First Full Preseason Weekend Kicks Off
National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Finally, the other guys. After two weeks of going against teammates in training camp, all NFL clubs will be able to see a real, live opponent this weekend. It’s the first full weekend of NFL preseason football, bookended by nationally televised games tonight and Monday night.
Tonight - New Orleans at Arizona (ESPN, 8 p.m.) New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who has completed the most passes for the most yards in the NFL over the past two years, thinks there is always room for improvement — by himself and his team. He wants to get back to the playoffs. Arizona’s Matt Leinart returns from a broken collarbone suffered last October. He has spent camp perfecting head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s offense, a process that was interrupted last season.
Monday - Cincinnati at Green Bay (ESPN, 8 p.m.) For Green Bay, it will be the first outing as starting quarterback for Aaron Rodgers, the club’s first-round draft choice of 2005. Head coach Mike McCarthy will give Aaron plenty of playing time this summer, starting him in all four preseason games. The Bengals want to get things back to where they were in 2005, when they went 11-5 and won the AFC North. They think they are on the way with a No. 10 finish in total offense last season and a No. 7 in passing. Cincinnati has added to quarterback Carson Palmer’s top-flight receiving corps headed by Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and will use the preseason to work-in the newcomers. The Bengals signed tight end Ben Utecht from Indianapolis to strengthen their passing game down the middle, and rookie wideouts Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson have been strong in camp and will see plenty of action starting Monday.
Other Games to Check Out This Weekend
Tonight: N.Y. Giants at Detroit, Baltimore at New England, N.Y. Jets at Cleveland, Kansas City at Chicago; Friday: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, Seattle at Minnesota, San Francisco at Oakland; Saturday: Buffalo at Washington, Tampa Bay at Miami, Atlanta at Jacksonville, Indianapolis at Carolina, Denver at Houston, St. Louis at Tennessee, Dallas at San Diego.
Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Ben Utecht, carson-palmer, chad-johnson, Drew-Brees, Ken-Whisenhunt, Matt-Leinart, Mike-McCarthy, T.J. HoushmandzadehRelated Stories
POSTED IN: NFL - NFL
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