Week One Observations
1. Eli Manning, as John Madden repeatedly put it, looked very "comfortable." Plaxico Burress is going to have a monster season. The Giants as a whole looked very "comfortable." This team is a contender.2. Brandon Jacobs is a helluva back, but he will probably get injured again soon.
3. One of the guys in my fantasy league changed his team name to "jim_zorn_must_go" after that week one performance. The Skins looked so bad that it's already almost inconceivable that they could be at all decent anytime soon.
4. I thought the Seahawks offense would be bad. They are in serious, serious trouble. Losing Nate Burleson for the season might be the death knell. This will likely remain my #1 team to bet against for the next few more weeks before the lines go down to where they're supposed to go.
5. I'm not sold on the Jets yet. This clash with the Pats this weekend should give us a lot of information on both teams.
6. The Panthers looked very, very good. They deserved to win this game. I was thinking the whole time, what this team really needs is a playmaking receiver. It just so happens they have one of the most explosive in the league. When SS gets back, they may be unstoppable. In my mind, this team is already a contender.
7. You can just tell with Dante Rosario. This guy is gonna be a monster. Buy stock in Dante Rosario while it's still cheap. We haven't seen a tight end this athletic enter the league since Antonio Gates.
8. No need to panic if you're a Chargers fan. They should be fine. But they do need to shore up that defensive line. The Panthers controlled the line of scrimmage.
9. The NFC West could very well be the worst division in NFL (sports?) history. All these teams are horrible. I like my pick of the Cards to win the division at 8-8. I don't really like the Cards much though. I don't think they've improved over last year, though the record may be better.
10. The Niners do have a couple things going for them, and outplayed the Cards during that game. If they can eliminate some of the gruesome mistakes, they could fight for a 6-10 record, lol.
11. Dallas is the obvious Juggernaut. There is no reason to believe their offense can be stopped, unless injuries hit.
12. The Bears looked very '06 Bears. Chicago's record by season since 2001: 13-3, 4-12, 7-9, 5-11, 11-5, 13-3, 7-9. This team swings. Preliminary indications show a huge potential upswing in '08. That '06 formula is in place - stifling defense, run the ball, make plays on special teams, manage the game. Even Kyle Orton didn't look that bad.
13. No need to panic if you're a Colts fan. But like the Chargers, they have some troubling issues in the trenches.
14. Aaron Rodgers badly missed on a few easy throws, but also nailed some difficult ones. The jury is still out.
15. It's hilarious to think about how much better the Vikings would be with Chad Pennington behind center. The Vikings pass play calling is dreadful though - you can't blame Tarvaris for everything.
16. Another thing - these dink and dunk teams that like to run the ball and have no faith in their QB require a sterling tight end. The Vikes don't have one. Think of the Chargers - they pretty much run that dink and dunk "manage the game" offense with Rivers that limits passes to WRs, but they have Antonio freaking Gates. And this makes all the difference. You give the Vikes Pennington and a good TE, and it's a whole new ballgame.
17. Somewhere down the line the Raiders are going to make me some money, I think. If this team can get a lead or get in a close game, they can run the ball down your throat and control the game. They will s
urprise some solid teams.18. It is an exciting time to be a Broncos fan. Jay Cutler looks absolutely fantastic, a top 5 NFL QB. He has all the throws. Marshall/Royal is the new Smith/McCaffrey, and Cutler is the new Elway. We will learn more this Sunday against the Chargers.
Power Ratings
1. Dallas
2. Pittsburgh
3. New York Giants
4. Green Bay
5. Indianapolis
6. San Diego
7. Jacksonville
8. Philadelphia
9. New England
10. Carolina
11. Tennessee
12. Denver
13. Chicago
14. New York Jets
15. Buffalo
16. Minnesota
17. New Orleans
18. Cleveland
19. Houston
20. Tampa Bay
21. Baltimore
22. Atlanta
23. Arizona
24. Detroit
25. Seattle
26. Miami
27. Kansas City
28. Washington
29. San Francisco
30. Cincinnati
31. Oakland
32. St. Louis
posted by GnightMoon @ 9:58 AM
6 Comments:
I think you're waaaaayyy too high on the Giants, man.
Eli is destined for another 75 QB rating season... at best. I really don't think he looked all that comfortable, man. I mean... he's going to have to improve on his 61 QB Rating in that Redksins game in order to get up to that 75 barrier.
19 of 35, 6.2 yards/attempt and a pick? That Redskins defense is hardly dominant.
Also, the Eagles, man. Number 8? I know it was the Rams but you need to see this team in action, man. That defense looks FAST. And McNabb is on the money. I would look for them to be right there with Dallas next Monday. And they will DESTROY the football Giants when they meet. I am sure of this... (assuming McNabb stays healthy)
As a long time Bronco fan, your summary on Marshall/Royal/Cutler to Smith/McCaffery/Elway gave me goose bumpies :) A little premature, but I like!!
If only we had a real stud running back again like Terrell or Portis!
Thank god for Dumervil, he is a terror!
Oh, ya, your assessment of Eli and the Giants, I give a D! Washington made them look good, the G-man have some talent but still suck, and always will! Props to Plaxico though!
NL West is at least as bad as NFC West.
Hilarious, I got on here to write a comment about the Giants and how the only reason they won that game was that the Skins were horrendous and the playcalling and clock management were criminal. Absolutely criminal.
Giants are well on their way to an average season and sneaking into the playoffs again.
Alright alright alright I admit it, I overrated the Giants.
I'm just proud of myself because I actually knew what you were talking about throughout this post. That has never happened to me in your football blog post history.
I gotta say that I love the Giants, so I liked that part of your post.
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