NFL Week 1 Discussion
Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:36 am
A few thoughts on the opening weekend while getting ready for the Monday Night double-dip...
... RG3. Wow. I'll admit to not watching enough of him at Baylor to realize how talented of a thrower he is. I turned on that Redskins-Saints game and when Griffin was on the field I couldn't turn it off. Just an electrifying young talent at QB. He threw with accuracy and confidence from in and outside the pocket. Even more impressively, RG3 was Brees-like in spreading the wealth on offense, targeting 5 different receivers at least 3 times. Meanwhile the typically impartial Brees leaned heavily on top targets Graham and Colston. After watching a performance like that, it's usually wise to exercise some caution before gushing platitudes because after all he IS still an NFL rookie QB. However, anyone who sang Cam Newton's praises after his record-setting debut last season should be waving the flag for RG3 at this point considering Newton's performance resulted in 21 points and a loss to the Cardinals while Griffin's ended in 40 points and a road win over a formidable Saints team.
... the Jets offensive explosion seems to have caught everyone off-guard following their miserable preseason showing. As if we need anyone to tell us again that preseason means diddly-poo and squadoosh too. Most impressive was Mark Sanchez's performance in the face of a constant barrage of naysayers expecting him to wither and crumble in the face of St. Tim and his legion of worshippers. Give Sanchez his due for stepping up amidst the intense scrutiny surrounding the Jets, but don't forget about his O-line which kept him upright all day. The much-ballyhooed duo of Marcell Dareus and off-season prize Mario Williams combined for exactly 2 tackles and 0 sacks on the day.
... it didn't seem to me like the replacement officials blew many more obvious calls than the regular zebras do. Sure, there were some questionable PI calls, at least one bad miss of a clip on a punt return, and a few more ref huddles than usual (which there should be anyway to get the calls right, imo), but I thought they did a decent job. The aforementioned Mario Williams felt differently, it seems, complaining after the game of repeated illegal hands-to-the-face by Jet blockers. I'll admit to not having the keenest eye for fouls committed in the trenches, so I think it will be interesting to hear player input as to whether more holding calls were missed than usual. Considering there's holding on just about every play in the NFL, fans should really only be concerned about replacement officials catching the blatant fouls as frequently as the regular guys did. To that end, I'd be interested to know if sack totals and QB pressures are down from Week 1 2011.
... a few guys who reminded me how good they are: Reggie Wayne (still got it... yeah, Curtis Painter really was that bad), Andre Johnson (Texans fans should throw a parade for every game he survives intact) and Adrian Peterson (still the best back in the NFL when healthy... at least until Darren McFadden can make it through a full season without breaking down)
... RG3. Wow. I'll admit to not watching enough of him at Baylor to realize how talented of a thrower he is. I turned on that Redskins-Saints game and when Griffin was on the field I couldn't turn it off. Just an electrifying young talent at QB. He threw with accuracy and confidence from in and outside the pocket. Even more impressively, RG3 was Brees-like in spreading the wealth on offense, targeting 5 different receivers at least 3 times. Meanwhile the typically impartial Brees leaned heavily on top targets Graham and Colston. After watching a performance like that, it's usually wise to exercise some caution before gushing platitudes because after all he IS still an NFL rookie QB. However, anyone who sang Cam Newton's praises after his record-setting debut last season should be waving the flag for RG3 at this point considering Newton's performance resulted in 21 points and a loss to the Cardinals while Griffin's ended in 40 points and a road win over a formidable Saints team.
... the Jets offensive explosion seems to have caught everyone off-guard following their miserable preseason showing. As if we need anyone to tell us again that preseason means diddly-poo and squadoosh too. Most impressive was Mark Sanchez's performance in the face of a constant barrage of naysayers expecting him to wither and crumble in the face of St. Tim and his legion of worshippers. Give Sanchez his due for stepping up amidst the intense scrutiny surrounding the Jets, but don't forget about his O-line which kept him upright all day. The much-ballyhooed duo of Marcell Dareus and off-season prize Mario Williams combined for exactly 2 tackles and 0 sacks on the day.
... it didn't seem to me like the replacement officials blew many more obvious calls than the regular zebras do. Sure, there were some questionable PI calls, at least one bad miss of a clip on a punt return, and a few more ref huddles than usual (which there should be anyway to get the calls right, imo), but I thought they did a decent job. The aforementioned Mario Williams felt differently, it seems, complaining after the game of repeated illegal hands-to-the-face by Jet blockers. I'll admit to not having the keenest eye for fouls committed in the trenches, so I think it will be interesting to hear player input as to whether more holding calls were missed than usual. Considering there's holding on just about every play in the NFL, fans should really only be concerned about replacement officials catching the blatant fouls as frequently as the regular guys did. To that end, I'd be interested to know if sack totals and QB pressures are down from Week 1 2011.
... a few guys who reminded me how good they are: Reggie Wayne (still got it... yeah, Curtis Painter really was that bad), Andre Johnson (Texans fans should throw a parade for every game he survives intact) and Adrian Peterson (still the best back in the NFL when healthy... at least until Darren McFadden can make it through a full season without breaking down)