After Week 1 of the NFL, I have a few thoughts on what I saw out there on the field:
Tom Brady: The biggest news of the day was of course that Tom Brady injured his knee and had to leave the game against the Chiefs. Unfortunately for Brady and the Patriots, his injury was determined to be season ending. Matt Cassel now becomes the Patriots starting QB, which is probably every Patriot fan's biggest nightmare. The Patriots are also going to take a look at Chris Simms, who was cut by Tampa Bay, and Tim Rattay; but I wouldn't expect either of those guys to lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl. The question now becomes can the Patriots still make the playoffs with Cassel as their QB? Cassel will have plenty of help because he gets to throw to Randy Moss and Wes Welker, but fact of the matter is that the defense is going to have to step it up. The Patriots have two games with Miami and Buffalo and also play St. Louis, Oakland, Arizona, and San Francisco. Those are some of the easier teams on the their schedule and if their defense plays well and Cassel holds his own, then they should be able to win at least 6 of those games. That would give them 7 wins and they would probably need 3 more to get into the playoffs. The rest of their schedule is the Jets(2), Indianapolis, San Diego, Denver, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. I say they might be able to win 2 of those at best, which would give them 9 wins and probably keep them out of the playoffs. There is always some margin for error though and it's possible the Patriots could squeak out another victory somewhere on their schedule. So, I think it's possible the Patriots might be able to win 10 games and make the playoffs, but I wouldn't bet on it and I suspect that they will end up finishing somewhere in the 7 to 9 win range without Brady.
Indianapolis Colts: Now maybe I've underrated the Chicago Bears or maybe the Colts offensive line problems are worse than I think, but either way I think I saw something troublesome with the Colts from their Week 1 loss to the Bears. I certainly didn't expect the Bears to go into Indy and slaughter the Colts 29-13, but the Bears physically dominated the Colts on both sides of the ball and that could be a major problem for the Colts. Not only did the Bears hold Indy's run game to a measly 53 yards rushing, but they ran all over the Colts for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now the 53 yards rushing came on just 15 carries but the 183 yards they gave up to the Bears on the ground is what worries me the most about the Colts. Don't forget that this is a team that despite winning the Super Bowl 2 years ago has historically been horrible against the run. Indy also plays in the same division as Tennessee and Jacksonville, who are teams that are very similar to the Bears, yet they are both more talented. Tennessee's defense also looked very impressive in their Week 1 win over Jacksonville, racking up 7 sacks and 2 interceptions. You can count me as someone who thinks Jacksonville's poor play had a lot more to do with the Tennessee defense than the fact that Jacksonville isn't any good. You can also count me as someone who thinks the Colts are going to struggle to win the division going up against two more physical teams in Tennessee and Jacksonville if they don't become more physical themselves. Remember, you heard it here first.
AFC Super Bowl Contenders: Brady's season ending injury certainly opens things up in the AFC for Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Cleveland, and the New York Jets to potentially make a strong charge to the Super Bowl. Right now, I would be pretty surprised if the AFC Super Bowl team did not come from that group of teams I just listed. While I'm sure these teams would love to have beaten a Tom Brady led Patriots team to make it to the Super Bowl, I'm sure they won't be too upset about it when they are polishing off their Super Bowl rings 20 years from now. Brady's injury is the reason why it is pointless to make predictions before the season begins on who is going to win the Super Bowl. I like to stick with a group of teams and then go from there as the season progresses. Right now, I honestly think it is wide open and would not be surprised to see the Jets make a miracle run to the Super Bowl. It is still way too early to predict even an AFC champion, but honestly the San Diego Chargers have no excuse to not make the Super Bowl this year now that Brady is done for the season. If they don't get it done this year, I doubt they ever will.
Green Bay Packers: I saw enough from Aaron Rodgers in his first start against Minnesota to say that the Packers are going to be a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Rodgers was the biggest question mark I had with the Packers and he answered all my questions by completing 18 of 22 passes for 178 yards and 1 TD. He also ran for 35 yards and scored a TD. Now Minnesota does have a strong defense upfront, but last year their pass defense was ranked 28th in the league. So maybe they haven't improved in that area, but Rodgers looked sharp enough last night that I believe he will be a solid NFL QB. He made quite a few impressive throws and looked very comfortable in the pocket. The Packers running game was strong with Ryan Grant leading the way with 92 yards on just 12 carries and I think the defense will be solid again this season. As long as Rodgers shows the poise he did last night, then I think the Packers will be right up there with the Cowboys, Saints, Eagles, & Giants challenging for a Super Bowl berth.
Other NFL News:
- Kyle Boller is out for the season but the Ravens were still able to beat the lowly Bengals with rookie Joe Flacco at QB.
- Titans QB Vince Young sprained his knee and he will miss 2-4 weeks. I don't think this hurts the Titans too much because part of me feels like the Titans would better off with Kerry Collins as their QB anyway, even though I thought I would never say those words.
- Marion Barber had to leave Sunday's game with bruised ribs. He should be able to play with pain medication and extra padding but this definitely means rookie Felix Jones will be getting a lot more carries.
- Seattle WR Nate Burelson just the latest Seahawk wideout to get hurt and he will be out for the season after injuring his knee. Bobby Engram and Deion Branch are also hurt, so it could be a long season for Matt Hassleback and the Seahawks. Could this finally be Arizona's year?
- Another team that could be in trouble because of injuries is the Jacksonville Jaguars. They lost both of their starting Guards for the season, Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams. This is definitely bad news for the Jaguars and this could cripple any chance of them making a run for the Super Bowl. I was not that big on them as a Super Bowl team anyway and this could open things up a little more for Tennessee in the AFC South.
Fantasy Stars of the Week:
Michael Turner: 220 yards rushing, 2 TDs
Willie Parker: 138 yards rushing, 3 TDs
Donovan McNabb: 361 yards passing, 3 TDs
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups of the Week:
Eddie Royal, WE, Broncos: 9 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD
Chris Johnson, RB, Titans: 93 yards rushing, 34 yards receiving. 1 TD
Dante Rosario, TE, Panthers: 7 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD
Anthony Fasano, TE, Dolphins: 8 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD
Tom Brady: The biggest news of the day was of course that Tom Brady injured his knee and had to leave the game against the Chiefs. Unfortunately for Brady and the Patriots, his injury was determined to be season ending. Matt Cassel now becomes the Patriots starting QB, which is probably every Patriot fan's biggest nightmare. The Patriots are also going to take a look at Chris Simms, who was cut by Tampa Bay, and Tim Rattay; but I wouldn't expect either of those guys to lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl. The question now becomes can the Patriots still make the playoffs with Cassel as their QB? Cassel will have plenty of help because he gets to throw to Randy Moss and Wes Welker, but fact of the matter is that the defense is going to have to step it up. The Patriots have two games with Miami and Buffalo and also play St. Louis, Oakland, Arizona, and San Francisco. Those are some of the easier teams on the their schedule and if their defense plays well and Cassel holds his own, then they should be able to win at least 6 of those games. That would give them 7 wins and they would probably need 3 more to get into the playoffs. The rest of their schedule is the Jets(2), Indianapolis, San Diego, Denver, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. I say they might be able to win 2 of those at best, which would give them 9 wins and probably keep them out of the playoffs. There is always some margin for error though and it's possible the Patriots could squeak out another victory somewhere on their schedule. So, I think it's possible the Patriots might be able to win 10 games and make the playoffs, but I wouldn't bet on it and I suspect that they will end up finishing somewhere in the 7 to 9 win range without Brady.
Indianapolis Colts: Now maybe I've underrated the Chicago Bears or maybe the Colts offensive line problems are worse than I think, but either way I think I saw something troublesome with the Colts from their Week 1 loss to the Bears. I certainly didn't expect the Bears to go into Indy and slaughter the Colts 29-13, but the Bears physically dominated the Colts on both sides of the ball and that could be a major problem for the Colts. Not only did the Bears hold Indy's run game to a measly 53 yards rushing, but they ran all over the Colts for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now the 53 yards rushing came on just 15 carries but the 183 yards they gave up to the Bears on the ground is what worries me the most about the Colts. Don't forget that this is a team that despite winning the Super Bowl 2 years ago has historically been horrible against the run. Indy also plays in the same division as Tennessee and Jacksonville, who are teams that are very similar to the Bears, yet they are both more talented. Tennessee's defense also looked very impressive in their Week 1 win over Jacksonville, racking up 7 sacks and 2 interceptions. You can count me as someone who thinks Jacksonville's poor play had a lot more to do with the Tennessee defense than the fact that Jacksonville isn't any good. You can also count me as someone who thinks the Colts are going to struggle to win the division going up against two more physical teams in Tennessee and Jacksonville if they don't become more physical themselves. Remember, you heard it here first.
AFC Super Bowl Contenders: Brady's season ending injury certainly opens things up in the AFC for Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Cleveland, and the New York Jets to potentially make a strong charge to the Super Bowl. Right now, I would be pretty surprised if the AFC Super Bowl team did not come from that group of teams I just listed. While I'm sure these teams would love to have beaten a Tom Brady led Patriots team to make it to the Super Bowl, I'm sure they won't be too upset about it when they are polishing off their Super Bowl rings 20 years from now. Brady's injury is the reason why it is pointless to make predictions before the season begins on who is going to win the Super Bowl. I like to stick with a group of teams and then go from there as the season progresses. Right now, I honestly think it is wide open and would not be surprised to see the Jets make a miracle run to the Super Bowl. It is still way too early to predict even an AFC champion, but honestly the San Diego Chargers have no excuse to not make the Super Bowl this year now that Brady is done for the season. If they don't get it done this year, I doubt they ever will.
Green Bay Packers: I saw enough from Aaron Rodgers in his first start against Minnesota to say that the Packers are going to be a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Rodgers was the biggest question mark I had with the Packers and he answered all my questions by completing 18 of 22 passes for 178 yards and 1 TD. He also ran for 35 yards and scored a TD. Now Minnesota does have a strong defense upfront, but last year their pass defense was ranked 28th in the league. So maybe they haven't improved in that area, but Rodgers looked sharp enough last night that I believe he will be a solid NFL QB. He made quite a few impressive throws and looked very comfortable in the pocket. The Packers running game was strong with Ryan Grant leading the way with 92 yards on just 12 carries and I think the defense will be solid again this season. As long as Rodgers shows the poise he did last night, then I think the Packers will be right up there with the Cowboys, Saints, Eagles, & Giants challenging for a Super Bowl berth.
Other NFL News:
- Kyle Boller is out for the season but the Ravens were still able to beat the lowly Bengals with rookie Joe Flacco at QB.
- Titans QB Vince Young sprained his knee and he will miss 2-4 weeks. I don't think this hurts the Titans too much because part of me feels like the Titans would better off with Kerry Collins as their QB anyway, even though I thought I would never say those words.
- Marion Barber had to leave Sunday's game with bruised ribs. He should be able to play with pain medication and extra padding but this definitely means rookie Felix Jones will be getting a lot more carries.
- Seattle WR Nate Burelson just the latest Seahawk wideout to get hurt and he will be out for the season after injuring his knee. Bobby Engram and Deion Branch are also hurt, so it could be a long season for Matt Hassleback and the Seahawks. Could this finally be Arizona's year?
- Another team that could be in trouble because of injuries is the Jacksonville Jaguars. They lost both of their starting Guards for the season, Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams. This is definitely bad news for the Jaguars and this could cripple any chance of them making a run for the Super Bowl. I was not that big on them as a Super Bowl team anyway and this could open things up a little more for Tennessee in the AFC South.
Fantasy Stars of the Week:
Michael Turner: 220 yards rushing, 2 TDs
Willie Parker: 138 yards rushing, 3 TDs
Donovan McNabb: 361 yards passing, 3 TDs
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups of the Week:
Eddie Royal, WE, Broncos: 9 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD
Chris Johnson, RB, Titans: 93 yards rushing, 34 yards receiving. 1 TD
Dante Rosario, TE, Panthers: 7 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD
Anthony Fasano, TE, Dolphins: 8 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD
More: NFL & NFL Weekly
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