Takeaways from Friday Night's NFL Preseason Week 2 Action

There were four preseason games on Friday night's Week 2 slate, and there were takeaways from all of them.

In some of the games, starting quarterbacks began to emerge. In others, starting quarterbacks ran for their lives. And, in another, a backup quarterback set back the art of throwing a football at least 750 years (looking at you, Mr. Tebow).

Let's examine the major takeaways of Friday night's preseason action:

This Just In: Patriots QB Tom Brady Is Pretty Good

It's hard to believe that it was only two days ago that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady crumpled to the ground at training camp with an apparent knee injury, seemingly sending all of New England into a state of panic.

Why is that so incredible? Because in Friday night's 25-21 win over the Buccaneers, not only did Brady play but he was absolutely sensational, completing 11 of 12 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. 

Making matters even sweeter for Brady and the Patriots is that their big free-agent acquisition, receiver Danny Amendola, caught the touchdown pass—a very positive development for a New England offense that needs players to step up in the passing game.

Despite being without their top-five receivers from a year ago (Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead), the Patriots aerial assault is firing on all cylinders.

And it's because of the greatness of Brady.

This Just In: Patriots QB Tim Tebow Is Pretty Bad

The juxtaposition of the whole thing is just stunning. The sheer absurdity of the comparison is spellbinding. The entire situation oozes with irony.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen: After Tom Brady (and Ryan Mallett) were done playing quarterback in New England's 25-21 win over Tampa Bay, Timothy Richard Tebow was inserted into the lineup.

The results were positively dreadful, even by Tebow's low standards, as he completed only 1 of 7 passes for negative-1 yard and an interception.

Read that stat line again.

Have you picked your jaw up off the floor yet? OK, good.

The horrific effort was highlighted by one of the worst throws in the history of organized civilization, coming on a 3rd and 9 early in the second half. Tebow "threw" a wounded duck, which traveled about five yards before landing with an uninspired thud on the grass about five yards behind Aaron Dobson, the intended receiver. 

While Tebow's roster spot could be safe due to his potential versatility, there's no question that his play must improve over the balance of the preseason to guarantee inclusion on the 53-man roster.

Bucs Rookie QB Mike Glennon Plays Better in Week 2

Yes, Josh Freeman is the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But, it's telling that the Bucs are content to let Freeman play through a contract year. It means that coach Greg Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik aren't totally sold on Freeman's ability to lead the team deep into January, and that fact was exacerbated by the team selecting North Carolina State quarterback Mike Glennon in the third round of April's draft.

After an inauspicious debut last week, Glennon played much better in Friday's 25-21 loss to the Patriots, completing 12 of 21 passes for 121 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Glennon showed off the kind of arm strength that had front-office types salivating over his potential this past winter.

While Glennon is far from a finished product, he showed that he has the kind of skill needed to potentially start in the NFL. If Freeman struggles in a year where the Bucs are expected to contend for a spot in the tournament, don't be surprised if the team turns to Glennon.

EJ Manuel Pulls Ahead in Bills QB Competition with Kevin Kolb

Even though Bills head coach Doug Marrone anointed quarterback Kevin Kolb as the starter for Friday night's preseason encounter with the Vikings, it was safe to say that rookie signal-caller EJ Manuel had the lead in the race to start in Week 1.

After Buffalo's 20-16 win, Manuel's hold on the job got a lot stronger thanks to another solid effort from him and a poor performance from Kolb.

Kolb completed 13 of 21 passes for 113 yards and an interception and generally looked unsettled in the pocket—a disconcerting sign for a player who has previously struggled in that area.

As for Manuel? He completed 10 of 12 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown and once again appeared to be in full command of the offense.

At this point, it would be a total shocker if Kolb was named the Week 1 starter. In all likelihood, the job belongs to Manuel.

The Vikings Need More from QB Christian Ponder

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder didn't play his best game in Friday's 20-16 loss to the Bills, completing only 5 of 12 passes for 53 yards. While he did show some nifty footwork in evading oncoming defenders, the overall quality of play just wasn't up to snuff, as the Vikings started the game with three consecutive three-and-outs.

While it's important to note that running back Adrian Peterson didn't play (healthy scratch), this was the kind of stagnant effort that has fans and pundits alike questioning the viability of Ponder as the kind of quarterback who can take a team deep into January. 

Ultimately, it doesn't matter that Peterson didn't play. Ponder didn't get the job done.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, backup quarterback Matt Cassel wasn't much better. 

The job is unquestionably Ponder's, but if he can't pick up his play, the Vikings could regress in 2013.

The Raiders Will Have Major Problems with Pass Protection

Remember all the offseason conjecture surrounding the arm strength (or lack thereof) of Raiders quarterback Matt Flynn?

Well, if the Oakland offensive line plays as poorly as it did in Friday's 28-20 loss to New Orleans, it won't matter, because Flynn won't have the requisite time to even attempt a pass down the field.

The Oakland offensive line took a major hit this week with the injury to left tackle Jared Veldheer, arguably the team's best overall player, but its performance on Friday night was still unacceptable. Flynn was sacked five times in the first half and was constantly under pressure. Alex Barron, the man charged with replacing Veldheer, resembled a human turnstile.

The Raiders were going to be bad in 2013 with Veldheer.

Without him, things could get very ugly.

The Saints Offense Is in Midseason Form

Saints quarterback Drew Brees played marvelous football in Friday night's 28-20 win over the Raiders, completing 14 of 18 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. He appears to be in midseason form already, a bad sign for the other teams in the NFC South.

Still, Brees is expected to be great. So, what's the really good news for the Saints? The skill position players are stepping up, and the high-octane New Orleans offense is really clicking.

Running back Mark Ingram continues to impress, as he scored a touchdown on the ground, and a pair of unheralded receivers, Kenny Stills and Nick Toon, appear to have gained the trust of Brees.

With coach Sean Payton back on the sidelines and Brees playing at an elite level, New Orleans' offense should be in line for another monster season in 2013.

The Chiefs and 49ers Played a Fairly Nondescript Game of Football

Not much of note happened in San Francisco's 15-13 win over Kansas City on Friday night.

The highest point of drama occurred before the game when former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, now the starter in Kansas City, met with his former head coach, Jim Harbaugh. Once that highly anticipated get-together was out of the way, a snoozefest ensued on the gridiron.

The 49ers defense kept Smith and the Chiefs offense in check, and San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick played a grand total of one series.

The most interesting part of the game might have been the battle of potential first-round busts at the receiver position. Jonathan Baldwin (Chiefs) and A.J. Jenkins (49ers) both failed to record a catch, but Jenkins did have a 21-yard reception nullified due to penalty.

Quintin Demps did return a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown for Kansas City, so the game wasn't completely without fireworks.