What does the preseason mean?
Relevance of the Preseason
In 2005, the only undefeated team in the preseason was the Denver Broncos. We know they won the division going 13-3 and made the playoffs.
In 2004, the only undefeated team in the preseason was the Carolina Panthers. They finished 7-9 and barely missed the playoffs in the weak NFC.
In 2003, The Patriots, Titans, Panthers and Cardinals all went undefeated in the preseason. The Patriots won the AFC East and went 14-2 in the regular season. The Titans went 12-4 and made the playoffs through the wild card spot. The Panthers won their division and went 11-5 in the regular season and the Cardinals went 4-12.
So in the last three years, undefeated teams in the preseason have went 61-35 in the regular season and made it to the playoffs 67% of the time. I realize that we still have two preseason games to win before we can call ourselves undefeated but we're off to a great start and have the potential to shock a lot of people this season if it all comes together.
The Wide Receivers
We have one of the most talented Wide Reciever cores in the NFL but how many of them will we have on our active Roster after the 53 man roster cut down? Right now the list looks something like this:
Randy Moss
Doug Gabriel
Alvis Whitted
Ronald Curry
Jerry Porter
Johnie Morant
Carlos Francis
Will Buchanon
Kevin McMahan
Out of those 9 players we will most likely keep about 6 or maybe 7 if we get worried about a player not clearing waivers to make the practice squad.
Randy Moss and Doug Gabriel are listed as starters so they will occupy two spots. Even if someone beats Gabriel out of the number 2 spot he is a lock because he is our backup return man.
Jerry Porter will not be cut due to the cap acceleration towards next season's cap so he will occupy one spot unless we can get him to repay part of his signing bonus and find a team willing to give us what we are asking for him in a trade. He is more talented than Gabriel but will need to shut up and perform if he wants out of Art Shell's dog house.
Alvis Whitted may not be a popular pick among fans but he seems to have the third or fourth receiver spot locked up depending on the status of Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry. He is a speedster and seems to make plays at key moments.
Speaking of Curry, He will get a roster spot based on the skills he flashed prior to his injury in the 2004 season. He has the potential to beat Doug Gabriel out of the second receiver slot if he can stay healthy and play at the level he was playing at in '04. So that pretty much leaves us with one or possibly two spots.
Who will it be? The most obvious choice is preseason standout Johnnie Morant. He has more upside than any of the others and has shown flashes of being a great receiver. But will the other 3 clear waivers and make it to the practice squad? Buchanon and McMahon would both most likely make it but Carlos Francis is a likley candidate to be claimed by another team. He has great speed and can also be used as a returner. His main problem has been injuries. It is doubtful that he will make the 53 man roster so he may end up on another team.
In 2005, the only undefeated team in the preseason was the Denver Broncos. We know they won the division going 13-3 and made the playoffs.
In 2004, the only undefeated team in the preseason was the Carolina Panthers. They finished 7-9 and barely missed the playoffs in the weak NFC.
In 2003, The Patriots, Titans, Panthers and Cardinals all went undefeated in the preseason. The Patriots won the AFC East and went 14-2 in the regular season. The Titans went 12-4 and made the playoffs through the wild card spot. The Panthers won their division and went 11-5 in the regular season and the Cardinals went 4-12.
So in the last three years, undefeated teams in the preseason have went 61-35 in the regular season and made it to the playoffs 67% of the time. I realize that we still have two preseason games to win before we can call ourselves undefeated but we're off to a great start and have the potential to shock a lot of people this season if it all comes together.
The Wide Receivers
We have one of the most talented Wide Reciever cores in the NFL but how many of them will we have on our active Roster after the 53 man roster cut down? Right now the list looks something like this:
Randy Moss
Doug Gabriel
Alvis Whitted
Ronald Curry
Jerry Porter
Johnie Morant
Carlos Francis
Will Buchanon
Kevin McMahan
Out of those 9 players we will most likely keep about 6 or maybe 7 if we get worried about a player not clearing waivers to make the practice squad.
Randy Moss and Doug Gabriel are listed as starters so they will occupy two spots. Even if someone beats Gabriel out of the number 2 spot he is a lock because he is our backup return man.
Jerry Porter will not be cut due to the cap acceleration towards next season's cap so he will occupy one spot unless we can get him to repay part of his signing bonus and find a team willing to give us what we are asking for him in a trade. He is more talented than Gabriel but will need to shut up and perform if he wants out of Art Shell's dog house.
Alvis Whitted may not be a popular pick among fans but he seems to have the third or fourth receiver spot locked up depending on the status of Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry. He is a speedster and seems to make plays at key moments.
Speaking of Curry, He will get a roster spot based on the skills he flashed prior to his injury in the 2004 season. He has the potential to beat Doug Gabriel out of the second receiver slot if he can stay healthy and play at the level he was playing at in '04. So that pretty much leaves us with one or possibly two spots.
Who will it be? The most obvious choice is preseason standout Johnnie Morant. He has more upside than any of the others and has shown flashes of being a great receiver. But will the other 3 clear waivers and make it to the practice squad? Buchanon and McMahon would both most likely make it but Carlos Francis is a likley candidate to be claimed by another team. He has great speed and can also be used as a returner. His main problem has been injuries. It is doubtful that he will make the 53 man roster so he may end up on another team.
posted by The Analyzer at 7:41 AM
5 Comments:
You guys need to keep Morant!
I agree. That guy is going to be a stud. I think he will make us completely forget about Porter.
And that probably wouldn't be a bad thing.
He definitely doesn't seem to have the attitude problems that Porter has. Hopefully that doesn't change as he gets better.
What does the preseason mean for the Raiders? Nothing. They suck...they suck bad.
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