~ Click here to Go pro with our Footballguys Insider pro: only $32. 95 for our remaining Training Camp Updates, our $35,000 Subscriber Contest & all our website content through the 2016 Super Bowl ~
|
|  Yüklə 1.16 Mb.
|
WR: The Bears faced the Bengals without their top three receivers as Alshon Jeffery was joined on the sidelines by Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson. The Bears have not released any new injury information on Jeffery, but most are optimistic he will play in the opener. Royal has possibly been the MVP of training camp, but he sat out the game to rest a minor hip injury and Wilson sat out with a hamstring injury. As a result, the Bears were forced to rely heavily on unproven targets like Josh Bellamy and Rashad Lawrence. It’s obviously crucial that the Bears get players like Jeffery and Royal back into the lineup, as there doesn’t appear to be much quality depth at the position. TE: With an offensive line offering little protection and wide receivers he didn’t know or trust very well, Jay Cutler looked to his most reliable target in Martellus Bennett. Bennett played 32 snaps and finished with 7 catches, suggesting that he once again will be a very valuable fantasy option this year. Zach Miller got the start in a 2-TE formation, but only saw 7 snaps and was not targeted. Dante Rosario saw more extensive playing time, but was held without a catch on his only target. Defense: The Bears first string defense had a rough start to the game as they could not get off the field on a 16-play, 82-yard touchdown drive that was capped off with a 4th down goal line plunge by quarterback Andy Dalton. After a successful stop on the second drive, the Bengals put together two more touchdown drives to take a 21-0 lead. Up front, the team started rookie Eddie Goldman at nose tackle to try and get him ready for the season opener, and he looked good before he was forced out with a concussion. Jeremiah Ratliff also left the game with an ankle injury, but he will have added time to heal given his 3-game suspension. Despite being undersized for the position, Will Sutton has had a strong camp and would likely be next in line for the job. At linebacker, Shea McClellin was once again very active as he led the team with 6 tackles and remains a sleeper for IDP leagues. Lamarr Houston hadn’t shown much coming into the game as he recovers from a torn ACL, but he had two sacks versus the Bengals and could team up with Jared Allen and Pernell McPhee to provide a potent pass rush. In the secondary, Alan Ball got the start at corner and apparently looked good enough for the team to cut ties with Tim Jennings on Sunday. Rookie Adrian Amos again got the start at safety, while Brock Vereen had a key missed tackle that led to a touchdown. OL: Left tackle Jermon Bushrod excused himself from practice this week, as his recurring back problem flared. With the other tackles not comporting themselves well, the team needs Bushrod in the lineup. Bushrod was in the lineup against the Bengals; he protected Jay Cutler well but was flagged for a holding penalty in the run game. Left guard Matt Slauson looked like a blocking sled against dynamic defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Center Will Montgomery has held off rookie Hroniss Grasu for the starting job. Right guard Kyle Long has been a stalwart but both right tackles – Charles Leno and Jordan Mills – struggled. Leno appears to have the lead over Jordan Mills going into the season in spite of the fact Leno gave up an ugly sack to Carlos Dunlap. Even third team tackle Bobby Hart is being given a look at the position. Overall the Bears’ offensive line continues to grade as a low-tier unit. Bears Depth Chart QB: Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen, David Fales, Zach Dysert RB: Matt Forte, Jacquizz Rodgers, Jeremy Langford, Ka′Deem Carey, Senorise Perry (IR) WR: Alshon Jeffery (inj), Eddie Royal, Marquess Wilson (inj), Kevin White (PUP), Rashad Lawrence, Marc Mariani (KR/PR), Joshua Bellamy, Cameron Meredith, Ify Omodu TE: Martellus Bennett, Dante Rosario, Zach Miller, Blake Annen, Bear Pascoe LT: Jermon Bushrod LG: Matt Slauson, Michael Ola C: Will Montgomery, Hroniss Grasu RG: Kyle Long, Vladimir Ducasse RT: Charles Leno, Jordan Mills K: Robbie Gould NT: Eddie Goldman (inj), Will Sutton, Terry Williams DE: Jarvis Jenkins, Jeremiah Ratliff (susp), Ego Ferguson, Cornelius Washington, Brandon Dunn, Jamil Merrell ILB: Shea McClellin , Christian Jones, Mason Foster, Jonathan Bostic, Jonathan Brown, John Timu OLB: Pernell McPhee, Jared Allen, Sam Acho, Lamarr Houston, Willie Young, David Bass, Jonathan Anderson CB: Kyle Fuller, Alan Ball, Demontre Hurst, Sherrick McManis, Terrance Mitchell, Tracy Porter, Bryce Callahan, Jacoby Glenn, Qumain Black S: Antrel Rolle (FS), Adrian Amos (SS), Brock Vereen (FS), Anthony Walters, Anthony Jefferson, Sherrod Martin, Ryan Mundy (IR) Cincinnati Bengals QB: After a nightmarish game last week, Andy Dalton recovered against the Bears first team defense to lead the team to a touchdown on the opening drive. He was 6-for-6 for 52 yards, added a third down scramble for a first down, and then capped the drive with a successful 1-yard sneak on fourth down. Dalton suffered a minor neck sprain on the touchdown sneak and left the game. After the game, Dalton said he would have continued to play if this had been a regular season game. He’ll likely rest next week and be ready to play in Week 1. A.J. McCarron finished the first half with the first team and looked good. His chemistry with Marvin Jones on two accurate deep balls (one negated by a hold, one for a touchdown) was impressive. McCarron also stood in the pocket well despite strong pressure. He finished 12-of-17 (70%) for 149 yards (8.8 per attempt) and a touchdown. McCarron’s play should have the Bengals very comfortable with a two man depth chart to start the season. RB: The depth chart remains straightforward. Jeremy Hill will see at least two of three series, including some passing down work and the goal line duties. He had 46 yards on 11 carries against Chicago in his first preseason work with the first team line intact. Though he was unable to convert, three of those carries came inside the three yard line before Dalton’s fourth down conversion. Gio Bernard had three carries, two on the team’s third drive and one change of pace carry from the Chicago 14-yard line on first down. Jake Fisher came into the lineup as a third tackle in a heavy package illustrating the Bengals commitment to the ground game. Cedric Peerman has kept his spot as the #3 back, but will mainly play special teams. WR: The quarterbacks and receivers were in sync all night against Chicago. Dalton and McCarron completed 18 of their 23 passes. A.J. Green (26 snaps), Mohamed Sanu (22 snaps), and Marvin Jones (18 snaps) played extensively, with Rex Burkhead getting four snaps in the slot. Jones looked tremendous, catching a 31-yard touchdown from McCarron. Jones high-pointed another deep pass along the sideline, but the 34-yard completion was negated by a holding penalty. Burkhead caught two passes (25 yards and 10 yards) on his four snaps. The battle for the final roster spots continues, but the veteran options have yet to impress. Greg Little probably has the edge for a roster spot along with returner Mario Alford. TE: The Bengals showed a three tight end look on the first play, with Ryan Hewitt in an H-back/fullback role and Tyler Kroft and Tyler Eifert lining up as in-line tight ends. Eifert capped a healthy camp with 35 snaps against Chicago. He caught both of his targets, including a 25-yard seam route where he quickly gained separation on a Bears’ linebacker. Kroft and C.J. Uzomah are battling for snaps. Both were targeted in the second half, but neither caught a pass. Defense: The defense also rebounded after a shaky effort last week. They forced the Bears to punt four times in the first half, giving up only three first downs in those four series. Only a late second quarter field goal kept them from completing a first half shutout. Carlos Dunlap and rotational pass rusher Chris Carter sacked Jay Cutler, with Dunlap flashing a very quick inside counter on his sack. The defense is still without Darqueze Dennard, Vontaze Burfict, and Michael Johnson. Dennard and Johnson are tentatively expected to be ready for Week 1. After an early preseason report the team was readying Burfict for the third preseason game, he remains on the PUP list. It’s not clear whether the team feels Burfict is close enough to make 53-man roster next week. PK: Mike Nugent returned after nursing a hamstring injury earlier in camp and made a PAT. Tom Obarski still handled the kickoffs and field goal attempts, but there’s no indication that Obarski is poised to beat out Nugent despite an impressive summer. He’s a name to remember as other teams are in the market for a kicker. OL: The Bengals’ offensive line found success Saturday night against the Bears. Of special note was Jeremy Hill’s long touchdown run, which was sparked by a massive hole between center Russell Bodine and guard Clint Boling. The line also had great push on a quarterback sneak on the goal-line. The first team unit looks solid. On the second team, rookie left tackle Jake Fisher is ready to return after an injury. Fisher is no threat for playing time this season, but is one to watch for the future. The Bengals’ line continues to grade out as an upper-tier unit, 8th overall. Bengals Depth Chart QB: Andy Dalton, A.J. McCarron, Keith Wenning RB: Jeremy Hill (SD), Giovani Bernard (3RB), Rex Burkhead, Cedric Peerman, James Wilder Jr., Terrell Watson FB: Ryan Hewitt (HB), Mark Weisman WR: A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Greg Little, Brandon Tate (KR), Mario Alford, Tevin Reese, Jake Kumerow, James Wright (IR) TE: Tyler Eifert, Tyler Kroft, C.J. Uzomah, Matt Lengel LT: Andrew Whitworth, Jake Fisher, Matt ODonnell LG: Clint Boling, Tanner Hawkinson C: Russell Bodine, T.J. Johnson RG: Kevin Zeitler, Trey Hopkins RT: Andre Smith, Cedric Ogbuehi , Eric Winston K: Mike Nugent, Tom Obarski DT: Geno Atkins, Domata Peko (NT), Brandon Thompson, Marcus Hardison, Devon Still, Pat Sims, DeShawn Williams DE: Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson (inj), Wallace Gilberry, Margus Hunt, Will Clarke MLB: Rey Maualuga, Paul Dawson OLB: Vincent Rey (S), A.J. Hawk (W), Emmanuel Lamur (S), Jayson DiManche (S), Marquis Flowers (W), Chris Carter, Trevor Roach, Vontaze Burfict (W) (inj), Sean Porter (IR) CB: Dre Kirkpatrick, Adam Jones (PR), Leon Hall, Darqueze Dennard, Josh Shaw (FS/CB), Chris Lewis-Harris, Troy Hill, Brandon Ghee S: Reggie Nelson (SS), George Iloka (FS), Shawn Williams (SS),Shiloh Keo (SS), Derron Smith, Floyd Raven, Eric Dargan Cleveland Browns QB: After a pair of underwhelming starts, Josh McCown looked better in Saturday’s ‘rehearsal’ against the Buccaneers with two long scoring drives. McCown threw touchdowns to Brian Hartline (3 yards) and Gary Barnidge (7 yards). The first scoring drive covered 80 yards on 16 plays and featured three third-down conversations while the second spanned 11 plays and 78 yards to start the second half. McCown’s other series were duds resulting in punts and a 36-yard field goal starting at the Bucs’ 12-yard line. For the night, McCown completed 17-of-23 passes for 117 yards, 2 touchdowns and added 20 yards rushing on three attempts. "It was fun to be out there and win," said McCown, who sported a 1-10 record last season starting for Tampa. "It's something we didn't do last year in that stadium, so I'm glad I could come out here and finally get that done." McCown is now 29-of-38 for 207 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the preseason. Johnny Manziel was inactive after having discomfort in his throwing elbow and missing a few days of practice. Manziel has been a changed man thus far in his second season. The team is shutting him down for the rest of the preseason, but Manziel seems a good bet to get a starting opportunity sometime in 2015. With Connor Shaw sidelined, Pat Devlin was signed as a camp body with only Thaddeus Lewis healthy behind McCown. RB: Duke Johnson looked explosive in practice after missing a couple of weeks and he at least seems to have a firm hold on third down duties. Johnson technically started on Saturday night, but Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West both saw plenty of action on the opening series. West handled most of the red zone work. Johnson’s first preseason action didn’t last long as he suffered a concussion on a nasty hit in the first quarter while attempting to catch a pass. Crowell finished with 27 yards on eight carries with a pair of receptions for 12 yards. West carried the ball seven times for 26 yards and caught one pass for 5 yards. At this point, the Browns backfield appears to be a full blown time share. Crowell was unable to lock down the job while Johnson missed two games with a hamstring as he and West have alternated series. Meanwhile, Johnson enters the league’s concussion protocol where he’ll be evaluated throughout the week ahead. WR: Dwayne Bowe made his preseason debut following a hamstring injury of his own, but failed to catch any of his three targets while running with the first-team offense. Brian Hartline’s only catch was initially ruled incomplete but was later overturned for a 3-yard touchdown. Travis Benjamin caught four passes for 39 yards but made his biggest impact on a 53-yard punt return in the first quarter for a touchdown. Taylor Gabriel also caught four balls for 30 yards. Terrelle Pryor (hamstring) returned to practice last Wednesday but his conditioning wasn’t good enough so the team held him out. Despite not being healthy for the bulk of the preseason, most reporters have Pryor still making the 53-man roster. TE: Gary Barnidge caught a touchdown and remains the team’s starter heading into the final preseason game. Roster cuts will be interesting at this position as free agent acquisition Rob Housler has been outplayed by undrafted rookie H-back E.J. Bibbs. Don’t be surprised if Housler meets the Turk this week due to his high price tag and underwhelming performance. Defense: The defense came to play from the get-go against Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers. They sacked Winston four times, had six on the night, and never allowed Winston to get into a rhythm. "We felt good about the matchup," Coach Mike Pettine said. "I know they're a little banged-up in their offensive line, but we wanted our guys to go out there and go hunting. That's what they do." They held the Bucs to 177 total yards, picked off Winston once and scored a touchdown on Travis Benjamin’s 53-yard punt return. Outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo (knee surgery) began running this week and has a chance to be ready for the opener. PK: Travis Coons and Casey Spear have failed to give the Browns’ coaches a clear way to separate them in their kicker battle, and that’s a good thing. Both have been making everything as of late and the contest is a dead heat. The loser should be on a priority list of kickers to get calls if teams have problems early in the season. OL: The Browns’ offensive line helped the running game break triple digits in the win over Tampa Bay this Saturday, opening holes that allowed 119 yards rushing on 34 carries. The quarterback took a couple sacks but those appeared to be on the signal caller, not on the protection. First round rookie Cameron Erving has yet to crack the starting five, as John Greco has taken virtually all the first team snaps in preseason. The team is trying him at several different positions, including blocking tight end, in an attempt to get him on the field. The Browns are one of the league’s best units and currently grade out at 3rd overall. Browns Depth Chart QB: Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, Thaddeus Lewis, Pat Devlin, Connor Shaw (IR) RB: Isaiah Crowell (SD), Duke Johnson (3RB) (inj), Terrance West, Shaun Draughn, Tim Flanders, Glenn Winston (res) FB: Malcolm Johnson (inj), Luke Lundy WR: Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin (PR), Terrelle Pryor, Vince Mayle, Marlon Moore (KR), Rodney Smith, Darius Jennings, Josh Gordon (susp) TE: Gary Barnidge, Jim Dray, Rob Housler, E.J. Bibbs, Manasseh Garner, Randall Telfer (res) LT: Joe Thomas, Michael Bowie LG: Joel Bitonio, Vinston Painter C: Alex Mack, Nick McDonald RG: John Greco, Cameron Erving, Ryan Seymour, Karim Barton RT: Mitchell Schwartz, Andrew McDonald K: Travis Coons, Carey Spear NT: Danny Shelton, Jamie Meder, Calvin Barnett, Christian Tupou DE: Desmond Bryant, John Hughes, Randy Starks, Xavier Cooper, Billy Winn, Jacobbi McDaniel ILB: Karlos Dansby, Christian Kirksey, Craig Robertson, Tank Carder, Hayes Pullard, Keith Pough OLB: Paul Kruger (S), Barkevious Mingo (inj), Scott Solomon, Armonty Bryant, Nate Orchard CB: Joe Haden, Tramon Williams, Pierre Desir, Justin Gilbert, K′Waun Williams, Robert Nelson, Joe Rankin, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (res) |