Baby Boomers: NFL Rookies Making Great First Impressions

After a crazy, somewhat surprising Week One, we saw this 2008 class of rookies does not want to be mentioned in the paragraph above. Bouncing from city to city, newcomers to the NFL made their presence known, some hardly looking like they were in their first professional game.

Beginning in the city of brotherly love, former Cal standout DeSean Jackson was all over the field, battering the Rams for six catches and 106 yards. His shiftiness in the return game helped as well, as the Eagles soared past St.Louis, 38-3. The improved play of quarterback Donovan McNabb had the Eagles looking like the Birds of old.

Just over a hundred miles southwestward in the Ravens' nest, rookie signal-caller Joe Flacco, fresh out of Delaware, managed his first NFL start nicely. He didn’t light up the box score, but he out-dueled Carson Palmer and, late in the third quarter, his 38-yard scamper essentially ended the game, sealing the victory for Baltimore.

All the way down in "Hotlanta," Matt Ryan couldn’t have started the new era for the Falcons any better. His first official throw resulted in a 62-yard score, as he beamed a laser to Michael Jenkins. Ryan’s day ended 9-of-13 for a mere 161 yards, but his first throw and game management opened many eyes across the rest of the league.

Moving to the running back position, we were introduced to two feature backs who flew under the radar in college, Matt Forte of the Bears and Chris Johnson of the Titans. Both tailbacks displayed a veteran-like combination of speed and power, averaged over five yards per touch, and carried their respective teams to victory.

Even ex-Razorback star Felix Jones, who is used to playing in a shadow (see: McFadden, Darren) fit into his role in "Big D" perfectly. Similar to fellow classmate Matt Ryan, Jones scored on his first NFL touch. His elusiveness was highlighted when he occasionally spelled bruiser Marion Barber. Jones’ premiere closed with a high-school-like average of seven yards per carry.

Possibly the biggest surprise of the week didn’t line up until the last game of kickoff weekend. He was drafted to bolster his team’s most glaring offensive need. No, I’m not talking about Darren McFadden. Eddie Royal, the second-round pick out of Virginia Tech, was the man Monday night. His nine-catch, 146-yard performance pleasantly stunned Bronco fans, relieving the itch that had the Bronco faithful scratching their heads after Denver chose him No. 42 overall in April’s draft, passing on higher-rated wideouts.

Royal’s smooth route-running and nimble feet had DeAngelo Hall and the rest of a good Raider secondary guessing all night. He and Jay Cutler controlled the ball all evening, stampeding the Broncos to a 41-14 victory.

Opening weekend had many great story lines, but, when gazing ahead to Week Two, these rookies give us something to look forward to outside of the ordinary. Their performances opened many eyes, maybe even dropped some jaws, and, most importantly, showed they were NFL-ready.