Week 1 is in the books...

Here are some takeaways from an exciting opening week!

 

 

Worst call:

The Jags elect to call, and very poorly execute, a WR screen on 4th and 3 with the game on the line. I can't imagine throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage in that scenario. I wrote about the Jags and Raiders a few months ago. I was clear that they are in 'win now' mode. No more rebuilding, no more 'just wait until next year'. This is the time to start delivering. If week 1 is any indication, The Jags are still a day late and a dollar short. As for Del Rio and The Raiders, they plan to leave it all on the field.

Best play of the week:

Jimmy Garoppolo did a solid job in his first start. But one play really stood out to me. In the 2nd half The Pats are trailing. It's 3rd down. They are backed up on their own side of the field. The play call is a WR screen, very similar to the play I just mentioned from the end of the Jags game. Jimmy dropped back and began to throw the ball. He saw the defender breaking on it and pulled the ball back. He went to his second read and again began to throw the ball, but pulled it back. The clock in his head went off and he got out of the pocket... keeping his eyes down the field the whole time. He finally found an open WR and got the first down and then some. That would have been an outstanding play if it was Brady back there, it was even better for a guy in his first start.

They were who we thought they were:

The Packers offense looked scary, as did The Broncos defense. In a rollercoaster week that delivered some surprises and all of the unpredictable variables that make us love NFL football.. the two squads that delivered simply lived up to their respective expectations. Rodgers and Co. were in mid-season form on offense and Von Miller and his wrecking crew terrorized Cam and the Panthers.

As for living up to negative expectations The Browns always come through. I said they would be the worst defense in the league this year. They got off to a good start in accomplishing that. RGIII is on IR after one game. Its so sadly predictable. I can hear the late, great Denny Greene 'they were who we thought they were!' The Browns could have kept a few of their vets that they let walk and drafted Wentz at #2. They would have at least been competitive. Instead it's another year as the leagues doormat.

Offseason adjustments that look effective so far:

The Giants spent a ton of cash on their terrible defense this past spring. They showed some signs that the cash wasn't spent in vain. There revamped secondary looked OK. They made some big plays, but struggled with consistency. That's normal early in the season for a bunch of new guys who are learning to play together. I expect them to get even better. But, there front seven played lights out and are the reason The Giants pulled out that close win on the road. The pass rush was dynamic and their run defense manhandled the best O-line in football.

The Jets let Chris Ivory walk in free agency and signed the grizzled vet Matt Forte. Boy did that look like a brilliant move considering how #22 has quickly become the centerpiece of the Jets offense and Ivory was sitting in a hospital room with a "general medical issue" ... whatever that means.

The Ravens get a +1 for the moves they didn't make. They were decimated by injuries to their core players on defense and offense. Ozzy Newsome and Harbaugh didn't panic and brought back some vets who are getting long in the tooth like Steve Smith and Suggs. They squeaked out a big win vs. Rex Ryan and his Bills and as the season progresses I think these old guys will make some major contributions.

Most significant win of the week:

The Vikings played their absolute hearts out. This team refuses to lay down and die after losing their starting QB days before their first game of the season. Watching their effort, passion and disciplined execution made it clear to me how important it is to have the right guy in the HC spot. Zimmer doesn't accept excuses. It showed week 1.

I know the Patriots upset of the Cards would be a top candidate for this spot, especially considering Brady/ Ninkovich being suspended, and Gronk/ Lewis being injured. But I wasn't shocked. Give Belichick 6 months to prepare for a game and he's winning 99 times out of 100.

Most significant loss of the week:

The Redskins were absolutely beat down by the Steelers. Gruden was the exact opposite of Zimmer, his former coaching colleague from Cincinnati. He has shown that he struggles with getting his team ready for week 1. They looked loss and uninspired. However, I see them improving the more they play together. But with the Giants and Eagles looking much better, the Redskins may have lost their playoff spot with this one loss.

The worst loss of the week was obviously The Rams being destroyed by the 49ers. It's not very 'significant', because they were never going t be contenders anyway. But this loss is epic for so many reasons. First off they lost to a terrible football team. Gabbert was like 8-27 in his career heading into this game. If he could just play the Rams over and over for 18 more straight weeks he would be .500 LOL

But seriously, they move to LA with a lot of fanfare. They have debatably the best individual offensive and defensive players in the league with Gurley and Donald. They gave a 1st round bust WR who is basically a glorified kick returner $52 million. They traded tons of draft picks to move up to the #1 overall pick. I think it was to make a big splash. They took Goff over Wentz and the kid DIDN'T EVEN FUCKING DRESS FOR THE GAME. A healthy scratch for the #1 overall pick in the draft?????  In the game Gurley and Donald both get unsportsman-like flags and Donald is ejected.

Oh, and finally.... they were shut out. It's going to be a long strange journey for southern California's new/old team.