Don't Buy into the Hype on These 8 NFL Preseason Stars

"Of all liars, the smoothest and most convincing is the NFL preseason."—Olin Miller

OK, OK, the poet Miller said that about memory, not the NFL preseason. But preseason games tell more fish stories than old friends at 30-year high school reunions. The big plays and awful mistakes, the pinball scores and the soccer scores, even the ideas of "victory" and "defeat" don't mean what they usually do.

When teams play different mixtures of starters and backups for different lengths, expose different portions of their playbooks and do different amounts of game-planning, there's no way to compare apples to apples. Numbers lie, our eyes deceive us and we foolishly pronounce players heroes or flops.

This year's crop of heroes contains some who look like the real deal, but some of them are generating excitement their real skills can't back up. Here are eight players whose hype you shouldn't buy into.

Audie Cole, LB, Minnesota Vikings

Audie Cole grabbed headlines nationwide when he intercepted back-to-back passes against the Bills—and returned them both for touchdowns.

According to ESPN.com NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert, Vikings fans are calling for Cole, a seventh-round draft pick, to be named the starter over incumbent Jasper Brinkley.

But Cole fell to the seventh round for a reason: He's not blessed with great speed, and the "playmaking" he put on display late in a game against two Buffalo Bills backup quarterbacks will need to be an order of magnitude better against Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins was an excellent quarterback at Michigan State, as well as an outstanding leader. He showed up fellow Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III with an outstanding performance against the Chicago Bears. Cousins completed 18 of 23 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns, leading a fourth-quarter comeback effort that fell just short.

But while Cousins might pass Rex Grossman on the depth chart, there is absolutely zero chance he pushes Griffin for the starting job, as ESPN TV personality Skip Bayless suggested. Bayless, as transcribed by the Washington Post's Sarah Kogod, thinks the Redskins fanbase will be split over which quarterback to support in the quarterback competition, according to their race.

That's ridiculous, not only because of the risible social commentary, but because there is no quarterback competition. The Redskins have a No. 2 overall pick, and $21 million, invested in Griffin. Cousins is as he was going into the draft: a quality, high-floor quarterback prospect who could be ready to start for Not The Redskins in a year or two.

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson keeps putting together exciting plays with the Seahawks backups against the backups of the teams the Seahawks play. So far, Wilson is 22-of-33 for 279 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. On top of that, he has eight carries for an incredible 92 yards and another score.

Unlike Cousins, Wilson really does have a chance to unseat the starter above him on the depth chart, Matt Flynn. However, Wilson's going to have to do it against first-team defenses.

Per ESPN's Chris Mortensen, he'll get his chance, as head coach Pete Carroll has named Wilson the starter this week, and a good performance could land him the "2012 season opener." That's the kicker: Wilson has a chance, with a good performance, to put a nose ahead of Flynn at the season's start.

That's not the same as earning an unquestioned starting role. If Wilson scrambles or playmakes or gunslings to the Seahawks' disadvantage at all, Flynn could be right back in there.

Either way, Wilson's still at the beginning of his journey to becoming an effective NFL starter, not the end.

Cordy Glenn, LT, Buffalo Bills

Cordy Glenn had scouts and armchair scouts alike salivating after an exceptional Senior Bowl performance. His solid showing at the NFL combine pushed him further up mock draft boards. When he fell to the Bills in the second round, Glenn cracked Bleacher Report's list of the biggest steals of the draft.

Glenn was an outstanding guard prospect with the size and athleticism to develop as a right tackle. But when Bills head coach Chan Gailey pronounced Glenn the starting left tackle, it wasn't because his development was incredibly rapid—it was because he was out of options.

"Cordy's got great ability," Gailey said, according to The Buffalo News. "Ability's not the issue. It's just playing time. He needs as much playing time as he can get. I think if he gets playing time he's got a chance to be a really good football player."

For a Bills team that garnered playoff buzz with a 5-2 start last season, and which should have designs on contending this season, trusting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's health to a guy who needs to learn on the job is not cause for excitement.

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles has gotten lots of attention for his outstanding preseason performance, and why wouldn't he? Head coach Andy Reid's notoriously hard-to-learn playbook seems to have come easy to Foles. In his preseason push for playing time, his 24-of-38 passing for 361 yards and four touchdowns tip the scales in his favor.

Unfortunately for Foles, less than a year ago the Eagles signed starter Mike Vick to a six-year, $100 million contract—$40 million of which is reportedly guaranteed—meaning Vick is going to have a death grip on that job until he plays his way out of it.

Also: Vick earned that contract with a 2010 performance that saw him reach transcendent, Yoda-like football heights. As long as Vick has the tools to play like that, Foles will remain a promising backup.

Chris Hogan, WR, Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Hogan is enjoying some notoriety due to HBO's Hard Knocks series. His teammate, Reggie Bush, even nicknamed him "7-11" because he's always open in practice. But even on the wideout-starved Dolphins, Hogan is no lock to make the team.

In fact, given his single year of college football experience at Monmouth, it's a wonder he's even on the roster. Root for Hogan to avoid the Turk, but don't leave a roster spot open for him on your fantasy team.

Jerome Simpson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Receiver Jerome Simpson grabs huge attention with his explosive athleticism. It's not his athleticism in and out of cuts or burning defenders deep—it's the gymnastics skills he displays around defenders.

Last season, Simpson made highlight reels everywhere with a flip into the end zone. In the second week of this preseason, Simpson vaulted over Bills safety Jairus Byrd en route to a 34-yard gain.

Unfortunately, there's a reason why the former Bengals second-round pick was available for the Vikings to sign. His 50 receptions in 2011 were a career high, but he'll start 2012 with a three-game drug suspension.

Austin Howard, RT, New York Jets

Austin Howard isn't on this list for any hype he's generated. Instead, it's a tidal wave of negative hype (is that a thing?) cascading off the man whose job he's taken, Jets tackle Wayne Hunter.

Hunter, regarded as a liability in pass protection even before being abused in both preseason games so far, inspired hue and cry for his benching/release.

However, Howard, the man who'll step into the spot (for now), has just four career appearances and one career start in his one prior year of experience. The Jets may have benched the frying pan—and promoted the fire.