Matt Cassel Questionable for Kansas City Chiefs Heading into NFL Week Two

Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley admitted he wasn’t sure whether Chiefs starting quarterback Matt Cassel would be able to make the start against the Oakland Raiders in week two.

Cassel, who injured his knee prior to the first game of the season, has yet to make a start for the Chiefs.  Haley indicated that more would be known about the ex-Patriot later in the week.

Second-string QB Brodie Croyle got the start Sunday in Cassel’s place, putting up a respectable effort against the Baltimore Ravens despite losing 38-24.

Croyle went 16/24 for 177 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was thrown to beleaguered wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who had to work his way up from the third string during fall practice.  He would get the start again this coming Sunday if Cassel still needs to be held out.

The full story can be read here.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

How Quickly We Forget

Ho-hum.

Ho-hum, 180 yards. Three touchdowns, ho-hum.

Let’s talk about Brett Favre! Splendid! What did you think of that throw, Mr. Elizabeth Hasselbeck? Did it have the tight, crisp spin of a Brazilian pole-dancer?

Percy Harvin caught three balls! Blimey! And then Brett tackled him and then they hugged and then it got a little awkward and then children’s eyes had to be covered and then raunchiness was redefined and then a nun wept.

Adrian Peterson, 180 yards, three touchdowns, a 64-yard ankle-breaking zig-zag through blocks and defenders, the brick stiff-arm, and a rocket booster-like dead sprint…ho-hum.

Expected.

Has it gotten to this point already? It usually takes a DWI or a season in Oakland or The Plastic Ono Band before we start taking greatness for granted.

But barely three seasons into his career, and Adrian Peterson gets the back seat after gaining more rushing yards than 28 National Football League teams?

Ho-hum, let’s talk about the special teams. Nothing special there, am I right?! Huh?! Yeah!? Sorry.

Just step back for a second and think: Peterson is on pace for 1,800 yards and 30 touchdowns, with six games left in the season.

The 30 touchdowns will obviously come down – Chester is a vulture, Brett has got a lot of free Wranglers thanks to the one-yard touchdown pass, and Jeff Dugan is goin’ get his! – but 1,800 yards through 10 games?

Sure, why not.

It’s an outlandish and foolish statement, but so what? Have you seen this “human”? Or his future “opposition”?

The Vikes are playing in Detroit next week. The Lions just gave up 358 passing yards and six touchdowns to Drew Brees and the Saints. Despite all those passes, running back Mike Bell was still able to rush for 143 yards.

Mike Bell. He couldn’t get yards in the Mike Shanahan running back machine.

The lesson is, as always, Detroit’s defense might not be that good this year.

Peterson could get 300 yards next week, and only with Peterson can such an outlandish and foolish and drunk statement be taken somewhat seriously; i.e, Adrian Peterson is the reason Superman keeps some kryptonite around, in case Adrian turns evil.

But, as we all know, Superman keeps some kryptonite around because he’s suicidal. Being the world’s savior is too much pressure for one man, even a Superman. Or a Christ. But that’s a story for another day.

The Vikings won Sunday – and will continue to win, or lose – because of many reasons. It’s a football team; there is always more praise or criticism to go around, don’t get me wrong.

Yes, they won because Brett Favre completed important passes; because Percy Harvin gets first downs; because Chester Taylor is a professional; because Kevin Williams makes impact plays; and because the E.J-led defense made the important third down plays.

But while it’s a football team, and they win and lose as a football team, the Vikings will go as far as Adrian Peterson can drag defenders.

He is the bread butterer, and no one can ever forget this.

Especially you, Brad.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Who’s to Blame? Options, Options, Options

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }

/* Style Definitions */

table.MsoNormalTable

{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;

mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;

mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

mso-style-noshow:yes;

mso-style-parent:””;

mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;

mso-para-margin:0in;

mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;

mso-pagination:widow-orphan;

font-size:10.0pt;

font-family:”Times New Roman”;

mso-ansi-language:#0400;

mso-fareast-language:#0400;

mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

24-25.

That’s it, folks. That’s the final score.

Whether you threw something through your television, broke down and cried, or laughed it off with a typical “what do you expect, it’s Buffalo” joke, Buffalo played their hearts out, were expecting to win it—not just keep it close—but in the waning moments broke your heart just one more time. 

So, who’s to blame?

It’s not just one man that cost this team the win, quite a few guys cost the Bills this one.

Let’s start with Terrell Owens. Where was he?  I know the game plan was to get the ball in Fred Jackson’s hands, but two receptions for 46 yards—while it’s actually great Y.P.C.—won’t get it done.  A drop on third down was critical; Buffalo has to sustain drives if they want playoffs this year. Owens has suspect hands, and it showed. 

Lee Evans also dropped a pass on third down, and even though it is uncharacteristic of him, it is not acceptable.  Why wasn’t Josh Reed, Mr. Reliable, making those crucial third down catches?  He made one and wouldn’t you know it, it got called back. Other than that, Reed wasn’t a target.

Overall execution and third down conversions were huge. Buffalo only completed 40 percent of their third downs and had a grand total of 276 yards to New England’s 441.

Which brings us to the next point: the offensive line actually held up okay. Edwards got sacked four times, but for the most part, he had time and put the ball on the money. It’s nice to see him make smart decisions.

Penalties killed the Bills’ offense, though. Demetrius Bell in particular looked green.  He had a holding penalty and two illegal formation penalties called against him. He also gave up two of the four sacks Edwards took. 

I’m not saying he was horrible, but he’s got a long way to go.  The good thing is he’s young and so are the guys around him, and so in time, this line can really grow together. Upside is there, so keep your chin up rook(s).

Outside of the fourth quarter, Buffalo’s pass rush was pretty good.  Aaron Schobel had arguably the greatest game of his career with the sack and pick-six. Schobel is still the DE that plays Tom Brady best.

Aaron Maybin didn’t look like a world beater, but he certainly showed promise at times.  He runs fast and is always moving, even if he is getting engulfed by much bigger offensive linemen. You also have to add into account that he was put in strictly situational roles throughout most of the game.

The DBs gave up the dink and dunk, though. Randy Moss and Wes Welker both combined for 24 completions for over 200 yards.  Nobody can really be sold on the way Buffalo plays their pass coverage.  They give too much of a cushion and don’t play enough press. 

Against the run, Buffalo did a pretty good job, but they need to find a way to force the opposing team to run the ball if they want to win games because they absolutely cannot stop the pass.

Brady threw two touchdowns and guess what: It was the exact same play call, and the ball went to the exact same player, Ben Watson.  Keith Ellison did a nice job trailing Watson, but he gave up those big plays, which should make Bills fans uncomfortable now that Paul Posluszny is out indefinitely with a broken arm.

Finally, Leodis Mckelvin should have never taken that ball out of the end zone.  You really can’t place any blame on him for being aggressive and having that win-the-game mentality. But if you have that mentality, you must protect the football.  He failed to do this. 

Now, there are rumors about a player on Buffalo’s squad house being vandalized because of the loss and if that’s true, it’s a very class-less act. 

Who could it be?

Bell, for all his penalties and sacks?  McKelvin, for the fumble?  Or Ellison, for giving up two big touchdowns on the exact same play call?  Or was it somebody else entirely? 

Word will get out eventually.  Ultimately though, the team lost; this is a team sport.  Buffalo could have won the game, but in the waning minutes of the game, instead of putting the heat on Brady, they chose to drop seven and rush four.  It should have been the other way around.

Rush seven, drop four; that’s playing to win when you need a win with your defense.  Dick Jauron and Perry Fewell would do well to remember that next time.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Placing Big Blue’s Giant Final Drive Under The Microscope

With 9:23 remaining in a 20-10 game, the 75,000-plus Giants fans were packed into Giants Stadium buzzing with excitement. The Giants had dominated the battle that is typically imperative to win during these NFC East bouts: ball control.

 

With a clearly worn-down Washington defense, many in the stadium—and around the nation, expected the Giants to smash the ball down the Redskins’ throats and milk the clock to seal the victory.

 

But the offensive coordinator, who is the first to receive blame when things go wrong and the last to receive credit when the offense is in peak form, had other plans.

 

Instead of placing the ball in the hands of arguably the most reliable running back combination in the league to ensure victory, Kevin Gilbride elected to win it with his wide receiver troops that have been chastised for nearly nine months.

 

The drive started at the 19-yard line, following a false start by Madison Hedgecock on first down. Instead of setting up a more reasonable third down by methodically running the ball, the Giants were aggressive. They threw the ball three straight times, risking a quick three and out and relinquishing their momentum.

 

Thanks to impeccable execution from both Manning and his receivers, failure never ensued. On 3rd-and-5, Manning dropped a beautiful pass in a tight window to Steve Smith, who adjusted nicely to complete a critical 26-yard pass.

 

At midfield, the Giants continued to impose their passing game on a seemingly perplexed Redskins’ defense. After a run by Brandon Jacobs that went for negative yards, Manning got cornerback Charles Rogers to bite on a pump fake and nearly completed a 25-yard pass to Domenik Hixon. Although they could not connect, the excellent fake drew an illegal contact penalty.

 

After another short Bradshaw run, Manning displayed the kind of adeptness that the Giants paid him the big bucks for this offseason with a 27-yard pass to Kevin Boss that put the Giants in position to make it a two touchdown game.

 

Ultimately, the Giants would finish the drive at the Redskins 11, and Lawrence Tynes proceeded to drill a 28-yard kick to cap off a six-minute drive that contained eight passes in 10 plays.

 

This drive has taken a backseat to Osi Umenyiora’s memorable return and Justin Tuck’s dominant performance. But its importance should not be minimized. The Giants insisted all week that if the Redskins loaded the box to stop the run, the Giants would make them pay through the air.

 

And the Giants did just that on their last offensive series. The Redskins are not a soft defense by any means, and credit should be issued to the entire offense—including Kevin Gilbride—for outstanding execution to cap off a very efficient opening day victory.

Quick Hits

In the Zone?

 

When Bill Sheridan was initially hired he explained that he would try to abandon the use of the zone blitz, stating, “When you get into zone (blitzes), you have down guys dropping. And you’re never going to get away from that, but as much as we can, we’re going to try to orchestrate so that our pass rushers are rushing because that’s our strength. We recognize that and everybody knows that.”

 

I didn’t focus too much on that during the game, but on the Redskins’ final touchdown drive, Sheridan employed the zone blitz. And it was a 16-yard pass to Antwaan Randle El that came with little pressure and even less coverage. Maybe Sheridan is trying to put some extra film up for Dallas next week.

 

The Red Sea will part soon

 

Although the running game did not quite run through the Redskins’ defense as they did other teams last year, there’s nothing to worry about. There were broad running lanes when plays were initially developed, but the holes were swallowed up quickly. By December, that will not be the case. Defenses will be worn down and those runs that went for three yards on Sunday could go up to 15 or 20 come playoff time.

 

Tuck it in

 

Is it me, or does Justin Tuck look like he’s hurt after every play? The dude’s an animal, but I can’t help be worried watching him from my seat walk around groggily for three hours.

 

 

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Packers’ Greg Jennings Always in the Right Place at the Right Time

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Tuesday Morning Running Back Week 1: Return of the Brady

As year three of this column begins, the big story leading up to opening weekend in the NFL in my neck of the woods was the return of the Patriots’ leader. Yes, the golden boy with the golden arm was finally going to be under center for the Pats for the first time in over a year in a meaningful game.

Unfortunately, the hype was greater than the sum of its parts, and Tom Brady found that both he and his offense were out of sync for the majority of the game. However, with the help of a gift fumble by the Bills’ Leodis McKelvin, the Brady Bunch saved their best drive of the night for last, and Tom Terrific fired a strike to tight end Ben Watson in the back of the end zone for an improbable 25-24 victory few saw coming.

Heck, even I flipped to Leno once the clock struck ten.

But I should have remembered Brady is a miracle worker. After all I’ve been watching him for eight years. By the time I flipped back, the deed was done.

The moral of this story is, he who gives Brady a chance to win will almost certainly pay for his misfortune in the end.

The rest of the weekend in the NFL can be summed up in one word: adjustment.

Eleven head coaches made their debuts, the Jets and Lions had to adjust their offenses to fit rookie quarterbacks and we fans had to adjust to not hearing the booming voice of John Madden in the broadcast booth for the first time in 30 years.

Now, as I’ve been to prone to say before I give my opinions on the rest of the games on the NFL schedule, on to the bullet points!

• Let me ask you a hypothetical question: What was more shocking in the Saints/Lions game? The fact Drew Brees threw six touchdowns passes or the fact Jeremy Shockey caught two of them to earn his first two scores as a Saint?
• Kudos to Jets QB Mark Sanchez for throwing for 278 yards in his first game as a professional. The last rookie QB to even throw for 200 yards in his debut was a fella named Peyton Manning in 1998. What ever happened to him?
• Did you see Jets coach Rex Ryan on the field with Joe Namath before the game? Rumor has it Namath guaranteed Ryan a victory in his debut as a coach and that he asked Ryan to kiss him.
• Not much to say about the Ravens/Chiefs game, except that Mark Clayton was the offensive star of the game with 300 yards receiving.
• I am convinced that only the Bengals can routinely lose games on tipped passes that go for touchdowns. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose next week on a fumble in the end zone when they’re down by four in the fourth and there’s no time on the clock.
• Panthers QB Jake Delhomme has turned the ball over 11 times in his last two starts. That’s hardly the mark of a quarterback who signed a $5 million contract extension over the summer.
• Cracked ribs are a painful injury to play through. Therefore, I don’t expect Donovan McNabb to be on the field this Sunday for the Eagles.
• The real reason Brett Favre came back was that he knew Adrian Peterson would run the majority of the Vikings defense. That was clearly evident in the Vikings’ win over the Browns.
• Who would have ever thought Tony Gonzalez would have 11,000 receiving yards as a tight end? Congratulations to him.
• So much for life with T.O., as Tony Romo had the best day statistically for the Cowboys.
• The key to the 49ers’ win over the Cardinals was that the Niners defense never allowed Kurt Warner to become comfortable. By the time they did, the game was out of reach.
• In yet another example of why the preseason doesn’t matter, the Rams had a perfect preseason but didn’t score a point in their opening game at Seattle.
• New Seahawks running back Julius Jones ran for 117 yards and a touchdown in his first game as a Seahawk. I would think he’d be on more fantasy teams  next week.
• There was a lot of pressure on new Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan to keep the defense at the same high-performing level they were at under Steve Spagnoulo. All they did was harass Jason Campbell all day to prove they are still an elite defense.
• Jay Cutler played better in the second half, but he was far from the man the Bears brought in to be the franchise quarterback.
• Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, made a beautiful throw to Greg Jennings that caught the Bears defense off guard for a touchdown. Score one for the Pack!
• I’m sure Hines Ward is the most relieved man in Pittsburgh right now. His end zone fumble on Thursday night was much ado about nothing.
• You can fault the Chargers for allowing the Raiders to keep it close, but Phillip Rivers ran a heck of a two-minute offense last night, allowing his team to eek out a victory.
• Thank you for reading the first edition of the third year of Tuesday Morning Running Back. I hope you come back for more candid opinions next week.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Indianapolis Colts: Look To Replace the Replacement

Replacing Pro-Bowler Marvin Harrison was not going to be an easy challenge for the Indianapolis Colts this season, after they let the franchise’s all-time leading receiver go during the offseason. They looked to third year receiver Anthony Gonzalez, the replacement to Marvin Harrison.

But now the Colts must focus on finding a replacement for the replacement.

Only a day after losing wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez in a game where the Colts defeated their AFC South foes, the Jacksonville Jaguars 14-12, team president Bill Polian said that Gonzalez sprained the ligaments in his right knee and the team is not sure how much time the third-year receiver will miss.

The Colts have made it very clear they are making backup plans to replace Gonzalez and those plans do not include long-time Colt Marvin Harrison.

Some of the preliminary reports out of Indy suggest Gonzalez may miss up to six weeks with his injury.

Head Coach Jim Caldwell says they wouldn’t know more until meeting with the medical staff later on Tuesday. All reports, however, say that this is not a season ending injury.

“We will sit down with our pro personnel folks and talk through who the best veteran guy might be, who fits our system best,” Polian said on his weekly Monday night radio show. “It’s predicated, largely, on how long Gonzo is out. If he’s gone for four weeks or more, then the likelihood is that we would make a change. If he’s gone for four weeks or less, then probably not the sense of urgency to make a change.”

The Colts were placing high expectations this season on Gonzlaez, their first round draft pick in 2007 out of Ohio State, after releasing Harrison in a cost-cutting move to help free up some money under the team’s salary cap in February.

The injury to Gonzalez poses a larger issue to Indy as their depth chart only shows four receivers on the roster. Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie; a rookie, and the aforementioned Anthony Gonzalez.

Reggie Wayne has caught 586 passes, the other three wideouts only have 103 combined.  94 of those went to Gonlaez, leaving just nine catches between Garcon and Collie.

So where do the Colts turn to? Who do they sign?

They do have two wide receivers currently on the practice squad, Taj Smith and John Matthews. Smith spent the majority of last season on the Colt’s practice squad and knows the offense very well. Smith played quite a bit in the preseason this year. During those four games he caught five passes for 59 yards and a TD. 

Matthews, on the other hand, is an undrafted rookie out of San Diego State who during the preseason saw some; but not much, playing time catching seven balls for 85 yards.

Indy could also fall back to a plan the have reverted to before in moving tight end Dallas Clark over into the slot position. Clark has been in that position before, mostly due to injuries.

They could also go to another look they are semi-familiar with and have a two tight end set on some plays with Clark in the slot and Jacob Tamme lined up at tight end.

Whatever the answer is to this question for the Colts, the only certainty is they have a Monday night matchup with the Miami Dolphins next week and NFL leading receiver Reggie Wayne will certainly be seeing his fair share of double teams with Gonzalez out for an undetermined time.

So…

Who do the Indianapolis Colts use and/or what current player steps up to replace the replacement?

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Cowboys Offense Proves They Still Have Big Play Potential

The primary question mark this offseason concerning the Dallas Cowboys was their perceived lack of big play receivers. Since the releasing wide receiver Terrell Owens, many questioned whether the trio of Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin would be able to consistently get open, create mismatches and get deep.

None of these three receivers were the threat Owens was, and except for big drops by Crayton two seasons ago, none had particularly distinguished themselves in the NFL. But they also didn’t carry the baggage Owens did. They also appear to not demand the ball all the time and don’t cry when they the ball doesn’t come their way.

The Cowboys obtained former first-round pick Williams in a desperation move last season when they lost quarterback Tony Romo for a few games with a bad throwing hand. I don’t see how picking up a receiver in midseason helps a backup QB, but Jones has won three Super Bowls.

Williams is a self-proclaimed possession type receiver, Crayton has had cases of the drops in pressure situations and Austin has an injury history, while not having a full opportunity to perform.

It was interesting to see where the Cowboys were going to get their “non-T.O.” big plays during Sunday’s game.

Actually, the Cowboys got their big plays from the Big Three – Williams, Crayton and Miles Austin.

While none of the three touchdowns were of the Daryle Lamonica “long bomb” variety, each receiver caught a short to medium Tony Romo pass and used their speed and maneuverability to score a long touchdown pass play.

The trio had a combined eight receptions for 263 yards and the three touchdowns, averaging a big play 32 yards per catch (and run).

Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett used his variety of weapons creatively, wanting to getting everyone involved. Seven different receivers had passes thrown in their direction, while six different receivers caught passes.

The Cowboys started by going to Williams for the first two pass plays, both completions. It is important to get a new receiver into the game early, especially one so embattled during the offseason as Williams.

Pressured much of the first half, Romo made the most of the situation, hitting a variety of short patterns to TE/WR Jason Witten, two for key first downs.

Then the Cowboys struck gold just before the first half, with Romo eluding a rusher before throwing an out to Austin, who came back nicely to the ball, caught it over far shoulder and deked two defenders before going into the end zone.

This late-second-quarter touchdown came one possession after Romo overthrew an open Austin streaking down the field for what would have been an easy touchdown. Austin has four TDs in his brief career, with the yardage accounting for 52, 11, 14 and 42 yards each.

Those are big play numbers.

The second half for the Cowboys’ offense was more of the same. Tony Romo said after the game, “Once again, it was taking what the defense was giving us.” Garrett made some adjustments and the Cowboys began to attack the Buccaneers’ weaknesses.

What was billed as a sturdy set of cornerbacks began to break down in the second half. Williams caught a nice seam route from Romo, split two defenders and bolted for a 66-yard TD. One possession later, Romo looked towards Witten in the flat, and on a short roll out, pump-faked both the corner and safety up, then hit Crayton in stride for an 80-yard catch and run.

It was a play the Cowboys were setting up all day. The starting safety for the Bucs, Tanard Jackson, was suspended for the game, and the Cowboys picked on his backup, Sabby Piscitelli, for both Crayton and Williams’ long touchdowns.

While this big play outburst will likely not happen every game, Romo has insisted all summer that the Cowboys have the weapons to consistently break the big play, especially against aggressive defenses.

Their big play TE/WR Jason Witten also had five catches, three of which went for first downs. I say WR because the Cowboys love spreading both Witten and second-year man Martellus Bennett out wide to allow them to match up either on a smaller safety or slower linebacker.

Bennett’s size (6’6”, 265 lbs.) and speed allow him to be a weapon near the goal line on jump balls. I am surprised the Cowboys did not try that more often down near the goal line.

The big play ability of the Dallas Cowboys is still apparent, even without their leading receiver from a year ago. They had seven completions of more than 18 yards, two long runs (23 yards from Marion Barber & 19 yards from Felix Jones), plus Jones’ 36-yard kickoff return to open the game.

That is ten potential game breaking, long distance plays from six different players.

Big plays from the wide outs, aggressive and balanced play calling from offensive coordinator (27 passes, 24 rushes), and probably the best closer in the game in Barber, gives the Cowboys lots of weapons for opposing defenses to worry about.

What the Cowboys don’t have to worry about are major off-the-field distractions, and that is welcome news.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Why The Raiders Should Be Encouraged And The Chargers Discouraged

There are several possible explanations to the Raiders and Chargers game last night.

1) The Chargers are not as good as people thought

2) The Raiders will be better than people thought

3) The Chargers were “rusty,” but will build speed

4) The Raiders played impressively and will iron-out the mistakes through the season

Of course, as a Raider fan, I’m inclined to believe that the Raiders will be better than people thought.  Meanwhile, San Diego coach Norv Turner made a comment (about injuries) that will likely reflect the opinions of San Diego apologists that the game “probably isn’t as bad as it looks.”

Turner made that remark in regards to the apparently high-number of injuries suffered by San Diego, in what may have been a Pyrrhic win for the Chargers. 

However, any truly objective person that watched the game would know that San Diego looked awful, while the Raiders looked impressive for a team that some had remarked after the Seymour trade was still on the, “decline.”

Personally, I think the Raiders shocked the NFL world by turning in an impressive performance, despite technically losing.  The Raiders outplayed the Chargers physically, and dominated statistically for most of the game.

This performance came after the drama of the Richard Seymour trade, in which many speculated was a *desperation* move by Al Davis, but in fact appeared to be a home-run move by Davis.

Overall, anyone that watched that game would say that Oakland outplayed San Diego, but that San Diego won a game they should not have with a few timely big-plays on special teams by Darren Sproles to set-up points for San Diego.

Defensively:

The Raiders smothered the Chargers running-attack when Richard Seymour played, but would allow timely plays to LT and Sproles near the end of the game.

The Raiders defensive-line played very physical, smash-mouth type football, with new addition Seymour, which sidelined ProBowl center Nick Hardwick and rookie guard Louis Vasquez.

Strangely, Seymour’s in-game stats disappeared from Sportsline.com but not the rapid reports.  Yet, the man everyone thought did not want to play in Oakland, answered those blow-hards with two sacks and six tackles in his debut with Oakland, after only two days with the team (even if those same critics are trying to hide the truth).

Defensive backs Chris Johnson and sophomore, Tyvon Branch, also had a big-game, which we believe is a mark of future success.  Much maligned former first-round pick, safety Michael Huff, would recover a fumble and intercept Rivers, which could indicate more starting time for Huff in the future.

Offensively:

The Raiders ran the ball effectively in the first half, but veered away from that in the second half, as the Raiders attempted more passes to their rookie wide receivers, and few high-percentage passes to the running-backs and tight-ends.

Eventually, one attempt paid off with a 57-yard touchdown to Louis Murphy on 4-15 for a go-ahead score and a lead that didn’t last.  Murphy also had a touchdown overturned at the end of the first half, which even the analysts thought should have been a touchdown.

Murphy’s performance was encouraging, as the Raiders will need a wide receiver to step-up in order for JaMarcus Russell to continue to progress.

Though Russell struggled with hash passes, the offensive-line kept him clean, (aside from one sack near the end), and gave Russell plenty of time.  That is encouraging, as Russell will benefit from protection that held-up against a much heralded San Diego front seven.

The Raiders would commit few penalties throughout the game, which was also encouraging, when you know that penalties had plagued the previous coaches, Lane Kiffin, Art Shell, Norv Turner, and Bill Callahan.

Overall:

Considering that the Raiders started two rookie receivers and tried too hard to incorporate them into the offense, even though Louis Murphy came through, I think the Raiders will be better than people thought. 

The reason being is that I think the Raiders will either commit to the run and high-percentage passes, or the passing-game will develop as the season goes along.

The offense stalled in the third quarter, when the Raiders had several 3 and outs after incomplete passes to wide-receivers.

Offensively, the Raiders should stick with high-percentage passes to the running-backs and tight ends.  Tight end Zach Miller seemed to catch every pass thrown to him, while running back Darren McFadden is dangerous in space.

It might not be fancy, but the way the Raiders played defense with Richard Seymour was encouraging. The high-percentage passes, and even some reverses to the speedy wide receivers should be the primary offense, with occasional shots down field.

And if anyone in the Oakland organization is reading this, don’t get cocky PLEASE or believe that you were robbed (which you were), because the best way to prove that you were is to stay focused and WIN the next game.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Carolina Panthers Need To Realize Jake Delhomme Is Overrated

/* Style Definitions */

table.MsoNormalTable

{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;

mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;

mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

mso-style-noshow:yes;

mso-style-priority:99;

mso-style-qformat:yes;

mso-style-parent:””;

mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;

mso-para-margin-top:0in;

mso-para-margin-right:0in;

mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;

mso-para-margin-left:0in;

line-height:115%;

mso-pagination:widow-orphan;

font-size:11.0pt;

font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;

mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;

mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;

mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;

mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;

mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

What’s bugging me this week? How about Carolina Panthers QB Jake Delhomme.

The Carolina Panthers entered Week One of the 2009 regular season with high expectations, coming off of a season in which they clinched a NFC South title and an 8-0 regular season record at home.

Unfortunately, the Panthers lost to the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional round of the playoffs 33-13. In arguably one of the worst games of his NFL career, Delhomme finished 17-of-34 for 205 yards and one touchdown. On top of that, he threw five interceptions and lost a fumble during a wet game in Carolina.

Despite his horrendous performance against the Cardinals in the playoffs, Delhomme was given a five-year extension in the offseason through 2014 that would pay him $42.5 million ($20 million guaranteed). With the start of a new football season past weekend, no player wanted to get off to a better start than Delhomme, to prove that last January’s performance was only a fluke.

Unfortunately, Delhomme was just as abominable as he was in January.

In his first game of the 2009 regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles, Delhomme put on a performance that was too painful to even watch. He finished 7-of-17 for 73 yards, four interceptions, and one fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

His performance was so bad, he had to be replaced by backup QB Josh McCown in the second half.

The Panthers need to realize that Delhomme had two great seasons from 2003-04 in which he threw for over 7,000 yards and 53 touchdowns. Other than that, he has not lived up to the money the team thinks he is worth.

From the organization’s point of view, Delhomme may be one of the most overrated players in the NFL. He may have started all 16 games last season en route to the team’s No. 2 seeding in the playoffs. However, the main reason why the Panthers were able to finish 12-4 last season was because of a strong running game from RB’s DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart (combined 2,351 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns).

Fans and analysts around the NFL continue to question whether Delhomme should continue to start since he has recorded 11 turnovers in the last two games.

Unfortunately, the Panthers still believe that Delhomme is their No. 1 guy and is worth every penny they are paying him. He will start again this week as the team heads to Atlanta to take on QB Matt Ryan and the rest of the Falcons.

It should be interesting to see if Delhomme can now bounce back from not one, but two horrendous games in a row where he constantly turned the ball over.

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

This article was originally published on FantasyPros911.com

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010