10 Things We Learned From The NFL Preseason

Added on Sep 03, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

Hallelujah! The NFL preseason is finally over. Less than a week from now the games that matter will be under way. As useless as the exhibition season is, there were a handful of developments that could shed some light on how 2010 will progress. Here are ten things we learned over the last five weeks.

10. Sam Bradford is the man in St. Louis – The number one overall pick got off to a slow start with the Rams, but his performance in the final two preseason games should be more than enough to earn the starting job: 21-28, 257 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT. Don’t expect miracles because the receiving corps is weak and the offensive line is still shaky.

9. The Broncos have no running backs – Knowshon Moreno’s hamstring is a problem. Correll Buckhalter is an injury waiting to happen. LenDale White blew out his Achilles. Do the math. Maybe they can move Tim Tebow to tailback.

8. The Panthers have no wide receivers, again – The Cats better hope Steve Smith stays healthy because if he doesn’t, Matt Moore, or whoever is under center, is in for a long year. Good news is they still have DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart toting the rock.

7. Maurice Jones-Drew has a questionable knee – The best hyphenated name in the game says his knee is fine. However, whenever the word “surgery” is mentioned, alarms need to be sounded. He could breeze through the season with no issues, or he could be in and out of the lineup. Potentially bad news for the Jaguars.

6. The Saints offense might be even better – Robert Meachem has turned the corner. Lance Moore is healthy again. Reggie Bush looks, dare I say, strong and fast. It’s hard to fathom the Cajuns attack being more potent than a season ago, but what you see is what you get.

5. The Redskins need a healthy Donovan McNabb – Obvious statement, but the prospect of Rex Grossman leading the charge for an extended amount of time is ugly with a capital U. McNabb is already questionable for the opener with a sprained ankle and only once in the last six years has he played a full season.

4. Jay Cutler looks… uh… bad – It takes time to adjust to a Mike Martz system, so it’s probably too soon to hit the panic button. That being said, Cutler has thrown 58 interceptions in the last three seasons. To put that in perspective, Jason Campbell has tossed 32 picks. David Garrard has 26.

3. The Patriots backfield is an enigma – Fred Taylor. Laurence Maroney. Sammy Morris. Kevin Faulk. Who’s the starter? Nobody, even Bill Belichick, seems to know. It might not really matter if Tom Brady returns to his 2007 form and the Pats defense takes a step back.

2. The Bengals are a legit contender – Forget about adding Terrell Owens. The Bengals defense is fast and deep, Cedric Benson is running hard and rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham is the real deal. If Carson Palmer can stay upright, expect this team to be playing in late January.

1. Mark Sanchez is still a work in progress – One drive he looks like Peyton Manning. The next drive he looks like Matt Cassel. The Jets are talking Super Bowl, but for that to happen Sanchez will have to find some consistency. Unlike in 2009, the Jets will not sneak up on anyone this year.