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This Saturday at 8:00 PM the Panthers will head back home to take on the New York Jets.
The Panthers are coming a disappointing loss versus the Baltimore Ravens. Their receivers had trouble catching passes, and their offensive line had trouble protecting the quarterback.
There were a couple of bright spots, however. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen played exceptionally well in his NFL debut. Defensive end Greg Hardy, a sixth-round pick out of Ole Miss also showed a lot of potential.
Presumed starting quarterback Matt Moore did not look too good against Baltimore, but his performance can be taken with a grain of salt, as it was the first preseason game of a long season.
But If Moore doesn’t show up, and Clausen has another impressive game, Moore could be in danger of losing his starting job.
Pro-Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith returned to the practice field this week. It seemed like his left arm, that he broke earlier this summer playing flag football, felt better. He even dared players to hit his arm.
Smith’s status for this Saturday is unclear, but if he does play, that would be a huge boost to a Panthers squad that desperately needs its number one receiver.
Quarterback Tony Pike is the Panther with the most to lose.
We didn’t get to see much of Pike last Thursday as he is currently fourth on the QB depth chart. If he does not to prove that he is a better option as a third string quarterback, he might end up on the practice squad.
Carolina’s opponent, the New York Jets, are coming off a disappointing performance of their own as they were beat down by the Giants on Monday. They will look to redeem themselves against the Panthers this Saturday.
The Jets made a lot of offseason moves that should put them in Super Bowl contention, yet they still have a lot to prove.
Cornerback Darelle Revis will most likely hold out some of the regular season, which means Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson will be the two starting cornerbacks. As long Rex Ryan is coaching Jets, they should be fine with or without Revis.
Donovan Warren is the New York player with the most to lose:
Warren, a cornerback, was undrafted out of Michigan. Some projected Warren to be a 1st round pick while some projected him to be a 2nd to 3rd round pick. The Jets eventually signed him as a free agent.
If Warren doesn’t prove that he is good enough to be on the Jets roster, then he will likely be cut.
Prediction: Jets 45, Panthers 31
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Here’s an updated look at my top 30 fantasy QB rankings:
2. Drew Brees
4. Tom Brady
5. Tony Romo
6. Matt Schaub
8. Brett Favre
9. Jay Cutler
10. Kevin Kolb
11. Donovan McNabb
12. Joe Flacco
13. Eli Manning
14. Carson Palmer
15. Matt Ryan
17. Alex Smith
18. Matthew Stafford
19. Chad Henne
20. Vince Young
21. Matt Leinart
22. David Garrard
23. Mark Sanchez
24. Kyle Orton
25. Matt Cassel
26. Jason Campbell
27. Matt Moore
28. Josh Freeman
29. Sam Bradford
30. Matt Hasselbeck
Notable changes
Carson Palmer moved up a few spots thanks to the addition of Terrell Owens.
Alex Smith slid a few spots. It’s not that I don’t like him, but I just like Palmer, Matt Ryan, and Big Ben a little bit more.
Matt Hasselbeck slid into No. 30, as my faith that he’ll play a full season is just about gone.
Also check out:
- 2010 Top 50 Fantasy RB Rankings
- 2010 Top 60 Fantasy WR Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy TE Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy IDP Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Team Defense Rankings
- 2010 Top 15 Fantasy K Rankings
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Finally the fat lady has sung, and Week 1 of preseason football is well and truly in the books.
In a week that has seen it’s fair share of impressive yet concerning story lines, it is fair to say that so far, this years NFL season is set to be as explosive and as exciting as past years have been.
However, as much as we are all eager for the real games to kick off and energize us all, believe it or not, preseason football does have some meaning when it comes to determining how certain players will do in the coming year.
Perhaps one of the most important factors that comes with preseason games, is the constant rookie watch that is undertaken by each and every fan.
So far we’ve seen just about every rookie in action, and if it isn’t Dez Bryant being released from a ridiculously large ankle brace boot, it’s Jimmy Clausen lighting up and impressing folks over in Carolina, as he looks to backup starting quarterback Matt Moore nicely this season.
But before we study these seemingly less important rookies in comparison to Tim Tebow and Ndamukong Suh right now, how is the NFL’s newly deemed “golden boy” Sam Bradford doing right now?
Well, if you’ve just gotten home or are one of those select fans that ignores preseason games, Sam Bradford notably struggled in his very first game as the St. Louis Rams’ starting quarterback.
As expected, Sam Bradford took the field to a huge ovation. After all, Sam Bradford is quite possibly the only remaining beacon of light in St. Louis remaining, behind Steven Jackson of course.
Yes, the applause was loud, and the cheer for what many people believe to be the next great passer in the league was definitely heard at home on our television screens.
But what went on to unfold on the field, certainly wasn’t worthy of any appreciation.
In Sam Bradford’s first ever real NFL game, he started off poorly. A bobbled snap, short dinky passes and an overall lack of confidence seemed to sweep over the former Oklahoma star, who we all expected would handle a tough defense like Minnesota better.
Of course, there is the obvious theory that Sam Bradford did have defensive standout Jared Allen right across from him, but when it comes to forceful lineman, it isn’t something Bradford hasn’t encountered before.
So what was the reason for this disappointing display?
It’s simple, he’s a rookie, and more so than that, he is a St. Louis Rams quarterback, that has been given the near impossible task to turn this franchise around, and set them on a winning path.
Unfortunately for Sam Bradford, the games scoreline didn’t do him any favors. The rest of the Rams team struggled, and at the end of the game the score card read Minnesota 28 – St. Louis 7.
Credit Bradford though, he remained positive, and here is what he had to say:
“It was fun to get out there, get hit a couple times, get hit, get knocked down, get back up,” Bradford said. “Just getting back into the flow of a football game was fun.”
Now, for those more critical fans, I do understand that you would be more than likely criticizing Sam Bradford at the present time.
But for those more optimistic fans like myself, I suggest you stick on the bandwagon, as one poor preseason game certainly does not highlight how Bradford’s remaining year will or will not turn out.
Look at it this way, Sam Bradford is a talented guy, and at the end of the day, he didn’t get drafted number one overall to turn out to be a huge disappointment.
Sure, a Ryan Leaf style argument could be made about Sam Bradford, but are we really willing to throw this impressive rookie under the bus so early? I know I’m not.
Therefore, give Sam Bradford a chance. He missed passes tonight, however somehow people have managed to miss the point that Sam Bradford was the most impressive player during the NFL Combine this year, and had just about every team wishing they could draft him.
Also, let’s remember that the Rams were short of their starting running back Steven Jackson tonight, and this acts as a serious handicap to any rookie quarterback when trying to help a team.
Against Minnesota the Rams were heavily outscored. Statistically the team is 6-42 in the past three seasons, and for St. Louis fans, this is surely stat that you would shy away from.
But like a true coach, Steve Spagnuolo stepped up to the plate, and admitted that some rebuilding is still to be done.
“In the first quarter, we did a decent job, after that, I think it’s obvious we’ve got a lot of things to work on, both sides of the ball”.
Before we look at the team, Sam Bradford will always be the focus. And while we’re on the topic, cut the rookie some slack. He was a standout in College, a standout entering the Draft, and is still the right guy for the job in St. Louis.
Let’s hope slamming Sam gets the job done a little better in the future. As for tonight’s game, it was the Minnesota Vikings, and while I’m not making excuses, this is a very defensively oriented team, and it doesn’t help when they hound a young quarterback.
For the Rams, a team effort is needed, not just a single player work ethic. It’s been a problem in the past, and for the most part, still is. Like the old saying goes “A player is only as good as his team”, and Sam Bradford is certainly doing his best to change that right now.
Ryan Cook is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report . He is also an NFL columnist for Real Sports Net and a Green Bay Packers writer for Fan Huddle and PackerChatters . Ryan is also a contributing writer for Detroit Lions Talk, Gack Sports and Generation Y Sports . Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter .
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Three rounds done in our redraft mock draft (check them out here: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3), and there definitely have been some surprises along the way. Do things quiet down in Round 4? …
4.01 Steve Smith, CAR (jzak)
Quite a dilemma here in terms of which WR to snag. Three guys had my attention… Sidney Rice has big upside potential if everything falls into place. His hip is not healing as hoped and there is still uncertainty about Brett Favre’s status for 2010. According to Vikings coach Brad Childress, Rice is a “ways away” from returning from the PUP. Vincent Jackson is a stud receiver who continues digging himself a hole.
He’s threatened numerous times to hold out this season, and the Chargers aren’t blinking. Looking more and more like he’ll face a rocky season. Steve Smith is aging, and had a flag football injury this summer, but is looking on track and will be playing week 1. He’s much safer than the other receivers remaining and Matt Moore really seemed to lock in with Smith late last season.
4.02 Knowshon Moreno, DEN (ep)
He’s not a favorite, but I’m going for balance here with this “B” squad. Moreno’s the last feature back on the board and is a good ADP value at 38th overall, making him the top choice.
4.03 Felix “the cat” Jones (consigliere)
Should be deadly out of the backfield and that’s worth some money in PPR leagues. He has great speed and should get some long touchdowns. I think he will get about 5-6 catches a game which will make up for losing some carries inside the red zone.
I get a good back here, plus he is a high reward guy. There are some concerns with extra running backs, but when the Cowboys go to the sky he will be in there and when they need a spark he will be in there. Barber is wounded and Jones has more talent.
4.04 Ronnie Brown, MIA (sockonfl)
Brown has always been a stud fantasy producer when he has been on the field. The problem is getting him to stay healthy a full season. Hopefully a contract year will motivate him to play healthy an entire season.
4.05 Sidney Rice, MIN (jaymo)
He may not be the No. 1 red zone target I prefer in a WR1 for my team, but I like his upside after breaking out last year with more than 1,300 yards, 15.8 YPC and 8 TDs. Brett Favre’s arrival certainly played a part, but we should also give Rice some credit in developing during his third year – an evidenced-based trend in WR progression.
I’m not as worried as many may be about Favre’s return. If he was that worried about his ankle he wouldn’t be standing on a high school field chucking the ball around, instead would be in Vikings’ camp getting treatment by a top-notch sports medicine team.
Favre will be under center this season, and I got a nice value pick to make up for my “tragic” picks of the previous two rounds (Note: sarcasm). Regarding Rice’s injury status; it’s training camp. I’m drafting for the regular season.
4.06 Michael Crabtree, SF (jzak)
There is nothing worse getting sniped on a draft pick… and with all of Sidney Rice’s issues, I was chomping at the bit to snag him here. Crabtree isn’t a bad consolation prize. He produced well despite missing time with the offense last year as a rookie.
This year, he says he’s feeling really comfortable with the offense for the first time, and is a main cog on an up-and-coming Niners offense. Taking him in the fourth round is a little higher than I would have liked, but I also didn’t want to take a chance of losing him to someone else between now and my next pick.
4.07 Matt Forte, CHI (speedy)
I’m going to go out on a limb here and hope last year was a fluke/sophomore slump.
4.08 Hakeem Nicks, NYG (ryder)
It was tempting to pick Vincent Jackson at this spot,but picking him in the 4th rd.is to early with his suspension and his possible lengthy holdout. I like that Nicks will give you a deep home run threat and is a big bodied red zone target for a WR.
4.09 Mike Sims-Walker, JAX (krause)
Here we are, the most crucial point of the draft. this is the point where you have to decide if your going stick with your strategy or turn a new leaf (No, not Ryan Leaf). I was originally going to draft a QB here but with the lack of QBs being drafted (average of one per round) I feel I could wait until round 8 or 9 and still get a top ten QB. So I’m going to zag from my strategy and zig with everyone else.
Sims-Walker had a breakout season in 09. He’s the number one WR in Jacksonville. there’s huge upside here with very low risk. I like that.
4.10 Chad “Esteban” Ochocinco, CIN (consigliere)
He is a legit weapon on a team with some other big time weapons. He is capable of big numbers and even though he is aged a little bit i think he still has one more good season in him. I am not overly worried about him losing out to TO, i see him as going back to the numbers he got when TJ Housh was there.
He has top fantasy potential, and that is important to me.
4.11 Dallas Clark, IND (ep)
With WRs still flying off the board at an alarming rate for a non-PPR, I’ll zag and take the top TE. Clark over Antonio Gates because Vincent Jackson is not in SD to spread out secondaries.
4.12 Tony Romo, DAL (sockonfl)
Romo will be phenomenal once Bryant gets on the field, which will be as soon as he possibly can. Bryant was the first first rounder to sign indicating his desire to play. I can’t believe Romo is still on the board here.
Follow along with the draft as it happens.
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Carolina Panthers @ Baltimore Ravens
CAR 0 3 6 3 12
BAL 3 7 7 0 17
Carolina Panthers
Scoring
2nd Qtr: John Kasay 37-yd FG
3rd Qtr: C.J. Wilson 31-yd Fumble Ret. (Kick failed)
4th Qtr: Kasay 45-yd FG
Positive Performance
Jimmy Clausen, QB
It was pretty clear that Clausen had run a pro-style offense before. He showed great understanding of the game, making audibles at the LOS, making the correct progressions, and staying poised in the pocket in the face of adversity. However, he also showed he has a bit of a gunslinger mentality, forcing the ball into a few spots that he shouldn’t have gotten away with. Ironically, though, the interception wasn’t his fault, as his receiver fell after the release. Adding to the irony, the INT led to the only TD the Panthers managed on a FR the next play. As a whole, it was a good debut. Definitely nothing that would make me scream “Bench Matt Moore”, but there’s definitely a future there.
DeAngelo Williams, RB
It’s pretty clear that the Memphis product isn’t going anywhere. Against a Ravens team that’s built to stop the run, he broke off for a couple nice runs. He’ll still be pushed by Stewart when healthy, but if Stewart were to aggravate his injury or get a more serious one, then I would not hesitate drafting DeAngelo Williams in any format as high as 5th overall.
Tony Fiammetta, FB
Brad who? Fiammetta’s blocking skills were definitely on display, keying D-Will off on a couple nice runs. He also showed good receiving skills when called upon. He should be a valuable asset for the run game and a nice safety valve for Matt Moore this season.
Greg Hardy, DE
There’s a good chance he makes the roster this season. He was able to make a couple plays. I know it’s just the preseason, but this guy was a first-round talent that fell for some character concerns, and if he’s gotten his act together (falling to the 7th round would be good motivation), he could be a starter for a team really hurting for a replacement for Peppers, or at least a solid rotational guy.
Negative Performance
Dexter Jackson, Brandon LaFell, Armanti Edwards, Dwayne Jarrett, WRs
Edwards and LaFell showed flashes, I’ll admit, but the Panthers went into this game looking for someone to step up as a potential #2 option behind Steve Smith for the regular season and left the game still looking. Terrible route-running, especially by Jarrett and Jackson. LaFell was plagued by drops, and it was clear that Edwards had never played WR before.
Jordan Gross, OT
Gross was called for multiple penalties, both false start and holding. What makes me worry isn’t Gross, who is a very talented LT, but more the fact that the umpire placement definitely had an impact for the game. It’s pretty obvious that the OL won’t be able to get away with nearly as much stuff as they have been.
Tony Pike, QB
Didn’t get his chance until midway through the 4th quarter, and he didn’t last long. Underthrew an open target badly on his first attempt. May be the odd man out in Carolina, as there’s a very small chance they’ll keep 4 QBs on the roster.
Long Snapper and Holder
Muffed both an XP exchage (causing a missed XP try) and a FG attempt at the end of the half (which led to an emergency scramble). Good chance they’ll practice the exchange around 100,000 times in practice this week.
Summary
Overall, I worry about the Panthers a little bit after this game. They still lack a #2 WR, and if Smith gets hurt again, whoever starts at QB will be REALLY hurting for passing targets. Without Steve Smith, this WR core rivals the ’09 Dolphins and ’09 Browns in anemia. Tyler Brayton looked good as a pass rusher, but he was injured in the game. It didn’t look serious, but sometimes they can be disguised.
Baltmore Ravens
Scoring
1st Qtr: Shayne Graham FG
2nd Qtr: Joe Flacco 30-yd TD Pass to Mark Clayton (Billy Cundiff kick)
3rd Qtr: Troy Smith 8-yd rush (Cundiff kick)
Positive Performances
Terrence Cody, DL
Anyone wondering why the Ravens selected the mammoth from Alabama should wonder no more. Cody showed amazing strength and run support through the whole game, at one point holding off Pro Bowl C Ryan Kalil with one arm and tackling D-Will for a loss with the rest of his body. He also had a couple nice hurries on Jimmy Clausen, although obviously, at 350+ pounds, his pursuit was suspect. If he can stay in shape, he and fellow mammoth Haloti Ngata could give Ravens fans déjà vu, seeing flashes of Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa.
Joe Flacco, QB
The first-team offense threw a ton against the Panthers, and it was pretty obvious why. Joe Flacco looks much improved from last season, a season where he led his team to a road playoff victory. His over the middle accuracy, while still somewhat erratic, looked better, and the long TD to Clayton made it obvious that he hasn’t lost his deep ball. Can’t wait to see what this offense looks like when they have everyone (notably Ray Rice).
Prince Miller, CB
Miller in most circumstances shouldn’t be a starting CB, but he may be in Baltimore. He played pretty well at CB, although he was helped by Carolina’s WR play (or lack thereof). He definitely has a shot at the nickel job. However, his impact will be felt most on special teams. Zbikowski will likely be the primary PR, but Miller definitely showed he could do the job if called upon. As of right now, the odds of him making the roster are better than 1/7.
Haroki Nakamura, DB
Another player whose presence will be felt mostly on special teams, Nakamura showed some flashes as a potential dime corner. His best play was stripping Tyrell Sutton less than 1 yard from the end zone. Definitely a guy you want on kick coverage.
Negative Performance
Marc Bulger, QB
This guy has seen the barrel of the gun way too many times. He showed some flashes of the QB he used to be, but those days are behind him. He hasn’t lost his turnover-prone ways, and shouldn’t be more than an emergency QB/mentor for Flacco, which is what he was brought in for. Troy Smith has every opportunity to supplant him on the depth chart, and based on last night, I’d say he’s well on his way.
Summary
Before the preseason started, I liked the Ravens as my Super Bowl Champion pick. After this first game, there’s been nothing to change my mind. The first team offense and defense absolutely manhandled the Panthers. The only thing I worry about is the secondary. Although Zbikowski was solid, they really need Ed Reed back. He brings a whole new dimension to that defense. Also, Washington and Foxworth need to step up big time this season. That being said, I think the potential for 12 wins is there, and they are definitely one of a handful of teams with serious Super Bowl aspirations.
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