REACTION TO WEEK 2

Week 2 has come to a close and finally we have some trends and answers. So let’s see what we can make of this past weekend’s action and see who we like and dislike.


RANKINGS

1. Baltimore- Surprised? Don’t be. This defense still has playmakers all over the field and have you seen Joe Flacco’s play? Its clear that the training wheels have been taken off Mr. Flacco and they are confident when they ask him to air it out.
2. New York Giants- Their supposed strength has been their weakness and their supposed weakness has been their strength. Shows you that clearly experts don’t really know what the heck they are talking about.
3. New York Jets- The only reason I put them here is because Mark Sanchez is a rookie and I like Eli better (as a player and not because of any previously held allegiances either). Eli has the pedigree and has done it already, while Sanchez has played 8 quarters of “don’t make mistake” football. Which, by all accounts, he’s done well.
4. Pittsburgh- Was I the only person to be shocked that the Steelers were the 23rd best rushing offense in the NFL? You would think that’s one of the basic principles of the Steelers. Clearly, with Bruce Arians, and Santonio Holmes emergence as a threat, the Steelers are playing roulette with the Big Ben scrambling routine.
5. Minnesota- Listen, I’m not on their bandwagon. I don’t think they will go anywhere in the playoffs either. But any offense that have blazers like Percy Harvin or Adrian Peterson, will do well. Its not that Peterson is steadily getting 5 yards a carry, its that he might have a carry list that looks something like this: 5, -3, 6, -2, 68. He’s just that explosive, and now you add the WR complement to that in Percy Harvin, and Chester Taylor who easily could be starting on plenty of NFL rosters, and you have the makings of a potent attack and we already know about their defense.
6. New England Patriots- I can’t fault New England that much. Even when he was pressured, like heck by the way, Brady still remained cool and calm and not having Wes Welker really hurt them. Julian Edelman did a decent job but a patriots offense with Wes Welker is really dangerous. Plus, they still have Brady and Belichiek, so they will rebound.
7. Atlanta Falcons- They are a sneaky bunch and the real test is next week at Foxboro. Its probably the most important game on the schedule next week, seeing as how both of these teams have things to prove. Love Matt Ryan’s poise and the luxury of having a great safety valve in Tony Gonzalez.
8. New Orleans Saints- Their offense is legitimately a threat and basically has no featured player in it other than Drew Brees. Not like you can get to him, in 8 quarters, Drew Brees has been sacked once. Just once, and they played the Eagles last week.
9. Indianapolis Colts- This is still a team in transition with a new head coach, no Marvin Harrison. But having Tom Moore back after clearly hinting he was thinking of retiring is a huge boost and vastly underrated to Peyton Manning’s continued success. Now if Pierre Garcon or Austin Collie can somehow separate themselves.
10. Houston Texans- As bad as they looked in Week 1, they looked as good in week 2. The fact that they survived a monster fantasy day from Chris Johnson where he looked unstoppable and had absolutely no running game thanks to Steve Slaton’s continued struggles, the Texans relied mostly on the pass. That’s easy to do when you have Andre Johnson.


MVP Watch:

• Drew Brees- Its pretty simple to put a QB that has thrown 9 TD’s on this list. But he’s been distributing the ball to different receivers. That wide open style that Sean Payton likes to play is really going.
• Adrian Peterson- Two weeks, two highlight reel runs and its mystifying how this guy wasn’t a former top 5 pick. Six teams passed on him and six teams are living with the consequences.
• Antawn Odom- Who? He’s the Bengals defensive end that has more sacks than Justin Tuck, Osi Umeniyora, Shawn Merriman and DeMarcus Ware. Combined. Having a five sack can, for the moment, elevate you into discussion. Especially how surprisingly well this unit is doing as a whole.


Some observations about Week 2 about the local teams:

• The Jets are for real. There’s no other way to put that performance against the Wes Welker-less Patriots. Over the years, Tom Brady has beaten up on the Jets at the Meadowlands, but this time it was the Jets who came in with the big stick. Their 21 defensive pressures on 47 passing downs tells you how dedicated the Jets were on making sure that Brady had little time to make plays.
• The Jets fans answered the bell as well. Not to make more of the Rex Ryan voicemail to Jet season ticket holders, but it worked. That Jet crowd was rabid and helped to create those four delay of game penalties. The crowd played a huge role in forcing the Patriots into uncharacteristic penalties.
• A lot of people want to talk about how Tom Brady still is uncomfortable on that surgically repaired knee, but let’s not just forget how much experience and intelligence they lost over this offseason. Rodney Harrison, and Tedy Bruschi retiring, Mike Vrabel, and Richard Seymour getting traded and Junior Seau in limbo, the Patriots lost way too much on the defensive side of the ball and bill Belichiek always preferred intelligence over athletically gifted athletes that had no real instinct. You don’t think Richard Seymour’s awesome game 1 performance against the Chargers had anything to do with the fact that he had a chip on his shoulder from being traded? Belichiek basically told him his best years were behind him when he traded him, and Seymour may be out this season to prove him wrong.
• While I admit Brady just isn’t the same on that knee, I don’t think it affected his play as much as the pressure did combined with the loss of Wes Welker. Losing a guy who has caught 200 passes and is usually your safety valve on those blitzing plays by the defense (where you leave a LB sometimes to cover the insanely quick receiver which is a huge mismatch) is a huge problem.
• I hate giving Bill Belicheat any kind of advantage but just think how important it is to have intelligence at key positions like QB. Brady whenever he gets to a short yardage situation like a 2nd and 1 or 3rd and 1, his initial instinct is to hurry up to the line and do a QB sneak. Those decisions always work out because teams don’t practice the small things that help set up the bigger plays. Also, Belichiek’s decision to not accept a penalty in favor of a better situation for the defense. In the third quarter, the Jets were called for a hold which would have taken them back 10 yards but on the play the Jets had only managed to gain 2 yards. Rather than give them a re-do, Belichiek declined the penalty. The majority of coaches wouldn’t have thought to do that, rather than negate a team’s minimal gain on first down, they would’ve accepted the holding penalty. Belichiek understanding that his team’s strength was the bend but don’t break strategy and their defense got better in the red zone, allowed the Jets one less opportunity in that area, thereby playing to the strength of his defense. That’s just a coach understanding his team’s strength’s and taking advantage of every opportunity. Belichiek’s influence can be seen in those crafty plays in which Brady tries the QB sneak when the defense isn’t hustling to the line of scrimmage. Its just good head coaching and having a QB who is well trained in situational game planning.
• Darrel Revis’ emergence as a shutdown corner didn’t happen thanks to shutting down Randy Moss or Andre Johson. It came as a result of their defensive blitz packages getting trickier. In truth, no one can really shut those two guys down, but when you have Moss and Andre Johnson running post patterns, and the QB having to throw two seconds earlier than he wanted to makes it easier. But let’s not fool ourselves that he’s merely a product of the system. The Jets saw something special in him when they traded up to get him. Clearly their intuitions on him were correct.
• Rex Ryan’s passion and childlike enthusiasm make it easy for guys to rally around him and play hard for him. I think more than a player’s coach, he is a very likeable human being that once you meet him and spend some time with him, you would bleed for him. This coming from a guy who’s never met or even been within five miles of him. His speech the Saturday night before the opener was so great, and so emotional that he dropped a few F-bombs and had the players itching to play that very night. Hearing that he cried after his first victory reaffirms the fact that this is a special head coach that cares a lot about his job and about how his team performs.
• Most underrated player in the NFL you will get to know on this defensive unit: David Harris. Flat out beast as an inside LB.
• Great play by Lito Shephard to break up that sure touchdown to Joey Galloway. Should’ve been a TD had it not been for that late hand extension.
• Amazing how good cornerbacks look when QB’s throws are rushed,
Giants:
• First off, the myth that the Giant rushing attack is not as good as it was last year or that there’s something missing should stop. Like right now. If Sunday taught you anything its not that the Giants found their go-to receiver in Mario Manningham or rediscovered their passing game. Its that the passing game had always been there, but the focal point had always been a run game that was one of the best. The reason the Giants run game has been struggling has been because no one respects the passing game without Plax or Amani Toomer. So as important as the victory was for the Giants, it was even more vital that the story everyone was talking about was how good the passing game was for the Giants. I would expect that the Cowboys and other teams look at this film and see that the Giants have playmakers on offense and leaving them with one on one coverage and trying to beat the run will be a huge risk, and one not worth taking.
• Without Danny Ware, the depth that the Giants counted on to continue despite losing Derrick Ward to FA, the G-Men look very thin. But I’m more happy that they are utilizing the other talents of Ahmad Bradshaw. He’s a very underrated small RB that has deceptive power and quickness and good enough jukes that it makes him very difficult to bring him down. Also, if you try to take him down with a lazy tackle, chances are he will slip that.
• Budding star of this defense is: Kenny Phillips. If you see the playmakers on that defense, or offense, they are all from major schools. This is not by accident either. New York is as big a stage as there is, and he needs players that can handle that kind of attention. The majority of players he drafts are from schools that play in front of huge crowds. Mario Manningham from Michigan (think 100,000), Steve Smith, Terrel Thomas from USC (Rose Bowl) and Kenny Phillips (the U. I just wanted to say that).
• Its also not by accident that guys like Bruce Johnson, undrafted rookies, make the team considering the pedigree it takes to play for major programs like the U. His play not only has been a welcome surprise but a key in their 2-0 start. He was targeted a lot in the game against Washington and again in Dallas, but he passed the test pretty well.
• I’m still not and never was sold on Tony Romo. There’s just something hardwired about him that reduces him to a very average quarterback on the biggest of stages. The glare and spotlight of the Star on his helmet must weigh like 100 pounds when it’s the biggest situation. From the fumbled snap on the field goal against Seattle 3 years ago to the interception to end the game against the Giants to his struggles in December. His final game in the old Cowboy stadium and the first game in Jerry’s new palace were horrible games and you have to start wondering whether Romo has the chops to handle being the quarterback of America’s team. I don’t know whether the media just loves putting QB’s of the Dallas Cowboys on a pedestal but they crowned Romo the next best thing even before he won a single game. Until he wins a playoff game, he’s not anywhere near where they put him.
• The Cowboys lost that game as much as the Giants won it. That’s the difference between good and bad teams. Good teams don’t beat themselves and that’s what the Cowboys did. They beat themselves. Two of Romo’s INT’s were terrible terrible reads where he clearly either didn’t see the coverage or just misjudged where the player was going to be. Either way, they were plays that make you scratch your head.
• That Kenny Phillips INT is one of those once in a lifetime plays that you may never see happen again. Tipped off Jason Witten’s foot and literally right into Phillip’s lap. Talk about luck. Too bad its impossible to judge whether or not the ball hit the field or not which nullified the run back for a TD.
• Sometimes teams get scared away by a player’s Wonderlic scores or past indiscretions. But the reason the Giants, Patriots, and Steelers are successful is because they can take these headaches and assimilate them into a system of order and control and have them be a background player. Look at Randy Moss in New England. He knows his place there and understands that he is just a chip and nothing more. Sometimes giving players a franchise tag does more negative than positive. That of course brings us to the case of Mr. Mario Manningham. He was a third round selection thanks to a marijuana bust and his own Michigan coaches thinking that he was only potential and that he would never achieve that level. But his offseason work ethic and demotion to the lowest part of the totem pole and the way the city and the organization cut Plaxico loose opened his eyes to the fact that nobody’s job is safe when it comes to real organizations. No one is promised anything and that’s the way it should be. Maybe he learned his lesson and that it perhaps quickened that learning curve and further motivation he needed to have the opening to the season he’s had.
• Flozell Adams on the clearly illegal trip (which negated a huge gain) and his reaction to Tuck being angered by it and calling it bush league: “ a shoulder injury? From a supposed kick? Tell him to stay up. He fell down. It aint my fault.” Is this guy an idiot or what? He fell because you tripped him and landed awkwardly on his shoulder which caused him to get injured. Then again, this is coming from the most penalized lineman in all of the NFL the last two years running.
• The number of points in Texas Stadium’s final game by the opponent: 33. The number of points the Giants christened the new stadium with: 33. Both were losses by the Cowboys.
• That stutter step Steve Smith put on Orlando Scandrick to make him fall on his behind was out of an And 1 video. The replays clearly showed why he was so wide open in the middle of the field. His routes are so precise and it looks like he’s found that Super Bowl run Steve Smith that seemed to save his best moves for crucial third down conversions. The best spot on the field for him is clearly as a slot guy.
• A troubling part of the game was the fact that the defensive line of the Giants (the supposed strength of the team) was gashed for 250 yards on the ground. Mind you, the Cowboys have a really good offensive line and a really good three headed attack, but if that’s your strength, then the Giants need to go back and work hard on gap control.
• Another problem that the Giants may want to address (and by may, I mean they better) is their short yardage and every drive was either near the 30 or the red zone and they kept coming up with field goals. They are 0-8 in scoring TD’s in the endzone which of course kept the Cowboys in the game. The Giants of last year and the year before were able to punch those home but the lack of respect for their passing game makes it difficult for their running game to really set up anything. They need their passing game to continue to improve to ensure that teams will respect it come the red zone. The teams are mostly keying in on the run.
• Which of course brings me to keys to next week’s game: Throw the football. The next three games against Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland. Those are all very winnable games. The weeks after are Arizona, @ Philly, San Diego, a bye and then against Atlanta. Three of those games are at home which is a very good favorable draw. But the Giants need to establish their air game for their ground game to get going against the better defenses that will come up.

As for the rest of the NFL:

• How terrible was that last play call from Norv Turner? On a crucial 4th down with just 2 yards to go, with the athletes that they have at the receiver position, Turner decided to go with a running play to the strong side. A play which Ray Lewis telegraphed perfectly and blew up. This goes back to the well known fact that great coaches like Bill Belichiek don’t beat themselves, while coaches like Norv Turner, and Wade Phillips, continuously do.
• Did you see how many times the NBC went back to Wade Phillips every time something happened in the game? He’s so reactionary and easy to poke fun at. The cameras sometimes unfairly catch coaches in compromising looks, but this time they catch him in his natural environment: looking every bit the simpleton that he is.
• Ray Lewis turned back the clock not just with that play, but with his overall play in that game. He was every bit the force he was back in the earlier part of this decade.
• Steelers sure did miss not having Polamalu play centerfield for them didn’t they?
• How many more times was CBS going to show Jeff Reed’s face? Someone should just cut the footage to every time his face appeared. He looks more pathetic every single time until the final shot where he looks like he is about to burst into tears. More evidence that these camera guys get paid to make athletes look foolish when necessary.
• With the NFL fans complaining that certain games will be blacked out even in their own regions, its safe to say even Redskin fans wouldn’t complain if Sunday’s home opener in the nation’s capital, that 9-7 offensive explosion, would’ve been blacked out.
• Most people’s suicide pools went belly up thanks to the Bengals. Why should anyone be surprised? The Packers were the talk of the preseason as a team that would make the playoffs after not making it last year and switching to the popular 3-4 scheme that Dom Capers brought with him. Of course that would mean growing pains. But the Bengals play in a division that has 3 other teams that play some variation of the 3-4 which of course gave them the advantage in being familiar.
• Damn you Greg Jennings for screwing me. 0 points? Really?
• On second thought, being in 9 fantasy football leagues might have been a little overkill. I’m such a fantasy football whore.
• How did the Jacksonville Jaguars go from being a sleeper pick to being so bad?
• How is it that a team can absolutely thoroughly dominate time of possession and yet still lose the game? Of course having a 1 play 80 yard drive to open the game helps a ton.
• How in the world did the Texans win after looking like they did in Week 1 and Chris Johnson exploding for about 1000 yards from both the running and pass catching game?
• By the way, its getting really close between Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. His one handed TD catch was all time highlight reel footage.
• 92% completion percentage Kurt Warner? I guess those blond locks must be a good look in God’s eyes.
• So let me get this straight, giving up liquor made you lose 30 pounds in the offseason LenDale White? So it had nothing to do with your eating habits, it was because you were drinking heavy liquor?
• I bet Frank Gore wishes he played Seattle everytime.
• Talk about flaky 2-0 records. Your NFC and AFC west leaders are the Broncos and 49ers.
• I’m not biased against the Cowboys. I think in terms of talent, there are very few teams that have playmakers in as many positions as the Cowboys. They have the best tight end in football. Yes, Jason Witten is the best all around tight end in the National Football League. Their three headed rushing attack is better than the Giants depth at RB. Their offensive line is big and opens up huge holes and they have receivers that have speed and size that can gain a comfortable advantage. But the game planning, and their QB are terrible in situations where calmer heads need to prevail. Thus, with a head coach who seems simple (to say the least), an offensive coordinator who seems to be overrated at this point and a QB who is overrated to date, well, there’s a lot of things lacking in Big D. I’m not saying Romo can’t be better, because he has all the skill sets, but his decision making needs to improve and those decision makers also need to improve.
• Don’t expect Michael Vick for more than 15-20 snaps this Sunday unless something goes terribly wrong. I can’t believe with Jeff Garcia and Kevin Kolb on the roster, the Eagles would put the keys to their team in the hands of a guy who’s been in prison for the last two years. As a matter of fact, even if McNabb remains injured for the rest of the year (as a Giant fan I can only hope), I think Vick will remain a curiosity and side attraction than the main man at QB for the Eagles. For the Eagles to be successful, Vick’s main role must be as a multiple position playing threat and not as the man under center for 35-40 snaps a game.
• Speaking of the Wildcat, let’s not get swept up by a package that is played in about 10 % of a team’s yearly stats. This is still just a gimmick and not a revolutionary type of style that teams will be using primarily.
• Biggest games coming up this week: Falcons vs. Patriots, and 49ers vs. Vikings.

ENJOY WEEK 3!