

play to get us down there in the red zone, I thought Scott did a

lot of good things". Fourth-stringer Chase Rettig netted zero

yards in a brief appearance late in the game (1/3 for 10 yards

passing, with two sacks taken for -10 yards).

RB: Eddie Lacy was held out of the Packers' first exhibition

game for precautionary reasons. "It was coach's decision and

it's about understanding that he's making the best decision for

the team," Lacy said after the game. "I know it was for a

reason and I just followed it." According to the Milwaukee

Journal-Sentinel, on the opening drive, the offense drove 64

yards in eight plays for a touchdown. James Starks ran on six

of the plays for 49 yards (8.2 yards per carry average),

including consecutive runs of 4, 3, 11 and 20 yards to close

out the drive. "He picked up where he left off," Coach

McCarthy said after the game. "James looked like he was in

midseason form. That first drive was impressive. We wanted

to accomplish running the football in the first drive. James was

excellent." Dujuan Harris was the next Lacy backup to appear,

and he ended the night with 7/18/0 rushing and 2/6/0 receiving

on the night (he also had a nice 40-yard kickoff return on

special teams). "I'm not surprised how we ran it," Harris said

after the game. "The offensive line was working hard and

opening up some holes. With all the talents we have, we have

something big here. We just have to keep on getting better."

Harris was followed by undrafted rookie Rajion Neal (5/39/1

rushing). The Packers' running back stable is in great shape

heading into the second preseason game. Lacy has been very

impressive by all accounts during training camp and is the

clear #1 while Starks looked outstanding in his own right.

WR: Jordy Nelson was held out of the Packers' first preseason

tilt for precautionary reasons. Jarrett Boykin (zero targets in

the game) killed the team's fourth drive with an offensive pass

interference call, and Flynn was done for the night after the

penalty. Davante Adams saw three targets for 2/22/0

receiving, but muffed a punt that set up a Tennessee score.

Backups Chris Harper (three targets for 2/55/0 receiving) and

Kevin Dorsey (five targets for 3/23/0) put up the top two

nights among the Packers' receivers at Tennessee. "Physically,

it's just one of those weird games that you can't really go back

and critique mechanics or receivers can't really critique their

routes too much because it was a sloppy game," Flynn said.

"Next week, we're in the dome (at St. Louis), so hopefully

we'll be able to execute a little better." Earlier in the week a

local source (Bob McGinn) noted that Nelson has looked

"superlative" during training camp with seven TDs to his

credit, vs. only one scored by Randall Cobb (who was

described last week as looking "rather commonplace"). Adams

is seen as best in the slot so far, and that would put him behind

Cobb on the depth chart. Myles White (two targets for 1/12/0

on Saturday in Tennessee) and Harper are behind Adams in

the camp battle for backup slots so far.

TE: Rodgers (starting with the first team in this game) caught

one pass on the first drive Saturday, and then saw two other

targets on the night (no other receptions). Brandon Bostick

created a 24-yard gain with a nice run after a Flynn flare on

his only opportunity of the night with the second team.

Andrew Quarless had one pass come his way but failed to reel

it in. It was a slow night for the Packers' tight end corps (there

were 25 pass attempts and 14 total receptions by the Packers

on Saturday night, vs. 35 rushing attempts). The battle for

position on the depth chart remains wide open after an

inconclusive first preseason game played in inclement

weather.

Defense: Titans quarterback Jake Locker didn't fare much

better in the messy conditions Saturday night, completing only

one pass against the Packers' first team defense. The starting

defense, minus injured S Morgan Burnett, forced two punts

during the first two Tennessee series. However, McCarthy and

defensive coordinator Dom Capers decided to send them out

for an "adversity series" after Adams muffed a punt catch that

Tennessee recovered. The starters gave up a 13-yard

touchdown run to Shonn Greene on the first play after the

turnover. "I know personally I could have been better (on the

touchdown)," DT Mike Daniels said after the game "I took

the guard and ran him so far out of the gap that I took myself

out of the play. I can live with it when it's a matter of, 'Hey,

kick his butt this way, don't kick his butt that way,' instead of,

'Hey, you got your butt kicked.'"

K/P: Last week, special teams coach Shawn Slocum said of

kicker Mason Crosby: “Last year, he was under a pretty

intense competition. He did well towards the end of it and had

a good season. He's come back this year, and I really like

where he's at in terms of his kicking. He's got a good mindset,

and I think he's in a good place.” Crosby made a 32-yard field

goal and a 33-yard extra point in this week’s game against the

Titans. Tim Masthay averaged 39 yards on five punts.

OL: Starting center J.C. Tretter was given extra reps in the

team’s game against the Tennessee Titans this week. After the

first team left the game, Tretter remained on the field with the

second team to better familiarize himself with the position.

Draft pick Corey Linsley replaced Tretter in the second half,

and does not seem to be a threat for the starting job. Backup

tackle Don Barclay was lost for the year with a torn ACL.

Barclay has starting experience and is a versatile backup. His

injury makes Derek Sherrod (who is playing well) more

likely to be the swing tackle, and elevates Lane Taylor to the

next man up at guard.

Packers Depth Chart

QB: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien

RB: , Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris, Michael

Hill, Rajion Neal, LaDarius Perkins, Orwin Smith

FB: John Kuhn, Ina Liaina

WR: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin, Davante

Adams, Jeff Janis, Myles White, Chris Harper, Kevin

Dorsey, Alex Gillett, Jared Abbrederis (IR)

TE: Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless, Brandon

Bostick, Ryan Taylor, Jake Stoneburner, Colt Lyerla

(inj), Raymond Webber

LT: David Bakhtiari, Derek Sherrod, Aaron Adams

LG: Josh Sitton, Lane Taylor

C: J.C. Tretter, Corey Linsley

RG: TJ Lang, Andrew Tiller

RT: Bryan Bulaga, Don Barclay

K: Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay

NT: B.J. Raji, Letroy Guion, Josh Boyd

DE: Datone Jones, Mike Daniels, Julius Peppers, Mike

Neal, Jerel Worthy, Khyri Thornton, Mike Pennel

ILB: A.J. Hawk (L), Brad Jones (M), Jamari Lattimore

(M/R), Sam Barrington (L), Victor Aiyewa

OLB: Clay Matthews, Nick Perry (L), Chase Thomas

(L), Andy Mulumba (R), Jayrone Elliott, Nate Palmer

(R), Carl Bradford

CB: Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Casey Hayward, Davon

House, Jarrett Bush (FS), Antonio Dennard, Demetri

Goodson, Jumal Rolle, Ryan White

S: Morgan Burnett (SS), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (FS), Micah

Hyde (FS),Chris Banjo (SS), Sean Richardson (FS), Tanner

Miller, Charles Clay

Houston Texans

QB: The Texans received good news last week when doctors

gave owner Bob McNair a clean bill of health after 10 months

of treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The

momentum was short-lived, though, as the Cardinals routed

the Texans 32-0 in their preseason opener. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s

first game didn’t go well either as he played through the first

half completing just 6 of 14 for 55 yards with two

interceptions. The Texans were without a few of their best

players - wide receiver Andre Johnson, running back Arian

Foster and cornerback Johnathan Joseph – due to minor

injuries. The Cardinals outgained the Texans 407 to 172.

O’Brien has dialed up the intensity in his first camp as head

coach, but he also took the blame for the team’s lopsided loss

stating that his staff has to do a better job of coaching, starting

with him. Case Keenum remains ahead of rookie Tom Savage

and he worked the third quarter finishing 3-of-5 for 23 yards.

Savage didn’t fare much better as his day ended as he was

tackled in the end zone with 1:28 to play for a safety.

Fitzpatrick is reportedly looking more comfortable in the

offense each day using his legs regularly thanks to the

constant pressure he gets from J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney

and even safety D.J. Swearinger. Depending on who wins the

backup job, the Texans will keep two quarterbacks (if Savage

wins) or three (if Keenum holds him off). Savage’s reps have

increased throughout camp as his grasp of the offense

increases. On Thursday, a receiver lined up in the wrong spot,

but Savage noticed it and got him into the correct position.

RB: The RB depth chart, beyond Arian Foster, is in complete

upheaval. Arian Foster and Andre Brown were inactive

against the Cardinals, giving Johnathan Grimes the start.

Grimes gained 39 yards on 10 carries. Rookie Alfred Blue also

worked with the first team and ran for 30 yards on five carries

highlighted by a 14-yarder. On Monday, Andre Brown,

Dennis Johnson and Tim Cornett were released – and replaced

by Ronnie Brown and William Powell. Beat writers believe

this cements Grimes as the primary backup, but it’s hard to

take a firm stance on the depth chart given what just

transpired.

As if anyone needed any excuses to lay off Foster in the

second round of drafts, he revealed last week that he

contemplated retirement after last year’s season-ending back

injury and spending some time with Texas legend and former

league MVP Earl Campbell. "Any time an athlete goes

through an injury like that -- a back, a neck, even knees or

hips, something that puts you out for the entire season -- you

kind of re-evaluate your life," said Foster, who will celebrate

his 28th birthday later this month.

WR: Andre Johnson continues to nurse his hamstring and has

not resumed practicing since tweaking it on July 28th. As

Johnson takes his time getting back to 100%, 2nd year

DeAndre Hopkins is starring. Team scribe John Harris noted

that Hopkins is “ready for the next step." With Johnson

missing all of OTAs and most of camp, Hopkins has caught on

quickly to the new scheme. "He's a very hard worker. ... He's a

guy that really, in our opinion, gets better and better every

day," head coach Bill O'Brien said. Hopkins’ ADP remains

relatively low considering his talent level, but much of that has

to do with the team’s iffy quarterback situation and

Fitzpatrick’s underwhelming arm. That might not last long,

though, if Hopkins continues to make leaping catches as he

has in the first two weeks of camp. Even Johnson took notice

of Hopkin’s increased confidence and improving rapport with

Fitzpatrick. Mike Thomas is pushing DeVier Posey and

Keshawn Martin for the team’s No. 3 job. Thomas led Texans

receivers with 4-40-0 against the Cardinals and his solid play

in camp continues, but it would still be a minor surprise if

Thomas ends up winning that spot over Posey or Martin.

Posey is taking advantage of Johnson’s missed time running

with the ones opposite Hopkins and making some impressive

catches during 11-on-11s. On Friday, the team released

undrafted rookie Kofi Hughes.

TE: Another mild surprise has been the play of rookie third-

round pick C.J. Fiedorowicz, who is running ahead of second-

year Ryan Griffin as the in-line tight end opposite “move”

tight end Garrett Graham. It looks like O’Brien will feature the

‘12’ formation prominently as his base offense. Griffin

performed well when called upon late last season after injuries

thrust him into the starting lineup, but Fiedorowicz was

drafted by O’Brien, perhaps giving him a leg up. On Friday,

Fiedorowicz made a nice grab going against Shiloh Keo. He

didn’t catch a ton of passes at Iowa but has shown consistently

good hands in camp. Earlier in the week, the team released

their unofficial depth chart that listed Fiedorowicz as a third-

teamer but the team’s beat writers all confirmed Griffin seems

to have fallen behind the rookie in practices.

Defense: Much of the news from the defensive side of the ball

centered around three of the team’s top players. Bob McNair

made comments to ESPN about potentially using the franchise

tag on DE J.J. Watt if needed. "You've got guys in the Hall of

Fame that have been franchised in back-to-back years,"

McNair said. "The franchise tag is worth something to the

team, and you can't be afraid to use it." Watt is under contract

through 2015 and McNair made is clear that he wants Watt to

be a Texan for many seasons to come. When he gets a new

contract, Watt is likely to become the highest-paid non-

quarterback in the league. Top pick Jadeveon Clowney

returned to practice on Thursday and he came up with a tackle

for a loss against Arizona; popping Stepfan Taylor in the

backfield for a five-yard loss. He narrowly missed a sack on

Carson Palmer, but Watt got there first. Clowney was tested in

coverage as John Carlson beat him for a touchdown in the first

half on a play that ended up coming back due to a penalty.

O’Brien said he’s managing Clowney and Johnathan Joseph as

they’re both coming back from offseason surgeries. Joseph

expects to be fine for the regular season. Safety D.J.

Swearinger, a former teammate of Clowney’s at South

Carolina, is giving the team a bit of swagger with his non-stop

talking during practices and games. "He talks trash all day.

We'll be at the house and he's still talking trash," said

teammate (safety) Eddie Pleasant. One battle that remains

unsettled is who will start inside at linebacker next to Brian

Cushing. It remains a close competition between four guys -

Mike Mohamed, Justin Tuggle, Jeff Tarpinian and rookie Max

Bullough. With Cushing still on the PUP, Tuggle and

Tarpinian have been running with the ones.

K/P: The preseason opener didn’t tell us much about the

kicking competition between Randy Bullock and rookie Chris

Boswell. Bullock sent the opening kickoff six yards shy of the

goal line, and the both sat on the bench while the Texans were

shut out. So far in practices, Boswell may have a very slight

edge. Boswell did get a chance to punt against the Cardinals,

averaging 47.3 yards on three punts. Starter Shane Lechler

averaged 49 yards on three punts.

OL: Despite the 32-0 final score against the Cardinals, the

Texans’ first team offensive line actually played well. The

running game was consistent, despite starting right guard

Brandon Brooks still not being available for action. Brooks’

injury, plus those of Cody White and Will Yeatman, have left

the depth somewhat lacking. Alex Kupper did an okay job in

place of Brooks, but he was sometimes overmatched. Rookie

Xavier Su’a-Filo is playing left tackle with the second team

due to all the injuries there. Left tackle Duane Brown publicly

came out in support of starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick,

despite his 14.6 rating in the exhibition.

Texans Depth Chart

QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, Tom Savage

RB: Arian Foster (inj), Jonathan Grimes, Alfred Blue, Ronnie

Brown, William Powell

FB: Jay Prosch, Toben Opurum

WR: Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Keshawn Martin

(KR/PR),Devier Posey, Mike Thomas (KR/PR), Alec

Lemon, Anthony McClung, Travis Labhart, Uzoma

Nwachukwu, Lacoltan Bester, Joe Adams, Alan Bonner (IR)

TE: Garrett Graham, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin, Zach

Potter, Anthony Denham

LT: Duane Brown, Will Yeatman

LG: Ben Jones, Xavier Su’a-Filo

C: Chris Myers, Cody White (IR)

RG: Alex Kupper, Brandon Brooks (inj), Conor

Boffeli, Bronson Irwin

RT: Derek Newton, Tyson Clabo, Brice Schwab

K: Randy Bullock, Chris Boswell

NT: Jerrell Powe, Louis Nix (inj), Ricardo Mathews, David

Hunter, Austin Brown

DE: J.J. Watt, Jared Crick, Tim Jamison, Jeoffrey

Pagan, Keith Browner, Julius Warmsley

ILB: Brian Cushing, Jeff Tarpinian (S), Justin Tuggle, Mike

Mohamed, Max Bullough, Akeem Dent, Paul Hazel, Chris

Young

OLB: Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, Brooks

Reed, Ricky Sapp, Quentin Groves, Lawrence Sidbury

CB: Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, Brandon

Harris, Elbert Mack, Josh Victorian, Andre Hal, A.J.

Bouye, Marcus Williams

S: D.J. Swearinger (SS), Kendrick Lewis (FS), Chris Clemons

(FS), Shiloh Keo (FS), Eddie Pleasant (SS), Jawanza Starling

(SS), Lonnie Ballentine (FS)

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Andrew Luck continues to do nothing to shake anyone’s

confidence in his ability to be a high-end quarterback this

season. Luck went 4/5 for 53 yards against Rex Ryan and the

Jets defense in Week One of the preseason. The third-year

passer looked smart, efficient and was willing to take shots on

a weak secondary. His surgical approach to the game bodes

well for his prospects in any potential up-tempo offense,

where he is the featured player. Yet, at least one Colts’ veteran

wondered aloud whether that was the best course of action.

Backup Matt Hasselback opined that the Colts might be

putting a little too much on Luck’s shoulders too fast. While

this is just one man’s opinion, there might some clues here.

Hasselback’s worries at least lead you to believe that

Indianapolis is gearing up to run an offense built with Luck

and the passing game as the foundation. As for Matt

Hasselback himself, he was excellent in the preseason opener.

That’s to be expected from a longtime, experienced player

battling second stringers. Third string quarterback, Chandler

Harnish, went 4/7 for 16 yards and didn’t look like he

belonged.

RB: All the glowing reports surrounding Trent Richardson did

not materialize on the field against the Jets. Richardson took

his five carries for a meager 13 yards. It didn’t look like he

was any more explosive, or decisive, than the 2013 rendition

of himself. It doesn’t help matters that a shallow offensive line

continues to lose players to injury. The latest news

surrounding the Colts’ starter involves a new mentor in

Edgerrin James. Indianapolis’ brain trust is hoping their

former franchise icon can assist Richardson in making the

necessary tune-ups. It remains to be seen whether that will

help matters. A different running back caught observers’ eyes

against the Jets, and that was Dan Herron. The 212-pound

back hasn’t done much at the NFL level, but rumbled through

the New York backups. What’s even more important is that he

chipped in with six receptions out of the backfield. With

Ahmad Bradshaw’s injury history, Herron bears watching.

WR: During the first training camp report, everything

surrounding Hakeem Nicks indicated his working with the

first team. And while Nicks continues to insist he’s in “the

best shape of his life”, the buzz seems to be dying down fast.

Pep Hamilton gave about the farthest thing from an

endorsement possible by saying, “I don't know if I can say that

I've seen enough. I think he is still working to get himself in

game shape.” You’d like to hear better quotes from the

offensive coordinator, and time appears to be of the essence

for Nicks. On the other hand, he did catch a sideline pass from

Andrew Luck early in the first preseason game. T.Y. Hilton

looks to have a strong hold on the title of the top dog in the

passing game. With Reggie Wayne resting, Hilton snared

three passes for 38 yards against the Jets. He looked in gear,

and ready to be a reliable target beyond the deep portions of

the field. Da’Rick Rogers and Donte Moncrief were each

targeted twice, but only hauled in one catch apiece. Although,

Moncrief was the receiver on field with Andrew Luck and

company during the first drive of the game.

TE: During the preseason loss to the Jets, Dwayne Allen and

Coby Fleener both saw time with the ones. In fact, there were

a few plays where both tight ends were on the field together.

Neither play did much to stand out in the passing game. Both

failed to catch a pass in limited action. However, Allen was

noticeably used as an inline blocker on several occasions.

While it’s not sexy, this is part of his appeal. If the Colts stick

with a power run offense, he can help seal the edge for Trent

Richardson. Should they go pass happy, Allen can chip in as a

sixth blocker and assist a troubled offensive line. Blocking is

part of the reason Allen is the top tight end on the depth

chart, and the main man to monitor at the position. It’s clear

Pep Hamilton missed Dwayne Allen last season. The offensive

coordinator called his tight end “Robocop” and gushed about

him as a player.

Defense: The Colts defense kept the Geno Smith led Jets out

of the end zone, and a few players stood out. Last year’s first

round pick, Bjoern Werner, was one of the defenders with an

eye-opening performance. He took snaps with the first team,

while playing with intensity and physicality. Bleacher

Report’s Kyle Rodriguez noted it was the fastest he’s ever

seen Werner play during his time in Indianapolis. The Colts

need Werner to step up and be a cornerstone of the defense.

The early returns seem positive. Montori Hughes received nice

reviews from the coaches during the early parts of camp, and

he brought his good play to the field. Pro Football Focus

charted Hughes with a quarterback hurry and defensive stop

against the Jets. It looks like the big man continues to exceed

expectations in his battle for a role. The Colts defense held up

well considering they were without cornerstones like Robert

Mathis, Vontae Davis and Laron Landry. Chuck Pagano

thought, “The effort was outstanding” and “the tackling was

good. The defense, other than one drive where we shot

ourselves in the foot, played outstanding”.

K/P: Adam Vinatieri made a 39-yard field goal in the

preseason loss to the Jets, but was wide left on a 29-yard

attempt at the end of the first half. Punter, holder, and kickoff

specialist Pat McAfee got off to slow start, sending his first

punt only 31 yards and out of bounds. He regrouped and

ultimately averaged 46.5 yards on six punts during the game.

McAfee noted: “First ball hailed from Shankesville, but some

bombs followed.” Camp leg Cody Parkey had touchbacks on

two of his three kickoffs.

OL: Injuries are stacking up for the Colts’ offensive line.

Starting center Khaled Holmes is out three weeks with an

ankle sprain. The injury looked more serious at the time and

the team hopes to have him back for Week 1 of the regular

season. Undrafted rookie Jonotthan Harrison out of Florida

replaced Holmes during the game against the New York Jets

and had a mixed performance. Harrison had two bad snaps and

the team signed Thomas Austin less than a day later. Rookie

Jack Mewhort played decently at left guard and also could be

an option at center, if needed. Backup tackle Ulrick John

suffered a broken ankle during the Jets game and he should be

out for an extended period.

Colts Depth Chart QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Chandler Harnish

RB: Trent Richardson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Dan Herron, Zurlon

Tipton, Davin Meggett, Phillip Tanner, Vick Ballard (IR)

FB: Stanley Havili (PUP), Mario Harvey, Cam White

WR: Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton (KR/PR), Hakeem

Nicks, Donte Moncrief, Da′Rick Rogers, Grif Whalen, Josh

Lenz, Ryan Lankford, Eric Thomas, Tony

Washington, Nu′Keese Richardson

TE: Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Jack Doyle, Weslye

Saunders, Erik Swoope

LT: Anthony Castonzo, Jack Breckner

LG: Jack Mewhort, Lance Louis, Donald Thomas (IR)

C: Khaled Holmes, Joe Reitz

RG: Hugh Thornton, Eric Pike

RT: Gosder Cherilus, Xavier Nixon, John Ulrick

K: Adam Vinatieri, Cody Parkey

NT: Josh Chapman, Montori Hughes, Brandon

McKinney, Fili Moala (IR)

DE: Cory Redding, Arthur Jones, Ricky Jean-Francois, Zach

Kerr, Tyler Hoover, Nnamdi Obukwelu, Gannon Conway

ILB: Jerrell Freeman (W), D′Qwell Jackson, Kelvin Sheppard

(M), Josh McNary, Andrew Jackson, Shawn Loiseau, Henoc

Muamba

OLB: Robert Mathis (susp), Erik Walden (S) (susp), Bjoern

Werner, Jonathan Newsome, Andy Studebaker, Cam

Johnson, Phillip Hunt, Jonathon Sharpe, Aaron Morgan (IR)

CB: Vontae Davis, Greg Toler, Darius Butler, Sheldon

Price, Josh Gordy, Marcus Burley, Loucheiz Purifoy, Johnny

Adams, Kameron Jackson, Qua Cox

S: LaRon Landry (FS), Sergio Brown (FS), Delano Howell

(FS), David Sims (SS), Colt Anderson, Mike Adams, Dewey

McDonald

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: The team remains firm in its stance that Blake Bortles

will redshirt his rookie season, but Bortles’ fine performance

in the preseason opener might force the coaches to reconsider

the strategy. The third overall pick was on top of his game

completing 7-of-11 passes for 117 yards in relief of starter

Chad Henne, working with the second-team against the

Buccaneers second-team defense. "I thought he did a nice

job," Head Coach Gus Bradley said. "He's shown some good

poise. ... I thought he did some good things. I know that there's

some things Jedd and I quickly talked about with the

quarterbacks --areas of improvement. But the poise factor; we

wanted to see that, and he did a nice job." The poise Bradley

referred to was when Bortles stood tall in the pocket, took a

shot to his face and still completed a 31-yard pass to Mike

Brown. He only had one bad throw in four series, but still only

mustered three points as three of his incompletions were drops

– two by Brown and one by Chad Bumphis. Two other

completions were negated by offensive pass interference

penalties. "Felt pretty comfortable," Bortles said. "Felt

comfortable with the plays Jedd was calling. Felt comfortable

with the reads and where to go with the ball. That's just

something that I have to get more [predisposed] to and more

comfortable with. That'll take place over however long. I'll

continue to study and continue to ask questions and try to

learn." Henne also played four series completing 4-of-7 for 30

yards as the offensive line struggled to open lanes for the

running game and center Mike Brewster sailed two shotgun

snaps over Henne’s head for a combined loss of 37 yards.

Bortles has yet to take a single snap with the first-team offense

in camp.

RB: Toby Gerhart (hip) hoped to play against the Bucs, but he

was inactive after being sidelined since August 1st. Gus

Bradley is playing it cautiously with his new starting running

back. His availability for the season opener is not in question

and he should be good to go by the team’s third preseason

game. "He's made great progress but we just felt like at this

point in time, for the number of carries he's going to get in

there, we'd rather have that recovery time," Bradley said.

Jordan Todman got the starting nod in Gerhart’s absence.

With the line struggling he gained only five yards on five

carries and he caught one pass for six yards. Robinson

performed well against the Bucs second-team defense as he

took a pitch 23 yards around the left end untouched for a

touchdown that gave the Jaguars the lead for good. He

finished with 36 yards on seven carries. Johnson ran nine

times for 21 yards and he was the second back in the game

after Todman. Undrafted rookie Terrance Cobb, out of

Cumberland College, got some reps late in the game with six

carries for 13 yards and one catch for 2 yards.

WR: Cecil Shorts (hamstring) said he is ahead of schedule

after running at 100% in a straight line during practice last

week. Shorts was inactive against the Bucs and has been

sidelined since suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain on July

25. Second round pick Allen Robinson has also been sidelined

with a hamstring strain since July 31. Tandon Doss suffered a

severely sprained ankle on August 1st and is sidelined

indefinitely. Rookie free agent Damian Copeland was placed

on injured reserve with a wrist injury. Undrafted rookie

Nathan Slaughter suffered a sprained foot and is out for

several weeks. Beyond that, Ace Sanders is suspended for four

games and Justin Blackmon most likely for the year. That left

the cupboard bare for the Jags as rookie Marqise Lee and

third-year backup Mike Brown started on Friday night. Even

Brown was a question mark, though, after leaving

Wednesday’s practice early with a tight hamstring. Brown and

undrafted rookie Allen Hurns turned in decent performances

with two catches each. Brown hauled in a 31-yard catch while

Hurns had a 24-yard reception. Brown was recently praised by

receivers coach Jerry Sullivan as he dubbed him the team’s

best receiver through the first week or so in camp. Of course,

that’s after six different players, Brown included, succumbed

to injury.

The surprise of the evening was the lack of involvement from

Lee, who wasn’t targeted at all while playing with the first

team and he finished without a catch. Lee has been the most

impressive rookie on the team through the first two weeks of

camp, but after the game Gus Bradley questioned Lee’s effort.

"That’s one of those things we’re looking at. Run your routes

[like the football] is coming to you," Bradley said. "I’d like to

visit with him about what happened. He could have done some

things more precise. It wasn’t exactly where we need him to

be." The coaches want more consistency out of Lee, but make

no mistake; he has been impressive enough that his highlights

prompted Jaguars.com writer John Oehser to write last week

that “this guy has … it.” Shorts agreed, “You see flashes of

why he was so coveted coming out.”

TE: The team signed veteran free agent Fendi Onobun last

week with Brandon Barden (illness) and Clay Harbor (calf)

sidelined. Onobun was recently waived by the Bears.

Undrafted rookie free agent D.J. Tialavea remained active

with a pair of catches for 15 yards against the Bucs. Starter

Marcedes Lewis caught one ball for 9 yards.

Defense: The Jaguars defenses recorded three sacks – one

each by Chris Clemons, Tyson Alualu and rookie DE Chris

Smith. Winston Guy returned an interception 68 yards for a

touchdown in the first quarter and Sen’Derrick Marks had a

strong showing with four tackles, a forced fumble and a forced

incompletion when he got into Josh McCown’s face. His

pressure forced McCown’s poor throw that was picked off by

Guy for the touchdown. The Jaguars had one of the league’s

worst defenses last year, finishing 27th overall, but after

spending $53+ million in free agency on their line to add

Clemons, Red Bryant and Ziggy Hood, they could be one of

the most improved units in the league. The coaches are

experimenting with a “lightning” package featuring four

defensive ends on the field at the same time during obvious

passing downs - Andre Branch, Ryan Davis, Clemons and

Smith. If the defense is going to improve, though, the

linebackers will need to get better. Paul Posluszny is a

playmaker, but the team hopes free agent addition Dekoda

Watson and fifth round pick Telvin Smith will do the trick.

Watson hasn’t practiced yet due to a groin injury, while Smith

has earned some first team reps as he appears to be ticketed

for third down duty where the team can take advantage of his

speed and instincts. LaRoy Reynolds has been filling in for

Watson at the weakside linebacker position.

K/P: Camp leg Kasey Redfern got some work in all phases of

specialization in the preseason win over Tampa Bay. He

kicked a 26-yard field goal, kicked off twice, and averaged 47

yards on two punts, placing one inside the 20-yard line.

Starting kicker Josh Scobee was less busy, kicking an extra

point and kicking off once. Bryan Anger averaged 45.6 yards

on five punts, placing one inside the 20-yard line.

OL: The Jaguars offensive line did not have a good game

against the Tampa Bay defense. The team was not able to

establish the run, only producing 12 yards on eight carries on

the first four series. Some of this is probably a matter of

cohesion, as they are starting new players across the board.

However, starting center Mike Brewster was especially

worrisome, as he had two wayward shotgun snaps. Observers

are concerned that he lacks the functional strength for the

position; the third-year pro has never started in the league and

the team tried to replace him in the offseason.

Jaguars Depth Chart QB: Chad Henne, Blake Bortles, Ricky Stanzi, Stephen

Morris

RB: Toby Gerhart, Jordan Todman (KR), Denard Robinson

(KR/WR), Storm Johnson, Terrance Cobb

FB: Will Ta′ufo′ou, Bradie Ewing

WR: Cecil Shorts (inj), Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson

(inj), Ace Sanders (PR) (susp), Mike Brown, Tandon Doss

(inj), Chad Bumphis, Kerry Taylor, Stephen Burton, Lamaar

Thomas, Kevin Smith, Kenny Shaw, Justin Blackmon (susp)

TE: Marcedes Lewis, Clay Harbor, Danny Noble, Brandon

Barden, Marcel Jensen, Fendi Onobun

LT: Luke Joeckel, Demarcus Love

LG: Zane Beadles, Drew Nowak

C: Mike Brewster, Patrick Lewis, Luke Bowanko

RG: Brandon Linder, Jacques McClendon

RT: Austin Pasztor, Cameron Bradfield

K: Josh Scobee

DT: Senderrick Marks, Roy Miller, Ziggy Hood, Deandre

Coleman, Abry Jones, Ricky Havili-Heimuli, David Carter

DE: Tyson Alualu, Red Bryant, Andre Branch, Chris

Clemons, Ryan Davis, Chris Smith, Gerald Rivers

MLB: Paul Posluszny, LaRoy Reynolds (M/S), Nathan

Stupar, Allen Bradford

OLB: Geno Hayes (W), Dekoda Watson (S), Telvin Smith

(W), J.T. Thomas (W), Chris Smith (S), Marcus

Whitfield, Josh Hull

CB: Dwayne Gratz, Alan Ball, Will Blackmon, Mike

Harris, Demetrius McCray, Aaron Colvin, Jamell

Fleming, Jeremy Harris, Deion Belue

S: John Cyprien (SS), Winston Guy (FS), Christopher

Prosinski (SS),Sherrod Martin (FS), Josh Evans (FS), Craig

Loston, Joe Young

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: The Chiefs first preseason game against the Bengals was

a mixed bag at quarterback. Alex Smith didn’t have a

particularly productive first quarter, leading three drives that

resulted in a three-and-out, a lost fumble, and a field goal.

Smith only attempted 5 passes, completing 3 of them for 19

yards. Chase Daniel played the second quarter and threw a 69-

yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce and a 40-yard pick-6 to

Dre Kirkpatrick. The interception was a terrible decision but

Daniel only threw two incompletions on the night. Tyler Bray

only attempted three passes but Andy Reid singled him out

earlier in the week as being the team’s most improved

player. By the end of the week Bray was actually taking some

reps with the second team. Aaron Murray barely saw the field

and continues to look like the 4th best quarterback in practice.

Unless the team tries to trade Daniel it looks like the Chiefs

may try to sneak Murray onto the practice squad.

RB: Jamaal Charles touched the ball early and often in the

first quarter against Cincinnati, and that seems to be the game

plan moving forward. Peter King was in Kansas City for the

game and after talking to Andy Reid he speculated on

Charles’ touches on the team’s broadcast. "Andy Reid didn't

give me a number but I think he's going to touch it 350 times

if he's healthy." Knile Davis was the first to return kicks in the

exhibition game and was impressive on his two carries,

picking up 28 yards. The star of the night, however, was

De’Anthony Thomas. Thomas was hit immediately after

catching his first punt and bounced off the tackler and

promptly sprinted 80 yards up the field for a touchdown. The

play showed that his world-class speed definitely translates in

pads to the NFL. Thomas also had one carry with the first

team but was not involved in the passing game. Cyrus Gray

and Charcandrick West were both impressive in the second

half. Gray is battling for a roster spot while West was likely

just being given a chance to get himself on film to show other

teams. Special teams coach Dave Toub says Gray’s helping

himself on special teams. “Right now, Cyrus is really our

captain,” Toub said. “He kind of runs the show, makes all the

calls. He’s like the quarterback of our punt teams.”

WR: It was a quiet night for the wide receivers with A.J.

Jenkins, Junior Hemingway, and Mark Harrison all sitting out

because of injuries. After Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery

took a majority of the first quarter snaps, the team used the

opportunity to get long looks at Albert Wilson, Frankie

Hammond, and Kyle Williams. Wilson made an exciting play

on special teams with a 65-yard kickoff return and a couple of

solid grabs as well. With Donnie Avery dismissed for personal

reasons this weekend, A.J. Jenkins took first team snaps and

Junior Hemingway returned from his hamstring injury. It’s

looking more and more like Hammond and Williams are

competing for the final roster spot at receiver behind Bowe,

Avery, Jenkins, Hemingway, and Wilson.

TE: Travis Kelce made the play of the night, a 69-yard

touchdown on a seam route. Kelce shook his defender with a

fake early in the route and then showed blazing speed to finish

the play off. Andy Reid was impressed. “It was good to have

him back out there and he had quite a few snaps,” Reid said.

“And I think he did a nice job out there. He showed a little

speed at the end, I mean heck, he was pulling away from

secondary players. It wasn’t just a linebacker so, I was

impressed with that. He did some in-line block, line-of-

scrimmage blocking which I thought he did a really good job

of." Kelce’s play came against the second team because

Anthony Fasano is still running with the first team. Fasano is

completely healthy and figures to see a lot of snaps regardless

of how well Kelce plays. Third team tight end Demetrius

Harris solidified his hold on a roster spot this week with a 30-

yard catch and run. Harris is still raw but he’s put himself in

an excellent position to see extended action if either Fasano or

Kelce struggles with injuries again.

Defense: If the team’s first preseason game was any

indication, the secondary is going to be very risk-reward

heavy. They were routinely beaten on routes, but also returned

two interceptions for touchdowns. One of those returns came

from Sean Smith, who is in a battle with Ron Parker to start at

corner. Parker did not have a good night in the exhibition, but

has bounced back in practice. The battle at corner is ongoing

according to defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. “There’s far

less separating them than it might appear," Sutton said. “I

hope they make it a hard decision. That would be the best

thing for us. That would be great." Rookie corner Phillip

Gaines saw a lot of time in the second half, and didn’t look

overwhelmed. Another rookie OLB Dee Ford showed great

speed off the edge, but also a lot that he needs to work on.

Jaye Howard was given the opportunity to start due a Mike

DeVito injury, and looked impressive. Howard’s versatility is

giving him a chance to join the defensive line rotation. “He

has been able to have some flexibility in where he’s played,”

Sutton said. “He has flashes of really good athleticism. He can

be a very explosive guy. From his standpoint, the thing he has

to do is become more consistent. If he does that, he is going to

be a really good football player for us.” Joe Mays has all but

locked up the starting linebacker job opposite Derrick Johnson

and it looks like James Michael-Johnson, not Nico Johnson,

will be his backup.

K/P: After one preseason game, the kicking competition

remains very close. Ryan Succop and rookie Cairo Santos

each made a short field goal against the Bengals, 27 and 28

yards, respectively. Both made a couple of extra points.

Succop faired slightly better on kickoffs, with three

touchbacks and one several yards deep into the end zone.

Santos sent one to the goal line, had one several yards deep,

and another for one touchback. Dustin Colquitt averaged 51

yards on a pair of punts.

OL: Eric Fisher’s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery is

ongoing. Fisher looked awesome in the run game, burying

Bengals defensive end Wallace Gilberry with the dreaded

“pancake block.” On the minus side, he gave up some

pressure which resulted in a strip sack. Fisher has only

recently began practicing with live action in pass rush drills,

and further improvement is to be expected. Backup center

Eric Kush has been gaining a lot of buzz for his strong

performances. Head coach Andy Reid called backup guard

Ricky Henry “a dirtbag” who “looked like Larry The Cable

Guy” but he meant it as a compliment. Henry has been gaining

first team reps at both guard spots, and has climbed above

Rishaw Johnson on the depth chart. Henry could compete with

Zach Fulton for real snaps.

Chiefs Depth Chart

QB: Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray

RB: Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis (KR), De′Anthony Thomas

(KR), Cyrus Gray, Joe McKnight

FB: Anthony Sherman

WR: Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery, A.J. Jenkins, Junior

Hemingway, Weston Dressler, Kyle Williams, Albert

Wilson, Frankie Hammond, Mark Harrison, Jerrell

Jackson, Fred Williams, Deon Anthony

TE: Anthony Fasano, Travis Kelce, Demetrius

Harris, Richard Gordon

LT: Eric Fisher, Jeff Linkenbach, R.J. Dill

LG: Jeff Allen, Rokevious Watkins

C: Rodney Hudson, Eric Kush

RG: Zach Fulton, Ricky Henry, Rishaw Johnson

RT: Donald Stephenson, Ryan Harris, Laurent Duvernay-

Tardif, Colin Kelly

K: Ryan Succop

NT: Dontari Poe, Jaye Howard

DE: Mike DeVito, Allen Bailey, Vance Walker, Mike

Catapano, Dominique Hamilton, Chas Alecxih

ILB: Derrick Johnson, Joe Mays, Nico Johnson, James-

Michael Johnson, Jordan Campbell

OLB: Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Dee Ford, Frank

Zombo, Ridge Wilson, Alonzo Highsmith, Devan

Walker, Josh Martin, Josh Mauga

CB: Marcus Cooper, Sean Smith, Ron Parker, Phillip

Gaines, Chris Owens, Vernon Kearney, Kevin

Rutland, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Justin Rogers, Kip

Edwards, Brandon Jones, Quinton Byrd, Sanders Commings

(inj)

S: Eric Berry (SS), Husain Abdullah, Malcolm

Bronson, Jerron McMillian, Steve Gregory

Miami Dolphins

QB: Some turbulence has continued for Ryan Tannehill with

interceptions plaguing the quarterback during the early part of

the week. Hesitation was the main cause, which will hopefully

be corrected as he continues to gain a better comfort level

within Bill Lazor' offense. The system focuses on smart, quick

decisions and also an increased threat as a runner from the

quarterback. Versus the Atlanta Falcons we saw this

demonstrated on the opening drive when an option play was

called where he could either hand it off to the back, keep it

himself, or throw a quick screen. That play resulted in an

eight-yard gain on the screen and the drive was capped off

with a walk-in six-yard passing touchdown on play action.

Tannehill finished six of six passing for 62 yards with the one

touchdown. Matt Moore (shoulder soreness) returned to

practice last week, albeit on a limited basis. He, nor Pat

Devlin, played in the preseason game. Seth Lobato was the

only other quarterback to play, completing just 14 of 28 passes

for 124 yards and also had one lost fumble. Pat Devlin was

released following the game in favor of veteran Brady Quinn.

RB: Knowshon Moreno passed his physical and is now active.

Head coach Joe Philbin has said nothing is settled in the

backfield, but it remains likely and most sensible that Lamar

Miller holds onto the lead back role while Moreno acts as the

third-down back. As expected, Moreno did not play in the

preseason opener. Miller managed only 11 yards on four

carries and eight yards on two receptions, although he nearly

dropped one of them. Daniel Thomas continues to be

lackluster and his grip on a roster spot is slipping. He’s also

been dealing with a hamstring injury and missed the game.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald even warned, “Don’t

be surprised if Thomas struggles to make this team.” Mike

Gillislee has begun to show improvement and is close to

overtaking Thomas as the number three back. He led the team

with 30 yards rushing on eight carries. Unfortunately, he was

forced to exit from Sunday’s practice early with a knee injury.

Damien Williams didn’t find much running room in the game,

finishing with just two yards on six carries, but did add three

receptions for 18 yards before departing with an ankle injury.

WR: Mike Wallace (hamstring) returned to practice last week

although he remained limited and did not suit up on Friday.

The injury has stalled the development of chemistry between

him and Tannehill, specifically on the deep ball. Brian

Hartline is now a full participant in practice, but was also held

out of the game. This left Brandon Gibson as the top receiver;

he caught two passes for 14 yards, including the previously

mentioned walk-in touchdown. Jarvis Landry has remained

the most impressive rookie at camp, although he’s still likely

to begin the season behind Gibson and managed only one

reception for a loss of one yard. On the first drive, Rishard

Matthews picked up a short first down and then found open

space for a 36-yard reception. A roster spot is becoming more

likely for him.

TE: Injuries have decimated the tight ends. Charles Clay

(knee) has been held out of practice and missed the preseason

opener. Michael Egnew suffered a concussion that caused him

to miss nearly a full week, while Gator Hoskins (hamstring) is

also banged up and rookie Arthur Lynch (undisclosed) is

limited in practice. Those injuries have benefitted Dion Sims,

leaving him with plenty of work. To his credit, he has played

well enough to lead the competition for the backup job.

Defense: The preseason opener was forgettable for the

defense. In the one drive versus Atlanta’s first team offense,

the unit allowed seven of seven passing on a 15-play, 77-yard

drive that resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run. In total, they

allowed only 84 yards on 32 rushing attempts, but Antone

Smith did gash the defense for a 76-yard touchdown run that

was negated due to a holding penalty. Additionally, they

recorded no official sacks or turnovers, but were plagued by

missed tackles (12 according to ProFootballFocus) throughout

the game. As LB Koa Misi continues his transition to middle

linebacker questions about his leadership have dissipated, but

he made the highlight reel when Jacquizz Rodgers left him to

fall quietly on the turf. In fairness, Misi did reach Matt Ryan

on a B-gap blitz for a sack that was negated. The most notable

performance was DE Terrence Fede, who hurried the

quarterback a handful of times. He may fill in for DE Dion

Jordan during his suspension at the very least. CB Will Davis

also showed well; he had a few pass deflections, including a

near inception when jumping a route, and also drew an

offensive pass interference penalty. In camp, rookie LB Chris

McCain’s athleticism has stood out, while fellow rookie

linebacker Jordan Tripp has also impressed Philbin with his

speed and work ethic. CB Cortland Finnegan has continued

his stellar camp, regularly creating turnovers, although he

allowed both targets on Friday to be completed. The biggest

development this week was SS Reshad Jones being suspended

four games for violating the league’s policy on performance

enhancing drugs. Jimmy Wilson, who was the primary nickel

back, will be covering for Jones at SS during his absence.

Jamar Taylor will now get the first crack at nickel.

K/P: Kicker Caleb Sturgis is nursing a minor groin injury and

did not play in the preseason opener against the Falcons.

Camp and AFL veteran Danny Hrapmann, who was signed

last week, handled the kicking duties. He hit a 42-yard field

goal and added an extra point. Sturgis might play this week, or

he might rest again. Coach Joe Philbin noted: “In talking to

our medical people, I think it’s a day to day thing.” Brandon

Fields averaged 47.5 yards on six punts against Atlanta.

OL: As expected, Samson Satele has taken over as the first

team center. Satele looked good in the Dolphins’ preseason

opener, handling the snaps without incident. Satele is a natural

center and looked to be comfortable back in a Dolphins

uniform. Rookie right tackle Ju’Wuan James has been steady

as a starter and is looking like a really strong pick for the

team. Another former Tennessee Volunteer, Dallas Thomas,

looked solid in his first team reps at right guard, next to James.

Thomas looks to have the edge over Shelley Smith and Billy

Turner in the competition for the open right guard spot. This

line is trending upward and really coming together with the

return of Satele.

Dolphins Depth Chart

QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Brady Quinn, Seth Lobato

RB: Lamar Miller, Knowshon Moreno (3RB), Daniel

Thomas, Mike Gillislee, Cameron Marshall, Damien Williams

(inj)

WR: Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Jarvis

Landry, Rishard Matthews, Matt Hazel, Damian

Williams, Marcus Thigpen (KR/PR), Ryan Spadola, Armon

Binns, Kevin Cone, Stephen Williams

TE: , Charles Clay, Dion Sims, Michael Egnew, Arthur

Lynch, Gator Hoskins, Kyle Miller, Emmanuel Ogbuehi, Brett

Brackett

LT: Branden Albert

LG: Darren Colledge, Shelley Smith

C: Samson Satele, Mike Pouncey (inj), David Arkin, Nate

Garner, Sam Brenner

RG: Dallas Thomas, Billy Turner, Danny Watkins

RT: Ja’wuan James, Jason Fox

K: Caleb Sturgis, Danny Hrapmann

DT: Randy Starks, Earl Mitchell, Jared Odrick, A.J.

Francis, Isaako Aaitui

DE: Cameron Wake (W), Olivier Vernon, Dion Jordan

(susp), Derrick Shelby, Terrence Fede

MLB: Koa Misi, Jason Trusnik (S)

OLB: Philip Wheeler (S), Dannell Ellerbe (W), Jonathan

Freeny (S),Jordan Tripp, Jelani Jenkins (W)

CB: Brent Grimes, Cortland Finnegan, Jamar Taylor, Will

Davis, Jalil Brown, Walt Aikens

S: Reshad Jones (SS) (susp), Jimmy Wilson (FS/SS), Louis

Delmas (FS), Don Jones (FS) (susp), Jordan Kovacs

(SS), Michael Thomas(SS)

Minnesota Vikings

QB: The first round in the battle for the Vikings’ starting QB

job was scored decidedly in favor of Matt Cassel during

Friday night’s preseason opener against Oakland. Cassel

completed five of six pass attempts for 62 yards on

Minnesota’s opening drive; capped off by a 1-yard Matt

Asiata TD run. Head coach Mike Zimmer was impressed with

the veteran, saying, “I thought he did a great job. He made a

couple big throws on third down. He played like a veteran; he

had control in the huddle." After the game, Cassel stated he

was “very comfortable” running Norv Turner’s offensive

scheme, but expressed a desire for increased reps. Teddy

Bridgewater, who had reportedly been closing the gap on

Cassel in training camp practices, came in on the next series

and played into the third quarter. While his one drive with the

starters ended in a 30-yard Blair Thomas field goal,

Bridgewater was predictably erratic in his first NFL action. He

finished six out of 13 for just 49 yards, and was sacked twice,

including a strip sack in the red zone. "There was a couple

times in the game when he just didn't act like a veteran,"

Zimmer said. "Things happened that he hadn't seen before.

So those are all great experiences for him, but he made some

great throws. There was a couple mishaps that he had, but I

think Teddy's going to be a great player.” The Vikings

remain without a timetable to name a starter, but at this

point it would be a major upset if Cassel is not behind center

in Week One. Meanwhile, Christian Ponder has continued to

struggle.

RB: With Adrian Peterson unlikely to see a preseason carry,

it was Matt Asiata who played the entire opening series with

the Vikings’ starters (including third downs). Asiata would

finish with three carries for 13 yards, including the

aforementioned goal line TD. The player to watch from a

fantasy perspective is rookie Jerick McKinnon, and he didn’t

disappoint as Minnesota’s most heavily featured back. On his

only drive behind the Vikings’ starting offensive line,

McKinnon picked up 36 yards on six carries, including a

long run of 12 yards that he bounced outside and turned up the

sideline. The third rounder out of Georgia Southern would

finish with 45 yards on 12 carries, but his pass protection was

the biggest story to come out of his pro debut. McKinnon,

whose workout metrics make him the “Calvin Johnson of

running backs”, should push the plodding Asiata for backup

duties, or at least carve out a role on third downs if he

continues to prove capable as a pass blocker. Teammates and

coaches have praised his ability to pick up the skill, and

McKinnon himself sounds confident in the progress he’s

made. Zimmer was impressed with McKinnon as well,

though he did offer up a critique on his special teams play.

WR: Fantasy owners who plan on meeting Cordarrelle

Patterson’s steep asking price should be encouraged by the

team high four targets and 38 yards he posted in just one

quarter on Friday night. Patterson displayed physicality and

ran sharp routes, the latter of which will be crucial to his

success in OC Norv Turner’s vertical scheme. Starting flanker

Greg Jennings caught one pass for 13 yards, but had a 21-yard

gain (on Bridgewater’s best throw of the night) negated by an

illegal formation penalty. Both Jerome Simpson (one catch for

six yards on two targets) and Jarius Wright (zero catches on

three targets) did little to distinguish themselves in the battle

for WR3 duties, though it was interesting to see Wright do his

best Patterson impression on a 17-yard end around.

TE: Kyle Rudolph lived up to the hype in the preseason

opener, getting pushed out of bounds just short of the pylon on

a 22-yard first quarter grab. Rudolph remains primed for a

career season, playing in the same offensive scheme that

turned Jordan Cameron into a top five tight end a year ago.

Earlier in the week, the Vikings waived rookie tight end

A.C. Leonard, a workout freak who had shown flashes as a

pass catcher during early training camp. The Vikings now

carry four tight ends on the 90-man roster behind Rudolph:

Rhett Ellison, Chase Ford, Allen Reisner and Mike Higgins.

Defense: Granted they were playing the Raiders, but

Minnesota has to be happy with the performance of the first

team defense. The Vikings gave up only one first down and

zero points on the first two series; holding QB Matt Schaub to

0-2 on third downs in the process. All eyes were fixed on ninth

overall pick Anthony Barr, who showed up on the score sheet

with a sack. After the game, Zimmer lamented not giving

Barr more opportunities to blitz. Minnesota’s 31st ranked

pass defense also looked improved in the small sample.

Backup free safety Kurt Coleman got a chance to start at

strong safety with Robert Blanton and Jamarca Sanford

injured. Coleman took advantage of the opportunity by

recording the game’s only interception. Earlier in the week,

the Vikings signed DB Chris Crocker, who spent seven

seasons playing under Zimmer in Cincinnati. Crocker figures

to enter the mix at strong safety as well.

K/P: The Vikings played their first game in TCF Bank

Stadium, in which kicker Blair Walsh, punter/holder Jeff

Locke and long snapper Cullen Loeffler have been assessing

wind patterns and conditions since early in the offseason,

along with quizzing several Minnesota Gophers specialists.

Against the Raiders, Walsh hit a 30-yard field goal, but was

wide right on a 53-yard attempt. Locke averaged 38.9 yards on

eight punts, placing two inside the 20-yard line.

OL: Left tackle Matt Kalil made a notable play in the

preseason win over the Raiders by out-running two defenders

to recover a Teddy Bridgewater fumble. Kalil technically gave

up the sack but it appears like the ball should have been gone

earlier. Center John Sullivan was given a slight

admonishment by the coaching staff for allowing the nose

tackle to disrupt. In spite of the criticism, Sullivan is one of

the league’s better centers and this seems like nitpicking. The

rest of the first team line was solid in run blocking during the

contest.

Vikings Depth Chart

QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Cassel, Christian Ponder

RB: Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata, Joe

Banyard

FB: Zach Line, Jerome Felton

WR: , Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson (KR), Jarius

Wright, Jerome Simpson, Adam Thielen, Rodney Smith, Josh

Cooper, Kamar Jorden, Kain Colter, Erik Lora

TE: Kyle Rudolph, Rhett Ellison, Chase Ford, Allen

Reisner, Michael Higgins

LT: Matt Kalil, Mike Remmers

LG: Charlie Johnson, Jeff Baca, David Yankey

C: John Sullivan, Zac Kerin

RG: Brandon Fusco, Vladimir Ducasse, Joe Berger

RT: Phil Loadholt, Kevin Murphy

K: Blair Walsh

DT: Linval Joseph (NT), Sharrif Floyd, Fred Evans

(NT), Chase Baker (NT), Shamar Stephen, Kheeston

Randall, Tom Johnson

DE: Brian Robison, Everson Griffen, Corey Wootton, Scott

Crichton, Justin Trattou

MLB: Jasper Brinkley, Audie Cole, Michael Mauti

OLB: Chad Greenway (W), Anthony Barr (S/DE), Gerald

Hodges (W),Larry Dean (S), Brandon Watts

CB: Josh Robinson, Captain Munnerlyn, Xavier

Rhodes, Shaun Prater, Marcus Sherels (PR), Antone

Exum, Kendall James, Derek Cox, Jabari Price, Kip Edwards

S: Harrison Smith (FS), Jamarca Sanford (SS), Mistral

Raymond (SS),Andrew Sendejo (SS), Robert Blanton

(FS), Kurt Coleman, Chris Crocker, Brandan Bishop

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady didn't play in the Patriots' first preseason

game of the year, but he took significant repetitions during

their joint practices with Washington. Reports suggest that

Brady shone in those practices. Ryan Mallett was another

player who supposedly shone in practice, but struggled once

the actual game began. Third-string quarterback Jimmy

Garoppolo has had an inconsistent start to training camp.

That inconsistency continued in his debut during the regular

season, but he did throw a few impressive deep passes against

the Washington third-string defense that hinted at his

potential.

RB: Stevan Ridley started against Washington. He only

carried the ball twice, but it was a good sign that the starting

role should be his if he can keep hold of the football. Rookie

James White has been impressive in training camp, but did

little of note against Washington. Jonas Gray led the team in

carries and Roy Finch led the team in yards against

Washington, but both had limited impact. It appears that

Ridley and Shane Vereen are likely to be the busiest backs in

New England this year, unless White can rebound with some

bigger displays over the coming weeks.

WR: After his breakout season in 2013, it appears that Julian

Edelman's relationship with his starting quarterback is

continuing to prove prosperous for the Patriots ahead of the

2014 season. Aaron Dobson is yet to practice and didn't play

against Washington. Dobson's absence should open the door

for Brandon LaFell to be a more prominent piece of the

offense. LaFell had a limited impact in his debut for his new

team, but it's also unrealistic to judge him until he plays with

his starting quarterback. Danny Amendola also sat out the

first preseason game, but Josh Boyce did little to make him

feel uncomfortable about his spot in the receiving pecking

order. The one receiver who did stand out against Washington

was Brian Tyms. Tyms finished the game with 119 yards on

five catches, including a 53-yard reception and one

touchdown. It should be noted that Tyms played against

Washington’s backups and will be suspended for the first

four games of the regular season.

TE: Predictably, Rob Gronkowski remains wrapped up in

cotton wool. Gronkowski is a transcendent talent. Missing

time at this time of the year shouldn't be a concern for him so

long as he stays healthy. The bigger concern for the Patriots

right now is the absence of Michael Hoomanawanui.

Hoomanawanui is a veteran and a reliable replacement for

Gronkowski if he misses games. Without those two, and third-

year journeyman D.J. Williams, undrafted free agents Justin

Jones and Asa Watson got the majority of the snaps against

Washington. Neither featured positively in the passing game

and that was likely a motivating factor behind the addition of

Ben Hartsock. Hartsock is primarily a blocking tight end.

Defense: Darrelle Revis has been the talk of training camp. He

appears to be fully healthy and has been shutting down his

assignments on a regular basis. It's the other cornerback spot

that will concern Patriots fans. Brandon Browner has been

roughing up receivers in practice and was immediately

flagged in his first preseason game. Aggressiveness is a

huge aspect of Browner's play on the field, with the NFL

focusing on calling more illegal contact penalties his

effectiveness may take a significant hit. The Patriots didn't put

the starting defense on the field for the first preseason game.

The Patriots have a lot of veterans on that side of the ball at

this stage, so there isn't a huge amount to investigate.

K/P: Kicker Stephen Gostkowski discussed his quirks last

week: “You know, as you get older, I might look at (kicking)

like setting up for a golf shot. But there’s really nothing that

I’m anal about. Maybe in my first couple of years, but I’ve

come to realize that stuff doesn’t help you. I just try to focus

and have a positive attitude.” This week against Washington

he missed his only field goal attempt, a 54-yarder that hit the

upright. The long snapping competition between Danny Aiken

and rookie Tyler Ott rages on.

OL: The Patriots trotted out a patchwork line in their first

preseason contest against Washington. Along with Tom Brady

and the rest of the team’s best players, Logan Mankins had the

night off. In something of a surprise, Dan Connolly started the

game at center, with Ryan Wendell not appearing until the

second half. Jordan Devey started in place of Mankins while

Josh Kline started in Connolly’s usual right guard spot.

Neither player was impressive. Wendell was seen getting first

team reps at practice in the days after the game. The team

reportedly wants to cut either Connolly or Wendell for

financial reasons, but don’t appear to have an obvious

replacement. This interior line situation bears further

observation. Fourth round draft pick Bryan Stork has been

slowly rehabbing his injury and is mostly watching this center

competition from the sidelines.

Patriots Depth Chart QB: Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett, Jimmy Garoppolo

RB: Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen (3RB), James

White, Brandon Bolden, Jonas Gray, Roy Finch, Tyler

Gaffney (IR)

FB: James Develin

WR: Julian Edelman (PR), Aaron Dobson, Danny

Amendola, Kenbrell Thompkins, Brandon LaFell, Josh

Boyce, Jeremy Gallon, Matt Slater, Reggie Dunn, Brian

Tyms (susp), Greg Orton (IR)

TE: Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hoomanawanui (FB), D.J.

Williams, Nate Byham, Justin Jones, Asa Watson

LT: Nate Solder, Cameron Fleming

LG: Logan Mankins, Jon Halapio

C: Ryan Wendell, Bryan Stork, Braxton Cave

RG: Dan Connolly, Josh Kline

RT: Sebastian Vollmer, Marcus Cannon

K: Stephen Gostkowski

DT: Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Dominique Easley, Chris

Jones (NT),Armond Armstead, Joe Vellano, Sealver

Siliga, Marcus Forston, Eathyn Manumaleuna

DE: Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Jake Bequette, Michael

Buchanan, Will Smith, Zach Moore

MLB: Jerod Mayo, Chris White

OLB: Jamie Collins (W), Dont′a Hightower (S), James

Anderson, Steve Beauharnais (S), Ja′Gared Davis

CB: Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner (susp), Alfonzo

Dennard, Logan Ryan, Kyle Arrington, Justin Green

S: Devin McCourty (KR/FS), Duron Harmon (SS), Tavon

Wilson (FS),Patrick Chung (SS), Jemea Thomas, Nate

Ebner, Kanorris Davis

New Orleans Saints

QB: Drew Brees missed the first preseason game as he

continues to nurse his sore left oblique. Head coach Sean

Payton commented: "We'll be smart with his recovery. He

understands it's an area that affects you every time you throw."

Luke McCown played two series, posting 7/10 for 49 yards

passing, zero TDs and one interception thrown. Ryan Griffin

played for the majority of the contest, and looked good with

16/23 for 179 yards passing, one TD and zero interceptions

thrown, with zero sacks taken (none of the Saints'

quarterbacks were sacked in the game), although he did

fumble a snap. Logan Kilgore came in late in the exhibition

and threw 4/7 for 24 yards, zero TDs and one interception.

"Overall I thought they had good command of what we're

doing," Payton said of the quarterbacks who played. "I thought

they located the ball well." Griffin may surpass McCown to

become Bree's backup if his solid play continues throughout

the rest of preseason. He is a player on the rise according to

the local media. The Saints break camp this week (Thursday)

and return to New Orleans.

RB: Mark Ingram had two 22-yard long runs (one went for a

TD) and finished the game with 8/83/1 rushing and 1/4/0

receiving, while counterpart Khiry Robinson (5/23/1 rushing

with 2/16/0 receiving) also had solid results in the contest.

"I'm just trying to get back out there and get into a groove,"

Ingram said after the game. "The line did a great job just

getting movement off the ball and creating seams for us to run

through." Coach Payton added: "I was encouraged with our

ability to run the ball and their efforts. I thought they played

with good pad level. It was good to see from both of them."

Payton refused to comment on why Pierre Thomas sat out of

the first preseason contest, reiterating that he doesn't address

injuries during preseason. The opinion of local beat writer

Larry Holder is that Thomas is falling to #3 on the depth

chart, with Ingram and Robinson heading for a work-sharing

arrangement between #1 and #2. Other local reports indicate

that during practices, Thomas has started taking snaps with the

second team in walkthroughs while Ingram and Robinson got

the first team reps. FB Eric Lorig was out with an undisclosed

injury, but Greg Jones, signed just last Wednesday, did play in

the contest at fullback. Tim Flanders (1/3/0 rushing with 1/9/0

receiving at St. Louis) and Derrick Strozier (1/5/0 rushing

with 3/23/0 receiving) are not projected to be on the final 53-

man roster, according to NOLA.com's Larry Holder .

WR: Brandin Cooks stole the show at wide receiver (again)

during the first preseason game, with eight targets for 5/55/1

receiving to his credit. "It was fun to get out there, had to get

some of the jitters out in the first couple of series, but that's

how the game is," he said. "I was blessed enough to be able to

come out here and play in my first NFL game." Coach Payton

commented. "He's quick with the ball in his hands," He later

added, "I thought he played hard, he's smart, gets lined up very

quickly. We'll keep bringing him along. There's a lot of things

he needs to work on still." Brandon Coleman didn't have a

good game Friday night, dropping both of his targets,

including one that went off his hands for a St. Louis

interception. All told, 15 Saints were thrown at least one

pass – Nick Toon (three targets for 3/11/0) and Joe Morgan

(three for 1/13/0) had unexciting outings, while Marques

Colston posted 2/10/0 out of four targets during a cameo

appearance. The depth chart at wide receiver is still being

shaken out heading into the second preseason game, though

Cooks definitely seems to be separating himself from the rest

of the crowd. Kenny Stills sat out the game due to the

quadriceps injury that has kept him off the practice field

throughout camp. It is unclear if the team will keep five or six

receivers. Larry Holder projects six on the 53-man roster

based on training camp/preseason so far.

TE: Josh Hill had an impressive play in the first preseason

game, catching a short pass and running for 50 yards while

stiff-arming defenders along the way, and ended the night as

the Saints' leading receiver with 2/67/0 to his credit. Hill is

playing well enough to stick on the final roster with his

contributions on offense and special teams. Jimmy Graham

grabbed both passes that came his way with 2/13/0 during a

brief appearance in the exhibition.

Defense: DE Tyrunn Walker played a strong game with the

second-team defense vs. St. Louis, posting a game-high five

tackles, a sack for a 14-yard loss, three tackles for loss and a

quarterback hit. DE Glenn Foster had two tackles and a sack

for a six-yard loss during the contest. “We have a talented

defensive front at every position," Foster said. "This is my

second year playing with Tyrunn and we know how to play

with each other... We're supposed to dominate." S Jairus Byrd

sat out as he continues to recover from offseason back surgery,

as did DB Champ Bailey (undisclosed injury). Larry Holder

projects six defensive linemen and 10 linebackers will make

the final regular-season roster.

K/P: The competition between kickers Shayne Graham and

Derek Dimke has been relatively close during camp. In the

preseason opener against St. Louis they had a field goal

attempt apiece, both from 37 yards, and both were good. The

one difference and a strike against Graham was his missed 33-

yard extra point in the second quarter that hit the upright.

Coach Sean Payton commented afterward: “Listen, the ball’s

on the 15-yard line, so we’re not talking about hitting a 50-

yard field goal here. I’d like to think we can hit a field goal

when it’s on the 15.”

OL: The Saints established the run in their first preseason

game against St. Louis. This occurred despite being without

their two Pro Bowl guards, Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs.

Grubbs returned to practice this weekend but Evans is still

recovering from an unspecified injury. Senio Kelemete and

Marcel Jones subbed for these players, and both performed

decently. A strong performance is helping Tim Lelito

continue to hold off Jonathan Goodwin for the starting center

position. On paper, that job should be Goodwin’s, but Lelito is

making the most of his chance in this preseason. Here is an

interesting article from an unnamed scout breaking down the

differences in these players’ respective games, and other

informative notes about the rest of the offensive line.

Saints Depth Chart

QB: Drew Brees, Luke McCown, Ryan Griffin

RB: Mark Ingram, Khiry Robinson, Pierre Thomas

(3RB), Travaris Cadet (KR/PR), Tim Flanders

FB: Erik Loreg, Austin Johnson

WR: Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks, Nick

Toon, Joe Morgan, Robert Meachem, Brandon

Coleman, Andy Tanner, Charles Hawkins, Chris Givens (IR)

TE: Jimmy Graham, Ben Watson, Josh Hill, Richard

Quinn, Nic Jacobs

LT: Terron Armstead, Ty Nsekhe, Tavon Rooks

LG: Ben Grubbs, Mike Golic Jr.

C: Jonathan Goodwin, Tim Lelito, Matt Armstrong

RG: Jahri Evans, Senio Kelemete

RT: Zach Strief, Marcel Jones, Bryce Harris

K: Shayne Graham, Derek Dimke

NT: Brodrick Bunkley, John Jenkins

DE: Cameron Jordan (DT), Akiem Hicks, Glenn Foster

(inj), Tyrunn Walker, Cheta Ozougwu, Brandon

Deaderick, George Uko

ILB: Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne, Ramon

Humber, Kevin Reddick, Khairi Fortt, Kyle Knox

OLB: Junior Galette, Parys Haralson, Victor Butler, Keyunta

Dawson, Ronald Powell, Rufus Johnson

CB: Keenan Lewis, Patrick Robinson, Champ Bailey, Corey

White, Stan Jean-Baptiste, Rod Sweeting, Trevin

Wade, Terrence Frederick, Derrius Brooks, AJ Davis

S: Jairus Byrd (FS), Kenny Vaccaro (SS), Rafael Bush

(FS), Marcus Ball (SS), Vinnie Sunseri (SS)

New York Giants

QB: All eyes are on Eli Manning this preseason as he attempts

to rebound from an abysmal 2013 by learning a more efficient,

ball-control offense under the tutelage of new offensive

coordinator Ben McAdoo. Progress has been inconsistent

through the opening weeks of training camp, and Manning

failed to quell his critics in limited action against Pittsburgh

this week. Manning finished his short appearance 0-for-2 with

an 8-yard sack. The backup battle remains tough to call as 2nd

year Ryan Nassib got extended work (12-of-21 for 81 yards)

while Curtis Painter finished up the game and was perfect on

the night (7-for-7 for 68 yards and a touchdown).

RB: Rashad Jennings reasserted himself as a viable fantasy

starter thanks to a 73-yard breakaway touchdown run against

the Steelers. "It feels good to get out there and jell with the

offense," Jennings said. "Find a big hole like that and make a

big play." Rookie Andre Williams – who played well in the

Hall of Fame game – followed up with another impressive

outing. Williams ran for 35 yards on seven carries (5.0 per

rush) and showed power and vision. 2nd year fullback Kendell

Gaskins got significant work in the 2nd half, including a team-

leading 10 carries (45 yards) and three receptions for 19 yards.

While Gaskins made his mark against the Steelers backups,

it’s notable to think Gaskins may fit into a hybrid role under

McAdoo’s system. Gaskins was considered a roster long shot

but if he continues to perform in this manner, we have to

rethink whether Michael Cox and Peyton Hillis are both locks

for the 53-man roster.

WR: It was a forgettable night for the receivers, aside from

roster longshot Corey Washington’s 3-yard go ahead

touchdown in the 4th quarter. The undrafted rookie (Newberry

College) also had a TD catch against the Bills in the Hall of

Fame Game. Victor Cruz has now gone consecutive games

without a target, but isn’t concerned: “I would love a few

targets, a few catches. Who wouldn’t? Any receiver would

love a few catches. But I’m a team guy, as long as we’re

winning, as long as I’m doing all the little things right, as long

as I’m continuing to listen to the offense, to listen to the calls,

to make sure I’m getting everything clearly and making the

right reads and making the right plays, that’s all I’m worried

about. A couple catches on top of that wouldn’t hurt.” Rookie

Odell Beckham Jr missed the game as he continued to rest his

hamstring, but returned to practice over the weekend.

TE: Fantasy owners are going to want to look elsewhere for

their tight end sleepers; the Giants are going to try to band-aid

together a loose committee approach. Against the Steelers

Larry Donnell (2 for 13), Kellen Davis (1 for 9) and Adrien

Robinson (1 for 9) all figured into the box score but offered

little in the way of excitement.

Defense: The Giants defense held the Steelers to 7 points in

the first half, but the majority of Pittsburgh’s starters only

played a few snaps so it’s important not to read too much into

the outcome. Markus Kuhn and Jordan Stanton had the team’s

only sacks of the game, as the starting unit failed to get

consistent pressure. Star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had

four tackles and a quarterback pressure on Saturday night, and

feels healthy after consecutive injury-plagued seasons. “I

felt good,” Pierre-Paul said. “I still have to get better. I’ve got

a lot of improvement to do. Otherwise, I feel good. Running to

the ball, I wasn’t tired, especially on that long (46-yard)

screen. I had chased him down. I wasn’t going to catch him

but… I feel good, though. I wasn’t tired. That was a long run

for me, so I wasn’t tired at all.”

K/P: Special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said of the kicking

competition: “A lot of times, you have an old kicker and a

young kicker and the young kicker has such a strong leg. But

Brandon (McManus) will really have to beat him out in all

areas to win the job and he knows that." So far, McManus has

tied Josh Brown. In the game against the Steelers, Brown

kicked a 45-yard field goal and an extra point. McManus

kicked a 46-yard field goal and an extra point. Brown had two

touchbacks on two kickoffs. McManus had three touchbacks

on three kickoffs.

OL: The Giants offensive line had a spotty performance

against Pittsburgh. While they did run block well, as

evidenced by Rashad Jennings’ outstanding performance,

there were several glaring mistakes. Charles Brown, starting at

left tackle for the still injured Will Beatty, surrendered a key

sack. Guards Brandon Mosely and Geoff Schwartz committed

holding penalties. Mosely did look good pulling on Jennings’

long gainer but he and the rest of the first unit needs to show

consistency in pass protection. Head coach Tom Coughlin

believes it is just a matter of the players gaining experience

together and building cohesion. It could be a valid point as

only right tackle Justin Pugh is in the same spot as last season.

Giants Depth Chart

QB: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, Curtis Painter

RB: Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams (SD), Peyton

Hillis, Michael Cox (KR), David Wilson (IR)

FB: John Conner, Henry Hynoski, Kendall Gaskins

WR: Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle (PR), Odell Beckham

(inj), Jerrel Jernigan, Mario Manningham, Trindon Holliday

(KR/PR), Marcus Harris, Preston Parker, Julian Talley, Kris

Adams, Travis Harvey, Corey Washington

TE: , Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells, Xavier Grimble, Adrien

Robinson, Kellen Davis

LT: Will Beatty, Charles Brown

LG: Geoff Schwartz, James Brewer, Troy Kropog

C: JD Walton, Dallas Reynolds

RG: Weston Richburg, John Jerry, Brandon Mosely, John

Sullen

RT: Justin Pugh, Steven Baker

K: Josh Brown, Brandon McManus

DT: Cullen Jenkins, Markus Kuhn, Johnathan Hankins, Jay

Bromley, Everett Dawkins

DE: Damontre Moore, Jason Pierre-Paul (inj), Mathias

Kiwanuka, Robert Ayers, Israel Idonije, James Gayle, Kerry

Wynn

MLB: Jon Beason (inj), Mark Herzlich, , Terrell Manning

OLB: Spencer Paysinger (W), Jameel McClain

(S/M), Jacquian Williams (W), Devon Kennard, Spencer

Adkins (W), Kendrick Adams(S)

CB: Corey Webster, Prince Amukamara, Dominique Rodgers-

Cromartie, Walter Thurmond (susp), Jayron Hosley

(susp), Zackary Bowman, Charles James, Bennett Jackson

(inj), Trumaine McBride, Junior Mertile, Chandler

Fenner, Ross Weaver

S: Stevie Brown (SS), Antrel Rolle (FS/SS), Cooper Taylor

(SS), Chaz Powell (FS), Quintin Demps (SS), Nat Berhe

New York Jets

QB: Geno Smith continues to set high expectations for

himself and his career. Not long ago, he had said he expects to

be a top-five quarterback in a few years. According to Rich

Cimini of ESPN New York, he has now compared his skillset

to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s got

the raw basics, sure—mobility and a decent arm—but has a

long way to go to really compare. Smith didn’t play badly

against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday but he failed to

lead the team to a touchdown in his two possessions. The Jets

need more from him if they are to win this season. Michael

Vick continues to play well, and he ran the ball effectively

while also passing to convert third and fourth down

opportunities. Ultimately this is Smith’s team but the Jets need

to win and if he’s the one holding the offense back, the team

will absolutely give Vick the nod. Matt Simms looks to have

the third string spot locked up as rookie Tajh Boyd didn’t even

play Thursday night. It appears he’s destined for the practice

squad.

RB: Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Chris Ivory has a rib

issue and might not play next week against the Cincinnati

Bengals. This is life with Ivory—he has a ton of talent which

is never fully realized because he is constantly on the trainer’s

table. Chris Johnson looked a tad rusty against the Colts,

though he did score a touchdown and only carried the ball four

times. Johnson also made a pair of catches. Bilal Powell

remains out with a hamstring injury, giving Daryl Richardson

a longer look. Richardson looked fine, but didn’t run away

with the #3 job—not with a 3.0 yards per carry average

against backups. By comparison, former Green Bay Packers

back Alex Green had a very good day against the lower end of

the roster, gaining 29 yards on seven carries including a 20-

yard carry in the fourth quarter.

WR: If you are going to be a receiver on the New York Jets

this year it’s clear you better be just as effective without the

ball coming your way. To a man, this receiving corps is

aggressively blocking downfield. Unfortunately, there have

been plenty of injuries. Greg Salas has been dealing with a hip

injury and David Nelson has a bruised hand and it’s fair to

wonder if he might have bruised it on the crushing block he

used to lay out a Colts cornerback on Chris Johnson’s

touchdown. Eric Decker was limited this weekend in practice

due to a quadriceps injury and was already battling hamstring

and foot issues. Decker looked fine on Thursday night, as he

was targeted twice and caught both passes for 12 yards.

Jeremy Kerley was in the game but wasn’t targeted once by

either Geno Smith or Michael Vick. Stephen Hill continues to

have good practices but played 35 snaps against the Colts and

was targeted just once, on a play which was wiped out by a

penalty. However, Hill didn’t have an awful game. He got off

the line more quickly than he did last season, and did a pretty

good job run blocking. Hill clearly had a step or two on the

coverage when Vick went another way, so he wasn’t

completely blanketed. It continues to be a process with Hill

but there is forward progress. Fourth round pick Jalen

Saunders has settled into a punt return role while fellow rookie

Shaq Evans is dealing with a significant shoulder injury and

the Daily News’ Seth Walder says it could land him on

injured reserve. Clyde Gates has been looking fine while

returning from his own season-ending shoulder injury and will

probably find himself on the final roster with all the injuries

piling up. Saalim Hakim is primarily handling kick returns and

sees little of the field during offensive plays, while Jacoby

Ford saw more time on offense late in the game.

TE: Rex Ryan tried to light a bit of a fire under rookie Jace

Amaro say saying they need to “give him tapes of Mike Ditka

or something and say ‘This is how we want you to play.’”

Ryan went on to tell the media Amaro, “Needs to recognize

you’re a big guy. You need to be a bully out there. When that

ball’s thrown up, you’ve got to go catch it. I don’t care where

it is.” The Jets knew they were getting a project in terms of

basic in-line tight end duties like run blocking, but catching

the ball is what Amaro does. They want no excuses. The Jets

have been much happier with Jeff Cumberland’s work, but

he’s not the guy they have high expectations for longer-term.

Sneaking up behind both is Zach Sudfeld, who has been

getting occasional first-team reps. If Amaro keeps struggling

and can’t turn on the aggression, the Jets might let Sudfeld off

the leash and see what his size and speed can do.

Defense: The secondary is the big question mark for the Jets

defense and Sunday brought news which made that point even

more critical. Dee Milliner will be laid out for a few weeks

with a high-ankle sprain which hurt so much he thought it

was broken. Unfortunately, the news isn’t as good for rookie

Dexter McDougle who tore his ACL and is done for the

season. This leaves the secondary with Dimitri Patterson and

Kyle Wilson. Wilson has struggled since entering the league

and Patterson has been an absolute disaster at cornerback. It’s

only a matter of time before Darrin Walls gets a sniff,

especially after a solid 2013. This may not be as big a deal if

the pass rush was on fire, but it’s not. While IK Enemkpali

had a game-winning sack in the fourth quarter, and the starters

brought some pressure, it wasn’t as consistent as it needs to

be. The front seven consistently destroyed run plays though,

and if nothing else opposing teams will have difficulty running

against this unit.

K/P: Starting kicker Nick Folk and camp leg Andrew Furney

each kicked 51-yard field goals against the Colts. Furney’s

came with just over a minute left and proved to be the game

winner. “It was one of those things where I got to see Nick's

kick and said, okay, there might be some face wind there. I

had to drive it a little bit more. He was kind of the learning

curve for me a little bit.” Jake Schum had the edge in punting

numbers in the game, averaging 41 yards on pair, compared to

starter Ryan Quigley’s 38 yard average on four punts.

OL: The Jets’ lineup is mostly settled in terms of who is

starting and where. The only uncertainty is at left guard, where

incumbent Brian Winters has been rotating with fellow

second year player Oday Aboushi. Aboushi has played well

this preseason but can’t seem to unseat Winters. It is possible

both players will be needed this season, as right guard Willie

Colon is not the most durable. Starting right tackle Breno

Giacomini generally looked good against the Colts, but did

give up a pressure in the first half. The Jets signed Bruce

Campbell to add depth, who had worked out for the team

earlier this offseason.

Jets Depth Chart

QB: Geno Smith, Michael Vick, Tajh Boyd, Matt Simms

RB: Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory (inj), Bilal Powell

(3RB), Daryl Richardson, Alex Green, John Griffin, Michael

Smith

FB: Tommy Bohanon

WR: Eric Decker, Stephen Hill, Jeremy Kerley (PR), David

Nelson, Jacoby Ford (KR), Clyde Gates, Jalen Saunders, Shaq

Evans, Quincy Enunwa, Greg Salas, Vidal Hazelton, Saalim

Hakim, Michael Campbell

TE: Jeff Cumberland, Jace Amaro, Zach Sudfeld, Konrad

Reuland, Chris Pantele, Colin Anderson

LT: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Ben Ijalana

LG: Brian Winters, Oday Aboushi

C: Nick Mangold , Caleb Schlauderaff

RG: Willie Colon, Dakota Dozier, William Campbell

RT: Breno Giacomini, Bruce Campbell

K: Nick Folk

DT: Sheldon Richardson, Damon Harrison (NT), Kenrick

Ellis (NT), T.J. Barnes

DE: Muhammad Wilkerson, Jason Babin, Leger Douzable, IK

Enemkpali, Tevita Finau

ILB: David Harris (M), Demario Davis (W), Nick Bellore

(M), Jeremiah George, Troy Davis (W)

OLB: Quinton Coples, Calvin Pace, Garrett

McIntyre, Antwan Barnes, Trevor Reilly, Tim

Fugger, Jermaine Cunningham (IR)

CB: Dee Milliner (inj), Ellis Lankster, Antonio Allen

(FS/CB), Dimitri Patterson (inj), Darrin Walls, Kyle

Wilson, Ras-I Dowling, Johnny Patrick, Brandon Dixon, Nick

Taylor, Jeremy Reeves, Dexter McDougle (IR)

S: Dawan Landry (SS), Calvin Pryor (FS), Jaiquawn Jarrett

(FS), Josh Bush (SS), Rontez Miles, Brandon Hardin

Oakland Raiders

QB: The Raiders quarterbacks struggled in their first

preseason game against a Minnesota defense that isn’t

expected to be particularly strong. Matt Schaub played three

series and didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver. Schaub

and his coaches were not pleased with the performance.

“Overall, we were pretty sloppy,” he said, via

CSNCaliforna.com's Scott Bair. “We hurt ourselves with a lot

of penalties and we put ourselves in long yardage situations.

It's tough to win that way. We have to really look hard at the

mistakes and clean those up because they are things we can

control, especially pre-snap issues. We need to iron those

(mistakes) out if we want to be the type of team we want to

be.” Derek Carr had a little more success down the field but

also threw the team’s only interception. Carr seems firmly

entrenched with the second team and Matt McGloin didn’t

enter the game until the 4th quarter. McGloin scored the team’s

only touchdown on a 10 yard scamper in the 4th quarter but

was unimpressive with his arm.

RB: Despite the fact that Darren McFadden was listed atop

the depth chart, Maurice Jones-Drew started the team’s first

game and had some success in the first quarter. Jones-Drew

was heavily involved in the passing game and picked up 10

yards on his two carries. McFadden’s only carry went for 23

yards in the first quarter as he showed that he’s bounced back

from last year’s injuries. Latavius Murray saw extended time

with the second and third team and led the team with 28 yards

rushing. Dennis Allen was pleased with what he saw from

Murray. "Latavius is a big, powerful back that really also has

exceptional speed. When he gets out into the open, he has an

opportunity to take the ball the distance. I thought he ran the

ball hard in the game ... I thought he did a pretty good job, for

the most part, of making the right reads and putting the ball

where it needs to go in the run game." Kory Sheets did very

little with the touches he got late in the game and looks to be

squarely on the roster bubble.

WR: It’s difficult to gauge the battle for the Raiders starting

receiver as none of them logged a catch in the first preseason

game. James Jones, for one, is not excited about the

possibility of a reduced role. "I wouldn't like that at all,"

Jones said. "I have missed two games in five years. I came

from a no-huddle offense, real high tempo. ... My body is built

to go through the season. If I have to take practices or plays

off, it's time for me to hang my cleats up." Brice Butler (4-44)

and Denarius Moore (3-28) were both active in the passing

game but their action came after the starters had left the game.

Moore needed the strong performance as he’s slid down the

depth chart recently, and Butler is in a fight to make the roster.

TE: Mychal Rivera did not help his case in the battle to be the

TE1 against the Vikings. Rivera dropped at least one catchable

pass, something that was not lost on Allen. “I mean, two of

the third-down throws, you know, he tries the back-shoulder

throw down the middle to Mychal Rivera and that's a catch

that he's made consistently in training camp. The corner route

on a third down was an outstanding throw in a tight window

against Cover 2 and Mychal again wasn't able to come up with

that play.” Rivera started the game due to David Ausberry

having an unexpected knee surgery. At this point there is no

timetable for Ausberry’s return. "We should be able to get him

back at some point and time," Allen said. "I don't know how

long that is going to be. We'll have to evaluate that as we go

along."

Defense: The Raiders made a lot of acquisitions this offseason

to improve their pass rush and it looked like it worked this

week as they logged six sacks against the Vikings. One

defender that didn’t have a sack was first round pick Khalil

Mack, but Mack said he learned a lot. “I mean, you could

say I settled in,” Mack said. “I got better today. (I) learned a

lot of things.” The first team defense was shredded by Matt

Cassel on the first drive as he completed 5/6 throws on a 70-

yard touchdown drive. The Raiders were still without a large

portion of what they hope will be their starting secondary and

were called for several penalties. The team did get some good

news earlier in the week when Allen said he expected to have

D.J. Hayden back sooner than later. “I expect to see him

before preseason [ends],” Allen said, via ESPN.com, “but

we’ll have to wait and see. He is getting better, but he is not

ready to be out here playing football yet.”

K/P: The Raiders changed camp legs last week, releasing

Michael Palardy and signing Kevin Goessling. In the

preseason opener, kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s only work

was the kickoff at the beginning of the second half. The only

placekick came early in the fourth quarter, when a 44-yard

attempt by Goessling was blocked. Punter/holder Marquette

King was much busier in the game, averaging 45.6 yards on

seven punts and placing three of those inside the 20-yard line.

OL: The Raiders’ offensive line had problems in their first

preseason action against the Vikings. Right tackle Menelik

Watson was called for a false start before the first play from

scrimmage. This play set the tone for the evening and it is

questionable how much longer Watson will man that spot

before team moves Austin Howard back to his normal right

tackle position. The team is obviously hopeful that Watson

plays better in the weeks to come. Later in the game, a first

down completion was wiped out by a holding call on left

tackle Donald Penn. It wasn’t all terrible news as rookie Gabe

Jackson looked excellent at second team left guard. Jackson

started 52 games at the position at Mississippi State and could

push Khalif Barnes for starting reps sooner rather than later.

Raiders Depth Chart

QB: Matt Schaub, Derek Carr, Matt McGloin, Trent Edwards

RB: Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew, Latavius

Murray, Jeremy Stewart (KR), Kory Sheets, George Atkinson

III

FB: Marcel Reece, Jamize Olawale, Karl Williams

WR: Denarius Moore, James Jones, Rod Streater, Andre

Holmes, Juron Criner, Brice Butler, Greg Jenkins, Mike Davis

TE: Mychal Rivera, David Ausberry (inj), Nick Kasa

(inj), Jake Murphy, Brian Leonhardt

LT: Donald Penn

LG: Gabe Jackson, Khalif Barnes, Lucas Nix

C: Stefen Wisniewski, Tony Bergstrom

RG: Austin Howard, Kevin Boothe, Lamar Mady

RT: Menalik Watson,

K: Sebastian Janikowski

DT: Antonio Smith, Pat Sims, Stacy McGee (NT), Justin

Ellis, Ricky Lumpkin, Torell Troup

DE: LaMarr Woodley, Justin Tuck, Jack Crawford, C.J.

Wilson, Shelby Harris, Ryan Robinson

MLB: Nick Roach, , Kaluka Maiava

OLB: Kahlil Mack (S), Miles Burris (W), Sio Moore

(W), Kaelin Burnett(S), Frank Beltre, Justin Cole, Spencer

Hadley

CB: Carlos Rogers, D.J. Hayden (inj), Tarell Brown, Chimdi

Chekwa, Johnny Adams, Taiwan Jones (KR), Keith

McGill, Travis Carrie, Chance Casey, Neiko Thorpe

S: Charles Woodson (FS), Tyvon Branch (SS), Brandian Ross

(SS/CB),Usama Young (FS), Jonathan Dowling, Shelton

Johnson, Larry Asante

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Fantasy owners expecting last year’s legendary start to be

indicative of Nick Foles’ future value are in for a rude

awakening. Friday’s game against the Bears could not have

gone worse for the third year passer; Foles completed 6-of-9

passes for 44 yards along with two interceptions (38.4 passer

rating). Although one of the interceptions wasn’t Foles’ fault

per se, there was a third errant throw that could have been

intercepted. Any way you slice it, the film didn’t look good for

the young passer. Not surprisingly, Foles owned up to his

mistakes and isn’t going to dwell on the performance: "I didn't

play well tonight," said Foles. "As an offense, we can't hurt

ourselves. I threw two passes that weren't good decisions that

were picked off. There was a lot of good - seeing the young

guys go in ... it was one of those things that I'm going to learn

from it, I'm going to get better. It's correctable. It's not like it's

not correctable. I knew exactly when I did the mishaps what I

should have done and I'll learn from it and move forward."

Mark Sanchez played well (7-of-10 for 79 yards) and has fit in

well with the Eagles locker room; he’s been a quick study of

Chip Kelly’s offense. Matt Barkley was outplayed by G.J.

Kinne against the Bears’ backup defenders, but Barkley has

done enough throughout preseason practices to hold onto the

#3 job.

RB: The Eagles only attempted 18 rushes against the Bears,

with starter LeSean McCoy (1 carry) and backup Darren

Sproles (3 carries) seeing minimal snaps. Chris Polk missed

the game as he continues rehabbing from offseason shoulder

surgery. 2nd year Matthew Tucker made the most of his

opportunity, rushing 8 times for 40 yards including two

touchdowns. He also caught a 15-yard reception.

WR: Jeremy Maclin only caught one pass for 15 yards against

the Bears, but the mere fact he is healthy enough to get onto

the field is a major step on the right direction. Maclin has

shown no signs of last year’s torn ACL throughout camp and

appears set to lead the team in targets as long as he can stay

out of the trainer’s room. After the game, Maclin said, “I felt

great out there. I will continue to push myself and next week

we'll get more reps, so we'll go from there. It was good to get a

catch and it was good to be back out on the field.” Riley

Cooper missed the game nursing his foot injury, but returned

to practice on Sunday. The story of Friday night’s game was

the abysmal showing by rookie Jordan Matthews.

Expectations are high for Matthews, particularly as the Eagles

look to fill the void left by DeSean Jackson’s departure.

Matthews was targeted a team-high seven times, but dropped

three (yes, THREE!) passes and managed just 14 yards on four

receptions. Head coach Chip Kelly, perhaps understating

things, called Matthews inconsistent. Fellow rookie Josh

Huff only had one 4-yard catch versus the Bears, but it was a

key play that set up one of Matthew Tucker’s touchdowns.

Huff made his real mark on special teams, taking a 1st half

kickoff back 102 yards for the Eagles third touchdown.

TE: Zach Ertz has been dominant throughout training camp

and put on a display against the Bears. Ertz led the team with

four catches for 60 yards, and made opposing defenders look

bad multiple times. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur

recently explained how Ertz’ versatility makes him a

mismatch against opposing defenses. "I think Ertz is a guy

defenses (watch) - now you start adding the down and distance

to it. You put Ertz in the game with (Brent) Celek, and we

tighten him down. I think he's improved as a blocker on first

down," said Shurmur. "But if you put Ertz in the game on

second and third down maybe where it's more of a pass-first

type scenario to the defense for whatever reason, then we can

spread out Ertz. Now you have to decide are you going to

cover him with a linebacker or are you going to commit to

putting maybe a third defensive back in the game?"

Defense: The Eagles defense has to play better than they did

against the Bears or a return to the playoffs could prove

elusive. A quartet of Bears quarterbacks completed a

combined 29-for-44 (66%) for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns (2

interceptions) on route to a 34-28 loss. Most discouraging is

the fact backup tight end Zach Miller caught two first half

touchdowns running the same play in the same spot – showing

an inability of the defense to adjust. Defensive coordinator

Billy Davis tried to highlight the positives after the game:

“The run-game defense really was solid. I know they threw a

lot more than they ran, but when they ran the guys were really

playing some nice two-gap in there, we were fitting well in the

run game, and that was encouraging. We have to fix some

stuff in the back half of the passing game, and most of it came

in the second half.”

K/P: Kicker Alex Henery noted: “I’m more worried about

how I perform day to day. Whether you’re here by yourself or

you’re here with someone else, there’s always someone out

there who could come in and take your job.” So far he’s

secured his job. Rookie Carey Spear was active for the Bears

game but did not see any kicks. Henery kicked four extra

points and handled all the kickoffs, logging two touchbacks on

five kickoffs. Punter Donnie Jones averaged 46 yards on five

punts and placing two inside the 20-yard line.

OL: The Eagles’ offensive line struggled with penalties in the

team’s preseason game against the Bears. Left tackle Jason

Peters and left guard Evan Mathis (both Pro Bowlers last

year) were called for holding penalties early in the contest.

Mathis’ penalty called back a 20-yard reception, and Mathis

went on to be called for holding again in a future series. While

not great news, overall this is not a cause for concern, as this

particular set of referees were calling the game exceptionally

tight (17 flags in the first half). Backup center Julian

Vandervelde recently had back surgery, and he could miss

more than a month. In his place, David Molk hopes to make a

good impression as the backup to Jason Kelce.

Eagles Depth Chart QB: Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, GJ Kinne

RB: LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles (3RB/KR/PR), Chris

Polk, Matthew Tucker, Henry Josey, David Fluellen

WR: Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Josh

Huff, Brad Smith (KR), Ifeanyi Momah, Arrelious Benn, Jeff

Maehl, Damaris Johnson (KR/PR), B.J. Cunningham, Quron

Pratt, Kadron Boone, Trey Burton, Will Murphy

TE: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, James Casey, Emil Igwenagu

(FB), Blake Annen

LT: Jason Peters, Andrew Gardner, Matt Tobin

LG: Evan Mathis

C: Jason Kelce, Julian Vandervelde, David Molk

RG: Todd Herremans, Karim Barton

RT: Allen Barbre, Lane Johnson (SUSP), Dennis

Kelly, Michael Bamiro

K: Alex Henery, Carey Spear

NT: Bennie Logan, Damion Square, Beau Allen

DE: Fletcher Cox, Cedric Thornton (RFA), Vinny

Curry, Brandon Bair, Taylor Hart, Joe Kruger, Alejandro

Villanueva

ILB: Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans, Jason Phillips

(RFA), Jake Knott (susp), Emmanuel Acho, Casey

Matthews, Najee Goode

OLB: Trent Cole, Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, Marcus

Smith, Bryan Braman, Travis Long, Josh Kaddu

CB: Bradley Fletcher, Cary Williams, Brandon Boykin

(KR), Nolan Carroll, Jaylen Watkins, Roc Carmichael, Curtis

Marsh

S: Malcolm Jenkins (FS), Earl Wolff (SS), Nate Allen

(SS), Chris Maragos (FS), Keelan Johnson (FS), Ed Reynolds

(SS), Daytawion Lowe (FS)

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Ben Roethlisberger continues to discuss his leadership

role with a team of players as young as he’s ever had around

him. The veteran quarterback is the most important player to

this team, and he was given that kind of treatment in the

preseason opener on Saturday. He only played one series,

throwing two passes. His lone completion was a tunnel screen

to lightning-fast rookie Dri Archer, who went for 46 yards.

Bruce Gradkowski relieved Roethlisberger and got snaps with

the first team. He was underwhelming but didn’t make any big

mistakes. The conservative play calling was probably the

reason his performance was adequate but far from impressive.

Second-year player Landry Jones is the man the team is really

trying to evaluate. He struggled in camp and preseason as a

rookie and hasn’t been shining in this camp either. His 11-for-

21 performance yielded just 74 yards.

RB: LeVeon Bell ran well in his limited stint on Saturday. He

had 18 yards on his three carries and a reception for six yards.

Bell showed what is becoming a bit of a trademark for him as

he takes the handoff and pauses ever so briefly to assess his

line and where his hole might be. It’s a stutter-step type of

move that allows him to quickly evaluate his course of action.

Bell’s ability to re-accelerate after this move is fantastic for

any running back – let alone a man his size. Bell’s first carry

saw him break a tackle at the line, burst for five yards, meet a

safety, lower his shoulder, and get four more yards on the

nine-yard tote. Bell’s backup, LeGarrette Blount, brought the

hard running style for which he is known on his three carries.

He had a hard-earned 10 yards on the night. Rookie speedster

Dri Archer made his biggest impression when set as a slot

receiver. He took a tunnel screen, accelerated into the open

field, and then cut back across the field. He was finally caught

– but only because the defensive back had a nice pursuit angle.

Archer’s 46-yard catch and run was the biggest play of the

night for Pittsburgh.

WR: Antonio Brown continues to show the young receivers

on the team how to properly work and become better. Much

like the other starters, his play was limited Saturday. Brown

caught two passes for 21 yards. Markus Wheaton was used as

a receiver and a runner. He took an end-around for a 10-yard

gain in the first quarter while still playing with the starters

(minus Roethlisberger). He also caught a 28-yard pass from

Gradkowski in the second quarter on a 3rd-and-2 play. Justin

Brown got a chance to practice as the top slot man in front

of Lance Moore this week. However, it was Moore who saw

the field first on Saturday. Moore didn’t catch a pass, but he

was targeted on Roethlisberger’s last attempt – an

incompletion in the end zone where Moore ran a wheel route.

Neither player was at fault. The defensive back knew the route

was coming and bumped Moore off of it, ruining the play

before it could be successful. Brown was a hit in spring OTAs

but caught just two passes on Saturday. He received a deep

target from Gradkowski that didn’t connect. It will be

interesting to see if he can continue to push Moore in practice

and get more snaps with the starters. Rookie Martavis Bryant

received a handful of snaps with the first team in practice this

week, but he still has work to do to get consistent game reps.

He caught just one pass for 19 yards and fumbled twice (one

lost) on Saturday.

TE: The tight end position didn’t do much of significance on

Saturday, and the pecking order is pretty much set already –

particularly the first and second spot with Heath Miller and

Matt Spaeth. Miller should be a nice red-zone option, but he

didn’t receive any targets there Saturday. The team couldn’t

sustain any offense.

Defense: Rookie Stephon Tuitt got the start at defensive end

and performed reasonably well. The rest of the defensive line

held up well against the Giants offense, with the exception of

a 73-yard touchdown run by Rashad Jennings. The linebackers

and safeties, however, were the ones who missed their

assignments. Rookie first-round pick Ryan Shazier missed

Saturday’s game due to a knee injury he sustained last Sunday.

The team doesn’t seem too worried about it, but it would be

nice to see what the super-athletic rookie can do in a game

situation. Sean Spence started for Shazier and performed well.

Second-year player Jarvis Jones recorded a sack of Eli

Manning early in the game, a sight Pittsburgh hopes to get

used to. He had just one sack in his entire rookie season. The

secondary wasn’t bad against the pass, but the safety duo

contributed negatively to Jennings’ long touchdown run.

Strong safety Will Allen – in the game for Troy Polamalu,

who was held out electively by Mike Tomlin – missed a

tackle, and free safety Mike Mitchell took a bad angle and

couldn’t track down Jennings. Mitchell was playing after

missing a lot of time early in camp with a groin injury.

K/P: Against the Giants, kicker Shaun Suisham made field

goals of 26, 38 and 22 yards, but hit the upright on a missed

38-yard attempt. Brad Wing continued to work exclusively as

his holder while Adam Podlesh has been out due to his wife’s

pregnancy. Wing noted last week: “To take all the reps has

been good for me. That’s the only way you can get experience

in this league is to get the reps and do it… I think if I keep my

head down and keep working, good things will happen for

me.”

OL: Under the tutelage of new offensive line coach Mike

Munchak, the Steelers’ offensive line is emphasizing a gap

blocking system (as opposed to zone blocking). There is an air

of accountability that several sources speak of as an

improvement over last season. Overall this group looks to be

much improved, especially in the run game. One player that is

not much improved is backup tackle Mike Adams. Adams

was drafted to be a starter by now, but is not performing well

in second team action. Most of the concern with this unit

focuses on the depth players, such as Adams, and backup

center Cody Wallace. Wallace was flagged for holding during

the last preseason game.

Steelers Depth Chart QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones

RB: Le′Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount, Dri Archer

(KR/PR), Tauren Poole, Miguel Maysonet, Josh Harris

FB: Will Johnson

WR: Antonio Brown (PR), Markus Wheaton (KR), Lance

Moore, Justin Brown, Derek Moye, Martavis Bryant, Darrius

Heyward-Bey, Kashif Moore, Lanear Sampson, Jasper

Collins, James Shaw

TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Michael Palmer, David

Paulson, Rob Blanchflower

LT: Kelvin Beachum, Guy Whimper

LG: Ramon Foster, Wesley Johnson

C: Maurkice Pouncey, Cody Wallace

RG: David Decastro, Nik Embernate

RT: Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams

K: Shaun Suisham

NT: Steve McLendon (inj), Hebron Fangupo, Daniel

McCullers, Al Lapuaho

DE: Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Thomas

(NT), Brian Arnfelt, Nick Williams

ILB: Lawrence Timmons (R), Ryan Shazier (L) , Vince

Williams (L), Terence Garvin (R), Sean Spence (L), Jordan

Zumwalt (R), Daniel Molls

OLB: Jason Worilds (R), Jarvis Jones (R), Chris Carter

(L), Arthur Moats (R), Vic So′oto

CB: Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, William Gay, Brice

McCain, Antwon Blake, Isaiah Green, Shaquille

Richardson, Ross Ventrone, Lew Toler

S: Troy Polamalu (SS), Michael Mitchell (FS), Shamarko

Thomas (SS), Will Allen (FS), Robert Golden (FS), Jordan

Dangerfield

St. Louis Rams

QB: Sam Bradford sat out the Rams' first preseason game of

the year. Bradford is expected to be ready to start in Week 1 of

the regular season, but the Rams are wisely not rushing him

back onto the field. That gave the team a chance to look at

new backup quarterback, Shaun Hill. Hill was sharp in his

debut. He threw for 84 yards and two touchdowns on just

seven attempts. As well as Hill played, he is clearly

established as a backup and no threat to Bradford barring

injury.

RB: Tre Mason caught the eye of onlookers during his NFL

debut, but he is still working his way up the depth chart.

This appears to simply be a matter of making the rookie earn

his place, as Mason is expected to be a key part of the Rams

running game alongside Zac Stacy. Stacy had four impressive

carries against the Saints, finishing the game with 22 yards

Isaiah Pead was held out of the game with a hand injury.

Pead should still be considered the favorite for a third down

role in St. Louis, but if he can't get on the field, Benny

Cunningham may grab the role away from Pead. Cunningham

also had a productive display against the Saints,; he had five

carries for 24 yards.

WR: It feels like an annual occurrence, but the Kenny Britt

excitement is building again. Britt didn't have a catch against

the Saints, but he has been impressive in camp. That alone

could be enough to assume Brian Quick's spot on the roster is

tenuous. Quick’s poor play appears to be catching up on him.

He hasn't developed the way the Rams thought he would.

Another player who appears to be falling out of favor is Chris

Givens. Givens was a starter last year and does appear to be a

talented player, but he is running with the third-team in his

third year in the league. Givens and Austin Pettis were

guaranteed their roster spots at this time last year, but they

may be fighting each other for places on the depth chart at this

point. On the other hand, Stedman Bailey is showing signs of

life after his subdued rookie season. Bailey is a favorite of

many draft writers. While Bailey is talented, he will be

suspended for the first four games so he needs to impress more

than most. Bailey's suspension could mean that the Rams

really don't finalize their depth chart until after their fourth

game of the regular season.

TE: It appeared that Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks would

retain their spots atop the Rams depth chart by default before

training camp began this year. They likely will still do that,

but undrafted rookie Alex Bayer is at least going to try and

push them during the preseason.

Defense: Aaron Donald's ability was easy to see for everyone

watching the Rams and Saints game, but that doesn't mean he

is ready to be a dominant player. Donald and Michael Sam

were the main attractions on the defensive side of the ball.

Sam played relatively well in his debut, but he should still be

considered a long shot to make the roster. Even though Sam

and Donald stole most of the attention, it was another rookie

who arguably had the most impressive display. E.J. Gaines

started with the first team at cornerback and played very

well. The Rams have both starting cornerbacks from the end

of last season returning to the roster, and the addition of

Lamarcus Joyner who will likely play both safety and

cornerback as a rookie, but Gaines is in a position where he

could win a starting role with a strong preseason and training

camp.

K/P: In the loss against the Saints, kicker Greg Zuerlein made

three extra points and a 45-yard field goal, but missed two

field goals wide left in the fourth quarter – a 46-yarder with

five minutes remaining and a 59-yarder on the final play.

Johnny Hekker averaged 43.3 yards on thee punts, while camp

leg Bobby Cowan averaged 50 yards on two punts. Cowan

also handled one kickoff, while Zuerlein took the first three of

which two were touchbacks.

OL: With several starters missing (left tackle Jake Long,

center Scott Wells and right guard Rodger Saffold) from the

Rams’ first preseason game, there was a ton of work for the

young players. Second overall pick Greg Robinson saw time

at both guard and tackle. Robinson and backup center Tim

Barnes had a miscommunication that led to a sack, but overall

Robinson acquitted himself well at both positions. Robinson

admitted to being a little nervous before the game, but it was

an overall positive debut for the talented player. Davin Joseph

filled in for Saffold while Mike Person started for Long at left

tackle. Person played well and he is likely to be the swing

backup once the season starts.

Rams Depth Chart QB: Sam Bradford, Shaun Hill, Austin Davis, Garrett Gilbert

RB: Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham (KR), Tre Mason, Isaiah

Pead (KR), Chase Reynolds

WR: Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey (susp), Tavon Austin

(KR/PR), Brian Quick, Chris Givens, Austin Pettis, T.J.

Moe, Justin Veltung, Emory Blake, Jordan Harris

TE: Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Corey Harkey, Justice

Cunningham, Alex Bayer, Brad Smelley, Mason Brodine (IR)

LT: Jake Long, Mike Person

LG: Greg Robinson, Brandon Washington

C: Scott Wells, Tim Barnes, Demetrius Rhaney

RG: Rodger Saffold, Barrett Jones

RT: Joe Barksdale, Graham Pocic, Mitchell Van Dyk

K: Greg Zuerlein

DT: Kendall Langford, Michael Brockers, Aaron

Donald, Matt Conrath

DE: Robert Quinn, Chris Long, William Hayes, Eugene

Sims, Michael Sam

MLB: James Laurinaitis

OLB: Alec Ogletree (W), Jo-Lonn Dunbar (S), Ray-Ray

Armstrong, Phillip Steward, Daren Bates, Sammy

Brown, Etienne Sabino, Kourtnei Brown

CB: Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Brandon

McGee, Quinton Pointer (FS), E.J. Gaines, Greg Reid, Darren

Woodard

S: T.J. McDonald (SS), Rodney McLeod (FS), Lamarcus

Joyner (FS/CB), Mo Alexander (SS), Christian

Bryant, Matthew Daniels (FS),Cody Davis (FS)

San Diego Chargers

QB: The Chargers' trio of quarterbacks were impressive in the

first preseason game against the Cowboys. Philip Rivers

played only one series, but he was 4-for-4 for 61 yards and a

118.8 passer rating. He marched the team on a 90-yard

opening drive, going without a huddle much of the time.

Kellen Clemens went 5-for-5 for 134 yards and a touchdown,

earning a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Clemens had had a few

rough practices leading up to the game, but was quick and

sharp in his reads against the Cowboys. Brad Sorensen went 5-

for-7 for 48 yards. While he appears unlikely to pass Clemens

for the number two role, he continues to make a case for the

Chargers to keep three quarterbacks.

RB: There was good news and bad news regarding Ryan

Mathews' performance in the first preseason game. The good

news is that the elusiveness he's shown in practice was also

evident against the Cowboys: he made a potential tackler miss

on his first carry. Mathews was effective on the Chargers' first

drive until his goal-line carry, and here is the bad news: he

tried to jump over the pile, but a defender's helmet struck the

ball and caused a fumble. Over the past two seasons, Mathews

has fumbled four times on 531 touches. After the game, head

coach Mike McCoy dismissed the idea that the fumble would

put Mathews' role as the lead back in jeopardy. "No, he's our

bell cow," McCoy said. "He's jumped over the top a number of

times and scored his entire career here. The safety put his head

on the ball, and the ball came out, so that's all part of the

game." Danny Woodhead appeared to be in mid-season form

when he took a swing-pass for a 25-yard gain. Donald Brown

rushed for 22 yards on three carries, showing the vision and

balance that he's demonstrated throughout camp. One of the

stars of the game for the Chargers was undrafted free-agent

rookie Branden Oliver. Oliver had been turning heads in

practice, and played in the game ahead of fifth-round pick

Marion Grice. He was impressive. He rushed seven times for

64 yards (9.1 yards per carry) and a touchdown, reminding

some of former Charger Darren Sproles. Consider Oliver a

strong favorite to win the fourth RB spot over Grice.

WR: Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, and Eddie Royal, the

Chargers' top three wide receivers, got only one series on

offense against the Cowboys; only Royal caught a pass.

Vincent Brown entered training camp as the fourth wide

receiver on the depth chart; but a calf injury that has kept him

sidelined since the second day of camp now has him in a four-

way battle, along with Dontrelle Inman, Seyi Ajirotutu, and

Tevin Reese, for (presumably) three roster spots. Brown is

expected to miss at least one more preseason game, which will

continue to give his competition the chance to shine in his

absence. Dontrelle Inman led all Charger receivers with three

catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys.

His 70-yard touchdown reception was an over-the-shoulder

catch of the sort that Inman and Eddie Royal have been

working on together after practice. With his performance in

the first two weeks of practice, in addition to his impressive

display against the Cowboys, Inman appears to be a strong

favorite to make the final roster. Seyi Ajirotutu may not be

one of the six best pure wide receivers in camp, but he has

been improving as a receiver, and his exceptional special

teams play gives him a solid chance to make the final roster as

well. After getting off to a hot start in Week One, Tevin Reese

was inconsistent in the second week of training camp

practices. He was targeted once against the Cowboys,

converting a third-down play into a 17-yard reception on a

crossing route for a first down.

TE: Antonio Gates got the night off against the Cowboys, and

Ladarius Green got only one series. Green caught two passes

from Philip Rivers on the team's first drive, and should be a

much bigger part of the team's offense this season than he was

in 2013. Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee expects Green to

double last season's 376 yards and three touchdowns. David

Johnson was an unsung hero of the first preseason game.

While he is listed as a tight end, he sometimes lines up at

fullback, and Branden Oliver's two big runs were both sprung

by blocks from Johnson. Johnson has no fantasy value as a

receiver, but his blocking – which has drawn comparisons to

that of former Charger Lorenzo Neal – could enhance the

fantasy value of the Chargers' RBs. John Phillips has had a

quiet training camp, but is projected to make the final roster as

the fourth tight end.

Defense: One of the training camp battles being fought is for

the number two nose tackle position behind Sean Lissemore.

Last year's UDFA Kwame Geathers, who looked strong

against the Cowboys' first team offense, appears to be solidly

ahead of this year's fifth-round pick, Ryan Carrethers. This

year's UDFA, Tenny Palepoi, is also threatening to move

ahead of Carrethers. Palepoi has impressed the coaches with

his constant hustle. On the pass-rushing front, Dwight Freeney

sat out the first preseason game, but both Melvin Ingram and

Jeremiah Attaochu succeeded in pressuring the Cowboys'

quarterback. There is a close battle brewing for the fifth OLB

spot between Tourek Williams and Thomas Keiser. Williams

has been the better all-around linebacker in training camp, but

Keiser made a splash in the first preseason game with a sack

and a forced fumble. At inside linebacker, Manti Te'o expects

to stay on the field in passing situations this year, making him

a three-down linebacker. Cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and

Jason Verrett both missed the first preseason game, but are on

track to play in the regular-season opener. They are in a three-

way battle, along with Shareece Wright, for the two starting

spots on the outside. Wright and Flowers appear to be the

favorites, with Verrett likely to play in the nickel. Yet another

training camp battle pits Marcus Gilchrist against Jahleel

Addae for the starting strong safety spot. That one is too close

to call at this point.

K/P: “I’m not gonna put a number on it and say, ‘Yeah, I’m

gonna play until I’m whatever age’, but if I’m still playing

when I’m 40, it wouldn’t shock me,” noted punter Mike

Scifres last week. He did not have any punts in the preseason

win over Dallas, while camp leg Chase Tenpenny averaged 38

yards on a pair of punts. Kicker Nick Novak made field goals

of 24 and 44 yards and added three extra points.

OL: Right guard Johnnie Troutman got the start against the

Cowboys in the team’s preseason opener. Troutman had been

losing the competition against rookie third rounder Chris Watt,

but Watt was injured in one of the last practices before the

game. Both players are battling for the right to replace

Jeromey Clary, who is still recovering from offseason surgery.

With interior options limited, versatile backup Rich

Ohrnberger played most of the game. Starting left tackle King

Dunlap had a mostly solid game, however was called for a

holding penalty on Jeremy Mincey. Right tackle D.J. Fluker

has no problem with the heat of preseason practices.

Chargers Depth Chart QB: Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens, Brad Sorensen

RB: Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead (3RB), Donald Brown,

Branden Oliver, Marion Grice, Kerwynn Williams

FB: David Johnson, Zach Boren

WR: Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, Eddie Royal

(PR), Vincent Brown (inj), Tevin Reese, Seyi

Ajirotutu, Tobias Palmer, Dontrelle Inman

TE: Antonio Gates, Ladarius Green, John Phillips, Jake

Byrne, Ryan Otten

LT: King Dunlap, Kenny Wiggins

LG: Chad Rinehart, Willie Smith

C: Nick Hardwick

RG: Chris Watt, Johnnie Troutman, Jeromey Clary (PUP)

RT: D.J. Fluker, Michael Harris

K: Nick Novak

NT: Sean Lissemore, Ryan Carrethers

DE: Corey Liuget, Kendall Reyes, Kwame

Geathers, Lawrence Guy, Cordarro Law, Tenny Palepoi

ILB: Manti Te′o, Donald Butler, Bront Bird, Andrew

Gachkar, Reggie Walker, Kavell Conner

OLB: Jarret Johnson, Dwight Freeney, Melvin

Ingram, Jeremiah Attaochu, Tourek Williams, Thomas Keiser

CB: Shareece Wright, Brandon Flowers, Steve

Williams, Richard Marshall, Jason Verrett, Marcus

Cromartie, Crezdon Butler, Brandon Ghee, Chris Davis

S: Eric Weddle (FS), Marcus Gilchrist (SS), Darrell Stuckey

(FS), Jahleel Addae (FS), Adrian Phillips

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Backup quarterback is concerning after the first

preseason game - Blaine Gabbert was awful against the

Ravens with 3/11 passes completed for paltry 20 yards - with

an interception and no TDs. He was also sacked once for a 7-

yard loss. "I thought a couple balls slipped out of his hand,"

head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "... A throw he'd like to have

back on the interception. He did a good job running the team.

He did a good job getting us in and out the huddle and getting

us in the right play." For his part, Gabbert said, "I can't turn

the ball over like that. It's just a drive killer." Josh Johnson had

better numbers but also produced zero points. Johnson

completed 6/8 passes for 63 yards (97.4 rating), but fumbled a

snap on a first down that the Ravens recovered. "My job is to

go out and perform. And that's all I'm focused on," Johnson

commented. The 49ers are lacking in talent behind starter

Colin Kaepernick (1/1 for 17 yards passing in a quick

preseason cameo). "I think all the quarterbacks - Blaine, and

Josh and Mac (McLeod Bethel-Thompson, 3/7 for 26 yards

and an interception on Thursday night) - they're all coming out

of this thinking there's a few they'd like to have back," Coach

Harbaugh said. "I think they all did about the same." Earlier in

the week, local reports indicated that offensive coordinator

Greg Roman has simplified the playbook to make the team

quicker to the line of scrimmage: "I think everyone is just on

the same page," Kaepernick said after practice Tuesday

August 5. "We simplified some things and made it easier for

us to get in and out of the plays. That's helped us a lot so far."

Kaepernick also commented on the team's confidence entering

2014: "Now, everyone is confident is what our offense is

doing, what our defense is doing."

RB: Carlos Hyde started in place of a healthy Frank Gore for

the first preseason contest (seven of the 49ers' starters sat out

the game and Gore has skipped the first preseason game for

three consecutive preseasons). Hyde rushed for 39 yards on

five carries and posted gains of seven, 19 and eight yards on a

game-opening drive which resulted in a field goal. "I thought

he really ran the ball well," Coach Harbaugh said. "Had good

vision. Really lowered his pads... He's light on his feet." Jewel

Hampton (8/18/0 rushing with two targets for 1/3/0 receiving)

and Alfonso Smith (two targets for 1/10/0) did nothing to

shake up the depth chart. LaMichael James (elbow injury) and

Marcus Lattimore (knee injury) remain sidelined. Kendall

Hunter (right ACL tear) was placed on IR last week after

clearing waivers. Glenn Winston was signed on Monday to

take Hunter's roster spot during camp.

WR: Michael Crabtree sat out of the game in street clothes

due to his sore hamstring, and Brandon Lloyd was also in

street clothes due to a sore hamstring. Chuck Jacobs tore the

anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Thursday night and

is out for the season. To replace Jacobs, the 49ers signed

Lance Lewis, who spent last season with Washington, mostly

on the practice squad. Rookie Bruce Ellington had a busy

exhibition game: He caught all three passes thrown to him for

a team-high 35 yards; he averaged 31 yards on two kickoff

returns; and he muffed a third-quarter punt but managed to

recover the ball. Quinton Patton (zero receptions on three

targets) and Steve Johnson (two targets for 1/6/0) weren't

impressive in the game. The 49ers held their first practice in

new Levi's Stadium Monday, August 4. Harbaugh

commented, "We got to make it a home-field advantage...

That's what we have to get used to, the way we were used to

Candlestick. The grass there, the sightlines there, the wind, the

sun, angles, all those things."

TE: Vance McDonald caught both passes that came his way

in the first preseason game, going 2/24/0 on the night.

However, McDonald did not practice against the Ravens on

Saturday. He has an undisclosed injury. After the game (a 3-

23 loss to Baltimore), Vernon Davis indicated that the 49ers'

team needs "a lot of work."

Defense: ILB Michael Wilhoite led all players in the first half

with seven tackles vs. Baltimore. He looks entrenched as

NaVorro Bowman's replacement until Bowman returns. DT

Quinton Dial did well in place of injured Glenn Dorsey, with a

game-high 10 tackles and two forced fumbles. On Monday,

August 4 Harbaugh indicated he doesn't have a timetable for

Dorsey's return (torn biceps). "That was definitely a big

blow," Harbaugh said. Defensive linemen Demarcus Dobbs

and Lawrence Okoye left the Thursday game with ankle

injuries of unspecified severity. On Saturday practice, Okoye

remained out but Dobbs returned. “Thin still [along the DL]

and (we) will be through the weekend and until we get back,”

Harbaugh said. “We’ve got some reinforcements coming next

week, from our own team.” Justin Smith (offseason shoulder

surgery) and Ray McDonald (minor leg injury) are apparently

the reinforcements that Harbaugh was referencing. Aldon

Smith visited with Commissioner Goodell last Thursday but

no resolution to his pending league discipline was announced.

Earlier in the week, cornerback Chris Cook intercepted two

passes in practice. On his second pick, Cook got inside

position on receiver Chuck Jacobs, made a good read on the

ball and picked off the Blaine Gabbert throw as he dived into

the end zone. Cook also snagged an interception in the

preseason game on Thursday night.

K/P: Kicker Phil Dawson continues to assess the kicking

conditions in new stadium: “You'll be going along and think

you kind of got it all figured out, and then something will

change. The wind comes and goes.” He kicked a 25-yard field

goal for the 49ers’ only points in their preseason loss to the

Ravens. Punter Colton Schmidt kept himself on the NFL

radar, averaging 48.5 yards on a pair of punts and placing two

near the goal line, albeit one was negated by penalty.

OL: With right guard Alex Boone’s hold out continuing, the

line was a problem in the team’s first action against

Jacksonville. Joe Looney replaced Boone and did a subpar

job. Anthony Davis, dealing with a minor shoulder injury,

would normally be replaced by Boone (who also plays tackle)

but instead was replaced by Jonathan Martin. Martin had a

decent game but was called for a false start penalty. Depth

may have taken a further hit with veteran backup Adam

Snyder going down with a knee injury during Sunday’s

practice. The Niners’ offensive line depth is not as great as

they thought it would be, and they clearly need Boone back in

the lineup.

49ers Depth Chart QB: Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Josh

Johnson, McLeod Bethel-Thompson

RB: Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde, LaMichael James (KR/PR)

(inj), Marcus Lattimore (inj), Jewel Hampton, Alfonso

Smith, Kendall Hunter (IR)

FB: Bruce Miller (inj), Trey Millard, Will Tukuafu, Alex

Debniak

WR: Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Steve

Johnson, Quinton Patton, Brandon Lloyd, Bruce

Ellington, Devon Wylie, David Reed, Kassim

Osgood, DeMarco Sampson, L’Damian Washington, Lance

Lewis, Chuck Jacobs (IR)

TE: Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, Derek

Carrier

LT: Joe Staley, Jonathan Martin, Carter Bykowski

LG: Mike Iupati, Joe Looney, Brandon Thomas

C: Daniel Kilgore, Marcus Martin

RG: Alex Boone, Adam Snyder, Ryan Seymour

RT: Anthony Davis, Al Netter, Luke Marquardt

K: Phil Dawson

NT: Ian Williams, Quinton Dial, Glenn Dorsey (inj),

DE: Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, Tony Jerod-

Eddie, DeMarcus Dobbs (TE), Kaleb Ramsey, Cornellius

Carradine, Aaron Lynch, Lawrence Okoye, Mike Purcell

ILB: Patrick Willis (M), Navorro Bowman (inj), Michael

Wilhoite, Chris Borland, Nick Moody, Shayne Skov, Blake

Costanzo

OLB: Ahmad Brooks (S), Aldon Smith, Corey Lemonier, Dan

Skuta, Darius Fleming, Morgan Breslin

CB: Chris Culliver, Chris Cook, Tramaine Brock, Kenneth

Acker, Perrish Cox, Keith Reaser, Dax Swanson, Darryl

Morris

S: Antoine Bethea (SS), Eric Reid (FS), C.J. Spillman

(FS), Jimmie Ward (FS), Craig Dahl (SS), Dontae

Johnson, Ray Ventrone, D.J. Campbell

Seattle Seahawks

QB: The status quo appears unchanged following the

preseason opener versus Denver. Both Russell Wilson (4-of-6

for 37 yards, 0 TDs) and Tarvaris Jackson (5-of-7 for 47

yards, 0 TDs) were efficient, if unspectacular. Terrelle Pryor

got an extended look as he tries to fight for a roster spot,

finishing the game 9-of-16 for 137 yards and an interception

to go along with a team-leading 28 yards rushing.

RB: Unsurprisingly, Marshawn Lynch didn't feature in the

first preseason game of the year. Robert Turbin (4 carries for 5

yards) got the start and Christine Michael had 10 total touches,

including a 1-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter. Despite

the excitement surrounding Michael amongst fans, neither he

nor Turbin did anything to motivate Lynch to play in any

preseason games this year. That's not to say that he won't, but

rather that he probably doesn't need to. Spencer Ware was the

team's fourth running back last season. He remains the

favorite to fill that spot again this year, even if he doesn't see

many carries once the regular season begins. Ware had four

carries for 11 yards against Denver and is now exclusively

playing running back.

WR: Paul Richardson was the standout player for the

Seahawks offense in their first preseason game. Working

against the Denver second-team defense, Richardson proved

that he isn't just a home-run threat with four receptions for 37

yards. There was one moment when he failed to understand

where the first down marker was and cost himself a first down

at the sideline, but it was a minor issue that should be easily

rectified. Percy Harvin just needs to stay healthy so he can be

effective during the regular season, but big plays in practice

won't be ignored. Harvin, Doug Baldwin and Jermaine

Kearse are assured of their roles, while Richardson appears set

to lock up the fourth spot on the depth chart. Ricardo

Lockette's roster spot should be safe thanks to his special

teams ability, but he also had two receptions for 35 yards

against Denver. Kevin Norwood should be the final receiver

on the roster, but he just had foot surgery. Head coach Pete

Carroll believes that Norwood will likely be back before the

end of preseason, so the fourth round pick should round out

the roster.

TE: Luke Willson and Zach Miller were involved with the

starting offense against Denver. Russell Wilson overthrew

Willson with his first target, before he slightly overthrew

Miller causing the ball to bounce off his hands as he extended

to make the catch. Miller should have caught the ball and he

was fortunate that there wasn't an interception for Rahim

Moore on the play. The Seahawks only kept two tight ends

on the roster last year, so Cooper Heifet will need to

continue to make more plays like he did in Denver. Heifet had

one reception for 20 yards over the middle in traffic; forcing

him to make a very impressive adjustment while in the air.

Defense: It appeared that the Denver Broncos made a

concentrated effort to target cornerback Byron Maxwell with

Demaryius Thomas in the first preseason game of the year.

Maxwell fit well with the Seahawks defense last year, but

struggled during this game. It's nothing that will cause the

Seahawks any kind of panic, but may be something to watch

moving forward as Maxwell hasn't proven himself over the

long-term. Bobby Wagner is dealing with a hamstring injury

that sidelined him against the Broncos, while Kam Chancellor

hadn't returned in time after offseason surgery. Neither

player is expected to miss significant time moving forward.

The Seahawks got an opportunity to look at a number of

different linebackers against the Broncos given all of the

injury-related absences, but this is probably the most settled

back seven in the whole league when healthy. On the

defensive line, Kevin Williams made his debut. Williams

could be a key component for the Seahawks front this year,

but little can be learned about a veteran player at this stage of

the preseason.

K/P: Three years ago, then Broncos kicker Steven Hauschka

caught the Seahawks’ attention in a preseason game and it

may have led to his current job. In the game this past

weekend, he made field goals of 41, 40 and 22 yards for

Seattle. Last week in a scrimmage, Hauschka also kicked three

field goals. Punter Jon Ryan averaged 50.3 yards on three

punts in the loss to Denver.

OL: Missing several starters, the Seahawks trotted out a

makeshift group in their preseason game against the Broncos.

Coming back from offseason foot surgery, left tackle Russell

Okung has since returned to practice, along with left guard

James Carpenter and center Max Unger. Unger was dealing

with a minor groin injury. While he was banged up, backup

lineman Stephen Schilling saw some time at center. Former

Pro Bowler Wade Smith has signed with the team to provide

depth and also to push Carpenter and J.R. Sweezy at the guard

spots. Rookie Justin Britt continues to hold off veteran Eric

Winston at the right tackle spot. Winston still is working with

the second team.

Seahawks Depth Chart QB: Russell Wilson, Tavaris Jackson, Terrelle Pryor, B.J.

Daniels

RB: Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin, Christine Michael

FB: Derrick Coleman, Spencer Ware, Kiero Small

WR: Percy Harvin, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse

(KR), Paul Richardson, Ricardo Lockette, Kevin Norwood

(inj), Chris Matthews, Arceto Clark, Bryan Walters, Phil

Bates, David Gilreath, Morrell Presley

TE: Zach Miller, Luke Willson, Cooper Helfet, Anthony

McCoy (IR)

LT: Russell Okung, Alvin Bailey

LG: James Carpenter, Greg VanRoten

C: Max Unger, Lemuel Jeanpierre

RG: J.R. Sweezy, Jared Smith, Steve Schilling

RT: Eric Winston, Wade Smith, Justin Britt, Garrett Scott

K: Steven Hauschka

DT: Brandon Mebane, Tony McDaniel, Jordan Hill, Kevin

Williams, Jimmy Staten, D′Anthony Smith, Michael

Brooks, Andre Pulu, Jesse Williams (IR)

DE: Michael Bennett (DT), Cliff Avril, Greg Scruggs, Cassius

Marsh, Benson Mayowa, Jackson Jeffcoat

MLB: Bobby Wagner, Heath Farwell

OLB: Bruce Irvin (S/DE) (inj), K.J. Wright

(W/M/S), Malcolm Smith (W),Mike Morgan

(W)(RFA), Korey Toomer (S), Kevin Pierre-Louis, Mike

Taylor (S)

CB: Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Therald

Simon, Jeremy Lane, Phillip Adams, Terrell

Thomas, DeShawn Shead, Akeem Auguste, Trey Wolfe

S: Kam Chancellor (SS), Earl Thomas (FS), Jeron Johnson

(SS) , Eric Pinkins, Terrance Parks (SS), Steven Terrell

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Josh McCown struggled in limited action. He was sacked

twice for a combined loss of 5 yards, and he fumbled twice,

losing one. McCown was 2/4 for 20 yards, zero TDs and one

interception passing with 2/13/0 rushing during the

Buccaneers' first preseason contest. The interception was

returned for a Jaguars' TD as the Buccaneers fell 10-16 to their

Florida rivals. "We're not ready yet... This first game, we kind

of see where we are a little bit," Lovie Smith said. "Had some

protection issues, didn't protect the quarterback well enough.

That's pretty much it." Mike Glennon came on in relief of

McCown and tossed 11/19 for 140 yards passing, one TD and

zero interceptions, while taking one sack for -2 yards. Glennon

threw his third-quarter touchdown pass to Tommy Streeter,

who has been having a solid training camp. Before the game,

Glennon spoke about waiting for another shot to be a starting

quarterback in the NFL: "I've always had confidence in

myself. … I felt like I showed what I could do last year, and I

know that I can succeed at this level. I've always had

confidence in myself, and I know what I'm capable of doing."

Third-string quarterback Mike Kafka completed 2-of-7 for 14

yards, with zero TDs or interceptions. Coach Smith

admonished the media for over-reacting to the first game:

"Just like when you come out to practice, the first preseason

game, don't start printing up the Super Bowl tickets or cutting

everybody on the team. Let things play out a little bit. That's

what preseason games are for... You have to keep in mind

what the goal of the preseason is: to get ready for the Carolina

Panthers (in the season opener). With that, we wanted to put

our guys in position to... let them play. We didn't have an

extensive game plan or anything like that."

RB: Doug Martin played with the first team and he struggled

along with his quarterback, managing 3/6/0 rushing and 1/2/0

receiving on the night. ESPN's Pat Yasinkas noted after the

game that the Tampa offensive line (especially the guards)

struggled against the Jaguars' first team defense. Bobby

Rainey came in after Martin left the field, with 6/25/0 rushing.

"I thought I played all right for the most part, made a couple

good runs, but my main focus was really on special teams,"

Rainey said after the game. "I wanted to make an impact on

special teams. I wanted to make a tackle on the punt team, but

I didn't get to do that." Charles Sims was third to play, (6/13/0

rushing with three targets for 3/32/0 receiving) followed by

Mike James (3/12/0 rushing and 1/20/0 receiving). Jeff Demps

(2/4/0 rushing with two targets for 1/8/0 receiving), Lonnie

Pryor (1/3/0 rushing), and Jorvorskie Lane (1/1/0 rushing) had

a handful of attempts combined. Sims gained the most yards

overall, but the depth chart behind Martin is far from settled

after a lack-luster game vs. Jacksonville.

WR: Vincent Jackson had an 18-yard reception as one of the

few bright spots for the Buccaneers' first team offense Friday

night, and rookie Mike Evans started across from Jackson

(two targets for zero receptions). Backup Louis Murphy led

the team with four targets for 3/34/0 receiving, while Robert

Herron was third among wide receivers with four targets for

1/10/0. Streeter caught the lone TD pass of the game with one

target for 1/6/1 receiving. In all, 14 Buccaneers were

targeted with passes.

TE: Rookie Austin Sefarian-Jenkins snagged a nice pass from

Kafka during the exhibition, but had the 48-yard gain called

back on a penalty. All told, Sefarian-Jenkins was third on the

team Friday night with three targets for 2/29/0 receiving. Tim

Wright saw four targets but only managed to haul in one, for

six yards. Luke Stocker saw one target but didn't make the

catch.

Defense: DE Steven Means was a bright spot playing with the

second team, recording a sack and two tackles for a loss. The

Jaguars punted on all three of their first-quarter possessions,

gaining only 35 yards in 13 plays from scrimmage. Tampa

Bay’s rush defense was particularly stout early, limiting the

Jags to 5 yards on their first six carries as second-year CB

Johnthan Banks was credited with three tackles. Smith said he

was pleased with the play of the defense, particularly the first

unit and specifically DT Gerald McCoy and LB Lavonte

David. He also singled out CB Johnthan Banks and DE/DT

Da'Quan Bowers. "I just played my assignment and did what

the coaches asked me to do — play fast and hard," Bowers

said. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

According to the Tampa Tribune, Jacksonville finished the

opening half 0-for-7 on third down, averaging 3.6 yards per

offensive snap. Ronde Barber, working as an analyst for

WFLA after 16 years in the Buccaneers' secondary, stated:

"I'm definitely encouraged by what the Bucs have done in the

offseason. I still think there’s room for this team to grow. By

no means do I think they're there, but there's no reason the

Bucs can't make a dramatic turnaround." CBs Alterraun

Verner and Mike Jenkins, S Dashon Goldson and DLs Scott

Solomon and Jibreel Black did not dress for the Bucs on

Friday night. Verner has been hampered by a hamstring injury

- "I plan on being back on the field soon," he said after

Wednesday's practice. "It's not like I'm on vacation... I've been

getting a lot of mental reps."

K/P: Kicker Connor Barth saw his first game action since

tearing his Achilles tendon last summer. He hit a 44-yard field

goal in the preseason opener against the Jaguars. Michael

Koenen averaged 46 yards on five punts. Camp leg Patrick

Murray got work in both facets, kicking an extra point and

averaging 45 yards on two punts. Last week, the Bucs worked

out kickers Rob Bironas and Anthony Fera, causing

speculation that Barth’s and Koenen’s jobs might be in peril.

OL: After an atrocious performance against Jacksonville, the

Tampa Bay offensive line has come under intense scrutiny.

Jamon Meredith was demoted to the second team, with Jace

Daniels now taking the first team reps at right guard. Daniels

had been impressive as the second team center and the team

hopes he can continue his process. Oneil Cousins continues to

hang on to his starting left guard position, but he could face

further competition from Patrick Omameh. It was not all on

the guards however, as starting left tackle Anthony Cousins

gave up a sack to Chris Clemons. Starting right tackle Demar

Dotson was called for holding, nullifying a first down

completion. Despite this, Dotson played well overall as did

new center Evan Deitrich-Smith. In general, this line still has

more questions than answers.

Buccaneers Depth Chart QB: Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Mike Kafka

RB: Doug Martin, Charles Sims, Bobby Rainey, Mike

James, Jeff Demps (KR)

FB: Lonnie Pryor, Javorskie Lane

WR: Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans, Louis Murphy, Robert

Herron, Eric Page (KR/PR), Tommy Streeter, Chris

Owusu, Skye Dawson, Russell Shepard, Lavelle

Hawkins, Solomon Patton, Aaron Burks

TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brandon Myers, Tim

Wright, Luke Stocker, Kyle Adams, Cameron Brate, Ian

Thompson

LT: Anthony Collins, Kevin Pamphile, Matt Patchan

LG: Kadeem Edwards, Jason Foster

C: Evan Dietrich-Smith

RG: Jamon Meredith, Oneil Cousins, Patrick Omameh

RT: Demar Dotson, Emmett Cleary

K: Connor Barth, Patrick Murray

DT: Gerald McCoy, Akeem Spence (NT), Clinton

McDonald, Everett Dawkins, Jibreel Black

DE: Michael Johnson, Adrian Clayborn, William

Gholston, Da′Quan Bowers, Steven Means, Mathew

Masifilo, Scott Solomon, James Ruffin, Ryne Giddins

MLB: Mason Foster, Dane Fletcher, Damaso Munoz

OLB: Lavonte David (W), Jonathan Casillas (S), Marvin

Booker (S),Danny Lansanah, Ka′lial Glaud, Brandon Magee

CB: Alterraun Verner, Johnthan Banks, Leonard

Johnson, Mike Jenkins, Danny Gorrer, Deveron Carr, Rashaan

Melvin, Bobby Felder, Anthony Gaitor

S: Mark Barron (SS), Dashon Goldson (FS), Major Wright

(FS), Keith Tandy (SS), Kelcie McCray (FS), Bradley

McDougald (FS)

Tennessee Titans

QB: The Titans played the Packers Saturday in monsoon

conditions with the relentless downpour lasting nearly the

entire game. The conditions led to a sloppy play and forced

the offense to deviate from the intended game script. “A lot of

the things we had planned went out the window with the rain,”

said head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Jake Locker and the Titans'

starting offense played the entire first quarter but rain ruined

any plans of a passing game, leaving Locker just 1-of-2

passing for five yards. “It’s a lot of water,” said Locker.

“Given the circumstances, we were able to move the ball a

little running it. We would liked to have done a little better in

the passing game, but it’s something that we know we can

work on going forward.”Backup Charlie Whitehurst played

relatively well, completing 10-of-15 passes for 94 yards.

Rookie Zach Mettenberger played the fourth quarter,

completing 4-of-7 passes for 87 yards. He showed off his

strong arm on his first throw, a laser to Isaiah Williams.

Mettenberger struggled with the wet conditions however as his

first two drives ended in turnovers. He bounced back at the

end of regulation, completing long throws to TE Chase

Coffman and WR Brian Robiskie to put the Titans deep in

Packers territory where FB Jackie Battle was able to seal the

win with a 7-yard TD run.

RB: The rainy conditions meant the offensive focus was

squarely upon the RBs and the top three all had impressive

moments. Shonn Greene showed no lingering effects of the

knee injury that consumed most of his offseason. He showed

burst and impressive vision on his touchdown run, making one

cut to find the hole on the left side for the 13-yard score. He

finished with four carries for 20 yards and the touchdown.

With an average draft position of RB55, Shonn Greene is a

very nice value right now, especially in standard scoring

leagues in which his lack of receiving prowess is less an issue.

Peter King recently speculated that the Titans would feature a

60/30/10 rushing split between Greene, Bishop Sankey and

Dexter McCluster respectively.

While 60% may be a bit high for Greene if Sankey continues

to impress, it seems likely that the Titans backfield is headed

towards a committee approach (at least in the early part of the

season). Sankey took the lion’s share of the workload

Saturday however, gaining 37 hard earned yards on 13 carries.

Sankey also excelled in the passing game, hauling in three

passes for 38 yards and the Titans second touchdown of the

game. The rookie didn’t find space often, but when he did,

showed his ability to earn every inch. On four out of the five

final plays on his scoring drive, Sankey had a run for nine

yards, a run for eight yards, a run for three yards, and the five-

yard touchdown catch out of the backfield. “We expected to

give (Sankey) some work,” said Whisenhunt. “Things got

distorted a little bit. Our rotational plan changed a little bit

when the conditions changed. That affected us, but I think

what we wanted to see out of Bishop is a good start. This by

no means answered a lot of questions, but it helped to start to

answer some of them.” “I felt comfortable once I got out there

and kind of got in the groove of things,” said Sankey. “It’s all

about improving and looking back and seeing my mistakes

and correcting those for the next week. I was expecting

anything. As many times as they wanted to give me the ball,

that’s what I was willing to do tonight. It kind of just went

that way. We were able to put that good drive together and

take the lead. It felt good out there. What worked for me

tonight was finding those little holes and creases, and just

really driving the ball down the field.” Sankey has shown off a

strong all-around game, but his current ADP of RB21 is

probably too high at this point based upon his likely role in the

offense.

McCluster only had three carries but made a statement with a

tough ten-yard dash up the middle in which he barreled over

rookie Hasean Clinton-Dix to pick up the first down.

McCluster’s hope is to carve out a role similar to that of

Danny Woodhead in Whisenhunt’s San Diego offense last

season.

WR: The rain made for few highlights for the WRs. The catch

of the game was a 38-yard grab by Brian Robiskie who

stretched out to snag a deep ball from Mettenberger to setup

the game winning touchdown. Kendall Wright and Justin

Hunter remain entrenched as the starting WRs and only real

fantasy factors. For Wright to ascend to greater fantasy

heights, he will have to score more than the two TDs he

managed last season and make more big plays. Wright hopes

to do just that, claiming he is just as fast as his teammate

Hunter. “If you’re running down the sideline and you just flat

out-run somebody, they’ll be like, ‘You’re fast,’” Wright

said. “You don’t have to be fast to outrun somebody. It’s just

proper technique. Some people like Justin are real fast. Me

coming in the middle, you can’t see that I’m the same speed as

Justin because I’m going in and out of traffic. I can’t break up

out of it. This year I plan on breaking a little more of those

tackles, trying to get loose and go score, and I’ll show

everybody how fast I am.”

TE: Backups Chase Coffman and Taylor Thompson both

made nice plays in the win over the Packers with Coffman

making a crucial 26-yard grab late in the 4th quarter and

Thompson hauling in three passes for 33 yards overall.

Thompson has shown some modest improvements as a route

runner and could be ready to be Delanie Walker’s primary

backup.

Defense: Inside LB Zach Brown has had a solid camp as he

has tried to hold off Moise Fokou, Colin McCarthy, Zavier

Brown and Avery Williamson for the starting job. However,

Brown found himself on the bend for the defense’s first series

as punishment for breaking a team rule. "I would describe it as

pissing me off," Whisenhunt said. Brown said "If he ain't

elaborating, I ain't either."

K/P: So far in camp, Travis Coons has been more accurate on

field goals than Maikon Bonani. In the game against the

Packers, neither attempted any field goals. Each made one

extra point. Bonani also missed one extra point although it was

in rainy weather and the snap and hold were suspect. Late last

week, head coach Ken Whisenhunt still wasn’t willing to say

much: “I haven't seen enough of either of those guys yet to say

I'm impressed or displeased with them. It's still a process.”

Brett Kern averaged 39.2 yards on six punts.

OL: Starting left tackle Michael Roos only played one quarter

in the team’s first preseason game against the Packers. First

round pick Taylor Lewan took over for Roos (in extremely

wet and rainy conditions) and played very well in his place.

Lewan still doesn’t have an obvious starting position this

season, but he could be a gem after Roos leaves the team.

Starting center Brian Schwenke had two mishandled snaps in

the downpour and this did not create good feelings among

coaches and fans who are concerned with his progress. The

job is clearly Schwenke’s for now, as backup center Chris

Spencer injured his ankle during the contest, and it is not clear

how long he will require in recovery.

Titans Depth Chart QB: Jake Locker, Charlie Whitehurst, Zach Mettenberger

RB: Shonn Greene, Bishop Sankey, Dexter McCluster

(WR), Jackie Battle, Leon Washington (KR), Antonio

Andrews, Waymon James

FB: Collin Mooney, Quinn Johnson

WR: Kendall Wright, Nate Washington, Justin

Hunter, Michael Preston, Marc Mariani, Derek Hagan, Derel

Walker, Isaiah Williams, Lamont Bryant

TE: Delanie Walker, Craig Stevens (FB), Taylor

Thompson, Chase Coffman, Dorin Dickerson (IR)

LT: Michael Roos, Taylor Lewan

LG: Andy Levitre, Chris Spencer

C: Brian Schwenke, Tyler Horn

RG: Chance Warmack, Eric Olsen

RT: Michael Oher, Byron Stingily

K: Brett Kern, Maikon Bonani, Travis Coons

NT: Sammie Lee Hill, DaQuan Jones, Chigbo Anunoby

DE: Jurell Casey, Al Woods, Mike Martin, Ropati

Pitoitua, Karl Klug, Lavar Edwards, Lanier Coleman

ILB: Wesley Woodyard, Zach Brown, Zaviar Gooden, Moise

Fokou, Avery Williamson, Brandon Copeland, David

Hinds, Colin McCarthy (inj)

OLB: Akeem Ayers (S), Derrick Morgan, Shaun

Phillips, Kamerion Wimbley, Patrick Bailey, Jonathan Willard

CB: Jason McCourty, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Tommie

Campbell, Coty Sensabaugh, Micah Pellerin, George

Baker, Khalid Wooten

S: Bernard Pollard (SS), Michael Griffin (FS) (susp), George

Wilson (SS/FS), Daimion Stafford (SS), Marqueston

Huff, Hakeem Smith, Marc Anthony

Washington Redskins

QB: Washington breaks camp this week and unfortunately the

quarterback situation isn’t as crystal clear as fantasy owners

would’ve hoped. Robert Griffin III is healthy and the clear

starter, but his play in the preseason and during practices

hasn’t been strong enough to comfortably slot him back into

the top tier of young passers. After two days of joint practices

against the Patriots, ESPN’s Mike Reiss suggested that Kirk

Cousins was the better quarterback, and that his view was

echoed by ‘some others in the Patriots organization.’ While

we need to take any observation by a beat writer (from another

team) with a grain of salt, it’s notable that Washington Post

beat writer Mike Jones wasn’t effusive in his defense of

Griffin a few days later.

Jones said, “…But, I will say that most days in practice, the

gap isn’t as big as you’d like to see between your No. 2

overall pick and a fourth-round pick. Griffin does make some

plays – particularly when things break down – that very few

quarterbacks can make. But when it’s a drop-back passing

situation where the play takes longer to unfold and he has to

recognize coverage while feeling the pressure, he hasn’t

looked exceptional. He looks okay at times, good other times,

and then he makes some bad throws other times. Uneven is the

best way to describe it. Cousins also has had his struggles. He

gets rid of the ball more quickly, but he also makes some

unwise throws. He turns the ball over a lot, and in my opinion

hasn’t even looked as sharp as he did last year. He too has

been uneven.”

In game action, Griffin only attempted four passes (2-for-4 for

9 yards) before giving way to Cousins. Cousins played well

(9-for-13 for 103 yards and a touchdown) and, ironically,

outrushed Griffin (2 yards vs. 0).

RB: Alfred Morris looked solid against the Patriots first team

defenders, running five times for 27 yards (5.4 per carry)

before calling it a night. Presumed #2 Roy Helu was less

successful (5 rushes for 14 yards) but showed his worth as an

outlet receiver (two catches for 23 yards). Rookie Lache

Seastrunk led the team with 63 yards on 12 carries, and seems

a good bet to land on the 53-man roster at the expense of

either Evan Royster or Chris Thompson.

WR: DeSean Jackson missed the Patriots game after a New

England defender stepped on his ankle during the intra-team

practice. Jackson is set to return against the Browns in next

week’s preseason tilt, and has resumed full practices.

Following Monday’s practice, Jackson felt no ill effects: "I felt

good, man," he said. "Had a little sore, bruised ankle for the

last couple days. So good to be back in the midst of things.

Felt good." Fellow starter Pierre Garcon also missed the

Patriots game with a hamstring strain, but returned to practice

on Monday. In their absence, Aldrick Robinson (3 receptions

for 45 yards and a touchdown) led the Redskins in a bid to

hold onto a roster spot. Presumed slot receiver Andre Roberts

wasn’t targeted in the passing game, but did serve as the punt

returner.

TE: Jordan Reed has been a playmaker throughout training

camp, but missed the final four days of camp with a

mysterious illness that resembled a ’24-hour’ stomach bug.

Against the Patriots, rookie Ted Bolser caught a 7-yard

touchdown and veteran Logan Paulsen had a key grab in the

team’s opening drive.

Defense: The Redskins defense showed well against the

Patriots, as the first team personnel set the tone with

consecutive three-and-outs to start the game. Brian Orakpo

had the team’s lone sack, while Akeem Jordan had three

tackles and a fumble recovery. Orakpo was understandably

pleased after the game: “We’re building a foundation at the

linebacker corps,” he explained. “Guys are going out there

making plays, and we’re going to need that as the season

progresses.” Fellow linebacker Keenan Robinson played well

in his new role as the defensive play-caller (replacing London

Fletcher), and more importantly is healthy after missing most

of the last two years with a torn pectoral.

K/P: Rookie Zach Hocker made two field goals and kicked

off well in the preseason win over the Patriots. Kai Forbath

came up short on a 46-yard field goal and sent one of his

kickoffs out of bounds. Coach Jay Gruden commented: “Zach

had a couple great kickoffs and a good tackle and a field goal.

And Kai, you know, he had the kickoff out of bounds like I

said. So that’s a decision that’s going to come after the fourth

preseason game. I know it.”

OL: Starting left tackle Trent Williams was named the

offensive captain in the contest against the Patriots, and this

could be a preview of who will wear the C patch during the

regular season. Williams didn’t play much, as rookie tackle

Morgan Moses played 68 snaps in the contest. Moses was up

and down, being called for holding and giving up a sack early

in the game. However, he settled down and played well

overall. Backup center Mike McGlynn missed the contest due

to back spasms, and was replaced by Tevita Stevens. Back at

practice, Maurice Hurt continues to struggle, as he got the

worse end of a pass protection battle with backup linebacker

Gabe Miller.

Redskins Depth Chart QB: Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy

RB: Alfred Morris, Roy Helu (3RB), Chris Thompson

(3RB), Lache Seastrunk, Evan Royster, Silas Redd

FB: Darrel Young

WR: Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Andre Roberts

(PR/KR), Leonard Hankerson, Santana Moss, Aldrick

Robinson, Ryan Grant, Nick Williams, Cody

Hoffman, Rashad Lawrence, Jerry Rice Jr. (inj)

TE: Jordan Reed, Logan Paulsen, Niles Paul (KR), Ted

Bolser, Gabe Miller, Mike Caussin

LT: Trent Williams, Tom Compton

LG: Shawn Lauvao, Maurice Hurt, Spencer Long

C: Kory Lichtensteiger, Mike McGlynn

RG: Chris Chester, Josh LeRibeus, Adam Gettis

RT: Tyler Polumbus, Morgan Moses

K: Kai Forbath, Zach Hocker

NT: Barry Cofield, Chris Neild, Robert Thomas

DE: Jason Hatcher (inj), Jarvis Jenkins, Chris Baker

(NT), Kedric Golston, Doug Worthington (RFA), Stephen

Bowen, Clifton Geathers, Frank Kearse

ILB: Perry Riley, Keenan Robinson, Akeem Jordan, Darryl

Sharpton, Will Compton, Jeremy Kimbrough

OLB: Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan (inj), Adam

Hayward, Trent Murphy, Rob Jackson, Adrian Robinson

CB: DeAngelo Hall, David Amerson, Tracy Porter, E.J.

Biggers, Bashaud Breeland, Chase Minnifield, Richard

Crawford (inj), Peyton Thompson

S: Brandon Meriweather (SS), Ryan Clark (FS), Phillip

Thomas (FS),Bacarri Rambo (FS), Jose Gumbs (SS)

(RFA), Trent Robinson (FS), Akeem Davis, Da′Mon

Cromartie-Smith, Tanard Jackson (susp)