There’s still one game left on the Week 1 preseason schedule (Jets vs. Texans tonight), but I’ve let these thoughts marinate for long enough. Here are some quick-hit observations from Week 1’s NFL preseason games.

- Jake Locker turned in the best performance of any rookie quarterback in Week 1. Locker was solid in the Titans’ preseason win over the Vikings on Saturday, completing 7-of-10 passes for 89 yards and a 45-yard touchdown to Yamon Figurs. Granted, he did fumble once and took a sack, but the key is that he looked poised and confident in the pocket. The Titans aren’t paying Matt Hasselbeck $7 million to sit the bench, so don’t count on Locker unseating the veteran this season. But the rook looks good early.

- Speaking of rookies, Julio Jones looks like the real deal. It’s way too early to know if the Falcons will receive a good return on their big investment from the 2011 draft, but Jones looks fantastic thus far. In his preseason debut against the Dolphins, both of his receptions went for 20-plus yards and he added one rush for 12 yards on an end-around. He basically affirmed what everyone has been saying: that he doesn’t look like a rookie. Again, it’s early, but the Falcons have to be thrilled with what they’ve seen.

- The Bears still have issues on their offensive line. Simply put, GM Jerry Angelo has not done a good enough job building his offensive line over the years. He has missed in the draft (Chris Williams), he has missed in free agency (Orlando Pace), and now he better hope that guys like J’Marcus Webb and Greg Carimi can settle in to their respective positions before quarterback Jay Cutler gets killed. The Bears gave up nine sacks in their win over the Bills on Saturday night, including four by the first-team unit. Granted, Caleb Hanie held onto the ball too long on multi occasions, which contributed to a couple of the sacks. But the bottom line is that Chicago’s offensive line looks poised to hold the Bears back in 2011.

- Shawne Merriman could be ready to resurrect his career in Buffalo. Of the nine sacks that the Bills recorded against the Bears on Saturday night, three of them came from Merriman. He absolutely abused J’Marcus Webb on a consistent basis, using the combination of speed, power and technique that made him popular in San Diego early in his career. He has always been a motivated player, so if he’s completely healthy he could be one of the few stars in Buffalo this season.

- The Panthers clearly want Cam Newton to start. Jimmy Clausen started Saturday night against the Giants, but Newton entered the game in the second quarter and played into the fourth. Ron Rivera hasn’t made the announcement yet, but Newton figures to start the Panthers’ second preseason game. As long as he looks respectable and isn’t a complete disaster, I think we’ll be seeing Newton as the starter come Week 1 against the Cardinals.

- Colt McCoy looks like a perfect fit for Pat Shurmur’s offense. Because they have an entirely new coaching staff and there’s so little time for the players to get up to speed before the regular season starts, the Browns could be one of those teams that is drastically affected by the lockout. Then again, if McCoy plays as well in the regular season as he did in his first preseason game, the Browns may actually be more competitive than people think. McCoy completed 9-of-10 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown versus Green Bay and while the game was meaningless in the standings, it was hard not to be impressed with the second-year QB’s play. He looked like he had been running Shurmur’s offense for two years – not two months. He’s a perfect fit for the West Coast scheme and thus far, Cleveland fans have to be cautiously excited about his development.

- It looks like Ted Thompson has struck draft gold again. Rookie Randall Cobb caught three passes for 60 yards in the Packers’ preseason opener on Saturday. He also racked up 58 yards on two kick returns, impressing the team with his speed and quickness. Aaron Rodgers could have yet another weapon in his passing arsenal this season.

- It wasn’t surprising to see the Vikings’ offense struggle as much as it did in Week 1. Minnesota fans seem eager about the potential that this unit has, which is understandable. With guys like Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and now Donovan McNabb on that side of the ball, the Vikes’ O has the chance to be explosive this season. But it will take some time before everyone is on the same page with new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. Plus, while McNabb may be familiar with the West Coast Offense, it’ll take time before he gels with his receivers in this offense. Both of his series on Saturday ended in punts and his average pass didn’t travel past four yards. Fans might see more of that this preseason as McNabb and the rest of the Vikings’ offense gets acquainted with Musgrave’s system.

- It’ll take time before Sam Bradford is comfortable in Josh McDaniels’ system. Bradford was a little shaky in the Rams’ preseason opener on Saturday, completing 7-of-12 passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. He had great chemistry with tight end Lance Kendricks, but it was clear that Bradford will need a couple of games to play with confidence in McDaniels’ system.

It’s official: Shawne Merriman is no longer a Charger after the team waived him on Tuesday.

Merriman, who passed his physical and is apparently healthy after dealing with calf and Achilles injuries for most of the year, must clear waivers before teams can bid on his services. The early indications are that the Dolphins, 49ers and Ravens could be interested in the outside ‘backer.

The Ravens would be an interesting choice because they could use another pass-rusher and Merriman could sit back and learn from guys like Ray Lewis. It’s veteran-led team that will certainly compete for a playoff spot this year (barring injuries, of course), so maybe Merriman would accept a third down role in order to be a part of a winner. Then, after the season, he and his agent could try to coax some team into giving him a multi-year deal (assuming he performs this year).

The Patriots would seemingly be a good fit for Merriman too, although that team never does what anyone thinks its going to do so who knows. They could definitely use a pass-rusher though.

It’ll be interesting to see if anyone takes a flier on the 26-year-old now that he’s supposedly healthy.

Update: The Bills acquired Merriman off waivers according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He won’t play in Week 9, however.

Shawne Merriman’s career with the San Diego Chargers is finished. The team placed him on injured reserve with a minor injury designation, which means they have to release him once he’s officially healthy.

With this being the eventual outcome, Chargers’ GM Alex Smith was wise not to give Merriman a new contract this offseason. Not that he was going to give into Merriman’s contract demands anyway. Despite the linebacker’s three-time Pro Bowl status, Smith wasn’t going to give the injury-prone Merriman a new deal when he hasn’t been productive in nearly three years.

The question now becomes: once he’s released, will any team take a flier on him? Even if he’s deemed healthy enough to be released, he probably won’t be 100% for the rest of the year, which means the market could be completely bare for him in a couple of weeks.

One team that may make him an offer is the Patriots, who have an obvious need for a pass rusher and who also play the 3-4 alignment that suits Merriman’s skill set. There haven’t been any connections to Merriman and New England yet, but then again it’s still early and it’s not Bill Belichick’s style to reveal his team’s future intentions.

Another team that may be interested is the Saints, who also have a need for a pass rusher and could use the upgrade at linebacker. Even though they play a 4-3, Gregg Williams is known for his innovative schemes and he could certainly put together a game play fits Merriman’s pass-rushing ability.

Again though, he’s not healthy and hasn’t been in two years. One team that has already said they’re not interested is the Cardinals, who would like to add depth at outside linebacker but they don’t want to take on the injury risk. It makes you wonder how many other teams feel the same way.

On paper, the AFC West is definitely one of the weaker divisions in football. The Chargers remain the team to beat, while the Broncos are just trying to make it to their opener without losing another starter to injury.

But the West usually produces a surprise or two along the way (i.e. Denver last year), so don’t count out the Broncos, Raiders or Chiefs before the season starts. All three of those teams come with some glaring weaknesses, but it’s not like the Chargers are the picture of perfection.

Here’s how I see things shaking out in the AFC West in 2010. Be sure to check out the link entitled “2010 Question Mark” under each team’s preview, which is a breakdown of one or two potential weaknesses that could derail that squad’s hopes this season. (If the links aren’t available now for some teams, check back because they will be before the season starts.)

1. Chargers

What to Like: After finishing fifth in the league in passing yards per game (271.1) in 2009, the Chargers should once again be explosive through the air. Losing Vincent Jackson is a major blow, but adding a pass-catching back like Ryan Mathews in the draft was a nice coup. Philip Rivers returns after compiling a 104.4 QB rating last season and developing into one of the best signal callers in the game. Again, the loss of Jackson hurts, but Malcolm Floyd is ready for a breakout campaign, Antonio Gates returns as one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the NFL and the team recently acquired Patrick Crayton from the Cowboys. Brandyn Dombrowski has also looked good filling in for Marcus McNeill, who continues to holdout while seeking a new contract. Defensively, free safety Eric Weddle is coming off a great ’09 season, while Shaun Phillips and Stephen Cooper remain steady at their linebacker positions.
What Not to Like: Is there anybody left that GM A.J. Smith hasn’t pissed off? This team managed to lose its top wideout and is close to watching its best offensive tackle (McNeill) holdout well into the season. Defensively, Shawne Merriman is back but who knows how productive he’ll be after a poor showing in ’09, while Larry English failed to impress last season as well (albeit as a rookie). The defensive line lost their top run-stuffer when Jamal Williams was released and Luis Castillo has been living off his reputation for the last two years. The entire defensive line, in fact, is arguably this team’s biggest weakness. The secondary, outside of Weddle, has a ton of question marks as well.
Keep Your Eye On: Malcolm Floyd
The 28-year-old out of Wyoming will finally have his opportunity to shine now that Jackson is gone (or rather, not playing). He’s been Rivers’ favorite target so far this offseason after finishing fourth in the league last year in yards-per-catch average. If he can build off the nine-catch, 140-yard performance he had in Week 17 last year (while Jackson was out), then Floyd could be another dangerous weapon in the Chargers’ arsenal.
The Final Word: If there were another team in this division that I thought had a remote chance of overtaking the Chargers, I would probably have them winning the division. But because the West is so weak this year, the Bolts should have no problems winning 10-plus games and claiming the division again, even though they have a several weaknesses heading into the new season. Whether or not they advance in the playoffs is another story. The key is Rivers, who is an exceptional talent that has proven he can carry this team during the regular season. But the playoffs are a different animal – he’s going to need help and while Mathews looks like he has all the tools to make him a solid young player, relying on a rookie is always a dangerous proposition. Defensively, this team has way too many question marks and unless guys like Merriman or English step up, I think they’re going to struggle at every level this year. A division crown looks to be on the horizon, but so does another one-and-done showing in the postseason.

San Diego Chargers 2010 NFL Question Mark: Defensive Line

2. Broncos

What to Like: Say what you will about Kyle Orton, but the guy looked great in preseason and has a full year of Josh McDaniels’ system under his belt. He may not be the flashiest quarterback in the league, but he’s efficient and that’s what McDaniels’ offense calls for. He’ll also have a set of good possession receivers in Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal to throw to, plus a dangerous pass-catcher out of the backfield in second-year player Knowshon Moreno. Defensively, the additions of Jamal Williams (one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league over the past decade) and Justin Bannan gives Denver a massive upgrade along the D-line and the secondary boasts two players that are still at the top of their game in corner Champ Bailey and safety Brian Dawkins.
What Not to Like: The pass rush took an enormous hit when outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil (who led the league in sacks last season) was lost for the year when he tore a pectoral muscle earlier this offseason. It doesn’t matter how good the secondary is if the quarterback knows he has all day to find a receiver. The pass-rush affects every level of the defense and without one, a team is asking for trouble. Offensively, the Broncos got rid of off-field headache Brandon Marshall but they also traded away their best playmaker. If this offseason is any indication, rookie Demaryius Thomas isn’t going to make much of an impact, which means Gaffney and Royal will be counted on to make a couple of big plays in the passing game. Can they do that? The interior of the offensive line will need to step up their performance after struggling last year, especially with tackle Ryan Clady missing most of the offseason due to an injury.
Keep Your Eye On: Knowshon Moreno
If this kid can stay healthy he’s going to be the Broncos’ best playmaker. All eyes are on rookie Tim Tebow this season (even though he’s a backup and will probably only be used in special packages barring an injury to Orton), but Moreno has the best opportunity to make the biggest impact in both the running and passing games.
The Final Word: I would love to move either the Chiefs or Raiders up to this spot – I’m dying to, in fact. But the bottom line is that even without Dumervil and Marshall, the Broncos are still a better overall team. Yeah they’re going to struggle, but if Orton plays as well as he did in the preseason and Moreno can stay healthy, the offense should be better than people think. But without a true playmaker at wideout (save for Thomas, who still has plenty of time to turn around a slow start if he can get healthy) and a pass rush on defense, this team isn’t going anywhere. They’ll be lucky to win eight games again.

Denver Broncos 2010 Question Mark: Pass Rush

3. Chiefs

What to Like: Even though Matt Cassel failed to impress last season in his first year with the Chiefs, Charlie Weis was hired as the team’s new playcaller and we all know Weis’ track record for success (uh, in the NFL). Cassel also has a couple of solid pieces around him in running backs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, as well as receivers Dwayne Bowe (who hopefully doesn’t get held back by Cassel), Chris Chambers and rookie Dexter McCluster. Defensively, the secondary is by far the strength of the unit. Thanks to Brandon Carr, Brandon Flowers and 2010 first round pick Eric Berry, the Chiefs have the makings of a great young defensive backfield. Tamba Hali has also transitioned well from being a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker and could be the next Elvis Dumervil.
What Not to Like: Cassel must improve his fundamentals (namely his throwing motion) and decision-making if the Chiefs are ever going to see a return on their 2009 investment (i.e. a second round pick and $63 million). Unfortunately, Cassel isn’t expected to have much help up front, as Brandon Albert continues to struggle at left tackle (and why shouldn’t he seeing how he was a guard in college?) and Ryan O’Callaghan can’t stop edge rushers. Defensively, Tyson Jackson was a massive disappointment as a rookie last year and Glenn Dorsey (who isn’t a fit in the 3-4) continues on his path to bustville. At linebacker, former first round pick Derrick Johnson can’t get out of Todd Haley’s doghouse and is being pushed by Demorrio Williams at inside linebacker. Jovan Belcher looks to have the upper hand on Corey Mays, but he hasn’t won a starting job yet either. It’s never a good sign when a team hasn’t named its starting inside linebackers heading into a new season.
Keep Your Eye on: Dexter McCluster
I don’t know what kind of opportunities he’ll have in Weis’ offense, but McCluster is lighting in a bottle. At 5’8” and 170 pounds, there’s some concern that he won’t be able to stand up to the pounding playing in the NFL, but there’s no doubt that the rookie is explosive when he gets the ball in his hands. Hopefully he’ll get a chance to show what he can do in the Chiefs’ offense this year and he could be dangerous in the slot.
The Final Word: The West is weak but I don’t think KC is quite ready to take advantage yet. There are a slew of young players that need to prove themselves this year, starting with Cassel. Haley hired Weis specifically to transform Cassel into a quality starting quarterback and so far there haven’t been many signs that point to him breaking out. If he struggles this season, the Chiefs may be looking for another quarterback in 2011. Defensively, unless guys like Jackson, Dorsey and Johnson stop under performing, then we’re not going to see how good this young secondary can be. Just going off potential, this team could finish as high as second in the division. But we can’t go off potential in the NFL, now can we?

4. Raiders

What to Like: The Raiders are starting to build some consistency on the defensive side of the ball and shouldn’t be as bad as people think. Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly and Matt Shaughnessy are coming off good 2009 campaigns, while long-time Jaguar John Henderson was signed this offseason to provide depth at the tackle position. The team also added former first round pick Kamerion Wimbley (who has largely been a disappointment so far in his career, but could benefit from a change of scenery – albeit in Oakland) in a trade with the Browns and selected promising middle linebacker Rolando McClain in the first round of April’s draft. In the secondary, Nnamdi Asomugha will keep quarterback’s up at night and Chris Johnson held his own after struggling early in ‘09. Michael Huff will probably never live up to his draft status, but at least he proved to be a productive piece on Oakland’s defense last season. Offensively, the unit is littered with potential (Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Chaz Schilens, Zach Miller, Louis Murphy) and finally got a player in Jason Campbell that will provide some consistency at the quarterback position.
What Not to Like: The offensive line is still a mess. Robert Galley has made a nice transition from tackle to guard, but he struggles staying healthy and there’s little to no depth behind him. Mario Henderson was one of the worst tackles in football last year and there are questions at nearly every other position. As mentioned above, the Raiders have plenty of talent at the skill positions, but they either under perform (Heyward-Bey) or can’t stay healthy (McFadden, Bush, Schilens). Murphy is a player to watch for this season, but he has to improve on the seven drops he had from a year ago. Defensively, this team needs a better nickel back then Stanford Routt and could use another pass rusher as well. If Wimbley fails to produce, then the secondary could be left in coverage for a long time.
Keep Your Eye On: Darren McFadden
The time is now for McFadden. Bush is expected to miss at least a quarter of the season after having thumb surgery, which means McFadden will have every opportunity to shine in Oakland’s offense. His line won’t do him any favors, but if he can stay healthy then he’s going to be Campbell’s best friend in 2010.
The Final Word: I contemplated putting the Raiders above the Chiefs, but in the end it’s a wash. They’re both going to struggle this year, so don’t get caught up in who I predicted third and who I predicted fourth. Adding Campbell was a great move by Al Davis (actually, dumping JaMarcus Russell was a great move – getting a competent quarterback in Campbell to run the offense was just smart), but he’s going to be reminded of his days in Washington thanks to Oakland’s O-line. That said, I love what the Raiders did this offseason and I applaud Davis for finally making some intelligent decisions. With only four playoff teams on this year’s schedule and the opportunity to play the rest of the AFC West, this team could win six games this year. But obviously I still think it’s going to be a losing season in Oakland.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Shawne Merriman’s new agent met for two hours on Thursday with Charger GM A.J. Smith and chief negotiator Ed McGuire. Given Tom Condon’s (Merriman’s former agent) poor relationship with Smith, this is a good sign for the linebacker as he pursues a long-term deal.

“We had a meeting with David that was very productive and enlightening on a number of fronts,” Smith said. “Regarding Shawne, I told him we are open-minded regarding his situation. We have many other player situations to ponder in the year ahead.”

It is all but certain that in Thursday’s meeting the parties addressed the Chargers’ attempts to trade Merriman and the likelihood of a contract extension now and in the future.

Merriman, like many restricted free agents caught in the NFL’s labor strife, is unhappy with the fact he received a one-year tender offer.

Additionally, the three-time Pro Bowler is disenchanted with the fact Smith has no plans to give him a long-term contract.

If it were up to the Chargers, they would love to see Merriman play on his one-year tender and then reassess the situation after the 2010 season. A serious knee injury limited him in 2008 and when he returned last year, he struggled while only posting four sacks.

It doesn’t make sense for the Bolts to sign Merriman to a long-term deal not knowing how productive he’s going to be in the future – especially considering they drafted his eventual replacement in Larry English last year. That said, if Merriman turns out to be the player he was in his first three years, then the team risks upsetting him and him moving on after the season.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/21/progress-shown-in-merriman-contract-talks/feed/ 1 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/18/are-the-chargers-taking-the-right-approach-with-shawne-merrimans-contract-situation/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/18/are-the-chargers-taking-the-right-approach-with-shawne-merrimans-contract-situation/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 18:20:45 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=39812

The NFL has always been a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league and Shawne Merriman is currently being reminded of that.

In his first three seasons, Merriman posted 188 tackles, 39.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles. But after undergoing major knee surgery before the 2008 season, his numbers have expectedly dropped off. He essentially didn’t play in ’08 and then struggled last year while bouncing back from the injury.

In his last six regular season games, plus his start against the Jets in the playoffs last year, Merriman has zero sacks. He has just one forced fumble in his last 28 starts and finished with only 36 tackles in 14 games last season. While two injury-plagued/unproductive seasons don’t erase three stellar years of service, it’s not unreasonable that the Bolts are holding off on giving Merriman a long-term deal.

No one can fault Merriman for seeking a multi-year contract, especially considering his career has already been threatened once by an injury. Players want the comfort of knowing they’re set up long-term and you can’t hold it against Merriman that’s trying to parlay the success he had in his first three years into a new deal.

That said, you can’t blame the Chargers for wanting to keep him hungry, either. If they paid him now, he may or may not strive to produce. But if they keep that long-term contract carrot dangling in front of him, they know they’re going to get his best effort next season. If he plays well and he moves on next year, then at least they got one last productive season out of him and they already drafted his potential replacement last year in Larry English. If he plays well and wants to stay, then they can feel better about investing in him long-term. If he struggles and has a down year, then they don’t have to commit to him. That might be an unfair scenario for Merriman, but the NFL has always been a business.

Again, I don’t blame Merriman for being upset about his current situation. But what is he going to do? This is the spot he finds himself in and all that’s left is for him to prove that he deserves a long-term deal – whether that’s in San Diego or elsewhere.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/18/are-the-chargers-taking-the-right-approach-with-shawne-merrimans-contract-situation/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/12/did-the-saints-attempt-a-trade-for-merriman/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/12/did-the-saints-attempt-a-trade-for-merriman/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 16:58:37 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=39473

The San Diego Tribune reports that the Chargers were in discussions with the Saints and two other teams during last month’s draft regarding a possible trade involving linebacker Shawne Merriman. But the report states that a deal could not be reached because Merriman’s former agent, Tom Condon, was seeking too much money for his client in terms of a contract extension.

But despite the report, the New Orleans Times-Picayune denied that the Saints were ever involved. They agree that a trade for Merriman would have meant signing him to a sizable long-term deal, but the Saints have been clear that they’re not looking to spend big money on any player right now.

The rumor makes sense on the surface. The Saints have a definite need at outside linebacker, especially after Jerry Hughes (a player that they had targeted entering the draft) didn’t fall to them with the No. 32 pick. (He went one spot before to the Colts.) New Orleans settled (for lack of a better word) on Florida State’s Patrick Robinson, who now joins a crowded cornerback corps that also features 2009 first rounder Malcolm Jenkins.

That said, it makes sense that the Saints don’t want to spend a ton of money a year after winning the Super Bowl. Winning teams usually concentrate on keeping their main core of players intact, while also making subtle upgrades through the draft and free agency. Trading for a player such as Merriman and signing him to a lucrative contract extension doesn’t make much sense – especially considering he struggled last year while trying to bounce back from knee surgery.

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