Preseason NFL Football Report 2005  

So far so good. Knock on wood now, but there hasn't been a huge injury to speak of outside of Bears Camp. Another year without Rex Grossman has Chicago throwing fists and picking up old school slingers like Jeff Blake. Mini camps across the league have ended and NFL Football is as big as it's ever been. The football buzz is back! The preseason gives hope to all, with an apology to San Francisco fans everywhere. Let the rebuild continue! Powerful teams like the Eagles and Patriots have lost a little sting with key player "injury problems" (TO's junk strain) and missing linebackers. This hasn't caused last years Super Bowlers to be left off the top of preseason ranking lists, but don't ignore these early problems. New hopefuls have shown some shine, even if it's been a quarter or two at a time. This is the preseason, and what we see should be taken with a grain of salt… That's why I'm here. I'm here to separate the sea, sweat, and crackers, those who will forever remain preseason heroes from the possible playoff players, the rookies with game from the same old newbie's. Let the games begin as I let you in on what the preseason has whispered in Lucky's ear.

Leave it to every single televised NFL broadcast to give their two cents about Terrell Owens. If I had a dime for every time I've heard some telecaster say, "That's the half, and we haven't said one word about TO yet…" Idiots! You know TO loves that stuff. Owens is making the league the next reality show, and every TV station seems to enjoy helping him do so. Sick of this yet? Me too.

Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb each threw an interception on their first throw of their respective games last week. What does this mean? Nothing. This is just an example of how meaningless and fickle the preseason can be. McNabb and Brady will keep their respective teams well within reach of the top spots in each division.

I think Corey Dillon, Edgerrin James, Ladainian Tomlinson, and Shaun Alexander have combined for about 40 yards in their first games of the year. In fact, it's all but a guarantee that Ricky Williams has more yards than those 4 combined. Another preseason note that lacks importance? You betcha! Each of those 4 studs will be well into 400 yards before Ricky is allowed a jersey to wear on Sunday. But Ricky has looked pretty good for a year off in Jamaica among other drug free countries.

Randy Moss changed teams and he's already talking about the drug deals going down in his new home town. Oh, wait, he's talking about the drug deals he's been a part of… yeah, everyone was right, the silver and black won't influence Randy at all. This is Al Davis' kind of player.

Chad Pennington is the happiest man in the world. He's got Laverneus Coles back running routs, and he hasn't looked better since Coles bolted for Snyder's Redskin money two seasons ago. Look for big years out of both Chad and Coles as the Jets have shown immense improvement, especially with the signing of the best corner in the league, Ty Law.

Overrated? The Dolphins and Niners. Yes, each team has barely been picked to win a handful of games a piece, but from the seat in my living room, five combined seems like a running prayer. The Niners haven't improved, and they were terrible. And although the Dolphins offense should get a bit of a boost with Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and a healthy David Boston, but they still have either AJ Feely or Gus Ferrotte throwing the ball. Niether plan to join Marino in Canton. Their defense has lost key players from Marlon Greenwood to Patrick Sertain to Sammy Knight and more… Who knows which side of the ball will lose more games for the Fins.

I've recently made a bet with my good friend Zapper McGrath on Ricky's role with the Dolphins his first week back from suspension. Zap claims, on his heft roll of cash, that Ricky will be starting his first game back from suspension. There is no way Nick Saban starts Ricky in his first game off of a drug suspension after he abandoned every one of his teammates a year ago… that said, there's no question in my mind Ricky will be playing a significant role early and often for the struggling Dolphins. That still leaves me with my buddies money.

Whose starting at running back in Denver? Who knows? I'd like to say Tatum Bell takes that job, but then again, I might have invested in him on my fantasy team. Either way, there will be a big rusher from Denver… but who will it be?
Peerless Price might not make the team in Atlanta… Let's say he gets cut… how many teams will be fighting for the rights to sign Price? Does he end up in Philly? Who takes a chance of the former Tennessee Vol? Price still has the speed to help a team get to the next level, don't bet him out of Atlanta. I wouldn't be surprised if he's starting by week 3.

I've had a good friend in the hospital with knee problems for the last week or so. He didn't have a room next to Rex Grossman, but from the sounds of it, he'll be up and around before Rex gets back on the field. Initially said to be out up to three months, it's said that the Bears are almost surely going to put Rex on IR for the rest of the season. No one likes to see injuries, and this is no exception, Rex's career continues to be limited by freak accidents on the field. Good luck on a speedy recovery Rex.

Is it possible that the Ravens have gotten better on defense? It's not possible, it's a sure thing. A switch to the 4-3 should have young players like T-Suggs dominating the line, while Ray Lewis does what Ray does. The secondary has gotten a huge boost with the return of Old Man Deion and new signee Samarri Rolle, where the line backing corps just jumped for joy when Peter Boulware resigned. Look for the Ravens to be the most complete team in football with Jamal Lewis looking to prove himself while getting help in the passing game from rookie Mark Clayton and former Titan Derrick Mason. This is Boller's last chance to shine.

Like most other first string running backs, Priest Holmes had a measly 4 carries in his first of four preseason outings. Unlike other first string backs, Holmes rushed for 40 yards. They say he's only 75%. He agrees with them. He's still the best back in football.

How about the methodical movements of my favorite and yours, Drew "Hit Me Here" Bledsoe. With a couple sacks, and four separate occasions where he led his offense to 3 and out performances, Drew ended his first preseason game as the leader of Bill Parcell's Cowboys. Could this get any better? As if I didn't enjoy watching the Cowboys fail week after week last year, now I get to see Drew Bledsoe lumber around like a fat kid in quicksand for a good chunk of the season. This could be another great year to bet against the 'Boys. Here's to my payroll.

That's it for now, I'll have another article up soon, so stay tuned for more preseason action.

Lucky Lester