411's NFL Round Up 9.16.08: Week 2 Edition

Posted by Emmett Wilks on 09.16.2008

Week 2 in the NFL proved even more wild than the first, with bad calls, upset wins, and suprising teams coming out of no where. All this, plus a look at the worst organization in the NFL! It's all in this week's edition of the NFL Round Up!

Well, that was quite a weekend of NFL action. Back and forth games to go along with upsets galore. New teams are rising, and good ones are falling. Just another crazy weekend for the NFL. One brief bit on college football, as this weekend's "big game" turned out to be a drubbing with USC running all over Ohio State 35-3. After seeing this game, I honest believe that this is the best USC team coach Pete Carroll has fielded yet. Of course no one, not even Joe McKnight is as good as Reggie Bush, but the depth of skill players and the linebacking core is simply amazing. It may be way too soon, but this is your BCS champion team right here. But this is an NFL column, so, onto the Round Up!


QUICK NOTES


Justin Tuck is an absolute beast of a defensive end. The Giants starter, who was a rotating player until this season following the retirement of Michael Strahan, has been completely dominant in the first two games of the season. Three sacks on nine tackles, an interception return for a touchdown, and leading a defensive line that may be the best in the league. I predicted going into the year that the defense would have few problems, and the trouble would be on offense. Thus far, I was right on the defense, and seemingly wrong on offense (it was the Rams, so we'll still wait and see). But credit is must be given, and Tuck deserves it in bunches right now.

Truly, serious, is it at all possible, in any way shape or form, for Terrell Owens to ever learn how to shut up! With the big Monday night game against the Eagles, TO said in an interview that his fallout with the Eagles organization and specifically quarterback Donovan McNabb came because he, TO, was too popular with the folks in Philly, causing McNabb to have strong jealousy. I am not even going to get into whether this is right or wrong. OK, real quick, TO's wrong. But the most important thing is that this was THREE YEARS ago, and TO just cannot keep his mouth shut.

Can anyone out there have asked any more of what Aaron Rodgers has done in his first two starts for the Green Bay Packers? Over the course of the season's first two games, Rodgers has tossed 4 touchdowns, 506 yards, 0 INT's, and has a QB rating of 117.8. Now, it is unfair to say he is totally outshining Brett Favre, as Favre is in an entire new system in New York. But Rodgers has dealt with the pressure and scrutiny entering this season better than anyone had the right to expect.


You cannot have asked for a better start to a season than what Aaron Rodgers has done thus far in Green Bay

With 277 consecutive starts (including playoffs), Brett Favre had a 276 games of starting experience over Matt Cassel this weekend. If there has ever been a bigger disparity in the level of experience between two signal callers entering a game, I cannot think of one. And the craziest thing, it didn't matter by the time the game was up.

The new virtual reality feature used on ESPN's NFL Countdown show is really freaking cool. Necessary? Absolutely not. But as a fun and innovate way to explain some of the fundamentals of the game, I haven't seen anything quite like it in my life.

Larry Johnson has been very vocal about his situation in Kansas City, going as far to say
. "I've got to sit back and figure that the writing is on the wall, that this season or next season could be my last season as a Chief, I don't know. But obviously if they're making personnel changes now and I'm not even in for any of the snaps to (try to) help win this game, then that pretty much says it all. I'm not dumb. I know what's going on. I sense what's going on. Nobody should run the ball if it isn't me. I always felt that way. If I'm not getting the ball, then I should be tired. If I'm not tired and I'm not getting the ball, then there's something going on. I've just got to deal with it."
There is nothing in that little diatribe that I can argue with. Johnson has the capability to be among the best in the league. He's already proven that. With just 12 carries and 22 yards, and his team in the football game against the Raiders for most of Sunday, Johnson can, and in my opinion should be vocal about the frustrations.

In my time watching football, I don't know if I've ever seen a secondary leave so many wide receivers WIDE open than the St. Louis Rams have done in the last two weeks. Against the Eagles and Giants, both teams with very good QB's, they have allowed 673 yards in air and 6 touchdowns. There were almost no improvements from week 1 to week 2. The Rams can generate an ok, but not great, pass rush, but the secondary in so often out of position, missing assignments, and getting caught in mismatches that they have no chance of being successful. This is a disaster everyone is culpable of; players, coaches, and management. With coach Scott Linehan's job looking to be in the air, a good deal of the blame needs to fall on him, but a coach cannot take all the blame if he tells a player what to do, and they just cannot remember, or refuse to do it. A sad state for a team that just 6 short seasons ago seemed utterly invincible.

Bashing Reggie Bush has been a popular thing for many, but he is starting to find his stride as an NFL player. Bush will never be the traditional, between the tackles running back. But he possesses a big play ability that has been key for the Saints thus far. So far, he has two 40+ yards touchdowns, one off a reception, and the other off a punt return. He is averaging 155 yards from scrimmage thus far. Bush is not, and likely will never be a Marshall Faulk type running back. But that's OK. His big play style is still a tremendous contribution to the Saints team.

After an amazing opening week, Falcons QB Matt Ryan came back down to Earth in Week 2. His 13-for-33, 158 yards, 4 times sacked and 2 interception performance seemed to fit the rookie trend quite nicely. I am a big fan of Ryan's, and really believe he has great potential with the Falcons. But there are very, very important lessons that are learned from getting smacked around like this. Games like these, especially in your rookie year, are essential in the QB building process, and Ryan took one on the chin. Now, learn, grow, and be better for it. With Ryan, I think it's a safe bet he will be strong for this.


WEEK 2 BREAKDOWN

Game of the Week

Redskins 29 Saints 24

I wish I could say Chargers-Broncos, but the ending left a really sour taste on the whole game, which was great. But I have to go with the back and forth battle with the Saints and Redskins. Multiple lead changes, a fourth quarter comeback by the Redskins, and two teams vying for better position in the NFC. Santana Moss had a spectacular game with 7 catches for 164 yards and a 67 reception for a TD. Great game.


Player of the Week

Darren McFadden- RB Oakland Raiders

Got to give the rookie the honor for the second week, this time with McFadden, who rushed for 164 yards on 21 carries and a 50 yard TD run. Making this even more impressive was he received zero help from the passing game, as quarterback JaMarcus Russell had a pathetic 6-for-17, 55 yard game. Granted, all of this came against the Chiefs, who will be competing with the Rams as the NFL's worst team this season, but a great performance nonetheless.

Runner Up-

JT O'Sullivan- 49er's QB tossed 321 yards and a TD in an upset of the Seahawks.

Jay Cutler- Broncos QB is establishing himself as one of the games elites; for his part Sunday, he passed for 350 yards, 4 TD's and a game winning 2 point conversion in a controversial game.

Santana Moss- Skins wide out was the big play maker who may have saved the season for Washington in the big win over New Orleans. Caught 7 passes for 164 yards and a TD.

Bust of the Week

Referee Ed Hochuli


Perhaps the worst call in the history of modern football

No two ways about it, it very well may be the worst call the NFL has seen in the television era on Sunday at the Chargers-Denver game. Trailing 38-31 with 1:18 in the fourth, Denver QB Jay Cutler clearly, I mean totally and completely obviously, fumbled the ball while at the Chargers. I sincerely hope this will be the last time we have any official on this list.

Runner Up-

Braylon Edwards

Just three catches for 32 yards and two bad drops was a big factor in stifling the Browns offense for the second consecutive week. Bad weather and QB Derek Anderson's continued accuracy issues didn't help, but Edwards is much better than what he is showing.

Biggest Surprise

The 2-0 Bills are making the AFC East a tight race. Solid defense, great special teams, and good, opportunistic offense has carried them. QB Trent Edwards has been excellent, the special teams are probably the best in the NFL, and the defense is playing with gusto thus far. I always like a surprise team, and the Bills may be the new kids on the block this year.

Lest Surprising Development

Don't lie. Even as Minnesota's Adrian Peterson was running wild, and the Colts offense was doing next to nothing for nearly three quarters, you just knew that Peyton Manning would not be shut out. Facing a potential 0-2 start, Manning led the Colts to 18 unanswered points and a 18-15 victory against the Vikings. This is just how great Manning really is. No matter how long and how bad they look, he can keep any team in a football game. Amazing.

A NATION IN CHAOS


Al Davis is in complete control, and complete denial as head of the Oakland Raiders

There is just no more sugar coating of the situation. The Oakland Raiders franchise is in complete and utter disarray. Not a group of players, not the coaching staff or management. From the very top to the bottom rung, Raider Nation has become a land in chaos and panic. A new clock has begun on when, not if, but when coach Lane Kiffin will be fired by owner/Raider God Al Davis. Kiffin is just in his second season with the Raiders. According to sources, his fate had been decided after a Wednesday news conference when he said

"We don't have a general manager; everything goes through the owner that sets up a difficult situation at times. Knowing who the owner is, you know from Day 1 there's no job security."

This came after he criticized Davis and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for, as Kiffin contends, shutting him out of defensive strategy for games. Ryan in turn defended himself and the owner in a 20 minute, profanity laced interview last Thursday, taking responsibility for the situation. But in this dysfunctional family, everyone has a bit of blame. This is not a Mike Ditka/Buddy Ryan situation. These guys have not earned what those guys earned at any point in their careers, but the rivalry Much of the animosity with Kiffin from Davis started last year when he expressed interest in the University of Arkansas job. Since then, there has been a definite divide between the owner, his defensive coordinator and the head coach. Kiffin also did the big no-no of criticizing the owner, in public. Speaking openly and honestly in very important, and I certainly encourage it, but Kiffin needs to know when he is biting the hand that feeds him. Everyone has some part of the blame in this mess. Much of it starts with the owner, Al Davis. Davis is in complete control of the Raiders organization, but he is also in complete denial. Since the lost Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Raiders are 20-62. They have lost more the three times the number of football games they have won, more than any other franchise in football over this period of time. They have had four head coaches during this five season period, and will likely have their fifth very soon. On the field, they have looked atrocious. From 2003 to 2007, the Raiders offense has ranked 25th, 17th, 21st, 32nd, and 25th, and they have finished last in the AFC West each year. Nothing has gone right for them. Oakland has been a bevy of bad draft picks, questionable trades and free agent signings, and downright poor management. They traded for Randy Moss in 2005, only to get decent production, few wins, and a bad attitude. Davis signed oft injured receiver Javon Walker to a six year, $55 million deal this off-season, a move that made everyone scratch their heads. He drafted raw QB JaMarcus Russell out of LSU for his big time arm, wanting to rekindle the days of Ken Stabler and Jim Plunkett. Davis, more than anything else, wants to be what the Patriots were last season, a high flying, passing down the field team. Even the drafting of Robert Gallery the biggest "can't miss" guy of the decade, has been a let down. The problem is, he has demonstrated that he does not know how to assemble and manage such a team. Instead, he has a revolving door of coaches and players who have neither the time nor the freedom to form a football team.

But we cannot forget that the players must take some blame too. This is not high school where one can place more blame on coaches when players have mental breakdowns. These are grown men, and they need to take their fair share of responsibility. Oakland has been among the most penalized teams in the entire league for each of the last five seasons. False starts, personal fouls, holdings, pass interference, they do them all, and they do them often. Clearly, many things need to be fixed in Oakland. Last season and into this one, some signs of progress have been visible. But they are too few. With Davis at the helm, it's uncertain at best if this Raiders teams can really ever recover and once again be a playoff and Super Bowl caliber team. Some teams, like the Chiefs and Rams, are bad. But their problems could seemingly be fixed quickly, a la New Orleans 2006 or Cleveland Browns 2007. Such a feeling of optimism does not come from Oakland right now. If one looks at the most successful NFL teams, especially the Super Bowl teams, one notices a trend. They have stability, in the front office and coaching staff, and they draft well. Davis has a long, proud history of good drafting, but even that has come under fire. But more than anything else, he must promote some semblance of stability with that team. Let a coach go through the rough patches and build a team. Not assemble one through questionable free agency or trade acquisitions, but honest to goodness building through a draft that they too have a say in. Without that, the Raiders will continue down a sad path of mediocrity and embarrassment.

That's going to do it for me. Have a great week everybody. Peace