The annual Hall of Fame game kicked off the beginning of preseason football, featuring the New Orleans Saints defeating the Arizona Cardinals, 17-10.

The Saints have been bashed with unpleasant publicity as a result of the bounty scandal. All playerms and staff members are still facing initial penalties and suspensions. One of the biggest questions entering play will be, how will the Saints respond?

As for the Arizona Cardinals, they are hoping to finish over .500 after last season’s 8-8 record and second place NFC West finish. However, their biggest off-season concern is their quarterback battle. Kevin Kolb was Arizona’s starter last season, but he only played in 9 games because of an injury. Kolb had an 81.1 passer rating, threw for 1,955 yards, and had 9 touchdowns. Arizona is concerned with Kolb’s health and very well should be after his short first performance. Kolb’s first intended pass was intercepted by Saints’ safety, Malcolm Jenkins, and it got worse from there. Kolb only completed 1-of-4 passes for 4 yards and exited the game after suffering rib contusion when he was knocked down by Saints’ defensive tackle, Sedrick Ellis.

John Skelton took over the Cardinals’ offense once Kolb went down. Skelton has been giving Kolb a run for his money for the starting job and was impressive under center. Skelton completed 4-of-6 passes for 32 yards against the Saints first team defense.

Drew Brees played one possession for the Saints, completing 4-of-5 passes for 41 yards. However, back-up, Chase Daniel, had a stellar performance. Daniel completed 15-of-20 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Although Daniel will not see the playing field come regular season, he has shown the potential to step in and play if Brees were to miss some time.

Saints’, Mark Ingram, rushed 4 times for 14 yards and punched in a goal-line touchdown. Also, rookie running back, Travaris Cadet from Appalachian State hands’ shined, catching 8 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Although the Saints have deep running back depth, it should be intriguing to see if Cadet can make the roster.

Cardinal, Alfonso Smith, carried the load at running back for Arizona rushing 8 times for 46 yards and one touchdown. As for the Cardinals’ talented receiving core, rookie, Michael Floyd, caught one pass for 15 yards and veteran, Larry Fitzgerald, caught one pass for 10 yards.

However, rookie wideout, LaRon Byrd, led all Cardinal receivers with 4 receptions and 54 yards. Byrd was an undrafted free agent from the University of Miami and signed with the Cardinals in early May. Concern regarding these wideouts is essentially not reaching their full potential because of the lack of a true quarterback presence to distribute the ball.

The Saints will be back in action Thursday, August 9 against the New England Patriots. As for the Cardinals, they will be playing in Kansas City Friday, August 10. Fortunately for both the Saints and Cardinals, they will play an extra preseason game to help prepare for the upcoming season.

Click here to view the rest of the NFL’s preseason schedule.

Image Courtesy of   R. Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock.com

The article NFL Preseason Football Kickoff appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

As we enter the sixth week of the collegiate football season, Heisman Trophy talk is ramping up. The Heisman Trophy is given to the best college athlete and is determined by wins and in most cases by ESPN highlights. It isn’t easy to rank players but the following individuals stand out among the pack for their top-notch performances:

Kellen Moore: There are many familiar faces in college football, none more familiar to college fans than Kellen Moore; a player who seems as if he has been around forever and continues to play at a high level.  He plays the game with such ease that it looks easy out there for him.

Moore is a prolific senior quarterback who has been in the Heisman talks for the last 3 years. He took a step back last week against Nevada, a game where the usually efficient quarterback threw 2 interceptions and completed only 57 percent of his passes.

Robert Griffin III: This junior is an unlikely player to receive the Heisman but his stats and play thus far stand above most of the other candidates.  The gifted Quarterback from Baylor has played lights out against lesser competition, at some point throwing more touchdowns than incompletions.

Right now, Griffin is at 18 touchdowns.  Last week he played an inspiring games against Kansas State in which he had 5 touchdowns.  His team lost in the end due to an untimely interception which does not help his chances to strike that Heisman pose at season’s end.

Trent Richardson: During week 5 against Florida State, Trent Richardson showed up and racked up 181 yards with 2 touchdowns.  His totals for the young season is 622 yards with 10 touchdowns, living up to the preseason hype that placed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

After sharing carries with the 2009 Heisman winner Mark Ingram, Trent is finally the guy in Alabama. Next weekend at Vanderbilt he looks to surpass his totals for last year and improve upon his chances to follow Mark Ingram in winning a Heisman.

Russell Wilson: The rise and play of Wilson has been unexpected.  The senior transfer with a year of eligibility is just what Wisconsin needed to balance out their tremendous run game.  He has been electrifying all the while being very accurate. His transition to becoming the leader for his team has been seamless and impressive.

Last week against Nebraska, Wilson threw for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns, running for another touchdown as well.  Wilson has amassed over 1300 yards so far and 1 interception with a 75 percent completion rate.

Andrew Luck: There has been a lot of talk about Luck over the past 3 years. Last year he was expected to be the number 1 pick in the NFL draft.  Of course, he chose to stay an extra year and is now attempting to win a National Championship and maybe a Heisman Trophy as well.

He has lived up to the hype so far and is looking like the best player in college football.  The talent on his team is considerably less than the others on this list (aside from Griffin), but Luck continues to deliver.  Last week Luck threw for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns and what’s even more impressive, is the news that broke this week about him calling his own plays the majority of the game.

That rarely happens, even in the NFL.  Luck is being described as Payton Manning Jr., high praise for the young signal caller.

Other players to be mentioned, as we try to predict the future winner of the Heisman, include Lamdry Jones, Marcus Lattimore, Tyrann Mathieu and Denard Robinson.

Jeremy R. Smith Sr. / Shutterstock.com

The article College Football: The Heisman 5 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.