Week 1 is not over yet…but here are some tidbits from Sunday before a full on recap is unveiled.
- Congratulations Bruce on hitting the first pick of the year! You might have us all fooled now…only time will tell.
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Quick Injury Hits- Ouch baby, very OUCH!
-Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago- Urlacher, who is as important to any team defense as anyone in the NFL, will reportedly miss the rest of the season after sustaining a wrist injury during last nights loss to the Packers. This is a tough blow to a Bears team who a mere 24 hours ago must have been feeling REALLY good about their shot at making a run in the NFC. Whatever happened to throwin a cast on and getting back on the playing field? For as much love as Urlacher gets, he sure hasn’t shown a high tolerance for pain throughout his career. Of course this is coming from a guy who cries when Mufasa dies in the Lion King. The loss of Urlacher coupled with Jay Cutler’s atrocious performance has left the Windy City scrambling for answers.
-Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia- This really seems to be an annual occurrence. I don’t know how Philly fans sleep at night during the NFL season with the oft-injured Brian Westbrook and McNabb constantly missing time. McNabb is the first to go down with a fractured rib and his status for Week 2 is currently uncertain. If McNabb is forced to miss extended time there will be storylines abound in Philadelphia. Michael Vick is set to return Week 3 and if the rib injury hampers McNabbs abilities at all we could have a firestorm on our hands much sooner than anticipated. For now the Eagles will turn to second year man Kevin Kolb if McNabb cant go.
-Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh- This has already been blogged about here. Still it’s worth adding to this list. Man, the week 1 injuries could comprise almost 1/3 of a potential All-Pro team. Kind of a shame to see such injuries take place so early…but then again it happens EVERY year.
-Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Indianapolis- In what was supposed to be his break out year after the departure of Marvin Harrison, Gonzalez now finds himself nursing a strained knee ligament that will keep him out 2-6 weeks. Surely, this is a loss for a Colts team that always takes advantage of its offensive weapons but I hesitate to say that this will greatly effect the teams performance moving forward. This really bodes well for fellow wide receiver Reggie Wayne as he and Peyton Manning look to restore some of that old charm from Wayne’s 2007 breakout season. Look for tight end Dallas Clark to get more involved as well.
Speed Round- 30 words or less:
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago- Debut to forget. The interception troubles that plagued him in Denver followed him to Chicago. Personally, I enjoyed watching the awkward scene play out, however, my fantasy team did not.
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans- 353 yards. 6 touchdowns. That’s all I should have to say, right? Good.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota- “All-Day” is livin up to the name…and the hype. 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. A 2,000 yard season shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Reggie Wayne, WR, Indy- The Birdman is flying high. This was a vintage Wayne performance and one we can expect more of moving forward. 10 catches-162 yards-1 touchdown.
Tim Hightower, RB, Arizona- 12 catches for a running back is certainly eye opening. The Cardinals were missing some weapons on offense and Hightower tried to take advantage. It wasn’t enough.
New York Jets Defense- Stifled the Houston Texans, who boast one of the leagues more potent offenses. The Rex Ryan scheme had blitzes coming from all over, keeping the pressure on and the points off.
Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinatti- OH, hell no…moving along now.
Tony Romo, QB, Dallas- No more T.O. and no more Jessica Simpson. Claims to be more comfortable in the huddle than ever and it showed. 353 yards-3 touchdowns-0 picks.
The Rookie Quarterback Conundrum:
When the Detroit Lions and New York Jets selected Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez in last Aprils draft both teams were looking for their next franchise quarterbacks. Unfortunately for Stafford all of the similarities between the two ended on that day.
Stafford finds himself in the most precarious of positions. The Lions are coming off a dubious season in which they did not win a single game. Not one. 0-16. A team that may have struggled against many college teams last year. This speaks volumes for the type of talent…errrrr, lack thereof that Stafford finds himself surrounded by. The offensive line is in shambles, the running game is very much a work in progress and the defense could not get off the field on Sunday. Granted it was versus Drew Brees and a high-powered Saints offense, but even so Lions fans could not be encouraged by what they saw.
On the flip side, Sanchez has been given the gift of low risk offense. While Detroit may find themselves asking Stafford to do entirely too much this season, the Jets don’t have to ask Sanchez to do much of anything at all. Control the clock, manage the game, let the running game and defense take you to the promised land. It is a mantra that has been deployed by many teams that have gone on to achieve season long success. As long as Sanchez can continue to make smart decisions with the football this team will fare better and better as the season rolls along.
Stafford was rattled all day long by a Saints defense that really should pose no threat to any offense. He went on to throw 3 interceptions and zero touchdowns. Sanchez showed moxie and poise as he converted nine third downs via the pass and was able to elude pressure all day long with his mobility. It turned out to be quite the contrast.
Stafford may very well be the better NFL talent, but the situations as they currently present themselves have given Sanchez the best opportunity to succeed right now.
-MJK
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