What to Watch for in Monday's Games That Don't Count

There's no use pretending that a preseason Monday night can match the excitement of the NFL regular season's start to the week. We shouldn't even try to ramp up the excitement, to be honest.

In fact, I'll propose that Hank Williams Jr. and his "Are You Ready for Some Football?!" be replaced by Billy Ray Cyrus crooning "Hey, What Else Are You Watching?" for these practice contests. At least then we're not trying to kid ourselves.

But preseason football is better than no football, by a large margin, and at least this year's first Monday night features a pair of interesting matchups.

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Jacksonville at Miami, 7:30 p.m. Eastern

Jacksonville

The Jags' top draft pick, Eugene Monroe, just signed his rookie contract before the weekend, so he's unlikely to see any action yet. Without him in the lineup, the focus shifts to a two other offensive newcomers: Torry Holt and Eben Britton. Holt, whom the Jags added in the offseason, is expected to help stabilize the team's troublesome wide receiver position and become David Garrard's favorite topic. Britton, meanwhile, the No. 38 overall pick in this year's draft, has had a good camp thus far and is pushing Tony Pashos for the starting right tackle spot. If he wins it, Britton-Monroe could form an amazingly young tackle duo.

Miami

It's hard to say there is a quarterback competition in Miami, given Chad Pennington's resurgence last year, but it's at least safe to say that there is intrigue at the position. Chad Henne hasn't been flawless in camp, but he's looking capable of eventually taking over the QB spot -- perhaps sooner rather than later, if Pennington can't repeat his 2008 effort. Of course, the other guy people are anxious to see take a few snaps is Pat White, the Dolphins' athletic, Wildcat-special quarterback out of West Virginia. He gets unveiled tonight.

Carolina at New York Giants, 8 p.m.

Carolina

He won't be on the field for very long, but Jake Delhomme is scheduled to make his first appearance since throwing 2,301 interceptions in the Panthers' playoff loss to Arizona last season. Despite that meltdown, Delhomme got a cushy new contract in the offseason. He'll only be on the field for a few minutes tonight, and the game's just a preseason opener, Delhomme getting in and out of the game without turning the ball over would be nice to see.

New York Giants

Plaxico's gone -- he's not coming back. But unlike last year, when Burress' actions caught the Giants off-guard, they're well prepared to replace him in 2009. The league gets its first game look at the New Yorkers' revamped receiving corps tonight. Hakeem Nicks is the headlining newcomer, but don't forget about Mario Manningham, who could play a key role down the line. Super Bowl hero David Tyree needs to play well, too -- his roster spot may be on the line.