Chris Simms' All-22 Team for NFL Week 2
You pick up a few things when you're watching game tape of Bill Belichick's New England Patriots.
First and foremost? Manage your time. A single play might need a few camera angles and 15 minutes to dissect/annotate. Trust me—it adds up fast.
You also learn what "football players" look like. I came to appreciate a linebacker who can cover or a tight end who can line up at fullback—the kind of guys Belichick always gets the most out of.
There are plenty of guys like that on Week 2's All-22 film. They won't all stuff the stat sheet or the Pro Bowl ballot box, but they do enough to make an impact. A few of them play for Belichick right now.
The others? Take a look. He'd love to have 'em up in New England sometime.
QB: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
1 of 23
The Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns actually passed on this guy.
Let that sink in. The two most quarterback-needy teams of the last five years let a poised, polished, professional quarterback slip through their mitts.
I love what the Philadelphia Eagles are doing for Carson Wentz. First off, they've surrounded him with quarterback coaches—head coach Doug Pederson, offensive assistants Frank Reich and John DeFilippo, and, hell, even backup quarterback Chase Daniel.
Together, they're putting just enough on his Wentz's plate (screens, underneath throws, easy reads) that he can soften up a defense. Then, Wentz drops a scheduled 20- to 30-yard dime that makes you wonder what in the world Cleveland and L.A. were thinking.
QB: Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings
2 of 23
Don't look now, but the Minnesota Vikings are a Super Bowl contender again.
There's no other way to describe them after Sam Bradford's purple-and-gold debut. He just provided a team that has a Brett Favre-era defense with its best quarterback play since No. 4 suited up.
I'm impressed with his ability to pick up Norv Turner's epic novel of a playbook. It's not an easy read, especially for someone who played in the simplest, Chip Kelly-led offense just 12 months ago.
Question his ability to stay healthy. Question his leadership ability after how he handled a packed quarterback room in Philadelphia this summer. But don't question the arm talent—Bradford's always had that. Minnesota's deep supporting cast (and his instant connection with Stefon Diggs) only makes him more dangerous.
RB: LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots
3 of 23
LeGarrette Blount has clearly shed some extra pounds this season.
It hasn't cost him much in the power department; arm tacklers are still no match for his thumping style.
It does make him more agile, though. Blount wiggled his way through a packed Miami Dolphins front once Jimmy Garoppolo exited and still found space. Then, he bounced a carry out and gave Byron Maxwell one of his patented hurdles.
A leaner, meaner Blount? Good luck stopping him.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
RB: Fozzy Whittaker, Carolina Panthers
4 of 23
Pulling guards.
Jet sweeps.
Read-option.
The Carolina Panthers' opponents had enough running-game gimmicks to deal with. Now, they'll need to prepare for a ball-carrier who can flat-out make you miss.
That's Fozzy Whittaker's role now. He entered in relief of an injured Jonathan Stewart and ripped off runs of 25 and 19 yards. He even added a 24-yard catch for good measure.
Whittaker isn't a run-you-over option. But on only 16 carries against a talented San Francisco 49ers front, he earned 100 yards—and a bigger role in this offense going forward.
WR: Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
5 of 23
Quick! Name the NFL's leading receiver through two weeks.
It's Sam Bradford's new favorite target. Stefon Diggs owns 285 receiving yards after a 182-yard night that established him as Minnesota's go-to guy.
Look at this leaping catch he pulled off late in the second quarter of Monday Night Football and tell me Diggs isn't a quarterback's best friend. Bradford already knows what few Vikings quarterbacks ever found out—No. 14 is a downfield threat.
WR: Sammie Coates, Pittsburgh Steelers
6 of 23
I look at Sammie Coates and see all the physical traits an NFL receiver needs.
I never saw the hands until last weekend. Coates caught everything thrown his way in a climate built for drops. The rain and mud didn't get him off track, though.
The Cincinnati Bengals put two defenders on Antonio Brown and dared the Pittsburgh Steelers to throw it anywhere else. It says a lot that they chose Coates, and it says even more that he delivered.
WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
7 of 23
Forget about his obvious traits—the big 6'5" frame, the physical ability to box defenders out, the soft hands.
Kelvin Benjamin is so damn valuable to this Panthers offense for another reason. His presence means Cam Newton doesn't need to be perfect anymore. I can't stress how important that is.
The reigning MVP made a bad receiving corps look amazing last season. That was never sustainable, but thanks to Benjamin, he can miss high on a throw here and there. No. 13 will climb the ladder to pluck it out of the air.
TE: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans
8 of 23
Think about the Tennessee Titans' offensive stars for a second.
Did Delanie Walker cross your mind? Probably not. For whatever reason, no one ever talks about him in the conversation of the league's best tight ends. The tape says he belongs there.
Walker can chip a defensive lineman like no other tight end. Then, when his blocking pays off in the run game, the Titans can use him like they did in Week 2—as a play-action dummy.
The Detroit Lions linebackers took one too many steps forward, and boom—Walker's behind them. He's in the perfect spot.
OL: Zach Strief, New Orleans Saints
9 of 23
Drew Brees enjoyed a pretty clean pocket against the New York Giants when he moved to his right.
Credit Zach Strief, who more than held his own against bull-rush master Jason Pierre-Paul. For three quarters, he drew JPP to a stalemate—and that's a win for the New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans offensive line is one of the pleasant surprises of this season. Strief is a big reason why.
OL: Nate Solder, New England Patriots
10 of 23
Nate Solder didn't waste any time in his first game action since Oct. 11, 2015.
He manhandled a deep Dolphins front like he never needed surgery to repair a torn bicep. Those guys aren't slouches; it's Cameron Wake and Mario Williams.
Solder surrendered zero quarterback hurries or hits. That's big for any team, and it's huge for one on its third quarterback.
OL: David DeCastro, Pittsburgh Steelers
11 of 23
I wish I had a freak like David DeCastro blocking in front of me during my playing career.
He’s exceptionally quick and country strong. Pittsburgh put both to work against Cincinnati, pulling the Pro Bowler to blast wide open holes for DeAngelo Williams.
They'd then drop him back in pass protection knowing he could stick with a sneaky fast star in Geno Atkins. Simply put: I love this guy's game.
DL: Mike Daniels, Green Bay Packers
12 of 23
Brandon Fusco probably got himself an earful in the meeting rooms this week.
The thing is, there's nothing the Vikings guard could've done. His assignment, Mike Daniels, was that much better.
On the Vikings' second offensive play, Daniels tossed Fusco aside like a 306-pound rag doll. The ass-whupping was on from there.
Fusco needed a double-team from Andre Smith by the time the fourth quarter came along. Daniels is a total freak.
DL: Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles
13 of 23
Jay Cutler saw nothing but white-and-green shirts in his face for most of Monday Night Football.
This spot could've gone to any of them. I decided to give it to the guy who got to him first on a handful of snaps.
Graham set up shop in Cutler's backfield. He sacked Cutler once and then stonewalled two Chicago Bears runs for negative yards. Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. was routinely two steps behind that explosive first step all night.
DL: Josh Mauro, Arizona Cardinals
14 of 23
You won't find Josh Mauro's name in the box score or the stat sheet. Let's not knock him for it.
Mauro tallied only one solo tackle against the Buccaneers, but he merits a spot on this team after doing some of the Arizona Cardinals' dirtier work.
In the third quarter, big No. 97 went airborne to tip a Jameis Winston pass. It forced Charles Sims to readjust, and Marcus Cooper jumped on it for a pick-six (more on him later).
Mauro sniffed out another screen pass too. It might've gone for six, making the Stanford product partially responsible for a 14-point swing.
DL: Michael Pierce, Baltimore Ravens
15 of 23
Even I cringed a little watching Michael Pierce meet Josh McCown.
The undrafted rookie dipped around a block, turned upfield and crashed into McCown for a Baltimore Ravens sack. That's 339 pounds directly on the Cleveland Browns quarterback. Yikes.
Chasing quarterbacks isn't supposed to be Pierce's game, but this is the second straight week I've watched him do it, all the while plugging the middle in run defense. I'm impressed.
LB: John Simon, Houston Texans
16 of 23
Line him up in the wide-9.
Line him up at 3-technique.
Line him up at inside linebacker.
Line him up next to J.J. Watt.
Line John Simon up…you get the picture. The dude's a Swiss army knife linebacker in a defense filled with versatile options.
Like most of them, Simon can get to the passer. And because he can line up anywhere, Alex Smith had no idea who was crashing him from behind and stripping the ball away.
LB: Vincent Rey, Cincinnati Bengals
17 of 23
Have a day, Vincent Rey.
He faced five offensive targets and allowed only 10 yards. And against the run, his six tackles don't tell the whole story.
This guy went sideline-to-sideline in pursuit of DeAngelo Williams, found him and tackled him with ease. Can't do much more than that as a linebacker.
LB: Craig Robertson, New Orleans Saints
18 of 23
Here's another all-over-the-field linebacker for this list.
With a game-high 13 tackles, including two tackles for loss, Craig Robertson was active against the Giants, to say the least. But I was impressed by his power, as the former Browns starter took on pulling New York guards and ground them to a stalemate.
That let other Saints defenders come in and clean up before the G-Men could get a ground game going. Good, good job.
DB: Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns
19 of 23
I'll always be the first to admit when I'm wrong.
So, I was wrong about Joe Haden. After seeing him play in person last Sunday against the Ravens, I can attest he truly is the top-10 corner I thought he'd never be.
His two interceptions were phenomenal. And yes, the Browns' lead collapsed, but it's not No. 23's fault.
DB: Marcus Cooper, Arizona Cardinals
20 of 23
After Week 1, I singled out Arizona's cornerback spot as the problem area in the NFL.
Looks like the Cardinals heard me. Marcus Cooper manned that spot seven days later and found himself a full-time role there.
It's easy to do when you haul in two interceptions. He took one of them, a sky-high tipped ball, back for six. And he was in great position for several more throws that could've been picked.
The Cards are back atop the NFC's defensive hierarchy. Amazing what a serviceable second cornerback will do.
DB: Landon Collins, NYG
21 of 23
Landon Collins looks like the ultimate safety this year.
On tape, he appears faster. He'll come down in the box like last year, but he's wasting no motion covering tight ends or running backs from a "star" or big nickel spot. He lowered the boom on a few Saints ball-carriers too.
I questioned this guy coming out of Alabama, but those questions no longer exist. He's a star.
DB: T.J. Ward, Denver Broncos
22 of 23
Point to other Denver Broncos defenders if you're looking for big stats and numbers. Point to T.J. Ward if you want to see production.
Denver asks him to do something different from any other safety, and all this guy does is produce.
Take Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Ward was tasked with manning the middle against tight end dump-offs and running back swing passes.
His eight tackles? All against running backs and tight ends. The guy just does what the coaches want and goes home.
Full All-22 Team for Week 2
23 of 23
QB: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
QB: Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings
RB: LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots
RB: Fozzy Whittaker, Carolina Panthers
WR: Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
WR: Sammie Coates, Pittsburgh Steelers
WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
TE: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans
OL: Zach Strief, New Orleans Saints
OL: Nate Solder, New England Patriots
OL: David DeCastro, Pittsburgh Steelers
DL: Mike Daniels, Green Bay Packers
DL: Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles
DL: Josh Mauro, Arizona Cardinals
DL: Michael Pierce, Baltimore Ravens
LB: John Simon, Houston Texans
LB: Vincent Rey, Cincinnati Bengals
LB: Craig Robertson, New Orleans Saints
DB: Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns
DB: Marcus Cooper, Arizona Cardinals
DB: Landon Collins, New York Giants
DB: T.J. Ward, Denver Broncos
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")