The NFL: Week One
What a week! The football season kicked off with both a bang and a whimper – with some truly surprising performances (see: Pennington, Chad) and some real disappointments (see: Alexander, Shaun). The Pick ‘Em was just as competitive for some, and we had some teams lay proverbial eggs.
Going into the Monday night games – and it’s hard to really wrap my head around the fact that there are two of them – it is down to Bettis Molests Collies and NYCWHEELBARRELS. Those teams have different picks in both games, so it’s pretty up in the air here – but no one else can even tie Erik Lindemann’s 11 correct picks thus far. Nice going, Erik. We will see the results tomorrow. (I'd also like to add that the rumors of Jerome Bettis actually having relations with Lassie and her ilk are just that - rumors and hearsay. OK, moving on.)
Did you guys know that last night there was a game between two brothers? Yeah, the Giants quarterback is the younger brother of the Colts QB. You might have missed it because there wasn’t much press about it, so I thought I’d repeat it. That’s the service I provide for y’all.
Actually, while I watched all the morning and early afternoon games – and yes, I mean all of them – I didn’t even see a down of the Manning Bowl, as I was busy helping my bride to be unpack all the gifts she got at her bridal shower. So while I can’t tell you whether Peyton Manning called an audible on every single play, or just 85% of them, I can tell you that we have some pretty amazing cookware. Yay for us!
On the other hand, here are some quick hits from watching the games around the league:
What the pluck was up with Seattle? I know that the defending Super Bowl loser ends up losing their first regular season game the next year approximately 124% of the time, but that was a serious egg they laid. 9-6? What was that, a Mariners-Tigers game? Not cool. Not cool at all.
Quick, who had Alex Smith having more passing yardage than Peyton Manning, Eli Manning…heck, everyone but Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner and Chad Pennington? Nobody? That’s what I thought.
Yes, that says Chad Pennington, your Week One passing leader through Sunday’s games. Can’t say I saw that coming.
It’s possible I could have underestimated Baltimore. I’m not going to push too far, but a shutout of Tampa Bay? And posting 26 points on that defense? Hard not to be impressed by that.
It wasn’t just Smith who shined for the 49ers in their loss to the Cardinals. Statistics might often lie, but Frank Gore really ran well through a defense that isn’t great but certainly should have been able to slow him down. He looked very impressive, as did Antonio Bryant in the fourth quarter. The Niners might continue to struggle this season, but it does look like they’ll have some fun doing it and provide some exciting games.
What is going on with Bill Parcells’ breasts? Seriously – that was terrifying. Just not even remotely safe for children to watch. Buy that man a mansierre!
I love the fact that Terrell Owens looks at home in a Cowboys uni. That’s just synchronicity.
Speaking of idiots, how great does my Carolina-Denver Super Bowl pick look right now? Not so good, huh? In further news, I’m a moron.
That hit on Trent Green was vicious and legal. And man, did that Kansas City offense just look inept after that? Sorry to the Chiefs fans here, but really – it was like flipping a switch. I never would have thought Green was that important of a cog in this machine, but then again, I never thought a team would aggressively try to hire Herm Edwards.
So, good luck to Erik and to B Launer – I’m not sure of B’s first name, and I’m assuming he’s related to Russ Launer, a longtime participant in the Greeby Time Pick ‘Em. B stands for…Brad? Billy? Bart? Braylon? I can keep going here, folks.
You’ll also remember, at least those of you who have played before, that I try and place a picture of a player from the team of the weekly winner. It’s not decided yet, but given the date on the calendar, I’m instead posting the following.
It would be just too odd to let this post go by without a mention of what today is, the fifth anniversary of one of the worst days in our country’s history. Everyone has their own memories of this awful day, and the five years since then have been interesting, and tragic, and inspiring, and maddening…and a lot of other adjectives. I wish talking about 9/11 hadn’t become a political discussion, and that I still felt the unity of the country I did when Senators and Representatives all sang “God Bless America” on the steps of Congress, but I don’t. That being said, it’s a wonderful country and today is an even more appropriate day than normal to recognize that, and to also know that we can do better.
Peace.