Chris Simms' NFL All-Week 2 Team

There are certain players in the NFL I refer to as game-plan-changers, guys who alter an opposing team's strategy heading into a game. A prime example from my days playing in the NFC South was Julius Peppers. 

Whenever we were going against Peppers, we knew there were certain things we just couldn't do on offense. There were certain pass patterns we couldn't run to his side because his 6'7" frame and ridiculous arm length would allow him to block passing lanes like a power forward. I would consistently have to change snap cadences and use hard counts because once Peppers got his timing down, he'd wreck the offense. Asking any offensive lineman to block him one-on-one for an entire game was out of the question.

When putting together my All-Week team for Week 2, I dug through the game film and tried to find the game-plan-changers. Now, not every player on this list is as dominant as Peppers was in his prime—though guys like Everson Griffen and Olivier Vernon are certainly playing at a similar level right now—each one is going to cause opposing coordinators to lose at least a little sleep heading into Week 3.

As a former scout, I trust my eyes more than I do a stat sheet, so don't be surprised if you don't see some of the week's biggest producers and do see some names you're less familiar with. Who were my standouts from Week 2? Let's break it down.

QB: Tom Brady, Patriots

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All I heard about in Week 1 regarding New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was that he's 40 and may finally be falling off. Well, he came back in Week 2 and destroyed that theory. His game against the New Orleans Saints was one of the most efficient of his career.

Where Brady deserves a lot of credit—and he often doesn't get enough—is his ability to buy time in the pocket while simultaneously working through his progressions. An example can be found on his 53-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski.

When the play started, Brady struggled to find an open man downfield. He also faced pressure from the Saints defense. A lot of other quarterbacks would have abandoned the play, but Brady stayed in the pocket and kept himself in a throwing position. Brady looked at Gronkowski, his first read, then to his second and third reads. Just before the rush got to him, he worked back to Gronkowski and found him running open.

Brady fired a perfect ball just as the pocket collapsed and hit Gronkowski in stride. The end result was six points.

Brady's subtle movements in the pocket are incredible. He used them to great effect against New Orleans during an all-around phenomenal game.

QB: Trevor Siemian, Broncos

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I've said this before, and I'm going to say it again. The Denver Broncos can win the Super Bowl with Trevor Siemian. He's a better quarterback than a lot of people realize, and he's certainly a better quarterback than anybody the Broncos had on that 2015 team.

Siemian has underrated athletic ability. He can get out of the pocket and run when he needs to, and he can buy time within the pocket. He also has an aggressive mindset when throwing the ball, which works perfectly with this Broncos offense.

There were a few times against the Dallas Cowboys when Siemian recognized that Emmanuel Sanders was matched up one-on-one downfield. He didn't hesitate to pull the trigger and give Sanders a chance to make a play on the ball.

Siemian doesn't have the strongest arm in the NFL, but it's stronger than people give him credit for. The biggest thing is that he has a quick release that makes up for that less-than-ideal arm strength. Some quarterbacks have the arm strength to get a ball downfield before a defender can break on it. Against the Cowboys, Siemian usually got the ball out of his hand before the defender could react.

WR: Martavis Bryant, Steelers

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Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant is back. He looked good in Week 1, but he looked like his usual self in Week 2. Bryant's usual self is Randy Moss-esque.

Bryant's receiving ability was on full display when he caught a slant against Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman. Bryant had to slow down a bit in order to get the ball. Now, Newman is still a fast cornerback, but Bryant was able to slow down, make the catch, tuck the ball away and then run away from a Vikings defense that is one of the fastest in football.

Bryant also caught a ball down the sideline against Trae Waynes, who is probably even faster than Newman. It was on a reverse run, though, that I knew the rocket in Bryant's butt was back.

Of course, the stats and plays made are never going to do Bryant justice. There's no stat for the 49-yard pass interference call Bryant drew against Waynes. That play set up a touchdown. It was thanks to Bryant, though he's not going to get any official credit.

Defensive coordinators have to be scared of Bryant's ability to change the downfield passing game for Pittsburgh.

WR: DeVante Parker, Dolphins

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There's an emerging game-changer in the NFL, and it's Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker. He's an explosive weapon for the Dolphins offense, and he showed that against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.

Parker had one play down the sideline where he reached over the defender and Moss'd him (as in Randy, and yes, that's a phrase in the NFL).

There was another play on third down where Jay Cutler rolled to the right to avoid pressure. Parker came all the way across the field, recognized Cutler was in danger and broke off his route to go deep. Cutler made an amazing throw to get Parker the ball, but Parker made an amazing Willie Mays-style basket catch to set Miami up for a field goal.

Parker is going to continue to help Cutler, and he's going to be a defense-dictator moving forward. Opposing coordinators are going to look at guys like Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry and know they're good, but they're also going to know Parker is the one they can't let beat them. Trying to cover him one-on-one isn't going to be an option.

WR: Michael Crabtree, Raiders

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Oakland Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree sometimes gets lost in the shuffle because he isn't a media darling and he doesn't seek the spotlight. However, he's a massive piece of the Raiders offense, and he's the best in the NFL at catching 50-50 balls.

There isn't a better example of this than his first touchdown reception against the New York Jets. Jets corner Buster Skrine had incredible coverage on Crabtree, but Crabtree just went up and snagged the ball.

Crabtree basically has clamps for hands. Once he gets them on the ball, you can forget it. He's coming down with it. That's what he did against Skrine, and that's why he's almost unstoppable in jump-ball situations.

Crabtree and Derek Carr always appear to be on the same page too. On film, it looks like Carr can read Crabtree's body language and know when he's about to break. This is why Crabtree—and not Amari Cooper—has become the go-to guy in the Oakland offense.

RB: Carlos Hyde, 49ers

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We haven't seen many running backs carry the ball 15 times for 124 yards against the Seattle Seahawks defense over the last five years. Yet that's exactly what San Francisco 49ers back Carlos Hyde did in Week 2.

What stood out most on film—aside from the 61-yard run, of course—was Hyde's ability to find room on cutback runs. He runs with a lot of physicality, but trying to match pure power with Seattle's defensive front doesn't always work.

Hyde repeatedly cut back to find new lanes and to give himself space. From there, he was able to use his power to run through arm tackles and gain yards after contact. He also showed his breakaway speed and proved he's a nice receiving option out of the backfield.

The 49ers can rely on Hyde to be the center of their offense, and quarterback Brian Hoyer can use him as a safety net in the passing game. Opposing coordinators are definitely going to focus on trying to take him away moving forward.

RB: Chris Thompson, Redskins

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Running back Chris Thompson has been the MVP of the Washington Redskins offense through the first two weeks. Both of his touchdown runs against the Los Angeles Rams were highlight-reel plays.

On Thompson's 61-yard scoring run, he made an incredible move at the line of scrimmage to break free from the trash. Then he deployed his breakaway speed. That Rams defense has some guys who can go, and Thompson outran all of them.

On his first touchdown, Thompson took a toss sweep and got around the edge. There aren't a lot of guys in the NFL who can do that to a Wade Phillips defense—one that is disciplined and usually sets the edge extremely well—and then dive into the corner of the end zone.

Now, I know Thompson only had three carries against Los Angeles, but he racked up 77 yards and two touchdowns. That's impressive, and it shows why Washington needs to stop fiddling around with its committee approach and start featuring Thompson more.

He can make something happen when he gets a hole, and he's phenomenal in the passing game. He needs to be the Redskins' No. 1 guy.

G: Ron Leary, Broncos

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There's nothing more gratifying than going against your old team and just whupping butt. That's precisely what Denver guard Ron Leary did against Dallas.

A lot of the big runs C.J. Anderson and the Broncos produced against the Cowboys came as a result of Leary dominating in the trenches. Not only was he able to collapse his side of the defensive line at times, he was also able to pull and get out in space to throw blocks downfield. Leary spent much of the game battling with Maliek Collins and Stephen Paea, and he had his way with them.

Leary was one of Denver's best offseason signings, and he's a big reason why the Broncos have had offensive success through Week 2—especially in the running game. Defensive coordinators have to start worrying about his ability to control the interior.

G: Laken Tomlinson, 49ers

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I'm not going to try to tell you 49ers guard Laken Tomlinson dominated all game long against the Seahawks. What Tomlinson did, however, was significantly improve the San Francisco line and open some big running lanes for Hyde and Matt Breida.

This was Tomlinson's first start for a new team, and it came against one of the most dominant defensive fronts in the entire NFL. Not only did he pass protect well, but he also did a great job of opening holes in the running game. Tomlinson helped several of the Niners' big runs by opening those holes in the trenches or getting downfield and walling off linebackers.

Against the Seahawks defensive front in a tough road environment, that isn't easy to do. Tomlinson's game film, though, would suggest otherwise. Often considered a draft bust for the Detroit Lions, Tomlinson already appears to be turning his career around, and he deserves a little love.

T: Rick Wagner, Lions

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Lions right tackle Rick Wagner deserves a lot of credit for his performance Monday night. He spent all game on an island against New York Giants pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul. While Pierre-Paul did register one sack, more often than not, Wagner won the battle up front.

Most teams wouldn't even consider putting one guy against JPP for an entire game.

Wagner played a role on each of Matthew Stafford's touchdown passes. On the first one, Wagner held his ground against the power rush and gave Stafford the space he needed to step into his throw. On the second, he pushed Pierre-Paul out of the way so Stafford could move out to his right and find the open receiver.

Wagner was also phenomenal in the run game. When Ameer Abdullah broke his big run off the right side late in the game, it was thanks to the magic up front by Wagner. He's becoming one of the best run-blocking right tackles in the game.

New York has one of the best defensive lines in football—one that can ruin games—and Wagner made sure it didn't. Detroit hasn't had a right tackle of this quality in a long time.

TE: Ben Watson, Ravens

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The Baltimore Ravens need a go-to tight end. The fact they can rely on 14-year veteran Ben Watson to be that guy is remarkable. He was the go-to target against the Cleveland Browns and finished with eight receptions and 91 yards.

Watson didn't just rack up a bunch of cheap receptions, either. He made some big-time plays. One—Joe Flacco was rolling to his right and struggling to find an open man—was particularly impressive.

With Flacco on the run, Watson shook his defender and headed toward the sideline. Flacco threw high, but Watson leapt into the air and snagged the ball, securing it and getting both feet down before he fell out of bounds. The result was a 20-yard completion. Without Watson, Flacco may have been forced to scramble or throw the ball away.

Watson is a guy Flacco can depend on, and he's a guy opposing defenses are going to have to worry about.

DE: Ezekiel Ansah, Lions

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Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah had three sacks against the Giants. It easily could have been five with the way he dominated left tackle Ereck Flowers. In fact, it wouldn't have been a surprise if Ansah caused Flowers to get pulled from the lineup and be given his walking papers.

Ansah beat Flowers in every way imaginable. Some of his more impressive plays came when he charged Flowers and simply drove him back into the face of Eli Manning. Yet he also won with speed around the corner and with technique.

On one play, Flowers tried to punch into the chest of Ansah, but Ansah simply pushed his arms down and knocked Flowers off balance and to the ground.

While Ansah obviously didn't get a sack on every play, he affected Manning on many of them. He consistently collapsed the pocket and was virtually unblockable against both the run and the pass.

DE: Everson Griffen, Vikings

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The Pittsburgh offensive line is one of the better pass-blocking units in the NFL. However, Vikings defensive end Griffen manhandled it.

Griffen consistently pushed tackle Alejandro Villanueva back into the face of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After Villanueva came out of the game, Griffen treated his replacement, Chris Hubbard, the same way.

In all honesty, Griffen was unlucky. He had two sacks and several pressures, but he almost had a monumental day. If it weren't for Roethlisberger being as big as he is and able to get the ball away with a defender hanging on him, Griffen might have finished with five or even six sacks.

I believe Griffen is the best pass-rusher in the NFL after two weeks. He has one of the best spin moves in the game, and he has enough power to toss offensive tackles around. There are few guys who can impact a game the way he can.

DE: Melvin Ingram, Chargers

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Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa gets a lot of the spotlight, but to me, Melvin Ingram has been the more impressive player through two weeks. He was certainly the more impressive player against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Ingram gave offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil all he could handle all game long. While he ended up with only one sack, he disrupted plays with frequency. He got in Cutler's face a few other times, forcing him to get rid of the ball before he wanted to. There were a few plays where Ingram collapsed the line against the run as well.

Pass-rushing ends don't always have the strength to push the line back into a running back and reroute him. Ingram does, and it's his ability to excel against both the run and the pass that makes him a thorn in the side of opposing offensive coordinators.

DL: Adam Gotsis, Broncos

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We know all about Broncos pass-rusher Von Miller. He's amazing. However, a lot of people don't realize defensive end Adam Gotsis is also amazing. He's a guy with immense power who can two-gap, but he's also athletic enough to play a one-gap defense and win with quickness and speed through that gap.

What Gotsis did against the Cowboys offensive line was remarkable. Denver dominated the Dallas line in a way we've never seen before, and Gotsis was a major part of that. He gave Tyron Smith and Chaz Green everything they could handle in pass protection on the left side of the line.

The stats don't show it—Gotsis finished with four tackles—but Gotsis messed up the run game too. There were a couple of plays where Ezekiel Elliott tried to find running lanes on the left side, but the gaps were plugged by Gotsis.

On one play, Elliott even tried to stretch the ball to the outside and get around the line. He ended up having to stretch the play even more because Gotsis pushed his lineman back and to the outside. By the time Elliott got to the edge, there were defenders waiting for him.

The speed of Denver's linebacker corps is why Gotsis can become a headache for opponents. He can slow down plays to the point where defenders are going to get to the gap before the running back does.

DE: Olivier Vernon, Giants

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Giants defensive end Vernon is a special, special player. He looks like a Greek god on the field, and he's as disruptive as anyone in the game. I'm always amazed by the motor he brings on each and every play. He's pedal to the metal every single snap. What's incredible is that he played almost as many snaps as any other defensive end in 2016.

Vernon was a force on many plays against the Lions, though the stats don't show that. He absolutely owned Greg Robinson, and if not for Stafford's incredible ability to move in the pocket, he would have had a number of sacks.

Still, Vernon forced Stafford off the mark or forced him to get rid of the ball on more than one occasion. Let's not forget that Stafford only finished with 122 yards passing. A lot of that was because Vernon wasn't giving him the time to find targets downfield. For my money, he was the most impressive player on the New York defense.

Several times, Detroit tried to chip Vernon with a running back. Vernon simply pushed Robinson straight into the face of Stafford, making him uncomfortable. The running back who was expected to chip was rarely even a factor.

CB: Xavier Rhodes, Vikings

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One of the big reasons why the Pittsburgh offense wasn't hitting on all cylinders in Week 2 was the presence of Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes. He was on an island with Antonio Brown for most of the day, and he held him to just 62 yards.

Rhodes' size (6'1", 218 lbs) and length at the line of scrimmage frequently flustered the five-time Pro Bowl receiver. You can see on film that Rhodes had enough confidence in his own speed that he was willing to get physical with Brown coming off the line.

On one play, Brown managed to get free down the sideline, but Rhodes used his speed to close and to squeeze Brown toward the white line. Brown did come down with the ball, but he didn't come down with enough space to get his feet in bounds.

Eventually, Roethlisberger started looking to Bryant more because he seemed unsure whether Brown would be able to win his matchup with Rhodes. That isn't something you're going to see from Big Ben often.

CB: Marshon Lattimore, Saints

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Some might find this hard to believe because the Saints defense got shredded, but rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore deserves a ton of credit.

New Orleans came out and played a ton of man-to-man defense—I don't know why—and that's why it got down early. However, it didn't get down because of Lattimore. When the Saints played man defense, Lattimore shadowed Brandin Cooks. Lattimore won most of the battles, and Cooks only finished with 37 yards.

It's amazing a rookie cornerback was asked to do that against one of the fastest receivers in the league—and in only his second career start. It speaks to what the Saints think of Lattimore, and it speaks to his ability.

There were times where Cooks broke free and Brady either didn't see him or didn't look in his direction. However, there were several other plays where Lattimore was covering Cooks too tightly for Brady to dare throwing the ball that way. Twice, balls came in Lattimore's direction and the rookie batted them away.

I don't think it's going to be long before Lattimore is in the conversation for being one of the best corners in football.

CB: Aqib Talib, Broncos

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Cornerback Aqib Talib is another big reason why the Broncos shut down Elliott and the Cowboys on Sunday. He's one of the few guys in football you can ask to cover Dez Bryant one-on-one 50 times a game and feel comfortable about it. That's what Talib did, and it allowed Denver to focus more on stopping the run.

Did Bryant win a couple of battles? Sure. However, Talib is fast enough and physical enough that he made Bryant look like an average receiver for most of the afternoon.

This stood out when Dak Prescott would try to make back-shoulder throws to Bryant. When he did, Talib found a way to out-position Bryant. On film, it looked like Talib was the target, not Bryant.

Talib ended up with the big pick-six at the end of the game, but he could have had even more. At least two passes hit him in the chest, but Talib was unable to secure them. Talib is the definition of a game-changing cornerback.

LB: Ryan Shazier, Steelers

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There is a lot of talent in the Steelers front seven, but when Ryan Shazier is healthy, he's the best middle linebacker in the game. There's no other linebacker who flies around the field the way he does. He has 4.3 speed, which is just sick for a linebacker.

Shazier can cover sideline to sideline, and he can tackle supreme athletes in space. The thing that is undervalued, though, is Shazier's closing speed, which allows Pittsburgh to run some unorthodox defenses at times. 

We saw this against the Vikings. The Steelers used a few formations that weren't gap-sound, but they did so knowing Shazier would close and clean up anything that happened to get through the defensive front. Shazier can get to the gap as quickly as anyone in football, and that limited what Minnesota could do while giving Pittsburgh more schematic freedom.

LB: De'Vondre Campbell, Falcons

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A lot of people talk about Deion Jones and what he brings to the Atlanta Falcons defense, but I believe De'Vondre Campbell is vastly underrated. He can do all sorts of different things, which we saw against the Green Bay Packers.

First of all, Campbell had a legitimate sack where he lined up at end and beat his man. The Packers were without both starting tackles, but that's still impressive for a 234-pound linebacker.

Campbell also shadowed Aaron Rodgers on a number of plays and made him uncomfortable. Rodgers likes to step up into the pocket and either buy time or take off and gain yards on his own. Campbell made sure neither was going to happen because he was going to hit him if he tried.

Campbell's size also often gets overlooked. At 6'4", 232 pounds, he's a terror against the pass. He has the athleticism to cover well, but he also has the length to make life difficult for quarterbacks. Take it from me: When a quarterback sees a linebacker that tall in the middle of the field, it makes the middle feel tighter and narrower. The threat of having a ball tipped into traffic is worrisome, and it's real with a guy like Campbell at linebacker.

S: Karl Joseph, Raiders

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Raiders safety Karl Joseph came into this season with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He was a first-round pick in 2016, and he didn't have the greatest rookie campaign. So far this year, though, he has shown up frequently.

Joseph is a phenomenal blitzer, which we saw in the Jets game. He understands the proper timing and how to hit the blitz on the run, which enabled him to be disruptive against New York on several plays. Not only did Joseph pressure quarterback Josh McCown, but he often timed the snap to get in and alter run plays before they had a chance to develop.

Joseph finished with five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, but his impact in Week 2 was far more significant.

For a smaller guy, Joseph (5'10", 205 lbs) isn't afraid to throw his body around and hit people. He's a wonderful open-field tackler, which should make plenty of quarterbacks and receivers wary to operate in the middle of the field.