Hey dawgs . . .
Not a bad effort in Denver last Saturday
night. I was kind of pleased with the way this game went. I thought it was a
great dress rehearsal for the regular season.
It seems like we’ve got a little quarterback controversy, though, brewing
between Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson. I thought the quarterbacks played well.
Charlie handled himself well. Most importantly, he put some points on the board.
Anderson
played well. Didn’t get the points he wanted, but I still think he handled
himself well and I think the surprise of everybody was Brady Quinn going out
there performing the way he did against Denver’s No. 1 defense.
Brady made some excellent throws. I still think there’s a question on the one
they said was out of bounds with Joe Jurevicius. He put that where no one could
get it but Jurevicius. I’m starting to really get impressed with the young man.
I think he’s handling himself well. Who knows what would have happened if he had
been in camp on time.
Then again, let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves, including myself, because we
all know it’s a different story once we play those Steelers come Sept. 9.
Everything changes. But still, what if he goes out there and he plays well?
What’s been troubling is the wide receivers inability to catch the ball. It’s
been a problem all through training camp. It’s not because they haven’t worked
extremely hard.
Braylon Edwards, for instance, has come in and is really trying to improve
himself, trying to be the receiver we all thought he was going to be when we
drafted him. I think he’s on a mission this year to prove to this team that he
can play and that he belongs.
Kellen Winslow . . . he’s just getting better and better every time he
touches the field. He’s making some phenomenal catches and I think he’s going to
be a force to deal with.
Whoever the quarterback is in this offense I think now they’re going to have
some weapons because it seems like we’re going to be able to run the football
with Jamal Lewis coming in in excellent shape and trying to prove to everybody
that he can play.
I’m also somewhat concerned about the defensive line. We’re looking at guys
who are getting older. Hopefully, Orpheus Roye will be ready for the opener.
Then there’s Ted Washington. Big Ted’s about as old as I am. I mean that in a
good way, Ted.
We’ve got to get some play out those guys. But still, we have some of those
young guys who need to step up. The most important thing in our defense is those
guys up front have to keep those linebackers free so they can roam and make
tackles. If we can do that, then we’ll be able to stop the run. Let’s face it,
that’s been our Achilles heel with this defense. We just have not been able to
stop the run.
It should get exciting now with Kamerion Wimbley coming back. The game has
really slowed down for him now. And it’s going to be interesting to see what
we’re going to get out of Antwan Peek on the other side. Wimbley is going to
make Peek a lot better.
Overall, this defense has got the makings of being something special if we
could just tighten up and shut down the run. We’ll know in the first few weeks
of the season if we can stop the run with the likes of Willie Parker, Rudi Johnson and Willis McGahee. They are going to try and shove it down our throats.
I know some of you are concerned about Phil Dawson’s kicking problems. I’m
not. Phil is the old veteran. He’s going to be right there when the season
starts. I know he’s working hard to correct whatever it is that’s got him
missing some of those field goals.
Now, if he continues to miss those once the season starts, obviously we have
a problem. But I think he’ll be OK. I think he understands. He’s a veteran and
he’ll correct whatever the problem is.
As for Thursday night’s game in
Chicago, the most important thing is to stay healthy. I
want to see some more of Brady Quinn, though. The more he plays, the better
he’ll get. But the most important thing is just stay healthy, guys. Please.