New Year, Same Story...
It appears that the Chiefs are back on the quarterback carousel after new quarterback Matt Cassel went down with a sprained MCL this weekend. Cassel, who signed a lucrative $40 million contract in the offseason, is expected to miss three to four weeks and may not be available for their sept 13th season opener. Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Coyle are expected to vie for the starting position while Cassel is out.
Looking to Repeat...
The defending Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are looking downright dangerous. Both sides of the ball were represented expertly in Saturdays 17-0 win over the Buffalo Bills. Big Ben Roethlisberger was in mid-season form, tossing scrambling darts one after another while James Farrior took an interception to the house. The story of the pre-season for the champs is that they appeared to have filled in the weaknesses of a season ago and with a soft schedule, look to dominate.
Fitting in...
The Bears and Broncos met Sunday in as hyped a preseason game as you can get with the quarterback swap still present in both teams minds. Jay Cutler, traded from the Broncos, looked sharp as he led the Bears to three scoring drives while Kyle Orton, the former Bear signal caller, looked lost and eventually injured as he cut his finger to cut short an uninspiring performance.
Why Again?
The New England Patriots, fresh off another shoulder injury scare for Tom Brady, informed their number 2 signal caller, Kevin O'Connell, that his services are no longer needed. O'Connell, the Patriots 3rd round pick from a year ago, has had a miserable pre-season, going 12 of 26 for 108 yards and 2 interceptions. The release of O'Connell leaves the Pats with recent pickup Andrew Walter and undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer vieing for the number 2 job.
In other Patriots news, the heart of the Patriots defense, LB Tedy Bruschi, is set to announce his retirement Monday after 13 seasons in the NFL. Bruschi is best remembered for his return to the Patriots starting line-up 8 months after having a stroke.
And the Starter is...
Well, no starter has been named yet for the Cleveland Browns but after Brady Quinn's performance Saturday, it's only a matter of time. His 11-15 for 128 yds and a score was the best either of the Browns QB's could muster this pre-season and should be enough to get him the nod.
