Five Quick Hits
* Home teams went 12-4 in Week 1.
* If Steve Breaston is available in your fantasy league, please pick him up. There's no reason to believe this guy won't put up the same kind of numbers Anquan Boldin did in Arizona. After one week, he's fifth in the league in receiving yards.
* Congratulations to U.S. Open champions Kim Clijsters and Rafael Nadal. For Clijsters, it's her second Slam since returning from retirement. For Nadal, this completes a career Grand Slam.
* I know the FOX studio crew tries to have fun — it tries really hard to have fun — but those guys have got to talk one at a time instead of just shouting over each other.
* At halftime of the Eagles game, backup center Mike McGlynn had more receptions than top wideout DeSean Jackson.
***
What a fantastic way to start the season, with multiple games going down to the wire, many of them bitter divisional rivalries. The biggest story this week is the controversial finish to this week's game in Chicago, and you'll find my thoughts on the matter in the Bears and Lions summaries below.
For the last several seasons, the NFL has opened Week 1 with a Monday night double-header. It's a fun tradition, though I'm glad it's only once a year. The problem, to the extent there is one, is that ESPN has both games. The normal ESPN crew worked the first game, Ravens at Jets. I'd give them an A-. It was a professional production with valuable insights from analysts Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden, and Mike Tirico may be the best play-by-play man in professional football.
The second game gets a D-. The production and editing decisions were consistently poor, with repeated shots from an angle Dr. Z described best: "a ground-level view — way behind the action, as if you were seeing things from the worst seat in the house, row one, end zone," as well as close-ups of the crowd when a play was starting, causing the audience to miss part of the action. That's just inexcusable in a supposedly professional broadcast.
Far worse, though, was the announcing team of Brad Nessler and Trent Dilfer. These guys have absolutely no business in this business. I wouldn't let them announce a high school game, for free. Nessler simply doesn't know what he's talking about. My favorite Nessler quote was when he announced to the audience that, "It's been two tales of a couple of halves" for Antonio Gates. That's word for word. He also claimed that punting into the end zone for a touchback was "the right thing," which is absurd.
Dilfer is so incredibly biased toward quarterbacks that he is completely unreliable as an analyst. Nothing is the quarterback's fault. When Matt Cassel got off to a slow start, it was because of his horrendous offensive line. Kansas City's offensive line played a great game on Monday night, and Cassel — who is one of the worst QBs in the league about throwing the ball away, and often takes unnecessary sacks that his line gets blamed for — usually had a ton of time to throw. I waited all game for Dilfer and Nessler to apologize and point out how well the KC line was playing and what solid protection Cassel was getting. It never happened.
When Philip Rivers overthrew Malcolm Floyd — and I love Philip Rivers, but Dilfer's admiration for him rises to the level of "creepy and weird" — Dilfer claimed, "This is not a bad throw," as if the incompletion was Floyd's fault for not having go-go-gadget arms. On a Cassel incompletion to Dwayne Bowe: "In my mind, that's a drop." The throw was behind him and Bowe never got a hand on the ball.
This is apart from things that simply don't make sense. After Legedu Naanee's touchdown, Dilfer announced, "This is what the San Diego Chargers do." No one covered Naanee on the play. He wasn't just open, or even wide open. He was totally uncovered. Any college team in the country, certainly every NFL team, makes that play. It's nothing to do with what the San Diego Chargers do. That's what the Kansas City Chiefs do. Later, criticizing Kansas City for not checking a play down, Dilfer stated that a pass to Thomas Jones "is gonna get you at least eight, ten yards, get you in easy field goal position." The ball was at the 41-yard line. Eight yards would have set up a 51-yard field goal attempt. That's not easy. That's not even medium — it's a really tough kick.
I could go on. Let's just leave it at this: neither of these guys has any business on television. The job is harder than most fans realize, but there's absolutely no excuse for sending out two people so ill-informed and unreliable. It's bush league, and the self-proclaimed "worldwide leader" owes its audience better. On to the Week 1 power rankings. Brackets show preseason rank.
1. New Orleans Saints [5] — Didn't look fantastic in Week 1, but they got a solid win against a team we think is pretty good. Last season, no one held the Saints to 14 points until the season finale in which they rested the starters. Garrett Hartley's struggles are cause for concern, particularly the 32-yarder he shanked in the fourth quarter. If he had missed more kicks, I wonder if Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth would have joked every single time that he needed more pressure. I have never watched a game in which the offensive guards received so much praise. They deserved it. Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans are the best tandem in the NFL, and they did a great job neutralizing Minnesota's interior defensive line. LT Jermon Bushrod, who struggled at times last season, did a nice job against Jared Allen, too.
2. Tennessee Titans [3] — Beating the Raiders counts for nothing, I know. Even destroying the Raiders doesn't count for all that much. But I think the Titans showed everything you wanted to see from them in Week 1. Chris Johnson picked up where he left off last year. Vince Young was 13-for-17 with 2 TDs and a 142.8 passer rating, plus 30 yards on the ground. The defense didn't allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter, when Tennessee already led 38-6. Their home matchup against Pittsburgh next Sunday is one of the highlights of Week 2.
3. Baltimore Ravens [10] — Dominated a game that was closer than it should have been. They out-gained the Jets by over 100 yards, nearly 200 if you include penalty yardage. They made 20 first downs, compared to just six for the Jets. They had a 17-minute advantage in time of possession. Cam Cameron, who was Baltimore's offensive coordinator while Jets HC Rex Ryan was the defensive coordinator, out-dueled his former colleague, staying away from Darrelle Revis and picking on rookie CB Kyle Wilson, who looks like a potential liability. Baltimore's defense played exceptionally well against the outmatched New York offense.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers [7] — Dennis Dixon didn't knock anyone's socks off in Week 1, but I don't see why the Steelers can't be successful with him. This team went 15-1 in Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season, by running effectively and playing great defense. They won the Super Bowl in 2005 following the same formula. For that matter, it's pretty much the same blueprint used in 1995, and 1974, and almost every year the Steelers have been successful. Pittsburgh's defense is healthy again, a threat to every offense in the league, and Rashard Mendenhall is really coming into his own as a runner. As long as Dixon picks up a few third downs and doesn't make big mistakes, the Steelers are a team to be reckoned with.
5. Indianapolis Colts [1] — The concern, obviously, is defense. Run defense in particular — a seemingly perpetual problem for this team — appears to be an issue following Arian Foster's 231-yard, 3-touchdown bonanza. I worry about the pass defense, too. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis both played at a very high level last year, and most of the key players were healthy for most of the season. Luck plays a role in that kind of thing, and it's hard to maintain for two seasons in a row. Safety Bob Sanders is injured. In a related story, puppies are cute and water is wet.
6. Minnesota Vikings [6] — It's too early to panic, after a road loss to the defending champs. But Thursday's defeat highlighted some obvious areas of concern. Perhaps most obviously, the team misses Sidney Rice. A lot. No Viking wide receiver had more than one catch in Week 1, and it just didn't look like there was a lot of confidence in the receiving corps. The ineffectiveness of the Williams Wall is nothing to start a panic about after one game, but it's something to keep an eye on. Under-the-radar DE Ray Edwards, the Lamar Lundy or Dwight White of Minnesota's d-line, was by far the most impressive and effective player up front against New Orleans.
7. Green Bay Packers [9] — Ryan Grant has been ruled out of next week's game with an ankle injury, but it's hard not to think the Packers can manage without him, especially if they don't unexpectedly have to take on Michael Vick after preparing for a right-handed pocket passer. Green Bay just won a road game against a 2009 playoff team, and its banged-up secondary held up just fine, allowing under 200 passing yards and just 1 touchdown. The worries are more on the offensive side. Grant's injury leaves the team very thin at running back, and 34-year-old left tackle Chad Clifton had a lot of trouble blocking Trent Cole on Sunday. Mason Crosby booted a kickoff out of bounds, but he also connected on 49- and 56-yard field goals, the latter a team record.
8. New England Patriots [16] — Well, I guess Tom Brady and Wes Welker are healthy. So is Vince Wilfork, who is just a huge (literally) disruptive force inside. Wilfork was credited with two solo tackles and one assist. Ho-hum, right? Don't judge interior d-linemen by their numbers. Wilfork is a beast, the most important player on that defense. A player who did post big defensive numbers was safety Pat Chung, who put on a fantastic tackling display against Cincinnati. The biggest factor in the victory, or at least the most noteworthy, was the dominance of New England's offensive line over the Bengals' defensive front. Even without all-pro guard Logan Mankins, the Patriots controlled the line of scrimmage and dropped 38 points on a team that didn't give up that many all of last season. I realize you play differently with a three- or four-touchdown lead, but I'm concerned at how much offense the Bengals generated in the second half.
9. Dallas Cowboys [2] — How big a problem are the injuries to offensive linemen Kyle Kosier and Marc Colombo? Uh, pretty big. Alex Barron, who started in place of Colombo and whom you've probably heard by now is the most penalized player in the NFL over the past five seasons, was called for three holding penalties, including the one that negated a potential game-winning touchdown. Penalties were a huge difference in a game the Cowboys easily could have won, with Dallas racking up 12 fouls for 81 yards. Miles Austin looked great, and rookie WR Dez Bryant showed some promise, but as always, I felt that the Cowboys threw too often and didn't run the ball enough. This is a great running team. DeMarcus Ware insists his neck injury is not serious and that he will be ready for Week 2.
10. Miami Dolphins [11] — Boring winners, and I think they're okay with that. This team doesn't make a lot of big plays, it just sort of plods ahead to victory, like the tortoise outracing the hare. Chad Henne averaged 5.4 yards per pass attempt (6.5 is about average) with no touchdowns and no interceptions. It appears that new wide receiver Brandon Marshall will be used more to nickel-and-dime opponents to death (he averaged 6.6 yards per reception) rather than torch them deep. And the Dolphins will rely on defense and the running game to keep them in every contest. It could work.
11. Houston Texans [19] — I would like to personally thank the Houston offense and defense for putting me in first place in my fantasy league following Week 1, since I had both Peyton Manning and Arian Foster in my lineup. I'd actually like to see Steve Slaton get a few more carries in the future, just so Foster doesn't get overworked or injured. Next week's trip to Washington showcases a fascinating matchup of two teams that exceeded expectations in Week 1.
12. New York Jets [4] — The Ravens have a good defense, but an NFL offense should never look as bad as they did on Monday night, regardless of the opposition. I realize Mark Sanchez is a young guy and the team is building toward the future, but if they're serious about a Super Bowl run in 2010, I wonder if 39-year-old Mark Brunell isn't a better option in the short term. Sanchez appears to have very little confidence, and as Jaworski repeatedly pointed out, the passes that are supposed to be his check-downs appear to be the first thing he looks for. You can't win that way. Defensively, Shaun Ellis and Revis looked terrific against Baltimore, but NT Kris Jenkins left the game with a fresh knee injury. That guy just can't catch a break. Once again, the team will miss him.
13. San Diego Chargers [8] — Under Norv Turner, the Chargers are 5-7 in September and 32-17 overall. Slow starts are par for the course, and I'm not terribly concerned about them at this point. In the wake of their surprising loss to Kansas City, you'll hear a lot of insistence this week that it's about the absences of holdouts Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill. Obviously the Chargers miss those players, and Jackson in particular might have made a difference on Monday night. But I don't think it's clear that they would have turned the game. One player who obviously is missed is special teams standout Kassim Osgood, who left for Jacksonville in free agency. The Chargers aren't accustomed to the kind of coverage lapses they suffered on Monday.
14. New York Giants [14] — Accidentally claimed a victory in the game no one wanted to win. Despite their best efforts to lose, including 4 turnovers and 9 penalties for 95 yards, the Giants beat Carolina to open 1-0. The two teams combined for nine turnovers, and in the second half, six straight possessions ended in turnovers. Part of that was good defense and aggressive special teams, but a lot of it was poor, sloppy play.
15. Washington Redskins [24] — Won a game that Washington fans will remember for a long time. With 90,000 people roaring, the team somehow closed out an opening-day win over its biggest rival on national television, in the debut of its new head coach and quarterback. Donovan McNabb completed under 50% of his passes and clearly is not yet totally comfortable in this offense, but he played well, and I think he and Mike Shanahan have brought a confidence to this team that it didn't have with Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell. The biggest problem is a lack of secondary offensive options. After Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, there doesn't appear to be anyone to throw to. That needs to change if this team wants to capitalize on the momentum it captured Sunday night.
16. Atlanta Falcons [15] — Roddy White had a great game (13 receptions, 111 yards) and the defense did its job for four quarters. Maybe it's just playing against a great defense, but the poor performances of Matt Ryan (67.6 passer rating) and Michael Turner (42 yards, 2.2 avg) are worrisome.
17. Cincinnati Bengals [12] — Both the Bengals and Patriots ran their first offensive plays out of the shotgun. That's the NFL in 2010. Carson Palmer was one of three QBs with at least 50 pass attempts in Week 1. Their defensive line, with Domata Peko and Antwan Odom back in action, was supposed to dominate the way it did at the beginning of last season. Instead, the team generated no pass rush and finished without any sacks or turnovers. The offense went no-huddle for most of the second half and seemed to get a spark, putting up big receiving numbers.
18. Arizona Cardinals [17] — Derek Anderson got off to a nice start in his regular-season debut with the Cardinals. He passed for a low percentage (53.7%), but threw for 297 yards and a touchdown, leading Arizona to a road win — albeit an uncomfortably close one — against a division rival. The Cardinals overcame a remarkable seven fumbles and 10 penalties, in large part thanks to dominating safety Adrian Wilson, who had a sack and two interceptions. Wilson has finally started to get some recognition among fans for his talent, but not as much as he deserves. I'm a big fan of LaRod Stephens-Howling, a special teams ace who had 7 carries for 49 yards and 3 catches for 16 against the Rams. I'd like to see him continue to get more touches on offense.
19. Kansas City Chiefs [21] — Upsets occur all the time in sports, but there are some identifiable conditions that make them more likely, and a number of them were in play for the Chief's victory on Monday. First, it was a home opener, with a big crowd full of optimism and energy. Second, it was a rivalry game against a familiar opponent. Those factors were present in Washington's Sunday night win, as well, and I don't doubt that they played a role. Third, the Chiefs' win came in bad weather, which can level (or tilt) the playing field. Fourth, it was played at an unusual time, the late game in the MNF double-header. KC's offensive and defensive lines looked good against San Diego, and there's plenty of reason to believe this is a team on the way up.
20. Philadelphia Eagles [18] — As of this writing, it's not clear who the Eagles will start at quarterback in Week 2. Kevin Kolb's concussion did not appear to be serious (at least to the extent that concussions are not always serious), but if there's any doubt about his condition, you have to think the team would play things safe and give Vick another shot against Detroit. Vick played well this weekend, and it's not worth risking the long-term health of a franchise QB against a beatable team like the Lions, especially when it's not obvious that your starter is better than your backup. Injuries to Jamaal Jackson, Leonard Weaver, and Stew Bradley are bigger concerns right now. Jackson, an underrated, top-tier center, was placed on IR with an injured biceps, and Weaver suffered a gruesome knee injury that will keep him out for the rest of the year. Bradley suffered a concussion and should be back at some point this season.
21. San Francisco 49ers [13] — They haven't had a reliable quarterback since chasing Jeff Garcia out of town. Actually, bringing back Garcia (who is now 40) might not be such a bad idea. San Francisco's offense was miserable on Sunday, against a team that last year had one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Alex Smith passed for two interceptions, a 52.5 passer rating, and just 225 yards on 45 attempts. Frank Gore averaged two yards per carry. Michael Crabtree caught two passes for 12 yards. The defense was better than that, but it allowed Matt Hasselbeck a 108.3 passer rating. The last time Hasselbeck posted a rating over 100 was Week 13 of last season, also against the 49ers.
22. Chicago Bears [20] — I've been trying to figure out, for the last 36 hours or so, whether I would be more upset as a Lions fan robbed of the game-winning touchdown, or as a Bears fan if the call had gone the other way. Probably the Bears fan, but it's close. I also can't tell what to think of the new Mike Martz offense. On the one hand, the Bears tied Indianapolis for the most offensive yards in Week 1. Jay Cutler had a good week, and Matt Forte had a great week, so great that people are comparing him to Marshall Faulk. On the other hand, the Bears scored just 19 points against a truly terrible defense.
23. Seattle Seahawks [31] — Statement game for a team coming off a disappointing '09 season, bringing in a new coaching staff and blowing out a division rival. The Seahawks did a good job of capitalizing on opportunities, scoring TDs in the red zone and forcing San Francisco to settle for field goals. Next week's game at Denver, against a former divisional foe, should help show whether the 'Hawks are for real.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars [29] — How high are expectations for Maurice Jones-Drew? He rushes for 98 yards, fifth in the NFL, and people say he had a bad game. No one is saying David Garrard had a bad game, after his 3-TD performance against Denver (138.9 rating). The Jaguars didn't dominate in Week 1, but they stuck to their gameplan and avoided major mistakes. Second-year DB William Middleton made a couple of nice tackles near the end of the game, and is a player to watch.
25. Denver Broncos [25] — The offense didn't look terribly different without Brandon Marshall. Kyle Orton threw for nearly 300 yards, and got good games from both Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal. But the defense missed Elvis Dumervil. Last year, he led the NFL in sacks, and on Sunday, a little more pressure might have turned the game.
26. Carolina Panthers [26] — Matt Moore, the Jake Delhomme Interception Specialist (TM) of 2010. Actually, maybe I should compare Moore to Jay Cutler in 2009 rather than Delhomme in 2009, since all of Moore's picks came in crucial situations, in the red zone. Or maybe I should go easy on him because he's hurt (listed as day-to-day). In this day and age, an NFL offense simply cannot be successful with only one legitimate receiver, and the Panthers only have one legitimate receiver.
27. Detroit Lions [27] — Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1. The rule is clear, and it's difficult to argue that the officiating crew did not interpret it correctly. Some fans have pointed out that it appeared Calvin Johnson lost the ball as he was getting up (rather than as he was going to the ground), after one official had already signaled a touchdown. I'm sympathetic to that idea, but ultimately (see Bears comment), I think the officials made a justifiable decision. The problem is the rule, not the officiating crew. I'm not saying we need to get rid of the rule altogether, but it should at least be amended. This policy is not entirely negative: it often brings much-needed clarity to the issue of what is and is not a catch. The problem occurs when the letter of the law clearly conflicts — as it did on Sunday — with the spirit of the law. If 95% of the people watching a play think it's a catch, it should be a catch. Any statute that says it's not is a bad rule, and needs to be revisited.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [30] — I know they won the game, and I've always liked Ronde Barber, but is it too much to ask for a little effort on interception returns? Barber is 35, but he looked about 60 toward the end of that run.
29. Cleveland Browns [22] — Jake Delhomme is getting an MRI on his right ankle. I think Seneca Wallace is underrated, and I believe the Browns will be fine if Delhomme has to miss a week or two. The Browns ran very effectively against Tampa Bay, and I'd like to see them commit to the ground game.
30. Buffalo Bills [28] — The offense was terrible last year. It looked at least as bad on Sunday. I like Trent Edwards, and I think he's the team's best option at QB (which admittedly isn't saying much), but he has got to throw downfield, especially with the game on the line. That underneath stuff is fine on first or second down at the beginning of the game, and it's always fine if you're Tom Brady and Wes Welker, but at a certain point you have to make some plays. The Bills' defense did its job. If you hold your opponent to two field goals and a touchdown, you expect to win. You should win. This offense needs to cash the checks the defense is writing.
31. Oakland Raiders [23] — Lost the season-opener for the eighth year in a row. Their dramatic collapse following a loss in Super Bowl XXXVII is unparalleled, going from one of the two or three best teams to consistently one of the very worst. The schedule does get easier in Week 2, when the Rams come to Oakland. A home game against St. Louis might be the only matchup against another NFL team that the Raiders could be favored in at this point. Darren McFadden had a nice game against Tennessee.
32. St. Louis Rams [32] — Came up with some nice plays on defense and held the Cardinals to 17 points. Mark Clayton had 10 catches for 119 yards. But Sam Bradford tossed three picks, and with the Cardinals playing poorly, they still couldn't come up with a win. They're still the Rams. St. Louis plays at Oakland in Week 2. If you live in a St. Louis television market, go to a sports bar at 3:00 next week and watch Houston at Washington.
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