Indianapolis @ New York Jets
San Francisco @ Baltimore
New England @ Washington
Cincinnati @ Kansas City
Seattle @ Denver
Dallas @ San Diego
What I'm Watching For:
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| Ryan Mallett will get the start against the Redskins tonight. Is he being dangled as trade bait? (picture from Chat Sports) |
1. Ryan Mallett getting the start
At first look, this appears to simply be a case of a tenured starter sitting it out because he can, and the coaches wanting to get a better look at their backups. And perhaps that is all it is. But I have a theory: this is a sales pitch--a sales pitch by Bill Belichick and the Patriots to lure some team into trading for Ryan Mallett. The Patriots rarely carry more than two quarterbacks, and now they have three high-profile passers. One, Tom Brady. He's the man--enough said. Two, Ryan Mallett--a fresh, physically gifted college stud in a contract year after studying under Brady and Belichick for a few seasons (someone who will get more than a few looks come free agency). Three, second-round draftee Jimmy Garoppolo--current "disaster insurance" and possible QB of the future. The chances of the Patriots trading Mallett rest primarily on how much the organization trusts Garoppolo to be a capable backup. So far, Garoppolo's camp reviews have been lukewarm, and the Patriots have said that Mallett won't be traded, but you can't count anything out in the NFL. I am certainly not buying it. If Mallett looks good tonight--and he should get plenty of playing time--the Patriots' phone will be ringing. Whether or not the Pats will be listening is the greater uncertainty.
2. Backup RB's in Balt/SF bout
The 49ers/Ravens matchup in Maryland features an interesting display of backup tailbacks who look to be seeing a lot of action in the upcoming regular season--mostly for unfortunate, unexpected reasons.
When the 49ers drafted Carlos Hyde in the second round of the draft, I was a little puzzled. Here is a team that has a healthy-as-ever Frank Gore, a solid backup in Kendall Hunter, another solid backup in LaMichael James, and a young up-and-comer in Marcus Lattimore. Somewhat expectedly, Lattimore is still not yet fully recovered from the gruesome knee injuries that ended his stellar college career, James spent the offseason griping about his place on the team and skipped voluntary team workouts, and most catastrophically, Hunter lost the 2014 season to a torn ACL last week. Retrospectively, the Carlos Hyde selection looks rather intuitive--almost clairvoyant. Just like that, Hyde is the first man up if 31-year-old workhorse Gore has any problems injury- or performance-wise. Tonight, we will get our first pro look at the young Buckeye.
On the other side of the field will be Bernard Pierce, the de facto week-one starter for the Ravens in light of Ray Rice's two-game suspension. Pierce, unlike Hyde, has already proven his worth in the NFL. He has been Rice's backup for two full seasons, and has made good of his limited opportunities. Rice was terrible a season ago, and there may be a slight window of opportunity for Pierce to permanently displace Rice in the first-team offense if he performs well enough. We'll get a glimpse of Pierce's campaign as starter in the preseason, but the regular-season reps during Rice's suspension will be what matters most.
3. Is Denver possibly better in 2014 than in 2013?
Seriously? Is that possible? Yes, I know Denver lost badly to Seattle in the Super Bowl, but I will still argue that Denver was the NFL's best team during the 2013 regular season. That offense shattered records behind Peyton Manning's 55 passing touchdowns. Here is an unbelievable list of all the records the Broncos tied and broke during their phenomenal 2013 campaign. So will the Broncs be even better? Well, Eric Decker is gone, replaced by Emmanuel Sanders from Pittsburgh. We don't really know how good Decker will be without Manning, but we have seen glimpses of legitimate production from Sanders in Pittsburgh. All respect due to Ben Roethlisberger, Sanders will profit even more catching passes from Manning. I believe he may be even better than Decker was in Adam Gase's system. Then there is the changing of the guards at running back. Montee Ball will take over for Knowshon Moreno. Unlike Decker, we know Moreno is no good without the Manning Effect; therefore, I see no reason why Ball's statistics and performance should not benefit similarly from playing in Manning's backfield. Montee Ball is a younger, better athlete than Knowshon Moreno to boot. Ball's experience is really the only major question mark.
The scariest improvements in Denver come on defense, however. The additions of T.J. Ward at safety, Aqib Talib at cornerback, and Demarcus Ware on the edge fill/improve holes that previously existed on Denver's good-but-not-great defensive unit. The position that concerns me is middle linebacker--the spot vacated by Wesley Woodyard. Youngster Nate Irving will get the first crack at winning the job, but fifth-round rookie Lamin Barrow has caught the attention of DC Jack Del Rio in the offseason and may contest Irving for snaps. It will be an intriguing battle to monitor over the course of the preseason.
I expect Denver's first teams to demolish every squad they encounter in preseason (including Seattle), and possibly thereafter.
Enjoy the games tonight, y'all. I'll be back tomorrow with some insight into Friday's slate of games.
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