3 players to watch in Friday's preseason games
Week 2 of the preseason continues Friday with two inter-conference games featuring three teams making a push to get back to the playoffs and one looking to get back to the top of the mountain.
Here are three players to watch Friday:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Jets
With Geno Smith sidelined for the foreseeable future (shirtless parking lot throwing sessions aside), the spotlight will be on Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The man affectionately and ironically known as "Fitzmagic" played the best seasons of his career in Buffalo under former Bills head coach Chan Gailey. The pair have been reunited in green and it's not out of the question that a career revival is on tap for both, especially with the Jets boasting a strong core of pass-catchers.
Then again, a trainwreck is also possible. Fitzpatrick, the only quarterback since 1970 to start for five teams but have a winning record with none of them, is a full-tilt player in the mold of Brett Favre. He's never seen a tight window he didn't want to force the ball into.
Leonard Hankerson, WR, Falcons
Hankerson's emergence at training camp, combined with Roddy White's ongoing knee woes, has led to some whispers that Hankerson could surpass White to open the season as the Falcons' second starting wideout after Julio Jones.
Friday's contest could go a long way toward revealing whether those whispers are simply ultra-optimistic training camp chatter or if they actually have some validity.
Garry Gilliam, RT, Seahawks
The Seahawks have shuffled their offense line, moving Justin Britt, who started all 16 games last season at right tackle, to left guard and inserting Garry Gilliam as the new starting right tackle. The imperative here is obvious: do a much better job protecting Russell Wilson.
The Chiefs boast one of the NFL's best pass rushers in Justin Houston and Friday's game should be a good indicator of whether the Seahawks' line will be up to the task of protecting the team's $89-million quarterback. If not, a trip back to the Super Bowl could be far-fetched.