Sorry that I haven't updated the site in a while but I was away in Europe getting all the traveling out of my system before I start a new career and am financially unable to leave the confines of Canada again.
I was gone for almost a month but managed to get back to North America in time for the start of the NFL season. Actually i got back on Thursday and was able to watch the Steelers/Titans game which I thoroughly enjoyed (especially when Troy Polamalu went down).
Before I get to my thoughts on Week 1 of the NFL season I need to ask a serious question. Is there anything better than Sunday during the NFL season? Honestly, It becomes a day dedicated to being lazy, watching TV, and eating pizza and drinking beer. Glorious.
Anyway here are some of my thoughts on an excellent Week 1 in the NFL:
Mark Sanchez Debut
I am a Jets fan so and going into this season I was worried. Kellen Clemens and Mark Sanchez as the quarterback options. Not good. Then I sat down and watched the Jets play the Houston Texans and was very impressed with Sanchez. He has poise in the pocket, a strong arm, and he seems to have a genuine love of the game. Throughout the whole game he was smiling and getting excited after catches. He even ran on the field after an extra point when a shoving match ensued in order to break it up. He is taking on the role of team leader very seriously and he showed he knows what it takes. I understand that it is only 1 game but I am now excited about the rest of the season.
Jets Defense
Staying with the Jets I have to comment on the defense. Rex Ryan was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens last year and I knew he would make the Jets defense tougher but I had no idea that the change would be so immediate. The defense was great and they blitzed all game putting constant pressure on Matt Schaub. Loved it.
Early MVP Race
Drew Brees was a man possessed on Sunday as he lit up the Detroit Lions for 6 touchdowns. 6! Now I know that it was against the Lions but 6 touchdowns is 6 touchdowns no matter how you look at it. Brees is a statistical beast and was only a few yards shy of beating Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a season last year. Despite his crazy numbers I still feel like he is an afterthought to most people in terms of elite quarterbacks. He is never mentioned with the Mannings and the Bradys despite his talent. However if he keeps having games like the one he had on Sunday he will be hard to ignore.
In the same category Adrian Peterson must be mentioned. Peterson had a monster day on Sunday as he rushed for 180 yards and had 3 TDs. Peterson has been an absolute phenom since he entered the league and games such as this are now considered normal for him. His great play not only lead the Vikings to a win over the Browns but also took pressure of Brett Favre. Speaking of which...
Brett 'I'm a Waste of a Human Being' Favre's Return
God I hate this man. How can he even look himself in the mirror knowing that by signing with the Vikings he is turning his back on an entire state. He was a god in Green Bay and now he is public enemy #1. A real douchebag. I was surprised he didn't retire at half time and then comeback in the 4th quarter to get even more attention. People talk trash about T.O and his constant need for attention but Favre takes it to a whole new level. The man just loves hearing his own name and reading about himself in the news and has 0 consideration for anybody else. I hope that he gets hit by a bus on his way to practice tomorrow. By the way he threw for 110 yards (career low) and also had 1 TD. Thank god he can't stay healthy and I will only need to hear about him for another few weeks.
Need to give props to Peter King. I have ripped on King in the past for having a serious boner for Favre but during the soap opera this summer King made it clear that he was very against what Favre was doing and went as far as to call him "whishy washy." This may not seem harsh to you but this is as mean as Peter King gets. That translates to 'he is a prick' in the political correct world of a Sports Illustrated writer. Way to put down the Kool Aid Mr. King.
Nobody Blows a Game like the Buffalo Bills
Your team is winning 24 to 19. There is 2:06 left in the game. You are about to return the kickoff. You catch the ball a yard deep in your end zone and instead of taking a knee you opt to run it out. Then once you are tackled you decided that instead of just going down you are going to try and fight for that extra yard. You then realise you have had the ball stripped from your hands because you were fighting for that extra yard. After getting up from the bottom of a pile on you realise that the other team has recovered the ball in amazing filed position and you have just given away the game. You are Leodis McKelvin. You are the biggest idiot in New England.
The Bills played an amazing game and made very few mistakes. They were finally going to beatthe Patriots for the first time in 6 years. Then McKelvin ran the ball out of the end zone instead of taking a knee. Watching from the sidelines the Bills players must have had a sick feeling in their stomach. Presidential candidate Trent Edwards looked like he had been punched in the stomach. It was a terrible way to lose.
The Return of Brady
Tonight's game against the Bills was Tom Brady's first game since Week 1 of last year when he broke his leg after being hit by Bernard Pollard. In the opening quarter of the game Brady looked rusty and threw an interception that would eventually be run back for a touchdown. After that Brady really settled down and got into a rhythm. He ended up with 39 completions, 1 short of the Monday Night Football record, and 2 TDs both coming in the 4th quarter. He led his team to victory late in the game and looked like the Tom Brady of old standing strong in the pocket and throwing darts. There didn't seem to be any visible pain when he was throwing and he was planting hard on his repaired knee.
Brady could be counted among with Brees and Peterson as early MVP candidates. His team was minutes away from defeat but then the stars aligned and everything went their way. In a SuperBowl winning season every team needs at least 1 game like that. The Pats got theirs tonight and might end up being a team of destiny.
John Gruden Get Out of the Booth
A more annoying commentator there is not. Gruden has no business being in the booth and should step down and let Jaws and Mike Tarico do their thing. He was constantly talking and had nothing of value to say. His comments were always along the lines of, "he is a solid football player." Thanks John. I had no idea Tom Brady was good. Gruden was a scrub coach and is a scrub broadcaster. The only reason he won a SuperBowl is because he was the former coach of the team he ended up playing against. Gift wrapped.
To be fair to Gruden the 3 man booth doesn't work. There are too many people trying to get their points across. For some reason every network seems to think it works but in reality it doesn't. Pat Summerall and John Madden were the greatest broadcasting team in NFL history. Reason? There were only 2 of them. Imagine Al Michaels in there with them. It would be constant talking which would distract from the game. Get rid of the 3 man booth and get rid of Gruden.
Final Thoughts
- Jay Cutler loses and Kyle Orton wins. Good for Josh McDaniels who can now breathe a sigh of relief after a horrible off season.
- I know the 49ers won but they need to sign Crabtree. They got a top 5 talent at #10. In the words of Teddy KGB, "Pay that man. Pay that man his money." (more to come on this in tomorrow's post)
- Dolphins tried to run the Wildcat on Sunday but were unsuccessful as Atlanta had it covered. Could it be that teams have figured out the Wildcat? If so then Miami is in for a long year.
- The Rams still suck
- Jeremy Shockey caught a touchdown pass for the first time in 22 months. Remember when he used to go to Pro Bowls?
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