With the 22nd pick in the NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns drafted Oklahoma State quarterback, Brandon Weeden. Weeden, the oldest rookie in this years draft at 28 years old, was named the starting quarterback in their first preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions.

Weeden completed 3-of-9 passes for 62 yards, threw one interception, and fumbled in his NFL debut. Weeden was left short handed after wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi left the game with a concussion. In addition, the Browns were without their rookie running back, Trent Richardson, who underwent knee surgery earlier in the week.

Although Weeden struggled,  he still helped his team earn a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions. It was definitely not the start Weeden or the Browns wanted to witness, especially with the play of back-up quarterback, Colt McCoy. McCoy completed 6-of-8 passes for 88 yards and also had one rush for 20 yards. The only way McCoy could rise and become the starting quarterback come week one of the regular season is if he continues to outplay Weeden, and Weedon continues to struggle.

The Detroit Lions are coming off their best year, finishing with a winning record for the first time since the 2000 NFL season. In addition, the 10-6 Lions made the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 NFL season. A large part of their success came from the potent offensive duo of quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Stafford threw for a career high 5,038 yards, 3rd best in the NFL behind Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Stafford threw 41 touchdowns, also 3rd best in the league last season. As for his number one receiver, Johnson led all wide receivers with 1,681 yards and was 2nd in the league with 16 touchdowns.

Stafford and Johnson connected twice against the Browns Friday night for 36 yards. Detroit running backs Joique Bell and Keiland Williams both played great games. Bell carried the ball 16 times for 89 yards. Williams carried the ball 9 times for 71 yards and one touchdown. Both running backs are fighting to earn a third-string position on the depth chart.

Sadly enough, this past offseason may have brought more attention to the Lions than last years’ successful season. Last year’s first round pick, Nick Fairley, was arrested twice, and running back Mikel Leshoure was arrested twice and suspended for 2 games in the upcoming season. Cornerback Aaron Berry was also arrested twice. Offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath was arrested, while wideout Titus Young and safety Louis Delmas were involved in an altercation during team workouts.

Ndamukong Suh was pulled over for speeding going 91 mph in a 55 mph speed zone. As a result of their trouble off the field, Aaron Berry was cut and Johnny Culbreath was waived. Nick Fairley could possibly be the next suspended player. (Why would he be the next suspended player? – Please add some more details to this.)

The Lions must overcome their reckless offseason and become more disciplined in order to continue to take strides in the right direction. Detroit will be back in action Friday, August 17 against the Baltimore Ravens. As for the Browns, Weeden will have another shot to prove himself NFL ready against a weak Green Bay Packers secondary on Thursday, August 16.

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The Chicago Bears took on the Denver Broncos under the lights at Soldier Field to kick off their preseason play. Not only were Bear fans fortunate enough to see their team play, they also got a glimpse of Peyton Manning in his first game with the Broncos.

Manning completed 4 of 7 passes for 44 yards and threw an interception in the 31-3 victory. It was evident that Manning was grateful and excited to be back under center for the first time since missing all of last season. Manning connected with three different wide receivers within his first four pass attempts, already spreading the field and keeping defenses guessing. Denver’s offensive line kept Manning protected very well and did not allow him to get hit once. Peyton’s leadership and experience definitely makes the Broncos a team to look out for once the regular season comes along.

As for the Chicago Bears, their starting quarterback, Jay Cutler, warmed up, but did not play because of the birth of his first child on Wednesday. As a result, Jason Campbell started for the Bears and completed 4 of 5 passes for 13 yards. In addition, running back Matt Forte sat and watched from the sideline, giving the start to newly acquired Michael Bush.

Bush carried the ball three times for two yards and also fumbled. Also, wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, caught one pass for four yards in his Bears debut. The addition of both Bush and Marshall makes the Bears become an offensive threat this upcoming season. Not to mention that Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall are already very well acquainted with each other after playing together in Denver.

However, the only positive offensive note for the Bears from Thursday’s game was rookie receiver Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery led the Bears receiving core with four receptions for 35 yards. The former South Carolina Gamecock was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft and signed a four-year deal in early May. Jeffery has been playing extremely well during training camp and is showing a ton of potential.

Defensively for the Bears, Julius Peppers also watched from the sidelines. In addition, linebacker Brian Urlacher did not play for reported personal reasons. However, Urlacher has been suffering from some knee soreness.

Chicago will welcome RGIII and the Washington Redskins Saturday, August 18, for their second preseason game. As for the Broncos, they will also be in action August 18 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Although the Bears finished last season with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs, their offseason additions could possibly help make them the second best team in the NFC North Division behind the Green Bay Packers.

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The Green Bay Packers traveled to the West Coast for their first preseason game of the year against the San Diego Chargers. Both teams were off to a sloppy preseason start, combining for 5 turnovers in the first quarter, however the Chargers seemed to have a bit more in them to hold off the Packers 21-13.

The Packers are coming off their best regular season year in franchise history, finishing with a record of 15-1. Unfortunately for Green Bay, their postseason ended early after defeat by Super Bowl Champions, New York Giants. Offensively the Packers were elite, averaging 35 points per game, the best in the NFL, 3rd in total offense, averaging 405.1 yards per game, and 3rd in passing yards per game, averaging 307.8.

Most of Green Bay’s offensive greatness was due to their leader under center, NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers finished last season with a passer rating of 122.5, threw for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 68.3. Rodgers was a threat in and out of the pocket and continued to keep defenses guessing throughout the season.

Although the Packers pass game was top-notch, their run game was below mediocre. The Packers were ranked 27th in the NFL, averaging only 97.4 rush yards per game. The departure of Ryan Grant does not help the situation this upcoming season either, with the burden falling on James Starks and Alex Green to battle it out to see who will be the number one guy. With injury concerns surrounding both backs, the biggest question offensively is, can the Packers find someone to solidify the running back position consistently for 16 weeks and help them become less predictable?

Defensively Green Bay struggled all season and were last in the NFL in yard allowed per game, 411.6. Although they lead the NFL with 31 interceptions, they still allowed offense after offense to march down the field consistently. In their attempt to improve defensively, the Packers brought in some young talent via draft, USC defensive end/outside linebacker Nick Perry, and Michigan State defensive tackle, Jerel Worthy, were their first two picks. Both rookies are expected to have some type of impact in terms of applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

As for the San Diego Chargers, they finished last season with an 8-8 record, missing the playoffs for the 2nd straight year. Philip Rivers is coming off his 4th consecutive 4,000+ yard season, as well as his 4th consecutive 25+ touchdown season. However, Rivers’ biggest  flaw last season was his turnovers. Rivers threw a career high 20 interceptions and lost a career high 7 fumbles. Charger fans will be hoping Rivers can be a bit more patient and execute efficiently to lead the team back into the playoffs.

The Chargers’ biggest defensive flaw was their 3rd down defense. They were ranked last in the NFL, allowing opposing offenses to convert 49.2% of the time on 3rd down, and have consequently addressed this issue with free agent acquisitions and through the draft.

Rodgers only completed 2-of-8 passes for 16 yards and threw an interception in Thursday nights loss. Rodgers did not look as comfortable in the pocket last night because of the lack of protection he received from his offensive line.

As for Rivers, he completed 3-of-5 passes for 37 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Rivers was able to connect with tight end, Antonio Gates, for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Gates has been battling an ongoing foot injury but looked in good form on the night, something the Chargers will be hoping is a positive sign going into the regular season.

The Packers continued to struggle running the ball as James Starks, the player most likely to start at running back come the beginning of the season, carried the ball five times for 16 yards and fumbled once. In addition, Alex Green and Marc Tyler did not help make a name for themselves, averaging less than three yards per carry.

The Chargers run game took a big hit after Ryan Mathews exited the game following his first carry, suffering from a broken clavicle which was reported later, leaving San Diego without Mathews for 4-6 weeks. Newly acquired Charger Ronnie Brown will likely get the nod for the starting role until Mathews return.

Green Bay rookie Perry finished the game with with three tackles and one sack, an optimistic sign for the Packers ahead of the regular season. Opposing defensive rookie Melvin Ingram finished the game with two tackles, and the pressure he exerted on Rodgers helped to force an interception.

The Packers are back in action, Thursday, August 16th against the Cleveland Browns, and will be looking for a more efficient offensive display. As for the Chargers, they will be back in action, Saturday, August 18th against the Dallas Cowboys. Luckily for both teams it was only preseason, and there is still plenty of time to assemble good chemistry as well as better execution on the field.

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The Baltimore Ravens got their preseason off to a successful start Thursday night when they recorded a 31-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Very little can be taken from preseason games in terms of judging how well a side will perform in the regular season, none more so than at the Georgia Dome where both sides fielded the majority of their starters for just one quarter.

These games do, however, provide the perfect stage for untested rookies and players lower down on the depth chart to prove their worth and stake a claim making the final 53-man roster. Following a summer of significant roster upheaval in Baltimore, this is one of the most hotly anticipated preseasons in recent memory for the Ravens. Duels for depth chart superiority are abound for Baltimore with halfback, wide receiver and outside linebacker positions coming under extra scrutiny, whilst there are still starters places up for grabs in the offensive line.

The role of Ray Rice’s backup was initially thought to be contested between third-round draft pick Bernard Pierce and second-year players Anthony Allen and Damien Berry, but the emergence of undrafted rookie Bobby Rainey in the Raven’s training camp has thrown in a fourth contender.

Rainey was undoubtedly the star of the game for Baltimore, running elusively between the tackles, showing good acceleration to get outside of the defense and demonstrating his ability as a receiver when he collected a screen pass and displayed good agility to elude the Falcons’ defense on the way to scoring a touchdown. You could be forgiven for thinking you were actually watching Rice, such are the physical and playing similarities between Rainey and the current starting running back, a factor which could work against him should the Ravens want a contrasting back to supplement Rice.

With both Courtney Upshaw and Pierce absent due to recent injuries, it was likely that focus would fall on free agent acquisitions for Baltimore, rather than rookies, but a number of lower round picks stood up to be counted.

The fifth-round draft pick Asa Jackson looked good on special teams as well as nearly recording a sack early in the game, whilst safety Christian Thompson was reliable in the secondary and put in a thunderous hit late in the game. This is clearly a sign that training alongside Bernard Pollard is paying off for the youngster.

Wide receivers Deonte Thompson and LaQuan Williams both had good games, with Thompson in particular making a couple of clutch catches as both players compete for the fourth wide receiver spot on the depth chart.

The offensive line appeared solid, with the veterans acquitting themselves well, if not spectacularly, and Bryant McKinnie played, contrary to suggestions, in a bid to prove his fitness following a late arrival at training camp due to a back injury. Rookies Kelechi Osemele and Gino Gradkowski both looked good during their snaps, but they will have to maintain that form throughout the preseason if they are to challenge for a starters spot, although a place on the final 53-man roster seems a certainty at the moment.

It is difficult to criticize any of the current starters, despite being outplayed early on by the Falcons. They were only allowed a single quarter to showcase their talents, but a substandard performance from Cary Williams may well have alerted John Harbaugh. Playing against a wide receiver duo of Roddy White and Julio Jones is never easy, but Williams seemed outmatched, possibly opening the door for Jimmy Smith to partner Lardarius Webb.

Other notable performances included two fumble recoveries and an interception by rookie corner Omar Brown, while quarterback Curtis Painter may have helped establish himself as the backup quarterback after he outperformed Tyrod Taylor with a fairly composed and effective outing.

It is certainly in the early days for Baltimore, and the game against the Falcons probably raised more questions than answers in terms of the depth chart, but it was a good performance from the young rookies, especially the undrafted pair of Rainey and D Thompson. All eyes will now turn to their next preseason game at home against the Detriot Lions, where highly rated rookies Upshaw and Pierce should make their bow at the M&T Bank Stadium alongside the likes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

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Several NFL teams are in the process of determining who will be under center, come week one.

The quarterback battle in Seattle has opened up a bit after coach Pete Carroll announced that former Green Bay Packers back-up, Matt Flynn, will get the nod in their first preseason match-up Saturday night against Tennessee.

Flynn signed a three-year contract worth $26 million in March. Flynn gathered a ton of attraction after standing out when called upon in Green Bay. Although only being a back-up, he still managed to throw for 518 yards with a completion percentage of 67.3%, six touchdowns and a 124.8 passer rating. Most of his numbers came from his stellar week 17 performance against the Detroit Lions, in which he threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns.

However, some of the biggest questions are: Can he be consistent? And does his one start against the Lions solidify his readiness?

Let’s not forget the Seahawks still have Tarvaris Jackson, last year’s number one guy. Also, the Seahawks drafted Wisconsin quarterback, Russell Wilson in the third round. Just because Flynn is getting the start week one of preseason, does not mean that he will be the starter come week one of the regular season.

It should, however, be interesting to see who is named the starter, and how they can incorporate the Seahawks’ newest offensive additions.

Tight end Kellen Winslow became a member of the Seahawks after being traded from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a conditional 2013 seventh-round pick. However, the pick could turn into a 6th round pick, depending on Winslow’s performance. The 29-year-old tight end is determined to win the starting job over Zach Miller, but concerns regarding his health could play a decisive role in who wins the starting job.

Wide receiver Braylon Edwards was another off-season pick-up. Edwards struggled last season and played only in 9 games, which played a role in being signed so late. Similar to Winslow, there is a concern with Edwards’ health; a healthy Edwards could be a serious threat.

The latest addition is wide receiver Terrell Owens. Owens just signed a one year veteran’s minimum contract. Seahawks were impressed with Owens after running a sub 4.5 forty-yard dash in his tryout earlier this week. The 38-year old has not played in the NFL since 2010, and his durability will definitely be something to look out for.

It will take some work for the Seahawks to improve from last season’s 7-9 record, but the potential is certainly there.

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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.

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