Sorry that I didn't get a chance to cover the week two games as I had planned. We all know that the week three games are the most important anyway since most clubs use this game as their final dress rehearsal for the starters. Here is what I picked up from the games I was able to scout.

Colts VS Packers

Colts Starters

R. Mathis 98, D. Freeney 93 DE, D. Muir 90, F. Moala 95 DT

G. Brackett 58 MLB, C. Session 55 WLB, P. Wheeler 50 SLB

K. Hayden 26, J. Lacey 27 CB, A. Bethea 41 FS, B. Sanders 21 SS

Nickel /Dime

Muir, Moala, E. Foster 68 DT, Freeney, Mathis

Brackett, Session LB

Hayden, Lacey, D. Townsend 23 CB, Bethea, Sanders, M. Bullitt 33 S

Notes: The big news in this game was the injury to Brackett who had his hand sandwiched between a helmet and the ball carrier. Originally I thought it might be his wrist but the bottom line is that it didn't look good. The way he and the medical staff reacted I would expect that we will eventually learn that he broke something. That could mean a little time out of the lineup for Brackett. If it does, don't hesitate to leap on Pat Angerer. He took over for Brackett and the defense didn't miss a beat. Angerer was even making the calls in the huddle and stayed on the field in the nickel as well. He finished the game at 7-3. In typical Colts fashion, the DL saw a lot of substitutions. Keyunta Dawson saw time at end. Eric Foster and Antonio Johnson alternated in at tackle. I think I even saw Jerry Hughes get a couple of first team snaps at end. Mel Bullitt got a little work in the passing down packages. Bob Sanders was his usual kamikaze self. The difference being that he hasn't gotten hurt yet. If this guy can stay healthy for a full season he will have a big year. Good luck with that.

Packers Starters

B. Raji 90, M. Neal 96 DE

B. Poppinga 51, F. Zombo 47 OLB, N. Barnett 56, B. Chillar 54 ILB

T. Williams 38, C. Woodson 21, B. Underwood 33 CB, M. Burnett 42 SS, N. Collins 36 FS

Nickel/Dime

Raji, Neal DL

Poppinga, Zombo OLB, Chillar, Barnett ILB

Williams, Woodson, B. Underwood 33 CB, Burnett, Collins S

Notes: There were a lot of unusual names in the Packers starting lineup but don't read too much into it. This was a combination of several players being dinged up and the Colts opening and staying in and 3 WR set most of the game. That had the Packers nickel package on the field for much of the game. Clay Matthews, Brandon Jones, Cullen Jenkins and Al Harris all sat out with injuries but are expected to be ready for the opener. A.J. Hawk has a sore ankle but gives way to Chillar in the nickel anyway. Morgan Burnett was the one guy who really stood out. The more I see of this kid the better I like him. Barnett has reportedly been fighting swelling in his knee but showed no ill effects.

Saints VS Chargers

Saints Starters

A. Brown 96, W. Smith 91 DE, R. Ayodele 92, S. Ellis 98 DT

S. Shanle 58 SLB, J. Vilma 51 MLB, J. Casillas 52 WLB

J. Greer 33, R. Gay 20 CB, R. Harper 41 SS, M. Jenkins 27 FS

Nickel/Dime

McCray 93, Smith DE, A. Hargrove 69, J. Wilkerson 99 DT

Shanle, Vilma LB

Greer, Gay, P. Robinson 34 CB, Harper, Jenkins S

Notes: Vilma left this game with a groin injury that didn't look good at all. We will want to keep a close eye on his status. Tracy Porter was active but is dinged and didn't play. He'll be fine for week one. Shanle returned to action in week 2 and for the second straight game Jonathan Casillas has been on the sideline in passing situations. He still looks faster and quicker than Shanle but the veteran looked better at fighting through traffic. Hargrove replaced Ayodele on most of the nickel package snaps in this one and saw rotational playing time in the base defense. Alex Brown seemed to have more of a full time role early in the game but was largely because the game situations didn't call for much nickel over the first few series. He saw the vast majority of the action in the base defense while the first teams were playing. In the nickel package Bobby McCray replaces Brown, at end with Hargrove and Jimmy Wilkerson at the tackles. This hurts the stock of Ellis in tackle required leagues.

Chargers Starters

J. Cesair 74, L. Castillo 93 DE, O. Nwagbuo 91 NT

S. Phillips 95, L. English 52 OLB, S. Cooper 54, K. Burnett 99 ILB

A. Cason 20, Q. Jammer 23 CB, S. Gregory 28 SS, E. Weddle 32 FS

Nickel/Dime

A. Boone 70, T. Johnson 96

English, Phillips OLB, Cooper, Burnett ILB

Cason, Jammer, D. Strickland 30 CB, Gregory, Weddle S

Notes: For the second consecutive game Gregory got the start over Darrell Stuckey at SS. Gregory could put up decent numbers if he plays full time but it doesn't look god for Stuckey in the short term. Antonio Garay, Alfonso Boone and Travis Johnson were the linemen on the second series. I'm not sure if this is going to be a line change rotation situation or if the coaches just wanted to evaluate all their options against the same competition. Brandon Siler replaced Cooper at ILB for several snaps on the second series. In fact several players got a look against the Saints starters on the second series, including OLB Antwan Applewhite. Cooper returned and was in there with the starters the rest of the way.

Bills VS Bengals

Bills Starters

D. Edwards 98, M. Stroud 99 DE, T. Troup 96 NT

P. Posluszny 51, A. Davis 54 ILB, C. Kelsay 90, Chris Ellis 93 OLB

D. Whitner 20 SS, G. Wilson 37 FS, T. McGee 24, D. Florence 29 CB

Nickel/Dime

Edwards, Stroud DE, Troup, S. Johnson 91 DT

Poszlusny, B. Scott 43 ILB. Kelsay OLB/DE

Whitner, Wilson S, McGee, Florence, L. McKelvin 28 CB

Notes: Andra Davis seems to have won the starting job alongside Posluszny at ILB but we shouldn't get too excited about that as he's leaving the field on passing downs. The Bills lack the kind of athletes at OLB to make the scheme work. Most 3-4 clubs will replace one of their linemen with a DB in passing situations, and leave four linebackers on the field. Buffalo can't do that with their current personnel. So instead, their nickel package moves Kelsay up into a 4-3 end alignment with his hand down, replaces OLB Chris Ellis with CB Leodis McKelvin and Davis with Scott at ILB. In a nut shell, they are making so many situational changes that, with the exception of Posluszny, no one in the front seven is likely to help us. It was speculated that Whitner would move back to FS after Byrd was injured but he played SS in this game. George Wilson moved into the lineup at FS. Before you run out and overpay for Wilson based on last year's production, keep in mind that he is in a completely different defense this year and he's playing FS (he played SS last season). I still think he will out produce Whitner though.

Bengals Starters

J. Fanene 68, A. Odom 98 DE, D. Peko 94, P. Sims 90 DT

R. Maualuga 58 SLB, D. Jones 57 MLB, K. Rivers 55 WLB

J. Joseph 22, L. Hall 29 CB, C. Crocker 42 FS, K. Hebert 34 SS

Nickel/Dime

M. Johnson 93, Odom DE, G. Atkins 97, Fanene DT

B. Johnson 59, Jones

Joseph, Hall, A. Jones 24 CB, Crocker, Hebert S

Notes: The Bengals are running short on safeties. Gibril Wilson is done for the year. Roy Williams and Chinedum Ndukwe are dinged and sat out this game. That gave Hebert the start in this one. No real surprises here. Michael Johnson did not see action at SLB with the first defense but was all over Trent Edwards as a DE in the nickel package. Cincinnati started the second quarter with Maualuga at MLB, Brandon Jones at WLB and Johnson at SLB. They did the same thing last week as well. This may be the look of the future but it may be 2011 before we see it. Geno Atkins has shown a lot of ability as an inside pass rusher. If he can get on the field for some early downs he could put up good numbers. Odom didn't get to the QB but he looks pretty good. Ge could be a surprise if he can stay healthy.

Chiefs VS Eagles

Chiefs Starters

T. Jackson 94, G. Dorsey 72 DE, R. Edwards 95 NT

M. Vrabel 50, T. Hali 91 OLB, D. Williams 53, C. Mays 51 ILB

B. Flowers 24, C. Carr 39 CB, E. Berry 29 SS, J. McGraw 47 FS

Nickel/Dime

Dorsey, G. Wallace 92 DL

C. Sheffield 55, Hali, OLB, Vrabel, D. Johnson 96 ILB

Flowers, Carr, J. Arenas CB, Berry SS, McGraw FS

Notes: The battle at ILB continues. Williams and Mays started the first game, Johnson and Belcher the second. Williams and Mays were back in the saddle for game three and I have to believe they will stay there. Williams had a great game. He was aggressive, looked quick on his reaction time and finished the game with 5 tackles and a pair of sacks. The sacks are particularly promising since it was a lack of big plays that held his value in check last season. That is the good news for Williams owners. The bad news is that he is still leaving the field in passing situations with Johnson and Vrabel playing ILB. Rookie Cameron Sheffield replaced Andy Studebacker at OLB in the nickel, and Javier Arenas was working as the nickel corner this week. Jon McGraw seems to have settled in at the FS position and did not share time with the first unit in this game as he had earlier. Eric Berry made a few more nice plays and continues to look impressive.

Eagles Starters

B. Graham 54, T. Cole 58 DE, B. Bunkley 97, M. Patterson 98 DT

E. Sims 50 WLB, S. Bradley 55 MLB, A. Jordan 56 SLB

A. Samuel 22, E. Hobbs 31 CB, Q. Mikell SS, N. Allen FS

Nickel/Dime

Patterson, T. Laws 93 DT, Cole, Graham DE

S, Bradley, Sims

Samuel, Hobbs, J. Hanson CB, Mikell, Allen S

Notes: Juqua Parker sat this one out but that is not why Brandon Graham got the start. He has been running with the first team for a couple of weeks now. Adding to his rising stock, Graham is playing on all downs. The Eagles seem to have finally found their bookend to Trent Cole. Cole owners got a scare when he the game with an ankle injury. The MRI showed no structural damage but the injury could affect him early in the season. Surprisingly Daryl Tapp is getting no play. The Eagles went to the number two guys in the second quarter and it was Ricky Sapp and Daniel Te'o-Neshiem at the ends.

Since I am not going to have time to cover each game, let me just run through some quick notes that I picked up from other games.

Miami Dolphins
Channing Crowder sat out with a leg injury so Tim Dobbins got the start for Miami. Dobbins looked pretty good and may make a run at the starting job. Especially if Crowder doesn't return soon.

Atlanta Falcons
Mike Peterson and Sean Weatherspoon started at OLB for the Falcons. Peterson lined up at WLB most of the time but it was Weatherspoon on the field with Lofton in the nickel. Nicholson got some snaps as a rush end in the nickel and Jamaal Anderson got another start at DE ahead of Biermann (Anderson must have some compromising pictures of someone). Lawrence Sidbury looked pretty good and had a sack but he was playing against Miami's backups.

New England Patriots
Darius Butler and Devin McCourty were the starters at corner with Leigh Bodden seeing time as the nickel corner. This is somewhat of a surprise but it looks like it will be the norm. The rookie corner rule could be in force here. They keep listing Patrick Chung as the FS but that is not accurate. They are lining the safeties up more as right and left that strong and free. Chung is coming up in the box more often than Meriweather and seems to have the same responsibilities that Rodney Harrison once had in this scheme. If you don't remember, Harrison was very box score productive. Chung could be a top 5 safety. Guyton or safety James Sanders continued to replace Spikes in the nickel packages.

St. Louis Rams
James Hall was active but did not play and C.J. Ah You started at DE opposite Chris Long. Rookie Eugene Sims also got some snaps with the first defense. I don't think we should read much into this though. They know what Hall brings to the party and may just be resting the veteran. The Rams showed a couple of different looks on passing downs. On second and 9 in the first quarter they went with 6 DBs but moved SS Craig Dahl up into a linebacker position. Later in the same drive they used Bobby Carpenter with Laurinaitis in the nickel. The important point here being that Larry Grant is still a 2 down linebacker and it seems that it will stay that way.

Denver Broncos
Denver has been holding D.J. Williams out of some things over the past few weeks but he was in the lineup against the Steelers. Williams even led the club in tackles so all is obviously well. With the injury to Dumervil the Broncos are looking for someone to step up at OLB. Robert Ayers didn't do much as a rookie but he has looked very good over the past two weeks. He had a couple of sacks in this game and could be a very pleasant surprise. Mario Haggan has been moved back inside and started at ILB.

Detroit Lions
What may be the most important note from this game is that Deandre Levy left early with a groin injury. Hopefully he will be able to go week one but groin issues can be hard to get past. Keep an eye on this and consider the risk when week one rolls around. The Lions don't line up at strong and weak OLB but rather right and left. Zach Follett is working on the left which will be the weak side on the majority of plays. What we need to pay particular attention to here is the fact that Julian Peterson is staying on the field with Levy in the nickel. He had decent numbers last year as a two down LB who rushed the passer at times in the nickel, and could have surprising value for us this year as an every down LB. Especially if Levy is gimpy. Peterson led the club in tackles at 6-3 against Cleveland. Rookie Randy Phillips got the start at SS and looked pretty good. C.C. Brown is dinged up but if he doesn't get back on the field soon his starting job could be in jeopardy.

Cleveland Browns
Chris Gocong had just 1 tackle against the Lions but he is still the guy to have until Jackson returns. Gocong and David Bowens lined up on the inside when Cleveland went to their nickel personnel. The Browns are among several clubs who line their safeties up as right and left. T.J. Ward is working on the left which is most often the FS position but may still be able to put up good numbers considering the situation. The Lions ran through them like water through a screen.

New York Giants
Not only is Keith Bulluck not starting at MLB, he didn't start at all against the Ravens. Bulluck was healthy enough to play in this game but the starters were Jonathan Goff at middle, Michael Boley at weak and Clint Sintim on the strong side, with Boley and Goff as the nickel linebackers. Bulluck did however, see time at WLB in the second quarter when both teams were still playing their starters. With Bulluck on the field Boley shifted over to the strong side. That could be a bad sign for Boley owners. It's very noteworthy that the Giant's didn't start Osi Umenyiora or Kenny Phillips either. Mathias Kiwanuka started at end opposite Tuck but was not very impressive. Deon Grant started at SS and was unimpressive as well. Phillips and Umenyiora also got on the field in the second quarter so who knows what is really going on here. We may not know until week 1.

Baltimore Ravens
There are a couple of interesting happenings in Baltimore. Jameel McClain seems to have claimed the ILB spot next to Ray Lewis. He made his second consecutive start there against the Giants and has looked very good. Early favorite Dannelle Ellerbe has been invisible and Tavares Gooden has been making most of his impact on special teams. I still expect the Ravens to draft a linebacker early next year to be Lewis's replacement but McClain could be worth a gamble. He might even be a decent backup for us this year. Lewis sat out after the first quarter of this game and was shown sitting with an ice pack on his knee talking to the trainer. It didn't seem to be a serious issue though.

That is all I have time for this week. I'll be back with the week one edition of the EOTG next Wednesday. Can't wait to finally play some games for real. Best of luck to you!

Questions, suggestions and comments are always welcome to norton@footballguys.com.