NFL Preseason Games 2012: Studs and Duds from Friday's Action

Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson couldn't have put on a better show on Friday, performing like a seasoned veteran against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Fellow rookie Ryan Tannehill played like rookies are supposed to (or worse) as the Miami Dolphins were crushed by the Atlanta Falcons. 

Every game features players who shine and players who'd rather forget they were involved. With that in mind, here are Friday night's studs and duds across the NFL. 

Stud: Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles

If Michael Vick keeps getting injured, it'll be up to Nick Foles to take over in 2012. 

Thankfully for the Philadelphia Eagles, Foles has performed admirably thus far in the preseason, and his excellent play continued on Friday night against the Cleveland Browns—a team with a strong secondary, no less. 

For the night, Foles went 12-of-19 for 146 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, giving him a 99.9 passer rating. 

It's like Andy Reid knows what he's doing with quarterbacks or something...

Foles looks to be the real deal in Philly, and the chances are high that the Eagles will need him to step in at least once during the 2012 season. 

Dud: Montario Hardesty, Cleveland Browns

Paging Trent Richardson...

The Cleveland Browns know they need Richardson healthy in order to have any success on offense, and Friday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles only further cemented that truth. 

The Eagles aren't exactly a stout team against he run, but they bottled up Montario Hardesty like they knew the plays before the ball was snapped. 

For the night, Hardesty carried the ball eight times for 12 yards—a pathetic 1.5 yards-per-carry average. 

That's not the kind of production that will help Brandon Weeden's cause in 2012. If Richardson's injury becomes an issue that plagues the team going forward, the Browns could become the worst team on offense in the NFL. 

Stud: Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles don't likely have much patience left where Brandon Graham is concerned. The team drafted Graham in the middle of the first round in 2010, only to have him battle injuries and poor production when he was healthy. 

Perhaps he's ready to break out in 2012. 

Graham had a big night for the Eagles in their game against the Cleveland Browns, hauling in 1.5 sacks. It's the first sign of life from him since his rookie season, and it couldn't come at a better time for him and his team. 

If he can perform at a high level consistently going forward, he'll be able to keep Jason Babin and Trent Cole fresh without costing his team any drop-off in production. 

Dud: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill looked like a clueless rookie on Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons. In fact, it seems like the more Tannehill plays, the worse his decision-making becomes. 

For the night, Tannehill completed well under half his passes, tossing a pick while only leading one scoring drive.

Obviously, Tannehill doesn't have much to work with in terms of receivers in Miami. That said, he needs to be able to complete a higher percentage of passes, no matter who he's throwing to.

It is going to be a long, long season for the Dolphins; though the growing pains will pay dividends in the years to come. 

Stud: Cameron Wake, Miami Dolphins

If the Miami Dolphins are going to win any games at all in 2012, the defense will need to provide a significant lift to overcome what is going to be an anemic offense. 

Cameron Wake will need to be a big part of that defense, and he provided a nice preview of what's to come against the Atlanta Falcons. For the night, Wake collected three tackles and 1.5 sacks. 

Wake can't do it all on his own, though, and the rest of the team's defenders need to start stepping up.

Dud: Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josh Freeman is reportedly having trouble processing the new offense brought in by Mike Sullivan, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. 

It showed last week against the Tennessee Titans, and it showed again in Week 3 against the New England Patriots. 

For the night, Freeman went 10-of-19 for 102 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. At least he's not turning the ball over, but Bucs fans can hardly be excited about what they've seen from him thus far—especially considering his terrible season in 2011. 

Making matters worse, Freeman lost one of his best offensive linemen, Davin Joseph, likely for the entire 2012 season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

"

Bucs Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph's knee injury will end his season, per a source with knowledge of his condition. Bound for Injured Reserve.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 25, 2012"

That's the last thing this quarterback and his young team needed. 

Studs: Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

The Matt Ryan-to-Julio Jones combo in Atlanta is starting to look awfully good for the Falcons. 

They've been lighting it up so far this preseason, and the big plays continued on Friday night against the Miami Dolphins. 

Ryan was phenomenal, hitting 18-of-26 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown—good for a passer rating of 107.9. He connected with Jones four times for 90 yards, and the duo didn't come close to playing the entire game. 

The Falcons look poised to take over the NFC South in 2012, and their offense is set to explode. 

Dud: Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs

The Matt Cassel experiment in Kansas City isn't going well. 

Cassel looked mediocre, at best, in the Chiefs' third preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. For the night, he completed 19-of-34 passes for 168 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He never looked settled in the pocket, and his not-so-happy feet need to die a slow, painful death. 

All I know for sure is that the running game needs to be one of the best in the NFL for the Chiefs to have any chance of contending for the AFC West crown. 

Stud: Mark Barron, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are struggling on offense, their defense is showing some promise. 

Rookie safety Mark Barron picked off Tom Brady in the team's third preseason game against the New England Patriots, taking it to the house for six. 

Additionally, Barron pitched in three tackles and looked pretty good all around. 

Dud: Running Game of the San Diego Chargers

Sure, the San Diego Chargers were without three starting offensive linemen, but that's no excuse for the incredible lack of execution in the running game on Friday night against the Minnesota Vikings.

For the night, Chargers running backs ran the ball 28 times for 78 yards for a measly average of 2.8 yards per carry—including one run of 21 yards by Edwin Baker. 

It was ugly, and Norv Turner needs to get things squared away on that line before it's too late. 

Stud: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano gave rookie running back Doug Martin an opportunity to start the game, and he took full advantage. 

For the night, Martin carried the ball 13 times for 53 yards—a 4.1 yards-per-carry average—including one touchdown. He looked smooth and comfortable out on the field and didn't turn the ball over. 

This move could spell the end of LeGarrette Blount's time as the team's starting running back.

Dud: Christian Ponder

Many were quick to jump on the Christian Ponder bandwagon after his solid showing against the Buffalo Bills a week ago. 

Perhaps a few have jumped off after Friday night's performance against the San Diego Chargers. 

His stats aren't horrible. He completed 9-of-16 passes for 115 yards, but he threw one interception without throwing a touchdown. 

Combined with his poor outing in the Minnesota Vikings' first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, it's clear Ponder still has a lot of work to do before he's ready to take the next step to becoming a winning NFL quarterback. 

Stud: Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings

As if we needed further proof that Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is a stud, he proved his studliness once more on Friday night against the San Diego Chargers.

Without playing the entire game, Allen tallied four tackles (three behind the line of scrimmage) and two sacks. 

Will someone tell me how in the world he's not the highest-paid defender in the NFL?

Stud: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson deserves to be the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks once the season begins. 

He has done nothing but impress so far this preseason, while his competitor for the starting spot, Matt Flynn, has looked shaky at times. 

On Friday night, Wilson was simply brilliant against the Kansas City Chiefs, completing 13-of-19 passes for 185 yards, including two touchdowns. He didn't throw a single interception, and his 134.8 passer rating is sublime. 

Wilson added 58 yards on the ground...in two rushing attempts. 

He's one of the most dynamic players to come into the NFL in a while, and his abilities rival those of Robert Griffin III. 

Dud: Pass Rush of the New York Giants

The New York Giants played the Chicago Bears on Friday night. One of the league's most ferocious pass-rushing teams versus one of the league's worst pass-blocking teams. 

The Giants didn't sack Jay Cutler one single time while he was in the game. For the entire game, they only had one sack, and that came in garbage time by way of Adewale Ojomo. 

I know they are notorious for being slow starters in this department, but only one week ago, they terrorized the New York Jets—particularly newly demoted Wayne Hunter. 

The Bears are getting better, but the Giants shouldn't have struck out. They need better production going forward, especially considering that the team lost Prince Amukamara for a while with a high-ankle sprain.

According to Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger:

"

Uh oh, HIGH ankle sprain for Prince Amukamara. That's much different than the low variety. #nyg

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 25, 2012"

Less skill in the secondary means the team will need to step up the pass rush in a major way. 

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