Well, week two of the preseason is officially upon us, and it is once again time for knee-jerk reactions and predictions. Today, the starters are expected to get more time, about 25-30 plays, according to Head Coach Joe Philbin. In addition, Ryan Tannehill has been named the starting QB for tonight's game, so it will be our first chance to see the People's Choice go up against a real first team defense, the type he'll be seeing every week if he continues to play as he has and earns the starting spot. So, here is a list of some things you should be watching for in tonight's game.
1. How does Tannehill perform against a starting defense and how does Moore perform against 2nd stringers?
This first one is fairly obvious, if Tannehill continues to play as he has so far tonight against first stringers, then he could be on a fast-track towards a starting spot. On thew other hand, most of the other rookies have struggled thus far when up against a starting defense, so it will be interesting if he doesn't completely dominate. In that case, it comes down to this, does Moore perform better against starters than Tannehill does? If Tannehill struggles, and if Moore plays well against backups, then we will have to compare the time both spent with the starters, and see who did better.
2. Is Chris Hogan the real deal?
Hard Knocks has a way of turning regular roster fodder into overnight celebrities. This year, one example was WR Chris Hogan, or, as the players call him, 7-eleven. All eyes will be on him as he will most likely spend more time with the 2nd team than the 3rd, due to Chad Johnson's release. Hogan has been described as being "always open", but it is yet to be seen if that is simply because he is facing 3rd string defenders. If he spends time with the 2nd team offense today, that will be a much better gauge of his ability. 2nd stringers are actually NFL-caliber players and are close to what he would face every week if he made the team. If he plays well tonight against tougher competition, it will be interesting to see whether or not he makes the 53 man roster.
3. Who is the starting WR across from Naanee, and how well does he perform?
All this week, Roberto Wallace, Marlon Moore and Julius Pruitt have been rotating for the starting WR spot. Thus far, it seems as if it is Wallace's job to lose, but as shown on hard knocks, his inability to get separation may hurt him. It will be interesting to see who gets the job, and if they perform well against starters. If whoever earns the spot doesn't perform well, then the urgency for Brian Hartline to return just gets cranked up a notch. One of the young WRs is going to have to step up, and we will see who does it tonight.
4. Can the secondary improve after a terrible showing last week?
Last week , our secondary was simply abused. It was so bad, we made Josh Freeman look like Aaron Rodgers and Dan Orlovsky look like Tom Brady. It was just sad. A big part of the problem was CB Vontae Davis, who, after being ranked a top 10 CB last year, absolutely SUCKED. He will have to rebound in a big way if he wants to regain his starting spot, or even keep a roster spot. I personally think Vontae may soon be switched to FS due to the system change. In Mike Nolan's defense, CBs and Ss ran zone coverage, and zone coverage is what Davis excels in. In Kevin Coyle's defense, only the Ss run zone, while the CBs run man coverage. Davis struggles in man coverage, but excels in zone, and is a very hard hitter, so it only makes sense to move him to FS.
Well, that's all for today, enjoy the game, and leave feedback below.
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