Breaking News
Loading...

Recent Post

Showing posts with label Preseason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preseason. Show all posts
Thursday, 21 August 2014
no image

2014 NFL: 10 Things To Watch For In Preseason Week 3

Oops! He did it again. Can we as fans get through a week in the offseason or preseason without some gigantic news about Johnny Manziel that is not related to him doing something positive on the playing field. Monday night may have been the topping on the cake.

According to multiple sources, including ESPN.com, Manziel was caught by a camera man giving the Washington Redskins bench the one-finger salute during the evening’s game.

Manziel extended his middle finger toward the Washington Redskins bench after a third-quarter incompletion during Monday night's 24-23 preseason loss.

Manziel flipped the bird toward the Redskins after the play that unfolded in front of Washington's bench.

Manziel said he had "words exchanged" with the Redskins and that he should have been smarter.

"I felt like I did a good job of holding my composure throughout the night, and you have a lapse of judgment and slip up," Johnny Manziel said of his middle finger to the Redskins in the third quarter.

"I felt like I did a good job of holding my composure throughout the night, and you have a lapse of judgment and slip up," Manziel said. 

That slip up, along with his high-profile lifestyle, his trips to Las Vegas and his pictures of him partying with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Justin Bieber have been the stuff of legend and of constant conversation since May. Now this incident will be the talk of the week and add to the many questions of whether this rookie can show enough good judgment to lead the Browns this season.

Manziel was not penalized, though he could have been for unsportsmanlike conduct or taunting.

The NFL no doubt will review the tape, and Manziel will be subject to an $11,025 fine. He can appeal his first fine, and it can be limited to 25 percent of a weekly check of close to $6,200.

"It did not sit well," Browns coach Mike Pettine said. "I was informed of it after the game and it's disappointing. Because what we talk about is being poised and being focused -- that you have to be able to maintain your poise."

The gesture occurred with 2:28 left in the third quarter.

That is just one of the things that will be the talk of this third week of the NFL preseason. Here are nine other topics we should all pay attention to.






no image

What The Preseason AP and Coaches Polls Got Wrong

While the preseason polls no longer plays an official roll in the eventual College Football Champion, the playoff group of learned elders will no doubt still take them into account.  That being the case, it’s important to understand the biases that the polls has always contained.  In the Coaches Poll, coaches from different conferences always rank their teams higher and iconic teams always get the benefit of the doubt.  In the AP poll, whoever is getting the most media coverage is generally getting the most votes.  With the recent release of the Preseason Polls, let’s take a look at where the Coaches made the biggest mistakes.  Here are the standings according to the polls.

 

 

And here are the mistakes made by the Coaches and the Associated Press.

 

Notre Dame

Coaches Rank – 17, AP Rank - 17

Appropriate Rank – 7

While the Coaches generally sing the praises of any and all historic programs, this is one case where they have actually penalized an iconic program.  This may be residual punishment for the Irish’s poor performance in the National Championship Game two years ago or four loss season last year.  What the pollsters are likely overlooking, however, is the phenomenal recruiting job Notre Dame has been doing the past few years, and the impact Everett Golson’s return will have on the program.  Golson led the team to an undefeated regular season in 2012 and should come close to that mark again this year.

 

Florida

Coaches Rank – Unranked, AP Rank - Unranked

Appropriate Rank – 14

There is no question the Gators had an abysmal year in 2013, winning only four games and losing the last seven in a row leading to a beat down by in-state rival and eventual National Champion, Florida State.  Given this performance, I understand the skepticism.  However, much like the Irish, the Gators have been recruiting with the best, and bring in a ton of talent.  In addition, they are one of the only SEC power programs to return a starting quarterback, who will finally play in a system built for his talents.  If that’s not enough, what will give Florida an edge this season is playing LSU, Missouri and South Carolina in the Swamp.

 

Oklahoma State

Coaches Rank – Unranked, AP Rank - Unranked

Appropriate Rank – 18

Another team that was left off the both lists was the Cowboys.  More than likely this is due to the exodus of all but nine starters.  While this is a significant impact to Oklahoma State, this is a team that was largely picked to finish last in the conference in 2013 anyway and went on to only lose two games.  The Cowboys have recruited well to replace their gaps and Mike Gundy is a talented and resourceful Head Coach with a mind for offense, a major key to success in the Big 12.  While Oklahoma State isn’t likely to run the table this year, unranked seems a slight to a team that held their own against eventual Sugar Bowl Champion Oklahoma in the de facto Big 12 Championship game last season.

 

Michigan

Coaches Rank – Unranked, AP Rank - Unranked

Appropriate Rank – 15

The final team being overlooked by the polls is Michigan.  The Wolverines have been rebuilding the past couple years and are finally on the verge of reestablishing their position as a college football power.  They’ve brought in fantastic recruiting classes the past two years and return starting quarterback and dual threat Devon Gardner.  The greatest hurdle to success for Michigan is likely the new Big Ten Divisions, pitting them against Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State on an annual basis.  The lop sidedness of the divisions means that the Wolverines will likely be a better team that either Wisconsin or Nebraska out of the West, but with a worse record.  They will, however, have the opportunity to show this prowess against a top tier opponent in a bowl game, and my guess is they succeed.






Tuesday, 19 August 2014
no image

NFL 2014: Things We Learned From Preseason Week 2

The second week of the NFL preseason has concluded and it was another exciting week, where we were able to learn a few things about the teams all over the country. Obviously, it’s preseason, so we shouldn’t overrate the developments too much, but they are at least worth a look. Here are the things we learned from preseason week two:

 


The Patriots’ future is set

The New England Patriots drafted Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round in May to take care for the time when Tom Brady is gone and has retired. In the first preseason game the rookie already looked good, especially in comparison to his teammate Ryan Mallett, which was the reason that Garoppolo went into the game first after Brady on Friday. Once again, the 22-year-old looked like the real deal, quickly throwing two touchdowns and connecting six of his 12 passes for 72 yards. He looked like a veteran most of the time and proved that he can be the Patriots’ future star.

 

The Jaguars may even have two good quarterbacks

Before the preseason started we had thought that there was not even a single quarterback capable of starting for the Jaguars. Bortles is just a rookie and needs to develop, and Chad Henne … well, Chad Henne has never really lived up to his full potential. However, both of them actually played really good against the Chicago Bears. Henne threw for 130 yards and a touchdown, while Bortles threw for 160 yards. Maybe the Jaguars don’t even have an issue at quarterback. The only question is: Who should start?

 

Justin Hunter could be in for a big year

Are the Tennessee Titans the most underrated team in the league? That may be the case, as their offense looked explosive against the New Orleans Saints on Friday. Jake Locker and Zach Mettenberger broth spread the ball around, but the best player was Justin Hunter. The wide receiver seems to be in for a successful season, catching four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans want to see this level of performance from him and he has already shown his potential a few times.

 

Oakland is still bad

Yes, it’s just preseason, but what the first string offense of the Oakland Raiders showed in the first two weeks was just awful. Against the Detroit Lions, the running game was non-existent, and Matt Schaub’s performance was again so-so. On the defensive side, it looked a bit better, particularly since the new players showed promise. However, the 28-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Golden Tate alone proved that the Raiders still need to learn a lot. If you ask me, this team has a lot of potential, but is still one or two years away from contending.

 

Jadeveon Clowney is as good as advertised

We are just two weeks into the preseason, but the number one pick of the 201
4 Draft is already a superstar. On Saturday, he first destroyed Falcons’ running back Antone Smith and soon after that sacked Matt Ryan, both times giving his opponents no chance. With JJ Watt also on the defense, the Texans‘ D looks scary. If this could only be said about their offense as well …

 

The Buccaneers are already a Lovie Smith team

As a longstanding follower of the Chicago Bears, I have to admit when I look at the Buccaneers, I see a bit of the Bears team from a couple of years ago already. The defense held Chad Henne and Ryan Tannehill in check, and even though those two are far away from being elite quarterbacks, this is still a good sign. In the meantime – and that’s also typical for a Lovie Smith team – the offense is a bit of a question mark. Josh McCown looked good yesterday, but there’s still last week when nothing worked out for the offense. It will be one of the biggest questions going into the season, if Lovie Smith learned from his time in Chicago: that offensive success is important as well.

 

Ryan Shazier is the next big linebacker

It was a big disappointment for Steelers fans when Ryan Shazier didn’t play last week against the New York Giants. The expectations were high and in his first career game on Saturday, he eventually fulfilled all of them. He was all over the field, accounting for 11 tackles and even intercepted one of E. J. Manuel’s passes. As perhaps the best player of the match, Shazier showed all his potential.

 

The Vikings may not even have a quarterback problem

You can basically read the text about the Jaguars from above, just with Matt Cassell and Teddy Bridgewater instead of Henne and Bortles. The two teams are in a very similar situation and both Bridgewater and Cassell looked good on Saturday. The rookie even managed to win the game in the final seconds of the game. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings QB\'s are able to continue their good form in the regular season.






Copyright © 2013 Football,f1 motorsports,NBA,Premier League All Right Reserved | Share on: Blogger Template Free