Parzych's 2009 NFL LVP (Least Valuable Player): Preseason Week Three

This article was originally published at FantasyPros911.com

As the last week of the 2009 NFL preseason approaches, there are high expectations for the 2009 NFL regular season. Each week, Dan Parzych will take a look at the top performers in the NFL with Parzych's 2009 NFL LVP (Least Valuable Player), whether they are at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, or tight end.

Along with the worst performers each week, be sure to check out Parzych's 2009 NFL MVP, in which he covers the Most Valuable Players each week in the NFL. Here are the results for Week Three of the 2009 NFL preseason.

Quarterback: Kevin Kolb

In his first game back since a knee injury, Philadelphia Eagles QB Kevin Kolb helped lead a comeback to help seal a 33-32 victory against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. This comeback would be a solid argument to keep a player on a team that may have to make a decision about their quarterbacks the next week or two.

Kolb's 10-of-18 passing for 102 yards and a touchdown are decent for a quarterback. However, these numbers did come against a Jaguars' defense that was playing their third and fourth string players, he may not have put up the same numbers earlier in the game.

Unfortunately, what puts Kolb on the LVP list this week is his first play back from a knee injury. Late in the third quarter, Kolb took over for Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. His first snap resulted in an intentional grounding to put the Jaguars up nine. He is already a non-favorite in Philadelphia for his performance against the Baltimore Ravens last season, a game where he relieved McNabb in the second half as the Ravens went on to win 36-7.

With McNabb's job already a guarantee for Week One, the Eagles are left to fill two more quarterback spots on the 53-man roster between Kolb, Michael Vick, and A.J. Feeley. What the team decides to do with Kolb (rumors swirled about a possible trade) may be determined in the final week of the preseason against the New York Jets.



Running Back: Michael Bush and Darren McFadden

It's hard to hand this award to Oakland Raiders RBs Michael Bush and Darren McFadden when they're not the ones calling the amount of running plays. Then again, the NFL is a hard business to survive in.

In the Raiders' embarrassing 45-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Bush had only one rushing attempt for one yard while McFadden had three attempts for zero yards. Combined, the Raiders managed to run for just 52 yards on the ground.

With Raiders RB Justin Fargas out with a hamstring injury, Bush and McFadden were expected to compete for the starting job in Week One against the San Diego Chargers. Both players have had a disappointing preseason and need to step it up at running back if the Raiders want to be contenders in 2009.

If the Raiders run the ball as bad as they did against the Saints, it could be a long season for Al Davis and company.



Wide Receiver: Steve Smith

Now that former WR Plaxico Burress is spending the next two years in prison for the accidental shooting of himself last November, the New York Giants hope WR Steve Smith can help fill the void as the team's No. 1 receiver.

If Smith wants to replace Burress as the Giants' No. 1 wideout, he has a lot of work ahead of him (especially with the way rookie WR Hakeen Nicks is playing).

In last weeks game against the New York Jets, Smith finished with just one reception for 12 yards. He also dropped a wide-open 50-yard pass from Giants QB Eli Manning.

The Giants hope that Smith can bounce back from his disappointing game against the Jets when the team travels to New England to take on the Patriots. If the Giants want to make a run for the NFC East title and the playoffs in 2009, they will need better play from Smith.



Tight End: Chase Coffman

The Cincinnati Bengals may have set the bar a little too high for TE Chase Coffman, who was selected in the third round of this years draft.

The former Missouri Tiger finished his college career with 156 receptions for 1,664 yards and 20 touchdowns in just three seasons as a tight end. The Bengals were hoping to use him as another weapon from veteran TE Reggie Kelly.

Even with Kelly out for the 2009 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon, Coffman still finds himself as the Bengals No. 3 tight on the team's roster.

His offensive skills have looked wonderful during training camp, but Coffman has struggled to apply his skills in a preseason game. Against the St. Louis Rams, the only thing Coffman contributed on offense was a false start.

Coffman has a lot of potential for the Bengals in the future. If they want to use him as an effective weapon on offense, he needs to figure out a way to become more of a contributor.

Other wise, he may not even receive a chance to be part of the 53-man roster.



Defense: Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals defense allowed the Green Bay Packers to score 38 points in the first half of their third preseason game of 2009. That statistic alone should be enough to hand them the award this week.

The Cardinals' defense helped the Packers and their fans forget about that quarterback whose first name begins with a "B" by allowing QB Aaron Rodgers to show why he is the new face of the franchise.

Rogers has already performed well in the offseason and continued his streak against the Cardinals by finishing 14-of-19 for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Not to mention he only played during the first half.

What makes this story even worst for the Cardinals is that this embarrassment took place on their own home-turf in Arizona. If the Cardinals want to return to the promised land for the second-straight season, their defense will need to perform much better than it did against the Packers in Week Three of the preseason.