1. And … He’s Gone
We obviously will start with the biggest news coming out of preseason week three, the bombshell dropped by Andrew Luck when he decided it was in his best interest to walk away from the game.
In an emotional press conference, Luck was choked up at times as he thanked everyone from owner Jim Irsay down to the cafeteria workers at team facilities. Luck described how making the decision was not an easy one, however it was one that he promised himself he would make if he ever found himself back in the position he is now.
“I felt stuck and the only way out of it is to no longer play football.” Luck told the media Saturday night before adding, “It’s taken my joy away from the game.”
They say health is wealth, and Luck is already wealthy, Andrew Luck has made the best decision for himself and his family. Not everyone feels this sentiment however as Luck was met with loud booing from Colts fan as they walked off the field following their 27-17 defeat to the Chicago Bears on Saturday. When asked about the fan response, Luck said, “It hurt.”
Indianapolis’ season win total, division odds, and the odds for the whole AFC South were effected.
How the @Colts odds have shifted since Andrew Luck retired:
Super Bowl:
+1600 📉 +5000AFC South:
EVEN 📉 +450Win total:
9.5 📉 6.5Week 1 vs Chargers:
+3.5 📉 +9.5— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) August 25, 2019
Andrew Luck’s press conference announcing retirement. https://t.co/uAxRiMQeK6
— Indy SportsOne (@IndySportsOne) August 25, 2019
2. More Injuries
The crazy night for the AFC South continued with some unfortunate injury news as Texans running back Lamar Miller has torn his ACL in the Texans 34-0 loss to Dallas on Saturday in what was his first appearance of the preseason. Stepping into the role will be Duke Johnson who was acquired from the Browns in a trade earlier this month.
It is yet to be known if the Texans will look to add more help in the backfield but there certainly is reason to be optimistic about Johnson as he simply did not receive the amount of snaps to showcase his talent in Cleveland.
This still will be a big loss for the Houston offense and place more pressure squarely on QB Deshaun Watson.
The Houston Texans fear the Lamar Miller tore his ACL on this play…
Duke Johnson Jr. should receive a massive increase in carries.
— Sports Plug 2.0 (@SportsPlug_) August 25, 2019
3. The Dog Pound Is Barking
Cleveland got to the QB five times as their pass rush ability was on full display Friday night in Tampa. They seemed to be in Winston’s pocket, making him uncomfortable all night long. Expectations are high for this team in 2019, that goes almost without saying, and what has been known for a while as “dress rehearsal week” they showed they have a decent shot of living up to these somewhat lofty expectations.
This group is one of the best front seven’s in all of football, with a mix of interior and edge rushers this defensive is poised to wreak havoc in opposing backfields all year. Will they live up to the expectations which seem to continue to grow and grow by the day is yet to be seen.
.@Browns @oliviervernon54 unleashed holy hell on the @Buccaneers on Friday night. He helps to complete a “complete” defensive line. So fundamentally sound. I can here the #Dawgs barking right now. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/qR5n3pz6P9
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 26, 2019
4. Josh Allen(s)
Week three is seen as an important preseason week. The week where coaches look to play their starters the most, and get an idea of where they are at physically and mentally. Most call it dress rehearsal week, a tradition slowly but surely waning due to more and more coaches caution with starters playing time due to potential injury.
However, there is a lot we can learn from this final tune up and here is some of what we learned last week. After a some optimism from how Josh Allen had played in his brief action in weeks one and two, Josh made a horrible throw Friday night which suddenly brought back the forefront the copious amounts of doubt rushing back to fans.
On the flip side Jacksonville defensive end Josh Allen feasted against the Miami Dolphins offensive line. The 7th overall pick also impressed in pass coverage, locking down Miami RB Kalen Ballage. Allens rare size of speed and agility is going to be a problem for offenses to prepare for all season.
5. Danny Dimes Isn’t the Starter…Yet
Well, the first two weeks features a Daniel Jones snippet and it seems like it should remain a prominent storyline throughout the preseason as it will likely linger into the regular season. The legend of “Danny Dimes” has sprouted and I see it only growing and growing.
The rookie has been impressive all preseason completing 25 of his 30 attempted passes in his three preseason games this season and filling Giants fans, many who booed when he was selected, with optimism about the future beyond Eli. Head coach Pat Shurmur but any doubts to bed when he named Eli the starter for 2019 on Monday. However, this does not mean we won’t see Daniel Jones late in games or perhaps later in the season if the Giants are not playing for anything. We saw how the fanbase responded to the benching of Eli before, the Giants would be smart to learn from that experience last year going forward with Jones.
I look forward to Week 1 when some national media outlet reports “Breaking News: Eli Manning named Week 1 starter for Giants” and everyone reacts as if it’s, you know, news. … https://t.co/G9cqq90ZAR
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) August 24, 2019
