With the final Preseason game against the Redskins coming tomorrow, lets take a look at some things to watch for.
- Derek Anderson: If he plays for more than a drive or two, I want to see how he handles everything. Is he accurate, does he lead a good drive, how does he handle the huddle? Or, what if he falls flat on his face? This game could be very important for deciding what is done with Matt Leinart.
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Matt Leinart: Similar to what is being done with Derek Anderson, I want to see how he handles everything. He has been incredibly ****** off since last week, and I want to see how he interacts with his teammates and Coach Whiz. And if Leinart even plays in the game (since some people think the best thing to do is keep him out of the game to keep anything that damages his trade value from happening), you want to see if he is in control of the huddle, and the way he is playing. Does he throw a bunch of quick passes, or does he try to sling it around like he did against Green Bay in the preseason last year when he threw for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns in the second half. Does he do anything to stand out and try to let the Coaching Staff know that he should be the starter, or does he fail at it and wind up being nothing more than trade bait.
- Beanie Wells: Beanie hasn't played that well in the Preseason so far. He currently has 25 attempts for 69 yards and his longest run is 17 yards, he also fumbled at the Bears 6 yard line during a 2 minute drill with Leinart on a drive that looked like it was going to result in a Touchdown. Meanwhile Tim Hightower has 17 carries for 81 yards, and his longest run is 29 yards. Beanie is supposed to be the workhorse back of the offense this year, but he needs to step it up. Depending on how long he plays, I want to see if he can play better than he has in the first 3 games.
- Backup Outside Linebackers: Cody Brown, Will Davis, Stevie Baggs, and the rest of our younger OLB's haven't made a significant impact so far in the Preseason. With the age of Clark Haggans and Joey Porter you want to see the young guys provide a better pass rush than they have so far.
- Dan Williams: We have already gotten a good look at Stephen Williams and Daryl Washington. Dan Williams has been a little bit quieter even though he has played well, lets see how he is progressing at becoming the future Nose Tackle, and can he overtake Bryan Robinson and Gabe Watson.
- Rookie QBs: The coaches like John Skelton and Max Hall a lot. How much time do they get to play, and do they do well enough to justify keeping both of them along with Leinart and/or Anderson? Can they show enough to prove that they are our QBs of the Future?