close call on Ingram. For the last game let's send only the guys who are actually battling for a roster spot.
You don't lose your job due to injury. Kaeding has done nothing but cement his job. Novak missed one. Its Kaedings job. + he didnt die trying to push that return man out which is a bonus. Thank god Ming the Merciless just got a thigh bruise. If he or anyone else that already on this team plays next week I will flip the XXXX out!
I feel like we need to start Rivers and Meachem at least, gotta get some rhythym going in this offense.
With Vincent Brown on the shelf for a little while & Spurlock’s kick return ability, I think you’re right. I was listening to the game online, and was quite relieved to hear that. He’s been having a monster preseason, I just hope it’s not a lingering problem for him this season. I agree, although Nick Novak never got a shot at a 50+ yard field goal this preseason. Clanking that 35 yarder off the upright didn’t help his cause but if he survives Monday’s cut, he just may get a shot at a long one on Thursday but I think it’s Nate’s job to lose at this point. I’m glad Norv sent out Novak to attempt the game winner, we already know that Nate can hit them – he kicked the game winning field goal as a rookie at Kansas City, and there was also his clutch 52 yarder against Cincinnati about a week before Christmas in 2009, that won the game and pretty much locked up the #2 seed for us. He looked very good, and if Larry & a few others can stay healthy, we’ll have one heck of a defense this season!
Everyone knows that Kaeding has leg and accuracy. His issue is clutch kicking in the postseason. Unfortunately, there aren't very many clutch playoff kickers floating around out there. Nothing Kaeding does in preseason is going to affect his reputation or value in any way.
KicksAccuratelyExceptDuringImportantNFLGames Breakfast is ready. I'll be back in a bit with my thoughts on this snoozefest.
If they don't play Rivers and some of the other offensive players, then it'll be three weeks before they next get some game time experience and that'll be vs Raiders on MNF
Some initial thoughts I'm getting concerned about Robert Meachem another not so good game and dropped an absolute strike from Charlie Whitehurst As bad as Harris/Molk were (and they both had some good moments too), I thought nearly as bad were Vasquez and Clary. And unlike the first two mentioned, those are the veterans on the line. There was just no awareness of stunts, blitzes, etc. Maybe some of that is on the fact that Molk isn't making line calls but it doesn't change the fact that Clary and Vasquez were still beaten repeatedly I think the defense could be something very special - I still don't know what to expect from corners (and I'm worried about Jammer/Cason) but they have played well when not forced to run a vanilla dime scheme. The younger players are coming along very nicely (Liuget, Ingram, Reyes, Wright), the veterans are chugging along well and they're playing fast and hard. Ingram - that caused me to be a little scared but watching him smash someone on a punt return was glorious
OK, here's what I took from a real snoozer .... General observations .... These replacement refs straight up suck. Missed calls, wrong calls, no calls. At least they got it right under the hood. Norv showed his awesomeness with the little red rag. I hate the announcers for an away game. Did anyone notice how, in the last minute, when MN took their last 2 timeouts the logo was lit on their side for a timeout, but the last timeout for SD also disappeared? Made me wonder both times just who had called the timeout. OK, game stuff .... Offense Whitehurst looked OK. Gave Jared Allen a sack when his feet got tangled, but otherwise managed the game alright. Lee probably goes to PS. OL looked rough. No push in the run game at all. Harris is not ready for prime time. Molk & Hadnot both let a lot of pressure come through up the middle. As of now, I'd have to keep Baxter as b/u center & Molk to PS. RB - Battle shows me nothing worth taking up a roster spot. Baker showed some speed - needs to square up his shoulders & turn it upfield with less dancing. Having said that - hard to burst through a hole that isn't there. WR - Willie just keeps making catches. Of Spurlock, Goodman, & Parrish, I gotta go with Spurlock. Meachem - find your nuts, son. TE - Green looks pretty lost, although he did pick up 1 nice first down. I think he just needs time. I think we keep 4 & Sperry is odd man out. Green just won't last on the PS. Defense Depth in the secondary is ****. Gilchrist & Wright have to be healthy. Cason is one lucky mf'er. Gatson sucks. Pressley to PS - not much experience as a DB, but he shows good hands & is quick. Will we ever find a safety to much up with Weddle? Concerned about Bigsby's durability, Taylor a rook, & Stuckey another whiff. We'll be looking at CB & S in the draft next year, once again to the detriment of the OL. ILB's go downhill fast behind Butler & Spikes. Mouton stays, Gakhar? I know he has ST ability, but is that enough to keep him? OLB's - Dodged a bullet on Ingram. Ticky-tack call on the roughing the passer, but that's the nature of the beast when you put tutu's on the QB. English looking pretty good, but he needs to develop more moves than an outside speed rush. Elmore or Gamble? DL - Pretty pleased with the way that Liuget played. Reyes got some inside pressure as well. Do we keep 6 or 7? If it's 6, is Cesaire the bubble guy? ST Place kickers looked good. Of course, not much pressure in preseason. It's Kaeding's job to lose. Scifre's is certainly in no danger. haha Coverage was OK - couple of breakdowns but nothing critical. Penalties were friggin' atrocious.
Molk = statuesq, clueless, lost at best. Hadnot = MIA, he did play didn't he? Harris = work in progress and he's getting a lot of it. I'm sure he felt like he was the only guy on the left side at times last night. Wide receiver's, what wide receiver's? I'm sure that had something to do with the QB setting up as a tackling dummy for the Vikings defense but still to many dropped balls and no one really fighting for it. RB's where to begin, if that's as good as it's going to get then this team is going to be in big trouble. The defense didn't play great but they played well enough when most of the starters were in there. Exhibition games are never a good measure of what a defense is truly going to be like, or an offense for that matter. Could they have played better, sure. They also could have played much worse too. Another double scoop of vanilla on both sides of the ball not including five guys from the starting offense didn't even play. This was no gauge of determination of readiness for the season opener and if it were, heaven help us all.
