We all know this is preseason. We all know the best players are not playing much. We all know that makes it hard to project much in regard to the regular season. We all know the players on the field are playing for jobs. We all know some of them are playing to support their family. We all know the players on the field are ready to kill to make a player or at least play well. So, shall we continue without any complains or objections about how it is “only” preseason? Okay, good. Let’s go:
1 – What a great play by Jordan Hicks, causing the fumble after perfectly reading the play, and there is nothing “preseason-ish” over such a play. That is just pure instinct.
2 – I thought I had the top five wide receivers penciled down (Fitzgerald, Kirk, the three rookies), but what about Trent Sherfield? Does he crack the party and get extensive playing time? I thought he got very good separation from the defender, and obviously he made some big plays.
3 – You know that Murray-dude? Yeah, he´s quick.
4 – To me, linebacker Zeke Turner was the most impressive of all the backups. Good reads, fast, physical, and last year he obviously showed he was very good on special teams. I am high on this guy, I´ll tell you that.
5 – Is it still the setup where the away-team’s fans has to watch the home team’s TV-broadcast? If so, I feel bad for Chargers-fans. I had muted very quickly if it was me.
6 – I was not impressed by the special team blocking. However, here´s a good news: Andy Lee starts where he left off.
7 – I was already high on linebacker Dennis Gardeck last year – and I still am – but I thought there was a couple of plays where he showed that he still need to practice on his read-and-react skills.
8 – Is edge rusher Pete Robertson this year’s Cap Capi? Preseason stud who makes a lot of plays.
9 – I badly wanted to like the backup offensive line, but I just couldn’t. Well, I guess Korey Cunningham was okay.
10 – Great to see Ricky Seals-Jones make some plays. Make no mistake about it: the traditional tight end is becoming rare nowadays while the big receiver are the new norm.
11 – I thought defensive tackle Terrell McClain played well. It would be huge to have good depth at the defensive line.
(On that note, man, I am bumped that it didn’t work with Nkemdiche. He really is a world class talent. I wish him the very best.
P.S. And Philon? Idiot.)
12 – I think it is exciting that some of the second year players (all of them free agents) indicated that they have stepped up from last year. Linebackers Zeke Turner and Dennis Gardeck, cornerback Chris Jones, and wide receiver Trent Sherfield.
13 – I don’t really know what to make of it, but I thought some of the undrafted guys (defensive tackle Miles Brown, safety Tyler Sigler, runningback Wes Hills) was at least pleasant surprises.
14 – Maybe I shouldn’t put anything into it at all, but I just thought it was interesting that quarterback Drew Anderson got on the field before his rival, Charles Kanoff. I thought Kanoff did well in the preseason last year, so I just expected that he would be further ahead at this time.
15 – I guess Hakeem Butler proved why I wasn’t that high on him in the draft process with the inconsistency. Damn. Hopefully we will continue to improve.