~ 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: T.Y. Hilton led the Colts in receiving with three catches for 44 yards, but could have had a much bigger night if he reeled in what would have been a sensational touchdown catch in the first quarter. Luck found Andre Johnson for a 32-yard touchdown on a play the St. Louis defense had no answer for. Johnson lined up as the inside receiver in a trips formation, and the Rams were thrown by the presence of the two outside receivers, leaving Johnson wide open down the seam. “Tempo or lining up in a non-traditional formation and creating non-traditional matchups can help an offense,” Luck said. The battle for the Colts No. 3 wide receiver job is still without a clear winner. Rookie Phillip Dorsett seemed to be in the lead, but missed practice all week with a knee injury, and was held out of the Rams game. Donte Moncrief was the starter in three receiver sets, and finished with two catches for 25 yards, including a 20-yard reception late in the first half. Regardless of who becomes the nominal starter, it is likely Dorsett and Moncrief will rotate throughout the season. “We’ve got a good group of wideouts,” Coach Chuck Pagano said. “They’ve all got different skill sets. Some run faster than others. Some are underneath guys. Some are deep guys. We’re going to extenuate all their strengths.” Duron Carter said earlier in the week he wanted to play less robotic. He was targeted a team-high seven times on Saturday, but reeled in only three catches for 25 yards. Carter almost caught a touchdown pass from Luck in the two-minute drill, but the two didn’t appear to be on the same page. Griff Whalen, who could be competing with Carter for a roster spot, caught a two point conversion from Matt Hasselbeck. TE: It was a slow news week for Colts’ tight ends. Coby Fleener was held out for a second straight game with an ankle injury that is not believed to be severe. Dwayne Allen and Jack Doyle split first team reps in Fleener’s absence. Allen caught two out of five targets, for 25 yards. Doyle had two catches for three yards. Both Allen and Fleener have touchdown upside in Indianapolis’ high powered offense, but will have a hard time drawing consistent targets playing alongside receivers like Hilton, Johnson, Dorsett, and Moncrief. Defense: The Colts may have lost defensive tackle Arthur Jones for an extended period with an ankle injury. Jones was carted back to the locker room, and spotted in a walking boot after the game. He missed seven games with a high ankle sprain last season. "We will evaluate him [Sunday] and see where he is," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "I have no idea right now of how bad it is. Hopefully, it is a quick turnaround and not a high ankle-type deal where he would have to miss the type of time that he missed last year." X-Rays were negative, but Jones is seeking a second opinion; an ominous sign. Montori Hughes and Zach Kerr took the majority of the snaps at defensive tackle after Jones left the game. Starting cornerback Greg Toler missed the game with a neck injury suffered last week against the Bears. Pagano described Toler as week-to-week on Friday. It was Darius Butler who started in the base defense with Toler sidelined. Linebacker Erik Walden had 1.5 sacks against the Rams. He’s been the Colts’ best defensive player this preseason, and it hasn’t been close. OL: Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald went into beast mode in the second quarter, beating the Colts’ offensive line on three consecutive plays, recording the tackle each time. Left guard Lance Louis looked especially poor and the team can’t feel good about the guard play at this time. The team might look to Hugh Thornton as an alternative. Veteran guard Donald Thomas was released, after spending most of the preseason on the PUP list. Center Khaled Holmes was named the starting center, beating out Jonotthan Harrison for the honors. Jack Mewhort continues to have growing pains at right tackle. The line did a decent job in pass protection but was overpowered at the point of attack. The Colts’ line is in rough shape, and grades out as a low tier option, 26th in the current offensive line rankings. Colts Depth Chart QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Bryan Bennett RB: Frank Gore, Dan Herron (KR), Josh Robinson, Zurlon Tipton, Vick Ballard, Tyler Varga WR: T.Y. Hilton (inj), Andre Johnson, Phillip Dorsett (KR/PR), Donte Moncrief, Duron Carter (KR/PR), Vincent Brown, Griff Whalen, Quan Bray, Tyler Rutenbeck TE: Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Jack Doyle, Erik Swoope, Sean McGrath LT: Anthony Castonzo, Joe Reitz, John Ulrick LG: Lance Louis, David Arkin C: Khaled Holmes, Jonotthan Harrison RG: Todd Herremans, Hugh Thornton RT: Jack Mewhort, Denzelle Good, Demarco Cox K: Adam Vinatieri NT: Josh Chapman, Montori Hughes, David Parry, Zach Kerr, Kelcy Quarles DE: Kendall Langford, Arthur Jones (inj), Henry Anderson, Earl Okine ILB: Jerrell Freeman (W), D′Qwell Jackson, Nate Irving (inj), Henoc Muamba, Amarlo Herrera OLB: Trent Cole, Robert Mathis, Jonathan Newsome, Erik Walden (S), Bjoern Werner, Zack Hodges, Junior Sylvestre, Cam Johnson, Daniel Adongo CB: Vontae Davis, Greg Toler, Darius Butler, D′Joun Smith (inj), Jalil Brown, Sheldon Price, Deveron Carr, Brandon Vitabile, Chance Casey, Tevin Mitchel (IR) S: Mike Adams (FS), Dwight Lowery (SS), Clayton Geathers, Colt Anderson (SS), Dewey McDonald (FS) Jacksonville Jaguars QB: Blake Bortles got a long look in Week 3 against the Lions. Bortles completed 20-of-29 passes and a touchdown. The touchdown was a perfectly thrown ball to Allen Hurns in stride in the end zone. Bortles looked relaxed in the pocket and showed incredible accuracy with his receivers. The third preseason game is usually a dress rehearsal of what is to come in the upcoming season and often shows glimpses of how the offense will react to opponent’s top defenses. Bortles showed great composure in the pocket and never seemed to feel rattled as he took the time he needed to get the ball out quickly and on target with his receivers. Another hidden part of Bortles game is his running ability; he actually led the Jaguars with 38 rushing yards. Bortles can hopefully parlay his strong preseason into an impressive regular season. Chad Henne completed 8-of-12 passing for 62 yards and provides valuable depth as a safety valve in case of a Bortles injury. Third stringer Stephen Morris completed 4-of-8 passes for 38 yards, and outplayed Jeff Tuel throughout the preseason. Tuel was waived this week. RB: T.J. Yeldon got the start this week, but it was an anticlimactic outing. The rookie rushed 8 times for only 10 yards (0.8 per rush), but did score a 1-yard touchdown. He also caught a 12-yard pass. Yeldon’s touchdown was initially ruled a fumble at the goal line until it was overturned by review. Yeldon learned a valuable lesson: “Never to jump. It was a Welcome to the NFL moment. I got a touchdown. It was ugly, but I still got a touchdown.” Head coach Gus Bradley followed Yeldon’s remarks with his own, “He learned a lesson about ball security… on that short on the goal line, he’s going to meet someone. I think it was a good start for him although the stats didn’t show it.” The nice thing is that Yeldon is aware of his mistakes and accepted the blame. Bernard Pierce rushed seven times for 17 yards. Toby Gerhart missed the game. Denard Robinson only ran 3 times for 7 yards but did catch two passes for 29 yards, including a 23-yarder. WR: Allen Hurns caught the Jaguars lone receiving touchdown against the Lions as he showed some speed to get wide open in the end zone. Hurns finished the game with 4 catches for 42 yards. Allen Robinson made 2 catches of his own for 14 total yards. Robinson’s night was somewhat of a disappointment considering he was targeted seven times. Bortles and Robinson have a rapport, and Bortles trusts Robinson bail him out of trouble. Bryan Walters as a real shot at sticking with the Jaguars as he played well throughout the preseason. Walters caught 5 passes for 46 yards against the Lions. Rookie Rashad Greene caught all three of his targets for 25 yards. Tandon Doss was waived on Saturday. TE: Julius Thomas underwent hand surgery this week and will need 4 to 5 weeks to recover. GM Dave Caldwell said a Week Four return is realistic, but there’s no exact timetable until we see how Thomas’ rehab progresses. Mercedes Lewis made the most of Thomas’ absence and caught three receptions for 51 yards. Clay Harbor also made a few plays catching 3 of his 4 targets for 33 yards. The Jaguars remain committed to using a lot of 2-TE sets in spite of Thomas’ injury. Rookie Connor Hamlett was waived as the team cut their roster down to 75 players. Defense: The Jaguars finally placed rookie Dante Fowler on injured reserve on Saturday along with second-year offensive tackle Josh Wells. Second-year linebacker Khairi Fortt, safety Desmond Cooper, and tackle Eric Crume were waived as the Jags cut their roster down to 75. The Jaguars were handed another big blow as defensive end Andre Branch will miss “significant time” with a sprained medial collateral ligament suffered against the Lions. Coach Bradley said an exact timetable on Branch’s return isn’t yet known. With Branch’s absence it will be second-year Chris Smith who gets first shot at the Leo position for early downs in the team’s base packages. PK: The Jaguars were happy enough with Jason Myers to trade long-time kicker Josh Scobee to Pittsburgh. Myers has a huge leg and if the Jaguars defense and running game can improve this year, he could get into the viable fantasy option kicker range. Scobee had struggled to be relevant in recent years because of the low wattage Jaguars offense. OL: Guard Brandon Linder, arguably the team’s best offensive lineman, is day to day after suffering a gruesome dislocated toe injury in the game against Detroit. The line has done a decent job protecting quarterback Blake Bortles, who did not get sacked by the Lions. This was a change from previous weeks, where the starting line gave up one sack in each contest (two total on the preseason). Penalties are a concern as the team has been plagued by multiple mistakes in the red zone. The line showed good push on T.J. Yeldon’s 1- yard touchdown run. The Jaguars are a young unit and are 18th in the latest rankings. Jaguars Depth Chart QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Stephen Morris RB: T.J. Yeldon, Denard Robinson (WR), Bernard Pierce, Storm Johnson, Corey Grant FB: Toby Gerhart WR: Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee (inj), Rashad Greene, Bryan Walters, Neal Sterling, Damian Copeland, Tony Washington, Kasey Closs, Justin Blackmon (susp), Arrelious Benn (IR) TE: Julius Thomas (inj), Marcedes Lewis, Clay Harbor, Ben Koyack, Nic Jacobs LT: Luke Joeckel, Sam Young, Brennan Williams LG: Zane Beadles, AJ Cann C: Stefen Wisniewski, Luke Bowanko RG: Brandon Linder, Tyler Shatley RT: Jermey Parnell, Austin Pasztor K: Jason Myers DT: Senderrick Marks, Roy Miller, Tyson Alualu, Ziggy Hood, Michael Bennett, Abry Jones DE: Jared Odrick, Chris Clemons, Andre Branch (inj), Chris Smith, Ryan Davis, Dante Fowler Jr. (IR) MLB: Paul Posluszny, Jeremiah George OLB: Telvin Smith (W), Dan Skuta (S), LaRoy Reynolds (M/S), A.J. Edds (S), John Lotulelei (W), Thurston Armbrister, Matt Robinson, Todd Thomas CB: Davon House, Aaron Colvin, Demetrius McCray, Dwayne Gratz, Jeremy Harris, Nick Marshall S: John Cyprien (SS) (inj), Sergio Brown (FS), Josh Evans (FS),Craig Loston (SS), James Sample (FS) (inj), Jeremy Deering, Matt Daniels Kansas City Chiefs QB: Alex Smith put together his finest performance of the preseason on Friday night against the Titans. He was incredibly efficient, leading the Chiefs to score on their first three drives. For the night, Smith completed 16- of-18 for 171 yards and 2 TDs. He was generally pleased with his performance. "It was good. It's never as good as you think it is. It's never as bad as you think it is. There's still a lot to improve on. I did some good things I think especially in third down and red zone areas. There are some things to learn from as well. You got to do just as good during the good times, so you kind of build on it," Smith said. Backup Chase Daniel did not play on Friday night but played very well in the first two games. If disaster were to strike, the Chiefs offense would be in good hands with Daniel, who is sure to attract interest in free agency after this season. Aaron Murray had his chance at the helm after Smith called it a night. He threw an interception on his first drive but settled in nicely after that. Murray finished the evening by completing 15-of -20 passes for 146 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. “A good night, I just have to keep building on it, keep working,” Murray said. RB: The Chiefs took the bubble wrap off of Jamaal Charles on Friday and he was involved on the first two series. Charles carried the ball 3 times for 26 yards and tacked on 2 receptions for 15 yards. Although his time on the field was brief, it offered a glimpse of what the Chiefs offense will look like when operating at full capacity. Knile Davis was used sparingly on Friday as well, catching two passes for 17 yards on the second drive. He is locked in as Charles’ primary backup. Charcandrick West continues to shine and may very well have played his way onto the roster with his stellar preseason. He carried the ball 9 times for 47 yards and chipped in 2 receptions for another 17 yards. West unfortunately suffered a concussion on Friday and his status for the final preseason game is unclear. WR: Jeremy Maclin was dynamic on Friday night; catching 7 passes for 65 yards and 1 TD. Alex Smith connected with Maclin for a 29-yard touchdown which fully showcased his ability to gain separation and their budding chemistry. ''For starters, he's talented. He has what it takes to play in this league at a very high level. For two, he's a very intelligent person. When you combine those two things and my ability to talk to him and vice versa, it makes everything a lot easier,'' Maclin said. The depth chart continues to round into form. Albert Wilson and Chris Conley played little on Friday but are secure in their spots as the #2 and #3, respectively. De’Anthony Thomas was inactive for Friday’s game as he continues to deal with a calf strain but will also secure one of the spots. The intrigue comes towards the bottom of the chart, with Fred Williams and Frankie Hammond both making cases for continued employment. Williams had 5 receptions for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns on Friday while Hammond caught 4 balls for 39 yards. TE: Travis Kelce had 2 receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown against the Titans and was a key part of Alex Smith’s second touchdown drive. Kelce took a short pass and turned it into a 34-yard gain, showing off both his speed and the trouble defenders have in bringing him down. The duo finished off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown connection. Chiefs’ legend Tony Gonzalez sees big things ahead in 2015 for Kelce and the Chiefs. Kelce suffered a sprained ankle in practice on Monday, but it’s believed to be minor. Demetrius Harris has been activated from the PUP list and should slot into the #2 role ahead of rookie James O’Shaughnessy. The rookie was quiet on Friday but has impressed throughout camp and the preseason; his spot on the 53-man roster appears secure. Defense: The defense played well against the Titans, holding them to 10 points and forcing a turnover. The first team received quite a bit of work, playing around 30 snaps together. Justin Houston was in midseason form, recording 3 tackles, 2 quarterback hits and a sack of Marcus Mariota. Dontari Poe attended practice this week for the first time since his back surgery. It’s unclear when he will be able to return, but the Chiefs will continue to split his duties amongst Jaye Howard and Mike Catapano. “We look forward to when we get Dontari back, whenever he comes back. But right now we think the guys that have gone in there have really taken the challenge on and demonstrated they can play really stout in there, particularly against the run," said defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. The unit as a whole continues to take shape and has received some high praise heading into the 2015 season. OL: The Chiefs are making the most of quarterback Alex Smith’s mobility, rolling him out on Jeremy Maclin’s big play touchdown. This was without the first team starting tackles, as both Eric Fisher and Jeff Allen were held out of the game against the Titans. Both players have returned to practice and are expected to be ready for the opener. As these players get healthy, backups Donald Stephenson and Paul Fanaika would return to the bench. Center Mitch Morse had a couple iffy snaps but did an excellent job blocking; Morse has the job locked down. Overall the Kansas City group is on the cusp of mid-tier status, ranking 22nd. Chiefs Depth Chart QB: Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Aaron Murray, Tyler Bray (res) RB: Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis (KR) (inj), Charcandrick West, Darrin Reaves FB: Anthony Sherman, Spencer Ware WR: Jeremy Maclin, Albert Wilson (inj), Chris Conley, Jason Avant, De′Anthony Thomas (RB/PR) (inj), Fred Williams, Frankie Hammond, Donatella Luckett, Da′Ron Brown, Armon Binns, Junior Hemingway (IR) TE: Travis Kelce, Demetrius Harris (inj), James O′Shaughnessy, Richard Gordon, Ryan Taylor LT: Eric Fisher, Derek Sherrod LG: Ben Grubbs C: Mitch Morse, Eric Kush RG: Paul Fanaika, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Zach Fulton RT: Jeff Allen, Donald Stephenson, Ricky Henry |