Position Battles to Watch During Week 3 of the Pre-Season
 

Heading into the 3rd week of the 2013 NFL pre-season, many position battles are still underway, even as we inch closer to the regular season. The following are some of the most intriguing and ‘must-watch’ position battles that are still underway.

The Battle for 3rd String Quarterback

As the pre-season moves forward, there still is not a distinct winner of the battle for the 3rd quarterback position, being fought between rookie Tyler Bray and 3rd year player Ricky Stanzi. Despite Bray’s unimpressive last outing, he still has the upper hand at winning the position. This is due to Stanzi having been drafted by the Pioli regime and not the Reid/Dorsey regime. An indicator of Stanzi’s dwindling chances of winning the battle is his absence from the most recent pre-season matchup, against the San Francisco 49ers last weekend. Stanzi’s absence from last week’s game was not due to illness or injury, but just for the reason that the coaches simply did not put him into the game. The game began with a healthy amount of playing time for starter Alex Smith, followed by Chase Daniel in the 3rd quarter and Tyler Bray in the 4th quarter to round out the game. This is the last thing Ricky Stanzi needs is to not be getting any game time, which is vital in proving he deserves the 3rd quarterback spot.

Two games still remain in this year’s pre-season, but time is rapidly running out for Ricky Stanzi. Regardless of the fact that Tyler Bray has not earned the 3rd roster spot as of yet, Stanzi will be required to be prepared to impress in the next two weeks if he is going to have any chance at snatching what is likely to be the last quarterback to survive the final roster cuts.

The Battle for starting Left Inside-Linebacker

The battle for the starting left Inside-Linebacker role is currently underway between former Philadelphia Eagles Linebacker Akeem Jordan and rookie Nico Johnson. Jordon, being the more experienced of the two, is currently listed as the main man at left Inside-Linebacker, however this decision is in no way final. If Johnson can make a showing in the next two weeks of pre-season, the tables could very well turn. At present, neither player has produced at a high enough level to overtake the other in the race for the starting job, which, if this trend were to continue, would indicate Jordan would manage to retain the starter role at least for the beginning of the regular season.

Though not as an exciting point of discussion as the other Linebacker positions, Akeem Jordon, a seasoned veteran and Nico Johnson, an anticipated rookie, make for an interesting situation. (Also keep in mind that Jordan and Johnson are both surrounded by pro-bowlers and established veterans, which will only assist them in becoming better players.)

The Battle for backup Running Back

With Jamaal Charles as the most proven and established player on the entire team as the starter at running back, that role is most definitely not up for grabs and won’t be for quite some time, but the spot just beneath him is. The role of backup running back has been up-in-the-air since Thomas Jones retired after the 2010 NFL season which has meant there has been a fairly frequent rotation of players coming and going from the backup running back position. Rookie Knile Davis and 3rd year player Shaun Draughn are the two most productive candidates fighting it out for the backup role. Draughn was the official backup to Jamaal Charles during the 2012 season, however did not receive much playing time due to Charles’ much improved health. What Draughn did show though, was potential as a reliable backup. Whether this potential carries over into the current season will be determined by Draughn’s performance in the two remaining pre-season matchups before the regular season arrives.

Knile Davis, while an injury risk himself, has shown an impressively fluid transition to the professional level so far. In last week’s matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers, Davis flashed his speed and quickness while averaging over 3.5 yards per carry over 10 attempts for a combined total of 37 yards for the day. Again, this position battle is not settled, but Davis has seemed to be pulling ahead of his competition, and if this trend continues, will likely end up being named the official backup to Jamaal Charles by September.

The Battle for 2nd string Tight End

Former Miami Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano was signed this off-season to come in and make an immediate impact and he has done just that by just about securing the starting job at tight end. One spot down the depth chart, 2nd string, is a competition, where rookie tight Travis Kelce and 4th year player Tony Moeaki are battling for that 2nd string spot. The most disappointing fact in all this is that former starter Tony Moeaki has dropped (unofficially) all the way to 3rd on the depth chart, even by rookie Travis Kelce. Moeaki being a constant injury concern has meant the coaches have slowly lost faith in his ability to stay on the field for an adequate number of games during the regular season. If Moeaki continues to show his capabilities on the field and avoid injury, it would not be at all surprising to see him retake the 2nd string position, especially as Kelce has not had the prolific pre-season one would have hoped for him to have.

Other Noteworthy situations

Right Tackle

Rookie tackle and number one overall draft pick Eric Fisher has been a large topic of discussion as he has not produced at a high level as immediately as was hoped. Having said this, Fisher is playing at a position which he has never played at. Naturally, Fisher is a left tackle, but due to the Chiefs’ situation at left tackle, Fisher has been forced to play on the right side, at least for now. At this stage there is really no need for concern by the fans.

Wide Receiver

With the recent trading of Jon Baldwin, former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donnie Avery has been promoted to a starting role beside established veteran Dwayne Bowe. Avery proved he could produce at a high level while in Indianapolis and now with this perfect opportunity in Kansas City, is primed to show off his blazing speed.

Defensive Line

So far this pre-season, the entire defensive line has really stepped up their game. Tyson Jackson has had success eating up blockers, making way for the faster hard-hitting linebacking core consisting of Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson and more. Former New York Jets defensive end Mike DeVito has made an incredible transition to a new defense, showing power and speed off the line. Finally, 2nd year defensive tackle and scouting combine phenomenon Dontari Poe has begun to show why he was drafted so highly in 2012, pushing the opposing guards and centres backwards and, like his teammates, paving the way to the quarterback for the all-pro linebacking core that the Chiefs have.

While most of the starters are set along the defensive line, expect to see a rotation of players going on this season. This defensive line may be turning into what fans have been waiting for, for so long.

Kick/Punt Returner

Wide Receivers Dexter McCluster and Devon Wylie and Safety Quintin Demps are all sharing reps at kick and punt returner this pre-season. Wylie and McCluster have both shown improvement in their return production and are competing for a permanent punt returner role.

Safety Quintin Demps has been the stand-out player in recent weeks, scoring a touchdown from a 49ers kick-off last weekend, among other impressive performances has made Demps a known name among the fans. Demps, Wylie and McCluster all seem to be competing for the permanent job at kick returner, but who will be the main man or whether the kick return formation will feature duel kick returners is uncertain and will most likely remain unknown until September.

I'm looking forward to Alex Smiths battle against the down-field pass.

:whackit:

Das it mane.

Hah, "battle for 3rd string quarterback".

The only battle there is whether Stanzi ends up bagging at HyVee or Hen House.

FYI, for some reason nobody seems to be aware of this, but Fisher actually has played right tackle. He started 4 games there in 2010. He also started 2 games at right guard, and 3 at LT that season.

Biggest things of interest for me are in seeing the OL pass pro and the WR/TE performances. I have some faith in Avery to be a decent #2 if healthy. We need to see the young guys work and earn a role or their walking papers. We know what Fasano can do, so I wouldn't play him for more than a drive or two. Let's see Kelce (if healthy) get some work in the first half and mix in Moeaki in the 2nd half.

I also think KC should pull Alex out by halftime.. perhaps earlier if he's getting put on the ground frequently. Then give Daniel most of the 3rd quarter.. then Bray.. then maybe Stanzi mops up the last drive or two.

I doubt we need to see much from most of the starting front 7 defense... along with Flowers and Berry. I don't like taking chances with their health by playing them too long.

Battle for 1st string QB. Bray vs Smith.


Bray should get the edge here folks

Yes, Bray only has the upperhand because Stanzi was drafted by pioli. It clearly has nothing to do with his physical tools, near limitless upside, or even the fact that he has outperformed Stanzi nearly all TC accoriding to most sources. Just.....dumb.

I heard it's cuz on the first day of camp Bray brought egg Mcmuffins and Stanzi only brought donuts

Lol, sadly this is a more plausible explanation than op's bullshit theory.

Yeah, there really isn't much chance of Satnzi making the final cut. But Bray really hasn't done anything in-game to pull ahead. That said, I do think it's still over for Americanzi.

Look, I want Bray to succedd just as much as the next guy around here, but camp does get played up a fair bit, and Bray hasn't exactly done much in-game. Don't get me wrong, at this stage I would most definitely take Bray over Stanzi, but by no means is it a wide margin judging by their play on the field. If both were drafted by the same regime, at the same time, it'd still be way up in the air.

And what theory is this....

Personally I don't care what it takes to get Stanzi out of here. Bray is a better prospect.

Yeah, I could have worded that slightly differently. I didn't mean that the only reason Bray will win the job is because he was drafted by Dorsey/Reid. It's just one of the reasons. Also that that last game's unimpressive performance did not really matter due to who drafted him.

Bray hasn't shown anything that has impressed me. But if after 2 years in Stanzi can't even lock down the #3 spot out of the gates, I see no reason to keep him.

Pretty much. Even if Bray turns out no better than Stanzi, it's always going to happen; out with the old, in with the new.

It shouldn't matter. I don't want to hear excuses for our 1.1 RT. He was picked to play and be an impact player as the number one pick. I figure Dorsey and Reid know what they are doing, I'm expecting results.

Stanzi's had 3 offseasons to show...something. Anything. Hell, he hasn't even shown enough to get playing time in a preseason game this year. There's literally nothing going for him. Drafted by the previous GM, nothing special in terms of physical tangibles. I don't care if Bray has been "unimpressive", you keep him because of what he has the potential to be. We've already seen what Stanzi has the potential to be, and it's exactly what he is.

Pretty much.

I'm not sure how you were interpreting that as me giving him an excuse. It was the opposite. The whole "he's never played RT" line has been thrown around all offseason and it's simply not true. It's never been true. In fact, I believe (but don't quote me on this...) that he actually played every position aside from center in a game at CMU, and he actually started at RT for 4 games. So it's definitely not something he's never done before.

All things rather equal, you easily shoose the QB with the much better arm-strength.

Oh no lol. I wasn't interpreting what you said as excuses. I was really agreeing with you and am already tired of the excuses. That's why I said that.

No question Bray has the better arm strength.

I watched the Saints game at a friend's house and didn't get to really focus so I don't know real well how some players performed. That being said, I noticed many people dogging on Davis. He may have looked a little shaky against the Saints, but I thought he looked pretty good against the 49ers. That's a good sign.

Smith, while not having a great game, was better than some give him credit for. Keep in mind when looking at his numbers that 3 or 4 of those passes were drops. The biggest disappointment I had with him was the blitzes not being recognized. Or even if they were the ball was not out quickly (hot routes or audibles). But that seemed to be an issue with every one of our QBs in that game. Obviously, that is an area that they need work.

I do love seeing this defense, and particularly the front seven being aggressive. We didn't see that much under Crennel.

Don't know how they did in the Saints game but Jordan looked like the starter against the 9ers. Would love for Johnson to take that spot but if Jordan is outperforming then so be it. The best player should be the starter, period.

As for 3rd string QB and as others have stated, I like Bray for that spot. Sure, he's struggled at times. But he has a lot more potential, IMO. I like Stanzi but he pretty much sealed his fate last preseason when he stunk it up. He had an opportunity to be the 2nd stringer QB (and eventually start when Cassel was benched) but he absolutely sucked.

Well said. And definitely agree on Knile Davis, he started a little shaky, but he really impressed me vs the 49ers. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do this weekend.

Id rather have Stanzi and Bray over Daniels completely.

I believe Nico will end up starting.

Bray should be the starter from day one. No discussion needed. Let the kid grow and learn.

:facepalm: Just stop. We don't need Clowney that bad.

Fabulous......

This

Same here.

How did he perform in those 4 games?

If it's the last game of the year and the Chiefs are one win away from winning the division, and Alex Smith and Chase Daniel are both hurt, I would want Ricky Stanzi as the starting QB instead of Tyler Bray. At least for this season. Bray still has a long way to go and is far from ready to take the field when the games mean something.

That being said, that's not much of a reason to keep Stanzi over Bray. You simply do NOT risk Bray getting picked off the waivers by another team before you can fit him onto the practice squad. If he shows even a bucket of spit's worth of potential to play QB in this league, it will be seen in his second year and second full offseason with the team.

It sucks that Daniel is such a turd, but I think the San Francisco game proved that his mobility does make him a better asset to the team than Stanzi/Croyle's tendency to stay in the pocket. If you're stuck with two shit backup QBs, I guess you go with the one that can run.

Where is Casey Printers now a days?

None of the backup QBs are going to push to start at this point. Daniel is the guy to finish out a game where the starter goes down and perhaps fill in a game or two in the event of an injury.

I'm not convinced he should be the QB in the event of an extended absence from the starter though.

I'm scouring the waiver way if I'm not starting Bray. Starting Stanzi would be taking a knee at kick-off.

THIS, gimme the big arm and we'll see if Reid can fix the ten cent head.

Tight End is such a mystery, no one is really blowing up the charts, if only Moeaki could prove his durability, i believe he's the best starter... theres no question he can block and we've seen him make a few dandy grabs, i'd like to see him in there, and in dual TE sets you could do a lot worse than him and Fasano.

Its starting to look like Kelce is a bit raw, he needs a bit more time in the crockpot.

When has the 3rd QB on any team pushed to start? Almost any team is in trouble if they get down to their 3rd QB.
Posted via Mobile Device

I've come to the conclusion that he was brought in much more for his "football intelligence" than he was his physical skill... a questionable choice.

Starting to make me think of Trent Dilfer, he'll give you all the right answers on blackboard tests, but cant execute the play physically.

Drop Daniel to 3rd string or cut him and bring in an old Vet. Alex Smith getting hurt is as close to being assured as Moeaki getting hurt.

it's disappointing how little real competition we have at camp this year.

competition by fail doesn't really count imo

MLB and backup RB are the only real competition imo

our WR's are just stank ... a competition of which player isn't quite 'as' stank doesn't count. We should sign 2 wide receivers at cut downs from other teams.

TE competition to see how far Moeaki falls down the depth chart is meh


fyi Fisher has played right tackle before so i just don't wanna hear it

Demps on kickoffs and Wylie on punts is a no brainer ... no McCluster required.

IMO this is a legitimate concern considering Smiths injury history. I guess Daniels might be ok for a 1 game in a pinch, but don't want him starting any more than that.

Fasano has looked excellent so far. Hes a really good blocker, smart. Just not a burner....

Moeaki isn't a burner either, but is athletic enough to not only get open but make the catch.

Fasano might just be the more reliable football player, but i don't think he has the same set of tools that Moe has, i would call him more... workman-like.

Honestly I think Moeaki should be ahead of Kelce at this point. The kid got his chance, and if Moeaki gets hurt he can get another chance. But at this point Moeaki is the better TE.

Agreed.

Based on preseason, i'd be shocked if Kelce is anything but #3... wowed in camp but proved wanting in games, he needs more seasoning.

Ummm...... We'll see bout that

I don't think you'd give somebody that much money for their good brains and mediocre performance expectations

I damn well DO believe these guys are damn good, but not infallible.

There will be intermittent mistakes...

Our receivers suck. Wish we would have signed Jennings or something. Christ we need an upgrade at that position.

Bray could be the next Tony ROmo. Let's just cut him now, I'm tired of the UFA QB crap.

The tranny from Iowa didn't even make it on the field last week. I doubt you'll be seeing him on the field this week. The 3rd string QB position is all but officially locked up.

Not looking good, but maybe Bowe and Avery will be solid enough to get this pass offense out of the gutter. It's isn't as if Alex was spoiled with excellent WR play.. until Crabtree turned it up a notch in recent times. There is always the 3-headed TE group and JC should be a big addition to the pass game.

How good can our offense really be if we just traded our #2 WR because he sucked so bad?

NFL defenses are going to take all of about 1 game to learn to stuff every defender within 10 yards of the LOS to shut down all the dink/dunk crap.

Safety over-the-top on Bowe ... extra coverage focus on Charles

Our stretch running game can only do so much with 10 in the box

It's really disappointing that we spent the last 2 years thinking that Baldwin represented improvent in the WR group.

I'm not sure Baldwin was ever in the plans as the #2 WR. Seems he was being showcased or they were just trying to see what they had in him.

Avery at the 2 spot made more sense all along.

Our defense was supposed to be a aggressive/blitzing type scheme yet against the 49ers we struggled to handle the blitz because (according to Reid) we hadn't seen the blitzes before.

So our blitzing defense didn't blitz in training camp?


Something doesn't fit.

We have 14 Te's to cover too.

Yet somehow, Alex was efficient regardless of teams that tried this type of defensive approach. If that's all it took, he'd have been useless and out on his ass years ago. Sure, KC doesn't have VD, but I think they can make up for much of that with Fasano and Kelce (if he steps up soon).. plus JC is far more dangerous as a pass option than Frank Gore.