Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Football his here, and even though it is sloppy, poorly-executed preseason football, it is football nonetheless. We’re still a little under three weeks away from seeing our beloved Alabama Crimson Tide in action again, but former Tide greats are off and running with the NFL’s preseason.
So, which Tide players impressed in the first week of preseason, and which struggled? That’s what I’m here to answer.
High Tide
Dre Kikpatrick, CB, Cincinnati Bengals
Former Crimson Tide All-American Dre Kirkpatrick had what amounted to a redshirt season in his rookie year with the Bengals after being selected 17th overall by the team in the 2012 draft. While still being listed as a third-stringer on Cincinnati’s depth chart, for all intents and purposes, Kirkpatrick has had a strong training camp with the team and that culminated with a nice showing in their preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
He was matched up mainly against second and third team receivers, but he made a couple of nice pass breakups when he was tested deep, and generally stuck to opposing receivers hips all night long. It’s not likely Kirkpatrick earns a starting role this year in the Bengals secondary barring injury, but he should see the field in some nickel and dime situations as well as being a contributor on special teams.
Chance Warmack, OG, Tennessee Titans
Despite limited practice time due to a holdout, Titans first round pick Chance Warmack started at right guard in their first preseason game against the Washington Redskins. Warmack certainly had a few learning experiences and he did give up a sack, but it was generally an impressive debut for the rookie. SB Nation’s Tennessee Titans blog, Music City Miracles, has an in-depth review of Warmack’s first professional game as they analyse every snap he was on the field.
The sky is the limit for Warmack as he is already showing his devastating ability as a run blocker. His technique needs a bit of work in pass protection, and that will come in due time working with Titans offensive line coach Bruce Matthews.
Greg McElroy, QB, New York Jets
McElroy, a seventh-round pick in 2011, was the Jets’ leading passer in their preseason opener against the Detroit Lions. The highly publicized quarterback competition in New York has been between incumbent Mark Sanchez and rookie second-round pick Geno Smith, while McElroy has been left fighting for a roster spot and the third-string job behind those two. Mark Sanchez has proven time and time again to be unworthy of the starting job, and he threw a pick-six to Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah to start the game on Friday.
Meanwhile, McElroy continued to not make mistakes, and completed 11-of-19 passes for 145 yards and an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zach Rogers in the third quarter. McElroy’s performance against the Lions only further cemented my belief that he is the best quarterback on the Jets’ roster.
Dee Milliner, CB, New York Jets
Just like Chance Warmack, Dee Milliner earned a starting spot at cornerback in the Jets’ first preseason game despite missing a week of training camp due to a holdout. Milliner started opposite Antonio Cromartie, and made an impressive pass breakup in the endzone on Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson as Detroit tried to pick on the rookie corner. Milliner, like every rookie, had a mental mistake or two in his first preseason game, but overall it was an impressive performance that highlighted his immense potential.
Milliner can expect to be picked on this year as most rookie cornerbacks are, but he was picked on several times last season at Alabama, and made opposing quarterbacks pay time and time again.
D.J. Fluker, OT, San Diego Chargers
In his first preseason game, D.J. Fluker displayed everything we saw from him during his time with Alabama. Even against Seattle’s nasty defensive front, Fluker was a dominant run blocker. The 11th overall pick displayed his power in the running game, but he also showed his shortcomings as a pass blocker on a couple of occasions. San Diego had to help Fluker in pass protection on multiple occasions, and we saw that a lot during his time with Alabama. He struggles against quick edge rushers, but with the time and effort he should improve on that.
Still, Fluker should immediately boost the Chargers’ running game that finished 27th in the NFL last season. If he can make strides as a pass blocker, then Fluker could be on his way to an All-Pro career in the NFL.
Damion Square, DL, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has lauded undrafted free agent Damion Square’s performance in training camp to this point, and said that he really jumped out to him while watching tape of Philadelphia’s preseason opener against the New England Patriots. Square was a powerful force in the middle for the Eagles in the game, and put a hit on Patriots second string quarterback Ryan Mallett that knocked him out of the game.
Square seems to be well on his way to making the Eagles’ 53-man roster as long as he continues to work hard and separate himself from the pack of defensive linemen he is competing against.
Javier Arenas, CB, Arizona Cardinals
Javier Arenas was traded to the Cardinals from the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason, and he had a strong preseason debut against the Green Bay Packers on Friday. Arenas, the former second round pick, was Arizona’s leading tackler against the Packers with 5, and he’s drawn rave reviews from Cardinals coaches.
Arenas should provide great depth for the Cardinals this season, and will likely see the field in nickel and dime situations. Also, with Patrick Peterson playing both sides of the ball, Arenas will likely get a chance to do what he does best in returning kicks and punts.
Low Tide
Marcell Dareus, DL, Buffalo Bills
Marcell Dareus didn’t have a poor performance in the Bills’ first preseason game, but he certainly did little to separate himself from the pack. The former No. 3 overall pick is fighting for a starting job along Buffalo’s defensive line. As of now, Dareus is slated as the starting nose tackle in Buffalo’s base 3-4 defense, but he has been losing reps in practice to former undrafted free agent from East Carolina Jay Ross.
Entering his third season in the NFL, Dareus was expected to be blossoming into a star at his position, but to this point he has been disappointing. Some extenuating circumstances have kept most from labeling Dareus as a bust, but he certainly needs a strong third season to quell any whispers of that word.
Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints
It’s hard to be overly critical of Mark Ingram’s performance in the Saints’ preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, but his performance did little to silence the notion of him being an outright bust to this stage of his NFL career. He only carried the ball three times, but amassed only 12 yards with those carries. It could be a boom or bust season for Ingram in New Orleans. After averaging under four yards per carry in his first two seasons in the NFL, this could be the last opportunity with the Saints for the former Heisman Trophy winner.
Ingram hasn’t been given much of a chance so far thanks to New Orleans’ pass-heavy offense and having to split carries with three or four other backs. I’ve held the belief, along with other Crimson Tide fans, that Ingram could be more successful in a different offense, and we could very well see that next season unless Ingram has a breakout year in 2013.
Injuries
Julio Jones, Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, Brad Smelley and Barrett Jones were all held out of the first preseason games with various injuries. They’ve all since returned to practice, but it is unclear whether any of them will play in week two of the preseason. Julio Jones is expected to play, while Trent Richardson’s status will probably be determined on Wednesday. As for the others, nothing has been said about their status to this point.
Follow John on Twitter.