Opening rounds of NFL's preseason quarterback battles prove indecisive – USA TODAY
The first shots have been fired in this summer’s NFL quarterback competitions with Week 1 of the preseason now complete. But though the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans are the only clubs truly holding open competitions, not every apparent starter in the league is operating with invulnerable job security. The latest from the QB battlefront:
Bills
The latest: In a rare three-way scrum, Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel showed something positive. Cassel, who started Friday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, dinked and dunked his way to seven completions among eight attempts but only produced 45 yards through the air. The Bills also didn’t score any points in the veteran’s two series, though Jordan Gay missed a 37-yard field goal attempt to end the second drive.
Taylor had the most impressive night. The fifth-year player, who never started for the Baltimore Ravens, showed an added dimension by rushing for 47 yards on six scrambles. He also connected on five of eight throws for 49 yards and saw a would-be 20-yard touchdown strike dropped. Most important, Buffalo scored two touchdowns during Taylor’s three drives, albeit against Carolina’s top reserves.
Manuel, the first quarterback drafted in 2013, had the longest look and completed the longest pass of the game, a 51-yard TD to Deonte Thompson. But the Bills only managed three more points on Manuel’s four other series, though it must be noted he played with and against players clinging to the bottom of the roster.
What’s next: Taylor is taking the first-team reps and will start Thursday at the Cleveland Browns. His ability to diversify the ground game coach Rex Ryan so covets could give Taylor a leg up on Cassel, provided he can limit mistakes and effectively manage games while allowing LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins to make plays as Buffalo’s presumably elite defense stifles opponents.
Quote: “This isn’t ideal, obviously, but you have three guys battling. You want it to be a hard decision with all three guys, that all three are playing to a good level,” Ryan said. “I think it’s impossible to say they didn’t play well; all three of them did. Make that thing as hard as possible, and, again, we will make the decision when it’s the right time to make it.”
Texans
The latest: Journeyman Brian Hoyer got the start against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, and he staked the Texans to an 8-0 lead on his lone series courtesy of a 58-yard TD throw to Cecil Shorts III, who did most of the work on the catch-and-run. Hoyer also drilled a two-point conversion into the arms of DeAndre Hopkins. Ryan Mallett relieved Hoyer, but the Texans didn’t score on any of his four drives, though his last one was curtailed as the first half ended. The team was stonewalled on four running plays from the 49ers 1-yard line at the end of Mallett’s first drive, which says more about the state of Houston’s Arian Foster-less running game. And Mallett was efficient, converting 10 of 11 throws for 90 yards.
What’s next: Mallett gets to truly stake his claim if he can impress Saturday when he starts against the Denver Broncos, though he might only get one series with the first team, same as Hoyer did. Stay tuned for an update on their mind-sets on Tuesday’s edition of Hard Knocks on HBO. But the guess here is that Hoyer could be tough to unseat.
Quote: “I can’t wait,” Mallett said of his upcoming start. “We’ve got a week of practice we need to get better at first. Then we’ll look ahead to that. I think we started off on the right foot, but now we have to build on it. We can’t take a step back and go that way.”
On the hot seat?
Many eyes remain focused on former first-round picks Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel, whose teams faced off Thursday. RG3 is almost assured to start the season for the Washington Redskins but may have only a finite period to re-establish himself as the face of a franchise that might be reluctant to pay his 2016 option, which would cost more than $16 million. Manziel is second on the Cleveland Browns depth chart behind Josh McCown. However, if Cleveland can’t keep pace in the highly competitive AFC North, it stands to reason Manziel will get an extended look at some point.
Griffin III: The box score didn’t shine — 4-for-8, 36 yards, 3 rushing yards in two series — and he clearly missed a few throws but also was undermined by Pierre Garcon dropping a sure TD pass. Coach Jay Gruden was generally upbeat regarding Griffin’s 2015 debut.
Manziel: He seems to be making progress from the pocket (7-for-11, 42 yards) but also flashed his athleticism on a 12-yard TD scamper. Still, McCown was nearly flawless on his opening drive and evidently hasn’t cracked the door an inch yet for Johnny Football, his fellow Texas native. Said Browns coach Mike Pettine of McCown: “He is firmly our No. 1.”
Notables
New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who won the Week 1 job by default while Geno Smith‘s broke jaw heals, led the team to three points on his only series Thursday. Fitzpatrick won’t be challenged until Smith returns in two months and maybe not even then if he’s playing efficiently. … The New England Patriots gave prospective opening-night starter Jimmy Garoppolo a very long look Thursday, allowing him to throw 30 passes (20 were completed, one was intercepted). He also absorbed seven sacks in three quarters. But coach Bill Belichick spread the blame, saying Sunday, “I think some of the times the quarterback was hit or pressured, there were a number of issues in the passing game and all of the above came in at some point – whether it was protection, decision-making by the quarterback, inability of the receivers to get open, the design of the play relative to the defense that the Packers were in.” … Brock Osweiler, Peyton Manning‘s backup for the Broncos, led the team to points on all five of his first-half drives against the Seattle Seahawks on Friday, his final play a 17-yard TD pass to tight end Virgil Green. … If Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow are vying for the Philadelphia Eagles’ No. 3 quarterback spot, give the early edge to Barkley, who played more decisively and averaged nearly 4 yards more per attempt (9.6) than Tebow (5.8) did Sunday.
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Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis
PHOTOS: NFL preseason action
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