NFL-Week 3 Random Thoughts

Giants 36 - Panthers 7:

I try not to over-react to one game, especially at the QB position in today's passing league. Anyone can have a bad day. So I'm not worried yet about Cam Newton, but another week or two of sub-par passing and we might be seeing a sophomore slump from the ultra-talented QB. I'll have to watch his tape again but just at first sight I noticed his accuracy is off and he is latching on to one receiver too often - he had some similar issues to end last season and they seem to have carried over to this season.

The Giants just continue to show us why they are the class of the NFL. No Bradshaw, no problem - meet Andre Brown, who was cut by eight different NFL teams since he was drafted a few years back. No Hakeem Nicks, no problem - meet Ramses Barden who was buried on the depth chart and had 9 catches all of last year; he had 9 for 138 on Thursday night. Eli was being himself - spreading the ball and taking what the defense gave him (and the Panthers were being particularly generous). The Giants show the rest of the NFL what separates them: quality depth.

Jets 23 - Dolphins 20:

Sanchez is back to his old self - being wildly inconsistent. I just don't see him as a franchise QB. I still stand by my pre-season prediction that by week 6 we'll be seeing Tebow under center on a regular basis. Now that Revis is out for the year, there will be even more pressure on the offense to carry this team, which means more pressure on Sanchez. Additionally, I don't understand how Shonn Greene hasn't lost his job yet. He is a plodder in its truest sense. He has no wiggle, no perimeter speed - he will literally take what the offensive line gives him and nothing more.

On the Dolphins side, Tannehill will be a working progress all year. The Fins have given him almost nothing to work with so its a little hard to judge him. On the other hand, the O-line is a very good run blocking team. No wonder Bush is continuing his resurgence.

Bills 24 - Browns 14:

This score would've been even more lop-sided if not for an early injury for C.J. Spiller. The Buffalo running game has been dominant thus far in the season. The O-line has been very good at opening lanes and Chan Gailey has designed great plays to take advantage of Spiller's speed and acceleration while protecting him from his diminutive size. Once Tashard Choice took over, Gailey did a good job of adjusting his play-calling and keep the rushing attack productive. As an offensive play-caller, Gailey is very good at understanding his players' strengths and putting them in a great position to succeed. It also helps when the "Good Fitzpatrick" shows up - he made several key throws and kept that offense moving against an underrated Browns defense. But they do need to take a few deep shots in the game to keep the defense honest - they really haven't had to do that yet, but success in that department will likely help them get over the hump. The Bills pass-rush was again very present throughout the game and that front seven is proving to be very good against the run. Defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt is following the Giants model: rush 4 for most of the game and keep rotating the d-line in order to send fresh waves at the opposing offensive line. The additions of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson allow for that.


Speaking of defense, the Browns sorely missed Joe Haden. They were routinely burned on short and intermediate routes by Stevie Johnson and co. And the rushing totals for Buffalo would've been far higher if Spiller hadn't gone down early in the game. Things don't get much easier this week facing the Ravens with only half a week to prepare. The Browns offense will only go as far as Weeden takes them. He simply does not handle pressure well. He's excellent in a clean pocket but grows timid at the first sign of trouble - that is not a winning formula at QB. The Browns would do well by getting him in a groove early in the game with some short and intermediate timing throws that gets the ball out of his hands quickly.

Chiefs 27 - Saints 24:

The Saints defense is abysmal. Jamaal Charles ran all over them and really every offense they have faced thus far has had its way with them. Greg Williams and Sean Payton are clearly missed. On offense, Brees looks more uncomfortable in the pocket than I've ever seen him. He still flashes his vintage accuracy, but overall this team is really lacking focus overall. So much for all the offseason drama bringing this team together.

The Chiefs were actually almost equally as bad on defense - they just managed to be not as bad - although their pass rush finally woke up. Charles looked back to his old self which is impressive for a speed back coming off of ACL surgery. If the Chiefs find their run defense and Matt Cassel can protect the football, this will be a solid team  that can hang with almost anyone.

Bengals 38 - Redskins 31:

I didn't get to watch much of this game, but if the Redskins don't start protecting RGIII with better play calling, he won't last all 16 games. He's not the biggest guy at QB, and I wouldn't be exposing him to head on hits by linebackers every other play by calling options. The Bengals were absolutely teeing off on Griffin - if Shanahan wants to protect his franchise QB the play calling has to change.

Vikings 24 - 49ers 13:

Both of these teams are very similar in that they are both very balanced, run-oriented offenses coupled with stout, hard-hitting defenses. Christian Ponder is proving to be a very sound investment. He makes smart decisions with the football and has under rated speed and vision as a runner. He has the looks of a solid NFL starter so far. Asides from Peterson, this offense goes through Percy Harvin who creates headaches for opposing defenses.

The Niners had a bad game against an opponent who didn't make many mistakes. I wouldn't really think much of this loss.

Falcons 27 - Chargers 3:

Matt Ryan is for real. The Atlanta pass defense has been playing lights out - I'm not sure they can sustain it. The Chargers were finally exposed against a strong opponent here - they will get back on track once Ryan Mathews does so as well.

Cardinals 27 - Eagles 6:

The Cardinals defense is playing lights out right now and they have the talent to sustain it throughout the season. This team is a few pieces away from being a playoff caliber team - namely offensive line and more consistent play out of their QB. Not that Kolb struggled; he was actually pretty solid. But I'd like to see it a couple more times from him before I declare them out of the woods with him.

What can I say about the Eagles? They might be the worst 2-1 team in the league. And it is not because they are lacking talent; rather Vick simply cannot stop turning the ball over and his accuracy is back to being downright terrible when forced to throw from the pocket. They would be wise to lean on LeSean McCoy until Vick finds his groove. On defense, they somehow kept leaving Fitzgerald open - mostly because he destroyed them with his route running. But for a team with such great corners, I was expecting better coverage.

Texans 31 - Broncos 25:

Peyton just seems off. I don't think its as much a health thing as it is chemistry with the receivers. He continues to be one second too late on some of his throws and the Houston defensive front was in his face all game so that might have something to do with it as well. Manning missed many throws leading to a 50% completion rate; luckily he didn't turn the ball over.

Matt Schaub and the Texans had their way with that Broncos secondary (when they actually did throw). But other than those limited times, they decided to just pound the Broncos front seven. The Bronco defense actually held them to a respectable yardage total, but the Texans just seemed to make a big play when they needed it. Ben Tate almost cost them the game when he fumbled late while they were trying to burn clock. Give credit for the Broncos for stripping him at that point in the game. Overall I was pretty impressed by Houston. They look like the 49ers in that they are a complete football team with a better QB and running game. If they avoid major injuries, they should be making a deep playoff run this year.

Ravens 31 - Patriots 30:

There were some horrendous calls by the refs in this game - but they seemed to be equally against both teams. Both teams were evenly matched for the entire game, although it was frustrating to watch the pace of the game being slowed down by the inexperienced refs. The Ravens just played with a little more fire and I'm sure Torrey Smith had at least a little something to do with that. My thoughts and prayers are with Smith and his family who lost his brother early Sunday morning in a motorcycle accident. On the field, Smith showed us that he's more than just a speed burner; he ran excellent routes all game and Flacco looked his way a lot. Speaking of Flacco, he is also taking the next step into elite; he made some gutsy throws and looked very much in control of this game.

New England was missing Hernandez and its running game. The former was well replaced by Welker who got more snaps due to an injury to Edelman. Why Belichick and co. were Welker's snaps is a mystery, but nobody is better at managing his roster and transitioning change than the hooded genius so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. This was a really well-fought game from both sides and the Ravens seemed to get away with a win on the heels of a questionable field goal call - however after further review, that kick was pretty clearly through the uprights.

Seahawks 14 - Packers 12:

A lot has been said about the replacement officials this week so I will try to keep this short. This is not their fault really as they've been thrust into a position they are simply not prepared for. The NFL is at risk of losing the integrity of the league if this keeps up. But, the league owners don't necessarily have any added pressure to get a deal done with the refs until it starts hurting their revenue stream. Anyways, it looks like there is a deal imminent so hopefully this will all be a moot point. Also, I have to believe that the regular officials are just as disgusted as most of the fans are so far with the inconsistent calls by the replacements. I would hope that asides from the paycheck, they are doing this at least in small part due to their love for the game of football. I think if they were ever considering conceding a few things - which by the way they are asking for a 33% raise and pension benefits as part-time employees that the NFL isn't even giving to its full-time employees - now would be the right time.

Anyways, as far as the game, I only watched the first half and Rodgers looked still out of sync with his receivers. They started moving the ball only once they committed to the run. But the Seahawks defense had something to do with that - they are proving to be a top unit who is very good at stopping the run and the pass. Bruce Irvin showed me why he was picked in the first round: think Aaron Maybin but much stronger and effective counter moves. That whole d-line is playing lights out right now and really is made up of not-so-big names which is impressive. And that secondary is HUGE....literally. Every defensive back is at least 6' 2" which is a great strength in today's passing NFL which features tall, strong receivers.

That's all for now. My Thursday night game prediction is Ravens 21 - Browns 14. I think this is a closer game than most would expect, especially with such a short turnaround for the Ravens who just played a very emotional game on Sunday night. This is a classic trap game for the Ravens and the Browns defense is actually decent but without their top corner I give the edge to the Ravens. Ray Lewis will do a good job of keeping this team focused.