dbair1967
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We beat up on one of the AFC favorites pretty good last night. I guess I expected people being positive and maybe even becoming more optimistic about our team, but surprisingly there seems to be as much negative talk as there is positive. It is just a preseason game (just like last weeks) but there was definitely more to like than not like IMO.
1) The first team offense had their way. We didnt run the ball great by any means, but it was ok. And we scored easily on two goalline runs (Barber, F Jones) and thats an area we have struggled with for years. (Barber scored easily on a GL run last week too, but it was negated by Kosier penalty) They seemed to be focusing on the shorter passing game and taking what a defense gives, and it worked to near perfection. The pass protection other than maybe one play was excellent. And this was against a very solid, fundamentally sound NFL defense in Tenn.
2) Our starting defense was almost as good, the really positive thing was how well we stopped their run game. The pass rush didnt sack Collins but we did pressure him a couple of times to force errant throws. Olshansky and Brooking look like perfect fits for this defense. Spencer made a couple of nice plays. Spears and Ratliff also were active.
3) On the backups, while I dont in any sense think our guys are steller, the effort was outstanding. Everyone went in assuming our backups would get killed, but our backups dominated their guys. Our backup defense was vastly better than it was vs Oakland last week, and the run defense was solid. Carpenter looks like he will be solid as a nickel LB. Jason Williams was more noticeable last night than against Oakland, and as noted by many this Octavian kid was all over the place. The backup OL held its on and gave both backup QB's good time to throw. And despite missing Austin on a potential big play, Kitna is a VAST upgrade from Brad Johnson. Though some are complaining about McGee I kinda liked what I saw again (even though I lost the feed for awhile due to storms). He's a 4th rd pick coming from a stupid offensive system, so I'm not sure what some expected. But the size and arm strength is there, and he did throw some nice touch passes. In a couple of yrs he could end up being something.
4) Felix Jones and Martellus Bennett are going to be bigtime NFL stars. Jones is the closest thing we've had to Tony Dorsett since his prime. Bennett and Witten are going to cause major matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.
5) Buehler is doing exactly what he was drafted for...some nice bombs on kickoffs...I didnt notice if he played on the punt coverage units or not. I do wonder if he might end up also being a long FG specialist, even though Folk has been outstanding on long FG's. If there's any question about his hip, it might be a smart move.
6) The penalties were disappointing, but not all of them were valid either IMO. If the penalty on the opening kickoff was on Hurd, he didnt do much to warrant a flag. Adams got nailed with a pretty ticky hands to the face call. Tenn's DB's got away with holding and alot of contact all night too.
7) This Ogletree kid is really interesting. He makes very sharp cuts and doesnt run routes at all like an undrafted free agent. Everyone noticed the route on the TD, but the other two catches he made were also from running sharp routes.
8) I cant believe the Jenkins/Scandrick thing is turning into another polarizing argument here. Why cant people be happy that we have both guys? They are both going to be excellent CB's. And people need to stop with the "he only starts because he's a 1st rd pick" non-sense. If that were true why did Spencer not start his first two yrs? Bobby Carpenter? Felix Jones isnt a starter either. If Wade thought Jenkins sucked, he wouldnt be out there. Wade's job is on the line and its extremely doubtful he'd be making personnel decisions on game days that would help get him out of town. That said, I wouldnt be surprised if Scandrick does end up starting, especially if Jenkins struggles some with his ankle. Either way, we're in great shape at CB.
9) Cant say I've been overly impressed with any of the late rd rookie DB's. Mickens seems destined for the PS IMO.
10) Special teams overall were just ok. There were a couple penalties as noted by others, and they did botch the tackle on that long kickoff return. But the kickoff and punt coverage units both still look alot better than last yr, and will probably continue to improve more as they get some continuity with who is out there. McBriar and Buehler are going to be huge for us. McBriar seems to be improved greatly on pinning people inside the 20.
11) Stadium itself is amazing, cant wait till its 100% completed.
12) Hey hats off to my local FOX affiliate, you were the only station last night that I had any HD problem with. Botched almost the entire first half and had sound probs most of the game. Kudos to you.
Overall, I cant see why anyone would have come away from last nights game with much to gripe about, it was a very impressive performance all the way around and other than rookie Brandon Williams knee, it doesnt appear that anyone got hurt, and that ultimately is the #1 goal of preseason, to get out of it healthy.
1) The first team offense had their way. We didnt run the ball great by any means, but it was ok. And we scored easily on two goalline runs (Barber, F Jones) and thats an area we have struggled with for years. (Barber scored easily on a GL run last week too, but it was negated by Kosier penalty) They seemed to be focusing on the shorter passing game and taking what a defense gives, and it worked to near perfection. The pass protection other than maybe one play was excellent. And this was against a very solid, fundamentally sound NFL defense in Tenn.
2) Our starting defense was almost as good, the really positive thing was how well we stopped their run game. The pass rush didnt sack Collins but we did pressure him a couple of times to force errant throws. Olshansky and Brooking look like perfect fits for this defense. Spencer made a couple of nice plays. Spears and Ratliff also were active.
3) On the backups, while I dont in any sense think our guys are steller, the effort was outstanding. Everyone went in assuming our backups would get killed, but our backups dominated their guys. Our backup defense was vastly better than it was vs Oakland last week, and the run defense was solid. Carpenter looks like he will be solid as a nickel LB. Jason Williams was more noticeable last night than against Oakland, and as noted by many this Octavian kid was all over the place. The backup OL held its on and gave both backup QB's good time to throw. And despite missing Austin on a potential big play, Kitna is a VAST upgrade from Brad Johnson. Though some are complaining about McGee I kinda liked what I saw again (even though I lost the feed for awhile due to storms). He's a 4th rd pick coming from a stupid offensive system, so I'm not sure what some expected. But the size and arm strength is there, and he did throw some nice touch passes. In a couple of yrs he could end up being something.
4) Felix Jones and Martellus Bennett are going to be bigtime NFL stars. Jones is the closest thing we've had to Tony Dorsett since his prime. Bennett and Witten are going to cause major matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.
5) Buehler is doing exactly what he was drafted for...some nice bombs on kickoffs...I didnt notice if he played on the punt coverage units or not. I do wonder if he might end up also being a long FG specialist, even though Folk has been outstanding on long FG's. If there's any question about his hip, it might be a smart move.
6) The penalties were disappointing, but not all of them were valid either IMO. If the penalty on the opening kickoff was on Hurd, he didnt do much to warrant a flag. Adams got nailed with a pretty ticky hands to the face call. Tenn's DB's got away with holding and alot of contact all night too.
7) This Ogletree kid is really interesting. He makes very sharp cuts and doesnt run routes at all like an undrafted free agent. Everyone noticed the route on the TD, but the other two catches he made were also from running sharp routes.
8) I cant believe the Jenkins/Scandrick thing is turning into another polarizing argument here. Why cant people be happy that we have both guys? They are both going to be excellent CB's. And people need to stop with the "he only starts because he's a 1st rd pick" non-sense. If that were true why did Spencer not start his first two yrs? Bobby Carpenter? Felix Jones isnt a starter either. If Wade thought Jenkins sucked, he wouldnt be out there. Wade's job is on the line and its extremely doubtful he'd be making personnel decisions on game days that would help get him out of town. That said, I wouldnt be surprised if Scandrick does end up starting, especially if Jenkins struggles some with his ankle. Either way, we're in great shape at CB.
9) Cant say I've been overly impressed with any of the late rd rookie DB's. Mickens seems destined for the PS IMO.
10) Special teams overall were just ok. There were a couple penalties as noted by others, and they did botch the tackle on that long kickoff return. But the kickoff and punt coverage units both still look alot better than last yr, and will probably continue to improve more as they get some continuity with who is out there. McBriar and Buehler are going to be huge for us. McBriar seems to be improved greatly on pinning people inside the 20.
11) Stadium itself is amazing, cant wait till its 100% completed.
12) Hey hats off to my local FOX affiliate, you were the only station last night that I had any HD problem with. Botched almost the entire first half and had sound probs most of the game. Kudos to you.
Overall, I cant see why anyone would have come away from last nights game with much to gripe about, it was a very impressive performance all the way around and other than rookie Brandon Williams knee, it doesnt appear that anyone got hurt, and that ultimately is the #1 goal of preseason, to get out of it healthy.
I am beginning to think he never fully recovered from that hand injury last year until the off season. No accuracy problem last night.