First off, congratulations to Art Monk for being inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is truly a worthy induction, and it is absolutely fitting that he is inducted the weekend the Redskins play in Canton. But enough of that, onto the game and what to look for in the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 3rd at 7:00 PM CST:
The Indianapolis Colts are playing the Washington Redskins in the first preseason game of the 2008 season, so what do we look for? Traditionally, preseason games are generally reserved to start weining out the haves versus the have-nots - or those that will make the team versus those that will not. And the first preseason game of the year is nothing more than a warmup across the board, but after all, it is football.
As far as fantasy impact, most of the players worthy of being drafted will play the first series - which could mean 3 plays of a three and out, or 14 plays of a long scoring drive. Typically the former is the case. So what to look for in 3 plays given the matchup?
Start by watching Jason Campbell. This is the year, I feel, that he either "makes it" as an NFL quarterback or he does not. If he starts slow in the season, the Redskin faithful will likely start calling for his head. However, that will not happen in this first preseason game - so all we need to look at is Campbell's footwork, his movement in the pocket, and if he makes the right decisions - even if that means throwing the ball away.
Also watch Santana Moss - if Campbell looks his way once or twice, it means good things might be coming for Moss during the season - of course it is way too early to predict if Campbell to Moss is going to become an effective duo - and no one will ever mistake them for Manning to Harrison of years past.
For Clinton Portis, watch that he makes it through the game since he has been hit with injuries in past preseasons.
Peyton Manning? Expect nothing - if he plays at all, watch for 3 handoffs.
Joseph Addai - same thing. He should play very limited, if at all. Look for a couple of carries if he plays, or maybe one route ran into the flat (where he likely will not be thrown the football) - other than that, it'll be time for the backups.
Anthony Gonzalez is one guy that is on a few radars as a sleeper (he is not one of mine), and he is likely the only person that will make any sort of splash in fantasy football that will see any significant playing time on Sunday. Look for Gonzalez to play the first quarter, but nothing more. He might make one or two plays for 20-30 yards total - but nothing terribly exciting, but he will have gotten his feet wet.
Reggie Wayne will play the same number of plays as Peyton, and likely will not have any balls thrown his direction.
Marvin Harrison will likely not play a single down - if he even suits up for the contest.
If all the fantasy football impact players in thie game make it out injury free, then it will be considered a success. Even with the backups playing most (if not all) of the game, it will be nice to see professional football again. Welcome back, boys.
The Indianapolis Colts are playing the Washington Redskins in the first preseason game of the 2008 season, so what do we look for? Traditionally, preseason games are generally reserved to start weining out the haves versus the have-nots - or those that will make the team versus those that will not. And the first preseason game of the year is nothing more than a warmup across the board, but after all, it is football.
As far as fantasy impact, most of the players worthy of being drafted will play the first series - which could mean 3 plays of a three and out, or 14 plays of a long scoring drive. Typically the former is the case. So what to look for in 3 plays given the matchup?
Start by watching Jason Campbell. This is the year, I feel, that he either "makes it" as an NFL quarterback or he does not. If he starts slow in the season, the Redskin faithful will likely start calling for his head. However, that will not happen in this first preseason game - so all we need to look at is Campbell's footwork, his movement in the pocket, and if he makes the right decisions - even if that means throwing the ball away.
Also watch Santana Moss - if Campbell looks his way once or twice, it means good things might be coming for Moss during the season - of course it is way too early to predict if Campbell to Moss is going to become an effective duo - and no one will ever mistake them for Manning to Harrison of years past.
For Clinton Portis, watch that he makes it through the game since he has been hit with injuries in past preseasons.
Peyton Manning? Expect nothing - if he plays at all, watch for 3 handoffs.
Joseph Addai - same thing. He should play very limited, if at all. Look for a couple of carries if he plays, or maybe one route ran into the flat (where he likely will not be thrown the football) - other than that, it'll be time for the backups.
Anthony Gonzalez is one guy that is on a few radars as a sleeper (he is not one of mine), and he is likely the only person that will make any sort of splash in fantasy football that will see any significant playing time on Sunday. Look for Gonzalez to play the first quarter, but nothing more. He might make one or two plays for 20-30 yards total - but nothing terribly exciting, but he will have gotten his feet wet.
Reggie Wayne will play the same number of plays as Peyton, and likely will not have any balls thrown his direction.
Marvin Harrison will likely not play a single down - if he even suits up for the contest.
If all the fantasy football impact players in thie game make it out injury free, then it will be considered a success. Even with the backups playing most (if not all) of the game, it will be nice to see professional football again. Welcome back, boys.
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