“Money” Rodgers Earns His Stripes In Victory

It was almost 2008 all over again for the Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

Then Aaron Rodgers showed why he is an elite quarterback poised to erase the late-game struggles of last season.

In a game the Packers likely would have found a way to lose last season Green Bay showed the toughness and resolve they often lacked in 2008, traits that Aaron Rodgers put on full display for a national audience.

With his normally sure-handed receivers dropping passes, Rodgers being uncharacteristically inaccurate at times, and his sieve-like offensive line surrendering pass-rushers all night, No. 12 took his beating like a man and refused to make the big mistake.

And then when it got down to money time, that is precisely what Rodgers was.

Money.

Unlike his counterpart Jay Cutler, who forced an alarming amount of passes and paid the price for his impatience with four costly picks, Rodgers took his hits and just kept balling.

Cutler faded from the rush or tried to jam passes in as opposed to taking his hits, and it cost Chicago the game in a disappointing debut.

Not the smoothest of starts for the supposed missing link in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Rodgers stood in, waited for his moment, and seized it for the Packers with his cold-blooded strike to Greg Jennings on a third-and-1.

I love the mentality to go for the kill as opposed to settling for a long Crosby field goal, and that mentality starts with the confidence Green Bay now has in their quarterback.

A-Rod showed he could put up elite numbers last year, but the victories didn’t accompany the gaudy stats. That’s because the truest measure of a franchise quarterback is how he deals with adversity.

Rodgers dealt with off-the-field issues incredibly well last year but was unable to deliver consistently in crunch time on it.

Elite guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger find ways to win when everything is going wrong.

Big Ben rescued his Steelers Thursday night in a game where the Pittsburgh rushing attack got stuffed all night, and led them to victory against a tough Titans team.

Tom Brady tossed two touchdowns in the final 2:06 of last night’s game against Buffalo after looking out of sync much of the night coming off of knee surgery.

And Manning has been willing the Colts to steal games they have no business winning for a few seasons by now.

Rodgers gutty performance against Chicago fits right in.

His stats (17 for 28, 184 yards) certainly don’t stand out, but the way he persevered in the face of a relentless rush and emerged with a win certainly does.

Rodgers and the Packers took a big step towards fulfilling their preseason promise in their win over Chicago, even if things didn’t go quite as McCarthy and his staff drew it up.

Let’s just hope that offensive line doesn’t make Rodgers prove how tough and poised he is every week.

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Extra KRISpy: Big Jenks, D-Line Cook Cattle

Jets D-Line Dominates Texans

The Jets’ defensive performance in their 24-7 victory of the Houston Texans in week one can be summed up with a single play: when defensive tackle Kris Jenkins used one arm to literally throw the Texans center out of his way as he barrelled towards quarterback Matt Schaub. This was no simple push or shove; it was a man-handling.

Big Jenks tossed the 6’4″ 299 lb Chris Myers aside and pressured Schaub into throwing an incompletion before thumbing the QB and sending him to the turf for good measure. With this type of force manning the trenches for the Jets’ defense, this may not be the only time we see an offense fail to score on the J-E-T-S.

Jenkins was banged up early in the preseason with a calf injury, but has recovered and is expected to be a key (if not the key) member of the defense. Questions loomed before week one, however, with defensive end Shaun Ellis suspended by the league for off-the-field conduct. Combined with linebacker Calvin Pace’s suspension, there was a lot of slack to pick up in a crucial game. Enter New York native and long-time Jets fan Mike DeVito, an undrafted free agent who has spent the past two seasons on the roster as a backup. 

DeVito made the most of his opportunity, making his biggest impact midway through the second quarter with the Jets up 3-0, but the Texans driving. As Steve Slaton took a screen pass and motored inside the Jets 20 (a rare occurrence, as this was the only time the Texans offense would get that deep in Jets territory), he was hit and fumbled the ball directly up in the air. The 25-year-old DeVito, who had hustled all the way back in pursuit of Slaton, extended his arms and snagged the pop-up, shifting the momentum back in the Jets’ favor. Not bad for a guy who was on the injury report all week as “questionable” with a hamstring injury.

Alongside Jenkins and DeVito in Rex Ryan’s 3-4 defense was Marques Douglas, another former Baltimore Raven who arrived this season in the Big Apple. Pressuring the quarterback, stuffing the run and taking on double-teams that enhanced the effectiveness of the linebacking core, this unit set the tone for the game early on and played a pivotal role in the dominating defensive performance.

Stats-wise, the Jets held the Texans to 38 rushing yards and 166 passing yards while accumulating two sacks, eight hits on the QB, one interception, and one forced fumble and recovery. Impressive stats against an offense that was third in the league last year and features Andre Johnson, one of the best receivers in the league, and Steve Slaton, a second-year stick of dynamite with the skills to take over a game. But even the scoreboard and the box score can’t tell the whole story of just how effective of a performance this was.

According to the box score, Jenkins only had one tackle. What is doesn’t say is that on David Harris’ sack, Jenkins took on two Texans, enabling Harris to hit the gap and get a free shot at Schaub.

What the box score doesn’t show is that these behemoths are able to line up in a three-point stance or upright like a linebacker, enabling the coaching staff to throw various looks at an offense and letting confusion reign.

Most of all, a stat line can’t describe how much the Jets bullied and threw the Texans O-line around, stifled them at almost every turn and even turned the crowd against them. All without a Pro Bowler who returns next week.

The play calling must get a good amount of credit as well, because the formations, personnel, and blitzes kept changing, leaving Houston off balance. Without the depth and versatility of the players executing those plays, though, the play calling would not have been possible.

At times, Vernon Gholston, Marques Murrell, Bryan Thomas, or Jamaal Westerman could be found on the line, and Houston didn’t know who was going to rush and who was going to drop back into coverage. The personnel packages and the blitz disguises were a huge key in the D-Line’s success. These factors combine to give the Jets endless possibilities and the ability to devise unique game plans for their competition.

The linebackers and secondary aided and abetted the D-Line as well. Solid coverage, especially by Darrelle Revis, who blanketed Andre Johnson all game, allowed the line extra time to get in Schaub’s face. A defense really is only as good as the sum of it’s parts. If one aspect of a defense is lacking, a good offense will find a way to exploit it.

You can’t give credit to the defensive line without giving credit to the rest of the defense. Likewise, you can’t praise the defense without showing some love to the big guys up front who make it possible.

The week one performance really ramps up expectations for those outside the Jets locker room. Rex Ryan had been preaching to everyone who would listen that the Jets are going to be an elite defense and a team that is going to play hard, tough, physical football. That is exactly what New York did this past Sunday. And if you don’t believe me, ask the Texans.

The New England Patriots provide a more difficult test in week two, as they have a quarterback seemingly unfazed by anything and just as many offensive weapons. The D-line getting pressure is going to be pivotal in helping New York pull off a second consecutive upset, because Brady plus time equals points.

On Monday Night, the Buffalo Bills hit Brady six times, sacking him once and getting a good amount of pressure. Expect Rex Ryan to use that film to break down the Patriots flaws and have his defense licking its chops. One must assume, though, that the Patriots have something to prove after a near-disastrous start to the season, and will use the same game film to devise a plan that fits their strengths.

Tom Brady may have shaken off the rust in week one, but Shaun Ellis should provide a nice boost, and as evidenced by their coach, the Jets don’t lack swagger. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, but I do know one thing…I don’t envy Patriots center Dan Koppen.

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Redskins Lose to The Giants, 23-17: It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again

For the second straight season the Washington Redskins traveled to New York in a divisional rivalry matchup.  And for the second straight season they left the Big Apple (really New Jersey) with a disappointing loss.

In both opening game losses, the Redskins were in the game heading in to the fourth quarter despite being out played and out coached by the Giants.

Last Sunday’s 23-17 loss was especially disappointing, as Redskins coach Jim Zorn and his staff were a year wiser and confident they would be better prepared for New York.

Yet Redskins’ fans were treated to the same conservative game planning and strategy that led to a dismal performance in Zorn’s first professional game as an NFL head coach.

Although the players are responsible for the execution and performance of the plays called, the Redskins loss to the Giants ultimately came down to game planning and lack of adjustments by the Redskins’ coaching staff.

Heading into the game, the Redskins were well aware the Giants had just three healthy cornerbacks at their disposal. 

Rather than spreading the field with  4- or 5- wide receiver packages, forcing the Giants to cover one of the many talented Redskins’ receivers with a safety or linebacker, Zorn opted to center the offense on Clinton Portis and a conservative passing attack.

Defensively, Greg Blache and his unit accomplished their goal in shutting down Giant running back Brandon Jacobs (46 yards on 16 rushes).  However, the Giants coaching staff planned for the Redskins to take away Jacobs and planned accordingly.

To limit Jacobs’ effectiveness, Blache played his safeties close to the line limiting deep help on pass plays.  To take away something, a defense has to be willing to sacrifice in other areas.

Soft cornerback coverage was the sacrifice Blache and the Redskins had to make to limit Jacobs, Giants quarterback Eli Manning and his receiving corps made the Redskins pay.

The coverage adjustment was not as much of a problem for the Redskins as was the execution on the player’s part following a completed pass. 

Poor open field tackling and bad pursuit angles—the Redskins,who do not tackle in practice for health reasons—allowed the Giants’ receivers to pick-up key first downs on third-and-long situations and on one play a touchdown reception by Giants’ receiver Mario Manningham.  Three Redskins had a chance to knock Manningham out of bounds on his 30-yard reception, but all three players whiffed.

Zorn uses a script in calling the Redskins’ first 15 offensive plays.  Half that script should have included multiple receivers packages, instead he utilized fullback Mike Sellers in front of Portis and two tight ends in an attempt to control the ball.

For Blache, it was evident the Giants were going after cornerback Fred Smoot in passing situations, and he was exposed without safety help.  Mixing up defensive looks would have limited Smoot’s  problems.

Blache also decided to stop rushing linebacker Brian Orakpo on non-passing situations after the first quarter.  Instead, Orakpo was asked to drop back in pass coverage and had little or no impact in the game.

The Redskins have a favorable schedule the next three weeks and should repeat what they accomplished last season, winning three consecutive games after an opening season loss to the Giants. 

A Déjà vu opening game loss to the Giants is one thing.  A repeat season of conservative game planning and in-game adjustments will not be accepted favorably by the Redskins’ faithful or their owner.         

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Jacksonville Jaguars Coach Finds New Target for Bus

It is a curious thing. Following a disappointing loss in Indianapolis, Jack Del Rio has once again started up the coach speak bus, put it in gear, and targeted another veteran player to be his press conference speed bump. 

Del Rio has used the media in the past to motivate veteran players. Most recently, John Henderson found himself squarely in the headlights of the “Jackliner” as it rolled down the road. 

The one exception is Henderson, who actually did flip a switch and appears to be playing with a higher level of intensity than he did previously.

Aside from the Henderson situation, players who have become the proverbial deer in the headlights of the Del Rio bus have wound up on the short end of the stick, eventually winding up on different rosters.

Byron Leftwich, Deon Grant, Mike Peterson, and Marcus Stroud have all felt the wheels of the bus, and none of them came away from the experience wearing teal.

It has become almost formulaic. 

It starts with a brief comment alluding to an issue with a player during a Del Rio press conference. That seed, once planted, begins to sprout. As it takes root, speculation begins to heat up about player X being caught in the cross hairs of the head coach. The story simmers quietly and never quite disappears from the periphery. 

Suddenly, the player in question sees his play count starting to dwindle, and the next thing you know, he is gone.

Perhaps Jack is feeling the heat in a year of rebuilding. Rarely does he say something in the press that gives some room for misinterpretation. If anything, Jack has become a masterful technician in the art of coach speak, usually offering very little in the way of content while speaking volumes.

A skilled forensic grammarian can find the nuggets in his comments, but the tedious process of finding the content can often be frustrating.

There are times when candor slips out, making life easier for people tasked with interpreting Jack’s commentary.

That happened yesterday afternoon during his press conference with the local media as Del Rio cranked up the Jackliner, tossed the bus in gear, and punched the pedal. When he was done, the latest victim of the magic fairy dust bus excursion was his starting quarterback, David Garrard.

The seeds have been planted.

For the first time in the media, Del Rio actually called out his quarterback.

Perhaps he waited this long because he did not have a viable alternative previously?

Maybe he has just grown tired of seeing his quarterback making mistakes usually attributed to other guys?

Regardless of the motivation behind the hit and run, it is clear Del Rio has finally come to the realization that the NFL is a quarterback league and his team is never going to get to the next level if his starting signal caller continues to languish in mediocrity.

Garrard apologists flare up immediately any time someone dares to point out even the most blatantly obvious flaws in his game.

Last season, when his poor decision making was called into question, the usual litany of responses included blaming the receivers, the offensive line, the running game, and the play calling. Not once did this group of Garrard supporters deign to admit the possibility their guy might have been part of the problem.

Based on the quantity of excuses used over the past season to explain away David Garrard’s flaws, you would think he was a high ranking member of the Obama administration.

At some point, one of these apologists will declare George W. Bush to blame for David missing a receiver or taking a sack when throwing the ball away would have worked just fine.

The era of passing the buck appears to be winding down with Del Rio beginning to show signs of fatigue in defending his quarterback. 

In his press conference yesterday, Jack finally pointed out the simple fact that his quarterback missed open receivers.  He felt compelled to mention it more than once during the discussion.

The message was crystal clear.

This team is not going anywhere unless they get better play from the quarterback position.

Are we witnessing the first seeds of discontent growing between Del Rio and Garrard? 

Is Jack firing off the first test balloons signaling the impending end of the Garrard era?

There is precedent for this tactic being deployed previously, and the careers of several former Jaguars were ended once the bus was returned to the yard for storage, awaiting the next target.

David Garrard has benefited greatly from following a particularly unpopular player in Byron Leftwich.

He rode this good will masterfully in 2007 by playing an efficient brand of football that landed the Jaguars in the playoffs, and filled his bank account with $18 million in guaranteed money.

When he struggled throughout the 2008 season, the explanations for his struggles usually centered on what others were doing wrong and rarely focused on the mistakes he was making.

One game into the 2009 season and everything has changed. Now, even the head coach is starting to point fingers at his hand-picked quarterback.

That does not bode well for Mr. Garrard and his long-term future in Jacksonville.

That old diesel is warming up, and the Jackliner is rolling out of the parking lot.

 

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LaDainian Tomlinson Injury Update: Injured Ankle, Status Uncertain for Week Two

LaDainian Tomlinson was one of the more controversial running backs heading into 2009 fantasy football drafts, as his history of consistent production and his advancing age collided to form a maelstrom of differing opinions on his potential for 2009.

In the end, despite his age (30) and 2008 struggles, most drafts saw L.T. get plucked at some point in the mid-to-late first round.

Still, there is no doubt that anyone drafting L.T. had to be more than a little nervous about investing their first round pick in a player who is fighting against the stacked history of running backs struggling once they reach 30 years old.

After one week, the L.T. results for 2009 can only be described one way…mixed.

If you did not stay up for the second Monday night game last night between San Diego and Oakland, you missed a thrilling fourth quarter in which Oakland took the lead late on a 4th-and-15 TD pass by JaMarcus Russell, only to see Philip Rivers and San Diego march right down the field and score a TD of their own to capture a 24-20 victory.

You also missed LaDainian Tomlinson having to spend most of the second half on the bench with an ankle injury.

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on San Diego Chargers tickets and all 2009 NFL tickets.

The game was not a complete loss, however, as Tomlinson scored a touchdown in the first half and averaged 4.2 yards per carry on 13 rushes, generating 55 yards. He also had one reception.

The early Monday injury update on Tomlinson is that there really isn’t one, except that he was “limping badly after the game” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune (via PFT’s LT injury update). Tomlinson says that the ankle injury was not bad enough to keep him from playing, but said that it did tighten up on him in the second half.

In Tomlinson’s absence, Darren Sproles ran for only 23 yards on nine carries, but did show his usual giddy-up while gathering 43 yards on five receptions.

We likely won’t know more about Tomlinson’s ankle injury until later in the week, and even then surely Norv Turner and the Chargers will milk the uncertainty over LT’s status as much as they can.

With a tough game coming up against the usually ruthless Ravens’ defense, I would expect to hear very little substantive about LT until late in the week, if at all.

I’ll update this post as more information becomes available about Tomlinson’s injury. I’d make sure you have a backup plan ready, and then be pleasantly surprised if and when you don’t have to use it.

**********

* LaDainian Tomlinson injury update: Bleacher Report

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Week One: Buy/Sell Report

Patrick Crayton WR, DAL

Four receptions, 135 yards, one TD

Jon Dove—Hold—The Dallas offense put up a total of 462 yards. Romo seemed on top of his game and spread the ball around nicely. Crayton will have value if Romo continues to look impressive. However, I would be cautious when trading for Crayton. This huge game could raise his immediate trade value and mask the fact that he is no better than a No. 3 fantasy WR.

Billy Smith—Buy—I think Tampa Bay is transitioning to a different defensive scheme and had a lot of blown assignments. However, Tony Romo showed he is going to distribute the ball more with TO out of the picture. Crayton is gong to get a lot of balls thrown at him this season, he showed he can get open and hang on to the ball. I would try to acquire Crayton, if you can.

 

Earl Bennett WR, CHI

Seven receptions, 66 yards

Jon Dove—Buy—Bennett was by far Cutler’s top target. This was Bennett’s first NFL game with a catch. As Bennett gains experience he could be a major fantasy contributor. This game was impressive, but not blown away impressive so you should be able to buy low.

Billy Smith—Buy—Cutler is familiar with Bennett from their days lighting it up at Vandy. This should factor well for Bennett, especially early in the season.

 

Cedric Benson RB, CIN

21 carries, 76 yards, one TD, four receptions, 32 yards

Jon Dove—Buy—The Bengals’ offense didn’t impress, but Benson was a bright spot. It is a good sign that he was more involved in the passing game. I expect Carson Palmer to improve his play as the season continues, which would open more running lanes for Benson.

Billy Smith—Buy—Having a back that is going to have a solid rushing and receiving game is a nice commodity. I think Cincinnati will get better on offense, especially in the passing game. This will only help Benson’s numbers.

Jay Cutler QB, CHI

17-of-36, 277 yards, one TD, four INT’s

Jon Dove—Buy—His stock is going to be way down after this poor performance. Cutler threw the ball 36 times, which shows the Bears will be passing a lot more this year. He will not have another game like this and will be extra motivated to overcome this terrible performance.

Billy Smith—Sell—I think Cutler got out of Green Bay lucky he didn’t have more interceptions. The Bears need to run the ball more and I think Lovie Smith realizes this. Cutler has yet to prove that he is an elite quarterback. The Bears’ top two receivers are a converted cornerback and a wideout that caught his first professional pass last night. Cutler has potential, but he is a third tier quarterback right now.

Read Full Article

 

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Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings: Week 1

Welcome to the Week 1 edition of the Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings.  Every Tuesday you can look forward to our composite rankings, as well as a bit of insight and analysis about each of the 32 teams.

The rankings are determined by simply taking the average of each of the contributors here at The Cube.  For Week 1, we have rankings from me, Gideon, Mickey, Walker and we welcome Joey to the mix.

Each contributor has their own methodology to the rankings, as you can see in greater detail in the backup data here.  Some try and take into account factors such as strength of schedule or performance in losses, while others (Joey) appear to have a “what have you done for me lately?” approach.

As a result, the top of the rankings were not quite unanimous, with defending champion Pittsburgh receiving four of five first place votes.  The bottom of the ranks were split in half, Detroit and St. Louis each received two 32^nd place nods.

As we learned last year from Detroit’s 4-0 showing, the preseason doesn’t mean much.  After Week 1, there was a lot of movement in the ranks, as 17 teams moved at least five spots up or down the ranks, with four of those teams moving up or down by double digits.

As it’s still early in the season, there is bound to be plenty of disagreement between the contributors here.  Twenty of the teams saw a gap of seven or more in the rankings, with 12 teams having a gap of double digits.  Amazingly, after being involved in seven of eight major disputes last week, Walker was not involved in any.  The main outlier was our pal Joey, who weighted Week 1 very heavily in his ranks.

Seattle Seahawks (17) – Joey 5, Gideon 22

Carolina Panthers (15) – Mickey 15, Joey 32

San Diego Chargers (13) – Jacob / Gideon 3, Mickey 16

Cincinnati Bengals (12) – Joey 18, Mickey 30

Miami Dolphins (11) – Gideon 17, Joey 28

Tennessee Titans (11) – Gideon 9, Joey 20

New Orleans Saints (11) – Joey 1, Gideon 12

New York Giants (10) – Gideon 2, Joey 12

Indianapolis Colts (10) – Jacob 5, Joey 15

Chicago Bears (11) – Gideon 14, Joey 25

Denver Broncos (10) – Joey 16, Gideon 26

Jacksonville Jaguars (10) – Jacob 17, Mickey 27

On the divisional side, the NFC led the way again, but after Week 1 the East took first place with an average score of 7.95.  The NFC North, thanks to Da Bears, dropped to second with an 8.50 average.  The AFC West remains at the bottom, although improving its average rank to 20.60.  Second to last was the NFC South, dropping to 19.70 thanks to Carolina’s pitiful performance.

As a reminder, you can check out all the backup data here.  Without further ado, onto the rankings.  Last week’s ranks are in parentheses.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) – The Steelers got a good win over the Titans to get some revenge from last season, but paid a hefty price losing Troy Polamalu for three to six weeks with a knee injury.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (7) – The Eagles’ huge win on the road in Week 1 was overshadowed by the injury to QB Donovan McNabb.

3. New Orleans Saints (15) – Drew Brees’ 358 yard, six TD performance made fantasy owners everywhere smile. It would be nice to be able to play the Lions all 16 games.

4. New England Patriots (2) – Tom Brady triumphantly returned to Foxboro and led the Pats to an impressive comeback win. The status of LB Jerod Mayo’s knee is a major concern, however.

5. New York Giants (4) – The Giants’ defense looked good in a win over Washington, mostly thanks to the return of Osi Umenyiora.

6. Minnesota Vikings (12) – Adrian Peterson is really, really, really, really, really good at football.

7. San Diego Chargers (5) – The Chargers escape Week 1 with a divisional road win.  It sounds much better when the Raiders aren’t mentioned as the opponent.

8. Green Bay Packers (14) – The Packers defense looked spectacular Sunday night against the Bears, and Aaron Rodgers came through when it counted.

9. Baltimore Ravens (6) – The Ravens defense didn’t look great in beating the Matt Cassel-less Chiefs, but QB Joe Flacco certainly did.

10. Indianapolis Colts (3) – The Colts squeaked out a win, as Reggie Wayne picked up the slack for the injured Anthony Gonzalez.

11. Atlanta Falcons (13) – The Falcons have to be happy with their addition of Tony Gonzalez, but even more pleased with the performance of the defense.

12. Dallas Cowboys (17) – No T.O., no problem.  Tony Romo spread the ball around nicely while throwing for a career-high 353 yards in the Cowboys’ win over the Buccaneers

13. Tennessee Titans (8) – Despite a loss to the defending champs, the Titans have to be happy with their defensive performance.

14. Seattle Seahawks (24) – The Seahawks looked great on both sides of the ball in their win on Sunday.  So would most teams playing against the Rams.

15.  New York Jets (22) – It may only be one game, but the Jets’ decision to trade up for Mark Sanchez looks pretty smart right now.

16. San Francisco 49ers (25) – Mike Singletary’s first full season as a head coach has gotten off to a great start.  The Niners will need more from their offense to keep it up though.

17. Buffalo Bills (23) – The Bills suffer another heartbreaking 25-24 loss on Monday Night Football.

18.  Chicago Bears (10) – It’s hard to overshadow Jay Cutler’s miserable debut, but Brian Urlacher’s season-ending wrist injury did just that.  Ouch.

19. Denver Broncos (26) – I’ll let Gus Johnson take this one.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (21) – A bright spot in the Jaguars’ loss to Indy was their defense, which held the vaunted Colts offense to just 14 points.

21. Houston Texans (18) – A trendy sleeper pick before the season, the Texans were anything but in a disappointing home loss to the Jets.

22. Arizona Cardinals (11) – Starting the season with a divisional loss at home is not the best way to defend your conference crown.

23. Washington Redskins (19) – The Skins looked alright against the Giants, but turnovers and their inability to convert in the red zone cost them.

24. Miami Dolphins (16) – The Dolphins tried all kinds of trickeration against the Falcons.  Not much of it worked, as the offense was stymied.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (27) – The Bengals suffered a tough loss in the waning seconds against the Broncos.  What should be of more concern was their inability to score in the first 59 minutes of the game.

26. Carolina Panthers (9) – Which QBs are available in the free agent pool?

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20) – The decision by head coach Raheem Morris to name Cadillac Williams the starter looks like a good one.  Not many other ones have, as the Bucs allowed 34 points to the Cowboys.

28. Oakland Raiders (30) – A valiant effort by the Raiders comes up just short, but their WR corps showed a great deal of promise.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (29) – The Chiefs put up 24 points on Baltimore with Brodie Croyle under center.  Could this be a positive sign of things to come?

30. Cleveland Browns (28) – It’s going to be another long year in Cleveland.  The Browns only had 188 total yards in the first 57 minutes of their loss to Minnesota.

31. Detroit Lions (32) – It can only get better.  Right?

32. St. Louis Rams (31) – After the Rams’ offense put up a bagel against Seattle, QB Marc Bulger is already on the hot seat.

This article originally posted on Cubicle GM.

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Week One: Waiver Wire Rush

After completing Week 1, these are the guys you want to watch out for.

Go For It:

Joe Flacco, BAL, QB (60 percent owned in 10 team format) – Look, the Ravens aren’t throwing 43 times every game. But they NEVER threw 43 times last year, and they must have a lot of faith in Flacco to let him toss the ball all over the field like he did Sunday. Flacco isn’t just a game manager like he was last season, so snag him up as a situational starter in all leagues. (Target: All leagues)

Steve Smith, NYG, WR (26%) – Eli Manning is still trying to find out who he can trust with no Plax, and he put a lot of faith in Steve Smith Sunday. Add to that the “3rd Year WR” rule and Hakeem Nicks going down, Smith is in line to be the Giants No. 1 target this year. He may not be a top 20 WR, but he’s not that far out. He is an easy WR3 and should be taken in all formats (Target: All leagues, PPR+)

Laurent Robinson, StL, WR (4%) – Robinson outplayed Donnie Avery in every way, and he just misplayed a chance for an additional big play. Steven Jackson had very few targets out of the backfield which opens up more passes for the receivers. Keep a close eye on him next week, but don’t be too late in snagging him up. (Target: 12 team leagues).

John Carlson, SEA, TE (86%) / Brent Celek, PHI, TE (36%) / Todd Heap, BAL, TE (21%) / Ben Watson, NE, TE (6%) – Carlson will be hard to come by, but between these four players you have a 200 percent chance of getting one, and that should be all you need. Watson was targeted more Monday night than any time in the McDaniels regime. Heap looks just like he did in his all-pro seasons, and Carlson should be an easy all-pro this year. McNabb knew he had Celek as a safety net, and whoever the QB is should McNabb miss starts will use Celek the same way. There should be no TE issues the rest of the season if you pick one of these four up.

All Things Depending:
Ricky Williams, MIA, RB (32 percent) – Ricky is a solid role player in Miami, but he shouldn’t ever crack your starting line-up with the exception of 14+ team leagues. With that said, he is at the very top of back-ups, and is a necessary handcuff for Ronnie Brown owners regardless of league size. (Target: 14+ leagues, Ronnie Brown owners)

Leon Washington, NYJ, RB (55%) – Although Jones is still the main man with the Jets, Washington is being used as much as he can and will be very big as a pass-catching RB. Should be on most 12 team leagues, and could find his way onto 10 team PPR teams. (Target: 12-14 team leagues, all PPR leagues)

Patrick Crayton, DAL, WR (36 percent) – Crayton had a monster game, but 80 of his 135 yards were on one play against a bad Bucs secondary allowing big plays left and right. Romo didn’t lock in to one player, and Crayton did nothing to break away from Jason Witten, Miles Austin, and Roy Williams. Don’t feel bad if you missed out, and don’t pick him up unless it is an obvious upgrade. (Target: 14 team leagues)

Hold Off For Now:
LeRon McClain, BAL, RB (50 percent) – McClain sharked a TD and caught three passes. That was good enough for 12 points in PPR leagues, and he will get some interest with that. But he shouldn’t. Ray Rice was a monster Sunday and will be so all season. Again, my philosophy is to let owners pick up players like McClain and drop a player in a better situation. Let this happen to you. (Target: TD only leagues only)

Isaac Bruce, 49ers, WR (38%) – Bruce had the best game of any 49ers WR. And really that’s the only reason people would grab him right now. Josh Morgan, Frank Gore, and Vernon Davis likely will all outplay Bruce the remainder of the year, and Shaun Hill doesn’t have enough ball to give to everyone. Look for Bruce to be average at best the rest of the year. (Target: N/A)

 

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Bengals D-Line Shows Improvement

Going into the season, the Bengals defensive line looked to be much improved. But the question remained whether they would be able to overcome some of the deficiencies of last year’s squad. Let’s break down the three vital areas as I see them.

 

Pressuring the QB

The Bengals hardly ever got to the quarterback last year, and when they did, it usually came from the linebacker position.

During the game against Denver on Sunday, the Bengals recorded three sacks, all of which came from the defensive front. DE Antwan Odom recorded two sacks, including one big one late in the game, which knocked Denver out of field goal position.

The other came from Jonathan Fanene.

While some improvement was made along the defensive line, not enough was done to pressure Kyle Orton. In fact, during the second half, Orton appeared to have all day to find an open receiver.

Right now, I’d say the d-line looks improved in the area of rushing the QB, but there’s room for much improvement. Much of that comes from the other end, Robert Geathers, who’s inconsistency continues to be a problem.

Geathers recorded no stats at all in the game. That can’t happen from your key defensive end. Will rookie Michael Johnson (who had a nice debut) push Geathers for more playing time?

 

Stopping the run

In the preseason, the defensive line looked as though they were going to take it to the next level, regarding stopping the run. The addition of Tank Johnson was sure to help in this area.

For the game against Denver, the run defense was relatively pedestrian. Nothing stood out, but the defensive line did not yield any big plays either. They allowed an average of 3.8 yards per carry and 75 yards.

That’s a step in the right direction, from a total yardage standpoint. If you give up less than a 100 yards on the ground, you’re giving your team a chance to win.

It would be nice to see the yards per carry average come down to three or less though. While Tank Johnson saw a fair amount of double coverage, he still made a presence with 2 tackles and brings a swagger of nastiness to this line.

 

Getting off the field

It seems as though game after game last year, the defense would give up a big play on third down, which would both deflate the team and keep a tired defense on the field longer.

So, this year, it was crucial that the defense do what they had to, in order to shut down the run or the pass on third down.

This is the area you could see marked improvement, specifically from the defensive line. The Bengals yielded only 10 first downs to the Broncos and only allowed three third-down conversions (out of 12).

If they can manage to keep up that sort of big play mindset, they can improve in the other areas. As mentioned, one of the big third down plays was when Antwan Odom sacked Orton in the fourth quarter, knocking Denver out of field goal position.

Additionally, rookie Michael Johnson came in three different times on third down and made two tackles and batted a pass down to help bring out the Bronco special team unit.

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Next Time Set Yourself on Fire Buffalo, Melt Tom Brady’s Ice Water Veins

Monday Night Football is back.

Well, technically MNF had already been back during the preseason, but seriously, who likes to watch the preseason? I personally want to watch the game when it counts. So, I marked my calendar for Sept. 14, 2009.

Now, one matchup I was dying to see was Buffalo vs New England.

Last year, I would mark this down as probably a Patriots’ win. I mean, the Bills didn’t look great last year. Trent Edwards was getting his feet under him, and while he was improving vastly, he was not as good as the Bills needed him to be.

Lee Evans is a great wideout, but he was really the only receiving option for the Bills. So, once Terrell Owens arrived, I was very happy. It gives the Bills two great receiving options along with the running game that could be great once Marshawn Lynch gets back from suspension.

I felt that New England was going to look great this year now that Tom Brady was back, but it looked as if Buffalo’s offense was killing a Patriots’ defense that’s missing a ton of playmakers.

Rodney Harrison, Teddy Bruschi, Richard Seymour, and Mike Vrabel all are gone from that Patriots’ once mighty defense. This is not great for the Patriots because every man I just mentioned controlled that defense. They were captains and leaders, and now none are there.

So even though the Pats have one of the best coaches of all-time in Bill Belichick, even he couldn’t get his defense back to the way it once was so quickly.

They also lost Jarrod Mayo, who was basically the guy taking Brusci’s spot. So, you have five men out from New England’s past defense that were there during the Super Bowl years. Mayo just arrived for one, but, he was still experienced, and someone the Pats needed to have on the field.

Brandon Mariweather is also a guy that needs to step up, and while he made a huge play toward the end of the game to help the Pats win, he didn’t do as well in coverage.

My hat is off to the Bills, because they played great. However, the Bills didn’t beat the Pats at the perfect time to do so. Everything I just mentioned was against the Pats, yet the Bills still lost.

They were ahead by two scores with just five minutes remaining and fell apart, while Tom Brady came on toward the end like usual.

I hope he can do that in the beginning of the game from now on, that way he won’t have to come back and save the Pats. He was off in the first half, and this team does not look like it did in the 2007-08 undefeated regular season.

This team looks like it can make the playoffs, but for now, there are other teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, and others who could possibly get to the Super Bowl.

The team must play better on both sides of the ball because if they play the way they did last night against the teams I mentioned previously, they are going to lose.

We are so used to seeing this New England team run all over people when Brady is in the game. But he also had a great defense to rely on from the beginning of his career. Now that this defense is not as good as it once was, Brady has to step up even more than he has before.

While that seems like an easy thing for Brady to do, because lets face it, he has ice-water for veins. Nothing rattles him what so ever, and that showed last night in the comeback win over the Bills, he even needs help from the defense.

Now that the big time leaders of this time are gone from the defense, people such as Mayo, Burgess, Wilfork, and Meriweather are going to have to take over.

If they don’t, this team even with Tom Brady, has no shot at the Super Bowl. All of these other teams such as the Ravens and Steelers have a good defense and an equally good offense.

I am as big a fan of Tom Brady as anyone, but he has never had a team this vulnerable in his entire pro career. Right now, the offense needs to step up and get things going, which I can see happening as the season goes on.

But, the defense is the biggest question mark of all. This team may win its division, if they are lucky, but the Super Bowl looks more in doubt than ever before.

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