RECAPPING NFL SUNDAY
I'm still shaking my head over the Chiefs' game, they are truly hard to watch. Tennessee fans have to be concerned as well, they're 0-2. The worst part of it is their defense has let them down in both games. The Steelers tied the game in the 4th quarter & won it in overtime, Ben Roethlisberger going 16 of 18 for 160 yards in that time. Yesterday, a QB that won't be compared to Ben Roethlisberger, Houston's Matt Schaub, picked the Titans apart, throwing for 4 touchdowns. Where is the Tennessee defense? A lot of fans in Nashville are wondering the same thing. Their trip to the Big Apple to play the Jets has become almost a "must win" game.
New England is lucky to be 1-1, they really are. The Bills let them off the hook Monday night & then yesterday they couldn't even muster an offensive touchdown. The Jets backed up all that smack talkin' & are now 2-0. I still think the Pats will win this division, but they better get their act together very quickly, which will be tough with Atlanta & Baltimore next up.
The game that surprised me the most on Sunday was the Cincinnati-Green Bay contest. Carson Palmer overcame 2 interceptions to throw 3 touchdown passes, but what killed Green Bay was the Bengals' RB, Cedric Benson, who ran for 141 yards. Another poor pass blocking performance for the Packer's O-line, surrendering 5 sacks, that's 9 in 2 games.
When it became official this morning that Kevin Kolb was starting for the Eagles, I was shocked at the line, shocked enough to take the Saints -3. I thought it was going to be in the neighborhood of 5, 5 1/2. Anyway, Drew Brees shredded the Eagle defense for 311 yards & 3 touchdowns. He hit 9 different receivers. There was even a Reggie Bush sighting for the Saints, he scored too. My boy Kevin Kolb performed exactly as I thought he would, throwing 3 picks, one returned for a 97-yard touchdown. The Saint defense bent but really didn't break. Kolb will play crappy again next week against Kansas City, but the Eagles know how to win, so it will be another long Sunday for Chiefs' fans.
As I watched the Tampa-Buffalo game, I saw some of the old Terrell Owens me, me, me start to come out. After catching but one pass for 5 yards, his body language showed his displeasure. It's the second game of the year & your team is winning their home opener! The look on his face said "So what, I'm not getting any balls thrown my way so why should I be happy"? He sat by himself on the bench, looking disinterested. Then in the 4th quarter, Trent Edwards hit him with a 43-yard touchdown pass. Was this strutting, posing, flexing guy the same one who seemed so pissed off for over 50-minutes? He's a beauty.
I think the Cleveland Browns are right near the bottom of the league. The performance of their 2 Pro Bowl offensive linemen, Joe Thomas & Eric Steinbach was shameful. You would have thought the Browns were playing against the "Steel Curtain" & not the Denver Broncos. They couldn't run the ball, they couldn't protect QB Brady Quinn & the few times they did, Quinn stunk up the place all by himself. Denver isn't very good either, but they have won 2 games. When they play against an opponent more inept than they are, they beat them. Unlike a the team I root for every Sunday.
The Ravens gave up over 400 yards passing to Phillip Rivers, but with the game on the line, Ray Lewis stuffed Charger running back Darren Sproles for a 3-yard loss on 4th & 1 inside the Raven 15-yard line. Lewis can still get it done, he led the team in tackles with 12, 3 of them for losses. Phillip Rivers looked like a pinball dodging the pass rush & bouncing off his own linemen. The Chargers were totally unable to run the ball all afternoon. When L.T. is healthy enough to play, he shouldn't, Sproles has passed him by in every phase of the game. Sproles will even take on blitzers, something L.T. never did. Raven QB Joe Flacco played in his usual steady fashion. When they get Terrell Suggs healthy again, the Ravens will be a very tough out.
Pittsburgh kicker, Jeff Reed, one of the league's most reliable, missed two 4th quarter field goals as the Steelers fell to the Bears 17-14 on Robbie Gould's last minute field goal.
So much for welcoming 105,121 Cowboy fans to the new Jones-Mahal down in Big D. The throng left disappointed as their team lost to the New York Giants, 33-31. Eli Manning was erratic early on but he didn't cost his team like Dallas' Tony Romo did. Three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, killed Dallas. His 13 of 29 passing stats & a 29.6 passer rating was the worst of all the starting QBs Sunday. Manning was able to hit Mario Manningham & Steve Smith for 10 completions each & his offensive line didn't give up a sack. Did you like the Go-Go girls up on the columns dancing during timeouts? I guess I'm getting too old, I didn't get it. But at least no one punted a ball off the video board, so for that, the assembled masses could be thankful.
Our bigscreen continued working, so that's something positive, plus I went 4 for 4 in my wagering endeavor. Nebraska, New Orleans, Baltimore & the G-Men were all winners, 3 of them underdogs. Perfect weekends are very rare, so I can't get too puffed up, things can turn around quickly.
Today's real name of the day; Brishen Matthews, safety, Monticello High School, Monticello, Arkansas.
New England is lucky to be 1-1, they really are. The Bills let them off the hook Monday night & then yesterday they couldn't even muster an offensive touchdown. The Jets backed up all that smack talkin' & are now 2-0. I still think the Pats will win this division, but they better get their act together very quickly, which will be tough with Atlanta & Baltimore next up.
The game that surprised me the most on Sunday was the Cincinnati-Green Bay contest. Carson Palmer overcame 2 interceptions to throw 3 touchdown passes, but what killed Green Bay was the Bengals' RB, Cedric Benson, who ran for 141 yards. Another poor pass blocking performance for the Packer's O-line, surrendering 5 sacks, that's 9 in 2 games.
When it became official this morning that Kevin Kolb was starting for the Eagles, I was shocked at the line, shocked enough to take the Saints -3. I thought it was going to be in the neighborhood of 5, 5 1/2. Anyway, Drew Brees shredded the Eagle defense for 311 yards & 3 touchdowns. He hit 9 different receivers. There was even a Reggie Bush sighting for the Saints, he scored too. My boy Kevin Kolb performed exactly as I thought he would, throwing 3 picks, one returned for a 97-yard touchdown. The Saint defense bent but really didn't break. Kolb will play crappy again next week against Kansas City, but the Eagles know how to win, so it will be another long Sunday for Chiefs' fans.
As I watched the Tampa-Buffalo game, I saw some of the old Terrell Owens me, me, me start to come out. After catching but one pass for 5 yards, his body language showed his displeasure. It's the second game of the year & your team is winning their home opener! The look on his face said "So what, I'm not getting any balls thrown my way so why should I be happy"? He sat by himself on the bench, looking disinterested. Then in the 4th quarter, Trent Edwards hit him with a 43-yard touchdown pass. Was this strutting, posing, flexing guy the same one who seemed so pissed off for over 50-minutes? He's a beauty.
I think the Cleveland Browns are right near the bottom of the league. The performance of their 2 Pro Bowl offensive linemen, Joe Thomas & Eric Steinbach was shameful. You would have thought the Browns were playing against the "Steel Curtain" & not the Denver Broncos. They couldn't run the ball, they couldn't protect QB Brady Quinn & the few times they did, Quinn stunk up the place all by himself. Denver isn't very good either, but they have won 2 games. When they play against an opponent more inept than they are, they beat them. Unlike a the team I root for every Sunday.
The Ravens gave up over 400 yards passing to Phillip Rivers, but with the game on the line, Ray Lewis stuffed Charger running back Darren Sproles for a 3-yard loss on 4th & 1 inside the Raven 15-yard line. Lewis can still get it done, he led the team in tackles with 12, 3 of them for losses. Phillip Rivers looked like a pinball dodging the pass rush & bouncing off his own linemen. The Chargers were totally unable to run the ball all afternoon. When L.T. is healthy enough to play, he shouldn't, Sproles has passed him by in every phase of the game. Sproles will even take on blitzers, something L.T. never did. Raven QB Joe Flacco played in his usual steady fashion. When they get Terrell Suggs healthy again, the Ravens will be a very tough out.
Pittsburgh kicker, Jeff Reed, one of the league's most reliable, missed two 4th quarter field goals as the Steelers fell to the Bears 17-14 on Robbie Gould's last minute field goal.
So much for welcoming 105,121 Cowboy fans to the new Jones-Mahal down in Big D. The throng left disappointed as their team lost to the New York Giants, 33-31. Eli Manning was erratic early on but he didn't cost his team like Dallas' Tony Romo did. Three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, killed Dallas. His 13 of 29 passing stats & a 29.6 passer rating was the worst of all the starting QBs Sunday. Manning was able to hit Mario Manningham & Steve Smith for 10 completions each & his offensive line didn't give up a sack. Did you like the Go-Go girls up on the columns dancing during timeouts? I guess I'm getting too old, I didn't get it. But at least no one punted a ball off the video board, so for that, the assembled masses could be thankful.
Our bigscreen continued working, so that's something positive, plus I went 4 for 4 in my wagering endeavor. Nebraska, New Orleans, Baltimore & the G-Men were all winners, 3 of them underdogs. Perfect weekends are very rare, so I can't get too puffed up, things can turn around quickly.
Today's real name of the day; Brishen Matthews, safety, Monticello High School, Monticello, Arkansas.
Comments