While it was good to see Graham Harrell establish himself as a legitimate backup quarterback, I didn't really gain a lot of insight as to who will be the final players to make the roster. When a team wins by 21 points, there are usually a lot of players making good plays and only a few making bad ones. Some players struggled such as LB Terrell Manning, S Anthony Levine, CB Brandian Ross, and CB Otis Merrill. While Shea Allard didn't impress as the backup left tackle either. But I wouldn't go so far to say their performances in this game lost them their spots on the team.
Also, for whatever reason, the Chiefs have been a lousy preseason team over the past few years, so they might not be the best measure.
As for Harrell, his improved performance had as much to do with his teammates as it did with him. The lineman did a better job blocking and none of the receivers dropped any passes. Plus, he got an early boost when the coaches left TE Jermichael Finley in with the second team offense, so Finley could make up some of the reps he missed out on when he didn't play against the Bengals. At least we can have some confidence that Harrell's good enough to backup Aaron Rodgers.
The only criticism might be the run defense, which let the Chiefs run all over them, but I think that bug is partly by design in Dom Capers's defense. For example, the Chiefs ran down the field on their first two drives, but eventually had to settle for two field goal attempts and one missed wide right. No opponent is going to match scores with the Packers's offense by driving for field goals, and not making big plays of their own.
The cuts are coming soon, and minor trades are certainly being explored by GM Ted Thompson's staff. There will be a lot more news later today.
No comments:
Post a Comment