I present to you my fifth regular season letter of the 2008 season. I appreciate feedback of things that I failed to mention, but please don't get upset if I don't list something about your favorite player or team. I could do a newsletter for just one team. Trying to mention every team or player in one newsletter would be impossibility. I hereby present to you a recap of the opening weekend in the NFL.
Standings
AFC East NFC East
1. Buffalo (4-1) 1. New York Giants (4-0)
2. New England (3-1) 2. Washington (4-1)
3. NY Jets (2-2) 3. Dallas (4-1)
4. Miami (2-2) 4. Philadelphia (2-3)
AFC South NFC South
1. Tennessee (5-0) 1. Carolina (4-1)
2. Indianapolis (2-2) 2. Tampa Bay (3-2)
3. Jacksonville (2-3) 3. Atlanta (3-2)
4. Houston (0-4) 4. New Orleans (2-3)
AFC North NFC North
1.Pittsburgh (4-1) 1.Chicago (3-2)
2. Baltimore (2-2) 2. Green Bay (2-3)
3.Cleveland (1-3) 3. Minnesota (2-3)
4.Cincinnati (0-5) 4. Detroit (0-4)
AFC West NFC West
1. Denver (4-1) 1. Arizona (3-2)
2. San Diego (2-3) 2. San Francisco (2-3)
3. Oakland (1-3) 3. Seattle (1-3)
4. Kansas City (1-4) 4. St Louis (0-4)
MVP of the Week: Some of the best performances this week were by players that played on losing teams. Aaron Rodgers gave a very solid performance, despite the fact his shoulder was injured. He had 313 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, and 1 pick. His solid performance kept a Packer team whose defense is quickly headed on a downward spiral due to injuries and poor play. While his interception was critical it was an otherwise great performance. Same with Reggie Bush. His team played horrible in the first half and trailed 20-10, but Bush had two returns for touchdowns that put the Saints up 27-20. That has only happened 12 times in NFL history. He almost broke a 3rd return, but was tripped up. However, the Saints surrendered 10 points and missed a field goal to give the Vikings the lead.
The winning teams had some players do big things as well. Clinton Portis and Roddy White had huge days. Portis had 29 carries for 145 yards and 1 touchdown in the Redskins 23-17 win over the Redskins. White had 8 catches for 132 yards and 1 touchdown in the Falcons 27-24 win at Green Bay.
Loser of the Week: I would have to say the Seattle Seahawks organization. The battle cry was that with Branch and Engram back the Hawks would get their swagger back. Granted, the Giants weren’t going to make that easy. The Hawks were the underdog. But to lose 44-6 with Plaxico Burress suspended is inexcusable. Sage Rosenfels also has to be a candidate for this award with his Superman dive that resulted in a fumble returned for a touchdown with just 3:36 left in the game. That was the big turning point for the Colts who overcame a 27-10 4th quarter deficit and turned it into a 31-27 win. Finally Adrien Peterson played on a team that won this week, but his weak effort cannot be ignored. The Vikings will not make the playoffs if he continues to post 21 attempts for 32 yards and zero touchdowns. He hasn’t had a 100-yard game since Week 2.
Game of the Week: There were quite a few exciting games this week. I already touched on the Packers and Falcons and the Eagles and Redskins. But the best game was probably the Jaguars hosting the Steelers on Sunday Night. The Jaguars trailed the Steelers 20-14, when Marcedes Lewis scored a touchdown to put the Jags up 21-20. The Steelers would take the lead for good 26-21 with 1:53 left in the 4th quarter on a 8 yard touchdown pass from Big Ben to Ward. The two-point conversion would fail, but the 5-point margin would prove to be the difference in the game. Another very close game between two former AFC Central Rivals that met in both the 2007 regular season and playoffs.
The Bay of Pigs: When you get two defenses like the Ravens and Titans together you know there aren’t going to be a lot of points to begin with. You also know the Ravens and Titans aren’t going to score a lot of points, even if they are playing bad defenses. What we got was a 13-10, which took a turn for the Titans on an 11-yard pass from Collins to Crumpler with 1:56 left in the game. Good if you like defense, but not good for the offensive explosion.
The Mike Martz Award (Stupidity in Action): I got a few coaches to complain about. Brad Childress may have won his game, but he made a very questionable decision. I have never seen a coach that settles for the field goal with 1:30 left in the first half and deep in Saints territory. That was amazing to me and speaks for itself. When you have a team down 17-10, go for the two touchdown lead. Yes they won, but those passed up points could have proven costly in a 30-27 win that was decided in the last :30 seconds of the game.
Then you have Norv Turner. It wasn’t a particular decision he made. But, someone needs to explain to me why in a game that you lose only 17-10 that LT has only 12 carries for 35 yards and the Chargers only run the ball 19 times. This was not a game that got away from the Chargers early and they had to play catch up. This was a game the Chargers were in until the end. They trailed 17-3 at the half and pulled to within 7 points with 3:13 left in the 3rd quarter.
In Norv’s defense the Dolphins had the ball 37:00 minutes in this game. However, if the Chargers would have run the ball more they might have converted some first downs. If you can’t run it to him throw it to him out of the backfield. 5 catches for 22 yards isn’t a lot either.
LT is too important of a player to see the ball only 17 times, especially against the Dolphins. No matter how you look at it; a defense that let the Dolphins hold onto the ball for 37:00 minutes or an offense that gave LT the rock only 17 times, the Chargers blew it and are in a 2-3 hole for the second straight year. Turner seems to be all too good at getting off to a slow start.
Finally, there is Andy Reid. For the second straight week he decided to not pass the ball at the goaline in the 4th quarter and for the second straight week the Eagles came up short. I still don’t understand why they don’t let McNabb do something with his feet or arm down there. You think you would want to win or lose with the face of your organization. I’m not saying pass it 4 times, but to not put it in the air once is very strange.
Injury Report: The most significant injury of the week was Brian Westbrook breaking two ribs. His status for next week is up in the air.
The quarterbacks had a rough week. Trent Edwards had a nasty concussion and will hopefully be ready for the Bills next game in a couple weeks. Brian Griese suffered a shoulder and elbow injury and his status is up in the air for next week. Aaron Rodgers is probable for next week, even though he seemed to be in pain much of the game against the Falcons. His shoulder will continue to be an issue, especially if he keeps getting hit. Matt Schaub should be back in the lineup after a virus forced him to miss Sunday’s game.
A couple big AFC West targets could be out. Tony Scheffler is being looked at for a sports hernia and could miss a lot of time. Chris Chambers is unlikely to face the Patriots with an ankle injury.
On defense, Aaron Schobel is nursing a sprained foot and hopes to be back after the bye week.
Tracy Porter dislocated his wrist and is out indefinitely. It is expected he will be placed on IR. That is a blow to a Saints defense that has not played well this year.
Overall Impressions of Week 1:
1) Two unbeaten’s left – In addition to this newsletter I’m writing an additional article for the NFL Blogger Competition. Therefore, I didn't do as many impressions for the week, as I wanted to concentrate on doing that piece well. This week’s piece talks about the last two unbeaten teams in the NFL; the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. Click here if you want to check out that article.
2) People need to stop criticizing Dallas - Every week it seems to be a new problem. Tony Romo isn’t doing this right. TO is complaining about this. Dallas isn’t tough enough. They are underachieving. They won’t win a playoff game for the first time since 1996.
Trust me, I have no love for the Dallas Cowboys. Having been a NFL fan since 1989 that has rooted for the Packers for a number of years I don’t exactly have a soft spot in my heart for the Cowboys. But this team is 4-1 on the year. In their last 22 games they are 17-5. They had a 2 point loss to the Redskins this year, a 4 point loss to the Giants in the Divisional Round, a 21 point loss to the Redskins on the last game of the season, a 4 point loss to the Eagles, and a 21 point loss to the Patriots. Two of those losses were to teams in last years Super Bowl and 4 of the 5 losses were 2007 playoff teams.
I have been critical of the Cowboys for a lot of things. I didn’t think Phillips handled the bye week very well heading into the Giants playoff game. I didn’t think Romo did either. TO is always good for a distraction. They have taken some chances on some questionable players, such as Adam Jones and Tank Johnson. That is all fair.
What isn’t fair is saying that a 4-1 team has no backbone and isn’t tough enough to win the NFC East. They won the NFC East last year. They have been one of the top 5 regular season teams in football since Romo took over as the starter. While it is frustrating that the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996 most of these coaches and players are only responsible for the last playoff loss and in some cases the last two playoff games. That’s it.
To make a mountain out of TO wanting the ball more, the Redskins winning a 2 point game, or them not playing well in the 2nd half against the Bengals is trying to take anthills and make them in to mountains. Dallas is a very good team that will win a lot of football games this season. They should not be expected to go 15-1 or 16-0 and be criticized if they don’t win every game by 21 points. If they lose in the playoffs again this year then the criticism will be warranted. For now it is a lot to do about nothing.
3) People need to keep criticizing Cincinnati - This team on the other hand is fair game. At 0-5 they are among the worst teams in the NFL. Only the Texans, Rams, and Lions have zero wins. The Bengals can take solace in the fact that even though they are the only 5 loss team in the NFL they also have the best point differential among the winless teams at -41.
This is not a case of me jumping on late. I said the Bengals should have fired Lewis after last season. I said this is one of the worst run organizations in football. I said that even though they had Palmer, Ocho, and TJ they wouldn’t win more than 5 games. I didn’t think Lewis could get them to play together. I may have overestimated them.
Lewis is not entirely responsible for the mess that is going on there. Credit the Brown family for 20 years of below average football. No one has been able to win their and Lewis did lead the team to a division title back in 2005. I believe he can coach and he should get another chance as a NFL head coach. While he made some mistakes in Cincinnati, he also did some good things to help turn this around. People are actually surprised the Bengals aren’t competitive. That didn’t happen for quite a while before he got there.
That doesn’t change the fact of how terrible he has done since 2006. The team doesn’t appear to play hard like they used to and they seem to be more worried about TD celebrations, name changes, contracts, parole hearings, and other things that are not factors that lead to winning football games. Seeing the Bengals will not be getting a new owner anytime soon they need to get a new coach, clean house, and start over.
4) What you did last week doesn’t mean anything this week - We’ve all heard the conversation. Team A beat Team B by 14 points. Team B beat Team C by 21 points. Therefore, Team A should beat Team C by a large margin. If team C can’t beat team B, how are they going to compete with Team A?
That theory has always been a disappointment. If you are ever going to pick games, don’t do that. Observe:
(1-2) NY Jets host Arizona Cardinals (2-1) - Brett Favre throws 6 touchdown passes as the Jets win 56-35.
(4-0) Bills visit Arizona Cardinals (2-2) - One week after surrendering 56 points and 6 touchdown passes to a struggling Jets team you would think the Cardinals would be dead in the desert to an unbeaten Buffalo squad that was playing better than anyone in the AFC East. The Bills got taken for a 41-17 victory.
Here is how I see it. The Jets beat the Cardinals by 21 points. The Cardinals beat the Bills by 24 points. I am seeing a 70-24 type of score when the Jets play the Bills later this season. Call Vegas and put it in the books. I’m taking the over.
A Look Ahead:
Street Cred’s 2008 record: 48-25
1) Baltimore (2-2) at Indianapolis (2-2): This is a big early season game. Both teams have teams in front of them in their division that are off to good starts. The Titans are 5-0 and the Steelers are 4-1. Both teams have very difficult schedules and cannot afford to lose ground this early in the season. I always love these great individual matchups. Ray Lewis calling out defensive signals vs. Peyton Manning screaming out signals at the line. The Colts have had the better of this matchup in recent years, including the 2006 Divisional Round Game and 2007 Regular Season Game. I don’t look for a blowout, but I do look for Indy to win this game. Winner: Indianapolis
2) Carolina (4-1) at Tampa Bay (3-2): Division games are always big and Carolina gets a chance to do two things. They can take a two game lead over a tough division opponent and win a divisional game on the road. I like how Carolina has rebounded from a couple average seasons and they should be in the thick of this divisional race. Stewart and Williams are a great running back duo and Delhomme looks to be holding up. These teams seem to go back and forth and you could go either way with this game. I’m going to go with Carolina, mainly because I think they can establish the run in Tampa Bay and the Buccaneers have some injury issues with Griese at quarterback. Garcia is a good player, but I think they have a lot of offensive issues at the moment to beat a team that is playing as well as Carolina. Winner: Carolina
3) Dallas (4-1) at Arizona (3-2): The Cardinals have been a difficult team to pick in recent weeks. They have 31-0 and 41-17 wins over Miami and Buffalo. However, they lost to the Jets 56-35. To me this game is about the Dallas offense. Arizona will move the ball through the air and I think Fitzgerald has a big day. The problem is that I don’t see Arizona having enough answers for Romo, Barber, TO, and Witten. I like both teams to put up points, but I like Dallas to score a bunch of them as they pull away in the 2nd half. Winner: Dallas
4) Green Bay (2-3) at Seattle (1-3): These are two teams that are in desperate need of a win. The Hawks only claim to fame this year is beating the Rams. They have looked awful in their losses to Buffalo and New York. Seattle plays much better at home than on the road. They are 0-2 on the road and been outscored by 62 points. At home they are 1-1 and their sole loss was in OT to the 49ers. Neither team has been doing anything to warrant being picked to win a game. I like Seattle, because Julius Jones is running well, the Packers can’t stop the run, and that should help Hasselbeck get back on track. Rodgers and the offense will play well, but not well enough to pick up a road win. Winner: Seattle
5) New England (3-1) at San Diego (2-3): This was supposed to be an early season matchup that determined home field advantage in the AFC. Brady injured his knee in Week 1, San Diego is off to their typical Turner slow start, and instead it is just another game on the schedule. I don’t know why I’m picking them, but I like the Chargers. I think the Miami game was a product of Miami rising to the moment and San Diego looking past the Patriots. While New England bounced back nicely to beat the 49ers, I think LT could have a big game if Turner would ever give him the ball enough and if the defense could stop anyone. It’s a toss up to me and that means I pick the home team. Winner: San Diego
and the rest…
6) Chicago (3-2) at Atlanta (3-2): Atlanta has been a nice surprise, but I don’t think Ryan and Turner will have big days against this defense. If they can’t do that they can’t win. Orton has been playing well as of late and I look for him to turn in another good performance. Winner: Chicago
7) Detroit (0-4) at Minnesota (2-3): There are certain teams that have been crossed off my list and I will no longer pick them to win games. Detroit is one of them. Peterson will go off in this game and take out the last 3 weeks of frustration against a very poor Detroit run defense. Detroit loses big. Winner: Minnesota
8) Oakland (1-3) at New Orleans (2-3): Saints have started slow for the second straight year, but this is the type of team they need to come into the Big Easy this week. I like the Saints to continue to make Al Davis miserable. Winner: New Orleans
9) Cincinnati (0-5) at New York Jets (2-2): I actually think Cincinnati will put up a few points in this game as the Jets have not been stopping the pass very well. I also think Favre, Jones, Coles, and company have big games and the Jets win another high scoring game. Winner: New York Jets
10) St Louis (0-4) at Washington (4-1): St Louis is in my Detroit category. They need to show me something before I pick them. I wouldn’t dare pick them to win a road game, much less against a Washington team that has been clicking for the last month. Portis has a huge day. Winner: Washington
11) Miami (2-2) at Houston (0-4): I like what Miami is doing, but I think its time for them to take a step back. The Texans have been close the last couple weeks and I like them to win this game. Slaton has been running well, Johnson finally scored a touchdown, and I have a feeling Houston pulls this out. Winner: Houston
12) Jacksonville (2-3) at Denver (4-1): This is a tough game to pick. I like MJD and Taylor to have their way with a Denver defense that is just not getting the job done. Granted they played better against Tampa Bay, but they need to show that week in and week out. Jacksonville is the type of physical team that gives them problems. Winner: Jacksonville
13) Philadelphia (2-3) at San Francisco (2-3): Both teams need this game. The winner gets back to .500. The loser is 2-4. That said, Philly needs this game worse. They have a 4-0 Giants team, 4-1 Dallas team, and 4-1 Redskins team above them in the division. The can’t afford to fall 3 games back this early. San Fran could go 8-8 and be in contention for this division. Philadelphia has the better team and I look for them to rebound. Expect a nice game out of the defense and McNabb to have a nice day as well. Winner: Philadelphia
14) New York Giants (4-0) at Cleveland (0-4) - I am looking for another 44-6 win by the Giants. Okay, maybe not that bad but I don’t think this game will be all that close. Anderson will throw picks and the Giants running game will play big. Winner: New York Giants
Byes: Buffalo, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Tennessee
That’s all for this week. Enjoy the opening week of football and I look forward to reading your comments this week.
I present to you my fourth regular season letter of the 2008
season. I appreciate feedback of
things that I failed to mention, but please don't get upset if I don't list
something about your favorite player or team. I could do a newsletter for just one team. Trying to mention every team or player
in one newsletter would be impossibility.
I hereby present to you a recap of the opening weekend in the NFL.
Standings
AFC
EastNFC
East
1. Buffalo (4-0) 1.
New York Giants (3-0)
2. New England (2-1) 2.
Washington (3-1)
3. NY Jets (2-2) 3.
Dallas (3-1)
4. Miami (1-2) 4.
Philadelphia (2-2)
AFC
SouthNFC
South
1. Tennessee (4-0) 1.
Carolina (3-1)
2. Jacksonville (2-2) 2.
Tampa Bay (3-1)
3. Indianapolis (1-2) 3.
New Orleans (2-2)
4. Houston (0-3) 4.
Atlanta (2-2)
AFC
NorthNFC
North
1.Pittsburgh (3-1) 1.Green
Bay (2-2)
2. Baltimore (2-1) 2.Chicago
(2-2)
3.Cleveland (1-3) 3.
Minnesota (1-3)
4.Cincinnati (0-4) 4.
Detroit (0-3)
AFC
WestNFC
West
1. Denver (3-1) 1.
Arizona (2-2)
2. San Diego (2-2) 2.
San Francisco (2-2)
3. Oakland (1-3) 3.
Seattle (1-2)
4. Kansas City (1-3) 4.
St Louis (0-4)
MVP of the Week:
When you’ve played as well and as long as Brett Favre has it becomes
quite a challenge to do something you have never done before. Brett Favre managed to do that by
having his first 6-touchdown pass game of his career. He was 24 for 34 with 289 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1
pick. At running back Larry
Johnson had 28 carries for 198 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns as the Chiefs got
their first win of the year. At
receiver it is hard not to go with Coles who had 8 catches for 105 yards and 3
first half touchdowns. Muhsin Muhammad had a great game too with 8 catches for
147 yards and 1 touchdown.
Loser of the Week: Ryan Grant and Donald Driver were very
disappointing in the Packers loss.
Driver had 1 catch for 8 yards.
Grant had 15 carries for 20 yards.
The Packers need to get more out of their skill players not named
Jennings if they want to win tough games.
Kurt Warner is a surprising name to put on the list. He was 40 for 57 with 472 yards and 2
touchdowns. Those are usually
numbers that make the MVP of the Week.
Problem is he had 3 fumbles lost and 3 interceptions. That is very poor for a veteran and
former MVP. Finally, Marion Barber
has to do better than 8 carries for 26 yards. He needs more touches and he needs to be more productive
with the touches he got.
Whenever Dallas gets away from running Barber, there offense
suffers. They need to learn
lessons from the Giants playoff loss, not repeat them.
Game of the Week: There were a lot of good games this
week. Washington and Dallas played
a fantastic game. Washington had a
20-17 lead in the 4th quarter.
They added a field goal with 10:48 left in the game. On their next drive they proceeded to
take a 6-minute plus drive for another field goal with 3:22. That drive not only exhausted precious
time, but also all of Dallas’s timeouts.
Dallas then scored a touchdown with 1:42 left in the game, but did not
recover the onside kick. Honorable
mention to the Jacksonville and Houston contest, which was won by a Scobee
field goal in overtime. Another Honorable mention to the Monday Night Game,
which Pittsburgh won over Baltimore in OT.
The Bay of Pigs:
It would have to be that Cleveland and Cincinnati game. It improved in the 4th
quarter to finish 20-12 with Cleveland winning the game. However, Cleveland trailed 6-3 at the
end of three quarters. Part of the
problem was Carson Palmer being injured.
That prevented Cincinnati from effectively passing the ball. This is a tough group to justify. These teams are still a long way from
being competitive.
The Mike Martz Award (Stupidity in Action): The worse game
time decision I saw was Andy Reid’s decision to run the ball 4 straight times
at the Chicago defense at their goal line trailing 24-20. You would think McNabb on play action
or at least one pass would have made sense. Instead they turned the ball over on downs, couldn’t stop
the Bears to get the ball back with meaningful time, and cost themselves a
better chance to win the game. The
Eagles are not a smash mouth power running team and the Bears are great at
stopping that. Why he didn’t even
pass it once is beyond me.
The second decision I would question had nothing to do with
the games. Why did Arizona choose
to stay East? It seemed like a
solid decision at the time. The
Cardinals stayed on the East Coast to prevent having to travel from Washington
to Arizona, back to Arizona, and back to New York. Instead of looking like they prepared for the game they
looked like they took a vacation.
They had 34 points scored on them in the 2nd quarter and
trailed 34-0 at the half. Looking
back, you have to wonder if the decision to stay east was worth taking a team
out of their normal preparation routine.
Based on this poor performance I would say it wasn’t.
Injury Report: There were a couple scary injuries this
week. Boldin took a vicious hit
from Eric Smith in the final minutes of the Jets & Cardinals game. He appears to be fine and his status is
up in the air for next week.
Andre Frazier was carted off the field on the opening
kickoff of the Monday Night Game.
The severity of his spine injury was not known at the time I typed my
letter.
Aaron Rodgers injured his shoulder against the
Buccaneers. It is a shoulder
sprain and not a separated shoulder as initially feared. His status is questionable for next
week.
The Texans lost starting safety C. C. Brown with a broken
arm for the season. That is a big
blow to a secondary already playing without Robinson.
Finally, the Steelers are losing running backs fast. Parker is out already with a sprained
knee. Rashard Mendenhall fractured his shoulder in the Monday Night game and
will be placed on IR.
Overall Impressions of Week 1:
1) Brett Favre’s big day – What do you say about a guy who
you think has done everything there is to do in the NFL, yet goes out and
accomplishes a career first? Favre
had thrown for 5 touchdowns with Green Bay 3 times. The most recent was a September 27, 1998 game at Carolina. In fact, the last time he threw 4
touchdown passes was a Monday Night Game against Carolina in October of the
2005 season. So to say that 6
touchdown passes was a surprise would be an understatement.
Favre had a number of things going for him. The Arizona defense was very
unimpressive. There were a lot of
plays with Jet receivers wide open.
The Cardinals turned the ball over 7 times. That will help the offense’s cause. Finally, he was sharp and put some
perfectly thrown balls in tough places.
Other than a terrible first quarter interception he was on the
money. When you combine the three
you get 6- touchdown passes.
It’s easy to get caught up in the moment with this. Last year McNabb had 381 yards
and 4 touchdowns in a 56-21 victory over Detroit. Detroit finished the season as 31st ranked
passing yard defense and touchdown passes allowed. Philly never played a game like that again. They scored over 30 points only two
more times that year. The Eagles
finished the season with the 17th ranked scoring offense. McNabb would have 15 touchdowns in his
other 13 starts.
Favre had the right attitude after the game. He was happy about the win, excited
about the accomplishment, but also realized it was only one game. He said its too early to book playoff
or Super Bowl tickets. He’s been
through enough battles to realize that it only gets harder. That is why you want a guy like that on
your team. He never gets too high
with the highs or too low with the lows.
He keeps good and bad games in perspective. He will help keep this team grounded and working toward
getting better on offense.
Still, many people were beginning to question whether he
could still play or whether he made the right decision to comeback. What this performance does do is
validate that he can still play quarterback in the NFL at a high level. The Oak Grove High School
quarterback will not have to worry about Favre coming back to Mississippi
midseason to take his job back.
Every time people start asking those questions is when Favre
comes up with some of his best performances. It was nice to see an athlete who has had such a difficult
off-season have another performance for the ages.
2) Washington’s Upset of Dallas – Washington is a team that
has showed me a lot in the early part of the season. They were probably the worst looking offense in the NFL after
the first week of the season in which they scored 7 points on the Giants. They have responded by scoring 26.3
points per game in their 3 game winning streak.
Jason Campbell has been terrific. He has 6 touchdowns, 0 picks, 878 yards passing, and a 102.2
QB rating. For a young quarterback
learning a new system that is quite an accomplishment. Santana Moss has been reborn with
27 catches for 421 yards and 3 touchdowns. Portis is doing well in the running game. He has 369 yards rushing, 4.3 yards per
carry, and 3 rushing touchdowns.
The Redskins are in a terribly tough spot. The division is a combined 11-4, with
three of the losses being division games.
3-1 would have them as the division favorite in the NFC North or
West. In the East they are a game
out of last place. 8-8 or 9-7 could be good for last place in the NFC East this
year.
The schedule is about to take a turn for the better. They play @ Philly, which is a tough
game. Then they host St Louis,
Cleveland, and travel to Detroit. They could easily be 6-2 at the half point of the
season.
They still have some tough games in the second half of the
season. They will play the
division again. They have
Pittsburgh. Winning at Dallas was
a game that many didn’t expect them to get. If they can beat Philly next week they will have gone 2-1 on
the road in the division and be set up very well for the 2nd half of
the season.
3) Is the Gold Rush Back? – The phrase that pays for 49er
fans is that the Gold Rush is Back.
At 2-2 the 49ers are tied for 1st place in the weak NFC
West. Do the 49er fans know
something that we don’t know?
I pegged the 49ers for 4-12 this year. Seeing they have won 2 games already
and have yet to play St Louis it seems apparent that they will surpass
that. JT O’Sullivan has played
very well to start the year.
O’Sullivan has 68 completions in 111 attempts for 962 yards, 4
touchdowns, 3 picks, and a 90.0 QB rating. That is a surprise to me, even with Mike Martz there. Those are numbers the 49ers haven’t seen
since the Jeff Garcia days. Frank
Gore has also started strong with 369 yards rushing through his first 4
games.
The problem with the 49ers has surprisingly been their
defense. Those were thought to be
the strengths of the team.
The defense ranks 21st in points per game allowed. They rank 25th in total
yards allowed, 22nd in pass yards allowed, and 23rd in
rushing yards allowed.
That is what costs them their games against the Cardinals
and Saints. Those offenses were
able to put points up on the board.
Seattle also scored 30 points in their 33-30 OT loss to the 49ers. Seattle had no receivers that
game. San Fran’s only impressive
game was against Detroit. Join the
club. Everyone looks impressive
against Detroit.
The 49ers are no longer the push over squad they have been
known for the last 5 years. Their
offense has been consistently among the worst in the NFL. Credit a lot of that to Alex Smith not
being lost in a new system every year.
O’Sullivan was chosen for this job in large part on his previous
experience in Martz’s scheme.
Since O’Sullivan has become the starter the team is moving the ball well
and the offense as a whole is starting to hold up its end of the bargain. The 49ers have spent a lot of free
agent dollars and draft picks on upgrading the defense. If that can come around they will win
more games.
If they were in the NFC East they would clearly be the last
place club. In the NFC West things
are up for grabs. The Rams are a
lost cause. The Seahawks may
rebound if they can get some healthy receivers. The Cardinals looked sharp in their first two games before
losing the next two games.
We’ll start to learn a little bit more about the 49ers over
the next 4 weeks. 3 of their 4
games are at home. They host
New England and Philly, travel to New York Giants, and head home to play
Seattle. If they are still 4-4 or
5-3 after those 4 games I’ll start to have a little more faith. While the 49ers will probably do no
better than .500, that could still keep them in the division hunt for much of
the season.
4) The horrific St Louis Rams – St Louis continues to
struggle beyond belief. This has
to be the worst defense in the NFL.
The record for points allowed in a single NFL season is 533 points,
which was surrendered by the 2-14 Baltimore Colts back in 1981. The Rams are on pace to allow 588
points in 2008. If you go back to
last year they have allowed 38.4 points per game in their last 7 games. I have watched a lot of bad defensive
football. The 2005 Rams and 2001
Colts are the most recent bad defenses that come to mind. The Dolphins were awful the first
8 games of the 2007 season.
However, if the Rams keep this up their 2008 unit will take the cake.
That is what is so puzzling about the Bulger benching. He plays on a team that is allowing
38.4 points per game in its last 7 games.
Jackson had 159 yards rushing in his first 3 games. The offensive line has given up 13
sacks through the first 4 games.
What do you expect him to do?
Granted, 52 for 89 with 519 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 picks, and a 73.2 QB
rating does not scream keep my job.
But that team is not losing because of Marc Bulger. Joe Montana, John Elway, or Dan Marino
in their prime couldn’t win with this team.
Plus, why bring in Trent Green? He’s a 15-year veteran that is 38 years old. He hasn’t won a game since 2006. Are you building for the future? Bulger is 31-years old. If you aren’t going to bring in a young
guy to groom for the future keep Bulger in and let him work through this
mess. The team has no future
with Green other than as a back up.
Obviously management had some of the same concerns. Linehan
became the first coaching casualty on Monday. He has an 11-25 record in 2 & ¼ seasons. The team is getting progressively
worse. The Rams can’t score
points, can’t stop other teams from scoring, and are poorly prepared. It is debatable whether everyone is
playing hard.
He had clearly lost the team. Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett has been picked to turn
this disaster around. The offensive
nucleus still has a few years left in it.
If the Rams can find someone that can bring talent into the organization
and properly motivate and teach these guys the Rams could be competitive in a
few years. Right now all they are
competing for is the first pick in the draft.
5) Rodgers comes back to Earth – It’s funny how the message
boards have shifted a little bit.
After the first 3 games the Packers had clearly made the better
decision. Rodgers had yet to throw
a pick, Favre’s Jets were 1-2, and the Packers were in control of the weak NFC
North. Then Favre threw 6
touchdown passes and Rodgers suffered 3 picks and a shoulder injury. Chicago wins to pull into a tie with
the Pack at 2-2. Suddenly, Ted
Thompson is an ####.
I am pulling for the Favre trade to work out for Favre and
the Jets. I though Packer
management botched that and have addressed that on a number of occasions. However, I’d be a hypocrite if I said
that 2 games were too soon to tell, but 4 games the picture was clear. It is very early. Rodgers will play well again and
Favre’s isn’t going to throw 6 touchdowns per week going forward.
I’m not going to get into comparisons between the Jets and
Packers. They are irrelevant. Here are 3 problems with Rodgers that I
have seen early in the season.
a) Way too many hits – Rodgers has taken 9 sacks, which is
tied for 10th most in the NFL.
The problem is that Favre took only 15 sacks all of last year. It’s not just the sacks he’s taking,
but all the hits he’s taking. I
said that durability was going to be a major concern for him in the preseason
and my fear has been realized 4 games into the season. He has to do a better job of standing
upright.
Not taking hits is a product of having a quick release,
staying around the pocket, and familiarity with an offense. While Rodgers is in his 3rd
year in the system it is his first year playing in it. If Rodgers can’t stop taking hits he
will miss games later in the season.
The Packers can’t make the playoffs if he’s not in there. Their backups have no meaningful NFL
experience and are not ready for primetime.
b) Too much short passing – Rodgers is averaging 7.6 yards
per attempt, which ranks 9th in the NFL. Many people would say this is an unfair criticism. The problem is that in the all of the
downfield passes are going to one player, Jennings. The exception to that would be the Detroit game. Again, everyone looks good against
Detroit.
The Packers are running the screens, slants, and dump plays.
The only one getting any production is Jennings. His 482 yards receiving accounts for 50.2 % of the Packers
passing yards. Driver is second on
the team with 16 catches for 174 yards.
Jennings is averaging 19.3 yards per catch. Everyone else is around 10-12 yards per catch.
That is a deviation from last year. Last year the Packers had 4 receivers
at 575 yards or over and had 4 players over 12 yards per catch. Most of the players were in the 12-15
yard per catch range. No offense
can consistently succeed relying on one weapon. This offense has to get more than Jennings involved in the
passing game, particularly downfield.
If they don’t they will continue to struggle.
c) Horrible 3rd quarter adjustments – This is as
much McCarthy’s fault as Rodgers.
They both have to adjust better to what the defense is doing coming out
of the locker room. Green Bay has
scored 20 points in the 3rd quarter this year. 7 of those points were on a punt
return. Teams are seeing this
short passing game and making adjustments at half time. The Packers are running the same thing
and their offense is bogging down.
In fact, they haven’t been very good in the 4th
quarter either. Against Tampa Bay
their only scoring was a Woodson touchdown. Against Dallas they got 7 points on a QB sneak late in the
game trailing 27-9. Minnesota only
allowed one offensive touchdown in the fourth quarter of that game. That was generated on Grant’s only long
run of the year. Even against
Detroit 14 of the 24 points 4th quarter points scored were
defensive.
What that tells me is that the Packers are trying to run the
ball and short pass the ball every play and that they think teams can’t stop
that even if they know its coming.
The reason teams couldn’t stop that last year was because teams were
scared to death of Favre throwing a 50-yard strike and were giving the
underneath stuff. Rodgers doesn’t
have that type of credibility.
As teams learn the Packers aren’t going downfield to anyone
but Jennings they are adjusting.
McCarthy has to do a better job of adjusting to the defenses and call
plays to counteract. If
quarterbacking in the NFL were just throwing 3 yards slants there would be more
people doing well. You can’t win
with that conservative of an offense.
Ask Herm Edwards how that works.
The good news for the Packers is that there are only 4 games
that have passed and as long as Rodger’s shoulder is okay they can continue to
improve in these areas. Four
games are too early to pass judgment, but it is early enough to make some
observations. From what I have
seen so far reports of the Packers being better off without Favre were a little
premature to say the least.
A Look Ahead:
Street Cred’s 2008 record:37-22
1) Seattle (1-2) at New York Giants (3-0): The Seahawks really need this
game. Branch and Engram appear to
be back in the mix after missing the first 3 games with injuries. Burress is suspended for this game,
which is a big blow for the Giants offense. If the game were in Seattle I might pick the Seahawks to
steal a game here. I think the
Seahawks are not very tough on the road and I like the Giants defense right
now. I think Jacobs does just
enough, Manning makes just enough plays, and the defense makes just enough
stops to get a tough victory at home.
Winner: New York Giants
2) Washington (3-1) at Philadelphia (2-2): This is another
tough game to pick, due to the quality of both teams and the Westbrook
injury. In the two games where
Brian Westbrook was healthy the Eagles scored 31 and 37points. Since got injured they have scored 15
and 20 points. His ankle is still
bothering him and it is unknown whether he will play against Washington. Westbrook is a special player that does
so many things both running and receiving. If he were 100% I would like Philly. With as good as Washington is playing
right now and how inconsistent the Philly defense has played I am going to go
with Washington. I look for Portis
to have another nice day and for Campbell to continue his hot start. Winner: Washington
3) Tampa Bay (3-1) at Denver (3-1): This is one of the more
interesting games of the week.
Tampa seems to find ways to hang in there and win games that they
probably shouldn’t. Denver is
coming off a tough week in which they lost at Kansas City. Denver has a great offense. They are 2nd in points
scored, 1st in yards gained, 1st in first downs gained, 2nd
in passing yards, and 12th in rushing yards. That’s a recipe for success. The problem is that they don’t even
have an average defense. They are
31st in points allowed, yards allowed, and passing yards
allowed. They are 26th
in rushing yards allowed. The only
defense that is worse is St Louis, which is 32nd in both points and
yards allowed. Cutler has thrown
at least one pick in 3 straight games.
I think Tampa Bay has a recipe to win in Denver. Graham is a physical back that can
pound the Denver run defense, but they need to get better play out of
Griese. Griese has 6 picks in his
last 2 games, has yet to complete 60% of his passes, and has a QB rating of
62.5. I could go either way with
this, so I went with the home team.
Denver always seems to play well at home. While Graham will have a big day, I think Cutler makes more
plays that Griese and the Broncos bounce back from a terrible performance in
Kansas City. Winner:Denver
4) Pittsburgh (3-1) at Jacksonville (2-2): Pittsburgh’s
offense looks lost right now. They
have multiple running backs hurt right now. Big Ben is taking a lot of sacks. The defense is playing well, but they need to offense to
step up to the plate. The Steelers
went 8 quarters between offensive touchdowns. From Ward’s 2nd quarter touchdown against
Cleveland to Holmes’s 3rd quarter touchdown against Baltimore; the
Steelers have looked lost on offense. Jacksonville hasn’t exactly blown the doors off the
barn either, but they are getting more offensive production in the last few
weeks. I like the Jags to protect
their home field and win a very physical game. Winner: Jacksonville
5) Minnesota (1-3) at New Orleans (2-2): New Orleans runs
into trouble when they can’t get balance in their play calling. That is true for a lot of teams, but it
has been a glaring issue for the Saints.
Against San Fran they passed 35 times and ran 32 times. Against Tampa Bay they passed the ball
32 times and rushed the ball 27 times.
Those two games resulted in wins.
On the flip side Against Washington they passed 33 times and ran the
ball 19. Against Denver they
passed 48 times to 25 rushes. The
problem in this game is going to be that Minnesota stops the run so well that
New Orleans is going to have to stay committed to running the ball like Fisher,
Fox, and McCarthy did, even when it isn’t working. I don’t think Sean Payton is patient enough to do that. The other concern is that the Saints
have the 22nd ranked run defense. That bodes well for Adrian Peterson. Brees will be able to put up some
passing yards in this game, but I like the Vikings to go on the road and win
this game. Winner: Minnesota
and the rest…
6) Kansas City (1-3) at Carolina (3-1): I know Kansas City
won their first game, but Carolina can actually stop the run and play
defense. Denver can’t. I like the Panthers to prevail in this
game and Kansas City’s offense to comeback to earth. Winner:Carolina
7) Chicago (2-2) at Detroit (0-3): Detroit has to show me something before I pick them to
win. I see Kitna throwing some
picks, the Bears gaining some yards, and the Lions losing another game. Winner: Chicago
8) Atlanta (2-2) at Green Bay (2-2): It’s hard to pick this
game when I don’t know if Rodgers is going to start. The Pack can’t stop the run right now and Turner is off to a
good start. He leads the NFL in
rushing yards. If Rodgers can’t go
the Falcons won’t have to worry about falling behind and can establish the
run. If Rodgers plays I think he
makes enough plays to win the game.
If he doesn’t play the Pack will probably lose. I say he toughs it out and makes the
start. I’m taking Green Bay, but I
think it will be closer than people think. Winner:Green
Bay
9) San Diego (2-2) at Miami (1-2): Unless Ronnie Brown
scores 5 more touchdowns I don’t see the Dolphins winning this game. They will play competitive, but San
Diego wins going away. LT is
heating up and should have a nice day.
Winner:San Diego
10) Tennessee (4-0) at Baltimore (2-1): Baltimore is exceeding
expectations. The fact they took
the Steelers to OT surprised me.
That said Tennessee is playing great football and Baltimore isn’t going
to score a lot of points in this game either. Winner: Tennessee
11) Indianapolis (1-2) at Houston (0-3): Houston has been a major disappointment
to start the season. I wasn’t
thinking playoffs, but I expected them to show better. Jacksonville was their first good
game. I like the Colts to
get back to .500 this week. The
bye came at a great time for Indy with all their early season injuries. Winner: Indianapolis
12) Buffalo (4-0) at Arizona (2-2): I think Arizona’s NY disaster was a
blip. They aren’t going to play
that bad all year. They aren’t
going to turn the ball over 7 times.
They picked the wrong week to get sloppy with the ball against an
offense that had a lot of prove.
Buffalo has been good early, but their opponents have a combined record
of 4-10. Oakland and St Louis are
a mess, Seattle was really injured, and Jacksonville was a good win. The line is even right now, and I would
expect Buffalo to be favored by game time. I think Arizona rebounds from that loss and upsets
Buffalo. Buffalo is playing on the
road for a second straight week, which is a tough proposition in the NFL. Winner: Arizona
13) New England (2-1) at San Francisco (2-2) – You give the
Hood 2 weeks to prepare and he usually comes through. New England is 6-2 under Darth Hood coming off a bye. The average score has been 26.9 to
11.9. The only years the Patriots
lost were 2002 and 2000. Those
happen to be the only two years the Patriots missed the playoffs. I like the Patriots to bounce back in
this game. They’ve had 2 weeks to
think about that Miami stomp down and San Fran isn’t tearing up the defensive
side of the ball. New England
won’t score 49 points like we might have predicted at the beginning of the
year, but they’ll score enough to win.
Winner: New England
14) Cincinnati (0-4) at Dallas (3-1): Palmer is still iffy and Dallas will be
looking to take out the frustrations on somebody. That lucky somebody is the 0-4 Bengals. Dallas wins in a blowout. Winner: Dallas
Byes:Cleveland, Oakland, New York Jets, and St. Louis
That’s all for this week. Enjoy the opening week of football and I look forward to
reading your comments this week.
I present to you my third regular season letter of the 2008
season. Sorry it is up a little later in the day than normal. Time just
wouldn't allow me to have it up sooner. I appreciate feedback of things that I
failed to mention, but please don't get upset if I don't list something about
your favorite player or team. I could do a newsletter for just one team. Trying
to mention every team or player in one newsletter would be impossibility. I
hereby present to you a recap of the opening weekend in the NFL.
Standings
AFC East NFC East
1. Buffalo (3-0) 1. New York Giants (3-0)
2. New England (2-1) 2. Dallas (3-0)
3. NY Jets (1-2) 3. Philadelphia (2-1)
4. Miami (1-2) 4. Washington (2-1)
AFC South NFC South
1. Tennessee (3-0) 1. Carolina (2-1)
2. Jacksonville (1-2) 2. Tampa Bay (2-1)
3. Indianapolis (1-2) 3. Atlanta (2-1)
4. Houston (0-2) 4. New Orleans (1-2)
AFC North NFC North
1. Baltimore (2-0) 1.Green Bay (2-1)
2. Pittsburgh (2-1) 2.Chicago (1-2)
3. Cincinnati (0-3) 3. Minnesota (1-2)
4.Cleveland (0-3) 4. Detroit (0-3)
AFC West NFC West
1. Denver (3-0) 1. Arizona (2-1)
2. Oakland (1-2) 2. San Francisco (2-1)
3. San Diego (1-2) 3. Seattle (1-2)
4. Kansas City (0-3) 4. St Louis (0-3)
MVP of the Week: Ronnie Brown had a game for the ages. He
had 17 carries for 113 yards, 4 rushing touchdowns, 1 catch for 9 yards, and 1
pass for 19 yards and a touchdown. No one in the NFL came close to having a
game that good this week. Honorable mentions to Drew Brees and Brian Griese.
Brees had 421 yards passing and 1 touchdown and Griese threw the ball 67 times
for 407 yards in an OT victory over the Bears. Brandon Marshall led the
receivers with 6 catches for 155 yards and 1 touchdown.
Loser of the Week: Braylon Edwards. How can a receiver with
his talent have 8 catches for 73 yards and 0 touchdowns in three games this
year? He had 3 catches for 27 yards and 0 touchdowns in the Browns loss to the
Ravens. Matt Cassel and Randy Moss. Cassel had just 131 yards passing, 1
touchdown, and 1 pick. Randy Moss had 4 catches for 25 yards. This coming
against a defense that had been beaten badly by Favre in Week 1 and was torched
for a 158.3 rating by Kurt Warner. Finally, Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson.
Granted Houston has had some problems with Hurricane Ike that is not going to
help them gain rhythm. I also understand the Titans have a very tough defense.
But 17 for 37 with 188 yards, 0 touchdowns and 3 picks is not acceptable. Same
with Johnson and his 4 catches for 29 yards.
Game of the Week: There were a lot of good games. Tampa Bay
and Chicago went to OT with the Bucs winning. Bengals and NY Giants went to OT
with the Giants prevailing. I would go with the game out in Denver. The Saints
lost 34-32 to the Broncos. It went down to the final minutes with the Saints
failing to convert for the tying 2-point conversion. Cutler had another huge
day and Marshall was also tough. Brees had 421 yards passing. It was an
exciting offensive fireworks type of game.
Bay of Pigs: Would have to be the Philly and Pittsburgh
game. What was thought to be a candidate for Game of the Week was hurt by the
fact that Westbrook, McNabb, and Big Ben all suffered injuries during the game
that forced them to miss portions of the game. The result was a 15-6 final with
the Eagles prevailing.
The Mike Martz Award (Stupidity in Action): This was a
pretty easy decision this week. Mike Tomlin, do you understand game management?
Last I checked 15-6 is a two-possession game. So why on 4th down and long in
field goal range with a little over :30 seconds left in the game do you go for
it? Kick the field goal and get the score to 15-9. Try the onside and go for
the Hail Mary. Even had the Steelers converted and gone on to score a touchdown
they probably would have ran out of time to set up a quality field goal. It was
a poor decision by a good coach that hasn't made many mistakes in his young
career.
Another poor coaching effort happened in Green Bay. The game
was out of hand. It was 27-9 and the Cowboy's Barber fumbled the ball back to
the Packers at the Packers 13-yard line. A comeback was unlikely with just 5:34
left in the game. If it was going to be possible it was going to be with deep
passes down the field. So why call every 4 yard slant to the middle of the
field and take 3:23 to score a meaningless touchdown with 2:11 left in the
game. The Cowboys depleted the Pack's timeouts, gave them back the ball for
some more short passes with under 2:00 minutes, and Dallas coasted to victory.
I would have rather seen Rodgers throw the bomb and get picked trying to win
the game that pad his stats for 100 yards in the 4th quarter. I’m not accusing Rodgers of doing
that. He isn’t calling his own plays. What I am saying is that McCarthry was
way two conservative the entire game.
You have to go down the field, especially when you are down 27-9 with so
little time left in the game.
Injury Report: Lots of big injuries this week. Brian
Westbrook is on crutches after suffering a high ankle sprain. His status for
next week is in doubt.
Willie Parker and Casey Hampton will not play against the
Ravens. Parker has a sprained knee and Hampton has a sprained groin.
Al Harris had the most serious injury of the week. He has probably been lost for the
season with a torn spleen. That is
a huge blow to the Green and Gold's defense.
Jeremy Shockey is going to be out 3-6 weeks with a sports
hernia injury. That is not good for an offense that is already missing Colston.
Finally, Jason Taylor's streak of 132 games starting will
come to an end next week against the Cowboys. He has a calf / leg injury.
Overall Impressions of Week 1:
1) How about those Buffalo Bills – This was a team that I
wasn't very high on to start the year. While I acknowledged they were 7-9 last
year and in the playoff hunt until December I couldn't get away from the fact
that they were 30th in points scored, 30th in yards gained, and 31st in yards
allowed. I chalked up their 2007 season to playing the Dolphins twice and Jets
twice. While I thought #### would be a special player, I wasn't sold on either
of their quarterbacks or the defense.
Through he first three games of the season, I appear to have
underestimated this group. They have been very impressive. They are 9th in
points scored, 13th in yards gained, 6th in points allowed, and 6th in yards
allowed. That is a major improvement over where they were in 2007.
#### and Jackson has been a nice combo. #### has 4 rushing
touchdowns already. Lee Evans is having a much better start to the 2008
campaign. He has 244 yards receiving in his first three games. Considering it
took him until Week 8 to eclipse that mark in 2007 I would say he is starting
much better.
Marcus Stroud has really helped the interior of their
offensive line. He has 2 sacks and has played a large role in the Bills strong
defensive line play. Most
importantly, this team is learning to win. They only won by two points in Week
3 and four points in Week 2. Last year they find ways to lose those games. This
year they are winning them.
The last time the Bills qualified for the playoffs was 1999.
The last time they won a playoff game was December 30, 1995 when Jim Kelly and
Thurman Thomas led the Bills to a 37-22 win over Marino's Dolphins. Given that
Brady is hurt for the year, the Jets are struggling adjusting to Favre, and the
Bills have started strong; the Bills are in position to get back to the
playoffs. That is something they
haven’t done with regularity since the 90s.
2) Tennessee and Minnesota succeed with Backup Quarterbacks
– It's been interesting how a couple teams have made the decision to go with
veteran journey man quarterbacks over young prospects. The Titans were forced
to due to injury. Vince Young was hurt in the opener and could not play right
now if the Titans wanted to. Jackson was benched after two bad losses.
In both of these cases it appears less is more. Let's start
with the Titans. Kerry Collins isn't destroying opposing defenses like Tom
Brady did in 2007. What he is doing is adding a vertical element to the passing
offense without making big mistakes. He only threw 21 times against Cincy and
26 times against Houston. He has yet to have a 200-yard game. He has yet to
throw for more than 1 touchdown pass. What he hasn't done is make the big
turnover that has cost them the game. He is bringing leadership to the huddle.
Fisher has already announced that as long as Collins continues to win that the
Titans are not going back to Young this season. That seems hard to believe as
Young was on the verge of stardom entering the 2007 season.
Then there is Jackson in Minnesota. Gus Ferrotte wasn't even
planning on playing football in 2008. The last time he started more than 3
games was 2005 when he logged 15 starts for the Fins. Yet when Jackson
contributed to a 0-2 start and had lost the confidence of the staff they turned
to the veteran to give them some stability. The result was 16 for 28 for 204
yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. The Vikings earned their first victory of the
season.
These teams are very similar. The Titans have a better
defense than the Vikings, but the Vikings are still a very solid defensive
unit. The Vikings have given up only 52 points, which ranks 8th in the NFL. The
Vikings have a much more exciting back combination in Peterson and Taylor.
White and Johnson are a poor man's version of that duo.
What neither team can afford is a complete inability to go
down the field and costly mistakes that result in their defenses put in bad
spot. While Jackson and Young are more mobile, have good arms, and upside; they
don't put their teams in a position to win football games. While these two may
eventually find their way, it doesn't look like it will be in 2008.
3) Indy’s slow start – You talk about a team destroyed by
injuries. The Colts did not play T Tony Ugoh, G Mike Pollack, SS Bob Sanders,
TE Jacob Tamme, WR Roy Hall, DT Daniel Muir, DE Curtis Johnson, and DE Marcus
Howard in Week 3. Dallas Clark played and was hurt again. Center Jeff Saturday
was active after missing the first two weeks.
The result is an offense that is ranked 24th in scoring and
a defense that is ranked 20th in points allowed. The result is a 1-2 team that
currently sits at 3rd place in the division. The last time the Colts started a
season 1-2 was 1998 when the Colts started 1-8. Peyton Manning was only a
rookie.
You can't have three offensive linemen and a starting tight
end hurt and expect to run the ball. Addai has 43 rushes for 142 yards, 3.3
yards per carry, and 3 touchdowns. He can't go out in pass routes as much so he
has only 4 catches for 26 yards. As a result the Colts are completely
one-dimensional. They rank 2nd in pass attempts as opposed to 30th in rush
attempts. Manning is on pace for 4,181 yards this season, but with only 16
touchdown passes and 21 picks. He is completing 59.1 % of his passes and has a
rating of 73.1. This for a guy that has never had less than 26 touchdowns in
his career, has a career QB rating of 94.2, hasn't had more than 15
interceptions since 2002, and has a career 64.1 completion percentage.
Peyton Manning has plenty of time to turn his season around.
What this does show is what I tell people time and time again. Quarterbacks can
carry teams in stretches. They can occasionally will a team to victory. But
they can't be the team. Even someone as gifted as Peyton Manning needs his offensive
line to block. He needs Addai to give the offense rushing balance. He needs
more than Wayne, Harrison, and Gonzalez to catch the ball downfield. Receivers
aren’t very effective without running games that keep safties and linebackers
honest. Dallas Clark is a big part
of this offense. While Manning is still getting yards they aren't coming as
efficiently as they normally do.
The other concern has to be Bob Sanders. The Colts weren't
good at stopping the run with him in their first 2 games. In his first game out
both MJD and Taylor rushed for over 100 yards. If teams can run the ball
effectively, it will keep Manning on the bench and limit his opportunities even
more.
Indy has to go back to the drawing board quickly. With the
2nd toughest schedule in the NFL this season (based on 07 record) they can't
afford to keep losing games. They are already two games back in the division
and have lost 2 games at home.
Their bye couldn’t come at a better time.
4) New England’s Streak Comes to an Alarming End – It's time
to reflect on a regular season winning streak that will go down as one of the
most impressive feats in NFL history. The last time the Patriots suffered a
regular season loss was December 10, 2006 when they were shutout by the Miami
Dolphins, 21-0. In those 21 games that passed they were simply amazing. They
scored over 30 points 15 of those 21 games. They won 14 of those 21 games by
more than 10 points.
It would have been interesting to see how long the streak
could have lasted had Tom Brady not been injured. The Patriots offense has
scored only 49 points, which is 25th in the NFL. They scored only 13 points
against the Dolphins. They had 5 touchdowns in their first 5 possessions
against the Dolphins last year.
The troubling part of Sunday's loss was not the offense.
They were bad and deserve their share of blame for this loss. The troubling
part was their defense. They gave up 38 points in that defeat. When you combine
that with only 13 points scored it was the Patriots worst loss since they were
defeated by the Atlanta Falcons 41-10 on Nov. 8, 1998, at New England. The
Atlanta Falcons went on to lose to John Elway's Broncos in the Super Bowl that
season.
What I couldn't believe is that one formation could give the
Patriots that much grief. I understand that Ronnie Brown under center in the
shotgun is surprising, but it shouldn't result in 4 touchdown runs and a
touchdown pass.
The last time the Patriots lost 2 games in a row was Week 9
and 10 of the 2006 season when they lost to playoff teams Indy and the New York
Jets. Next week they play the San Francisco 49ers in San Fran. Hopefully, Frank
Gore doesn't line up in the shotgun; otherwise things might get pretty ugly.
5) Cleveland's Disappointing Start - Cleveland has to be the
most disappointing team in the NFL this season. This is a team that won 10
games last year. The offense ranked 8th in scoring offense and 8th in yards
gained. Anderson threw for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns. Lewis rushed for
1,304 yards and 9 touchdowns. Edwards had 80 catches for 1289 yards and 16
touchdowns. Through 3 games Anderson has 405 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, 5
picks, and a 43.5 QB rating. Edwards has 8 catches for 73 yards. Lewis has 156
yards rushing.
This was supposed to be an emerging dominant offense. Instead,
the Browns have just been offensive. 32nd in points scored with 26 points. That
is an average of 8.7 points per game. 31st in yards gained. 30th in first
downs. 29th in passing yards. 31st in yards per attempt. 30th in rushing yards.
No rushing touchdowns. This offense resembles the 2006 Oakland Raiders. There
is way too much talent on this team for them to be playing this poorly.
The result has been a 0-3 start in which they were outscored
by 40 total points, which is 28th in the NFL. Some of this was predictable and
some of this was not. The Browns played very well in the first 11 games of the
2007 season. From their Week 2 explosion against Cincy to Week 12 against
Houston they averaged 30.8 points per game. From Week 13 to Week 17 they
averaged 17.4. Anderson was not good to close the season. He had 7 touchdowns
and 8 picks in his last 5 games. His highest rating in that stretch was an 83.3
against the Jets. Three of his five closing games saw him with less than 200
yards passing. The Browns were 3-2 in those last 5 games.
Some of this was foreseeable and many, including myself
instead chose to focus on their offensive talent and free agency spending
spree.
Part of the problem was a tough schedule that featured
Dallas and Pittsburgh at home to start the season. There are a lot of teams
that would have lost both those games. The Ravens loss however is troubling.
Had they lost 13-10 it would be one thing. They lost 28-10 to an offense that
is one of the weakest in the NFL.
What that tells me is that the Browns are struggling in every facet of
the game.
The Browns have to beat Cincy on Sunday if they want to have
any chance of saving their season.
A 0-3 start in the division would be very difficult to overcome.
A Look Ahead:
Street Cred’s 2008 record: 28-19
1) Cleveland (0-3) at Cincinnati (0-3): This is always an
intense Ohio rivalry where fireworks can happen at any time. The Browns beat
Cincy 51-45 in Week 2 of the 2007 season and the Bengals won 58-48 back in
2004. Both offenses have to be happy to see one another. Each needs to get
their offense in a rhythm and each team’s defense is the perfect cure for
offensive woes. Cleveland is probably the most disappointing team of the 2008
season. A team that was expected to contend for a wildcard has been outscored
26-66. As critical as I have been
of Cincinnati I think they win this game. They played the NY Giants tough and
were in the Baltimore game. They seem to be getting better as strange as that statement seems. Cleveland has looked lost the whole season. Palmer
showed signs on Sunday of coming out of his funk and I think he goes for a big
game this week. Winner: Cincinnati
2) Green Bay (2-1) at Tampa Bay (2-1): This is a very important game for both
teams. The Packers started off the
season 2-0. They need to show they
can bounce back from a tough home loss to Dallas. Tampa Bay has beaten Atlanta and Chicago. They need a signature win. This is my upset pick for the week. I like Tampa Bay for a couple
reasons. The Bucs had the number
one pass defense in the NFL last season.
They currently rank 27th, but that is in large part due to
Drew Brees on Opening Day. They
have been fine since then. The
Packers have been very one dimensional on offense. They are calling a lot of runs and short passes. They need to throw down field. Monte Kiffin will have a game plan to
stop the Packers from beating the Bucs on short passes. The Packers also have their work cut
out for them on defense without Harris.
They have to show they can stop the running game. Green Bay needs to get a good rush on
Griese , otherwise he won’t make the bad mistakes Green Bay needs him to
make. Bucs win a close one. Winner: Tampa Bay
3) Minnesota (1-2) at Tennessee (3-0): Minnesota finally got
their first victory with a 20-10 home victory over Carolina. Tennessee has been
playing some of the best defense in the NFL. This is a game between two quarterbacks that figured to be
holding clipboards for Jackson and Young.
I like Tennessee in this game.
Haynesworth is so hard to run at and the Tennessee defense has been
awfully good. Minnesota will put
pressure on Collins, but I like him to make just enough plays against a
Minnesota defense that is good, but not as good as Tennessee. Winner: Tennessee
4) Washington (2-1) at Dallas (3-0): The NFC East has been
an amazing division this year. The teams are a combined 10-2. The two losses
were the Redskins to the NY Giants and the Eagles to the Cowboys. It doesn't
get more dominating than that. Dallas is a pretty hard team to pick against.
Their offense has been solid both running and passing the ball. The defense has
played solid with the exception of the Monday Night Philly game. They are
clicking on all cylinders. Campbell has looked much better since the opener and
seems to be grasping the offense. The Taylor injury is a huge blow, because the
Redskins must put pressure on Romo if they want to win. I look for a
competitive game, but I think Dallas is too good right now for me to pick the
upset. Winner: Dallas
5) Baltimore (2-0) at Pittsburgh (2-1): Baltimore has had it
pretty good out of the gate. They played the two Ohio teams, which are a
combined 0-6. Their game against Houston was postponed due to Hurricane Ike. I
think Pittsburgh is the superior team. Better QB, better receivers, better
backs (when Parker is healthy), and a better line. Both teams have comparable
defenses. The losses of Parker and Hampton hurt, but I think that Pittsburgh
has enough weapons to handle the Ravens. Pittsburgh in a low scoring affair.
Winner: Pittsburgh
and the rest…
6) Atlanta (2-1) at Carolina (2-1): This is a pretty
interesting match up. Turner, Ryan, and company have made the Falcons very
competitive in their first two games. However, playing Detroit and Kansas City
will do that for just about any team. I think the Panthers will bounce back and
take this game behind their two-headed monster of Stewart and Williams. Winner:
Carolina
7) Houston (0-2) at Jacksonville (1-2): Jacksonville finally
established their running game against Indy as Taylor and MJD both went over
100 yards rushing. Look for more of the same against a disappointing Houston
team that has been blown out its first two games. Winner: Jacksonville
8) Denver (3-0) at Kansas City (0-3): I will not pick Kansas
City to win a game this year, unless they have an inter squad scrimmage or play
the Rams. Denver has too much offense for Kansas City to stay in this game.
Denver and Denver big. Winner: Denver
9) San Francisco (2-1) at New Orleans (1-2): San Fran has
also had a nice draw in the early season. Seattle’s offense was very injured
and Detroit is just an awful football team. New Orleans is 1-2, but their two
losses have been in very close games. I look for Brees to have a big day and
the Saints to win in a high scoring game. Winner: New Orleans
10) Arizona (2-1) at New York Jets (1-2): This is a very
interesting contest. Cardinals have to travel east for the second straight
week. The Jets should start gaining some chemistry now that Favre has been in
New York for three games. Favre
has a bum ankle, but it’s Favre.
He’ll play. I like the Jets
to play better D and get the win in a very close game. Winner: New York Jets
11) San Diego (1-2) at Oakland (1-2): San Diego has run wild
over Oakland in the LT era. Oakland does not have a defense to score the points
necessary to beat San Diego and the Chargers offense will look good again with
a young inexperienced Raider squad. Chargers big. Lane Kiffin is another week
closer to getting fired. Winner:
San Diego
12) Buffalo (3-0) at St Louis (0-3): Sorry to hate on the
state of Missouri, but I didn’t put together these two bad football teams and I
am not seeing the Rams breaking out of this funk anytime soon. Buffalo in a
blowout. #### has a huge day. Winner: Buffalo
13) Philadelphia (2-1) at Chicago (1-2): I would pick Philly
to win this going away, but Westbrook hurt his ankle in the win over the
Steelers. They need him to keep the Bears linebackers honest. Philly can’t beat
Chicago if they have to rely on McNabb and their inexperienced receivers. You
saw what happened when Westbrook left in the second quarter. The Eagles got a
big play out of Buckhalter and little else. I am picking Philly, so long as
Westbrook suits up and is close to 100%. Winner: Philadelphia
Byes: Detroit, Indianapolis, Miami, New England, New York
Giants, Seattle
That’s all for this week. Enjoy the opening week of football
and I look forward to reading your comments this week.
I present to you my second regular season letter of the 2008
season. I appreciate feedback of
things that I failed to mention, but please don't get upset if I don't list
something about your favorite player or team. I could do a newsletter for just one team. Trying to mention every team or player
in one newsletter would be impossibility.
I hereby present to you a recap of the opening weekend in the NFL.
