NFL Week Two Quick Hits

Another great week around the league, despite there being NO divisional games for the first time in a very long time (Week Four will be the same, as the league made two weeks this way in case they needed to drop two games because of the lockout, they would just nix these two weeks and it wouldn’t affect divisional play).

This is Who They Are Right Now
The Birds played a pretty thrilling football game Sunday night against the Falcons in the Georgia Dome against a team that desperately needed the win.  And, the Eagles utterly dominated this game.  They moved up and down the field on the Falcons at will, and though people will harp ceaselessly on two or three runs by Michael Turner, the defense actually looked pretty good for 40-45 minutes of that game.  And, the O-line looked really good, actually, against a solid D-line of the Falcons.  But, all of this being said, and the Birds took an L – keeping a 7-year streak alive where they have failed to start a season 2-0. 

But, in this game, you can see what could be so special about this team…and…you could also see the frustrating things that could keep them from getting there.  The linebackers, particularly Casey Matthews in the middle, are hard to defend right now.  I believe they’ll be “good enough,” but right now, they look pretty bad.  Which means that if this team falls behind, opposing offenses may just run the ball downhill against them until the cows come home. 

The long hair and the last name are about the only things that Casey has in common with brother Clay right about now

The good news?  This offense doesn’t look like it is going to be behind all that often.  While the O-line is still a work in progress, how incredibly good have the two tackles been this year?  Jason Peters is absolutely perfect for Howard Mudd’s quick, athletic schemes, and Todd Herremans completely shut down one of the game’s best pash rushers in John Abraham Sunday night.  And, to no one’s surprise, they seem to have “weapons” all over the field in every set.  Steve Smith looked fantastic.  Jeremy Maclin may have showed why I believe him to be the best #2 receiver in the NFL (though, he’s GOTTA catch that fourth down pass).  Even the forgotten Brent Celek got into the mix a little bit.  But, the real story so far this year – preseason and two games in – is the jump made by LeSean McCoy.  This guy is unbelievable.  We may just have a Top 5 running back on our hands, my friends.  While Vick and Jackson and company will continue to get most of the recognition, I’m not too sure that McCoy isn’t the best offensive player we’ve got here. 

So, in not-so-groundbreaking news here, the 10-6 team that added an NFL-record SIX Pro Bowlers in free agency is LOADED.  And, in some more not-so-groundbreaking news, they have some glaring weaknesses that may derail this promising season.  The linebackers have to get better.  The O-line still needs to develop…and then there’s the question marks about our $100 milion man and his ability to stay on the field.  Vick’s concussion…while it doesn’t look like it was that bad, from all reports, it is still a giant red flag.  The good news is that it is not like he made some stupid turn upfield instead of stepping out of bounds.  He stood in the pocket and took a hit that would have sent any QB in the league to the bench.  It wasn’t recklessness, and it wasn’t fragility.  It was just bad luck – bad luck that was tempered with some good luck in that the concussion was a mild one, and he may even be back for the big showdown this week with my most hated team – the Giants.

Okay, Maybe I Overstated That a Bit…
Last week, I said that Tony Romo “loses pretty,” implying he’s not a gamer or a winner.  Well, he kind of proved me (and millions of other people with opinions) somewhat wrong about that on Sunday, as he came back – against doctor’s orders – to play…and win…with a cracked rib and, get this, a punctured lung.  Wow!  Yes, he’s a Cowboy, but hat’s off to that guy for gutting it out with a life-threatening condition.  Wait, what am I saying?  That’s kind of really, ridiculously stupid, no?  Anyway, the dude did show some meddle, so we’ll hand it to him for that.  Hey, legends are made in September, right…?!?

At this rate, Cam's gonna have a lot to smile about in his NFL career

Okay, Maybe I Downplayed That a Bit
I don’t like this “quick hit” give-your-opinion every week kind of thing because it forces me to be accountable and forthright with my opinions, regardless if they turn out right or wrong.  Well, here’s another one I may have totally screwed up last week, but am sticking to, against all evidence to the contrary.  I told everyone to slow down on this Cam Newton hysteria, and what does he do?  He throws for even more yards against a much better opponent.  Newton has looked really good in ways much more impressive than the ability to throw the ball downfield with accuracy.  Apparently, he is way ahead of where he should be in defensive recognition and blitz pickup – which is pretty surprising, considering he only played one year of big-time college ball, and it was not exactly a pro-style offense.  But, also (and this is something I can tell without the all-22 coaches tape), he is surprisingly poised in the pocket.  It’s somewhat impressive when guys inexperienced guys like Matthew Stafford or Sam Bradford are poised in the pocket, but it’s that much more surprising when a guy like Newton does it because, not only is he inexperienced, but he has gotten to this level with a lot of help from his scrambling ability.  I’m sure he was the fastest player on the field for at least 20 years of his life and then probably even most of the games in the SEC.  So, his game has developed as a guy who gets out of trouble with his legs.  But, he hasn’t done that.  Which says that either (a) he’s been incredibly well-coached, (b) he really “gets it” and is prepared for this level, or (c) a combination of the two.  Either way, he looks good…so far. 

But – here comes my steadfast backing of my on-the-record opinion of last week – let’s just slow down on his Canton induction.  Defensive coordinators get paid handsomely in this league to take gametapes to figure out weaknesses.  Newton has thrived in the first phase of being an NFL QB, but let’s see how well he adjusts to the adjustments that are bound to come his way.  Oh, and, the dude has still never won an NFL game…

Of Whom are We Scared?
The NFC East is usually brutally tough.  While it may not look that way in the early going, this year will be no different.  But, the question is – who is going to really push the Birds?  The Cowboys looked good against the Jets, but lost the game.  Then, they didn’t look very good in San Fran, but won.  They played like a 1-1 team and are a 1-1 team.  The scary part is that they played both games on the road and played 3.5 winning quarters against a legit Super Bowl contender.  DeMarcus Ware might be the best defensive player in the league and should thrive in a Ryan defense.  The offense, when healthy (if healthy) can be really potent, especially if Dez Bryant is even 1/10th as good as announcers seem to think (that’s the topic for another post – can we please get off this guy’s nuts?).  But, they are hurt, and they did lose 10 games last year…

The Redskins are 2-0 on the heels of an impressive preseason.  Are they for real?  Granted, they struggled to beat a bad Arizona team at 1:00 in Washington, but wins aren’t always easy to come by in this league.  Shanahan is (or, at least, was) an elite coach in this league, so it’s getting harder to just brush them aside.  That being said, I thought they’d start 2-0 and still finish last in the division – this schedule is gonna get a LOT harder for them.

And, then there’s the G-Men.  I hate them.  I’ve said 100 times that if the Giants played North Korea, I’d be cheering for Kim Jong-Il’s squad.  But, that hatred is (as much as I am loathe to admit it) based completely on respect and fear.  Beat up or not, no matter how many the Eagles have won in a row, this team is always a threat.  And, Sunday is terrifying for me…

So, who is it?  Who do we worry about?  Or, do the Birds just worry about themselves and assume that their talent will win out?  Come on, that’s not the Philadelphia way…

Is Either One a Mirage?

Has a D-tackle (not named Sapp) ever changed a franchise this much in just 2 years?

So, just looking at scores, you have to say that the Chiefs have been the worst team in the league in the first two weeks.  And, looking at the scores, you might say that the Lions have been one of – if not, the – best teams in the league.  But, a lot of that has to do with that one score that involved them both, 48-3, Detroit.  Are the Lions that good?  Are the Chiefs that bad?  Can it be both?  Well, if you ask me, I would say with a lot of certainty that the Chiefs are that bad, particularly now that they’ve lost, arguably, three of the four most talented players on their roster (Charles, Barry, Moeaki – with the other being Tamba Hali).  As for the Lions, I want to say yes because I have always had a love affair with that organization and root for them as strong as I can root for a team outside of Philly.  But, I’m apprehensive.  How can they have gotten this good this fast?  I struggle to see a true sustainable offense because outside of the Stafford-to-Johnson combo, they don’t have a lot else that is proven.  The O-line is still a work in progress and, while the TEs Sheffler and Pettigrew are good, they could use another weapon and a bellcow back.  And, as good as Suh and that D-line is (not to mention the genius of Coach Schwartz), the back seven is still kind of shaky.  It should be interesting this week when they start their divisional season at Minnesota.  Win there, and I’ll be much closer to believing that they can make the playoffs.

This Week Says More Than Anything They Did Last Week
The Week One blowout of the Colts may have been exciting and encouraging for Texans fans, but games like those are not the ones that have held these guys back in the past.  Usually when a team is ascending, they beat up on the bottom of the league, but just can’t get over the hump against the elite.  The Texans were not like that.  They came to play against the Colts and other powerful teams.  But, they would lose head-scratcher after head-scratcher (particularly away from home) and just give games back in the standings and never have enough season to make it up.  Well, this week, the Texans went to Miami – as a favorite – and just took care of business.  It was the standard “business trip” that the best teams in the league (Patriots, Giants, Colts, etc.) make every year.  They went on the road – without any fanfare, glitz, or glitter – and came back with a W.  Back to the grindstone.  They didn’t revel in crushing the Colts last week.  They didn’t show up expecting to dominate a somewhat inferior team in their building.  They showed up, played the game, played it well, and now sit at 2-0.  This is not the Texans I remember.

How Many Does He Have…?
This is only Josh Freeman’s 3rd season in the NFL.  He has only made 27 NFL starts.  And, he already has EIGHT come-from-behind victories.  He has a record of 14-13 as a starter, which means that his team has trailed in an NFL game 21 times in his career…and in 38% of those games, Freeman has come back to win.  THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT of games his team has trailed, he has led them to a comeback win.  I’m not convinced that this guy is even in the top 5 most “talented” young QBs in the league, but sign him up to play on my team any day.

Speaking of Quarterback Play
Was Luke McCown’s game against the Jets on Sunday the worst QB’ed game ever?  (I’m sure it wasn’t, but hyperbole is too much fun, especially when it’s about someone sucking.)  McCown completed 6 passes to his teammates for 59 yards; he completed 4 passes to JETS DEFENDERS for 76 yards THE OTHER WAY.  Yes, the Jets had more interception return yards (and should have had a TD) than McCown had passing yards…ugh.