Post 25 - Weekly Slant 2/09/2015

Hello! And welcome to my corner!

The NFL preseason is nearly over! The 3rd week of the preseason has wrapped up and the 1st round of cuts ended yesterday, leaving teams with just 75 players. So, naturally, there is plenty of news.

One of the biggest story lines of the preseason has been the various QB battles across the league. A three way battle in Buffalo between Tyrod Taylor, EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel, the battle in Washington between Kirk Cousins, Robert Griffin III and Colt McCoy and the Hard Knocks' face off between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett in Houston. Now, entering week 4 of the preseason we know the winner of all 3 battles.

In Buffalo Rex Ryan decided to give the keys to the offense to Tyrod Taylor, and I think he made the right move. Matt Cassel not only showed very little, is a known commodity. As Dave Dameshek frequently points out, why not roll the dice on a guy with potential? In a business that bases success on wins, go big, take a risk! That's why I like his decision to start Taylor.

Meanwhile, in Houston, Bill O'Brian has done the opposite to Rex Ryan. He's named Brian Hoyer as starter. Though Hoyer is not awful, he isn't going to take a team to the playoffs. Now, Mallett hasn't exactly show that he could, but he is still a prospect who was once highly touted. That said, I think both QB's will have started games by the end of the year.

However, perhaps the most controversial QB decision came from Washington. Kirk Cousins was named the starter over RG3, effectively ending RG3's Redskin tumultuous tenure. Furthermore, RG3 may not even be the Redskins backup, with Colt McCoy firmly in the competition for the position. I think it is very clear now that if RG3 is to have a bounce back season, he needs to be in a different organisation.

Quick Slants:
  • Julio Jones joined Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas in signing a 5-year $70+ million contract extension. If he and Matt Ryan can stay healthy, they can certainly continue to develop into the most formidable QB-WR duo.  
  • Fred Jackson was surprisingly cut by the Buffalo Bills in the first waive of roster cuts. He has since flown to Seattle to negotiate a contract but has yet to get one done.
  • Along with Jackson's shock cut, Tim Jennings was released by the Bears. Like Jackson, he is visiting the Buccaneers, but is without a deal yet.
  • Trent Richardson's NFL career seems to be over. The former 3rd overall pick was cut by the Raiders after failing to show any sort of rejuvenation in the preseason.
  • The UK had a bad couple of days as far as the NFL is concerned. Menelik Watson, the starting right tackle for the Raiders, ruptured his Achilles, ending his season. And Lawrence Okoye was cut by the 49ers.  

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