Roundup: A look back at Saturday night
Published: August 29th, 2010 | Tags: Barry Sanders, Cam Cameron, Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson, Chan Gailey, Chris Cook, Darrius Heyward-Bey, David Carr, Deion Branch, Derek Anderson, Derrick Morgan, Devin Hester, Earl Thomas, Eric Mangini, frank gore, Frank Tadych, Gary Kubiak, Jahvid Best, Jake Delhomme, Jay Cutler, Jim Schwartz, Joe Flacco, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Lofa Tatupu, Matt Leinart, Mike Singletary, Mike Williams, Nate Davis, Ndamukong Suh, Roscoe Parrish, Tom Coughlin, Trent Edwards
It’s the morning after … nine games were on the NFL preseason slate on Saturday night, so let’s take a bullet-point look on thoughts and observations from around the league:
- Kyle Vanden Bosch says second overall pick Ndamukong Suh is going to be a dominant player before his rookie season is over. The Lions’ other promising rookie, Jahvid Best, is drawing comparisons to Barry Sanders, according to Drew Sharp. Here’s Best’s 51-yard run, if you haven’t seen it already.
- Everyone likes what Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense has done this preseason. But Lions coach Jim Schwartz admits the Lions need to play better on defense, and Bob Wojnowski writes the defensive line needs to compensate for the rest of the defense.
- Jake Delhomme continued his string of solid performances for the Browns, leaving Eric Mangini to call his preseason ”outstanding,” writes Dave Hackenberg.
- After watching Jay Cutler and the Bears offense struggle, David Haugh says they don’t look ready to start the season. Devin Hester said “time is running out” for the Bears to correct their problems, per Sean Jensen.
- Kent Sommers writes the performance of Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson against the Bears changed the tenor of the competition, with both making decent cases to be the starter. Ken Whisenhunt said making changes worked against the Bears, per Darren Urban.
- Chan Gailey hasn’t officially named him the starter, but said QB Trent Edwards has earned the right to be in the driver’s seat, writes Chris Brown.
- Jerry Sullivan writes that Gailey is taking advantage of the talent he has on offense, including WR Roscoe Parrish, who looks relevant again.
- The Bengals took the wraps off their no-huddle offense behind an efficient Carson Palmer, writes Geoff Hobson, and Cedric Benson, one of the biggest benefactors with 50 yards on eight carries, “loves it.”
- Darrius Heyward-Bey gave Raiders fans a glimpse of his offseason improvement, writes Vittorio Tafur.
- It didn’t take Frank Gore long to show his form in his preseason debut. Here’s the video.
- Mike Singletary came down hard on QB Nate Davis, writes Kevin Lynch, while David Carr is officially the backup to Alex Smith, says Matt Maiocco.
- Vikings rookie CB Chris Cook started and made a case to keep the job.
- The play of Deion Branch, Mike Williams, Lofa Tatupu and rookie Earl Thomas were among several positives for the Seahawks.
- Joe Flacco looked especially good in Cam Cameron’s no-huddle offense, writes Kevin Van Valkenburg. Flacco was happy with all the passing.
- Tom Coughlin was “disappointed” in the play of the Giants and said his team has “a way” to go, writes Ralph Vacchiano.
- Another Mike Williams, this one a rookie in Tampa, continues to display special skills. Here are the highlights.
- Vito Stellino writes the Jaguars continue to be plagued by inconsistency.
- The Texans responded exactly the way coach Gary Kubiak had hoped they would against the Cowboys, writes Richard Justice.
- Tim Cowlishaw writes the numbers tell an ugly story for the Cowboys’ first-team offense, which had been shaky, but was even worse against the Texans.
- Titans rookie DE Derrick Morgan was impressive in his preseason debut, writes Jim Wyatt.
- While the Panthers’ offense continues to struggle, the defense continues to shine, writes Darin Gantt.