Bengals at WFT Preseason Game #2

By Liam Sullivan

The Bengals are coming off a huge week one road win against the Super Bowl defending Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They will face the Washington Football Team in Landover, Maryland, this evening.

According to Bengals writer Geoff Hobson, this will be a test for the Offensive Line.

Frank Pollack’s line will have players like Riley Reiff and Jonah Williams.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, the WFT quarterback, is hoping to get his offense in the end zone. Fitzpatrick did not score any touchdowns last week.

Realistically, the Bengals offense can capitalize on Washington’s offense. It has not been solid, and Head Coach Ron Rivera does not know whether to start Kyle Allen or Fitzpatrick.

The Bengals hope to go 2-0 in the preseason in our Nation’s Capital.

A Tale of Two Teams

By: Mike Rifkin

The NFL preseason continues on Friday night in Arizona as the reigning two-time AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs travel to play the Arizona Cardinals. The latter are hungry for a playoff spot. Two of the most explosive offenses will be on display. Last season the Chiefs were first in yards per game, and the Cardinals were sixth. Kansas City was sixth in points per game, averaging 28.5. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were 14th, averaging 25.6.

The Cardinals last season were 8-6 and controlled their destiny in the final two weeks to secure a playoff spot. They lost to an injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers team and, in week 17, lost to the Rams when quarterback Kyler Murray injured his ankle. Murray is expected to make his preseason debut Friday night. The Cardinals signed future Hall of Famer JJ Watt to a two-year contract worth 31 million dollars with 23 million in guaranteed. Pairing Watt with Chandler Jones, who is coming off biceps surgery, in 2019 was second in Defensive Player of the year voting. The secondary will also look a little different as for the first time since 2010, cornerback Patrick Peterson will not be there, as he signed a one-year deal with the Vikings. The Cardinals did replace him with former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler. The Cardinals added receiver AJ Green from the Bengals, James Conner from the Steelers, and center Rodney Hudson, who they acquired in a trade with the Raiders, as the Cardinals look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The Chiefs have the most explosive offense in the NFL. The last time we saw Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, he was running away from the swarm of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in the Super Bowl, a game the Chiefs lost 31-9. The two-time defending AFC champions decided to work on the offensive line this offseason, adding guard Joe Thuney against the New England Patriots, signed veteran lineman Kyle Long out of retirement, and traded with the Baltimore Ravens for tackle Orlando Brown. They will also get back Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who was not with the team last season but stayed in Canada as a doctor to help with the covid pandemic. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs defense ranked 16th in the NFL in total defense. This is a group with stars like defensive tackle Chris Jones and safety Tyrann Mathieu, but watch second-year cornerback L’Jarius Sneed take a step forward after having three interceptions in his rookie season.

The Chiefs are the hunted in the AFC as they have won the conference two consecutive seasons. The Cardinals want to make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, but it will be challenging in the NFC West. But get your popcorn ready because Friday night, these two offenses can put on a show. 

Preseason Week 2-At Home : WFT vs. Cincinnati

By Dan Ryans 

WASHINGTON–The Washington Football team returns to FedExField in Landover, MD tonight for their second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Unfortunately, there will be no Joe Burrow for the opposing team this week, as the Bengals are trying to save him for a healthy return during the 2021 season. It shouldn’t stop Washington’s number one defense, as it will still face most of Cincinnati starters. Undoubtedly, this will be another test for rookie linebacker Jamin Davis. The first-round pick out of Kentucky had a decent debut last week with four tackles but admitted later that he could have been faster and played more downhill to better his coverage. Even though he recognizes his early flaws, Davis is not the type to dwell on previous outings. “You get the corrections the next day, and just from that point on, you gotta jump on to who you got next,” said Davis earlier this week. “There’s no reason to sit around and watch what you did last week…eventually it’s a copycat league, so basically you just pick up little things that you got from the first game and just take it with you as the season progresses.” The preparation and the willingness to move forward is what everyone on Washington’s squad continues to respect about the young linebacker. 

For Ryan Fitzpatrick and the offense, it’s more about continuing that growing connection from the start of camp. Now that doesn’t come without early struggles for the veteran quarterback. Fitzpatrick expressed to reporters a couple of days ago that when he started training in Washington, he was trying an offensive system that was unfamiliar to him. He said that it took him a lot of time during the offseason to get comfortable with it. “As an older guy, a lot of times it’s, ‘Well, that’s not the way I’ve done it. I don’t think that’s going to work.’ And it did take OTAs and some training camp reps to kind of see some things that I hadn’t looked at in a particular way before,” said Fitzpatrick. “The older you get, the harder it is to [not] take a step back and say, ‘No, no, no, no, I’m right, you’re wrong.’ You take the ego out of it, and it takes reps and time to understand it.” He will need to be consistent in 2021 for Washington to be successful. Based on what we’ve seen so far, the team seems to be bought in. 

On the injury front, Coach Rivera announced mid-week that rookie tight end Sammis Reyes will not play this week because he is in concussion protocol. He did not practice with the team on Wednesday, instead choosing to ride the exercise bike on the sideline. 

The Chilean prospect’s story is an interesting one. Before entering the NFL through its International Player Pathway Program, Sammis Reyes was looking to play basketball in the NBA. Not only did he grow up training with the Chilean National Team, but he also had stints in the NCAA with the University of Hawaii, Tulane, and Loyola-New Orleans. But now, he plays football, and so far on his journey, he has impressed many of his teammates. It’s a shame that Reyes won’t be playing this week. In his first-ever football game against the Patriots, Reyes caught two passes for 25 yards. He even helped the offense more with his blocking, earning a lot of praise from his head coach, who said that he has the potential to be the team’s most physical blocker. 

Just a reminder for fans going to the game tonight, stadium-approved face coverings are required indoors regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Those that are fully vaccinated are allowed to lose the face coverings at any of the outdoor areas. Fans that are not fully vaccinated are highly recommended to keep their face masks on throughout the stadium, except when eating and drinking. The approved face coverings at FedExField are the following: KN95 (without valve), N95 (without valve), Cloth, Surgical/3-Ply, and Face Shield (only when accompanied by another approved face covering).

Best Food in Stadiums and Venues Pt3. (NBA,NHL)

By Mark Halpern

In the first two parts, I discussed MLB/NFL stadium foods. Since most NBA teams share an arena with NHL teams, most of the concessions you would get can be made for either sport. I have selected 12 different Arena’s that have extravagant food selections for you to try.

#3 In New Orleans, home of the Pelicans, you get a treat from the sea mixed with one of the best comfort foods. They have taken the simple Macaroni and Cheese and jazzed it up. You can get an order of seafood Mac/cheese with Shrimp, Crawfish, Scallops, and chunk Crab Meat that will give you a fresh taste of the sea. It is not a small bowl either; it is a rather big bowl, so come hungry.

#6 In Memphis, Tennessee, home of the Grizzlies, you can get one of the enormous snack cakes but with a county fair twist. You can get an order of 2 or 4 fried Twinkies with chocolate sauce drizzled all over and a good, sweet treat for not just the kids but anyone who wants to raise that blood sugar.

#8 In Orlando, Florida, home of the Magic, we get traditional but loaded one called The OMG {Oh My God} Dog. This hotdog consists of an all-beef hotdog wrapped in Pastrami, Chorizo Sausage, and cheese sauce with a side of either French fries or potato chips. Some people pay the extra fee to have both fries and chips, with the fries being on the hotdog.

#2 In the heart of Texas in San Antonio, home of the Spurs, we get a twist on an original snack food. This dish is called Brisket Nachos. You get a bowl of multi-color tortilla chips with a Queso Blanco, Brisket, Pinto Beans, and a homemade Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. Try only eating one order as people will get 2-3 orders at a time.

#9 This next dish was named after long-time Penguin’s goalie Phil Bourque, called the OLE 29er. This concoction consists of a crisp waffle bowl filled with BBQ pork, Mac and Cheese, Baked Beans, and coleslaw. This dish is typical at Penguins games as most fans get it early to enjoy other treats later on.

#1 This next Arena food comes to us from the land of Elvis, in Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Predators. Tennessee is known for its Hot Chicken dishes, and with no surprise, you can get a heaping bowl of cheesy Mac and Cheese with chunks of Hot Chicken mixed in. If you have ever had hot buffalo wings, then you haven’t experienced authentic hot chicken. I have had the Hot Chicken before, and it can be overwhelming if you are not prepared. This dish is best at the beginning of the night because one bowl isn’t enough sometimes.

#4 Well, the Suns in four things was just overplayed but, one thing that wasn’t was the dish called the Colossal loaded Fries and Rings. This was a heavily ordered item this year, and for a good reason. You get a collectible bowl filled with 2lbs of French fries, then on top of that, you get beer cheese sauce, bacon {which we all know makes things taste better} chives, and sour cream, and if that wasn’t enough, add Onion Rings on top. A must-have if you go but be prepared because not everyone can eat 2.5 pounds of food in a setting.

#5 In the baseball part of this series, I talked about a burger with doughnuts for buns. In Sacramento, home of the Kings, we get a Chicken Sandwich with the same idea. This sandwich has two glazed Brioche doughnut buns and in between them a hot chicken breast with buttermilk coleslaw and pickles. This is a trendy item in the arena which makes sense that you can get it almost on any level of the arena

#7 In Buffalo, New York, you can get an interesting meal. We usually see sausage paired with peppers in most cases, but you can get The Enforcer at a Sabers game. This is not your standard sausage on a roll deal, no-no-no. You get an Italian Sausage on a large hotdog bun, then top that with shredded buffalo chicken, blue cheese coleslaw, and then the top of that with an Ancho Chile BBQ sauce. Next time I go to Buffalo, it has to coordinate with me getting to a game and having one.

#10 Heading out to the Midwest, we come to the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder for a real sweet treat. Now you can go to almost any arena/stadium in the country and find a dessert such as ice cream or cookies. However, in this arena, they are known for their mini pies. Yes, mini pies, everyone. Who doesn’t like pie, especially when small like this and not your everyday apple, blueberry, or cherry? In the home of the Thunder, you can get a pie in one of three versions. First, they have a creamy buttermilk custard, a margarita with a whipped cream top, or one of my favorites, an Oklahoma Pecan Pie. They are small enough that eating 2 of them at a game is not unheard of.

#12 Now, when I think of pizza, the two states that come to mind are New York and Illinois. However, we go to the home of the Celtics/Bruins for a monster slice. In Massachusetts, a small, famous pizza chain called Sal’s and excel at selling a massive slice of pizza. So, at TD Garden Arena, you can get a famous slice of Sal’s pizza that measures a whopping 18” slice. If you can’t do the math, that is a foot and half. So, you better plan on coming hungry or don’t bother.

#11 We head on back to the home of the Predators, where they pay homage to their mascot Gnash. The dish called Gnash’s Ghosh is a plate-sized Bavarian pretzel bun filled with smoked pulled pork, brisket chili, beer cheese, scallions, and sour cream. Now, if you want to partake in this dish, you must be fast because they sell out fast and are only served during the first intermission. So, if you start seeing many people getting up 5-7 min left in the first period, they are not heading to the bathroom. People line up fast because they run out fast. 

  I hope you enjoyed this part three will be doing a particular College Football stadium post this weekend, so be on the lookout for that.

Dallas Cowboys Preseason #3

By Mark Halpern

Houston- Last week we saw the Dallas Cowboys fall to the Arizona Cardinals by 3 points. Both teams had played tough defense, and a field goal decided it in the end. The Cowboys backup Quarterback spot is ramping up as all three of them have not thrown an interception yet.

This week, the Cowboys take on the Houston Texans’ cross-town in a battle for the Lone Star State. This game has become a yearly game for the silver and blue. This game is more for pride than anything as the Texans have had trouble staying out of the Limelight with star quarterback Deshaun Watson has been accused of Domestic Violence and sexual assault. This has made it hard for the Texan’s offense to gel.

The Cowboys should see more first-string players such as Zeke Elliot, who has not had any reps in the first two games as they are trying to stay away from the injury bug. Star quarterback Dak Prescott will probably not play until next week to keep rehabbing his shoulder. Star wide receiver Amari Cooper has returned to practice after his foot surgery and won’t play. I expect most of the rest first-string on offense and defense except for Demarcus Lawrence and Malik Hooker to get time. Next week we should see everyone play at some point.

The Cowboys have to start making cuts as the requirement to come down to 85 players was made this morning, and I expect more by the end of today. The Cowboys cut Brennan Eagles, who have not been involved, Anthony Hines, who was far down the depth chart at linebacker as the Cowboys have one of the most stellar Linebacking cores in football. The big shocker was the cut of Cornerback Kyron Brown, who signed early in the offseason to help with the cornerback being weak. Is it possible the Cowboys are ready to make a trade for a high-end cornerback? I will be watching this closely.

This week, considering the game is in Arlington and the cutdown to 80 players next week, I expect some hard level playing. The Cowboys coaches realize they will have to cut a quarterback at some point, and as of now, it will be DiNucci and possibly signed to the practice squad. My prediction for this game is Dallas 21-13 Houston.

Detroit Lions Preseason #2 Pregame

By Mark Halpern

Pittsburgh-Last week we saw the Detroit Lions take on the Buffalo Bills and nearly came out with a win. The Lions are willing to take chances as many first-string players started and mainly played the second and third-string Bills players. Geoff looked good in the few drives he played and didn’t throw an interception or touchdown. He has his work cut out for him as he tries to get to know his new team.

This week the Lions will take on an adamant team offensively and defensively in the Steelers. I expect the first-string players of the Pittsburgh Steelers will play at least the first quarter, all except Ben Roethlisberger and a handful of other players.
The Lions had to cut five players today to get their team down to 80 players. Most of the cut players were not factored in to be on the team long as the team is coming together. The Lions have a good defense but need to get a receiver with time running out.

This week for the Lion’s, I expect Geoff to start and play more than last week. One Brightside for Geoff is that he has formed a good relationship with star tight end T.J. Hockenson and Geoff had lots of success thrown to his tight ends with the rams. Deandre Swift should also get some playing time as the star running back is trying to be healthy come week one.

The Lions will have a tough season this year as they had lost their #1 WR in Golladay when he signed with the New York Giants, so that spot for number 1 is well up for grabs. The offensive line is coming together nicely as they must make sure Geoff is unharmed.

I can see the first-team offense and defense give a good fight in this weekend game, but I don’t foresee them coming out with a win. My prediction for a final score is Steelers 28-14 Lions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preseason #1 Post

By Robert Mills

ORLANDO – Well, what can be said about week one other than UGLY. But to be fair, this can be expected in the first preseason game of the year. In a game that was “highlighted” by a drenched field thanks to storms earlier in the day, and both teams combining for seven turnovers overall, the Buccaneers fell short to the Bengals 14-19. Though not all was bad, we did get to see some of the star prospects for the Buccaneers come out and showcase their skills.

Kyle Trask, we got to see the former University of Florida star come onto the field mid-way into the 3rd period to rather generous applause. We were fully expected, seeing as his signing was one of the biggest highlights from the Bucs draft. Though he did not put up stellar numbers (4/15, 35 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int.), in my opinion, he played well for the time he was out there. We don’t expect to see a lot of him in the next few seasons, but if he can show NFL caliper play-making on some plays this early in his career, he can make a real impact later. He did just that. With receivers dropping passes (no fault of Trask) and him extending plays with his feet, I would say his debut was very good, maybe not great, but very good.

Blaine Gabbert, the backup QB I think many Buccaneers fans forgot about, played early in the game coming on for Brady after the opening drive. Expect him to be the backup to Brady for this season. Gabbert made his 2021 debut going 6/11, 64 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int. Again not the most significant numbers similar to Trask, but hey, it’s just week 1, right? On his debut drive, he leads the Buccaneers down the field (79 yards) to finish the drive with a 2 yard run by Vaughn. This drive was enough to make me feel at least easy about him being the backup. I give this an excellent debut for 2021. Gabbert is a nine-year veteran in the league, so I expected nothing less. I will be more critical of his performance in the next few preseason games.

The last takeaway I have for this game is the Buccaneers defense as a whole. Simply put, they showed why they are in the top 5 for defenses in the NFL. They were able to force four turnovers (two ints., two fumbles) on the Bengals. This would prove fruitless as they allowed over 303 yards of total offense and allowed the Bengals to finish off the game with the win. We did get to see the first-round draft pick, Joe Tryon, in action. Getting to take part in the pass rush, he was able to, simply put, crush Brandon Allen on a brutal sack late in the 2nd quarter. Unfortunately, this led to a very questionable roughing of the passer call due to helmet-to-helmet contact, but it showed what he (and the rest of the defense) is still capable of doing.

Overall the first week was ugly, very ugly, but considering it’s only the first week, I think we can go easy. Look for Gabbert/Griffin to likely play more reps going into week 2 with Trask being limited. The Buccaneers will be at home for game two vs. the Titans. Let’s all hope the rain holds off for this one, and we can get a slightly cleaner football game.

Dallas Cowboys Preseason #1 Post

By Mark Halpern

Arizona- So, this week, we saw a better showing from the Dallas Cowboys even though they lost to the Cardinals 19-16. For the second week in a row, we saw primarily second and third-string players from Cowboys with a few appearances from first-string starters. The same could be said for the home team The Arizona Cardinals.

The battle for a second-string quarterback for the Cowboys is off to a good start. So far, in 2 preseason games, neither Gilbert, Rush nor DeNucci have thrown an interception in either of the first two games. Throwing for a touchdown has only been done by DeNucci to Brandon Smith for a 1-yard TD at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Neither of the three quarterbacks eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Gilbert is currently leading the way but, DeNucci and Rush are not out of the running yet.

The Offensive line, including the backups, have done an excellent job protecting the quarterback as they did not give up a sack on the day. We saw Michael Gallup catch two passes for 23 yards of the first-string starters, including a nice pass from Gilbert in the first quarter for 20 yards. Cee Dee Lamb also made a small appearance but had two passes come his way, but both were off target.

The Dallas defense was stellar in not letting either of the Cardinals throw for a touchdown and did a great job keeping them out of the red zone. The Dallas defense forced two fumbles but only recovered one. The Dallas defense recorded four sacks, including two from Dorrance Armstrong, who is off to a good preseason.
As for the player of the game, I give it to rookie Jabril Cox who had eight total tackles, two of them being for losses. Honorable mentions to Cedric Wilson, who had 40 yards receiving.

The Cardinals second and third-team players played a good game with a stellar game from Rondell Morre, who had three recs for 23 yards, but the player of the game for them was perennial all-pro placekicker Matt Prater who went 4-4 on field goals, including a last-second four yarder to win it.

Again preseason is for the coaches to find out who belongs and who needs to go. Cuts will begin happening soon. Dak Prescot, Demarcus Lawrence, and Amari Cooper have all returned from injury and are ramping up their workouts, and Malik Hooker, who we probably won’t see until the fourth game. Next Saturday, the Cowboys face the Houston Texans in the battle for the Lone Star State.

Detroit Lions Preseason #1 Post

By Mark Halpern

Detroit- The Detroit Lions took the field against the ever might Buffalo Bills in their first preseason game yesterday. Unlike many games, we saw the starting Quarterback take the first snaps. Jarred Geoff needs all the time he can use to get acquainted not only with a new playbook but a new team of offensive player

    Geoff came out for the first quarter and completed 7/9 passes for 56 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He completed a nice 15-yard pass to Tyrell Williams and then spread the ball around in his first drive. The running game for the Lions was dominated by rookie running back Craig Reynolds, who had six rushes for 49 yards and Detroit’s only touchdown of the game.

   The offensive line for the Lions was a little inconsistent throughout the game. In the beginning, with a mix of first and second-string starters, we saw only one sack but many quarterback pressures. Once it made it to the second and third-string, we saw three more sacks and 5 Quarterback hits. It’s a new team all-around, and players are getting their feet wet. However, they better not let their feet dangle too long, or they could be riding the bench come opening day.

    The Defense for Detroit was not bad at all. They held the Bills to 16 points and had two sacks. This defense must become a little more aggressive as the weeks go on. Third-year player Kevin Strong had a strong day tallying seven total tackles. However, this defense held the Bills to only 259 yards of total offense, mind you against second and third-string but, an important statistic. 

    For the Bills, we saw all three backup quarterbacks play. Josh Allen is the starter, and we won’t see him until week 3 or 4 of the preseason. Davis Webb, Jake Fromm, and Mitchell Trubisky are all fighting for that coveted backup spot. Of the three, Davis Webb was the best on the field, completing 11/16 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. He was the bright spot in game one for the Bills. 

      This week the Lions will take on a formidable offense and defense. They play the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they better be ready to roar, or they will be chasing their tails back into the locker room.

Jacksonville Jaguars Preseason Week 1 post-game

By; Noah Trombley

The Jaguars preseason game against the Cleveland Browns is in the books, and we learned a couple of things from this game.

The first thing is that Trevor Lawrence is on the right path to being the future of the Jaguars QB position. Lawrence went 6/9 for 71 yards with no touchdowns or picks. While those may not seem impressive, the thing that caught my attention the most was Lawrence’s poise and calmness in the pocket. The Browns have one of the most improved defenses in the league, and their pass-rushing should be one of the big reasons. They were getting pressure on Lawrence all night long, up the middle, around the edges, you name in the Browns were there. However, despite that, Lawrence stayed calm and relaxed in the pocket, delivering accurate passes and not, even after a sack on his first play from scrimmage, letting the defense rattle his confidence to stand in the pocket and deliver accurate throws to his receivers. There was a lot to like during Lawrence’s two drives and even more to look forward to.

The second thing is that the defense will still need some work during and after this upcoming season, most notably the secondary. While these are not all the starters for the secondary, the Jaguars looked very weak during the game, allowing Case Keenum and Kyle Lauletta to go a combined 31/44 for 327 yards and two touchdowns. This was a huge problem last year as the Jaguars gave up the 6th most passing yards during last season and were absolutely carved up most of the season by opposing quarterbacks. That same theme continued this past weekend, as mentioned before, with Keenum and Lauletta getting anything they wanted during the game down the field.

Hopefully, next week we can see more of some of the Jaguars offensive players, including running back James Robinson, coming off his 1000 yard season last year, and newly signed quarterback turned tight end Tim Tebow or in his first game back had no catches and was only in for 16 offensive snaps.