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Don Chandler, a kicker and punter who was part of four championship teams with the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers, has died. He was 76. The Moore Southlawn Funeral Home in Tulsa, Okla., said Chandler died Thursday. Chandler played 12 NFL seasons…
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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This idea originated from ESPN’s Mike & Mike. I realize this is not an original article, but at least I’m not taking credit for the idea. It is important I let you know I am a Falcons fan. I write this on the Bucs because it is a series of every NFL team.
1.) Will Josh Freeman cut down his turnovers (20 in 10 games) in 2010?
Out of Kansas State, Josh Freeman showed star potential in his rookie year. Parts of his game still need work, including a more complex offense. Freeman showed his clutch ability, which some quarterbacks don’t have. If Freeman’s progress continues at the pace it has been, he’ll be a pro bowl quarterback in the next few years.
2.) Does veteran Cadillac Williams still have enough left in the tank?
History would say at 28, he has two more years left. The only time he has rushed for 1,000 yards is his rookie year in 2005 (See I am doing some research!). In 2007 and 2008 he was plauged by injury. Last year was his best year since his rookie season, which would suggest he is returning to his younger form. Cadillac looks to be on the brink of rushing for 1,000 yards for the second time in his NFL career.
3.) Can rookie wide receivers Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams make an immediate impact?
Arrelious Benn has the ideal size for an NFL WR, but needs to improve his catching ability. Mike Williams has had questionable character, especially when he quit the Syracuse football team. These two can create a good duo and legit weapons for Josh Freeman. I like the upside this group shows, but with so many young players, it will take some time.
4.) Can Raheem Morris revive the Bucs’ once-formidable defense?
The defensive line is full of young players to help revive this dying defense. Brian Price and Gerald McCoy were both high drafts picks ( McCoy 1st round, Price 2nd round.) McCoy is expected to be a reincarnation of Warren Sapp. Brian Price can also dominate in the middle, if given time. Kyle Moore should start opposite Stylez G. White to give the Bucs a pretty solid defensive line. The Bucs need more rotational players, but the starters are set.
The linebacking core starts with Barrett Ruud. Ruud has some of the best stats of any middle linebacker in the league. Geno Hayes and Quincy Black are very inconsistent and may need to be replaced long term.
The secondary is very solid. Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber start at the corner spots. Sean Jones should help the secondary and even improve the play of Tanard Jackson.
This defense is young, but building well.
5.) Record?
5-11, last place in the NFC South.
Bonus thoughts
The offensive line was disapointing in 2009, and will move from the zone-blocking scheme to man-to-man scheme. All offensive lineman are very big and athletic, which should help with the change of schemes. Kellen Winslow proved to be the elite tight end that the Bucs traded for.
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The Cleveland Browns receiving corps have been criticized almost universally in every form of offseason media.
Athlon Sports gave the Browns receivers a grade of D and NFL.com ranks Mohamed Massaquoi as the 58th best receiver in the league and Joshua Cribbs No. 66.
According to an article written by the Bleacher Report’s Browns Featured Columnist Daniel Wolf, Yahoo’s Jason Cole ranks the Browns receivers as the worst in the NFL. EA Sports popular football game Madden Football ranks Cribbs and Massaquoi as mediocre and the rest of the receivers as poor.
Perhaps it was just a figment of preseason smoke and mirrors, but the Browns receivers sure looked better than a collective destined to relive the shop of horrors that was our passing attack last season.
Whether it was second year receiver Brian Robiskie running the precise routes he was touted for at Ohio State and hauling in three passes—including a touchdown on a laser from new quarterback Seneca Wallace—or tight end Evan Moore picking up where he left off in 2009 with three catches and forcing his way on the field despite the free agent signings of two formidable tight ends, the receivers for the most part looked very good against Green Bay.
Twelve separate Browns caught passes against the Packers. The Browns had multiple games where the team didn’t total even 12 completions last year.
When Browns President Mike Holmgren was hired, he was quoted as saying he didn’t think the Browns needed a veteran receiver because the ones they had were getting open.
He stated that incumbent quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn simply couldn’t get them the ball.
Obviously, credit must be given to the Browns new quarterbacks, who controlled the huddle, got everybody lined up properly for the most part, found the open receiver, and delivered catchable balls.
This was a remarkable 180-degree turnaround from last season, when Anderson consistently misfired and Quinn threw mostly short or into coverage.
Whether it was Delhomme going 6-of-7 and spreading it around with two separate 17-yard completions—one to Evan Moore and the other to Mohamed Massaquoi—and a 12-yarder to Massaquoi on fourth and one, or Seneca Wallace going 4-of-8 for 72 yards for two scores, the Browns top two quarterbacks definitely had a synergy going on with their teammates.
Wallace found three different sets of hands on his two scoring drives: Robiskie twice, once for a 13 yard touchdown; tight end Ben Watson for a 20 yard TD strike off a beautiful ball fake on an out; and running back Peyton Hillis on a nicely executed screen for 26 yards.
The Browns receivers also made themselves available to quarterbacks Brett Ratliff and Colt McCoy, who combined for 12 completions but missed connections on a few throws that I’m sure the young quarterbacks wanted back.
Personally, I really like Jake Allen’s length and hands. He had two catches for 15 yards and had another intermediate out that he made a very nice grab on but had a foot out of bounds.
Tight end Alex Smith led the team with three catches for 37 yards and between him, Watson, and Moore we are stacked at tight end.
Overall, I think the receivers made an outstanding showing against Green Bay and I can begin to see the wisdom in Holmgren’s reluctance to sign a significant veteran wide receiver.
Bobby Engram didn’t have any catches and I would hate to see us part with a Carlton Mitchell or a Jake Allen just to keep Engram around come the start of the season.
Granted, it was only one preseason game, but tangibles like precise route running, correctly lining up in formation, and actually catching the ball are definitely positive steps forward.
The pundits who so thoroughly ripped our receivers are going to be in for a big surprise this season.
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The Cleveland Browns took the practice field on Tuesday morning of August 17 and there was a notable change in the linebacker group on the first-team defense.
With inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson out of the lineup for six to eight weeks with an injury, Scott Fujita has now moved to the inside to take his place.
Fujita is a big linebacker at 6’5″ and 250 pounds and he is by far the tallest linebacker the Browns have. Also, he played inside linebacker with the New Orleans Saints, who won the Super Bowl lasts season.
Fujita, who initially was playing on the outside for the Browns, is no stranger to the inside to which he has been switched.
That left an open spot at starting outside linebacker opposite Matt Roth. This morning, none other than second-year player Marcus Benard was starting in place of Fujita due to Jackson’s injury.
Benard made his name well known across the NFL and especially Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans when he sacked Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice on a cold weekday evening back in November when the Browns started their four-game season ending winning streak.
Against the Green Bay Packers this past Saturday, Benard was second on the team in total tackles, registered a sack and forced a fumble, he is now playing with the first team.
Jackson’s injury and Benard’s play on game days have given the undrafted linebacker out of Jackson State a chance to finally be a starter in the NFL. He probably will be the starting outside linebacker against the St. Louis Rams this weekend at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Benard is the classic example of how hard work and dedication can help you accomplish your goals. He is another unknown player that the Browns have been able to find and build into a playmaker.
He joins a group currently on the roster who were either undrafted or castoffs from other teams’ rosters that include Josh Cribbs and Evan Moore.
Browns fans all know the story of Cribbs and are quickly learning Moore’s story. Moore is also ready to contribute on the offense in his second year and looks to be the No. 2 tight end behind starter Ben Watson.
Benard is just another player who the Browns have been able to take advantage of as an unknown and he looks to build his resume and use this time with the first team to possibly cement a spot on it for many years to come.
Look for Benard to get some major pressure on the Rams and No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford this weekend on the shores of Lake Erie.
(Daniel Wolf is exclusively covering the Browns training camp for both Bleacher Report and Blog” href=”http://www.dawgscooper.net” target=”_blank”>Dawg Scooper: THE Cleveland Browns Blog.)
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