Where are the popular sports at currently in terms of status amongst fans?
NFL: Strong but off-the-field issues are taking over attention from what actually takes place on the field. Controversies are not a good sign (Concussion Lawsuits, Suspension Lengths, Anything Manziel-Favre-Tebow-T.O. Related) as it shows waning interest in on-field activities, resulting in lower attendance numbers.
NBA: The stars' brands are what's most important and that's working just fine. Attendance is solid unless you suck or have nothing marketable going on (Milwaukee, Orlando, Atlanta). The new commissioner may be making some controversial decisions (ads on jerseys) but at the end of the day, the sport is still progressing in the right direction.
MLB: TV ratings are doing fantastic locally but the majority seem to only care about their home teams as national viewership is way down. This could all also be the result of the lackluster Red Sox-Yankees teams as well but somebody needs to tell those guys to play games quicker than four hours. A new commissioner from the school of Bud Selig, Rob Manfred takes over next year and likely continues on Bud's depressing legacy. With all of this on the table, people have been declaring baseball dead since the fifties so it's very hard to buy into any "DEATH OF THE MLB" theories.
NHL: Hockey is finally back from their post-2004 apocalypse of not being cared about by a lot of people. I'd seen way more hockey fans than ever before this past season on social media and can't wait to see if a major network actually picks up the sport again soon. They might not receive recognition from ESPN but, if some other network wants to buy in, the NHL could be at it's most popular since Wayne Gretzky retired.
Golf: Rory isn't Tiger yet but he damn well had most people fooled. McIlroy is on a hot streak and I'd be shocked to see him fall off the face of the earth the way he did in 2012 & 2013. With drama like they had at the PGA tour championship with four golfers in the running on the final hole, The PGA doesn't need Tiger anymore and that's exactly the boost golf needed.
Soccer: Soccer's exploding and even though I refuse to acknowledge it at any point in the near future, the Premier League is back on NBCSportsNetwork so this will be a good test to see if any of the major network talk-shows ever get back onto the soccer bandwagon for something other than the World Cup. (Note: It's Monday and I saw nothing, I repeat: NOTHING about this weekend's Premier League games).
College Sports: Football is king and only getting bigger with the new, sort-of awesome playoff system in place. Basketball was on a downhill spiral with no stars returning but thankfully, Kentucky kept the Harrison twins, Wisconsin still has Frank Kaminsky, and Kevin Ollie looks like a really good coach to carry on UCONN's legacy.
And now, on to week 2 of the preseason...
A Few Changes
Multiple note categories that I used last week have been changed...
Last week
1. Rookie of the Game
2. What about those first-round picks?
3. Other Quick Notes
4. Biggest Overreaction
This week
1. Rookie of the Game
2. Position Battle Updates
3. Who Should Stay?
4. Who Will (correctly or not) Get Released?
5. Biggest Overreaction
NOTE: All
Biggest Overreactions are loaded with sarcasm.
 |
Photo via: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
-In my best Jon Gruden voice- "This guy..." |
Here we go...
Bears over Jaguars 20-19
BlakeBortlesBlakeBortlesBlakeBortlesBlakeBortlesBlakeBortles
Rookie of the Game: Blake Bortles. Bortles (11/17-160-0-0, 2-6-0) dominated Monday Night Football talk almost as much as that guy in Cleveland. He looked incredibly poised (again), confident (again), and like a legit starting QB in the NFL. You go, Jaguars. You needed some hope.
Position Battle Updates: Jags veteran QB Chad Henne (12/17-130-1-0) still looks good enough to hold off the Bortlehood for a few weeks of regular season action. Will the real Jaguar Receiving corps please stand up? Marqise Lee (4-27-1) looked solid but like more of a Wes Welker-type slot receiver than the Steve Smith-like deep-threat we saw at USC. It was interesting to say the least. Allen Robinson and Cecil Shorts are still nowhere to be seen and Miami (FL) Receiver Allen Hurns (4-74-0) should not start a single game this year.
Who Should Stay?: Former-Michigan Quarterback Denard Robinson, who is now listed as an Offensive Weapon, was not a guarantee to make the team this year after a bad rookie season. Luckily for Jacksonville, this experiment has thrived in the preseason as he has consistently picked up good yardage on a handful of carries (34 on 6 this week). I expect him to have a locked in the spot over Central Florida Running Back Storm Johnson.
Who Should Go?: It seems like a cop out to just continually pick on rookies and continuously call out skill players but Storm Johnson (8 touches, 34 yards) has not been the Running Back this team was hoping they'd drafted late in the draft.
Biggest Overreaction: Blake Bortles looks like Ben Roethlisberger, lock in Jacksonville for a 2016 Super Bowl run!
Patriots defeat Eagles 42-35
A wild one featuring Mark Sanchez, Ryan Mallett, and 11 touchdowns.
Rookie of the Game: Eagles Wide Receiver Jordan Matthews was excellent, nine catches, 104 yards, 9 targets. He was a perfect 9/9 on targets and showed why Philly took him in the second round. I would not be shocked to see him make the leap over Riley Cooper on the depth chart.
Position Battle Updates: Reports say that the Eagles are open to trading free agent acquisition Mark Sanchez (11/12-117-2-1). It was a strange signing in the first place with young Matt Barkley (9/12-132-1-1) sitting behind Foles on the bench. Now, it looks even stranger with Mark Sanchez on the trading block. Patriots Safety Duron Harmon (2 tackles, 1 INT) will end up starting over veteran Patrick Chung and it's not even close anymore.
Who should stay?: RB Henry Josey (9 touches, 83 yards, 1 TD) has shocked everyone by continuing his great story of returning from a serious leg injury at the beginning of his college career. He's earned a spot on somebody's roster. Hopefully, he sneaks in as the #4 RB on Philadelphia's depth chart.
Who should go?: With the trade additions of
Jerel Worthy from Green Bay and
Brian Bass from Dallas, the Pats have a few too many Defensive Tackles. Assuming both of these players at minimum make the practice squad, veteran Tommy Kelly's roster spot is in jeopardy.
Biggest Overreaction: Sure, he was terrible last week but Ryan Mallett has learned his lesson. If I were the Pats, I'd try trading him for a 4th rounder because NFL teams will TOTALLY do that.
Saints defeat Titans 31-24
Zach Mettenberger punches back, tears apart Rob Ryan's backups.
Rookie of the Game: Easily, this award goes to QB Zach Mettenberger out of LSU, currently in Tennessee. Mettenberger was accurate (20/25), gained a lot of yards (269), and helped advance WR Justin Hunter's game (4-111-2) with a 64-yard touchdown pass. Mettenberger is obviously recovered from the Torn ACL he suffered last December.
Position Battle Updates: Shonn Greene (9-46-0) and Bishop Sankey (6-31-0) are going to be in a timeshare at Running Back and that hasn't changed since the minute Sankey was drafted since nobody's stepping forward and claiming the job as their own. Both RB's also lost fumbles. Titans Kicker Travis Coons made a 50-yard field goal this Friday and has a slight advantage over Maikon Bonani in the battle of unproven legs for the Titans kicking job.
Who should stay?: Undrafted Boston College Linebacker Kasim Edebali recorded his first sack of the preseason and could knock off former-Cowboy Linebacker Victor Butler for a backup linebacking job.
Who should go?: Saints Fullback Austin Johnson's fate was sealed with the signing of Greg Jones this month and with Jones and Erik Lorig resting, Johnson blew his one chance of making the team by paving the way for none of his running backs and letting the team average 2.9 yards per carry.
Biggest Overreaction: The Saints defensive backfield is in some serious danger after making Justin Hunter look like Randy Moss.
Seahawks defeat Chargers 41-14
Seattle destroys San Diego with 4 rushing touchdowns by QB's and a reminder from Robert Turbin that he's still there.
Rookie of the Game: Seattle Inside Linebacker Brock Coyle continues to impress Seattle by outplaying Heath Farwell in every way so far, recording another 8 tackles (only 2 solo). This is his second big game in a row and he is one guy
who should stay. (2 birds, 1 stone).
Position Battle Updates: Robert Turbin (13 touches, 86 yards, 1 TD) is not letting Christine Michael move up to RB2 on the depth chart easily. Michael fumbled once, recovered that fumble, and looked solid otherwise (9 touches, 53 yards). The battle of two old men at Defensive Tackle between Tony McDaniel and Kevin Williams will be something to keep an eye on next weekend when starters get more playing time. The battle for the Chargers' final RB spot was being won by Branden Oliver but, after just 14 yards on 9 carries, Arizona State 6th rounder Marion Grice has taken the lead on who avoids being thrown to the practice squad.
Who should go?: It may seem too obvious to choose Punter Chase Tenpenny from San Diego, especially when Mike Scifres has been the team's Punter for more than a decade but, I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway. Tenpenny is a goner.
Biggest Overreaction: The Chargers only got to Seattle's trio of fast Quarterbacks (Pryor,Wilson,Daniels) once? Seattle's offensive line is cured!
Raiders defeat Lions 27-26
The Oakland QB situation gets much messier with a Matt McGloin last-second game-winning touchdown.
Rookie of the Game: #5 overall pick Khalil Mack recorded his first NFL preseason sack. Oakland hopes this kid is the Defensive Rookie of the Year and that's not too far of a stretch for the highly-touted Linebacker out of Buffalo.
Position Battle Updates: Dan Orlovsky looked much better than last week against Cleveland and will almost certainly open the season as Matthew Stafford's backup just based on experience. Lions Defensive Tackle Nick Fairley oddly lost his starting job for motivational reasons and nobody can quite tell what's happened to Nick Fairley but it appears he won't be in Detroit much longer (at least, not into 2015). Kyle Van Noy out of Brigham Young is outperforming Ashlee Palmer at Outside Linebacker and that will be another battle decided over the next two weeks. On Oakland's side, the QB situation is a mess as all three guys are playing nearly identical games.
Matt Schaub: 8/13-87-0-1
Derek Carr: 9/16-109-1-0
Matthew McGloin: 7/15-114-1-0
Looking at those stats, I have no idea who I would start based on numbers alone. Schaub is almost guaranteed to start week one but, based on his performance so far, it's only a matter of time before head coach Dennis Allen decides to look elsewhere.
Who should stay?: Lions Cornerback Jonte Green recorded 2 tackles & pass deflections. He has been a reliable special teams player over the past couple of seasons and if there were any rookies planning on taking his roster spot, we have yet to see them. Jonte's stepped up and the former-New Mexico State D-Back will continue being a valuable special teams player if kept into the season.
Who should go?: Raiders wideout Greg Little was terrible in Cleveland and unsurprisingly, is still bad in Oakland. The former-Brown caught 2 passes out of 7 targets (as is to be expected) and did barely anything to assist the Raiders in figuring out the Quarterback situation.
Biggest Overreaction: Maurice Jones-Drew has 12 yards on 6 carries. It's official, Maurice is washed up.
Packers defeat Rams 21-7
Green Bay and St.Louis run the exact same offenses with one huge difference, Aaron Rodgers.
Rookie of the Game: Outside Linebacker Jayrone Elliot blew through the awful 3rd-string O-Line of the Rams and got 3 sacks in 4 plays. It was incredible to watch as Jayrone made his case for the 53-man roster and therefore, is also one
who should stay.
Position Battle Updates: It's hard to believe that Tackle Derek Sherrod was once a first-rounder by Green Bay as he continues to show why that pick was a mistake, getting beaten at the line repeatedly. David Bakhtiari is going to win that job via forfeit. 2014 first-rounder and Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix sacked his first Quarterback and got two tackles as he continues to outshine Micah Hyde. Benny Cunningham acquired the Rams RB3 job in an unfortunate manner as his competition, former 2nd-rounder Isaiah Pead,
tore his ACL during a kick return in this game. (Link to an article, NOT a video of the injury). On defense for the Rams, 2nd-round Safety LaMarcus Joyner finished the game with a team-leading six tackles and has really exploded his way into a position battle with Rodney McLeod (2 tackles). Michael Sam and Ethan Westbrooks both looked good in their second round of battling for the backup Defensive End spot on the active roster. Westbrooks has the slight advantage with four tackles and a sack this week, compared to Sam's two tackles and one sack.
Who should go?: Undrafted 2013 Cornerback Darren Woodard is losing his spot to Florida rookie Marcus Roberson as he has yet to record any stats in two games. It's looking shaky for him to defeat the undrafted odds and make the roster for year 2.
Biggest Overreaction: Packers 7th-round receiver Jeff Janis is the real deal! Did you see that easy slant across the middle that he sped through a mediocre group of Rams back-up defenders for a 34-yard touchdown? SEND THIS MAN TO THE PRO BOWL!
Ravens defeat Cowboys 37-30
The worst defense in NFL history doesn't LOOK improved.
Rookie of the Game: Ravens MLB C.J. Mosley (5 tackles) continues to show Ozzie Newsome and co. that he was the right choice at pick #17. The former Alabama Linebacker will be starting week 1.
Position Battle Updates: Jacoby Jones (3-49-0) did just enough to continue the two-year battle between him and other Wide Receiver Marlon Brown for the Ravens' WR3 position. The Cowboys defense was structured really poorly and that is clearly seen at the Linebacker position. Devonte Holloman vs. Kyle Wilber is a serious battle for a starting role on their defense. Neither has done anything yet in the preseason which may be a sign of things to come.
Who should stay?: Former-Bears Defensive Tackle Zach Minter blew through the Ravens O-Line for two sacks and is exhibiting plenty of potential as the Cowboys may need him on defense at some point with their injury histories.
Who should go?: Dallas GM/Owner Jerry Jones. Pretty self-explanatory as he's been THE problem for a decade now.
Biggest Overreaction: C.J. Mosley is practically Ray Lewis. The Ravens defense will be back to their super bowl ways.
Giants defeat Colts 27-26
A comeback for the ages that nobody will ever talk about again because it's the preseason.
Rookie of the Game & Who should stay & Biggest Overreaction: Giants Receiver Corey Washington is breaking out the same way Victor Cruz did in multiple preseasons before finally making the 53-man roster. Washington has now caught the game-winning touchdown IN THREE CONSECUTIVE GAMES. Dude's clearly made the Giants regret the selection of hamstrung (literally) Odell Beckham Jr. and locked in a spot in the starting line-up if Coughlin sees fit.
Position Battle Updates: Adrien Robinson won game 2 over Larry Donnell, splitting the battle amongst Giants' Tight Ends. Kellen Davis also caught a touchdown so the long-shot that he starts is still in play. Colts' Cornerback Darius Butler did not show up while current listed-starter Greg Toler deflected a pass sooo... I guess Toler wins?
Who should go?: Undrafted Illinois rookie Receiver Ryan Lankford was targeted three times. Lankford did not catch a pass. I don't know about you but, unless Lankford's Quarterback was Ryan Leaf, I would expect him to at least grab one of those passes. Granted, I did not see much of this game but, Lankford's chances are looking slimmer and slimmer of even sneaking onto the practice squad.
Jets defeat Bengals 25-17
Andy Dalton showed why he was worth his contract's money while his backups fell apart in a deflating loss to the Jets.
Rookie of the Game: Jets first-round Safety Calvin Pryor was the player of the game just as much as he was the rookie of the game. Pryor's first worthwhile preseason game saw him record seven tackles, 1 for loss, and 2 pass deflections. These are a few things that Rex Ryan wants and needs to see from Pryor as the rest of the Defensive Backfield hasn't shown anything remotely positive. Pryor could help save Rex Ryan's job at the end of the season.
Position Battle Updates: Geno Smith is starting, that's no longer a battle. The Jets have yet to get a ton of work out of free-agent acquisition Dmitri Patterson at corner and will have to see more from him before making a decision on Patterson v. 2010 first-rounder Kyle Wilson. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (1-3-0) might be a shocking cut at the end of the month (you heard it here first) as LSU rookie Jeremy Hill has won the #2 Running Back job smoothly with another solid game (5 touches, 29 yards) under his name.
Who should stay?: Jets LB IK Enemkpali (I have no idea how to pronounce this) blocked a punt in this game for a safety along with a sack. It's safe to say he has shown quite a burst toward whomever holds the ball.
Who should go?: Bengals Receiver Cobi Hamilton finished with 13 targets. Only TWO of those passes did he manage to catch. Those numbers are tragic. Not all of this game was his fault but, oh my... Ryan Whalen (4-31-0) is looking pretty good right now.
Biggest Overreaction: Andy Dalton (8/8-144-1-0) looked incredibly composed out there, he's going to prove all the haters wrong this year, go out there and earn that paycheck Andrew!
Steelers defeat Bills 19-16
Suisham's field goal puts the Bills at 1-2 on the preseason.
Rookie of the Game: Steelers #1 pick OLB Ryan Shazier had 11 tackles and an interception. After limited playing time in game one, the Steelers unleashed Ryan Shazier and should be elated at the results. The Steelers never had to worry about their reserve defenders as long as Ohio State's Shazier was on the field.
Position Battle Updates: Jeff Tuel (5/9-48-0-0) will steal the Bills' backup QB job from Thaddeus Lewis (1/6-18-0-1). C.J. Spiller hasn't been in jeopardy of losing his job for a couple of years now but, Fred Jackson is 33 and somehow needs to hold off the emerging talent that is Bryce Brown. This week, Fred Jackson caught seven passes. Game over, Jackson is still #2 over Brown.
Who should stay?: Undrafted Stanford DE Josh Mauro sacked the Bills QB twice and in the process, picked up a spot on somebody's 53-man roster. If not the Steelers, somebody else will want to pick Mauro up as he was a free agency steal.
Who should go?: Bills Fullback Evan Rodriguez got one opportunity with the ball. He caught the ball, took it 18 good yards, put the ball in the ground, and turned the ball over. Woops.
Biggest Overreaction: Steeler Dri Archer is Darren Sproles if Darren Sproles took a bucket of caffeine pills before the game. Archer is a major sleeper in fantasy.
Dolphins defeat Buccaneers 20-14
Tampa Bay's ugliest jerseys in the league didn't blind Miami long enough to keep them from winning.
Rookie of the Game: 7th-round Marist Defensive End Terrence Fede has shoved his way through backup O-Lines to the point where he looks like Cameron Wake 2.0. With that said, those are still backup O-Lines. Miami's already stacked on pass rushers but I don't see any harm in keeping Terrence Fede. He is also the one
who should stay. Honorable mention for who should stay: Dolphins WR Armon Binns (2-28-0). He looked like a great #3 receiving option back in Cincy before he got hurt and missed all of last season as a Dolphin. Now, he's back and on the cusp of possibly being released. I wouldn't do it if I were Miami but, it's understandable considering their receiver depth (Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Rishard Matthews, Brandon Gibson, Damian Williams, Jarvis Landry, Kevin Cone, Binns, Ryan Spadola).
Position Battle Updates: With Charles Sims out for 12-14 weeks, the Bucs RB2 spot is wide open. Here's how the competitors fared this week...
Mike James: 3 carries, 18 yards
Bobby Rainey: 8 carries, 15 yards, 1 catch for 2 yards
Jeff Demps: 8 carries, 31 yards, 0 catches on 2 targets
Before the game, Tampa's depth behind Doug Martin was James, Rainey, Demps (in that order). Now, the order is a bit more open as James looked good in extremely limited playing time. Rainey looked like he won't be on the team to start the season and Demps showed his speed and an improvement in awareness with his average 3.9 yards per carry. I'd say the depth chart looks more like this now -> Martin, James, Demps, Rainey.
Who should go?: Buccaneers Kicker Patrick Murray. Always go with the experienced Kicker (Connor Barth in this case). Barth's healthy again so Tampa no longer has a need for Murray.
Biggest Overreaction: Mike Wallace didn't catch a single pass on three targets, Miami should trade him. Dude's been nothing but a major flop of a signing.
Texans defeat Falcons 32-7
Jadeveon Clowney broke Sam Baker and now he's out for the year... and so the legend continues.
Rookie of the Game: -
Jaws theme music- Texans DE Jadeveon Clowney (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 other tackle for a loss) Clowney looked amazing. The #1 overall pick will have a field day against offensive linemen who aren't all-pros.
Position Battle Updates: With Sam Baker out for the season, Lamar Holmes is starting again. If you are at all familiar with the 2013 Falcons, Lamar Holmes was their starting Tackle and the team went 4-12 thanks to Matt Ryan having to throw the ball as soon as it was snapped to him. Holmes won't lose his job unless he doesn't show any improvement halfway through the season. Sam Baker's injury will be the biggest reason for why Atlanta misses the playoffs this year. In Houston, Jonathan Grimes is pretty clearly the #2 back behind Arian Foster. That's not an ideal situation for Houston but who else is out there? The Texans likely pick up a Running Back after roster cut-downs. Also in Houston, Case Keenum (6/12-81-0-1) started taking first-team snaps in practice this week but, Ryan Fitzpatrick was the good version of Ryan Fitzpatrick this week (9/12-97-1-0). Expect Fitz to start week 1.
Who should stay?: Jonathan Grimes (12 touches, 67 yards, 1 Punt Return TD).
Who should go?: Ronnie Brown's (7 touches, 9 yards) going to have a tough time making this young team with LSU rookie Alfred Blue and former-Jet practice squadder Jonathan Grimes out-performing him.
Biggest Overreaction: Houston doesn't have a Kicker! Both Chris Boswell and Randy Bullock missed extra-points thanks to the NFL's new extra-point length. Sign David Akers!
Vikings defeat Cardinals 30-28
Teddy Football looks like a starter in an awesome comeback win over Arizona.
Rookie of the Game: How could it be anyone other than Viking QB Teddy Bridgewater (16/20-177-2-0)? The guy only led his team on an epic one-minute drill, threw the game-winning touchdown, and put up some excellent stats as well.
Position Battle Updates: Jerrick McKinnon (-2 yards on 2 touches) lost round 2 to Matt Asiata (12 touches, 27 yards) but it's by no means a closed case yet. Brandon Fusco is still the starting Right Guard over Vladimir Ducasse for Minnesota as well. In the four-way battle for the starting Strong Safety position, Robert Blanton leads Chris Crocker, Kurt Coleman, and Mistral Raymond even though the other three all have many more years of experience than Blanton.
Who should stay?: Juron Brown (2-86-0) is a surprising deep threat for Arizona that could make one big catch per game if they used him in that Mike Lombardi-an manner.
Who should go?: Stepfan Taylor has not showed any promise at Running Back since college. In Arizona, Taylor has yet to show anything other than a lack of field vision and ability to burst through holes. It's depressing considering his great career at Stanford. Now, Jonathan Dwyer looks like the best option to share any carries with the much more talented Andre Ellington.
Biggest Overreaction: Why isn't Teddy starting!? He should be! The guy's only won an entire preseason game for the Vikings.
Broncos defeat 49ers 34-0
The Broncos are still the Broncos and the 49ers still take too much flak.
Rookie of the Game: Jimmie Ward (7 tackles, 6 solo) is trying to become another in a long string of successful Jim Harbaugh pick-ups. Eric Reid made sense when he was chosen late in the first last season and was nearly defensive rookie of the year. In the 2014 draft, the Niners may have reached for another Safety in the selection of Jimmie Ward but, after two impressive showings, it's impossible to argue that Ward won't be worth it yet.
Position Battle Updates: C.J. Anderson scored a touchdown and therefor, knocked Ronnie Hillman down a peg as the battle for #2 is probably settled on Anderson as long as he's healthy. 49ers DT Quinton Dial (3 tackles, 2 solo) continues to play like someone who was actually drafted in 2013, unlike his challenger, Mike Purcell (1 tackle)
Who should stay?: Strong Safety David Bruton's days might be numbered (nearly typed that as numbers might be dayed, I need sleep) so, Charles Mitchell might sneak onto the roster with his team-leading five tackles in this game. Then again, I'm not an expert on how teams view their fourth-string Safeties.
Who should go?: The Niners are stacked at Wide Receiver (for once) and with word coming out that Brandon Lloyd's
chances of staying are higher than expected, it's the end of the road for former-fantasy sleeper Quinton Patton (remember when you put this guy in your "late-round sleeper" category last year? of course you don't, he didn't do anything). Stevie Johnson, Lloyd, Crabtree, and Boldin are the receivers, Kassim Osgood is the Special Teams player, and David Reed is diet Kassim Osgood. In no scenario does Quinton Patton make that team.
Biggest Overreaction: Jordan Norwood is out for the year, ouch. At least Denver has a replacement for Welker come next year!
Panthers defeat Chiefs 28-16
Cam Newton tests his ankle and tests Kelvin Benjamin as Jonathan Stewart scores twice in win over KC.
Rookie of the Game: Travis Kelce (4-63-1) isn't technically a rookie but he deserves mentioning as he has TORN UP the preseason defenses and looks like a serious fantasy sleeper now if he ever snags the starting Tight End job over or to the side of Anthony Fasano (2-29-0). Plus, there weren't any rookies that looked completely ready for this game.
Position Battle Updates: I've already covered Kelce vs. Fasano so, Sean Smith vs. Ron Parker is a legitimate worry for Kansas City right now as Sean Smith underperformed his contract up to this point and for some reason, that makes them think that Ron Parker will work as a starter simply because Bob Sutton (D. Coordinator) has yet to fail them. In Carolina, Kenjon Barner was traded to Philadelphia this week and that leaves a spot wide open for the vastly underrated Fozzy Whittaker.
Who should stay?: As mentioned above, Fozzy (Fozzwhitt) Whittaker should be this team's third running back behind Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. Fozzy (waka, waka) compiled 14 touches for 93 yards along with one rushing touchdown, completely out-doing anything Kenjon Barner has done in two years. Luckily for Barner, he is now reunited with former-Oregon head coach Chip Kelly in Philadelphia and will hopefully redeem his career.
Who should go?: Now that Kenjon Barner is gone, it was harder to think of someone I wouldn't keep on these two teams that isn't entirely obvious but, QB Aaron Murray should only make Kansas City's practice squad. He showed flashes of brilliance and stupidity in just nine passes. I'd still take an experienced Chase Daniel over Murray in case of emergency.
Biggest Overreaction: Cam Newton overthrew Kelvin Benjamin! Jump ship on the Benjamin bandwagon! These guys will never get on the same page!
Washington didn't go for two over the Browns 24-23
The Browns went for two and lost, despite Connor Shaw's plea for a roster spot.
Rookie of the Game: Browns QB Connor Shaw (8/9-123-1-0). This game was impossible to watch until he ignited the Browns' offense on a last-minute drive.
Position Battle Updates: That one Jonathan Foosball character lost the QB job to a 28-year old we'll never mention again after week 3. Evan Royster scored a touchdown on his only carry (a 2 yarder) while Lache Seastrunk (7-35-0) and Silas Redd (5-19-0) were both solid in the battle for the RB3 position. Plenty of time left for Jay Gruden to make up his mind on his Running Back depth chart.
Who should stay?: Connor Shaw. You never know when might need a third-string Quarterback, why not keep one with the playmaking ability of Shaw?
Who should go?: I think everybody outside of Washington's front office was over the Aldrick Robinson hype train years ago but, he still remains on their roster. Robinson (2-19-0) had a mediocre game for somebody who was targeted seven times. I don't think Robinson's done enough to hold off rookie Ryan Grant or locker room-leader Santana Moss.
Biggest Overreaction: Just try listening to sports radio for five minutes, then come back and tell me.
Good luck to your teams and may everyone stay healthy! Nobody likes torn ACL's.
