Week 1 Cover 16

A soon to be Tuesday tradition here at 7U17TG, where I'll give a couple thoughts on each week's games.

Pittsburgh 13 Tenneessee 10 (OT)

- Standard practice for these two teams: low-scoring but damn if it wasn't entertainingly violent for 4 quarters and OT. That said, the Titans had no business winning this game or even being within contention.

- I think the Titans have a legit downfield threat in Kenny Britt and if Vince Young can ever get his head on straight and some sembelance off accuracy, he has that safety valve that Matty Ice has in Roddy White.

- The Steelers will miss Troy Polamalu to be sure, but unlike the Bears, they have enough playmakers (Harrison, Farrior, Woodley, Taylor) that it won't be dehabilitating to the team.

- Santonio Holmes' last 2 games (seperately mind you): 9 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD; last touchdown of 2008, first touchdown of 2009.....spooky

Atlanta 19 Miami 7

- Miami's offensive line, which was one of their biggest strengths last season, was exposed by Atlanta's underrated D. While people point to the Dolphins having the toughest schedule in the league this season, but whether the O-Line (Jake Long especially) can duplicate their 2008 success will dictate where the Dolphins go this year.

- Watching Matt Ryan duel Drew Brees for the next 2-3 years while Brees is in his prime is gonna be awesome.

Baltimore 38 Kansas City 24

- You could look at this score in one of 2 ways:

1. Joe Flacco had a 300 yard game and Baltimore's offense looked sharp.

2. Baltimore gave up 24 points to an offense led by Brodie Croyle.

I'm gonna go with option 2. Granted, losing Rex Ryan, Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard hurts, but they still have several playmakers on that side of the ball (including the best defensive playmaker in the game), so it shouldn't make that much of a difference, right?

(Upon further inspection: 7 of that 24 came on a fumble recovery in the end zone and they held the Chiefs' offense to under 200 yards, so my bad, keep on truckin guys. Though I'm still surprised a Croyle-led unit got that much.)

Philadelphia 38 Carolina 10

- I don't think we've seen a complete career meltdown like the one Jake Delhomme's currently experiencing since Rick Ankiel. Egad.

- I was kind of banking Week 9 being the time when Donnie Mac does his annual impression of Glass Joe. Oh well.

- Good luck to love birds Hank and Kendra as they are probably moving to Canada within the next 2 weeks. Though I suppose with her being in Canada, the 2 reasons for watching her show won't be on display anymore, will they?

Denver 12 Cincinnati 7

- With the way Jay Cutler played Sunday, the Broncos probably would've lost that game.

- Credit to Denver's defense needs to be given for holding an offense thought many think could (and still can) return to its 05-07 form.

- That said, their top 2 quarterbacks on the depth chart are Kyle Orton and Chris Simms, so we can make this past Sunday as win number 1 of 3 on the season.

Minnesota 34 Cleveland 20

- Can we decide which is Adrian Peterson's nickname: AD or AP? Just need it for future reference.

- Underreported story from the weekend: Jared Allen being dominated by Joe Thomas, who might be arguably the best offensive lineman who isn't a Viking.

New York Jets 24 Houston 7

- I'm not going to start with the Joe Namath comparisons, but I'd be feeling pretty good right now about my QB if I were a Jet fan.

- This is the year where we find out just how good Bart Scott is and that it wasn't just the fellow studs in Baltimore that made him look so good.

- Is it just me or do the Texans perform much better without expectations?

Indianapolis 14 Jacksonville 12

- Now since I'm a Florida boy and I doubt that there's any Jaguar fans outside of this state, let me explain to you how entertaining Jaguar fans are. They've been thinking that this is "The Year" for about 5 years now and that 12-4 is always reasonably within reach. Prime example: Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, as expected for someone's first NFL game against two of the best in the business, got handled by Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney at the line; a friend of mine, who is as hardcore a Jags fan as there is, still considered it a good effort and thought they are the future of the line. Right, just like Marcedes Lewis was the future best tight end in the NFL? Myopia can be a beautiful thing to see some times.

- I know Jacksonville always plays the Colts tough, but the Indy offense didn't look so spectacular even before Anthony Gonzalez's injury. I think the depature of Tom Moore is going to have a bigger impact on the Colts than the loss of Tony Dungy.

- I thought my nightmare was 4 months from being over WHYYYYY???????

New Orleans 45 Detroit 27

- Matthew Stafford didn't exactly light the world on fire, but I think we've all been warped on the rookie progession scale by Ryan and Flacco. I think we're forgetting the struggles Peyton Manning had his rookie year on his way to a 3-13 season. Given the weapons Stafford has in Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Kevin Smith, I think he'll be just fine.

- Any hint of a defense from the Saints and they're going to be scary as hell this year.

Dallas 34 Tampa Bay 21

- Apparently, tackling is now illegal in Raymond James Stadium. At least since December anyway.

- Can somebody please fill me in as to why Matt Bryant was cut? One of the most reliable and clutch kickers in the league was dropped for a guy who immediately went Mike Vandershank? Not to mention, it has to be extremely bad karma to do that to a guy who just lost his son.

- I was glad to see Cadillac back out there and nearly rack 100 yards in the process. As hard as the loss to Oakland to end the season was, it was even tougher to see Caddy go down in a heap in a play late in the 4th of the game. I remember there being a open mic nearby when it happened and it sounded as if he had been pummeled with a tire iron. I see Raheem Morris working with the 3-man backfield like the Giants have and hopefully Cadillac reaps the benefits of it.

- I like what I saw from Kellen Winslow. They didn't give up the house for him and he's still young so him and Josh Freeman could become a good tandem.

- Can I start the whispers that maybe just maybe Aquib Talib is a bust?


San Francisco 20 Arizona 16

- Forget the Madden Curse on Larry Fitzgerald, what about the Super Bowl losers curse the Cardinals are staring down? If the previously undefeated Patriots couldn't crack the playoffs, what chance do these guys have?

New York Giants 23 Washington 17

- In case anyone forgot, the Giants still have THE best pass rush in the league.

- Due to some shoddy play, Jason Campbell is one again under fire, which in my opinion is undeserved. Campbell has had no continuity on his coaching staff since he came to Washington 4 years ago and the constant Cutler/Sanchez talk in the offseason probably didn't help matters. As he showed in the preseason, he does have big play capability and if he continues that over the next 4 months, Jim Zorn will have his first playoff appearence as a head coach.

Seattle 28 St. Louis 0

Okay, Steve Spagnuolo, you'll got your head coaching gig and HC money, but you have to inherit this tire fire. How many of us would be so willing?

Green Bay 21 Chicago 15

- I don't know which overrated spoiled brat's embarrassment on national TV was more enjoyable Sunday night: Jay Cutler or Taylor Swift? Oh wait, Jay Cutler is on my 2-QB fantasy team, Thank you for nothing, Jay.

- Greg Jennings will enter the top tier of elite receivers this season.

- He wasn't exactly pretty in his performance Sunday night, but you can tell that not only does Aaron Rodgers have the game, he absolutely has the respect of his teammates and they are definitely buying it. He was able to shake off a sub-par night and make the big play when he needed. It wouldn't shock me at all if Rodgers leads the Packers to a deep playoff run.

New England 25 Buffalo 24

- Maybe it's because as a Met fan I can relate to the whole devastating losses piling up and the media being way too happy to rehash the past failures when it happens again, but my God do I feel bad for Buffalo fans right now. Have a drink on me, guys, hang in there.

- The loss of Jerrod Mayo will hurt the Pats' D more than the veteran turnover will.

- As soon as Tom Brady gets his deep ball timing back, look the hell out.

San Diego 24 Oakland 20

- The only thing more predictable than McNabb's injury was LT getting hurt too. Can't wait to see him spend October on a bike again; but you're right LT, Adrian Peterson ain't got shit on you.

-Maybe there is hope for JaMarcus Russell after all.

- If the league re-drafted right now, the top 5 QB's would look like this: 1. Brady 2. Peyton 3. Brees 4. Big Ben 5. Phillip Rivers. Face it, the only thing missing from Rivers' resume at this point is a ring. He's got the arm, the attitude, and the leadership to be a franchise QB and with a new head coach and one or two personnel moves, Rivers will have the bling too.