NFL Week 3: Recap

Written by: D.Wash.

Lions End Losing Streak (AKA: ‘Bout Damn Time)

For the past 21 months, the Detroit Lions have been the laughing stock of the league. They hadn’t tasted victory since December of 2007 and became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16 in 2008. After Sunday though, Detroit fans can wear their Silver and Honolulu Blue with pride once again as the Lions finally got a win. Sure, they beat a Washington Redskin team that has vastly underperformed and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. A win is a win though, and this team really needed it to gain some confidence. Props to the Lions. The Redskins on the other hand need to get on track if they plan on going even .500 this year, which is looking increasingly unlikely with each passing week.

Maurice Jones Drew Proves size Doesn’t Matter

MJD may only be 5-7, but I’d be afraid of anyone who could pull off a performance like he did on Sunday. He led the Jags to victory over the Houston Texans with a spectacular performance of 113 yards and 3 TDs. He’s one of those guys who refuses to go down on first contact.  Watching him carry the Jags to victory over quality teams like the Texans show why the Jags decided to make him the main feature of the backfield (and offense) this year. The Texans, a talented team, could use an easy win to right the ship. The Raiders at home next week is just what the doctor ordered.

New Pats Offense, Old Pats Results

After losing to the Jets, people in New England went crazy. Did it mean that the Patriots dominance over the NFL was over? Was the Patriots offense really as bad as it looked against the Jets? Was Tom Brady never going to be 100% because of his injury?  The Pats answered every question with a resounding “No” on Sunday. In the Patriots 25-10 win on Sunday, the offense rededicated itself to the rushing attack and it worked very effectively. Fred Taylor ran for 105 yards, a great performance against a solid Falcons defense. The running game set up the passing game, allowing Brady to complete 60% of his passes for a total of 277 yards.  The Pats defense also looked good, limiting Michael Turner to 56 yards and Matt Ryan to just under 200 yards.  If the Patriots can keep playing like this, with a solid running game and stone wall defense, then it could help Tom Brady better ease into the game and become the player that we all know and love. At the very least, it will win games… and that’s what matters in New England.

Sanchez Produces Against Titans Defense

As the weeks pass by, people (myself included) keep expecting Mark Sanchez to start making rookie mistakes and look bad. Yet as the weeks pass by, Sanchez continues to look more and more impressive. Though you could argue that the Jets running game or defense won the first two games, you can’t deny that Week 3 was all Sanchez. The star rookie threw for 171 yards and two scores (and ran for one rush TD) on Sunday, making a very experienced and skilled Tennessee secondary look below average. The Jets defense was also key in their victory as they not only kept Chris Johnson out of the endzone (Johnson did run for 97 yards but no TDs), but they also held Kerry Collins to a dismal 40% completion percentage. All of that equaled a big win for the Jets, solidifying their spot among the best teams in the NFL.

Favre = A Vikings Victory

By all means, the 49ers should’ve won this game. They limited the Vikes to 94 rushing yards in the game. Vernon Davis caught 7 balls, including 2 for touchdowns. They even returned a blocked field goal attempt for a touchdown. Last year that would’ve ended in a big 49er victory over the Vikings. The Brett Favre pickup in the offseason changed everything though. The Vikings didn’t need a 100 yard rushing game out of Peterson on Sunday. They didn’t need to shut down the Niners offense. When it comes down to the last play of a game, there are few men living or dead that you would rather depend on than Brett Favre. On that spectacular last play, Favre dodged defenders and finally threw 32 yards into the end zone only to have it caught by Greg Lewis for the game winning score. It was a play that Tavaris Jackson and Gus Ferrotte wouldn’t even dream of making, but Farve isn’t Jackson or Ferrotte. Favre doesn’t just dream of making those plays, he believes he can do it all the time. That’s why the Vikes picked him up, and that’s why the Vikes are superbowl contenders.

The Bengals Beat the Steelers!?!?!?

I don’t know exactly what to make of this. The Bengals trailed by 11 points going into the 4^th quarter and instead of merely flopping and collapsing as the Bengals of years past have, they buckled down and executed two touchdown drives in the final quarter while holding the Steelers scoreless. Their last TD came with 14 seconds left on the clock when Carson Palmer threw 4 yards to Andre Caldwell for a score. All the numbers should’ve equaled a Steeler victory, as they out gained the Bengals by 100 yards in the game. Still, it’s Cincinnati who walks away with the win. Was it because Troy Polamalu was out due to injury? Possibly. Carson Palmer was able to sneak in a couple tight throws that would’ve been difficult with Troy’s presence in the secondary. But what ifs aren’t important right now. What’s important are Ws and the Bengals earned it this week over the Steelers… That still sounds weird.

Rivers Off to Surprisingly Good Start, Chargers Offense Off to Surprisingly Bad Start

Most people figured that Drew Brees would be leading the league in passing at this point. If not Brees, than Manning, Brady, or Warner were all popular household names. Few people would’ve expected that it would be Phillip Rivers. Including his 300 yard performance on Saturday, Rivers has thrown for 991 yards this season. He’s hit a number of receivers and has looked very efficient. Despite that, the Chargers were forced to attempt 4 field goals in their win over the Dolphins. They were unable to perform in the red zone and had the Dolphins offense been able to play well, they would’ve beat the Chargers rather handily. Darren Sproles didn’t look electric against the Dolphins defense and Phillip Rivers couldn’t throw the ball into the end zone. If they don’t shape up soon, they could be in some trouble against the harder teams on their schedule (Pittsburgh, New York Giants, and Philly to name a few).

Indy Shuts Down Cards Offense

The Cardinals appear to be suffering from a superbowl hangover, lets all act surprised. The Pass rush from Indy was effective, and because of it Kurt Warner was forced into two interceptions and Larry Fitzgerald was kept out of the endzone. The running game couldn’t get started (no surprises there) and a team that averaged just short of 27 points per game last season, could only manage 10 on Sunday night. Peyton Manning was impressive yet again as he threw for 379 yards and 4 TDs. Donald brown was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, as the rookie ran for 40 yards and took a catch and run 72 yards down the field and almost into the end zone. Donald Brown split carries evenly with Joseph Addai, a promising strategy so far that has kept both backs fresh and effective. It works, and the Colts will get W’s because of it.

Quick Hits: Week 3

Desean Jackson lit it up and Matthew Stafford celebrated the first Lions victory since 2007 in Week 3

Written by:MJK

Life on Mute:

For Terrell Owens this should all come as no surprise. None of it.  He chose Buffalo after being released from Dallas this past off-season. He should have known right away what he was about to get himself into. Even though it may have been the ONLY fit, it was FAR from a perfect one. T.O needed a rebranding and what better place to do it than upstate New York! The city? I could imagine. But Buffalo? This was a mistake.

Over the years, the oft outspoken Owens has given the sports world countless amounts of video and soundbytes. He has provided us with a weeping display of affection for former quarterback Tony Romo, implied that Jeff Garcia was gay, feuded with teammates, performed a public ab workout that would put Tony Horton to shame and cried wolf on a failed “suicide” attempt in 2006. What a ride it has been. 

So now after T.O was held without a catch this past weekend for the first time since his rookie season, and failing to live up to POST-game expectations here-he has the audacity to chime in with this blurb on a popular radio show.

“I'm just trying to do the best job I can do as far as answering the questions and trying to be a better teammate and not try to throw people under the bus.”

Huh? Come again? Well at least some sort of accountability is visible here. But this just isn’t right.  It’s like Thanksgiving dinner without turkey or Christmas without a tree. One always comes with the other, and his week 3 performance errr lack thereof had meltdown written all over it. Much to my dismay it never came.

T.O humbled? Its irony redefined.  T.O silenced? An oxymoron of epic proportions. This is not his…well, his bag baby and I can’t say that I like it. Of course with every negative T.O backdrop that he has bestowed upon himself, the contrary always makes it difficult for me to shake the image of a young Terrell Owens making one of the greatest plays that I have been able to witness in my lifetime. It’s just a shame that the memory seems so jaded now.

This façade that T.O is now trying to convince us of is garbage.  We should all know how this story will end.  We are three games into the 2009 season and I can’t really say I blame him for taking the high road.  But what if it happens again next week? What if he only has 40 catches by week 10? This is a ticking time bomb that is bound to explode at any point. I wish I could say I am exaggerating but there is a track record here that never seems to fail. And the thing is, I think that is exactly what Buffalo wants. Hell, its what I want. Whatever gets people in the seats right?

So to T.O, “Too” or simply Terrell Owens: Please quit trying to convince us that at 36 years old, in what seems to be the twilight of your career, you are suddenly changing your ways.  Then again a few more doughnuts in the stat sheet and you may not have a choice.  I have a feeling the best is still to come. “Getcha popcorn ready.” 

Not only is it ready T.O, its buttered up and salted to perfection…lets sit back and enjoy the uncertainty of your volatility one delicious kernel at a time.

Big Ups:

Brett Favre, QB, Minn- It really pains me to lead off with The Immortal.  His retirement/comeback sideshow every offseason has become tiresome and annoying. But the game-winning throw he made versus the 49ers was Vintage. That’s right, with a capital V.  Greg Lewis’ toe tapping catch in the endzone was equally impressive as the Vikings improved to 3-0. This is the electricity that Minnesota was hoping Favre would bring to the table and through three weeks he has yet to disappoint.

Detroit Lions- Talk about getting off the proverbial schneid. After 19 consecutive losses the Lions finally got the monkey off of their back and put one on the Washington Redskins.  The scene would have been confused for a Super Bowl victory for any other team after Detroit came back onto the field to show of support for all of their fans who have stuck with them. Very classy indeed. Still, head coach Jim Schwartz seems to have this team in the right mindset after trying his very hardest to downplay the significance of a week 3 victory.  The Lions now have more wins on the season than Tennesee, Carolina and Miami combined. All three were 2008 playoff teams.

Desean Jackson, WR, Philly- The super quick Jackson is showing why he presents matchup problems for many defenses around the league.  His speed allows him to get separation from opposing players so fast, it is almost impossible to catch up to him once in the open field.  Last season, I compared Jackson to the build and skill set of a young Steve Smith (Car.) And I am not backing down from this now. He may not possess the strength of Smith but his size, speed and flamboyance matches up almost perfectly.  He scored for the third straight week against Chiefs while piling on a career high 149 receiving yards. The somersault into the endzone was my personal favorite.  Whats more impressive is that he is putting up hefty numbers without Donovan McNabb throwing him the ball. Expect big things from Jackson this season.

Low Downs:

Washington Redskins: Well this must be an all time low.  The Redskins were barely able to squeek out a victory against the lowly Rams in week 2 and proceeded to follow that up by losing to a team that had not won a game since 2007.   It is simply inexcusable and now the fingers are being pointed everywhere. Clinton Portis has been virtually non-existent and Jason Campbell has been far from consistent (although he had a good day versus the Lions, it didn’t equal a victory). Head coach Jim Zorn is now officially on the hottest seat in the NFL.  I think he will be fired before week 10.

Byron Leftwich, QB, TB: This sure got ugly fast.  After a week 1 performance that showed promise, Leftwich finds himself benched and out of a starting job once again.  He has never been able to find his groove as a starting quarterback in the NFL and his 7-for-16, 22 yard and a pick performance versus the Giants didn’t do him any favors.  He has already been declared an inactive 3^rd quarterback for week 4’s game.

Larry Johnson, RB, KC: Compounded by a Chiefs team that is arguably the worst in the NFL, “Grandmama” has yet to get his wheels turning in what seems to be final chapter of his days as a running threat.  Sure, we have seen signs of this since the 2007 season when he missed 8 games due to injury, but this season Johnson has taken it to another level.  He is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry and looking very pedestrian between the tackles. The calls for second year back Jamaal Charles are getting louder and I think he will have the more productive season when it is all said and done.

Injury Hits:

Frank Gore, RB, SF- What a difference one week makes. After ripping off over 200 yards in week 2, Gore tested a tender ankle that forced him to leave the game versus the Vikings after just 1 carry for 4 yards. This makes you wonder if he was even healthy enough to try and go in the first place.  Regardless, initial reports say that he should be out for at least 3 weeks.  This makes rookie Glen Coffee the man in the bay and if his pre season was any indication, he should be able to pick up where Gore left off.

Chad Pennington, QB, Mia-  Pennington was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, ending his season with another shoulder problem.  Look for Chad Henne and NOT Pat White to take over under center.  The Dolphins also went out and traded for Tyler Thigpen (formerly of the Chiefs) and he should assume the backup role immediately with the potential to be starting very soon.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC- Just when I thought things would get rolling for the 3^rd year receiver, his hamstring tightens up on him.  This is clearly concerning considering hamstrings are the most fickle of injuries, and tend to linger longer than other injuries.  Hopefully, Kansas City gives Bowe the rest he needs to heal so he can come back strong.  Look for Mark Bradley to continue to see more targets as a result.

Felix Jones, RB, Dal-  This guy has the injury blues.  Last year he missed 10 games with a bum hamstring and toe and now he will miss a chunk of time with what is being reported as a sprained PCL in the knee.  He has shown flashes of brilliance when given the opportunity, but to be labeled as “injury prone” after only a year in the league is disheartening.  Tashard Choice should now take over as the feature back and may have a bit of success if he can pick up where he left off last season. Marion Barber’s status still remains up in the air.

Dwight Freeney, DE, Ind- The Colt’s defense takes hits like this every season, which is why it shouldn’t be surprising that they struggle on that side of the ball so often.  Freeney is widely regarded as one of the most feared pass rushers in the game, but has been hit with the injury bug the past few seasons.  This will create opportunities for offenses to further exploit an already average defense.  Look for teams to be able to gash this run defense a little easier in the next few weeks. 


Thank you for reading and please don't forget to leave comments for discussion!

College Football-Week 4 Recap

Cal RB Jahvid Best (figuratively) and Florida QB Tim Tebow (literally) took it on the chin this past weekend in what proved to be a rough weekend for Heisman hopefuls.

Written by: D. Wash.

This is the part of the year where teams prove that they deserve their rankings. Some teams rose to the challenge, destroying their lesser opponents. Other teams faltered and lost because of it. This week, 8 teams ranked in the top 25 (4 of them ranked in the top 10) suffered losses. Another six teams needed 4^th quarter heroics to maintain their rankings. This made for an exciting week in college football and could end in an interesting problem for the voters later in the year.

Penn State’s Title hopes ended by Iowa… Again

A “White Out” in Happy Valley is a spectacular thing to see. Imagine 100,000 football crazed, screaming Penn State fans all dressed in white, making the entire stadium look like a sea of white. Most visitors to Happy Valley would be intimidated by this, but Iowa Hawkeyes were not. The Hawkeyes stunned Penn State last year, when the Nittany Lions were on the road to the national title game, and many Penn State players vowed that it wouldn’t happen this year. Unfortunately for them, Iowa didn’t get that memo and proceeded to shut down PSU’s offense in the last 3 quarters. The Hawkeyes then scored 16 points in the fourth to get the victory and earn the greatest sound that any visiting team can get in a rivals stadium. Silence.

Cal Crushed on The Road

This was supposed to be the year that the Cal Bears go undefeated and win the Pac 10 outright. They have the most talented running back in the nation and very skilled receivers. Oregon, however, showed that Cal didn’t have the willpower to win on the road against a decent team. After scoring a field goal in the first quarter, the Bears were shut down by the Oregon Ducks and embarrassed. The Ducks scored 42 points on the Bears to turn what should’ve been an easy Cal victory into a blowout for Oregon. The Ducks totaled over 500 yards of offense, using an extremely balanced pass-run offense. Perhaps most impressively, the Ducks held Heisman candidate Jahvid Best to only 55 yards on the day. This loss end Cal’s hopes for perfection and national supremacy (and possibly Best’s Heisman hopes), but helps to revive an Oregon team that was beat on national TV in the season opener.

Tech puts Miami back in their place

Miami seemed to have it all going for them. They led college football in passing efficiency and had a possible Heisman candidate in sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris. Then they went to Virginia Tech and it all fell apart. The defense that stuffed the Georgia Tech running game was run all over by VT running back Ryan Williams and quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The usually good Jacory Harris threw an interception and lost a fumble. The rest of the Miami offense couldn’t get started. It was a beatdown. Virginia Tech won decisively and spoiled Miami’s season. The win also propels VT back into the top 10 and back into a very interesting BCS bowl picture.

Michigan, LSU, TCU, Houston, Kansas, and Georgia barely get wins

To remain ranked, you have to win your games and win impressively. While all of the teams did get wins, they didn’t win impressively over their unranked opponents. LSU needed a goal line stand to beat Mississippi State. Georgia, Michigan, and Houston needed points in the last few minutes to sneak away with wins. Kansas and TCU went into the fourth trailing lesser teams. While all of these teams maintained their unbeaten status (save Georgia who lost to Oklahoma State earlier in the year), none of them truly impressed the voters. If it wasn’t for losses of some teams above them, none of these teams would be moving up the polls. All of them need to tighten up their games if they expect to beat the more difficult teams on their schedules.

An Interesting Dilemma

It’s still quite early in the college football season, and yet a number of teams have suffered losses. The only teams that have looked like national championship teams are Florida, Texas, and Alabama. They have all crushed their opponents and earned respect from the voters. The same cannot be said for current #4 team LSU, #13 Iowa, #18 Kansas, or #22 Michigan (the other ranked unbeatens from major conferences). There are other unbeatens that the voters could put in a BCS bowl game if two of the top 3 teams were to falter, but they’re from conferences like the WAC, USA, or Big East. Very unsexy. This creates an issue for the voters. Should they allow teams that have shown issues or glaring weaknesses such as LSU and Iowa into BCS bowls? Or should they let solid one loss teams like USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech to get back into the discussion? Or will an undefeated team not from a major conference, such as Boise State, get a chance? If mayhem occurs in the top three, the voters may have to answer any or all of these questions, and I guarantee that they won’t agree.

Side Notes

-Tim Tebow suffered a concussion this week. He was coherent on Sunday and seemed fine, but this could affect his status for the LSU game on October 10^th. I think Tebow will still play, a minor concussion is something that football players come back from all the time, but it may be something to keep your eye on. It was however, a vicious hit.

-With Best’s lackluster performance on Saturday, he may have to really step up his game these next few weeks to remain a realistic Heisman contender. At this point, it appears that its gonna be a battle between Mccoy and Tebow.

The Big Ten has 3 unbeaten teams, but not the ones that people may have been expecting at the beginning of the year. Nope, its not Ohio State, Michigan State, or Penn State who remain unbeaten. Rather, its Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Who woulda thunk?

College Football-Week 3 Recap

Opposing Pac-10 teams celebrating at USC's expense has become an all too familiar in season trend.

Written by: D. Wash.

Well, there's no such thing as a boring week in College Football. A couple spectacular individual performances and one HUGE upset are the stories after this week. The upset, #3 USC's loss on the road to Washington, changed the outlook of the entire college football season and gave us all some perspective on how much better Matt Barkley really is over Aaron Corp. Best showed everyone how good he was, Miami continued their stunning early season run with another good win, and a few ranked teams lost to unranked ones. In short, another good week of College Football.

USC, Consistent To a Fault

USC is a much storied program with seven consecutive outright or partial Pac 10 titles. A powerhouse with some of the best talent in the nation and a spectacular coach. USC has such high expectations that force the team to prove consistency every year. And every year they are consistent...to a fault, a fault that must baffle USC fans. For some reason, the Trojans can’t seem to get through their Pac 10 schedule undefeated. They lost to Oregon State and UCLA in 2006. Then, in one of the biggest upsets in college football history, they lost to Stanford in 2007. Then last year they lost to Oregon State again. This year’s Pac 10 and national hero that managed to topple the Goliath from Pasadena? The University of Washington, who’s only win in the past 16 games prior to the SC game came last week at home against Idaho. How did they manage to beat the mighty Trojans? They played mistake free football, took advantage of USC’s mistakes ,and (perhaps most impressively) made the USC offense one dimensional. Aaron Corp was unable to really get going and only averaged 5 yards per pass attempt. He didn't seem to have quite to poise that true freshman Matt Barkley had either, nor was his timing with his recievers always there. That forced SC to run it more and Washington was able to stack the box to limit long gains on run. One dimensional offense, a few turnovers, and a sup par QB performance equal one thing: Game, Huskies.

Bears Are Led by The Best

Cal is a spectacular home team, but they went into this game with a four game road losing streak. How did they deal with the pressure of needing a road win to maintain their top 10 ranking? Well, California’s defense didn’t look great against Minnesota and their passing attack is never gonna put up big points. But as long as the Golden Bears have Jhavid Best, they need not worry about a shaky defense or an average passing game. Best again showcased his skills as the best running back in the nation when he ran for 5 touchdowns at Minnesota. That was all of Cal’s offense, and all that they needed to get out of Minnesota with a win. While Best will look back at this 5 TD game fondly, this success of this season won’t be based on this game. No, for Best and the Golden Bears to consider this season a success, they need to capture the Pac 10 title outright, ending USC’s 7 year reign over the Pac 10. Will it happen? I’m sure Best thinks so.

USC's loss: National/Pac 10 Title Implications

What does USC’s loss mean for the national title picture and the Pac 10 race? Well, USC’s loss essentially knocks them out of title contention because the likelihood of 10 of the 11 teams ahead of USC falling apart and losing before the end of the season is rather small. Sure, SC could in theory leapfrog Boise State with a couple of dominant Pac 10 wins of top teams like Oregon State, Oregon and Cal (though the Cal game will be a game where the Trojans will assume an unfamiliar role, the underdog). LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama do play each other, and series of wins-losses between them could let USC top them. But Florida doesn’t look like it will lose this season. Same goes for Penn St. (if it can get past OSU and UMich) and Miami looks like they have a chance to go undefeated (they’ll need to win at VT and against OU to secure that “possible unbeaten” status). That’s simply too many teams to get past for SC to hope for a national title shot. Assuming an undefeated year from here on out, a big assumption with the recent play of Cal, USC could make it to the Rose Bowl. That’s a decent season for USC, but still a huge letdown considering the amount of talent and number of returning players that they have this year. USC still has to beat Cal, Oregon, and Oregon State to earn that Rose Bowl game, and while Oregon and Oregon State don’t look too challenging for the Trojans to beat this year, Cal will be favored over the Trojans. That will be a game to watch and, unless the Trojans can pull it together, could end in the Golden Bear s of UC Berkeley earning their first Rose Bowl appearance in over 50 years.

Miami With an Impressive Win

With their win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night, Miami proved that they can play with the big boys once again. Georgia Tech, who embarrassed Miami last year by rushing for over 400 yards, was almost entirely shut down. The running game, which serves as about 80% of Georgia Tech’s offense, only produced 95 yards. Without a powerful rushing attack, the Georgia Tech offense couldn’t produce and only scored 17 points against this very fast Miami Defense. Hurricanes QB Jacory Harris had another big game this week, completing 20 out of 25 for 270 yards. Next week Miami can leapfrog both Boise St. and LSU with a win over the now #11 Virginia Tech. That might won’t be easy, but wins over Florida St. and Georgia Tech weren’t easy either. This Miami team is used to doing the unexpected, expect big things from them.

Backup QB Landry Jones Breaks OU School Record

This week, Oklahoma crushed Tulsa 45-0. That’s not surprising. What was surprising was the play of backup quarterback Landry Jones, who is currently taking over the starting spot for the injured Sam Bradford. Jones, a redshirt freshman and top 10 quarterback prospect from the class of 2008, set a school record with 6 passing touchdowns. That’s better than Heisman winners Jason White and Sam Bradford, along with some other great QB’s to play at Oklahoma. What does that mean for the future? Well, let me destroy any wild speculations right now. Sam Bradford WILL get his starting job back when he gets back from injury. Bradford is one of the most talented players in college football and has a Heisman trophy to prove it. Once Bradford gets back however, the Sooner star may be able to get some rest in games that are out of reach now that Bob Stoops knows that he has a decent option at backup quarterback. It also means that Landry Jones will be a solid starter once Bradford does decide to leave for the draft, and Sooner fans have nothing to worry about when Bradford leaves to play on Sundays.

Quickies

Michigan earned themselves their third win of the season against Eastern Michigan. No surprise there, but here’s a good stat. Michigan Leads the conference in points per game and rushing yards, and is only 1.3 yards per game behind Purdue. Not bad for a team that was last in conference in PPG and YPG and only managed 7th in rushing yards per game last year.

The Heisman race still seems to be a 2 horse race, but Jhavid Best is starting to look like he’s actually got a shot. If the Golden Bears do win the Pac 10 outright, Best could become the first running back to win the prestigious award since Reggie Bush.

Formerly ranked teams Oregon and Florida State both knocked off their undefeated ranked opponents on Saturday, Utah and BYU respectively. FSU’s win was very impressive as the Seminoles forced the usually good Max Hall to throw 3 interceptions in the game. The Seminoles then proceeded to embarrass the BYU defense by gaining over 500 yards on them. That’s a great game from the boys out of Tallahassee.

Florida pulled out a win over Tennessee. Texas beat Texas Tech. Is anyone surprised? No? Good.

Quick Hits: Week 2

The Bengals marched into Lambeau Field and cut the cheese

Big Up’s:

Chris Johnson, RB, Tenn- Both Johnson and Frank Gore (see below) absolutely tore it up in Week 2. Johnson gets first daps. He galloped all over the Houston Texans defense to the tune of 284 total yards (197 rushing and 9 catches for 87 receiving) while adding 3 total (1 receiving) touchdowns to boot. What’s more impressive is the amount of ground Johnson had to cover in all three-touchdown scampers. He took two third down carries 91 and 57 yards to the house as well as a 69-yard touchdown reception. The 91-yarder can be viewed here. At the 22-second mark look to the top of the video and see the damage the kid can do with a limited amount of rushes. He is arguably THE fastest player in the NFL and simply electric when in open space.

Frank Gore, RB, SF- After posting an embarrassing 22-carry -30 yard performance in week 1, Gore bounced back in a very big way. Much like Chris Johnson, Gore’s knack for the big play on Sunday helped catapult him to a monstrous 207 yards on the ground. He was able to score on runs of 80 and 79 yards, while shouldering the load for an otherwise stagnant 49er offense. Gore looked real good on Sunday. He showed quicks and explosiveness that flashed resemblances of his 2006-07 breakout campaign. If the 49ers can run the ball this effectively for the remainder of the season, they could seriously surprise in the NFC West. D. Wash was all over this one right here.

Andre Johnson, WR, Hou- Another player who had a hard time getting things going in week 1, “Dre” showed everyone why he is one of the games elite wide receivers with his outstanding week 2 performance. His 10-catch, 149- yard, 2-touchdown smackdown of the Titans defense was highlighted by a catch that was simply amazing. Catch of the year so far.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC- Members of one of my fantasy leagues will surely roll their eyes at the last two selections as they will probably feel I’m just trying to show too much love for players on my very own team. But when players haul down catches like this I find it hard not to take notice. Bowe posted modest yardage totals in week 2 but hauled in a touchdown pass for the 2^nd consecutive week and figures to be a huge part of the offense going forward as mentioned here. The Chiefs are going to be playing from behind A LOT this season, meaning Bowes yardage numbers should start to improve as the weeks go by.

“The Other” Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, WR, NYG- Before the season began I was pretty vocal in crowning rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks as the heir to Plaxico Burress’ 9mm throne in the Big Apple. However, injuries to Nicks as well as Dominick Hixon have allowed Smith and Manningham to prove their worth in a very big way. The duo combined for 20-catches, 284-yards and 2-touchdowns. Manningham summoned his inner Antonio Freeman circa the year 2000 to pull in a circus grab in the endzone as the Giants stifled the Cowboys in the Big D home opener.

Low Down Dirty Shame:

New England Patriots- Is this really the changing of the guard in the AFC East? The Jets had Tom Brady and company pressured and confused all game long and it resulted in a huge early season victory for the New York Jets. What surprises me the most is that this may be the first time in a very long time a team talked smack before a big game versus the Pats and actually walked into the stadium on game day and laid the wood, sending Belichick and his red ass to his knees. Pretty impressive. The Jets never backed down. Not before, during or especially after the game. This is the 2^nd straight week this Rex Ryan scheme has shut down a high-powered offense. I know its only week 2 but early season games don’t get much bigger than the one played in New York…errrrrrrr New Jersey on Sunday.

Jemarcus Russell- QB, Oak- I know the Raiders won but Russell looks absolutely horrendous. He is showing all the signs of being the next big quarterback BUST and it really irks me. Why this team let go of Jeff Garcia just before the season began is beyond me, but it would not surprise me if that roster move ends up costing this team 2 or 3 wins this season. His line on Sunday read 7 for 24 for 109 yards against a Chiefs D that would give up points to some high school offenses. His completion percentage on the season now stands at a herculean 35%. Yeah, not so good. Oh well, a W is a W right Bruce? Right?

Steve Slaton, RB, Hou- One of the best stories of last season, Slaton has really struggled to break stride in the early goings of the season. After week 2’s debacle, Slaton now sports a season line of 26 carries for 51 yards and zero touchdowns. Whats more concerning are his 3 fumbles that have left Texan fans wondering if last year was a fluke. I say not so fast as the Texans have faced run stuffing defenses hereto start the season (Pittsburgh, Tennesee) and the game on Sunday turned into a downfield shootout rather than a ground and pound slugfest. Those in fantasy leagues, I would consider this an ideal buy-low opportunity for a player with enormous upside. Don’t tread lightly.

Green Bay Packers- Man did they make a lot of people look stupid in week 2. The Packers played the Bengals at home in Lambeau in what could have been regarded as the lock win of the week by many standards. In typical NFL fashion, the underdog Bengals rose to the occasion and stole one from the Cheesehead nation, leaving many people scratching their heads. Stud wide receiver Greg Jennings was held without a reception while the defense allowed the Bengals to move the ball seemingly at ease. Quite unfortunate since this defense played so well in week 1 and has the potential to be one of the NFL’s elite units this season. Chalk it up to the rigors of a long season, but a few more of these gimme losses and the Packers will be shredded Wisconsin Cheddar come December.

Speed Round: 30 words or less. Go!

Tony Romo- You had us all fooled sir. He is what he is and I don’t think he will ever truly become a game changing quarterback.

Jessica Simpson- Completely unrelated I promise. But I find this article particularly entertaining. Especially the following quote, "she would cry herself to sleep at night, using (her dog) as a pillow.”

Brian Westbrook, RB, Philly- Tweaked an ankle. Surprise, surprise. I’m taking the under of 10 games played for him this year.

Drew Brees, QB, NO- Seems like he could throw for 300-yards in a stray jacket. This is getting out of hand.

Arizona Cardinals: Just when everyone was trying to jump off this bandwagon, the team goes bananas in Jacksonville. I’m staying firmly seated.

Philip Rivers, QB, SD- On the surface the numbers looked great in week 2. But a late game interception deep in their own territory proved to be too much to overcome.

Jerry Jones- A billion dollars just to lay an egg. Gotta love those NBC cut away shots to Jones' luxury suite showing him powdering his nose after every big Giants play.

Washington Redskins- A team that really needed to make a statement against a paltry St. Louis Rams team, the ‘Skins were barely able to get out of the game with a W.

The Nostradamus Effect:

Adrian Peterson will have MORE rushing yards this season than Ladainian Tomlinson and Jamal Lewis combined. You heard it here first.

-MJK

The Rundown

Week 2 is upon us- lets dissect.

Match Play

Some of this weeks most important matchups:

Randy Moss, WR, NE, VS. Darrelle Revis, Cornerback, NYJ

The case for Revis: This matchup will decide the outcome of this game. Revis is one of the best cover corners in the game and with Wes Welker officially ruled inactive for the Pats, all Revis has to worry about now is locking down Moss. The Jet’s will bring pressure on Tom Brady all game long but Revis will still have help over the top much like how the Jets deployed coverage on Texans receiver Andre Johnson last week. If the Jets can do this with success against a very smart Patriot gameplan than this could lead to a very long and unproductive game for Moss.

The case for Moss: Last week against Buffalo, Moss shined hauling in 12 catches for 141 yards. Even more impressive was his ability to get open on many short and intermediate routes. Once revered as the game’s most potent deep threat, Moss can still get loose over the top while polishing up his game on the underneath routes. The loss of Welker this week puts a huge damper on Moss’ value as Revis will be able to concentrate solely taking away Moss’ game changing abilities. We will see what wrinkles head coach Bill Belichick and company has in their playbook.

Advantage: Revis. As tough as it is to pick against Moss, I think the loss of Welker on the other side will prove costly and the Pats will be forced to run the ball much more than anticipated.

Darren McFadden, RB, OAK VS. Kansas City defense

The case for McFadden: For a few seasons now the Raiders have had zero ability to force the ball downfield via the pass. The lack of maturation of quarterback Jemarcus Russell and a no-talent receiving corps has allowed the Raiders to establish a ground and pound running game to some success. Mcfadden is now the focal point of this running game and just last season he torched this Chiefs defense for 164 yards and a touchdown in what has been the most productive game of his young career. The second year back is looking for a breakout season and this matchup could prove to be his first stepping-stone.

The case for the KC defense: On paper this defense is lacking some serious substance. They allowed the usually offensively challenged Ravens to march up and down the field with regularity in last weeks loss. The team will deploy defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and linebacker Derrick Johnson with the hopes of not having a repeat performance of last weeks drubbing. The Raiders seriously lack the firepower to make that happen but if the Russell can find even just a little bit of accuracy, this defense will find it hard pressed to fill all the gaps and slow this running game down.

Advantage: McFadden. You really think I would have taken it any other way? Even so look for the Raiders to get the ground game going early and often. The Arrowhead crowd should play little part in this long time matchup of divisional rivals.

New Orleans offense VS. Philadelphia defense.

The case for New Orleans: I could throw up the numbers from last weeks beat down of the hapless Detroit Lions but that would almost be too easy. Look, the Saints have weapons. We all know this much. Last season, Drew Brees carried the offense while the team had to deal with injuries to wide receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jeremy Shockey. This season that tandem is back and healthy and has added another element to this already dangerous offense. There is no balance on this team. They will pass on any down and in any situation. With Brees at the helm it is a system that works almost seamlessly and he will look to exploit an Eagles defense that is being a bit over hyped due to the poor play of Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme last week. I would expect the Eagles to cautiously play the pass and this should allow for some seams for flex back Reggie Bush to hit as well.

The case for Philadelphia: The Eagles played inspired defense last week while deploying the usual exotic blitz heavy scheme that kept Jake Delhomme off balance and uneasy. Much of Phillys success last week had to do with the poor decision making of Delhomme who simply looked like he hadn’t played football since Pop Warner, so I am hesitant to give full credit to this aging defense. That being said look for the Eagles to force the issue with a conservative coverage scheme knowing full well that not much will confuse Brees in the pocket. This secondary is still in tact and the aggressiveness of defensive lineman Trent Cole will allow the coaches to back off somewhat on the abundance of blitzes that we have all come to know and love about this defense. There is no use in trying to force pressure on Brees as he will sit back and dump it off to the flats or find the easy one on one coverage and pick the defense apart.

Advantage: New Orleans offense: This game will be a shootout. Even with an injured Donovan McNabb on the sidelines I expect huge offensive numbers from both of these teams. I like New Orleans to slowly dissect the Philly defense and surprise some people this week.

Speed Round: 33 words or less

Storylines:

Anquan Boldin, WR, AZ- Was his lackluster performance last week due to an ongoing contract dispute or was his hammy seriously tweaked? I’ll take the latter. Look for a healthier Boldin to fare much better this week.

Kerry Rhodes, S, NYJ- Talked the talk but can he walk the walk?

Detroit Lions- 18-consectutive losses dating back to the 2006 season. Ouch.

Terrell Owens, WR, BUF- Already calling out teammates. Although in a subtle tone, I think we all know how this story ends.

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ- Can he make magic happen again? Will be tested today.

LaDanian Tomlinson/Darren Sproles, RB, SD- No LT means it will be Sproles' load to carry. More importantly, what do we make of LT’s early season injury. It could be the beginning of the end.

Cowboy home opener- What does a billion dollar stadium have to offer the fans? A really cool video board and 60 dollar cheese pizzas.

Irrational thoughts:

Randy Moss TD’s or Darrell Revis INT’s- I’ll take Revis.

Kurt Warner: More TD passes or sacks against- I like the TD’s

Chester Taylor Rushing Yards or Detroit Lions team rushing yards- It’s gotta be Taylor.

Over/Under:

1.5: Jake Delhomme INT’s- UNDER

250: Total Darren Sproles yards- OVER

2: Adrian Peterson TD’s- OVER

0.5: Punts to hit the new Cowboys video board- OVER

2: Jerry Jones facelifts this season- PUSH

Pick’em

I’ll take: RAIDERS, Falcons, Vikings, Packers, Texans, Jets, Saints, Redskins, Cardinals, Bills, Seahawks, Bears, Broncos, Ravens, Cowboys, Colts.

-MJK