Well, well, well. We got just a bit of sneak preview of whats to come this NFL season. The Vikings can run the ball, The Steelers can play defense. These are things we already know and were aware of coming in to the season. Waht I'm more interested in though, are the things that I didn't expect. I don't want to talk anymore about Favres return, ESPN has that covered. I don't want to talk about the mumbo jumbo you can hear anywhere else. I'm interested in some of the surprises of week one, and here are my top six most surprising headlines from NFL week one action.
6.) What in the name of Zeus is wrong with Jake Delhomme? After coming off perhaps the worst performance by a QB in NFL playoff history, things didn't get any better Sunday as Philly manhandled the Carolina offense, forcing five turnovers, including four interceptions and a fumble lost by Jake Delhomme. I mean, I know Philly has a strong defense, but Carolina looked absolutely miserable. Of Carolinas last 22 possesions dating back to last season, Jake Delhomme has turned the ball over 11 times himself, including 9 interceptions and 2 fumbles. Now their are questions in Carolina as to whether they can win with Delhomme under center. Carolina fans are even entertaining the idea of having Matt Moore, the former Oregon State QB, start in place of Delhomme. I know things are bad, but with Matt Moore at QB, the maximum amount of wins Carolina could reach is 6. Jake is 34 years old now, but there is no way he should be playing this bad. Coach John Fox defended Delhomme Monday after the loss to Philly and said that his status as starting QB "hasn't changed". But how long can you afford to keep him in the lineup? Carolina is in big trouble right now.
5.) The Browns actually played well....for two quarters. If you had told me before Sundays Minnesota at Cleveland game that the Browns would be leading at half time, I would have most likely had you drug tested. Somehow though, the Brownsd went into halftime with a slim 13-10 lead. Slim, but a lead none the less. I was impressed with the way the Browns played for those two quarter. They got a pass rush on Favre and they shut down Adrian Peterson on the ground. They made tackles in the open field when they had to, and they found a way to get points on the board. The second half was a different story, as Minnesota proved to be too much, but I don't think Cleveland or their fans can be completely disappointed with the way they played. Mangini is a defensive guru and it seems like he had the Vikings a bit confused in the first half. If the Browns continue to make strides like they did yesterday, they could have a chance to compete in the AFC sooner rather than later. Not this year, but next year or two years down the road, Cleveland could compete. Wow, did I just say that?
4.) What happened to those mighty Texans who were a dark horse pick by so many to make the playoffs this year? The Texans are known for their ability to score points if anything. However Sunday they were completely stuffed by the Jets and Rex Ryans defense. Matt Schaub looked awful. He completed 18 of 33 passes for 166 yards and an interception. Good thing I didn't start him in fantasy..oh wait. Steve Slaton looked awful, the line didn't help him at all either. Slaton had 9 carries for 17 yards. DT Kris Jenkins walked all over Houston Center Chris Myers. Houston was held to 204 total yards of offense, and only had possesion of the ball for 21:14. For a team with so many offensive weapons (Schaub, Slaton, Andrew Johnson, Owen Daniels and Jacoby Jones) they seemed completely out of sync. Besides Schaub, I also started Andrew Johnson at receiver. How do you think my team did?
3.) What happened to those Cardinals? We knew they could score points, but we didn't think they could play too much of solid defense. It actually turned out to be quite the opposite on Sunday. The Cardinals held San Francisco to 20 points and 203 yards of offense. Anytime that the Cardinals defense holds someone to those type of numbers, it should be an easy W as their offense had no trouble scoring points last season. However, the Cards only mustered up 16 points. Only rushing for 40 yards on the ground probably didn't help the Cards, but Kurt Warner and the passing game usually make up for that. Only thing is, Warner threw two interceptions. Warner was also sacked 3 times and hit 8 times. For a Cards offense that excelled in the air last season, they couldn't get it done against a defense that is not exactly dominant.
2.) The Raiders hung with the Chargers, and the Bills hung with the Pats? Weirder things have happened on Monday Night Football, but last night was a series of back to back rarities. The Monday night doubleheader started off with the Buffalo Bills taking on the New England Patriots in Foxboro. Buffalo grabbed an early lead and never trailed until it counted the most. Tom Brady snapped in to official "Tom Brady form" and tossed a touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson with 50 seconds left. This score was the immediate result of a fumbled kickoff return by Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin. On the bright side though, the Bills played with a ton of heart and made a terrific game out of what most people, including myself, predicted to be a blowout. For an offense that seemed stuck in park rather than drive all pre-season, putting up 24 points on Belichicks defense isn't too shabby. The second game of the night had the Chargers visiting the Raiders in Oakland. Another lopsided match up that went to the very last few seconds, literally. Oakland stuck with San Diego all game and kept the Chargers offense in check all game until Darren Sproles scored with 18 seconds left in the ball game. After a hectic off-season where head coach Tom Cable was accused of punching an assistant coach in the face, followed by the Richard Seymour ordeal, I was surprised to see the Raiders pull together so well and play as well as they did. 2 near upset bids were cut short in the final minute of each game. Parity is one thing the NFL has always been noted for, but last nights games truely proved to people that anything can happen in the NFL. Anything.
1.) Young quarterbacks can succeed. Mark Sanchez was nearly flawless against Houston. Matt Stafford threw for over 200 yards against the Saints and the Lions scored 27 points. Brodie Croyle started for KC in place of Matt Cassell, but still completed 16 of 24 passes and threw 2 tds. Against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens! Jamarcus Russel even shined a bit in the first half against San Diego, although he did finish the game with 2 interceptions to 1 touchdown. Whatever way you look at it, young QBs can succeed. Its always been frowned upon in the NFL to start a rookie or young quarterback, but this weekends performances is sure to make some coaches think twice. Enter Vince Young...not really though.
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