Point 1: Daunte Culpepper should get the nod as the starter in
Detroit.
The veteran got the start against the Colts on Sunday and completed seven out
of 12 throws for 67 yards and a touchdown during first-half action. Meanwhile,
rookie Matthew Stafford posted nice numbers as well, completing 13 of 19 for 160
yards. But he threw an interception and no touchdown passes during his stint.
But that's not why I'd give the starter's role to Culpepper.
If you take a look at what both quarterbacks have accomplished so far during
the first half of the Lions' games--when first- or at least second-string talent
is on the field working against them--Culpepper has completed 16 out of 24
passes (66.7 percent), has one touchdown pass, and hasn't thrown an
interception. Meanwhile, Stafford has completed 16 out of 31 throws (51.6
percent), has been intercepted twice, and hasn't thrown for a touchdown when on
the field during the first 15 minutes of action.
One area where the rookie has overshadowed the veteran has been his ability
to complete big passes. In the first half of all three games, he's completed at
least one pass that picked up a minimum of 34 yards for the offense. Meanwhile,
Culpepper hasn't completed a pass for more than 20 yards.
While opposing defenses might be able to play more aggressively against
Culpepper if they assume he won't hurt them deep, naming him as the team's
starter--at least for the early portion of the season--still makes more sense
for the Lions.
New head coach Jim Schwartz needs to make a statement as early as possible
that this Detroit Lions team is not the hapless punching bag that they were in
2008. The quicker the team sheds that baggage, the more confident they'll be
that they are on a new path under Schwartz. And the bottom line is that
Stafford's inexperience at the pro level in critical play situations, a
15-percent lower completion rate, and his three interceptions while only playing
portions of three preseason games could be costly in tight contests. In today's
NFL, one key turnover, an incompletion on a key third-down, or holding onto the
ball just one second too long can cost a team a win.
Culpepper has demonstrated that his likelihood for a lapse in those key areas
is much lower than Staffford's. And as a former coach with the Tennessee Titans,
Schwartz knows from watching Kerry Collins that a steady, veteran presence at
quarterback can keep a team in games rather than throwing them away with one or
two ill-timed mistakes.
Stafford's talented, and his time will come. But it shouldn't be at the
expense of the team in the early weeks of the season.
Point 2: It's unfortunate that the Oakland Raiders can only trim their current roster to 53 players.
While the third week of the preseason is usually the last time the starters
see extensive action before the start of the regular season, the Raiders may not
have that luxury.
Raiders head coach Tom Cable may not have 53 players worth keeping.
AP Photo/Paul Sakuma |
As New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees led his offense to three
consecutive touchdown drives during the first 17 minutes of play at the Oakland
Coliseum, the Raiders offense didn't put up a single point until the fourth
quarter. During the 45-7 drubbing, the Saints scored at least one touchdown in
every quarter.
The Raiders offense converted just one out of 10 third-down opportunities and
left the field after just four plays or less on ten of their twelve possessions.
And the team was penalized ten times for 94 yards.
JaMarcus Russell engineered nine of the team's offensive possessions. During
that stretch, the offensive line allowed three sacks that resulted in the
offense heading for the sidelines, including one that resulted in a fumble by
Russell. Four incomplete passes by Russell on 3rd-down situations and a pair of
fumbles by Darren McFadden and Louis Murphy killed the possessions. Backup Jeff Garcia led the team on three late drives with one resulting in a touchdown, one
being halted by an incomplete pass, and the third falling short when a completed
pass wasn't enough to move the sticks.
The Raiders have to be encouraged by the fact that Russell has completed
nearly 66 percent of his throws during the preseason and hasn't thrown an
interception. But he's led the team to just two scores for a total of ten
points during 15 possessions.
While you can't lay all the blame for that ineffectiveness at his feet, it's
a pretty good indicator of how badly the first-team offense is struggling with
the start of the season just two weeks away.
It would be wrong to ignore the awful showing by an Oakland defense that
allowed 232 rushing yards, 5.0 yards per carry and 311 passing yards. But in two
previous preseason games, the first- and second-string defense yielded a
combined total of just ten first-half points to the Cowboys and the 49ers. The
Oakland defense also managed to save a little bit of face by intercepting a pair
of passes in the second half at the expense of Mark Brunell.
All things considered, the Raiders coaching staff needs to get their starters
more reps next week to make sure they really know who should be at the top of
the depth chart. And they also need to figure out where they need more depth of
talent so that when other teams make their final cuts, the Raiders can fill out
their 53-man roster with some new faces.
Point 3: The Jets should be concerned about Thomas Jones' lack of
production.
After banking roughly $13 million during the first two years of a four-year
contract, you'd like to think that the 31-year-old running back just had an off day
against the Giants after watching him average just 1.3 yards-per-carry on 12
attempts.
But that's simply not the case.
After rushing for 1,300 yards last year, Thomas Jones hasn't been productive in the preseason.
AP Photo/Tim Larsen |
During the Jets' three preseason games to date, Jones has amassed a mere 61
yards on 29 carries and hasn't broken a run longer than ten yards. His paltry
2.1-yards-per-carry average during the preseason should be an area of concern
for new head coach Rex Ryan.
Jones was reportedly unhappy during the offseason because he's only scheduled
to pocket $900,000 this year. Last year, in addition to a $2 million salary, he
received a $2 million roster bonus. So the drop off in cash that he's seeing by
comparison is significant.
And yet, Jones has plenty of incentive to have a big season. He'll be
entering the final year of his deal in 2010 with $5.8 million hanging in the
balance. In addition to a $2.8 million salary, the 10th-year veteran is
scheduled to receive a $3 million roster bonus.
Maybe Jones believes that he should just give the Jets $900,000 worth of
value since they didn't offer him a better contract despite his 1,312 rushing
yards last year. Maybe he's demoralized a bit by what he's seeing from Leon Washington, who's averaged 6.3 yards per carry during the preseason. Or maybe he
just doesn't trust that the Jets will execute the final year of a nearly $6
million contract in 2010 for a running back who will be 32 years old and figures
he'd be better off not putting too much wear-and-tear on his body this season..
Honestly, it's really tough to know what's going on inside his head right
now. But unless Jones believes he can just turn his talent on like a light
switch when the regular season kicks in, the Jets' rushing attack isn't going to
have the one-two punch that it expected from Jones and Washington.
And if Jones doesn't snap out of his preseason funk, he might end up watching
Washington and rookie Shonn Greene from the sidelines as the season progresses.
Quick Count
Lions second-year running back Kevin Smith averaged 6.3 yards per carry
against the Colts, his best mark of the preseason ... Colts quarterback Peyton Manning dominated the Detroit secondary, completing 12 out of 15 pass attempts
(80 percent) for 123 yards and one touchdown. Indianapolis scored 14 points on
four offensive possessions while Manning was in the game ... Colts tight end
Dallas Clark caught all six balls thrown his way for 63 yards and a score ...
Raiders running back Darren McFadden has averaged 6.2 yards per carry during the
preseason, but that figure has been bloated by a single, 45-yard run. On his
other ten preseason carries, McFadden is averaging just 2.3 yards ... Raiders
tight end Zach Miller caught five passes for 74 yards against the Saints ...
Showing a total disregard for the Oakland defense, the Saints kept the offense
on the field four times in fourth-down situations--and successfully converted
all of them ... Giants quarterback Eli Manning wasn't as sharp as usual
while facing the Jets, completing just nine out of 21 pass attempts with one
touchdown pass and an interception. He finished his portion of the game with a
51.9 passer rating ... Rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks caught six passes for
144 yards and two scores for the Giants ... The Jets converted just one of 11
third-down situations and were penalized 12 times ... Rookie quarterback
Mark Sanchez completed 13 out of 20 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.
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