To say that the opening remembrance ceremony of 9/11 in the NFL was emotional is a vast understatement. When the Texans, my home team, introduced the NYFD as honorary captains on the field I thought that was about it. The firefighters received a nice standing ovation.
Then came Robert De Niro on screen and his introduction. Taps was played and followed by a moment of silence. As soon as taps started, I felt the eyes water. The screen showed all the stadium crowds for the noon opener. The moment of silence was stunning. It was quieter that what I ever imagined a 70,000+ crowd could be. People cried. People looked stunned. Immediately after the moment, Clay Walker sang the national anthem. Right after chants of USA broke out. The whole affair was moving. The NFL did a class act and didn't go over the top. Everything was extremely appropriate on this day of remembrance.
Arena League Game
On the field the action officially kicked off on Thursday night with defending champ Green Bay hosting New Orleans. After the 3rd quarter it turned into an arena league game. I'm not a fan of high scoring light up the scoreboard games. I like a good well played game on both sides of the ball. Defensively this game was an eyesore. I turned it off midway through the 3rd.
Hurricane Cam
A hurricane has swirled around Cam Newton since around the SEC championship game. Critics doubt his pro potential. Many thought Carolina reached making Newton the overall number one pick. For one week at least, Newton silenced critics and played an outstanding debut game. He line only read 22 completions for 422 yards and two TDs. Better yet, Newton staying home and didn't run away at the first sign of trouble. Its only one game but I hope he continues to silence critics.
Ravens Maul Steelers
Seriously Pittsburgh, what was that? Much is made about the Super Bowl loser hangover. For the Fat Ben Roethlisberger lead Steelers, it's been two titles followed up by two playoff misses the following season. Fat Ben and Company started early this season. Seven turnovers and a 35-7 beat down by their fiercest division rivals the Ravens. I haven't seen the game but I may watch for the entertainment value later this week.
Falcons Grounded
Going in to the season, I think the Atlanta Falcons entered with to many questions on defense. They really didn't do much to address the concerns after the Packers ran them off the field in the playoffs. Instead they traded a big chunk of their draft picks to select Julio Jones in the first round. For week one, the results were unexpected. Matt Ryan threw for 319 yards and a pick. The Falcon offense put up some impressive numbers. Michael Turner rambled for ten yards a carry ten times for 100 yards. The receiving trio of Jones, Roddy White and Anthony Gonzalez combined for 204 yards. One glaring state is missing from those numbers. No one bothered to put the ball in the endzone.
The defense performed as expected. Jay Cutler threw for 312 yards and two TDs. Matt Forte was a one man wrecking crew. He ran for 68 yards on 16 carries and caught 90 yards on 5 receptions that included a 56 yard TD.
The Falcons management built the team with a fundamental flaw. They build an offense capable of scoring on the ground with Michael Turner and move the ball through the air with Matt Ryan and his receivers. The problem occurs when a opponent is able to score a high number of points while the defense holds the Falcons in check. In this case, the Bears offense slowly built up to a 23-6 lead in the 3rd. The mighty Falcon offense racked up the yards but the mighter Bear defense only allowed field goals and even scored TD to make matters worse. The Falcons were again exposed by a team with balanced with talent on both sides of the ball.
Ironically, it was the Falcons defense that actually scored the team's sole touchdown.
Chiefs In A World of Hurt
Most fans and pigskin pundits know the preseason means nothing in translating into regular season play. The majority though thought the Chiefs problems would carry over. They were exactly right. What wasn't expected was the week one embarrassment. The Chiefs lead the league in rushing last season. The Buffalo Bills were one of the worst five teams in the league. The Bills ripped the Chiefs 41-7. Many expected a step back for the Chiefs playing a harder schedule as a division winner. A step back is fine but not against weaker teams.
Weekly Awards
Line of the Week
32 completions on 48 attempts for 517 yards and 4 TDs - Tom Brady in a Pats 38-24 win over the 'phins.
JaMarcus Russell Player of the Week (formerly the Vince Young Player of the Week)
Donovan McNabb for his outstanding JaMarcus like numbers. 7 for 15 for 39 yards and a touchdown. Very below average.
Joe Pisarcik Goat of the Week
Tony Romo - when the game is on the line you don't want the ball in Romo's bubbling hands. First he fumbled in trying to drive into the endzone. Trying to score isn't a sin in of itself. Losing the ball in a close game is a mortal sin though. Romo did better for an encore. In crunch time he lofted a ball straight into the waiting hands of Darrell Revis. Finally, in the closing seconds he walks away from the center and is not ready for the ball when it is hiked. Each sin isn't much alone but when they occur in closing moments they add up to disaster. Dallas loses the game due to special team blunder and Romo blunders.
Then came Robert De Niro on screen and his introduction. Taps was played and followed by a moment of silence. As soon as taps started, I felt the eyes water. The screen showed all the stadium crowds for the noon opener. The moment of silence was stunning. It was quieter that what I ever imagined a 70,000+ crowd could be. People cried. People looked stunned. Immediately after the moment, Clay Walker sang the national anthem. Right after chants of USA broke out. The whole affair was moving. The NFL did a class act and didn't go over the top. Everything was extremely appropriate on this day of remembrance.
Arena League Game
On the field the action officially kicked off on Thursday night with defending champ Green Bay hosting New Orleans. After the 3rd quarter it turned into an arena league game. I'm not a fan of high scoring light up the scoreboard games. I like a good well played game on both sides of the ball. Defensively this game was an eyesore. I turned it off midway through the 3rd.
Hurricane Cam
A hurricane has swirled around Cam Newton since around the SEC championship game. Critics doubt his pro potential. Many thought Carolina reached making Newton the overall number one pick. For one week at least, Newton silenced critics and played an outstanding debut game. He line only read 22 completions for 422 yards and two TDs. Better yet, Newton staying home and didn't run away at the first sign of trouble. Its only one game but I hope he continues to silence critics.
Ravens Maul Steelers
Seriously Pittsburgh, what was that? Much is made about the Super Bowl loser hangover. For the Fat Ben Roethlisberger lead Steelers, it's been two titles followed up by two playoff misses the following season. Fat Ben and Company started early this season. Seven turnovers and a 35-7 beat down by their fiercest division rivals the Ravens. I haven't seen the game but I may watch for the entertainment value later this week.
Falcons Grounded
Going in to the season, I think the Atlanta Falcons entered with to many questions on defense. They really didn't do much to address the concerns after the Packers ran them off the field in the playoffs. Instead they traded a big chunk of their draft picks to select Julio Jones in the first round. For week one, the results were unexpected. Matt Ryan threw for 319 yards and a pick. The Falcon offense put up some impressive numbers. Michael Turner rambled for ten yards a carry ten times for 100 yards. The receiving trio of Jones, Roddy White and Anthony Gonzalez combined for 204 yards. One glaring state is missing from those numbers. No one bothered to put the ball in the endzone.
The defense performed as expected. Jay Cutler threw for 312 yards and two TDs. Matt Forte was a one man wrecking crew. He ran for 68 yards on 16 carries and caught 90 yards on 5 receptions that included a 56 yard TD.
The Falcons management built the team with a fundamental flaw. They build an offense capable of scoring on the ground with Michael Turner and move the ball through the air with Matt Ryan and his receivers. The problem occurs when a opponent is able to score a high number of points while the defense holds the Falcons in check. In this case, the Bears offense slowly built up to a 23-6 lead in the 3rd. The mighty Falcon offense racked up the yards but the mighter Bear defense only allowed field goals and even scored TD to make matters worse. The Falcons were again exposed by a team with balanced with talent on both sides of the ball.
Ironically, it was the Falcons defense that actually scored the team's sole touchdown.
Chiefs In A World of Hurt
Most fans and pigskin pundits know the preseason means nothing in translating into regular season play. The majority though thought the Chiefs problems would carry over. They were exactly right. What wasn't expected was the week one embarrassment. The Chiefs lead the league in rushing last season. The Buffalo Bills were one of the worst five teams in the league. The Bills ripped the Chiefs 41-7. Many expected a step back for the Chiefs playing a harder schedule as a division winner. A step back is fine but not against weaker teams.
Weekly Awards
Line of the Week
32 completions on 48 attempts for 517 yards and 4 TDs - Tom Brady in a Pats 38-24 win over the 'phins.
JaMarcus Russell Player of the Week (formerly the Vince Young Player of the Week)
Donovan McNabb for his outstanding JaMarcus like numbers. 7 for 15 for 39 yards and a touchdown. Very below average.
Joe Pisarcik Goat of the Week
Tony Romo - when the game is on the line you don't want the ball in Romo's bubbling hands. First he fumbled in trying to drive into the endzone. Trying to score isn't a sin in of itself. Losing the ball in a close game is a mortal sin though. Romo did better for an encore. In crunch time he lofted a ball straight into the waiting hands of Darrell Revis. Finally, in the closing seconds he walks away from the center and is not ready for the ball when it is hiked. Each sin isn't much alone but when they occur in closing moments they add up to disaster. Dallas loses the game due to special team blunder and Romo blunders.
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