Undrafted rookies steal the spotlight Prior to the 2018 regular season : 0xbt
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Undrafted rookies steal the spotlight Prior to the 2018 regular season

    huangjian123
    By huangjian123
    Surged or Static:  regular season Authentic Casey Hayward Jersey , I’m going to work out the kinks of a few new weekly pieces I had planned to unveil in full glory following the week one matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.This first one is something I affectionately refer to as “Surge or Static.” The piece will highlight several players that progressed this past week or “surged “ forward while I point out several other players who took a step back or stayed “static.”(Side Note: I may be joined by another writer for this piece or have a carousel of contributors throughout the year. This is TBD.)This week’s game against the Seahawks included some stellar play from a pair of undrafted free agents while a veteran proved he still needs to polish up some things prior to the start of the regular season.And yeah, yeah, it’s still too early to react so heavily on anything but if we can’t get excited or frustrated about anything, the next couple weeks are going to be pretty boring. So let’s get these emotional responses flowing!SurgingRB Detrez NewsomeIn his first preseason action against the Arizona Cardinals, the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Newsome didn’t put up the flashiest of stat lines. It was a performance you needed to judge by the film, not the numbers in the box score. Newsome’s final rushing line was an abysmal three yards on four rushes but he did add a short touchdown and would have had two if his 37-yard score was not negated by a penalty. If it stood, a line of 5-40-2 would have looked much better.He also add four catches for another 34 yards on five targets.Due to injuries, Newsome and starter Melvin Gordon were the only true running backs left for the Chargers against the Seahawks on Saturday night. Newsome got extended action that not many backs see in the preseason and he definitely made the most of the substantial workload.He carried the rock 19 times on the night and turned it into 78 yards, averaging 4.1 per tote. He also caught all three of his targets for another 22 yards Womens Derwin James Jersey , putting him at exactly 100 yards from scrimmage.KR/PR J.J. JonesAt 5-foot-10 and 173 pounds, Jones measures in as one of the smallest players on the Bolts’ roster. However, his recent play has been HUGE as it’s only taken him two games as a pro to show the Chargers’ staff what he can contribute to this year’s team.Against the Cardinals, Jones split time with WR Artavis Scott returning both punts and kickoffs with both looking pretty even with each other. On Saturday night, both saw a handful of returns once again but Jones was the one to finally break through with his 72-yard punt return for touchdown that increased the team’s lead from one point to eight.I really hope the team finds a way to keep Jones on the roster come September without having to sacrifice good depth elsewhere. The special teams of the Chargers have been far too poor in recent years and this may be the first time in awhile I can feel confident about the team in all three phases of the game.Stayed StaticS Jahleel AddaeAddae’s skill-set has never been synonymous with “great coverage.” After all, his nickname is “The Hitman” and it’s rightfully deserved when you go back and watch some of his best plays over the years. Occasionaly, however, it’s his own teammates he finds himself taking out.Last season, Addae took a giant leap forward with his overall game and became a reliable player onthe back-end of the defense. This year, it looks as if Addae will get the chance to start at free safety while first-round pick S Derwin James will be slotted in at the strong safety position. This means Addae will spend most of his time away from the line of scrimmage Joe Barksdale Jersey , which is the area where his game translates the best.On Saturday night, Addae got the chance to show fans that he has the ability to roam from sideline-to-sideline as a single-high safety. When the prime opportunity came to be, he allowed a deep ball to go through his arms into the waiting hands of WR Jaron Brown for a big gain.There are absolutely zero excuses as to why that ball shouldn’t have been intercepted, or at least broken up. Although the rest of the defense allowed several other deep balls to be completed, this one looked especially pitiful knowing it was a veteran player combined with a horrible decision to throw the ball in the first place by Russell Wilson.CB B.J. ClayClay was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia State this year and found himself battling for a spot in the most crowded position group on the team. With two other UDFA CBs getting the majority of the publicity, Clay has found himself fairly stuck in the mud. When it becomes the third and fourth quarter of these preseason games, guys like Clay and other UDFAs have the opportunity to put their skillset on display while the starters watch from the sidelines. However, the cornerback’s play did get a healthy dose of spotlight at the end of the game, it was just of the negative variety.Within the last five minutes of the game, Clay was on the wrong side of a 39-yard gain Womens Mike Pouncey Jersey , allowed a touchdown pass, and then gave up the following2.pt conversion.I’m not a defensive backs coach or anything close, but that’s no bueno.Top Ten Individual Defensive Performances of 2017: #3 Joey Bosa v. NYG Wk. 5 #3.) Joey Bosa v. Giants - 6 tackles, 2 sacks, TFL, forced fumbleGiants fans might want to look away once again for this next defensive performance as we come right back to the Chargers’ first win of the ‘17 season.For the #4 performance, Melvin Ingram was highlighted as he harassed Eli Manning from the first whistle to the last. In this case, we’re going to be highlighting the action on the other side of the defensive line as Joey Bosa had himself a busy day against Big Blue, as well.It only took about four minutes into the game for the big bear to put a highlight onto the stat sheet. On a 3rd & 10 during the Giants’ first possession of the game,Bosa decided to test the right tackle on an outside speed rush. As Manning felt the pressure Authentic Tyrell Williams Jersey , he stepped up into the pocket and drifted to Bosa’s side. This made it all too easy for #99 to stick his foot in the ground and come back to level the poor quarterback from behind.On the very next possession, Bosa whipped the right tackle once again as he collected his second sack of the day as he used his giant mitt to reach through two blockers and strip the ball from Manning’s hands. The quarterback was able to fall on the ball but a punt ensued. Within just the first 10 minutes of the game, Bosa came up with two drive-killing plays in as many possessions.Bosa collected his first tackle-for-loss early in the second quarter as the Giants decided it was a good idea to let rookie TE/Big Slot WR Evan Engram block him all by himself. This went about as expected. Bosa beat Engram off the line and simply followed in the right tackle’s back pocket until he was in the face of rookie running back Wayne Gallman.A few minutes later on a 2nd & 10, Bosa walloped Manning on an inside stunt that caused an incompletion to the flat.The rest of the game was a bit quieter for the second-year defensive end, but his earlier impact payed huge dividends as Melvin Ingram and the rest of the defense continued to make plays down the stretch which ultimately secured the close victory against Manning and co.

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