Predicting
the NFL is hard enough. But, predicting week 1 of the NFL is
suicide. Anyone who tells you something is a lock before
week 1 obviously didn't remember when they lost the mortgage
to their house on week 1 the year before.
Surprise of the Week #1
And this is the biggest one to me. Just take a gander at the
Ravens-Colts game. I don't care how bad Kyle Boller has
looked since he entered the NFL; the Colts hadn't held a
team scoreless since beating the Dolphins, 41-0, on December
14, 1997. But, which defense had scored a touchdown and had
held the other team scoreless for the first 59:46 of the
game? The Colts. It's hard to say whether they are really
that good, or whether the Ravens' offense is really that
bad, but Jamal Lewis was held to 48 yards on 16 carries. I'm
thinking it's a bit of both. I had the Colts missing the
playoffs before the season. I still think they've got a
tough road to hoe, but their defense is better than I
thought it would be.
Surprise of the Week #2
Miami 34, Denver 10.
You're joking, right? I mean, I actually thought Miami had a chance, but 24 points? Those odds in Vegas
would have been somewhere around Orlando Pace's
weight-to-one. Still, you can have all the offense in the
world. But, if the other team is running the ball better and
has a better defense, you're in trouble.
Surprise
of the Week #3
I'm going to lump a few names in here. Willie Parker. Arnaz
Battle. Frisman Jackson. Patrick Crayton. Daniel Wilcox.
Chris Baker. These are just a few of the fantasy names who
will be flying around the Web over the next 48 hours as each
and every one of them scored more fantasy points than Chad
Johnson, Edgerrin James, Ahman Green, Curtis Martin, Brett
Favre and Tony Gonzalez.
Surprise
of the Week #4
I don't care that they were playing against the Titans. The
Steelers put up 34 points in week 1 and that is something to
seriously celebrate. Ben Roethlisberger got an average of
almost 20 yards per attempt and didn't throw an interception
the whole game. RB Willie Parker - their third-string
(though maybe not for long) rusher - now leads the league in
rushing yards. I had Pittsburgh pegged for the lower half of
the AFC North because I thought their offense would be
sluggish. If they can put up another 34 in Houston, look
out.
--Count
me among those happy to see the New Orleans Saints win
their opener. The NFL’s nomads, courtesy of Hurricane
Katrina, the Saints went into Carolina and beat the
Panthers, 23-20, on a last-second field goal by John
Carney.
After the
game, the Saints talked about their emotions and how moved
they were by a letter from Mayor C. Ray Nagin that was read
the night before the game. The letter, which detailed the
horrors Nagin has seen, was so powerful that Coach Jim
Haslett could not finish it. After the game, the team
awarded a game ball to Nagin.
It was good
to see the Saints not read more into the win than some kind
of symbolism. ''It's been emotional for us, but we're not in
the same situation as the people in those shelters,'' said
offensive lineman Wayne Gandy. ''It was a good break for us
to just be able to go out and play football, but it's not
all about us anymore.''
Evacuees
watching the game in Houston’s Astrodome appreciated the
Saints’ effort. "All we're missing now is some crawfish,
corn bread, crab and smoked sausage," Steven Williams told
the New York Times. "I swear the Saints did this for us.
Football is a game of fate also."
"The people that lost everything,
they have to sit on cots to watch this team and hope we win
for New Orleans," said Saints receiver Joe Horn. "Just to
make those people happy, it's all worthwhile."
--If Week 1 taught us
anything, it’s that the exhibition season means nothing.
Denver went 4-0 in the preseason and
got drilled by lowly Miami, 34-10. ... The Indianapolis
Colts went 0-5 in fake games yet won their opener easily.
... The Detroit Lions
were crushed on national TV in a preseason game against the
St. Louis Rams, causing great consternation in Detroit. But
on Sunday, the Lions beat the Packers while the Rams were
upset by the 49ers. ... Quarterbacks Ben
Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) and Carson Palmer (Cincinnati)
looked awful in the preseason, but both were brilliant in
leading their teams on Sunday.
All the exhibition season is good for
is NFL teams to gouge fans by forcing them to buy tickets if
they want regular season tickets.
--I watching the games with
three friends, all gay, and at the end of the Lions’ win
over the Packers, the camera panned on Detroit QB Joey
Harrington, looking hot as ever now that he shaved his
hideous beard. “Oooooohhhhh, Joey!” two of my friends cooed
in unison.
--The hottest ref, Ed “Guns”
Hochuli, looked as buff as ever in the Jacksonville heat.
Watching a preseason game two weeks ago, I heard ABC’s Al Michaels say
of Hochuli, “ He could be on the cover of Muscle and
Fitness.” The announcers always notice and comment on the
Guns’ physique.
--It’s a mistake to read too
much into Week 1 (two years ago, the Patriots lost 31-0 in
their opener and went on to win the Super Bowl), but some
things stuck out:
Minnesota lost at home to Tampa
Bay, 24-13, and did not score an offensive touchdown for
the first time in four years. So much for the idea that
the Vikings’ offense would be just as effective without
Randy Moss.
The Rams, burned badly on special
teams a year ago, had the same problems on Sunday,
giving up a punt return for a touchdown in their 28-25
loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
It may be a long season for the
Green Bay Packers. They scored only three points in
their loss to Detroit and now hear that star wide
receiver Javon Walker will miss the rest of the season
with a knee injury.
The Buffalo Bills might have the
best defense in the league. They held Houston to 120
total yards and recorded five sacks and five turnovers.
If the Bills’ offense is consistent, this will be a
playoff team.
The Baltimore Ravens still
don't have an offense. They came within 12 seconds of
being shut out by the Indianapolis Colts and lost
quarterback Kyle Boller to a toe injury. Not that Boller
was doing that well when he got hurt--his hometown fans
cheered as he lay on the turf.
--Game
of the day was Dallas’ 28-24 thriller at San Diego. The
Chargers had four chances to win the game on the last drive
after getting to the Cowboys’ 7-yard line. Drew Brees threw
three incompletions then a game-ending interception. It was
obvious they missed star tight end Antonio Gates (13 TDs in
2004) who was suspended for one game after a contract
dispute. Gates excelled in the red zone and the Chargers
were idiots to flex their muscles by suspending him; it
likely cost them a win.
The
Chargers also had some weird play calling, throwing on their
last 12 plays even though they had LaDainian Tomlinson in
the backfield. He’s the best running back in the league and
was basically a decoy on the final drive. Tomlinson had only
19 carries and no receptions (they never threw to him).
Dumb.
--The
Cincinnati Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns, 27-13. Big
deal? You bet. It was the Bengals' first 1-0 start since
2001 and their first opening game road win since 1995.
--For at
least one day, Drew Bledsoe (three TDs) looked like a
great offseason pickup for Dallas.
--The
Kansas City Chiefs crushed the New York Jets, 27-7, and
came within 29 seconds of pitching a shutout. That’s big
news for a team ranked near the bottom in defense a year
ago.
--Don’t
take me to Vegas. My “best bet” was Tennessee +7 at
Pittsburgh. Final: Pittsburgh 34, Tennessee 7.
--I watching the games with
three friends, all gay, and at the end of the Lions’ win
over the Packers, the camera panned on Detroit QB Joey
Harrington, looking hot as ever now that he shaved his
hideous beard. “Oooooohhhhh, Joey!” two of my friends cooed
in unison. 