National Football League

Where to start:? New kickoff rules

Published Aug. 15, 2011 4:41 p.m. ET

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Alex Marvez

It truly was back to football.

Lousy, penalty-marred, watered-down, reserve-laden football with irrelevant outcomes. But the normally mundane start to the NFL preseason was still more captivating than usual.

That was one of the few benefits from the NFL’s 4½-month work stoppage. Even exhibition games seemed as exciting as the Super Bowl compared to lockout talk.

The weekend also provided a peek as to where 30 teams stand at this point of the truncated preseason (the New York Jets and Houston Texans play Monday night). Here are 10 of the most intriguing storylines to unfold:

1. Increased touchbacks weren’t the most significant development stemming from the NFL’s new kickoff rules.

Despite the recent Twitter swipes of Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs, it’s still much too early to gauge the impact of moving kickoffs 5 yards forward to the 35. Let’s not forget the preseason hysteria that surrounded what became non-stories like the repositioning of the umpire and punts caroming off the monstrous Dallas Cowboys Stadium video board.

One change, though, can already be viewed as a major positive: allowing players only a 5-yard running start on kickoff coverage.

While the NFL hasn’t officially compiled injury statistics from Week 1 preseason games, the number of players felled by bone-jarring collisions was clearly down from recent years. That is the main reason the league’s competition committee tinkered with the kickoff rules this offseason even at the possible expense of ruining the NFL’s most exciting play.

More changes could be coming in future seasons — including the outright abolition of kickoffs — if these rules don’t result in the improved player safety being championed by commissioner Roger Goodell.

2. Ndamukong Suh is treading into dangerous territory.

Detroit’s star defensive tackle will soon fall into James Harrison-Cortland Finnegan territory if he doesn’t show more restraint when sacking the quarterback. In similar fashion to last season’s controversial (and illegal) hit on Cleveland’s Jake Delhomme, Suh aggressively drove Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton into the ground while wrenching his upper torso in last Friday’s game.

Suh and his aggressive play have added life to Detroit’s previously moribund defense. But being labeled a dirty player is costly in more ways than one. Besides being more susceptible to escalating fines, such status can increase the scrutiny given by both game and NFL officials.

Suh should have already learned this last year when he was fined $15,000 for a borderline shot to Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler. He’ll probably get another financial reminder this week because of the Dalton play.

3. Cam Newton should be starting for Carolina right now.

Suffering through the mistakes made by one young quarterback is tough enough. Attempting such with two novices is a recipe for disaster.

Jimmy Clausen and Cam Newton proved that in Saturday night’s game against the New York Giants. Newton’s backup performance showed his mechanics still need work – especially the tendency to throw off his back foot when pressured – and he isn’t close to having a good grasp of complex NFL defenses. But the biggest mistake made came from Clausen, whose horrific misfire on an “out” route was returned for a touchdown by linebacker Michael Boley.

The rookie grace period for such mistakes has ended for Clausen. The Panthers would be much better off enduring Newton’s growing pains and playing him with the first-team offense for the final three preseason games. If he isn’t ready to start the regular season, Derek Anderson might actually be the best short-term option – emphasis on short term — simply because he knows offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski’s system from their time together in Cleveland.

4. Tim Tebow’s NFL future remains as murky as a Florida swamp.

Journeyman-NFL-quarterback-turned-journalist Babe Laufenberg had some eyebrow-raising insight on Tebow’s pregame warmup during Thursday night’s game against Dallas.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guy throw the ball more inaccurately at this level,” Laufenberg said while serving as part of the Cowboys’ preseason television announcing team. “And I’m not talking starters. I’m talking one, two, three, four – no matter where they are on the depth chart.”

Tebow then proceeded to complete six of seven passes against the Cowboys’ second-string defense, including a nice 43-yard strike to wide receiver Matt Willis.

Go figure.

This reflects how maddening it must be for Broncos management when trying to get a read on Tebow’s potential. Media reports indicate Tebow has looked so erratic in practice that his second-string status could be in jeopardy if Brady Quinn makes a push.

But while major flaws remain in his game, Tebow has the kind of work ethic that could help him learn to compensate for at least some of them. That he responded so well against the Cowboys after a rough week of media scrutiny also reaffirmed Tebow has the thick skin needed at the position.

The commitment to Kyle Orton as starting quarterback for at least this season proves that Broncos executive John Elway and head coach John Fox weren’t willing to give Tebow the luxury of prematurely starting while trying to “grow” into the position. Even so, he needs to show signs of significant progress and/or find a niche role in Denver’s offense as the franchise decides whether Tebow, Orton or neither is the team’s quarterback for 2012 and beyond.

5. Matt Ryan should be smiling ear to ear.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback received a brief but electrifying tease at what rookie wide receiver Julio Jones can provide to his offense. Jones showcased game-breaking speed and explosiveness in a two-catch, 43-yard outing Friday against Miami. This further justifies why shrewd Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff made the boldest move in the 2011 draft when leaping 21 spots in the first round to select Jones at No. 6.

Ryan also should be thrilled that No. 3 receiver Harry Douglas appears back to his 2008 form after struggling to fully recover from a serious knee injury last season. Douglas had three receptions for 47 yards, including a nice 20-yard touchdown grab when splitting two reserve Dolphins defensive backs.

With those wideouts in the offensive mix along with other top skill-position talent like wide receiver Roddy White, expectations should be sky high coming out of the preseason. It also means Atlanta will have no excuse for not improving on last year’s No. 16 offensive ranking.

6. Nobody should be surprised quarterback issues already are surfacing in San Francisco.

Because of horrific offensive line play, Alex Smith never had a chance to get on track in the 49ers’ debacle against New Orleans on Friday. Smith, though, didn’t get a ringing endorsement from Jim Harbaugh when the new 49ers head coach was asked about the starting quarterback position.

“We’re evaluating daily,” Harbaugh told 49ers media on Saturday. “Really it’s a mind-set of letting the guys compete for it. So far, it hasn’t had a chance to be clear-cut yet.”

Harbaugh is being honest, but such comments also cast a pall on a player who has spent much of the past six seasons enshrouded by negativity. Harbaugh must soon decide whether to stick with Smith as a place-holder starter or take his lumps with a rookie (Colin Kaepernick) who could use more seasoning before being thrust onto the field.

The 49ers have only themselves to blame for this problem by re-signing Smith rather than starting completely anew at the position.

7. Shawne Merriman is poised for a huge comeback.

Darryl Talley, one of the great linebackers in Buffalo Bills history, had only one concern about Merriman early in training camp. Talley told FOXSports.com that Merriman might be pushing himself too hard after injuries had ruined his past three seasons.

“He plays with a lot of emotion, which is the only way to play,” Talley said while serving a weeklong coaching apprenticeship. “When you have that taken away from you, you realize just how bad you miss it. If he takes his time and does it right, he should be fine.”

You don’t have to tell the Chicago Bears.

Merriman notched two of his team’s nine sacks in a 10-3 loss to the Bears on Saturday night. Merriman flashed the same burst and fire that made him one of the NFL’s top pass rushers from 2005 to 2007. Bears left tackle J’Marcus Webb told the Chicago Sun-Times afterward that he “didn’t match (Merriman’s) intensity. He came out as if we were in the regular season, and obviously I didn’t.”

The Bills still don’t have the earmarks of being a playoff team. But the franchise could make some significant strides in 2011 – especially if Merriman can stay healthy for an entire season.

8. Brian Hoyer is the next Matt Cassel.

Just like Philadelphia did with Kevin Kolb and A.J. Feeley, New England apparently is going to start making a killing by grooming backup quarterbacks who can be traded for high draft picks.

The Patriots packaged Cassel and outside linebacker Mike Vrabel for a 2009 second-round choice from Kansas City. The yield should be even greater next offseason for Hoyer, who continues to shine in limited opportunities replacing Tom Brady. Hoyer completed 15 of 21 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown Thursday in a 47-12 rout of Jacksonville.

Set to become a restricted free agent in 2012, Hoyer will be a popular target among quarterback-starved teams that don’t want to follow the develop-a-rookie route. The Patriots will breathe easier about swinging a deal if there is strong promise shown by Ryan Mallett, who was wisely drafted to groom as Brady’s future backup.

So far, so good with Mallett, who slipped into the third round because of mobility and off-field character concerns. He was 12 of 19 passing for 164 yards and one touchdown against Jaguars reserves.

9. Some big-name veterans in new uniforms didn’t look quite right.

Ever get used to Brett Favre or Jason Taylor in a New York Jets uniform? Me, neither.

I got the same feeling when watching Matt Hasselbeck and Donovan McNabb make their first starts Saturday night for Tennessee and Minnesota, respectively. The shellshock with McNabb in purple and white rather than Philadelphia’s green and white wasn’t as great since he spent last season in Washington. But it will take a lot more time to grow accustomed to Hasselbeck wearing anything but a Seattle Seahawks uniform after he spent the past decade with the franchise.

10. Preseason games are still a rip-off.

Long before the lockout, Goodell admitted that preseason football is of a subpar quality. Litanies of starters are healthy scratches, especially in the first and fourth contests. Stars like Brady, Chad Ochocinco and Reggie Bush were held out last weekend to eliminate injury risk.

But these facts didn’t prevent NFL owners from keeping the status quo post-lockout. Season-ticket holders are still forced to pay full price for two home exhibition games if they want to keep their seats.

It’s a brilliant racket that takes advantage of fan loyalty, and it’s no real surprise because it’s such easy pickings. Just consider how quickly the NFL was re-embraced by an angry public the instant the lockout ended.

But, hey, at least we’re back to football.

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