Skip to main content

Watch The Passing Game

Preseason is not a time to worry about wins and losses. The coaches aren't worried about wins because too often a score is the result of little to no game planning.

The coaches will go back and evaluate every player in the film room, but only a few fans even watch a preseason game more than once.

Tom Cable has stated the offensive problems in last week's preseason game were minor things that can be tweaked.

That theory will be put to the test today in Chicago.

So what should the fans be looking for in the second preseason game of 2010?

Since this will be the first action of the season for Bruce Gradkowski, Jacoby Ford and Colt Brennan this will be the first chance the coaches and fans have to evaluate their performance and progression.

The poor showing from Jason Campbell and the receivers in last Thursday's preseason win over Dallas will likely bring a more critical eyes to both groups.

Darrius Heyward-Bey has missed nearly the entire week worth of practice due to fatigue. He hasn't been ruled out of the preseason game, but don't be surprised if he is a late scratch. His 'fatigue' is something to watch closely.

Chaz Schilens hardly ever practices and the excitement surrounding him has worn off, leaving nothing but health concerns. One has to wonder if he can ever progress without practice reps and if he can stay healthy enough to become a favorite target for newly minted starter Campbell.

Colt Brennan will see his first action of the season, but at this point would have to really impress the coaches to get the nod as third quarterback over Kyle Boller.

Will fans start calling for Gradkowski if he performs better than Campbell against the second string units? They shouldn't. Gradkowski is the perfect backup. The depth is second to few in the league even if Campbell isn't an elite quarterback.

The passing game usually hinges on protection and Samson Satele and Cooper Carlisle didn't do a great job of that last week.

Carlisle doesn't yet have to worry about his job with rookie Bruce Campbell as the backup, but Satele needs a positive game to stop the calls for rookie Jared Veldheer to replace him.

While Mario Henderson did a solid job last week against a vanilla 3-4 Cowboys defense and all-pro DeMarcus Ware, the bigger test comes this week against the immensely talented Julius Peppers.

If Henderson can successfully block Peppers and Ware in back-to-back weeks the fans and coaches will likely be very pleased.

Chris Johnson was victimized by Tony Romo and Miles Austin last week and will sit out this week due to a sore hamstring. Stanford Routt and the rookies will get an extended look and attempt to cover a young and explosive receiving core.

During the game, follow me on Twitter or join the game-day chat.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea...

Oakland Raiders' Studs and Duds From Preseason Week 1

[embed]http://gty.im/484069738[/embed] The Oakland Raiders finally look like a competitive football team again. That should be the biggest takeaway from their preseason rout of the St. Louis Rams. Quarterback Derek Carr and the offense looked significantly improved from a year ago, thanks in large part to some of the studs listed below. The starting defense was still a little shaky, but there were still a few bright spots. Overall, the Raiders can feel good about their first live action of the year, especially since there appeared to be no significant injuries to come out of it. Studs Rodney Hudson Of all general manager Reggie McKenzie's offseason acquisitions, he committed the most money to center Rodney Hudson. Offensive linemen rarely get the praise they deserve, but a great offensive line as anchored in the middle can be huge for an offense. Hudson was very solid in his debut against a very good defensive front. If Hudson and the offensive line can consistently protect Carr an...

The Raiders aren't who we thought they were....they're better

The Oakland Raiders are tired of being the team that will be good in a year or two. The team expects to win now and it is winning now. We thought the Raiders needed more talent. We thought that being in the playoff hunt was a year away for this team, but we were wrong. This isn't the team we thought they were, they're better. On Sunday, they moved to 3-3 on Sunday with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers that wasn't close until the final minute. It was also the Raiders second road win of the season. The last time the Raiders had two road wins by their sixth game was 2011. Before that, a five-year streak from 1998-2002. The Raiders went 8-8 in 1998, 1999 and 2011 and narrowly missed the playoffs each year.  They made the playoffs in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They didn't have a losing record in any of those seasons because teams that can win on the road are usually pretty good. As the season matures, there is more and more evidence that some of the "best-case scenario...