Week 2 of the NFL is in the books and these are my thoughts from the games I got to watch (which really were only a handful of games thanks to Direct TV's crappy service for the past 2 weeks):
Packers-Bears:
Watching this game I could tell that the Packers offense still isn't quite on the same page yet. Of course, not having Greg Jennings doesn't help either. It's a good thing they went out and signed Cedric Benson before the season started because they will have to lean on him, at least for a little while (as they did in this game). Benson showed the NFL that he still has plenty left in his tank by showing off his vision and acceleration in this game. It felt like he was picking up 6-7 yards every time he touched the ball.
The Bears offense is a complete mess right now. They simply cannot pass-protect Jay Cutler and what's worse is that their offensive coordinator seems too stubborn to change his philosophy - namely leave an extra blocker in the backfield to help out the sub-par offensive line. Cutler has the tools, and with Marshall in the building he has the weapons as well. But none of that will matter if he's lying on his back half the game. The Forte injury couldn't have come at a worse time for this team. I guess we'll get to see what Bush is all about in the meantime.
I can't go to the next game without at least mentioning the Packers defense - they were relentless and I was impressed with how prepared they were for this game despite the short week.
Giants-Buccaneers:
I know Greg Schiano has to defend his players but that was bush-league at the end of the game. Football is a brutal sport but there is a certain gentleman quality to it - the young Bucs crossed that line. I didn't get to watch much of this game but from what I saw it was vintage Eli; As long as he is under center the Giants will always have a chance. He is every bit as elite as Brady, Rodgers and company but he likely won't get the credit for it since he'll never put up elite numbers consistently.
Cardinals - Patriots:
You just can't help but wonder - is this the end of the era? There's much written about the Superbowl loser hangover and now Brady looks ordinary, Welker is 2nd string, and Hernandez (who just signed a juicy big contract before the season) might be out for half the season. The Pats will be fine, but this week doesn't get any easier away against an angry Baltimore team. The Cardinals did just enough to win, even though Ryan Williams almost lost it for them. This defense is very underrated. Peterson is becoming what scouts and GMs expected him to become - a top shutdown corner. Wisenhut's crew definitely knows how to play defense. Now if they can just get a decent quarterback...
Bills - Chiefs:
Fitzy was again up and down, although the scoreboard or the stat-sheet won't show it. Spiller is the real deal. His vision has vastly improved since his rookie year. The talent was always there, it was just the adjustment to the NFL. He's not going to be running over anyone anytime soon. But he's learning to be patient, take what the defense gives you, and turn on the jets without hesitation when that big hole presents itself. On defense, the Bills are very stout up the middle. Kyle Williams and Marcel Dareus might be the best defensive tackle tandem in the league. With Mario Williams commanding all the attention, I wouldn't be surprised if Williams or Dareus lead all defensive tackles in sacks. This unit shut down the Chiefs running game and gave Matt Cassel fits all day. The secondary still has some work to do.
49ers - Lions:
I love watching the 49ers. They are the most complete team in the NFL right now. They can do everything really well - run, pass, play defense and special teams. You're not going to see Alex Smith drop back and sling it 50 times in a game but they don't need that from him. Smith, with all the controversy this offseason, has really tightened up his game this year. He is the perfect quarterback for this team. He's not the passing-NFL quarterback, but he's a tough, gritty player who can beat you with his technique, quick release and his feet.
Falcons - Broncos:
Matt Ryan, in this new unleashed mode, reminds me of a younger Peyton Manning (ironically enough). Ryan routinely lined up his team, saw what the defense was running, and then changed the play at the line. The offense this year in Atlanta is simpler, yet it gives him a lot of control at the line of scrimmage making his decision-making that much quicker and keeping defenses off balance. If he keeps it up, he's in for a career year. Michael Turner has lost a step - and with the number of NFL carries on his body it's really no surprise. Another thing that really impressed me about the Falcons in this game was how well the secondary played despite having a plethora of injuries at corner.
Peyton Manning, on the other hand, had a rough first half. I noticed he was late on his throws a lot leading to interceptions; The Falcons disguised their coverages really well too. But Peyton is still adjusting to his new 90% self. For example, on his first interception, the Falcons showed 8 men in the box and the Broncos had all four of their receivers running seams. At the last moment, the safety dropped back and they went into a cover-4. But this is really nothing new for Manning - the 2010 Manning makes this throw a second earlier and Tamme goes for a 20+ yard gain. But this Manning was just a hair late on the throw and his diminished arm strength doesn't help matters either. He'll adjust to this and the Broncos will be just fine.
The Broncos defense, on the other hand, played a great game despite being on the field for much of the first half and having to deal with the potent Falcon offense. As long as Manning is able to adjust to his new self quickly, this team will be making a bid for the AFC West crown. The best thing about having Manning at helm is that even though his body may not be a 100%, his mind definitely is. And say what you want, I'll take 90% of Manning over almost all but handful of quarterbacks in the NFL. Above the neck, he's still the same old Manning. He knows when to change the play to a run or a pass; he knows which matchups to exploit; he knows when to hurry-up and when to slow down. Despite everything that was going on in this game, he never seemed rattled or out of countrol.
That's it for this week.
I'll put up my Week 3 predictions. For tonight's game (by the way thank god for Thursday Night Football starting in September), I think the Giants win 28-17.
Packers-Bears:
Watching this game I could tell that the Packers offense still isn't quite on the same page yet. Of course, not having Greg Jennings doesn't help either. It's a good thing they went out and signed Cedric Benson before the season started because they will have to lean on him, at least for a little while (as they did in this game). Benson showed the NFL that he still has plenty left in his tank by showing off his vision and acceleration in this game. It felt like he was picking up 6-7 yards every time he touched the ball.
The Bears offense is a complete mess right now. They simply cannot pass-protect Jay Cutler and what's worse is that their offensive coordinator seems too stubborn to change his philosophy - namely leave an extra blocker in the backfield to help out the sub-par offensive line. Cutler has the tools, and with Marshall in the building he has the weapons as well. But none of that will matter if he's lying on his back half the game. The Forte injury couldn't have come at a worse time for this team. I guess we'll get to see what Bush is all about in the meantime.
I can't go to the next game without at least mentioning the Packers defense - they were relentless and I was impressed with how prepared they were for this game despite the short week.
Giants-Buccaneers:
I know Greg Schiano has to defend his players but that was bush-league at the end of the game. Football is a brutal sport but there is a certain gentleman quality to it - the young Bucs crossed that line. I didn't get to watch much of this game but from what I saw it was vintage Eli; As long as he is under center the Giants will always have a chance. He is every bit as elite as Brady, Rodgers and company but he likely won't get the credit for it since he'll never put up elite numbers consistently.
Cardinals - Patriots:
You just can't help but wonder - is this the end of the era? There's much written about the Superbowl loser hangover and now Brady looks ordinary, Welker is 2nd string, and Hernandez (who just signed a juicy big contract before the season) might be out for half the season. The Pats will be fine, but this week doesn't get any easier away against an angry Baltimore team. The Cardinals did just enough to win, even though Ryan Williams almost lost it for them. This defense is very underrated. Peterson is becoming what scouts and GMs expected him to become - a top shutdown corner. Wisenhut's crew definitely knows how to play defense. Now if they can just get a decent quarterback...
Bills - Chiefs:
Fitzy was again up and down, although the scoreboard or the stat-sheet won't show it. Spiller is the real deal. His vision has vastly improved since his rookie year. The talent was always there, it was just the adjustment to the NFL. He's not going to be running over anyone anytime soon. But he's learning to be patient, take what the defense gives you, and turn on the jets without hesitation when that big hole presents itself. On defense, the Bills are very stout up the middle. Kyle Williams and Marcel Dareus might be the best defensive tackle tandem in the league. With Mario Williams commanding all the attention, I wouldn't be surprised if Williams or Dareus lead all defensive tackles in sacks. This unit shut down the Chiefs running game and gave Matt Cassel fits all day. The secondary still has some work to do.
49ers - Lions:
I love watching the 49ers. They are the most complete team in the NFL right now. They can do everything really well - run, pass, play defense and special teams. You're not going to see Alex Smith drop back and sling it 50 times in a game but they don't need that from him. Smith, with all the controversy this offseason, has really tightened up his game this year. He is the perfect quarterback for this team. He's not the passing-NFL quarterback, but he's a tough, gritty player who can beat you with his technique, quick release and his feet.
Falcons - Broncos:
Matt Ryan, in this new unleashed mode, reminds me of a younger Peyton Manning (ironically enough). Ryan routinely lined up his team, saw what the defense was running, and then changed the play at the line. The offense this year in Atlanta is simpler, yet it gives him a lot of control at the line of scrimmage making his decision-making that much quicker and keeping defenses off balance. If he keeps it up, he's in for a career year. Michael Turner has lost a step - and with the number of NFL carries on his body it's really no surprise. Another thing that really impressed me about the Falcons in this game was how well the secondary played despite having a plethora of injuries at corner.
Peyton Manning, on the other hand, had a rough first half. I noticed he was late on his throws a lot leading to interceptions; The Falcons disguised their coverages really well too. But Peyton is still adjusting to his new 90% self. For example, on his first interception, the Falcons showed 8 men in the box and the Broncos had all four of their receivers running seams. At the last moment, the safety dropped back and they went into a cover-4. But this is really nothing new for Manning - the 2010 Manning makes this throw a second earlier and Tamme goes for a 20+ yard gain. But this Manning was just a hair late on the throw and his diminished arm strength doesn't help matters either. He'll adjust to this and the Broncos will be just fine.
The Broncos defense, on the other hand, played a great game despite being on the field for much of the first half and having to deal with the potent Falcon offense. As long as Manning is able to adjust to his new self quickly, this team will be making a bid for the AFC West crown. The best thing about having Manning at helm is that even though his body may not be a 100%, his mind definitely is. And say what you want, I'll take 90% of Manning over almost all but handful of quarterbacks in the NFL. Above the neck, he's still the same old Manning. He knows when to change the play to a run or a pass; he knows which matchups to exploit; he knows when to hurry-up and when to slow down. Despite everything that was going on in this game, he never seemed rattled or out of countrol.
That's it for this week.
I'll put up my Week 3 predictions. For tonight's game (by the way thank god for Thursday Night Football starting in September), I think the Giants win 28-17.
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