Follow on Twitter @cimini

Friday’s free play comes in the NFL Network telecast of the Patriots vs the Eagles. You typically do not see this type of depth at quarterback on teams anymore. Philadelphia has Matt Barkley as it’s third string quarterback. Many believe he would have been a top ten pick if he would of declared for the NFL draft as a junior. The battle for the starting job will be between veteran Mike Vick and last year’s Eagles backup Nick Foles. Over in New England they still have the safe backup in Ryan Mallet along with the media tabloid sensation Tim Tebow. Brady has no worries there, but the spotlight will be on his backups after Brady’s limited action.

Vegas has the Eagles as a three point favorite, and I’m going to take the opposite of this. New England’s backups are in a non-stress type of situation. Sure Tebow will have his performance glorified good or bad, but just a few years ago he was getting the same scrutiny as a starter in Denver. He knows how to handle the situation and should perform fine against the Eagles second and third stringers. Mallet has had good preseasons and should carry that over.

Where I put my focus on is on the Eagles quarterback situation. There is pressure on all three to showcase Chip Kelly’s offense. They know that they are being rated on each snap and the way they move the football. Vick knows this could be his last season in Philadelphia and Foles is trying to win a job. Barkley will likely get the last quarter and a half. He has just as much to prove after USC’s humiliating season that ended with Barkley missing the final few games to a shoulder injury.

Three points is plenty for me to take in this situation.

Follow @cimini

Defenses typically are able to hinder offenses when it comes to preseason football, and is largely the reason why preseason totals are so low. The variance of totals is also due to the fact of second and third string quarterbacks stepping onto the field after only a few series by the starters. In case you missed some of the preseason action Thursday, here is quick recap of the starting quarterbacks and how they did on their few series on the field.

Most Impressive: Philip Rivers
It wasn’t the stats that jumped out from Philip Rivers, it was his attitude and leadership. He completed five of six throws and led the Chargers to a field goal drive in his short action. He was enthusiastic and appears to have shed some body fat percentage as he looks leaner. With a new head coach and offensive coordinator in Ken Whisenhunt, Rivers may finally be rejuvenated.

Losers: Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, and Josh Freeman
Peyton only played a series so I won’t be highly critical of his few throws on the field. The series did not last long and he ended it with a third down hurried throw under pressure that fell short while he was hit. Russell Wilson on the other hand was up to his old tricks of scrambling outside the pocket. That worked a year ago but it may be more difficult for him now that teams know his strengths. When it came to throwing the football he struggled to hit his receivers. Once again Wilson was only on the field briefly but it was a poor grade for the Seahawks first string offense. Freeman’s woes have carried over to the start of another season. He’ll need to show some signs of improvement quickly or the Buccaneers will lean in another direction before this season is over.

Impressive Second/Third Tier Quarterbacks: Kirk Cousins, Sam Bradford, Brandon Weeden
St. Louis vs Cleveland looked like a scrimmage for the most part with Bradford and Weeden in at quarterback. Simple routes were left wide open, and both Bradford and Weeden had no problem picking apart either defenses. I think their performances were inflated as a result, but the key is they did well. Both quarterbacks threw for over a hundred yards with a touchdown each, which would check them out with a high grade for their first preseason game. Cousins is setting himself up nicely for a possible Matt Schaub type of deal once he is a free agent. He performed well in relief of RG3 last year and has handled the backup role in the proper demeanor. He went six of seven with a touchdown in leading the first team offense for the Redskins.

Follow on Twitter @cimini

The New Orleans Saints may hate to admit it, but when they let Reggie Bush walk away a few years ago, a part of the Saints explosiveness disappeared. Darren Sproles had some sporadic games in which he was able to reappear in the form of Reggie Bush like a magic-trick, but injuries have hurt Sproles effectiveness.

New Orleans never really did use Bush in the way he would have liked. They used him more as a decoy, and with how fast the Saints were scoring, Bush’s role was never really questioned. Part of the issue that has transformed Bush was his ability to shake off the misperception that he could not run in –between the tackles. As a Saint, he truly couldn’t. That’s where the Saints would utilize one of their plethora of backs they had to carry the load.

Bush wanted to shake that label, and he did just that as a Dolphin. He proved to be much more than a PPR fantasy option, as he had several big games on the ground. Even though Miami had options of Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller, Bush still put up viable numbers of nearly 1000 yards rushing.

Now the question is how will Miami and Detroit adjust with/without the Bush factor? Miami believed they needed to give their young running backfield a chance to break through. Miller and Thomas figure to platoon the carries. Both had their share of carries last year but I do not believe either put two feet down for the permanent lead role in 2013.

With both having injury concerns it will be imperative they make it through September and October healthy. Nothing lowers the chance of a young back to prove himself than getting hurt right out the gate. There are too many young talented backs that will get an opportunity if that happens. In the preseason game against Dallas on Sunday neither Miller nor Thomas had great outings, with Miller botching a handoff at the start of the game.

The preseason is not a time to over react, the Miami coaching staff believes they made the right decision with these two. I do not expect either to be a fantasy football juggernaut, because of their offensive line issues and the second year growth of Tannehill. They do deserve to be flex options and roster depth fillers.

In Detroit, Reggie Bush is going to get a slightly bigger role than what he had last year in Miami. Detroit is not going to go full throttle with him as they still have Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell. The area where Bush will exceed his fantasy value over the past two years is out of the backfield. We all know the Lions have Megatron and a decent cast of receivers around him. They’re also a team that ranks near the top in pass attempts with Matthew Stafford and three to four spread receiver sets.

This is the area where Bush’s stats out of the backfield should shift back to where they were as a Saint. That should get him in the range of 450 (low end) to 600 (high end) receiving yards. There is no telling what he can do with the type of explosiveness he has and additional throws that will come his way.

He will be involved and not forgotten as what happened in New Orleans. You just have to hope that Bush does not get disgruntled throughout the season if the Lions lean to Bell or LeShoure in a given game. He didn’t in Miami, so I do not expect it to get to him now.

If you’re not focusing on running backs early, and plan to get your RB2 later, than Bush is a solid gamble to fill that role. That’s in standard fantasy formats. If it’s a PPR than you’ll be more than happy with Bush.

Tweet @cimini

Familiarity in all walks of life can lead you in directions you would not expect. Complacency in a career is something you never want to happen. In the sports world free agency keeps most athletes on their heels. In San Diego that has not been the case at quarterback.

Philip Rivers at one time looked like he could very well be worth the trade value of Eli Manning. Heck, there was a time San Diego fans were even okay with the fact that Drew Brees was allowed to walk away. Those times seem ancient especially over the last couple of seasons were there seemed to be a non-existent attention to detail for Rivers or the offensive playbook.

Tracing the offenses woes to a couple of key areas is easy. The Chargers did not have LT and were trying to go with a platoon of running backs due to Ryan Matthews constant injuries. The offensive line that used to be stable a few years ago regressed. Rivers has seen his sack-ratio rise from an average of the mid 20’s from 2006 to 2009, to in the high thirties the last three seasons—including a whopping 49 sacks a year ago.

There was also a time the Chargers had big play receivers at their disposal. Vincent Jackson was a top receiver in the league, but for some reason the Chargers did not want to pony up the dollars to re-sign him and keep him a Charger. Antonio Gates redefined the athletic tight end and became an example for other teams to emulate. The same injury bug tune that has hit Matthews has plagued Gates the last few years. Literally the Chargers have done almost next to nothing to protect their franchise quarterback and build a nucleus of talent around him the past few seasons.

It is amazing Rivers has remained unscathed to time off the field because of injury. He has taken a severe beating, and a just like a boxer, at some point you’re going to make mistakes if you’re getting targeted frequently. Norv could never figure that out and there were a few times a year ago that you could see the two clashing visibly on the sidelines.

With Norv gone the familiarity of a coach that Philip obviously did not get along with is erased. Rivers is only entering his 10th year at quarterback, and eighth as a starter. His quest to get back to an AFC championship is not going to happen this year, but he can begin to regain confidence in himself and his teammates. Honing in on getting back to the basics needs to be his first priority.

He knows the talent at wide receiver is not the great in San Diego. They did not sign any key free agents and spent a draft pick on Keenan Allen. News today that Danario Alexander tore his ACL will only decrease the wide receivers value on the Chargers roster. They do have serviceable receivers though in Vincent Brown, Malcolm Floyd, Robert Meachem, and Eddie Royal. All have had their moments in their careers on different teams.

A big key too is that all have been Chargers for at least a year. Rivers should already have timing down with them, and a connection in the pocket to find them.
I think the AFC West will surprise some people with the possible emergence of Kansas City and a newfound actual veteran in Philip Rivers. He has the intangibles to be an elite quarterback in this league again. He needs to realize that each down does not need to be a home run play, and that he can hold back on a series when it is not there.

Numbers do not lie, and a tell-all stat for Rivers trying to do too much is how many fumbles he has had the last two years. He has had 24 fumbles, but only 12 were recovered. Rivers is not a scrambler anymore either. So it’s not like he is getting drilled ten to twenty yards down the field and losing the ball. He is holding it far too long in the pocket.

If Rivers would have played the way he has the past two years for different coaches other than Norv, he likely would have found the bench.

Rivers will reawaken this season and I expect a strong rise in his yardage totals, and for him to calm down in the turnover department both with fumbles and interceptions. If you are the type of fantasy draft owner that likes to wait on a quarterback, and then get two semi-decent quarterbacks (E. Manning, Romo, Roethlisber, etc) and having your choice of who to start each week—I’d include Rivers in that conversation.

By the end of September and early October, Rivers will have that green upward arrow on him as he ascends from the low teens range he is at right now for fantasy quarterbacks.

Follow @cimini

Of Justin Verlander’s last ten starts he has had four losses, and three non-decisions. In his losses he has given up five runs or more every time. For his career of 33 starts against Cleveland his ERA is at 4.65. If I were to have given you a random multiple choice question with three different ERA’s, I’d guess the percentage that would of guessed in the high four range would have been under fifteen percent. Cleveland has Verlander’s number and as a team they’ve been performing well under the radar. They’re just four games back of Detroit currently. I like them to bounce back from yesterday’s loss to Detroit and get you a solid payout at -107.

Follow @cimini

You could see the writing on the wall for Andy Reid’s grand finale and official exit as a Philadelphia Eagles head coach. He had a long run in Philadelphia but it just seemed that change was needed on both sides. Still a heck of a coach it was no surprise that Reid was a top candidate for the many vacancies left open in the coaching ranks in the offseason of 2013.

He landed in Kansas City were the team has had offensive woes that ranked near the bottom of the league for a passing attack. The money spent on Matt Cassel was right up there for the money the Arizona Cardinals over spent on landing Kevin Kolb. If there is one thing about Andy Reid he knows how to run offenses.

The supporting cast in Philadelphia was always around for Reid to do so. In his first year in Kansas City how will he manage Alex Smith and have the Chiefs competitive in year one?

The answer to that question is to change his rather unique philosophies on game planning offensively. In Philadelphia it was no secret that Reid’s penchant was to throw the football. This year in Kansas City I expect Reid to tone it down quite a bit and ride the backfield starting with Jamaal Charles.

That’s the burning question for fantasy owners. Can they bank on Jamaal Charles even if Andy Reid is back up to his old tricks. Do the names of Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter and LeSean McCoy ring a bell? They should. Buckhalter’s name was brought in the mix to showcase that Reid has had success with a complimentary back having fantasy value. The rest were top tier running backs in their heydays, which McCoy is still in.

Jamaal Charles has that game speed shiftiness intangible that Reid has thrived with backs such as Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy. They do not necessarily have to carry the load with 300 carries in a season to be a top fantasy back. Reid ensures his stars are involved in the offense from a running back standpoint, but he mixes it up differently than most coaches do.

He’ll wear down defenses with the quick screen or just stretching the field overall with a simple dump pass route to the running back. One of his patented red zone moves with Donovan McNabb at quarterback was the inside the ten yard line quick shuffle pass to the running back from the shotgun formation. With all the presnap focus and confusing formations set on linebackers, it will continue to work in Kansas City.

Charles is an obvious first round fantasy running back candidate. The worries of Reid’s offense should be halted, as it is inflated conversation with actual results produced by his running backs. If Kansas City throws the football 58 to 60 percent of the time who cares as long as Charles is trending as a top back.

If Charles was a 1500 dominating back on a team that had little to offer a year ago, imagine what he will do with a consistent capable team on the field now?

I rate him right in the range of a first round pick between the 5th and 10th pick. That’s dependent on how quick the running backs fly off the board. If you end up getting him toward the later part of the first round you’ll end up smiling after week one, week two, week three, week four—hell the whole season.

Reid’s history with running backs speaks for itself. The talent of Charles will only spring that chemistry upward and give the Chiefs a chance to catapult as a playoff contender.