Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia
Friday:
Jacksonville @ Detroit
Carolina @ New England
New York Giants @ New York Jets
Oakland @ Green Bay
Chicago @ Seattle
1. Has Blake Bortles ignited a QB controversy?
Gus Bradley has stated over and over again, with utmost assurance, that Blake Bortles will carry the clipboard his first year and learn while Chad Henne runs the Jacksonville offense. Though Henne has done nothing to lose his starting designation, he has been thoroughly outplayed by the mesmerizing rookie wonder, Bortles. Against the Bears a week ago, I saw Blake Bortles make some truly elite throws into some tight windows, while rolling out. He was phenomenal. Through two preseason games, Bortles has completed 18 passes on 28 attempts for 277 yards and no touchdowns--which really is not all that impressive, but I suppose it is more the intangibles that have been so impressive. The small windows he's fitting his passes into; the mobility; the pocket awareness. Bortles looks the part of a franchise NFL quarterback--something Henne has never proven to be.
I know it is the popular thing to let quarterbacks learn the ropes as rookies before handing them the starting job, but Bortles is no Manziel, or Bridgewater. He's no Blaine Gabbert. He's no Brandon Weeden, or Christian Ponder. He is ready now--like Andrew Luck was as a rookie. It is not right and not smart to sit the best player at a certain position just because they bear the label of "rookie." Hopefully, Gus Bradley is not too stubborn to realize that, despite his initial intentions to sit him, Bortles is ready, and the Jags will win more games with him than they will with Chad Henne.
2. What is the deal with Nick Fairley?
When the Lions season came to a close last January, Nick Fairley stood atop a statline of career highs in tackles (35), sacks (6), and starts (15). He also added two forced fumbles. Fairley had a breakout year, but the Lions strangely declined to pick up his fifth-year option. One can glean from his 2013 stats that Fairley is a good ball player. The problem is his weight. At season's end, Fairley weighed over 320 pounds.
The Lions asked Fairley to "reposition" some of his weight over the offseason. Fairley responded by reporting to OTA's at a slim 295. Too light, apparently, and now Fairley is back up to a monstrous 315. Apparently, the Lions want him at about 305, and have demoted him to the second team until his gets his weight under control.
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| Yep, Nick Fairley is a big dude. (Photo: Raj Mehta, USA Today) |
This cannot possibly last. Fairley is too good of a defensive force to keep off of the field. He and Ndamukong Suh are probably the most dominant defensive tackle tandem in the NFL since Minnesota's vaunted "Williams Wall" a few seasons ago. Surely, Fairley will find his way back into the starting lineup soon, and if Detroit doesn't want him after this year, some team will.
3. Who will step up in the Panthers passing game?
Among Carolina's many problem areas, the receiving corps might be the most disconcerting, as rookie Kelvin Benjamin is expected to be the go-to guy right off the bat, with geriatrics Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant as the two and three spots, respectively. Tiquan Underwood was signed away from the Bucs over the offseason, but has reportedly been terrible in training camp, and may not even make the 53-man roster at this point. The good news is that two youngsters, Tavarres King and Brenton Bersin, have distinguished themselves in camp and in preseason enough to show some promise and add some much-needed youth to this rag-tag bunch.
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| Despite having the best hair in the NFL, Tiquan Underwood is no lock for the Panthers' roster. (Photo: Jeremy Brevard, USA Today) |
With only tight end Greg Olsen returning to his prominent role from a season ago, the idea that the Panthers might have a formidable passing game is a bit of a long shot, but then again, Carolina is where Ted Ginn, Brandon LaFell, and even Domenik Hixon revitalized--or at least, kept alive--their careers last year. Don't count the Panthers air attack out yet, but keep a close eye on it against New England tomorrow night and thereafter.
4. Will Matt Schaub regain his confidence?
When Oakland traded for Matt Schaub, I wondered if they were already making a bid for Jameis Winston in the 2015 draft, because surely any team investing hope in Matt Schaub had a death wish for the 2014 season. But no, Oakland legitimately has faith in Matt Schaub, and with more thought, I can kind of understand that.
True, there's no forgetting that Schaub was horrendously difficult to watch last year as he threw pick-six after pick-six and single-handedly cost Houston a handful of games. But, before that, there has been some forgetting that Schaub was a pretty good quarterback. He passed for 4,000 yards in three seasons, and led Houston to two serious postseason bids. The Texans were supposed to be a Super Bowl contender in 2013. What happened--particularly to Schaub? My theory is that, after a few disappointing losses at his own hands, Schaub simply lost his confidence, and never got it back. I still believe he can be a reliable quarterback; the question is will he.
So far, the signs do not look good. Schaub was OK in Oakland's preseason opener, but was nearly picked off on the first play of scrimmage; he followed up with a poor performance in week two, throwing one pick amid 13 attempts and eight completions.
I don't believe it is any secret that rookie Derek Carr is the QB of the future in Oakland. We might see him sooner rather than later, though.
5. Super Bowl rematches
Just a quick fun fact to conclude: the Carolina/New England and Oakland/Green Bay matchups are the first of six Super Bowl rematches happening this weekend:
Carolina vs. New England -- Super Bowl XXXVIII
Oakland vs. Green Bay -- Super Bowl II
Dallas vs. Miami -- Super Bowl VI
New Orleans vs. Indianapolis -- Super Bowl XLIV
Minnesota vs. Kansas City -- Super Bowl IV
San Diego vs. San Francisco -- Super Bowl XXIX
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