NFL Thoughts: Week 3 in the NFC

Saints 23/Falcons 3
I'm mildly surprised that the Saints dominated this game. Granted, there was a lot of emotion and obviously these aren't your daddy's Saints. It's not a secret why they are better on the offensive end. After going through the QB Hell (otherwise known as the Aaron Brooks Era) , New Orleans now has Drew Brees who brings credibility to the QB position. They've got a loaded backfield with McAllister and Bush, and Joe Horn is a nice go-to receiver. And although their defense has yet to be tested in the air, they have looked good against the run so far. It will be interesting to see how they fare against some of the other quality opponents left on their schedule (Carolina, Baltimore, Philly, Pittsburgh & Cincinnati are coming up in the next two months).
This game should be the wake up call yet again for Atlanta in regards to the passing game. Vick is not going to win games with his arm if they fall behind more than 2 TDs. For those who thought they'll be just fine bulldozing over (and sprinting around) defenders all year long; think again. For the Falcons to be successful in the playoffs (if they get that far this year), Vick will have to make plays with his arm and his legs. And just for the record, he doesn't have to have 300 yards passing to prove he can throw the ball effectively. He just has to make throws when it counts. Thus far he hasn't shown the ability to do that.


Packers 31/Lions 24
A banner day by Favre gives all Packer fans a warm fuzzy. I'm not a true Packer fan but even I got one. But then again I'm easy to please. Apparently so is the Lion's owner. After all Matt Millen is still around.


Bears 19/Vikings 16
The Vikings played the Bears tougher than I thought they would. Could they really contend for this division? I'm doubtful still. Brad Johnson isn't exactly tearing it up yet, but he isn't killing them either and not every team can say that about their QB. Their defense has been solid enough that even the Bears could be proud of it. Of course the Bears D is the cream of the division (and perhaps the NFL) when it comes to stopping people. And despite Grossman's interceptions (they don't call him a gunslinger for nothing) he still played well down the stretch in this game. If they can run the ball better in games to come then their play action passes will be even more wide open.


Panthers 26/Bucs 24
John Kasey kicked field goals of 51, 50, 46, & 49 yards for Carolina. As an ex-kicker I just want to give him a hug. Or shine his shoes. Or maybe we could just hang out and watch a copy of Walt Disney's "Gus" together (If you haven't seen it shame on you. I mean who doesn't like a movie about a mule that can kick 90 yard field goals?!). But I digress. Anyway I think we saw that having Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson both out on the field for the Panthers is a good thing (Johnson 97 yrds, Smith 112). Now I know Chris Simms was getting killed all day (what's a spleen by the way and why can we do without it?) but what's the deal with Carnell Williams? They're running game is almost non-existent. And it should be obvious by now that not too many QBs can be successful without a running threat. Not Simms and certainly not their rookie-and soon to be starter- Gradkowski.


Redskins 31/Texans 15
Is Brunnell back on track or are the Texans that bad? Well it might just be both. You know, 22 straight completions (5 yard variety or not) is not bad against anybody. He's got receivers that can do a lot with their legs so why not let them use them. It helps that Portis is back as well. His TD run shows you just how dangerous he can be. And by the way, the Texans David Carr is not looking too bad (compared to... well....himself) and his receiver Andre Johnson is a guy that should be talked about more.


Rams 16/Cardinals 14
"Just hold on to the ball and we win this thing". That's what Cardinal fans were thinking at the end of this game. But alas, Kurt Warner is your QB. We Rams fans know all about Warner's fumble problems and we giggle over your misfortune in the desert. Sorta. I mean Bulger sometimes looks like he's taking lessons from Warner. After all Bulger gave it up just minutes before in the exact same way and set up the Cardinals for the win. As I watched the end of the game it was with a small trace of sadness (but again mostly giggles) because I used to cheer for Warner when he was a star for St. Louis. But it was exactly that type of play that got him run out of town. Warner can throw for 300 yards almost every week, especially with his two stud receivers. But he's gonna kill you more times than he'll thrill you.

Eagles 38/49ers 24
Brian Westbrook is trying to silence all us doubters who say he can't be the do it all back for Philly. 8 carries for 117 yards (3 total TDs) is a nice statement. McNabb continues to impress as well. The 49ers are also making progress. They would have lost this game 38-3 last year. Tough luck for TE Vernon Davis (breaking his leg). Smith needs him for his safety valve.


Seahawks 43/Giants 30
What smells? Oh yeah-- it's that giant turd NY laid in Seattle. Holy crap they looked bad for 3 quarters. Hasselbeck was awesome until he started getting sloppy. 3 picks? 5 TDs helps ease the pain. Except for the pain of Alexander's foot which will keep him out for a while. Will it hurt the Seahawks in the meantime? I sure the hell hope so. Go Rams

Since they're were no cross conference games this past week I'll post the AFC today and the NFC tomorrow or Wednesday.

Broncos/Chiefs
If the Broncos are 0-2 with the way Plummer is playing then I might be tempted to agree with the entire Denver area which is begging for Jay Cutler right now. But they're not winless anymore. They managed at least one win with Plummer reverting back to his Arizona form. You'll notice I said managed. That means you sucked donkeys but you still won. But hey you know, maybe Plummer will hit his stride soon. For his health and well being he'd better. I think I saw a crazed woman in the stands with a John Elway jersey and a sign that read "Jake I know where you live". She probably doesn't want a date. These people want a strong armed gun slinger and Plummer doesn't fit the bill. Unfortunately for Jake it doesn't get any easier as they play the Pats on the road next, then get a bye and a whole week to ruminate if things don't go well against Brady and co. , then they get the suddenly resurgent Baltimore Ravens. So cheers Jake. If he can survive that gauntlet Oakland comes to town in week 6 and then it's part-ay time. On another note, the Bell/Bell RB tandem is really bugging me. When stats are listed or the announcer says "Bell for 5 yards, I'm not exactly who they are talking about. I shouldn't have to deal with that kind of an inconvenience should I?
--As far as the Chiefs play in this game, I mean what can you say? Their offense was worse than Denver's. They have Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez. That's it. And if you only have two weapons and you don't or can't use one of them (Gonzalez, 2 catches 7 yards) then you're pretty much screwed. But at least their defense came to play. That's a bonus especially in K.C. where defense has been about as sharp as George Bush's vocabulary skills.


Bills/Dolphins
Speaking of QBs who are getting booed. How about Culpepper's performance in this game? The stat sheet says he threw for 250 yards. But man was that an ugly 250. Apparently some fans were even chanting Joey Harrington's name near the end. Please. Culpepper's been bad but believe me Miami fans you don't want any part of Joey Harrington as your starter. Still Culpepper is destroying many people's confidence and predictions of a successful comeback (hand raised) along with any hopes at a division title. On the bright side I thought Ronnie Brown played really well. He looks good running and catching the ball.
Maybe we should give some credit to a scrappy Buffalo team. Their offense hasn't looked great but it hasn't given the games away either. And their defense has been awesome so far. The Bills might just be that non-playoff team that nobody wants to play this year.


Patriots/Jets
Jet's WR Jerricho Cotchery hands down wins best catch of the day. His 71 yard TD reception is a little like my bedroom skills. Pure magic. Coles TD catch was pretty fun to watch as well. All in all a pretty entertaining second half. Brady rules though. I'm actually wondering if I ought to release some of my hate and anger for the guy and start to appreciate one of the best QBs to come around in a while. ..... Or not.



Bengals/Browns
The Colts comparisons are obvious. The Bengals throw the ball really well just like their Indy pals.  Palmer to me is one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the game now. The Bengals and Colts are very similar in another more disturbing way. They're leaving their star QB in the game too damn long. Exactly what the hell are Marvin Lewis and Tony Dungy thinking? Both games are blowouts and yet halfway through the 4th quarter Palmer and Manning are still in there flinging it. Lewis especially is an idiot with Palmer coming off knee surgery. I could care less about running up the score. This isn't high school. Nobody cares about hurt feelings in the NFL. But what a smart head coach ought to be worried about is their franchise going into the toilet because of stupid injury in garbage time. The only thing I can figure is Dungy and Lewis each have their own guy as their starting QB in a fantasy league. Other than that there is no reason for them to be playing at that point in the game. ... Well alrighty then.   I'm glad I got that off my chest.



Chargers/Titans
I'm not sure what to think of the Chargers. The defense has obviously been great. And they will still probably be great when they actually play an NFL team this year. So far the Titans and Raiders don't qualify. But at least Rivers actually threw the ball this week. And he looked good doing it. Will he do it against better competition? I'm optimistic about it. I like the Chargers. Any team with a bolt of lightning on the side of their helmet is fun to root for.
As far as the Titans are concerned; what did Volek do to piss Jeff Fisher off?  I mean it must be a real doozy. Like urinating in front of his wife or stealing Fisher's Snickers bar before practice (as if he didn't know you just don't steal something so satisfying). It can't be because he couldn't play better than Collins because of course he could. This is mystifying. Vince Young will probably be starting a little sooner than expected. All because Volek can't buy his own damn candy bar....or pee out of sight of the coach's wife....or well...you pick a theory.



Ravens/Raiders
The Ravens should have won this game by even more than they did. Because well...the Raiders are back to their old tricks. And it ain't David Copperfield stuff. It's more like those dumb ass David Blaine "look at me I'm in a block of ice for 80 days" type tricks. It's getting ugly in Oakland. Aaron Brooks' injury will be a good excuse to start Andrew Walter although there is absolutely no offensive hope in Oakland right now. Just read their team's post game comments. And boy does Art Shell looks clueless. Is it any wonder coaches turned this job down right and left. It's like asking someone if it would be alright to give them an STD. The answer should be "thanks for the offer but I'm currently virus/Al Davis free and I'd like to stay that way". You'd have to be crazy to work for this organization. Judging by Shell's in-game demeanor, he qualifies.


Colts/Texans
It's the same old story here. The Colt's kick the Texans' asses and Payton stays in the game too long. I've already ranted about this aspect in the Bengals section so I'll spare you. I will say that the Colt's running game looked better this week. After watching Addai have a decent game here I'm thinking the Colts need to start feeding him the ball more. I'm also thinking Payton Manning has entered Donovan McNabb Chunky Soup territory. In other words Payton we're sick of your goofy commercials and it's only two weeks into the season. Is this a preemptive strike to get us mesmorized by his acting ability and forget about his playoff ability? Damn he's a sneaky bastard.

Jags/Steelers
Prior to seeing this I thought it had the look of being defensive and ugly. It lived up to it's billing. I know it's early but this season so far has the potential to have a league populated with defensive powerhouses that will shut you down. The Jags and Steelers are on the list along with the Ravens, Chargers, and of course the Bears headlining the group. But the entire NFC East has the potential to dominate defensively along with Seattle, Buffalo and Miami. For an fan of unadulterated offense this does not bode well. Thank heavens for Manning, Brady, Palmer, Tomlinson, and all those who would break this evil wall down.