By: Lucas Pinsker
Preseason football is a tease. It’s the beginning of the long awaited start to actual football, but there really isn’t anything to get too excited about. There are a few things that we can takeaway from this first week though as we continue to wait for the start of the regular season.
Pass Interference Rule Will Have Huge Impact
The other night we got our first look at the league’s new pass interference rule change. This rule gives the officials and coaches an opportunity to review called, and non-called pass interference penalties.
In the New York Jets/New York Giants game, we saw a clear example of how this rule will be enforced. In the third quarter of the game, Jets quarterback Davis Webb threw a long pass down the right sideline intended for wide receiver Tim White. Giants cornerback Corey Ballentine was in coverage and held White’s left arm down, affecting his ability to make a play on the ball. There was no call on the field, but Jets head coach Adam Gase chose to challenge the play, and the pass interference call was made.
There are a lot of mixed feelings surrounding this new rule, but at the end of the day, what matters most is that we will see the correct call made.
The Cleveland Browns Will be Fun to Watch
If you had any doubts on whether the Cleveland Browns superteam would be fun, those questions were answered in their first preseason game. Baker Mayfield, Freddie Kitchens, and company have brought swagger and excitement to Cleveland football that has been missing for decades.
If you are not supportive of players expressing their personalities or you’re a fan of the Steelers, Ravens, or Bengals, you may want to look away. For the rest of you, get ready to watch a brand of exciting, passionate football played to its fullest.
Mayfield started the preseason by throwing a dart to Rashard Higgins in the end zone and immediately went into celebration mode. Late in the game, undrafted free agent Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi returned a punt 86-yards for a touchdown and was rewarded with a dog pile from his teammates.
If you haven’t heard of Sheehy-Guiseppi’s story yet, he camped out at a tryout he wasn’t invited to and talked his way in. He is now showing that he may deserve a chance to stick around for a while. The story is one of determination and confidence, and yet another reason to root for the Browns this season.
Dwayne Haskins May Need Some Time
On the other sideline of the Browns game was Dwayne Haskins and the Washington Redskins. Many draft analysts thought that Haskins should have been the second quarterback taken in the draft after he threw 50 touchdown passes in his lone season as the starting QB for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Haskins ended up falling to the Redskins with the 15th pick, and was the third QB taken after Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones.
Maybe there was a reason that Haskins fell in the draft, because he did not play up to expectations in his debut. After Case Keenum made the start, Haskins went 8-14 with 117 yards and threw two ugly interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. It was certainly not the start the 22-year-old had hoped for. With time and mentoring from the veteran Keenum, the former Buckeye will look to become acclimated to the league within the next few years.
Dave Gettleman Might Know what He’s Doing
It sounds crazy to say this after most media members have spent the entire off-season criticizing the New York Giants front office, but maybe Dave Gettleman knows what he’s doing.
If you didn’t watch the Jets/Giants preseason game, then you missed Daniel Jones put on a clinic in his only series. Jones got one series of play after Eli Manning got the start. The rookie took full advantage of the opportunity, completing all five of his passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. It was only one series, and it’s very early in the preseason, but Daniel Jones looks like a good decision so far for the franchise and could take a lot of pressure off of Dave Gettleman.
This is just preseason football, so take everything you see with a grain of salt. For now, just look into the distance an you’ll see that regular season football is just less than three weeks away.
Cover photo via: clevelandbrowns.com
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