2011 NFL Preseason's Winners and Losers

To some players the preseason is a chance to prove that they belong in the NFL. To others, it means getting the reps needed to shake off the rust of an offseason. Either way the preseason means a lot more to the individual than it does to the team. 

Players are not only looking to impress their team but others who may end up picking them up off the scrap heap. It is the only time of the year that football is more of an individual sport than a team sport. 

This preseason was different. It took place following a three-month lockout and teams didn't have an entire offseason to plan for the year or to evaluate certain players. So continuity became an overriding slogan for many of the top-echelon teams and turnover wasn't that great. 

So the preseason was that much more important to "unproven" players or veterans that still think they have something to prove. 

This article is going to focus on the winners and losers of the 2011 NFL preseason. 

Winner: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

The wild ride that best represents Michael Vick's post Virginia Tech career continues. One year after he was sitting behind Kevin Kolb on the Eagles depth chart and two years after he was serving time in a federal prison, Michael Vick is now your new $100 million dollar man.

Yes that is right, he just recently signed his second $100 million dollar contract. 

Michael Vick fans couldn't have asked for more, while all those PETA followers who refuse to move on continue to shake their heads.  

Adding to his dramatic turnaround is the fact that Michael Vick is now leading a team that many predict will contend for a Super Bowl crown. 

Michael Vick is a controversial topic in the United States in general, and around the NFL specifically. But it is hard to deny that talent that No. 7 has. Let's just hope he makes the best of this second $100 million dollar contract and proves his worth to football and society. 

Winner: Greg McElroy, New York Jets

Greg McElroy was the final quarterback taken in the 2011 NFL Draft but he played the best of any rookie this preseason.

36 completions, 59 attempts, 61.0 completion percentage, 335 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions

With this performance, the former Alabama signal-caller won a spot on the New York Jets' 53-man roster. He isn't the most talented quarterback in the NFL but McElroy brings a lot to the table in terms of technique, intelligence and other intangibles.

I fully expect him to get an opportunity to start at some point in his NFL career.

Update: McElroy was placed on injured reserve by the New York Jets. 

Winner: Donovan McNabb, Minnesota Vikings

McNabb didn't see the field a whole lot this preseason but it was apparent that he looked more like the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback that led his team to the Super Bowl and conference championship games. 

I think that McNabb will prove a lot of skeptics wrong this season. Minnesota's offense fits him much better than the Redskins' offense did. He has weapons on the outside and one of the best running backs in the entire NFL, Adrian Peterson.

At 35 years old, McNabb still has something left in the tank and should be a valuable starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings and mentor to rookie, Christian Ponder. 

It may not be enough to lead the Vikings to the playoffs but they now have an above-average NFL signal-caller. Something we couldn't say last season with Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson.

Winner: Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos were trying vigorously to trade Kyle Orton after the lockout ended. In fact they came close to sending him to the Miami Dolphins, a place where quarterbacks go to die.

Then after just a week of preseason games it became apparent that Kyle Orton would be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. 

Tim Tebow, who had previously been pegged by many to be the Broncos No. 1 quarterback, is now on the trade block.

Kyle Orton now gets a chance to prove all the skeptics wrong as he guides a relatively talented Denver Broncos offense. 

Listen, we all know that Orton isn't the most talented quarterback in the NFL. But he gets the job done: Orton has a quarterback rating in the mid eighties over the last two seasons with Denver and has thrown nearly twice as many touchdowns (41) than interceptions (21). He just gets the job done.  

This opportunity could lead to a huge payday next offseason with a wide array of possible suitors. Orton has to be considered a winner and he put himself in that situation with his play. 

Winner: Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions Head Coach

Jim Schwartz has to be considered an up-and-coming head coach in the NFL. He helped the Detroit Lions improve from 2-14 in 2009 to 6-10 in 2010.

Now the Detroit Lions appear to be a team that will contend for a playoff spot in the NFC.

They had an amazing preseason as the offense appeared to click in every possible way. This is a team that is going to surprise a lot of people in 2011.

Matthew Stafford is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, Calvin Johnson is a true No. 1 wide receiver and the rest of the talented players on offense complement the two nicely. Right now it appears the defense is catching up with the offense and that means a lot of issues for opposing teams in 2011. 

They have the talent, leadership and experience to make sure that an unbelievable preseason was not a fluke. 

Winner: Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

In this day and age of professional sports it is extremely rare that an athlete plays his entire career with one team. Even the greatest of modern running backs such as Emmitt Smith weren't able to accomplish this feat.

After holding out during the early stages of training camp, Frank Gore agreed to a three-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers. 

This essentially means that he will probably end his career in the red and gold. And good for him.

This is a player that has a commitment and passion for winning that is hard to comprehend and the $21 million dollar contract that he signed is evidence of this. 

It wasn't the biggest contract and he probably could have received more on the open market next offseason, but loyalty means a lot to the San Francisco 49ers running back.

Frank Gore has to be considered a winner because he represents what is good about a sport that is filled with egocentric individuals. 

Winner: Derek Hagan, Oakland Raiders

Seriously, no one could have seen this coming. Derek Hagan, a former third-round pick of the Miami Dolphins had as many receiving yards (223) this preseason than he had during the entire 2010 season with the New York Giants.

Needless to say, Hagan played himself onto the Oakland Raiders' roster. I was incredibly high on Hagan coming out of Arizona State in 2006 but he hasn't been able to put it together in the NFL yet.

Still, there is no questioning the talent that he possesses.

You can fully expect him to be a major part of the Oakland Raiders offense this season and contribute a great deal.

The preseason is filled with some great stories and to see a "bust" resurrect his career is one of those stories. 

Winner: Stephen McGee, Dallas Cowboys

Stephen McGee may have pulled his best Kevin Kolb impersonation and the results could be a nice little payday next offseason.

Already armed with just two less wins than Kevin Kolb before he signed that massive $63 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals, McGee made the most of his opportunity this preseason.

He completed 21 of 25 passes in the finale against the Miami Dolphins and looks to be worthy of a starting opportunity somewhere in the NFL in the near future. 

McGee has the arm strength and accuracy to succeed in the NFL and if Kolb's contract is any indication he could be seeing dollar signs in his sleep.

Look for teams like the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills to come calling toward the trade deadline. 

Winner: Mark Herzlich, New York Giants

Talk about a feel good story. Former Boston College linebacker and cancer survivor, Mark Herzlich has made the New York Giants' 53-man roster. 

After being overlooked in April's draft Herzlich gets his opportunity for redemption and it couldn't happen to a better guy. Prior to his bout with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, Herzlich was destined to be a first-round pick.

In 2008, Herzlich compiled 110 tackles and had six interceptions for Boston College en route to First Team All-American honors. 

He missed the entire 2009 season due to the cancer and came back last season in an inspirational story for the Eagles. 

However it was apparent that Herzlich had lost some of the speed that made him such an intimidating force. I am not sure if Herzlich will ever return to pre-cancer form. But this story deserves recognition nonetheless.  

Loser: Rookie Quarterbacks

Skeptics concluded that this was the worse quarterback draft class in recent memory. They said "there were no true franchise quarterbacks," and up to now they have been proven right.

I understand that it is preseason and you cannot expect young signal-callers to have immediate success. But the issues are far greater than that:

Each rookie quarterback has not been put in a situation to succeed. Whether it was bad offensive line play, lack of talent on offense or another circumstance, these rookies struggled big time.

Cam Newton: 42.1 completion percentage, 300 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions

Blaine Gabbert: 50.1 completion percentage, 365 yards, one touchdown, one interception

Christian Ponder: 55.1 completion percentage, 290 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions

Andy Dalton: 60.0 completion percentage, 328 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions

Colin Kaepernick: 48.0 completion percentage, 257 yards, zero touchdowns, five interceptions

I have no doubt in my mind that a couple of these quarterbacks will turn out to be above-average NFL starters but there is no way that it happens during the 2011 season. Each player listed has a lot to work on before being considered an NFL-caliber starting quarterback.

It will be incredibly interesting to see which one of these players step up and have a solid rookie campaign. My money wouldn't be on any of them at this point. 

Loser: Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth

It does appear that both will make the New England Patriots' 53-man roster. But the fact that we talked about either not making it is the bigger story.

Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth were the media darlings in the early part of the free-agency period. What appeared to be over-blown hype has turned out exactly how I had predicted.

Both players were expendable for their previous teams and there was a reason for that. The Patriots really didn't give up anything to acquire either, which should be a sign. 

Albert Haynesworth did not appear in a single preseason game and there are indications that coaches are not happy with his attitude and progression on the practice field. 

Ochocinco played in the preseason but really didn't perform at a high level. He only caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown in three preseason games.Those who were thinking that he was going to have a Randy Moss effect in New England got a sober reality in regards to what Chad will bring to them this season. 

Anyone that was expecting big things from either player this season is going to be sorely mistaken.

Loser: Ryan Williams, Arizona Cardinals

Ryan Williams was my favorite running back in the 2011 NFL draft. If it weren't for an injury that caused him to miss some of 2010, the former Virginia Tech star would have been the first running back off the board.

After all, he did run for over 1,600 yards and scored 21 touchdowns in 2009.

The dude has a chance of being an elite running back in the NFL. His field vision is great, he pounces on holes, runs downhill and has good speed.

However a devastating preseason injury threw this all out the window. Williams ruptured his patella (kneecap) in a preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers two weeks ago and is currently on injured reserve.

This type of injury takes a tremendous amount of rehab and it isn't perfectly clear that Williams will be ready for training camp next season.

Patella injuries can vary in terms of severity but it has been reported that the injury that Ryan Williams sustained was one of the worse possible.

The following is from Ortho Info

"

A complete tear of the patella tendon is a disabling injury. It usually requires surgery to regain full knee function. Complete recovery takes about 6 months. Many patients have reported that they required 12 months before they reached all their goals.

 

"

Either way it is going to be a long, difficult recovery process for Williams. And I don't wish that on any NFL player, especially a promising rookie with a bright future. 

Loser: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs scored a total of 42 points in four preseason losses and their offense looked absolutely horrible. Prior to the preseason finale against Green Bay, Matt Cassel had not thrown a touchdown in two games and was unable to lead the Chiefs to anything of consequence.

Against Green Bay's second-team defense he was able to get some momentum and lead a touchdown scoring drive. Once again, that was against the Packers; second-team defense.

They lost Jon Baldwin for the entire preseason due to an injury that occurred in a fight with teammate, Thomas Jones.

This is a team that won the AFC West last season because of a poor performance from the more talented San Diego Chargers. They cannot rely on San Diego to continue underperforming. Instead Kansas City needs to take the next step. But I don't see that happening this season. 

Update: It is being reported that Matt Cassel could miss Week 1 of the regular season. This means that either Tyler Palko or Ricky Stanzi will start. 

Loser: Hue Jackson and the Oakland Raiders

The Raiders surprised a lot of people by going 8-8 last season. They rewarded coach, Tom Cable, by letting him go.

Enter into the equation "offensive genius," Hue Jackson, who led the most improved offense in the NFL last season in Oakland.

But this preseason really wasn't indicative of 2010 success. Overall, the Raiders seemed to take a huge step back.

Add the fact that they gave up a 2012 third-round pick to take the project that is Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft and it leads a lot of people to again question the direction of this once proud franchise. 

They now only have one pick in the first four rounds of next year's draft. Not the way you want to build an NFL football team.

The Raiders not only lost their best football player, Nnamdi Asomugha, they lost two of their best offensive players in Robert Gallery and Zach Miller.

It seems that the 2011 Oakland Raiders are going to struggle much more than most people think. 

Loser: Undrafted Rookie Free Agents

Normally undrafted rookies sign immediately following the draft in April but they had to wait until August this year because of the lockout.

This had a tremendous effect on their ability to catch onto NFL rosters because coaches didn't have the time to properly assess them.

There weren't any organized team activities, rookie training camps or mini-camps this offseason. You are talking about hundreds of undrafted rookies that were looking to catch onto NFL rosters.

As we all know, some of the best players in the NFL went undrafted but now some of these players are going to see their dreams dashed.

Many of them will be forgotten about because the draft doesn't take a break and there will be another 500 players looking for NFL teams come April of next year.

I really do think that the NFL should consider expanding practice squads to 13 for this reason. It just isn't fair to those rookie who didn't make teams. 

Loser: Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos

In just over a year Tim Tebow went from first-round pick to third-string quarterback. In fact, the former Heisman Trophy winner may not make the Denver Broncos' roster this season.

It is a dramatic fall for one of the most talented college quarterbacks in history. 

But it seems that the Denver Broncos and John Elway found out what the rest of the NFL already knew: that Tebow isn't an NFL-caliber quarterback.

Some team will take a chance on Tebow because of his athleticism but I am pretty sure that he will be switching positions in the near future. 

The criticism that has befallen Tebow is unjust at this point. It isn't his fault that Denver reached so much on him during the 2010 draft.

He should have been a mid-round pick at best, not a first-round selection. 

Loser: Cincinnati Bengals

A list of losers for the 2011 preseason wouldn't be complete without the NFL's perennial laughing stock Cincinnati Bengals.

This is a franchise that has actually made the playoffs twice in the last six seasons after missing out on the postseason from 1991-2005. 

But they are right back among league's worst teams right now.

Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens and Johnathan Joseph are all gone from last season's underperforming 4-12 squad. Cedric Benson was just released from jail after another arrest and the roster is riddled with mediocre talent.

Add their owner Mike Brown to the equation and you have the making for one of the worst run franchises in the entire league. 

This season the Bengals are going to go into the season with a rookie starting quarterback and a rookie No. 1 receiver. There are retreads all along the defense in the likes of: Manny Lawson, Nate Clements, Kelly Jennings and Taylor Mays.

A fanbase seems to be at their wits' end. 

It is so bad for Cincinnati that we can already project them to have the No. 1 overall pick. But that won't matter because Andrew Luck will probably request a trade to the San Francisco 49ers or something like that. 

The one team that is going to typify losing this season will be the Cincinnati Bengals.