NFL Rewind: Week One in the NFL, from A to Z
The NFL season kicked off this weekend, and it did not disappoint. The week was full of great games, stunning story lines, and promising performances. The second week provides potential to be even better, but before moving on to Week 2, it’s time to break down Week 1 from A to Z in the NFL Rewind.
A Is for Arian Foster
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The rookie running back for the Texans exploded on the scene in Week 1 and helped the Texans beat their nemesis, the Indianapolis Colts. Foster shredded the Colts defense on 33 carries and amassed 231 yards and three scores and made it look easy. The Texans offense did not have to use the passing attack because the Colts defense had no answer for Foster. The youngster averaged seven yards per touch and propelled his name into the top of the charts for rookie of the year. The odds for Foster to be rookie of the year have just increased.
B Is for Batman and Robin, or the Bungling Bengals
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The Bengals had high hopes for the season and started off with a thud. Granted, they were playing the New England Patriots on the road, but they looked miserable. They had trouble on special teams, on offense, and on defense.
There was some good news for the Bengals, as young rookies such as tight end Jermaine Gresham and wide receiver Jordan Shipley looked promising in catching passes and running crisp routes. Batman and Robin did not have a bad day, but they did not end up in the win column. The Bengals will have to address their problems quickly because they play Baltimore next.
C Is for Controversy
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It would not be a week of football if not for some controversy. This week it was in the Lions-Bears game in the closing seconds. With 31 second to go in the game and the Lions trailing 19-14, wide receiver Calvin Johnson jumped up and got a ball in the end zone for what seemed like the game winner. After the catch, he fell to the ground, rolled over and let go of the ball. After review, the pass was ruled incomplete.
The referees tried to explain the call. “The ruling is that in order for the catch to be completed, he has got to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process of the catch,” said referee Gene Steratore.
It was a tough break for a Lions team that has struggled to win on the road and deserved to win this game.
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D Is for Deion Sanders
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It was a quiet story, but “Prime Time” Deion Sanders is back in the news. It was announced that Sanders is a first-year eligible candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, and Jerome Bettis are some of the other notable names that are eligible for the Hall in 2011.
There are 113 nominees that will be lowered to 25 by the Hall Of Fame selectors, and that will be reduced to 15 finalists to be announced in January. Only time will tell if Sanders will make the cut in his first year.
E Is for Eagles QB Controversy
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Quarterback Kevin Kolb made his first start as the No. 1 quarterback for the Eagles when they played Green Bay on Sunday. The start was supposed to be the beginning of Kolb’s reign in Philadelphia as the starter, but it may be over after one game. The offense was sputtering under his command, and Kolb suffered a concussion and had to be removed from the game.
Michael Vick entered the game, moved the offense, and made the game much closer than Kolb had been able to do. Now, the Philadelphia media will jump on this quarterback quandary, and this will be a headline all week long.
F Is for Favre
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Way back on Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings kicked the season off with a game against the New Orleans Saints. Brett Favre started his first game after missing most of camp, and his rustiness showed as he seemed to be off kilter all night. He missed assignments with his receivers and had trouble moving the offense. Favre threw an interception when he was heavily rushed by the Saints, and at moments during the game, Favre just looked old. Favre should get better as the season goes along but looked very bad in Week 1.
G Is for Gailey
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Welcome to the Buffalo Bills, Chan Gailey. The new head coach made some interesting calls in his first week as head coach of the Bills. He started off the game by calling pass plays on eight of his first 12 plays and then took an intentional safety late in the game. The respectable thing about Gailey is that he takes responsibility.
“If fingers need to be pointed, they point right back at me,” Gailey said. “That’s my responsibility to get (this team) to the winning side of the ball.”
H Is for Hair
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Do you think the Pittsburgh Steelers missed Troy Polamalu? In his first game back after missing most of last year due to injury, Polamalu made an interception in the fourth quarter that was instrumental in keeping the Steelers in the game and giving them a chance to win it. He was a menace in the secondary, confused Matt Ryan all day long, and added five tackles to his opening day resume. Good things happen for the Steelers when Troy Polamalu is in the lineup.
I Is for Injuries
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Injuries happen all the time in football, but it seemed like many of the key signal callers in the NFL got hurt on Sunday. Kevin Kolb went down for the Eagles and the Panthers lost Matt Moore, but the biggest loss may have been suffered by the Detroit Lions. Matthew Stafford suffered a serious shoulder injury in his game against the Bears when he was hit by Julius Peppers.
The Lions are still mum on the injury, but rumors suggest it is a shoulder separation. Whatever the diagnosis is, rest assured it is bad news for the Lions.
J Is for J-E-T-S
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The Jets' debut had a few hard knocks of its own as they battled the Baltimore Ravens. It was the Jets offense that did not live up to the hype. They had just six first downs on the night and they were 1 for 11 on third downs. The Jets did take on one of the best defenses in the Baltimore Ravens, but will have to get well quick as they have a divisional game on tap with the Patriots.
K Is for Karlos Dansby
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The Miami Dolphins signed Karlos Dansby in the offseason and it is already paying dividends. In his first game against Buffalo, Dansby recorded three quarterback hits, eight tackles, and was one of the main reasons why Bills rookie running back C.J. Spiller had a quiet day. Dansby was involved one way or another on four plays that involved Spiller.
L Is for Logan Mankins
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The New England Patriots won in easy fashion against the Bengals and the offensive line played very well, so what does this mean for holdout Logan Mankins? Well, it is all quiet on the holdout front, but Patriots owner Bob Kraft did acknowledge that they did not offer Mankins a deal.
“There have been negotiations, but we’ve never had a deal,” Kraft said during a surprise appearance on WEEI’s Dale and Holley show Monday. “We did make offers and we don’t normally do this, but I want our fan base to be focusing on our team, not misreports or misperceptions that are put out. (Our offers) would have allowed him to be paid very well, which we felt was appropriate. I know it was comparable to what (Jets center) Nick Mangold made. I’m not sure his people felt it was appropriate. I understand there is a back and forth with negotiations. But at no time did we have a deal with Logan Mankins.”
M Is for Monday Night Football Upset
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The Chargers strolled into Arrowhead on a Monday night and got caught in a rainstorm and a rookie storm. The Chiefs defeated the Chargers mainly due to the play of the defense and the rookies. Dexter McCluster returned a punt 94 yards to break a record for the longest punt return in Chiefs history as the Chargers were upset on Monday night.
N Is for Nicks
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For those of you that have never heard of Hakeem Nicks, that all changed on Sunday. The wide receiver out of North Carolina made a splash with the New York Giants on opening day and scored three times against the Panthers. For fantasy football freaks, his stock just went through the roof and Giants fans are thrilled that Eli Manning has another weapon on offense.
O Is for Overtime
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Week 1 of the NFL provided the first overtime game of the year between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons. In a defensive battle between two teams that turned into a battle of field goals, it seemed only fitting that the winning play was a touchdown. Pittsburgh Steeler running back Rashard Mendenhall busted a big play in the extra session and ran for 50 yards for the winning score. This was a big win for the Steelers who were playing without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
P is for Pete Carroll
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Pete Carroll started off his tenure as new Seahawks head coach with a bang. Many were skeptical of his return to the NFL and the mess he left behind at USC, but he has given Seattle a reason to be optimistic. His team manhandled the 49ers on opening day in nearly every facet of the game. The final score was 31-6 and the Hawks squashed the running attack of Frank Gore, holding him to just 38 yards on 17 carries. This is a good start to the Pete Carroll second-chance run in the NFL.
Q is for Questions
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Plenty of teams have questions to answer after Week 1, but the team with the most questions has to be the Dallas Cowboys. They basically gift wrapped a win for the Washington Redskins. Before the half, they tried some sort of lateral technique that resulted in a fumble and seven points for the Skins. Then they had a chance to win the game on the last play and a touchdown was reversed due to a holding penalty. Penalties, miscues, and an opening loss equal panic in Big D.
Wade Phillips, your seat is officially hot.
R Is for Raider Nation
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This is the year for an improved Raiders team after the signing of Jason Campbell at quarterback, but someone forgot to tell the Raiders. They start the season ranked 21st in offense and 18th on defense and have no signs of getting better any time quick. They were humbled and embarrassed at the hands of the Tennessee Titans as they lost by a final score of 38-13. It’s still early but it looks like the same old song for Raider Nation.
S Is for Sam Bradford
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Welcome to the NFL, Sam Bradford. In his very first game as a professional, Bradford had 51 passing attempts and had a chance to win the game at the end. I don’t think you can ask for anything more from a rookie quarterback making his first start. He finished the day with 253 yards and one touchdown.
The rookie did have three interceptions on the day, but when it comes to upside, Bradford and the Rams have a very bright future.
T is for Tim Tebow
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There is no rookie that is more hyped than Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow. It is disgusting to admit when this rookie doesn’t even start in the NFL. It was even more dissatisfying when the rookie took the field for three plays on Sunday and gained one yard on two rushing attempts. The Broncos tried to put the quarterback in to spark some offense and instead stalled a few drives. The jury is still out on Tebow, but hopefully this will calm some of the buzz around the rookie backup QB.
U Is for Upsets
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The term “any given Sunday” is popular because on any Sunday any team can beat any other team. Week 1 was no exception. Underdogs made some noise throughout the league as the Seahawks upset the 49ers, Houston beat the Colts, and in the biggest upset of them all, the Redskins beat the Cowboys. It continued on Monday night as the Ravens and the Chiefs both won as underdogs.
The latest lines have yet to be released on all games, but so far only two home underdogs are on the slate for Week 2. This will be a common theme throughout the year, but what underdogs will win in Week 2?
V Is for Vick
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Michael Vick looked dynamite coming in for an injured Kevin Kolb in Week 1. He was mobile, had a rocket arm, and the players seemed to back the quarterback. Vick looks like he is ready to lead the Eagles and fight for a starting job, and it looked as though he still has some of the same skill set that he had when he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Besides members of PETA, are the fans willing to forgive Michael Vick? Only time will tell.
W Is for Wes Welker
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ESPN had a pregame piece with Wes Welker in which the wide receiver joked about making a deal with the devil to recover so quickly from an injury he suffered last year. Then he came out on Sunday and caught eight passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe that story had some merit after all, because Welker and the New England Patriots offense are back and ready to light up scoreboards.
X Is for Xs and Os
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Mike Martz was introduced as the new offensive coordinator of the Bears and they won in their first game, despite a poor overall performance. However, when you break down the Xs and Os of the offense, Martz had a stellar debut. They lead the league in total offense and Jay Cutler had a banner day, passing for 372 yards. Matt Forte was revitalized by this offense, and caught seven balls for 151 yards and the Bears have plenty of reason to be optimistic about the 2010 season.
Y Is for Yardage
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When it came to yardage in Week 1, no player had a better output than Peyton Manning. The Colts quarterback tossed the pigskin all over the field for 433 yards against the Houston Texans. Manning seems to be on pace for another MVP season, but has to be unhappy with the results of game. The Colts lost to the Texans and start the 2010 campaign in last place in the AFC South.
Z Is for Zebras
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The call in the Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game looked pretty bad, but it was still the right call. The referees were under fire all week for the decision to adjust the positioning of its crew members for safety. The changes went off without a hitch and seemed to work fine in Week 1. That is a win/win for the fans and the league. It will be interesting to see how things change as the season progresses.
A-Z for Week 1 is complete, and Week 2 looks like it can only get better!
Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews, and predictions. Feel Free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com
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