Moving the Chains
A blog about the NFL by baltimoresun.com's Sheil Kapadia
Preseason performances
The most significant thing to come out of this preseason has probably been the Viva Viagra commercial. If you can watch that and not crack up, you're not human.
We all know the records are meaningless. Need proof? The Raiders went 4-1 in last year's preseason and were 2-14 in the regular season. The Colts meanwhile went 1-3 before a 12-4 regular season and a Super Bowl title.
But that doesn't mean the preseason is completely worthless. Consider that last year Tony Romo and Jay Cutler both started the season on the bench before taking over as starters for their respective teams -- the Cowboys and Broncos. Romo and Cutler were two of the top-three leading passers in last year's preseason.
With that being said, here's a look at some individual preseason performances. Some are meaningless, but perhaps others might be telling.
Meaningless: Lions reserve quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan leads the NFL with 500 passing yards. He's been in the league for six years and has never attempted a regular-season pass although O'Sullivan did have two carries for -2 yards in 2004 with the Packers. Somehow I don't see him breaking out this season with Detroit.
Maybe not: Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens leads the NFL with four passing touchdowns to go along with a quarterback rating of 112.3. Could he be the Romo/Cutler of this season and take over for Chad Pennington as the team's starter at some point? It certainly seems like a possibility.
Meaningless: Cardinals backup Kurt Warner leads all quarterbacks with a rating of 137.3. However, he's not seeing the field this season unless Matt Leinart goes down. Remember how good Warner was for that short stretch with the Rams? Check out these numbers from 1999: 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns, 13 interceptions.
Maybe not: Brady Quinn's been impressive so far for the Browns with a quarterback rating of 119.8. While Browns general manager Phil Savage told the News-Herald (Ohio) that Quinn will not start Cleveland's opener against the Steelers, that doesn't mean he won't start all season. Let's be honest -- Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson aren't exactly Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Meaningless: Raiders running back Adimchinobe Echemandu leads the league with 153 yards on the ground. How sweet would it be to hear an announcer have to call a play where current Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada runs the option with Echemandu in the backfield. I'd pay to hear it -- maybe only a dollar, but still. Anyway, Echemandu could make Oakland's roster and see time as a backup with Dominic Rhodes suspended for the first four games.
Maybe not: Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson has averaged 5.0 yards per carry in the preseason and rushed for 144 yards. It seems like several experts are picking Minnesota to be one of the league's worst teams this year, but I'm not so sure. They had the league's best run defense a year ago and have a solid offensive line. Do the question marks at quarterback and wide receiver scare me? Yes. But if Peterson and Chester Taylor can be a formidable one-two punch, I think Minnesota could surprise people.
Preseason performances
The most significant thing to come out of this preseason has probably been the Viva Viagra commercial. If you can watch that and not crack up, you're not human.
We all know the records are meaningless. Need proof? The Raiders went 4-1 in last year's preseason and were 2-14 in the regular season. The Colts meanwhile went 1-3 before a 12-4 regular season and a Super Bowl title.
But that doesn't mean the preseason is completely worthless. Consider that last year Tony Romo and Jay Cutler both started the season on the bench before taking over as starters for their respective teams -- the Cowboys and Broncos. Romo and Cutler were two of the top-three leading passers in last year's preseason.
With that being said, here's a look at some individual preseason performances. Some are meaningless, but perhaps others might be telling.
Meaningless: Lions reserve quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan leads the NFL with 500 passing yards. He's been in the league for six years and has never attempted a regular-season pass although O'Sullivan did have two carries for -2 yards in 2004 with the Packers. Somehow I don't see him breaking out this season with Detroit.
Maybe not: Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens leads the NFL with four passing touchdowns to go along with a quarterback rating of 112.3. Could he be the Romo/Cutler of this season and take over for Chad Pennington as the team's starter at some point? It certainly seems like a possibility.
Meaningless: Cardinals backup Kurt Warner leads all quarterbacks with a rating of 137.3. However, he's not seeing the field this season unless Matt Leinart goes down. Remember how good Warner was for that short stretch with the Rams? Check out these numbers from 1999: 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns, 13 interceptions.
Maybe not: Brady Quinn's been impressive so far for the Browns with a quarterback rating of 119.8. While Browns general manager Phil Savage told the News-Herald (Ohio) that Quinn will not start Cleveland's opener against the Steelers, that doesn't mean he won't start all season. Let's be honest -- Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson aren't exactly Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Meaningless: Raiders running back Adimchinobe Echemandu leads the league with 153 yards on the ground. How sweet would it be to hear an announcer have to call a play where current Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada runs the option with Echemandu in the backfield. I'd pay to hear it -- maybe only a dollar, but still. Anyway, Echemandu could make Oakland's roster and see time as a backup with Dominic Rhodes suspended for the first four games.
Maybe not: Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson has averaged 5.0 yards per carry in the preseason and rushed for 144 yards. It seems like several experts are picking Minnesota to be one of the league's worst teams this year, but I'm not so sure. They had the league's best run defense a year ago and have a solid offensive line. Do the question marks at quarterback and wide receiver scare me? Yes. But if Peterson and Chester Taylor can be a formidable one-two punch, I think Minnesota could surprise people.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:09 PM
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