Many people dismiss NFL preseason games as boring and irrelevant. I for one don’t see it that way and am really looking forward to games starting with the Hall of Fame game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings next Monday morning.
Here are just some of the reasons why.
Football is back
It’s been six long months since that famous finish to the Super Bowl in February. Since then we have had Free Agency, the NFL Draft, “Deflategate”, Fantasy Drafts, the Canadian Football League and all the prognostication in the world to keep us busy. Nothing beats actual football and while pre-season games lack the names and intensity of the regular season, its better than nothing.
Rookie Watch
One of the most exciting things about preseason games is that it is our first chance to see the rookies that we have been speculating about all off-season actually play.
Will Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota be able to lift their respective teams out of the cellar in the rookie seasons? With the Titans and Buccaneers matching up in Week 1, one of these two will start their career with a victory, the pre-season will provide a good indication the their progress made to date in a pro system.
Wide Receiver is a position of rookie depth this season. Amari Cooper looks to be a star from day 1, while Nelson Agholor, Kevin White, Devante Parker, Breshad Perriman and Dorial Green-Beckham will see significant targets, pending fitness and attitude at training camp.
Melvin Gordon’s impact on the San Diego Chargers will go a long way to determining their fate this season, whilst Todd Gurley shoudl have a similar impact in St. Louis if he can completely get past his knee injury. T.J Yeldon, Ameer Abdullah, Tevin Colman, Buck Allen, David Johnson and David Cobb also figure to be a big part of their team’s offense this season.
And that is just the offensive skill positions.
Positional battles
It’s not just the rookies that are fighting for positions in the preseason. A number of positional battles will be waged through training camp and the pre-season games, a few of these are:-
– Buffalo Bills QB: the one piece the Bills need to get right to be a contender. Matt Cassel, E.J Manuel and Tyrod Taylor are all going for the position. Cassel wins it for mine but how long he lasts is anyone’s guess.
– Cleveland Browns QB: Josh Mc Cown is slated to be the starter, however he is the safe pick and won’t get them far. They need to know what they have in 2014 first round pick Johnny Manziel.
– Detroit Lions RB: When Reggie Bush left the Lions, Joique Bell looked to have the inside running on being the starter in 2015. All that changed when Ameer Abdullah was drafted out of Nebraska in the 2nd round. Early reports out of training camp suggest Abdullah will be the man.
Seeing my team in action
It’s been an off season of change in Philadelphia. All eyes will be on Quarterback Sam Bradford as he battles his way back from two season ending knee injuries, and how he develops an understanding with his receivers, in particular Jordan Matthews. Reports from the early days of training camp indicate all is going extremely well.
On the defensive side of the ball, the linebacking and outside back structure will be of interest to watch. The fitness of Kiko Alonso, the impact of Byron Maxwell at the corner and Walter Thurmond in the safeties are three things to look for.
Having said all that, coach Chip Kelly will not show his hand too early. To get through the preseason healthy is the main objective for the Eagles.
Fantasy watch
With many fantasy drafts coming up, all owners will be looking for that diamond in the rough, someone they can draft in a later round or maybe keep their eye on for a waiver wire pick up down the track. They will of course also be watching the rookies and positional battles discussed above.
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