QUESTIONS ARE PLENTIFUL AT START OF PRESEASON
Football is back. Well, sort of. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game took place on Thursday night, which is traditionally the big tease for the real game of football. Players ( albeit mostly backups) are in uniform, flags are flying and they’re keeping score.
Then you realize that Blaine Gabbert started off 8- for- 8 for the Arizona Cardinals and wonder if that is a terrible omen for the rebuilding Dallas Cowboys defense, still trying to recover from a divisional playoff loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Oh, never mind. It’s too early to fret. Still, the season is upon us. To mark the occasion, some other things to wonder about:
Will Anthony Lynn be the most successful new coach in the NFL this season?
The Los Angeles Chargers’ boss is the most under- the- radar neophyte coach. Just don’t think that equates to a lack of presence. Lynn, influenced greatly by Bill Parcells, comes off as a straight shooter who commands respect with his presence. He says he’s a believer in “healthy conflicts.” What’s that? “That’s a politically correct way of getting in somebody’s ass,” Lynn told me.
Now if he can inspire his team — armed by sometimes- prolific Philip Rivers — to finish games, the Chargers might be a surprise team. The team ( 412) lost six games when it blew fourthquarter leads. Given the talent inherited, Lynn should have a leg up on the Rams’ Sean McVay as the most successful coach in L. A.— and beyond.
If Ryan Tannehill’s knee injury puts him out for an extended period of time, could the Miami Dolphins become the landing spot for Colin Kaepernick?
As they wait for a second opinion on Tannehill’s knee, the Dolphins are in a holding pattern, which is the same way one could describe Kaepernick’s quest to find a new team after sparking a movement last year with his national anthemkneeling social statement.
Backup Matt Moore would be the next man up in Miami, so Kaepernick might not be expected to jump into the lineup. Then again, there is also speculation that Dolphins might even try luring Jay Cutler — who played under Miami coach Adam Gase in Chicago — out of the broadcast booth. Go figure.
Who has the stomach for five preseason games?
With the exhibition kickoff game, the Cowboys and Cardinals were awarded the “bonus” of opening training camp a week earlier than other NFL teams and a five- game preseason. With all the talk in recent years about shortening the preseason — which Roger Goodell has said is the No. 1 request from fans — it’s longer for some teams. Of course, the stars sat out on Thursday night. So there was no Larry Fitzgerald, Ezekiel Elliott, Carson Palmer or Dak Prescott.
Still, coaches and personnel people love the fifth exhibition, as it allows them more time to evaluate young talent, which has become increasingly difficult in an era with less- physical training camps. And you have to figure a guy like Rico Gathers — the tight end for the Cowboys who spent his rookie season last year on the practice squad while learning the ropes after being a college basketball player at Baylor — doesn’t mind the extra reps that come with five preseason games. Gathers, by the way, caught Dallas’ first touchdown, displaying his desired red zone presence.
Which new Hall of Famer will showthe most emotion?
It’s tradition for established Hall of Famers to bet on which new member of their distinguished club will cry in the shortest amount of time while giving their induction speeches. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, despite being a shrewd businessman, is a candidate. He told me recently that he teared up while going over his speech with his daughter, Charlotte. Uh- oh.
My money, though, would be on LaDainian Tomlinson. The former San Diego Chargers ( and New York Jets) running back played with so much passion. One ofmymost vivid LT memories came after a playoff loss against the New England Patriots, when a teary- eyed Tomlinson had to be restrained from going after some New England players as they danced and celebrated on the Chargers’ turf. And he was still steaming when he blasted Bill Belichick during his postgame news conference.
Has the Jon GrudenWatch started early this year?
The preseason hadn’t even started before the hype meter turned up a few notches on the possible return of Coach Chucky. Surely, when Gruden decides he wants to return, he will head to the top of the short list as the most coveted coaching prospect. But there’s no rush, and he said this week he doesn’t foresee a coaching return “anytime soon.”
I would be stunned if Gruden is on the market for the next hiring cycle. Will that change when his youngest son graduates from high school? Maybe so. Check back in a couple of years, when Chucky will be bearing down on the ripe age of 55. In other words, nothing’s imminent, but he’s still young.
CANTON, OHIO