The Morning After--Week 1

Do things ever really change in the NFL? Tony Romo is still inconceivably frustrating, the Chargers STILL can’t defend a kickoff return, Donovan McNabb and Kerry Collins are more washed up than a beached whale, Rex Ryan is as repulsive ever, and Rex Grossman remains a perennial MVP candidate.



WAIT, WHAT?

Okay, okay, maybe things change. Occasionally. Let’s get right to it…

1. Rexy is looking awfully sexy...

I’m not willing to crown Grossman the next Dan Marino quite yet, but he was mighty impressive against the Giants—even if they were down their best defensive player in Justin Tuck. However, I would be weary if I was a Redskin fan as Rex has ever been an inconsistent one. In 2006—his career year—Grossman had eight games with a quarterback rating better than 98.0. Unfortunately, he finished the season with a 73.9 rating because he had four sub-37.0 games including a 10.3 gem against the Cardinals and a 1.3 debacle against the Vikings.

With that said, he was PHENOMENAL Sunday. He made some jaw-dropping beautiful throws usually reserved for Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the best. That fade to Anthony Armstrong with 40 seconds left in the half was absolutely perfect, and that’s probably the hardest throw in the game.

2. Dissecting Kevin Kolb and Arizona’s performance…



I have a lot riding on the Cardinals this season (like my reputation), and that’s probably not a good thing.

Here’s what I took away from game one:

-Kevin Kolb was impressive. Not only did he pass the stats test (18/27, 309 yards, 2 touchdowns and zero picks), but he looked good also. He tossed a couple of errant passes (like a near interception in the red zone) but he also beat the blitz multiple times (once for a touchdown) and made some nice plays on the run. It’s easy to dismiss a solid performance against the Panthers, but Carolina’s defense is finally healthy—and they still got shredded. The real test comes next week against Washington…

-Beanie Wells looks roughly 748 percent better than he did last season. Sure, he completely muffed a toss in the red zone, but he ran for 90 yards on 18 carries and punched it in on a seven yard run.

-Arizona’s secondary looks truly awful. Houston’s 2010 defensive backfield might have company as one of the worst in recent memory. Rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson is wildly athletic, but he was beaten constantly by Steve Smith. Unfortunately for the Cardinals he’s probably their best option at corner. Let’s hope he grows into the role…

3. Can anyone explain Baltimore’s decision to go for two up 27-7?

This may seem minor, but why would Baltimore waste a nifty play to have in their back pocket to lead Pittsburgh by 29 rather than 27? I can’t think of one logical reason other than it would be fun to humiliate the Steelers even further…

4. Regarding kickoffs…

Kicks are sailing eight-nine yards deep into the end zone yet players are still taking the ball out and attempting a return. Under the old rules, where balls were kicked from the 30 rather than the 35 and boomers that went deep into the end zone were much less common, returners would rarely attempt to return such deep kicks. Yet here they are, practically catching the ball under the field goal post, and attempting returns when the opponent’s coverage team is already at the 10 when they’re crossing the plain of the end zone.

Most ‘experts’ thought that the new kickoff rule would virtually remove the return game as a serious weapon. Yet on opening weekend FIVE kicks were returned for touchdowns. But for as many home runs as we got, there were just as many duds that resulted in drives starting from the 10-15 yard line—a starting point usually reserved for excellent punts; not kickoffs. Are players choosing to return these kicks out of boredom, or perhaps because they would like to prove the doubters wrong? I can’t imagine either the head coach or special team’s coordinator being comfortable with such a high-risk, high-reward type of play.

As far as why five kicks were taken to the house? I have a theory that it’s due to more momentum and more time for blockers to get in position. We need a Sports Science segment on this…

5. Matthew Stafford and friends aced test number one…

That was a massive win for Detroit. A big loss in week one could have brought an abrupt end to the momentum accrued from a fantastic preseason. Stafford started things off with an overthrown ball that resulted in a pick six, but after that he was flawless. Of course, throwing to Calvin Johnson always helps. Johnson is the best receiver in football, right? Check out this catch:

This game wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Take away the defensive touchdown and a Mike Williams toe-tap score with under two minutes left, and Tampa Bay would have scored only six points. In the first three quarters Tampa Bay’s drives went like this: field goal, punt, interception, punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt. The Buccaneers had FIVE three-and-outs in the first three quarters.

6. What—if anything—should we make of the Pittsburgh debacle?



Pittsburgh turned the ball over seven times. I would be surprised if the Steelers turned the ball over that may times ever again in the Roethlisberger era. The entire offense looked out of synch (exhibit A: when Mendenhall got crushed by Ngata just as he was receiving the hand-off and fumbled the ball) and the defense couldn’t get any pressure on the quarterback, couldn’t tackle, and couldn’t stop the run. How many times do you hear that about a Pittsburgh defense…especially this particular one? Baltimore certainly seemed more prepared and focused, but this type of visceral defeat won’t happen to the 2011 Steelers again.

7. Cramps, cramps, and more cramps…

By my completely unofficial count these are the players I noticed suffering from cramps: Jared Allen, Josh Freeman, Dez Bryant, Darelle Revis, Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Brandon Marshall. Shortened offseason, anyone?

8. Why the Falcons shouldn’t be worried…

Let’s play a little game: which team—either the Falcons or Bears—got the most first downs on Sunday, ran more plays, gained more total yards, and ran for more yards? It wasn’t the Bears. Atlanta moved the ball well (only two three-and-outs, and three drives of ten plays or longer), but was crushed by turnovers and a huge defensive touchdown by Brian Urlacher. Thanks to a 13 point deficit by the half and an insurmountable 24-point hole heading into the final period, Atlanta was forced to throw the ball for much of the game. That’s a shame considering Michael Turner gained 100 yards on the ground on only ten carries. Chicago certainly made the big plays to win, but just like Pittsburgh, Atlanta’s mistakes were correctable.