Week 2 Reflections

How great is the NFL? The story lines are endless and there are so many entertaining games each week. Comeback victories ruled Week 2.

• The Redskins outscored the Saints 14-0 in the 4th quarter to secure a 29-24 victory.
  
• The Panthers found themselves down 17-3 in the 3rd quarter then reeled off 17 unanswered points to bring their record to 2-0.
  
• The Bills topped the Jaguars 20-16 following an acrobatic touchdown grab by rookie WR James Hardy in the 4th quarter.
• The first six quarters of the Colts' season were ugly. They were down 15-0 to the Vikings in the 3rd quarter Sunday. Peyton Manning led the Colts' comeback, scoring two touchdowns in the second half and converting the two point conversion to tie the game up at 15-15. An Adam Vinatieri field goal with three seconds left sealed the 18-15 victory.
• And last but most definitely not least was the Monday night thriller. The Eagles led the Cowboys 30-24 at halftime. This first half was a track meet to say the least. The defenses showed up (sort of) in the second half. The Cowboys trailed 37-34 in the 4th before a one yard touchdown run by Marion Barber with 4:40 left. Barber's touchdown proved to be the game winner.

Before we move on top 5s and observations, I need to weigh in on the Ed Hochuli situation. Let me start by saying the Chargers got hosed. Their defense is obviously not the same without Shawne Merriman. That aside, San Diego did what they needed to do to put themselves in a position to win the game. The ball slipped out of Jay Cutler's hand, the Chargers recovered it and the game should have been over, but Hochuli blew the play dead immediately after the ball hit the ground due to an odd rule the Broncos retained possession at the spot of the fumble. Hochuli made a mistake. Everyone has made a mistake before (except me) and Hochuli admitted it. If the Chargers' secondary could have stopped one of two plays, I wouldn't have just typed 130 words. Granted, San Diego wouldn't have been put in that position if Hochuli doesn't screw up, but I'm not sure there is a way to make this right. People in the know say Hochuli is one of the best refs the NFL has, so a suspension is out of the question. I see only way to make him completely understand the magnitude of his mistake...no lifting for a month. Gotta get him where it hurts.

5 Things I Learned:
1. The NFC has surpassed the AFC as the best conference.
2. When Donovan McNabb is 100% healthy, he's a top 5 quarterback in the league.
3. The Seahawks can't win without their top four wide receivers...even at home.
4. The Jets are overrated.
5. The Cowboys do not need to play defense to win.

5 Things That Proved to be True:
1. The Chiefs will probably have the #1 pick in the 2009 draft.
2. The Lions' defense is also bad at home.
3. Peyton Manning can will his team to victory.
4. Brian Westbrook is still underrated. He is the third best running back and the best pass catching back.
5. The NFC East is the best division in the NFL (sorry AFC South).


Other Observations:

• Tarvaris Jackson is quickly becoming a liability at quarterback for the Vikings. Adrian Peterson is a beast but cannot be the only offensive threat on the field. With Jackson, the short passes are sketchy at best and the play action deep ball is not an option.
  
• The Jaguars and Chargers could be in trouble. Starting the season 0-2 is bad but not crippling. I'm not sure they can come back to make the playoffs if they start 0-3.
• Reggie Bush now has two highlights in his career and on both he makes himself look like an idiot. I know he doesn't score often, but why does he feel the need to taunt as he is running toward the endzone? Yes, we know you're faster than most people on the field, but don't show people up.
• Speaking of idiots, rookie WR DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles topped Bush. McNabb threw a bomb right on target to a wide open Jackson who pulled it in and two yards before stepping into the endzone, he decided to start his celebration early by throwing the ball behind him. Why not just wait the extra second to avoid any confusion? Check out the video for yourself.
• Here is a list of players that caught passes for the Seahawks on Sunday: John Carlson, Billy McMullen, Courtney Taylor, Julius Jones, Logan Payne, Michael Bumpus and Owen Schmitt. That is a sad list. By the way, Seattle signed WR Koren Robinson and traded for Broncos WR Keary Colbert today.
• The Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals are both 2-0. Who saw that coming? Watch out, the Bills are sneaky good.
• Matt Cassel was decent in the Patriots' 19-10 victory over the Jets. Belichick is definitely altering the game plan to take some pressure off Cassel. The Pats have the Dolphins next week followed by the bye week then the 49ers. That gives Cassel three more weeks taking snaps with the first team offense.

Rookie of the Week:

It came down to two guys this week...DeSean Jackson or Raiders' RB Darren McFadden. I've got to give it to McFadden because he didn't act like an idiot during his stellar performance. McFadden had 164 yards on 21 carries and his first career touchdown. He has star potential. It's a shame he's stuck in the hell hole known as Oakland.

Media Notes of the Week:

I really think that the Monday Night Football producers told Tony Kornheiser not mention Jessica Simpson because I only heard her name once. It's not like Tony not to harp on an irrelevant topic for an entire broadcast (i.e. Favre in Week 1).

I got to watch Fox's NFL pregame show Sunday morning and I have to admit it's pretty good. The addition of Michael Strahan was worthy every penny. He's funny and very insightful with his analysis. The group Fox has assembled is definitely better than CBS and ESPN.


That does it for my Week 2 Reflections. I'll be back later in the week with more blogging brillance.

Peace.