| Sorry to jump the gun a little Simon, but here's my wrap-up:
Giants vs. Cardinals
*Larry Fitzgerald....wow. This kid is gonna be good. He absolutely torched the Giants secondary. 13 catches and a touchdown
*Brandon Jacobs is a freak of nature. I honestly think the Giants got the steal of the draft here. In limited action, he proved very effective on short-yardage situations (he was something like 4 for 5 in converting 3rd-and-1) and even scored a touchdown. Plus, he fielded a kickoff and dragged about 4 defenders 10 yards before finally being taken down
*Eli Manning still has some work to do. Not a great game.
*The Shockey injury late in the game could prove costly
Jets vs. Chiefs
*Chad Pennington had a TERRIBLE day. Wow. I mean, he was an absolute mess. 6 fumbles? The Jets better hope this was a one-time thing
*The Chiefs running game is basically unstoppable. Their lineman are superb, and with two incredible backs in Priest Holmes and Larry "Gradmama" Johnson, they'll run all over opponents this year. 3 TD's between the two of them.
Colts vs. Ravens
*The Ravens did their best, and held the Colts to three points in the first half, but it does you no good when you cant score either
*Jonathon Ogden is Dwight Freeney's bitch
*It took a little while for the Colts O to get rolling, but they eventually got it together. I doubt Manning will come anywhere near the 49 TDs he had last year, but that offense is still a juggernaut
Bears vs. Redskins
*They said it best on ESPN Radio this morning: If you're not a fan of offensive football, this was the game for you
*This game MUST have been ugly. Even watching the highlights, the only interesting thing I noticed was Patrick Ramsey getting his head taken off by a Bears linebacker.
*The newly-bulked-up Clinton Portis had a good game, but it didnt contribute to any TD's for his team. Still, a win is a win is a win, and Portis's 121 rushing yards were a big reason why
49ers vs. Rams
*This further cemented my "Mike Martz is the worst coach in the NFL" argument
*Also, Tim Rattay has seemed pretty good in the games I've seen him in. Perhaps Alex Smith was a wasted pick, a la Philip Rivers. One of the RBs or even Braylon Edwards may have been a better pick here
Steelers vs. Titans
*What sophmore slump?
*The Steelers scored 34 points and the QB only attempted 11 passes (9 complete). amazing. However, Roethlisberger still contributed with a beautiful long TD to Antwaan Randle El
*Willie Parker looks like he will be a good replacement for the Bus when he retires
Bengals vs. Browns
*I realize it was only the Browns, but the Bengals are a team to watch out for. Palmer, Johnson & Johnson, and Houshmandzadeh are a force.
Cowboys vs. Chargers
*I bet the Chargers wish they had Antonio Gates in the game on that last drive...
*Two touchdowns apiece for Keyshawn and Keenan McCardell....what year is this again?
Buffalo vs. Houston
*I watched a lot of Buffalo games last year, and believe me, that defense is dominant. I mean like, 2000 Ravens type dominant. If David Carr didnt barely get in on that 4th and goal, the Bills would have pitched a shutout. 5 sacks and 5 turnovers.
*JP Losman played much better than he did in the preseaon. He needs to be like Roethlisberger last year: Dont make mistakes and let the running game and the defense carrythe team
Dolphins vs. Broncos
*I really dont know what to say about this one. The Dolphins, with little discernible talent on offense and an aging defense beat a team that made the playoffs the last two seasons. Remarkable
*I should have listened to Bill Simmons when he said "Anytime you give Nick Saban 6 months to prepare for Jake Plummer, I'm taking Saban"
Buccaneers vs. Vikings
*Think the Vikings miss Randy Moss? Daunte Culpepper: 0 TDs. All the hype about Nate Burleson proved to be just that: hype. He's a good reciever, but he's no Randy Moss
*Cadillac Williams had a great first NFL, going well over 100 yards and scoring on a long 70-yard TD run
Jaguars vs. Seahawks
*Two uninteresting teams that I care nothing about. Moving on...
Packers vs. Lions
*3 points is all the Packers could manage? The Lions have a pretty unremarkable defense. This does not bode well for the Packers
*Mike Williams scroed a TD in his first competitive football game in almost 2 years. Just think about how good USC would have been with him last year.
*Good start for Joey Harrington. This is his make-or-break year. He has the weapons, he has to make plays now. It looks like he's developed a good rapport with new tight end Marcus Pollard.
Last, but cetianly not least: Saints vs. Panthers
*What a great game for the Saints and their fans. After everything the city of New Orleans has been through, it was great to see the Saints come through in an exciting game. Besides next week against the Giants, I will be rooting hard for the Saints every week from here on out |