
Training
Volume 2, Issue 4 – 8/23/06
Training
Camps are in full swing and we want you to feel like you have attended every
practice and seen every preseason game.
To keep all our Footballguys subscribers on top of everything, we've created our
incredibly detailed
This is the fourth of five training camp updates from us. We'll break
down every team's skill positions and position battles. It's the stuff you'd
see if you were there at every camp. This
Happy reading and let's have a great 2006 season,
Joe Bryant and
Owners, Footballguys.com
QB: On Saturday night, Matt Leinart made his pro debut against the New
England Patriots with
Kurt Warner started the game and finished 6-of-9
for 58 yards with an interception. Not surprising anyone, John Navarre was
simply awful completing two passes in eight attempts with only one going to the
right colored uniform. Leinart is the guy you want to handcuff Warner if you
plan to incorporate the Cardinals QB into your draft strategy. He was the second
QB into the game and, by all accounts, is a shoe-in to win the backup job at
this point.
RB: Edgerrin
James ran the ball twice for 5 yards in a brief appearance. He lost a fumble,
but it was recovered by his own teammate. The Cardinals ground game still
hasn’t shown anything in the preseason – a troubling sign indeed. J.J.
Arrington ran four times for 12 yards while catching two passes for 15 yards.
Marcel Shipp mustered five yards on three carries and Diamond Ferri managed 4
yards on two attempts. It’s still too early to press the panic button if you’re
a Cardinals fan, but clearly, the team needs to generate more on the ground
before the regular season starts, if only to build confidence in the locker
room. Keep in mind, Edge is not a preseason player and he rarely plays much
before the games count. “(The running game) is not going to be there until Edge
plays the whole game,” HC Dennis Green said. “We should be doing better when
he’s not in there. I’m concerned. But I am concerned about every phase of the
game.”
WR: Larry Fitzgerald played briefly
making one nice catch over the middle for a 26-yard gain. Troy Walters led the
Cardinals wide outs with four catches for 28 yards. Bryant Johnson didn’t play
because of a death in his family. At this point, the only thing noteworthy is
the competition for the final roster spot or two, which is coming down to Troy
Walters, Todd Watkins, Carlyle Holiday, Michael Spurlock (a converted QB that
played well in mini-camps) and undrafted rookie Greg Lee, a former teammate of
Fitzgerald at Pitt.
TE: Rookie
Leonard Pope and veteran Eric Edwards each caught a pass. Pope’s went for 10
yards while Edwards produced a 25-yard play. The Cardinals continue to hope
Pope will emerge as a difference maker at the position, something the Cards
lacked a season ago.
Defense: The Cardinals defense played
poorly against the Patriots. Second-year corner Antrel Rolle said it best, “The
score speaks for itself. We didn’t play football tonight, simple as that.” Orlando
Huff, competing for the weakside LB job, led the team
with 12 combined tackles against the Patriots. The Cardinals safety tandem of
Adrian Wilson and Robert Griffith had identical
Special Teams: The Cardinals’ offense didn’t keep Kicker Neil Rackers very busy in the
game at
Cardinals
Depth Chart
QB Kurt Warner, Matt
Leinart, John Navarre
RB Edgerrin James, J.J. Arrington, Marcel Shipp, Damien Anderson,
Diamond Ferry
FB Obafemi
Ayanbadejo, James Hodgins, John Bronson
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Bryant Johnson, LeRon McCoy, Troy Walters, Todd
Watkins, Carlyle Holiday, Michael Spurlock (QB), Greg Lee
TE Leonard
Pope, Adam Bergen, Eric Edwards, Alex Shor
K Neil Rackers, Nick Novak
DE Chike Okeafor, Bertrand Berry (inj), Anton
Palepoi, Antonio Smith, A.J. Schable
DT Darnell Dockett, Kendrick Clancy, Tim Bulman, Langston Moore, Gabe Watson, Kenny King
(inj), Jon Lewis
MLB Gerald Hayes, James Darling (W), Lance
Mitchell
OLB Karlos Dansby (S) (inj), Orlando Huff (W), Calvin Pace (S), Darryl Blackstock (W), Mark Brown, Isaac Keys, Brandon Johnson, Lawrence
Pinson
CB David Macklin, Antrel Rolle, Eric Green (inj), Robert
Tate, Dyshod Carter, Lamont Reid, Darrell Hunter, Jay McCareins,
Damarius Bilbo, Justin Wyatt
S Adrian Wilson (SS), Robert Griffith (FS),
Aaron Francisco, Ernest Shazor, Jack Brewer, Chris Harrell
QB: The Falcons did not play well
against the Packers on Saturday night, but HC Jim Mora tried to put a positive
spin on it. “It's good to come to Lambeau Field and have Brett Favre on the
other side of the field and have 69,000 people in the stands and see how those
guys handle the pressure,” Mora said. “Tonight, a lot of guys didn't handle it
well.” Michael Vick only played two series; he capped the first drive with a
22-yard TD to TE Dwayne Blakley, but he was intercepted on the second. Despite
the pick, Vick looked comfortable and threw the ball downfield finding his
receivers with accuracy. “I felt good. I think everybody did their job,” Vick
said. “The first unit went out and played with a high level of intensity and we
were able to make plays, move the ball, possessed great tempo. When we came
out, it was up to the younger guys to pick it up.” Vick finished 5-of-7 for 59
yards with one run for 12 yards.
Matt Schaub entered the game in the second quarter and led the team to a
51-yard field goal by Michael Koenen that tied the game at 10-10. Schaub was
then intercepted on the next drive by Jason Horton, who returned it 44 yards
for a score making it 24-10 before halftime. Schaub finished 5-of-9 for 61
yards. D.J. Shockley played the third quarter completing just one pass in five
attempts for 10 yards. He ran twice for 14 yards. Bryan Randall finished off
the fourth quarter playing three series and completing 2-of-3 for 23 yards. He
was intercepted once.
RB: Where
there’s smoke, there’s often fire. Amid speculation that T.J. Duckett was being
showcased to potential suitors for a trade, he performed well against the
Packers on Saturday night; rushing for 37 yards on five carries. Then, this
Tuesday, Duckett was traded to the Washington Redskins in a 3-team trade that
also send WR Ashley Lelie to
WR: Roddy White and Michael Jenkins
played for the first half with Michael Vick. White produced 32 yards on two
catches and Jenkins caught three balls for 24 yards. Jerome Pathon caught one
pass for 27 yards. Rookies Adam Jennings, Brandon Jamison and Kevin Youngblood
each caught a pass, too. Cole Magner was cut this week when the team signed LB
Will Thompson. The big news, of course, was the addition of Ashley Lelie in a
3-team trade. For now, Lelie comes in as the team’s 3rd receiver,
but it would be foolish to think the Falcons don’t want and expect him to earn
a starting role at some point this season. Whether that comes at the expense of
Jenkins or White remains to be seen.
TE: Backup
Dwayne Blakley caught a 22-yard TD pass from Vick on the team’s opening drive.
Blakley finished with three receptions for 31 yards. Alge Crumpler did not play
Saturday as a precaution but continues to practice regularly.
Defense: Falcons LB Edgerton Hartwell
downplayed the team’s loss on Saturday. “They caught a lot of breaks,” he said.
“A tipped pass for a touchdown, another tipped pass for a touchdown. A blown coverage for another touchdown. ... Thank God for
the preseason, it doesn't count.” Hartwell combined for four tackles in the
game while Demorrio Williams had eight tackles (
Special Teams: Michael Koenen did well in double duty at
Falcons
Depth Chart
QB Michael Vick, Matt
Schaub, D.J. Shockley, Bryan Randall
RB Warrick Dunn (3RB), Jerious Norwood, Deandra Cobb (KR) (inj), Marlion
Jackson, Butchie Wallace (inj)
FB Justin Griffith, John Pannozzo
WR Michael Jenkins, Roddy White, Ashley Lelie, Jerome
Pathon, Adam Jennings, Troy Bergeron, Jamin Elliot, Javarus Dudley,
Kevin Youngblood, Brian Finneran (inj)
TE Alge Crumpler, Dwayne Blakely, Eric Beverly, Daniel Fells. Jason
Randall, Boone Stutz
K Michael Koenen, Tony Yelk (inj), Miro Kesic
DE Patrick Kerney, John Abraham, Chauncey
Davis, Constantin Ritzmann, Paul Carrington
DT Rod Coleman, Grady
Jackson, Darrell Shropshire (NT), Chad Lavalais (NT), Jonathan Babineaux,
Antwan Lake (NT), T.J. Jackson
MLB Edgerton Hartwell, Jordan Beck
OLB Keith
Brooking (W), Michael Boley (S), Demorrio
Williams (W), Ike Reese (S/W), Will
Thompson, Artie Ulmer, Travis Williams
CB DeAngelo Hall, Jimmy Williams, Jason Webster, Allen Rossum (KR), Leigh Torrence,
Kevin Mathis
S Lawyer Milloy
(SS), Chris Crocker (FS), Omare Lowe (FS), Chris Reis, Nick Turnbull
QB: Steve McNair looked sharp on
Thursday night against the Eagles, despite not finding the end zone. He
finished 14-of-18 for 148 yards, no interceptions and a lost fumble – courtesy
of former teammate Jevon Kearse. McNair rekindled his chemistry with Derrick
Mason as the two connected seven times in the first half. “We did a good job
from the 20 to the 20, but we've got to finish now,” McNair said. “That's the
main ingredient. There's no sense in going out there and taking six or seven
minutes off the clock and not getting anything from it. We work so hard to get
there; we've just got to continue to dig down deep and get the ball in the end
zone.” Kyle Boller started the second
half, but didn’t muster much offense until the Eagles began calling the dogs
off and substituting. He was sacked five times before he connected with Devard
Darling for a 27-yard touchdown pass with
RB: The
story of the game wasn’t Jamal Lewis or Mike Anderson for the Ravens, but third
year reserve Musa Smith. The former Georgia Bulldog busted a 43-yard run for a
touchdown shortly after halftime on the first play after the Ravens forced a
turnover to tie the game at 10-10. Smith has been the best looking back in the
Ravens training camp after missing most of his first two seasons with knee and
leg injuries. “I'm just really trying to soak in every moment that I have since
I've been given a second chance. The leg feels really good right now,” Smith
said. “When I was on the operating table, and I was told there was a 50-50
chance I could come back, I knew I had to set my mind on coming back. It's been
a long road, a lot of hard work.” Smith also caught a pass for 36 yards.
Backup RB
Mike Anderson ran three times for 8 yards, but sprained his foot. Jamal Lewis
started and ran for 27 yards on nine carries, but his longest run was just
eight yards. Lewis, slowed by a nagging hip flexor injury, is expected to miss
the next two weeks. With Anderson limited and Lewis sidelined, Smith has an
opportunity to earn a bigger role in the Ravens backfield. Smith could be playing
for a shot to be the team’s third-down back – and maybe more – according to HC
Brian Billick. “He's practicing with such joy,” Billick said. “He's loving being out there, and he's playing the same way.
It's great to see him having the success he deserves.” Rookies
P.J. Daniels and Cory Ross shouldered the load in the later parts of the game.
Daniels ran for 14 yards on seven carries while Ross managed 22 yards on seven
attempts.
WR: Devard Darling moved closer to
securing the team’s No. 3 job on Thursday night. He caught a 27-yard touchdown
in the fourth quarter as he finished with five catches for 121 yards, including
another catch that went for 42-yards. “Those are the kind of plays we've been
waiting to see Devard make,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. Darling is
competing with Clarence Moore and rookie Demetrius Williams for the third spot.
Derrick Mason showed that he and Steve McNair are still on the same page with a
strong first-half performance catching seven balls for 72 yards. Second-year
starter Mark Clayton caught two balls for 12 yards.
TE: Todd
Heap caught only one ball for 18 yards in Thursday’s game against the Eagles
while fellow TE Daniel Wilcox caught two balls for four yards. Don’t read
anything into the stats of this game. With McNair starting at QB, Heap’s
outlook is as good as ever. Both he and Wilcox will be used frequently in two
tight end formations with Wilcox working the shorter routes and Heap working
the middle of the field.
Defense: In his first game-action since a
season-ending leg injury last October, Ray Lewis played the entire first half
finishing with two tackles and a forced fumble just before halftime. “I just
felt really confident, and when I went back there and I grabbed the back of the
jersey, I just said, 'Swipe, swipe,' so I just swiped my left hand,” Lewis
said. “I got a pretty good swipe on the man. It felt so good, because my crowd
got energized again. My defense was rejuvenated. It's just good to be back on
the football field.” Rookie corner Jamaine Winborne had a solid game with a
sack and two fumbles recovered. Fellow rookie CB Ronnie Prude forced a fumble
and had three tackles as he caught Billick’s attention. “I really like him,”
Billick said. “For an undrafted free agent, he's really opened some eyes.” DE Terrell Suggs had a sack and recovered a
fumble. Rookie LB Ryan LaCasse and MLB Mike Smith also registered sacks for the
Ravens defense. DT Dwan Edwards paced the team with six solo tackles.
Special Teams: Kicker Matt Stover made two field goals, each from 30 yards, against
Ravens
Depth Chart
QB Steve McNair, Kyle
Boller, Brian St. Pierre, Drew Olson
RB Jamal Lewis (inj), Mike Anderson (FB) (inj), Musa Smith, P.J. Daniels,
B.J. Sams (KR/PR), Cory Ross
FB Justin Green, Ovie Mughelli
WR Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Clarence Moore, Devard Darling, Demetrius Williams, Travis
LaTendresse, Brian Bratton, Ronald Bellamy, Romby Bryant, Rufus Skillern, Matt
Cherry
TE Todd Heap, Daniel
Wilcox, Quinn Sypniewski
K Matt Stover, Aaron Elling
DE Terrell Suggs, Trevor Pryce, Jarrett Johnson, Roderick Green, Gary Stills
DT Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata, Dwan Edwards, Aubrayo Franklin, Justin Bannan,
Cedric Hilliard, Remi Ayodele
MLB Ray Lewis,
Mike Smith
OLB Adalius Thomas (S), Bart Scott (W), Dan Cody (S/DE), Dennis Haley, Ryan LaCasse, Tim Johnson
CB Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle, Corey Ivy, David Pittman, Evan Oglesby, Derrick
Martin, Jamaine Winborne, Ronnie Prude
S Ed Reed (SS), Dawan
Landry (FS), Gerome Sapp (FS), B.J. Ward (FS)
QB: Head coach Dick Jauron named
J.P. Losman the front-runner for the Bills starting QB job last week.
Unfortunately, Losman did little to separate himself against the Bengals on Friday.
Losman was up and down. He finished 7-of-11 with 134 yards passing. His worst
pass came on a quick out intended for Josh Reed that was intercepted by Keiwan
Ratliff, who jumped the route and returned it 26 yards for a Bengals touchdown.
Losman responded on the next series, finding Lee Evans deep down the right
sideline for a 46-yard, well-thrown TD pass. Losman also lost two fumbles. As
for the competition, it remains open, but Losman is the leader at the moment.
“That's not my call,” Losman said. “I've never known what the coaches
are thinking or what they want to do. Every week I go out and try not to think
about it. I try to get better at the things I need to get better at. The rest
is out of my control. I really can't dwell on it.” On his up and down play in
the game, Losman said, “It was unacceptable. There was some good and some bad.
I think the bad is very correctible.” HC Dick Jauron agreed. “He's got to
protect the football,” Jauron said. “We've got to be forcibly patient. We've
seen him perform. He's got a strong arm. ... Sometimes, he holds the ball too
long. But we'll just keep working and moving forward.” Kelly Holcomb played the
third quarter, Craig Nall the fourth. Holcomb went 3-of-5 for 28 yards. Nall
completed 5-of-9 passes for 63 yards with a garbage-time 9-yard TD pass to FB
Alan Ricard.
RB: Willis
McGahee provided one of the highlights for the Bills with a 61-yard TD run on a
sweep to the left. “It felt real good
man, like the monkey off my back,” said McGahee, who was limited to five
touchdowns rushing last season after scoring 13 in 2004. “I think we took a
step forward.” McGahee finished with 88 yards on nine carries, but he also lost
a fumble that was returned 72 yards in the first quarter for a touchdown. Interestingly,
McGahee was not targeted in the passing game, so it remains to be seen how much
he’ll be involved on third downs when the season starts. Anthony Thomas entered
the game when McGahee left in the second quarter. Lionel Gates followed Thomas,
also in the second quarter. Gates and Thomas alternated until the fourth
quarter when Shaud Williams took the field with Craig Nall for the team’s last
three series. Fred Jackson finished off the last drive with a 4-yard TD with
WR: Lee Evans is settling into the
team’s No.1 receiver role. Evans looked good on Friday. He was able to get
behind the Bengals defense on a 46-yard TD pass from J.P. Losman and finished
with 115 yards on three catches. He had a 47-yard reception on another play. “We're
really counting on him,” said HC Dick Jauron. “Obviously, you need playmakers
on both sides of the ball. He can change the field. He stepped up and made some
plays [Friday], and that's what we're counting on.”
“We have a real solid group of receivers, and we need Lee to lead that
group, to be better than solid, a lot better than solid,” Jauron said. “He
showed that he can certainly do that. He's got speed to go do
it, he's got the desire. He's working hard, and he's a tough guy. When he can
get it on the run he's a problem. If he comes out that backside he can beat
most people to the end zone.” Sam Aiken, Andre Davis, Roscoe Parrish and
Jonathan Smith each caught a pass. Josh Reed played, but did not catch a pass
nor did Peerless Price. Undrafted rookie Chris Denney caught two balls for 27
yards, both on the team’s last drive in garbage time.
TE: Robert
Royal caught one ball for 8 yards against the Bengals. The Bills tight ends
weren’t terribly productive last year and it remains to be seen if Royal, Brad
Cieslak or Kevin Everett will be anything more than anecdotal in the new
offense installed by Steve Fairchild.
Defense: The Bills defense didn’t have
many highlights in their 44-31 lost to the Bengals on Friday. Jabari Greer led
the team with 5 tackles. Mario Haggan added
Special Teams: Kicker Rian Lindell was good from 51 yards on his only field goal
attempt, and added 2 PATs against
Bills
Depth Chart
QB J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Craig Nall, Kliff Kingsbury
RB Willis McGahee (inj), Anthony Thomas, Lionel Gates, Shaud Williams, Fred Jackson
FB Damien Shelton,
Alan Ricard, Joe Burns
WR Lee Evans, Josh
Reed, Peerless Price, Andre Davis, Roscoe Parrish (PR), Sam Aiken, Jonathan
Smith, George Wilson, Martin Nance, Chris Denney
TE Robert Royal,
Brad Cieslak, Kevin Everett, Ryan Neufeld
K Rian Lindell
DT Larry Tripplett, Tim Anderson (NT), Lauvale Sape (inj), John McCargo, Jason Jefferson,
Kyle Williams
DE Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Ryan Neill, Jason Hall, Joshua Cooper
MLB London Fletcher, Liam Ezekiel
OLB Takeo Spikes
(S), Angelo Crowell (W), Josh Stamer (S/W),
Mario Haggan (W), Keith Ellison, John
Digiorgio
CB Nate Clements (PR), Terrence McGee (KR), Eric King, Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty, Kiwaukee
Thomas, Eric Bassey
S Troy Vincent (FS), Donte Whitner (SS), Matt Bowen (SS), Coy Wire (SS),
Ko Simpson (FS), Rashad Baker (FS), Jim Leonhard (SS), James Bethea
QB: Jake Delhomme played in his
second game of the preseason without stud WR Steve Smith, who was held out
despite returning to practice after missing 17 days with a hamstring strain.
Delhomme led the Panthers to a score on the team’s opening drive for the second
game in a row. He connected with Keary Colbert for a 40-yard completion on
third-and-seven and the Panthers settled for a 22-yard FG. He played the entire
first half and finished 10-for-18 for 129 yards, but he was nearly intercepted
on two occasions. “Certainly there's a lot more work to be done. That was
evident,” Delhomme said. “It wasn't our crispest game. But it's going against
that defense. That's a pretty impressive defense. They did some good things and
we were a little sloppy in some areas.” Chris Weinke and Stefan Lefors played
in the second half. Weinke completed 2-of-5 passes for 20 yards while Lefors
went 1-for-2 for 11 yards.
RB: Deshaun Foster started for the Panthers and played for two
series before giving way to DeAngelo Williams, who also played for two series.
Nick Goings entered the game in the second quarter and he capped the team’s
drive with a 1-yard TD with just 26 seconds left in the half. Eric Shelton
started the second half with Alex Haynes coming into the game in the fourth
quarter followed by Jamal Robertson. Haynes led all rushers with 30 yards on
four carries – but 29 yards came on one play against the Jaguars reserves.
Foster ran four times for 10 yards and he caught one pass for 2 yards. DeAngelo
Williams ran four times for 7 yards. Goings had 22 yards on 3 carries while
Eric Shelton had six yards on 2 runs.
WR: As stated above, Steve Smith did
not play against the Jaguars. HC John Fox said he’s not sure whether he’ll play
August 24th against
TE: Kris
Mangum remains sidelined with Michael Gaines working primarily with the first
team in his stead.
Defense: The Panthers defense took
advantage of three big plays against Jags QB David Garrard to help the team
jump out to an early lead. In the first half, the Jags decided not to take the
knee with 20 seconds left on the clock. Bad move. Julius Peppers beat RT
Maurice Williams, sacked Garrard deep in the pocket and forced a fumble that
was picked up by Mike Rucker and returned 31 yards for a TD and a 17-3 lead. Later,
Richard Marshall picked off Garrard in the end zone to kill another drive. Chris
Draft led the team with six tackles (
Special Teams: Kicker John Kasay was good on a 22-yard field goal and two PATs at
Panthers
Depth Chart
QB Jake Delhomme, Chris
Weinke, Stefan Lefors, Brett Basanez
RB DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Eric Shelton, Jamal Robertson,
Alex Haynes
FB Brad Hoover, Nick
Goings, Casey Cramer
WR Steve Smith (PR), Keyshawn Johnson, Keary Colbert, Drew Carter, Karl Hankton, Jovon
Bouknight, Taye Biddle, Daniel Smith, Justin McCullum, Lynzell Jackson, D.J.
Smith
TE Kris Mangum
(inj), Michael Gaines, Mike Seidman, Jeff King
K John Kasay
DE Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker, Al Wallace, Jovan Haye, Stanley McClover, Devan Long
DT Kris Jenkins (inj), Ma'ake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis, Jordan Carstens, Atiyyah Ellison,
Tony Brown
MLB Dan Morgan,
Adam Seward, Vinny Ciurciu
OLB Thomas Davis (S), Na'il Diggs (W), Keith Adams (W), James Anderson (W), Chris Draft (S)
CB Chris Gamble,
Ken Lucas, Reggie Howard, Richard Marshall, Jermaine Hardy,
Marcus Cassel, Jarrett Bush, DeShane Dennis
S Mike Minter (SS), Shaun Williams (FS), Colin Branch (FS/SS), Kevin
McAdam, Nate Salley (FS)
QB: Rex Grossman shook off a poor
performance a week ago going 7-of-14 for 83 yards with an interception. “It was
better. Not great, but better,” Grossman said of his performance. “I don't know
what happened last week.” He looked good in spots, but came up short when he
tried to hit TE Gabe Reid in the corner of the end zone, where he was
intercepted by the Chargers’ Marlon McCree. “I wish I had it back,” Grossman
said. “I forced it.” Grossman played the first half and Brian Griese took over
in the second half. Griese played two
series and completed 2 of 4 passes for 16 yards and threw a touchdown pass
before Kyle Orton entered the game. Orton completed 3-of-6 passes for 7 yards. Following
the game, head coach Lovie Smith reiterated Rex Grossman is the team’s starter
and that will not change between now and the season opener at Lambeau Field.
That said; don’t be surprised to see Brian Griese in the lineup early in the
season if Grossman struggles out of the gate.
RB: Adrian
Peterson started and played the first half as Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones
were held out for precautionary reasons. Jones returned to practice last week
but the team held him out of the game. Benson is beginning to do light work on
the sidelines, but he’s still not ready for pads – giving Jones an opportunity
to seize the starting job back that he feels was wrongly taken from him for not
participating in the team’s OTAs this summer. P.J. Pope started the second half
and played until the last series when Andre Hall ran five times for 24 yards as
the Bears killed the clock with a 24-3 lead. Peterson ran for 18 yards on seven
carries and caught one pass for 8 yards. Pope ran 14 times for 56 yards and
caught one pass for 2 yards. FB Jason McKie, starting for the injured Bryan
Johnson, caught one pass for a 10-yard gain.
WR: Muhsin Muhammad didn’t play
Saturday night to rest nagging injuries. Bernard Berrian caught two balls for a
team-high 32 yards. Rashied Davis had two balls for 31 yards and Justin Gage
caught a 9-yard TD pass in the third quarter from Brian Griese as he finished
with three catches for 20 yards. Mark Bradley cracked the box score with a
2-yard catch.
TE: The
Bears surprised a few pundits on draft day when they decided to pass on drafting
a tight end, a position widely believed to be among the Bears biggest needs.
Desmond Clark remains the starter and will be counted on to recapture his productive
ways of a few seasons ago. Gabe Reid is the backup while John Gilmore is
competing with a couple of undrafted rookies (Cooper Wallace and Tim Day) for
the remaining roster spot.
Defense: Brian Urlacher set the tone of
Saturday’s 24-3 win over
Special Teams: Kicker Robbie Gould discussed his 49-yard field goal against
Bears
Depth Chart
QB Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Kyle Orton
RB Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson (inj), Adrian
Peterson, P.J. Pope, Andre Hall
FB Bryan Johnson (inj), Jason McKie, J.D. Runnels, Quadtrine Hill
WR Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, Mark Bradley, Justin Gage, Airese
Curry (inj), Alex Bannister, Devin Hester (KR/PR/CB), Rashied Davis (PR), Craig
Bragg, Bryan McClendon
TE Desmond Clark, Gabe Reid, John
Gilmore, Tim Day, Cooper Wallace
K Robbie Gould, Josh Huston
DE Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Israel Idonije, Michael Haynes (DT), Jamaal Green,
Mark Anderson, Mike Mendenhall, Khari Long (IR)
DT Tommie Harris, Ian Scott (inj), Terry Johnson (inj),
Alfonso Boone, Dusty Dvoracek (inj), Delbert Cowsette
MLB Brian Urlacher, Jeremy Cain
OLB Lance Briggs (W), Hunter Hillenmeyer (S/M), Leon Joe (W), Brendon Ayanbadejo (S), Dwayne
Slay, Brandon Marshall, Jamar Williams
CB Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Ricky Manning, Dante Wesley, Abraham
Elimimian, Carlos Hendricks
S Mike Brown (SS) (inj), Chris Harris (FS), Danieal Manning (FS), Todd
Johnson (SS), Cameron Worrell (SS), Brandon McGowan (SS) (inj), Dion
Byrum, Donnie McCleskey
Cincinnati Bengals
QB: Anthony Wright made his second preseason start
for the Bengals. He played well completing 9-of-19 for 99 yards and a TD in the
first half. Doug Johnson took over and went 8-of-14 for 133 yards and a TD. Johnson
also scored with his legs on a 4-yard bootleg. If Palmer does miss any games at
the beginning of the season, Wright is the guy you want to grab as his
handcuff. “Anthony made some plays tonight.” HC Marvin Lewis said, “What we’re
asking him to do, he has to continue to be successful in those areas. Don’t try
to play outside your body. Just do the things you can do successfully. It’s
your offense. Get us in and out of plays, take care of the football and be
deliberate.” Rookie Erik Meyer was waived this week.
RB: Rudi Johnson played
briefly against the Bills, running three times for three yards. Quincy Wilson
handled the bulk of the rushing duties carrying 16 times for 44 yards with
three receptions for another 18 yards. DeDe Dorsey turned in a solid performance
with three catches for 80 yards – including a 59-yard play – along with 22
yards rushing on six attempts. FB Chris Manderino caught a 3-yard TD from Doug
Johnson in the third quarter. Backup Chris Perry remains sidelined with ankle
and knee problems. It’s unclear when he’ll return and the speculation is that
he could be placed on the team’s PUP list assuring that he would miss the
team’s first six regular season games. HC Marvin Lewis said Perry likely won’t
play in the preseason and if he doesn’t play then, he won’t suit up in the
season opener either. On Sunday, Perry criticized the team’s medical staff
regarding the handling of his injuries and diagnoses. “I came in here and got
an MRI, and they said everything was fine with the knee,” Perry said. “I kept
on working out, and it kept on hurting. I had to get something done to it. The
second opinion confirmed what I thought — that it was more than what they were
saying. If they would have told me about (needing surgery) in February, it
would have happened in February. I knew it was hurt, but to the extent that it
was, I had no clue. So then I went and got a second opinion and found out how
hurt I really was.” In a nutshell, that’s not good news for Perry. If Perry
remains on the PUP list, then Kenny Watson deserves a look as the team’s likely
third down back. The extra roster spot open the door for DeDe Dorsey or Quincy
Wilson to make the final roster, too. Terrence Whitehead is out for the
upcoming Green Bay game with a sprained toe.
WR:
TE: Reggie
Kelly caught one pass for 7 yards on Friday. This is about what we expect
during the regular season. The Bengals have an offense loaded with weapons, but
tight end simply isn’t one of them.
Defense: The Bengals defense had a huge
game against the Bills on Friday forcing four turnovers and returning two of
them for touchdowns. Safety Dexter Jackson took a Willis McGahee fumble
72-yards to the house in the first quarter and Keiwan Ratliff stepped in front
of a J.P. Losman pass for a 26-yard TD return. DE Justin Smith turned in a big
game with two sacks, a forced fumble, five solo tackles and two assists. DT
Domata Peko added four solo tackles, two assists, a half sack and a forced
fumble. Anthony Mitchell, who led the Bengals special teams in tackles last
season, suffered a Lisfranc sprain (an injury to a joint in the foot that can
take as long as 2-to-3 months to heal). Another injury had the team’s spirit
down after the game. Corner Rashad Bauman is headed for injured reserve after
he ruptured his patella tendon. Bauman’s surgery was scheduled for Monday. “Our
heart goes out to him,” Lewis said. “We all know what he means to everybody
here. It's just so unfortunate.” DT Sam Adams is close to returning to the
field after having missed all of the preseason thus far. “I think we'll be OK
with Sam,” head coach Marvin Lewis said. “But we'll make that determination.” Rookie
Frostee Rucker is out against
Special Teams: Kicker Shayne Graham was very busy in the game at
Bengals
Depth Chart
QB Carson Palmer (inj),
Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson, Erik Meyer
RB Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry (3RB)
(inj), Kenny Watson (3RB), Quincy Wilson, DeDe
Dorsey
FB Jeremi Johnson, Naufahu Tahi, Chris
Manderino
WR Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry, Antonio Chatman (KR), Tab Perry (KR), Kelley
Washington, Reggie McNeal (QB), Benny Brazell, Ethan Kilmer
TE Reggie Kelly, Tony Stewart, Darnell Sanders, Ronnie Ghent, David Jones
K Shayne Graham
DE Justin
Smith, Robert Geathers, Bryan Robinson (inj),
Jonathan Fenene, Frostee Rucker, Eric Henderson
DT John
Thornton, Sam Adams, Shaun Smith, Domata Peko, Marcus Lewis
MLB Odell Thurman (susp), Brian Simmons (M/W), Ahmad Brooks (S), A.J. Nicholson
OLB David Pollack (S/DE) (inj), Landon Johnson
(W/M/S), Caleb Miller (W), Marcus
Wilkins, Hannibal Navies, Wyatt Gayer, Kenny Kern
CB Tory James, Deltha O'Neal (WR/PR), Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff (SS/PR), Greg
Brooks, Patrick Body, Rashad Bauman (IR)
S Madieu Williams (FS/CB) (inj), Dexter Jackson
(SS/FS), Kevin Kaesviharn (FS/SS), Ifeanyi
Ohalete (SS), John Busing, Jereme Perry, Blake Ferris, Anthony Mitchell
(IR)
QB: Charlie Frye started and played four series finishing 8-of-11 for 41
yards with one touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble. Frye played with
poise and showed good pocket presence on several occasions. After throwing an
interception, Frye bounced right back and threw a 5-yard touchdown to Dennis
Northcutt on a nice play that required Frye to move around in the pocket before
he located Northcutt breaking free across the middle of the end zone. Backup quarterback Ken Dorsey, who hasn't looked sharp in camp,
finished 11-of-16 for 75 yards and an interception. Derek Anderson got
some action completing 7-of-9 passes for 83 yards and the game-winning 31-yard
TD to Jerome Harrison.
RB: Friday’s
night 20-16 win over the Detroit Lions was highlighted by a few big plays
turned in from rookie fifth-round RB
Jerome Harrison. “I just practice hard, line up where the coaches tell me to
line up and make plays,” said the 5-foot-9 rookie from
WR: Braylon Edwards continues to
make progress and is taking part in practice with pads as of last Tuesday. “So
far, so good,” he said. “We're still on target with where we want to be.” He’s
still not expected to play in the preseason, but his practice reps are growing
each week and he’s now running between
TE: Kellen
Winslow’s play has the team feeling better after missing his first two years
due to various injuries. Winslow caught three balls for 37
yards – all in the first half. “I'm not nervous. I'm not pressing and I'm out
there having fun,” said Winslow, who believes he'll have a big season. “Oh yeah. I'm looking to dominate.” Steve Heiden and John
Owens caught one ball each against the Lions.
Defense: The Browns defense played
reasonably well, but they didn’t make a lot of big plays and only forced one
turnover – an interception by D’Qwell Jackson. Rookies Kamerion Wimbley and Baba Oshinowo each
recorded a sack. Gary Baxter (strained chest muscle), Daylon McCutcheon (knee
surgery) and LB Willie McGinest (elbow) did not play. Ralph Brown and Brodney
Pool paced the Browns with three solo tackles each.
Special Teams: Kicker Phil Dawson made a 32-yard field goal and a PAT against
Browns
Depth Chart
QB Charlie Frye, Ken
Dorsey, Derek Anderson, Darrell Hackney, Lang Campbell
RB Reuben Droughns, William Green, Jerome Harrison (3RB), Lee Suggs
(3RB), Jason Wright, Chris Barclay
FB Terrelle Smith, Corey McIntyre,
Lawrence Vickers
WR Braylon Edwards (inj), Joe Jurevicius, Dennis Northcutt (PR),
Frisman Jackson, Travis Wilson, Josh Cribbs (WR/RB), Brandon Rideau,
Kendrick Mosley, Glenn Holt
TE Kellen
Winslow Jr, Steve Heiden, Darnell Dinkins,
Paul Irons, John Owens
K Phil Dawson, Jeff Chandler
DE Orpheus Roye, Alvin McKinley, Nick Eason, Simon Fraser, J'Vonne Parker
NT Ted
Washington, Ethan Kelley, Babatunde Oshinowo, Ja'Waren Blair
ILB Andra Davis (L), DQwell Jackson (R), Chaun Thompson (R), Leon Williams (L), Mason Unck
OLB Willie McGinest (S/DE), Kamerion Wimbley (S/DE), Matt Stewart (S), David
McMillan (W), Nick Speegle (S), Charlton Keith
CB Daylon
McCutcheon (inj), Gary Baxter (inj), Leigh
Bodden, Antonio Perkins (inj), Pete Hunter, DeMario Minter (inj),
DeMarcus Rideaux, Ralph Brown
S Brian Russell (FS), Brodney Pool (FS), Sean Jones (SS), Antwaan Harris,
Justin Hamilton (SS), Jeremy Lasueur (FS), Thierran
Fontenot
QB: Drew Bledsoe started and played an excellent first half. He completed
12-of-16 passes for 156 yards with two TDs, as the Cowboys scored on three of
their first four possessions. When Bledsoe didn’t play in the Cowboys preseason
opener so Tony Romo could get more work, speculation arose that Bledsoe was
being pushed for the starting job. That doesn’t appear to be quite the case,
but Romo is playing well enough to secure a possible spot as the team’s future
starter and a reliable backup for now. Bledsoe acknowledged that not playing,
and presumably watching Romo light it up, "pushes
you a little bit." Bledsoe said, "It gets you going, but I can't tell
you I would have done anything different in camp had I been the only
quarterback." Bledsoe was sharp, poised and had great timing with Terry
Glenn and Sam Hurd, who started with Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton injured.
"I don't think he made any bad reads," Parcells said. He even showed confidence on the sideline.
"I was standing out there with him visiting and he said, 'Jerry, I'm your
man,"' Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. Jones confirmed as much in Monday
Night’s booth saying Bledsoe is essentially the guy their building the offense
around this year.
Romo started the second half and played great once again, completing 6-of-8 passes for 138 yards. Romo led the
team to a score on three of four drives. He hit Miles Austin with a well-thrown
pass as he sailed into the endzone on a 48-yard TD. “I'm glad he got some more
work," Parcells said. "That's six quarters. I want to get him nine or
10 this preseason.” Backup Drew Henson is on the verge of being waived,
according to several reports.
RB: Julius
Jones started and played the first three series. Marion Barber entered in the
second quarter, played two series and turned it over to Tyson Thompson, who
finished the game. Jones gained 29 yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for
7 yards. Barber ran 13 times for 40 yards with a 10-yard catch. Thompson ripped
off a 25-yard run as he gained 45 yards on 10 carries. Parcells noted last week
that in the past he’s had well-defined roles; a starter, a change-of-pace back
and even a third down guy. This year, he’s comfortable with Jones and Barber
playing interchangeably. That’s not great for fantasy owners, but it’s
important to know Parcells seems intent on getting both of these guys plenty of
touches. Thompson could still get a few carries here and there as the third
back.
WR: Terry Glenn was on fire against
the Saints on Monday night. He made a diving, behind the defender’s back catch
in the corner of the endzone that was an instant classic. "Terry made two
or three outstanding plays," Parcells said. "It shows me he's on his
way to getting ready to go.” Glenn was targeted six times on the Cowboys first
two drives. Sam Hurd is making it tough for the Cowboys to not hand him a
roster spot. He made a highlight-reel catch for a touchdown as he was targeted
four times on the team’s first three drives. Glenn led the team with four
catches for 71 yards. Hurd chipped in three catches for 30 yards. Terrence
Copper caught two balls for 32 yards.
All this happened without Terrell Owens. Drew Rosenhaus was chirping at
the media on Sunday for being critical of his client, because of the hoopla
surrounding his status amidst a recover from injury. "The pressure being
placed on him by the media is ridiculous," said Rosenhaus. “It's ludicrous
to suspect that he's doing anything but his hardest to come back” Jerry Jones
didn’t seem concerned at all when he was asked about Terrell’s injury.
"Certainly it is sore and he is going to be working to improve that,"
Jones said. "We will be evaluating it more tomorrow."
TE: The
Cowboys opened Monday night with a 2-TE formation with Jason Witten and Anthony
Fasano in the starting lineup.
Defense: The Cowboys first-team defense
shut down the Saints first-team offense. The Saints couldn’t muster a first
down on the first three drives. Parcells quipped in his post-game press
conference that his guys didn’t get enough work. Corner Anthony Henry, DBs
Abram
Special Teams: Kicker Mike Vanderjagt and his sore groin and
quadriceps did not practice last week, and he did not play at
Cowboys
Depth Chart
QB Drew Bledsoe, Tony
Romo, Matt Baker, Drew Henson
RB Julius Jones, Marion Barber III (3RB), Tyson Thompson (KR), Keylon Kincade,
Demetrius Summers
FB Lousaka
Polite (HB/TE)
WR Terrell Owens (inj), Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton (PR) (inj), Sam
Hurd, Terrance Copper, Jamaica Rector,
Skyler Green, Miles Austin, J.R. Tolver, LaShaun Ward
TE Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, Ryan Hannam, Sean Ryan
K Mike Vanderjagt,
Tyler Fredrickson
DE Kenyon Coleman, Marcus Spears, Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Jason
Hatcher, Junior Glymph
NT Jason
Ferguson, Montavious Stanley, Samuel
Taulealea
ILB Bradie James (M), Akinola Ayodele
(S), Ryan Fowler
OLB Demarcus Ware (W), Al Singleton, Bobby Carpenter, Kevin Burnett (S), Greg
Ellis (DE), Rocky Boiman (inj)
CB Terance Newman, Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn, Jacques Reeves
S Roy Williams
(SS), Keith Davis (FS), Pat Watkins (FS),
Willie Pile (FS), Marcus Coleman (FS/CB) (susp)
QB: Jake Plummer started for the
Broncos and played efficiently. He kept the Titans defense off balance with a
succession of rollouts as he completed 7-of-9 for 97 yards before turning over
the reins to rookie Jay Cutler. The Broncos first round pick led the Broncos on
touchdown drives in each of his first two series. Cutler finished 6-of-12 for
99 yards and a 6-yard TD to Tony Scheffler in the third quarter. Bradlee Van
Pelt didn’t see any action and he may have a difficult time making the roster
because Mike Shanahan has shown in the past that he’s comfortable going with
two quarterbacks.
RB: Mike
Bell redeemed himself nicely in his second start of the preseason against the
Titans on Saturday night. While he didn’t fumble in this game he still received
an earful from WR Rod Smith after he ran out of bounds following a 34-yard run
instead of lowering his helmet and putting a hit on Titans safety Lamont
Thompson. “There is no one on our football team who has the right to run out of
bounds on his own unless it's the quarterback,” Smith said. “You always fight
for the extra yard. You never know. They might miss the tackle. They might
slip. So, he didn't know that, so we let him slide on that one.” Smith held
back a fuming RBs coach Bobby Turner after his own admonition. “The guy got
like 30 yards. You can't be mad at him,” Smith said. “But at the same time,
you're like, 'Look, man, don't ever run out of bounds again. That sideline is
not for us; it's for the quarterbacks.”
If Mike Shanahan doesn’t shuffle the deck
again, it will be the
WR: Before Saturday’s game, Shanahan
talked about the depth and competition among the receivers in camp. “
Rod Smith led the Broncos receivers with three catches for 38 yards and
Javon Walker made his debut with the Broncos returning to live action for the
first time since blowing out his knee in
TE: The
Broncos believe they’ve found their new starter in Tony Scheffler. “The sky's
the limit,” said Scheffler modestly. He knows this is a team that knows how to leverage
the position and turn it into a star-making role. “With this (coaching) staff
and these veterans, it's hard not to do well, with the position they put you
in,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler and Nate Jackson appear to be just
what the doctor ordered as the team looks to replace the departed Jeb Putzier
with a pass-catching tight end who can stretch the field. Stephen Alexander may
hold the job in spirit, and certainly, he’s a better blocker than Scheffler,
but the rookie out of
Defense: The Broncos defense held the
Titans to just 3 points before Vince Young’s 13-yard TD run with
Special Teams: In hurry-up offense practice during the week, kicker Jason Elam was
good on field goals of 45, 47, and 49 yards. Unfortunately that didn’t carry
over into the game against
Broncos
Depth Chart
QB Jake Plummer, Jay
Cutler, Bradlee Van Pelt
RB Mike Bell, Tatum Bell, Ron Dayne (inj), Cedric Cobbs, Damien Nash
FB Cecil Sapp, Kyle Johnson, Rashon Powers-Neal
WR Rod Smith, Javon Walker (inj), Darius Watts, Brandon Marshall (inj), David Terrell, David
Kircus, Charlie Adams, Todd Devoe, Brian Clark
TE Stephen Alexander, Tony Scheffler, Nate
Jackson, Chad Mustard, Landon Trusty (IR)
K Jason Elam
DE Courtney Brown (inj), Ebenezer Ekuban, John Engelberger, Kenard Lang, Elvis Dumervil, Randy
Garner
DT Gerard
Warren, Michael Myers, Demetrin Veal,
D.J. Renteria, Amon Gordon, Antwon Burton, Bryan Save
MLB Al Wilson, Nate Webster, Keith Burns
OLB Ian Gold (W), D.J. Williams (S), Raymond Wells, Louis Green (W), Patrick Chukwurah,
Cameron Vaughn, Kevin Harrison, T.J. Hollowell (inj)
CB Champ Bailey, Darrent Williams (PR), Dominique Foxworth, Karl Paymah, Roc Alexander (KR),
Willie Middlebrooks
S John Lynch (FS), Nick Ferguson (SS), Sam Brandon (FS), Curome Cox, Hamza Abdullah, Tyler
Everett
QB: Starter Jon Kitna played the entire first half and completed 7-of-12
passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. His play was one of the lone bright spots
for the Lions, whose offense managed only 3 yards rushing on nine attempts
against
RB: Kevin
Jones played for much of the first half. Artose Pinner started and played most
of the second half with Brian Calhoun also getting some work. The Lions
couldn’t move the football on the ground against the Browns starters, but Jones
did catch a 4-yard TD pass from Jon Kitna setup by a Browns turnover. Pinner
ran for 40 yards on six carries and Brian Calhoun ran twice for one yard. Arlen
Harris played briefly running twice for no yards, but he did catch a pass for
13 yards. Calhoun caught two balls for 6 yards. The team may be trying to give
Pinner plenty of chances to strut his wares as they look to deal him. He’s
running behind Brian Calhoun and Arlen Harris on the depth chart and likely
won’t make the roster.
WR: Roy Williams looks to be in
midseason form after catching two balls for 54 yards against
TE: Casey
Fitzsimmons remains sidelined allowing Marcus Pollard to run with the first team.
Pollard caught one ball for 9 yards in Friday’s game.
Defense: Donte Curry paced the Lions
defense with six tackles (
Special
Teams: Kicker Jason Hanson did not
play in the game at
Lions
Depth Chart
QB Jon Kitna, Dan
Orlovsky, Josh
McCown, Joel Klatt
RB Kevin Jones, Arlen
Harris, Brian Calhoun (3RB/KR), Artose
Pinner
FB Shawn Bryson (3RB), Cory Schlesinger, Will
Matthews
WR Roy Williams, Corey Bradford, Mike Williams, Eddie Drummond (KR/PR), Glenn
Martinez, Mike Furrey, Shaun Bodiford, Charles Rogers (inj), Scottie Vines
(PUP), DeVale Ellis, Brett Fischer
TE Casey Fitzsimmons (inj), Marcus Pollard, Dan
Campbell, Sean McHugh, Cole Downer
K Jason Hanson, Matt Prater
DE James Hall, Kalimba Edwards, Cory Redding, Jared DeVries, Bill Swancutt, Claude
Harriott
DT Shaun
Rogers, Shaun Cody, Marcus Bell, Tyoka
Jackson, Damian Gregory, Cleveland Pinckney, Lynn McGruder, Marcus
Parker
MLB Boss Bailey, Levar Woods, Matt
Grootegoed
OLB Ernie Sims
(W), Ted Lehman (S) (inj), Alex Lewis (S/W), James
Davis (W), Paris Lenon (S), Donte' Curry (S), Anthony Cannon (S),
James Hargrave
CB Dre' Bly, Fernando Bryant, Keith Smith, Stanley Wilson, Jamar Fletcher, Alton McCann,
LaMarcus Hicks
S Kenoy Kennedy (SS), Terrence Holt (FS), Daniel Bullocks (FS), Jon McGraw (FS), Idrees
Bashir (FS), Vernon Fox, Harrison Smith, Marcus Demps
QB: A week after the Packers
performed poorly against the Chargers, Brett Favre completed 16-of-22 passes for
134 yards, throwing two touchdown passes to finish off long drives and driving
them to a field goal on another drive in the first half. “We drove the ball
really well,” Favre said. “We had some good drives. That was a good feeling,
compared to
RB: Najeh
Davenport started the game and played into the third quarter while rotating
with Noah Herron and
WR: The key player from Saturday’s
game, without question, was Donald Driver. “We had to come out and punch those
guys in the mouth early, and we did,” said Driver. Indeed, they did. Favre and
Driver hooked up frequently during the first half as Driver finished with seven
catches for 91 yards plus a 19-yard run on a reverse. Rookie Greg Jennings made
the biggest play of the game in the fourth quarter when he caught a tipped pass
from Aaron Rodgers and ran 85 yards for a touchdown. Robert Ferguson caught two
balls for 21 yards. Marc Boerigter was waived; as the team takes a harder look
at rookies Cory Rogers, Will Blackmon and veteran Rod Gardner for what might be
two roster spots. Chad Lucas and Ruvell Martin are also in that mix.
TE: It
looks like the Packers new offense hasn’t lost its touch near the goal line.
Veteran TE Bubba Franks has traditionally been a huge TD vulture when the
Packers get near the goal-line, much to the detriment of Ahman Green (most of
the time). Franks caught a 3-yard TD from Favre in the first quarter and Zac
Alcorn caught a 1-yard TD from Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. If there is
one thing the Packers tight ends are good for, it is red zone utilization. OC
Jeff Jagodzinski is also a former tight end, so Franks, David Martin and Donald
Lee could all have roles in the offense; especially near the goal line.
Defense: Rookie strong safety Tyrone
Culver continued his strong preseason play on Saturday night intercepting
Michael Vick in the second quarter and leading the team with five solo tackles.
Rookie A.J Hawk made a pair of nice plays in the second quarter, tackling Justin
Griffith for a 2-yard loss then breaking up a Matt Schaub pass a couple of plays
later. “As a whole, we played a lot faster tonight than last week,” Hawk said. “It's
good to get a win, even though it's just a preseason game.” Hawk also made some mistakes. He was
penalized 15 yards on the first drive of the second half after he roughed up rookie
quarterback D.J. Shockley. He then broke up a pass by Shockley a few plays
later. About what one would expect from a rookie thrust into a starting role. “When
he hits his comfort level, you're going to see what it's all about,” McCarthy
said. Hawk still feels the heat from the massive expectations that Packers fans
have for him. “It doesn't bother me,” Hawk said. “I love people to expect me to
do well… All the players around me say, `Just do your job. The play is going to
come to you.' So as long as I'm doing my job I feel comfortable.” The Packers
had five sacks and intercepted the Falcons three times. Jason Horton picked off
Matt Schaub and returned it 44 yards for a TD before halftime.
Special
Teams: The competition between Billy
Cundiff and Dave Rayner for the kicking job figured to go down to the wire.
However, the Packers feel Rayner has greater potential and they have concerns
over Cundiff’s leg strength. Consequently they
released Cundiff last week. GM Ted Thompson explained, "We had talked as a
staff that probably over the course of the next couple games we want to give
Rayner the vast majority of kicks to see how he did. We felt it was appropriate
that with a veteran like Cundiff, we release him now so he can have a chance to
latch on with somebody else. I like the way the ball comes off [Rayner's] foot. We're going to put him in a position where
he gets a chance at a lot of kicks in different situations and we'll see how he
does. He is competing against a whole army of kickers out there. We'll see how
he does. He's still competing with every kicker that's ever put on a
shoe." In the game against
Packers
Depth Chart
QB Brett Favre, Aaron
Rodgers, Ingle Martin
RB Ahman Green (inj), Najeh Davenport, Samkon Gado (FB), Noah Herron (FB), Arliss Beach, Shermar Bracey
FB William Henderson (inj), Vonta Leach, A.J. Cooper (TE), Ben Brown
WR Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson, Greg Jennings, Rod Gardner, Cory Rogers, Will
Blackmon (KR/PR) (inj), Chad Lucas, Ruvell Martin, Carlton Brewster, Vince
Butler, Calvin Russell, Chris Francies
TE Bubba Franks, David Martin, Donald Lee, Zac Alcorn, Tory Humphrey
K Dave Rayner
DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Aaron Kampman, Mike Montgomery, Kenny
Peterson, Corey Williams, Dave Tollefson, Jason Hunter, Montez Murphy
DT Ryan Pickett (NT), Cullen Jenkins, Kenderick Allen, Colin Cole (NT), Johnny Jolly,
Jerome Nichols
MLB Nick Barnett, Abdul Hodge
OLB A.J. Hawk
(W), Ben Taylor (S/W), Roy Manning (S/M),
Brady Poppinga (S), Tracy White (S), Kurt Campbell, Tim Goodwell
CB Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Ahmad Carroll, Michael Hawkins, Jason Horton,
Patrick Dendy, Jerron Wishom, Antonio Malone
S Nick Collins (FS), Marquand Manuel (SS), Tyrone
Culver (FS), Jeremy Thornburg, Tra Boger, Atari Bigby, Jeremy Modkins, Marviel
Underwood (SS) (IR)
QB: David Carr was 10-for-17 for 99
yards. He started and played the first half. Sage Rosenfels started and played
the entire second half. He threw a
44-yard TD to Derrick Lewis in the fourth quarter. Rosenfels finished 6-of-9
for 99 yards and a TD. Rosenfels is fitting right into HC Gary Kubiak’s
offensive system and appears to have a firm grasp of the No. 2 job. "Like
I've told you, Sage has starting ability," Kubiak said. "He's very
composed, he's a great leader and he understands coverages."
RB: Last
week it was Wali Lundy with the breakout performance. This week it was
undoubtedly Vernand Morency in the spotlight. Morency didn’t play in the
preseason opener because of a hip injury. Head
coach Gary Kubiak talked to him during the offseason and into
training camp about the need to run downhill, make one cut and go.
Morency’s instincts held him back as he continued to dance behind the line. If Saturday
night was a good indication of his improvement and heeding Kubiak’s coaching,
then he could emerge as the starter if Domanick Davis’ balky knee doesn’t allow
him to play. Morency had touchdown runs of 4 and 43 yards as he piled up 95
yards on 11 carries. “I'm fighting every single day,” Morency said after the
game. “A performance like this makes me want to go back and work even harder.
We had some awesome blocking.” When the Texans began scouting him before the
2005 draft, they got an candid assessment from an
Lundy started the game and played well. He ran for 40
yards on seven carries including a 21-yard run. Lundy also caught two balls for
26 yards exhibiting his versatility. Lundy is probably in the driver’s seat
right now having impressed the coaching staff two games in row, but Morency is right
in the hunt along with veteran Antowain Smith, who didn’t touch the ball. “We're
committed to the running game,” Kubiak said. “(It’s) a mindset. We're
determined to do it and do it well. You won't see us
throwing 30 to 40 times a game. That's just not us.” With the prognosis on
WR: Derrick Lewis continues to be
the surprise of training camp. He caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sage
Rosenfels in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. Andre Johnson caught four
balls for 38 yards on 10 targets during the first half. Eric Moulds started, he
was targeted once, but had no catches. Kevin Walter was targeted once but he
didn’t record a catch either.
TE: Benny
Joppru continues to evade injury and produced a 26-yard play against the Rams. He
had another 9-yard catch negated on a holding call. Joppru is the wild card for
the Texans and could easily emerge as the team’s starter if he can stay on the
field. Jeb Putzier caught a pass for 20 yards, as well. Mark Bruener’s strong blocking keeps him in the mix. Rookie Owen Daniels impressed in last week’s
game, but he didn’t catch a ball against the Rams.
Defense: DE Mario Williams put together a solid performance against the Rams.
He drew them into a pair of penalties, batted down a pass to force a punt and
tackled RB Tony Fisher for a 3-yard loss. “I just came out and was really
thinking about taking my time and not being too caught up in just being on the
field,” Williams said. “I just took my time and let it happen, just had fun. I
had a lot more fun today than I did last week.” HC Gary Kubiak said, “Without
looking at the film, I could feel his pressure out there. That's what you have
to have. You have to take steps each week.” CB Dexter McCleon paced the team
with 7 solo tackles followed by corner Kevin Garrett (5-0-0), DB Kevin Curtis
(4-0-0) and Robaire Smith (4-0-0). Antwaan Peek wrecked havoc with two sacks
and a forced fumble. Phillip Buchanon also had a big game with punt returns of
32 and 33 yards, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery on the first play of the
second half, and three tackles. Buchanan wasn’t perfect though. He was flagged
for a pass-interference call in the end zone that led to a 1-yard TD that cut
the Texans' lead to 20-17.
Special Teams: Kicker Kris Brown continues to be inconsistent. In the game at
Texans
Depth Chart
QB David Carr, Sage
Rosenfels, Cody Pickett, Quinton Porter
RB Domanick Davis (inj), Wali Lundy, Vernand
Morency, Antowain Smith, Chris Taylor, Damien Rhodes
FB Jameel Cook, Nick Luchey
WR Andre Johnson, Eric Moulds, Kevin Walter, Derick Armstrong, Jerome Mathis
(PR/KR) (inj), David Anderson, Nick Narcisse, Jake Schifino, Richie Ross,
Derrick Lewis
TE Mark
Bruener, Jeb Putzier, Benny Joppru, Owen Daniels, Patrick Hape, Scott
Weaver, Ben Steele (IR)
K Kris Brown
DT Anthony Weaver (DE), Robaire Smith, Travis Johnson, Seth Payne, Alfred Malone
DE Mario Williams,
Jason Babin, Antwan Peek, Earl Cochrane, Jeff
Charleston, Darrell Wright
MLB DeMeco Ryans, Sam Cowart, DaShon Polk, Dave Moretti
OLB Kailee Wong (inj), Morlon Greenwood, Shantee Orr, Barrett Green, Charlie Anderson
(inj), Kenneth Petway, Saleem Rasheed, Trent Bay, Wali Rainer (IR)
CB Dunta
Robinson, Phillip Buchanon, DeMarcus Faggins
(inj), Lewis Sanders, Dexter McCleon, Kevin Garrett, Tramon Williams,
John Walker, Earthwind Moreland, Chris McKenzie (IR)
S Glenn Earl (SS), C.C. Brown (SS/FS), Jason
Simmons (FS) (inj), Ramon Walker (SS), Michael
Stone
QB: Peyton Manning played a nearly
perfect first quarter throwing a 30-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne while
completing 6-of-9 for 140 yards. Jim Sorgi took the field next, but his
appearance was brief after he went 0-for-2 with an interception and left with
an injured shoulder. Veteran Shaun King is in line to replace Sorgi if he’s out
for an extended period, but the team is also open to looking for outside help. "If it looks like [Sorgi] is going to
miss some time and some practices, then it's something we might have to think
about," Dungy said. "We'll probably know a little more tonight."
King took over and played the rest of the game completing 14-of-22 passes for
146 yards.
RB: Dominic
Rhodes started and rushed for just 15 yards on six carries. Joseph Addai
carried the ball nine times for 17 yards and proved just as ineffective against
the Seahawks run defense. Addai did manage a nice 16-yard catch on a delayed
screen. Tony Hollings played in the second half gaining 30 yards on eight
carries including a 1-yard TD run with 2:26 to play (down 20 points). James
Mungro left Sunday night’s game with a leg injury and has been lost for the
season.
WR: Reggie Wayne caught the
aforementioned 30-yard TD from Manning in the first quarter as he finished with
two catches for 55 yards in a quarter’s worth of work. Marvin Harrison caught a
35-yard pass and he was targeted on another deep play that fell incomplete. Montiese
Culton caught three balls for 55 yards and Dan Sheldon caught four for 35 in
the second half. Culton lost a fumble, too. Levon Thomas, John Standeford and
Aaron Moorehead each caught a pass. No. 3 receiver Brandon Stokley suffered a
high-ankle sprain in practice last week. HC Tony Dungy stated that Stokley would
miss the rest of the preseason as a result. However, Stokley said he’d find any
way possible to be back on the field before the season opener.
TE: Dallas
Clark caught two balls for 23 yards, Ben Utecht added three catches for 39
yards and Bryant Fletcher caught one ball for 7 yards. Utecht also coughed up
the ball after one of his catches; something he can’t do if he’s to lock down
the #2 role in a spirited camp battle.
Defense: Rookie defensive back Antoine Bethea started
at strong safety and paced the Colts with eight tackles against the Seahawks (
Special Teams: Camp leg Shane Andrus was released early last week.
But then kicker Adam Vinatieri sprained his left ankle. Backup QB Shaun King
tried out extra points one day in practice. Andrus was re-signed to handle the
kicking against
Colts
Depth Chart
QB Peyton Manning, Jim
Sorgi, Shaun King, Josh Betts, David Koral
RB Dominic Rhodes, Joseph Addai, Kory Chapman, Tony Hollings
FB James Mungro (IR)
WR Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley (inj), Aaron Moorehead, Terrence
Wilkins (KR), Levon Thomas, Dan Sheldon, Ed Hinkel, John Standeford, Montiese
Culton, Marc Boerigter
TE Dallas Clark,
Bryan Fletcher, Ben Utecht, Ben Hartsock, Joey Hawkins, Corey Roberts
(res)
K Adam Vinatieri (inj)
DT Corey Simon,
Montae Reagor, Vincent
Burns, Darrell Reid, Tom Johnson, Kader Drame, Jason Davis
DE Dwight Freeney, Raheem Brock (DT), Robert Mathis, Josh Thomas, Jonathan Welsh, Javor
Mills, Marcus West, George Gause, Mark Word, Phillip Alexander, Gabe Nyenhuis
(IR)
MLB Gary Brackett (W/M), Rob Morris
OLB Cato June (W), Gilbert Gardner (S/W), Freddie Keiaho, Keith O'Neil, Deryck Toles (W),
Tyjuan Hagler (W), Brandon Hoyte, Kyle Killion (IR), Dale Robinson, Kendyll
Pope (susp)
CB Nick Harper, Jason David, Marlin Jackson (CB/FS), Kelvin Hayden, Tim Jennings,
Von Hutchins, T.J. Rushing, Shannon Fitzhugh
S Bob Sanders (FS), Mike Doss (SS), Matt Giordano (FS), Dexter Reid, Antoine Bethea
(FS), Daryl Dixon (FS), Tanard Davis, Jammal Lord (FS), Jahmile Addae (FS),
Waine Bacon
QB: Whatever controversy there was
over the Jaguars starting QB ended quickly after Saturday’s loss to
RB: Fred
Taylor ran five times for 15 yards against
WR: Reggie Williams took advantage
of Matt Jones’ absence due to a sore ankle. Williams performed well catching
three balls for 54 yards. He started the game alongside Ernest Wilford, who
caught two balls for 31 yards. Fred Stamps caught two for 37 yards and Cortez
Hankton had two for 16 yards. Chad Owens continues to push for a roster spot
catching three balls for 20 yards. HC Del Rio wanted to let Owens know that
he’s in the team’s plans as a receiver, not just a return specialist. “It was
just reassuring,” Owens said. “It made me feel really good that they care about
me, and I took that to heart. It boosted my confidence.”
TE: Marcedes
Lewis did not play and he is not expected to play possibly until the regular
season due to a high-ankle sprain suffered a week ago. Lewis is expected to be
a big part of the Jags offense this year, but first he needs to get healthy and
back onto the field so he can continue developing chemistry with Leftwich. In
his stead, George Wrighster caught one pass and Greg Estandia had a 10-yard TD
in the fourth quarter.
Defense: The Jaguars recorded four sacks
against
Special Teams: Kicker Josh Scobee was held out again as he recovers from a leg strain.
Seth Marler handled the kicking against
Jaguars
Depth Chart
QB Byron Leftwich, David
Garrard, Quinn Gray
RB Fred Taylor (inj), Maurice Drew (KR/3RB), Alvin Pearman (3RB/PR), LaBrandon
Toefield, Rich Alexis, Montell Owens
FB Greg Jones (SD), Derrick Wimbush (KR)
WR Matt Jones, Ernest Wilford, Reggie Williams, Cortez Hankton, Randy Hymes, Troy
Edwards, Fred Stamps, Kyle Brown
TE Kyle Brady,
Marcedes Lewis (inj), George Wrighster, Brian Jones, Greg Estandia, Todd
Yoder
K Josh Scobee, Seth Marler
DE Reggie Hayward, Paul Spicer, Bobby McCray, Marcellus Wiley, Brent Hawkins, James
Wyche
DT Marcus Stroud, John Henderson, Anthony Maddox, Martin Chase
MLB Mike Peterson, Tony Gilbert
OLB Daryl Smith (S/W), Nick Greisen (W), Pat Thomas (W), Jorge Cordova (W/S),
Clint Engram (W), Brian Iwuh
CB Rashean Mathis, Brian Williams, Terry Cousin, David Richardson, Scott Starks,
Demetrice Webb, Trestin George
S Donovan Darius (SS) (inj), Deon Grant (FS), Gerald
Sensabaugh (SS), Jamaal Fudge, Chris Roberson (FS/CB), Nick Sorenson (FS) (inj)
QB: The Chiefs were shutout by the
NY Giants last Thursday as they were outplayed by the Giants starters and
backups in a 17-0 loss. “We've done this two weeks in
a row,” said head coach Herman Edwards rather matter of factly.
“I flat out told the guys it wasn't a good job coaching, and you just can't
play like that against a team that went to the playoffs last year. We have to
hurry up and rally now.” Trent Green finished 4-of-6 for 32 yards with no TDs
or interceptions, but clearly the team was hoping to move the ball better
against the Giants. “Is it time to panic?” Green asked. “No, but I definitely
think there has to be much more of a sense of urgency on the starters part.”
Green played just two series before Damon Huard took over to start the second
quarter. Huard completed 2-of-4 passes for 10 yards playing for two drives as
well. Casey Printers took over with just under 4 minutes to play in the first
half. Printers played four series (into the fourth quarter) before giving way
to newly signed Jeff Smoker, played the last two series. Smoker also went
2-of-4 throwing for 15 yards while Printers completed 5-of-10 for 33 yards and
he ran for 10 yards on two runs.
RB: Dee
Brown led the Chiefs with 15 rushing yards on four attempts. Larry Johnson
started the game, but finished with only 8 yards on four carries. Quentin
Griffin and McKenzie Smith also played, but neither generated a run longer than
three yards. Johnson was on the field for the first three series before Brown
took the field for the next two series followed by Smith. The Chiefs primary
backup is Michael Bennett, but he didn’t play in Saturday’s game. Brown, Smith
and
WR: None of the Chiefs receivers
caught more than one pass each as Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, Jeff Webb and
Craphonso Thorpe all cracked the box score, but otherwise, they did very little.
Kennison and Parker remain the starters with Dante Hall clearly the team’s No.
3. That leaves Thorpe, Webb, Jeris McIntye and a
handful of other relatively unknown players competing for the last roster spot or
two. Thorpe spent all of last season on the practice squad and he would appear
to have the inside track on one of those spots with Webb right behind him.
TE: Tony
Gonzalez caught one ball for 8 yards and Kris Wilson led the team with 16 yards
on two catches.
Defense: The defense continues to be a
work in progress. Second year LB Derrick Johnson set the tone with nine tackles
(
Other: With
Willie Roaf “retired”, the Chiefs can’t afford too many more hits on their
offensive line, but All Pro guard Will Shields missed practice on Saturday with
a high ankle sprain suffered in Thursday’s game. He was wearing a protective
boot on his left foot. HC Herm Edwards doesn’t know when, exactly, Shields will
return, but it could be a couple weeks. “I don’t know if he’s going to play
this week or not,” Edwards said. “We’ll see.” As for Roaf, he reiterated on
ESPN’s Cold Pizza that he is not just sitting out the preseason under the guise
of retirement. “I’m not one of those guys who’s going
to miss all the camp and then come back and play football,” Roaf said. “I don’t
think that’s fair to my teammates and to the fans and everybody to do it like
that. If I’m going to be there, I’m going to be there and be committed to the
team.” The Chiefs offensive line is the key to their offense, and particularly
Larry Johnson’s effectiveness. With Roaf gone and Shields slowed with a high
ankle sprain, fantasy owners may want to consider taking Tomlinson or Alexander
over Larry Johnson with that #1 overall pick. No reason to panic here, but this
is clearly something to keep your eyes on over the next couple of weeks.
Special Teams: Kicker Lawrence Tynes didn’t have any scoring opportunities, as the
Chiefs were shutout in their game at the NY Giants. He did get to kickoff once
for 69 yards. Free agent kicker Rhys Lloyd was in for a tryout, and connected
on 19-of-20 field goals. Nonetheless, Tynes’ job is not in jeopardy. WR/KR/PR
Dante Hall had no gain on one punt return. Meanwhile, the backup roles appear
to be taking shape. On kickoff returns,
RB Quentin Griffin looked decent for the second week in a row, averaging 23.0
yards on two returns. Rookie WR Jeff Webb returned one 23 yards, and WR Chris
Hannon returned one 22 yards. WR Nate Curry is emerging on punt returns. He
averaged 11.0 yards on two returns against the Giants, and had a fair catch.
He’s on the bubble to make the team.
Chiefs
Depth Chart
QB Trent Green, Damon Huard, Brody Croyle, Casey Printers, Jeff
Smoker
RB Larry Johnson, Michael Bennett, Dee Brown, McKenzi Smith, Quentin Griffin,
De'Arrius Howard, Derrick Ross, Priest Holmes (PUP)
FB Ronnie Cruz, J.R.
Niklos, Travis Wilson
WR Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, Dante Hall (KR/PR), Craphonso Thorpe, Jeris McIntyre,
Jeff Webb, Nate Curry, Chris Hannon, Terrance Metcalf, Scott McCready, Darrell
Hill
TE Tony Gonzalez, Kris Wilson (HB), Jason Dunn, Aaron Golliday, Bob
Docherty
K Lawrence Tynes
DE Jared Allen, Eric Hicks (inj), Tamba Hali, Carlos Hall,
Jimmy Wilkerson (DT), Clint Mitchell
DT Ryan Sims (NT), Lional Dalton, Ron Edwards, Junior Siavii, John Browning (inj), James Reed, Alex Guerrero, Shane Burton, Steve
Williams
MLB Kawika Mitchell, Rich Scanlon,
Boomer Grigsby
OLB Derrick Johnson (R), Kendrell Bell (L), Keyaron
Fox (S/W), Kris Griffin, Nick Reid, William Kershaw, Brandon Guillory
CB Patrick Surtain, Ty Law, Lenny Walls, Benny Sapp, Chris Johnson, Alphonso
Hodge, Marcus Maxey, Justin Perkins, Jerald Brown
S Sammy
Knight (SS), Greg Wesley (FS), Bernard Pollard
(SS), Jarrad Page (FS), Gabriel Helms
QB: Daunte Culpepper cleared a huge
hurdle in his improbable comeback this preseason as he took his first live hit
in game action followed by a second and third against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
on Saturday. “It was beautiful to finally get a hit because everybody was kind
of waiting to see what would happen, what would be my reaction,” Culpepper
said. “I think I handled it pretty well.” Culpepper played into the second
quarter going 7-of-9 for 86 yards. He led a nine-minute drive that culminated
in a 1-yard TD run by Sammy Morris. Culpepper wasn’t able to avoid the Bucs
defense completely. He was sacked on back-to-back plays in the first quarter,
fumbling on the first hit but Ronnie Brown pounced on the ball to maintain possession
for the Dolphins. Joey Harrington entered the game after Culpepper and
completed 8-of-15 for 81 yards. He led the Dolphins to a pair of field goals
before Cleo Lemon took over to start the fourth quarter. Lemon finished 3-of-7 for 29 yards.
RB: Ronnie
Brown started and led the Dolphins with 32 yards rushing on seven carries. He
also caught two balls for another 27 yards as he played until midway through
the second quarter as the Dolphins drove deep into Bucs territory. Brown left
the field after a five yard run on 1st-and-10 that put them at the Bucs 13-yard
line. Sammy Morris took the field and he ran four times finishing off the drive
with a 1-yard TD with just over 5 minutes on the clock before halftime. Morris
finished out the half with 22 yards on five carries. Travis Minor started the
second half playing two series (five carries for 18 yards) with Kay-Jay Harris
taking over in the fourth quarter for a series. Gerald Riggs and Harris alternated
series to finish the game. Harris finished with five yards on four carries while
Riggs gained 8 yards on three carries.
WR: Second year WR Fred Gibson
caught two balls for 33 yards and rookie Derek Hagan had three receptions for
30 yards. Starters Chris Chambers (two catches for 10 yards) and Marty Booker (1
for 20 yards) played into the early second quarter. Chambers was targeted three
times, Booker twice. The main competition among the receivers is for the No. 3
and No. 4 jobs. Wesley Welker is locked in as the team’s No. 3 at the moment
with rookie Derek Hagan looking to move into that spot at some point this year.
Marcus Vick has provided several nice plays throughout camp, but he faces
competition from Kelly Campbell, Kendall Newson, Jamal Broussard and Fred
Gibson for a roster spot.
TE: Jason
Rader led the team with three catches for 37 yards while starter Randy
McMichael caught one ball for 15 yards and Keith Heinrich had one reception for
14 yards.
Defense: The Dolphins added veteran DT
Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson last week to bolster the defensive line. Wilkinson
paid immediate dividends in Saturday’s game sacking Bucs QB Chris Simms. “I've
been healthy, and I have been in good shape pretty much my entire career,”
Wilkinson said. “I knew coming out here I was ready to roll.” DE Jason Taylor
returned to action starting for the Dolphins after he sat out last week’s game
with an ailing back. In Saturday’s game, Jack Hunt led the team with five
tackles and an interception. Mike Labinjo had four tackles and Keith Newman had
a sack and 2 tackles. DT Jeff Zgonina also had a sack. Derrick Pope forced a
fumble and Deke Cooper had an interception as well. Rookie Jason Allen played (
Special Teams: Camp leg Ola Kimrin did not play in the game at
Dolphins
Depth Chart
QB Daunte Culpepper (inj),
Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon, Brock Berlin
RB Ronnie Brown, Sammy Morris, Travis Minor, Kay Jay Harris, Gerald Riggs Jr.,
Ricky Williams (susp)
FB Fred Beasley, Darian Barnes
WR Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Wesley Welker (KR/PR), Derek Hagan, Devin Aromashodu, Kelly
Campbell, Marcus Vick (QB), Kendall Newson, Fred Gibson, Jamal Broussard (KR),
Eric Kimble, Frank Murphy (KR)
TE Randy McMichael, Justin Peelle, Keith Heinrich, Jason Rader
K Olindo Mare
DE Jason Taylor (OLB) (inj), Kevin Carter (DT),
Matt Roth,
David Bowens, Ben Ishola
DT Keith Traylor (NT), Dan Wilkinson, Vonnie Holiday, Jeff Zgonina, Fred Evans, Josh
Shaw, Kevin Vickerson, Steve Fifita, Manuel Wright (NT), Rodrique Wright (inj)
MLB Zack Thomas,
Lester Towns, Mike Labinjo
OLB Channing
Crowder (W/M), Donnie Spragan (S), Sedrick
Hodge (S), Derrick Pope (W), Keith Newman, Sam McGrew, Travis Harris
CB Travis Daniels (inj), Will Allen, Jason Allen (FS), Renaldo Hill, Andre Goodman, Eddie Jackson,
Shirdonya Mitchell, Chris Thompson
S Travares
Tillman (SS), Yeremiah Bell (SS), Deke Cooper (FS), Michael Lehan (FS),
Jack Hunt, Norman LeJeune
QB: Brad Johnson started the game
and had no problems driving the field against the Steelers defense. He went
9-of-11 for 71 yards while throwing a 12-yard TD to tight end Jermaine Wiggins
to finish the Vikings drive successfully. While Johnson played well, for the
second game in a row, rookie Tarvaris Jackson was the star of the game. In
limited playing time,
RB: As
expected, Chester Taylor started the game.
WR: The story of last week, of
course, was Koren Robinson’s DUI and incarceration following an attempt to flee
police. Robinson is already in the league’s substance abuse program and this
latest incident likely put the nail in Robinson’s coffin for this year, but
also for the potentially lucrative
free agent contract that he signed during the offseason. The Vikings HC Brad
Childress hinted they might release Robinson as he’s trying to build a team
based on accountability and this certainly wouldn’t set a good example. “I have
no tolerance (for irresponsible players),” said Childress. “I am trying to
create a culture of accountability. It doesn't matter who it is. ... You can't
drive when you've been drinking.” Obviously, Robinson was not in uniform
Saturday night against the Steelers.
Travis Taylor took his place in the starting lineup opposite Troy
Williamson – who was targeted twice catching both balls for 13 yards.
Unfortunately, he was also flagged for an offensive holding that negated a
17-yard run by Chester Taylor in the first quarter. Travis Taylor was targeted
three times catching two for 40 yards. The team’s pecking order now looks like
this: Marcus Robinson is the No. 3 and Billy McMullen is No. 4. Jason Carter
had a 42-yard catch and a 6-yard TD while Ryan Hoag caught one ball for 26
yards. Kevin Kasper did not play in the game and was wearing a walking boot to
help his sprained ankle heal.
TE: Jermaine
Wiggins caught three balls for 21 yards including a 12-yard TD catch on the
team’s opening drive. He was targeted five times. Richard Owens caught two
balls for 15 yards. Jim Kleinsasser continues to rehab from a broken bone
suffered in early August.
Defense: LB Heath Farwell continues to
make a good showing in the preseason. This time around, he led the team with 4
solo tackles and a sack. Will Hunter (4-0-0) and Ronyell Whittaker (
Special Teams: Kicker Ryan Longwell kicked a 38-yard field goal and added 2 PATs in
the game at
Vikings
Depth Chart
QB Brad Johnson, Tarvaris Jackson, Mike McMahon, J.T. O'Sullivan
RB Chester Taylor, Mewelde Moore (PR/KR), Ciatrick Fason, Joe
Echemandu, Wendell Mathis
FB Tony Richardson, Richard Owens,
Steven Jackson, Brandon Jones, Joey Goodspeed (inj)
WR Koren Robinson, Troy Williamson, Travis
Taylor, Marcus Robinson, Billy
McMullen, Aaron Hosack, Ryan Hoag, Kevin Kasper (inj), Josh Davis, Jason Carter
TE Jermaine Wiggins, Jim Kleinsasser (FB), Richard Angulo, Jeff Dugan
K Ryan Longwell
DE Erasmus
James, Kenechi Udeze, Darrion Scott, DeQuincy
Scott, Ray Edwards, Jayme Mitchell, Khreem Smith
DT Pat Williams (NT), Kevin Williams (DE),
Spencer Johnson (DT), C.J. Mosley, Eric Taylor,
Manase Hopoi, Ross Kolodziej
MLB Napoleon Harris (M/S), Dontarrious Thomas (W/M), Rod Davis, Kyle McKenzie
OLB Ben Leber (S), E.J. Henderson (M/W), Heath
Farwell (S), Marcus Lawrence, Jason Glenn, Chad Greenway (IR)
CB Antoine Winfield, Fred Smoot, Devonte Edwards (KR), Cedric Griffin, Dustin Fox (FS),
Will Hunter, Ronyell Whittaker, Tony Beckham, Ahmad Treaudo, Charles Gordon (inj)
S Darren Sharper (FS), Dwight Smith (SS/FS), Willie Offord (SS), Greg Blue (FS/SS), Tank
Williams (IR)
QB: Matt Cassel was the story on
Saturday night as the Patriots steamrolled the Arizona Cardinals 30-3 in
preseason action.
RB: With Corey
Dillon and Laurence Maroney leading the way, the Patriots running game should
be markedly improved this season. Dillon is running with purpose again, but
it’s still unclear whether he’ll be the team’s bell cow – and carry 20+ times
per game – or if Maroney will emerge as the team’s primary runner sooner rather
than later. There’s no question that Maroney is an explosive runner. For the
second straight game, Maroney played very well running for 28 yards on six
carries. Dillon ran ten times for 26 yards, scoring on a 4-yard run in the
second quarter. Patrick Cobbs ran for 26 yards on eight carries and caught one
ball for 19 yards. Cobbs is competing with Heath Evans for a roster spot. Evans
caught a 9-yard TD in the third quarter and ran for 28 yards on five carries. Kevin
Faulk showed his explosiveness gaining 21 yards on just two attempts, while
catching three balls for another 34 yards.
WR: Deion Branch remains a holdout
and there’s no end in sight. If Branch sticks to his guns, he may only report
to the team in time to play the minimum number of games to remain eligible for
free agency next spring. Troy Brown caught two balls for 31 yards and Reche
Caldwell had two catches for 11 yards. They are expected to start for the
Patriots pending Branch’s return. Bam Childress had a strong game with 75 yards
on three catches as he continues to push for a role after surprising the team
with a solid camp a year ago. Rookie first-rounder Chad Jackson continues to
struggle with a hamstring injury. Rich Musinski caught a 5-yard TD from Matt
Cassel in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals reserves. Eddie Berlin,
signed last week, caught one ball for 13 yards.
TE: Ben
Watson looks more and more like he could be the team’s most frequently targeted
receiver in 2006. Watson caught four balls for 40 yards on Saturday night
against
Defense: Tully Banta-Cain continues to
push for a starting job at OLB. He recorded a sack and three tackles against
the Cardinals. Dan Klecko had two sacks and a forced fumble while Asante Samuel
and Eric Warfield each intercepted a pass as the Patriots held the Cardinals
offense in check all night long. LB Tedy Bruschi will miss the rest of the
preseason with a broken left wrist, which prompted the Patriots to sign Junior
Seau, who held a press conference earlier last week announcing his retirement,
or “graduation” as he eloquently put it. The Patriots VP Scott Pioli recently attended a Cowboys practice prompting rumors
the Patriots could be targeting the Cowboys depth at LB, perhaps Scott Shanle. The
Patriots waived CB Gemara Williams, an undrafted rookie out of
Special Teams: Last week rookie kicker Stephen
Gostkowski was given the chance to shine in the spotlight. He handled most of
the work in practice, and all the kicking against
Patriots
Depth Chart
QB Tom Brady, Matt
Cassel, Corey Bramlet
RB Corey Dillon, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk (3RB), Patrick Cobbs
FB Patrick Pass (3RB), Heath Evans
WR Deion Branch, Reche Caldwell, Chad Jackson, Troy Brown, Bam Childress, Rich
Musinski, Erik Davis, Michael McGrew, Zuriel Smith, John Stone, Keron Henry,
Eddie Berlin, Matt Shelton (IR)
TE Daniel
Graham, Ben Watson, David Thomas, Garrett
Mills (HB/FB), Matt Brandt, Chris Luzar
K Martin Gramatica, Stephen Gostkowski
DE Richard Seymour (DT), Ty Warren (DT),
Jarvis Green, Marquise Hill, Ifo Pili
NT Vince Wilfork, Mario Monds, Dan
Klecko, Johnathan Sullivan, Le Kevin Smith
MLB Tedy Bruschi (inj), Monty Beisel
(inj), Chad Brown, Junior Seau, Barry Gardner, Larry Izzo, Don Davis, Fred Roach
OLB Rosevelt
Colvin (W/DE), Mike
Vrabel (S/I), Tully Banta-Cain (S), Pierre
Woods, Jeremy Mincey
CB Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs (KR), Randall Gay, Chad Scott, Eric
Warfield, Hank Poteat, Willie Andrews, Antwain Spann, Vernell Brown
S Eugene Wilson (FS/CB), Rodney Harrison (SS),
Tebucky Jones (SS/FS), James Sanders (SS), Artrell Hawkins (SS), Guss Scott, Mel Mitchell (IR)
QB: The
Saints offense couldn’t get anything going against the Cowboys first-team
defense. Brees played in the first half completing 7-of-12 passes for 67 yards.
Backup Todd Bouman played the second half, going 13-of-16 for 117 yards. Adrian
McPherson did not play against
RB: Monday night’s game marked the return of Saints RB
Deuce McAllister to the field. McAllister ran twice for eight yards in his
first appearance since his season-ending knee injury last season. “The knee
felt fine... no apprehension about
anything," McAllister said. "There are a few mental hurdles I have to
get over, but I'm ready to work.” McAllister also caught one ball for four
yards. Reggie Bush didn’t produce much in the box score. He ran four times for
7 yards and caught two passes for 14 yards. He had two plays in particular
where his burst and quickness were on display – a nine-yard run and an 11-yard
catch on a third-and-2. "This isn't the old Saints any more," he
said. "We need to take three-and-outs personal. We need to change our way
of thinking. We need to keep our defense off the field. We didn't do our job as
an offense." Jamaal Branch had the lone score for
WR: Joe Horn
and Donte Stallworth started against
TE: Ernie Conwell started on Monday night, but he didn’t
catch a pass. Conwell continues to start with Mark Campbell running second.
Zach Hilton continues to run third and his spot on the roster isn’t secure as
Tim Euhus and Nate Lawrie want the job, too.
Defense: Former Purdue Boilermaker DE Rob Ninkovich had a big game with eight
tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. S Roman Harper recovered one of
those fumbles and returned it 19 yards. LB Jay Foreman produced seven solo
tackles. Scott Fujita, the team’s new strongside
backer, had four tackles. E.J. Kuale, Terrence Melton and Fred Thomas had three
tackles each. Omar Stoutmire is making a run at the starting strong safety job
after he ran with the 1s during June mini-camp. “Just because you're with the
ones doesn't mean that you are a starter. It's training camp and everyone is
battling for positions. I have been in this system before, so schematically I
know pretty much what to do."
Special
Teams: The kickers didn’t get a chance to do much against
Saints Depth Chart
QB Drew Brees, Jamie
Martin, Todd Bouman, Adrian McPherson (inj), Jason Fife
RB Deuce McAllister (inj), Reggie Bush (KR/PR), Aaron
Stecker (3RB/KR) (inj), Jamal Branch, Ray Hudson
FB Mike Karney, Fred McAfee
WR Joe Horn, Donte
Stallworth, Devery Henderson, Bethel Johnson, Chris Horn, Mike
Hass, Michael Lewis (KR/PR), Chase Lyman, Lance Moore, Jamal Jones
TE Ernie
Conwell, Mark Campbell, Zach Hilton, Tim
Euhus, Nate Lawrie, Marcus Colston, Billy Miller, Wesley Dukes
K John Carney, Connor Hughes
DE Charles Grant, Will Smith, Tony Bryant, Rob Ninkovich, Javon Nanton, Tommy
Davis (IR)
DT Brian Young,
Willie Whitehead, Hollis Thomas, Rodney
Leisle, Brandon Villareal, Joe Minucci
MLB Alfred
Fincher, Tommy Polley (W) (inj)
OLB Scott
Fujita (S), Colby Bockwoldt (W), Jay Foreman,
Terrence Melton (W), Scott Shanle (S), Nate
Wayne, E.J. Kuale, James Allen (S) (inj)
CB Mike
McKenzie, Jason Craft, Fred Thomas, Joey
Thomas, Josh Lay, Grant Mason, Anwar Phillips, Ray Williams
S Josh Bullocks (FS), Bryan Scott (SS/FS), Jay Bellamy (SS), Roman Harper (FS), Steve Gleason
(FS)
QB: For the first time this
preseason the Giants offense played with all 11 starters on the field together.
Eli Manning shredded the Chiefs defense for touchdowns on two of their first
three drives. The first drive resulted in a 5-yard TD pass to Amani Toomer and
the second drive was capped by a 1-yard TD run by Brandon Jacobs. The other
drive probably would’ve resulted in points, but it was foiled by holding
penalties on back-to-back plays by Jeremy Shockey and Tim Carter in Chiefs
territory. Manning finished the evening 11-of-14 for 80 yards as he spread the
ball around completing two passes each to Toomer, Plaxico Burress and Tim
Carter. “We came out here and played very well,” Manning said. “The defense did
a great job of getting us good field possession on the first series and we were
able to run the ball, throw the ball and convert third downs.” On the team’s
second drive, Manning operated a no-huddle offense that covered 52 yards on
eight plays without all of the team’s starters in the game. The Giants had only
one third-down play on the drive; Jacobs’ 1-yard TD plunge.
The game also marked the return of 33-year old Rob Johnson, who hasn’t
played since 2003 after having Tommy John surgery to repair his injured elbow.
Johnson replaced Manning in the second quarter and played five series. He
completed 7-of-14 passes for 62 yards. The veteran put up points on his last
drive, taking
RB: Tiki Barber made his first appearance of the preseason running five times
for 22 yards. He caught one pass for nine yards. Brandon Jacobs carried 9 times
for 40 yards with the aforementioned 1-yard TD run. Mike Jemison carried the
ball 10 times for 37 yards and James Sims ran five times for 22 yards. Jemison
also caught one pass for 13 yards. Sims took the field for the Giants last
drive before halftime and played two series in the third quarter before Jemison
took over. He played for two series and Little John Flowers played on the
team’s last two series.
WR: Starters Plaxico Burress (
Rookie Sinorice Moss, expected to compete with Carter for the team’s No.
3 job, has been incognito through most of camp because of a strained quad. Moss
was no stranger to injury in college either. He says he’s feeling much better
of late, but the team is taking a cautious approach because of the setbacks he
suffered already this summer trying to get back on the field.
TE: Jeremy
Shockey caught one ball for 10 yards against the Chiefs, but he also was a key
player on the Toomer TD catch as he cleared out the middle of the field on his
pattern helping Toomer come free for the TD. Vishante Shiancoe caught three
balls for 18 yards, while Wade Fletcher and Tony Jackson each caught a ball, as
well.
Defense: The Giants defense held the Chiefs in check
throughout the game as witnessed by the scoreboard (Giants 17 – Chiefs 0). They
held the Chiefs to just two first downs in their first two series before the
backups entered the game. Trent
Green (4-of-6 for 32 yards) and Larry Johnson (4 carries for 8 yards) had
little success against the Giants starters. The Chiefs got into Giants’
territory only once the entire game; to the
Special Teams: Jay Feely kicked a 31-yard field goal and added two PATs against
Giants
Depth Chart
QB Eli Manning, Tim
Hasselbeck, Rob Johnson, Jared Lorenzen
RB Tiki Barber, Brandon
Jacobs (SD), Derrick Ward (inj), Chad Morton (PR), Little John Flowers,
James Sims, Mike Jemison
FB Jim Finn
WR Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Tim Carter, Sinorice Moss (inj), David Tyree, Willie
Ponder (KR), Michael Jennings, Anthony Mix, Triandos Luke, Harry Williams
TE Jeremy Shockey, Vishante Shiancoe, Tony Jackson, Boo Williams, Wade
Fletcher, Darcy Johnson
K Jay Feely
DE Michael
Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias
Kiwanuka, Eric Moore, Willie Evans, Thomas Carroll
DT William
Joseph, Fred Robbins, Damane Duckett, Barry
Cofield, Jonas Seawright, Ahmad Childress, Junior Ioane, Marcus Green
MLB Antonio
Pierce (W/M), Gerris Wilkerson, Kevin
Lewis, Chase Blackburn
OLB Lavar
Arrington (S) (inj), Carlos Emmons (W), Reggie
Torbor (S), Brandon Short (S), Nick McNeil
CB Sam Madison, Corey Webster, R.W. McQuarters (FS/PR), Frank Walker, Curtis Deloatch, Jason
Bell, Brandon Williams, Gerrick McPhearson, E.J. Underwood, Kevin Dockery
S Gibril Wilson (SS), Will Demps (FS), Quentin Harris, Charlie Peprah (SS), James Butler
(inj)
QB: The Jets entered Saturday’s game
against
RB: Derrick
Blaylock played Saturday’s game as if he was auditioning for the team’s
starting gig. With Curtis Martin on the shelf and no timetable for his return (not
to mention IF he will return), Blaylock hit the ground running against
Cedric Houston and rookie Leon Washington are
also competing for roles in the Jets backfield. There’s no guarantee that
Barlow will step into the competition and assert himself as the team’s feature
back, so the remainder of the Jets preseason holds the keys for at least one
potentially strong sleeper at the RB position.
WR: Jerricho Cotchery seems poised
to break into the team’s lineup this year. He started this game opposite
Laveranues Coles as Justin McCariens came into the
game later working with Brooks Bollinger. Cotchery caught three balls for 15
yards on Saturday on four targets. Laveranues Coles caught two balls for 13
yards on three targets while McCareins had 2 receptions for 10 yards on four
targets. The play of the game came when rookie Brad Smith took a double reverse 61-yards for a touchdown catching the
Redskins completely off guard. Smith is competing with Reggie Newhouse for the
No. 5 spot.
TE: The
Jets didn’t complete a pass to any of their tight ends in Saturday’s game.
Chris Baker started the game and he was targeted once. Doug Jolley was targeted
once and he was whistled for a false start on another play.
Defense: Justin Miller (4-0-0) and Rashad
Washington (
Special Teams: Kicker Mike Nugent passed his first test last week, by kicking a
50-yard field goal at the end of practice, thereby canceling the evening team
meetings. He didn’t get a chance to duplicate that in the game at
Jets
Depth Chart
QB Chad Pennington, Patrick
Ramsey, Kellen Clemens, Brooks Bollinger
RB Kevan Barlow (inj), Cedric Houston, Derrick
Blaylock, Leon Washington, Stacy Tutt (QB/WR), Curtis Martin (inj)
FB B.J. Askew, Jamar Martin
WR Laveranues Coles, Justin McCareins, Jerricho Cotchery, Tim Dwight (PR), Brad
Smith, Reggie Newhouse, Dante Ridgeway, Maurice Avery, Phil Silva, Chris
Baker, Mario Hill
TE Chris Baker,
Doug Jolley, Joel Dreessen, Walter Rasby, Jason Pociask (IR)
K Mike Nugent
DE Shaun Ellis, Kimo Van Oelhoffen, Trevor Johnson, Dave Ball, Darrell Adams
NT Dewayne Robertson, Monsanto Pope, Matt McChesney, Titus Adams, Brennan
Schmidt, Sione Pouha (IR)
ILB Jonathan Vilma, Brad Kassell, Anthony Schlegel
OLB Eric Barton (W) (inj), Victor Hobson (S), Bryan Thomas (DE), Matt Chatham (S), Darrell
McClover, Craig Bailey, Blake Costanzo, Alonzo Jackson
CB David Barrett, Andre Dyson, Justin Miller (KR), Ray Mickens, Derrick Straight (FS), Andrew
Davison, Roosevelt Williams, Lamont Reid, D.J. Johnson, Drew Coleman (inj),
Rayshun Reed
S Erik Coleman (SS), Kerry Rhodes (FS), Rashad Washington, Eric Smith (SS), James Taylor,
Andre Maddox, Jamie Thompson, Jovon Johnson, Wally Dada
QB: After completing only one pass
in each of
Second year QB Andrew Walter took over for Brooks in the second half, as
he looked markedly improved from his last game. Walter completed 8-of-10 passes
for 99 yards as he led the Raiders on scoring drives in both of his series.
Justin Fargas scored on a 3-yard run to cap the first drive and David Kimball
kicked a 23-yard field goal to end the second drive. Marques Tuiasosopo
finished off the game completing 2-of-3 passed for 24 yards.
RB: The
Raiders were able to make something happen in the running game against the
49ers. LaMont
WR: Randy Moss and Doug Gabriel
started for the Raiders. Gabriel caught two balls (on two targets) for 19 yards
including the 8-yard TD from Brooks in the first quarter to give the Raiders a
7-0 lead. Moss finished with one catch for 14 yards, but he was targeted five
times. Jerry Porter’s situation remains unchanged. He and HC Art Shell are not
speaking to each other, but the Raiders are in no hurry to trade the
disgruntled receiver unless another team ponies up a high draft choice and
Porter returns the designated portion of his signing bonus. Neither is likely
to happen, so Porter remains a Raider, albeit an unhappy one.
TE: Courtney
Anderson was targeted three times, including a 1-yard TD catch that was
nullified by his own offensive pass interference. He finished with two catches
for 20 yards. Randal Williams was the leading receiver for the Raiders on
Sunday night catching three balls for 53 yards. He was targeted four times.
It’s noteworthy that Brooks relied heavily on his
tight ends.
Defense: Both Michael Huff and Tyrone
Poole intercepted Alex Smith during the first half of Sunday’s game to help the
Raiders get off to a 3-0 start in the preseason under new HC Art Shell. Huff injured his left ankle and left the
game early; he remains doubtful for this week’s game. Rookie Thomas Howard led
the Raiders in tackles with four (
Special Teams: Kicker Sebastian Janikowski spent the offseason getting his weight down
from last year’s 265 pounds, "I eat healthy now. I don't go to McDonald's
at
Raiders
Depth Chart
QB Aaron Brooks, Andrew
Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo, Kent Smith
RB LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Rod Smart (KR), ReShard Lee, DeJuan
Green
FB Zack Crockett (SD/3RB), John Paul Foschi (HB), Joe Hall
WR Randy Moss, Jerry Porter (inj), Doug Gabriel, Ron Curry
(PR), Alvis Whitted, Johnnie Morant, Carlos Francis (KR), Kevin McMahan,
Rick Gatewood
TE Courtney Anderson, Randal Williams, Marcellus Rivers, O.J. Santiago,
James Adkisson, John Madsen, Derek Miller
K Sebastian Janikowski
DE Derrick Burgess, Tyler Brayton, Bobby Hamilton, Grant Irons, Lance Johnstone, Bryant
McNeal, Ryan Riddle
DT Warren Sapp (inj), Tommy Kelly, Ed Jasper, Terdell Sands (NT), Anttaj Hawthorne,
Kenny Smith, Donnell Washington
MLB Kirk Morrison (I/W), Danny Clark (I)
OLB Sam Williams (S) (inj), Thomas Howard (S), Robert Thomas (S/W), Darnell Bing
(S/W), Isaiah Ekejiuba, Henri Crockett
CB Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Tyrone Poole, Duane Starks
S Stuart Schweigert (FS), Derrick Gibson (SS),
Michael Huff (S/CB), Chris Carr (PR), Calvin
Branch, Keyon Nash
QB: Donovan McNabb played the first
half on Thursday completing 6-of-10 passes for 97 yards with a 1-yard TD pass
to Reno Mahe and a six-yard run to his credit. About half of his yards came on
one play (a shovel pass to Correll Buckhalter), but McNabb was efficient and
left with a 10-3 lead. Koy Detmer (5-of-10 for 21 yards, 1 INT) started the
second half for the Eagles. Detmer’s first two drives
ended with turnovers. The first drive ended on the first play when he completed
a pass to Ryan Moats, who fumbled and turned over the football. The second
drive ended when Detmer was intercepted on the
With
RB: Finally,
Correll Buckhalter is back. He performed admirably in Thursday’s preseason
action against
Brian Westbrook, resting a sprained foot, did
not play and he may not see any action for the rest of the preseason. Ryan
Moats returned to action, but did little. He ran for 7 yards on as many
carries. More importantly, Moats lost two fumbles and made no impact as a
receiver catching two balls for a one-yard loss. Marty Johnson, who was signed
during training camp after being released by the Broncos, ran for 24 yards on
three carries. Reno Mahe scored the team’s only TD and ran twice for 14 yards. The
Eagles brought Stephen Davis in for a workout.
WR: The Eagles receivers continue to
mystify. Reggie Brown continues to be the No. 1 receiver, but caught only one
pass for 5 yards Thursday night. Beyond Brown, the depth chart gets murky.
Undrafted rookie free agent Hank Baskett continues to run with the 1s, which
says a lot. Jabar Gaffney is making a move and he could still emerge as a
starter opposite Brown. Gaffney led the group on Thursday night with four
catches for 37 yards. The only other WRs to record a catch were Bill Sampy
(2-31), Carl Ford (1-23) and Justin Jenkins (2-18). Rookie Jeremy Bloom left
with a hamstring injury, and was later place on injured reserve, ending his
season. At this point, Brown is worth a flyer as he is the most talented of the
group and best positioned to “break out”. Otherwise, Gaffney has the most
experience while Baskett remains a wild card. Todd Pinkston tried to practice
last week, but he isn’t progressing as the team hoped; casting doubt on his
future with the Eagles.
TE: The way
things are heading, L.J. Smith might end up the team’s leading receiver next to
Brian Westbrook. Smith played well during the first half on Thursday catching
two balls for 32 yards.
Defense: DT Brodrick Bunkley, the team’s
first round pick, gave fans a show on Thursday as he recorded 1.5 sacks and
combined for 3 tackles. Juqua Thomas had 2.5 sacks while Sam Rayburn, Jevon
Kearse and Mark Simoneau also got to the opposing QB once a piece. Kearse also
forced a fumble on former teammate Steve McNair. Brian Dawkins appears to be in
midseason form as he was flying all over the field making plays as he combined
for seven tackles and recovered a fumble. The Eagles first-team defense held
the Ravens to just 3 points in the first half and recorded seven sacks. LB Greg
Special Teams: David Akers kicked a 43-yard field goal and
added a PAT in the game at
Eagles
Depth Chart
QB Donovan McNabb, Jeff
Garcia, Koy Detmer, Timmy Chang
RB Brian Westbrook (inj), Ryan Moats (inj), Bruce Perry (KR) (inj), Reno Mahe
(PR), Correll Buckhalter, Marty Johnson
FB Josh Parry,
Thomas Tapeh, Jason Davis (inj)
WR Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett, Jabar Gaffney, Greg Lewis, Todd Pinkston (inj),
Jason Avant, Darnerien McCants, Jeremy Bloom (KR/PR) (inj), Carl Ford, Justin Jenkins,
Bill Sampy, J.J. Outlaw, Jermaine Jamison
TE L.J. Smith,
Matt Schobel, Steven Spach, Andy Thorn, Jonas Crafts
K David Akers
DE Jevon
Kearse, Darren Howard, Trent Cole, Jerome
McDougle (inj), Juqua Thomas
DT Mike Patterson, Darwin Walker (inj), Brodrick Bunkley, Sam
Rayburn, Ed Jasper, Keyonta Marshall,
LaJuan Ramsey
MLB Jeremiah Trotter, Mark Simoneau (W/M), Omar Gaither (W/M)
OLB Dhani Jones (S), Shawn Barber (W), Matt McCoy (W), Chris Gocong (S), Jason
Short (S), Dedrick Roper (S), Greg Richmond (inj), Torrence Daniels
CB Sheldon
Brown, Lito Sheppard (inj), Roderick Hood
(KR), Donald Strickland, Matt Ware, Dexter Wynn, Joselio Hanson, Mark
Clark
S Brian Dawkins (FS), Michael Lewis (SS), Quintin Mikell (FS), Sean Considine (SS), J.R. Reed (FS/KR)
(inj), Scott Ware (SS)
QB: Ben Roethlisberger was somewhat
of a surprise starter on Saturday. He was listed as questionable after
spraining his right thumb in Wednesday’s practice. But Big Ben played and threw
a 16-yard touchdown to WR Cedrick Wilson on the opening drive operating out of
the no-huddle. After that the Steelers mustered very little offense against the
Vikings.
Charlie Batch took the field on the Steelers second drive and finished
off the first half. Batch completed 8-of-14 passes for 103 yards with an
interception. Rookie fourth round pick Omar Jacobs started the second half and
played the entire third quarter with Shane Boyd playing in the fourth quarter.
Jacobs was 3-of-7 for 28 yards while Boyd went 6-of-17 for 83 yards, adding a
17-yard run.
RB: Willie
Parker, like Roethlisberger, played only one series before Duce Staley took the
field and finished off the first half. Verron Haynes took the reins in the
second half. Cedric Humes and John Kuhn
also took some snaps in the third and fourth quarters playing with Omar Jacobs
and Shane Boyd. Parker carried the ball just once for five yards, while Staley
ran five times for 11 yards and caught one pass for three yards. Haynes fared a
little better with three catches for 31 yards and 9 yards on 2 carries. Humes
gained 11 yards on two carries and Kuhn led the team with 30 yards, all late in
the game, on eight carries. Staley and Haynes are locked in a battle – along
with starter Willie Parker – for the short-yardage role vacated by the retired
Jerome Bettis.
WR: Nate Washington started at
flanker with Hines Ward resting his sore hamstring. He took a reverse from
Willie Parker on the team’s first play of their opening drive for 20 yards.
Meanwhile, Hines Ward continues to rehab and work hard to get himself
back onto the field and ready for the season opener. “I’m frustrated,” Ward
said. “I’m doing treatment, working out, rehabbing three times a day. I’m doing
everything I’m supposed to do, but I’m flying in my people today from
TE: Heath
Miller started the game but finished with no catches, as he wasn’t targeted on
any passing plays. Jonathan Dekker caught two balls for 38 yards with each
reception going for 19 yards.
Defense: Richard Seigler led the team
with 6 tackles (
Special Teams: Kicker Jeff Reed was good from 32 yards on his only field goal attempt
and added a PAT against
Steelers
Depth Chart
QB Ben Roethlisberger (inj), Charlie Batch, Omar Jacobs, Shane Boyd
RB Willie Parker, Verron Haynes (FB), Duce Staley, Cedric Humes
FB Dan Kreider, John Kuhn, Doug Easlick
WR Hines Ward (inj), Cedrick Wilson, Santonio Holmes, Quincy Morgan, Nate Washington, Willie Reid (KR/PR), Sean Morey,
Lee Mays, Isaac West (inj), Walter Young, Marvin Allen
TE Heath
Miller, Jerame Tuman, Charles Davis,
Jonathan Dekker, Isaac Smolko
K Jeff Reed, Mark Brubaker
DE Aaron Smith,
Brett Keisel, Travis Kirschke, Rodney Bailey, Shaun
Nua, Orien Harris
NT Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke, Scott Paxson
ILB James Farrior, Larry Foote, Rian Wallace, Richard Seigler, Clint Kriewaldt
OLB Joey Porter, Clark Haggans, James Harrison, Andre Frazier, Arnold Harrison, Lee
Vickers
CB Deshea
Townsend, Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Ricardo
Colclough (PR/KR), Chidi Iwuoma, Anthony Madison
S Troy Polamalu (SS), Ryan Clark (FS), Tyrone Carter (FS), Mike Logan
(SS), Anthony Smith (FS), Zack Baker, Mike Lorello
QB: The Rams No. 1 offense has not
scored a touchdown in five preseason possessions. Marc Bulger started the game
and completed 7-for-13 passes for 86 yards – all in the first quarter. Gus
Frerotte took over in the second quarter and played midway into the third
quarter. He completed a 4-yard TD to Shaun McDonald on his last drive to bring
the Rams within three at 13-10. Frerotte finished 7-of-11 for 93 yards. Dave
Ragone led the Rams for the next two drives followed by Ryan Fitzpatrick who
had two drives in the fourth quarter. Ragone was 9-of-11 for 76 yards and
Fitzpatrick was 5-of-10 for 59 yards. Ragone also scrambled twice for 13 yards.
RB: The
Rams were held to 61 yards on 27 carries
after totaling 202 rushing yards against the Colts a week ago. It didn’t help
not having LT Orlando Pace (knee/ankle) and guard Steve McKinney (knee), not to
mention they were fresh out of healthy fullbacks. Steven Jackson started and played the first
quarter. Tony Fisher took over for two drives followed by Moe Williams for the
last drive of the first half. Williams fumbled on the first play of the Rams first
drive in the second half. Fred Russell took over in the fourth quarter and
Antoine Bagwell was on the field for the team’s last drive of the game. Russell
led the team with 23 yards on seven carries – including a 1-yard TD in the
third quarter. Moe Williams ran for 13 yards on five carries and Steven Jackson
was held to 10 yards on four attempts. Williams
is competing with Fisher for the backup job. At worst, he’s likely to be the
team’s goal line back if
WR: Torry Holt had four catches for
48 yards before leaving the game with a bruised sternum on Saturday night.
Luckily, X-rays revealed no broken bones for Holt, who is expected to miss practice for a few days. “He
won’t practice Monday or Tuesday just to get him back to 100 percent,” HC Scott
Linehan said. “He should be ready to go next couple of days.” Shaun McDonald
led the team with 50 yards on four catches including his 4-yard TD from
Frerotte in the third quarter. Kevin Curtis caught two balls for 38 yards. The
Rams backups all got plenty of playing time in the second half, too. Taylor
Stubblefield, Marques Hagans, Dominique Thompson, Dane Looker and Brandon
Middleton caught passes.
TE: Joel
Klopfenstein started for the Rams, but didn’t catch a pass. He did, however,
recover a Torry Holt fumble. Dominique Byrd caught three balls for 24 yards and
Aaron Walker caught two balls for 32 yards.
Defense: The Texans ran for 143 yards
against the Rams defense on Saturday night led by Vernand Morency’s 95 yards
and two touchdowns. “We knew
they were going to try and run the ball,” said strongside
linebacker Brandon Chillar. “What it came down to was not executing, people
getting out of their gaps, and that leads to big plays.” WLB Pisa Tinoisamoa
registered a sack along with three solo tackles. Tye Hill, Dexter Coakley,
Jeremy Calahan and
Special
Teams: Camp leg Remy Hamilton again handled
all the kicking in the game against
Rams
Depth Chart
QB Marc Bulger, Gus
Frerotte, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dave Ragone
RB Steven Jackson, Tony Fisher, Moe Williams, John David Washington,
Fred Russell, Antoine Bagwell, Marshall Faulk (IR)
FB Madison Hedgecock (inj), Paul Smith
WR Torry Holt (inj), Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis, Shaun McDonald (PR), Dane Looker, Brad
Pyatt, Marques Hagans, Taylor Stubblefield, Dominique Thompson, Brandon
Middleton, Clinton Solomon
TE Joel Klopfenstein, Aaron Walker, Dominique Byrd, Jerome Collins, Alex
Holmes, Landon Trusty (IR)
K Jeff Wilkins,
Remy Hamilton
DE Leonard Little, Tony Hargrove, Brandon Green, Clifford Dukes, Victor Adeyanju,
Matthew Rice
DT Jimmy Kennedy (NT), La'Roi Glover, Claude Wroten, Brian Howard, Jason Fisk, Jeremy
Calahan, Tim Sandidge
MLB Will
Witherspoon (W/M), Tim McGarigle
OLB Pisa Tinoisamoa (W), Brandon Chillar
(S), Dexter Coakley (S) (inj), Jamal Brooks, Raonall
Smith, Jon Alston, Drew Wahlroos (S) (inj)
CB Tye Hill,
Jerametrius Butler, Travis Fisher, Fakhir Brown, DeJuan Groce, Kevin
Timothee, Kevin Curtis
S Corey Chavous (SS), Oshiomogho Atogwe (FS), Ronald Bartell (FS), Jerome
Carter (SS), Dwaine Carpenter (FS)
QB: Philip Rivers started the game
and played midway into second quarter before giving way to Charlie Whitehurst,
who played through the end of the game for the Chargers. Rivers completed 9-of-14
passes for 75 yards, but one play in particular was a beauty. He shook two
would-be tacklers, and then he rolled to his left and hit Malcom Floyd for a
21-yard completion. He also had one play that he’d like back – an interception
on a pass intended for Antonio Gates that Brian Urlacher returned for a 64-yard
TD. “Obviously there was one particular play that was really poor,” Rivers
said. “But at the same time, I'm not going to dwell on it. It's easy to
correct. I threw it right to the guy. It's going to happen. You'd rather have
it happen tonight than down the road,” he added. Whitehurst went 11-of-19 for
97 yards with an interception. It looks like Whitehurst may have overtaken A.J.
Feeley for the No. 2 job, but that remains to be seen.
RB: LaDainian
Tomlinson did not suit up on Saturday night, which is not unusual at all for
the Chargers star running back. Tomlinson isn’t expected to play in the team’s
last two preseason games either – and it’s not due to injury, just by design as
the team wants to rest him for the regular season. Michael Turner started and
played most of the first quarter rushing six times for 55 yards – including a
45-yard run where he broke three tackles.
Ray Perkins took over for Turner late in the first quarter and played until midway
into the third quarter. Perkins ran 12 times for 40 yards and caught four
passes for 28 yards. Larry Croom entered the game in the third quarter and
finished with 36 yards on six carries.
WR: Eric Parker is close to
returning from his thumb injury and Keenan McCardell played Saturday, but only
caught one pass for 8 yards. Kassim Osgood caught a pass for 14 yards, Greg Camarillo made two catches for 40 yards and Ricky
Bryant had a 20-yard reception. Second year receiver Vincent Jackson may miss
the rest of the preseason with a “scratched lung”.
TE: Antonio
Gates and Ryan Krause each caught one pass in Saturday’s game. Gates was
recently asked about being the best “pass-catching tight end in the game” which
drew this response. “When I hear people talk about guys in my similar category
I kind of get offended because I actually try to get out there and block. I
consider those tight ends specialists. I don't think they're tight ends. You
can call somebody a tight end and put them in that spot. He doesn't play like a
true tight end. I want to be known as a tight end,” Gates said. The Chargers
hope to throw to their other tight ends this year, too. HC Marty Schottenheimer
said, “With the talent that we have at the tight end position, we’re going to
throw it to them a lot. That's something that has been a part of this offense
since we've been running it here. Now that we have the quality that we have as
well as the depth at the position, they’ll continue to be utilized.”
Defense: LB Marques Harris put together a strong game
with five tackles and a sack. S Marlon McCree intercepted Rex Grossman in the
end zone to kill a Bears scoring opportunity. Otherwise, the Chargers defense
was quiet in terms of big plays against
Special Teams: Kicker Nate Kaeding hit a 43-yard field goal and a 70-yard kickoff in
the game at
Chargers
Depth Chart
QB Philip Rivers, A.J.
Feeley, Charlie Whitehurst, Brett Elliott
RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Larry Croom, Ray Perkins, Tyrone
Gross, Bryson Sumlin, Darren Sproles (IR)
FB Lorenzo Neal, Andrew Pinnock,
Jonathan Evans, Shawn Willis
WR Keenan McCardell, Eric Parker (inj), Vincent Jackson, Kassim Osgood, Malcom Floyd, Mark
Simmons, Gerran Walker, Greg Camarillo, Sean Coffey (inj), Robert Ortiz
TE Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna, Aaron Shea, Ryan Krause
K Nate Kaeding, Kurt Smith
DE Igor Olshansky, Luis Castillo (NT), Jacques Cesaire, Derrick Robinson, Chase Page
(inj), Patrick Massey
NT Jamal Williams, Ryon Bingham, Brandon McKinney, Alvin Smith
ILB Donnie Edwards (inj), Randall Godfrey,
Matt Wilhelm, Stephen
Cooper, Tim Dobbins, Carlos Polk
OLB Steve Foley (W), Shawne Merriman (S), Shaun Phillips (S), Marques Harris (W), Jonathan
Pollard
CB Quentin Jammer, Drayton Florence, Antonio Cromartie, Markus Curry, Cletis Gordon,
Steve Gregory, Anthony Mims
S Marlon McCree (FS), Terrence Kiel (SS), Bhawoh Jue (SS/FS), Clinton Hart (FS/SS), Hanik
Milligan (FS), Andre Lott (FS), Richard Yancy
QB: Alex Smith fell back to Earth in
his second preseason game. He started badly targeting Bryan Gilmore on a
lateral that ended up being a 12-yard loss. He ended the first half throwing an
interception to Tyrone Poole, but Smith was earlier intercepted on another pass
by Raiders first round pick Michael Huff.
He finished the first half 6-for-12 for 81 yards and two interceptions. Trent
Dilfer played the second half, completing 6-of-8 passes for 71 yards with the
team’s only score coming on a 6-yard TD to Michael Robinson in the fourth
quarter.
RB: Before
the game, the 49ers dealt Kevan Barlow to the New York Jets for an undisclosed 2007 draft pick. What that means is
Frank Gore immediately becomes the team’ starting running back – something that
has been widely assumed, projected and expected since last season. Barlow’s
departure now makes it official. Gore led the team with 42 yards on seven carries
against
WR: Antonio Bryant was targeted
three times catching one deep ball for 46 yards. Bryan Gilmore caught two balls
for 24 yards and was targeted three times as was Arnaz Battle, who didn’t
register a catch, but played throughout the game. Bryant could be in for a
productive season as he’s arguably the most talented receiver the 49ers have
rostered since Terrell Owens. He has immersed himself in Norv Turner’s offense
and he appears committed to turning his career around after stops in Dallas and
Cleveland. “I've learned that when you want the ball, you can't keep just
telling the quarterback you want the ball,” Bryant said after practice Friday. “You
have to show him you want it. You've got to make that dive. You've got to show
them there are no bounds going after that ball.''
TE: Rookie
Vernon Davis caught one ball for 5 yards as he was targeted three times. Billy
Bajema produced a 25-yard play. Eric Johnson was slowed last week by a hip
injury allowing
Defense: T.J. Slaughter led the 49ers
with six solo tackles while safety Chad Williams had five. Sammy Davis Ronald
Fields each chipped in four tackles. Lance Legree recorded a sack, the teams
only one of the game and safety Tony Parrish intercepted Aaron Brooks.
Special Teams: Kicker Joe Nedney scored only a PAT in the game at
49ers
Depth Chart
QB Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer, Jesse Palmer, Shaun Hill
RB Frank Gore, Maurice
Hicks, Michael Robinson (QB/WR), Zak Keasey
FB Chris Hetherington, Moran Norris
WR Antonio Bryant, Arnaz Battle (inj), Bryan Gilmore, Brandon
Williams, Delanie Walker, Taylor Jacobs, Rasheed Marshall, Jason
McAddley, Otis Amey (PR), Marcus Maxwell, C.J. Brewer
TE Vernon
Davis, Eric Johnson, Billy Bajema,
Terry Jones, Onye Ibekwe
K Joe Nedney, Andrew Jacas, Luis
Berlanga
DE Bryant Young, Marques Douglas, Jerry DeLoach, Melvin Oliver, Lance Legree
NT Anthony Adams, Isaac Sapoaga, Ronald Fields, Bobby Payne
ILB Derek Smith, Jeff Ulbrich, Brandon Moore (inj), Renauld Williams, Zak Keasey
OLB Manny Lawson, Corey Smith (S), Parys Haralson (DE) (inj), T.J.
Slaughter, James Maxwell, Bobby Iwuchukwu, Andre Torrey (IR)
CB Shawntae Spencer (inj), Walt Harris, Derrick Johnson, Sammy Davis, B.J. Tucker, Gabe
Franklin
S Tony Parrish (SS) (inj), Mike Adams (FS), Mark Roman (FS), Keith Lewis (FS), Chad Williams (FS), Marcus
Hudson (FS), Vickiel Vaughn (FS)
QB: Matt Hasselbeck started Sunday
night and played the first quarter completing 8-of-9 passes for 88 yards.
Seneca Wallace took over and completed 10-of-15 passes for 99 yards before
giving way to Gibran Hamdan, who completed both of his pass attempts for 20
yards.
RB: Shaun
Alexander started on Sunday night against the Colts, but he played only a
quarter and ran five times for 20 yards. Fullback Leonard Weaver took the reins
from Alexander in the second quarter and gave the Seahawks the lead on a 1-yard
TD. Weaver ran 15 times for 51 yards and
he caught a pass for 5 yards. Ran Carthon handled the ball four times for 19
yards and veteran FB Mack Strong carried once for 11 yards. Backup Maurice
Morris sat this game out with an ankle injury.
WR: The more things change, the more
they stay the same. Bobby Engram continues to be the most consistent and
trustworthy of the Seahawks receivers and that proved to be true on Sunday.
Engram caught five balls for 64 yards. “The quarterbacks were talking at dinner
(Wednesday) night and it was 20 minutes of, ‘How awesome is Bobby Engram?’”
said Matt Hasselbeck. “You see so many guys standing on the sidelines and being
hurt, and he’s the older guy; he’s supposed to be the one whose body is
breaking down, but he seems like he’s getting better as camp goes on.” Nate
Burleson caught two balls for 17 yards on three targets. Peter Warrick had a
16-yard catch and Tony Brown had two catches for 30 yards. Darrell Jackson and D.J. Hackett did not
play.
TE: Jerramy
Stevens did not play and will miss up to 6 weeks (into October) following a
recent setback with his knee, which was operated on following the Super Bowl.
Itula Mili returns to his old starting role in Stevens’ absence. Mili caught
one ball for 7 yards against the Colts. Matt Murphy is competing for a roster
spot and he caught three passes for 44 yards.
Defense: The Seahawks defense played well
once Manning left the field. Safety Michael Green broke the game open with an
18-yard interception return for a TD, all part of a 13-point second quarter for
the Seahawks, who were playing without DT Rocky Bernard, DE Grant Wistrom and Pro Bowl LB Lofa Tatupu. Kevin Bentley led the team with five combined tackles (
Special Teams: Kicker Josh Brown has been the only kicker in camp the last two weeks.
He indicated that the team has avoided overworking him during that time,
"We're kicking as much as we need to and we're getting the work done that
we need to, but we're not doing anything extra right now unless we absolutely
have to do it." He did get lots of work in the game at
Seahawks
Depth Chart
QB Matt Hasselbeck,
Seneca Wallace, David Greene, Gibran Hamdan, Travis Lulay
RB Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, Marquis Weeks, Josh Scobey
FB Mack Strong,
Leonard Weaver, David Kirtman
WR Darrell Jackson (inj), Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Peter Warrick, D.J. Hackett (inj), Ben
Obomanu, Keenan Howry, Tony Brown, Maurice Mann, C.J. Jones
TE Jerramy Stevens (inj), Itula Mili, Will Heller, Matt Murphy, Caleen Powell
K Josh Brown
DE Grant
Wistrom, Bryce Fisher, Darryl Tapp, Joe
Tafoya, Ronald Flemons, Kemp Rasmussen, Chris Cooper, John Syptak
DT Marcus Tubbs, Chartric Darby, Rocky Bernard, Craig Terrill, Russell Davis, Ron
Smith
MLB Lofa Tatupu, Niko Koutouvides
OLB Leroy Hill
(W), Julian Peterson (S), Kevin Bentley (W),
D.D. Lewis (S/W), Isaiah Kacyvenski (S), Cornelius Wortham, Lance Laury,
Evan Benjamin
CB Marcus Trufant, Kelly Herndon,
Kelly Jennings, Jordan Babineaux, Jimmy
Williams, Kevin Hobbs, Gerard Ross
S Michael Boulware (SS), Ken Hamlin (FS), Oliver Celestin, Mike Green (FS)
QB: Chris Simms started at
quarterback and led them to a field goal followed by a pair of three-and-outs. In
three series, Simms was just 2-of-7 for 27 yards and was sacked twice. Tim
Rattay took the field on the Bucs first drive of the second quarter. His first
drive ended in a punt and his other series, in the second half, ended when he
was intercepted by Deke Cooper at the
RB: Earnest
Graham got the starting nod on Saturday as Cadillac Williams sat this one out.
Graham alternated with Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott as he played the first
half. Graham finished with 28 yards on six carries. He also caught two balls
for 14 yards. Mike Alstott had 14 yards on two carries. Pittman ran once for
two yards. Carey Davis played throughout the second half running eight times
for 13 yards. He also had one catch for 10 yards, but lost a fumble. Derek
Watson did not play as he continues to be limited with an ankle injury.
WR: Edell Shepherd led the Bucs
receivers with three receptions for 93 yards including a 48-yard TD late in the
game. Rookie Maurice Stovall continues to make plays in the preseason, this
time catching a ball for 36 yards. Chas Gessner caught one for 18 yards and
Michael Clayton and Parris Warren each hauled in a 14-yard reception. J.R.
Russell caught two balls for 13 yards and Ike Hilliard one for 13 yards. Russell
drew praise from Gruden earlier in the week for his downfield blocking during
practice, but he was also slowed by turf toe forcing him to miss a couple of
practices. Joey Galloway rested on Saturday and did not play.
Heading into the last two weeks of the preseason, David Boston may find
himself on the outside looking in when the team makes its final cuts.
TE: Alex
Smith did not catch a pass in Saturday’s game nor was he targeted, but he did
play. Anthony Becht remains the team’s starter, but Smith is expected to emerge
this year in a more prominent role, especially in the team’s red zone packages.
Rookie TE Tim Massaqoui caught one ball for 7 yards and Mark Anelli caught one
ball for 9 yards.
Defense: Blue
Special Teams: Kicker Matt Bryant was successful from 33 yards on his only field goal
attempt in the game against
Buccaneers
Depth Chart
QB Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski, Jay Fiedler (inj), Tim Rattay, Luke McCown (inj), Jared Allen
RB Cadillac Williams, Michael Pittman (3RB), Earnest Graham, Derek Watson
(inj), Carey Davis
FB Mike Alstott, Jerald Sowell, Rick Razzano, Robert Douglas
WR Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton, Ike Hilliard, Maurice Stovall, Mark Jones (KR),
Edell Shepherd, David Boston, Paris Warren, J.R. Russell, Chas Gessner, Ben
Nelson
TE Anthony Becht, Alex Smith, Dave
Moore, Tim Massaqoui, T.J. Williams (IR)
K Matt Bryant
DE Simeon Rice, Greg Spires, Dewayne White (DT), Julian Jenkins
DT Anthony
McFarland, Chris Hovan (NT), Ellis Wyms, Jon
Bradley, Anthony Bryant, Kevin Lewis
MLB Shelton Quarles, Barrett Ruud
OLB Derrick
Brooks (W), Ryan Nece (S), Jamie Winborn (S),
Marquis Cooper (S), Wesly Mallard (W), Jermaine Taylor (W), Charles
Bennett, Anthony Trucks
CB Ronde Barber, Brian Kelly, Juran Bolden, Torrie Cox, Alan Zemaitas, Justin
Phinisee, Dwight Ellick
S Jermaine Phillips (SS), Will Allen (FS)
(inj), Donte Nicholson (SS), Kalvin Pearson
(SS), Steve Cargile (SS), Eli Ward (FS), Blue Adams
QB: Billy Volek started against the
Broncos on Saturday night playing the first quarter and one drive in the second
quarter. He completed 6-of-9 passes for 70 yards with an interception. He led
the team on its only scoring drive – a Rob Bironas 41-yard field goal. Volek
completed four passes including: 18 yards to Chris Brown on a third and 14, 15
yards to Bo Scaife, 12 yards to Bobby Wade and 7 yards to Drew Bennett. His two
incompletions were targeting Roydell Williams. Volek gave way to rookie Vince
Young with the score 14-3. The next times the Titans scored it was 35-3 with
Young recovered his own fumble at the goal line after Broncos safety Hamza
Abdullah poked the ball loose following an 11-yard scramble. “It's been a while
since I've been hit like that,” said Young, who completed 11-of-19 passes for
125 yards and ran for 19 yards against the Broncos second- and third-string
defenses. Young had an interception negated by a penalty, too. He fumbled
twice, but recovered them both. “All I could say about tonight's performance is
I'm glad it was preseason,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “We've got a lot of
work to do. We played a really good team tonight and didn't do a good job of
matching up.”
RB: Chris
Brown started Saturday against
WR: Courtney Roby and Drew Bennett
started against the Broncos Saturday night. Roby caught two balls for 39 yards;
a 23-yard catch and a 16-yard catch while Bennett caught one ball for seven
yards. Roby was targeted seven times to Bennett’s one. Bobby Wade caught two
balls in the first half for 23 yards and was targeted three times. Brandon Jones
(knee) didn’t play, but he did return to practice last week. He worked
extensively in red zone drills last Thursday and HC Jeff Fisher said he’s
optimistic that Jones will play at some point in the preseason. David Givens
scheduled an MRI for his ailing hamstring. O.J. Small caught one ball for 22
yards and rookie Jonathan Orr caught two balls for 7 yards. Orr has been
impressive recently. “He's making a lot of plays,” HC Jeff Fisher said. “He's
getting his legs back underneath him now and the speed is coming back, so he's
running by people and making plays.” Orr may be on the verge of passing Tyrone
Calico on the depth chart. Calico has been sidelined by injuries – no surprise
there.
TE: Bo
Scaife started against the Broncos and caught two passes for 25 yards. Ben
Troupe caught two balls for 12 yards. Erron Kinney did not play and he remains out
for the immediate future following arthroscopic knee surgery a few weeks ago. Kinney
should return before the season opener. Greg Guenther has been slowed by a hip
flexor problem.
Defense: The Titans defense failed to
record a sack or force a turnover against the Broncos Saturday night. Keith
Bulluck paced the team with six tackles (
Special Teams: Kicker Rob Bironas was good from 41 yards on his
only field goal attempt and added a PAT in the game at
Titans
Depth Chart
QB Billy Volek, Vince Young, Matt Mauck, Cody Hodges
RB Chris Brown, LenDale
White (inj), Travis Henry, Jarrett Payton
FB Troy Fleming (inj), Ahmard Hall, Quinton
Ganther
WR Drew Bennett, David Givens (inj), Bobby Wade, Tyrone Calico (inj), Courtney Roby, Brandon
Jones (inj), Roydell Williams, Jonathan Orr, Sloan Thomas, Jason
Anderson, O.J. Small, Tramain Hall
TE Ben Troupe, Erron Kinney (inj), Bo Scaife, Greg
Guenther (inj), Jamie Petrowski, Ben Hall
K Rob Bironas
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, Travis LaBoy, Bo Schobel, Copeland Bryan, Sean Conover, Tim
Thompson, Garrett McIntyre, Antwan Odom (inj)
DT Albert Haynesworth, Randy Starks, Jesse Mahelona, Jared Clauss, Daleroy Stewart,
Marcus White, Wayne Dickens, Jeff Littlejohn, Chris Herring, Rien Long (inj)
MLB Peter Sirmon (M/S), Stephen Tulloch
OLB Keith Bulluck (W), David Thornton (S), Cody Spencer (W), Marcus Randall, Robert Reynolds (S/M), Jared
Newberry (S), Terna Nande, Spencer Toone
CB Pacman Jones, Reynaldo Hill, Andre Woolfolk, Rich Gardner, Michael Waddell (inj),
Cedric Holt
S Chris Hope (SS), Lamont Thompson (FS), Vincent Fuller (FS), Donnie Nickey (SS), Calvin
Lowry (SS), Cortland Finnegan (FS)
QB: Mark Brunell started and played
three series before leaving the game to Jason Campbell in the second quarter.
RB:
All thought that Ladell Betts would be the
primary ball carrier if Portis remains sidelined went out the door this week
when
WR: Antwaan Randle El made a couple
of nice plays catching two balls; one for 28 yards and the other for 14 yards.
Santana Moss started, was targeted twice, but failed to catch a pass. Reserve
Jimmy Farris led the team with five receptions and 65 yards. Steven Harris and
Mike Espy each caught one ball as did veterans James Thrash and David Patten.
Brandon Lloyd was limited to a game-time decision, as he’s been battling
through a hamstring sprain. “I listen to my body and catch it before it gets
bad,” Lloyd said. “I don't want any pulls, so I think sitting out a day is
worth more than sitting out three weeks with a pulled muscle.”
TE: The
Redskins started the game with a two-TE formation with Chris Cooley and
Christian Fauria in the lineup. Neither caught passes nor was targeted. Backup tight end Robert Johnson left the game in the third quarter after
he injured his left ankle; X-rays were negative. Buck Ortega caught a 30-yard
TD in the fourth quarter from Todd Collins, as he finished with two receptions
for 35 yards.
Defense: The first-team defense was left
holding their jockstraps when the Jets’ Brad Smith ran right through them on a
reverse for a 61-yard TD. Overall, the Redskins defense allowed 145 yards
rushing in the first half. LB Khary Campbell led the way with six solo tackles
as Andre Carter collected four tackles and Kenny Wright four tackles and a
sack. Safeties Adam Archuleta (2 tackles, 1 sack) and Sean Taylor (4 combined
tackles, 1 forced fumble) also contributed some big plays. Defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin left the
game in the first quarter with a sprained right knee. He was able to jog off
the field. HC Gibbs called it “just a bump -- nothing serious.” The team was
without corner
Special Teams: Kicker John Hall made two PATs in the game against the NY Jets. The team
is planning to use him only for placekicking this year and let someone else
handle kickoffs. HC Joe Gibbs noted, "I think John has had real good work.
As a matter of fact, he's healthy. I think our thing with John is to keep him
from overworking. I feel real comfortable with a veteran guy like that
around." Kicker Tyler Jones had a successful onside kick in the game, but
will probably not get the kickoff job. The more likely candidate appears to be
punter Derrick Frost. The primary returners, WR Antwaan Randle El and RB Ladell Betts did not have any returns in the
game. Rookie WR Mike Espy saw the most work, averaging 22.7 yards on
three kickoff returns, and returning a punt for no gain. DB Christian Morton
had a 23-yard kickoff return, and DT Cedric Killings returned one for nine
yards.
Redskins
Depth Chart
QB Mark Brunell, Jason
Campbell, Todd Collins
RB Clinton Portis (inj), Ladell Betts (3RB), T.J.
Duckett (SD), Rock Cartwright, Nehemiah Broughton (FB), Jesse Lumsden,
Joe Rubin, A.J. Harris
FB Mike Sellers, Manuel White
WR Santana Moss (PR), Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle El (KR/PR), David Patten, Jimmy
Farris, Andrae Thurman, Mike Espy, Richard Smith, Steven Harris
TE Chris
Cooley, Christian Fauria, Robert
Johnson, Jared Hicks, Buck Ortega, Dustin Denning, Brandon Sebald
K John Hall, Tyler Jones
DE Philip Daniels (inj), Andre Carter, Renaldo Wynn, Demetric
Evans, Manaia Brown
DT Cornelius
Griffin, Joe Salave'a, Cedric Killings, Ryan
Boschetti, Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston, Chris Mineo
MLB Lemar Marshall (S/W), Robert
McCune (S/M)
OLB Marcus Washington (S), Warrick Holdman (W),
Rocky McIntosh (W) (inj), Jeff Posey (S),
Khary Campbell (S/M), Kevin Simon, Spencer Havner (S)
CB Shawn Springs (inj), Carlos Rogers, Kenny Wright, Mike Rumph (inj), Ade Jimoh, Dmitri Patterson, Christian Morton, Julian Battle
S Sean Taylor (FS), Adam Archuleta (SS), Pierson Prioleau (SS), Antuan
Edwards (SS), Curry Burns (FS), Reed Doughty (SS), Bobby Godinez