3rd Preseason Game Observations

[Ziggy]

This turned out well last week. I enjoyed reading everyone's observations, since many of us seem to see games very differently.

1. Elvis is healthy and better than ever. DE suits him just fine.
2. Von Miller will absolutely dominate weak OT's along with Doom.
3. This team still doesn't have a real FB on the roster.
4. Julius Thomas finally showed up in a game. Perhaps he's more than just a practice phenom after all.
5. Most improved player goes to Joe Mays. He took great angles, put pressure on the passer, and was solid in tackling.
6. Knowshon is quicker. The weight loss in the offseason will benefit him greatly if he can stay healthy.
7. Our 2nd string Oline may all end up on the back of milk cartons one day.
8. Tebow is still Tebow with the game on the line. Bad mechanics and all, he just finds a way to get it done when he gets the chance.
9. Clady is healthy and back to being Clady.
10. The defense didn't miss a beat when DJ went out. Woodyard is a solid backup.
11. If you put enough pressure on a QB, great cornerbacks are a luxury, not a neccessity.

[SpringsBroncoFan]

Ah yes but having that great cornerback covering the hot receiver really allows them to pin their ears back and get after it. :)

[threefolddead]

The one thing I really like was our tackling. It's been painful for the past 4 years. Our D has been squarin up to the tackler and puttin shots where they need to be to get the job done, not where it needs to be to make the highlight reel and that tends to make you miss tackles. That is what I really am enjoying seeing!

[Canmore]

This turned out well last week. I enjoyed reading everyone's observations, since many of us seem to see games very differently.

1. Elvis is healthy and better than ever. DE suits him just fine.
2. Von Miller will absolutely dominate weak OT's along with Doom.
3. This team still doesn't have a real FB on the roster.
4. Julius Thomas finally showed up in a game. Perhaps he's more than just a practice phenom after all.
5. Most improved player goes to Joe Mays. He took great angles, put pressure on the passer, and was solid in tackling.
6. Knowshon is quicker. The weight loss in the offseason will benefit him greatly if he can stay healthy.
7. Our 2nd string Oline may all end up on the back of milk cartons one day.
8. Tebow is still Tebow with the game on the line. Bad mechanics and all, he just finds a way to get it done when he gets the chance.
9. Clady is healthy and back to being Clady.
10. The defense didn't miss a beat when DJ went out. Woodyard is a solid backup.
11. If you put enough pressure on a QB, great cornerbacks are a luxury, not a neccessity.

These were two things I was commenting on during the game. Knowshon looks quicker to me. I'm glad someone else agrees. Tebow produced. With the game on the line Tebow took us down to the winning field goal. Kudos to him.

[Broncomarkie]

I'm starting to like the direction the defense is going in...but I know, it's only the preseason

[SOCALORADO.]

1st. Tebow.
Much improved. This was obviously a very important game for him, and i am sure the coaching staff let him know that it was a sort of audition.
Look, heres the thing about preseason games in regards to Tim Tebow.
No one really cares about the outcome of the game. Yeah, sure its good to win, but DET historically would win all their pre season games and then suck all reg season.
What i, and i am sure the coaching staff wanted to see from Tebow is his ability to run the offense completely in all aspects, no matter what play is called, proficiently. Doesnt have to be perfect, but he has to have a capable ability to run the offense in ALL PHASES.
For Tebow, that means under center. I noticed they had him under center for the majority of his plays. I only remember 1, maybe 2 times he was in shotgun.
The coaching staff seemed to purposely call alot of bootleg plays 1st, which got Tebow out of the pocket, and throwing on the run in his 1st couple of drives.
Smart move as this seemed to get him comfortable in a game situation to taking snaps from under center. He looked calm and comfortable. He has alway been solid throwing on the run.
From there, his play-action looked much better as well. He was fluid with it and didnt looked forced. However, he still is totally lost if his 1st read is not open. He still just runs around.
He also began to improvise. By this, i mean he would take the snap from under center, look over at his primary reciever, not like the look of the play, and then turn and bootleg, turning the play into a run!! WTH!?!?!
He doesnt even attempt to stay in the pocket, assess his 2nd and 3rd recieving options look off the safety, and make a throw.
He did however, stay in the pocket much more, and look down field for options. So, he did improve a bit there.
Overall, that was the best i have ever seen Tebow play QB in the NFL.
I dont care about his stats, i dont care about the cheesy run and dump off to Ball at the end to get them into a position to win it, were talking Seattles 3rd stringers here, em kay.
All i care about in regards to Tebow is Tebow. His pocket presence, his footwork, his ability to operate all phases of the offensive playbook and his ability to read the defense.
Still alot to work on, but much improved.

[SOCALORADO.]

2nd, did SEA start Carlson or Miller!?!?

[vandammage13]

My observations:

The Good:
1. 1st team O-line - Orton had all day on a number of throws. Even the few times that the Seahawks got pressure, Orton did a good job for the most part moving around back there. It was against Seattle, but still encouraging.

2. 3rd quarter TD drive - Orton looked great when he was given time (which is usually the case). It showed me that this coaching staff has the ability to make halftime adjustments and get the ball moving after a mostly stagnant 1st half.

3. Orton Grit - On one third down Orton was forced to scramble and he dove for the sticks instead of conceding on the play and sliding. He was still a half yard short of the first down, but it was nice to see the guy finally not give up.

4. Knowshon - This was touched on in a previous post, but I would like to reiterate that Knowshon looked really good running the ball. Seemed to be a little quicker and made something out of nothing on more than one occaision.

5. Tebow's Accuracy - Other than the deep ball that sailed out of bounds, Tebow's passes were on the mark for the most part. Pocket presence is still a work in progress, but despite the recent criticism, I've actually thought Tebow's accuracy has shown some marked improvement. 3 drops hurt his numbers, but most of his passes were at least catchable.

6. Von Doom - (And the rest of the D)...Yes it is Seattle and yes their QB is Tavaris Jackson, but the Defense looked great and the Von Doom combo could be potent enough to get us another couple wins this year.

The Bad:
1. 3 and Outs - I counted four 3 and Outs for the 1st team. I expect our defense to be improved, but not enough to be able to weather the storm of multiple 3 and Outs. Offense has to find a way to have extended drives, even if they don't score. Against a good team, that would have been our demise, but luckily the opponent was Seattle.

2. Short yardage back - Willis McGahee had a bad day running the ball overall in short yardage situations. He did have the TD, but got stopped short of the sticks more than once, including a 4th and short play.

3. Drops - Both Orton and Tebow were victimized by drops. In Tebow's case, most of those guys won't play much if they are on the team at all, so they are not a concern, but the starters dropped a couple too, including one by Royal that cost us a 3rd down conversion.

4. 1st Team 2 Minute Drill - The coaching staff had the confidence to try to get a quick drive together with only a minute to go in the first half, which I like a lot...What I didn't like was that Orton seemed too content on dumping the ball off on easy passes instead of pushing the ball downfield. I know its preseason, but I would like to see Orton take a shot down the field in this situation. The lack of urgency resulted in us only getting an unrealistic shot at a 69 yard FG.

5. 2nd team O-line - Abysmal would be a good description. We might be in trouble if the starting 5 get hit with injuries.

6. #42 - Donte Rosario (I think he's #42 anyway)...watch this guy..He's a bum and I saw him give up or not know what he was doing several times. Cut this guy.

7. Tebow Pass Progression - I'm a Tebow guy, but it is very evident that he looks to run too quickly if the first guy is covered. His Progression reads needs to improve and he needs to be more patient back there. Probably easier said than done considering how bad our backup O-line looks (See #5 above). Still, he hasn't shown marked improvement in this area based on what I've seen. This is probably what is holding him back the most, but on the bright side, this is definitely something that can be improved upon with experience.

[Ziggy]

2nd, did SEA start Carlson or Miller!?!?

I saw Miller in, but he was used mostly for extra pass protection.

[jhildebrand]

No one really cares about the outcome of the game.

Could have fooled me. Xanders was quoted in several places after the Dallas loss, specifically the outcome and how it came about.

[GEM]

Could have fooled me. Xanders was quoted in several places after the Dallas loss, specifically the outcome and how it came about.

I cared. I was pissed when they had Houshka (SP?) go out for the game winning FG. :laugh:

[jhildebrand]

I cared. I was pissed when they had Houshka (SP?) go out for the game winning FG. :laugh:

that was actually a really classy move. I was confused at first. This team isn't going to have two K's on the roster. I am also certain they know they are going to keep Prater despite his recent off field transgression.

Why was it a classy move? :confused:

Because they could have had Prater kick that FG and kept Hauscka off film in a pressure situation to stash him in the event something happened to Prater. The very fact they let him showcase himself in that situation and he made the kick will land him on another team!

VERY VERY CLASSY move by coach John Fox.

[GEM]

that was actually a really classy move. I was confused at first. This team isn't going to have two K's on the roster. I am also certain they know they are going to keep Prater despite his recent off field transgression.

Why was it a classy move? :confused:

Because they could have had Prater kick that FG and kept Hauscka off film in a pressure situation. The very fact they let him showcase himself in that situation and he made the kick will land him on another team!

VERY VERY CLASSY move by coach John Fox.

Oh I know...but I like winning. I saw Hauscka at the Invesco practice and he missed a short one. I just had visions of him missing the kick. :lol: It was really classy, but if he would have missed it, I would have been even more pissed. ;)

[SOCALORADO.]

Could have fooled me. Xanders was quoted in several places after the Dallas loss, specifically the outcome and how it came about.

Uh, oh. Hildy is...

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh5uvqxZJT1qg6pyio1_500.gif

[jhildebrand]

Uh, oh. Hildy is...

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh5uvqxZJT1qg6pyio1_500.gif

I am not pissed. Not at all. I just couldn't let your comment stand as if it were true in any way shape or form or even the least bit accurate.

The fact is when teams are losing and trying to change a culture you often hear from GMs, Owners, FO types talking about changing the culture and making an emphasis to win even in the preseason. Xanders was very adamant that the result of the Dallas game very much mattered.

Your TT comments, I didn't even bother. They are skewed from what seems to be a made up mind.

[I Eat Staples]

I lost power due to the hurricane here so I didn't get to see the game. I did see the 1st quarter and Von looked like a beast yet again. I'm really glad to hear Clady looked good, he's one of the best LTs in the game when healthy. I'm also pleasantly surprised to hear Mays had a good game, but my gut is telling me it was a fluke.

Julius Thomas is really athletic and I love his upside, if the coaches can teach him how to play football he can be a legitimate receiving threat.

[Canmore]

I lost power due to the hurricane here so I didn't get to see the game. I did see the 1st quarter and Von looked like a beast yet again. I'm really glad to hear Clady looked good, he's one of the best LTs in the game when healthy. I'm also pleasantly surprised to hear Mays had a good game, but my gut is telling me it was a fluke.

Julius Thomas is really athletic and I love his upside, if the coaches can teach him how to play football he can be a legitimate receiving threat.

We had a Hall of Fame tight end here who was a project. I don't think he really learned how to block until there were rumors that Shanahan was trying to trade him iirc. Hopefully Thomas learns quickly. He certainly seems to have talent, but time will tell.