NFL Preseason Week 3 - What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

They call Week 3 of the Preseason in the NFL the dress rehearsal and with good reason. This is the week where the starters and big name players spend more time on the field in preparation for Kickoff Weekend and it also means that we get plenty more juicy stories from the field as well. So, without further ado here are the top stories from the NFL and what we learned this week.

1. The drama continues for the Washington Redskins but there may be light at the end of the tunnel for the fans at last. Once again Robert Griffin III was at the center of the stories this week as ESPN reported that the coaching staff and front office wanted to move on from the oft injured, oft terrible player but that ownership was resisting any moves. Of course that was vehemently denied by the franchise, but it doesn't matter in the end as is. Kirk Cousins was named the 2015 starter today and RG3's future with the franchise is in doubt and that's a good thing. Maybe now Washington can move on, rebuild and forget this mess ever happened. 

2. I can't tell yet if it is time to push the panic button for the Denver Broncos offense. I mean man, that defense is scary good and scary mean but once again, Denver looked anemic when it came to the first team offense. It's a shame to see passes continue to get dropped by the wide receivers and it's tough to see Manning look a little confused out there with the play he's executing. For a dress rehearsal, it looked bad. Yet the run game continues to provide hope when it comes to C.J. Anderson, so there's that at least. But, it's also preseason. None of this matters in the end and Manning and his team are totally different when it comes to live action. Guess we find out against Baltimore. 

3. Speaking of anemic offenses, let's take a moment and talk about the Seattle Seahawks. Three preseason games in, and not one touchdown by the first team offense, that's just ugly. So lots of questions come up now, and of course I know, yes John it's preseason and yes it doesn't matter but still, I'm concerned for my own team not looking good in preseason and you know Seahawks fans are as well. It's just so odd to see from such a dynamic offense and my first thought is...is Wilson suddenly taking a step back now that he's got that massive new contract? Or is it simply a matter of the team not quite jelling just yet on the field? I'm hoping it's the latter. It would be a shame if Wilson turned out to be THAT kind of player and I do hope things get better for the Hawks come week one.

4. It's cut day in the NFL today and 15 players from every team are looking for a new home and well...this is a tough day for everyone in football. It sucks to tell a man his dream of playing professional football may come to an end and of all the cuts I've seen hit the wire, one stood out to me, Brandon Bostick. The name may not be familiar but his story is one of note. If you watched this year's NFC Championship game, this poor young man missed a crucial catch on an onside kick that some see as the cause of Green Bay losing the game and missing out on the Super Bowl. Hell this guy received death threats over this, and what's sad is...it was never his fault. Piss poor coaching lost that game, but you have to wonder if Brandon being cut again is that cautionary tale about how the game can disappear in an instant and I'm curious how much his performance on the field this go round is a long term result of the mental anguish of being a scapegoat in a big time game. Hopefully he and everyone else that is cut today and later this week can catch on elsewhere and wow the football world. 

5. I rarely speak well of the Oakland Raiders and with good reason, they suck and I'm a Broncos fan. It's just how that goes. But the journalist in me realizes that sometimes you have to be objective and after watching last night's game...there are a couple of players on that squad that will do some amazing things for this team in the future and no doubt give my boys a little bit of trouble. Khalil Mack was a force on defense, carving up the Cardinals offensive line like a roast and Amari Cooper flat out embarrassed Patrick Peterson. It looks like the Raiders have finally put some quality young prospects on their team, but I still expect the Broncos to sweep them. 

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