NFL Week 2 Thoughts

Here are my thoughts on games I watched this weekend

Texans defeat Panthers: The Texans are very fast on defense. They have two playmakers on the line in Mario Williams and rookie Okoye. Dunta Robinson is a very good cover corner who played Steve Smith very tight yesterday. The two touchdowns scored in the first half by Smith were on a missed tackle for 7 yards and a 12 yarder that actually hit off of Robinson’s helmet, into the air, and then into Smith’s hands. The last TD Smith had was a short over the middle dump off where he broke about 6 Houston defenders , so that was hardly Dunta’s fault. I liked the way Houston responded to being down 14-0. In years past the game would have been over, but there is a new confidence in Houston. Houston beat the Panthers down from mid 1st quarter on from both sides of the line of scrimmage. A cause for concern is Andre Johnson going down with a knee injury. He is their playmaker and offensive leader. Any extended absence from Johnson and the Texans will be hard pressed to keep winning.


Steelers defeat Bills: The Bill defense played admirably in the 1st half and then simply were too tired in the second half. J.P. Losman had one good drive the entire game and he needs to begin playing up to his preseason hype. Marshan Lynch looked good again and ran tough. I like the call by Buffalo’s head coach to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Pitt 40 yard line on Buffalo’s first possession. They should have ran the ball with Lynch but sometimes it is the thought that counts. The Steelers seem to be a solid team but I feel they still have not been tested. The 49ers come into Pittsburgh this week off of a good road win in St. Louis.

Colts defeat Titans: Every time I felt the Colts were going to run away with the game, the Titan defense would get a big play. Tennessee plays with a lot of heart and if not for a lack of receivers, could have pulled the game out at the end. The Titans need to get Vince Young someone viable to throw to because it is a shame watching his good decisions and deft passing going to waste due to wide receiver ineptitude. The Colts are an excellent team and it seems to me that Manning and his receivers are more in tune with one another this year than they were last season. Anthony Gonzalez is a tremendous talent and seems to have learned the offense to the point where Manning is looking his way in big spots.

Bucs defeat Saints: This game was on a corner TV of the bar away from where I was so it was tough to see the game. I went over a few times but did not get a sense of how the game was flowing so I really have no comment here. In looking at the box score this morning, I see that McCallister got only 10 carries. He needs more that that for the Saints to turn their season around.

Browns defeat Bengals: This is one of the most entertaining games I have ever watched. It seemed like one of those late night drunken Madden games when both guys score at will because both guys are too inebriated to bother playing defense. I have documented in previous posts that the Browns are better team than most people think. I must admit that there was little thought in my mind that the Bengals would lose to the Browns. This game showed me that the Bengal defense needs to get a whole lot better if they want to make a deep playoff run. The defensive line play from the Bengals was abysmal. Lewis had truck lanes to run through and Anderson was never really pressured into making mistakes. It was nice to see Jamal Lewis run past the defensive backfield on his long TD run. I remember watching in amazement during the 2003 campaign how fast he was for a man his size once he got to the DB level. Braylon Edwards made three or four All Pro type catches and Kellen Winslow is a mismatch for 95% of the linebackers in the NFL. The Browns have a winnable game next week in Oakland.

49ers beat Rams: The Rams start 0-2 with both losses at home, no good. I am concerned with the numerous dropped passes I saw from the Rams yesterday. With a banged up offensive line providing little room for Stevie J to run, the receivers have to hold on to everything. I loved the call by Nolan to go for it on 4th and 1 from mid filed late in the 3rd quarter. They were down 13-7 at the time and the defense was suffocating the Rams. The end result was an impressive TD run by Gore where he broke about 5 tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. The Rams will not win many games this year without having improved offensive line play from what has transpired since Pace got hurt for the season in the second half last week. The 49ers get to see what kind of 2-0 team they are when they go to Pittsburgh next week.

Cowboys defeat Dolphins: I was at my parent’s house for dinner so I did not watch this game. I did however win $50 from a friend who for some reason thought Miami would cover the spread. Miami is really bad and will fight with KC for 1st pick in next year’s draft.

Jaguars defeat Falcons: Jerious Norwood needs to get the ball more in Atlanta. Warrick Dunn is a good RB but lacks the explosion that this offense needs to score. Harrington actually looked decent yesterday and Roddy White made some nifty catches. Atlanta was up 7-3 when they missed a short field goal that could have propelled them to victory considering the Jaguar offensive ineptitude yesterday. The Jags are a bad team and a boring team to watch. I am concerned with the Jaguar offensive line. The running game is supposed to be their strong suit on offense but they are really not doing much up front in terms of opening up running lanes. With Gerrard at helm and a cast of average receivers, the Jags need to run the ball to score and it has not happened the first two weeks.

Broncos defeat Raiders: Did not watch.

Lions defeat Vikings: Did not watch but highlights suggest Tavarious Jackson may not be the answer at QB for the Vikes.

Bears defeat Chiefs: Did not watch.

Patriots defeat Chargers: Why did Norv Turner not try running the ball with LT when they recovered the fumbled kickoff in Pat’s territory during the second half when they were down 31-14. Sack, Sack , incompletion, punt and the game was over. You could see it in LT’s face when he was coming off the field after that sequence that he was as perplexed as I was. The Patriots are in a grove right now and Moss looks incredible. Two questions the Chargers need to ask themselves is 1) Who are my corner backs, and 2) Who are my wide receivers.

Packers defeat Giants: Even though this game was on the big screen, I barely paid attention. If I stayed home for this bleeder I may have jumped out the window.

Ravens defeat Jets: I went to my parent’s house for dinner after the one o’clock games so I only caught the last 8 minutes or so. I did not see Clemens play. I did see his receivers drop three touchdown passes on the final drive though. My pick of the Jets finishing ahead of the Pats in the AFC East is looking very grim even after the 2nd week simply because the Pats look that good.