The 49ers and Raiders both won their first exhibition games –
the Niners edged Denver by a point and the Raiders handled the
Cowboys 31-10 – but getting excited about a team winning with its
second- and third-stringers playing more than 75 percent of the
snaps is like asking a girl to marry you after the appetizers
arrive on a first date. Maybe you should wait and see how things
progress over the course of the meal (and a couple hundred more
meals, if you’re smart).
Preseason football is our annual reminder that you can’t always trust what you see at first glance.
The 49ers and Raiders both won their first exhibition games – the Niners edged Denver by a point and the Raiders handled the Cowboys 31-10 – but getting excited about a team winning with its second- and third-stringers playing more than 75 percent of the snaps is like asking a girl to marry you after the appetizers arrive on a first date. Maybe you should wait and see how things progress over the course of the meal (and a couple hundred more meals, if you’re smart).
If you need any indication of how meaningless the preseason is, at least when it comes to wins and losses, simply look at the Detroit Lions. Last year, they went undefeated in four preseason games and defeated in 16 regular-season contests.
It’s best to think of the preseason as a movie trailer for anything starring Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller or Nic Cage. There might be moments you think ‘that looks good,’ but then you can’t remember the last time any of the three made something worth watching.
Temper those expectations.
Since the NFL is king in this sports landscape of ours, though, there are plenty of worthwhile tidbits from the first week of summer football to examine. Some will give local fans reasons to salivate in anticipation, others might make them spit in disgust. Here are just a few:
– Shaun Hill did enough in limited duty to show he’s a safe bet to start. Hill will win the starting quarterback battle with Alex Smith for no other reason than the guy is a gamer and rarely blows a game. Going 5-3 over the final eight contests last season, Hill made a couple of nice completions Friday to tight end Vernon Davis. Handing the ball to Frank Gore and finding Davis in the seams will be what makes the Niners go on offense, especially with rookie holdout Michael Crabtree looking more and more like he will be a non-factor this season.
One rookie who does have a chance to make a quick impact is Glen Coffee. The running back out of Alabama looked excellent against the Broncos, breaking off strong runs like he did in the Southeastern Conference last year. Running back is one of the easier positions to transition to from college, at least when the ball is in the runner’s hands, because it requires more instinct than thought.
A strong two-back system would make things easier on Gore, who has a long history of injuries, as well as a quarterback relying on play-action passes. Hill won’t be flashy, but combine him with a solid running game and he’ll get the job done similar to a guy named Garcia from Gilroy.
– Jeff Garcia pulled a Carmen Sandiego this past weekend by mysteriously missing a couple of practices for personal reasons, but if you’re wondering where in the world the quarterback is these days, you need only take the two-hour trip to Napa. Back at practice Monday, the first in which Garcia was supposed to participate in full pads after missing the last two weeks with a calf strain, the 39-year-old signal-caller is expected to take over the second team after watching Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye split his reps. His return to action coincides with two days of joint practices starting today between the Raiders and Niners, who will play each other Saturday.
From his unexpected absence this past weekend, speculation built that Garcia was thinking of retiring because of possibly being misled during the free-agency wooing process. Several reports hinted that Garcia thought/was told he would have a chance to compete for the starting job with JaMarcus Russell. This could be true, but through my conversations with Garcia on the day of the signing, it was made clear that he knew his role was as a backup.
Now, Garcia might have seen enough inconsistency from Russell during the offseason to think the job would be up for grabs by the time training camp rolled around, but the recent calf injury all but quashed any possibly quarterback controversy.
Russell is guaranteed to be the starter in Week 1, especially after a solid but not spectacular showing against the Cowboys. His short and intermediate throws were on point while his deep passes left plenty to be desired. Regardless, the Raiders will be happy if Russell continues to duplicate 6-of-9 passing.
– This just in: Mike Vick is back in the NFL and Brett Favre is considering coming out of retirement again.
Landing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Vick looks poised to get his life and career back on track in a limited role with the team. If that’s the case, it could be a great fit for both. Vick was an athletic specimen before going to prison for dogfighting charges, and the idea of him playing in the Wildcat formation is intriguing.
However, if Donovan McNabb gets hurt or struggles, could there be a worse place for Vick to try and ease his way back into football than Philly? Instead of a slow and steady introduction, Vick could be thrust into a prime-time role in the least friendly sports town in America. Garcia was loved like a brother in Philly for the way he stepped up and led the floundering Eagles to the playoffs in 2006. But there’s little doubt they would have turned on him like Santa if he didn’t deliver victories.
As for Favre, Garcia may not be thrilled about being a backup with the Raiders, but at least he doesn’t have to worry about being part of that never-ending storyline for a second straight year.
