Here are some notes related to the games I focused on from last weekend.
Jets 30, Falcons 22
- The Falcons' passing offense continues to amaze. While Atlanta is experiencing similar running back problems to Buffalo's, forcing them to use a fourth-stringer named Terron Ward, Matt Ryan's performances have been more than enough to carry the team so far. A nice throw to Collin Mooney left Jets linebacker Quinton Coples flat-footed and set up a 59-yard gain, then Julio Jones drew a pass-interference flag on Darrelle Revis to set up Ward for the easy touchdown. Ryan is even making mediocre players like Leonard Hankerson, scorer of the second touchdown appear competent.
- The Jets' first-team offense, on the other hand, is totally devoid of excitement. Not a single player is fun to watch. Chris Ivory showed some good vision on a touchdown run late in the first half, but the New York offense was entirely stagnant otherwise, as they were against Detroit. I foresee an awful inaugural season for Todd Bowles.
- TJ Yates, in limited playing time, managed to both take a safety and throw a costly interception. Perhaps there is a correlation between the fact that Yates was remarkably terrible both this week and last and the fact that Renfree experienced an increase in playing time. Who knows?? (Apparently Renfree has also been taking second-team reps in practice since last week.)
- The Falcons commentators thought it was hysterically funny when Jeremy Kerley tried to convince the officials that he had completed a questionable catch. They kept calling him a "litigator" and inexplicably chuckled a great deal when one of them said "Okay, it's time for you to stop being a litigator and go back to being a football player!" Also: "[Hester] simply emasculated that coverage team!" later in the game.
- There was a bit of debate between the commentators as to whether or not Bryce Petty would be able to develop quickly enough to serve as the primary backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick (following the Matt Flynn signing). Judging by this game, he has a long way to go. Every throw of his, at least on the drive I watched all the way through, seemed to be a risky deep pass; every once in a while one paid off, and it looked like a brilliant throw, but most of the time Petty missed by a wide margin.
Panthers 31, Dolphins 30
- The Panthers' play-by-play announcer had a strange habit of referring to quarterbacks by their full names. I thought it was strange enough when he introduced "Ryan Timothy Tannehill III," but it wasn't a one-time thing, as he also mentioned "Cameron Jerrell Newton."
- Carolina's first-team offense was just as terrible as I had anticipated. Jonathan Stewart is, and always has been, a mediocre running back, and Cam Newton started out 0 for 4 with an interception before completing a few passes against a Miami unit that, as it was the second quarter, may have contained some reserves.
- Newton's sheer mediocrity was especially noticeable because of how good Ryan Tannehill, and Miami's first-team offense as a whole, was in comparison. In general, this game followed a similar pattern to the Falcons-Jets game, in that one team completely dominated the first quarter, but comparatively mediocre backups squandered the lead.
- I'm a little irritated by the constant attempts to avoid overtime in preseason games. I understand that the quality of play isn't as high in general, but wouldn't a team want as much time to evaluate its personnel as possible, in as many different game situations as possible? In 2014 there was even a vote to eliminate overtime from preseason games completely. This game was a good example of a team, Miami, losing out on an opportunity to give more playing time to borderline prospects like riches-to-rags Josh Freeman, because they decided to go for two in a situation in which they never would in the regular season.
Vikings 20, Raiders 12
- I was glad to finally have the chance to watch my team in action. Unfortunately, their performance was pretty disappointing. The starting offense at least got into the endzone, with the help of a toe-tapping catch by Amari Cooper (notable because as the commentators pointed out, he's a rookie, and in college, receivers only need one foot down), but the backups were stifled by an endless stream of penalties. Oakland has been constantly criticized for receiving exorbitant amounts of penalties in the past, and clearly Jack Del Rio has not done much to address that issue.
- There was a strange moment from the commentators, who were otherwise fairly competent, when an Oakland defensive back was called for unnecessary roughness on a touchdown, and the referee announced that the penalty would be assessed on the kickoff. When Minnesota lined up to kick off, a color commentator asked, "Why are they kicking from the 50?" Beth Mowins, the play-by-play woman, explained fairly clearly that the 15-yard penalty would move the kickoff from the 35 to the 50. The color commentator responded, in a tone reminiscent of a frustrated second-grader, "I still don't get it." After a moment of silence, Mowins moved on as if nothing had happened.
- Another preseason convention that bothers me: backup kickers and punters on teams that don't need any sort of competition. Case in point: Giorgio Tavecchio for the Raiders. It's not like Seabass is getting cut any time soon.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Thursday, August 20, 2015
August 20th Preseason Notes
Redskins, Lions
- Golden Tate continues to receive targets from Matthew Stafford, as he did last week. Jeremy Ross also caught a few passes from Stafford and, later, a touchdown from the surprisingly competent Dan Orlovsky. This Lions receiving corps is quite capable, even without Calvin Johnson.
- The first-team Redskins defense cannot tackle at all. As a permanently addled Joe Theismann pointed out, three plays on the Lions' first drive, including a Tate catch, were kept alive by missed tackles. Their defensive positioning is correct — they swarm to the ball — but the technique needs work.
- Not surprising that Robert Griffin III got himself inexplicably injured again. Given the excellent performances of Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins, both in this game and last season, I don't think Washington needs to be particularly concerned.
- Dan Orlovsky has already improbably unseated Lions developmental quarterback Kellen Moore for the #2 spot, at least according to the order in which they played in this game, and it's easy to see why. While Orlovsky completed 13 of 17 passes and threw for a pair of touchdowns, Moore missed on four of his seven throws against third-teamers, including one at pretty much point-blank range. Everyone was rooting for him following his highly successful college career at Boise State, everyone's favorite Cinderella story, but it doesn't appear that he has much of a future.
Bills, Browns
- Tyrod Taylor was able to run the first-team offense effectively. Jon Gruden was quick to discredit him for taking a sack rather than throwing the ball away, but as he was being swarmed by three Cleveland defenders and the offensive line had completely collapsed, I don't hold it against him. Rex Ryan should name him the Week 3 starter, and probably the regular season starter as well. Manuel was similarly impressive and especially good on the final go-ahead drive, which ended in a passing touchdown to the back corner of the end zone from 14 yards out followed by a two-point conversion on a rollout.
- Deonte Thompson, who ran a 4.21 40-yard dash coming out of college, is excellent at getting open, as he showed last week as the recipient of EJ Manuel's beautiful touchdown pass. This week he got a great deal of first-team action and repeatedly found open space. However, he usually failed to come up with Taylor's accurate passes. When his possession skills improve, he'll be an excellent deep threat for a team in need of dynamic receivers.
- The Bills' awful running back situation is pretty funny, to be honest. With the top five injured, we saw the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-string running backs against Cleveland. All three were acquired within the last two weeks; two were acquired in the last two days. Combined, they rushed for the same amount of yards as Tyrod Taylor.
- Golden Tate continues to receive targets from Matthew Stafford, as he did last week. Jeremy Ross also caught a few passes from Stafford and, later, a touchdown from the surprisingly competent Dan Orlovsky. This Lions receiving corps is quite capable, even without Calvin Johnson.
- The first-team Redskins defense cannot tackle at all. As a permanently addled Joe Theismann pointed out, three plays on the Lions' first drive, including a Tate catch, were kept alive by missed tackles. Their defensive positioning is correct — they swarm to the ball — but the technique needs work.
- Not surprising that Robert Griffin III got himself inexplicably injured again. Given the excellent performances of Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins, both in this game and last season, I don't think Washington needs to be particularly concerned.
- Dan Orlovsky has already improbably unseated Lions developmental quarterback Kellen Moore for the #2 spot, at least according to the order in which they played in this game, and it's easy to see why. While Orlovsky completed 13 of 17 passes and threw for a pair of touchdowns, Moore missed on four of his seven throws against third-teamers, including one at pretty much point-blank range. Everyone was rooting for him following his highly successful college career at Boise State, everyone's favorite Cinderella story, but it doesn't appear that he has much of a future.
Bills, Browns
- Tyrod Taylor was able to run the first-team offense effectively. Jon Gruden was quick to discredit him for taking a sack rather than throwing the ball away, but as he was being swarmed by three Cleveland defenders and the offensive line had completely collapsed, I don't hold it against him. Rex Ryan should name him the Week 3 starter, and probably the regular season starter as well. Manuel was similarly impressive and especially good on the final go-ahead drive, which ended in a passing touchdown to the back corner of the end zone from 14 yards out followed by a two-point conversion on a rollout.
- Deonte Thompson, who ran a 4.21 40-yard dash coming out of college, is excellent at getting open, as he showed last week as the recipient of EJ Manuel's beautiful touchdown pass. This week he got a great deal of first-team action and repeatedly found open space. However, he usually failed to come up with Taylor's accurate passes. When his possession skills improve, he'll be an excellent deep threat for a team in need of dynamic receivers.
- The Bills' awful running back situation is pretty funny, to be honest. With the top five injured, we saw the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-string running backs against Cleveland. All three were acquired within the last two weeks; two were acquired in the last two days. Combined, they rushed for the same amount of yards as Tyrod Taylor.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Remaining Week 1 Preseason Notes
Hello! Due to unfortunate circumstances, I missed most of the live airings of the remaining Week 1 preseason games. Fortunately, I was able to re-watch portions of each game using another Game Pass free trial that allows for the viewing of 30-minute "condensed games" that feature only the plays from each broadcast. Here's the next in my series of WalterFootball-inspired notes pages on a few of the games that I managed to watch.
Falcons 31, Titans 24
- As usual, everyone is hyped up about Julio Jones' excellent performance. I'd advise you all to avoid getting too excited; it'll be miraculous if he manages to stay healthy.
- TJ Yates does not look like a quarterback who once started a playoff game. On the first drive he made a pair of horrible throws when the Falcons were in the red zone. On the second he waited way too long in the pocket on one play and threw into coverage on another. Even on the halftime drive that resulted in a touchdown run, Yates nearly missed multiple wide-open receivers and was bailed out by their athletic plays.
- Always thought Harry Douglas didn't get enough credit for his role in the Falcons playoff teams of a few seasons ago; it was nice to see that he's becoming a favorite target of Mariota already. It would be nice if a moribund team like Tennessee could get exciting players like Douglas and second-quarter scorer Dexter McCluster more involved in the offense.
- David Cobb (11 carries for 53 yards) looks like a promising runner who could see some playing time, considering the mediocrity of those above him on the depth chart.
Panthers 25, Bills 24
- It's very telling about the Bills quarterback situation that the GM referred to them being in "quarterback purgatory" as a positive thing. Cassel is consistently mediocre. Taylor is exciting but has zero starting experience. Manuel is just wasted potential. None of the three is good enough to prevent opposing teams from just keying in on McCoy every game.
- The Panthers receiving corps is absolutely terrible without Kelvin Benjamin, who was lost to a torn ACL in a recent practice. The second-team offense under Derek Anderson used recent draft pick Devin Funchess in a similar role, but it remains to be seen if he is capable of being a starter right away. Expect Cam Newton to be relied upon way too much to propel an offense with no consistent running backs or wide receivers.
- The Bills commentators actively cheered on their team throughout the game, yelling at the refs when a flag was thrown too slowly for a dirty tackle and saying "come on!" excitedly as EJ Manuel scrambled out of the pocket, searching for a wide receiver.
- I was under the impression former Viking Joe Webb had given up on playing quarterback, but I'm glad he didn't. He's still an incredibly fun player to watch who possesses remarkable mobility (which he likely developed in an attempt to convert to wide receiver).
Chiefs 34, Cardinals 19
- Is it bad that I can't think of anything other than bodies mouldering in the grave when I hear the name of a certain Cardinals second-year receiver?
- I've always considered Chase Daniel one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league; he's impressed me in a few appearances replacing Drew Brees and Alex Smith. He reinforced my feelings with an amazing stat line against Arizona's second-team defense, by far the best any quarterback has accumulated thus far this preseason: 17 of 21, 189 yards, three touchdown passes, zero interceptions. (He might even have had a fourth touchdown pass had Andy Reid not pulled him in favor of an ineffective Aaron Murray during a third-quarter drive.)A pair of deep passes to backup receivers Williams and Hammond on a quick drive right before the half showcased Daniel's accuracy. Like Green Bay's Scott Tolzien and New Orleans' Ryan Griffin, the Missouri product could be a potential trade target for quarterback-needy teams, if Kansas City considers Murray a viable developmental prospect.
- I pray that CBS sends its #1 commentary team to the October 18th Cardinals-Steelers game and the Cardinals' fourth quarterback somehow makes the roster so that Phil Simms has to discuss Phillip Sims.
- Following a garbage-time touchdown pass by Sims, the commentary devolved into awful filler about a 100-year-old woman in a wheelchair who visited the Cardinals camp and apparently was apparently "walking around" and talking to players. (They showed a shot of her shaking hands with some players, but I have to believe that was the exception, not the rule.) Ron Wolfley, the color commentator, who sounded like he had inhaled sulfur hexafluoride before the game, added some insightful commentary about the invention of the automobile, said the phrase "pomp and circumstance" four times in about a minute, and compared the extra point to having a parade after conquering a city.
As you may have noticed while reading this post, I pay a great deal of attention to backup quarterbacks.
Anyway, my apologies if I passed on a game for which you had expected analysis. I'm lucky to have been able to watch any of these given the limited time I had. Tomorrow I'll be making another post for the first pair of games of Week 2, with a potential format change — stay tuned!
Falcons 31, Titans 24
- As usual, everyone is hyped up about Julio Jones' excellent performance. I'd advise you all to avoid getting too excited; it'll be miraculous if he manages to stay healthy.
- TJ Yates does not look like a quarterback who once started a playoff game. On the first drive he made a pair of horrible throws when the Falcons were in the red zone. On the second he waited way too long in the pocket on one play and threw into coverage on another. Even on the halftime drive that resulted in a touchdown run, Yates nearly missed multiple wide-open receivers and was bailed out by their athletic plays.
- Always thought Harry Douglas didn't get enough credit for his role in the Falcons playoff teams of a few seasons ago; it was nice to see that he's becoming a favorite target of Mariota already. It would be nice if a moribund team like Tennessee could get exciting players like Douglas and second-quarter scorer Dexter McCluster more involved in the offense.
- David Cobb (11 carries for 53 yards) looks like a promising runner who could see some playing time, considering the mediocrity of those above him on the depth chart.
Panthers 25, Bills 24
- It's very telling about the Bills quarterback situation that the GM referred to them being in "quarterback purgatory" as a positive thing. Cassel is consistently mediocre. Taylor is exciting but has zero starting experience. Manuel is just wasted potential. None of the three is good enough to prevent opposing teams from just keying in on McCoy every game.
- The Panthers receiving corps is absolutely terrible without Kelvin Benjamin, who was lost to a torn ACL in a recent practice. The second-team offense under Derek Anderson used recent draft pick Devin Funchess in a similar role, but it remains to be seen if he is capable of being a starter right away. Expect Cam Newton to be relied upon way too much to propel an offense with no consistent running backs or wide receivers.
- The Bills commentators actively cheered on their team throughout the game, yelling at the refs when a flag was thrown too slowly for a dirty tackle and saying "come on!" excitedly as EJ Manuel scrambled out of the pocket, searching for a wide receiver.
- I was under the impression former Viking Joe Webb had given up on playing quarterback, but I'm glad he didn't. He's still an incredibly fun player to watch who possesses remarkable mobility (which he likely developed in an attempt to convert to wide receiver).
Chiefs 34, Cardinals 19
- Is it bad that I can't think of anything other than bodies mouldering in the grave when I hear the name of a certain Cardinals second-year receiver?
- I've always considered Chase Daniel one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league; he's impressed me in a few appearances replacing Drew Brees and Alex Smith. He reinforced my feelings with an amazing stat line against Arizona's second-team defense, by far the best any quarterback has accumulated thus far this preseason: 17 of 21, 189 yards, three touchdown passes, zero interceptions. (He might even have had a fourth touchdown pass had Andy Reid not pulled him in favor of an ineffective Aaron Murray during a third-quarter drive.)A pair of deep passes to backup receivers Williams and Hammond on a quick drive right before the half showcased Daniel's accuracy. Like Green Bay's Scott Tolzien and New Orleans' Ryan Griffin, the Missouri product could be a potential trade target for quarterback-needy teams, if Kansas City considers Murray a viable developmental prospect.
- I pray that CBS sends its #1 commentary team to the October 18th Cardinals-Steelers game and the Cardinals' fourth quarterback somehow makes the roster so that Phil Simms has to discuss Phillip Sims.
- Following a garbage-time touchdown pass by Sims, the commentary devolved into awful filler about a 100-year-old woman in a wheelchair who visited the Cardinals camp and apparently was apparently "walking around" and talking to players. (They showed a shot of her shaking hands with some players, but I have to believe that was the exception, not the rule.) Ron Wolfley, the color commentator, who sounded like he had inhaled sulfur hexafluoride before the game, added some insightful commentary about the invention of the automobile, said the phrase "pomp and circumstance" four times in about a minute, and compared the extra point to having a parade after conquering a city.
As you may have noticed while reading this post, I pay a great deal of attention to backup quarterbacks.
Anyway, my apologies if I passed on a game for which you had expected analysis. I'm lucky to have been able to watch any of these given the limited time I had. Tomorrow I'll be making another post for the first pair of games of Week 2, with a potential format change — stay tuned!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
August 13th Preseason Notes
Hello, readers! I'm going to be making full use of my 7-day free trial for NFL Game Pass to watch a whole bunch of preseason games simultaneously and make random, potentially insightful observations. (One of my favorite football websites, WalterFootball, is run by a guy who does the same thing.) Don't expect any detailed technical analysis. Here's what I noted today in the two main games I watched:
Packers 22, Patriots 11
- Scott Tolzien looks extremely promising. Many questioned his ability to serve as a competent backup for Aaron Rodgers, but he looked the part in this game, most notably threading the needle to Jeff Janis for a touchdown early on. In general, Tolzien was excellent with the exception of an errant 3rd and 4 throw to second-year tight end Justin Perillo (who had a great 16-yard catch earlier in the game after which he impressively outmuscled a Patriots defender.) The Packers should consider trading Tolzien to a team that needs an emergency quarterback, as they just drafted Brett Hundley.
- What's the deal with Josh Boyce? For some inexplicable reason, he started the game and played throughout. Garoppolo kept throwing to him and repeatedly missed. Garoppolo had an underthrow to him nearly picked off by Rollins in the second quarter, and a mediocre pass in the third was deflected around and intercepted by Gunter. At one point, Jeff Howe tweeted that Garoppolo had completed 15 straight passes when not targeting Boyce.
- "Mediocre" is a good word to describe Garoppolo's performance as a whole. He flashed potential but for the most part looked incapable of leading the quarterback-dependent Patriots. Regardless of the quality of the supporting cast, it'll be difficult for this team to accomplish much in the month of September.
- We saw none of last year's playoff-game-starting quarterback for the Cardinals, and Patriot as of Monday, Ryan Lindley.
- Stop calling Garoppolo "Jimmy G," Patriots color commentator and former failure of a tight end Christian Fauria. Not everyone needs a nickname.
Ravens 30, Saints 27
- Exceptional quarterback play overall — with Brees sitting out, Luke McCown performed well against the Ravens' first team defense, and Ryan Griffin impressed me the most of any quarterback I saw today, most notably leading an excellent two-minute drill before halftime. The Saints commentators say other teams, including St. Louis, have wanted him in the past. New Orleans should trade him, since they just drafted Garrett Grayson. Yes, I know I just wrote this exact thing for Tolzien and Hundley. It's true that much of the preseason is just showing off your players' talents for other teams.
- As for the Ravens, having Matt Schaub as a backup is a nice luxury, though Joe Flacco doesn't get injured often enough to justify the expense.
- Tim Hightower still exists?! And he plays for New Orleans? Apparently he last played a game for the Fall Experimental Football League's travelling Blacktips after two seasons out of football. He still can't have a decent YPC average; apparently nothing has changed.
- Painful to watch Zach Hocker miss a field goal when all the commentators have to talk about is his competition with Dustin Hopkins for the kicker spot. At least he atoned for this later by drilling two kicks from a similar range.
- Not surprising given the quality of play in preseason that a game was decided by an incredibly obvious pass interference penalty. Yet I love the preseason all the same, in spite of its flaws.
Miscellaneous notes:
- I watched Dolphins-Bears just long enough to hear some commentator say that Jimmy Clausen, who inexplicably played most of today's game, played for Denver at one point. Uh, no.
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson is not a good name to have as a quarterback. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is also not a good quarterback, as evidenced by his pair of interceptions. However, he has inexplicably passed current fourth-stringer and former Tampa Bay "franchise quarterback" Josh Freeman, who went 5 for 16, on the Dolphins' depth chart.
- With newly minted wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, former Kansas City standout Dwayne Bowe, and potential starting running back Duke Johnson ruled out, there wasn't much to say about the Browns offense. So of course the commentators decided to do what they usually do and manufacture Johnny Football news. According to Michael Irvin and LaDainian Tomlinson, who should know better, Manziel's 12-yard touchdown run is proof that he is a "real quarterback." Yes, indeed, running is what quarterbacks do best.
- Golden Tate was excellent. With Calvin Johnson drawing defenders away from him, he should be able to shine this season, if his two catches from Stafford were any indication.
- I find it incredibly funny that, after the 0-16 season and bouncing around to three other awful teams (including the Peyton-less Colts), Orlovsky is suddenly a third-string quarterback for none other than the Lions. If you're a Lions fan, wouldn't you want him to be forever erased from existence?
- How exactly did Bryce Petty, playing the vast majority of the game, manage to complete only ten passes for an average of five yards per pass?
- Good to know that the Cowboys are employing a quarterback, Dustin Vaughan, from a school at which Ryan Leaf coached. (This game is going on as I write.)
Expect more of these spontaneous notes, coming soon! Tomorrow's slate of games will be quite intriguing.
Packers 22, Patriots 11
- Scott Tolzien looks extremely promising. Many questioned his ability to serve as a competent backup for Aaron Rodgers, but he looked the part in this game, most notably threading the needle to Jeff Janis for a touchdown early on. In general, Tolzien was excellent with the exception of an errant 3rd and 4 throw to second-year tight end Justin Perillo (who had a great 16-yard catch earlier in the game after which he impressively outmuscled a Patriots defender.) The Packers should consider trading Tolzien to a team that needs an emergency quarterback, as they just drafted Brett Hundley.
- What's the deal with Josh Boyce? For some inexplicable reason, he started the game and played throughout. Garoppolo kept throwing to him and repeatedly missed. Garoppolo had an underthrow to him nearly picked off by Rollins in the second quarter, and a mediocre pass in the third was deflected around and intercepted by Gunter. At one point, Jeff Howe tweeted that Garoppolo had completed 15 straight passes when not targeting Boyce.
- "Mediocre" is a good word to describe Garoppolo's performance as a whole. He flashed potential but for the most part looked incapable of leading the quarterback-dependent Patriots. Regardless of the quality of the supporting cast, it'll be difficult for this team to accomplish much in the month of September.
- We saw none of last year's playoff-game-starting quarterback for the Cardinals, and Patriot as of Monday, Ryan Lindley.
- Stop calling Garoppolo "Jimmy G," Patriots color commentator and former failure of a tight end Christian Fauria. Not everyone needs a nickname.
Ravens 30, Saints 27
- Exceptional quarterback play overall — with Brees sitting out, Luke McCown performed well against the Ravens' first team defense, and Ryan Griffin impressed me the most of any quarterback I saw today, most notably leading an excellent two-minute drill before halftime. The Saints commentators say other teams, including St. Louis, have wanted him in the past. New Orleans should trade him, since they just drafted Garrett Grayson. Yes, I know I just wrote this exact thing for Tolzien and Hundley. It's true that much of the preseason is just showing off your players' talents for other teams.
- As for the Ravens, having Matt Schaub as a backup is a nice luxury, though Joe Flacco doesn't get injured often enough to justify the expense.
- Tim Hightower still exists?! And he plays for New Orleans? Apparently he last played a game for the Fall Experimental Football League's travelling Blacktips after two seasons out of football. He still can't have a decent YPC average; apparently nothing has changed.
- Painful to watch Zach Hocker miss a field goal when all the commentators have to talk about is his competition with Dustin Hopkins for the kicker spot. At least he atoned for this later by drilling two kicks from a similar range.
- Not surprising given the quality of play in preseason that a game was decided by an incredibly obvious pass interference penalty. Yet I love the preseason all the same, in spite of its flaws.
Miscellaneous notes:
- I watched Dolphins-Bears just long enough to hear some commentator say that Jimmy Clausen, who inexplicably played most of today's game, played for Denver at one point. Uh, no.
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson is not a good name to have as a quarterback. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is also not a good quarterback, as evidenced by his pair of interceptions. However, he has inexplicably passed current fourth-stringer and former Tampa Bay "franchise quarterback" Josh Freeman, who went 5 for 16, on the Dolphins' depth chart.
- With newly minted wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, former Kansas City standout Dwayne Bowe, and potential starting running back Duke Johnson ruled out, there wasn't much to say about the Browns offense. So of course the commentators decided to do what they usually do and manufacture Johnny Football news. According to Michael Irvin and LaDainian Tomlinson, who should know better, Manziel's 12-yard touchdown run is proof that he is a "real quarterback." Yes, indeed, running is what quarterbacks do best.
- Golden Tate was excellent. With Calvin Johnson drawing defenders away from him, he should be able to shine this season, if his two catches from Stafford were any indication.
- I find it incredibly funny that, after the 0-16 season and bouncing around to three other awful teams (including the Peyton-less Colts), Orlovsky is suddenly a third-string quarterback for none other than the Lions. If you're a Lions fan, wouldn't you want him to be forever erased from existence?
- How exactly did Bryce Petty, playing the vast majority of the game, manage to complete only ten passes for an average of five yards per pass?
- Good to know that the Cowboys are employing a quarterback, Dustin Vaughan, from a school at which Ryan Leaf coached. (This game is going on as I write.)
Expect more of these spontaneous notes, coming soon! Tomorrow's slate of games will be quite intriguing.
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