RealGM Analysis
NFC
• The Ted Thompson - Green Bay Packers
“This week they were going up against a rather punch-less Saints’ pass rush, but I don’t care. In the NFL you play who you play and if an offensive lineman shuts down his opponent that’s all you can ask for. More impressively, these two were able to put their nightmarish start to the season behind them for at least a game and a half now and create a cleaner pocket for Aaron Rodgers to pass in. That deserves some praise at the very least.”
(via Devin Shanley/Acme Packing Company)
• The Phil Emery - Chicago Bears
“The offensive line faced a formidable task Monday in protecting Jay Cutler against the No. 1 ranked defense of the Dallas Cowboys, led by linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who was expected to give left tackle J’Marcus Webb more than he could handle.
“For the most part, however, the Bears held up in protection, allowing just two sacks and very little in the way of pressure. Ware managed to notch a sack. But Cutler helped with the protection by stepping up into pocket or sidestepping rushers and delivering the ball quickly. Offensive coordinator Mike Tice also helped by calling a game in which the Bears first established the run, before going to the air. Tice put in plays that called for shorter drops and quicker passes, in addition to a few designed bootlegs that allowed Cutler to throw on the move. “
• The Martin Mayhew - Detroit Lions
“For the second week in a row, the Detroit Lions surrendered both a kickoff return and punt return for touchdowns.
“On Sunday's opening kickoff, Minnesota Vikings return man Percy Harvin fielded the ball deep in his own end zone, started left to right, found a seam inside and quickly turned it up field, taking it back 105 yards untouched.
"The ineptitude of the special teams units has typically mild-mannered kicker Jason Hanson angry."
• The Rick Spielman - Minnesota Vikings
“Christian Ponder did a lot better job IMO moving into and around the pocket. Rollouts are OK here and there but I just don't like seeing a QB do it all the time. At least to my eye, I didn't see him move from phantom pressure this game (which it seems like he did the last 3 games at least once), and considering the nightmare that Detroit's front line can be, I think he reacted admirably.”
• The Jerry Jones - Dallas Cowboys
“Tony Romo is not the problem so don’t even start with blaming this loss all on him. The Cowboys quarterback made three mistakes Monday night and that was being careless with the football on the Lance Briggs touchdown return and the two fourth-quarter interceptions. Those plays obviously hurt the Cowboys but they weren’t the sole reason for this loss. Yes, Romo deserves blame, but not all of it.
“Romo and Dez Bryant have to get on the same page. I can’t see the Cowboys ever reaching the postseason until that happens. Bryant had his second career 100-yard game Monday night but it could’ve easily been a 200-yard game if he would’ve hauled in a few more very catchable balls. The two weren’t on the same page on Romo’s first interception. Romo signaled to Bryant before the snap, Bryant nodded. But the two weren’t running the same play. Bryant ran deep and Romo threw short. The result: Pick-six."
(via Jon Machota/Dallas Morning News)
• The Jerry Reese - New York Giants
“Yes, the rookie first-round pick (David Wilson) seems like a jittery, unreliable mess right now lined up in the backfield. As a kickoff returner, though? What an incredible weapon! I can't remember the Giants ever having a night like returning kickoffs during the Tom Coughlin era as head coach. Wilson returned six kickoffs for an average of 36 yards per return. He had returns of 36, 48, 45, 53 and 37 yards. For reference, the Giants had one kickoff return of longer than 40 yards all of last season. Wilson already has three, and is averaging 30.2 yards per return."
(via Ed Valentine/Big Blue View)
• The Howie Roseman - Philadelphia Eagles
“Make no mistake about it- last nights game was huge for Michael Vick. It was a turning point in this young season- could Vick rebound and deliver a solid performance without turning the ball over? The answer last night, as he managed the game to perfection, was a resounding yes. Vick finished the night only 19/30 for 241 yards and a touchdown, but the fact that he got that much behind an offensive line that was getting absolutely dominated by the Giants is a miracle. Vick was running for his life on most plays, but unlike the past few weeks, Vick did a great job of knowing when it tuck it and run, and when to just throw it away. There was no across he body passes or throws into triple coverage. If Vick can play this style of game- not dominating or flashy, but effective and simple- the Eagles are going to be a very hard team to beat.
(via Eliot Shorr Parks/Bleeding Green Nation)
• The Bruce Allen - Washington Redskins
“You knew the kid was talented, and he had shown he was capable of moving the ball late in games. But what Griffin did against the Buccaneers under extreme pressure — with the radio in his helmet having gone out, the game on the line, only one time out (which was needed for a field goal try) – was impressive. Running the Redskins’ no-huddle offense and calling plays on his own, Griffin moved his team right downfield. He completed three consecutive passes, and then ripped off a 15-yard run and spiked the ball. Kory Lichtensteiger jumped offsides, moving the ball back five yards, but Griffin remained calm (teammates said he acted just like he did on the opening possession of the game) and completed a seven-yard pass to Santana Moss in the middle of the field, setting Cundiff up for a 41-yard field goal. In addition to that poise, Griffin put up impressive numbers again, completing 26 of 35 passes for 323 yards, and rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. The other aspect about his performance that stood out was, after running a lot of option plays and shot-gun and pistol formation schemes in the first three games, Griffin got the job done in a more traditional-style offense. He looked just as comfortable in that attack as he did running the schemes that the Redskins implemented from his Baylor days. You keep thinking that eventually, Griffin will have a rookielike performance. But not yet.”
(via Mike Jones/Washington Post)
• The Trent Baalke - San Francisco 49ers
“The Jets’ 12 possessions ended with seven punts, four turnovers and a blocked punt, and their rushing total (45 yards) barely surpassed the passer rating of quarterback Mark Sanchez (39.9). After a hiccup in the previous Sunday’s loss at Minnesota, this unit returned to form. Aldon Smith (two sacks), cornerback Carlos Rogers (two fumble recoveries) and the duo of Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (18 combined tackles) played starring roles.”
(via Eric Branch/San Francisco Chronicle)
• The John Schneider - Seattle Seahawks
“Seattle's defensive ends had no sacks in the game despite the fact St. Louis was starting backup Wayne Hunter at left tackle. Quarterback Sam Bradford didn't spend much time in the pocket, getting the ball out quick.”
(via Danny O’Neil/Seattle Times)
• The Rod Graves - Arizona Cardinals
“After the Miami Dolphins’ fourth-ranked run defense stifled the Cardinals to just 20 yards on the ground in the first half, it was time to regroup. Miami knew it could stop the Cardinals on the ground and it dared the home team to win Sunday’s game through the air.
“That’s exactly what the Cardinals did, improving to 4-0 with a 24-21 win in overtime at University of Phoenix Stadium.
“If there was anyone who benefitted from the Cardinals’ change in offensive philosophy mid-game it was Andre Roberts, who finished with 118 yards on six receptions and a career-high two touchdowns in his first multi-score game since college.”
(via Josh Weinfuss/AZCardinals.com)
• The Les Snead - St. Louis Rams
“The Rams averaged just 2.8 yards on 27 rushing attempts, which is even less than the 3.8 yards per carry Seattle's defense was allowing coming into this game. Thankfully, the Rams stuck with the run in spite of the stats to help the line in pass protection.”
(via Ryan Van Bibber/Turf Show Times)
• The Thomas Dimitroff - Atlanta Falcons
“Matt Ryan had been hit and hurried an absurd number of times. The offensive line, for all its problems, just needed to hold up one more time. Roddy White said Matt Ryan told him he was going to launch the ball as far as he could, and he needed him to go get it.
“Boy, did he ever. In a pass that went nearly 70 yards in the air, Roddy White's catch was a testament to the kind of player that he still is. In a year where Julio Jones received a ton of hype in the preseason, Roddy White continued to be the top 10 (5, even) that he's been for the past few seasons.”
(via Caleb Rutherford/The Falcoholic)
• The Marty Hurney - Carolina Panthers
“The most encouraging thing from Sunday's game was the emergence of the Panthers pass rush. They were facing an offensive line in Atlanta who have done an excellent job this season keeping Matt Ryan protected, and yet they looked completely over-matched by Carolina's defensive ends. (Sunday) was Charles Johnson's breakout game for the 2012 season. Finishing with eight tackles, and 3.5 sacks, Johnson was the thorn in Atlanta's side for much of the game. He was consistently impacting plays, and was all over the field.”
(via James Dator/Cat Scratch Reader)
• The Mickey Loomis - New Orleans Saints
“The Saints' pass rush was horrible against the Packers. New Orleans' defensive line failed to generate any consistent pressure on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had been sacked a league high 16 times coming into the game.
“But no Saints players were able to beat Green Bay tackles Marshall Newhouse and Bryan Bulaga.
“Despite having placed an emphasis on disrupting the Packers' passing attack, the Saints failed to record a sack.”
(via Nakia Hogan/The Times-Picayune)
• The Mark Dominik - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“Josh Freeman is working in a new offense with new players around him and a new philosophy. None of that accounts for accuracy. Freeman has always been inaccurate in the intermediate routes (15-20 yds) and he isn't getting better. “If anything, he's getting more inaccurate because of he continues to throw behind the wide outs.
“Freeman is at least developing touch on his deep ball but he doesn't use the big gun until desperate times call for desperate measures.
“Free is also struggling with his decision making to run. He doesn't slide when he should and then he slides when he shouldn't.
“It's disturbing as Freeman appears to have regressed all the way back to his rookie season. QB coach Ron Turner and Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan are going to have to build the fourth year quarterback from the ground up.”
(via JC DeLaTorre/Bucs Nation)
AFC
• The Bill Belichick - New England Patriots
“I liked how the Patriots stashed rookie free-agent running back Brandon Bolden on the roster. Starting tailback Stevan Ridley and backup Shane Vereen were garnering all of the headlines in training camp. But Bolden quietly impressed the Patriots and made the 53-man roster. New England didn't use Bolden much in the first three weeks and suddenly unleashed him against the Buffalo Bills. Bolden led New England with 137 yards and a touchdown. There was little film on Bolden and he caught the Bills off guard.”
• The Mike Tannenbaum - New York Jets
“Finding winners from this game was a tough task, but LaRon Landry continues to play well for the Jets. He had seven tackles and a pass defended. He was part of limiting 49ers tight end Vernon Davis to two catches on the day. GM Mike Tannenbaum is taking a lot of shots right now, but Landry was a good signing.”
(via Brian Costello/New York Post)
• The Buddy Nix - Buffalo Bills
“Chan Gailey endorsed defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt's schemes for Sunday's 52-28 loss to the New England Patriots in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“The Bills allowed 33 first downs, 19 of them on the ground and surrendered 580 total yards. The Patriots trailed by two touchdowns in the third quarter before scoring 45 more points.”
• The Jeff Ireland - Miami Dolphins
“Mike Sherman's play-calling puzzled me in crunch time again this week. Last week the Dolphins offensive coordinator went away from the running game in the fourth quarter and they blew a lead.
“This week, the Dolphins had a 21-14 lead with 3:45 to play. The team just converted a first down on two running plays. Sherman runs on first down again. Then on second down and eight from the Arizona 43 yard line he runs again, right?. It only makes sense against a defense that was blitzing right up the middle all day, right? You want to run clock, right?
“Nope. Sherman called a pass."
(via Armando Salguero/Miami Herald)
• The Kevin Colbret - Pittsburgh Steelers
“(Rashard) Mendenhall, the leading rusher for the past three seasons, provides hope to the NFL's second-worst rushing attack (65.0 yards per game). But he's definitely not a guaranteed solution.
“Even general manager Kevin Colbert said in February that the Steelers weren't counting on Mendenhall for the 2012 season because he had ACL surgery in January. This isn't like Adrian Peterson coming back and giving you 84 yards rushing in his first game from knee surgery. Peterson is an athletic freak of nature.
“Mendenhall, though, will make the Steelers' run game better (yes, I know, it really can't get much worse). For the past three seasons, Mendenhall gave the Steelers a middle-of-the-pack ground game. He averaged 70.4 yards rushing per game and scored 29 touchdowns. Over those three seasons, the Steelers' run game was ranked: 19th, 11th and 14th.”
• The Ozzie Newsome - Baltimore Ravens
“The passing game has come along nicely and quarterback Joe Flacco his the leading passer in the AFC. Most of our offensive weapons have been able to contribute on some level or another from Deonte Thompson returning kick-offs and Jacoby Jones proving his worth on offense to the usual suspects like Ray Rice and And Anquan Bioldin doing their thing year in and out. The two biggest surprises with the offense have been the emergence of Joe Flacco and his chemistry with second year receiver Torrey Smith who is playing like a true number one receiver and at a Pro Bowl level.
“Yes everyone on the offense seems to be clicking, the biggest problem so far has been the offensive line.”
• The Mike Brown - Cincinnati Bengals
“BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 26 carries for 82 yards, but everyone remembers the fumble he had in the end zone midway through the third quarter. The running game needs to establish more consistency but Green-Ellis also needs to practice better ball security. Nice blocks by Kevin Zeitler and Andre Smith on Dalton’s 1-yard TD sneak during the second quarter.”
(via Joe Reedy/Cincinnati Enquirer)
• The Tom Heckert - Cleveland Browns
“The Browns' run game is still very pedestrian. While Trent Richardson did have a much better outing this week against the Ravens than he did at home against the Bills, this team still needs more of from him. We know what he's capable of from the game against the Bengals. Cleveland needs more of those kinds of performances. With Shurmur at the helm, the scheme isn't likely to change. Richardson has to make plays. Short yardage goal-line touchdowns are good, but game long rushes for only six and seven yards is disappointing.”
(via Jon Steinchomb/Dawgs By Nature)
• The Rick Smith - Houston Texans
“One secret to J.J. Watt’s success is that the Texans have so many terrific players on defense, it’s difficult for offenses to double-team him."
“A lot of Watt’s success came against Titans guard Leroy Harris, who wasn’t all that impressed.
““(Watt) is not anything special,” Harris said. “He’s just persistent at what he does. And if you use bad technique, he’ll exploit. I locked him down most the game except those two plays (sacks).””
(via John McClain/Houston Chronicle)
• The Ryan Grigson - Indianapolis Colts
“Reggie Wayne, 33, is the longest-tenured Colts player — he was the 30th overall pick in the 2001 draft — but there’s little evidence of his talent declining. Wayne’s 23 receptions are tied for the fourth-most in the NFL, and the most he’s had after three games in his 12-year career.”
(via Mike Chappell/Indianapolis Star)
• The Gene Smith - Jacksonville Jaguars
“What is likely to ultimately cost Gene Smith is job however, is just poor roster construction overall. The problems on the Jaguars when Gene Smith took over were long-term answer at the quarterback position, the wide receiver position, and a pass rush. In the fourth year of the "four-year plan" the problems on the Jaguars are still long-term answer at quarterback, the wide receiver position, and a pass rush.
“Not counting the 2012 draft, because it's still even a bit early to judge that one, Gene Smith has netted just two players who I consider "good". Left tackle Eugene Monroe and cornerback Derek Cox. Outside of those two players, the draft picks have been average to poor, across the board.”
(via Alfie Crow/Big Cat Country)
• The Ruston Webster - Tennessee Titans
“Tennessee entered the game with the worst rushing attack in the league, while the unbeaten Texans were ranked fifth against the run.
“But Chris Johnson and the Titans had by far their most productive running game of the season despite the one-sided loss. Johnson’s 141 yards marked the first time in nine contests he went over 100 yards.
“Titans coach Mike Munchak said one big reason for the output was the number of carries. Johnson ran 25 times against the Texans, as opposed to the 33 combined carries he’d had in his first three contests.”
(via John Glennon/The Tennessean)
• The Reggie McKenzie - Oakland Raiders
“How is it Dennis Allen has no clue how to attack his former team and head coach? Did he over think things? Did John Fox pull a double switch on him? Who knows, but Allen was completely outcoached by his former head coach.”
(via Levi Damien/Silver and Black Pride)
• The John Elway - Denver Broncos
“The Broncos dominated this game, amassing over 500 yards of Offense. At one point, Peyton Manning had 11 straight completions. He finished with 338 yards passing and a 130.0 Rating.
“Willis McGahee ran for 112 yards and a score, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Demaryius Thomas had a fumble while attempting to transfer the ball to his outside hand during a long run off a quick screen pass, but rebounded to have another 100+ yard day with 5 catches for 103 yards. More importantly, he only had one drop.
“Eric Decker finished with 7 receptions for 79 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown catch.
“Ronnie Hillman got some extensive playing time during the mop up period and finished with 10 carries for 31 yards and two catches for another 32 yards, showing a little sample of why he was drafted.”
• The Scott Pioli - Kansas City Chiefs
“There is a very strong argument to be made that Scott Pioli should be canned. He’s made many mistakes since taking over as GM. He was wrong about Matt Cassel. He was wrong about Todd Haley. He reached for Tyson Jackson. He whiffed on nearly the entire 2009 draft. He indirectly traded Tony Gonzalez for Javier Arenas. For a man that preaches organizational stability, he’s allowed a revolving door at offensive coordinator and two head coaches in less than four years. He was exposed and embarrassed in an article by former Kansas City Star reporter and columnist Kent Babb, for running a work environment that was unpleasant and according to some accounts, abusive.”
(via Patrick Allen/Arrowhead Addict)
• The A.J. Smith - San Diego Chargers
“This is the defense they said they could be. This is the defensive coordinator he said he would be.
“Certainly not six takeaways every game, but playing with abandon, forcing the action.
“Not since Shawne Merriman was healthy and Shaun Phillips was younger and Antonio Cromartie’s talent outweighed his folly have the Chargers had this kind of ability coursing throughout their defense.
““We haven’t had a lot of playmakers in the past few years,” outside linebacker Phillips said. “Now we’ve got so many guys that can come in and generate plays.”
“Speed and athleticism are the ingredients for game-changing plays on defense. And after a week of straying, of playing soft out of respect for the offense they were facing, first-year coordinator John Pagano cooked up a beautiful dish of turnover surprise.”
