Knowshon Moreno, Donovan McNabb, Mike Shanahan and David Garrard enter pivotal seasons where they will be scrutinized if they do not perform at a high level.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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$.01--The Lions fall prey once again, getting bombarded by the Saints 45-27. Strangely enough, even though this sure looks like more of the ?same old Lions?, this one had a different feel to it. Under Rod Marinelli and Matt Millen, every game felt like watching a college game between a 1-AA team and a BCS powerhouse; the disparity in talent and player development was stark and often embarrassing. This game was more palatable for my fellow Lions fans. The talent in Detroit is greatly improved and it shows.
It?s also very inexperienced and prone to those types of mistakes.
Matt Stafford looked like what you?d expect from a #1 overall pick in his first game as a rookie--flashes of greatness interspersed with bad decisions. Two things stood out in his favor: he isn?t afraid to stand in and take a hit, and his teammates clearly like him and respond to him. That hasn?t been the case in Detroit since at least Rodney Peete, probably earlier. An experienced, high-powered team like New Orleans was a terrible matchup for opening week, and this Lions team looks like they might actually be fun to watch grow into something.
$.02--Anyone still want to take umbrage with my assertion that Jay Cutler makes too many mistakes for the way the Bears like to play both offense and defense? Anyone still want to question my belief that Lovie Smith is just not a good NFL coach? Your QB is obviously struggling and over his head, getting little help from either his receivers or his line, you?ve got a fantastic, versatile RB in Matt Forte, and you keep throwing and throwing and throwing? When did Mike Martz become the Chicago offensive coordinator? That direct-snap punt snafu, and the ensuing challenge, are the stuff of fired coaches. Nobody in Chicago would digest even the slightest critique of their team all summer, and I have the emails to prove it after I picked them to go 9-7 and miss the playoffs because of a shaky defense (which looked good) and ignoring Cutler?s warts. I?ve said it before, but it bears repeating: nobody ever lets go of a franchise QB without good reason. The management in Denver might be in over their heads, but they?re not stupid--and they?re 1-0 thanks to Kyle Orton.
$.03--Carolina might seriously regret not addressing the QB situation this past offseason. I?ve defended Jake Delhomme more vigorously than anyone, but surely Panthers GM Marty Hurney had to take into account Jake?s advancing age, rebuilt elbow, and propensity for epic clunker games. This was the year to draft a QB in the later rounds to groom, instead of hoping that Matt Moore will all of the sudden transform from pumpkin to prom queen. This is a make-or-break year for both Hurney and Coach John Fox, and they were right to stand by Delhomme. But failing to improve the backup plan could be a tragic blunder, and even if they survive this season, they have already dealt next year?s 1st round pick away. Paging Jeff Garcia!
$.04--In general, offensive play seemed sloppier and more uncoordinated than in previous openers. That can?t help but make me think of the cries for less preseason games and how those two just don?t mesh. NFL fans want sharp action from Week 1 through Week 17, and the preseason is supposed to be the time to iron out the kinks, master the timing, build line cohesion, etc. It?s clear that is not the case for far too many teams. If anything, opening week should be sharper because of the weeks of practice without much interruption for game-specific planning, plus the adrenaline of finally playing for something meaningful. Defenses are way ahead of the offenses this year overall, and that portends bad things for teams that are overly reliant on outscoring the opponent rather than keeping the opponent from outscoring them. I?m looking at you, Houston, Arizona, and Denver (even though they won). If the offenses spent more preseason time harmonizing their tunes instead of just trying to not get hurt, then the shorter preseason would be justified. But when an alleged high-octane offense like the Texans (or the lower-grade Dolphins, also way out of whack) spends week one blowing blocks up front, and with little synchronicity between QB and receivers, maybe four preseason games is too few.
$.05--Pittsburgh and Tennessee both looked very much like Super Bowl contenders in the Thursday opener. It was a beautiful defensive battle between two hard-hitting, familiar combatants that epitomizes why so many people like me love football. Sure, 45-27 games are entertaining, but for me there is no better football than a 13-10 slug-fest where every yard of field position matters, every block is critical, every coaching decision magnified. So many people wonder why there are Steelers fans everywhere, but this game--on top of a similar Super Bowl--is a great demonstration of why so many people don the black and gold. Not everyone garnered their love of football by playing 50-48 games on Madden, and the NFL would be wise to remember that.
$.06--How?s that Wildcat package working out? In my scattershot perusal of games at the sports bar, I saw several instances where teams tried some variation of the en vogue Wildcat. Not once did the play gain a yard. Defenses are more than ready for it, as coaches have had a full offseason to go back to their middle school era and recall how easy it was to defend way back then. Another week where Miami, the progenitors of this craze, gets negative net yards from the Wildcat, and where Minnesota, Cleveland and Philadelphia do the same again, and this fad will go the way of Vanilla Ice and the Macarena. Thankfully.
$.07--My favorite highlight of the week: Atlanta?s John Abraham absolutely destroying Miami?s Jake Long for a sack. Long is a very good left tackle, but Abraham put on a stunning power move that knocked Long backwards onto his keister. It?s very rare to see a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle get so thoroughly whipped on a play. Abraham had a monster game, bagging two sacks and drawing so much attention that Kory Beirman also netted two while rushing from the other side. If that keeps up for Atlanta, and there?s no reason other than Abraham?s health to think it won?t, Atlanta isn?t going to fall back near as far as many people expect. The Dolphins on the other hand...
$.08:--Non-football thought of the week--this weekend was an exceptional example of why famous people make terrible role models. Serena Williams? complete lack of dignity and respect for authority, Kayne West?s egregious behavior at the Video Music Awards, and Michael Jordan?s classless Hall of Fame act (he walked out on Peter Vescey?s admittedly awful speech) all furthered Charles Barkley?s assertion that athletes are not role models. We wonder why young people today act like vapid miscreants, yet when three of the most popular ?role models? exhibit such asinine behavior, it?s not so hard to see.
$.09--I?m a Buckeye lifer and the pain of all these losses in big games is getting old. It?s time to start evaluating coach Jim Tressel with a brighter microscope. Plain and simple, his decisions cost Ohio State a win over USC. Eschewing his normal hyper-conservatism that makes him the vanilla Sean Hannity of the BCS, Tressel opts to call two high-risk throws heading into halftime. That gave USC enough time to get the ball back, drive down and kick a game-tying field goal. Deciding to kick the FG on 4th & goal from inside the two despite having little success running the ball and the Buckeye defense firing on all cylinders even if the offense fails, that?s just not sound coaching. Any time you can pin a true freshman QB at his own one-year line with your defensive line dominating the game, you take that chance even if it means perhaps leaving three points off the scoreboard. Where other coaches make successful in-game tweaks to the gameplan, Tressel stands pat and fails to counter those moves. I love the Sweater Vest for what he?s accomplished, but it could be so much greater.
By popular demand, every week?s tenth cent will feature a scouting report on a collegian.
$.10: Scouting Report--Dan Lefevour, QB, Central Michigan. 6?3?, 230, 4.7ish 40. Extremely prolific shotgun-spread passer with a distinct stylistic similarity to Vince Young. Very mobile, loves to throw on the run and move the pocket. Extremely accurate on shorter passes and initial read routes. Plays without fear both as a runner and a thrower, very confident. Feels pressure well and can make things happen when the initial play breaks down. Good leader. Has adequate arm strength but tends to float balls esp. to his right. Forces too many throws. Impatient on progressing through reads, appears too easily flustered and too quick to improvise. Inconsistent mechanics and delivery points. Needs a lot of work on his footwork while throwing. Gets too much air under deeper throws. Can be baited by clever defenses.
Overall: a slightly slower, smaller Vince Young with many of the same attributes, both positive and negative. Has made little progress over his time in Mt. Pleasant despite being the MAC?s all-time yardage leader. Needs at least one year of solid NFL coaching but has enough upside and obvious physical skills to merit a 4th-5th round pick. Probably a career backup.
Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com
Catch me every Monday at 5:05 ET, 2:05 PT with Papa Joe Chevalier at papajoetalk.com
