Defining the 2012 Preseason: National Football Conference

With the regular season just a few days from opening, the question many fans around the country are asking is, ‘what do the results from this Preseason mean for my team over the next 17 weeks?’

The answer for each team is very different, so I can’t just make a generalization to deliver to everyone. Instead I will go team-by-team. Due to space I will only be able to dedicate a few sentences to each team so it is my job to provide as much useful, relevant information as possible in a short paragraph.

For each team there are two records in parenthesis. The first is that team’s 2012 Preseason record. The second is my prediction for their record at the end of the 2012 Regular Season.

Yesterday, I covered the AFC. Today my focus shifts to the NFC.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (3-1, 9-7)

Dallas truly is the San Diego Chargers of the NFC. The only loss the Cowboys suffered this Preseason was, in fact, to the Chargers. The 3-1 record is a bit less impressive because their wins came against Oakland, St. Louis and Miami. This season is about waiting for December in Dallas.

New York Giants (2-2, 8-8)

The Giants are a good team, and despite the .500 Preseason, they outscored their opponents by 22 points. My prediction has nothing to do with disrespect for the team. The NFC East is likely going to be more competitive this year than it has been since the 2007 season. Also, the Giants show up in the postseason, but the Regular Season has not been their strength in a while. We’ll see if that changes this year.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-0, 11-5)

The Eagles were one of two teams in the NFL that went undefeated in the Preseason. There isn’t much more to say other than that this is a very talented team. Will they mesh better than last year? I think they will, but some aren’t so sure. We will find out soon enough.

Washington Redskins (3-1, 7-9)

Only three teams held their opponents to fewer points this Preseason – the Seahawks (44), the 49ers (53) and the Giants (58). Washington’s one defensive hiccup came against the Bears, and the defense looked particularly atrocious during that game. It will be interesting to see how the first team defense plays over the course of the whole Regular Season. Meanwhile, the offense looks much improved over last year. This team is certainly in contention for the postseason; I just don’t see it happening out of this division.

NFC North

Chicago Bears (3-1, 9-7)

The Bears defense was not all that impressive this Preseason, but other than a single hiccup against the Broncos in the Preseason opener, their offense was very good. Still, despite the 3-1 record, the Bears were outscored by 15 points this August. The Packers were able to win this division with a great offense and terrible defense last year. I don’t think that combination will fly this year.

Detroit Lions (2-2, 11-5)

The Lions had a very easy road this Preseason. Their only game against a team with a winning record in 2011 was their 27-12 victory in Baltimore. Their backups beat Buffalo but both Oakland and Cleveland beat Detroit when their starters got playing time. The Lions had a rough off-season, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. This is one team I am second-guessing my confidence in.

Green Bay Packers (2-2, 13-3)

Aaron Rodgers actually ran for more touchdowns than he threw for this Preseason. Outside of giving up 35 points to Cleveland, this defense looks much better than they did last year. I also am not worried about the offense. Rodgers can run this offense and if the defense continues to play well, 13 wins is definitely a possibility. However, 11 or 12 victories might be more likely.

Minnesota Vikings (1-3, 7-9)

Minnesota had a touch Preseason schedule. They crushed Buffalo in a game that could have been much closer. The Vikings losses came to San Francisco, San Diego and Houston, all of whom are team that should be playing in January this year. Minnesota has a very strong team this year, no doubt. But this division might not be conducive to a highly successful season.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons (1-3, 11-5)

I am not so much worried about their loss to Jacksonville; they were expected to win against Miami so that game didn’t impress me. Baltimore beat Atlanta by 14 and the Bengals won by 5. It is difficult to read too much into this Preseason for Atlanta. Matt Ryan actually played very well this preseason. It was mainly the backups who didn’t do so well. I still believe this is an 11-win team, but uncertainty is certainly understandable.

Carolina Panthers (2-2, 8-8)

The Panthers won the games they were supposed to – against the Dolphins and the Jets – and lost to Houston and Pittsburgh. Their loss to Houston was the only game they played where the difference was more than a touchdown. This will be a fun team to watch. It really is just a question of how many games they can get the job done in. But if there is any team that I projected to miss the playoffs that can prove me wrong, Carolina is probably the most likely.

New Orleans Saints (2-3, 9-7)

The Saints three losses came to New England (by one point), Jacksonville (by 3) and Tennessee (by 4). They also beat Arizona and Houston by seven points each. This team might play in more close games than any other team this year. Some people are really upset over the whole bounty thing that came out over the off-season, but it seems more people will be pulling for this team, and I am one of them. We’ll just have to let this season play out.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2, 5-11)

The Bucs offense was very inconsistent and Josh Freeman still isn’t back to the way he played two years ago. I like what Greg Schiano is doing down in Tampa, but I’m not sold on this team.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals (1-4, 5-11)

The quarterback battle was fought between John Skelton and Kevin Kolb. Skelton won the job to start the Regular Season, but honestly I was more impressed with Richard Bartel despite him only attempting around 20 passes this Preseason.

San Francisco 49ers (3-1, 12-4)

The 49ers played well, but weren’t overly impressive this Preseason. I honestly think 10 wins might be more attainable for San Francisco, especially with a big surprise likely to come out of this division.

Seattle Seahawks (4-0, 4-12)

Did Seattle play anyone I expect much of this season? No. But an undefeated record is tough to ignore. They won their first game by 10 points; they won their second game by 20; then they won game three by 30. The closed the Preseason out with an 18-point win over Oakland. If you have this team’s defense for Fantasy Football, you should be rejoicing. Their offense isn’t bad either. Matt Flynn won’t be their starter, but it’s not because he has underperformed; the team is just that impressed with Russell Wilson, for good reason. I have to rescind my prediction for their season. I actually fully expect this team to make the postseason. It’s just a matter of whether it will be as a wild card or a division winner.

St. Louis Rams (2-2, 5-11)

Sam Bradford appears to be fully recovered from last year and will be a big help to this team in 2012. But I’m still not sold on the Rams. I was not happy when Steve Spagnuolo was let go from the Rams, but Fisher is more than qualified to replace him and I no longer think it was a bone-headed move, though I do find it funny that Fisher now coaches the team that handed him a loss in his only Super Bowl appearance to date. It may be a year or so before he can turn this ship around, though.

Tomorrow I will publish my predictions for the first week of the 2012 Regular Season. Check back then. Thanks for reading!

Defining the 2012 Preseason: American Football Conference

With the regular season just a few days from opening, the question many fans around the country are asking is, ‘what do the results from this Preseason mean for my team over the next 17 weeks?’

The answer for each team is very different, so I can’t just make a generalization to deliver to everyone. Instead I will go team-by-team. Due to space I will only be able to dedicate a few sentences to each team so it is my job to provide as much useful, relevant information as possible in a short paragraph.

For each team there are two records in parenthesis. The first is that team’s 2012 Preseason record. The second is my prediction for their record at the end of the 2012 Regular Season.

Today, I am focusing on the AFC. Tomorrow I will do the same for the NFC.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills (0-4, 7-9)

The winless Preseason might have been more telling about the Bills than either of the other two winless teams this August. This team is already a big question, and earning no wins shows a serious lack of depth. My initial prediction was probably a bit high. This team might only win four or five games in 2012.

Miami Dolphins (0-4, 7-9)

It is more difficult to blame Miami’s Preseason woes on a lack of depth. It is just as likely that they were severely distracted. When the Jets were featured on Hard Knocks, they went 2-2 in the Preseason, but both wins were squeakers. Nevertheless, they went on to a have an 11-5 regular season. I am not sure that’s how Miami’s season will turn out, but you never know.

New England Patriots (1-3, 15-1)

I am now finding it easier to justify handing a couple more losses to New England this year, but I still think they will run away with the conference. New England’s defense is still weak, and their bench is not very deep. But their starting offense is still a top-3 threat in the league. Their backups were just that bad.

New York Jets (0-4, 6-10)

New York’s Preseason was… bizarre. They scored 21 points in their first three games – ALL ON FIELD GOALS. They knocked in two against Cincinnati, one against the Giants, and four against the Panthers. They opened the scoring against the Eagles with a touchdown pass by Greg McElroy before hitting an 8^th field goal in a 28-10 loss in Philadelphia. The last time a team went three full Preseason games before punching it into the end zone was the 1977 Atlanta Falcons. That team went 7-7 only because they allowed the fewest points ever in a 14-game season. I don’t think the Jets’ defense is good enough to give them seven wins in a 16-game season.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens (2-2, 12-4)

I don’t think a .500 Preseason is at all dooming for the Ravens, considering they outscored their opponents by 16 points. They lost by a lot to a very good Lions team and though the Rams beat them by two touchdowns, that game was the Preseason finale and it was all backups. They beat the Falcons 31-17 and the Jaguars 48-17 in weeks 1 & 3 respectively. Baltimore has nothing to worry about and 12 wins is still very much in their court.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-2, 5-11)

Cincinnati beat the Jets (not surprising) and the Falcons (very surprising to me). They then lost to the Packers and the Colts, two games they have every excuse in the world to lose. I’m on the fence with this team. They aren’t a terrible group, but I don’t think they are as good as they were last season. I’ll stick with 5 wins for this bunch.

Cleveland Browns (2-2, 3-13)

The Browns played all four Preseason games against NFC opponents. They beat two of what I consider the strongest teams in the division in their first two games – Detroit, 19-17, and Green Bay, 35-10. They came back to earth with losses to the Eagles and Bears (still strong teams, but I don’t think as strong) in weeks 3 and 4. Again, it is just Preseason, but I look at those two wins and see that this team has some fight. Will they win more than the three I project them to? They might, they might not. But even if they don’t, this team could be a part of a lot of exciting, close games this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1, 12-4)

The Steelers lost just once this Preseason, a 24-23 nail biter to the Eagles in their first game. They then beat Indianapolis by two, crushed the Bills, and beat the Panthers 17-16. I still believe this team will challenge for the AFC North title, but I did not see anything this Preseason that makes me think they can run away with it.

AFC South

Houston Texans (3-1, 12-4)

Houston is a good team, and they now have experience as a contender. With Matt Schaub this team rolled over the Panthers and 49ers before losing by 7 points to Drew Brees and the Saints. The Texans backups then edged the Vikings. This team is still a favorite to win this division, and if Schaub stays healthy, I have no doubt they will do so.

Indianapolis Colts (2-2, 7-9)

I feel more confident in the Colts after this preseason, but I still think playoffs are out of the question for them. An 8^th win, however, is a possibility. This team might be just two or three years out from returning to postseason, and maybe even Super Bowl, contention. Andrew Luck could have a really big year.

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1, 5-11)

The Jaguars actually did pretty well this Preseason, and having Maurice Jones-Drew back from his holdout helps a lot. MJD will not start in the first game of the season, but he most likely will from then on. The problem with Jacksonville is that, despite their three Preseason wins, they were outscored by a combined 17 points over their four games.

Tennessee Titans (3-1, 5-11)

The Titans defense gave up less than 17 points/game this preseason, which could be what saves them this season. Their offense is ok, and, if he can stay healthy for once, Kenny Britt will be a huge asset for them after he serves his one-game suspension.

AFC West

Denver Broncos (2-2, 10-6)

Denver’s defense may not be quite as good as it was last year, but it is still up there, and hopefully as Peyton Manning continues to get more comfortable in his system their defense won’t have to be as good. Less pressure will likely lead to better play anyway. I still fully expect 10 wins from Denver. Also, Denver was the only team in the division to outscore their opponents over the course of the 2012 Preseason.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-3, 3-13)

The Chiefs opened the Preseason with a 10-point victory over Arizona but then lost by 14 to St. Louis, by 30 to Seattle, and by 21 to Green Bay. In all, the Chiefs were outscored by over 60 points over their four games. I have little more to say about Kansas City.

Oakland Raiders (1-3, 4-12)

Losing to Dallas? I can buy that. Losing to Seattle in a game started by backups? I can buy that, too. But losing to Arizona and winning against the Lions? The Raiders are a big question mark for me.

San Diego Chargers (3-1, 10-6)

San Diego beat Green Bay, Dallas and Minnesota. Their only hiccup was a 35-3 shellacking handed to their backups by San Francisco’s backups. I still hesitate to give more than 10 wins to the Chargers because their problem hasn’t been August – it’s been December. But this team is doing something right and if they play their cards right during the season, they could be contending for a first round bye in the playoffs.

Remember, tomorrow’s post will be just like today’s, but covering the NFC teams. I will make my week 1 predictions in Tuesday’s post. Wednesday I will publish my Season Opener preview before I go on-air with the rest of The All-Sports Crew on WMUC Sports Radio in College Park. Be sure to read and listen. Thank you and happy Labor Day!

2012 Preseason Transactions

Preseason is an opportunity for players to prove, in game, that they are worth keeping on teams’ 53-man rosters. But not all players will make it. Some just aren’t good enough; others have contracts that are too expensive. In either case, while roughly 1700 players will get through the Preseason and keep their spot on their teams’ rosters afterwards, hundreds more have nothing but disappointment once Preseason ends.

Here is my list of what I considered to be high profile, or just eye-catching, transactions from this Preseason:

·      The Patriots cut WR Deion Branch as the team tries to stay young.

·      Former Rams and Redskins safety O.J. Atogwe was cut by the Eagles. They already have a strong secondary and didn’t feel the need to keep him around.

·      The Redskins released HB Tim Hightower. Until an injury cut his season short, he was the starting back for Washington in 2011, and was doing a great job in the spot. But rookies Roy Helu Jr. and Evan Royster used the opportunity to prove their worth to the team. Rookie HB Alfred Morris did a great job this preseason and the Redskins don’t need four backs on the roster.

·      The Dolphins cut Chad Johnson shortly after reports emerged that he had been in a physical altercation with his wife. He hasn’t been picked up by another team yet and there haven’t been reports of interest so far.

·      John Kasey was cut by the Saint, joining several other kickers who were released following battles for starting positions. The Redskins released both Graham Gano and Neil Rackers in favor of Billy Cundiff, who had just been released by the Ravens, and the Chargers cut Nick Novak.

·      Curtis Painter, who started a handful of games for the Colts in 2011, did not make the cut in Baltimore.

·      Seneca Wallace didn’t make it in Cleveland, meaning that if things down pan out for Brandon Weeden, the quarterback job will go right back to Colt McCoy.

·      The Jaguars released Jordan Palmer. Not really a high-profile move, but it is the younger brother of Carson Palmer, so I thought it was worth noting.

·      The Colts let HB Deji Karim go. Another not so high profile move, but Karim had a few pretty solid games for the Jaguars a year or two ago.

·      Former Redskin Rock Cartwright did not make it at a fullback in San Francisco.

·      One other move that surprised me in Washington, WR Anthony Armstrong was cut, too. I knew the Skins had a surplus of receivers – they also cut Terrance Austin – but Armstrong had done a good job in D.C. Maybe it just means that RGIII has much better chemistry with the other guys on the roster.

Keep an eye out for more posts over the next few days leading up to the first game of the 2012 Regular Season. I appreciate all of you reading.

Pre-Season Week 4 Look-back

Wow. “It’s about time” is all I can say about the Preseason finally ending. We had three games on Wednesday and 13 more yesterday and now week 4 of the 2012 preseason is in the books, figuratively. We can actually just throw that chapter out because now each team’s slate is wiped clean and games start counting next Wednesday when the Giants host the Cowboys.

Two teams probably would like if that weren’t the case, however. Philadelphia and Seattle both finished with 4-0 records in the Preseason. Conversely, the Dolphins, Bills and Jets all finished winless; in fact, the three AFC East teams were the only teams in the NFL to finish the Preseason without a victory. The Patriots won just one game.

Because this week of the Preseason featured very few expected Regular Season starters, I am not going to dive into any analysis on the 16 games played over the past couple days. Instead I will end today’s post here.

I will be publishing a new post each day leading up to next Wednesday’s season opener. Below is the schedule for those posts:

Saturday, Sept. 1 – 2012 Preseason Transactions

Sunday, Sept. 2 – Defining the 2012 Preseason - American Football Conference

Monday, Sept. 3 – Defining the 2012 Preseason - National Football Conference

Tuesday, Sept. 4 – 2012 NFL Predictions: Regular Season Week 1

Wednesday, Sept. 5 – NFL Preview: 2012 Season Opener

PROMOTION!!!

7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29 marked the start of my first ever radio show. The All-Sports Crew, made up of me and two of my good friends, airs weekly. All three of us are very knowledgeable about several sports, we had a ton of fun putting on our first show, and, according to several people, were fun to listen to. Find us on Facebook at The All-Sports Crew and share the page with all your friends. We keep the page updated with various sports news that catches our eyes, various score updates, and information on upcoming shows. The page also has information on options for tuning in to our shows. So check it out, spread the word, and enjoy three fresh voices to the sports commentary scene.

In addition to the above promotion, let me remind you that you can show your support for my blog by liking its Facebook Page and by following me on Twitter @PuffontheNFL.

Thanks for reading, everybody! I hope you all are as excited about the upcoming NFL Regular Season as I am.

5 Things You Need to Know – Pre-Season Week 4

This is the final week of the preseason, and also the final week of 5 Things You Need to Know. Next week, heading into the first week of the regular season, I will begin counting down 10 topics.

1.            Only 7 days left before the season starts!

Yes, the regular season starts next Wednesday, not Thursday, as is tradition. The 2012 Democratic National Convention is Thursday, September 6, so the season opener, featuring the Cowboys and Giants in an NFC East showdown in New York, was moved to a day earlier.

2.            NFL transactions’ effects on Fantasy Football

This week tends to be one of the busiest in terms of teams signing and releasing players, understandably. Teams must finalize their 53-man rosters before the week ends, leading to the releases of particularly desirable fantasy players. Don’t jump ship too early, though. I drafted Billy Cundiff as a backup kicker in my fantasy draft. The Ravens released him and I immediately dropped him and went after Justin Tucker. Lucky for me, no one went after Cundiff and when the Redskins released Graham Gano and Neil Rackers to pick up Cundiff, I was able to get him back. You may not be so lucky, so before you drop players like Chris Cooley just because they were released, wait to see what their next move it. Although, if you picked up Terrell Owens in the draft, you should feel safe dropping him now. Even if another team picks him up, he won’t contribute to your season.

3.            Bill Belichick may have lost his mind

The Patriots play the New York Giants this week in their preseason finale, and have announced that many of their starters will get significant playing team in the game. Week 4 of the preseason is traditionally a game where the backups play almost the entire game so the coaches can get one more look at them before making final decisions on who to keep and who to cut. If the Patriots already know for sure most of these decisions, that’s fantastic for them, but this is still a dangerous decision.

The Giants have a sense of pride about playing the Patriots, and no doubt that pride has been injected into the backups. As if the Giants players didn’t have enough reason to give it their best this week – trying to lock down roster spots and all – they get to do so against their hated rival from just outside Boston. Belichick is asking for one of his starters to get hurt. If this turns out the way I envision it, at least all this ridiculous talk about Belichick’s name being added to the Lombardi Trophy should come to an end.

4.            Week 4 starts Today!!

The Patriots game I referenced above is today at 7:00 p.m. and is the start of a slate of three games being played tonight. The Redskins host the Buccaneers in their preseason finale at 7:00 as well, and the Dolphins play in Dallas at 8:30. The other 13 games of this week will all be played tomorrow, beginning at 6:30 with the Falcons and the Jaguars and running all the way into the early morning Friday, as the Cardinals host the Broncos with an 11:00 p.m. EDT start.

5.            My new radio show kicks of Tonight!!

I will be on WMUC College Park Radio, 88.1 FM, with two of my friends tonight from 7-8 p.m. We have been talking with each other about sports for a couple years now and have decided to take it to the radio this year, and tonight will be our first show. If you live in the College Park area, you can tune in on the radio. If you don’t live in the area, go to WMUC Sports and click the big red ‘Listen Live’ button. It will open up in iTunes and you can listen that way right from your computer. While my expertise is undoubtedly pro football, we all bring different interests, knowledge, and opinions to the table and will be talking about a wide range of sports, which should make for an interesting show, especially once we shake out all the cobwebs tonight. So be sure to tune in!

Thank you, as always, for reading. Enjoy the final week of preseason action. I can’t wait to get to my regular season posts next week. And be sure listen to WMUC radio tonight from 7-8 p.m. Follow my Twitter page and Like my Facebook page by finding their respective buttons on the side of this page to keep track of various updates throughout the upcoming football season.

Pre-Season Week 3 Look-back

Between moving in for my third year of college and some other stuff, I’ve been kept very busy the past week or so, which is why I never published a Things You Need to Know post leading into the third week of the preseason. I will try to publish one for this upcoming week tomorrow.

The Packers notched their first win of the preseason, beating the Bengals in Cincinnati on Thursday night. The Ravens and Titans won the other Thursday games, Baltimore blowing out Jacksonville at home and Tennessee edging the Cardinals by five points, also at home.

I missed most of the Friday action, which is a shame because there was a lot to miss. The Eagles are one game away from an undefeated preseason, while the Falcons got their first win this August while keeping the ‘Fins winless. Seattle is also undefeated in the preseason, with their latest victory a 44-14 humiliation of the Chiefs. Not much should be expected of Kansas City, but the Seahawks shouldn’t have taken them down that soundly.

The other two Friday games saw the Bears edge the Giants in New York and the Chargers stay unbeaten with a 12-10 win in Minnesota.

As a Redskins and a Colts fan, I’m sure you can imagine I thoroughly enjoyed their matchup on Sunday afternoon. RGIII bounced back nicely from an underwhelming performance against the Bears. Meanwhile Luck also played a great game, showing great presence and awareness. The shock for me was Rex Grossman going 8/8 for 127 yards and 2 scoring passes. Preseason or not, Colts backup defense or not, it was a shock to the system.

The other Saturday game saw the Saints host the Texans. The Saints got their second preseason win in four tries (they played in the Hall of Fame Game) in their 34-27 victory.

The third week was closed out on Sunday with the 49ers winning in Denver and the Panthers keeping the Jets winless by winning in New York.

For those of you in Maryland, especially around the College Park area, be sure to keep a look out for some posts on my blog’s Facebook and Twitter pages concerning an on-campus radio show I plan to do with a couple friends of mine. We have a meeting concerning the show this evening so hopefully we will be getting on air within the next week or two.

Thanks for reading, find me on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with my blog as I update it. I know my posts haven’t been the most interesting so far this preseason, mostly providing scores, but once the regular season rolls in and I can focus on starters without feeling like I need to mention backups and third stringers, these posts will get better.

Pre-Season Week 2 Look-back

We have reached the halfway point of the 2012 Pre-Season, but the Regular Season could not feel further away. Everybody loves the first couple games of the Pre-Season. But by this time we’ve seen all our teams’ players and are ready for the games to start counting. Maybe if the season ever expands to 18 games that will happen, but for now we have two more weeks to hunker down for before the chase for Super Bowl XLVII begins.

We had plenty of action this week, and the AFC North did well, winning three of their four games. It started on Thursday when both the Bengals and Browns won against teams that I have winning their respective divisions in the NFC. Cincinnati beat Atlanta by less than a touchdown, but the surprise was Cleveland’s 35-10 blowout win over Green Bay. Brandon Weeden did well, though he was fortunate to leave with no picks thrown after making a couple very poor decisions. The Packers’ biggest concern should probably be that their two leading rushers in the game were Aaron Rodgers (2 carries, 24 yards) and backup Quarterback Graham Harrell (3 carries, 23 yards).

All six games on Friday featured an NFC team taking on an AFC team, five of those games with the NFC team hosting. The NFC won four of the games, and three of their home games. Tennessee blew out the Buccaneers in Tampa and the Jaguars squeaked by the Saints in the Superdome for the only two AFC wins of the day.

Detroit played a great game in Baltimore, scoring 17 points in the second quarter behind a pair of touchdown passes by Matthew Stafford who went 12-17 for 184 yards. Five of those completions went to Calvin Johnson, who turned them into 111 yards and a score. The final in that game was 27-12 as Baltimore fell in the AFC’s only home game of the evening.

Carolina beat Miami at home and Minnesota got a home win against the Bills, but it was the late game that drew most of my attention on Friday. The Raiders didn’t have a very memorable game, though undrafted Wide Receiver Rod Streater did have a pretty good game. He only had 43 receiving yards, but they were on seven receptions. With Oakland’s other receivers struggling massively, he could be a fantasy dark horse. On the Cardinals’ side, Kevin Kolb looked terrible. John Skelton looked good, but he only threw three passes. He completed all three of them, one of them going for a touchdown, but Ken Whisenhunt pulled him out immediately after his third completion like he was scared something would happen that would ruin it, so it’s a bit early to jump on his fantasy bandwagon.

The Jets couldn’t wait to play the Giants, and they got that chance, and wasted it, on Saturday as the defending Super Bowl Champions got a 26-3 win as the Jets played as the home team. The Jets had been trying to make a case for being New York’s team over the past few seasons, and though this is only the Pre-Season, last year’s regular season win by the Giants, and of course the Giants Super Bowl XLVI win have pretty much skewered that notion.

The Redskins came back with a very impressive fourth quarter by Kirk Cousins, who you have to think has proven that he should move past Rex Grossman to #2 on Washington’s depth chart. It wasn’t quite enough as the Bears still got a 33-31 win at home, but it was something positive after RGIII struggled for most of the first half.

Houston won at home against San Francisco, but the 49ers shouldn’t be too worried yet. Only playing in one half, we can’t expect too much out of Alex Smith in the Pre-Season. The 49ers will be fine once their first team is playing entire games. Sam Bradford looked good in St. Louis’ win over Kansas City. He only threw nine passes but completed six of them for over 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Denver backed up their 31-3 week 1 win in Chicago with a 30-10 loss at home against the Seahawks, showing severe inconsistency. Manning looked good in his second outing, but did throw a pair of picks. His accuracy is mostly there, but he is still not 100% when trying to stretch the defense with downfield throws. Dallas’ first team offense still didn’t look very good this week. They scored 10 points in the first half, which isn’t terrible, but you hope for more. Their first team defense, however, looked great. After the team shut out the Raiders last week, the Cowboys’ first team defense blanked San Diego’s first team offense. The Chargers won the game thanks to 21 fourth quarter points.

Andrew Luck didn’t do great, but he didn’t do badly either. It is all a learning experience for the rookie quarterback. He threw his first interception and was sacked for the first time in his team’s visit to Pittsburgh, but there was plenty to like, too. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 175 yards. He also scored a touchdown on a triple option run.

Last night was the final game of the week as the Patriots hosted the Eagles. Tom Brady didn’t play at all – Belichick rested him and a few other players as last night’s game marked the start of a 3-game-in-10-day stretch. Michael Vick sustained a hit on his ribs that knocked him out of the game. It was the second week in a row he left with an injury, though the X-rays came back negative for the second straight time. The good news for the Eagles is that Nick Foles did well in backing up Vick, going 18-28 for 217 yards and a pair of scoring throws against the Patriots’ first team defense. The Eagles went on to win 27-17.

This week action begins on Thursday again, but the last games will be played on Sunday, so my next look-back will be next Monday. Tomorrow I will post this week’s Things You Need to Know, so keep a lookout for that. Thanks for reading everyone!

5 Things You Need to Know – Pre-Season Week 2

I’m going to try and stray from the obvious. There of course will be things I bring up in these posts that people already know, but hopefully for every reader there will be at least one or two topics I mention each week that are news to them. But I will stay away from common knowledge (e.g., Chad Johnson being arrested and then cut from the Dolphins is not in my list).

1.            Witten, Harrison Could be out for Season Opener

Two announcements were made concerning injuries that could keep two star players out of their teams’ season openers in a few weeks. Cowboys TE Jason Witten has a spleen injury that will likely keep him out for the rest of the pre-season and could carry past then, so if he is on your fantasy draft list, either bump him down or be prepared to draft another Tight End to use for the first week or so of the season.

Steelers LB James Harrison had knee surgery today. He has had some issues with his left knee for some time and the team felt it was important to have the procedure done now. According to NFL.com, Mike Tomlin called the surgery ‘minor,’ but didn’t say how long he will be out. Harrison is just one part of a very, very good defensive group, but is important nonetheless. I wouldn’t strain yourself grabbing a high-ranking backup defense to begin the fantasy season, but be prepared for slightly lower numbers for the first week or two. Hopefully your other players can pick up the slack.

2.            Ball with Synthetic Laces to be used this Week

If you have been on NFL.com, you may have already seen this story, and I will link to the story in just a moment, but for those who don’t feel like following it, here is the gist of the story.

High school and college football games use footballs with synthetic laces, while the NFL uses leather laces. The difference may not seem substantial, but the way a quarterback has the grip the ball and how he has to release the ball changes based on that material. For most of us, the difference isn’t significant, but at the professional level, where the best of the best reside, the difference most certainly is.

The NFL is calling it an experiment for this week of the preseason. Teams have the option of which ball to practice with, and also which to play with in the games (at the discretion of whichever offensive unit is on the field). Despite the voluntary nature of the ball’s use, many passers throughout the league have been complaining because they have experienced issues from using the synthetic laces and are concerned the NFL may be trying to make these balls used permanently.

NFL.com, Synthetic Laces Trial

3.            Maurice Jones-Drew Still not with Jaguars

MJD is still holding out from the Jaguars, and while he was probably the best running back in the game last year, fans are, rightly so, steadily moving him down their fantasy draft boards. Remember that Chris Johnson held out all the way until the start of the season last year. His stats last year? 300 fewer yards than he had in a poor 2010 effort, only 4 touchdown rushes, down from 14 in 2009 and 11 in 2010, and no receiving touchdowns, a first in his career. Hopefully the impact this holdout has on Jones-Drew won’t be as devastating, but without playing time in practice and games during this pre-season, he will be coming in well behind the curve at the start of the season.

4.            Green Bay Defense just cannot catch a Break

Two years ago the Packers had around 13 defensive players on IR by the time they played in, and won, Super Bowl XLV over the Steelers. Last year they had a few top defensive players lost to injury, finished dead last in the NFL in total defense, but went 15-1 in the regular season before dropping their divisional round playoff game to the Giants.

This year, trying to right the ship and better compliment their top-notch offense will not be easy, especially with Desmond Bishop suffering an injury, which will almost certainly be season-ending, in their pre-season opener against the Chargers. The best we can do is cross our fingers and hope no more bad luck comes their way.

5.            Saints Opening Day Coach still Unnamed

We have just three pre-season games left to play before the Saints host the Washington Redskins in the first week of the 2012 regular season. Joe Vitt is going to be the Saints’ head coach while Sean Payton serves his season-long suspension from the NFL, but Vitt has a 6-game suspension of his own to serve at the start of this regular season, and we still don’t know who will be coaching in his stead during those critical first seven weeks (their bye is in week 6).

Looking on ESPN.com today, they have three names that are at the top of their list: Aaron Kromer, the offensive line coach, Pete Carmichael, the offensive coordinator, and Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator. I won’t try and predict who will be coaching during the first several weeks, but while ESPN seems to think Kromer is the front-runner, I think it will be near suicide to not go with Spagnuolo. I think he did a great job in St. Louis considering what he had going in and the detrimental injuries his team sustained last season, most notably to Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson. The Rams may have upgraded, but so did the Saints, and with a much better team, I think Spagnuolo is the right man for the temporary job.

I will likely post a brief blog later this week/weekend about my thoughts on the Madden ’13 demo, which dropped yesterday. As for my NFL writing, I am done until next Tuesday. Thank you for reading and enjoy the second week of the pre-season!

Pre-Season Week 1 Look-back

I know we already had the Hall of Fame game, but I have never truly considered it a pre-season game, more like a pre- pre-season game. We finally got our fill with a full slate of NFL action this past weekend (Thursday-Monday), and it was very fulfilling, for me at least.

We got things kicked off with six games on Thursday, beginning with Robert Griffin III’s debut as the Redskins visited Buffalo (quick side note, I think the best thing the Redskins could have done and didn’t, when Nike took over uniform production, would have been to use it as an opportunity to put the classic ‘R’ back on their helmets). RGIII didn’t disappoint and made the most of his limited action, throwing the only touchdown of the game for either side while taking 14 snaps over three drives.

Baltimore beat Atlanta handily, but not before Julio Jones made all fantasy football players aware of his potential (6 catches, 100+ yards and a TD in just a quarter of playing time). The Patriots narrowly beat the Hall of Fame Game winners, the Saints, 7-6 as Brady wasn’t protected well and Brees just went 1-4 in his short outing.

Philly and Pittsburgh played a close one, with the Eagles taking a 24-23 victory at home. Green Bay struggled a bit against San Diego, losing 21-13. The Chargers had their own bad news, however, as Ryan Matthews went down with an injury that could keep him out past the season opener.

And, of course, Peyton Manning made his return to the field. He looked good, not great, but very solid as he only played in one drive, and drove the length of the field before a tipped pass was picked off near the goal line. Denver’s backups got the job done, though, and they handily beat the Bears in Chicago, 31-3.

Friday saw another six games played. Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow didn’t look terrible, but neither was able to get points up as Cincinnati won at home. Cleveland beat Detroit, 19-17, reminding us how silly it is to care about pre-season football; wins tend to mean a bit less when it’s your second and third string players who are better than the other team’s second and third stringers.

Jacksonville inched by the Giants, 32-31. Jordan Palmer, Carson’s younger brother, got a fair amount of playing time for the Jaguars. Tampa Bay beat the Dolphins soundly, shortly before Miami parted ways with Chad Johnson. Kansas City beat Arizona at home and the 49ers, also at home, earned a 17-6 victory over Minnesota.

The weekend saw a bit less action as the week wound down. The Texans beat Carolina, 26-13. Cam Newton was a little shaky throwing it in his pre-season opener, but he ripped off a 15-yard run on one of his two carries. The other Saturday game saw the newly swagged-out Seahawks notch a 10-point win over the Titans.

The only Sunday game saw the bottom two teams from the 2011 season, the Colts, who had the 1^st overall pick in the draft, and the Rams, who got several draft picks in trading their 2^nd overall pick to the Redskins. The Colts showed no mercy in their 38-3 blowout. Andrew Luck’s first pass went for a 63-yard touchdown, though it was only completed a few yards down field. The team would score touchdowns on three of his four drives as he went 10-16 with 188 yards and a pair of TDs.

Week 1 closed with a very different, 3-0 win by the Cowboys in Oakland. It is only pre-season, and kinks can be worked out, but neither team looked comfortable, or particularly good. I don’t want to analyze too prematurely, but both teams could be in for a long season based on what we saw from them and from the teams they will be facing in the regular season.

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cpuffnfl and follow me on Twitter @PuffontheNFL. Tomorrow I will post the coming week’s Top Things to Know and Pre-Season Week 2 will kick off Thursday with the Bengals playing in Atlanta and the Packers hosting the Browns.

Until then, thanks for reading!

2012 Preseason Week 1 Update

During the six months I took off from writing this blog I have been thinking of what I can do differently this year, or at least of something extra I can do with my blog. What I came up with is a weekly post, to be published every Wednesday, which outlines the top 10 most important things I believe you need to know heading into the upcoming week.

Some of these things could be news updates from around the league that I found interesting; some may be what to look out for during the upcoming week’s games. I may even included fantasy alerts, such as players who had breakout games the previous week who I think could have repeat performances, or who were one hit wonders, as well as other players who seemed to under-perform but could be poised to break out in the upcoming week. Just stay tuned to see what I include each week.

I would like to start today to get a feel for how I want to do this, and so you all can get an idea of whether this is a weekly post you think it is worth it for me to continue to write. I will only have five topics for this week.

5 Things You Need to Know

5.            Fantasy Football 2012

I’ll go ahead and start with a fantasy update, even though it doesn’t really mean much yet. The season is coming up soon and even though most drafts will not take place until near the end of the preseason, the next four weeks are an excellent opportunity to keep an eye on which players could do as well as they did last year and which ones may not perform up to the same level. Also keep a close eye on injuries to impact players that could hamper them all season so you know to avoid them during your league’s draft.

4.            Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III set for NFL debuts

Luck and Griffin III will get national spotlight attention as a part of the NFL for the first time since the 2012 NFL Draft. We can assume they will each get to play a couple series in their teams’ preseason openers.

The Redskins play in Buffalo Thursday at 7 p.m. The nation will get its first view of what RGIII can do against an NFL defense. We will also see whether Rex Grossman has made any improvement over the offseason and what kind of quarterback Kirk Cousins really is (everything I have heard is that he could be the next Matt Flynn, not that we know for sure what that means yet).

The Colts play their preseason opener at home against the Rams Sunday at 1:30 p.m. In addition to Luck, Colts fans hope to see a backup quarterback who the team can actually rely on if the need should present itself, as opposed to no one of note backing up Peyton Manning for the past decade.

3.            Green Bay Packers injury concerns

The Packers are in the news for two reasons this week. The concerning one is their injury situation. They will sit 11 players from their game in San Diego on Thursday, including Greg Jennings. None of the injuries seem to be particularly severe, but so many injuries before they’ve even played a game against another team has to have the team a little nervous heading into the season. It certainly makes me a bit nervous about my pick to have them in the Super Bowl.

2.            T.O. in Seattle

He still has to get through the preseason before he makes the final roster, but Terrell Owens is back in the NFL thanks to Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks. With reports coming out of Seattle that Matt Flynn has been doing very well, could Owens be just what the ‘Hawks need to make a push for a wild-card spot this postseason? I’m not convinced that Randy Moss will make a huge impact for the 49ers this year, so I’m definitely not feeling that T.O. will make too much noise in Seattle; but you never know until the season gets underway.

1.            First woman on the field during an NFL Game

Shannon Eastin will make history as the first woman to officiate an NFL game by doing so when the Packers take on the San Diego Chargers this Thursday evening. She will serve as the line judge for the game, which makes me slightly less nervous than I was to begin with, but my nervousness was for nothing as it was. Eastin is a six-time national judo champion who began training at the US Olympic Training Center when she was 11 years old, making her the youngest person to do so. She has also been a football official for nearly two decades, most recently in the MEAC, an FCS collegiate football division. The Green Bay/San Diego game will be on national television, and I will be flipping between that and the Redskins game Thursday night.

Hopefully this sort of post is worth writing. Any suggestions, either on how to improve this or even of better ideas for me to try out, are always welcome. Also, if you like the content I have in my blog posts, please help give my blog more attention by sharing posts on Facebook, or by ‘liking’ my blog’s Facebook page and suggesting the page to your friends as well. You can also follow me on Twitter, @PuffontheNFL. Enjoy the first week of the preseason. I will be back with another post soon, most likely next Tuesday, the day after the final game of the week.