Takeaways from Hall of Fame Game

I am not always going to do this, but right now, only one game has been played, so I'm going to analyze the heck out of it. To do this, I want to look back at my "What I'm Watching For" article from yesterday, and evaluate the areas of the game in which I was most interested.

First up, the Bills linebackers:

Before the Bills' first-team defense left the game, I was able to watch Nigel Bradham closely as he attempted to fill the big shoes of the injured Kiko Alonso. Bradham was active and led the first team in tackles with four. Though he is no Kiko Alonso, Bradham was not a liability in any sense, and overall I was pleased with his play. Rookie Preston Brown came in early in the first quarter and played some good football too, corralling 2.5 tackles and intercepting a pass (that was called back due to a roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive lineman Stefan Charles). Alonso will be missed, but at first evaluation, the Bills' lot at linebacker could be worse.

Next, the Giants' tailbacks and tight ends:

The tailbacks, led by starter Rashad Jennings, had an impressive evening. Jennings excelled as a receiver out of the backfield, but was so-so on the ground, rushing for 24 yards on seven carries. Third-stringer Peyton Hillis averaged about five yards per carry on his seven carries (36 yards). Most revealing was fourth-round rookie Andre Williams who notched 48 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Underdog Michael Cox flopped, gaining only 11 yards on 10 total touches.

Tailback Andre Williams looked promising in his NFL debut (photo from WSJ online, Cal Sport Media/Zuma Press)

The concerns for the Giants and their fans about the tight end position were not the least bit quelled by Sunday night's action. Only two passes the whole evening were caught by tight ends (one to Larry Donnell and one to Daniel Fells), while most looks were understandably given to the wide receivers.

The Bills' rookie tackles Seantrel Henderson and Cyrus Kouandjio:

After the game, Bills coach Doug Marrone said of his rookie tackles that "both players have a lot of work ahead of them. Marrone knows a lot better than I do, but I was very impressed with Seantrel Henderson's consistent neutralization of Jason Pierre-Paul. Cyrus Kouandjio, on the other hand, was beat like a drum all night once he got into the game. This is about what I expected. If Henderson keeps it up, Cordy Glenn may return from his illness not to his left tackle position but to an interior line spot. Kouandjio is not ready to start in the NFL. I expect him to get there eventually.

The kickers, extra points, and the like:

The Bills delegated kickoff duties to Dustin Hopkins, leaving fields goals exclusively to Dan Carpenter who was perfect, including a 51-yarder. Unless the Bills carry two kickers past the final cut (highly unlikely and unreasonable), I see no reason why Carpenter would not win the job.

The Giants entrusted extra points to David Brown, while Brandon McManus attempted the only three-pointer of the evening, knocking it down from 48 yards. I still like Brown in this competition, but McManus won't go without a fight.

The extra points were longer, but otherwise the same--still that part of the game you see/hear as you walk past the TV to go to the kitchen or bathroom.

I will be back soon with some speculative commentary and predictions on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Thanks for reading!