10 Things to watch or look for in Friday's NFL Matchups

     5 games go into action Friday night, providing us with more starting talent in the dress rehearsal for week 1. The list of games are here:

     Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions (7:30 ET)

     Carolina Panthers @ New England Patriots (7:30 ET)

     New York Jets @ New York Giants (7:30 ET)

     Oakland Raiders @ Green Bay Packers (8:00 ET)

     Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks (10:00 ET)

     So here we go. 10 of things to watch or look for in Friday's NFL action:

1. Blake Bortles is suppose to take half of the first team snaps away from Chad Henne. Blake Bortles has passed for 277 yards on 18 completions this preseason, and posted a 96.9 passer rating. He has showed excellent form, and flashed incredible talent firing balls downfield very accurately. At just under 10 yards per attempt, he is having a powerful preseason. Henne has been impressive too, but Bortles has clearly been in a level above him.

2. Calvin Johnson said on Wednesday that even he was unsure of how he would be used in this offense. Get your act together, Calvin. You have to play in it today. Calvin is an elite threat in the league, and now has Golden Tate from Seattle working opposite of him which may take some of his double coverage away from him. Watch the entire Lions pass attack and see how they fare. It'll be worth it.

3. Carolina has Cam Newton back, and he get's to work with Kelvin Benjamin extensively for the first time in their careers. Benjamin and Newton started hooking up last week, and it's been fun to watch. Definitely watch these two to see how they fare this week.

4. The Carolina Defense is one of the best in the league, and this is nothing more then a rematch of last year's Monday Night game that resulted in an angry Tom Brady storming off with the referee firing f-bombs into his face. Let's hope the first half doesn't result in that again. Luke Kuechly, Greg Hardy, and Charles Johnson lead the newly improved Panthers defense with 2 new safeties. Let's see how New England handles them.

5. Rex Ryan and Andre Williams have been throwing insults at each other all week long. Come on, guys, just play the game and shut up!

6. Jimmy Garapolo is the guy I'm watching on Friday. I love this kid as a prospect, and he's really throwing the whole Ryan Mallett taking over Tom Brady in a few years thing out the window. He's a better passer with a higher upside. I can't wait until Tom Brady get;s his tail off the field so I can watch this guy play.

7. Oakland will be missing Derek Carr due to a concussion, so here goes Matt Schuab, Matt McGloin, and... Trent Edwards? This will be an interesting trio to watch, considering how poorly Schuab has played this preseason (49.6 passer rating). And I'm suppose to believe that preseason doesn't matter! Matt McGloin has looked more impressive then both Schuab and Carr combined, but he's played against 3rd string players...

8. Green Bay's defense has really sunk to almost nothing. Julius Peppers is an overrated add. The LB's and the entire secondary is crumbling. I think Green Bay is on a long sink, and it's not going to be very good for the Packers offense, who will have to score more points then the other team. With Green Bay's schedule this year, that could very well be a problem. Watch them tonight to see if I am not correct on that point.

9. Chicago's run game has been very unimpressive, Matt Forte has one run that went past the line of scrimmage all preseason. Can they bounce back and get back into the flow of things?

10. Seattle had an impressive showing last week against San Diego. Are they going to destroy the Bears defense, or will they struggle? It's an ultimate test to both defenses tonight, making it a matchup to watch. 

Tonight's Matchup- What To Look For

The Chicago Bears host the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight, the lone game of the evening. Both teams are coming off of preseason wins, and still with a lot to prove. Here are several things to watch for tonight.

Chicago's Quarterbacks
    Last week, while hosting Philadelphia, Chicago played 4 different QB's, each 3 of them putting together solid performances. Jay Cutler, of course, started, going 9 of 13 for 85 yards and a TD. Jordan Palmer played the second quarter, completing 8 of 11 passes for 104 yards, and a TD. Jimmy Clausen started the 2nd half, throwing 7 of 13 for 150 yards and 2 TDs. David Fales, the rookie out of San Jose State, finished he game going 5 of 7 for 68 yards and an INT. Watch Chicago's QB's tonight, and see if they can repeat another strong performance against the weaker Jaguars defense.

Chicago's Running Backs
    Yes folks, moving right down the line to Chicago's RB's. They simply sucked last Friday, combining 30 carries for 74 yards... Almost 2 and a half yards per carry. Matt Forte failed to get past the LOS, and highly praised RB Ka'Deem Carey took a team high 10 runs for just 23 yards. Yes, they struggled a lot, and here they go. They need to improve a lot. Can they show better skills against the Jaguars?

*TE Zach Miller*
    Chicago hit high with the Former Jaguar TE Zach Miller moving to the number 2 TE spot, playing with the first and second teams last Friday, and picking up 6 catches for 68 yards and 2 TD's. He was simply excelling in the TE spot, after being an H-Back type in Jacksonville, and looks like a huge steal for the Bears in Free Agency. The question is will he keep up those numbers?

*QB Blake Bortles*
    Bortles looked simply impressive in his first action hosting the Buccaneers in Jacksonville. He was 7 of 11 for 117 yards, plus a designed run play that gained 7 yards. He fired passes accurately downfield in between defenders and looked overall very impressive. Gus Bradley promised that the 3rd overall pick will get some first team snaps over the course of the summer, so will this be one? Will he continue to look impressive and make a run to beat Chad Henne out for the starting job?

*RB Toby Gerheart*
    Toby is expected to play tonight for the first time in a Jaguar uniform. He returned to practice on Tuesday after rehabbing from a hip injury. He is an explosive RB, with power and talent. Will this injury tie him down, or can he start on an impressive note?

Jaguars Defense
    Jacksonville's defense looks much better then they did last season, and now they're generating pressure. 3 players, including newly acquired Chris Clemens, recorded sacks in action against the Buccaneers. Winston Guy, the former Seattle Seahawk, intercepted Josh McCown, and SLB rookie and expected starter Chris Smith strip sacked McCown. They look much better, and are a sure-fire must watch tonight.

Overall
    The overall message is that this is the start of week 2, and we have some great players to keep an eye on. This is another good game, another good match-up. One team will come out of here 1-1, and don't be surprised if it is the Bears and not the Jaguars. Jacksonville is the team to beat this preseason.

Quarterback Cases Around The League

Cleveland, Washington, Green Bay, Oakland, Minnesota, Houston, Jacksonville, New York, Tampa Bay and New England. Every one of these teams has some sort of Quarterback race going on to where someones job is on the line. To where someone might have an upper hand. In this article, we are going over all of these teams, the options, and what preseason week one has done to effect these races. With all the action, we'll narrow down to the latest reports from training camp.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
The case- Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel. Anymore that can be said? Hoyer, the incumbent battling the media frenzy rookie, has the job to loose. He went 2-0 in both games he played all the way through, one of them a decisive victory in Cincinnati. Since when does Cleveland beat Cincinnati? He was taken out of the season with an ACL in his 3rd start against Buffalo on a scramble that picked up 6 yards and a first down. Went down fighting.
Then, you have Johnny Manziel. "Johnny Cleveland" as they call the media hyped rookie in the city of industry (Cleveland), previously named, by this same media, "Johnny Football". He's a small guy with an explosive and exciting style. Exciting sells tickets. Just in drafting the QB with the number 22 pick of the NFL draft, Cleveland sold 2000 season ticket packages. He's a celebrity on a field of battle.
What week 1 changed- Brian Hoyer led the team in passing yards, but he was consistently off target with his throws. Attempting 14 passes in Saturdays action against the Lions, he completed 6 for 92 yards. The run game was no support, therefore, Hoyer spent the day under pressure. Johnny Manziel completed 7 of 11 passes, gaining only 68 yards, but he turned a 3rd and 1- 2 yard gain play into a memorable play because of it's excitement. He led the team downfield to score 2 of the 4 field goals while he played. 6 runs for 27 yards, with a 16 yard dash keeping the drive alive. So exciting. So much fun. Manziel is expected to start Monday Nights matchup against the RG3 led Redskins. Keep pacing the floor, Mike Pettine swears that nothing has changed in the QB race. What idiot will really believe that?

WASHINGTON REDSKINS
The case- Okay, maybe there's not too much going on here, but rumors came out of Washington that Kirk Cousins was outplaying Robert Griffin III in training camp. Of course, Jay Gruden denied that claim, but it is a legitimate rumor, just looking at preseason week 1. Washington has so much going for them with the quarterback crew right now. Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy are battling each other for the 2nd string job, and Kirk is trying to take RG3's starting job. It's a complicated plot, and that puts Colt McCoy as a low-chance starter prospect as well. Both Cousins and McCoy were extremely impressive in the scrimmage against the Patriots, managing the clock and the team very well, as well as putting throws on target and accurately.
What week 1 changed- McCoy and Cousins combined 5 incomplete passes in 22 throws. Both fired TD's and didn't throw INT's. Both QB's threw for over 100 yards, combining for 205. Griffin played one drive, the opening drive, and went 2 of 4 for 9 yards. See the difference? RG3 led the team 11 plays, 35 yards resulting in a Kai Forbath FG from 39 yards out. McCoy and Cousins led the team to 10 points each. It hasn't changed the depth chart, but it's certainly a concern, a legit one too.

GREEN BAY PACKERS
The case- Matt Flynn, once considered the best backup QB in the NFL, has started to fade. The 2008 7th round draft pick played well for an injured Aaron Rodgers last season, but now, he doesn't look so good. He's being challenged by a young fresh face from the college football free agent ranks of 2013 names Scott Tolzien. Tolzien took over for an injured Seneca Wallace last season, and looked mostly unimpressive in action, playing until he was relieved by free agent Matt Flynn. Now, it appears that it's Flynn who's struggling in camp, and Tolzien who's excelling.
What week 1 changed- Flynn went 5 of 10 in action against the Titans, getting the start over Aaron Rodgers, who the team decided to sit. Flynn looked flustered the entire game, took a lot of pressure and didn't deliver the ball accurately. Tolzien stepped into action and completed 8 of 12 passes for 124 yards, 85 more then Flynn had. He spent the day strong, tall and defiant in the pocket, and whipped his throws downfield with accuracy and overall perfect placement. Flynn played 5 drives- Tolzien played 3. Mike McCarthy commented on Scott's huddle presence, in a good way. His first play was a 13 yard scramble resulting in a first down. Tolzien looked like the better QB, but he has a lot to prove. And he has 3 more weeks to fight the battle out.

OAKLAND RAIDERS
The case- The Raiders picked up Matt Schuab to guide and mentor the QB of the future during his stay. The original idea was that he will start this season while this new member learns from him. All was still going to plan when the Raiders drafted Derek Carr in the 2nd round to be that QB of the future. Camp went well, both QB's looking well. That's when rumors started coming out that Carr might have a chance at beating Schaub for the starting nod. These rumors were believable too. Schuab was benched by the Texans last season for his poor play, and at 35, he's not getting any younger. Carr threw for over 5000 yards last season at Boise State along with 50 TD's. Why couldn't he be beating Schuab?
What week 1 changed- Friday nights game in Minnesota was filled with poor QB play on both sides of the ball- especially on Oakland's. Schuab didn't start the season as he hoped to, starting 3 of 7 for 21 yards, rookie Anthony Barr and Tom Johnson getting through to sack him at one point. Carr's stats looked better, in fact, much better then his actual play. 10 of 16 for 74 yards, and an INT. He delivered throws late, accuracy was off, and Carr struggled as much as Schuab did. Keep Matt McGloin in the starting lineup picture.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The case- Teddy Bridgewater was drafted by the Vikings 32nd overall, a tradeup to get this guy, in hopes that he could be the QB of the future for Minnesota, who desperately needs one. Matt Cassel was resigned because of all the question marks on Bridgewater and Christian Ponder, who was sinking to 3rd on the depth chart. Cassel entered camp as the expected starter, when good things started coming out about this rookie Bridgewater, who might wrestle the job out of Cassel's hands.
What week 1 changed- Cassel started, completing 5 of 6 for 62 yards, hitting Cordarrelle Patterson twice, and setting up Matt Asiata's 1 yard plunge for a TD. Effective 10 play drive that took over 5 minutes off the clock. Bridgewater entered play after that, completing 6 of 13, struggling all over, fumbling in the red zone while under pressure that ended with a field goal, and looking restless. Very unimpressive, Ponder wasn't any better then Teddy was, so Mike Zimmer names Cassel starter for this Saturdays hosting of the Cardinals.

HOUSTON TEXANS
The case- Bill O'Brian left the announcement to who would start the 2014 season open, leaving a lot to wonder if it would be Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, or rookie 4th rounder Tom Savage. Fitzpatrick was favored, being the free agent add-on that had the experience, Keenum who started half the season in 2013 and looked mostly unimpressive, failing to win a game. Savage gained a lot of draft stock and popularity with a good pro day and NFL combine, and reports were that he looked good in camp.
What week 1 changed- Fitzpatrick complete 6 of 14 and flung 2 INTs. Keenum and Savage weren't any more impressive. Fitzpatrick's lone plus was his 23 yard run, proving he still has his scrambling ability. O'Brian, in his post game conference, named Fitzpatrick the starter. Yeah, sure. Who really believes a load of crap like that?

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The case- Blake Bortles was drafted 3rd overall to sit the 2014 season mostly and take mentoring from Chad Henne and Frank Scelfo, learn the offense and then take over in 2015. Reports started coming, raving of Bortles' talent level being so high. People started suggesting a simularity to Andrew Luck.
What week 1 changed- Henne struggled in the first 2 drives of the game, going 4 of 7 for 30 yards, netting pretty much 0 points for Jacksonville. Bortles came into action, his first dropback looking atrocious when he slipped at the end of it, but he fired a strike accurately downfield to the arms of his waiting WR. He spent his entire afternoon firing perfect balls in between defenders, ran a draw option play which he got 7 yards out of, and just looked too impressive to resist. If he keeps up that play through preseason, it'll be Henne learning from Bortles.

NEW YORK JETS
The case- Rex Ryan is trying to make Geno Smith the future of the program. The 2nd round pick out of West Virginia has the college credentials, but not the pro ones. Last season, he became the first starting QB since the merger to throw less then 100 yards in 4 consecutive games. He was inconsistent, and at times simply atrocious. So Rex Ryan decided to put pressure on him and sign Michael Vick to the team. Vick is a great dual threat when healthy, and he's a great 1 year solution to a program.
What week 1 changed- Vick told the press that the Jet's QB competition is "rigged". He's right, but he certainly showed he still has speed when he took off running on a 15 yard gain around the edge in Thursday's scrimmage against the Colts. Geno was good, but not spectacular. Vick wants to play, and he's putting a lot of pressure on Geno to perform. As of now, Geno is the starter. But, 2 weeks from now? Who knows!

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
The case- Lovie Smith added through free agency a player coming off an incredible season. Luke McCown replaced Jay Cutler and fired 13 TDs to his 1 INT, pulling an 109.3 passer rating together. Mike Glennon, a 3rd round draft pick from North Carolina State last year, is the incumbent starter, playing impressively through 13 games. However, Lovie want's someone to pressure Glennon, so when McCown came to town, Smith named him the starter.
What week 1 changed- Luke McCown struggled on his 2 drives against the Jaguars to start the game, going 2 of 4 for 20 yards before flinging an INT to Winston Guy. Mike Glennon took the majority of the snaps, finishing 11 or 19 for 140 yards, with a 6 yard TD to Tommy Streeter as his final throw. He held the offense together much better, looked much better under pressure, and performed overall better. McCown is still the starter, but we'll see what week 2 brings.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The case- Ryan Mallett was expected to be Tom Brady's replacement in a few years, except one thing has happened... He's still struggling after 3 full years on his belt. He looks flustered in the pocket, try's to get outside of it, and went 5 of 12, proving his lack of accuracy. Now, 2nd round pick Jimmy Garropolo is threatening Malletts position as Brady backup, and that looks bad for the former 3rd round pick. Funny, because discussions were just flying that this guy was too valuable to trade away...
What week 1 changed- Malletts flustered-ness, and Garropolo's calmness may solve the QB dispute in New England on chief backup and to be replacer for when Brady finally does leave. Garropolo completed 9 of 13 passes for about 140 yards, and led the team to their only score of the game, a nice little TD toss from 26 yards out to Brian Tyms. Watch the next few weeks closely.

There you have it, this years important QB battles, and you'll get the updates week after week. Watch closely, there's a lot more football to be played the next few weeks and a lot more to prove.