Both the Indianapolis Colts’ and Washington Redskins’ offenses looked good early in the NFL Hall of Fame game Sunday night – and both provided some moments of intrigue for fantasy players.
No, you can’t judge much by watching preseason games – the first couple drives, in general, are the only ones that are going to tell you much. But Jason Campbell, Washington’s quarterback, looked sharp on a short drive following the team’s recovery of an onside kick. He quickly hit Chris Cooley, who is rising on my tight end cheat sheets, with an eight yard pass and then hit Antwaan Randle El for a 20 yard touchdown.
Of particular note to me on that drive was how calm and sharp Campbell looked and how the first pass went to Cooley, who certainly isn’t a stranger to fantasy players, but who also could emerge in Jim Zorn’s version of the West Coast offense this season.
When the Colts finally got their hands on the ball I noted two things nearly right out of the gate. First, Jim Sorgi looks very comfortable running the offense in the absence of Peyton Manning. He started six of seven for 66 yards before a more than seven minute drive drive bogged down in the red zone. They settled for a field goal. He did nearly throw a pick in the end zone, tossing a pass behind Reggie Wayne on a failed hook pattern. But otherwise he was solid.
Second, the Colts ran Dallas Clark out of the slot receiver position rather than as a tight end for at least part of the drive. That’s key because that’s where he did much of his damage – he caught just 58 passes for 616 yards last season but scored 11 touchdowns.
I had been worried that with Marvin Harrison’s return this season Clark would be re-relegated to playing on the line rather than out of the slot. But according to John Madden the Colts’ coaching staff would like to run him from the slot more often than not. Good move for him and for his fantasy owners.
Again – I’m not putting anything down in stone based on one drive. But out of the gate both teams showed some solid pieces to build from.
ADD: And Quinn Gray replaced Sorgi after one series. That seems a bit questionable to me given how little Sorgi has played during his career. But I guess it says the team is incredibly comfortable with the veteran backup. And as Madden and Al Michaels are noting, the team does play an extra game.
Still – one drive is Peyton Manning treatment. But hey, what do I know.
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