~ 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.
|
OL: Tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer rejoined the lineup in the preseason contest against Carolina. This is good news for the line, which continues to start rookies Shaq Mason and Tre’ Jackson at the guard spots. Possible starters Bryan Stork and Ryan Wendell are still nursing injuries but should be good for the opener. Recently acquired in a trade from the Detroit Lions, Michael Williams was originally given an offensive lineman’s number (74). However, he has been practicing at tight end in the last week, and his number has been changed to 85. The team might just consider him a blocker in jumbo extra tight end sets, and his versatility should help him make the team. Overall the Patriots’ line grades out as a low-tier option, 27th in the latest rankings. They need to get all of their starters healthy and practicing together before the season starts. Patriots Depth Chart QB: Tom Brady (susp), Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryan Lindley RB: LeGarrette Blount (susp) (inj), Jonas Gray, James White (3RB), Brandon Bolden (3RB), Dion Lewis, Tarvaris Cadet (3RB) (inj), Tyler Gaffney (IR) FB: James Develin (IR) WR: Julian Edelman (PR) (inj), Brandon LaFell (inj), Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson (inj), Reggie Wayne, Matt Slater, Jalen Saunders (KR), Chris Harper, Josh Boyce (IR), Bryan Tyms (IR),Brandon Gibson (IR) TE: Rob Gronkowski, Scott Chandler, Michael Hoomanawanui (FB),Jake Bequette (DE), Asante Cleveland, A.J. Derby (IR) LT: Nate Solder, Marcus Cannon LG: Tre Jackson, Jordan Devey, Chris Barker C: Bryan Stork RG: Ryan Wendell, Josh Kline, Shaquille Mason RT: Sebastian Vollmer, Cameron Fleming K: Stephen Gostkowski NT: Malcom Brown, Antonio Johnson, Dominique Easley, Alan Branch, Sealver Siliga, Casey Walker, Chris Jones (inj) DE: Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich (S/DE), Jabaal Sheard, Trey Flowers, Zach Moore, Geneo Grissom MLB: Jerod Mayo, Jonathan Freeny, Dane Fletcher, Eric Martin, Matt Wells OLB: Jamie Collins (W), Dont′a Hightower (W), Chris White (W), Darius Fleming (S), Xzavier Dickson, Rufus Johnson CB: , Malcolm Butler, Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher, Logan Ryan, Robert McClain, Justin Green, Darryl Roberts (IR) S: Devin McCourty (FS/CB), Patrick Chung (SS), Duron Harmon (SS), Jordan Richards (SS), Tavon Wilson (FS), Nate Ebner (SS),Dax Swanson New Orleans Saints QB: Drew Brees only played the first series against Houston, by design, and completed 4-of-6 passes for 40 yards. Brees has led the Saints to scores on all four of his preseason series (they kicked a field goal after the first drive this week), including three drives against New England in the second preseason game. Luke McCown ran the second team offense and was efficient. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 117 yards. Garrett Grayson was 7-of-16 for 96 yards passing and appears to have beaten Ryan Grifin for the QB3 role. Griffin only got 42 seconds of playing time against the Texans. "When you're trying to play a bunch, generally, it's more difficult," said Coach Payton. "He'll play more in this game coming up Thursday." RB: Mark Ingram had five touches for 25 yards in limited work with the first team offense. Tim Hightower got a few snaps with the first team but did most of his work (24 yards rushing) with the backups. Khiry Robinson (undisclosed injury) missed practices last week but is expected back for the regular season opener, while C.J. Spiller remains sidelined following his knee scope. Spiller’s status for Week One remains a mystery. WR: Brandin Cooks caught both of his passes on the first drive of the game, netting 19 yards. Marques Colston was targeted once in the red zone without a reception. Coach Payton discussed the importance of the third preseason game for backups/reserve players: "It's still spent on the evaluation of these players. This game is important, and it may not be important for some of the players, but I would say it's the most important game of the season for a number of players...There’s real good competition at safety. Receiver, the same thing would apply. I think it would apply some in the defensive line. So there's a handful of position groups where you may look at it and say it's stacked up or there's a logjam. We've gotta get those guys more playing time." Nick Toon remains sidelined due to a high ankle sprain, and his hold on a roster spot is tenuous. Brandon Coleman (three targets for 1/27/0 receiving on Sunday) appears to have the edge for the WR3 role. Willie Snead caught four receptions for 56yards versus the Texans while Marcus Murphy led the team in receiving with 67 yards. Josh Morgan had five targets but only converted one of them for a 26-yard gain. Joseph Morgan saw four targets and caught three of them for 17 yards. Seantavius Jones (three targets for 1/10/0 receiving) appears to be fading in the wide receiver race and did not take an offensive snap until the third quarter, behind the aforementioned receivers. TE: Ben Watson started versus Houston, and had a 9-yard reception from Drew Brees on the initial drive. Josh Hill had a red-zone target from Brees but he mishandled the pass in the end-zone, and the Saints were forced to kick a field goal. Hill finished with 1/5/0 receiving. Defense: The Texans first team offense pushed in a touchdown after a long first drive at the Superdome on Sunday. Brian Hoyer was a perfect 3-for-3 for 45 yards on the drive, and Alfred Blue punched in a TD from the one yard line. The Saints allowed two sustained drives by the Texans in the first quarter, resulting in 10 Houston points en route to a 13-27 win by Houston. Cornerback Keenan Lewis in particular had a rough game; he was beaten on pass plays of 29 and 18 yards, and incurred an interference penalty in the end zone. Later in the first quarter, fellow cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste was also flagged for pass interference. The lack of an effective pass rush remains a big concern. In fact, the defense's first sack of the preseason came midway through the third quarter of this third preseason game when third-string Texans quarterback Tom Savage was (finally) dumped by the reserves. Safety Vinnie Sunseri was placed on Injured Reserve after suffering an arm injury versus the Texans. PK: Zach Hocker made two field goals, including a 53-yarder to possibly take a lead over Dustin Hopkins in the Saints’ kicker battle. Hopkins did not get a chance to match him. The Saints could be forced to keep both kickers past the 75-man roster cuts if they don’t feel like they have a clear winner yet. Both kickers have performed very well this summer. OL: As a unit, the Saints’ first team offensive line only made a brief appearance in the third preseason game against the Houston Texans. Left guard Tim Lelito was given extra snaps, which is not surprising as this would be the first season where he is a regular starter. The rest of the starters were quickly pulled from the contest, as the team clearly doesn’t want to risk injury. When the starters were in the contest, quarterback Drew Brees was well protected and the group, led by center Max Unger, looked sharp in all phases of the game. The Saints offensive line is grading out as an elite unit and currently checks in 6th overall. Saints Depth Chart QB: Drew Brees, Luke McCown, Garrett Grayson, Ryan Griffin RB: Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller (3RB/KR) (inj), Khiry Robinson, Marcus Murphy (KR/PR), Tim Hightower, Edwin Baker FB: Austin Johnson, Toben Opurum WR: Marques Colston, Brandin Cooks, Brandon Coleman, Seantavius Jones, Willie Snead, Josh Morgan, Joseph Morgan, Nick Toon (inj), R.J. Harris, Kyle Prater TE: Benjamin Watson, Josh Hill, Orson Charles, Jack Tabb, Michael Egnew, Alex Smith, Kevin Brock (IR) LT: Terron Armstead, Bryce Harris LG: Tim Lelito, Senio Kelemete C: Max Unger, Mike Brewster RG: Jahri Evans RT: Zach Strief, Andrus Peat, Nick Becton K: Dustin Hopkins, Zach Hocker DT: John Jenkins (NT), Kevin Williams, Tyeler Davison, Lawrence Virgil, Ashaad Mabry (NT), Kaleb Eulls, Austin Brown (NT) DE: Cameron Jordan, Akiem Hicks, Bobby Richardson, Parys Haralson, Markus Pierce-Brewster, Tavaris Barnes, Anthony Spencer (IR) MLB: Stephone Anthony, David Hawthorne (W/M), Jerry Franklin OLB: Dannell Ellerbe (W), Hau′oli Kikaha (S), Kasim Edebali (S),Ramon Humber (W), Davis Tull (W), Henry Coley (W), Justin Anderson (S) CB: Keenan Lewis, Brandon Browner, Delvin Breaux, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Damian Swann, Kyle Wilson, Brian Dixon, Terrence Frederick, Travis Manning, P.J. Williams (IR) S: Jairus Byrd (FS) (inj), Kenny Vaccaro (SS), Rafael Bush (FS), Pierre Warren (FS), Jamarca Sanford (SS), Vinnie Sunseri (SS),Kenny Phillips (FS) New York Giants QB: The all-important ‘dress rehearsal’ preseason game unfortunately yielded more of the same offensive miscues that have plagued the Giants all preseason. Against the Jets, Eli Manning completed a respectable 12-of-16 passes (75% completion) but only threw 91 yards (5.7 per attempt). Most discouragingly, he failed to throw a touchdown yet did throw an interception that cornerback Antonio Cromartie returned for a Pick-6. Manning was constantly under pressure (two sacks) and will have to take solace in the fact his key players are all healthy; because there’s nothing encouraging to take away from the box score. Ryan Nassib looked better, throwing for 122 yards (6.8 per attempt) on 11-of-18 passing along with a 6-yard touchdown to Jerome Cunningham and a 2-point conversion to Julian Talley. Head coach Tom Coughlin had no interest in looking on the bright side (as he did last week), noting: “I think we all have a ways to go. I don’t think any of it is actually where it should be.” RB: It’s never a good thing when your backup quarterback leads the team in rushing, but that’s exactly what happened to the Giants versus the Jets. Ryan Nassib had 30 yards on three carries, which bested Rashad Jennings’ 28-yard effort. In all seriousness, Jennings played well (9 rushes for 28 yards and a touchdown) in spite of the meager 3.1 yards per rush average. Andre Williams, who had gotten some buzz this week as the potential Week One starter, netted zero yards on two carries. Shane Vereen – the X-factor – ran three times for 9 yards and caught 3 passes for 30 yards. Orleans Darkwa has done a lot in the preseason to earn a roster spot, but he’s a longshot given the trio atop the depth charts. Darkwa did himself no favors against the Jets (5 carries for 15 yards). WR: Odell Beckham’s 5 catches for 31 yards (6.2 per catch) weren’t the stuff of legend, but it was encouraging to see him back on the field making plays with the first team offense. What’s lost in the box score is that Beckham had a surefire touchdown that Manning missed, and he later beat Darrelle Revis deep and was, once again, missed by Manning. James Jones continues to push for a role on Sundays, leading the team with four receptions for 54 yards (13.5 per catch). Unfortunately, he also lost a fumble which works against him, particularly in the eyes of an old school coach like Tom Coughlin. Dwayne Harris (9 yards), Rueben Randle (7 yards) and Preston Parker (5 yards) all had one reception. Victor Cruz’ recovery from a torn patellar tendon remains on track, but he’s missed nearly two weeks of the preseason with a calf injury. It’s unclear whether the calf issue is a compensatory byproduct of the patellar tendon, but either way it’s a growing frustration. Coach Coughlin said he was unaware whether Cruz would be okay to practice this week: “Not as far as I know. I have not been told that.” TE: Larry Donnell was only targeted once versus the Jets, but what’s important is that he was active after spending most of the preseason rehabbing an Achilles injury on the sidelines. Daniel Fells also returned to the lineup and had a 21-yard reception. Jerome Cunningham has done enough to earn a roster spot, including catching a touchdown in the 4th quarter from Ryan Nassib. Defense: The Giants first team defense has been a ‘work in progress’ all preseason, and the Jets game was no exception. Jets starter Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdowns while the Jets running backs averaged 4.5 per carry. The safety position has been decimated by injuries, which opened the door for veteran Stevie Brown to return to the fold after a stint in San Diego. Brown hasn’t been named a starter but one has to assume he’ll be in the Week One lineup. Speaking of Week One, veterans Prince Amukamara and J.T. Thomas both think the starting defense should play in Week Four of the preseason; a game that’s usually only for deep reserves to stake their claims on roster spots. "I think it would be right for us to continue to play next game. But, shoot, with injuries it's hard because you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. You want the defense to play so you can build chemistry but you can't lose another safety, can't lose anybody, right? It would suck for someone to get hurt in the fourth preseason game the week before Dallas,” said Amukamara. "Obviously there are a lot of things we need to work on to be the defense we want to be," said J.T. Thomas. "We have to continue to work on the things we've been working on in practice – fundamentals, tackling; we didn't tackle well [Saturday night], which was obvious. Being stout against the run, being sure of our fits and making sure we're all using each other the right way in the defense. We have to work on these things." OL: The Giants’ line is currently a mixed bag. Rookie left tackle Ereck Flowers played extremely well against the Jets this Saturday. However left guard Justin Pugh was flagged twice and allowed two sacks. Center Weston Richburg missed the contest against the Jets with a knee issue. Backup Dallas Reynolds took his place. It is not clear if Richburg will be out for the opener. Richburg might be able to play through the injury, but his performance should be watched closely as the year progresses. There was some good news as right guard Geoff Schwartz played extensively, and should have secured the starting role. Marshall Newhouse, who was injured earlier in the week, did play right tackle and that’s good news. In light of all the inconsistency, the Giants currently grade out at 30th overall, part of the low-tier group. Giants Depth Chart QB: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, Ricky Stanzi RB: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen (3RB), Andre Williams (SD),Orleans Darkwa, Akeem Hunt (IR) FB: Henry Hynoski, Nikita Whitlock WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle, Victor Cruz (inj), James Jones, Corey Washington, Dwayne Harris (KR/PR), Geremy Davis, Preston Parker (PR) TE: , Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells, Adrien Robinson, Jerome Cunningham LT: Ereck Flowers, Will Beatty (PUP) LG: Justin Pugh, Brandon Mosley C: Weston Richburg, Dallas Reynolds RG: Geoff Schwartz, John Jerry, Troy Kropog, Adam Gettis RT: Marshall Newhouse, Eric Herman K: Josh Brown, Chris Boswell DT: Johnathan Hankins, Cullen Jenkins, Kenrick Ellis, Markus Kuhn, Jay Bromley, Dominique Hamilton DE: Robert Ayers (inj), Damontre Moore, Kerry Wynn, Owa Odighizuwa, George Selvie, Jason Pierre-Paul (res) MLB: Jon Beason (inj), Unai Unga, Cole Farrand OLB: Jameel McClain (S) (inj), Devon Kennard (W), Mark Herzlich (S), James Davidson (W), J.T. Thomas (W), Ashlee Palmer CB: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Prince Amukamara, Trumaine McBride (inj), Mike Harris, Jayron Hosley, Josh Gordy (IR) S: Landon Collins (FS) (inj), Nat Berhe (FS) (inj), Jeromy Miles (SS), Brandon Meriweather, Stevie Brown, Chykie Brown (FS), Cooper Taylor (FS), Justin Currie (inj), Mykkele Thompson (IR), Bennett Jackson (IR) New York Jets QB: Things seem to be coming into focus for starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he looked better than he has all offseason against the New York Giants. Even acknowledging the fact that the Giants defense has already been beaten to a pulp by injuries, Fitzpatrick did look athletic, accurate and confident. He made several nice throws on the run, including a well-placed touchdown pass to Eric Decker which came off of a play-action. If this level of play is what the Jets get this season, Geno Smith will never see the field. Speaking of Smith, ESPN’s Rich Cimini says that GM Mike Maccagnan doesn’t expect Smith to end up on the short term/Injured Reserve. Rookie Bryce Petty was the only other quarterback to get a look in the game, as Matt Flynn isn’t totally healthy and up to speed on the offense. Petty looked fine, making some smart passes and avoiding any huge mistakes, but you can still see the game is moving a bit too fast for him and his footwork and mechanics continue to require fine-tuning. The Jets also signed journeyman Josh Johnson, and while Johnson has an interesting skill-set, he has never made the most of it. |