So two weeks of preseason games are behind us and the only thing we’ve really learned is that if the real referees don’t come back before the regular season starts, it’s going to be a long year. Preseason games are good for two things: evaluating talent and causing injuries. I’d like to question the decisionmaking of important players who find offseason injuries and don’t get them taken care of immediately. I won’t mention a certain QB since he seems to draw so much hate, but Brian Urlacher is probably going to miss some time due to a knee injury much worse than originally diagnosed. This could be a huge blow to the Bears, then again they seem to crap out quality linebackers.
Also I’d like to make a correction from last week. The Dolphins did not let Moore go, which I could have sworn they did, but he will still probably be backing up Tannehill to start the season, as the Dolphins are looking to the future. So if you are a Dolphins fan, your team will still suck this year, but maybe not the next one. Letting Marshall go was still a mistake. The Seattle Seahawks appear to have a bit of a QB dilemma as (R) Russell Wilson is showing up Matt Flynn, and I’ll have more on this later. On to the AFC South!
Indianapolis Colts – The Colts picked an excellent year to tank a season and managed to land a potential franchise guy in Andrew Luck. Expect to see an entirely new offense this year, as I doubt Luck will run the same thing Manning did. The offensive coordinator this year might get to actually, you know, coordinate the offense. Manning pretty much ran the show when he was in town, and it showed when he went down with an injury and the Colts turned into The Ringling Brothers Circus on offense. Whether or not Luck is the future remains to be seen. I’ve been around long enough to see plenty of “sure fire” picks flame out and flame out badly. The key for the Colts will be to manage expectations. If the fans and the management put too much pressure on him, it could destroy him before he gets started. I’m withholding judgment on Luck (and RGIII) until at least 2 years have passed. Chance of making the Super Bowl – About the same as the number of rookie QBs who have started one – 0% (Warner if you want to get bitchy about it, but I maintain he was not a true rookie as he played in Europe and the Arena league.)
Houston Texans – This is their year. The Colts are rebuilding, the Titans are still trying to sort out their starting QB (not in a “wow we got two great guys” way, but in a “shit these guys are both terrible way”) and I actually had to look it up to see that the Jaguars were in this division, and I used to root for them. The Texans look good on offense with (WR) Johnson and (RB)Foster. Schaub has looked sharp and ready to go in the preseason and the defense is still stout despite the absence of Mario Williams. With no one in their division really able to push them around, they should cruise the top pretty easily. This is easily one of the more complete teams going into the season as they seem to function well in all 3 phases of the game. Last year their quest was derailed by a host of injuries and they still came close to the AFC championship game. Chance of making the Super Bowl – 20%, but they have to stay healthy. Queue outrage from Patriots fans in 3…2….
Tennessee Titans – The Titans have spent their preseason trying to decide between Jake Locker (less than impressive) and Matt Hasselbeck (old) for their starting QB. I’ve seen this movie before and it usually ends with a quarterback carousel as one guy stinks it up and the coach benches him for the other guy to save the season/his job. Eventually they will write the season off as a lost one and then the players will check out and before you know it, hello number one draft pick. Well the Titans have decided to go with Locker, since he is basically a rookie they are tossing in the towel for the season and looking to next year. Frankly, I would be trying to win a Super Bowl now because you are going to have to compete with Luck with the next 10-15 years, more than likely. Chance of making the Super Bowl – They stopped caring and so did I – 0%
Jacksonville Jaguars – As I stated earlier, I used to root for this team. I was young and lived in Florida and rarely got to see the team I actually liked on TV. Football karma would catch up to me as the Jaguars proceeded to beat the Broncos in the playoffs, despite the Broncos being favored by over 14 points. I realized the error of my wandering ways and ditched the Jaguars, and Denver went on to win the Super Bowl the next year. Anyway, I actually had to look up to see what the fourth team in this division was, how sad is that? Blaine Gabbert was somewhere south of terrible last year as the Jaguars were dead last in the league in passing. However people seem to be gushing over him now. I won’t be sold until year 3, as it takes most players about 3 years to get used to the speed of the pro game. In Gabbert’s defense the players were locked out last season and he was a rookie so he didn’t have much time in camp to learn things. Justin Blackmon looks solid, but this team still needs time to develop. Chance of making the Super Bowl – 0% Chance I will remember them next year – 75%
Other Football News – A bunch of players have gone down this preseason with season-ending or -altering injuries, check your local rosters to find out how badly your team has been affected. Kolb has looked terrible this preseason, and a Raiders player even said he looked scared in the backfield. The Cardinals need to ditch him and start Skelton if they want to make an impact this year.
The Jets gave up 7 (!) sacks against the Giants. It doesn’t matter who the QB is, he isn’t going to live long unless the line improves. Russell Wilson of the Seahawks is clearly outperforming Flynn on the field and may get the starting nod for week 3 of the preseason. What cheeses me about this is Wilson was drafted and he is listed at 5’11” while Kellen Moore went undrafted and he is listed as 6’0”. I guess short guys can play in the NFL, although admittedly they play different styles.
Other Sporting News – Danica Patrick was leading at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when some jackass tossed a shoe onto the track right into the line. She ran over it and her car suffered some mechanical problems as a result and she dropped out of the lead. I see that racing fans are still pretty misogynistic as most of the comment sections were slamming her as a woman as opposed to ripping a new one on the ass who tossed the shoe. Those cars are highly tuned pieces of machinery and having a shoe bounce up into the undercarriage at high speeds isn’t helping matters. When you go to watch a sporting event, be it racing, or golf or baseball, stay in the fucking stands. I don’t tune in just to see some jackhole who wants to be famous for 15 minutes interrupt my entertainment.
The US men’s soccer team won their first ever game in Mexico, but it was a friendly, so don’t get too excited about it. Still it was the first time in 75 years they had won there, bringing their record in Mexico to a sparkling 1-1-23.
Next Week – The AFC West (Are the real refs back yet?)
