Category: Rookie Notes

Stephen Hill has strong debut for Jets

Jets, Rookie Notes
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New York Jets 2nd-round pick Stephen Hill turned in a strong debut, catching five passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets win over the Bills.

Hill made an immediate impact for the Jets

He’s first Jets rookie with two touchdown receptions in a game since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996.

Even in this performance it was clear that Hill is still developing as a receiver, but it was also clear that his speed and athleticism makes him an immediate threat.

Hill caught five of the six balls thrown his direction, and that type of consistently should only lead to a larger role in the Jets offense as the season progresses.

Brandon Weeden flops in debut

Browns, Rookie Notes
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You couldn’t have scripted a worse debut for Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden.

It was a long day for Weeden against the Eagles

They day started with Weeden getting caught under the American flag during pregame ceremonies. He then proceeded to throw four interceptions en route a 5.1 quarterback rating – the lowest in the NFL since Jeff Garcia posted a 0.0 in 2004.

Weeden also managed to complete more passes to Eagles defensive backs Kurt Coleman and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie than Mohamed Massaquoi, Josh Cribbs and Greg Little combined.

The issue for Weeden was his accuracy. He missed open receivers on a number of occasions, including twice overthrowing wide-open targets in the end zone. It’s clear he has a long way to go before he’s ready to compete at this level.

David Wilson benched after fumble

Giants, Rookie Notes
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New York Giants 1st-round pick David Wilson fumbled on his second career carry midway through the 1st quarter, and was promptly benched. The Giants handed the ball off to Wilson on two of their first five running plays, but Wilson didn’t touch the ball for the remainder of the 1st half.

Wilson struggled with ball security throughout his brief college career, so his fumble comes as no surprise. But it’s definitely a rough start to his pro career.

While the Giants clearly shied away from giving him more carries, Tom Coughlin and his staff don’t have many other options. Ahmad Bradshaw has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, so they need Wilson to share the workload in order to keep Bradshaw fresh.

Morris Claiborne is key to Cowboys defense on Wednesday night

Cowboys, Rookie Notes
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Dallas Cowboys 1st-round pick Morris Claiborne could be the key to their performance against Eli Manning and the Giants on Wednesday night.

Eli Manning will look Claiborne's direction early and often

Last season, the Giants picked on Terrence Newman, completing 12 of 19 passes thrown his direction for 240 yards in their two meetings. This year, Newman is gone, replaced by Claiborne and veteran Brandon Carr.

Given the choice, Manning will likely target the rookie Claiborne, and will hope to have the same success he found when picking on Newman last season. If Claiborne can come up some big plays, the Cowboys may be able to pull off the upset. But if Claiborne can’t improve upon Newman’s performance in 2011, it will likely be another long night for the Dallas defense.

Rookie Preview: Washington Redskins

Redskins, Rookie Notes
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Robert Griffin III – The Washington Redskins selected RG3 to be their franchise quarterback and he will fill that role from Day 1. Realistically, we should expect some growing pains and he’ll probably cost the team a few games in the early going. But it’s all part of the process, and he should have plenty of highlight-reel plays as well.

Morris may be a surprise impact rookie

Kirk Cousins – We probably won’t see Cousins on the field this year, but he was impressive during the preseason. He’ll be groomed as trade bait and may wind up starting elsewhere in two or three years.

Alfred Morris – The 6th-round pick is one of three running backs on the roster. Considering the way Mike Shanahan treats his backfield, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Morris gets a start or two this year.

Kennan Robinson – Robinson may be the only impact rookie on the defensive side of the ball. He’ll back up Perry Riley and London Fletcher at inside linebacker.

Others: offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus, cornerback Richard Crawford