What I'm Watching For: Thursday Night Football

Tonight, ESPN begins its coverage of the 2014 NFL season with an exhibition showdown between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Chicago Bears. Here are two items to keep an eye on during the game:

1. Will Marqise Lee come out of his shell?

The Jaguars stole USC wide receiver Marqise Lee early in the second round of the draft. Lee was a surefire first-rounder, but just before the draft, word got out that the knee injuries that beleaguered Lee's senior season were lingering. Lee, who would have been a top-ten pick in 2013, fell to the second round in 2014.

Jaguars fans are hoping Marqise Lee is the next Jimmy Smith (Photo from Jaguars.com) 

Lee took the field with the starters in the Jags' preseason openers against Tampa Bay. He made zero catches on zero targets, and had his effort publicly and harshly criticized by Jags coach Gus Bradley. In short, Bradley observed that Lee looked self-conscious and lackadaisical in his route-running. So much so that Bradley felt it was necessary to meet privately with the receiver to discuss what the heck he was doing. In light of that meeting--or in light of something--Bradley back-tracked on Monday, saying Lee was "focused," "competitive," and "driven"; that he "learned from those things and got better" (presumably referring to Lee's missteps in game one). Bradley attributed Lee's questionable effort to "confusion." That makes sense. After all, he is still a rookie. But he is a rookie who is being heavily counted upon to bring a Jimmy Smith-like presence back to Jacksonville, where Justin Blackmon has hitherto failed to do so. It is important for Lee to catch on quickly if he is going to be a day-one starter. Look for him to take the professionalism up a notch in the Hog Butcher tonight.

2. Under-the-radar defensive talent in Chicago

There are two young fellas in particular that I will be watching closely tonight, the first being fourth-round safety Brock Vereen.

First of all, yes, Brock is Shane Vereen's younger brother. Brock played all over the secondary as a Minnesota Golden Gopher, earning first-team All-Conference honors in the Big Ten as a senior. The peculiar thing about Vereen is that he has already taken over starting reps at free safety for the Bears. I thought, going into the draft, that Chicago was one of the most safety-needy teams in the league, but they passed on guys like Calvin Pryor and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round, and did not get around to addressing the deficiency until round four. Either they saw something real special in Vereen, and felt comfortable waiting for him in the fourth round (about where most draftniks had him going), or perhaps they did not consider the position a priority. After the way Chris Conte played in 2013, how could it not be a priority though?

Brock Vereen pinwheels Eagles tight end Zach Ertz in the Bears' preseason opener (photo by Charles Rex Arbogast, AP)

I don't know if Vereen was viewed as an immediate contributor from day one, but ever since OTAs began without Chris Conte who was recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Vereen has been "the guy." The reviews out of training camp were highly positive, and, after his solid preseason performance against Philadelphia a week ago, we see now that they were true. Even with a wealth of experience around him (Conte, M.D. Jennings, Adrian Wilson), Vereen appears poised to get the nod come regular season.

Another intriguing rookie is the undrafted free agent outside linebacker Christian Jones. Six-foot-three, 240-pound Jones is a physical prototype of an ideal 4-3 OLB. He has coverage skills, excels as a pass rusher, and is a sure-handed three-down tackling machine. So why did the gifted Florida State linebacker go undrafted? You guessed it: character issues. Considered a day-two prospect at first, Jones fell out of the draft completely after failing a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine. Since then, Jones has--most importantly--stayed out of trouble, and, as a bonus, performed very well in camp. He must only overtake underwhelming Shea McClellin to crack the starting lineup. It should not be too difficult a task, as McClellin's only distinction in two years with the Bears has been breaking Aaron Rodgers' clavicle. For now, Jones is stuck on special teams duties, but don't be surprised--especially if he shows well tonight--to see Jones get some serious looks on the defense this season.

I hope you all reap your fair share of pithy Gruden-isms tonight. Football (on ESPN) is back!