The NFL preseason has a number of interesting storylines as the schedule moves into Week 2 after the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills finished play on Sunday and after some solid performances, some players established themselves over the competition, including Michael Vick and E.J. Manuel with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets having quarterback competitions.
The Bills played on Sunday and while that quarterback race between Manuel and Kevin Kolb is still going on, the rookie first round draft pick showed some poise in the first preseason game against the Colts. Manuel has taken advantage of the fact that Kolb has been injured during training camp with a knee issue after signing a two-year deal in the offseason and he ended up playing the entire first half of the game while Kolb sat out and Jeff Tuel played the rest after he sat down. Head coach Doug Marrone may start Kolb when the season begins to give Manuel a chance to get acclimated to the league, but if he performs well the rest of the way he could win the job.
Manuel was solid in the preseason game and after starting off by completing just one of his first three passes and the rest of the way he ended up with 16 of 21 for 107 yards and he also threw a touchdown to go along with it. Marrone said he was impressed with Manuel after the game and that there was room for improvement, especially on a play when he lost a fumble on a hand off at one point. Marrone may start off with Kolb no matter how much he plays in the preseason and that could take the pressure off for Manuel as he already knows he is the starter of the future.
The Eagles and Chip Kelly have an interesting decision with Michael Vick and Nick Foles going for the starting spot and although Philadelphia lost 31-22, Kelly has plenty to look at when figuring out what to do at quarterback. Both players worked with the first team during practices in training camp and while Vick got the start, Kelly could change things up in week two. Vick finished with 94 yards on four of five passes and a touchdown, while Foles ended up with 43 yards while going five of six. Foles scrambled around a bit and the offense looked comfortable moving at Kelly's pace and it remains to be seen who he will pick, but Vick looks like he has the edge.
The Jaguars want Blaine Gabbert to take hold of the starting position, and while he got the start in the first preseason game, the team is giving him every chance to earn the nod for the season, but he didn't do much to win it against the Dolphins, completing just 50 percent of his passes on the night. Gabbert had a high draft pick used on him and the Jaguars are hoping that he develops into a solid starting quarterback, but that could still be down the line and after Chad Henne looked solid in his time in the game, he could end up taking the starting spot. Henne missed on just three of his 11 passes and also led the team on a scoring drive and he could solidify his spot with more play in the coming weeks.
