Preseason Standouts

Preseason Standouts: Week 2

 

Tennessee at Tampa Bay

 

Tennessee: Running back Chris Johnson easily gets the nod here. While the Titans offensive line paved the way for over 200+ total rushing yards, it was the quick cuts and explosive acceleration that made Chris Johnson stand out above the rest.

 

Tampa Bay: Saturday was not a great day offensively or defensively for the Buccaneers, but Doug Martin looks like a rookie with a lot of upside. The announcers compared him to Ray Rice and I can definitely see that. While Martin isn’t physically imposing, he knows how to read blocks, catch the ball, and explode through the hole.

 

Cleveland at Green Bay

 

Cleveland: Browns center Alex Mack has been simply dominant in back to back performances against Detroit’s Suh and Green Bay’s B.J. Raji. Whether paving holes in the run game or keeping them those monsters out of passing lanes, he has showed how he earned his sterling reputation.

 

Green Bay: Jordy Nelson has gone under the radar for too long. Stuck between a veteran standout (Greg Jennings) and a budding young talent (Randall Cobb), Nelson has been an afterthought in the Packers WR arsenal. I expect him to break out in a big way this year, and I would guess that he would lead his team in receiving yards and rec. TDs.

 

Cincinnati at Atlanta

 

Cincinnati: So you know how people were debating which 2011 NFL draft WR would have a better year in 2012? Well apparently A.J. Green took offense to the idea that it wasn’t a unanimous decision in his favor. So his response was to absolutely torch the Falcons defensive backs. Now, I know the box score says he only had 2 rec. for 59 yards and a TD, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t abusing the single coverage. There were at least 2 times where Green was open for a long pass, but Dalton decided not to pull the trigger.

 

Atlanta: Matt Ryan a surgeon on the field, and ended up completing 85% of his passes, and he even had a score. If Matt Ryan can stay even relatively close to this accurate with those receiving weapons then the Falcons will be the best offensive team in the league next year.

 

Detroit at Baltimore

 

Detroit: Kellen Moore was a standout…just kidding. Calvin Johnson is the single most dominant receiver in this league. Megatron can get behind corners with ease, and even if a ball is underthrown he will bully the defender out of position and jump up and pluck the ball out of the air. Oh and did you know that he was seven-feet tall and 280 lbs. of muscle? Well that may be an exaggeration, but you would be hard pressed to find a defensive back that doesn’t think that exact thought when he is trying to box him out on a fade route.

 

Baltimore: Ravens NB/CB Asa Jackson looks like an intriguing young rookie with a lot of special teams potential. This was especially evident when Jackson ran back a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Now, that touchdown will never show up in the box score because a (weak) holding call called it back, but the talent is obviously there.

 

Miami at Carolina

 

Miami: While he may be getting a bad reputation on hard knocks, Vonte Davis looked very good in man coverage against Cam Newton’s favorite target Steve Smith. Although he was easily blocked by the small WR, he was stingy in pass coverage and you could tell he was getting under Smith’s skin in a big way.

 

Carolina: Charles Johnson may have a huge contract, but he doesn’t get the national attention that he deserves. Johnson held the point of attack in the run game and forced a cutback, in addition to racking up a sack. A big versatile defensive lineman, Johnson is a defensive end you can build a defensive line around.

 

Jacksonville at New Orleans

 

Jacksonville: Well it took a year and two games but Blaine Gabbert finally flashed the ability to lead a team on multiple scoring drives. I still have my doubts that he can perform consistently, and he will need to show a lot more to remove himself from the hot seat, but this was a great first step.

 

New Orleans: Much like Titans rookie Darius Reynaud, the Saints versatile back, Travaris Cadet, is making a strong case to make this roster. He catches the ball as well as he runs it, and he is a perfect fit for the offense the Saints run. Keep an eye on him in the final week to see if he can push himself past the bubble.

 

Buffalo at Minnesota

 

Buffalo: Mario Williams was the gem of free agency four months ago, but it is the Buffalo Bills defensive tackles that impress me game after game. Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams are both mammoth-sized defenders with quick feet and a mean streak. While Philadelphia definitely has a deeper defensive line, the Bills may have more top end talent than any front four in the league.

 

Minnesota: If you are a Vikings fan you should be excited about what you are seeing on offense. Christian Ponder is making smart decisions with the ball, and he doesn’t even have his best offensive weapon yet, Adrian Peterson. The arrow is pointing up on this team, and they could seriously affect the playoff picture if they could win a few divisional games this year.

 

Arizona at Oakland

 

Arizona: I wouldn’t normally put a special teams player here, but has anyone had a more impressive preseason than rookie Justin Bethel from Presbyterian College? He has blocked three kicks in three games, and he could be a dangerous weapon in the future.

 

Oakland: Speaking of impressive rookies, UDFA Rod Streater has been especially impressive this preseason and has a strong chance to become a quality starter opposite Denarius Moore. He leads the league in receptions per game this preseason, and he could be an interesting guy to watch in week 3.

 

NYG at NYJ

 

Giants: Anyone who watched this game knows where this is going, say it with me Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP continues to remind people that he is one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL, and even though the Jets have serious problems in their OL that shouldn’t take away from his two sack performance in limited time on the field.

 

Jets: I have to go with Quinton Coples here, he continues to rack up stats and he could really help this defense down the road. The issue with Coples was never could he do well, it was will he put the effort in, and we won’t know the answer to that question until around week 10.

 

Kansas City at St. Louis

 

Kansas City: Peyton Hillis and Jamaal Charles may be the best RB tandem in the league right now, and they are the new and improved version of the slash-and-dash model that was popular a few years ago. Both have the ability to bounce outside and gash you, but both guys can also be patient and pound it up the middle when they need to. In short, with that OL, defense, and these running backs I could see there being some very quick, low scoring games at Arrowhead Stadium this year.

 

St. Louis: Now that is more like Sam, averaging a TD once every three completions? Deadly. I know that he only went 6-9, but it is still much more encouraging than last week’s blunder versus the pitiful Colts defense.

 

Chicago at Washington

 

Chicago: After all the concern about Alshon Jeffery’s ability to separate, and his weight issues it was easy to be down on the former SCAR WR, but he is quietly turning heads in Chicago. He caught everything thrown to him against the Redskins, and even gashed them for a 34 yard reception. If you are a huge WR with great hands, then separation isn’t a deal-breaker because you will always be open above the defender.

 

Washington: For all the naysayers that thought Cousins was a bad pick, there should be a sudden dropping of heads. Not only did he go out and score three TDs in relief of RG3, but he also completed 18 of 23 passes, which is a 78% completion rate! Those are amazing numbers for a rookie QB, and he it looks like the franchise is going to have some really solid years with the dynamic RG3 and Kirk Cousins ready to step in if anything goes wrong.

 

San Francisco at Houston

 

San Francisco: Eric Bakhtiari, the journeyman edge player, finally seems to have found his perfect fit in San Francisco. This is the second week in a row that he has been impressive to the point where I think they could get some trade value out of him from a team like the Chargers who need more penetrating defenders. Keep an eye on his because like Chris Ivory, he could be cheap trade bait for a team in need.

 

Houston: While no single performer really stood out to me, it should be noted that the vaunted Texans defense held the 49ers to only three FGs. Despite the hype around the new WRs in 49er’s gold, the Texans limited each QB to 5 or less completions.

 

Seattle at Denver

 

Seattle: So that Russell Wilson guy is pretty impressive, and may actually be able to put an end to the idea that anyone less than 6’0” can’t be an NFL QB. Wilson completed more than 55% of his passes, and ended up with 188 yards (total offense he provided) and 2 TDs.

 

Denver: The aerial attack in Denver may not be as scary as most of us thought, but that isn’t because Peyton Manning is performing poorly. Manning’s INT numbers are piling up, but none of them have been out of reach of his WRs, and more often then not they are because the target drops the ball. I’m just waiting for him to get into rhythm, and if that doesn’t happen before the opener against Pittsburgh, he may be in big trouble.

 

Dallas at San Diego

 

Dallas: James Hanna has been a pleasant surprise to me, and with Witten banged up it may be time to finally look toward the future at the TE position. With the right coaching staff, a capable QB, and strong young options on the outside Hanna is set up to be as good as he wants in Dallas.

 

San Diego: Former South Carolina standout Melvin Ingram has been impressive in this preseason, and he was one of my favorite defenders coming out last year. I think he could make a serious push for DROY if Nick Perry can’t stand out opposite of Clay Mathews.

 

Pittsburgh at Indianapolis

 

Pittsburgh: Simply put, I believe David Decastro will be one of the top five guards in the league by the end of the year. Strong, angry, balanced, and smart Decastro is deadly in every facet of his game and he continues to impress week after week.

 

Indianapolis: Andrew Luck shouldn’t have thrown that ball to the sideline knowing he couldn’t throw it with the velocity it needed to be thrown with. Now that that is out of the way, wow Luck has a great career ahead of him. I have never seen someone feel pressure so well and step to avoid it while keeping their eyes down the field in my time watching football. He will be very good if he can be nurtured correctly.

 

Philadelphia at New England

 

Philadelphia: Coach Jim Washburn gets the nod here. Washburn isn’t a player, but he leads to more sacks than 99% of players in the NFL. The team recently devoted a lot of resources to the DL (Babin, Cox, Hunt, etc.) and it is paying immediate dividends. Over the past year and 2 games that defensive line has become one of the most feared units in the league.

 

New England: Shane Vereen had a good game despite the Patriots holding out a few of their key starters. Vereen had 49 yards of total offense in 14 touches, and it would have been more if Brady had played. In a tight battle at the RB spot, I think the Patriots could do a lot worse than giving Vereen more game time.