QUOTE: “Too often we color our perception with other people’s pencils.” -- Tim Winter
The NFL season is upon us, but we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from the opening weekend. There are, however, a few observations to make along the way. Remember, the NFL is a marathon, not a sprint. Last year, the ‘Skins started out 6-2 and the Bills 4-0, and both watched the playoffs with the rest of us. So fast starts are good, but peaking at the right time is better.
In the Diner every Monday during the season, I’ll have 10 (or more) thoughts about the games, and in the afternoon, a full Tavern to go over the weekend events. Also today, I’ll be writing my first column for NFL.com, so be sure to check it out.
SOME RANDOM GAME OBSERVATIONS…
1. Mark Sanchez of the Jets is the real deal. He’ll have some bumps along the way and make mistakes, but he’s someone to build a team around. His poise, his command and most of all his leadership skills were tremendous. His movement in the pocket to position himself to make throws was outstanding; his eye level stayed down the field all day. What a day on third down for Sanchez as he was 10 for 16 converting third downs. Now that’s impressive -- and awful for the Texans.
APMatt Schaub struggled yesterday as the Texans didn't put up much of a fight against the Jets.
2. The Texans played liked they did in last season’s opener. In Pittsburgh last year, they got down 21-3, and this year at home, where they normally play well, they were down 10-0. The Texans are not physical now, they were not physical last year and I see no evidence that this will change in the first five games. It’s a talent issue more than anything. Welcome to the hot seat, Gary Kubiak, because the owner says 8-8 won’t cut it.
3. Is it me, or does Houston’s Matt Schaub just not look like has a presence, a command, on the field? He doesn’t seem to have the leadership to get his team out of a funk, and it seems like the Texans have adopted his personality.
4. I thought the Vikings were a good team without Brett Favre and are a good team with him, but being objective, Favre looked old and rusty Sunday. His sense of timing was off, and how is he going to last when he gets sacked four times by the Browns, who everyone in the NFL knows struggle to rush the passer? Last year, the Browns just 17 sacks.
5. Brett Favre was the 31st worst passer in the NFL in completions of more than 20 yards last year. Yesterday, his longest pass was for 21 yards. For the Vikings to make the move to the next level, they need him to make plays in the passing game, not just manage the game.
6. I feel so bad for the Bengals, but situational football is a huge part of the NFL. Where was the deepest man on the field? Who cares if they catch it? All they had to do was tackle anyone who touched the ball. A defense cannot get outflanked. I know this is a little like second-guessing, but it’s paramount to the situation. I wonder if the Bengals worked on that one?
7. Miami’s first four drives went like this: punt, fumble, fumble, punt. This team has now turned the ball over nine times in the past two games, five from the Baltimore playoff game and four on Sunday. It had six fumbles all of last season and three yesterday. The Fins are not good enough to not play their style, which is to protect the ball and keep the game close. They played well enough on defense to win, but giving the Falcons four extra possessions is tough.
APJohn Abraham was a disruptive force on Sunday in Atlanta's victory over Miami.
8. The Falcons are strong when they can play with the lead, and yesterday they had a 10-0 lead at the half. John Abraham is a factor at home when that happens as he had two sacks. If you want to beat the Falcons, you must protect against Abraham.
9. These are not the same Ravens as before, who were all defense. Not anymore. These Ravens can move the ball with Joe Flacco at quarterback. Flacco might throw the best seven cut (corner route) in the NFL. He has a command and he’s really in sync right now. Ray Rice is hard to tackle, and as the season progresses, he will be a huge factor.
10. Brodie Croyle had a 116.00 quarterback rating against the Ravens, but he was 2 of 10 on third down, so the Chiefs ran only 44 plays and held the ball for 20 minutes. Quarterback ratings clearly do not tell the whole story. The Chiefs are bad on offense, and it will take some time to get it fixed.
11. Jake Delhomme was in a very giving mood, and he’s why I love the Sunday Ticket. It’s not to watch all the games but rather to turn off the bad games -- and this one was bad. The Panthers looked bad on offense, and if they don’t make a big play, they struggle. In fairness to Delhomme, once a team takes away Steve Smith, what are his options in the passing game?
12. San Francisco looked very physical on defense and showed it can pass rush with power. Kurt Warner looked as if he didn’t play enough in the preseason and was never in sync. Anquan Boldin was not himself and didn’t have any speed or burst because of the hamstring. The Cards’ line was pushed around all day. The 49ers are going to be tough to move the ball on with their front.
13. The ‘Skins must find a way to get the ball down the field in their passing game. When teams take away Santana Moss, they don’t have a playmaker who worries you. Teams will take an attitude that if Antwaan Randle El beats us, or if Chris Cooley beats us, we deserve to lose. However, we can’t let Moss beat us, which is what the Giants did. Two catches for six yards is not going to get it done.
14. I feel badly for Steve Spagnuolo and the Rams. It’s going to be a very, very long season.
Check back later for the Tavern.
Mike,
Of course Favre looked rusty. He has only worked with his recivers for 3-4 weeks. His timing will come.
Why beat this dislike of the Vikings into the ground. Objectively speaking, you have something aganist them.
Why no comments about Cutler? He was your golden child this offseason. You could not understand why the Vikings would not over pay for him, do you know now? Cutler has talent, but not leadership.
"I wonder if the Bengals worked on that one?"
I'll give you one guess on that. Remember what Kelly Washington said when he came to the Patriots a few years ago: they never worked on situational football, never.
I wonder if Ray Malauga walked by Marvy Garvy or Mike Zimmer and said " I don't talk to dead coaches walking"
As for my Niners, they got pressure on Warner just using their front 4 many times. That bodes very well.
I enjoy your insight Michael but you had two really incorrect offseason thoughts . First , Shaun Hill is a good quarterback . He has moxie !! San Francisco did not need to break the bank to go after Sanchez . What they need is a receiver : ) Second , the Dolphins are not as tough in the trenches as you thought . Even if they were, their mediocrity at the skill positions will let them down . Those arm chair qb's that had them at 8-8 we're about right . The Dolphins are going to be pedestrian .
I saw Brodie Croyle play last year before his injury . He was like 10-11 . He is a good qb . The Chiefs offense is better than you think . I bet you a ham sandwich Todd Haley becomes a really good headcoach .
As a pats fan, I will congratulate the Jets. Sanchez settled down nicely after looking lost on the first 2 series. The kid has some talent. It'll be fun to the Pat's D bring him back down to earth next week.
On the Bengals/Denver play, after the ball was tipped. Two separate Bengals attempted to lay a big hit on I believe it was Brandon Marshall. Neither player looked at the ball or took the time to make sure someone else was around to catch the tipped pass.
How the Chiefs made a game of it was the story.
Defense and special teams kept them in it. The Ravens had some impressive line players on both sides of the ball, but the Chiefs have the makings on defensive line to get better, fast. They will struggle on offense in many ways, mostly with the line.
Though Vrabel got turned on almost every run his way. The Ravens ran right at him all game. He was the weak spot, on the point.
It was shocking to see Croyle emerge finally. He nailed a throw on a deep out and settled down enough that his team got composure. Most of that came after his backup ran on an early down and tried anything to spark his team, Croyle came back in and reset the team's chances. The HC has three quarterbacks now?
The Colts let teams stay in their games? If that continues it could be a long year. The old Indy, that put teams out by burying them under the scoreboard, doesn't have gas in the tank to do it?
The Skins looked ineffective, the Giants played big up front. There's a long season in store for them, except for Redskins defenders stepping up. Teams can't run at Haynesworth so they should be forcing mistakes.The defense needs some kind of competitive equity and there are elements of good play with the team. Their QB will be blamed for a lot of this, perhaps unfairly so?
I think it's a bit premature for calling out Lombardi after one game, gritzblitz. Shaun Hill looked all right, but the Cardinals defense is mediocre at best. And Lombardi did say in an earlier post that the Dolphins are a good team, but will struggle in the first four games.
And Randal, take a chill pill. A fan that calls "bias" when a commentator posts some criticsm about their team displays ignorance about football. Cleveland is probably the second worst team in football and was keeping up with the Vikings.
With all that being said, there are always going to be some surprises in the NFL. Fans that criticize analysts for making a few mistakes need to get a clue. At least they are making strong opinions. If you want dumbed down analysis then listen to Mike & Mike and read Sports Illustrated.
I thought there would be a Childress play by play as I agree that the calling there is pathetic at times. As crappy as the Bears and Packers are this division is a no brainer to the Vikings. That right tackle the Pack has will get eaten alive by better defenses. The Bears defense is old and Cutler doesn't know what color his uniform is. If New Orleans can beat a team with a good offense they are for real.
As a Niners fan I disagree with Gritzblitz; other than that last TD drive Hill looked awful. I think Az's dee is actually going to be pretty good this year so I factor some of that into it, but Hill looked nervous and jumpy back there, in fact he turtled a couple of times when I don't think he needed to. I'll take the win but I's not sold on him. If I wanted jumpy back there I'd take Alex Smith, at least he's athletic enough to move around back there. Somebody please tell Jimmy Raye what a screen pass is, and I don't mean the slow developing, fake screen one way, then screen the other way to Vernon Davis.
not a niners fan but how about some props for your boy Mr Singletary? You have been on his back all summer Mike for denegrating the memory of Bill Walsh but seems to me the guy has a plan and a scheme(something you bang on about all the time) and it looks like the team really want to play for the him. I know its just the first week but I was really impressed with the heart and passion they showed on the road.
Mike - Really enjoy your columns. In relation to Sanchez's #rd down conversions, would you say it says more about the offense being good or the defense being bad?
I would appreciate your insight.
Thanks,
Mark
Watching yesterday, I was struck by the fact that, yes, it's a long season, but it's the first time in a long time that a Giants-Jets Super Bowl is possible. Those teams both looked so sharp. Sanchez looked better than his stats.
I'm probably the only one stubborn enough to not overestimate the Patriots. But even I know they're going to hammer my Bills tonight. Guh.
Let me make something quite clear to Favre fans: #4 is NOT GOD! He sucks now and the Vikings don't need him. Even Brad Childress can hand off to Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor all day. Otherwise, judging by Week 1, I see no reason to differ from my Super Bowl prediction of Baltimore and Atlanta. Keep up the good work, Lombardi. What a good day for my Broncos!
Nice to see something positive about the Jets in one of your articles, if they get the kind of pressure on Brady they did on Schaub, he may be out another season real soon. Can't wait for next Sunday.
Oh, BTW, Jack, the Pats have to find a D first because the only way they're winning this year is by scoring 40 points a game.
And look what I read today, which is on nytimes from footballoutsiders (football statheads):
"Offensive line inconsistency holds particular significance for fans of the Jets and the Giants. They became the first teams in five years to have two consecutive seasons (2007-8) in which their five starting offensive linemen started all 16 regular-season games. That is extremely unlikely to occur for a third consecutive season, and replacing a starter can have a drastic effect on a team."
So much for the dream of a subway super bowl!
If his owner wasn't thinking of canning Kubiak, yesterday's game put that on his radar screen. That looked like a team that wasn't prepared to play. Ryan's blitzing just totally messed up the Texans offense and they were unable to make any adjustments and that to me is coaching.
They've got a talent problem on defense to be sure, but more than that, I think they may have a coaching problem. Interesting point about Schaub by the way......
What everyone keeps overlooking about Favre is he may just need to be average with that team for them to win. But I'm sick of hearing announcers making him the focal point of everything. I don't think Brian Billick gave a single insight about the defensive side of the ball for either team. It was all Favre this, Favre that.....he just flat out stunk as a commentator.
Jets and Ravens are the same teams. Jets may actually be better, although the Ravens have Heap, he is not explosive anymore. Dustin Keller on the other hand is a beast.
Can you tell me why the Vikings would pay $12 million for a game manager at the QB position, and still get praised
Take into consideration the Cleveland Browns, a pathetic team, before annointing the Vikings. On nearly every 5 to 7 step drop, Favre was sacked. He was slow getting back and hesitant to throw. He no longer has that elusiveness that made him dangerous. Had they been playing a team with an actual offense, not one that hadn't scored a TD in six games, the Vikings may have trailed by several scores at halftime. Favre will have to show he can throw downfield or the Viking season will be shorter than the purple fans' anticipate.
Seriously, we're talking Jets in the superbwol after week 1 against Houston? Talk to me after they finish their next three week stretch against New England, Tennessee and New Orleans. If they're 4-0, then maybe we can talk about maybe's and hypotheticals.
ITS WEEK 1!
Jets and Ravens are the same teams. Jets may actually be better, although the Ravens have Heap, he is not explosive anymore. Dustin Keller on the other hand is a beast.
Can you tell me why the Vikings would pay $12 million for a game manager at the QB position, and still get praised
I'll admit to some pretty big homerism, but there's no way the Jets and Ravens are the same team. They do look to be the same STYLE of team, but the talent at RB and LB in Baltimore is as high as anywhere in the league right now. I'm really hoping the Ravens are just trying to showcase Flacco and the passing attack early this year to keep 8 men out of the box, and not as an overall, year-long strategy. The kid looked good yesterday, but the running game looked like it could have put up 300 yards on that Chiefs defense.
Prior Lakes Penny Pincher - put down the crack pipe.
What you should be asking is how Favre is going to hold up
to relentless pressure from both the Packer and Bear D-lines.
All teams have injury worries. The Bears lost Urlacher (who was
not the factor, Ogunleye was - or did you miss that?)
The Packers would suffer missing Rodgers or Grant.
If the Vikings lose Petersen for a few games they would be in trouble.
By the way, who's "We" ? You got a mouse in your pocket?
First of all Michael,
Congrats on your first NFL.com column! I can only hope you'll improve the overall quality of what is really an abysmal staff over there. I saw this highlight earlier today from Pat Kirwan: "This week, in the win over Cleveland, [Favre] threw only 21 passes while calling 37 running plays. He took four sacks rather than trying to make something happen, and when the day was done the Vikings had 34 points". "Called" the plays? How is taking four sacks a good thing in any way? The list of terrible columns goes on and on.
Second, what do you think of Jake Delhomme's long-term chances in Carolina? Without a clear heir apparent and armed with a long contract extension, the Panthers are stuck with him for now, but he looked lost out there against Philly. I've never liked him, personally, and I can't believe he'll stick for longer than another year or two at this rate. Thoughts? (Yes, it's premature after one game, but it might also be the first sign of impending doom.)
So much for Sanchez being a bust....which was posted all over this website after he was drafted and after the baltimore game...he played better than most qbs this past sunday and oh yeah hes a ROOKIE...J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS
"So much for Sanchez being a bust....which was posted all over this website after he was drafted and after the baltimore game...he played better than most qbs this past sunday and oh yeah hes a ROOKIE...J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS"
I think Sanchez will be a fine NFL QB, but I can't help but think of two words: Browning Nagle.
You remember, don't you? Let me refresh your memory of his first NFL start: 17 COMP - 20 ATT -366 YARDS - 2 TD - 0 INT - 108.6 QB Rating. Let's not get carried away with someone's first game against a subpar NFL defense.
Jason, I'd take the Jets LB's with Pace (who didn't even play) and the Jets RB's over Baltimores any day of the week and I think most NFL teams would agree with me. KC put up 24 points and the Ravens didn't run the ball all that well vs. KC either.
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Sep 14, 2009
11:01 AM
Fair critisisms on the Vikes Mike...We have to do a better job protecting the old man, but you have to admit they have the look of a playoff team especially with, but also, without Brett Favre. I don't think you give enough credit to Peterson, who can carry a team on his back.
I'd like to get your spin on the Pack. Wow did they look bad. It took an injury to Urlacher for them to be able to run the ball, and the O-Line looks dreadful. Aaron Rodgers isn't Ben Rothlesburger and the Packers D isn't the Pittsburg D. I don't see this team being able to make it very far in the playoffs (if they make it) unless they can patch some gaping holes.