CAM GETS A WIN, JETS GET PUSHED AROUND, VIKES BLOW 3RD BIG LEAD, VICK BREAKS HIS HAND & THEN THERE'S THE CHIEFS
Cam Newton didn't get his third consecutive 400-yard passing game, on the contrary, he passed for just 158-yards. It was tough, especially in the first half with typhoon-like conditions, to handle the center snap much less throw the ball downfield. But he got his first win as an NFL starting quarterback, much more important. Carolina beat Jacksonville 16-10 in the battle of rookie quarterbacks. Newton bested Jags starter Blaine Gabbert in a game marred by maybe 3" of rain in the first half. Gabbert & Newton both threw touchdown passes in a game that was frankly very difficult to watch.
In a game that featured over 925-yards of total offense, the New Orleans Saints once again proved the Houston Texans can't win a big game on the road. With a 13-yard run by Mark Ingram & a 2-point conversion, the Saints went ahead to stay with 2:42 left, winning 40-33. The Texans lead all afternoon before falling behind 32-26 with 7-minutes to play but they stormed back taking a 33-32 lead with 4:13 left. It took Drew Brees less than two minutes to put the Saints back in front for good. Both QB's threw for 3 TD's & over 370-yards. The Saints passing offense has been even more impressive than forecast, but they're playing too many high-scoring games.
If you watched the Jets-Raiders game, you saw Oakland really rough up the visitors from New York. I mentioned Saturday morning the offensive line problems the Jets were having & it was worse than even I thought it would be. Rex Ryan's tough-guy Jets got pushed around, plain & simple. Oakland ran for 234-yards led by Darren McFadden's 171 & 2 scores. It was old time, smash mouth football & the Jets didn't respond. Actually it was smash-nose football as New York QB Mark Sanchez got his nose broken, we were treated to slo-mo replays of the doctor snapping his beezer back in place. This was the first game in a 3-game road trip for the Jets, with Baltimore & New England next, losing in Oakland the way they were pushed around isn't a good sign.
The Buffalo Bills find themselves at the top of the AFC East with a 3-0 record. They beat New England in a thrilling comeback, 34-31 to remain undefeated. New England led 21-0 with 6-minutes left in the half, usually death to an opponent. The Bills have scored 113-points in their three wins, coach Chan Gailey has his band of overachievers playing lights out right now. Tom Brady threw 4 TD's but also 4 interceptions. Pats slot receiver Wes Welker had his best performance ever with 16 receptions for 217-yards & 2 touchdowns in the loss. Chad Ochocinco dropped a sure touchdown pass & finished with just 2 catches. Can he be long for this team with his disappointing performance so far? With a trip to Cincinnati, Buffalo could keep 1st place for at least a few more weeks.
Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier should be happy with his team's first half efforts this season. The Vikings have gone to the locker room leading 17-7, 17-0 & 20-0. They've lost all three games. For the 1st time in 31-years, the Detroit Lions begin the season 3-0 by storming back to tie the Vikes in regulation. The Lions took the O.T. kickoff & 4 plays later, they kicked the game winning field goal, the big play was a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch by WR Calvin Johnson. The good news for Minnesota, they play winless Kansas City next week at Arrowhead, someone has to win right?
Baltimore rookie Torrey Smith didn't have a catch this season, but with Lee Evans sidelined with his foot in a walking boot, Smith got his chance to play. To say he made the most of that opportunity is quite an understatement. Smith caught three passes in the first quarter of their game in St. Louis, all three went for touchdowns. The rookie scored on hookups with QB Joe Flacco of 74, 41 & 18-yards. He finished the day with 5 receptions for 152-yards. DE Haloti Ngata scored Baltimore's other touchdown on a 28-yard return of a Sam Bradford fumble. The Rams O-line for the second week in a row, was miserable. Bradford was sacked 5 times & knocked down another 11 times. If they are to survive the brutal first half of the schedule, the offensive line has to play much better.
I predicted three upsets yesterday, Oakland, Chicago & Tampa Bay. I was wrong about Chicago, Green Bay continues to play without any Super Bowl Hangover, but Atlanta isn't as good as everyone thinks. This team just can't get a sustained pass rush & it's a killer. Another thing that should be very disturbing to the Falcon coaching staff is that 35-year old Tony Gonzalez has scored 3 of the Falcons 5 offensive touchdowns. Because they can't protect QB Matt Ryan, he is forced to look to shorter routes, which is Gonzalez' specialty. Sean Weatherspoon was once again Atlanta's leading tackler with 11, but he doesn't rush the passer & opposing QB's just have too much time.
The "Dream Team" is becoming a nightmare. The Philadelphia Eagles were soundly thumped by the Giants 29-16 & the news just gets worse as QB Michael Vick sustained a broken right hand & could miss as much as a month. Vick is a lefty, but he couldn't take a direct center snap after the injury, so he was replaced by Mike Kafka, who was miserable, throwing 2 picks in just 7 attempts. Jeremy Maclin caught 5 passes for 69-yards to lead the Eagles. The Eagle pass defense was dreadful, Eli Manning threw 4 touchdowns & the tackling was embarrassing. New York's Ahmad Bradshaw put the stiff-arm of the month on Eagles CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie & later, Eagle rookie LB Casey Mathews was completely fooled on a play action fake as Manning found 265-pound Brandon Jacobs all by his lonesome for a touchdown. Philly has real problems on their offensive line & their defense continues to suffer from poor tackling.
And then there's the Chiefs. They lost, again, to San Diego 20-17 leaving them in the AFC West cellar at 0-3. They play winless Minnesota next week, who knows, maybe they can figure out a way not to lose. That's what happened in San Diego yesterday, Kansas City found a way to lose. for the third consecutive game, kicker Ryan Succop missed a very makeable field goal from 38-yards. QB Matt Cassel throws an interception on a screen pass in the last minute of the game with Kansas City still with a chance to tie or win the game. The Chiefs didn't record a single 1st half first down, pitiful. Their big gainer was 4-yards. Four freakin' yards!
I don't know exactly what happened in the second half, was it Kansas City getting their act together or were the Chargers lulled to sleep by the Chiefs complete first half ineptness? But Dwayne Bowe & Steve Breston caught 7-second half passes to put the Chiefs back into contention. When TE Leonard Pope caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Cassel, they honestly had a shot to win it. But Cassel threw a screen pass directly to Charger safety Eric Weddle, who was next to tackle Brandon Albert, not running back Dexter McCluster. I don't know folks, but 252-total yards isn't enough to beat most NFL teams, so the Chiefs are going to have to find something extra if they are to be competitive.
I sincerely don't know if this team can win 4 games this year, they just look lost, San Diego was missing multiple starters just like the Chiefs. They didn't play well either, but they scored enough to put it out of reach for a pathetic Kansas City offense. I said to much criticism before the season began, Thomas Jones didn't have enough tread left in the tank to contribute this year. His 74-yards on 28 carries for a dismal 2.6 average is precisely what I was talking about. But at least Scott Pioli has saved Clark Hunt $29 million in cap money, no sense in having real, authentic, veteran depth when you have used up vets like Jon McGraw, Thomas Jones & Sabby Piscatelli. It's so nice to watch nose tackle Amon Gordon jump offside when the ball is directly in front of his face. Ball doesn't move? Neither should you. The penalty keeps a San Diego scoring drive alive.
Cornerback Brandon Flowers was injured after a 41-yard interception return. It was reported to be a knee but in the locker room after the game, Flowers said it was his ankle. McGraw suffered a knee bruise & was unable to play in the 2nd half.
I think the next two games will tell the tale on Todd Haley's future in Kansas City, Minnesota & Indianapolis, both winless & both still in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. One thing we already know, playing for the Cardinal, Luck looks great in red.
In a game that featured over 925-yards of total offense, the New Orleans Saints once again proved the Houston Texans can't win a big game on the road. With a 13-yard run by Mark Ingram & a 2-point conversion, the Saints went ahead to stay with 2:42 left, winning 40-33. The Texans lead all afternoon before falling behind 32-26 with 7-minutes to play but they stormed back taking a 33-32 lead with 4:13 left. It took Drew Brees less than two minutes to put the Saints back in front for good. Both QB's threw for 3 TD's & over 370-yards. The Saints passing offense has been even more impressive than forecast, but they're playing too many high-scoring games.
If you watched the Jets-Raiders game, you saw Oakland really rough up the visitors from New York. I mentioned Saturday morning the offensive line problems the Jets were having & it was worse than even I thought it would be. Rex Ryan's tough-guy Jets got pushed around, plain & simple. Oakland ran for 234-yards led by Darren McFadden's 171 & 2 scores. It was old time, smash mouth football & the Jets didn't respond. Actually it was smash-nose football as New York QB Mark Sanchez got his nose broken, we were treated to slo-mo replays of the doctor snapping his beezer back in place. This was the first game in a 3-game road trip for the Jets, with Baltimore & New England next, losing in Oakland the way they were pushed around isn't a good sign.
The Buffalo Bills find themselves at the top of the AFC East with a 3-0 record. They beat New England in a thrilling comeback, 34-31 to remain undefeated. New England led 21-0 with 6-minutes left in the half, usually death to an opponent. The Bills have scored 113-points in their three wins, coach Chan Gailey has his band of overachievers playing lights out right now. Tom Brady threw 4 TD's but also 4 interceptions. Pats slot receiver Wes Welker had his best performance ever with 16 receptions for 217-yards & 2 touchdowns in the loss. Chad Ochocinco dropped a sure touchdown pass & finished with just 2 catches. Can he be long for this team with his disappointing performance so far? With a trip to Cincinnati, Buffalo could keep 1st place for at least a few more weeks.
Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier should be happy with his team's first half efforts this season. The Vikings have gone to the locker room leading 17-7, 17-0 & 20-0. They've lost all three games. For the 1st time in 31-years, the Detroit Lions begin the season 3-0 by storming back to tie the Vikes in regulation. The Lions took the O.T. kickoff & 4 plays later, they kicked the game winning field goal, the big play was a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch by WR Calvin Johnson. The good news for Minnesota, they play winless Kansas City next week at Arrowhead, someone has to win right?
Baltimore rookie Torrey Smith didn't have a catch this season, but with Lee Evans sidelined with his foot in a walking boot, Smith got his chance to play. To say he made the most of that opportunity is quite an understatement. Smith caught three passes in the first quarter of their game in St. Louis, all three went for touchdowns. The rookie scored on hookups with QB Joe Flacco of 74, 41 & 18-yards. He finished the day with 5 receptions for 152-yards. DE Haloti Ngata scored Baltimore's other touchdown on a 28-yard return of a Sam Bradford fumble. The Rams O-line for the second week in a row, was miserable. Bradford was sacked 5 times & knocked down another 11 times. If they are to survive the brutal first half of the schedule, the offensive line has to play much better.
I predicted three upsets yesterday, Oakland, Chicago & Tampa Bay. I was wrong about Chicago, Green Bay continues to play without any Super Bowl Hangover, but Atlanta isn't as good as everyone thinks. This team just can't get a sustained pass rush & it's a killer. Another thing that should be very disturbing to the Falcon coaching staff is that 35-year old Tony Gonzalez has scored 3 of the Falcons 5 offensive touchdowns. Because they can't protect QB Matt Ryan, he is forced to look to shorter routes, which is Gonzalez' specialty. Sean Weatherspoon was once again Atlanta's leading tackler with 11, but he doesn't rush the passer & opposing QB's just have too much time.
The "Dream Team" is becoming a nightmare. The Philadelphia Eagles were soundly thumped by the Giants 29-16 & the news just gets worse as QB Michael Vick sustained a broken right hand & could miss as much as a month. Vick is a lefty, but he couldn't take a direct center snap after the injury, so he was replaced by Mike Kafka, who was miserable, throwing 2 picks in just 7 attempts. Jeremy Maclin caught 5 passes for 69-yards to lead the Eagles. The Eagle pass defense was dreadful, Eli Manning threw 4 touchdowns & the tackling was embarrassing. New York's Ahmad Bradshaw put the stiff-arm of the month on Eagles CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie & later, Eagle rookie LB Casey Mathews was completely fooled on a play action fake as Manning found 265-pound Brandon Jacobs all by his lonesome for a touchdown. Philly has real problems on their offensive line & their defense continues to suffer from poor tackling.
And then there's the Chiefs. They lost, again, to San Diego 20-17 leaving them in the AFC West cellar at 0-3. They play winless Minnesota next week, who knows, maybe they can figure out a way not to lose. That's what happened in San Diego yesterday, Kansas City found a way to lose. for the third consecutive game, kicker Ryan Succop missed a very makeable field goal from 38-yards. QB Matt Cassel throws an interception on a screen pass in the last minute of the game with Kansas City still with a chance to tie or win the game. The Chiefs didn't record a single 1st half first down, pitiful. Their big gainer was 4-yards. Four freakin' yards!
I don't know exactly what happened in the second half, was it Kansas City getting their act together or were the Chargers lulled to sleep by the Chiefs complete first half ineptness? But Dwayne Bowe & Steve Breston caught 7-second half passes to put the Chiefs back into contention. When TE Leonard Pope caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Cassel, they honestly had a shot to win it. But Cassel threw a screen pass directly to Charger safety Eric Weddle, who was next to tackle Brandon Albert, not running back Dexter McCluster. I don't know folks, but 252-total yards isn't enough to beat most NFL teams, so the Chiefs are going to have to find something extra if they are to be competitive.
I sincerely don't know if this team can win 4 games this year, they just look lost, San Diego was missing multiple starters just like the Chiefs. They didn't play well either, but they scored enough to put it out of reach for a pathetic Kansas City offense. I said to much criticism before the season began, Thomas Jones didn't have enough tread left in the tank to contribute this year. His 74-yards on 28 carries for a dismal 2.6 average is precisely what I was talking about. But at least Scott Pioli has saved Clark Hunt $29 million in cap money, no sense in having real, authentic, veteran depth when you have used up vets like Jon McGraw, Thomas Jones & Sabby Piscatelli. It's so nice to watch nose tackle Amon Gordon jump offside when the ball is directly in front of his face. Ball doesn't move? Neither should you. The penalty keeps a San Diego scoring drive alive.
Cornerback Brandon Flowers was injured after a 41-yard interception return. It was reported to be a knee but in the locker room after the game, Flowers said it was his ankle. McGraw suffered a knee bruise & was unable to play in the 2nd half.
I think the next two games will tell the tale on Todd Haley's future in Kansas City, Minnesota & Indianapolis, both winless & both still in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. One thing we already know, playing for the Cardinal, Luck looks great in red.
It's nice to know we can count on the Chiefs to do the wrong thing at the right time. This is horrible!
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Rich,
Even if this current administration wins the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes, do we really want these guys to have the 'honor' of owning the first pick of the draft?
"With the first pick of the 2012 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select, nose tackle, "Bubba Sparks" (not a real player folks).
Yes, the Haley Can Watch is on!
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John,
If the Chiefs stink bad enough to get the 1st overall pick, there's no way Todd Haley survives to coach Andrew Luck, no way.
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Oh, I agree completely. But it's Pioli that's making the selections. And signing the free agents, etc.
I look back at the state of the WR union in KC, compared to Haley's 1st days in KC. This bunch is no better than the Haley WRs year 1 or 2.
Last year's draft seemed to point to a theme; speed and character. This year... not sure what the theme was; shock and awe? AS I look back on Pioli's franchise moves, OUCH! How'd Chan Gailey's offense look in KC; Charlie Weis as HC or OC? Gailey HC or OC?
Here's one more rambling, scary thought... if Haley is canned after this year, does Pioli go back to a Patriot rooted coach? Josh McDaniels?
Oh Boy!
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If Pioli chooses McDaniels I & thousands of Chiefs fans will stage a revolt. Did you watch the Rams game yesterday? McDaniels' play calling was bizarre to put it mildly. Playing an aggressive defense like the Ravens who want to get penetration & blow stuff up in the backfield is not the opponent to run a tight end around play against. What was he thinking? That was just one example but I can assure you, he's not the right choice for anybody right now.
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