Preseason Week #1 — 15 August 2005

From: Jeff
To: mnf@fat.doobie.com
Subject: It's Monday...

...and with 24 days to go until the regular season starts, ABC is showing a movie tonight.

The coaching staffs are considering their first rounds of roster cuts. They need to get down to 65 players in the next two weeks. Some jobs were probably lost this weekend. Some jobs were definitely earned (see also: Derrick Johnson)

Every sports writer in the world has weighed in on TO. Most tend to be of the opinion that the Eagles should trade him. While I agree that he shouldn't wear the Eagles uniform this year, I'm more of the belief that the Eagles should just pay the $3.5 million that is due to him under his contract this year, and put his ass on the bench. $3.5M keeps him out of the NFL for the year, and he can still be traded in January. It'd be money well spent, and I think he'll be more valuable as a trading commodity at the end of the season (but before the draft).

The other big news in the NFL has to do with the Chicago Bears. 25 minutes into the first half of the first preseason game, the Bears' starting quarterback Rex Grossman broke his ankle, and will be out 3-4 months (virtually the entire season). Expect to see some personnel changes in Chicago, as they strive to build up their running game.

The quarterback controversy in Washington is getting increasingly more likely. Patrick Ramsey and the rest of the Redskins first-string offense played nearly the entire first half on Saturday -- and scored a total of three points. The Carolina Panthers used their second-string defense during the second quarter.

Closer to home, we had the ultimate compromise in the 49ers/Raiders matchup. The niners won the game by 8 points, but the Raiders got more yardage, held onto the ball longer, and played a stronger game. Turnovers were the key, and this time around, SF came out ahead on that front. Neither team looked as bad as they did last year. Also notable was the Raiders back-up punter Gary Cook, who booted three kicks during the game, all of which landed inside the 20, and two of which were downed at the 2. Cook will be punting for an NFL team this season... but probably not the Raiders.

But tonight, it's Monday!

Tonight, the TO-less Philadelphia Eagles are going clear across the state to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in Heinz Field. Built on the site of Three Rivers Stadium on the shore of the Ohio river in 2001, its U-shaped stands are open on the river side to give the folks in the cheap seats an incredible view of the city. Heinz Field is one of two stadiums in the NFL that use a DD GrassMaster system, which is a mixture of real (bluegrass) and artificial turf, woven together like a poor coverup for male pattern baldness. It rates among the worst surfaces in the league as rated by the NFL players, and Pittsburgh's OWN PLAYERS rated it as the very worst in the NFL in 2004.

This game is notable because you'll get to see Donavan McNabb throw the ball to a bunch of second and third stringers who are fighting for the job that TO doesn't seem to want. Second year Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should see some playing time as well. Keep an eye on him, as his ability to move the ball down the field will make or break the Steelers this year. If you like to watch dueling quarterbacks, this might be the preseason game for you.

The Game:

Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers
Heinz Field
5:00 PM PDT. on ESPN.

Yes, ESPN. ABC will be airing "Remember the Titans", a movie about the football team at T.C. Williams high school in Alexandria, VA, and what happens when, in 1971, by court order, the school is finally racially integrated (yes, 1971). The story is told from the point of view of the newly installed (black) football coach, and is very loosely based on actual events. It probably contains better highlights than tonight's game will.

The Line:

Pittsburgh is favored by 3. The Over/Under is 35.

The smart money isn't playing during the preseason. If it were in play, it would like the over and Philly, as McNabb would like to prove that he can throw to people other than TO, and 35 just seems too low for these teams.

The Bar:

The bar tour will begin next week, as the coaches start to solidify their rosters, and when ABC's Monday Night Football gets started again (tonight, most reputable sports bars will be showing some of the 10 baseball games on the air).

This season will be the 35th and possibly the last season of MNF on ABC. Starting next year, ESPN gets the game, and will feature Al Michaels and Joe Theismann in the booth. Madden appears to be leaving to spend more time with his videogame, or something.

On the bar front, I'm still building a list of places to visit this year. Some new additions, some old favorites, and a little of everything in between. It's going to be a good year.

Links:

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.446645,-80.015745&spn=0.007089,0.014269
http://www.nflpa.org/PDFs/Media/2004_Turf_Survey.pdf

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