I've been lucky enough to find some more time to watch a few preseason games. I really haven't spent too much time in the past observing these games as I didn't want the plays I saw to unduly taint my thinking on specific players. But, it's always good to try something new I guess.

If you didn't read my last blog, I'll remind everyone that this is the preseason. It's matters only somewhat as a predictor of how players will perform once the season is underway. It has its place for in terms of how football ready certain players appear to be. It's also working well as a means of corroborating players I suspect may be looking to step up this season.

One player I've been eyeballing for a short time is Antwan Peek. He's a LBer in Cleveland who at the moment is battling with Willie McGinest on the depth chart for the OLB spot. He may not be in that position a few weeks into the season. He's definitely faster than McGinest and may be a better fit for what Cleveland is trying to accomplish on defense under Romeo Crennel.

Peek's stat line for his game against Denver wasn't impressive, 1 solo tackle, one assisted. But, he was frequently a step away from landing some big plays that matter to fantasy owners. He did bat a few balls down. I won't go as far as to say you need to add this guy to your team, as his past history speaks volumes about the danger of doing that: he's only played one full season and 6 sacks is his all time high with little else to put on display.

Still, I like that he's in Cleveland. I think he will be placed in spots where he can make some big plays. (He is best suited by the way for big play style leagues.) He's also entering his fifth season, meaning he's young and has ample experience. The Cleveland LBers are good as a unit too. The steady play of Andra Davis, and the solid play of D'Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley will only help Peek as teams look to stop the rest.

I'm keeping him on my radar as we enter the season. I actually added him to one of my rosters which is quite deep but I do not recommend this for anyone else just yet. I'm guessing he ends up with about 50 tackles and 8-9 big plays between sacks and maybe a pick. This makes him a pleasant little addition in deeper big play leagues.

As I watched the Cleveland-Denver game, I was struck by something else. Denver's defense looks awful. Their team is built on CBs who shutdown wide outs, a front line that can stuff the middle, and fleet-of-foot LBers who can chase down everything else. I didn't see much of this at all in that one game. I need to remind myself of course that it's preseason.

Another player who I've been following this preseason is Nick Barnett. IDPBlitz subscribers know that Cecil and I have some differing opinions on Barnett's projected impact this coming season. I see him outperforming last season's stats, possibly even being a Lance Briggs to Chicago's Brian Urlacher. Cecil disagrees. He feels it's pretty much Hawk's team now. Hey, don't send any hate emails! I love Hawk, but I think Barnett will be Briggs-like this season in GB.

Barnett looked extremely good against Jacksonville. He, like Peek, didn't put up an amazing stat line with 5 total tackles, but he also only played a half. He moved quickly to fill holes and seemed to be in on every play. He had three QB pressures. He was the best performing Packer of the night. What I really enjoyed was his outright enthusiasm for a preseason games. He celebrated almost every tackle. He's ready to go.

I'm still in Barnett's corner of course. Unfortunately, I was unable to land him in any of my leagues. It appears that his name still carries a lot of weight. I think he's worth a good middle round pick. It might even be best to let another team draft him and then make a trade for him. Try pointing out how Hawk is the new sheriff in GB and how Barnett's stats dipped quite a lot in Hawk's first season.

A final thought: If you're one who really wants to learn the game of football; or at least, how IDP play pertains to your fantasy squad, then consider locking onto one player for large spans of a game. Last season I watched Demeco Ryans during a few games. I realized right off that he partly benefits from being in Houston where RBs come to him asking to be tackled, but I also got to see how he avoided tackles trying to keep him off of RBs and how he followed the ball not the shoulders of players. He demonstrated quickly that he's got the talent to rely on see the ball, get the ball.

We've got a few preseason games to go. So why not try locking onto one player for a quarter and evaluating what you see. Does the player take plays off? Does the player tackle at the shoulder pads or the hips? Does the player separate well from lead blockers? Does he disguise his blitz? Does he stare into the backfield during a play or mark up exclusively on one player? Oh there's so much to consider, but it's one of the best ways to better understand the game.