National Football League

Friday's preseason NFL recap

Published Aug. 27, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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There were four games on the Friday evening schedule, including a battle of former teammates Philip Rivers and Drew Brees. They once competed for the same job not too long ago, but Friday was time for an offensive slugfest in a matchup of nonconference foes.

Here are some observations from all eight teams, starting with the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints:

• For a preseason game, the Chargers and Saints seemed to be playing with a high intensity level, especially in the first half. This game had a regular-season feel reminiscent of both games from Thursday night, with plenty of offense and not much defense.

• Rivers, despite not having LT Marcus McNeill and WR Vincent Jackson, was fairly efficient. He missed on a few timing plays, but he was able to move the ball down field. Veteran QB Billy Volek, on the other hand, made some mental errors during his playing time.

• Rookie RB Ryan Mathews got off to a terrific start, which included a nice 16-yard run for a first down on a third-and-1 play in the first quarter. As the game progressed, the Saints started to shut down the first-round pick a bit. This is where the coaches need to get veteran RB Darren Sproles as a change of pace.

• Not surprisingly, WR Malcom Floyd got involved early in this game. Like Jackson, he runs very well for his size. He is very difficult to cover one-on-one for smaller defensive backs. Former first-round pick WR Craig “Buster” Davis seems to be very comfortable in the slot.

• Give McNeill’s replacement, Brandyn Dombrowski, credit. He held his own against Saint pass rushers.

• The Chargers simply could not muster any semblance of a pass rush on Brees. But the veteran signal caller defeated the pass rush with his quick release. Speaking of Brees, he did a terrific job of throwing with timing and anticipation. He was in a good rhythm in this game.

• Undrafted free-agent rookie RB Chris Ivory continued his ascent up the depth chart. While he did his damage against backup defenders, his 76-yard screen catch and run was a thing of beauty. He might be on his way to taking that third role on the depth chart. Reggie Bush was the recipient of a bunch of checkdowns in this game. The 38-yard catch from Brees was a very interesting play. Brees, at the last second, found Bush open after holding onto the ball for a while. Bush also did a great job with his chip on a defender during Brees’ TD pass to WR Robert Meachem.

• The Atlanta Falcons need to get their passing game going. QB Matt Ryan’s timing with his receivers still looks a bit off against the Miami Dolphins. He did hook up with WR Roddy White for a score in the first quarter, but the two missed badly on a play where White beat his defender badly for what would have been an easy score. The two players have not quite been in synch during the first three weeks of the preseason.

• The Miami defense did a nice job against Atlanta RB Michael Turner. He had a 10-yard run, but couldn’t really get untracked during his 16 carries.

• Getting WR Harry Douglas back as their slot receiver should help Atlanta’s passing game this season. Not having starting WR Michael Jenkins has been an issue of late. Their lack of depth at the position has become very apparent.

• I mentioned in this space previously that second-year DE Lawrence Sidbury really needs to make a contribution as a secondary pass rusher for the Falcons. They need someone other than veteran DE John Abraham to be a consistent threat against quarterbacks. Sidbury played well again this week, posting a sack and two quarterback hurries.

• Third-year DL Kory Biermann continues to be a factor for Atlanta’s defense. He never quits on a play.

• MLB Curtis Lofton had a strong game against the run — as did the entire Atlanta Defense. They rebounded well from last week’s game.

• Miami QB Chad Henne seemed to rush some throws. When he’s calmer in the pocket, Henne usually is pretty solid. Tonight, he just didn’t look comfortable enough.

• As a runner, veteran RB Ricky Williams couldn’t get much done, but he was very active in the passing game as an outlet for Henne.

• New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez’s performance against the Washington Redskins was symptomatic of his play during the preseason — very inconsistent. He struggled with his accuracy in the first half, but put together a nice drive early in the fourth quarter culminating in a 10-yard TD catch for TE Dustin Keller. Sanchez must play under control in order to have a chance to be successful. The best way to get that accomplished is to get the running game going right away.

• Speaking of the running game, the Jets got a lot of mileage out of RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. Greene continued to get downhill against Washington’s defense. Tomlinson showed flashes of his old self from three or four years ago in this game. He made several nice moves on his 43-yard run.

• OLB Calvin Pace was very active in this game before he injured his foot. The Jets are hoping that veteran DE/OLB Jason Taylor could provide a nice pass rush off the bench, but it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank.

• Washington starting RB Clinton Portis got hurt early in the game, so it was hard to judge his progress, but veteran RB Willie Parker looks like he’s lost a step. Veteran RB Larry Johnson, who looks to be set as Portis’ backup, had a nice game. He moved around well during his 10 touches.

• QB Rex Grossman was not impressive during his start in place of the injured Donovan McNabb. It was a typically inconsistent performance from Grossman.

• The Redskins need to seriously revamp their receiver corps. Their group is probably one of the weakest in the NFL.

• Washington’s conversion on defense to a 3-4 looks like it’s working. DE Adam Carriker is a perfect fit for this scheme. He has the size, but also possesses good pass rush moves. He was out of place in the 4-3 with the St. Louis Rams.

• It was only one game, but DL Albert Haynesworth made his presence felt against the Jets. It doesn’t show in the statistics, but he moved around well. He played nose tackle and end.

• The Philadelphia Eagles continue to struggle a bit on offense. They shouldn’t really have any issues against an undermanned Kansas City Chiefs defense, but that’s what happened. The offensive line struggled with mental errors at various times with the starters in the game. LT Jason Peters was perhaps the biggest offender again. This is the second straight game where he made mental mistakes that helped stagnate the offense.

• QB Kevin Kolb struggled with accuracy against Kansas City. He seems to be moving at times for no reason, and when he does, he needs to step up, not away in the pocket. All of his issues are easily correctable, however. He’s going through the typical growing pains of a first-year starting quarterback.

• Second-year RB LeSean McCoy looked spry during his five carries. While Philadelphia’s offensive line struggled as a unit, veteran RB Todd Herremans, playing in his first preseason game, made a key block on McCoy’s 18-yard TD run. Veteran RB Mike Bell looked rusty in his first preseason action as an Eagle. He looks like a guy who has missed a lot of practice time, but he ran hard as usual.

• Philadelphia’s starting defense played fairly well. They got consistent pressure on QB Matt Cassel, who was shaky. Cassel just isn’t a very comfortable passer. At least he did put one touchdown drive together.

• Rookie Trevard Lindley looks like he will be able to get on the field as a rookie for the Eagles. He’ll fit in well on special teams and as a fourth or fifth cornerback. He is not intimidated by anyone.

• Another rookie defensive back, FS Nate Allen, continues to play well for the Eagles. He always seems to be in the right place and makes very few mental errors.

• Chiefs rookie RB/WR Dexter McCluster continues to be a jack of all trades: a running back, wide receiver, kickoff returner, and punt returner. He had 16 total combined touches in those roles.

• The Chiefs got four sacks from LBs Demorrio Williams and Andy Studebaker, a former Eagle who was signed off Philadelphia’s practice squad last November. Studebaker is pushing veteran OLB Mike Vrabel hard for a starting job.

• If the Chiefs can muster up a consistent pass rush this season, they have a chance to be majorly improved on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary should be pretty solid.