Initial 2014 Preseason Thoughts

The first quarter (maybe the first half) of preseason football is always interesting. It's when we get to see the stars in action. The rest of the game is basically a glorified scrimmage, but there were a few takeaways from the first week. Here's our shotgun look at the first week.

Jadeveon Clowney appeared to be the real deal. He looked impressive when moving forward. He needs help when dropping back into coverage though. We'd heap on more praise, but the Texans lost 32-0 which doesn't necessarily reflect well on the defense.

Carson Palmer looked fantastic and we're hoping to see more Palmer-to-Fitzgerald touchdowns. On the other side of the field, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked dreadful (43% completion with 2 INT). A solid argument could be made that even someone like JaMarcus Russell could have played better. Case Keenum didn't do much better. This doesn't bode well for Andre Johnson.

Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer both played OK, but neither looked like the clear winner. Based upon the crowd noise, it would appear that Cleveland fans want Johnny Football under center. We don't want either under center on our fantasy teams.

While Eli Manning demonstrated why he won't be the starter on many fantasy teams, Rashad Jennings showed why he deserves a starting role. His 73-yard touchdown run highlighted his speed as the Steelers couldn't catch him.

Le'Veon Bell shared the workload with LeGarrette Blount and both backs looked decent in their limited time.

Rain was the 12th man on the field in Tennessee as the Packers held out Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, and Eddie Lacy. The Titans' Bishop Sankey and the Packers' James Starks looked impressive.

Blake Bortles looked pretty decent Friday night as he threw for 117 yards against the Bucs. We can't say the same for Josh McCown who threw a pick (returned for TD), lost a fumble, and was sacked twice.

Doug Martin...hmmmm. We'll let his stats speak for themselves: 3 attempts for 6 yards (yes, that's a 2.0 yard average) and 1 catch for 2 yards. If the Bucs give him 50 carries a game, he'll get you to the magic 100-yard threshold.

By all accounts, Geno Smith should be the starter for the Jets; however, Michael Vick could very well play on a role on some Wildcat plays. If you have either of these guys on your fantasy team, you did a terrible job drafting.

We can't expect too much from the first week of preseason action. There were some highlights, but frankly, there were a lot more question marks. Those questions should get answered in the coming weeks.

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