Dynasty Preseason Game Blitz Week 1 Part 1

Preseason games, heck why do we even watch them? Maybe it’s the thrill of football back on the television. I enjoy these games as we get clues on what NFL teams are thinking. Keep in mind that not every game or quarter is made equal. For the Hall of Fame Game and the following week’s games, I typically watch the first half (starters and second team play then). The following week I view three-quarters, then the full game in week four, and the final week perhaps a quarter at most as most starters are sitting by then. I will spend a little time on each game and give you some quick interpretations with what I’m seeing. My focus will be on some fringe players, first year starters, and the rookies.

 

Hall of Fame Game

Cowboys vs. Dolphins

Lance Dunbar, Dallas RB – He ran the ball well outside the tackles, and showed quick burst. Dunbar kept chopping his feet, but was a bit too upright giving defenses more to hit.

Lamar Miller, Miami RB – He has a disastrous fumbled first carry, but recovered nicely with two nice explosive runs showing good down field vision on his next chances.

Phillip Tanner, Dallas RB – Tanner is bigger than Dunbar, showed some power running through the line of scrimmage. He busted out a spin move, found a few creases in the defense, but this production was against the second and third team defense.

Mike Gillislee, Miami RB – The rookie was slippery, made sharp cuts, but did not generate power on his touches. He looked like a change of pace, third down back.

 

Week 1 Preseason

Falcons vs. Bengals

Harry Douglas, Atlanta WR – The often forgotten receiver looked explosive on a screen where he broke free for a long gain. During the run, Douglas swatted away a defender with ease. He was also returning punts, but needs to work on timing as he dropped a quick slant pass.

Kory Biermann, Atlanta DE/OLB – The reality star was always around the ball and lined up as an outside linebacker as well as a defensive end. That could be a huge boon for his value if he stays designated as a DE.

Giovanni Bernard, Cincinnati RB – The rookie looked small on the field. He got blown up on pass protection, but countered with his quickness and agility in space. Bernard was slippery near the end zone and found pay dirt towards the end of the second quarter.

Chargers vs. Seahawks

Keenan Allen, San Diego WR – He had an up and down night as the rookie beat double coverage, but was overthrown. I liked the way he shielded the ball from defenders, but he also batted a poorly thrown ball into the air. That deflection caused an interception.

Christine Michael, Seattle RB – My buddy from the East/West Shrine Game looked like the strong, straight ahead runner I saw. Michael followed his blockers well, but did most of his damage against weaker second and third team competition.

49ers vs. Broncos

LaMichael James, San Fran RB – The very skinny, second year back demonstrated good vision with his patented spin move. He kept his feet moving and was most effective out in space. There may be some ball security issues with him, so be careful with him.

Julius Thomas, Denver TE – He was quick and athletic and he lined up beside the tackle on the line of scrimmage. While Thomas still needs to work on his blocking, he used his soft hands to secure a few difficult passes and was hard to bring down.

Ronnie Hillman, Denver RB – Much like James, the second year Bronco is on the thin side.  Hillman looked great out in the flat and running sweeps. It concerned me that he seems to only get the yardage blocked for him though.

Vance McDonald, San Fran TE – He looked great after the catch, and showed good leaping ability. The rookie will need to work harder on his blocking if he wants to take over the Delanie Walker role.

AJ Jenkins, San Fran WR – The second year receiver tried way too hard on his only target as he fumbled the reception away going for a first down. Hopefully Jenkins can calm his nerves and concentrate on making plays in the next few preseason games.

Patriots vs. Eagles

LaGarrette Blount, New England RB – It was a bit surprising that he came into the game to relieve Steven Ridley after a long run in the first quarter (not Shane Vereen). He ran with power downhill, and later in the second quarter took a broken play and an ill-advised reverse of field to jaunt in for a 54 yard touchdown.

Chris Polk, Philadelphia RB – Last year’s undrafted surprise got the start over Bryce Brown and it appeared to be a bad decision by the coaching staff. Polk was heavy footed and couldn’t read the creases the line made for him.

Bryce Brown, Philadelphia RB – The second year running back ran mostly with the second team; however, Brown made the most of it running hard, although he still bounced plays outside. Brown has soft hands and takes good angles against defenders.

Kenbrell Thompkins, New England WR – The rookie free agent was a big surprise and definitely made his mark. Although he seemed to always jump up to make catches and let the ball into his body, Thompkins did not let any of his targets go to waste. Brady seems to trust him.

Zach Sudfeld, New England TE – Not only was it surprising to see him with the first and second team offense, but Sudsy (yes I call him that) made plays. He had a nice wheel route reception and ran well after the catch.

Raiders vs. Cowboys

Terrelle Pryor, Oakland QB – The former Ohio State dual threat looked good running the ball on the read option. Pryor showed improvement with ball control from last year, but still struggles in complex and high pressure situations, i.e. threw an interception across his body in the red zone.

Lance Dunbar, Dallas RB – This was the second game he was the backup to DeMarco Murray. Once again, he was good in space, possessed soft hands, and had a knack for finding creases in the defense.

David Ausberry, Oakland TE – He has great hair, looks quick, jukes defenders, and catches the ball between defenders. What else do you want from this sleeper?

Packers vs. Cardinals

Michael Floyd, Arizona WR – He was explosive getting down the field. Floyd was quick off the line and was targeted deep by Palmer. With Fitzgerald on the other side, he will always see single coverage, which is good enough for me.

Jonathan Franklin, Green Bay RB – The rookie looked like a good third down back, not an every down back. He did well in space, showing quickness and agility. Franklin did have some concentration issues (double caught a ball), but struggled between the tackles.

Browns vs. Rams

Dion Lewis, Cleveland RB – The former Eagle had quick, light feet while using good vision to help avoid tacklers. Lewis does a good job not giving defenders much to hit. He was not as effective running inside, but looks like the Browns best change of pace back to spell TRich.

Jordan Cameron, Cleveland TE – I’m going to call him a tale of two players. On one play, he bats the ball high in the air and fortunately for him ,teammate Greg Little came down with the pigskin. A few plays later, Cameron ran a nice crossing route that got the Browns to the six yard line. He needs to focus on the task at hand or he won’t see the field.

Chris Givens, St. Louis WR – The force was with him in this game as Bradford seemed to only trust him. Givens came through as he separated well from defenders and caught the ball with the palm of hands. If not for a Bradford under throw, Givens would have scored on the first rainbow thrown his way.

Ravens vs. Buccaneers

Bernard Pierce, Baltimore RB – The second year back was running with power, and showed decent pass blocking skills. Pierce juked defenders and found a crease on the way to a 20 yard touchdown. He fell down after the touchdown, but at this writing it does not seem to be serious.

Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay QB – He is still very awkward looking in the pocket and has little sense of what is transpiring around him. Glennon has a strong and accurate arm, but needs a lot more time to develop.

For follow up questions or information, contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley.

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