Frank Mazzola

Everyone who watches football knows that you can’t put too much stock into pre-season games. Teams are trying new plays and basically exploring their potential in a consequence-free environment. Not to mention that, once you get to the second half, you’re watching a bunch of players who will most likely be cut before the season starts and will be bagging groceries at your local supermarket.

However, I believe you can glean a little indication of the state of your team by watching pre-season games. Here are my thoughts:

- The velocity with which Brett Favre throws the ball adds the exact element that the Jets offense has been missing.  He gunned his first pass to Jericho Cotchery and executed a play which would have undoubtedly gone incomplete had Chad Pennington attempted to squeeze the ball in there.  Ditto for the touchdown pass to Dustin Keller.  (By the way, who else held their breath when Favre was sacked?)

- The Jets are still not generating much of a pass rush.  By my count, they only seriously pressured Washington QB Jason Campbell twice.  They will certainly be burned by better quarterbacks than Campbell if this keeps up.

- RB Thomas Jones played better.  He hit the holes with more authority and exhibited a burst which he was missing the last game.  You have to think he was thrilled with the Favre signing as defenses will no longer be keying on him.

- LB Eric Barton did a fantastic job sniffing out a screen pass in the red zone.  Foiling plays like this are going to be crucial for the Jets and, if they can consistently execute them, they will be much harder to score against.

- Cotchery took a huge hit in the first quarter but managed to hold onto the ball.  Considering the Jets already have one of the leagues toughest receivers in Laveranues Coles, it’s an encouraging sign that Cotchery might be on the verge of joining him in that respect.

- The Run Defense is still getting gashed far too often for my taste.  Washington is hardly one of the most dominating run offenses in the league and yet, at times, they ran the ball at will.  A definite red flag that needs to be addressed in a hurry.

- Granted, Kellen Clemens was sabotaged by his receivers, who dropped multiple passes.  However, it is my opinion that he lacks confidence these days.  Perhaps the combination of Favre replacing him and the emergence of Brett Ratliff (who had another strong performance last night) has adversely affected his mental toughness.  I am a big Clemens fan and I feel it’s in the team’s best interests that he regains the mojo he had earlier in the preseason.

- LB Vernon Gholston was more noticeable this week.  It seems as though the rookie is making strides in his attempt to acclimate to the speed of the pro game.  He also appears to be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, determined to refute the reputation that he sometimes takes plays off.

Analysis:  With Brett Favre at the helm, the offense is showing signs of becoming dynamic.  The main problems with the team is still the defense.  I’ll be very interested to see what sort of adjustments they make when they take on the World Champion NY Giants next week.

Frank Mazzola

Everyone who watches football knows that you can’t put too much stock into pre-season games. Teams are trying new plays and basically exploring their potential in a consequence-free environment. Not to mention that, once you get to the second half, you’re watching a bunch of players who will most likely be cut before the season starts and will be bagging groceries at your local supermarket.

However, I believe you can glean a little indication of the state of your team by watching pre-season games. Here are my thoughts:

- Kellen Clemens still needs to improve his footwork.  He rarely looked comfortable in the pocket in his short stint.

- Thomas Jones looked a little hesitant on his runs but showcased his pass catching ability on a nice screen play in the 1st quarter.

- Justin Miller appeared rusty in his first action since last September, something that was not unexpected.  However, both he and Darrelle Revis will need to pick things up fast because the Jets will face a couple of better passing offenses than Cleveland this season.

- NT Kris Jenkins was active and looked good clogging the interior of the line.  New York needs him to stay healthy this year.

- Eric Barton showed quick hands on his interception.  His development at LB will be important to the team’s success.

- If David Clowney can consistently perform like he did last night, he’s got a great chance to be the downfield threat that the offense has lacked.

- Chansi Stuckey made a couple of tough grabs in traffic.  I’d really like to see more of this young man.

- I didn’t notice Vernon Ghoulston all that much, but I’m hoping he’ll continue to improve as he gets acclimated to the speed of the pro game.

Overall:  Not a bad showing for a team that is trying to mesh a lot of new pieces in a hurry.  It will be very interesting to see how Brett Favre runs this offense.

Lee Tremblay

Ok, so Favre is a Jet now! BRETTY AND THE JETS!

As most of you know by now, I have been very vocal about the subject. As such, I would like to clarify my stance on the subject, and move on to better things. By better things, I mean the Raiders!

I do not hate Brett Favre! Some people might think that I do, but the fact is, I don’t. I have never met Brett Favre. I have never spoken with him, and I know next to nothing about him on a personal level. That said, I cannot judge him, or his beliefs, or gauge whether or not the two of us would get along.

I do, however, dislike what he has done over the last couple years. I don’t like the indecisiveness, and the way he went about trying to get back into the NFL. I do not believe that it is fair to the team, when they do not know which direction that you are going, year after year, causing their draft days to be clouded with doubt. I do not like it when you come to a decision, only to change your mind, and expect your team, to take you back with open arms. Then to allow a media circus to ensue, due to stating your intentions and opinions publically. This entire issue, sould have been delt with behind closed doors, with no information given to the media. Let the media dig, and come up with their own conclusions, but do not confirm, nor deny them. Just say nothing, until the pieces of the puzzle are in place.

That said, I wish Brett Favre all the best in New York, because he is most definately going to need it.

The New York Jets. When I first heard that the Jets were interested in Brett, I thought that it was a bad idea. It was within my belief that they would have to give up much more then what they did to get him. After hearing of the deal they made, I say, good for you New York Jets.

They gave up a 4th round pick, that could be as high as a first round choice. If it ends up a number one pick, that means Brett brought them to the superbowl, which is great for the jets. If not, they will most likely miss out on the playoffs, but play Brett for more then 50% of the games, and they will lose a third round pick. BIG DEAL. He is a lot better then the other QBs on the team, and he will at the very least give the Jets an idea of what they are going to have to work on, in the rest of their game. He will take the focus off the other players, and bring in a great deal of sales revenue. All good things. All for a draft pick. And lets not forget, the Jets are not that far removed from a great season that brought them to the playoffs.

I say the 4-12 Jets of 2007, will be a 8-8 team of 2008, with a better knowledge of where their holes are.

The Green Bay Packers. I have said it all along, and I will say it again. Good for the Green Bay Packers. They gave Brett the chance to be the guy once again this year. He retired. They put a new plan in motion. They entrusted their team to Aaron Rodgers, and told him he was the guy. They were told that Brett wanted back, and they made it clear from the start, that Rodgers was the guy, and if he wanted back, he would be a backup. They tried to trade him. They protected themselves by not letting Brett go and play for a division rival, and then they traded him to a team in the opposite confrence. They made their mistakes, but they stuck to their guns, and did what they thought was best for their team, and we will find out if they are right very soon. I for one hope that Rodgers is everything that they want him to be.

So thats it for me, and writing about Brett Favre and this entire situation (except for comments of course). It was fun, and I for one am happy about the way it resolved.

Bye Brett.

Hello Raiders!

Preseason starts tomorrow night at 7pm pacific, 10 pm eastern. The game will be held at McAfee stadium against the cross bay rival San Fransisco 49ers.

Things to note.

 Do not expect a long game for key players, and veteran players, such as Jamarcus Russell, Justin Fargas, Javon Walker, Robert Gallery, Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Nnamdi Asomugha, and others.

The majority of QB time will be had by Walter and Tuiasosopo. And I for one am expecting Walter to shine!

Their will be a good amount of time given to Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. Coach Kiffin needs to see what kind of reaction McFadden will give, when hit at the NFL level. He will also need to gauge the status of Bush and that injured knee.

The Raiders defense is pretty much set, so look for a lot of rest given to the clear starters. As for the positions to watch, it will be at the linebacker position and on the line. Specifically the defensive tackle position and the outside linebacker position. There is quite a large number of LBs and it will be hard to dwindle that number down to the few that will make this team. It will also be interesting to see how the coaching staff plays the defensive tackles. There is Tommy Kelly, William Joseph, Terdell Sands, Gerard Warren and Josh Shaw, all fighting for those top two spots. Stopping the run will be goal number one for all of them.

Their are a number of concerns on offense, but none more glairing then at the wide recievers position. There may not be a great number of clear stars within that role, but there are quite a lot of guys to sift through. Walker and Curry are not going to get a lot of time out there, and Drew Carter is a little banged up, so he won’t see much time either. That will leave a large portion of the game to be filled with guys like Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jonathan Holland, Chaz Schillens, Arman Shields and Todd Watkins. Take a good look at Todd Watkins and Arman Shields, because the two of them have been lighting it up in training camp.

I wouldn’t expect a lot of fieldgoal kicks or even a lot of punts, because those two spots are already set. The Raiders will be better off seeing what they can do in fourth down situations, and playing defense starting close to their own goal.

Another interesting thing to note will be where the raiders line up Fred Wakefield. He is listed as a TE, but he started in the league as a defensive lineman, then went to the offensive line, and now tightend. I believe that he will split time on the O-line and at TE, but I would guess that simply knowing all positions will be the goal for the coaching staff. By having a guy on the team that can play a couple different places, takes the number of guys you need in those positions down. Which makes me wonder if rookie Trevor Scott will be used at DE exclusively, or tried at DE, LB and maybe TE, which is his original position.

I expect this to be a very entertaining game, as it will be the first in a long time, and heak, any football is good football. I will guess that the Raiders will win this one, and in dissisive fashion.

My stars of the game will be Andrew Walter and Todd Watkins.

Let the games begin!!

Tremblay