John Clay’s Sidelines

From the day-after review in the Indianapolis Star:

From the Indy Star game story:

The fact that Andre Woodson didn't make it into the New York Giants' 13-10 loss to Detroit last night can't bode well for the former UK quarterback. After all, NFL pre-season openers are usually for players just like Woodson, rookies trying to make the roster. And Woodson was supposedly locked in a fight with veteran Anthony Wright (left) to be New York's third-string quarterback behind Eli Manning and free agent pickup David Carr.

Only, Wright was the second quarterback to enter the game, behind Manning. He completed nine of 13 passes for 116 yards. Carr then played the entire second half, and completed 10 of 13 for 104 yards and a touchdown. It was New York's only touchdown of the night.

Meanwhile, there's speculation that the Giants are interested in quarterback Chad Pennington, released by the Jets after New York acquired Brett Favre. Many around the league believe that Pennington will look for a spot where he has a chance to compete for the starting job, however.

Here's what the Newark Star-Ledger said about Carr and Wright:

Rookie quarterback and ex-Cat Andre Woodson is scheduled to make his NFL pre-season debut Thursday night when the world champion New York Giants meet Detroit.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin says that Eli Manning will get a few snaps under center, followed by David Carr, Anthony Wright and Woodson.

Of course, the Giants cut another ex-Cat, Jared Lorenzen, not long before training camp. Lorenzen caught on with the Indianapolis Colts, where he made his debut in Indy's 30-16 loss to Washington in the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday night.

Related links:

• Andre did throw a TD pass in the Giants' Tuesday practice.

• The New York Daily News reports that Woodson has been showing off "his cannon arm."

• Meanwhile, over at Big Blue View, they think Woodson "has a lot to learn."

Phillip B. Wilson, the Colts blogger for the Indianapolis Star, writes this afternoon that after reviewing the game, he’s willing to give Jared Lorenzen the doubt after last night’s 30-16 loss to Washington.

Writes Wilson, “Nobody picked up the blitz when Jared Lorenzen was sacked. No need to comment on Lorenzen’s play. He was out there with a lot of end-of-the-roster reserves, Courtney Roby dropped what should have been a touchdown pass and it looked as if a few plays broke down due to a lack of communication. That often happens when a quarterback and young players are trying to pick up the system. Not trying to make apologizes for the guy, but as Lucky pointed out, he sure didn’t look comfortable.”

And, later, Wilson writes, “Lorenzen gets sacked again because he tries to roll out away from a blitz. He had to know they were coming on third-and-short. And the ball intercepted and taken back for a touchdown was late in arriving, although Jones didn’t get much space from the corner, who seemed to be sitting on the route near the first-down marker.”

If the Indianapolis Colts use last night’s Hall of Fame game to make their decision concerning the reserve quarterbacks it carries behind Peyton Manning, then ex-UK star Jared Lorenzen may be looking for yet another team.

Cut by the New York Giants this summer, Lorenzen signed with the Colts in hopes of being Manning’s backup. But the “Hefty Lefty” was the third Colt quarterback used in Indianapolis’ 30-16 loss to Washington, behind Jim Sorgi and Quinn Gray. Manning is rehabbing from off-season knee surgery and did not make the trip to Canton.

Sorgi is the solid No. 2. He directed just one series, an impressive 16-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard Adam Vinateri field goal.

The came Gray, who spent last year with Jacksonville. (You may remember that Gray beat out another ex-UK quarterback, Tim Couch, in the Jags’ camp last fall.) Last night, the fifth-year man from Florida A&M, directed five series. He threw a 30-yard touchdown to rookie wide receiver Onrea Jones. He also produced a five-play, 65-yard drive at the end of the first half which resulted in a 24-yard Vinateri field goal at the halftime horn. And Gray began the second half with a 70-yard drive that ended with another Indianapolis field goal.

Then came Lorenzen’s Colt debut. He entered with 5:44 left in the third quarter, and on his first play tried to hook up with ex-UK receiver Jacob Tamme. The pass fell incomplete. The Colts ended up punting after six plays. Next drive, Indy took over with 10:17 left in the fourth quarter, down 23-17. Five plays, all passes, three of them short completions, ended in another punt.

With 4:10 remaining, Lorenzen took over at his own 17, moved the Colts out to the 30, but made a critical mistake. His pass for Jones was picked off by Washington’s Matteral Richardson and returned 38 yards for a touchdown, which all but clinched the Redskin win.

Lorenzen had one crack, taking over with 1:47 left on the Colt’s 47. This was his best drive, as Indy moved down the field, reaching the three-yard line before running out of time.

On the night, Lorenzen completed 12 of 21 passes for 93 yards. He did have a nine-yard scramble for a first down on his first series. But in the battle for the No. 3 spot, Gray was more impressive. He was more mobile and more accurate, completing 10 of 19 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Rotoworld agreed.

In fact, the best quarterback on the field, at least last night, may have been Redskins’ rookie Colt Brennan, who completed nine of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. NBC’s dream team of Al Michaels and John Madden quipped that if they did pick a player of the game — they don’t for pre-season games — Brennan would get the nod.

Wrote Phillip B. Wilson in an Indy Star in-game blog, “Lorenzen doesn’t look anything like Colt Brennan, that’s for sure. Colts sputter again and must punt.”

As for Tamme, the former Boyle County star caught one pass for seven yards. He appears to be third on the depth chart behind Dallas Clark and rookie Gijohn Robinson. The latter is more of a blocking tight end, while Tamme is more in the Clark pass-catching mold.

On the plus side, this was Lorenzen’s first game in a new system. Hopefully, he’ll get another crack Saturday night when Indianapolis plays at Carolina. With Manning expected to miss most of if not all the pre-season, chances are the Colts will carry its remaining three quarterbacks a while longer.

Five up and five down from a weekend of football:

5 up

• Kentucky football: Of course. A Top 10 team? Who’d have thunk it? As a previous commenter  opined, No. 8 does seem a bit high. But enjoy it while it lasts. Who know when it will come this way again.

• Micah Johnson: Kentucky’s sophomore middle linebacker is coming into his own, recording a career-high four tackles, then snatching a tip-drill out of the Commonwealth and air and returning it for a 21-yard touchdown in the Cats’ 45-17 spanking of Florida Atlantic.

• Brett Favre: The Packers legend set the all-time touchdown pass record on Sunday. Better still, while some have called for No. 4 to walk through the retirement door, Favre has Green Bay 4-0.

• Browns: Many a Browns fan grew up in these parts (me being one) and many a Browns fan is surprised by this 2-2 start. Yesterday’s 27-13 thumping of Baltimore means that Romeo Crennel/Phil Savage may actually be making progress. Who knew?

• South Florida: Jim Leavitt’s Bulls jumped all the way to No. 6 thanks to Friday night flogging of West Virginia. I remember the 1999 Outback Bowl when Leavitt was hanging around the Kentucky practices, observing Hal Mumme and Co. at work. He’s built the USF program from scratch.

5 down

• Louisville: I know, the Cards finally got on the winning side, beating North Carolina State 29-10. But the Willie Williams fiasco in which the marijuana-eating, habitual criminal was arrested and then booted from the Cardinals program was another black eye. Hard to believe a guy with an 11-arrest rap sheet would fall off the wagon, right?

• Norv Turner: What was that made the Chargers think Norvball would be better than Martyball?

• Florida: Stupid and numerous penalties deep-sixed the Gators shot of staying unbeaten with a comeback win over Auburn.

• Nick Saban: He’ll do fine as the Tide coach. But Saint Nick is not a miracle-worker. Florida State proved that.

• Mississippi State: Now the Bulldogs have lost quarterback Josh Riddell for the season, after earlier losing Michael Henig. Maybe Sylvester Croom himself will have to start taking snaps.