Preseason week 1 from around the NFL

[SJ76]

Atlanta has O-line issues and the Bengals D looked stout.

49ers and the Broncos defenses looked good as well. San Fran has issues at WR due to injuries and AJ Jenkins had a rough game, but their RB's seemed to be pretty good without Frank Gore.

Seattle looked pretty solid, including Russell Wilson - who's #'s were not great, but he made some good plays and threw for 23 yards and ran for 9. They are 3 deep at QB in Seattle, loaded at RB, and look good on Defense.


Colin Kaepernick was 4/4 for 38 yards, 9.5 avg and a 106.2 rating.
Sam Bradford was 5/8 for 102 yards with 1 TD, 12.8 avg and a 145.8 rating.

Seattle Rookie Chirstine Michael, RB out of Texas A&M - drafted in the 2nd round by Seattle had a good game - 16 carries for 89 yards, with a 24 yard run. AND fellow rookie Spencer Ware, RB out of LSU who was drafted in the late 6th round by Seattle had 7 carries for 32 yards, inlcuding a 20 yard run and 6 yard TD. 5'10 228 bruiser with decent speed. He's listed at FB, but he will be a nice #3 RB for the Seawags.

Seemed the Rams WR's had some drop issues early and the RB's were average. Defense needs a pep talk as well, but questions on the O-line remain - as well as the offense overall.


It's week 1. But clearly, there are some teams ready to go out of the gate. I always have believed that it's not how you start, but how you finish. But the key is not to dig yourself a big hole out of the gate.

We shall see. :horn:

 

[bluepigpen]

Nice job SJ

 

[geneh_33]

Falcons looked like shit except for Matty Ice, who did throw 6-9 for 89 yds.

Everybody else looked like SHIT. Special teams looked like special olympics teams.

These guys had better get it together and I mean FAST. No excuses for no Superbowl this year.

I'm glad I got that off my chest. Thank you.

 

[geneh_33]

Atlanta has O-line issues and the Bengals D looked stout.

I sure hope the Bengals D is for real because they made us look like a bunch of shitheads out there.

You called it right, good short analysis.

 

[Clayton]

I might have to pick up Larod Stephens-Howling as a late round guy in Fantasy this year just in case the Steelers feature him.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Atlanta has O-line issues and the Bengals D looked stout.

49ers and the Broncos defenses looked good as well. San Fran has issues at WR due to injuries and AJ Jenkins had a rough game, but their RB's seemed to be pretty good without Frank Gore.

Seattle looked pretty solid, including Russell Wilson - who's #'s were not great, but he made some good plays and threw for 23 yards and ran for 9. They are 3 deep at QB in Seattle, loaded at RB, and look good on Defense.


Colin Kaepernick was 4/4 for 38 yards, 9.5 avg and a 106.2 rating.
Sam Bradford was 5/8 for 102 yards with 1 TD, 12.8 avg and a 145.8 rating.

Seattle Rookie Chirstine Michael, RB out of Texas A&M - drafted in the 2nd round by Seattle had a good game - 16 carries for 89 yards, with a 24 yard run. AND fellow rookie Spencer Ware, RB out of LSU who was drafted in the late 6th round by Seattle had 7 carries for 32 yards, inlcuding a 20 yard run and 6 yard TD. 5'10 228 bruiser with decent speed. He's listed at FB, but he will be a nice #3 RB for the Seawags.

Seemed the Rams WR's had some drop issues early and the RB's were average. Defense needs a pep talk as well, but questions on the O-line remain - as well as the offense overall.


It's week 1. But clearly, there are some teams ready to go out of the gate. I always have believed that it's not how you start, but how you finish. But the key is not to dig yourself a big hole out of the gate.

We shall see. :horn:

No mention of the Cardinals in your evaluation just the Hawks and 9ers. Very interesting. Are you writing them off like most people? Be careful....he, he, he.

 

[olskool]

Agree. Of all the team I watched in week 1 of pre season the Rams looked the LEAST prepared to go.

 

[bluepigpen]

I am prepared to see you go.

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

No mention of the Cardinals in your evaluation just the Hawks and 9ers. Very interesting. Are you writing them off like most people? Be careful....he, he, he.

The Cardinals will be much better this season if they can keep their RB's healthy ( which is the biggest question mark for your team ).

If the teams play like many think they will, the NFCW may be the toughest division in the NFL.

Who would've thought that just 3 seasons ago?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

The Cardinals will be much better this season if they can keep their RB's healthy ( which is the biggest question mark for your team ).

If the teams play like many think they will, the NFCW may be the toughest division in the NFL.

Who would've thought that just 3 seasons ago?

 

[fastforward]

I don't underestimate the Cardinals but they still look to be 1 of the weakest NFC teams. I don't see them winning many of their 12 NFC games. Their record this year probably won't reflect how good a team they have. If they were in the AFC I could see them at .500 or maybe even better.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I don't underestimate the Cardinals but they still look to be 1 of the weakest NFC teams. I don't see them winning many of their 12 NFC games. Their record this year probably won't reflect how good a team they have. If they were in the AFC I could see them at .500 or maybe even better.

A lot of people are saying that, but I have to ask, what are you basing your opinion on? This is a completely revamped team in the most crucial areas. So you can't look at there performance last year to determine what they are going to do this year.

-New GM
-New Coaching Staff
-New QB's
-New RB's
-Revamped O-line (Left Tackle back from injury last year, Acquired Eric Winston to play right tackle, drafted Cooper, the best guard in the draft)
-Added depth and youth to an already solid defense.

I am not saying they are a playoff team, I am just saying ranking them as one of the worst teams in the NFC is a bold statement considering the lack of Intel. Again, what are you basing your opinion on?

 

[fastforward]

If I were ranking NFC teams, and I guess I have to now, the 49ers and Seahawks would be at the top. The Packers and Falcons would be next. (That's 5 out of 12 potential losses right there). I also see the Bears as a wild-card contender, Beyond that i'd rate the whole NFC East, the Vikings, Lions, and the Rams as being better equipped to win than the Cardinals. I suspect the Saints will also be better than them. That only leaves the Buccaneers and the Panthers. Someone has to be at the back, but there's not much difference between 5 & 16. The Cardinals OL last year was shockingly bad. New players should help but there are no guarantees even with high 1st round picks, (you're talking to a Rams fan here - cough Jason Smith). I like Palmer at QB. I watched several Raiders games last year and he played better than people gave him credit for. That said he isn't mobile and he doesn't have great pocket awareness. I don't expect the Cardinals offense to have much success later in the year because teams will get a handle on them. There's a reason the Cardinals finished with a 1-11 stretch. On top of that I don't expect the Cardinals defense to be as good this year with the changes that have been made.

...but hey! It's pre-season, and every team is 10-6, or better, before the season starts. Good luck.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

If I were ranking NFC teams, and I guess I have to now, the 49ers and Seahawks would be at the top. The Packers and Falcons would be next. (That's 5 out of 12 potential losses right there). I also see the Bears as a wild-card contender, Beyond that i'd rate the whole NFC East, the Vikings, Lions, and the Rams as being better equipped to win than the Cardinals. I suspect the Saints will also be better than them. That only leaves the Buccaneers and the Panthers. Someone has to be at the back, but there's not much difference between 5 & 16. The Cardinals OL last year was shockingly bad. New players should help but there are no guarantees even with high 1st round picks, (you're talking to a Rams fan here - cough Jason Smith). I like Palmer at QB. I watched several Raiders games last year and he played better than people gave him credit for. That said he isn't mobile and he doesn't have great pocket awareness. I don't expect the Cardinals offense to have much success later in the year because teams will get a handle on them. There's a reason the Cardinals finished with a 1-11 stretch. On top of that I don't expect the Cardinals defense to be as good this year with the changes that have been made.

...but hey! It's pre-season, and every team is 10-6, or better, before the season starts. Good luck.

Fair enough. I still say there are too many new pieces to make any predictions on the Cardinals. We will agree to disagree on this one. And yes, I am probably being too optimistic because I am a passionate fan, but hell, aren't we all?

 

[RoboticDreams]

I think the Cards are a team to worry about, but only if Palmer can have a decent year.

All in all, the NFC west is the toughest division in football. The NFC south or north may have a beef but other than that, it's not close.

 

[shopson67]

I might have to pick up Larod Stephens-Howling as a late round guy in Fantasy this year just in case the Steelers feature him.

It would take a serious injury to Le'Veon Bell for that to happen. They are on the record as saying they don't want RB by committee, and all signs point to Bell being the bell-cow back.

 

[shopson67]

Agree. Of all the team I watched in week 1 of pre season the Rams looked the LEAST prepared to go.

The Rams are also the only team that added two new pieces that they are keeping under wraps in terms of new plays and formations (Cook and Austin). Seattle will be more or less the same as last year, especially with Harvin's injury. Likewise, the 49ers won't be much different other than Boldin subbing in for Crabtree. Arizona has a new QB and likely starting RB, but those aren't things you would necessarily hide in the preseason. Palmer and Mendenhall are known quantities.

 

[demiurge]

Eh, Week 1 Preseason means somewhere between squat and bubkous. But it was fun to see football again!

 

[Clayton]

It would take a serious injury to Le'Veon Bell for that to happen. They are on the record as saying they don't want RB by committee, and all signs point to Bell being the bell-cow back.

Which is why Ill be looking for him at the end of a Fantasy Draft. Bell is an unknown commodity and Ive seen plenty of that little guy when he was at Arizona.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

The Rams are also the only team that added two new pieces that they are keeping under wraps in terms of new plays and formations (Cook and Austin). Seattle will be more or less the same as last year, especially with Harvin's injury. Likewise, the 49ers won't be much different other than Boldin subbing in for Crabtree. Arizona has a new QB and likely starting RB, but those aren't things you would necessarily hide in the preseason. Palmer and Mendenhall are known quantities.

Arizona is going to be completely different from what you faced last year. The new QB and RB are obvious, but they have a revamped O-line and most importantly a new coaching staff and completely new offense. Bruce Arians offense is much different that what Palmer played in at Oakland so you can't even look at recent tape to get a solid read on him. Arians offense is more similar to what he played in Cincy, where he was a multi-year pro-bowler. In addition, The Cardinals only showed about 3 formations in their first preseason game which is less than half of what they will run in the regular season. I'm not making any predictions about the Cards just giving you some hometown insight.