Sizzle:
Michael Turner: Turner turned the Colts' rush defense into Swiss cheese with 113 yards on a mere four carries, including a long of 63. It’s hard to imagine Atlanta being worse than last year, and Turner is one of the reasons why. It remains to be seen if he can carry the load 20 times per game. However, Turner poses as a potential home run hitter with breakaway speed.
Matt Schaub: The former Falcons quarterback looked sharp against the Saints. The good news is that he did so without the presence of receiver Andre Johnson, who was inactive. Schaub hit on 14 of 16 throws for 187 yards and two scores. Schaub’s game should improve in his second year with Houston.
Kevin Walter: Benefiting greatly from Schaub’s success, he hauled in six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. After Johnson, there’s plenty of competition at the number two slot. Walter has to hold off Jacoby Jones and Andre Davis for playing time, which he should be able to do. He nicely distinguished himself against the Saints, as he did for a bit last season when Johnson missed time due to injury.
Jay Cutler: The Cowboys were no match for Cutler, who connected on 16 of 20 throws for 178 yards and a touchdown. He’ll miss receiver Brandon Marshall for the first three weeks, but it should be encouraging to Cutler supporters that he has bounced from a rough offseason.
Ray Rice: Remember this name. The former Rutgers star started for the second straight game, replacing an ailing Willis McGahee. Rice ripped off a 42 yard run on his first carry and then picked up a six yard touchdown run on the same drive against the Vikings. He totaled 77 yards on eight carries and could be a factor for the Ravens in ’08 with McGahee’s shaky health history.
Fizzle:
Donovan McNabb: Through his first two preseason outings, McNabb is averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. In an offseason where the Eagles failed to land Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin, the big-play receiver problem is not going away in Philadelphia anytime soon.
Matt Ryan: Kermit the Frog said it wasn’t easy being green and the same goes for Ryan. After a promising preseason debut, Ryan looked like a rookie against Indy. He completed 8 of 16 passes for 62 yards with an interception returned for a touchdown by Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden.
Marc Bulger: Two first half interceptions and a fumble against the Chargers hopefully are not a harbinger of things to come for Bulger. Following a sack, he appeared to begin favoring his right leg. While it didn’t appear serious, if the Rams can’t get into the groove quickly once the regular season begins, an ’07 repeat for Bulger may be in the works.
Jaguars passing game: All those ready to anoint David Garrard as a major league sleeper this season should be alarmed by his receiving corps. Jerry Porter and Reggie Williams are not healthy, leaving the prospect of Dennis Northcutt seeing time as a starter. The Jaguars will rely on the running game again but they’ll need the passing game to come alive to really make the offense click.
Tom Brady and LaDainian Tomlinson: Not that the last two MVP’s have anything to prove, but since fans have to pay full prices to watch preseason games it would be nice if they took a snap during the preseason. Brady is “nursing” a foot injury but says he’ll play during the preseason at some point. Meanwhile, Tomlinson was declared unavailable for the preseason last month.