All defense and fan brawls as Rams lose 13-6

By Zakary Haines

The late-night viewing of the Rams and Chargers was an all defensive battle. With a final score of 13-6, it is easy to brush this off as a boring game. Except for a fan brawl that broke out between Rams and Chargers fans in the stands during the 2nd quarter. While some see this as an embarrassment, this shows that fans are in mid-season form. 

As for the game itself, it was an intense night for a few players. It was a slow offensive game, but for the defense, it was a busy game. The Rams recorded two sacks and four tackles for losses and getting four hits on the opponent’s quarterback. This was not enough, as the Chargers managed to gain 112 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Larry Rountree III was able to run over the defense and get 63 rushing yards on his own. The secondary was not much better either, allowing 167 passing yards despite no receiving touchdowns, which did not stop the Chargers from going to the air. 

As for the offense, there is still some work to be done. The Rams only had 73 rushing yards total, mostly from quarterback Bryce Perkins (23 yards). It was a slow night as the Rams only scored one touchdown the whole game. Triston Jackson had the Rams single score on 1st & Goal during the late 2nd quarter, as he found himself wide open in the endzone. As for the quarterbacks, Bryce Perkins had a good night ending with one passing touchdown, 43 yards passing, and a QB rating of 111.3. He did end up taking one sack from the Chargers’ defense. As for Delvin, Hodges had 85 yards passing, one interception, and a QB rating of 47.1. Granted, most of the starters are sitting out this game, so it is hard to see where the team’s offense will be when it comes to week one. 

For special teams, this is an area that is still struggling. The only field goal attempt of the night was a miss by Austin MacGinnis. Kickoff returns only had 85 total yards, with Jeremiah Haydel recording 38 yards on two returns. Johnny Hekker and Corey Bojorquez punted for a combined 177 yards, with Bojorquez hitting a ball deep within Chargers territory. There was one bright spot on special teams. Raymond Calais made a 46-yard punt return from the Rams’ 7-yard line. Calais turned on the jets and took this punt back to the Chargers territory. He would end the night with 52 total yards as a punt returner. 

As a whole, the Rams have some work to do to tighten up their game. Head coach Sean McVay had a lot to say about consistency and moving the ball on the ground. He said, “I think there was some leakage, but there was also some good removal we had, so it was kind of hit or miss. There wasn’t much consistency, but there were a couple of good looks.” The Rams now have a small taste of NFL play and can begin to patch up the leaks. The Rams play on the 21st against the Raiders in SoFi Stadium at 10 pm est. 

New York Giants Preseason Post Game #1

Jeff Knapp

New York- On Saturday, we saw the return of football when we witnessed the New York Football Giants take on the New York Jets from Metlife Stadium. Although they lost 12-7, they used that game to have a feeling-out session for many newer players and those who will not start when the season begins. Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram didn’t play. Still, we saw assumed backup quarterback Mike Glennon take some early snap and went 3 for 7 for 20 yards, followed by Clayton Thorson, who had difficulties of his own but had a nice TD pass to newcomer Damion Willis. The pleasant surprise last night was the nice-looking 48-yard run by Austria’s Sandro Platzgummer, who joined the Giants last season as part of the NFL’s International Players Pathway program.

One of the biggest takeaways from Saturday’s game was the O-Line and just how bad it will get if any of the starters go down. Last night the Giants started their 1st string o-line, not counting Shane Lemieux. The Giants tried to address that issue slightly by signing traveling guard Ted Larsen, who has played for the Patriots, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Bears, and the Dolphins. By night’s end, the Giants allowed five sacks.
Besides signing Larsen, the Giants have recently signed DTs Willie Henry and Elijah Qualls. They have also waived LB Cale Garrett, WR Derrick Dillon, and DE RJ McIntosh.

Next week for preseason game #2, the Giants travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns, where the starters should see some playing time, but I don’t believe more than a few series and not past the 1st quarter.

Bengals Preseason Post Game #1

By Liam Sullivan

Tampa Bay- It was a shocker to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans and a sign of hope for the Bengals faithful. In a 19-14 win over the defending Super Bowl champs, the Bengals proved to the league that their offense is ready to perform this season.Kyle Shurmur, whose father Patrick is the former Head Coach of the NY Giants and current Offensive Coordinator for the Denver Broncos, completed 12 of 19 of his passes, a 63% completion rate. He was pretty productive, despite throwing a pick-six.

He is a Rookie from Vanderbilt.Catching the most of those passes was Trenton Irvin, the rookie Wide Receiver from Stanford. He had 35 yards on three receptions, an average of 11.7 yards per catch.Running the rock for most of the night against the Bucs was running back Jacques Patrick, the rookie from Florida State. Patrick had 71 yards on 15 carries, finishing the night with an average of 4.7 yards per carrying.The defensive side of the ball was able to ruin Florida rookie Kyle Trask’s preseason debut. Kevon Frazier, Trayvon Henderson, Akeem Davis-Gaither, and Markus Bailey all had four tackles on the night.Cam Sample sacked Kyle Trask to end the game. It was a “super way to end it,” according to Head Coach Zac Taylor.There was a very frightening moment for Buccaneers fans.

Tom Brady was sacked and found himself under Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai. Brady did not play another snap the rest of the night.Blaine Gabbert, an eleven-year veteran from Missouri, presented himself as the best backup QB on the Tampa Bay roster, with a fifteen-play drive to score. The drive ended when Ke’Shawn Vaughn ran the ball in from the two to score. Vaughn had 11 carries for 27 yards.Bucs QB Ryan Griffin, the eighth-year veteran from Tulane, had two passes tipped and picked off.Tanner Hudson, the third-year veteran from Memphis, had 48 yards on four receptions, an average of 12 yards per reception.

Cincinnati had the football for much of the game; therefore, Tampa Bay had little opportunity to score any points. Next week the Bengals will travel to Washington DC., where they will face the Washington Football Team.

New York Jets Preseason #1

By Eric Ford

Another year and another start for another optimistic Jets fan. Well, at least until week 1. Here’s to week 1 of the preseason. This preseason we get to see a short glimpse of the Jets 2021 season. Reports as of late have been that Zac Wilson will see at least one quarter. My presumption is we will see more reps from backups, James Morgan and Mike White. No report on if we will see any reps with veteran and journeymen Josh Johnson.

We have a few new receivers from the off-season, some signed from free agency, others drafted Corey Davis, who had a good year with the Titans, and Keelan Cole from the Jaguars. A big name I hear a lot is Elijah Moore, who was taken from the second round of this year’s draft who has been receiving praise from many coaches and players, including Odell Beckham Jr from the Browns. Reports say he is injured, but his MRI was good. No sign if he will play. Not-so-good reports are from Denzel Mims, who was a second-round draft pick in the 2020 draft. Reports have said that he has taken a step back from last year, which isn’t a good sign. Will he get out of the slump he is in or not. He has spent most of last year injured. Based on the depth chart, the starting running back is Tevin Coleman.

Coleman is very familiar with the new system because he had Mike Lefleur as an offensive assistant on the Falcons and passing game coordinator on the 49ers. Lefleur is the Jets Offensive Coordinator. A positive sign is that we hope to see CJ Mosley. He was mainly injured in his first year as a Jet and did not play last year because of COVID. My big concern is the pass defense. Can they keep up with the receivers or not. The goal I want to see for this game and preseason, in general, is for the Jets to show others that they are a better team than last year’s record. My other goal is not to focus on a win but to let everyone play and see what adjustments we can make before our first game on September 12th in Carolina.

Preseason week 1 Titans @ Falcons Recap

By Bill Murphy

Atlanta – The Tennessee Titans opened up their preseason last night with a 23-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Titans did not start any of their significant starters, such as quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Running Back Derek Henry, Wide Receivers, AJ Brown, Julio Jones, and Cornerback Caleb Farley. As you can see, even without them, it wasn’t a factor at all.

In place of Tannehill, The Titans started Logan Woodside, who threw ten completions out of 15 attempts and threw for a total of 84 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown backhanded catch to Cameron Batson. After Woodside left the game, Matt Barkley entered and ended up making five completions out of 8 attempts, throwing for 54 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mason Kilter. These performances by these two respective quarterbacks have shown the backup quarterback competition of who will be the number two to Ryan Tannehill. After tonight’s performance, let us see through the preseason of who is worthy of getting that spot, but if I were to make a prediction, I would put my money on Woodside to get the job as of this moment.

When it comes to the defense, which is an area that Titans struggled with last season, tonight they stepped it up. Tonight they held the Atlanta offense to 139 yards, six first downs, and a field goal. We saw an interception by David Long and a total of five sacks by the defense.

While Julio Jones was injured and did not play, others got injured, such as running back Darryton Evans, who left the game with a knee injury, Offensive Lineman Trevor Cooley, who left with a foot. Safety Bradley Breeze and linebacker BJ Bello left with an ankle injury.

Overall, I think the Titans had an excellent performance in last night’s game. It is hard to tell how the rest of the season will be because they had none of the starters last night, but the backup squad held its own. Many questions need to be answered in the season, like who will be the backup for Tannehill when the season rolls around? Next week, the answer may become more apparent when the Titans take on the defending Super Bowl Champions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Battle of Back-Up Fromms in Buffalo

By Lawrence Lang

Detroit- In their first preseason game, The Buffalo Bills would come back and beat the Detroit Lions 16- 15 behind a game-winning drive with quarterback Jake Fromm. Fromm would go 8/13 for 65yds and two sacks. Fromm’s moment would come in the 4th quarter with a 4th and 10 situations. Fromm would throw a 42-yard bomb to Marquez Steveson to give the Bills a fresh set of downs. The Bills would get all the way down to the Lions 25, where Tyler Bass would kick the game-winning field goal (44 yds). Fromm shows that even in a preseason game, he can be in a pressure situation and try to mount a comeback, and in this case, he got the job done.

Bills Mitchell Trubisky and Davis Webb also got some rep time as well during the game. Trubisky played two series, going one for two with 10yds. Webb would have a nice outing as well, going 11/16 for 90 yds and a touchdown to Devin Singletary, a 6yrd touchdown.

On the Lions side, they also had three quarterbacks playing as well as the Lions are also in their own Quarterback decisions. David Blough would go five for six with 76yds, Tim Boyle would go 8 of 15 for 38yds, and Jared Goff would go 7/9 for 56 yds. Craig Reynolds, who went undrafted in 2019, had the silver lining for the Lions with a 24ds run for a touchdown.

With the Battle of the back-up now starting for the Bills, it seems that Fromm and Webb are the frontrunners for the job since the Bills didn’t play much of Trubisky, but that might be a different case next week when they travel to Trubisky former team the Chicago Bears on Saturday, August 21st kickoff is slated for 1 PM. I think since this is Trubisky’s former team, we might see him play an entire quarter, if not maybe the first half, depending on if the Bills decided to play Josh Allen at all.

One thing that is worth mentioning is that Fromm, Trubisky, AND Webb make a case that if one of them is cut, they might have a case to go somewhere else and be a back-up their if another quarterback were to go down with an injury or if something else occurs where they are unable to play one of three can come in and be ready. All three are still very young in quarterback terms: From (23), Trubisky (26), and Webb (26), with them all still in their 20’s. The three make another case that they could fit in anywhere that needs a quarterback if that were to arise.

All Eyes on Tua

By Michael Rifkin

The 2020 Miami Dolphins season ended with a bad taste in their mouth. In Week 17, all the Dolphins had to do was win, and they would make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Miami went into Buffalo and got manhandled 56-26. The primary story that came with that defeat was rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who went 35/58 for 361 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in the game. Is he the solution as the Dolphins franchise quarterback? Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick from Alabama, was six and three as the Dolphins starter had a 64.1 completion percentage, 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Tua had a significant hip injury in Alabama. But the thing that people will remember about Tua was the week 17 performance after being pulled in week 16 in favor of veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick who was unavailable in week 17 due to Covid. All offseason long, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier said they believe in Tua and are their guy. This offseason, they showed that by drafting Tua’s former teammate in Alabama Jaylen Waddle in the first round of the NFL Draft, and they signed veteran wide receiver Will Fuller to a one-year contract.

The major storyline in training camp on defense was cornerback Xavien Howard who wanted a new contract, even though he signed a five-year 75 million dollar deal in 2019. The Dolphins front office was able to come to a deal with the star corner who last season led the NFL with ten interceptions and finished third in defensive player of the year voting behind Rams Aaron Donald and the Steelers T.J. Watt. Playing Xavien Howard across from 2020 offseason splash Byron Jones gives Miami one of the best corner tandems in the league. Miami’s defense was the reason they were as competitive as they were in 2020 and the reason they won 10 games. They are a very opportunistic defense as they were third in the league in turnover differential at a +9. In the first round, they added to their pass rush by drafting Jaelan Phillips, who was viewed as one of the premier pass rushers in the draft and played at the University of Miami.

The Dolphins front office is not afraid to make a big trade, which is why this season is all about Tua. If Tua has a tremendous year, the Dolphins may have found their solution at quarterback, which they haven’t had since Dan Marino retired. The 2021 season is all about Tua and his development.

Debut of The Mac

By Michael Rifkin

On Thursday night, the New England Patriots got a shot at the guy who might be their next franchise quarterback. The Patriots first-round pick out of Alabama, Mac Jones, went 13-19 for 87 yards in his NFL debut against the Washington Football team. Jones played in the second and third quarters. Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Jones “ We’ll look at the film and see. Some good things, plenty of things we have to work on. Same as everybody else.” Jones was the first quarterback New England has selected in the first round since Drew Bledsoe in 1993. Jones is battling to start quarterback with former MVP Cam Newton, who also saw action Thursday night.

Last year at Alabama, Jones set an NCAA record with a 77.4 completion percentage with 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. Jones led Alabama to another National Championship. This is an unusual spot for the Patriots to be in, as, before the 2020 season, they could pencil in Tom Brady as the team’s starting quarterback. Tom hoisted the Lombardi trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February. Meanwhile, in New England, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the common factor not having Tom Brady, Brady in 2008 tore his ACL in week 1, and the Patriots missed the playoffs despite going 11-5. In week 4 of this season, Brady returns to Foxborough to play the Patriots for the first time, and the question is, who will be the Patriots starter?

You cannot compare Jones to Brady, who is the greatest quarterback of all time, but there is a lot to be excited about if you are a Patriots fan. Jones has the potential to be unique, just be patient and let him develop. Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels have done this before, and they have the ability to do it again.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preseason #1

By Robert Mills

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open their first pre-season game on Saturday at 7:30 pm against the Bengals. Coming off their 2020 super bowl winning campaign, it is safe to say there will be a lot of eyes on this game. But what are some things that could affect them coming into this year? Let’s break it down a bit. Returning starters, that was a huge factor coming into the 2021 season. Typically, teams tend to lose starters after winning a Super Bowl due to salary caps and other factors. But what a better winning recipe than being the first team in the super bowl era to resign all 22 of their starters. Though we probably won’t see many of them for pre-season, it’s still essential to note. What does this mean for the rest of the league? Well, in 2020, the Buccaneers had one of the top-rated defenses. They were 5th in total yards allowed (327 ypg) and 8th in total points allowed (22.2 ppg).

These stats only continued to improve headed into the postseason; if you compare the yards per game and points per game to the regular season, they kept right on par, averaging 347 ypg and only allowing 19.5 ppg, which included holding the number 1 rated offense in 2020 in Kansas City to only 9 points in the super bowl. We all knew that players like Vita Vea and Shaquil Barrett would be impactful, but the defense just seemed to get better as the season progressed. And the offense is the same story.
The chemistry between Tom Brady, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin only seemed to have improved as the 2020 season progressed, and every team in the NFL will be on high alert if this dynamic trio will be firing on all cylinders again. And to make things harder, the Buccaneers offensive line finished 2020 ranked in the top 5 for overall O-lines. Brady was only pressured on 24% of his dropbacks which is the 4th best in the NFL. So defenses will have their hands complete if they expect to get to Brady.

Though, this is now history, as we need to move on to the 2021 season. With Tom Brady having just signed a one-year contract extension through the 2022 season, it’s safe to say he will be running the helm. And as mentioned before, we can fully expect those starters to be the week in and week out, guys. However, one important transaction in the offseason was the acquisition of Kyle Trask (Rd 2, pick 24) from the University of Florida. Signing Trask was one of the smarter choices made as this will allow him a chance to work with Tom and develop and show that this team is trying to be contenders in the future. Their other top pick was Joe Tyron (Rd 1, pick 32) from Washington. He is already showing out in camp. Could he be the next Shaq Barrett? And if so, could we be talking about a rookie DPOY candidate? It might be a little early to talk about that, but from what we hear from Bruce Arians (HC), he is “a hard guy to block.”

So wrapping up everything with a nice bow, it’s safe to say I fully expect another super bowl run by the Buccaneers. If you had the right recipe last year and are using the same recipe again this year, why should we expect less? The NFC South will be “weaker” this year (depending on who you talk to) with Drew Brees retiring, which makes their most challenging opponent in the NFC South (New Orleans Saints) much more manageable. And the Buccaneers have the 4th easiest strength of schedule (SOS) according to opponents win percentage of 2020. The 4th easiest SOS and the Buccaneers had the 3rd best offense (PPG) in 2020 with all starters returning? It sounds like 2021 should be rather fun for Buccaneers fans.

Los Angles Chargers vs Los Angles Rams Pre-Season #1

By Zakary Haines

LOS ANGLES- Football has returned to Los Angeles, and what better way to kick off pre-season than with the two teams that call LA home. The Rams and Chargers will face off tonight at 10 pm est making this the latest game of the day. Most of the Rams starters will sit out game one. That includes Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and many more. This makes the Chargers the favorite to win this game. With the spread at +3 for the Rams, this game will mostly be for evaluations and where to make some cuts to the roster. 

The NFL has carried over its COVID flex rules and will make cuts occur on Tuesday for the 2nd season in a row. The Rams will have to cut their roster down to 85 players after Saturday night. This game will be crucial for many players as it is a chance to prove they belong on the 53 man roster for week 1. Here are some groups to look out for on the field for game 1.

Wide Receiver: The Rams have plenty of options to throw to, but who will get the ball is another question. Currently, there are ten listed players in the Wide Receiver position, and trimming it down will be important in the coming weeks. Some players are returning to the team, such as Robert Woods and Connor Kupp, while newer additions such as DeSean Jackson and Van Jefferson will need to carve out a spot for themselves. Considering Matthew Stafford will be the starter in week 1, it is important to find the best hands and talent in this group.

Inside Linebackers: Despite the Rams ranking 1st in defense last year, that does not mean it was perfect. One position of concern is the Inside Linebacker. With the talents of Aaron Donald on the defensive line and Jalen Ramsey at corner, the Rams need a leader to step up in the middle. Expect these guys to go all out in the pre-season with a young mix of Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, Travin Howard, and Kenny Young looking to make the roster and earn the starting role. Young is the favorite to win the spot but is not surprised if another player grabs the spot.

Special Teams: The Rams ranked 30th in special teams last season and were the worst out of all the playoff teams. Significant improvements for this upcoming season are necessary. This first game will help see who may be a good fit on kickoff, punts, and field goals. There will be some competition. Johnny Hekker has been on the team for ten seasons, but Corey Bojorquez is on the roster for a reason. Meanwhile, Matt Gay and Austin MacGinnis will be fighting for the starting kicker position after the Rams moved on from Sam Sloman last season.

There is a lot to improve on from last season. Trading for Matthew Stafford has created a significant buzz and a new drive in the team. It is important to be firing on all cylinders early on in the upcoming season. Overall, this game may not appear necessary, but it starts the final preparations for the regular season for the players and coaches.