Week Two of the full pre-season was concluded by a game on Monday Night Football on ESPN, that was actually played on… wait for it… Monday Night. Go figure!
Watching the ‘SKINS game the other day it struck me that given the talent on their roster right now, and the fact that ALEX SMITH/QB is new to DC, perhaps the coaching staff might be amenable to a purge in their WR group. The team already let TERRELLE PRYOR take his sulking ass out of town during the off-season. JOSH DOCTSON, their 1st Rounder in 2016 continues to battle to stay healthy and get out on the field. Even when he’s out there it often appears to me that he is not a natural at locating and catching the ball. He certainly does not look like a top pro WR talent to my eyes. BRIAN QUICK is still on the roster and is now 29-years old and still trying to step up as a legit NFL wideout.
But their disappointing work as a group is not the main reason that this thought came to my mind. It was watching their new receivers as they have played in the first two pre-season contests. PAUL RICHARDSON, who they acquired as a VFA from Seattle, is the deep threat who really stretches the field and DB nerves. PAUL is only 26 and looks to be hitting his pro stride. Next up is Mr. Irrelevant, the last Pick in the 2018 NFL Draft named TREY QUINN. I have no idea how this guy lasted until the end of the Draft. He has surprising speed and excellent hands. He can also gain yards after the catch. He looks to be winning the Punt Return chores as well. Then the team has two Undrafted Rookies who clearly look like the real deal with very good upside. CAM SIMS, looks like a superior athlete who got caught in the talent landslide at Alabama. SIMS is 6’5 and weights 215 lbs. He looked strong and athletic last week, and no one is going to beat him to jump balls. He should also be able to fit a few Special Teams roles. Then we have SIMMIE COBBS who led IU in receptions last season with 72 catches. He’s also big at 6’3/220. He looks to have good upside.
My contention is the team can dump more major salary in DOCTSON/QUICK and upgrade their talent pool at wideout. They would still have young vets JAMISON CROWDER and MAURICE HARRIS, and a talented TE group when JORDAN REED is healthy. It’s a risk, but one that could benefit Washington for the next 5 years, at least. Roll the dice JAY GRUDEN!
TEDDY BRIDGEWATER is looking like his old self in JETS Camp this Summer, and the JETS are making sure everyone around the league is aware of it and scouting his progress weekly. First off, it is great to see TEDDY looking solid after that horrific knee injury two years ago. But the JETS look to have secured their Franchise QB of the near future in SAM DARNOLD, who is looking really good in his work on the field. They also have a solid “old vet” in JOSH McCOWN who can still play a bit, and is willing to serve as a mentor to DARNOLD, while collecting QB pay in the League. Logic would indicate, if not dictate, the JETS trading BRIDGEWATER away and building up their war chest for the 2019 NFL Draft, which looks to have plenty of talent again assuming (safely, methinks) that another 100 underclassmen will come out of school for that Draft.
Living in Florida, as I now do, I get plenty of exposure to all 3 Florida based NFL Franchises. I will tell you straight out that none of those fan bases seem to be excited about their teams’ starting QB. BORTLES in Jacksonville is still seen as a caretaker QB by most, despite their Play-Off run last season. In Tampa JAMEIS WINSTON, has undeniable talent, but just about every time he looks to make a move up the QB food chain, he gets into trouble off the field. And in Miami RYAN TANNEHILL is earning the reputation as the College WR who doesn’t measure up as an NFL level QB. On top of that TANNEHILL just turned 30-years old, and is coming back from another knee injury. He may actually wear a knee brace during games going forward.
I doubt that the first two teams would make a run for BRIDGEWATER, but perhaps the Dolphins should give this some serious consideration.
DOLPHINS brass are making noises that they think this team can challenge the PATRIOTS in the AFC East this season. What you smoking in those meeting rooms boys? Their WR corps might be OK if DeVANTE PARKER can stay on the field, but he hasn’t been able to yet and the team could not handle JARVIS LANDRY’s personality and shipped him to Cleveland. So it’s not exactly a star studded cast at the WR positions. But the team is rebuilding the TE corps with Rookies MIKE GESICKI and DURHAM SMYTHE, and dare I be a name dropper, DEZ BRYANT has not signed with the Browns yet. If not right away, I could see the Dolphins in discussions with the JETS about BRIDGEWATER by early October, if the JETS are still feeling good about McCOWN/DARNOLD. Pure speculation, but IMO the Dolphins should be one of a handful of teams to explore the BRIDGEWATER waters based on what I have seen from TEDDY vis-a-vis TANNEHILL through 2 pre-season games.
I assume most of you still remember DARREN SPROLES, mighty-might RB/RETURN MAN/Receiver who is in EAGLES Camp trying to return from injury for one last NFL season and a Super Bowl run that he missed last season because of injury. The 35-year old SPROLES, has carved out an improbable 12 year NFL career, as a mini-me Swiss Army knife. At 5’6, and weighing under 200 lbs. his career is pretty amazing. I bring up the versatile, grizzled veteran because I am beginning to believe that the SAINTS may have hit the Draft jackpot with their 6th Round Pick BOSTON SCOTT/RB/RS/Louisiana Tech. The Saints just announced they were cutting vet RB TERRANCE WEST this Monday. WEST was signed as the team worked to find some back-up RB help while MARK INGRAM basically misses the month of September with a suspension. I believe that the biggest reason WEST became expendable was the excellent, versatile work of SCOTT, as evidenced this past weekend. SCOTT reminds me of SPROLES because of size and versatility. Against the CARDINALS SCOTT tried his hand, and legs, at everything and passed with flying colors. He rushed 6 times for 28 yards, caught a pass for 4 yards, returned 3 kicks for an average of 29 yards each and returned a Punt for 13 yards. These numbers are not overwhelming, but they certainly show promise for the future. Like SPROLES, SCOTT is listed at 5’6, but unlike SPROLES, SCOTT packs 205 lbs. of muscle on his frame. He’s quick and strong. He shows signs of being a big time player for the SAINTS this season, and could allow the team to get by with him, KAMARA and JONATHAN WILLIAMS, along with FB ZACH LINE in their September backfield while INGRAM is suspended.
While I am talking about the SAINTS, it is beginning to look like like their final Draft Pick, in Round 7, Pick 245 could be solving their Interior OL depth issue. Local LSU product WILL CLAPP is that man, and has seen a lot of playing time so far. And he is looking solid. I would expect to see him get more PT at OG in coming games to see if he can back-up on all Interior positions. MARCUS DAVENPORT is expected to play for the first time this coming week. This could end up being another very solid Rookie group for the SAINTS, yet again!
BROWNS fans have got to be feeling pretty positive about some of their Rookies so far this Summer. As I projected, AUSTIN CORBETT, their 2nd Round Draftee, after an initial trial at OT has been moved inside to OG (as I projected, after watching him at Senior Bowl practices) and he may be well on his way to locking up a starting job in there. He’s a strong guy, and a smart player. His foot speed is just a tad too slow for handling edge-rushers at the NFL talent level. He looks to be helping to ease the pain of the JOE THOMAS retirement. By the way, for those of you who have not heard, do not expect any kind of comeback for THOMAS if the team is playing well and injuries hit the OL group. The NFL is not kind to OT who weigh about 250 lbs., which is Joe’s current weight after a 50-pound weight loss since retiring. He says he’s feeling great! Expect him to be in a broadcast booth very soon doing color.
On a very positive note the Dog Pound diehards, and others had to be cheered by the work of RB/NICK CHUBB against the BILLS. After a debut of about 1-yard per carry CHUBB romped against the BILLS, carrying 11 times, for 53 yards and a TD.
Just as an FYI, I see the BROWNS as making a big jump to about 6-10, maybe 7-9 if they stay reasonably healthy. I would also project that TYROD TAYLOR, will indeed have only a one-year stay in Cleveland. BAKER MAYFIELD will even be hard to keep off the field for the whole 2018 season.
Hope you folks are watching Hard Knocks on HBO Sports. They are doing a solid job, IMO, mixing on and off-field goings-on for the Brownies. If you are looking for wild histrionics you won’t get much (other than JARVIS LANDRY), but they are mixing football stuff with some personality profiles as well. Good stuff!
A couple of other Rookies I want to mention to you from the Rookie class of 2018.
CHRIS WARREN/RB of the Raiders, who I mentioned last week, clearly had the attention of his coaches after a strong opening effort. They were so impressed, and curious, about his work in the opener that this past game in a 15-19 Loss at the RAMS, WARREN was handed the ball 18 times (which is a ton in a pre-season game) and he rumbled for 110 yards, and a rushing TD. This guy is going to make that team, and supplement BEAST MODE very nicely.
In that same game, on the starting D of the RAMS was a young (21) man who appears to fit WADE PHILLIPS’ 3-4 DE role almost perfectly. JOHN FRANKLIN, also known as Franklin-Meyers, is 6’4, 288 lbs. and came from small-school SF Austin. He is stout enough to hold the edge against the run but also shows some natural pass-rush ability. He had 1 tackle in the first half, and it was a sack. But he also held the edge and pressured the pocket multiple times. WADE must be relishing this addition to his troops on D, almost as much as a guy-named-SUH.
Speaking of hyphenated last names, the RAMS lead the League with 4 of them on their current roster: FRANKLIN-MEYERS, SEBASTIAN JOSEPH-DAY/DT/R, HENRY KRIEGER-COBLE/TE, NICKELL ROBEY-COLEMAN. Tinsel Town seems like the perfect place for all these guys who can’t settle on one last name.
I feel like I would be remiss if I did not mention the stellar early work in Denver, of 2nd year QB CHAD KELLY, nephew of HoF JIM KELLY. CHAD had multiple off-field issues while a collegian, but I recall chatting with him for almost a half-hour over dinner at Media Night during Senior Bowl week 2017 and was impressed by his honesty and openness about his errant ways. I have been rooting for him ever since! And he has really taken the bull by the horns so far this pre-season. PAXTON LYNCH, a former first rounder, is being pushed out of the back-up QB job by KELLY this Summer. KELLY showed well late back in game one, but got in sooner this week in the Broncos home game. He looked strong going 7/9 for 90-yards and 1 TD. If he wins that back-up job, will it force the Broncos to keep LYNCH as a 3rd QB, or will they part ways with LYNCH? Hint, the pattern under VP/GM is to keep only 2 QB. Stay tuned for this one, boys and girls.
Cheers
Pigskin
