Diner Morning News: Monday Night Madness

QUOTE: “If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.” -- Carl von Clausewitz

National Football Post

As I’ve written in the past, it’s difficult to draw conclusions from opening games, and there are times when a lesser team can rise up and beat a more talented team.  Monday night, we almost saw it happen twice.

Monday Night Football is back, with the emphasis on the night. 

Wow, both games were entertaining, and in both we didn’t learn the winner until the final seconds.

In the opener, Buffalo played the style it had to play—until the last two minutes.  The Bills allowed yards, but did not allow the big play.  They played well in the red area on both sides of the ball (on defense until the end).  They didn’t get many sacks, but they pressured Tom Brady all night and, more importantly, they created a scoring turnover. They made the Patriots throw the ball in front of them all night, and I thought the Bills had one of the best tackling games on defense I’ve seen in some time.

New offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called a nice game, and the Bills’ offense executed very well, especially in the screen game.  They were patient on offense and did not expose their line by running routes down the field that require time and protection. 

Until the end of the game, the Patriots’ pass rush was not a factor, in large part because of Trent Edwards’ ability to get rid of the ball quickly.  As we saw at the end of the game, when the routes had to expand, the protection failed.  We know this line is growing as it has not played together for some time.  This will be a work in progress—at least for the first half of the season.  If the Bills can keep them all healthy for the next two months, they’ll make great strides.

The Patriots had the football gods watching over them last night, and I’m sure they’ll handle this game in the right manner, which is to learn from their many mistakes.  The Bills’ game plan will create a common thread for other teams all season—pressure Brady, don’t allow the big play down the field and play well in the red zone.

Evaluating Brady, he appeared hesitant to run with the ball, and he was in the same spot in the pocket for all 53 of his passes.  Pocket passers are great, but there must be the threat of a run, or movement in the pocket, or else there will be constant pressure.  Teams are going to force Brady to move off the spot, make him move right or left and hope this will affect his accuracy.

This is the same plan many teams use for the Colts’ Peyton Manning.  This scheme worked on Manning early last season because his line was not playing well, but as the season progresses, it becomes easier to adapt to the speed of the game and recognize the pressures.  Monday night, the longer the game went, the easier it was for Brady to become his old self.  But make no mistake, the NFL is a copycat league.  The Patriots’ next few opponents will adopt this defensive approach.

The second game was another entertaining contest and showed that the Raiders were playing with great intensity.  They came out displaying their vaulted running game, which featured the two-pronged attack of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

(By the way, the Raiders might be able to recoup the draft pick they gave up for Richard Seymour if they decide to trade Bush.  With Justin Fargas out, they have three backs, and Bush might be the odd man out.)

Running the ball effectively in the first half, the Raiders’ offense showed signs of coming to life, but in the second half, when the Chargers made the correct adjustments in their run fits, the Raiders only gained 43 yards on the ground.  When the Raiders can’t run, it places too much burden on quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the passing game. 

I thought Steve Young did a great job of explaining how the Raiders’ offensive staff was tailoring the offense for Russell.  Russell is never going to be precisely accurate, but he needs to make one or two big throws as he did last night to make this offense effective, assuming the running game is going well.

The Raiders normally struggle to defend the run game of the Chargers, but with the addition of Seymour, they kept the run game in check, showing promise they can handle that aspect of their opponents’ arsenal.

On the final two drives of the game, the Chargers were able to move the ball down the field, amassing nine first downs and 166 yards of offense.  Like all good teams, when the game was on the line, the Chargers found a way to execute and produce points.  It was a hard-fought game between two AFC West rivals, and the Chargers must feel very fortunate to have won.

 

FINAL OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEK ONE...

I think the Eagles' signing of Jeff Garcia sends a message (to me at least) that they’re not excited about the development of backup Kevin Kolb.  And how could they be?  Every time he’s taken the field during the regular season or in the preseason, he has not produced nor looked capable of producing.  If the Eagles were to lose McNabb for any extended time, even with Michael Vick, who has not shown he’s ready yet for prime time, this team might be hurting.  It made sense to bring in Garcia as a security blanket.

I know you can’t draw definitive conclusions—positively or negatively—after the first game of the season, but I’m anxious to see how Kurt Warner plays this weekend in Jacksonville.  He didn’t look like himself in Week 1.  Is his age showing or was he just rusty?  We’ll find out in Week 2.

 

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